A recent experiment held in Japan shows that it is almost impossible for people to walk exactly straight for 60 metres. Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology found 20 healthy men and asked them to walk as straight as possible to a target 60 metres away at normal speed. Each man had to walk on white paper fixed flat to the floor wearing wet colored socks. The footprints revealed that all walked in a winding rather than a straight line. Researchers found that people readjust the direction of walking every few seconds. The amount of the winding differed from subject to subject. This suggests that none of us can walk in a strictly straight line. We walk in a winding way mainly because of a slight structural or functional imbalance of our limbs (四肢). Although we may start walking in a straight line, several steps afterwards we have changed direction.
Eyesight helps us to correct the direction of walking and leads us to the target. Your ears also help you walk. After turning around a lot with your eyes closed, you can hardly stand still, let alone walk straight.
It’s all because your ears help you balance. Inside your inner ear there is a structure which contains liquids. On the sides of the organ are many tiny hair-like structures that move around as the liquid flows. When you spin (旋转) the liquid inside also spins. The difference is that when you stop, the liquid continues to spin for a while. Dizziness is the result of these nerves in your ear. When you open your eyes, although your eyesight tells you to walk in a straight line, your brain will trust your ears more, thus you walk in a curved line.The experiment held in Japan proved that _______.
| A．the participants kept readjusting their direction of walking |
| B．all the participants had a good sense of direction |
| C．the experiment was done in different ways |
| D．none of the participants finished the 60 metres |
The underlined word “subject” in Para. 1 refers to ________.
| A．a person with a functional imbalance |
| B．a person chosen to be studied in an experiment |
| C．the subject one studies at school |
| D．the direction of walking |
The purpose of writing the article is to ________.
| A．prove that ears and eyes help us to walk straight |
| B．explain why we can hardly walk in a strictly straight line |
| C．point out the importance of noticing everyday science |
| D．give background information about a latest study |
According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research，both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake．And contrary to existing research that says you should avoid eating with heavier people who order large portions （份），it's the beanpoleswith big appetites you really need to avoid．
To test the effect of social influence on eating habits，the researchers conducted two experiments．In the first，95 undergraduate women were individually invited into a lab to ostensibly （表面上）participate in a study about movie viewership．Before the film began，each woman was asked to help herself to a snack．An actor hired by the researchers grabbed her food first．In her natural state， the actor weighed 105 pounds． But in half the cases she wore a specially designed fat suit which increased her weight to 180 pounds．
Both the fat and thin versions of the actor took a large amount of food．The participants followed suit，taking more food than they normally would have．However，they took significantly more when the actor was thin．
For the second test，in one case the thin actor took two pieces of candy from the snack bowls．In the other case，she took 30 pieces．The results were similar to the first test：the participants followed suit but took significantly more candy when the thin actor took 30 pieces．
The tests show that the social environment is extremely influential when we're making decisions．If this fellow participant is going to eat more，so will I．Call it the "I'll have what she's having" effect．However，we'll adjust the influence．If an overweight person is having a large portion，I'll hold back a bit because I see the results of his eating habits．But if a thin person eats a lot，I'll follow suit．If he can eat much and keep slim，why can't I？
（1）What is the recent study mainly about？
| A． |
Food safety． |
| B． |
Movie viewership． |
| C． |
Consumer demand． |
| D． |
Eating behavior． |
（2）What does the underlined word "beanpoles" in paragraph 1 refer to？
| A． |
Big eaters． |
| B． |
Overweight persons． |
| C． |
Picky eaters． |
| D． |
Tall thin persons． |
（3）Why did the researchers hire the actor？
| A． |
To see how she would affect the participants． |
| B． |
To test if the participants could recognize her． |
| C． |
To find out what she would do in the two tests． |
| D． |
To study why she could keep her weight down． |
（4）On what basis do we "adjust the influence" according to the last paragraph？
| A． |
How hungry we are． |
| B． |
How slim we want to be． |
| C． |
How we perceive others． |
| D． |
How we feel about the food． |
In the mid﹣1990s，Tom Bissell taught English as a volunteer in Uzbekistan．He left after seven months，physically broken and having lost his mind．A few years later，still attracted to the country，he returned to Uzbekistan to write an article about the disappearance of the Aral Sea．
His visit，however，ended up involving a lot more than that．Hence this book，Chasing the Sea：Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia， which talks about a road trip from Tashkent to Karakalpakstan，where millions of lives have been destroyed by the slow drying up of the sea．It is the story of an American travelling to a strange land，and of the people he meets on his way：Rustam，his translator，a lovely 24﹣year﹣old who picked up his colorful English in California，Oleg and Natasha，his hosts in Tashkent，and a string of foreign aid workers．
This is a quick look at life in Uzbekistan，made of friendliness and warmth，but also its darker side of society．In Samarkand，Mr Bissell admires the architectural wonders，while on his way to Bukhara he gets a taste of police methods when suspected of drug dealing．In Ferghana，he attends a mountain funeral（葬礼）followed by a strange drinking party．And in Karakalpakstan，he is saddened by the dust storms，diseases and fishing boats stuck miles from the sea．
Mr Bissell skillfully organizes historical insights and cultural references，making his tale a well﹣rounded picture of Uzbekistan，seen from Western eyes．His judgment and references are decidedly American，as well as his delicate stomach．As the author explains，this is neither a travel nor a history book，or even a piece of reportage．Whatever it is，the result is a fine and vivid description of the purest of Central Asian traditions．
（1）What made Mr Bissell return to Uzbekistan？
| A． |
His friends' invitation． |
| B． |
His interest in the country． |
| C． |
His love for teaching． |
| D． |
His desire to regain health． |
（2）What does the underlined word "that" in paragraph 2 refer to？
| A． |
Developing a serious mental disease． |
| B． |
Taking a guided tour in Central Asia． |
| C． |
Working as a volunteer in Uzbekistan． |
| D． |
Writing an article about the Aral Sea． |
（3）Which of the following best describes Mr Bissell's road trip in Uzbekistan？
| A． |
Romantic． |
| B． |
Eventful． |
| C． |
Pleasant． |
| D． |
Dangerous． |
（4）What is the purpose of this text？
| A． |
To introduce a book． |
| B． |
To explain a cultural phenomenon． |
| C． |
To remember a writer． |
| D． |
To recommend a travel destination． |
Jennifer Mauer has needed more willpower than the typical college student to pursue her goal of earning a nursing degree．That willpower bore fruit when Jennifer graduated from University of Wisconsin﹣Eau Claire and became the first in her large family to earn a bachelor's degree． Mauer，of Edgar， Wisconsin，grew up on a farm in a family of 10 children．Her dad worked at a job away from the farm，and her mother ran the farm with the kids．After high school，Jennifer attended a local technical college，working to pay her tuition（学费），because there was no extra money set aside for a college education．After graduation，she worked to help her sisters and brothers pay for their schooling．
Jennifer now is married and has three children of her own．She decided to go back to college to advance her career and to be able to better support her family while doing something she loves：nursing．She chose the UW﹣Eau Claire program at Ministry Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield because she was able to pursue her four﹣year degree close to home．She could drive to class and be home in the evening to help with her kids．Jennifer received great support from her family as she worked to earn her degree：Her husband worked two jobs to cover the bills，and her 68﹣year﹣old mother helped take care of the children at times．
Through it all，she remained in good academic standing and graduated with honors．Jennifer sacrificed（牺牲）to achieve her goal，giving up many nights with her kids and missing important events to study．"Some nights my heart was breaking to have to pick between my kids and studying for exams or papers，" she says．However，her children have learned an important lesson witnessing their mother earn her degree．Jennifer is a first﹣generation graduate and an inspiration to her family﹣and that's pretty powerful．
（1）What did Jennifer do after high school？
| A． |
She helped her dad with his work． |
| B． |
She ran the family farm on her own． |
| C． |
She supported herself through college． |
| D． |
She taught her sisters and brothers at home． |
（2）Why did Jennifer choose the program at Ministry Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield？
| A． |
To take care of her kids easily． |
| B． |
To learn from the best nurses． |
| C． |
To save money for her parents． |
| D． |
To find a well﹣paid job there． |
（3）What did Jennifer sacrifice to achieve her goal？
| A． |
Her health． |
| B． |
Her time with family． |
| C． |
Her reputation． |
| D． |
Her chance of promotion． |
（4）What can we learn from Jennifer's story？
| A． |
Time is money． |
| B． |
Love breaks down barriers． |
| C． |
Hard work pays off． |
| D． |
Education is the key to success． |
POETRY CHALLENGE
Write a poem about how courage，determination，and strength have helped you face challenges in your life．
Prizes
3 Grand Prizes：Trip to Washington，D．C．for each of three winners，a parent and one other person of the winner's choice．Trip includes round﹣trip air tickets，hotel stay for two nights，and tours of the National Air and Space Museum and the office of National Geographic World．
6 First Prizes：The book Sky Pioneer：A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart signed by author Corinne Szabo and pilot Linda Finch．
50 Honorable Mentions：Judges will choose up to 50 honorable mention winners，who will each receive a T﹣shirt in memory of Earhart's final flight．
Rules
Follow all rules carefully to prevent disqualification．
■ Write a poem using 100 words or fewer．Your poem can be any format，any number of lines．
■ Write by hand or type on a single sheet of paper．You may use both the front and back of the paper．
■ On the same sheet of paper，write or type your name，address，telephone number，and birth date．
■ Mail your entry to us by October 31 this year．
（1）How many people can each grand prize winner take on the free trip？
| A． |
Two． |
| B． |
Three． |
| C． |
Four． |
| D． |
Six． |
（2）What will each of the honorable mention winners get？
| A． |
A plane ticket． |
| B． |
A book by Corinne Szabo． |
| C． |
A special T﹣shirt． |
| D． |
A photo of Amelia Earhart． |
（3）Which of the following will result in disqualification？
| A． |
Typing your poem out． |
| B． |
Writing a poem of 120 words． |
| C． |
Using both sides of the paper． |
| D． |
Mailing your entry on October 30． |
We are the products of evolution，and not just evolution that occurred billions of years ago．As scientists look deeper into our genes（基因），they are finding examples of human evolution in just the past few thousand years． People in Ethiopian highlands have adapted to living at high altitudes． Cattle﹣raising people in East Africa and northern Europe have gained a mutation （突变）that helps them digest milk as adults．
On Thursday in an article published in Cell，a team of researchers reported a new kind of adaptation ﹣ not to air or to food，but to the ocean．A group of sea﹣dwelling people in Southeast Asia have evolved into better divers．The Bajau，as these people are known，number in the hundreds of thousands in Indonesia，Malaysia and the Philippines．They have traditionally lived on houseboats；in recent times，they've also built houses on stilts（支柱）in coastal waters．"They are simply a stranger to the land，" said Rodney C．Jubilado，a University of Hawaii researcher who studies the Bajau．
Dr．Jubilado first met the Bajau while growing up on Samal Island in the Philippines．They made a living as divers，spearfishing or harvesting shellfish． "We were so amazed that they could stay underwater much longer than us local islanders，" Dr．Jubilado said．"I could see them actually walking under the sea．"
In 2015，Melissa Ilardo，then a graduate student in genetics at the University of Copenhagen，heard about the Bajau．She wondered if centuries of diving could have led to the evolution of physical characteristics that made the task easier for them．"It seemed like the perfect chance for natural selection to act on a population，" said Dr．Ilardo．She also said there were likely a number of other genes that help the Bajau dive．
（1）What does the author want to tell us by the examples in paragraph 1？
| A． |
Environmental adaptation of cattle raisers． |
| B． |
New knowledge of human evolution． |
| C． |
Recent findings of human origin． |
| D． |
Significance of food selection． |
（2）Where do the Bajau build their houses？
| A． |
In valleys． |
| B． |
Near rivers． |
| C． |
On the beach． |
| D． |
Off the coast． |
（3）Why was the young Jubilado astonished at the Bajau？
| A． |
They could walk on stilts all day． |
| B． |
They had a superb way of fishing． |
| C． |
They could stay long underwater． |
| D． |
They lived on both land and water． |
（4）What can be a suitable title for the text？
| A． |
Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea |
| B． |
Highlanders' Survival Skills |
| C． |
Basic Methods of Genetic Research |
| D． |
The World's Best Divers |