Zoos have been around for centuries — and they’ve changed a lot over the years. In the Middle Ages, wealthy people kept animals in their gardens. Public animal parks appeared in European cities in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The Philadelphia Zoo, the first in the United States, opened in 1874.
Until a few decades (十年) ago, most zoos were organized by creatures — monkeys in one area, cats in another, birds somewhere else, just like museum collections. In recent years, zoos have instead begun grouping animals that would normally interact (互相作用) in the wild. Moreover, instead of closing animals behind bars, designers are creating landscapes like the environments in which these creatures would naturally be found. Nearby signs provide information about the animals and their habitats in parts of the world where they normally live.
The Denver Zoo’s new Predator Ridge exhibit, for example, aims to teach visitors about Africa. Eight acres of land provide homes for 14 animal species, including lions, porcupines, cranes, and wild dogs. Plants from the region grow alongside African-like landform. Ten-foot-tall mounds (土墩) give lions a place from which to survey their surroundings, just as they would do in the wild.
Landscape design makes visitors to the Denver Zoo’s Predator Ridge exhibit feel like they’re really in Africa.
Animals in Predator Ridge can’t actually be mixed with one another, for safety reasons. But hidden deep channels and other smart features allow visitors to see all the animals at once. Different species can see each other too.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Protection of zoo animals. |
| B．Changes of zoos over the time. |
| C．The safety problem of zoos. |
| D．The living habits of zoo animals. |
In the Denver Zoo ten-foot-tall mounds are built to _____.
| A．protect the safety of visitors |
| B．separate lions from other animals |
| C．create a natural environment for lions |
| D．offer visitors a better view of lions |
The underlined part “the region” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to _____.
| A．Africa | B．the Predator Ridge exhibit |
| C．the Denver Zoo | D．the ten-foot-tall mounds |
We can learn from the passage that _____.
| A．the earliest zoos were probably rich people’s gardens |
| B．the Philadelphia Zoo is the first zoo in the world |
| C．the new Predator Ridge exhibit is held in Africa |
| D．more animals will be kept in zoos in the future |
An English traveler found himself in Norway with only enough money to buy the ticket for him to go back home. As he knew that it would take him only two days to get to England, he decided that he could
easily spend the time without food. So he bought a ticket and got on the ship. The man closed his ears to the sound of the lunch bell. When dinnertime came, he didn't go to dinning room, saying that he was not feeling very well.
The next morning he still didn't have breakfast and at lunchtime he again stayed in his room. But at dinnertime he was so hungry that he went to the dinning room and ate everything the waiter put in front of him. He got ready for the quarrel (争执).
"Bring me the bill," he said. "The bill, sir?" said the waiter in surprise. "There isn't any bill. On our ship meals are included (包括) in the money for the ticket," said the waiter.The story happened _____.
| A．in England |
| B．on a ship from Norway to England |
| C．in Norway |
| D．on a ship from England to Norway |
The traveler didn't go to the dinning room first because _____.
| A．he had no money |
| B．he didn't feel very well |
| C．he didn't want to eat anything |
| D．he didn't hear the sound of the bell |
The traveler went to the dinning room to eat something because _____。
| A．his friend had given him some money |
| B．the waiter had asked him to change his mind |
| C．he learned that there was no bill on the ship |
| D．he was too hungry. |
After the traveler finished eating, _____.
| A．he had a quarrel with waiter over the bill |
| B．he drank a lot |
| C．he asked the waiter to bring him the change (零钱) |
| D．he came to know that travelers on the ship had free meals |
Some scientists say that animals in the oceans are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings.
The noise that affects sea creatures comes from a number of human activities. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines. Such noises are added to natural sounds. These sounds include the breaking of ice fields, underwater earthquakes, and sounds made by animals themselves.
Decibels (分贝) measured in water are different from those measured on land. A noise of one hundred and twenty decibels on land causes pain to human ears. In water, a decibel level of one hundred and ninety－five would have the same effect.
Some scientists have suggested setting a noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels in the oceans. They have observed that noises at that level can frighten and confuse whales（鲸鱼）.
A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that louder noises can seriously injure some animals.
The research team found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing. This seriously affected the whales' ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died. The explosions had caused their ears to bleed and become infected(被感染的).
Many researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds are against a limit of one hundred and twenty decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research.
Scientists do not know how much and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists don’t think that noise is a greater danger than they believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures in the ocean. According to the passage, which of the following is increasingly dangerous to sea creatures?
| A．The sound of cars. | B．The sound of voices. |
| C．Man-made noise pollution. | D．The sound of steps. |
According to the passage, natural sounds include all of the following EXCEPT________.
| A．sounds made by animals themselves | B．ocean drilling |
| C．underwater earthquakes | D．the breaking of ice fields |
Which of the following is discussed in the third paragraph?
| A．The same noise level produces a different effect on land and in the ocean. |
| B．Different places may have different types of noises. |
| C．The decibel is not a right unit (单位) for measuring underwater noise. |
| D．Different ocean animals may have different reactions to noises. |
Which of the following is true of whales?
| A．They won't be confused by noises. |
| B．They are deaf to noises. |
| C．Their ability to reproduce will be lowered by high-level noises. |
| D．Their hearing will be damaged by high-level noises. |
According to the passage, what will scientists most probably do in the future?
| A．They will work hard to reduce ocean noise pollution. |
| B．They will protect animals from harmful noises. |
| C．They will try to set a limit of 120 decibels. |
| D．They will study the effect of ocean noise pollution. |
When Taylor Swift first came to the attention of the public，she was a 17yearold newcomer who loved singing to her guitar.She seemed far more enthusiastic than skillful.
Four years later，Swift became a multiaward winner.This month，she was crowned “Woman of the Year” by Billboard magazine，the youngest singersongwriter ever to receive the honor.“Aged only 21，Taylor has already made a maior impact on music and has been an unbelievable role model for hopeful artists and young women everywhere，” said Bill Werde，Billboard’s director.
Werde’s_words_do_not_come_from_nowhere. Unlike many pop singers，especially those who do not write their own material，Swift has the power of turning her ideas into lyrics that will set people thinking.“Hidden beneath Taylor Swift’s notagirl，notyetawoman sweetness is a very skillful songwriting technique，” wrote Leah Greenblatt in an American magazine.
Songwriting，as Swift explains，is to cope with issues.“I tend to write about things that really impact me most.” There certainly seems to be something true and honest running through every one of the 14 songs on her album，Speak Now，about “the lessons and confusion and heartbreak and all the different things that go along with being 18,19 and 20.”
“For the audience too young to have experienced real passion or heartbreak，Swift’s songs are like a potential road map，promising things will work out OK，” commented Dorian ynskey in a British newspaper.
Now Swift is getting ready to go further and has so far written about 10 songs for her 2012 album，which is about feelings of growing up and becoming an adult.“They’re sad，if I’m being honest.”“They’re about my heartbreaks and my moving on.But more importantly，they are about achieving contentment.You’re not always going to be perfectly happy as you grow up.”What does the writer mean by saying “Werde’s words do not come from nowhere”？
| A．Swift stands out as a singer and songwriter. |
| B．Only Swift writes her own songs. |
| C．Swift begins to take interest in singing. |
| D．Swift decides to deal with problems in her new album. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Swift has the ability to write songs with deeper meanings. |
| B．Swift is both enthusiastic and skillful now. |
| C．Swift became a multiaward winner when she began to sing on the stage. |
| D．Swift’s album Speak Now has 14 songs. |
Taylor Swift’s 2012 album mainly records________.
| A．dream and reality | B．heartbreak and despair |
| C．pain and growth | D．problems and society |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Swift comes to people’s attention |
| B．Swift rises to fame |
| C．Swift wins many awards |
| D．Swift experiences real passion |
The morning had been a disaster.My tooth was aching,and I’d been in an argument with a friend.Her words still hurt：“The trouble with you is that you won’t put yourself in my place.Can’t you see things from my point of view?”Ishook my head stubbomly—and felt the ache in my tooth.I’d thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday,but the pain was really unbearable.I started calling the dentists in the phone book,but no one coule see me immediatcly.Finally,at about lunchtime,I got lucky.
“If you come by right now,”the receptionist said,“the dentist will fit you in .”
I look my purse and keys and rushed to my car.But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist.What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice?Why wasn’t he as busy as the others?
In the dentist’s office,I sat down and looked around.I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried.The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice-cold one.
When I tole her my fears,she laughed and said ,“Don’t worry.The dentist is very good.”
“How long do I have to wait for him?”I asked impatiently.
“Come on ,he is coming.Just lie down and relax.And enjoy the artwork,”the assistant said.
“The artwork?”Iwas puzzled.
The chair went back,suddenly I smiled.There was a beautiful picture,right where I could enjoy it ：on the ceiling.How considerate the dentist was ！At that moment,I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.
What a relief！Which of the following best describes the author’s feeling that morning?
| A．Cheerful. | B．Nervous. | C．Satisfied. | D．Upset. |
What made the author begin to doubt about the dentist?
| A．The dentist’s agreeing to treat her at very short notice. |
| B．The dentist’s being as busy as the other dentists. |
| C．The surroundings of the dentist’s office. |
| D．The laughing assistant of the dentist. |
Why did the author suddenly smile?
| A．Because the dentist came at last. |
| B．Because she saw a picture on the ceiling. |
| C．Because she could relax in the chair. |
| D．Because the assistant kept comforting her. |
What did the author learn from her experience most probably?
| A．Strike while the iron is hot. |
| B．Have a good word for one’s friend |
| C．Put oneself in other’s shoes |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
Women are friendly. But men are more competitive. Why? Researchers have found it's all down to the hormone oxytocin (荷尔蒙催生素). Although known as the love hormone, it affects the sexes differently.
"Women tend to be social in their behavior. They often share with others. But men lend to be competitive. They are trying to improve their social status," said Professor Ryan.
Generally, people believe that the hormone oxytocin is let out in our body in various social situations and
our body creates a large amount of it during positive social interactions (互动) such as falling in love or giving birth.
But in a previous experiment Professor Ryan found that the hormone is also let out in our body during negative social interactions such as envy.
Further researches showed that in men the hormone oxytocin improves the ability to recognize competitive relationships, but in women it raises the ability to recognize friendship. Professor Ryan's recent experiment used 62 men and women aged 20 to 37. Half of the participants（参与者）received oxytocin. The other half received placebo (安慰剂).
After a week, the two groups switched with participants. They went through the same procedure with the other material.
Following each treatment, they were shown some video pictures with different social interactions. Then they were asked to analyze the relationships by answering some questions. The questions were about telling friendship from competition. And their answers should be based on gestures, body language and facial expressions.
The results indicated that, after treatment with oxytocin, men's ability to correctly recognize competitive relationships improved, but in women it was the ability to correctly recognize friendship that got better.
Professor Ryan thus concluded: "Our experiment proves that the hormone oxytocin can raise people's abilities to better distinguish different social interactions. And the behavior differences between men and women are caused by biological factors (因素) that are mainly hormonal."What causes men and women to behave differently according to the text?
| A．Placebo | B．Oxytocin | C．The gesture | D．The social status |
What can we learn from Professor Ryan's previous experiment?
| A．Oxytocin affects our behavior in a different way. |
| B．Our body lets out oxytocin when we are deep in love. |
| C．Our body produces oxytocin when we feel unhappy about others' success. |
| D．Oxytocin improves our abilities to understand people's behavior differences. |
Why did Professor Ryan conduct the recent experiment?
| A．To test the effect of oxytocin on the ability to recognize social interactions. |
| B．To know the differences between friendship and competition. |
| C．To know people's different abilities to answer questions. |
| D．To test people's understanding of body language. |
The author develops the text by______.
| A．explaining people's behaviors |
| B．describing his own experiences |
| C．distinguishing sexual differences |
| D．discussing research experiments |