Sweet peas, cucumbers, grapes ---- what do you think they have in common?
None of these vegetables grow on trees. They all don’t have strong roots, big trunks or long branches, which makes it harder for them to get sunlight. But don’t worry. They have developed their own unique way of growing taller climbing!
Take sweet peas as an example. The plant grows as a straight stem until it finds something to hold onto, either a nearby tree or a stick. That is when the stem makes small coil(卷曲) that helps the plant hold the stick tightly.
How these plants are able to do this has been a mystery to scientists for years. Even Charles Darwin was interested in this question. But it is not until now that a Harvard research team has finally found the answer. The study was published in the Journal Science earlier this month.
The key, as it turns out, is inside a kind of thread-like cell called “g-fiber cell”, which has the ability to shrink or stretch. Each stem of the pea plant is made of several layers of g-fibers. Once the plant finds something to hold onto, cells on side of the stem start to shrink, forcing the whole thing to bend and coil, which is a bit like how our muscles get our bodies to move.
What’s more, a pea’s coil is not exactly like that of a spring. If you look closely, you may find that a spring coils all in the same direction, but a plant’s coil is in two opposite directions, like a telephone line. This means that the stem can stay soft when pulled gently but become strong enough when pulled harder.
“You want the plant to have a little bit of flexibility(柔韧性) so that if the wind blows or an animal disturb it, it doesn’t break,” explained Sharon Gerbode, author of the study. “This structure allows the plant to easily accommodate small movement, but then if something really serious happens it can become strong and protect itself.” According to the article, coiling happens in sweet peas plant to allow the plant to .
| A．form a straight stem |
| B．grow strong roots |
| C．develop g-fiber cells on the stems |
| D．climb itself up toward the sunlight |
According to the article, which one is true about “a sweet pea’s coil”?
| A．to be like that of a spring |
| B．to bend all in the same direction |
| C．to make the stem hard break |
| D．to make the stem get soft when pulled hard |
When the sweet pea plant finds something to hold onto, .
| A．g-fiber cells on both sides of stem, forcing the stem to bend and coil |
| B．g-fiber cells on side of stem shrink, forcing the stem to bend and coil |
| C．g-fiber cells on the stem start to stretch, forcing the stem to bend and coil |
| D．there are more g-fiber cells on the stems |
What’s the purpose of the writer in the passage?
| A．To tell us why the sweet peas can climb the tree or stick. |
| B．To display new research allows scientists to understand more about climbing plants. |
| C．To show us new scientific research about the role of “g-fiber cell”. |
| D．To tell us the mysterious natural phenomena of some plants. |
We probably all know people, either at work or in our personal lives, who are really good listeners. No matter what kind of situation we’re in, they always seem to know just what to say and how to say it so that we’re not offended(被冒犯) or upset. We probably also know people who are masters at managing their emotions(情绪). They don’t get angry in stressful situations. Instead, they have the ability to calmly look at a problem and find a solution. They take criticism(批评) well, and they know when to use it to improve their performance.
People like these who have a high degree of emotional intelligence, or EI(情商). They know themselves very well, and they’re also able to sense the emotional needs of others.
As more and more people accept that emotional intelligence is just as important to professional success as technical(专业的) ability, companies are increasingly using EI when they hire and promote(提拔) someone. For example, one large cosmetics (化妆品) company recently changed their hiring process for salespeople to choose candidates(被选的人) based on emotional intelligence. The result? Salespeople hired with the new system have sold, on average, $91,000 more than salespeople selected under the old system.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize your emotions, understand what they are telling you, and realize how your emotions affect people around you. Emotional intelligence also involves your perception (洞察力) of others: when you understand how they feel, this allows you to manage relationships more effectively.
People with high emotional intelligence are usually successful in most things they do. Why? Because they are the ones that others want on their team. When people with high EI send an email, it get answered. When they need help, they get it. Because they make others feel good, they go through life much more easily than people who are easily angered or upset.
The good news is that emotional intelligence can be taught and developed. Many books and tests are available to help you determine your current EI, and identify where you may need to do some work. According to the passage, we’re all probably impressed by people who _____.
| A．are ready to help others |
| B．are very successful in their lives |
| C．have high emotional intelligence |
| D．know how to control their temper |
By mentioning the cosmetics company, the author tries to _____.
| A．stress the importance of emotional intelligence |
| B．speak highly of its new salespeople |
| C．show its effective hiring system |
| D．explain what improvements it has made |
The underlined word “they” in the fourth paragraph refers to “_____”.
| A．your emotions | B．people around you |
| C．effective relationships | D．your opinions of others |
Which statement is TRUE about people with high EI?
| A．They are usually good speakers. |
| B．They are born to be sensitive and intelligent. |
| C．They don’t get angry in any situation. |
| D．They can understand others’ feelings well. |
What’s most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
| A．What emotional intelligence is. |
| B．How emotional intelligence can be improved. |
| C．Many books on emotional intelligence. |
| D．More people with high emotional intelligence. |
The iPhone, the iPad: each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad(一时的风尚). Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” –-- and many other brands are following suit. The BBC’s iPlayer --- which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet ---used the title in 2008. A lovely bear --- popular in the US and UK --- that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version(简装本) of London’s Independent newspaper was started last week under the name “i”.
In general, single-letter prefixes(前缀) have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce(电子商务) first came into use.
Most “i” products are targeted at （针对）young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s“ i”, it’s no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.
But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i”. Why not use “a”, “b”, or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPod, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition（定义）,” he says.
“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now connected with portability (轻便) .”adds Thorne.
Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.
Along with “Google” and “blog”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade(十年).
But as history shows, people grow tired of fads. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was connected with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the fashion disappeared. People use iPlayer to __________.
| A．listen to music | B．make a call |
| C．watch TV programs online | D．read newspapers |
We can infer that the Independent’s “i” is designed for _________.
| A．young readers | B．old readers | C．fashionable women | D．engineers |
The underlined word “ambiguous” means “__________”.
| A．popular | B．uncertain | C．clear | D．unique |
Nowadays, the “i” term often reminds people of the products which are __________.
| A．portable | B．environmentally friendly | C．advanced | D．recyclable |
The writer suggests that __________.
| A．“i” products are often of high quality |
| B．iTeddy is alive bear |
| C．the letter “b” replaces letter “i” to name the products |
| D．the popularity of “i” products may not last long |
Not many years ago, a wealthy and rather strange old man named Johnson lived alone in a village in the south of England. He had made a lot of money in trading with foreign countries. When he was seventy-five, he gave 12,000 to the village school to buy land and equipment for a children’s playground.
As a result of his kindness many people came to visit him. Among them was a newspaperman. During their talk，Johnson said that he was seventy-five and expected to live to be a hundred. The newspaperman asked him how he managed to be healthy at seventy—five. Johnson had a sense of humor. He liked whisky and drank some each day. “I have an injection(注射)in my neck each evening.” he told the newspaperman, thinking of his evening glass of whisky. The newspaperman did not understand what Johnson meant. In his newspaper he reported that Johnson was seventy-five and had a daily injection in his neck. Within a week Johnson received thousands of letters from all over Britain asking him for the secret of his daily injection.Johnson became a rich man through _________.
| A．doing business. | B．making whisky. |
| C．cheating. | D．buying and selling land. |
The gift of money to the school suggests that Johnson __________.
| A．had no children. | B．was a strange man. |
| C．was very fond of children. | D．wanted people to know how rich he was. |
Many people wrote to Johnson to find out __________.
| A．what kind of whisky he had. | B．how to live longer. |
| C．how to become wealthy. | D．in which part of the neck to have an injection. |
The newspaperman ____________.
| A．should have reported what Johnson had told him. |
| B．shouldn‘t have asked Johnson what injection he had. |
| C．was eager to live a long life. |
| D．should have found out what Johnson really meant. |
When Johnson said he had an injection in his neck each evening he really meant that ______.
| A．he liked drinking a glass of whisky in the evening |
| B．he needed an injection in the neck. |
| C．a daily injection in the evening would make him sleep well. |
| D．there was something wrong with his neck |
Among all the fast growing science and technology, the research of human genes, or biological engineering as people call it, is drawing more and more attention now. Sometimes it is a hot topic discussed by people.
The greatest thing that gene technology can do is to cure serious diseases that doctors at present can almost do nothing with, such as cancer and heart disease. Every year, millions of people are murdered by these two killers. And to date, doctors have not found an effective way to cure them. But if the gene technology is applied, not only these two diseases can be cured completely, bringing happiness and more living days to the patients, but also the great amount of money people spend on curing their diseases can be saved, therefore it benefits the economy as well. In addition, human life span(寿命) can be prolonged.
Gene technology can help people to give birth to healthy and clever children. Some families, with the English imperial family being a good example, have hereditary(遗传的) diseases. This means their children will for sure have the family disease, which is a great trouble for these families. In the past, doctors could do nothing about hereditary diseases. But gene technology can solve this problem perfectly. The scientist just need to find the wrong gene and correct it, and a healthy child will be born.
Some people are worrying that the gene research can be used to manufacture human beings in large quantities. In the past few years, scientists have succeeded in cloning a sheep, therefore these people predict that human babies would soon be cloned. But I believe cloned babies will not come out in large quantities, for most couples in the world can have babies in very normal way. Of course, the government must take care to control gene technology.What does “these two killers” in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．Gene technology and another treatment of the two diseases. |
| B．The two murderers who killed the cloned baby. |
| C．The two diseases of cancer and heart disease. |
| D．Hereditary diseases and cancer. |
What’s the main idea of the third paragraph?
| A．How gene technology can be applied in the field of treating hereditary diseases. |
| B．Gene technology can be used to clone human babies. |
| C．Gene technology can help people to give birth to a baby. |
| D．Gene technology can help the English imperial family out. |
In what way gene technology can help to treat hereditary diseases?
| A．Using gene technology, people with hereditary diseases can have more living days. |
| B．Using gene technology, the scientist finds the wrong gene and corrects it. |
| C．Using gene technology, human babies can be cloned. |
| D．Doctors can cure cancer and heart disease with the help of gene technology. |
What is the main purpose of writing this passage?
| A．Expressing the writer’s idea that gene technology will benefit people. |
| B．Telling people the disadvantages of gene technology. |
| C．Telling the readers that gene technology will not benefit people. |
| D．Explaining that gene technology will also do harm to the humanity. |
The energy crisis has made people aware of how the careless use of the earth’s energy has brought the whole world to the edge of disaster. The over-development of motor transport, with its increase of more cars, more traveling, has contributed to the near-destruction of our cities and the pollution not only of local air but also of the earth’s atmosphere.
Our present situation is unlike natural disasters of the past. Worldwide energy use has brought us to a state where long-range planning is vital. What we need is not a continuation of our present serious state, which endangers the future of our country, our children, and our earth, but a movement forward in order to work rapidly and effectively on planetary problems.
This country has been failing back under the continuing exposures of loss of morality and the revelation(揭露) that lawbreaking has reached into the highest place in the land. There is a strong demand for morality to turn for the better and for some devotion that is vast enough and yet personal enough to enlist the devotion of all. In the past it has been only in a way in defense of their own country and their own benefits that people have been able to devote themselves wholeheartedly.
This is the first time that we have been asked to defend ourselves and what we hold dear in cooperation with all the other people of this planet, who share with us the same endangered air and the same endangered oceans. There is a common need to reassess our present course, to change that course and to employ new methods through which the world can survive. This is a priceless opportunity.
To grasp it, we need a widespread understanding of nature if the crisis we and the world are facing is no passing inconvenience, no byproduct of the ambitions of the oil-producing countries, no environmentalists’ only fears, no byproduct of any present system of government. What we face is the result of the invention of the last four hundred years. What we need is a transformed life style. This new life style can flow directly from science and technology, but its acceptance depends on a sincere devotion to finding a higher quality of life for the world’s children and future generation.Which of the following has nearly destroyed our cities?
| A．The loss of beliefs and ideas. |
| B．More of law-breaking. |
| C．Natural disasters in many areas. |
| D．The rapid growth of motors. |
By comparing past problems with present ones, the author draws our attention to the.
| A．seriousness of this crisis |
| B．ineffectiveness of laws |
| C．similarity of the past to the present |
| D．hopelessness of the situation |
Which of the following is used as an example to show the loss of morality?
| A．Disregard for law. | B．Lack of devotion. |
| C．Lack of understanding. | D．Destruction of cities. |
The author wrote the passage in order to.
| A．make a recommendation for a transformed life style |
| B．limit ambitions of the people of the whole world |
| C．demand devotion to nature and future generation |
| D．encourage awareness of the decline of morality |