Many people say dolphins are very intelligent. They seem to be able to think, understand, and learn things quickly. But are they smart like humans or more than cats or dogs? Dolphins use their brains differently from people. But scientists say dolphin intelligence and human intelligence are similar in some ways. How?
Fact 1: Talk to me
Like humans, every dolphin has its own “name”. The name is a special whistle. Each dolphin chooses a specific whistle for itself, usually by its first birthday. Actually, scientists think dolphins, like people, “talk” to each other about a lot of things, such as their age, their feelings, or finding food. And, like humans, dolphins use a system of sounds and body language to communicate. But understanding their conversations is not easy for humans. No one speaks “dolphin” yet, but some scientists are trying to learn.
Fact 2: Let’s play
Dolphins are also social animals. They live in groups, and they often join others from different groups to play games and have fun—just like people. In fact, playing together is something only intelligent animals do.
Fact 3: Fishermen’s helper
Dolphins and humans are similar in another way: both make plans to get something they want. In the seas of southern Brazil, for example, dolphins use an interesting strategy to get food. When fish are near a boat, dolphins show signs to the fishermen to put their nets in the water. Using this method, the men can catch a lot of fish. What is the advantage for the dolphins in doing so? They get to eat some of the fish.What does a dolphin often use as its “name”?
A.A body language. | B.A special whistle. |
C.Its feeling. | D.Its age. |
Why do dolphins join others from different groups?
A.To learn to “talk”. |
B.To meet their families. |
C.To play games. |
D.To find food. |
How do dolphins help fishermen catch fish?
A.By playing with other fish. |
B.By following fishing boats. |
C.By leading the fish into the net. |
D.By showing signs to the fishermen. |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.Dolphins are smarter than humans. |
B.Dolphins make friends with humans. |
C.Dolphins teach humans to speak “dolphin”. |
D.Dolphins and humans are similar in some ways. |
It is difficult for doctors to help a person with a damaged brain. Without enough blood, the brain lives for only three to five minutes. More often the doctors can’t fix the damage. Sometimes they are afraid to try something to help because it is dangerous to work on the brain. The doctors might make the person worse if he operates on the brain.
Dr. Robert White, a famous professor and doctor, thinks he knows a way to help. He thinks doctors should make the brain very cold. If it is very cold, the brain can live without blood for 30 minutes. This gives the doctor a longer time to do something for the brain.
Dr. White tried his idea on 13 monkeys. First he taught them to do different jobs, and then he operated on them. He made the monkeys' blood go through a machine. The machine cooled the blood. Then the machine sent the blood back to the monkeys' brains. When the brain’s temperature was 10°C, Dr. White stopped the blood to the brain. After 30 minutes he turned the blood back on. He warmed the blood again. After their operations the monkeys were like they had been before. They were healthy and busy. Each one could still do the jobs the doctor had taught them. The biggest difficulty in operating on the damaged brain is that _______.
A.the time is too short for doctors |
B.the patients are often too nervous |
C.the damage is extremely hard to fix |
D.the blood-cooling machine might break down |
The brain operation was made possible mainly by _______.
A.taking the blood out of the brain |
B.trying the operation on monkeys first |
C.having the blood go through a machine |
D.lowering the brain’s temperature |
With Dr. White’s new idea, the operation on the damaged brain _______.
A.can last as long as 30 minutes |
B.can keep the brain’s blood warm |
C.can keep the patient’s brain healthy |
D.can help monkeys do different jobs |
What is the right order of the steps in the operation?
a. send the cooled blood back to the brain
b. stop the blood to the brain
c. have the blood cooled down
d. operate on the brain
A.a, b, c, d | B.c, a, b, d |
C.c, b, d, a | D.b, c, d, a |
If women are mercilessly exploited(剥削) year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores.Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion.
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend large sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time changing their old-fashioned dresses. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.
No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with necessary things like warmth, comfort and durability (耐用). They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or picking her way through deep snow in high heeled shoes.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability(稳定耐用)? That is for you to decide. Designers and big stores always make money_________.
A.by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry |
B.because they are capable of predicting new fashions |
C.by constantly changing the fashions in women's clothing |
D.because they attach great importance to quality in women's clothing |
To the writer, the fact that women change their old-fashioned dresses is seen as___.
A.a waste of money |
B.a waste of time |
C.an expression of taste |
D.an expression of creativity |
New fashions in clothing are created for ___________.
A.the commercial exploitation of women |
B.the women's strength of character |
C.basic qualities of inconstancy and instability |
D.an important contribution to society |
By saying "the conclusions to be drawn are obvious" ( Line One to Line Two, Paragraph Four), the writer means that ___________.
A.women's inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at |
B.women are better able to put up with discomfort |
C.men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers |
D.men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion |
Here is a story told about an American general who was a very important figure in the American army during the First World War. Everybody in the United States knew him and many people wished to have a picture or something of his in their homes.
Soon after the war the general returned to Washington. One day he went to a dentist and had six teeth pulled out. A week later the general heard that his teeth were being sold in shops at $5 each. On each of the teeth there was a label with the name of the general and words: “buy these teeth and show them to your friends at home.” The general got angry. He rushed to his office and ordered six officers to go around the city and buy all his teeth.
The officers went out and visited every shop in the capital.They were away from the office all day. In the evening they returned and put on the table in front of the general the teeth they had bought. They had collected 175 teeth.The general returned to Washington ______.
A.during the war | B.after civil war |
C.after 1945 | D.after 1918 |
The general’s teeth were sold in ______.
A.the museum |
B.the special shops selling some rare and interesting things |
C.the department store |
D.the hospital |
The general ordered his men to _____________.
A.arrest the dentist |
B.look for all his teeth and buy all of them |
C.visit all the shops selling teeth |
D.buy all the teeth in all the shops |
In the evening, the officers went back with all the teeth which cost ______.
A.$ 785 | B.$ 1,050 |
C.$ 157 | D.$ 875 |
The world’s first subway was built in London in 1863. At the time,the government was looking for a way to reduce traffic problems in the city of London. The poor areas of the city were so crowded with people that it was almost impossible for horse carriages to get through. The city officials were interested in trying to make it possible for workers to live outside of London and travel easily to work each day. If people had a cheap and convenient way that they could depend on to go to and from work, they would relocate their homes outside of the city. This would help ease(减轻) the pressure of too many people living in the poor parts of London. From these problems,the idea of the London Underground,the first subway system,was born.
The plans for building the Underground met with several problems and delays,but the fast track was finally opened in January 1863. A steam train pulled the cars along the fast underground track which was 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) long. About 30,000 people got on the subway the first day. Riders were treated to comfortable seats (standing up while the train was moving was not allowed),and pleasant decorations inside each of the cars. However, the smoke from the engine soon filled the air in the tunnels with ash and soot(煤灰), as well as chemical gases. Fans had to be put in the tunnels later to keep the air clean enough for people to breathe.Even with its problems,riding in the Underground did catch on. It carried 9 million riders in its first year.What led the British government to build the London Underground?
A.Traffic jams and pollution. |
B.Population and pollution. |
C.Overcrowding and traffic jams. |
D.The poverty and subway problems. |
How did the London Underground solve the smoke problem?
A.It made the tunnels larger. |
B.It put fans in the tunnels. |
C.It cleaned the chemical gases in the tunnels. |
D.It reduced the number of passengers riding in the train. |
The underlined phrase “catch on” most probably means “______”.
A.be troublesome |
B.become popular and fashionable |
C.keep up with |
D.seize |
Which of the following is TRUE?
A.To relocate the workers’ homes outside London,the government built the subway. |
B.There were so many problems and delays that in 18th century the first subway opened. |
C.The subway greatly eased the pressure of traffic. |
D.There were not enough seats for the passengers the first day the subway opened. |
Japanese students work very bard but many are unhappy. They feel heavy pressures(压力) from their parents. Most students are always told by their parents to study harder and better so that they can have a wonderful life in the future. Though this may be a good idea for those very bright students, it can have terrible results for many students who are not gifted(有天赋的) enough. Many of them have tried very hard at school but have failed in the exams and have their parents lose hope. Such students felt that they are hated by everyone else they meet and they don’t want to go to school any longer. They become dropouts.
It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way. Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers’ work to help their children. To make matters worse, a lot of parents serif their children to those schools opening in the evenings and on weekends — they only help the students to pass the exams and never teach them any real sense of the world.
Many Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students’ hair to their clothes and things in their school bags. Child psychologists(心理学家) now think that such strict rules are harmful to the feelings of the students. Almost 40% of the students said that no one had taught them how to get on with others, how to tell right from wrong and how to show love and care for others, even for their parents.“Dropouts” are those who _______.
A.make troubles in and out of schools |
B.go about or stay home instead of being at school |
C.try hard but always fails in the exams |
D.lose hope and give up some of their subjects |
According to the passage, it’s necessary to teach students _______.
A.how to study well |
B.how to get on with others |
C.to show love and care for others |
D.All above |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A.The Trouble in Japanese Schools |
B.The Problems of Japanese Students |
C.Education in Japan |
D.The Pressures on the Students in Japan |