Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it. It is not the amazing complexity of television, nor the impressive technology of transport. The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noise without mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other's minds. This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle (奇迹) it is.
Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animal. Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing, Birds can fly thousands miles by \observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year. In Nature's talent show, humans are a species of animal that have developed their own special act. If we reduce it to basic terms, it's an ability for communicating information to others, by varying sounds we make as we breathe out.
Not that we don't have other powers of communication. Our facial expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or joy, or disappointment. The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad. This is so-called “body language”. Bristling (直立的) fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals. Similarly, the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering.
Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display. Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct? If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skills ? Biologist can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn't tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history. According to the passage, the wonder we take for granted is .
| A．our ability to use language |
| B．the miracle of technology |
| C．the amazing power of nature |
| D．our ability to make noises with mouth |
What feature of “body language” mentioned in the passage is common to both human an animals?
| A．Lifting heads when sad. |
| B．Keeping long faces when angry. |
| C．Bristling hair when ready to attack. |
| D．Bowing heads when willing to obey. |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
| A．Body language is unique to humans. |
| B．Animals express emotions just as humans do. |
| C．Humans have other powers of communication. |
| D．Humans are no different from animals to some degree. |
This passage is mainly about .
| A．the development of body language. |
| B．the special role humans play in nature |
| C．the power to convey information to others |
| D．the difference between humans and animals in language use |
For Western designers， China and its rich culture have long been an inspiration for Western creative．
"It's no secret that China has always been a source（来源）of inspiration for designers，" says Amanda Hill， chief creative officer at A+E Networks， a global media company and home to some of the biggest fashion（时尚）shows．
Earlier this year， the China Through A Looking Glass exhibition in New York exhibited 140 pieces of China﹣inspired fashionable clothing alongside Chinese works of art， with the aim of exploring the influence of Chinese aesthetics（美学）on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries． The exhibition had record attendance， showing that there is huge interest in Chinese influences．
"China is impossible to overlook，" says Hill． "Chinese models are the faces of beauty and fashion campaigns that sell dreams to women all over the world， which means Chinese women are not just consumers of fashion ﹣ they are central to its movement． "Of course， not only are today's top Western designers being influenced by China﹣some of the best designers of contemporary fashion are themselves Chinese．" Vera Wang， Alexander Wang， Jason Wu are taking onGalliano， Albaz， Marc Jacobs﹣and beating them hands down in design and sales，" adds Hill．
For Hill， it is impossible not to talk about China as the leading player when discussing fashion． "The most famous designers are Chinese， so are the models， and so are the consumers，" she says． "China is no longer just another market； in many senses it has become the market． If you talk about fashion today， you are talking about China﹣its influences， its direction， its breathtaking clothes， and how young designers and models are finally acknowledging that in many ways．"
（1）What can we learn about the exhibition in New York？
| A． |
It promoted the sales of artworks． |
| B． |
It attracted a large number of visitors． |
| C． |
It showed ancient Chinese clothes． |
| D． |
It aimed to introduce Chinese models． |
（2）What does Hill say about Chinese women？
| A． |
They are setting the fashion． |
| B． |
They start many fashion campaigns． |
| C． |
They admire super models． |
| D． |
They do business all over the world． |
（3）What do the underlined words"taking on" in paragraph 4 mean？
| A． |
learning from |
| B． |
looking down on |
| C． |
working with |
| D． |
competing against |
（4）What can be a suitable title for the text？
| A． |
Young Models Selling Dreams to the World |
| B． |
A Chinese Art Exhibition Held in New York |
| C． |
Differences Between Eastern and Western Aesthetics |
| D． |
Chinese Culture Fueling International Fashion Trends |
OPENINGS AND PREVIEWS
Animals Out of Paper
Yolo！Productions and the Great Griffon present the play by Rajiv Joseph，in which an origami（折纸术）artist invites a teenage talent and his teacher into her studio． Merri Milwe directs． In previews． Opens Feb.12．（West Park Presbyterian Church，165 W.86th St.212﹣868﹣4444．）
The Audience
Helen Mirren stars in the play by Peter Morgan，about Queen Elizabeth II of the UK and her private meetings with twelve Prime Ministers in the course of sixty years． Stephen Daldry directs． Also starring Dylan Baker and Judith Ivey． Previews begin Feb.14．（Schoenfeld，236 W.45th St.212﹣239﹣6200．）
Hamilton
Lin﹣Manuel Miranda wrote this musical about Alexander Hamilton，in which the birth of America is presented as an immigrant story． Thomas Kail directs． In previews． Opens Feb.17．（Public，425 Lafayette St.212﹣967﹣7555．）
On the Twentieth Century
Kristin Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher star in the musical comedy by Betty Comden and Adolph Green，about a Broadway producer who tries to win a movie star's love during a cross﹣country train journey． Scott Ellis directs，for Roundabout Theatre Company． Previews begin Feb.12．（American Airlines Theatre，227 W.42nd St.212﹣719﹣1300．）
（1）What is the play by Rajiv Joseph probably about？
| A． |
A type of art． |
| B． |
A teenager's studio． |
| C． |
A great teacher． |
| D． |
A group of animals． |
（2）Who is the director of The Audience？
| A． |
Helen Mirren． |
| B． |
Peter Morgan． |
| C． |
Dylan Baker． |
| D． |
Stephen Daldry． |
（3）Which play will you go to if you are interested in American history？
| A． |
Animals Out of Paper． |
| B． |
The Audience． |
| C． |
Hamilton． |
| D． |
On the Twentieth Century． |
During the rosy years of elementary school（小学）， I enjoyed sharing my dolls and jokes， which allowed me to keep my high social status． I was the queen of the playground． Then came my tweens and teens， and mean girls and cool kids． They rose in the ranks not by being friendly but by smoking cigarettes， breaking rules and playing jokes on others， among whom I soon found myself．
Popularity is a well﹣explored subject in social psychology． Mitch Prinstein， a professor of clinical psychology sorts the popular into two categories： the likable and the status seekers． The likables' plays﹣well﹣with﹣others qualities strengthen schoolyard friendships， jump﹣start interpersonal skills and， when tapped early， are employed ever after in life and work． Then there's the kind of popularity that appears in adolescence： status born of power and even dishonorable behavior．
Enviable as the cool kids may have seemed， Dr． Prinstein's studies show unpleasant consequences． Those who were highest in status in high school， as well as those least liked in elementary school， are "most likely to engage（从事）in dangerous and risky behavior．"
In one study， Dr． Prinstein examined the two types of popularity in 235 adolescents， scoring the least liked， the most liked and the highest in status based on student surveys（调查研究）． "We found that the least well﹣liked teens had become more aggressive over time toward their classmates． But so had those who were high in status． It clearly showed that while likability can lead to healthy adjustment， high status has just the opposite effect on us．"
Dr． Prinstein has also found that the qualities that made the neighbors want you on a play date﹣sharing， kindness， openness ﹣ carry over to later years and make you better able to relate and connect with others．
In analyzing his and other research，Dr． Prinstein came to another conclusion： Not only is likability related to positive life outcomes， but it is also responsible for those outcomes， too． "Being liked creates opportunities for learning and for new kinds of life experiences that help somebody gain an advantage， " he said．
（1）What sort of girl was the author in her early years of elementary school？
A． Unkind．
B． Lonely．
C． Generous．
D． Cool．
（2）What is the second paragraph mainly about？
A． The classification of the popular．
B． The characteristics of adolescents．
C． The importance of interpersonal skills．
D． The causes of dishonorable behavior．
（3）What did Dr． Prinstein's study find about the most liked kids？
A． They appeared to be aggressive．
B． They tended to be more adaptable．
C． They enjoyed the highest status．
D． They performed well academically．
（4）What is the best title for the text？
A． Be Nice﹣You Won't Finish Last
B． The Higher the Status， the Better
C． Be the Best﹣You Can Make It
D． More Self﹣Control， Less Aggressiveness
As data and identity theft becomes more and more common， the market is growing for biometric（生物测量）technologies﹣like fingerprint scans﹣to keep others out of private e﹣spaces． At present， these technologies are still expensive， though．
Researchers from Georgia Tech say that they have come up with a low﹣cost device（装置）that gets around this problem： a smart keyboard． This smart keyboard precisely measures the cadence（节奏）with which one types and the pressure fingers apply to each key． The keyboard could offer a strong layer of security by analyzing things like the force of a user's typing and the time between key presses． These patterns are unique to each person． Thus， the keyboard can determine people's identities， and by extension， whether they should be given access to the computer it's connected to﹣regardless of whether someone gets the password right．
It also doesn't require a new type of technology that people aren't already familiar with． Everybody uses a keyboard and everybody types differently．
In a study describing the technology， the researchers had 100 volunteers type the word "touch"four times using the smart keyboard． Data collected from the device could be used to recognize different participants based on how they typed， with very low error rates． The researchers say that the keyboard should be pretty straightforward to commercialize and is mostly made of inexpensive， plastic﹣like parts． The team hopes to make it to market in the near future．
（1）Why do the researchers develop the smart keyboard？
A． To reduce pressure on keys．
B． To improve accuracy in typing．
C． To replace the password system．
D． To cut the cost of e﹣space protection．
（2）What makes the invention of the smart keyboard possible？
A． Computers are much easier to operate．
B． Fingerprint scanning techniques develop fast．
C． Typing patterns vary from person to person．
D． Data security measures are guaranteed．
（3）What do the researchers expect of the smart keyboard？
A．It'll be environment﹣friendly．
B．It'll reach consumers soon．
C．It'll be made of plastics．
D．It'll help speed up typing．
（4）Where is this text most likely from？
A．A diary．
B．A guidebook．
C．A novel．
D．A magazine．
For Canaan Elementary's second grade in Patchogue， N．Y．，today is speech day ，and right now it's Chris Palaez's turn． The 8﹣year﹣old is the joker of the class． With shining dark eyes， he seems like the kind of kid who would enjoy public speaking．
But he's nervous．"I'm here to tell you today why you should …should…"Chris trips on the"﹣ld，"a pronunciation difficulty for many non﹣native English speakers． His teacher ，Thomas Whaley ，is next to him， whispering support．"…Vote for …me …"Except for some stumbles， Chris is doing amazingly well． When he brings his speech to a nice conclusion ，Whaley invites the rest of the class to praise him．
A son of immigrants， Chris started learning English a little over three years ago． Whaley recalls（回想起）how at the beginning of the year，when called upon to read，Chris would excuse himself to go to the bathroom．
Learning English as a second language can be a painful experience． What you need is a great teacher who lets you make mistakes． "It takes a lot for any student，" Whaley explains，"especially for a student who is learning English as their new language，to feel confident enough to say，'I don't know，but I want to know．'"
Whaley got the idea of this second﹣grade presidential campaign project when he asked the children one day to raise their hands if they thought they could never be a president． The answer broke his heart． Whaley says the project is about more than just learning to read and speak in public． He wants these kids to learn to boast（夸耀）about themselves．
"Boasting about yourself，and your best qualities，" Whaley says，"is very difficult for a child who came into the classroom not feeling confident．"
（1）What made Chris nervous？
A． Telling a story．
B． Making a speech．
C． Taking a test．
D． Answering a question．
（2）What does the underlined word "stumbles" in paragraph 2 refer to？
A． Improper pauses．
B． Bad manners．
C． Spelling mistakes．
D． Silly jokes．
（3）We can infer that the purpose of Whaley's project is to ．
A． help students see their own strengths
B． assess students' public speaking skills
C． prepare students for their future jobs
D． inspire students' love for politics
（4）Which of the following best describes Whaley as a teacher？ C
A． Humorous．
B． Ambitious．
C． Caring．
D． Demanding．