ANIMALS have always been used to represent certain human characteristics. Countries also use animals as symbols. From eagles to lions, many countries use an animal to show its national spirit and character.
The image of an eagle is on the US President’s flag, and on the one-dollar bill. The bald eagle is a large, powerful, brown bird with a white head and tail. The term “bald” does not mean that this bird lacks feathers. Instead, it comes from the old word piebald, that menas, “marked with white”.
The US declared that the eagle was its national bird in 1782. It was chosen because of “its long life, great strength, and noble looks”.
A few eagles have even become American heroes. An eagle named “Old Abe”, the mascot of a Wisconsin troop of soldiers during the Civil War, traveled 14,000 miles with its men. He was often shot at by the enemy, but survived 42 battles.
But, one of the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin didn’t agree with the choice. “The bald eagle … is a bird of bad moral character, like those among men who live by robbing, he is generally poor, and often very messy,” he argued. Franklin wanted the turkey as the country’s national bird.
If Americans chose their national symbol deliberately, the symbol of England arose out of history.
King Herry Ⅰ(1068-1135) was a brave warrior but also wise. His appreciation for the rule of law earned him the nickname the Lion of Justice. He was the first English King to use a lion as a royal symbol, which is popularly known as the “king of the jungle”. By the year Richard Ⅰ, known as “The Lionheart” for his bravery, came to the throne in 1189, the famous Three Lions badge had been formed. Now it can be seen on the shirts of England’s sports teams.
Although people might not think of lions when they think of England, everyone knows about the Australian kangaroo. Legend has it that the kangaroo gets its name from an early meeting between local aborigines and white settlers. When asked by the Europeans what these strange-looking animals were, a native replied “kangaroo”, meaning “I don’t understand you.”
The kangaroo is an individualistic animal. Although it does gather in groups, the kangaroo is not a herd animal. If a group is attacked, individuals run off in different directions. Australians think the kangaroo represents positive values, such as individual responsibility and pride.The general idea of this passage should probably be __________ .
| A．animals are friends of human beings |
| B．nearly all the countries have an animal as their national animal |
| C．animals’ good values are always used to show a country’s national spirit and character |
| D．certain human characteristics are the same as some animals, so some countries love animals |
Which is NOT true about the animal of the “bald eagle”?
A. It was Benjamin Franklin who made the bald eagle as the national animal of the USA.
B. The term “bald” means “marked with white”.
C. The bald eagle can show American national spirit and character.
D. “Old Abe” was even an American hero.The reason why the lion was made as the national animal of the United Kingdom was that ______ .
| A．it could always be used to represent certain human characteristics of England |
| B．the Kings of England loved lions |
| C．there are many lions in England |
| D．lions are “king of the jungle” |
What good values can the kangaroo show as national spirits?
| A．Group. | B．Respect of others. |
| C．Not understanding | D．Positive values. |
When different species of birds flock (聚集) together, their flight formations are determined by social dynamics both between and within species.
New research from the Universities of Cambridge and Exeter reveals for the first time that, contrary to current models used to explain the movement of flocks, the differences between bird species and social relationships between individuals play a critical role in determining the dynamics of mixed-species flocks.
The unified(群集) behaviour of bird flocks has puzzled scientists for hundreds of years. One naturalist from the turn of the century even suggested telepathy(心灵感应)may be involved. There have since been more logical explanations, including mathematical models that show that repeated interactions among individuals following simple rules can generate coordinated (协同的)group movements. However, these models usually rely on the assumption that individuals within groups are identical and interact independently, which may not reflect reality.
Jolle Jolles, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology and author of the paper, said：“Spectacular collective behaviour can be found in a large range of animal species, and we now know that often these complex coordinated group movements may be the result of individuals following simple rules. However, rarely are the individual characteristics and social relationships within them taken into account. Our research highlights that these striking displays of group behaviour are much more complex.”
By analysing high-resolution photographs of mixed flocks of rooks and jackdaws (both from the corvid family), the researchers found that rather than individuals interacting in a consistent fashion throughout the flock, interactions depended on social dynamics between the different species as well as relationships within a species.
The researchers discovered that birds prefer to fly close to members of their own species, and that the larger and more dominant rooks take the lead by flying near the front of flocks. Additionally, the lifelong, monogamous(一妻一夫制的)pair bonds that are characteristic of both species seem to be reflected in flight, as birds often fly particularly close to a single, same-species partner.
Dr Alex Thornton, principal investigator of the Cambridge Jackdaw Project, now at the University of Exeter and author of the paper, said: “Together, our findings demonstrate that to understand the structure of groups — such as bird flocks — we need to consider the characteristics and relationships of the individuals within them.”The underlined word “generate” means ______.
| A．set down | B．take away |
| C．bring about | D．give up |
According to Jolle Jolles, what are seldom considered about coordinated group movement?
| A．Individual characteristics and social relationship between them |
| B．Repeated interactions among individuals and social dynamics |
| C．Telepathy and social relationship between them |
| D．The structure of groups and the varieties of species |
Birds may prefer to fly the closest to _____ .
| A．the largest one | B．the most dynamic one |
| C．the lifelong partner | D．the friendly partner |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．How birds interact in simple rules. |
| B．How birds of different feathers flock together. |
| C．Why birds show preference to flocking. |
| D．Why birds display the characteristics. |
A man enters a store to buy milk. He walks out of the store with milk. That is all— milk. At the same time, a woman enters the same grocery store also to buy milk. She buys it. But, she also buys chicken and lemons to make dinner that night. Then she remembers to buy food for her son to eat at school. She also gets a bottle of wine for drinks with friends and a birthday card for her husband's niece. Then she gets coffee for breakfast, ice cream for dessert and remembers stamps to mail the bills. And don't forget soap for the bathroom.
And that is the difference between the female and male brains simply explained in a grocery store. Generally speaking，men do one thing at a time. Women do many. Doing many things at one time is often called “multi-tasking”, a very popular word these days.
Now scientific research supports this theory about male and female brains. A recent study has confirmed what we have known all along—men and women think differently.
Scientist at the university of Pennsylvania studied brain images of 949 people aged from 8 to 22 years old. They found that male brains have more connections on one side of the brain, or hemisphere. In female brain, they found more activity and connections between the right and left sides of the brain. The left side of the brain is known as the side of “reason” The right hemisphere is known as the “creative” side.
Regina Verma is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She co-wrote the report. She says when women are asked to do something difficult they might use different parts of the brain. Men, she adds, generally use just one side of the brain.
As a result, men generally deal directly with a problem. There is a strong connection between the “understanding” and the “action” parts of their brains. Women, however, might include other parts of the brain, like the part connected with reason and the part connected with sensitivity when solving a problem. Women take a less direct path to find a solution.
Dr. Venma warns that the study should not lead anyone to expect some behaviors from women and others from men.By describing the scene of shopping, the writer wants to ____ .
| A．reveal men and women's preference of living expense |
| B．criticize women's wasted living expense |
| C．think highly of women's considerate behavior |
| D．illustrate men and women's different brains |
When asked to deal with a problem, _____ .
| A．men tend to take action straight |
| B．women tend to take action straight |
| C．women tend to use a single part of the brain |
| D．men tend to use connected parts of the brain |
Dr. Verma's warning indicates that _____ .
| A．women and men can hardly learn from each other |
| B．women and men can hardly cooperate well |
| C．women and men can hardly complete multitasks |
| D．women and men can hardly perform the same behavior |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．“reason” brain or “creative” brain |
| B．Multi-tasking or single-tasking |
| C．Costly shopping or economical shopping |
| D．Reason or sensitivity |
Older people with hearing loss may suffer faster rates of mental decline. People who have hearing trouble suffered meaningful impairments in memory, attention and learning about three years earlier than people with normal hearing, a study published online January 21 in JAMA Internal Medicine reveals.
The finding supports the idea that hearing loss can have serious consequences for the brain，says Patricia Tun of Brandeis University in Waltham，Mass., who studies aging. “I'm hoping it will be a real wake-up call in terms of realizing the importance of hearing. ”
Compared with other senses, hearing is often overlooked, Tun says. “We are made to interact with language and to listen to each other, and it can have damaging effects if we don't.”
Frank Lin of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and colleagues tested the hearing of 1,984 older adults. Most of the participants, who averaged 77 years old, showed some hearing loss — 1,162 volunteers had trouble hearing noises of less than 25 decibels, comparable to a whisper or rustling leaves. The volunteers; deficits reflect the hearing loss in the general population: Over half of people older than 70 have trouble hearing.
Over the next six years, these participants underwent mental evaluations that measured factors such as short-term memory, attention and the ability to quickly match numbers to symbols. Everybody got worse at the tasks as time wore on, but people with hearing loss had an especially sharp decline, the team found. On average, a substantial drop in performance would come about three years earlier to people with hearing loss.
Lin cautions that the study has found an association between hearing loss and mental abilities; the researchers can't conclude that hearing loss directly causes the decline. Yet more and more studies are turning up ways that diminished hearing could damage the brain.
A person who can't hear well might avoid social situations, and isolation(孤立)is known to be bad for the brain. “You gradually become more socially withdrawn, ” Lin says. “Social isolation is a major, major factor for dementia(痴呆)and cognitive decline. ”
Other studies suggest that when people struggle to interpret and decode(译解）words, their brains divert energy away from other tasks, such as memory. Audiologist and psychologist Kathy Pichora — Fuller says that this brain drain happens to everyone, even people without hearing loss. Studies have shown that people are worse at remembering things when they're in a noisy room, for instance. People with hearing loss may be constantly diverting a large swath(—大片)of their brainpower，leaving less for other mental tasks, says Pichora— Fuller, of the University of Toronto Mississauga. Mass does the research to _____ .
| A．present the mental decline |
| B．attach importance to hearing |
| C．compare hearing with other senses |
| D．exaggerate the damaging effects |
What is paragraph 4 mainly about?
| A．The outcome of the test. |
| B．The design of the test |
| C．The participants of the test. |
| D．The purpose of the test. |
Dementia and cognitive decline mainly result from ____ .
| A．social isolation | B．hearing loss |
| C．memory loss | D．speech impairment |
The underlined word “divert” probably means _____ .
| A．block | B．accumulate | C．shift | D．change |
The end of the World Cup does not mean the end of international competition, in Brazil this year. A major football event will happen in the South American country later this month, but with teams of robots playing the game, which is known as soccer in the United States. The robot teams are guided by teams of humans from around the world. The event is known as RoboCup.
Technology students at the University of Pennsylvania are trying for their fourth victory at the competition, which is held this year in the coastal city Joao Pessoa. The students have won the last three RoboCup competitions.
Watching robots play football is similar to watching children play the game. The kicks are not good, there's a lot of falling down, and people are there to guide and support the team members. Jian Qiao Li is one of the leaders of the University of Pennsylvania team.
He says one goal he has for the robot team is to make sure the machines can find the goal and the ball. He also wants the robots to be able to know where they are on the playing field. And he wants the team to be able to better control the walking and kicking abilities of the robots.
Qin He is another leader of the robot team. She says the abilities of the robots increase every year. Ms. He says the US team is meeting its goals. The robots know the differences between the colors green and red, and they can decide where to go and where the ball is on the playing field. She says if there are three robot players on the field at the same time, they will communicate with each other to decide the different responsibilities for each robot.
U. S. Team member Christopher Akatusuka hopes for another victory in Brazil. The team has won the RoboCup the past three years in the Netherlands, Mexico and Turkey.
“They have every good team player right now. As long as their detection is good, I think they'll be very competitive; we just hope to compete against the real good German teams eventually, because the Germans always do very well, ” says Akatsuka.
Mr Akatsuka says RoboCup is an exciting technology competition.
“Each team develops their own software; basically it's a competition of who has the best software, who has the best decision—making at a given point... it’s really exciting, ” says Akatsuka.
The event begins July 19th and ends July 25th. Some RoboCup participants hope to develop a team of robots that can play against humans by 2050.According to the first paragraph, Robocup _____.
| A．is held every four years |
| B．is played by robots |
| C．is a symbol of World Cup's ending |
| D．is a celebration of World Cup |
The robots' performance of playing the game is _______ .
| A．marvelous | B．awkward |
| C．flexible | D．awesome |
The same goal for the robots that Jian Qiao Li and Qin He mention is _______ .
| A．to locate the ball | B．to communicate with each other |
| C．to play at will | D．to distinguish colors |
Akatsuka's final hope for his robot team is ______ .
| A．to invent the best software |
| B．to win the championship in Brazil |
| C．to make the best decision |
| D．to compete with humans |
阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
The “babies” tend to be on or near me, or crying, or both. I spend a fair amount of time trying to get William to sleep, to get Elliott to get involved in something that will actually keep him happy for a little while, or to get William to play on the floor for 10 minutes straight so that I can get something done. But, a lot of days, it seems like I'm not succeeding in any of those efforts.
So, yesterday, a friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook. This particular friend has a baby who is about a month younger than William. The picture was of the baby, who had made his way across the floor to the toys housed along the side of the room. I just kept looking at that picture and thinking that if only William had some different toys to play with, perhaps he would stay occupied a bit longer at a stretch. But William seems so bored with all of his toys! And I am so ready for him to be ready to play. In order to find a way to make him playing longer, I kept looking at that picture. Suddenly, I realized my sons need to play closer to me.
So I cleared off the cubby(围起来的)shelves in the playroom, and my husband and I moved it to the living room. We found all of the toys that would be safe for William and put them in the cubbies. Then, we pulled the play kitchen in.
William was so interested in what I was doing that he sat there and played and chewed on his toys while we moved furniture. When we were done, I moved him over closer to the cubbies and he got so excited that he didn't disturb for an hour, while I made dinner and cleaned up! Even Elliott played happily for a few hours. It was a dream come true! And I got to know that my lack of happy children was because of my desire for a toy—free living room.The babies were unhappy and trapped the author because they_______.
| A．fought with each other |
| B．were told not to play on the floor |
| C．were blamed for destroying property |
| D．were given a living room without a toy |
The underlined sentence “And I am so ready for him to be ready to play. ” means that ______.
| A．the author is determined to keep her son playing longer |
| B．the author is willing to play with her son |
| C．the author is prepared to teach her son to play |
| D．the author is tired of her son's naughty behavior |
Why did the author move furniture and toys into the living room?
| A．Because she wanted to sort out her house. |
| B．Because she wanted to throw the unnecessary items. |
| C．Because she wanted to have her sons closer to her. |
| D．Because she wanted to teach her sons to cook. |
What was the author's dream?
| A．She could keep the living room tidy. |
| B．Her sons could learn to stand by themselves. |
| C．Her sons could be interested in what she was doing. |
| D．She could do what she desired without interruption. |