The idea for a science experiment can come from an unusual place. After watching a YouTube video of a dancing bird named Snowball, a scientist in California decided to study the ability of animals to keep the beat.
Bird lovers have long claimed that their pets have rhythm, and there are many videos of dancing birds online. Until now, scientists have suspected that humans are the only animals that can accurately keep rhythm with music.
Thanks to Snowball, that scientific opinion is changing. Snowball is a cockatoo, a kind of parrot, and his favorite song is "Everybody" by the Backstreet Boys. When he hears the song, he moves his feet and rocks his body with the tempo, or pace of the music, as though he is the only bird member of the boy band.
Aniruddh Patel is a neuroscientist, or a scientist who studies how the brain and the nervous system contribute to learning, seeing and other mental abilities. He works at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego. After seeing Snowball's dance online, Patel visited the cockatoo at the bird rescue facility he's called home for two years. The scientist played "Everybody" for Snowball and also played versions of the song that were sped up or slowed down. Sometimes, Snowball danced too fast or too slowly. Often, when there was a change in tempo, Snowball adjusted his dancing to match the rhythm. In other experiments, scientists have observed the same abilities in preschool children.
Patel isn't the only scientist who has studied Snowball's moves. Adena Schachner, who studies psychology at Harvard University, also wanted to know more about the dancing bird. Schachner's team played different musical pieces for Snowball and a parrot named Alex, as well as eight human volunteers. The scientists observed that the birds and thehumans kept time to the music with about the same accuracy.
Schachner and her team watched thousands of YouTube videos of different animals moving to music. Not all the animals could dance, however. From watching the videos, the scientists observed that only animals that imitate sounds, including 14 parrot species and Asian elephants, accurately moved in time to music.The underlined words "that scientific opinion" in the third paragraph refer to the theory that __________.
| A．birds like Snowball have the ability to keep the beat |
| B．humans are the only animals that can accurately keep rhythm with music |
| C．the brain and the nervous system contribute to some mental abilities |
| D．bird pets can have their special rhythm under human's instruction |
From the fourth paragraph we may know that __________.
| A．Patel is the only scientist who has studied Snowball's moves |
| B．Snowball is able to adjust his dancing to match the rhythm |
| C．Snowball cannot dance to the versions of the song "Everybody" |
| D．it is the brain and the nervous system that control the mental abilities |
The idea of studying animals' ability to keep the beat comes from __________.
| A．bird lovers' discovery |
| B．humans' musical sense |
| C．the same abilities in children |
| D．videos of dancing birds |
C
People turn to magic(魔力)chiefly as a form of insurance--that is, they use it along with actions that actually bring results．For example, hunters may use a hunting charm(咒语)．But they also use their hunting skills and knowledge of animals．The charm may give hunters the extra confidence they need to hunt even more successfully than they would without it．If they shoot a lot of game(猎物), they credit the charm for their success．Many events happen naturally without magic．Crops grow without it, and sick people get well without it．But if people use magic to bring a good harvest or to cure a patient, they may believe the magic was responsible．
People also tend to forget magic's failures and to be impressed by its surface successes．They may consider magic successful if it appears to work only 10 per cent of the time．Even when magic fails, people often explain the failure without doubting the power of the magic．They may say that the magician made a mistake in reciting the spell or that another magician cast a more powerful spell against the magician．
Many anthropologists(人类学家) believe that people have faith in magic because they feel a need to believe in it．People may turn to magic to reduce their fear and uncertainty if they feel they have no control over the outcome of a situation．For example, farmers use knowledge and skill when they plant their fields．But they know that weather, insects, or diseases might ruin the crops．So farmers in some societies may also plant a charm or perform a magic rite to ensure a good harvest．
66．From the passage, we can learn that the writer of the passage may be _______．
A．a hunter B．a farmer C．a magician D．an anthropologist
67．Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
A．Magic And Hunting． B．Magic And Farming．
C．Why Magic Works? D．Why People Believe in Magic?
68．The underlined word “spell”(Paragraph 2) most likely means______．
A．magic words．B．magic events．
C．words or expressions D．magicians．
69．People believe in magic because________．
A．magic powers are greater than natural powers
B．magic can turn dreams into reality
C．they are not sure of themselves
D．magic can bring good results
70．Which of the following statements is NOT ture according to the passage?
A．Even though magic fails ,believers in magic will explain the reason．
B．Believers in magic usually overstate the power of magic．
C．People use magic to reduce their uncertainty and give them extra confidence
D．Magic can solve problems people can’t deal with in a natural way．
B
Some say everyday miracles(奇迹) are predestined(注定的)----the right time for the appointed meeting．And it can happen anywhere．
In 2001, 11-year-old Kevin Stephan was a bat boy for his younger brother's Little League team in Lancaster, New York．It was an early evening in late July．Kevin was standing on the grass away from the plate, where another youngster was warming up for the next game．Swinging his bat back and forth, giving it all the power an elementary school kid could give．The boy brought the bat back hard and hit Kevin in the chest．His heart stopped．
When Kevin fell to the ground, the mother of one of the players rushed out of the stands to his aid．Penny Brown hadn't planned to be there that day, but at the last minute, her shift(换班)at the hospital had been changed to see her son’s performance．She was given the night off．Penny bent over the senseless boy, his face already starting to turn blue, and giving CPR, breathing into his mouth and givinging chest compressions．And he revived in the end．
After his recovery, he became a volunteer junior firefighter, learning some of the emergency first-aid techniques that had saved his life．He studied hard in school and was saving money for college by working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant in his spare time．
Kevin, now 18, was working in the kitchen when he heard people screaming, customers in confusion, employees rushing toward a table．He hurried into the main room and saw a woman there, her face turning blue, her hands at her throat．She was choking．
Quickly Kevin stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her and clasped his hands．Then, using skills he'd first learned in Scouts．The food that was trapped in the woman's throat was freed．The color began to return to her face．
"The food was stuck．I couldn't breathe," she said．She thought she was dying．"I was very frightened．"
Who was the woman?
Penny Brown．
61．The author wrote the passage to show us that_______．
A．miracles are predestined and they can happen anywhere
B．whoever helps you in trouble will get a reward one day
C．God will help those who give others a helping hand
D．miracles won’t come without any diffculty sometimes
62．Which of the following statements is True of Kevin Stephan?
A．He was hit on the face by a boy and almost lost his life
B．He was a volunteer junior firefighter, teaching the players first-aid skills
C．He worked part-time in a local restaurant to save money for college
D．He saved Penny Brown though he didn’t really know how to deal with food choke
63．Why did Penny Brown change her shift and was given the night off that night?
A．She was invited to give the players directions
B．She volunteered to give medical services
C．She was a little worried about his son’s safty
D．She came to watch her son’s game and cheered him
64．The underlined word “revived”(paragraph3) most likely means______．
A．came back to life B．became worse C．failed D．moved
65．When Kevin knew the woman was Penny Brown, probably he first felt _____．
A．happy B．surprised C．sad D．worried
第二部分 阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分;满分40分）
第一节 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（Ａ、Ｂ、Ｃ、Ｄ）中，选出最佳选项。
A
As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters．But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes（笔画）of each Chinese character when writing on paper．Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more．
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school．And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students．Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer．
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer．
It's faster and easier to correct if using a computer．And that's why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education．But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear．
"When I'm writing with a pen, I find I often can't remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it．"
"I'm not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper．"
Many students don't feel this is something to worry about．Now that it's more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently．Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said "Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic(审美的) value．But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value．All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost．And handwriting contains the writer's emotion．Through one's handwriting, people can get to know one's thinking and personality．Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them"
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的)and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand．
56．Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
A．The Importance of Handwriting and Typing．
B．To Type or To Hand Write
C．Writing By Computer Will Replace Writing By Hand
D．Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters．
57．The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because______．
A．they are usually asked to e-mail their Homework and Essays
B．they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently
C．they find it not easy to remember how to write a character
D．computers have become a trend and fashion in China．
58．Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE of the advantages of handwriting?
A．Handwriting contains the writer's emotion ．
B．The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting,
C．Handwriting can impress people well and build one’s self-confidence
D．Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value．
59．The underlind expression “taking stock in”(Paragraph 4) probably means_____．
A．getting bored with B．getting dependent on
C．becoming crazy about D．getting curious about
60．We can draw the conclusion from the passage that_______．
A．more and more students will give up writing on a computer
B．writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day
C．more and more students will pay attention to handwriting
D．the typing article better expresses one’s emotion and quality
D
Americans can travel almost anywhere they choose. But to protect its people, the government lists a few dangerous places where Americans cannot go. These places are unfriendly countries or countries at war. There, the traveller might not be safe. These countries are listed in a small book called a passport（护照）.
This passport is a government request for the safety of its travelling people. It is also a government’s pledge（保证） that the people will obey the rules of the host country（东道国）.
To receive a passport from the government, a traveller must prove that he is an American citizen （公民）. An American can not go overseas（外国） without a passport. Only certain close countries such as Canada and Mexico do not ask for passports.
Pasted （粘贴）inside the passport is the traveller’s picture. Children travelling with their parents are included in one parent’s book.
Thousands of people from the United States visit other countries every year. An American traveller might carry plane tickets, money, clothing and many other things. But the most important that he carries in another country is his passport.
68. A passport is not needed when an American goes to ______.
A. foreign countries B. dangerous areas C. Canada or Mexico D. countries overseas
69. From the passage we can see that ______.
A. children can’t travel to foreign countriesB. Americans like to travel
C. a traveller is not safe in most countriesD. Americans like to travel to close countries
70. Why does a traveller need a passport?
A. He needs something more to carry when he travels.
B. It helps the country to protect the people.
C. He needs to have his picture taken more often.
D. It helps the traveller to know where he will go.
C
The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff(东西) they call “books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed?” I asked myself. I
didn’t answer, In fact I dared not.
The clock struck twelve. “Oh, dear! ” I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most unhappy creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate（绝望的） now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
64. When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were ________ .
A. asleep B. outside C. working in bed D. quietly laughing at him
65. Reviewing his lessons didn’t help him because ____ .
A. it was too late at night B. he was very tired
C. his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open
D. he hadn’t studied hard before the examination
66. What do you suppose happened to the author the second day?
A. He went to a church to pray again B. He got an A in the exam
C. He failed in the exam D. He was punished by his teacher
67. The best title for the passage would be _________ .
A. The Night Before the ExaminationB. Working Far into the Night
C. A Slow Student D. Going Over My Lessons