Monkeys seem to have a way with numbers.
A team of researchers trained three Rhesus monkeys to associate 26 clearly different symbols consisting of numbers and selective letters with 0﹣25 drops of water or juice as a reward. The researchers then tested how the monkeys combined﹣or added﹣the symbols to get the reward.
Here's how Harvard Medical School scientist Margaret Livingstone, who led the team, described the experiment: In their cages the monkeys were provided with touch screens. On one part of the screen, a symbol would appear, and on the other side two symbols inside a circle were shown. For example, the number 7 would flash on one side of the screen and the other end would have 9 and 8. If the monkeys touched the left side of the screen they would be rewarded with seven drops of water or juice; if they went for the circle, they would be rewarded with the sum of the numbers﹣17 in this example.
After running hundreds of tests, the researchers noted that the monkeys would go for the higher values more than half the time, indicating that they were performing a calculation, not just memorizing the value of each combination.
When the team examined the results of the experiment more closely, they noticed that the monkeys tended to underestimate(低估)a sum compared with a single symbol when the two were close in value﹣sometimes choosing, for example, a 13 over the sum of 8 and 6. The underestimation was systematic: When adding two numbers, the monkeys always paid attention to the larger of the two, and then added only a fraction(小部分)of the smaller number to it.
"This indicates that there is a certain way quantity is represented in their brains, "Dr. Livingstone says. "But in this experiment what they're doing is paying more attention to the big number than the little one."
(1)What did the researchers do to the monkeys before testing them?
A. |
They fed them. |
B. |
They named them. |
C. |
They trained them. |
D. |
They measured them. |
(2)How did the monkeys get their reward in the experiment?
A. |
By drawing a circle. |
B. |
By touching a screen. |
C. |
By watching videos. |
D. |
By mixing two drinks. |
(3)What did Livingstone's team find about the monkeys?
A. |
They could perform basic addition. |
B. |
They could understand simple words. |
C. |
They could memorize numbers easily. |
D. |
They could hold their attention for long. |
(4)In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?
A. |
Entertainment. |
B. |
Health. |
C. |
Education. |
D. |
Science. |
Lipitor
About Lipitor Lipitor is a prescription medicine. Along with diet and exercise, it lowers “bad” cholesterol(胆固醇) in your blood. It can also raise “good” cholesterol. Lipitor can lower the risk of heart attack in patients with several common risk factors, including family history of early heart disease, high blood pressure, age and smoking. |
Who is Lipitor for? Who can take Lipitor: 1.People who cannot lower their cholesterol enough with diet and exercise. 2.Adults and children over 10. Who should NOT take Lipitor? 3.Women who are pregnant, or may become pregnant, Lipitor may harm your unborn baby. 4.Women who are breast-feeding. Lipitor can pass into your breast milk and may harm your baby. 5.People with liver problems. |
Possible side effects of Lipitor Serious side effects in a small number of people: 6.Muscle problems that can lead to kidney problems, including kidney failure. 7.Liver problems. Your doctor may do blood tests to check your liver before you start Lipitor and while you are taking it. Call your doctor right away if you have: 8.Unexplained muscle pain or weakness, especially you have a fever or feel very fired. 9.Swelling of the face, lips, tongues and/or throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing. 10.Stomach pain. Some common side effects of Lipitor are: 11.Muscle pain. 12.Upset stomach. 13.Changes in some blood test. |
How to take Lipitor Do: ☆ Take Lipitor as prescribed by your doctor. ☆ Try to eat heart-healthy foods while taking Lipitor. ☆ Take Lipitor at any time of day, with or without food. ☆ If you miss a dose(一剂), take it as soon as you remember. But if it has been more than 12 hours since you missed a dose, wait. Take the next dose at your next time. Don’t: 14.Do not change or stop your dose before talking to your doctor. 15.Do not start new medicine before talking to your doctor. |
What is the major function of Lipitor?
A.To help to cure liver problems. |
B.To control blood pressure. |
C.To help to deal with muscle problems. |
D.To lower “bad” cholesterol. |
According to the passage, taking Lipitor is beneficial to _________.
A.breast-feeding women |
B.children suffering from stomach |
C.adults having heart trouble |
D.teenagers with muscle problems |
If it has been over 12 hours since you missed a dose, what should you do?
A.Reduce the amount of your next dose. |
B.Eat more when taking your next dose. |
C.Have a dose as soon as you remember missing it. |
D.Just take the next dose at your regular time. |
Which of the following is the common side effect of taking Lipitor?
A.Throat swelling | B.Upset stomach. |
C.Kidney failure. | D.Muscle weakness. |
It is time for students to sell such things as chocolate bars and greeting cards to raise money for their school, class or club.It is inevitable that they will knock on your door and you will easily hand over your cash for overpriced items that you really do not want.That is okay, though, because there are many reasons why children should be allowed to raise money for their schools and clubs.
Fundraising is a great way to help children learn social skills.It is not easy to go up to a complete stranger and ask him for his money.They have to nicely ask for help, show the interested buyer what they have to offer and explain how it will help them in school.If someone refuses to buy an item, that child has to take the failure in stride(不特别费力地), and that is a learning lesson as well.
Students can learn how to deal with money by fundraising.Of course, it might seem safer for us to take charge of our children’s earnings from their fundraising before it is turned into the school.However, by making them keep track of it, count it, and make sure everyone pays the right amount, they are learning an important lesson.Dealing with more Fundraising helps improve their schools.It is the children’s school.They have to learn there and grow there.Why not let them help in making it a better place?
Fundraising allows for more life experiences for the child.The raised money is used towards things like parties, trips, or for the music club to go to see a Broadway play.The children receive the rewards for their hard work at raising the money.Without fundraising, these field trips and special school memories would be missed.
In a word, fundraising helps children a lot in many ways.The underlined word “inevitable” in the first paragraph means “_______”.
A.unlikely | B.improper | C.unavoidable | D.unrealistic |
One of the important indications that children are grown up is that __________.
A.children learn to care for others |
B.children can deal with money |
C.children like to make up |
D.children make a date with friends of the other sex |
The author thinks that fundraising _______.
A.adds to the family’s burden |
B.wastes the learning time |
C.builds up the children’s bodies |
D.helps to develop the children’s character |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central point P: Point Sp: Sub-point C: Conclusion
Dreams are expressions of thoughts, feelings and events that pass through our mind while we are sleeping. Everybody dreams. But only some people remember their dreams. Our dreams often include all the senses (感觉)—smells, sounds, sights, tastes and things we touch. We dream in colour. Sometimes we dream the same dream over and over again. These repeated(重复的) dreams are often unpleasant. They may even be nightmares—bad dreams that frighten us.
Early in the twentieth century, two famous scientists developed their personal ideas about dreams. Austrian psychiatrist(心里学家) Sigmund Freud published a book called “The Interpretation(诠释) of Dreams” in 1900. Freud believed people often dream about things they want but can’t have. These dreams often have something to do with sex and aggression(侵犯). Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung worked closely with Freud for several years, but he believed dreams could help people grow and understand themselves. He believed dreams provide solutions(解答) to problems we face when we are awake. He didn’t believe dreams hide our feelings about sex or aggression. Today we know more about the science of dreaming because researchers can take pictures of people’s brains while they are sleeping.
Other researchers are studying how dreaming helps our bodies work with problems and very sad emotions(感情). Robert Stickgold is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard University in Massachusetts. Doctor Stickgold says that when we dream, the brain is trying to make sense of the world. He does not agree with Sigmund Freud that dreaming is the way we express our hidden feelings and desires(愿望).
Scientists believe it is important to keep researching dreams. Doctor Stickgold says it has been more than one hundred years since Sigmund Freud published his important book about dreaming. Yet there is still no agreement on exactly how the brain works when we are dreaming or why we dream.Dreams _________.
A.are remembered by everyone |
B.express all that we think in our mind |
C.include few senses and things we touch |
D.are sometimes nightmares(恶梦) that repeat and frighten us |
A book on dreaming was published by _________.
A.Sigmund Freud | B.Robert Stickgold | C.Carl Jung | D.the writer |
In the passage, all the psychiatrists _________.
A.believe dreams can help people understand all the problems that they face |
B.think dreams always hide someone’s feelings about sex or aggression |
C.study dream and dreaming and have their own ideas |
D.have the same idea that people often dream about the things they want |
From the passage, we know that _________.
A.Jung thought that dreams provide solutionsto problems we face when we are sleeping |
B.Freud developed the idea that dreams are expressions of people’s hidden feelings |
C.scientists have known quite well why we dream because they can take pictures of our brains |
D.other researchers have discovered how dreaming helps our bodies work with problems and very sad emotions |
Which would be the best title(标题) for the passage?
A.The Explanations of Dreams | B.The Ways of Dreams |
C.The Solutions to Dreams | D.The Mystery(奥秘) of Dreams and Dreaming |
In 1993 an unknown American called Clarence Nash went to see the filmmaker Walt Disney. He had an unusual voice and he wanted to work in Disney’s cartoon(动画片) film for children. When Walt Disney heard Nash’s voice, he said “Stop! That’s our duck!”
The duck was the now-famous Donald Duck, who first appeared in 1934 in the firm The Wise Little Hen. Donald lived in an old houseboat(水上住家) and wore his sailor jacket and hat. Later that year he became a star after an eight – minute Mickey Mouse film. The cinema audience liked him because he was lazy and greedy(贪婪的), and because he lost his temper (发脾气) very quickly. And they loved his voice when he became angry with Mickey’s eight nephews(侄子). Soon Donald was more popular than Mickey Mouse himself, probably because he wasn’t a goody-goody like Mickey.
In the 1930S, 40s and 50s Donald and his friends Mickey, Goofy and Pluto made hundreds of Disney cartoons. He also made educational films about the place of the USA in the world, and safety in the home. Then in 1966 Donald Duck and his voice disappeared – there were no more new cartoons.
Clarence Nash died in February, 1985. But today’s children can still see the old cartoons on television and hear that famous voice. Who made Donald Duck film? ______
A.Mickey Mouse. | B.Clarence Nash. |
C.Walt Disney. | D.Pluto. |
When was the first Donald Duck film made? ______
A.In 1933. | B.In 1934. | C.In 1966. | D.In 1930. |
Who was Clarence Nash? ______
A.A cartoonist. | B.Donald Duck’s voice. |
C.A film-maker. | D.A film star. |
Where do today’s children see Donald Duck ? ______
A.In new film. | B.At the cinema. |
C.On television. | D.At concerts. |
The underlined word “audience” in the second paragraph means______ .
A.reads | B.formal interview |
C.law freedom | D.the people who watch a film at a cinema |
Do you know why different animals or pests (昆虫) have their special colors? Colors in them seem to be used mainly to protect themselves.
Some birds like eating locusts (蝗虫), but birds cannot easily catch them. Why? It is because locusts change their colors together with the change of the colors of crops(庄稼). When crops are green, locusts look green. But as the harvest time comes, locusts change to the same brown color as crops have. Some other pests with different colors from plants are easily found and eaten by others. So they have to hide themselves for lives and appear only at night.
If you study the animal life, you’ll find the main use of coloring is to protect themselves. Bears, lions and other animals move quietly through forests. They cannot be easily seen by hunters (猎人). This is because they have the colors much like the trees.
Have you ever noticed an even stranger act? A kind of fish in the sea can send out a kind of very black liquid (液体)when it faces danger. While the liquid spreads over (散开), its enemies (敌人)cannot find it. And it immediately swims away. So it has lived up to now though it is not strong at all.From the passage we learn that locusts________.
A.are small animals | B.are easily found by birds |
C.are dangerous to their enemies | D.change their colors to protect themselves |
How can pests with different colors from plants keep out of danger?
A.They run away quickly. |
B.They have the colors much like their enemies. |
C.They hide themselves by day and appear at night. |
D.They have to move quietly. |
Bears and lions can keep safe because _________.
A.they have the colors much like the trees | B.they move quietly |
C.they like brown and gray colors | D.they live in forests |
Why can the kind of fish live up to now?
A.Because it is very and strong. |
B.Because the liquid it sends out can help it escape from its enemies. |
C.Because the liquid it sends out can kill its enemies. |
D.Because it swims faster than any other fish. |
Which is the best title for this passage?
A.The Change of Colors for Animals and Pests |
B.Colors of Different Animals and Pests |
C.The Main Use of Colors for Animals and Pests |
D.Some Animals and Pests |