Without plant, people could not live. We eat plants. We breathe the oxygen（氧气）that plants produce. And we need plants for another reason: we need them for their beauty.
Imagine a world with no plants. Imagine no flowers with their sweet smells, their beautiful colors and their lovely shapes. Imagine when the wind blows, not being able to hear the leaves in the trees or watch the branches sway（摇摆）from side to side.
Everywhere people need the beauty of plants. That is why we have parks full of trees and flowers. That is why people always try to design houses with room for some grass and a garden.
Do you talk to your plants? Do you give them love and attention?
Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, writers of a book called THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS, tell of an experiment in which two seeds were planted in different places. While the plants were growing, one plant was given love and hopeful ideas. The other plant was given only hopeless ideas. After six months, the loved plant was bigger. Under the earth it had more and longer roots; above the earth, it had a thicker stem (茎) and more leaves. According to the passage, which of the following is right?
| A．If there are no flowers, there will be no sweet smells. |
| B．Without plants, we can’t hear the wind. |
| C．We plant trees to watch the branches sway from side to side. |
| D．We need plants not only for food and oxygen but also for their beauty. |
In the experiment, the plants were________.
| A．talked to in two different ways |
| B．of different kinds |
| C．both given love and attention |
| D．grown in the same place |
At the end of six months,________.
| A．the plants were of the same size |
| B．one plant had longer roots while the other had a thicker stem |
| C．one plant had longer roots than the other and had a thicker stem |
| D．one plant had a thicker stem while the other plant had more leaves |
The experiment has proved（证明） that________.
| A．without plants people could not live |
| B．we should talk to plants and give them love |
| C．we should grow as many plants as possible |
| D．plants need plenty of water, sunshine and attention |
What will man be like in the future - in 5,000 or even 50,000 years from now? We can only make guesses, of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today, for man is slowly changing all the time.
Let us take an obvious example. Man, even five hundred years ago, was shorter than he is today. Now, on average, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is relatively a short period of time, so we may suppose that man will continue to grow taller. Again, in the modern world we use our brains a great deal. Even so, we still make use of only about 20% of the brain’s capacity(容量). As time goes on, however, we shall have to use our brains more and more, and finally we shall need our brains more and more, and finally we shall need larger ones! This is likely to bring a physical change too: the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger.
Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact, we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over long period of time it is likely that man’s eyes will grow stronger.
On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs. These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker. At the same time, however, our fingers will grow more sensitive because they are used a great deal in modern life.
But what about hair? This will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer. In the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald.
Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at! This may well be true. All the same, in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in common with us. He will still be a human being, with thoughts and motions similar to our own.The passage mainly tells us that __________.
| A．Man’s life will be different in the future |
| B．future man will look quite different from us |
| C．man is growing taller and uglier as time passes |
| D．Man’s organs' functions will change |
What serves as the evidence that man is changing?
| A．Man has got stronger eyes now than he ever had. |
| B．Man’s hair is getting thinner and thinner. |
| C．Man’s arms and legs have become lighter and weaker. |
| D．Man has been growing taller over the past 500 years. |
The change in man’s size of the forehead is probably because __________.
| A．he makes use of only 20% of the brain’s capacity |
| B．his brain has grown larger over the past centuries |
| C．he will use his brain more and more as time goes on |
| D．the other 80% of his brain will grow in due time |
It is implied that __________.
| A．human beings will become less attractive in the future |
| B．parts of our bodies will become poorer if they are not used often |
| C．human beings hope for a change in the future life |
| D．future life is always predictable |
C
Shakespeare City Walk
This 90-minute leisurely walking tour does not go to the Globe Theatre (because everyone already knows it) , but instead uncovers less known monuments and locations in the City of London with connections to Shakespeare’s life, his friends, his loves and his work.
The Shakespeare City Walk takes place on Fridays at 11 a.m. at Temple tube station.
Address: Meet at Temple tube station, London
Telephone: +44(0)790 5746733
Camera Walk
Learn how to take better photos as you explore London with a professional photographer on a Camera Trails tour. Walk around Brick Lane and Spitalfields on the Urban East tour, or take photos of Big Ben and St Paul’s Cathedral on the South Bank tour.
Address: Trafalgar Square, London
Telephone: +44(0)798 957 9336
The Celebrity Planet
See celebrity (名人) homes, famous film locations, music landmarks and places linked to pop history on a Celebrity Planet tour. Find out about stars in Notting Hill, Mayfair, Primrose Hill or Chelsea, or try a Harry Potter, James Bond or Beatles tour.
Address: 40 Porchester Square, London
Telephone: +44(0)20 7193 8770
Email: info@thecelebrityplanet.com
Sandemans New London Tours
Sandemans New London Tours offer a completely free tour of Royal London, including the Changing of the Guard. There’s also an Old City of London Tour, and a Grim Reapers of London Tour. Our expert guides work for tips, you contribute to the pollution problem of London’s cars and buses.
Email: info@neweuropetours.comWhat is TRUE of the Shakespeare City Walk?
| A．It takes place five days a week. |
| B．It consists of not so much famous destinations. |
| C．It lasts about half a day. |
| D．It includes a visit to a famous theatre. |
If you want to take some wonderful photos of Big Ben, you may _____.
| A．receive some professional training |
| B．go to Temple tube station |
| C．join the Urban East tour |
| D．join the South Bank tour |
Sam is a movie fan. He will probably ______.
| A．go to 40 Porchester Square |
| B．call +44(0)790 5746733 |
| C．call +44(0)798 957 9336 |
| D．email info@neweuropetours.com |
Men who wear pink shirts to work earn more and are easier to get a higher position than those who prefer traditional shirt colors, such as white and blue, according to a recent survey. Researchers also found that men who wore pink were more likely to get praise from female co-workers and were more confident in the office.
A classical pink shirt wearer earns £1,000 more a year than those who choose other colors, researchers surveyed among 1,500 male office workers. Men who wear pink are also twice as likely to have the Master’s degree as those who prefer white shirts, with one in ten pink shirt wearers having a PHD.
Stephanie Thiers-Ratcliffe, International Marketing Manager for Cotton USA, who took charge of the study, said, “You can tell a lot about someone by the color he wears. Pink is a color that more and more men have been embracing recently, and it is encouraging that they are not afraid to experiment with that bright color. They spend most of their days at work and their own confidence needs to remain smart. It is good for company standards, but that doesn’t mean that they have to wear boring clothes.” Pink shirt wearers on the other hand are more likely to have a low-carbon (低碳的) life for half of them prefer to choose public means of transportation to go to work.
The report also found men who preferred green shirts were the most likely to be late for work, while white shirt fans were the most punctual (准时的).According to the survey, pink shirt men ____.
| A．usually graduate from famous universities or colleges |
| B．prefer to go to work by car with their co-workers |
| C．earn more money than those in other colors |
| D．are better at pleasing their bosses in the office |
We can learn from the passage that ____.
| A．the color a man wears can influence his personality |
| B．the color a man wears can show a lot about him |
| C．pink is the best of all the colors a man likes |
| D．wearing pink can make a man become happy |
According to the passage, who is the least likely to be late for work?
| A．Jack who often wears pink shirts. |
| B．Mike who often wears green shirts. |
| C．Tom who often wears white shirts. |
| D．Alan who often wears blue shirts. |
If you want to get a higher place in your company, you’d better wear ____.
| A．purple | B．pink | C．green | D．white |
Charlie Vansant, a college student of Athens, Ohio, who reported that his car was stolen, got a surprise when he learned a woman had mistaken it for her daughter’s car and taken it— using her key.
Kate Anderson became an accidental car thief when picking up her daughter’s car near an Ohio University building last week. Anderson spotted the Toyota Camry（丰田凯美瑞）and used her daughter’s key to unlock the car, start the engine and drive home — without realizing that the car wasn't her daughter’s.
When Charlie Vansant left class a short time later, he found only an empty parking spot. He first assumed the car had been towed, but when the police couldn’t find a record of it, they took a theft report.
The morning after Anderson took the car, her daughter discovered the Camry in the driveway wasn’t hers. Anderson said she was able to find Vansant’s name on paperwork in the glove compartment and look up his phone number on the website for the university.
When Anderson told Charlie the car was in her driveway, “It sounded really suspicious（可疑的）at first, as she wanted to hold the thing for ransom (赎金) , ” said Vansant. He eventually went to the house with a police officer, where he was reunited with his car. According to the police report, the case was closed “because of mistaken car identity”, and Anderson wasn’t charged.
Vansant seemed to blame the car company more than the “thief”. “Her key fit not only my lock, but my ignition（点火装置）as well — so high-five for Toyota, I guess.” he said.What does the underlined word “towed” mean in paragraph 3?
| A．sold. | B．damaged. | C．stolen. | D．remove. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Mrs. Anderson’s daughter discovered the car her mother drove was not hers. |
| B．Charlie had thought he had to give Anderson money to get his car back. |
| C．Mrs. Anderson stole Charlie’s car at the request of her daughter. |
| D．Mrs. Anderson used her daughter’s key to unlock Charlie’s car and drive home. |
What does Charlie mean by “high-five for Toyota”?
| A．He should thank Toyota for returning his car. |
| B．He is blaming Toyota for the poor quality of car keys. |
| C．He wants to celebrate with Toyota for getting his car back. |
| D．He thinks highly of Toyota for producing large quantities of cars. |
What is likely to happen next according to the passage?
| A．Mrs. Anderson was charged with stealing a car. |
| B．Charlie blamed Mrs. Anderson for mistakenly taking his car. |
| C．Charlie would ask the Toyota Company to give him an explanation. |
| D．The Toyota Company would give Charlie a new car as compensation（补偿）. |
The chimp didn’t feel well. She fell over, ignoring the other wild chimps. Finally, the sick chimp crawled over to a bush, picked some leaves and swallowed them. By the next afternoon, the chimp was as good as new!
Biologists watching the chimp were surprised. Somehow, the plant had cured the chimp! Did the chimp know the plant would make her feel better? Or was it just a lucky accident?
Many scientists don’t think it has anything to do with luck. They’re discovering that some animals seem to use plants to cure themselves. And these animals are leading scientists to new plants that could cure humans!
Dr. Richard Wrangham, an anthropologist at Harvard University, agrees that animals may know something we don’t know about forest plants.
Wrangham got to know chimps and their diets while studying them for three years in Tanzania. “You must know a lot about an animal’s feeding habits to know what it doesn’t consider food,” Wrangham explains. Every morning, he saw that most chimps ate fruit near their nests. Later on, they ate on leaves.
When he noticed chimps eating the leaves of a plant they usually ignored, Wrangham thought something interesting was going on---especially when he saw that they’d sometimes walk for 20 minutes to find the plant. Another strange thing that caught his eye was how they ate the bitter leaves.
“They swallowed the leaves whole,” explains Wrangham, noting that chimps usually chew their food well. “They seemed to rub（摩擦）the leaves around the roofs of their mouths. They closed their eyes, wrinkled their noses and swallowed slowly. ”
Wrangham wondered what could be so good about something tasting so bad. He had a chemist analyze the leaves. He discovered that the leaves contain a red oil that kills different viruses（病毒）. Later tests showed that the oil might even fight cancer and the AIDS virus!
Why don’t the chimps chew the leaves? “Rubbing the leaves between the tongue and the inside of the mouth might allow the chemicals to enter the bloodstream directly,” he suggests, “instead of going to the stomach, where they might get destroyed by acids. The chimps seem to know what they’re doing.”We can learn from the passage that _________.
| A．chimps cure themselves by chewing plants |
| B．chemicals in plants help cure animals |
| C．scientists live with chimps to study their diets |
| D．Dr. Wrangham knows a lot about forest plants |
How can Dr. Wrangham tell which plants are medicine for chimps?
| A．By talking with the biologists. |
| B．By studying the chimps’ feeding habits. |
| C．By analyzing the chimps’ favorite food. |
| D．By comparing other scientists’ discoveries. |
The author wrote the passage to ___________.
| A．provide a solution | B．test a theory |
| C．present a finding | D．describe an experiment |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Animal doctors. | B．Forest plants. |
| C．Chimp’s diets. | D．A cure for cancer. |