Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy.After all,you probably sing or whistle when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy.However,they sing most of the time for a very different reason.Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory
Do you know what a“territory”is? A territory is an area that an animal,usually the male,claims(声称)as its own.Only he and his family are welcome there.No other families of the same species(物种)are welcome.Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome.If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you,you might shout.Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
If so,you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him.A bird does the same thing.But he expects an outsider almost any time,especially at nesting(筑巢) season.So he is screaming all the time,whether he can see an outsider or not . This screaming is what we call a bird’s song,and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs.
You can see that birds have a language all their own.Most of it has something to do with attracting mates and setting up territories.Some scientists believe that most of the time birds’singing is actually .
A.a way of warning | B.an expression of happiness |
C.an expression of anger | D.a way of greeting |
What is a bird’s“territory”?
A.A place where families of other species are not accepted. |
B.An area which a bird considers to be its own. |
C.An area for which birds fight against each other. |
D.A place where a bird may shout at the top of its Voice. |
Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?
A.Because they want to invite more friends |
B.Because they want to find outsiders around. |
C.Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away. |
D.Because their singing helps get rid of their fears. |
How does the writer explain birds’ singing?
A.By comparing birds with human beings. |
B.By reporting experiment results. |
C.By describing birds’ daily fife. |
D.By telling a bird's story. |
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Language learning begins with listening. Individual children vary greatly in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and late starters are often long listeners. Most children will "obey" spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word obey is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises.
Any attempt to trace the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves out as particularly indicative of delight, distress, sociability, and so on. But since these cannot be said to show the baby's intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new sounds to their repertoire (能发出的全部声音). This self-imitation leads on to deliberate (有意识的) imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.
1. By "... challenges explanation" Line 2, Para.1. the author means that ______.
A. no explanation is necessary for such an obvious phenomenon
B. no explanation has been made up to now
C. it's no easy job to provide an adequate explanation
D. it's high time that an explanation was provided
2. The third paragraph is mainly about _____.
A. the development of babies' early forms of language
B. the difficulties of babies in learning to speak
C. babies' strong desire to communicate
D. babies' intention to communicate
3. The author's purpose in writing the second paragraph is to show that children _______.
A. usually obey without asking questions
B. are passive in the process of learning to speak
C. are born cooperative D. learn to speak by listening
4. From the passage we learn that ______.
A. early starters can learn to speak within only six months
B. children show a strong desire to communicate by making noises
C. imitation plays an important role in learning to speak
D. children have various difficulties in learning to speak
5. The best title for this passage would be ______.
A. How Babies Learn to Speak B. Early Forms of Language
C. A Huge Task for Children D. Noise Making and language Learning
.
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To manage these investments,we rely on no less than five leading fund managers with proven expert skill as specialist in their chosen investment fields. With their different approaches to investment, these five fund managers have been specially selected by Marks and Spencer Financial Services as we believe they will exchange their opinion with each other perfectly in meeting our overall aim for the fund of consistent growth. This balanced management approach, not only gives the potential to achieve better results than market averages in individual industry but also allows quick reactions to protect your interests in the event of market downturns.
So who are the fund managers selected to look after your Investment Portfolio Investment and what exactly will they be doing on your behalf?
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BGI have been chosen to track the FTSE A1l Share Index (指数).For this,they have put together a portfolio of shares which closely resembles the UK equity market as a whole.
BAILLE GIFFORD
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GMO WOOLLEY LTD
Their expert skill is in finding companies which they believe are valued at less than they are worth.In this,they have developed advanced research methods to identify under-valued companies.
CLAY FlNLAY
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Rothschild aims to add stability and income to the Fund by investing in government bonds(公债)and other fixed interest securities.
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It all adds up to a tremendous opportunity for savers looking for a lower risk way to make more of their money with the extra boost to their profit potential of saving tax free through an ISA,so what are you waiting for?
1.The text is most likely to be found in.
A.a scientific research report B.a travel magazine
C.a weekly newspaper D.a geography textbook
2.Who will be most interested in reading the advertisement?
A.Accountants. B.Students.
C.Investors. D.Professors.
3.What is the function of Investment Portfolio Fund?
A.Exposing your money to the ups and downs of the direct investment into shares.
B.Helping lower risk with the potential for higher returns.
C.Hiring no less than five leading fund managers.
D.Giving a detailed description of balanced management requirement.
4.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?
A.The five fund managers with different approaches to investment can cooperate with each other perfectly.
B.Marks&Spencer Financial Services reassure the investors that their interests will be well 1ooked after.
C.Clay Finlay can identify international market opportunities and especially select companies with strong growth chances.
D.Gmo Woolley will be looking for companies that can offer excellent growth chances.
.
Part Ⅰ starts with a brief introductory chapter and then takes up Style and Organization, covering them in that order because skill or lack of skill in style affects all writing, while much technical writing is so short as to offer no problems of organization. These chapters are followed by one on Mechanics, covering matters of form that are peculiar(独有) to technical writing or else crop up in it with abnormal frequency.
The chapter on Special Problems, which follows, performs a double function. It provides writing assignments that may be used while the study of style, organization, and mechanics is still under way, and it explains ways of handling certain problems that may arise during the writing of reports, proposals, and other longer forms. We have also expanded the treatment of technical articles — recognizing the potential contribution of article writing to the career of the writer and the value of the article to science and technology.
In Part Ⅱ, a change of emphasis at one point is reflected in the new title for Chapter 8, Nonformal Reports — Their Variation in Form and Purpose, which was formerly called Special Types of Reports. Though certain special types of reports are still discussed, additional emphasis is given to the fact that there does not exist any universally accepted set of types, under which all reports can be classified.
Two other extensive changes have been made in Part Ⅱ: The chapter on Proposals, which first appeared in the second edition, has been rewritten and substantially expanded so as to cover that important subject more thoroughly. Also, an entirely new chapter, Oral Presentation of Technical Information, has been added. Though a study of this chapter is no substitute for training in public speaking, we believe that its recommendations can nevertheless be of substantial assistance to those who use this book on the numerous occasions when they will be called upon to present their ideas in person before a small group or a large audience.
1.The passage is most probably a preface to ____.
A. a technical writing handbook B. a handbook on composition
C. a book on a literary writing D. a scientific paper
2. In Part I, the writer arranges the chapters in the order of ____.
A. Introduction—Organization—Special Problems—Style—Nonformal Reports
B. Introduction—Style—Organization—Special Types of Reports—Mechanics
C. Introduction—Style—Organization—Mechanics—Special Problems
D. Introduction—Style—Proposals—Special Problems—Mechanics
3.You can find some writing exercises in ____.
A. the chapter on Organization B. the chapter on Style
C. the chapter on Special Problems D. the chapter on Proposals
4. According to the passage, the chapter on Oral Presentation of Technical Information appears in ____ of the book.
A. Part Ⅰ of the first edition
B. Part Ⅱ of the second edition
C. Part Ⅰ of the second edition
D. Part Ⅱ of the third edition
5. Which of the following is not true of Part Ⅱ of the new edition?
A. There isn’t the chapter on Special Types of Reports.
B. The chapter on Oral Presentation of Technical Information is rewritten and expanded.
C. The chapter on Proposals is a revised chapter.
D. There is a change of the title of Chapter 8.
.
第三部分:阅读理解
请认真阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项.
In the debates about how a particular piece of land is to be used, the priorities often conflict. What should you do, for example, if you find out that under the fertile fields of a farming community there is a thick bed of coal which can be strip mined(露天矿) ? Strip mining tears up top soil and plants. But mining may create jobs, bring money to the towns businesses. Those who approve of strip mining say that the coal is needed, and they point out that it is quicker and cheaper to get coal from the surface than to go deep into the earth to get it by standard mining techniques. On the other hand, it takes nature 500 years to create an inch of top soil. As the countryside fills up, people are becoming more aware of the need for open space. Nearly every proposal for a new power plant, highway, or airport draws fierce opposition. Everyone wants the big, land-eating “uglies” to be in someone else’s backyard. Minneapolis and St.Paul, Minnesota, for example, have been debating about the site of a future airport for years. Yet if a new airport is needed, it will have to go somewhere.
How do we find our way out of the land-used problem? One way might be to reexamine our values, to think in new directions. Does everyone have to have a car with its need for highways and parking lots? What about developing mass transport systems that use less land? Do suburbs have to spread? Can they be designed so they use less space? Do we have to have more energy? If we do, do we really have to strip-mine coal to provide it?
However difficult they may be to arrive at, choices will have to be made if we want to preserve the beauty and usefulness of the land. For there is at least one point on which all of us can agree: The land does have its limits.
1. The word “priorities” in the sentence means ____.
A. the various needs B. the most important goal
C. the number one necessity D. the first thing to be considered
2. “…, people are becoming more aware of the need for open space. ” tells us that ____.
A. people are thinking to develop their living space into the sky
B. people noticed the need for unoccupied land
C. people are struggling to get more land from the space
D. people are becoming more active on the space issue
3. How do we find our way out of the land use problems?
A. One way might be to reexamine our values, to think in new directions.
B. Everyone has to have a car with its need for highways and parking lots.
C. We have to have more energy. We need strip-mine coal to provide it.
D. We may develop mass transit systems which use less land.
4. “Everyone wants the big, land-eating ‘uglies’ to be in someone else s backyard.” shows that .
A. people don t want more big projects
B. people don t want to live in the neighborhood of the big projects
C. people regard the large construction projects are “uglies ”
D. people don t like the undesirable building projects
5. The main idea of this article is ____.
A. The Limits of Land B. Land
C. Land and Our Life Styles D. Land and Space
.
People often talk as if shyness is a disease or mental condition that can be cured. I prefer to think of it as an emotional disability. It’s something we are born with and something we carry with us in our entire lives. There are many people, however, who seem to be determined to find some way of doing away with their shyness. In my opinion, it’s a waste of time. I don’t mean that we should do nothing about it; quite the contrary, I think we need to separate the basic fact of our shyness from our ability to take part in a social environment.
Look at one of the most famous shy people, Johnny Carson. This man is painfully shy, yet for decades he made a living talking and associating(交往) with different people every night, in front of a national audience. Carson has never done away with his shyness, but he has successfully found a way to deal with it to the extent that he could be, not just a talk show host, but a legend(传奇) among talk show hosts. Look also at Sally Fields, who has recently admitted her problem with shyness. This is a woman who has appeared in many films, TV shows and interviews, yet in her early years she was so shy that she turned down a lunch invitation from Jane Fonda because she was terribly afraid of meeting her.
I guess that our shyness is there because each of us is born with some insecurity and this insecurity prevents us from reaching out to others the way people with a more open personality do. As we grow up, we allow our social skills to grow and develop. But we are still stuck in kindergarten or elementary school or wherever it was when our shyness took root in our soul.
67. In the author’s view, shyness can be explained as ________.
A. a disease that can be easily cured B. a not very normal mental condition
C. an emotional disability D. something we pick up after birth
68. The author believes it’s a waste of time to _________.
A. develop a healthy personality B. talk with people as much as possible
C. study where shyness comes from D. look for ways to do away with one’s shyness
69. Which of the following is TRUE of Johnny Carson?
A. He dared to speak in front of a national audience.
B. He did away with his shyness carefully.
C. He was described as a hero in some legend books.
D. He failed to become a good talk show host.
70. The underlined word “insecurity” in the third paragraph probably means “________”.
A. feeling safe B. feeling supported C. feeling afraid D. feeling comfortable