"The noise made by boats of whale-watching tourists may be causing communication problems for the animals," British researchers said last week.
Whale watching is a popular tourist activity in places where groups of killer whales (虎鲸) live. Every day, dozens of boats filled with tourists go to watch the beautiful animal. Unfortunately, the engines of the boats make a lot of noise, and that may be causing problems for the whales, according to a report in the US science magazine Nature .
The whales travel in groups, and communicate with each other through sonic (声波的) calls that some scientists refer to as singing. The sounds of the boat engines may be creating too much background noise for the whales to be able to hear each other.
The researchers listened to recordings of whale calls made between 15 and 25 years ago, before whale-watching became popular. These were compared to more recent recordings.
They found that the animals have started to sing for longer than they used to, like a person shouting to a friend across a noisy room.
It is believed that the whales are trying to communicate hunting or breeding(繁殖) information. Scientists said that, "if this is prevented, the future of the world's whale population could be in danger."
"Animals became slow in mind and repeat themselves in noisy areas," said Volker Deecke, a Canadian biologist. "They have to say things twice or three times in order to be understood.”
The killer whales studied were living off the coast of northwestern America. The number of killer whales in this area has been falling for several years, but scientists are not sure why. The passage mainly tells us______.
| A．The problems of whale-watching |
| B．how killer whales communicate with each other |
| C．the reduced population of killer whales caused by whale-watching |
| D．hearing problems of the killer whales caused by whale watching. |
Now in a noisy background, the killer whales have to__________.
| A．sing in a louder voice |
| B．sing longer |
| C．travel in smaller groups |
| D．get nearer to each other |
Scientists believe that killer whales sing to_______.
| A．warn each other of dangers |
| B．keep in the same group |
| C．send useful information |
| D．enjoy themselves |
From the passage, we can feel that the author is_______.
| A．angry |
| B．hopeful |
| C．worried |
| D．disappointed |
Which of the following is the possible result of whale-watching?
| A．Fewer fish in the ocean. |
| B．Misunderstanding between the whales. |
| C．Reduced number of the whales in the area. |
| D．Serious water pollution along the coast. |
Facebook is now used by 30 million people in the UK, around half the population. Joanna Shields, vice president of Facebook Europe, made the announcement this morning at a media conference in London.
Globally, Facebook has more than 500 million registered （注册的） users, a milestone it hit last summer. Last July it had 26 million registered UK users. In the last eight months, it has attracted four million extra UK users, bringing the UK total to 30 million.
Facebook, the brainchild of Mark Zuckerberg while he was still studying at Harvard University, was launched in February 2004. The pace of its global growth has sped rapidly - Facebook had only 150 million registered users in January 2009.
One third of women aged between 18 to 34 check Facebook when they first wake up, before even going to the toilet, according to the research. 21% check Facebook in the middle of the night, while 42% of the same group think it is fine to post drunken photos of themselves onto the social network, a study by Oxygen Media and Lightspeed Research found.
Shields was speaking this morning at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference about the power Facebook’s referrals （好友推荐）can bring to media sites, such as newspapers and TV services. She explained that the average Facebook user has 130 friends who they share links to media sites with regularly. “Media companies which take advantage of that are really seeing the benefits,” Shields said. Shields refused to be drawn on whether Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system and also said it was “silly” that Google had recently disabled the feature which allowed Google users to refresh their contacts with Facebook friends.Eight months ago the number of registered users of Facebook in UK was about ____.
| A．less than half of its population | B．30 million |
| C．4 million | D．500 million |
Shields talked at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conferences about the following EXCEPT ____.
| A．Facebook’s referrals |
| B．its plan on developing its own mobile phone operating system |
| C．its dissatisfaction with Google |
| D．its call for more media sites to take advantage of Facebook |
What does the underlined word “disabled” mean in the last paragraph?
| A．Invented | B．Strengthened |
| C．Added | D．Stopped |
What is the best title of the text?
| A．Facebook’s referrals bring benefits |
| B．Facebook: the brainchild of Mark Zuckergerg |
| C．Facebook: used by half the UK population |
| D．Facebook: women’s preference |
Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the street.
Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, and the life of American people. Most of the radio programmers are music.
Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in many places. Once the popular singer is heard all over the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes goes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.
There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This is started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.This passage mainly talks about ____.
| A．American music | B．American popular music |
| C．three sorts of music | D．popular music singers |
The first three paragraphs mainly tell us ____.
| A．that Americans like popular music |
| B．that popular music is an important kind of music in America |
| C．how to become a national star as a pop singer in America |
| D．popular music in America is what every student like |
In American, as a pop singer, if you want to become a national star, you’ll have to ____.
| A．earn a lot of money |
| B．make a radio stations use your CDs or tapes |
| C．make many CDs or tapes |
| D．make all the young people love you and what you sing |
Recently I paid a visit to Harvard University, where there are top class scientists and professors and the best academic system in the world.
I was pretty shocked when I first stepped onto the campus. Well, it’s not ever really a campus. It’s a more like district in a small town.
Harvard's main buildings are from the 18th century. They look very old and simple. You might even say they're a little shabby (破旧的). They don’t fit the modern idea of university at all. The buildings are surrounded by grass and trees, so I felt as if I had walked into a medieval castle. But when I looked across the street, busy shops and in-fashion students made me feel like I was in the 21st century again. It creates a strong contrast (对比) and brings a special atmosphere (氛围) to the school.
Our tour guide Gary took us around and told us: “You see this grass field in the center of the school? Here is where they host their graduation ceremony. They just set up tents and benches and have a very simple ceremony. Unbelievable! Who would think the most talented students just graduate on the lawn?”
I saw some students put a blanket on the grass and lie down to read a book. When I listened to the soft sound of pages turning, along with chirping of the birds, I felt very calm. There was no competitive feeling at all.
Harvard has the world’s first computer in its science center and there are hundreds of high-end computers too. Its religion and the literature departments are also among the best. It is the perfect mix of tradition and new technology. It makes Harvard a very attractive place to study in.
I hope one day I’ll attend my dream school—Harvard.According to the article the author was most impressed by ____.
| A．Harvard’s mix of tradition and new technology |
| B．the classes held on beautiful lawns at Harvard |
| C．Harvard students not taking their graduation ceremony seriously |
| D．the feeling of not living in modern society on the campus |
What can we conclude from the article?
| A．Harvard campus is actually a district of a big city. |
| B．There are no competitions at Harvard University. |
| C．Graduation ceremonies are not complex at Harvard. |
| D．All Harvard buildings date back to the 18th century. |
Which word can be used to describe the Harvard campus?
| A．Modern | B．Competitive | C．Peaceful | D．Splendid |
Chinese scientists have found a new way to use cells found in human urine （尿液）that could aid in the treatment of a range of nerve disorders.That is a new technique for reprogramming cells in human urine into nerve progenitor cells that can grow into multi-functional nerve and brain cells.
The technique is expected to be used in the study and treatment of nerve disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other nerve disorders.
Pei Duanqing, a professor at Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said his research team has combined an episomal system to deliver reprogramming factors with a chemically defined culture medium to reprogram kidney epithelial(肾表皮) cells in urine into NPCs.
These NPCs, normally only found in the human brain, were later proven to be transgene-free and self-renewing, he said.
"These nerve and brain cells can survive for up to one month when transplanted into the brain of a newborn rat," said Pei. "My team is working hard to understand why our experimental condition allowed the urine cells to become NPCs, because we want to improve the technique and make it more efficient".
Scientists have long searched to treat and study neural disorders by obtaining and transplanting neural stem cells. However, the previous method of getting and using cells from either fetal (胎儿)or adult human tissue remains challenging due to ethical concerns and immune system rejections, he said.
Pei hopes the discovery will be used to generate NPCs from patients with nerve disorders such as Parkinson's disease. "These NPCs from patients may help us discover new drugs for these diseases."
"It is a remarkable advance in the stem cell field. The results and methods obtained from this study will be of great value and significance to the field, " said Fred Gage,a professor with the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．NPCs are beneficial in treating human diseases. |
| B．Chinese scientists succeeded in making NPCs from human urine. |
| C．Chinese scientists have found cures for all diseases. |
| D．A new technique was used to study the use of human urine |
Pei and his tean try their best to work hard in order to.
| A．make more contributions to medical study |
| B．discover another new technique |
| C．make the technique more perfect |
| D．treat more patients suffering from bad diseases |
What is the challenge of making NPCs in the previous method?
| A．The ethical comcerns and immune system refusal |
| B．The difificulties in getting cells from human. |
| C．The under-developed techniques in medical science. |
| D．The lack of financial support from the government. |
From the last paragraph we can infer.
| A．the new technique will be developed in science |
| B．the results and methods will be applied to treating cancers |
| C．the study will give a major push to the stem cell field |
| D．the mew technique will bring great profis |
After a week-long vacation, U.S. President Barack Obama will focus on proposals to strengthen the still-recovering American economy. The agenda includes the reform of the nation’s health care system.
The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as some call it, expands federal health care programs for the needy and encourages Americans of all income groups to purchase private health care insurance.
“If you do not have insurance, beginning on October 1st, private plans will actually compete for your business. You can comparison--shop in an online marketplace, just like you would for cell phone plans or plane tickets. You may be eligible for new tax credits to help you afford the plan that’s right for you. And if you are in the up to half of all Americans who have been sick or have a preexisting condition, this law means that beginning January 1st, insurance companies have to cover you," Obama said.
Health-care spending accounts for one-seventh of U.S. economic activity, and is projected to increase to one-fifth in coming years. The cost has a direct bearing on America’s economic and financial well--being. Drawn up in 2010, the Affordable Care Act aims to control costs and expand access to health care. The effort is a big failure, according to Republican law makers like Tim Griffin and Todd Young.
“Republicans will continue to do everything we can to protect all Americans from the president's top-down, one-size-fits-all, Washington-knows-best approach to health care that is driving up costs and hurting our economy," said Griffin. “The sooner we can delay, oppose and cancel the president's health-care law, the sooner we can get people back to work and focus on expanding opportunity for everyone.”
The president accuses Republicans of putting partisanship(党派偏见) ahead of Americans’ health-care needs. “A lot of Republicans seem to believe that if they can gum up the works and make this law fail, they will somehow be sticking it to me. But they would just be sticking it to you. Your health insurance is not something to play politics with. Our economy is not something to play politics with," he said.
As a matter of fact，the success or failure of Obamacare could shape the president’s legacy long after he leaves office.It is implied in Obama’s words in Paragraph 3 that.
| A．health care insurance will be of great benefit to Americans |
| B．health care insurance will help recover American economy |
| C．insurance companies don’t expect him to carry out the law |
| D．insurance companies will cover Americans in all aspects |
According to Tim Griffin，Obama’s health-care law.
| A．will be strongly opposed to by the Republicans |
| B．will cause fewer economic problems in America |
| C．will be cancelled sooner or later by the government |
| D．will never work without the help of the Republicans. |
What does Obama accuse Republicans of according to the passage?
| A．They don’t know what Americans are in need of. |
| B．They tend to put their own benefit ahead of Americans’. |
| C．They know nothing about health insurance and economy. |
| D．They like to play politics with economy and health insurance |
What is the author’s tone in this passage?
| A．Subjective | B．Critical | C．Unconcerned | D．Objective |