It seems that there’s a good reason why dogs are always seen as man’s best friend. Scientists have found that dogs are the only animals that can read emotion(情感)in faces much like humans. The finding suggests that like an understanding friend, dogs can see if we are happy, sad, pleased or angry.
When humans look at a new face, their eyes usually look across the left, falling on the right hand side of the person’s face first. A possible reason for this is that the right side of the human face is better at expressing emotions.
Scientists have now shown that pet dogs also have “left gaze bias(左视偏好)”, but only when looking at human faces. No other animal has been known to do like this before. Dr. Kun Guo showed 17 dogs pictures of human, dog and monkey faces as well as something else with his team. The dogs’ eyes and heads show a strong left gaze bias when the animals see human faces. But this did not happen when they were shown other pictures, including those of dogs.
Guo suggests that over thousands of years living with humans, dogs may have developed the left gaze bias as a way to guess our emotions.
“Recent studies show that the right side of our faces can express emotions better than the left. If true, then it makes sense for dogs and humans to see the right hand side of a face first.”
Why are dogs seen as man’s best friend according to the passage?
A.Because dogs are the closest animals to humans. |
B.Because dogs can read the emotions in humans’ faces easily. |
C.Because dogs can understand us better when we feel sad. |
D.Because dogs are good at expressing emotions. |
The dogs’ left gaze bias helps them _______.
A.get along well with humans |
B.express emotions quickly |
C.have more understanding friends |
D.remember more new faces |
The passage mainly wants to tell us that _______.
A.dogs have been man’s best friends for thousands of years |
B.humans have a “left gaze bias” |
C.the “left gaze bias” works on all animals |
D.dogs can read emotions the same as humans |
Young people and older people don’t always agree. They sometimes have different ideas about living, working and playing. But in one special programme in New York State, adults and teenagers live together in a friendly way.
Each summer 200 teenagers and 50 adults live together for eight weeks as members of a special work group. Everyone works several hours each day. They do so not just to keep busy but to find meaning and enjoyment in work. Some teenagers work in the woods or on the farms near the village. Some learn to make things like tables and chairs and build houses. The adults teach them these skills.
There are several free hours each day. Weekends are free, too. During the free hours some of the teenagers learn photo taking or painting. Others sit around and talk or sing. Each teenager chooses his own way to spend his free time.
When people live together, rules are necessary. In this programme the teenagers and the adults make the rules together. If someone breaks a rule, the problem goes before the whole group. They talk about it and ask, “Why did it happen? What should we do about it?”
One of the teenagers has this to say about his experience, “You stop thinking only about yourself, You learn to think about the group.”In one special programme in New York State, young and older people _______ .
A.don’t work well together. |
B.are friendly to one another. |
C.teach one another new ways of building houses. |
D.spend eight weeks together, working as farmers.. |
All the members work some time every day mainly to _______ .
A.lead a busy life. |
B.learn new skills of farming; |
C.get used to the life on the farms |
D.find value and pleasure in work |
Living together, _________ .
A.the teenagers don’t have to obey(遵守) the rules |
B.the teenagers have to obey the rules the adults make |
C.the members have no free time on weekends |
D.the members are not allowed to break the rules they make together |
The last paragraph shows that the teenager thinks his experience in the programme is ____ .
A.unpleasant | B.tiring | C.helping | D.boring |
The best title for the passage is __________ .
A.The rules of living together |
B.Life in New York State |
C. Teenagers in the special group |
D.Free hours in the special work group |
What do you think of black cats? Are they unluckier than cats of other colors? Many people in Western countries think so. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), did a study on cat colours and people’s understandings of cat personalities.
The study found that people do judge(判断) cat personalities by color. Scientists did a survey(调查) on the Internet. There were 49 statements (描述) matching five cat colorings with 10 personalities. People think orange and bi-colored (双色的) cats are friendly, tri-colored (三色的) cats are not generous, and white cats are calm, lazy and shy. As for black cats, people think they don’t have special personalities.
But why do so many people dislike keeping black cats as pets? People think black cats have less special personalities, which might be because of their bad reputation (口碑). They think black cats may bring bad luck, especially at Halloween. Movies and television shows also make people believe that.
Although people have these ideas, UC Berkeley scientists give another reason: people don’t think black cats are pretty enough. After all, nothing can show black cats are unluckier than other cats. “You can’t judge a cat by its color, because it’s the personality of the cat, not the color, that will let you know if the cat is right for you,” Cathy Marden, a scientist said.Many people in Western countries may think black cats are ______.
A.lovely animals | B.a sign of bad luck |
C.a sign of good luck | D.unfriendly animals |
The main idea of paragraph 2 is that ______.
A.people often complain(抱怨) about black cats on the Internet |
B.people think cats of different colors have different personalities |
C.black cats are less popular than other cats |
D.the study is a great success |
According to the study, people think that______.
A.black cats have special personalities |
B.orange and bi-colored cats are generous |
C.cats with three colors are friendly |
D.white cats are calm, lazy and shy |
People don’t like black cats for the following reasons EXCEPT ______.
A.black cats often appear in TV shows |
B.black cats bring bad luck to people |
C.black cats have bad reputations |
D.they don’t think black cats are beautiful |
The passage mainly talks about ______.
A.why black cats are popular in movies |
B.why people are not willing to keep black cats as pets |
C.different color cats have different personalities |
D.different people have different ideas on black cats |
More than anything else in the world, Lion liked being King of the jungle. He walked around, showing off his power and pride.
Each day Lion took a long lazy sleep under the shade of his favorite tree. He always dreamed of weaker animals bowing(鞠躬) before him.
One day Mouse ran through the jungle and tripped over Lion’s huge paws. Lion woke up with a start. “How dare you wake me up!” he shouted angrily. Lion grabbed(抓住) Mouse with one paw. “On the second thought, I’m in the mood for the snack, and you’ll make a delicious meal.” he said.
Mouse cried out, “King Lion, please spare(饶恕) me! If you let me live, I’ll always remember your kindness. And, some day, I might be able to help you.”
“How could such a powerless little mouse ever help me?” That thought made Lion laugh so much that he decided to let Mouse go. A week later, Lion was walking through the jungle on the way to his favorite tree when he stepped onto a hunter’s net. The net scooped him up. No matter how he twisted (扭动) and turned, he couldn’t escape.
When Mouse heard Lion’s frightened shouts, he raced to help. Mouse quickly chewed(咬)through the ropes to make a hole in the net. Soon, Lion moved out and was free. Lion looked down at the little mouse. “Thank you for saving my life,” said Lion, smiling his widest smile. “I was mistaken. You are not a powerless little mouse. You are a great friend!”What did Lion do each day?
A.He stepped onto a hunter’s net. |
B.He bowed before weaker animals. |
C.He showed kindness to animals in the jungle. |
D.He had a good sleep under his favorite tree. |
How did Mouse wake up Lion?
A.He made a hole in the net. |
B.He shouted at Lion angrily. |
C.He tripped over Lion’s paws. |
D.He prepared a delicious meal for Lion. |
Why did Lion let Mouse go?
A.Because he was trapped in the net. |
B.Because he took Mouse as his good friend. |
C.Because he believed Mouse could save him. |
D.Because he doubted if Mouse could be of any help. |
What do you think of Mouse?
A.Clever and honest. | B.Silly and lazy |
C.Humorous and stubborn | D.Proud and selfish. |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.Pride makes you lose what you have. |
B.Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. |
C.Even the small can show great strength. |
D.When the cat’s away, the mice will play. |
Life is like four seasons. Now I am very old, but when I was young, it was the spring of my life. I played a lot, and then I started school. I learned many new things. Like a flower, I grew bigger every day. There were happy days and sorrowful days. Some days the sun shone, and some days it didn’t.
In my twenties, I had a good job. I was strong and happy. Then I married and had a child. In those days I didn’t have much time to think. Every day I was busy and worked hard. I started to get some white hair. The summer of my life passed quickly.
Then the days got shorter. Leaves fell from the trees. My child was a university student and an engineer. My home was much quieter. I started walking slowly. One day I stopped working. I had more time. I understood it was my autumn, a beautiful time when the trees changed color and gave us delicious fruit.
Now the days keep getting shorter and colder. Winter has come. I am older and weaker. I know I do not have many days left; I will enjoy them to the end.The writer was very busy in the ______ of his life.
A.spring | B.summer |
C.autumn | D.winter |
According to the passage, which of the following ages is during the autumn of his life?
A.15 | B.33 |
C.62 | D.87 |
What does the underlined word “sorrowful” mean in Chinese?
A.Sad | B.Exciting | C.Wonderful | D.Pleasant |
Which of the following is TRUE?
A.The writer was an engineer. |
B.The writer had a garden with flowers |
C.The writer was always happy as a child. |
D.The writer now is old and weak, but he still enjoys his life. |
The best title of the passage can be_______.
A.Four Seasons |
B.My Life |
C.Four Seasons in a year |
D.Four Seasons in My Life |
Sarah Winfrey |
I’d love to work for myself. I want to spend my mornings making cards. Then I’m going to write stories for newspapers in the afternoon. How am I going to do that? I’m learning how to make cards and taking some writing lessons. |
Justin Ryan |
At first I planned to be an actor because I wanted to have a lot of money. Then I’d like to be a writer. But soon I found it was a boring job. And now…I really don’t know what my dream job is. |
Will Chen |
I loved watching Growing Pains when I was a small kid. I always thought Dr Seaver had the best job in the world. He could give his family a comfortable life. And he could help a lot of people just by talking to them. So to be a psychologist(心理学家)like him is my dream. I’m going to try to do something for others. |
Beth Chapman |
I want to be a journalist. I want to take nice photos and write magazine articles about my great experiences. In fact, my dream is my hobby now, though no one pays me for it. I’m sure that one day everything will change. It’s important to do what I like. |
Philip Brewer |
My first dream job was a computer programmer. In college, I spent every free minute in the computer room. But soon I found it was difficult for me. And my next dream job was to be a writer. I sold my first story in 1979 and I’ve never really stopped writing. |
Who may like writing?
A.Sarah | B.Beth |
C.Philip | D.All of the above |
Who has already got her/his dream job?
A. Sarah | B.Justin | C. Beth | D.Philip |
What did Dr Seaver do in Growing Pains.
A. A teacherB. A writer
B. A psychologist D. A nurseWhich of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Philip is going to work for a magazine in the future. |
B.Sarah really doesn’t know what she wants to be |
C.Justin thought it was boring to be a computer programmer. |
D.Beth hopes to do what she likes |
What’s the best title for the passage?
A.Interesting Jobs | B.Dream Jobs |
C.Finding jobs | D.Their Different Jobs |