If your mother wants to tell you something , she uses words . Birds can not talk as we do . But some birds can make sounds to warn their young of danger . They have their own ways to make the young birds do certain thing .
The jackdaw is a kind of blackbirds that lives in Europe . Jackdaws live together in flocks. (群) Yong jackdaws do not know their enemies . When an older jackdaw sees a dog , it makes a loud tattling (格格响的)sound. The young birds know this sound means an enemy is nearby. The sounds warns them to know their enemy .
If a young jackdaw is in a dangerous place, a jackdaw parent flies over him from behind .The parent bird flies low over the young bird’s back, the parents’ tail feathers move quickly from side to side, It is trying to say , “ Follow me .”
At the same time , the parent calls out , “ Key-aw ,Key-aw .” The parent means , “ Fly home with me .” The young bird then follows the older one home .
Young jackdaws do not have to learn what certain sounds mean. They know the meaning of these sounds from the time they hatch （孵化，小鸡等出壳）.
if your mother wants to tell you things, she will__ _
| A．draw a picture to you |
| B．talk with you |
| C．move around you |
| D．call you |
Which of the following does this story lead you to believe ?
| A．All animal parents can talk to their young. |
| B．Dogs are the most dangerous enemies for jackdaws. |
| C．Young jackdaws know the meaning of their parents’ sound when they grow older. |
| D．Some birds can give certain information to one another. |
the parents’ tail feathers move quickly from side to side, It is trying to ______.
| A．ask their young to follow them |
| B．play a game with the young |
| C．tell the meal time |
| D．give a warning of a fire |
E
Paynes Prairie
Have you ever heard of Paynes Prairie? It is one of the most important natural and historical areas in Florida. Paynes Prairie is located near Gainesville. It is large, 21 000 acres. This protected land is called a preserve. The Florida Park Service manage the preserve.
The Paynes Prairie basin was formed when limestone dissolved and the ground settled. It is covered by marsh(沼泽)and wet prairie vegetation. There are areas of open water. During brief periods it has flooded enough to be considered a lake. Except for that, the basin has changed little through time.
Man has lived on Paynes Prairie a very long time. He lived there as far back as 10000 B. C. At one time, the Seminoles lived there. The prairie is thought to have been named after King Payne, a Seminole chief. During the late 1600s, the largest cattle ranch in Florida was on Paynes Prairie. Today, Paynes Prairie is preserved land. It is occupied by visitors and Florida Park Service employees.
William Bartram visited Paynes Praire. Bartram was the first person who described nature through personal experience as well as scientific observation. He lived 200 years ago. He visited Paynes Prairie in 1774. At that time he described it. He called Paynes Prairie the "great Alachua Savannah."
Most of the animal life, which Bartram described, is still here. A large number of sand hill cranes, hawks and waterfowl are here in winter. The animal diversity is increased by the presence of pine flatwoods, hammock, swamps and ponds.
The Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is open year round. The Florida Park Service works hard so that the park will appear as it did in the past. It offers many opportunities for recreation. At the park you can camp and picnic. You can hike and bike. You can boat and fish. You can ride on horse trails. And you can see lots of nature and wildlife. You can see Florida as it was in the early days.
Paynes Prairie is a part of our Florida history. It is an example of our Florida natural resources. It is a place for recreation. Paynes Prairie is an important experience of the Real Florida.
57. How was the Paynes Prairie basin formed?
A. By the Seminole Indians.
B. By the Florida Park Service.
C. From dissolved limestone and the ground settling.
D. From lots of flooding and wet prairie vegetation.
58. The underlined word "diversity" means “_______.”
A. variety B. society C. population D. area
59. All of the following are true EXCEPT that _______.
A. Paynes Prairie has changed little through time
B. Paynes Prairie is covered by wet prairie grasses
C. there used to be a big cattle farm on Paynes Prairie
D. William Bartram was the first person~ to visit Paynes Prairie
60. The purpose of the passage is to_______.
A. call on people to protect wildlife
B. attract people to this preserved park
C. show you the formation of Paynes Prairie
D. introduce the recorded history of Paynes Prairie
D
We can offer you a place at one of the best universities in Britain. We’ll provide you with a choice of 150 first class courses developed especially to enable you to study in your own time, backed by the Open University’s own special study method-OU supported open learning.
We’ll give you the support of a personal teacher, and the chance to meet your fellow students. You can take one-off courses, diplomas (毕业证), a degree or a postgraduate degree(文凭). Subjects available include: computing, business management, technology, modern languages, social sciences, English law, arts, science, mathematics, education and health﹠social welfare.
Did you know?
The OU is in the top 15% of all UK universities for teaching quality
25% of all British MBAs* come from the OU
Over 30,000 employers have offered chances to their staff on OU courses
40,000 OU students are on line from home
There are 9 month courses and new diplomas as well as degrees
AMBA Accredited
Whether you want to study to improve your jobs or for your own personal interest, there’s almost certainly a course for you. If you haven’t studied for a while, we’ll help you get started. No previous training or degrees are required, you just need a lively power of learning and a willingness to learn. It’s real value for money and you can pay by monthly payments.
Open University course materials are of the highest quality and come in a variety of forms, including video and audio tapes as well as texts. The OU leads the world in its use of new technology for learning. A number of courses provide source material on CD Rom. What else can the Open University offer you? The best way to find out is to use the coupon below or phone us today.
|
C
Britons stranded（搁浅）at sea or in flooded homes could find a real-life prince riding to their rescue. Prince William announced on Monday that he is to train to be a full-time pilot with the Royal Air Force's Search and Rescue Force (SARF).
William, who is currently a Lieutenant（中尉）in the Army's Household Cavalry Regiment（皇家骑兵团）, will transfer to the RAF and begin an 18-month training course in January 2009.
If successful, he will become a fully operational Search and Rescue pilot in 2010, flying Sea King helicopters at one of the six SARF units based in Britain.
"The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realize how much I love flying," the prince, who spent two weeks with a SARF team while on work experience in 2005, said in a statement.
"Joining Search and Rescue is a perfect opportunity for me to serve in the Forces operationally, while contributing to a vital part of the country's Emergency Services."
It means he will follow a similar career to that of his uncle, Prince Andrew, who was a Sea King helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands war.
The Search and Rescue teams' main duty is to recover RAF personnel but in peacetime they mainly respond to civilian emergencies, dealing with more than 1,000 calls a year.
The units deal with incidents ranging from helping those trapped by sudden major floods to rescuing people lost while out walking on hills.
William, who has spent the last year on secondment（借调）to the various branches of the military to prepare for his future role as head of the armed forces, received his RAF wings （飞行勋章）following a four-month stint（持续的工作）with the service earlier this year.
However, his time with the RAF was clouded when the Defense Ministry was forced to fend off (挡开) criticism for allowing the prince to fly military helicopters to a bachelor party for his cousin and to the family home of his girlfriend Kate Middleton.
49. Prince William wanted to be a full-time pilot because _______.
A. he liked flying
B. he would like to do something in the country’s Emergency Services
C. many Britons were in danger at sea waiting for rescue
D. he had much experience in flying
50. According to the passage, _______.
A. the Falklands war broke out in 2005
B. Prince William served in the Army’s Household Cavalry Regiment in 1982
C. Prince Andrew is serving in SARF now
D. William would finish his training course in June 2010
51. The author’s opinion on William’s joining RAF is _______.
A. enthusiastic B. doubtful C. negative D. pessimistic
52. What is the purpose of the author by mentioning what the prince had done before in the last
paragraph?
A. The author wants to say that Prince William pays much attention to his family and friends
B. The author suggests that the Defense Ministry was criticized when William flew for his
private business
C. William had a hard time when he went against his leaders
D.The author has the worry that Prince William is likely to get the Defense Ministry into
trouble again.
B
Energy-saving Finns invented the first ice skate more than 5,000 years ago, as a practical method of transport to make getting across frozen lakes less of a struggle.
The earliest skates would have been blades made from bones and are one of the oldest means of transport ever discovered —they may even have been essential survival tools.
Researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University have calculated that ice skates would have saved energy by 10 percent, and suggest that they were developed for practical use and were not used for recreation, as they are today.
They think the most likely birthplace of skating is southern Finland, where there are many icy lakes.
The scientists have put their theory to the test and made replica（复制品） skates modeled after examples held at the British Museum and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.
Volunteers on ice rinks in the Alps had their heart rates, oxygen intake and skating speeds measured while they skated with the replica skates. From this experiment, re-searchers were able to calculate energy consumption and the efficiency of their skating. They discovered that skating over the land in ancient Fin-land would have saved 10 percent of people’s energy. The result is based on the fact that Finland has the highest concentration of lakes in the world. The ancient Finnish people could benefit more than others from developing this tool for transport.
In a time and environment in which the balance between energy taken from food and energy required to live was crucial; the least cost of energy might have helped humans survive in extreme conditions.
45. The first ice skate invented by the Finns was used for _____.
A. recreation B. transportation across lakes
C. saving energy D. sports
46. The birthplace of skating might be southern Finland because _____.
A. there are many icy lakes there
B. people need more oxygen to breathe in there
C. people feel tired easily there
D. transportation there is more difficult
47. Scientists have experimented with replica skates and found that with those skates the ancient
Finnish people would have _____.
A. crossed a lot of lakes
B. saved 10 percent of energy when crossing the lakes
C. climbed the Alps easily
D. otherwise wasted a lot of food and energy
48. It can be inferred from the story that _____.
A. the Finnish people were clever enough to invent the practical skates
B. there were a lot of lakes in ancient Finland
C. the living conditions were very hard for the ancient Finnish people
D. it was very cold in ancient times in Finland
III、阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
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
Do dogs understand us?
Be careful what you say around your dog. It might understand more than you think.
A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee(黑猩猩).
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words.
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew. The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before.
The correct object was chosen in seven out of l0 tests, suggesting that the dog had worked
out the answer by process of elimination(排除法). A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed (品种)known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months.
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't talk back. Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!
41. From paragraph 3 we know that _________.
A. animals are as clever as human beings
B. dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees
C. chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills
D. dogs have the same learning abilities as 3-year-old children
42. Both experiments show that .
A. Rico is smart enough to get all commands right
B. Rico can recognize different things including toys
C. Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics
D. Rico won't forget the names of objects once recognizing them
43. Which of the following statements is true?
A. The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie's mental abilities.
B. Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training.
C. The Border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects.
D. Rico is born to understand its owner's commands.
44. What does the writer want to tell us?
A. To train your dog. B. To talk to your dog.
C. To be friendly to your dog. D. To be careful with your dog.