C
When an ant dies, other ants take it out of the nest, often within an hour after its death. This behavior interests scientists and they wonder how ants know for sure--and so soon--that another ant is dead.
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I’m dead--take me away” when it is dead.
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I’m dead---take me away” when it is dead.
But there's a question to answer: As we know, if an ant is dead, it stops moving. But when an ant is sleeping or knocked unconscious, it is also not moving. However, other ants don't move the living ant out of the nest. How do they know this ant is not dead? Choe found that ants have another chemical on their bodies, which tells nearby ants something like, “Wait—I'm not dead yet” when it is not dead. Choe suspects that when an ant dies, the chemical that says, “Wait— I'm not dead yet” quickly goes away. When other ants detect the “dead” chemical without the “not dead yet” chemical, they move away the body.
To test his theory, Choe and his team put different chemicals on ants. When the scientists used the “I'm dead” chemical, other ants quickly moved the treated ant away. When the scientists used the “Wait—I'm not dead yet” chemical, other ants left the treated ant alone. Choe believes this behavior shows that the “not dead yet” chemical overrides the “dead” chemical when picked up by other ants. And that when an ant dies, the “not dead yet” chemical fades away. Other nearby ants then detect the remaining “dead” chemical and remove the body from the nest.
Understanding this behavior can help scientists figure out how to stop ants from invading new places and causing problems.What is the function of the first paragraph?
| A．Leading the following paragraphs. |
| B．Showing the main idea of the passage. |
| C．Introducing the background of the passage. |
| D．Giving a summary of the passage. |
Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “overrides” in the fourth paragraph?
| A．is weaker than | B．is stronger than | C．is better than | D．is worse than |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Living ants can also be taken away when they are not moving. |
| B．When an ant dies, it can tell others using a certain chemical. |
| C．A living ant can pretend to be dead using a special chemical. |
| D．Ants often use chemicals to communicate with each other. |
Which of the following descriptions about Dong-Hwan Choe is right?
| A．Choe did this study in order to stop ants from invading new places. |
| B．Choe is a biologist who is only interested in animals, especially in ants. |
| C．Choe first came up with an idea to explain this ant behavior，and then did some tests to prove his theory. |
| D．Choe did the research on this ant behavior on his own. |
The trip to the United Stated opened my eyes to the fact that there are a lot of similarities as well as differences between American youth and French youth.
The first difference is in appearance. Going around in the U.S., I found that American youth do not really care about their appearance. In the morning, they choose something in their closet and wear it with another thing, often of different colors and styles, without wondering whether their choices make them look strange. The reason behind this is that they don’t care what people look like, but are just interested in their ideas. I think it’s great, but it also causes problems. Since they don’t care about their appearance, they don’t really care about their weight. Often they get fat without realizing it.
There are differences in relationships too. When the American youth fall in love, they don’t really think of the future. Also, there are differences in the rules concerning behavior that is allowed. In some respects, the French are more accepting. For example, in America it is generally unacceptable to make physical display of love. Lovers, in theory, can’t kiss or hold each other everywhere they want. People think that not showing love in public places is a way to respect others. On the contrary, the French youth can do almost everything they want.
With regard to other types of relationships, there are also big differences. Americans act differently from French people in front of unknown people. When an American girl, for example, arrives in front of people she has never met before, she will talk with them, trying to create a kind of bond（联系）between her and this new circle of people. The French girls will just think about rather than really do this kind of thing because they are too shy and lacking in self-confidence.
To finish, I noticed that in American classes, when pupils want to say or ask something, they just do it. In general, they don’t really care how the others will judge them. In France, it’s not the same case. If somebody wants to ask something, he/she will think about it before speaking up. I appreciate the freedom in Americans’ behavior, ideas, and ways of expressing themselves.American young people _______.
| A．are just interested in people’s clothes |
| B．show more interest in people’s ideas |
| C．care more about their weight |
| D．are more concerned about appearance |
When American youth fall in love with each other, they _________.
| A．will not hold each other |
| B．will always think about their future |
| C．will rarely display their love in public |
| D．will kiss wherever they like |
When meeting with strangers, American girls will not _______.
| A．try to establish a type of relationship with them |
| B．have faith in themselves |
| C．start to create a conversation |
| D．behave in a way similar to French girls |
It can be inferred from the passage that French youth may think more about ______.
| A．their relationship’s future |
| B．their public images |
| C．their physical displays |
| D．their lover’s ideas |
The passage is mainly about the______ between American youth and French youth.
| A．similarities | B．friendship |
| C．differences | D．differences and the similarities |
It was time for a school holiday and I was at home. My family’s house was located in (位于) an area by the sea.
I just sat down in front of the television. Suddenly I heard a loud noise and then the first shock started to hit. My mom and I ran to the front door. We got out and we were standing in the street holding on to each other to stand up. The ground was covered with snow. I could remember watching black cracks in the earth snaking their way along the ground. A tree in our back yard was actually cut in half.
As suddenly as the earthquake started, it was over. Dead silence. Then a light snow began to fall. All the power was off—no radio, no TV and no communication with the outside world. We found out later that the ground area was lowered an average of 35 feet.
My dad succeeded in getting home from where he worked in the city centre. Later that evening we were told to leave the area because a terrible ocean wave was expected. We spent the night and the next day and night away from home at the shelter.
I often think about the courage my dad showed during that time. Before Dad retired, he was a senior manager of a famous local company. This company was damaged because of the quake. Dad stayed in the company to rebuild the business and rebuild our family home.In which season did the earthquake take place?
| A．Spring. | B．Summer. |
| C．Autumn. | D．Winter. |
After the earthquake, the writer’s father ______.
| A．opened up his own company |
| B．lived with his family and did a better job |
| C．helped neighbors build their houses |
| D．became a famous person in their town |
What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．My father | B．My mother and I |
| C．A quake in my town | D．Earthquake tips |
Gold Coast family holidays are always great fun whether you are from Australia or from abroad. There are beautiful beaches, adventure parks, nature parks and so much more.
There are so many sights to see here. It is a pity to drive in a car and you’ll miss a great part of it. Australia is home to many animals and birds that can only be seen when moving slowly and going into the areas that they live.
When you are on a bicycle, you have the advantage of being able to stop whenever you want to catch sight of (看见) an interesting animal or bird that you have never seen before. It is a quieter mode (方式) of transportation as well, so you might even be able to take a picture. When you are on the beach, you can breathe that clean air and view the beauty of the water and sand. It is a totally different experience from either simply sunbathing or passing it in a car.
There are many choices of hiring (租) a bicycle to experience the Gold Coast attractions. There are stores that will fit a bike perfectly to your size. These bikes for both adults and children are in many styles and colors to please any taste. If you have ever wanted to try a tandem bike (双人单车), now is your chance, because they have those too.
A bicycle hire on Gold Coast is something that everyone should try at least once. This is a wonderful chance for anyone who likes to cycle and it is also a cheap way to travel with your family.You’d better not drive in a car on Gold Coast because ______.
| A．you will break the traffic rules |
| B．you will cause much noise |
| C．you can’t enjoy the beautiful sights well |
| D．you can’t drive into some parks |
The following advantages of hiring bikes are mentioned EXCEPT that ______.
| A．you can take photos of animals |
| B．it is a cheap way of traveling |
| C．you can get a clearer sight of animals |
| D．it is a good way to do sunbathing |
What is paragraph 4 mainly about?
| A．How to hire bikes on Gold Coast. |
| B．What kinds of bikes there are in stores. |
| C．What bikes are the most popular. |
| D．Who can hire bikes on Gold Coast. |
What’s the author’s attitude towards a bike hire on Gold Coast?
| A．He supports it very much. |
| B．He thinks it’s a personal choice. |
| C．He doesn’t like this way of traveling. |
| D．He thinks it’s only good for adults. |
It is important to learn business English if you are going to be successful in another country where English is the primary language. It will also be a great idea to practice speaking and writing in business English. If a university offers a course on business English, it will be a good idea to take the class. Reading, writing and speaking English is necessary to start a business.
Business English is different from asking where to find the nearest hotel. There are classes you can take to help you but there are things that you can learn on your own. Vocabulary and grammar are a good place to start with. You need to know what words mean. Later, try to pronounce the words and then look them up in the dictionary. Try using them in a sentence and ask someone who is good at English to help you. Once you have an understanding of English, you can use it in business English.
In business you will have to learn such things as taking messages, answering the phones with proper words and communicating with your co-workers. You may have to learn how to make travel plans. Business English is very different than spoken English. Grammar is the same but you have to learn things like expressing yourself in a proper manner or maybe making a report in your office.
If you are working in the customer service sector (客户服务部门), you really have to learn business English. Dealing with the public is sometimes more important than asking your boss for a raise (加薪). Most businesses offer training classes and some companies offer classes on how to do the job with proper business English.Why do people learn business English?
| A．They want successful communication. |
| B．They want to ask the boss for a raise. |
| C．They want to have their own company. |
| D．They will have a chance to get a better job. |
We can learn from the text that business English ______.
| A．is much more difficult than daily English |
| B．pays more attention to the forms of expressions |
| C．is required by most international companies |
| D．can give you a hand when dealing with people |
What’s the text mainly about?
| A．The development of business English. |
| B．The tips on learning business English. |
| C．The introduction to business English. |
| D．The comparison between business English and daily English. |
The following language skills are mentioned of business English EXCEPT ______.
| A．listening | B．reading |
| C．speaking | D．writing |
Two good friends, Sam and Jason, had a car accident. The next morning, Sam woke up but Jason was still unconscious (昏迷的). When Dr. Smith saw Sam awake, he smiled at him and asked, “How are you feeling today?” Sam smiled back and said, “Wonderful! Promise me you won’t tell Jason anything.” Dr. Smith was moved by Sam’s words and said, “You are a very brave man. You know I won’t do that. Trust me.”
Months later Jason recovered. He stopped hanging out with(与…出去玩)Sam. He felt unhappy to spend time with a disabled person like Sam. Sam was lonely and heartbroken. One day Sam died in despair (失望). When Jason was on his burial (葬礼), Dr. Smith gave Sam’s letter to him.
The letter read, “Dear Jason, I have kept my promise to give you my eyes if anything had happened to them. Now there is nothing more that I can do. You will see through my eyes that you will always be my best friend ... Sam.”
When he finished reading, Dr. Smith added, “I had promised Sam to keep it a secret.” Jason stood there with tears on his face. In the first paragraph, Dr. Smith promised Sam to ______.
| A．make friends with him | B．take good care of Jason |
| C．give Jason the letter | D．keep a secret from Jason |
Why did Jason stop hanging out with Sam?
| A．He recovered but still couldn’t move freely. |
| B．He felt upset to be with a disabled man like Sam. |
| C．He just found another friend. |
| D．He didn’t know what had happened to Sam. |
When Jason finished reading the letter, he felt so ______.
| A．heart-broken | B．worried |
| C．discouraged | D．calm |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Leave your friend when he is in trouble. |
| B．Trust a friend when he has changed. |
| C．Brave people are the best friends. |
| D．Be faithful to your friend forever. |