Babies understand what their mothers say, even when they speak a language their children have never heard before, scientists claim.
The researchers found that one-year-olds reacted in exactly same way to their mothers’ voices regardless of whether they were speaking English or Greek, showing what mothers have long known – that babies pick up on tone of voice rather than the words themselves.
The researchers, from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology, observed babies as they watched their mothers perform actions with toys using the English words “whoops” and “there”. The scientists studied reactions from one-year-old babies to their mums’ voices even when they were speaking both English and Greek, and keeping the same tone of voice. The academics found that babies reproduced the same reactions regardless of whether they knew the language.
Study leader Dr Merideth Gattis of Cardiff University’s School of Psychology says, “What this work showed was that children could have access to understanding simply through tone of voice. We did ‘whoops’ and ‘there’ in two languages and got exactly the same results.” The research, published in the journal Cognitive Development, was conducted on 84 babies aged between 14 and 18 months, over the course of a year, with none of the babies having any previous exposure to Greek.
Dr Gattis says that children respond to tone clues in their parents’ voices from an early age.
She says, “Tone of voice is a really useful signal of what someone is thinking. We never have direct access to other people’s minds, except the signals in language that they give out.” She says the study shows that it is less important what parents say than how they say it.
Dr Gattis adds, “A child may ask if you like his / her drawing, for example. You might say yes, but if you don’t sound enthusiastic, the meaning may not get across.” Before children begin to speak, parents should use exaggerated tone when speaking to them.According to the text, what have mothers long-known?
| A．Babies have a better understanding of English. |
| B．Babies pick up on tone of voice. |
| C．Babies like their mothers’ performances. |
| D．Babies like drawing from an early age. |
Which of the following is TRUE, according to the study?
| A．Tone of voice is the most useful sign of what someone is thinking. |
| B．After children begin to speak, tone becomes unimportant. |
| C．The babies acted the same way regardless of the language. |
| D．The research was conducted on 48 babies. |
According to the text, Dr. Gattis believes that _________.
| A．we have no access to other people’s minds |
| B．babies can’t understand what “yes” means |
| C．parents should always sound enthusiastic |
| D．how a parent speaks is more important than what he or she says |
What’s the text mainly about?
| A．The content of the journal Cognitive Development. |
| B．The famous works of Dr. Gattis. |
| C．Babies understanding their mothers through tone. |
| D．Babies having the potential to learn language well. |
The text can be classified as _________.
| A．a report | B．an advertisement | C．a handbook | D．a guide |
Big trees are incredibly important ecologically. For a start, they provide food for countless other species and shelter for many animals. With their tall branches in the sun, they capture vast amounts of energy. This allows them to produce massive crops of fruit and flowers that sustain much of the animal life in the forest.
Only a small number of tree species have the genetic ability to grow really big. The biggest are native to North America, but big trees grow all over the globe, from the tropics to the forests of the high latitudes (纬度). To achieve giant size, a tree needs three things: the right place to establish its seedling, good growing conditions and lots of time with low adult death rate. Lose any of these, and you will lose your biggest trees.
In some parts of the world, populations of big trees are dwindling(逐渐变少) because their seedlings cannot survive. In southern India, for instance, an aggressive non-native bush, Lantana camara, is invading the floor of many forests. Lantana grows so thickly that young trees often fail to take root. With no young trees to replace them, it is only a matter of time before most of the big trees disappear.
Without the right growing conditions, trees cannot get really big and there is some evidence to suggest tree growth could slow in a warmer world, particularly in environments that are already warm. Having worked for decades at La Selva Biological Station in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, David and Deborah Clark and colleagues have shown that tree growth there declines markedly in warmer years. “During the day, their growth shuts down when it gets too warm, and at night they consume more energy because their metabolic (新陈代谢) rate increases,” explains David Clark. With less energy produced in warmer years and more being consumed just to survive, there is even less energy available for growth.
The darks’ theory, if correct, means tropical forests would shrink over time. The largest, oldest trees would progressively die off and tend not to be replaced. According to the Clarks, this might cause a destabilization(不稳定) of the climate; as older trees die, forests would release some of their stored carbon into the atmosphere, causing a cycle of further warming, forest shrinkage and carbon emissions.
Besides, big trees face threats from elsewhere.According to the passage, big trees make great contributions to the ecosystem because .
| A．they can capture large amounts of energy. |
| B．they determine the change of global climate. |
| C．they provide the essentials for many creatures. |
| D．they can avoid a new cycle of further warming. |
All the following factors are a must for making big trees EXCEPT .
| A．no deadly damage |
| B．genetic contribution |
| C．ideal environment for growth |
| D．high-latitude location |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Big trees in trouble. |
| B．Advantages of big trees. |
| C．Results of big trees’ disappearing. |
| D．Importance of big trees to humans. |
What will the author most probably discuss after the last paragraph?
| A．More threats to the existence of big trees. |
| B．The effect of human activities on big trees. |
| C．Benefits of big trees to the whole atmosphere. |
| D．Comparison between common trees and big ones. |
People become quite illogical when they try to decide what can be eaten and what cannot be eaten. If you lived in the Mediterranean, for instance, you would consider octopus (章鱼) a great delicacy. You would not be able to understand why some people find it repulsive. On the other hand, your stomach would turn at the idea of frying potatoes in animal fat --the normally accepted practice in many northern countries. The sad truth is that most of us have been brought up to eat certain foods and we stick to them all our lives.
No creature has received more praise and abuse than the common garden snail(蜗牛). Cooked in wine, snails are a great luxury in various parts of the world. There are countless people who, ever since their early years, have learned to associate snails with food. My friend, Robert, lives in a country where snails are not liked. As his flat is in a large town, he has no garden of his own. For years he has been asking me to collect snails from my garden and take them to him.
The idea never appealed to me very much, but one day, after heavy shower, I happened to be walking in my garden when I noticed a huge number of snails taking a stroll on some of my prized plants. Acting on a sudden impulse, I collected several dozen, put them in a paperbag,and took them to Robert. Robert was delighted to see me and equally pleased with my little gift. I left the bag in the hall and Robert and I went into the living room where we talked for a couple of hours. 1 had forgotten all about the snails when Robert suddenly said that I must stay to dinner. Snails would, of course, be the main dish. I did not fancy the idea and I reluctantly followed Robert out of the room. To our dismay, we saw that there were snails everywhere: they had escaped from the paper bag and had taken complete possession of the hall! I have never been able to look at a snail since then.The underlined word “repulsive” in Paragraph 1 most probably means .
| A．disgusting | B．pleasant |
| C．acceptable | D．delicious |
We can infer from Paragraph 3 that when collecting the snails, the author .
| A．was glad that he could share them with his friend. |
| B．was angry because they might damage his beloved plants. |
| C．was excited about being able to give his friend a surprise. |
| D．was depressed because it was hard to catch them all. |
The author finds that snails .
| A．are as delicious as octopus. |
| B．are disliked in his hometown. |
| C．are the most controversial food. |
| D．are as popular as fried potatoes. |
The best title for the passage might be “”
| A．One Man’s Meat is Another Man’s Poison |
| B．Foods and Cultures |
| C．Snail and Octopus |
| D．People Are Illogical in Front of Delicacies |
Have you ever had that fantasy to visit the moon, grab a rock and throw it into space so it would float forever? Soon, if you have got the cash, you can!
Enter the Artemis Project. This new and exciting project is a private one that will “establish a permanent, self-supporting manned lunar base,” which translates into a community on the moon for people to live in. “It’s not a question of whether it’ll work, but rather how long it will take.” according to Gregory Bennett, the founder of the Artemis Project
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon. That moment became a great achievement in both the space community and for humanity itself. Despite the significance of occasion, almost certainly when viewers saw images of his weightless, bouncing (弹跳) figure they thought, “That looks like fun!”
So the Artemis team is taking realistic approach to a human fantasy: they are marketing the project of a lunar base as pure entertainment.
Veronis, Suhler & Associates are investment bankers for the communications and media industry. Their research found that Americans spent over 40 billion dollars to be entertained in the movies, through home videos and television in 1999.
California investor, Dennis Tito, recently took a trip to the International Space Station, after donating $20 million dollars to the Russian Space program. Wealthy celebrities like Canadian director James Cameron and the brothers of rock band Oasis have also voiced their interest to visit the big ball in the sky. In the same report by Veronis, Suhler & Associates, consumers spent close to 4 billion dollars on video-game software alone. So, for $1.42 billion dollars the Artemis Project is a drop in the entertainment bucket.
University student, Al Dharsee says, “I would certainly go to the moon, if given the opportunity, so that I could look at the earth and laugh. But with the way we treat our own planet, I don’t think we deserve to set foot on any planets or moons for that matter.
However, if you’re one of those ready to book a flight, don’t pack your bags quite yet, your flight is not scheduled to depart for at least a couple of decades.What is the Artemis Project aimed at?
| A．Maintaining a manned lunar base. |
| B．Providing a new kind of entertainment. |
| C．Offering some community-based facilities. |
| D．Finding facts about the first exploration to the moon. |
What did Veronis, Suhler& Associates find through their research?
| A．Wealthy celebrities donated a lot of space programs. |
| B．The Artemis Project would cost less than $1.42 billion dollars. |
| C．Americans paid a large amount of money for entertainment. |
| D．More than $40 billion are spent on communications and media industries in 1999. |
What does Al DHarsee imply?
| A．Most planets deserve to be employed. |
| B．Human beings may destroy the moon. |
| C．It costs too much to destroy the environment. |
| D．The trip to the moon doesn’t appeal to him. |
This text may be taken from .
| A．a fiction story. |
| B．an advertisement. |
| C．an entertainment report. |
| D．a business survey. |
Without any previous notice, a documentary dominated headlines and social websites over the weekend. Under the Dome, a 103-minute documentary self-funded by former CCTV news anchor Chai Jing was released on video-sharing websites in China on Feb 28. It has rapidly pushed the public awareness about air pollution and encouraged people to join in efforts to make a difference.
Chai, 39, said she started the work out of her “personal clashes” with smog after she gave birth to a daughter. “I sealed tight all the windows. I started every day by checking the air pollution index,” Chai said. Millions of other people are also doing the same. While they stop there, Chai goes deeper. “I don’t want to live in this way. 1 need to find out where the smog comes from and what on earth is going on.”
Over a year, she investigated polluted sites to find the sources of smog, visited the US and the UK to learn about their anti-pollution experiences, and interviewed officials, scientists and the general public. Chai’s research reveals that the burning of coal and oil contributes to 60 percent of PM2.5 pollutants. She thus questions the country’s energy consumption habits in the film.
She then goes on to disclose loopholes (漏洞) in car emissions regulations. The film also explains that businesses are pressured not to abide by(遵守) the laws because violating(违反) them carries little or no cost, while making changes bumps up costs. The film also points at China’s petroleum and steel industries as the biggest sources of air pollution.
Cheng Chen, a 22-year-old student from Beijing Foreign Studies University, found the documentary “very inspiring”. “I used to think it’s not my duty to deal with air pollution—I don’t own a factory or a car,” said Cheng. “But Chai told me we share the same fate since we breathe the same air and there is a lot I can do.”
However, some people are annoyed by the film’s description of their polluted hometowns, especially when it shows a banner from Xingtai in Hebei saying “Congratulations to our city for no longer being ranked the last place among the country’s 74 cities in terms of air quality”.
Such a feeling of “being insulted”, in Cheng’s eyes, could also be a good thing. “What’s important is that Chai’s work has raised public attention toward the structure of the energy industry,” she said. Meanwhile, experts remind moved viewers of the film’s limitations.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．The documentary was made by Chai jing , who works in CCTV now. |
| B．The documentary dominated headlines and social websites soon after it was broadcast on TV. |
| C．Chai started making the documentary after she gave birth to a daughter. |
| D．Chai thinks that it is the burning of coal and oil that leads to air pollution in china. |
Why Chai jing decided to make the film at first ?
| A．She wanted to do something for her daughter |
| B．She wanted to disclose loopholes in car emissions regulations. |
| C．She wanted to make money |
| D．She wanted to raise public attention toward the structure of the energy industry |
what’s the author’s attitude towards the film?
| A．positive | B．objective |
| C．negative | D．indifferent |
What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence?
| A．Some people deserve to be insulted. |
| B．The feeling of “being insulted” can help draw attention to air pollution. |
| C．Insulting people is good for protecting environment. |
| D．No longer being ranked the last place is not a bad thing. |
The character “duang” is so new that it does not even exist in the Chinese dictionary. But it has already spread like wildfire online in China, appearing more than 8 million times on China’s micro-blogging site Weibo, where it spawned a top-trending hashtag(标签) that drew 312,000 discussions among 15,000 users. On China’s biggest online search engine Baidu, it has been looked up almost 600,000 times. It’s been noticed in the West too, with Foreign Policy seeing it as a “break the internet” viral meme － like a certain Kirn Kardashian image, or a certain multicoloured dress.
But what does it mean? “Everyone’s duang-ing and I still don’t know what it means! As if it’s back to school for me,” said Weibo user Weileiweito. Another user asked: “Have you duang-ed today? My mind is full of duang duang duang.” “To duang or not to duang, that is the question,” wrote user BaiKut automan.
“Duang” seems to be an example of onomatopoeia(拟声词), a word that phonetically imitates a sound. It all seems to have started with Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, who in 2004 was featured in a shampoo commercial where he said famously defended his sleek, black hair using the rhythmical-sounding “duang”. The word resurfaced again recently after Chan posted it on his Weibo page. Thousands of users then began to flood Chan’s Weibo page with comments, coining the word in reference to his infamous shampoo appearance.
The word appears to have many different meanings, and there’s no perfect translation, but you could use it as an adjective to give emphasis to the word that follows it. A kitten might be “duang cute”, for example. Or you might be “very duang confused” by this blog.
For readers of Chinese characters, the Jackie Chan theme is also apparent from the quirky(古怪的) way in which the word is written: a combination of Chan’s Mandarin names.How does the writer try to prove that Duang has already spread like wildfire online in China?
| A．giving examples | B．listing numbers |
| C．making comparisons | D．offering quotations |
Why does the author mention “a certain Kirn Kardashian image”?
| A．to tell us “Duang” also draws attention in the West. |
| B．to tell us “Duang” is just like a certain image on a certain multicolored dress. |
| C．to tell us Foreign Policy doesn’t like “Duang”. |
| D．to tell us a certain Kim Kardashian image breaks the internet. |
Which of the following statements about “duang is NOT true?
| A．It came from Jackie chan’s commertial. |
| B．Weibo users created the word about his infamous shampoo appearance. |
| C．It was first used as an adjective to stress the word that follows it. |
| D．Many people are confused by the word. |
What kind of people may not know the word “duang”?
| A．the old who are over sixties |
| B．the young who are in fashion |
| C．a boy who has dropped out of school |
| D．a woman who never surfs the internet |