Empathy(同情心) lets us feel another person’s pain and drives us to help. Do any other animals feel empathy? Scientists recently found that rats(老鼠) do, too.
Most people don’t like rats. In many people’s eyes, rats are only bad. But Jean Decety and his partners at the University of Chicago did an experiment. It showed that rats are kind, warm-hearted animals. They can feel each other’s pain.
Scientists placed pairs of rats in plastic cages(笼子) for two weeks. During this time they got to know each other. Then they put one of the rats from each pair into a small container(容器) in the cages. The small container had a door. It was so designed as to fall to the side when the free rat touched it. Many of the trapped(困住的) rats squeaked(吱吱叫) to show their discomfort. The other rats of the pairs could see their suffering(受苦的) friends clearly.
In most pairs, the free rats would become very worried about their friends. They kept trying to save their friends again and again throughout the month. Scientists put the rats’ favorite chocolate in the cages, but the rats didn’t eat it until they had saved their friends successfully. Scientists also found that female rats seemed to act more empathetic than male rats.
“The results are the first to show that rats take action in response to another’s trouble,” Decety said. “Monkeys and chimpanzees have similar behavior. But unlike those animals, rats can be ready used in laboratory studies. They will help us to learn which parts of the brain lead to empathy and helping behavior and whether empathy is natural.” A person with empathy is often _____.
| A．kind-hearted | B．clever | C．active | D．strong |
Why didn’t the free rats eat the chocolate at first?
| A．Because they were not hungry at that time. |
| B．Because chocolate was not their favorite food. |
| C．Because they wanted to save the trapped rats first. |
| D．Because they were afraid that the chocolate was bad. |
Which of the following animals were NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Monkeys. | B．Chimpanzees. | C．Rats. | D．Cats. |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．Rats can feel other animals’ pain. |
| B．Chocolate is rats’ favorite food. |
| C．Rats are empathetic and can feel each other’s pain. |
| D．Female rats are more empathetic than male rats. |
“I've changed my mind. I wanted to have a telescope, but now I want my daddy back." Lucien Lawrence’s letter to Father Christmas written after his schoolteacher father had been knifed to death outside his school gate, must have touched every heart. Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn't see the stars in the sky. When those whom we love depart from us, we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien, the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone, you will see them again. And, in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father is there too, in your mind and in your heart. I find that my parents, long dead now, still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive. I still live to please them and I' m still surprised by their reactions. I remember that when I became a professor, I was so proud, or rather so pleased with myself, that I couldn't wait to cable my parents. The reply was a long time in coming, but when it did, all Mother said was “I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!” I haven' t forgotten. The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care. Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors (挑衅者)，and to lay down my life for those in my care? How many people would want me back for Christmas? It's a serious thought, one to give me pause.
I pray silently, sometimes, in the dead of night, that ancient cry of a poet “Deliver my soul from the sword (剑), and my darling from the power of the dog.” Yet I know the death comes to us all, and sometimes comes suddenly. We must therefore plan to live forever, but live as if we will die tomorrow. We live on, I'm sure, in the lives of those we loved, and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure. If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true, there might be fewer knives on our streets today.According to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph ________.
| A．explains the importance of a telescope |
| B．shows the writer's pity on the kid |
| C．acts as an introduction to the discussion |
| D．makes a clear statement of the writer's views |
In the second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us ________.
| A．how much he misses his parents now |
| B．why his parents often appear in his dream |
| C．when Lucien will get over all his sadness |
| D．how proud he was when he succeeded in life |
In the writer's opinion, the value of a person’s life is ________.
| A．to leave behind a precious memory to the people related |
| B．to have a high sense of duty to the whole society |
| C．to care what others will remember and treasure |
| D．to share happiness and sadness with his family |
What feeling did the author’s mother express in her reply?
| A．Proud. | B．Happy. | C．Disappointed. | D．Worried |
A year ago, August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but it was hard for Dave to find work, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at the risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift—$7,000, a legacy(遗产) from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident. “It really made a difference when we were meeting difficulty.” says Dave.
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by what the Hatches had done. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars; in others, it was more than $100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than $3 million—they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm.
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving. They preferred comparison shopping and would go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase.
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camps when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything,” says their friend Sandy Van Weelden, “They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them.”
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches gave away their farmland. It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy—a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents—should enrich the whole community and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors—that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story.According to the text, the Fusses ________.
| A．were employed by a truck company | B．led a difficult life |
| C．worked in a school cafeteria | D．lost their home |
What can we learn about the Hatches?
| A．They had their children during the Great Depression. |
| B．They left the old house to live on their family farm. |
| C．They gave away their possessions（财产）to their neighbors. |
| D．They helped their neighbors to find jobs. |
What Sandy Van Weelden said mainly tells us that the Hatches were _________.
| A．understanding | B．kind | C．childlike | D．wealthy |
Early to bed, Early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
This is an old English saying. Have you heard it before? It means that we must go to bed early and get up early in the morning. If we do, we shall be healthy. We shall also be rich(wealthy) and clever(wise).
Is this true? Perhaps it is. the body must have enough sleep. Children need ten hours’ sleep every night. If you do not go to bed early, you cannot have enough sleep. Then you cannot think properly(适当地) and you cannot do your work properly. You will not be wise and you may not become wealthy!
Some people go to bed late at night and get up late in the morning. This is not good for them. We must sleep at night when it is dark. The dark helps us to sleep properly. When the daylight comes, we must get up. This is the time for exercise. Exercise means doing things with the body. Walking, running, jumping, swimming, and playing games are all exercise. If the body is not used, it becomes weak. Exercise keeps it strong. Exercise helps the blood to move ,brains(头脑) in our heads also need blood. We think with our brains. If we keep our bodies healthy, and take exercise, we can think better.
Our bodies also need air to breathe. Without air we die. We must have a lot of clean, fresh(新鲜的) air to breathe if we want to be healthy.A habit is something we do .
| A．every month | B．twice a day | C．every week | D．very often |
Children need .
| A．ten hours’ sleep | B．two hours’ exercise |
| C．three hours’ homework | D．four hours’ games |
The best time to sleep is .
| A．when it is dark | B．when you are tired |
| C．after supper | D．after watching TV |
When you are in England, you must be very careful in the streets because the traffic drives on the left.
Before you cross a street, you must look to the right first and then the left.
If the traffic lights are red, the traffic must stop. Then the people on foot When you are in England, you must be very careful in the streets because the traffic drives on the left.
can cross the road.
If the traffic lights are green the traffic can go. People on foot mustn’t cross.
In the morning and in the evening when people go to or come from work the streets are very busy. Traffic is most dangerous then.
When you go by bus in England, you have to be careful, too. Always remember the traffic moves on the left. So you must be careful. Have a look first or you will go the wrong way.
In many English cities, there are big buses with two floors. You can sit on the second floor. From there you can see the city very well. It’s very interesting.In China, before you cross a street, you must look to first and then .
| A．the left, the right | B．the right, the left |
| C．the front, the back | D．the back, the front |
You must be careful when you go by bus in England because .
| A．there are too many buses there | B．the traffic lights are different |
| C．crossing the street is dangerous | D．you may go the wrong way |
In England, it is very interesting to .
| A．cross the streets | B．look at the traffic lights |
| C．sit on the second floor of a big bus and see the beautiful city | |
| D．look at the busy streets in the morning |
Which is the best title?
| A．Buses in England | B．Traffic in England | C．Traveling in England | D．Traffic Lights in England |
Modern life is impossible without travelling. The fastest way of travelling is by plane. With a modern airline you can travel in one day to places which it took a month or more to get to hundred years ago.
Travelling by train is slower than by plane, but it has its advantages(便利). You can see the country you are travelling through. Modern trains have comfortable seats and dining-cars. They make even the longest journey enjoyable.
Some people prefer to travel by sea when possible. There are large liners and river boats. You can visit many other countries and different parts of your country on them. Ships are not so fast as trains or planes, but travelling by sea is a very pleasant way to spend a holiday.
Many people like to travel by car. You can make your own timetable. You can travel three or four hundred miles or only fifty or one hundred miles a day, just as you like. You can stop wherever you wish where there is something interesting to see, at good restaurant where you can enjoy a good meal, or at a hotel to spend the night. That is why travelling by car is popular for pleasure trips, while people usually take a train or plane when they are travelling on business.From the passage, we know the fastest way of travelling is .
| A．by train | B．by sea | C．by plane | D．by car |
If we travel by car, we can .
| A．make the longest journey enjoyable | B．travel to a very far place in several minutes |
| C．make our own timetable | D．travel only fifty or one hundred miles a day |
When people travel on business, they usually take .
| A．a plane or a car | B．a car or a boat | C．a boat or a train | D．a train or a plane |
How many ways of travelling are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Four | B．Three | C．Two | D．Six |