Humans might be the most highly-evolved species on the planet, but most animals possess skills we can only dream of having. Imagine how much electricity we could save if we could see in the dark the way cats do. Imagine leaping from tree to tree like a monkey. Giraffes, which are otherwise calm and good-natured, sleep only 4.6 hours a day.
We realized a long, long time ago that nature provides the best blueprint for invention. We’ve borrowed canals from beavers and reflectors from cat’s eyes. Although the words “bionics”(仿生学) became popular only after the 1960s, history shows that nature has always provided ideas on solving everyday problems. Our archives(档案) don’t go back to the time of Leonardo da Vinci and his bird-like flying machines, but we can take you to the late 19th century, where we applied those same principles for building our first practical airplanes.
To prepare for their flight at Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers studied the movements of pigeons to figure out how they stayed high up when they were heavier than air. Their success inspired scores of successors to improve on the airplane by studying various aspects of nature. One of Orville Wright’s pupils caught and stuffed seagulls to examine their wingspan. Meanwhile, two French inventors examined spinning sycamore(梧桐) seeds in an effort to apply those same motions, reversed, to a helicopter .
Some examples are more obvious than others. The outside of the airplane designed by the Wright brothers looks like a minimalistic(简单抽象艺术) structure. On the other hand, Barney Connett’s fish submarine actually looks like a fish.
Some bio-inspired concepts have yet to be invented. In the 1960s, the US Army commissioned several university professors to conduct research on the motor skills animals in hope of applying those same abilities to tanks. Tanks that run like horses or jump like grasshoppers(蚂蚱)-sounds shocking, doesn’t it? But imagine how life would change if we could achieve that.“Cats”, “monkeys” and “giraffes” mentioned in paragraph 1 are examples to show______.
| A．they are highly-evolved species as humans |
| B．animals have skills that humans do not possess |
| C．humans can learn animals’ skills |
| D．they are skillful in different ways |
What happened after the Wright brothers’ success?
| A．People carried out a systematic study on pigeons. |
| B．People studied more animals and plants to develop the airplane. |
| C．People could fly their airplane for fun. |
| D．People kept their airplane at a French gallery. |
Which of the following is true about the research carried out by the US Army?
| A．It has cost a large sum of money. |
| B．It has changed our life. |
| C．It has improved the abilities of tanks |
| D．It has not succeeded yet. |
What does the writer want to tell in the passage?
| A．many inventions get ideas from nature. |
| B．Some animals possess unique skills. |
| C．People should protect nature. |
| D．Bionics is far from perfect |
Students often complain（抱怨）their teachers give them too much homework . Now , two reports show that in America this is not true .
The Brookings report shows that most students do less than one hour of homework . The Rand report shows that only 10% of high school students spend more than two hours a night on homework .
The Brookings report also talks about a study from 1995 . American students do almost the least homework among twenty countries . Students in France , Italy and South Africa spend more than two hours on homework .
The Rand report says there was only one time when homework greatly increased in America .During the early 1960s , Americans were not happy when the former Soviet Union (前苏联)became the first country to reach space . People thought it was necessary to improve education .
Parents want their children to have time for sports , music lessons and other things after school. some experts say schools need to give useful homework .Students are not happy about _________ .
| A．too much homework | B．going to school |
| C．less homework | D．stay at home |
French students usually spend _______ on homework than American students .
| A．more time | B．less time | C．more daytime | D．two hours |
_______ shows homework once greatly increased in America .
| A．The Brookings report | B．The Rand report |
| C．A university | D．A piece of news |
The former Soviet Union was the _______ to get to space .
| A．first | B．second | C．third | D．forth |
Some experts think __________ .
| A．students don’t work hard enough |
| B．students should not do any homework |
| C．homework is welcome if it is useful |
| D．it isn’t necessary for students to do homework |
Below you will find a selection of helpful books to learn more about effective campaigns(运动) and one-to-one permission email marketing and more.
● Advanced Email Marketing
Email is specially brilliant: low cost, high speed, personal, moving , and interactive. But there’s a big difference between knowing that email is a powerful marketing tool and proving it. —A1 ＄15.00
● Sign Me Up!
Imagine it: prospects (前景) actually ask you to email your marketing information to them. At a time when people wouldn’t give out their email addresses and don’t believe most emails, it’s harder than ever for ordinary marketers to separate their emails from waste emails.—A2 ＄13.00
● The Quiet Revolution
A revolution is taking place which will forever change the world of marketing. The strategies (策略)and techniques that have served marketers for years will not only decline in effectiveness, but will begin to quietly decline the very brands and the customer relationships that companies have worked so hard to create. —A3 ＄18.00
● Permission Marketing
Seth Godin, one of the world’s foremost online promoters, offers his best advice for advertising in Permission Marketing. Godin argues that business can no longer rely only on traditional forms of “interruption advertising” in magazines and mailings, or radio and television commercials.—A5 ＄19.05
● TOTAL E-Mail Marketing
Total E-Mail Marketing shows how to run effective e-mail campaigns aimed at both getting and keeping customers. The book covers much more than simply guidelines on e-mail creativity. It explains how to plan and carry out e-mail campaigns which connect with other online and offline communication. —A6 ＄39.5
● Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words to the Bank
This copy of the book offers the most comprehensive (and immediately usable) information on “how to make your website usable” in the fewest amount of pages possible. —A7 ＄31.4It can be inferred that all the books can be relative to _______.
| A．agriculture skills | B．everyday life |
| C．the Internet | D．hotels |
If you want to communicate with the bank, you’d better buy ______.
| A．1 | B．A3 | C．A7 | D．A5 |
The prices of all the books are between _____.
| A．ten and forty dollars |
| B．Fifteen and twenty dollars |
| C．twenty and thirty dollars |
| D．Thirty and forty dollars |
Scientists in Canada say big ocean fish have almost disappeared from the world since the start of industrial fishing in the nineteen-fifties. The scientists found that population of large fish like tuna; swordfish and cod have dropped by ninety percent in the past fifty years.
The study took ten years. The researchers gathered records from fishing businesses and governments around the world. The magazine Nature published the findings.
The scientists say the common method called longline fishing is especially damaging to populations of large fish. This method involves many fishing lines connected to one boat. These wires can be close to one-hundred kilometers long. They hold thousands of sharp metal hooks to catch fish.
Longline fishing is especially common in the Japanese fishing industry. Records showed that Japanese boats used to catch about ten fish for every one-hundred hooks. The study says longline fishing boats now might catch one fish per hundred hooks.
The scientists say industrial fishing can destroy groups of fish much faster than in the past. The study suggests that whole populations can disappear almost completely from new fishing areas within ten to fifteen years.
Ransom Myers of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia led the study with Boris Worm of Dalhousie and the University of Kiel in Germany. Mister Worm says the destruction could lead to a complete re-organization of ocean life systems. Mister Meyers says the decreased number of large fish is not the only worry. He says even populations that are able to reproduce do not get the chance to live long enough to grow as big as their ancestors(祖先). He says not only are there fewer big fish, they are smaller than those of the past.
American government scientists say even with the best efforts to protect fish populations, decreases are to be expected.Where is the passage probably taken from?
| A．A story book. |
| B．A business magazine. |
| C．An environment report. |
| D．An economic survey. |
Big fish have gradually been disappearing especially because ________.
| A．longline fishing method is used |
| B．sea water is getting polluted |
| C．mankind destroys the environment |
| D．governments don’t make the best efforts |
Which of the following shows the fact that the populations of large fish have dropped?
| A．Today’s “large”fish are smaller than those of the past. |
| B．Longline boats now might catch fewer fish every one-hundred hooks. |
| C．Fish even able to reproduce don’t have the chance to live longer. |
| D．Japanese boats could catch about ten fish for every 100 hooks. |
What can be the best title?
| A．Discoveries Canadian Scientists Have Made |
| B．Japanese Fishing Industry |
| C．Losses of Big Fish |
| D．Modern Fishing Methods |
When did the researchers begin to survey the decreasing of large fish?
| A．In the 1960s. | B．In the 1970s. | C．In the 1980s. | D．In the 1990s. |
In white shirt, blue pants, black cloth shoes and two pigtails, Jingqiu gives off an air of great "pure beauty" in Zhang Yimou’s new movie Under the Hawthorn Tree, which tells the story of the sad romance of Jingqiu and a handsome young man named Laosan set at the end of the "cultural revolution" (1966-- 1976).
Before it was released, moviegoers foresaw what this "pure beauty" could be. Director Zhang complained of how long it had taken him to find the right girl for the part of Jingqiu -- a character so innocent. She believes that simply lying on the same bed as a man will make her pregnant.
It was 18-year-old Zhou Dongyu who stood out from the crowd. According to Zhang, Zhou has "eyes that are clear like a fountain on a mountainside". Born to an ordinary worker's family, the Shijiazhuang girl was in her final year of high school and working hard for a place in an art college.
"If you have fair skin and clear eyes, as Jingqiu does, it is easy to look pure. Girls today wear so many jewels and make-up--that's the reason Zhang was not interested," said Du Yanlai, 17, of Chengdu.
While some teenagers consider such "pure" beauty illusory, others believe that it speaks of something soulful.
Purity is all about an innocence that shines through from within, thinks 16-year-old Tan Mengxi of Nanjing. "Being pure can be simple, not having complicated thoughts and being inexperienced. However, it doesn't mean an ignorant or native person. So, a person is pure in his or her nature if he or she is always enthusiastic and able to deal with difficult matters independently. This purity doesn't pass with time, "she said.What's the real purity according to Tan Mengxi?
| A．Having eyes as clear as a fountain. |
| B．Not wearing so many jewels and make-up. |
| C．Being ignorant and native. |
| D．Being simple, enthusiastic and able to manage things alone. |
What does the underlined word “illusory” mean here?
| A．unreal. | B．unhealthy. | C．unscientific. | D．negative. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Zhou Dongyu, who was 18,was from an art college. |
| B．Director Zhang disliked those girls with so many accessories and make-up. |
| C．Different people have different opinions about purity. |
| D．Many young girls in China are eager to stand out. |
The main idea of the passage is ______.
| A．Why Director Zhang selected Miss Zhou as the leading star |
| B．How people like the movie Under the Hawthorn Tree |
| C．What makes a pure girl |
| D．Why Chinese girls want to be pure |
winter-swimming has become popular in Beijing. three years ago, few people would go swimming in the city waters. but now there is a winter-swimming
enthusiasts’club(冬泳爱好者协会)and it has more than 2,000 members. the oldest is 84 years of age and the youngest is only 7. The members are from all walks of life. They may be workers, peasants, soldiers, teachers, students....Though it is now the coldest part of the season and the water temperature in the city’s lakes is around 0°c, many winter-simmers still swim in the icy waters, even when it is snowing. They enjoy themselves in the lake, while the people by the side of the lake are wearing heavy clothes.
why are so many people interested in winter-swimming? Because winter-swimming can be good for one’s health.
Bei Sha is a good example. He is 69 years old, and he once suffered from heart trouble for 26 years. After ten years of winter-swimming he is now in good health. Scientists are now studying the effects of winter-swimming on health.Guess what “the members are from all walks of life” means ______ .
| A．The members do different jobs at different places. |
| B．They come from all parts of Beijing. |
| C．They are persons of different ages. |
| D．They are men and women , old and young. |
Winter-swimming has become popular in Beijing because _______.
| A．more and more people like to swim in winter |
| B．it is more interesting than swimming in summer |
| C．winter-swimmers are brave men |
| D．winter-swimming does a lot of good to one’s health |
The best title for this passage should be ______.
| A．People in Beijing Like Swimming in Winter |
| B．Winter-Swimming-----A Craze(狂热) in Beijing |
| C．People Benefit from Winter-swimming |
| D．Winter-Swimmers are Brave Men |