Squirrels often communicate with whistles, chirps and chucks, which sound like the word “chuck”. Whistles and chirps are like the sounds that many birds make. Now scientists have translated some of their squirrel-speak.
Hare, a professor of zoology at the University of Maniloha in Winnipeg, and his team managed to record squirrels' alarm calls. The researchers studied the sounds and then played them back to 60 wild squirrels, which the scientists approached individually with a video recorder to capture(抓拍）their responses. Some squirrels lifted their heads up and became alert(警惕的）. Creatures that were more frightened simply ran for their lives and dived into caves.
"In effect then, whistles that mix with chucks say 'there's an enemy of average threat that's here', and whistles without chucks say 'there's an enemy of seemingly average threat around here somewhere', while pure chirps say, 'I'm hiding here because there's an immediate danger. ' " Hare told. Discovery News.
Hare and some other researchers believe such sounds are part of an advanced language that develops just as all other communication systems.
Although squirrels risk their lives when they call out to warn others of threats, other squirrels might admire this behavior, thus increasing the caller’s social status, like humans who look up to heroes. Hare added that other animals, such as birds, probably understand at least some squirrel language, since they also may benefit from the alarm calls.
In fact, another Canadian study found that deep-voiced, black-capped chickadees have their own language too. According to certain research, there are a lot of tidings in chickadees' calls, such as directing fellows' activities, keeping in contact between mates, and raising alarms.
While chickadees and other birds are often welcomed into gardens by homeowners, squirrels are frequently viewed as pests(害兽）. Hare wishes a greater understanding of the complex social lives and communication systems of squirrels will provide “hope that humans will gain a greater appreciation and stop doing harm to these animals”.The text mainly talks about _______ .
| A．the ways for squirrels to escape from their enemies |
| B．the comparison between squirrels and chickadees |
| C．the calling for the protection of squirrels |
| D．the study on the language of squirrels |
If a squirrel is in a very dangerous situation, it would probably make ____.
| A．whistles with chucks | B．pure chirps |
| C．whistles without chucks | D．repeated chucks |
The underlined word “tidings” in paragraph 6 probably means ____.
| A．difficulties | B．noises |
| C．messages | D．languages |
What can be learned from this text?
| A．Squirrels communicate with each other as humans do. |
| B．Some squirrels understand the recorded alarm calls. |
| C．Other animals also well understand the language of squirrels. |
| D．Birds such as chickadees don’t have their own language. |
Justin’s bedroom was so full of flat bicycle tires, bent tennis rackets, deflated basketballs, and games with missing pieces that you could hardly get in the door. His parents pleaded with him to clean out his room.
“What use is a fish tank with a hole in the bottom?” his father asked. But Justin simply smiled and repeated his motto, “Never throw anything out, you never know when it might come in handy.”
When Justin was away from home, he always carried his blue backpack — a smaller bag of his bedroom — a place to store the many objects that he collected. It was so worn and stretched that it hardly resembled a backpack anymore.
Justin had earned a reputation for figuring things out and getting people out of otherwise hopeless situations. Many of his classmates and neighbors sought him out when they needed help with a problem. On the first day of school, his friend Kenny, came looking for Justin.
“Do you think you have something in your backpack that could help me remember my locker combination (箱子密码)?” he asked. “I lost the piece of paper it was written on. I have a science class in two minutes and if I’m late on the first day it’ll make me look bad for the rest of the year.” Kenny looked really worried.
“Relax,” Justin said, taking his backpack off and opened it. “Remember how you borrowed my notebook in my home to write the combination down? Well, I know how I can recover what you wrote.”
He took the notebook and a soft lead pencil out of his backpack. The page that Kenny had written on had left faint marks on another page in the notebook. Justin held the pencil on its side and rubbed it lightly over the marks. Slowly but surely the numbers of the locker combination appeared in white.
“That’ s amazing!” Kenny said, “I owe you one.” And he dashed off to open his locker.
It was just another day in the life of the boy whose motto was “Never throw anything out; you never know when it might come in handy.”Why is Justin’s room in such a mess?
| A．He always forgets to clean it. |
| B．He never throws anything out. |
| C．He has no time to clean it. |
| D．He shares the room with his brother. |
In what way is Justin’s blue backpack used?
| A．He uses it as a place to store collected objects. |
| B．He uses it to carry his books and sports equipment. |
| C．His parents tell him to clean it all the time. |
| D．He carries it to remind others of his ability. |
The underlined phrase “pleaded with” means .
| A．ignored | B．asked | C．pushed | D．admired |
How does Kenny feel toward Justin?
| A．Annoyed | B．Disinterested | C．Grateful | D．Angry |
Something in chocolate could be used to stop coughs and lead to more effective medicines, say UK researchers.
Their study found that theobromine（可可碱）, found in cocoa, was nearly a third more effective in stopping coughs than codeine, which was considered the best cough medicine at present.
The Imperial College London researchers who published their results online said the discovery could lead to more effective cough treatment. “While coughing is not necessarily harmful it can have a major effect on the quality of life, and this discovery could be a huge step forward in treating this problem,” said Professor Peter Barnes.
Ten healthy volunteers were given theobromine, codeine or placebo, a pill that contains no medicine, during the experiment. Neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew who received which pill. The researchers then measured levels of capsaicin, which is used in research to cause coughing and as a sign of how well the medicines are stopping coughs.
The team found that, when the volunteers were given theobromine, the capsaicin needed to produce a cough was around a third higher than in the placebo group. When they were given codeine they needed only slightly higher levers of capsaicin to cause a cough compared with the placebo.
The researchers said that theobromine worked by keeping down a nerve activity(神经活动), which cause coughing. They also found that unlike some standard cough treatments, theobromine caused no side effects such as sleepiness.According to Professor Barnes, theobromine ______.
| A．cannot be as effective as codeine |
| B．can be harmful to people’s health |
| C．cannot be separated from chocolate |
| D．can be a more effective cure for coughs |
What was used in the experiment to cause coughing?
| A．Theobromine. | B．Codeine. | C．Capsaicin. | D．Placebo. |
We learn from the text that volunteers in the experiment _____.
| A．were patients with bad coughs |
| B．were divided into the three groups |
| C．received standard treatments |
| D．suffered little side effects |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Codeine: A New Medicine |
| B．Chocolate May Cure Coughs |
| C．Cough Treatment: A Hard Case |
| D．Theobromine Can Cause Coughs |
How to Be a Winner
Sir Steven Redgrave
Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals
“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes(糖尿病). Believing my career was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it ---the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”
Karen Pickering
Swimming World Champion
“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success----you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”
Kirsten Best
Poet & Writer
“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological tool”What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?
| A．Difficulties influenced his career. |
| B．Specialists offered him medical advice. |
| C．Training helped him defeat his disease. |
| D．He overcame the shadow of illness to win. |
What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?
| A．Her training schedule. | B．Her daily happenings. |
| C．Her achievements. | D．Her sports career. |
What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to？
| A．Ways that help one to focus. |
| B．Words that help one to feel less tense. |
| C．Activities that turn one's attention away. |
| D．Habits that make it hard for one to relax. |
According to the passage ,what do the three people have in common?
| A．Self-confidence. | B．Devotion. | C．Hard work. | D．Courage. |
We have all heard the old phrase “attitude is everything”, and that phrase is certainly true．Your attitude can have a great impact on your personal motivation, so it is important to keep a positive attitude no matter what challenges you face．
As a matter of fact, keeping your attitude positive in the face of difficulties is the motivation tip that most successful business owners will tell you．The most successful business owners, from Sam Walton to Bill Gates, have all been able to triumph in the face of unpleasant situations．It is those successful business owners who tell you that attitude is everything．But how you deal with that knowledge will determine your level of success．
One of the most important ways to carry out “attitude is everything” is to observe who you associate with and who you surround yourself with．That is because when you surround yourself with negative people, their negative attitudes will infect you．So keeping your associates, colleagues, co-workers and friends as positive as possible is a great way to put the phrase “attitude is everything” into practice．
Whatever you decide to do in life, your attitude will have a great effect on the success you achieve．Success , whether in the world of business or in your personal life, is directly related to your attitude, and the attitude you bring to your work．A positive attitude will help you achieve greater success in your job, no matter what your current level of employment．According to the text, Sam Walton __________．
| A．is more successful than Bill Gates |
| B．has given readers some tips about success |
| C．has never dealt with unpleasant situations |
| D．is one of the most successful businessmen |
One useful way of carrying out “attitude is everything” is__________．
| A．not letting others affect your decisions |
| B．not making friends with people who are unsuccessful |
| C．keeping the people who surround you positive |
| D．getting some advice from successful business owners |
What’s the best title for the text ?
| A．Attitude Determines Your Success |
| B．Motivation Tips From Successful People |
| C．Ways To Deal With Unpleasant Situations |
| D．Making Friends With Positive People |
I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on “two-hour business plans”. I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth suggested a catering service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment.
My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state-owned and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years’ teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a better business strategy(策略), better than inventing and creating.
In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But there are so few well developed marketing and management minds that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand.
With this problem in mind, co-operation with institutions like Yale and MIT have been started . And then there’s the “thousand talent program”: this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization(现代化). It can attract top foreign trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China’s research environment.
At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about co-operation with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It’s about offering a rich learning environment for young minds. It’s not that simple.Why does the author feel disappointed at his students?
| A．Because there is one group presenting a catering service. |
| B．Because the six groups made projects for restaurant chains. |
| C．Because all the students copied a case for the difficult topic. |
| D．Because the students’ ideas were lacking in creativeness. |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A．China can make and sell any product all over the world |
| B．high pay may not solve the problem of China’s research environment |
| C．cooperation with institutions has been set up to make a Chinese brand |
| D．the new government program are aimed at encouraging imagination |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．Look for a New Way of Learning. |
| B．Reward Creative Thinking. |
| C．How to Become a Creator. |
| D．Establish a technical Environment. |