“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 animals. Unfortunately, the engines of the boats make a lot of noise,and that may cause 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 com-pared 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 become slow in mind and repeat them-selves in noisy areas," said Volker Deecke , a Canadi-an 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. |
Twenty-first century humanity has mapped oceans and mountains, visited the moon, and surveyed the planets.But for all the progress, people still don’t know one another very well.
That brings about Theodore Zeldin’s “feast of conversation”-events where individuals pair with persons they don’t know for three hours of guided talk designed to get the past “Where are you from?”
Mr.Zeldin, an Oxford University professor, heads Oxford Muse, a 10-year-old foundation based on the idea that what people need is not more information, but more inspiration and encouragement.
The “feast” in London looks not at politics or events, but at how people have felt about work, relations among the sexes, hopes and fears, enemies and authority, the shape of their lives.The “menu of conversation” includes topics like “How have your priorities changed over the years?” Or, “What have you rebelled against the past?”
As participants gathered, Zeldin opened with a speech: that despite instant communications in a globalized age, issues of human heart remain.Many people are lonely, or in routines that discourage knowing the depth of one another.“We are trapped in shallow conversations and the whole point now is to think, which is sometimes painful,” he says.“But thinking interaction is what separates us from other species, except maybe dogs…who do have generations of human interactions.”
The main rules of the “feast”: Don’t pair with someone you know or ask questions you would not answer.The only awkward moment came when the multi-racial crowd of young adults to seniors, in sun hats, ties and dresses, looked to see whom with for hours.But 15 minutes later, everyone was seated and talking. They would be ‘intimate’, continuing full force until organizers interrupted them 180 minutes later.
“It’s encouraging to see the world is not just a place of oppression and distance from each other,” Zeldin summed up.“What we did is not ordinary, but it can’t be madder than the world already is.”
Some said they felt “liberated” to talk on sensitive topics. Thirty-something Peter, from East London, said that “it might take weeks or months to get to the level of interaction we suddenly opened up.” What can the “conversations” be best described as?
A.Deep and one-on-one. | B.Sensitive and mad. |
C.Instant and inspiring. | D.Ordinary and encouraging. |
In a “feast of conversations”, participants ________.
A.pair freely with anyone they like |
B.have a guided talk for a set of period of time |
C.ask questions they themselves would not answer |
D.wear clothes reflecting multi-racial features. |
In paragraph 6, “they would be ‘intimate’” is closest in meaning to “________”.
A.they would have physical contact | B.![]() |
C.they would be close friends | D.they would exchange basic information |
According to Zeldin, what prevents many people thoroughly knowing one another?
A.Loneliness or routines. | B.Shallow conversations. |
C.Unwillingness to think. | D.The fear for awkward moment. |
From the passage, we can conclude that what Zeldin does is _________.
A.an attempt to promote thinking interaction |
B.one of the maddest activities ever conducted |
C.a try to liberate people from old-fashioned ideas |
D.an effort to give people a chance of talking freely |
阅读理解(共20题; 每小题2分, 满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C 和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
They like using the Internet.They have lots of pocket money to spend.And they spend a higher proportion of it online than the rest of us.Teenagers are just the sort of people an online seller is interested in, and the things they want to buy-games, CDs and clothing-are easily sold on the Web.
But paying online is a tricky business for consumers who are too young to own credit cards.Most have to use a parent’s card.They want a facility that allows them to spend money.
That may come sooner than they think: new ways to take pocket money into cyber (网络的) space are coming out rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic.If successful, these products can stimulate online sales.
In general, teenagers spend huge amounts: $153bn (billion) in the US last year and £20bn annually in the UK.Most teenagers have access to the Internet at home or at school-88 percent in the US, 69 percent in the UK.According to the Jupiter Research, one in eight of those with Internet access has bought something online-mainly CDs and books.
In most cases, parents pay for these purchases with credit cards, an arrangement that is often unsatisfactory for them and their children.Pressing parents to spend online is less productive than pressing on the high street.They are more likely to ask “Why?” if you ask to spend some money online.
One way to help teenagers change notes and coins into cybercash is through prepaid cards such as InternetCash in the US and Smart cards in the UK.Similar to those for pay-as-you-go mobile telephones, they are sold in amounts such as £20 or $50 with a concealed 14-digit number that can be used to load the cash into an online account.What does the word “They” in paragraph 1 refer to?
A.Sellers. | B.Buyers. | C.Teenagers. | D.Parents. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.More than half of the teenagers in the US and the UK have Internet access. |
B.Teenagers pay for goods online with their own credit cards. |
C.Most teenagers in the US and the UK have bought something online. |
D.Teenagers found it easier to persuade parents to buy online than in a shop. |
A new way to help teenagers shop online is to use _________.
A.a new machine | B.special coins and notes |
C.prepaid cards | D.pay-as-you-go mobile phones |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.Online shopping traps. | B.Internet users in the US and the UK. |
C.New credit cards for parents. | D.The arrival of cyber pocket money. |
Which of the following words can best describe the writer’s attitude towards the phenomenon?
A.Proud and satisfied. | B.Worried and anxious. |
C.Objective and informative. | D.Concerned and sad. |
"But Ijust paid 1.69 for this bottle of wine last week.How is it that the price is 2.25?"
There are at least three things going on that have caused the price of wine to rise.All haveto do with the supply and demand factors of economics.
The first factor is that people are drinking more wine than ever before.This demand formore wine has increased wine sales in America at the rate of 15 percent a year.
The second factor is that the supply of wine has stayed relatively the same, which meansthat the same number of bottles is produced each year.Wine producers are trying to open upnew land to grow more grapes.But in at least three wine producing areas of the world-France,Germany, and California --- new vineyards(葡萄园)will not be useable in the near future.Wines are produced in other countries, such as Italy, Spain, and Portugal, as well as Argentine,Australia, Austria, and Chile.And these wines will be seen more often on the American market.But none of these countries will be able to fill the good wines.
The third factor is that costs of wine production are soaring.The workers who make wineare asking for more money, and the machinery needed to press the grapes is becoming moreexpensive.
When the demand for something is greater than the supply, prices go up.When productioncosts, meaning the price of labor and machinery rise, the producer adds this increase to theprice of the wine.For these reasons, that bottle of wine now costs 2.25 instead of 1.69.What is the main idea of this passage?
A.Every year people drink more wine. |
B.Countries won't be able to fill the demand for good wines. |
C.The prices of things go up when the demand for them is greater than the supply. |
D.The supply of wine will always be less than demand. |
This passage is written to.
A.describe where wine is produced |
B.persuade people drink more beer |
C.explain why the price of wine is rising |
D.describe why wine is a favorite drink to many Americans |
Theunderlined word "soaring" means"___ .
A.adding quickly | B.reducing fast |
C.demanding badly | D.increasing fast |
People can be addicted to different things— e.g.alcohol, drug, certain foods,or eventelevision.People who have such an addiction are compulsive: they have a very powerfulpsychological need that they feel they must satisfy.According to psychologists, many peopleare compulsive spenders.They feel that they must spend money.This compulsion, like mostothers, is impossible to explain reasonably.For compulsive spenders who buy on credit, chargeaccounts are even more exciting than money.In other words, compulsive spenders feel thatwith credit, they can do anything.Their pleasure in spending large amounts is actually greaterthan the pleasure that they get from the things they buy.
There is even a special psychology of bargain hunting.To save money, of course, mostpeople look for sales, low prices, and discounts.Compulsive bargain hunters,however, oftenbuy things that they don't need just because they are cheap.They want to believe that they arehelping their budgets, but they are really playing an exciting game.When they can buysomething for less than other people, they feel that they are winners.Most people, expertsclaim, have two reasons for their behavior: a good reason for the things that they do and thereal reason.
It is not only scientists, of course, who understand the psychology of spending habits, butalso business people.Stores, companies, and advertisers use psychology to increase business.They consider people's needs for love, power, or influence, their basic values, their beliefs andopinions, and so on in their advertising and sales methods.
Psychologists often use a method called "behavior therapy(疗法)"to help individuals solvetheir personality problems.In the same way, they can help people who feel that they haveproblems with money.According to psychologists, a compulsive spender is one who spends large amounts ofmoney.
A.and takes great pleasure from what he or she buys |
B.in order to satisfy his or her basic needs in life |
C.just to meet his or her strong psychological need |
D.entirely with an irrational eagerness |
According to the passage, compulsive bargain hunters are often in search of the lowest possible prices.
A.because they feel satisfied if they spend less money than others |
B.because they like to show off their success in getting things for less money |
C.because they have money problem |
D.because they want to save money to help heir budget |
The passage is mainly talking about.
A.the psychology of money-spending habits |
B.the purchasing habits of compulsive spenders |
C.a special psychology of bargain hunting |
D.the use of the psychology of spending habits in business |
From the passage we may safely conclude that compulsive spenders or compulsive bargainhunters .
A.are really unreasonable |
B.need special treatment |
C.can't be cured |
D.can never get any help to solve their problems with money |
Dr.Sylvia Earle wants you to stop eating fish.It's not because fish are endangered,thoughwild fish stocks in many oceans are very low.It's not because they're bad for you, though fishin many areas are exposed to poisonous substances in the water.It's because they're smart.
"Fish are sensitive, they have personalities’,says the marine biologist.For Earle, eating afish would be like eating a dog or a cat.“I would never eat anyone I know personally.”
There's a lot more to fish than meets the eye: they talk to each other, they like to betouched, and they engage in behavior that can seem very human.They can remember thingsand learn from experience.Earle and a growing number of animal rights activists see these asstrong arguments against eating fish altogether.
The activists also point out that fish feel pain and fish suffer horribly on their way fromthe sea to the supermarket.“While it may seem obvious that fish are able to feel pain, likeevery other animal, some people think of fish as swimming vegetables,” says Dr. LynneSneddon. “Really,it's kind of a moral question.Is the enjoyment you get from fishing (oreating fish) more important than the pain of the fish?”
Fishermen and (fried) fish lovers are doubtful."I've never seen a smart fish," says MarieSwaringen as she finishes off a plate of fish at a Seattle seafood restaurant.“If they were verysmart, they wouldn't get caught."
“For years, everyone's been telling us to eat fish because it's so good for us,” says anotherdiner.‘‘Now I've got to feel guilty while I'm eating my fish? What are they going to think ofnext? Don't eat salad because cucumbers have feelings?"Dr.Sylvia Earle discourage people from eating fish because.
A.there are not that many wild fish in the ocean |
B.fish actually are sensitive and have personalities |
C.some ocean fish contain poisonous substances |
D.fish are like dogs or cats that people know personally |
We can infer from the passage that.
A.all people don't agree with the idea to stop eating fish |
B.people will be persuaded not to eat fish in the future |
C.stopping eating fish will lead to people's not eating vegetables |
D.we shouldn't care too much about the feeling of fish |
By saying "There's a lot more to fish than meets the eye, "the writer means.
A.there are far more fish than other animals in the world |
B.there are more fish in the world than people can see |
C.people can see more fish if they pay more attention |
D.fish are not that simple as they appear to people's eyes |
What is the writer's attitude towards people eating fish?
A.Neutral. | B.Indifferent. | C.Approving. | D.Opposed. |