Wild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami(海啸), adding weight to ideas they possess a “sixth sense” for disasters, experts said on Thursday.
Sri Lanka wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over 24,000 people along the Indian Ocean island’s coast seemingly missed wild beasts, with no dead animals found.
“No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit. I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening,” H.D. Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lanka’s Wildlife Department, said on Wednesday.
The waves washed floodwaters up to 3 km (2 miles) inland at Yala National Park in the southeast, Sri Lanka’s biggest wildlife reserve and home to hundreds of wild elephants. “There has been a lot of evidence about dogs barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. But it has not been proven,” said Matthew van Lierop, an animal behaviour specialist at Johannesburg Zoo.
“There have been no specific studies because you can’t really test it in a lab or field setting,” he said.
Other authorities agreed with this conclusion.
“Wildlife seem to be able to pick up certain phenomenon, especially birds. There are many reports of birds detecting coming disasters,” said Clive Walker, who has written several books on African wildlife.
Animals certainly rely on the known senses such as smell or hearing to avoid danger such as predators(食肉动物).
The idea of an animal “sixth sense” is a lasting one that the evidence on Sri Lanka’s damaged coast is likely to add to. This passage is mainly about________.
| A．the damage that was caused in the Indian Ocean tsunami |
| B．why animals can save them from natural disasters |
| C．how to protect the wildlife when disaster happens |
| D．the different opinions about animals’ natural power |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．It has been proved that animals have a “sixth sense”. |
| B．Research has been made on the special movements of animals before disasters. |
| C．It’s generally considered that animals can sense the coming of disasters. |
| D．Animals have depended on the known senses to escape the Indian Ocean tsunami. |
What does the term “sixth sense” in the text means?
| A．It is the natural ability of animals that can save them from danger. |
| B．It is the animal’s imagination in the brain. |
| C．It is some hidden power to say in advance that something will happen. |
| D．It is a kind of sense that is the same as smell or hearing. |
Which section does the text most probably appear in a newspaper?
| A．News Report. | B．Discovery. | C．Science Fiction. | D．Culture. |
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word mouth. But some of them are not so nice.
For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not bad mouth me.”
Sometimes, people say something to a friend or a family member that they later regret because it hurts that person’s feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say: “I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth. In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.
Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something. The other person might protest: “I did not say that. Do not put words in my mouth.”
Information is often spread through word of mouth. This is general communication between people, like friends talking to each other. “How did you hear about that new movie?” someone might ask. “Oh, by word of mouth.” A more official way of getting information is through a company or government mouthpiece. This is an official spokesperson. Government-run media could also be called a mouthpiece.
Sometimes when one person is speaking, he says the same thing that his friend was going to say. When this happens, the friend might say: “You took the words right out of my mouth!” Sometimes a person has a bad or unpleasant experience with another person. He might say that experience “left a bad taste in my mouth.” Or the person might have had a very frightening experience, like being chased by an angry dog. He might say: “I had my heart in my mouth.”
Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person, “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food.
Parents might sometimes withhold sweet food from a child as a form of punishment for saying bad things. For example, if a child says things she should not say to her parents, she might be described as a mouthy child. The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off.
But enough of all this talk. I have been running my mouth long enough.Which of the following can best describe his or her feeling if a speaker feels down in the mouth?
| A．Delighted | B．Regretful |
| C．Disappointed | D．Respectful |
When your car was close to knocking into a truck, you might say “_______”
| A．I really put my foot in my mouth this time. |
| B．I had my heart in my mouth. |
| C．I live from hand to mouth. |
| D．I get to know it by word of mouth. |
According to the passage, which behavior is surely Not welcome?
a. bad mouthing somebody
b. mouthing off about something
c. putting words in somebody’s mouth
d. taking the words right out of somebody’s mouth
| A．abc | B．abd | C．bcd | D．acd |
What do “I” probably (in the last Para.) do?
| A．A host | B．A journalist |
| C．A director | D．A listener |
If you are sitting down listening to what I’m going to say, stand up. Move your legs. Touch your toes, if you can. Do anything but sit.
If you cut down on the time you spend sitting, you might live longer. New research shows that sitting less than three hours a day might extend your life by two years.
Just the opposite, says Peter Katzmarzyk. He is a scientist at the University of Louisiana in the southern United States. He says that sitting is ubiquitous in our lives. "We sit while we're eating; we sit in the car; we sit while we watch TV. Many of us sit for many hours at work. " But, he adds, that does not make sitting good for us. The human body is designed to move. But modern lifestyles and office jobs rarely give us the chance to move around.
Exercise is important. So is not sitting.
"We can't throw away physical activity. It's extremely important. We have 60 years of research showing us that. Even if you exercise for 30 minutes a day, what goes on in the other 23-and-a-half hours a day is also very important."
Mr. Katzmarzyk and his co-workers are part of a new generation of researchers studying how sitting all day affects length of life. This is a relatively new area of study—studies that have assessed the relationship between sitting and mortality(死亡) or television viewing and mortality.
Making uses of the few studies available to them, they found that cutting television time to less than two hours a day could add one-point four years to life.
New desk designs are helping
Change is already coming to some offices, especially in the design of desks. A "standing desk" lets people stand while they work. Another new design is called the "treadmill desk." A treadmill is an exercise machine that lets you walk in one place. That's one of the strategies that many companies are using now. Some companies may equip their employees with a "standing desk" or a "treadmill desk". Other companies may not buy one for everybody, but they'll have a bank of these desks where people can go for an hour a day and answer their emails or talk on the phone. Even some U.S. schools are beginning to experiment with such desks to keep children moving.
Mr. Katzmarzyk says studying this problem has inspired his team to make a few changes in their own lives. "As a university professor, you know, it is a very sedentary occupation. We're chained to a desk in terms of writing papers and doing research. We really try to limit the amount of time we spend doing that."
Suggestions for sitting less
If you work in office job or have a sedentary job, Mr. Katzmarzyk and his team suggest a few simple changes:
get up from your desk as often as you can take walks at lunch time walk to your colleagues’ offices and talk directly instead of emailing them All these activities may help you live longer.What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Take exercise, keep fit. |
| B．Change more, achieve greater. |
| C．Talk directly, improve relationship. |
| D．Sit less, live longer. |
The word “ubiquitous ” (in Para. 3) means “_______”.
| A．common | B．normal |
| C．individual | D．specific |
Mr Katzmarzyk holds the view that _______.
| A．the study doesn’t benefit him at all |
| B．it’s unnecessary to limit television time |
| C．emailing colleagues is better than a face-to-face talk |
| D．those taking exercises 30 minutes a day still can’t sit long |
The passage is most likely to be _______.
| A．a medical research | B．a book review |
| C．a health report | D．a sports feature |
The first day of school always goes wrong. For many students in the United States, however, this year it was even more so. It was all due to one extra school policy – they are now required to follow a new standardized dress code.
According to the handbooks of all high schools in Allentown, Pennsylvania, students must wear short- or long-sleeve polo shirts and khaki (卡其色) or black pants. Skinny jeans, leggings and open-toe shoes are not allowed.
Allentown schools are not alone. At Edgewater High School in Florida, shirts must have collars or sleeves, and pants must not sag (下垂) and reach at least mid-thigh (大腿中部). No see-through shirts or T- shirts with references to sex on them are allowed.
Overall, more than half of US public schools now enforce dress codes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. About 57 percent of schools now have a “strict dress code”, up from more than 47 percent a decade earlier, USA Today said.
Among young people, there are mixed emotions. Some don’t mind wearing similar clothes every day while others aren’t happy. Despite dress codes in many school districts, some students still come to school – even on their first day – in skirts that are too short, necklines that are too low and sagging pants that don’t stay up on their hips.
But there are punishments. If they are out of dress code, students can be removed from the classroom until they fix the problem. In Florida, wearing sagging pants is illegal for youths according to a state law issued in 2011. Breaking the rule results in not being able to do after-school activities, and even being forbidden to attend class.
Some US schools go further and require students to wear uniforms. Many say that they simplify their jobs, saving teachers from having to punish students for wearing skirts or shorts that are too short, for instance. They can also prevent feelings of competition and envy among students.
“It takes away the daily fashion show and helps level the playing field a little bit with the haves and have-nots,” longtime school safety consultant Ken Trump told USA Today.
Critics of uniforms say they rob students of individuality. But for some people, that’s a lazy argument.
“Clothing isn’t the only form of self-expression. Students should know that it’s what they do that counts,” commented a parent named Beth Kassab in The Orlando Sentinel in Florida.According to the new standardized dress code, students in the US are allowed to wear .
| A．knee-length pants |
| B．shirts without sleeves |
| C．transparent T-shirts |
| D．jeans sticking to skin |
What is the main idea of Para 5?
| A．What the new dress code is. |
| B．How students dressed themselves. |
| C．What punishments students may receive. |
| D．How students responded to the code. |
Students in some US schools are required to wear uniforms Not to .
| A．pay less attention to their appearance |
| B．prevent comparison among students |
| C．bring out the best in students |
| D．spare teachers from punishing students for their improper dress |
What do Beth Kassab’s words imply?
| A．Uniforms limit the individuality of students. |
| B．Students should pay more attention to their behavior. |
| C．Clothing is of no importance to students. |
| D．Students should concentrate more on their study. |
Night after night, she came to tuck me in(掖好被子), even long after my childhood years. Following her longstanding custom, she'd lean down and push my long hair out of the way, then kiss my forehead.
I don't remember when it first started annoying me — her hands pushing my hair that way. But it did annoy me, for they felt work-worn and rough against my young skin. Finally, one night, I shouted at her: "Don't do that anymore — your hands are too rough!" She didn't say anything in reply. But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love. Lying awake long afterward, my words rang in my mind. But pride overwhelmed my conscience, and I didn't tell her I was sorry.
Time after time, with the passing years, my thoughts returned to that night. I missed my mother's hands, missed her goodnight kiss upon my forehead. Sometimes the incident seemed very close, sometimes far away. But always it appeared in the back of my mind.
Well, the years have passed, and I'm not a little girl any more. Mom is in her mid-seventies, and those hands I once thought to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family. She's been our doctor, reaching for medicine to calm a young girl's stomach or ease the pain of a boy's injured knee. She cooks the best fried chicken in the world…gets stains out of blue jeans like I never could…and still insists on dishing out ice cream at any hour of the day or night.
Through the years, my mother's hands have put in countless hours of toil, and most of hers were before automatic washers!
Now, my own children are grown and gone. Mom no longer has Dad, and on special occasions, I find myself drawn next door to spend the night with her. So it was that late on Thanksgiving Eve, as I drifted into sleep in the bedroom of my youth, a familiar hand hesitantly stole across my face to brush the hair from my forehead. Then a kiss, ever so gently, touched my brow.
In my memory, for the thousandth time, I recalled the night my surly young voice complained: “Don't do that any more —your hands are too rough!” Catching Mom's hand in hand, I blurted out how sorry I was for that night. I thought she'd remember, as I did. But Mom didn't know what I was talking about. She had forgotten —and forgiven —long ago.
That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and her caring hands. And the guilt I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.Why was the author annoyed with her mother?
| A．Her mother disturbed her rest by tucking her in. |
| B．She felt uncomfortable with her mother’s non-smooth hands. |
| C．Her mother leant down and kissed her forehead. |
| D．She was not accustomed to her mother’s action. |
Which of the following best describes the author’s mother?
| A．devoted and hardworking |
| B．caring and intelligent |
| C．thoughtful but stubborn |
| D．optimistic but careless |
We can learn from the passage that __________.
| A．The author lived separately from her mother |
| B．The author’s father has passed away |
| C．The author alone took care of her children |
| D．The author’s mother never kissed her again since that night |
What’s the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To thank her mother’s help |
| B．To express her regret |
| C．To appreciate her mother’s love |
| D．To call up memories of her childhood. |
With only a click of the mouse, rumors can be forwarded between microblogs very quickly. As an example, recently, perceptive netizens discovered that some photos displayed on microblogs depicting Beijing’s June rainstorm had actually been fabricated.
Sina. com is one of the major internet portals(门户网站) in China with hundreds and thousands of users, and a majority of celebrities and renowned citizens have their microblog accounts on this portal. As recently as six months ago, the website decided to establish a specialized team to verify rumors and provide accurate information for its users. Tan Chao is in charge of the team.
“Before I took the job, I usually couldn’t identify what information was real and what was fake. But during the rumor verification process, we discovered that a lot of information was false, including fake photos, fake news stories and rumors that had been spread through microblogs.”
It‘s not just website portals which are taking on fact-checking responsibilities, but also a number of civic-minded netizens, who recently set up a Rumor Verification Federation on Sina.com’s microblog system to help netizens identify fake information online.
Dianzizheng is the team leader of the federation. He says they’ve publicized more than 150 pieces which refute rumors, which attracted more than 10 thousand visitors within two months.
“We live in an age of new media, so we can’t use the old methods to verify rumors. We can’t wait for the media to verify the facts with related administrative departments and then release a formal announcement. We can’t allow rumors to run rampant and then deal with it, we need to fight rumors while they’re spreading. I think that this is the best way to deal with rumors nowadays.”
Some experts say this demonstrates the advantages of the internet compared to other traditional media. The open platform allows information to be examined and clarified by netizens. But experts like Ding Wenguo, President of the Journalism and Communication College at the China University of Political Science and Law says this self-correction function of the internet is still quite limited.
“It’s still quite difficult to tell which information is true in such an open environment by just reading a number of different opinions on the same issue. This is something which we need to pay attention to. If society is deluged with too much false information, and it’s allowed to spread in such a fast manner, then people will be suspicious of all kinds of information including important information from authorities. It also exacerbates(恶化) problems relating to social communications and mutual-understanding, which in turn harms society as a whole.”
Experts suggest that the government should react more quickly in the internet age. Once a rumor begins to spread, administrative departments should make announcements as early as possible to dispel rumors before they lead to bad outcomes.Sina.com decided to found a specialized team to ____.
| A．limit the number of microblogs |
| B．advance the development of microblogs |
| C．prevent the spread of rumors on the Internet |
| D．urge the government to react quickly to the rumors |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．All the rumors have been spread through microblogs. |
| B．Sina.com is the most popular Internet portal in China. |
| C．The photos displayed on microblogs might be fake. |
| D．Traditional media tend to get rumors examined and clarified. |
The underlined word "fabricated" in the first paragraph can be replaced by "_ _".
| A．dug out | B．made up |
| C．got round | D．given away |
The writer cited Ding Wenguo's words in Paragraph 8 to _ _.
| A．draw a conclusion | B．support an argument |
| C．introduce a topic | D．describe a scene |
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