Recordings of angry bees are enough to send big, tough African elephants running away, a new study says. Beehives (蜂窝)-either recorded or real-may even prevent elephants from damaging farmer's crops.
In 2002, scientist Lucy King and her team found that elephants avoid certain trees with bees living in them. Today, Lucy wants to see if African honeybees might discourage elephants from eating crops. But before she asked farmer to go to the trouble of setting up beehives on their farms, she needed to find out if the bees would scare elephants away.
Lucy found a wild beehive inside a tree in northern Kenya and set up a recorder. Then she threw a stone into the beehive, which burst into life. Lucy and her assistant hid in their car until the angry bees had calmed down. Next，Lucy searched out elephant families in Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya and put a speaker in a close to each family.
From a distance, Lucy switched on the pre-recorded sound of angry bees while at the same time recording the elephants with a video camera. Half the elephant groups left the area within ten seconds. Out of a total of 17 groups, only one group ignored the sound of the angry bees. Lucy reported that all the young elephants immediately ran to their mothers to hide under them. When Lucy Played the sound of a waterfall (瀑布) instead of the angry bees to many of the same elephant families, the animals were undisturbed. Even after four minutes, most of the groups stayed in one place.
Lucy is now studying whether the elephants will continue to avoid the sound of angry bees after hearing it several times. She hasn't tested enough groups yet to know, but her initial (最初的) results were promising enough to begin trials with farmers. She has now begun placing speakers in the fields to see if elephants are frightened away.We know from the passage that elephants may be frightened of .
| A．loud noises | B．some crops |
| C．video cameras | D．angry bees |
As mentioned in the passage, Lucy
| A．works by herself in Africa |
| B．needs to test more elephant groups |
| C．has stopped elephants eating crops |
| D．has got farmers to set up beehives on their farms |
Why did Lucy throw a stone into a wild beehive?
| A．To record the sound of bees. |
| B．To make a video of elephants. |
| C．To see if elephants would run away. |
| D．To find out more about the behavior of bees. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Young elephants ignore African honeybees. |
| B．Waterfalls can make elephants stay in one place. |
| C．Elephants do not go near trees with bees living in them. |
| D．Farmers do not allow Lucy to conduct tests in their fields. |
Armed only with iPhones, the inventive rock band Atomic Tom has gone viral (广为流传) by way of the New York subway. The band has scored an Internet hit with the video to the song "Take Me Out."
Singer Luke White says the production was a top-secret operation.
"We didn't tell anyone about this. It was completely top-secret from our family, from our friends, from our label, our management, everybody. So the first time that people saw this video was last Friday when we put it on YouTube (视频网站)," explained White.
Since uploading the video to YouTube, band members have spent several days refreshing the page to watch the number of hits rise.
The video has also made its way around Twitter as many people have shared it with their friends.
"I mean, it still hasn't quite hit. It's just kind of blowing our minds right now that we're getting this: many people are fond of it, and they're sharing it with their friends. We don't know what it's like really to have something that's viral, so all of this is very new to us." said Eric Espiritu, the lead guitarist of the band.
White explains how the video came together:
"We did our research with the applications (应用程序) and found applications that worked out really well with the instruments and then we plugged our phones into mini-battery powered amplifiers (扩音器) that we put underneath our seats, and we did a lot of, you know, practices. In terms of figuring out what the balance of the sound like who was overpowering, who was too loud or who was too soft."
The idea for the video came from Espiritu's younger brother Benjamin. The younger Espiritu directed the video from his initial concept through the final edit and upload it to the Internet.
"I've seen a lot of the music applications come out, and I've never actually had the chance to play with them," says Ben Espiritu. "When I startedhearing about how they sound and everything, I thought it might be unique to take it one step further and then create an entire band just performing solely (单曲) on the iPhones, and I thought it would be a pretty cool idea."
Ben says the success of the band's music video is a credit to the talent and ability of the musicians, but it's also a sign of the times.
"It really comes down to seeing something different, seeing something unique, and I think that's always, in any type of art form, what will speak to people, and I think it does reflect the times that we live in, taking a smart phone and then being able to turn it into an instrument, not only just an instrument, but making it sound really good."Who first saw the video of the song "Take Me Out"?
| A．Their friends. |
| B．The people online. |
| C．Their family. |
| D．Their management. |
What is the band members' attitude towards the sudden fame?
| A．They are thrilled. |
| B．They are quite used to it. |
| C．They are kind of confused. |
| D．They are so excited as to tell everyone they know. |
How did the video come into being?
| A．The band copied it from other musicians. |
| B．It had already existed in the iPhones before they bought them. |
| C．The band created it with the help of the applications in the iPhones. |
| D．The band made full use of the traditional instruments to make the song. |
What is the significance of the success of the band's music video?
| A．It has introduced us several talented musicians. |
| B．It has made the musicians into millionaires. |
| C．It teaches the young a big lesson. |
| D．It reflects the talent and ability of the musicians and; the times that we live in. |
BEIJING—Seven prestigious universities in China announced Sunday that they would begin using the same independent exam —besides the national one —to test students hoping to gain entrance to them in 2011.
The seven are Peking University, Beihang University, Beijing Normal University, Nankai University, Fudan University, Xiamen University and Hong Kong University.
Students who want to gain entrance to any of the seven universities will only have to sit one independent exam, according to the joint announcement.
"This will help lighten the students' load, otherwise they must take several exams for different universities," said the announcement.
Passing the exam could result in more than one interview chance, giving the students more opportunities to choose their favorite universities.
China's college entrance exam system is undergoing reform as universities aim to select students based on independent criteria rather than just using the results of the national exam.
In 2003, Peking University and another 21 universities were allowed to pilot (试用) the reform byusing their own criteria to independently select five percent of their students.
Now nearly 80 universities across the country have the right to select talented students based on their own exams.
Education experts regard universities selecting students according to independent examinations as conducive (有助的) to better understanding where the students, talents lie.
Although this may be the case, it has also created problems as students may sit many different exams as they often apply for a number of universities.
To relieve students from such pressures, the national education outline (2010—2020) released in July this year encourages high-level universities to group together to use the same exams.If students want to be admitted to the seven prestigious universities, they can __________.
| A．only pass the interview. |
| B．only take the national exam. |
| C．only take the independent exam. |
| D．either take the national exam or take the independent exam. |
What's the purpose of students sitting one independent exam to gain entrance to the seven universities?
| A．It can reduce students' load to take several exams. |
| B．The universities will have the same standard to test students. |
| C．There will be less trouble marking students' test papers. |
| D．It can avoid fierce competition among these universities. |
If students pass the independent exam, they will __________.
| A．take the national exam. |
| B．have one or more interview chances. |
| C．be admitted to one of the universities. |
| D．be trained to be adapted to universities life and studies. |
What is the advantage of universities selecting students according to independent examinations?
| A．Students needn't take the national exam. |
| B．Students' education cost can be lowered. |
| C．Students' abilities and talents can be better found. |
| D．It can encourage middle schools to recommend more qualified students. |
Few people would question the value of taking part in sports for young people. With proper training, supervision, protective equipment and techniques, and a proper emphasis on winning, sports can develop a healthy body and spirit and a life-long interest in being active and fit. Without such measures, childhood sports can lead to injuries and even paralysis or death.
Even in the best conditions, no activity can be risk-free. But most serious hazards are preventable. Cyclists and football players can reduce their risks by wearing helmets; hockey players by wearing masks; basketball and tennis players by wearing eye guards; baseball players by wearing batting pelmets.
Besides, risks to individual players can often be found, and thus prevented, through a properly performed medical exam before a child plays. For accidents that may not be preventable, having an emergency plan and first-aid equipment, and someone trained to use the equipment, can be life-saving.
Still, each year, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, more than 775, 000 children under 14 are treated in emergency rooms for sports injuries, nearly half of them preventable. An estimated 300, 000 athletes experience exercise-related head illnesses each year, and almost all of them should have been avoided.
Further, from half to three-fourths of sports-related concussions (脑震荡) are never even diagnosed; the injured are often sent back to play too soon and put at risk of another more serious brain-damaging concussion. To help reduce these risks, the National Center for Sports Safety, with the National Athletic Trainers, Association, offers a three-hour online safety course for coaches for $ 28 at www. SportsSafety. org.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．All the accidents can be prevented. |
| B．All the accidents cannot be prevented. |
| C．Lives can be saved so long as there is proper equipment. |
| D．Lives cannot be saved even if there is proper equipment. |
What does the underlined word "hazards" (in Paragraph 2) mean?
| A．Mistakes. |
| B．Diseases. |
| C．Dangers. |
| D．Situations. |
It is implied in the passage that __________.
| A．prevention of injuries is not paid enough attention to |
| B．children under 14 are more easily hurt in sports |
| C．most head illnesses are related to exercise |
| D．none of the head illnesses should have happened |
What can coaches mainly learn from the online safety course?
| A．How to cure brain-damaging concussion. |
| B．How to diagnose brain-damaging concussion. |
| C．How to predict the possibility of brain damage. |
| D．How to deal with the injured properly. |
Every people has their own way of saying things, their own special expressions. Many everyday American expressions are based on colors.
Red is a hot color. Americans often use it to express heat. They may say they are red hot about something unfair. When they are red hot they are very angry about something. The small hot tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hots for their color and their fiery (炽热的，暴躁的) taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland jazz.
Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.
Blue is a cool color. The traditional blues in the United States is the opposite of red hot music. Blues is slow, sad and soulful. Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded a famous song—Mood Indigo—about the deep blue color, indigo. In the words of the song: "You aren't blue till you've had that Mood Indigo." Someone who is blue is very sad.
The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling in stomach may say she feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green.
Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the color of the back side of the paper money.
The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day in which everything goes wrong as a black day. The date of a major tragedy is remembered as a black day. A blacklist is illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations. If you had your wallet stolen while doing some shopping, you may call it __________.
| A．a white day |
| B．a black day |
| C．a red day |
| D．a green day |
Suppose Mr. Brown says he is very happy because his three children are all in the pink, this means all his children are __________.
| A．lucky and wealthy |
| B．gentle and modest |
| C．fit and healthy |
| D．creative and energetic |
When she got home and found nothing had been done by her husband, Jane was really __________.
| A．red hot |
| B．green |
| C．blue |
| D．black |
In the following paragraph, the writer might tell the reader something about __________.
| A．unpopular organizations in the world |
| B．people's response towards a black day |
| C．the influence of the traditional blues |
| D．more words about a color, such as brown |
One day last September, as Britney Spears was about to board a flight to Los Angeles from London,a blue bottle fell out of her purse. She quickly put it back in，but not before the paparazzi recorded the event. Neither Spears nor her spokesman was willing to comment on the contents of the bottle, but the next morning London's Daily Express published a page of pictures under the headline "EXCLUSIVE：POP PRINCESS SPOTTED AT AIRPORT WITH POT OF SLIMMING TABLETS. ” Spears was apparently carrying Zantrex-3, one of the most popular weight-loss pills now sold in the United States. The pill，which is sold at about fifty dollars for a month's supply, contains a huge amount of caffeine, some green tea，and three common South American herbs that also act as stimulants (兴奋剂） It hit the U. S. market last March and has had a success that would be hard to overstate. Millions of bottles have been sold, and during the Christmas season it was dis-played in the windows of the nation's largest chain of vitamin shops, G. N. C. (It is so highly sought after that many of the stores keep it in locked counters. )Zantrex-3 is also sold at CVS, Rite Aid, Wal-Mart,and other chains, and over the telephone and on the Internet. If you type “ Zantrex ” into Google, more than a hundred thousand pieces of information about it will appear. At any moment, there are scores of people sell the stuff on eBay.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the success story of Zantrex-3, however, is that it is far from unique. There are hundreds of similar products on the market today，and they are bought by millions of Americans. And though Zantrex 's producer makes some exciting statements (“ the most advanced weight control compound period "), so do the people who sell Stacker 2 and Anorex along with those who sell Carb Eliminator and Fat Eliminator. Almost all of these compounds suggest that they can help people lose weight and regain lost energy, and often without diet, exercise, or any other effort. Which of the following is also a kind of weight-loss pill?
| A．CVS. |
| B．Rite Aid. |
| C．Wal-Mart. |
| D．Anorex. |
The underlined part of the sentence in the first paragraph is most likely similar in meaning to __________
| A．it is difficult to say how successful Zantrex-3 is |
| B．you can't overstate the success of Zantrex-3 |
| C．you can't think too highly of the success of Zantrex-3 |
| D．Zantrex-3 is not very successful |
The text mainly tells us __________.
| A．when Britney Spears was found taking weight-loss pills with her |
| B．how Zantrex-3 became successful in the USA |
| C．weight-loss pills are very popular in the USA |
| D．Zantrex-3 is forbidden to be sold on the US market |