It takes two to duet (二重唱), and one question for scientists is how these coordinated (协调的) performances arise — in birds. Are they the result of cooperation, a way in which one pair signals to others that they’ve got it together? Or are they the result of conflict, evolving to avoid one partner’s song interfering with the other’s?
A study of duetting in Peruvian warbling antbirds(蚁鸟) suggests that it might be a little of both, and that context is everything. Joseph A. Tobias and Nathalie Seddon of the University of Oxford show in Current Biology that sexual conflict can cause the female of a pair that normally cooperates to “jam” the male’s song by singing over it.
The researchers exposed antbird pairs to recorded songs of other antbirds and monitored the songs the pairs produced. In one experiment, they played the songs of an intruding pair. In this case, the resident pair “both are likely to lose their territory, so both should cooperate,” Dr. Tobias said. And they do. They produce a coordinated duet that in effect tells the intruders to keep away.
But when the researchers played the song of a single female, the pair behaved differently. “You’d expect the resident female to be highly motivated to defend her position in the partnership,” Dr. Tobias said. And that’s what occurs. The male sings its heart out, flirting(调情) with the single female, and the female of the pair does its best to interfere with the song by singing over it, apparently to make her mate less attractive to the other female.
“It’s clear that the male doesn’t like what she’s doing,” Dr. Tobias said. The behavior “breaks up what is otherwise a very cooperative situation into a more complicated signal,” he added.
It’s the first evidence of this kind of signal jamming among pairs, Dr. Tobias said.
And in that it leads the male to alter its song to avoid the female’s interfering notes, it shows that this kind of conflict could, over a long period, drive the evolution of coordinated song.
What is the key factor of antbirds’ duet?
| A．Their cooperation. | B．Their conflict. |
| C．The context. | D．Their instinct. |
How did the researchers conduct the experiment?
| A．They put the antbird pairs back to nature and observe them. |
| B．They played different recorded songs of other antbirds. |
| C．They put an antbird to the other’s territory and observed. |
| D．They played the songs of an intruding pair. |
Why did the female bird sing according to Paragraph 4?
| A．It wanted to show its singing talent to the partner. |
| B．It aimed at keeping the partnership with the male. |
| C．It wanted to frighten the other females. |
| D．It wanted to make her mate more attractive. |
Which of the following is the topic of this passage?
| A．The special phenomenon about birds pairs. |
| B．The conflict of bird pairs. |
| C．The cooperation of bird pairs. |
| D．The piece of music for bird pairs. |
Regardless of their family background, the children’s reactions to new environments have struck the public.
In one episode of Dad! , the five-year-old daughter of former Olympic diving champion Tian Liang cries and hides behind her father when they arrive at a rural village. In an episode of the other series, a young girl in Tianjin breaks down into a tearful fit after being asked by her father to go out alone to buy eggs and a pancake.
In the eyes of some observers, these kids show no sense of independence, and the reason is put down to parents who are overly sheltering. But television viewers and parents were heartened when the sobbing Tianjin girl finally wiped away her tears as she returned holding the pancake. In the case of Tian’s daughter, she eventually began to take care of her younger companions and learned to seek help from people she didn’t know.
The father of the Tianjin girl felt “delightfully shocked” and said. “She used to have to be accompanied by her mother or grandmother. Now she has the courage to do it all by herself. ”
The shows have led many parents to change how they raise their children. Shanghai mother Liang Jing said she would try to “give some training” to her shy son, asking him to tidy up his toys. Lin Yi, a parenting expert in Beijing, said giving kids a chance to do things for themselves helps to raise their sense of achievement, which carries benefits throughout their lives. ”What attracts the audience’s eyes in the programs?
| A．What the kids’ family background is like. |
| B．Where children’s real comfort zone is. |
| C．How children react to new environments. |
| D．Why those children are independent. |
What is Tian Liang’s daughter expected to do in the show?
| A．Go out to buy something alone. |
| B．Hide in a safe place to avoid a danger. |
| C．Make friends with strange adults. |
| D．Live in a rural village with her father. |
It can be inferred from the underline words “delightfully shocked” that .
| A．father is more important than mother in a family |
| B．children deserve a chance to be independent |
| C．parents should provide a safe environment |
| D．the children are as fragile as parents expected |
The shows are bound to raise a wave of discussion about .
| A．protecting good traditions | B．the social safety |
| C．approaches to parenting | D．the influence of TV programmes |
China’s first moon rover，Yutu，or Jade Rabbit，separated from the lander early on Sunday，December l5，2013，several hours after the Chang’e-3 probe (探测器) soft-landed on the lunar surface．The l 40 kg six-wheeled rover touched the lunar surface at 4：35 a．m．，leaving deep trace on the loose lunar soil. The process was recorded by the camera on the lander and the images were sent to the earth，according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center．
After the separation，the rover and lander will take photos of each other and start their own scientific explorations. Engineers made final checks of the environment of the landing site，the situation of the probe and sent signals of separation to Chang’e-3．
Yutu, on the top of the probe，extended its solar panel and started to drive slowly to the transfer mechanism (机械装置) at 3：10．The transfer mechanism unlocked at 4：06 with one side reaching the moon’s surface，allowing the rover to descend to the surface following a ladder mechanism．
Chang’e-3 landed on the moon’s Sinus Iridum，or the Bay of Rainbows，at 9：11 p．m．Saturday，making China the third country in the world to carry out such a rover mission after the United States and former Soviet Union．
In ancient Chinese mythology，Yutu was the white pet rabbit of the lunar goddess Chang’e．The name for the rover was selected following an online poll that collected several million votes from people around the world．
The rover，1.5 meters long with its two wings folded，1 m in width and l．1 m in height，is a highly efficient robot controlled by the command center from the earth．It will face challenges including temperature differences of more than 300 degrees Celsius on the moon．
Yutu will survey the moon’s geological structure and surface substances and look for natural resources for three months，while the lander will conduct in-situ (现场) exploration right at its landing site for one year．What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．China’s first moon rover，Yutu，touched the lunar surface． |
| B．The rover and the lander took photos of each other successfully． |
| C．Chang’e-3 landed on the moon’s Sinus Iridum, or the Bay of Rainbows． |
| D．Yutu will survey the moon’s geological structure to find substances． |
Which of the following show the correct order of the Yutu’s landing?
a．drive to the transfer mechanism b．extend its solar panel c．follow a ladder mechanism
d．descend to the surface e．unlock the transfer mechanism
| A．e→b→a→c→d | B．a→b→e→d→c | C．b→a→e→c→d | D．c→a→b→e→d |
We can learn from the last two paragraphs that ．
| A．Yutu’s two wings are l．5 meters long and l meter wide |
| B．Yutu will explore the moon right at its site for one year |
| C．Yutu will get out of the earth command center’s control |
| D．Yutu can bear great temperature differences on the moon |
An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old highly educated son.
Suddenly a crow（乌鸦）perched on the tree near their window.
The father asked his son, “What is this? ”
The son replied, “It is a crow.”
After a few minutes, the father asked his son the 2nd time, “What is this?”
The son said, “Father, I have just now told you It’s a crow’. ”
After a little while, the old father again asked his son the 3rd time, “What is this? ”
“It’s a crow, a crow, a crow.” said the son loudly.
A little after, the father again asked his son the 4th time, “What is this?”
This time the son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? ‘IT IS A CROW’. Are you not able to understand this?”
A little later the father went to his room and came back with an old diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary:
“Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa when a crow was sitting on the window. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel annoyed; I rather felt affection for my innocent child. ” In what tone did the son say to his Father “It’s a crow, a crow, a crow. ”?
| A．impatient | B．excited | C．hurried | D．surprised |
Why did the Father ask the same question again and again?
| A．Because he wanted to make his son angry. |
| B．Because he was too old to remember anything. |
| C．Because he couldn't understand what his son said. |
| D．Because he wanted to see how patient his son would be. |
How old was the old man when his son asked him 23 times “What is this”?
| A．35 years old. | B．38 years old. | C．45 years old. | D．80 years old. |
What is the most suitable title for the passage?
| A．A crow. | B．Father's love. | C．An old dairy. | D．An old man. |
An 11-year-old boy who has been compared to Spanish Impressionist (印象派画家), the great Pablo Picasso, is holding his first exhibition at Llangollen’s Gardening Show this weekend.
Hamad al-Humaidhan, who was born in Kuwait but now lives in Bath, Britain, had no previous knowledge of art history when he first picked up a brush.
But he began to paint his favourite football player, Cristiano Ronaldo, using Picasso’s trademarks (标志) —bright colours and impressionistic forms.
His father said, "I’ve got lots of books about Picasso and I showed them to Hamad but he didn’t know anything about Picasso —it’s just naturally the way he sees it and he just loves to paint."
His first painting of Ronaldo, done when he was just nine, was sold at auction (拍卖) in Bath for ￡650, which drew the attention of local art businessman Steve Turner. "A colleague sent me some pictures of Hamad’s work and I just couldn’t believe the size of it and how the colours blended (融合) together," he said. "He had talent and I thought Picasso had been reborn.""I’ve shown his work to private art collectors. They liked them very much and everyone was eager to buy, so the first six paintings have been snapped up. I bought two of them myself. The next set of his works will go on show for the first time at Llangollen, which will be the first opportunity for the public to see his amazing talent."
Hamad enjoys maths at school but ranks painting higher. "I think I prefer painting! It makes me relaxed and when I feel tired I just pick up a paint brush," he said. "I just close my eyes and see how it’s going to look and then I just paint it —I paint every day. I just love the colours and I want people to enjoy my paintings."
Now Hamad is nervously waiting for the opening of his exhibition.
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Hamad’s painting exhibition. |
B．Hamad and his talent for painting. |
C．The popularity of Hamad’s works. |
D．The similarities between Hamad and Picasso. |
From the text, we can learn that Hamad ________.
| A．began to learn painting when he was a boy |
B．has read many books about art history |
C．likes Cristiano Ronaldo very much |
D．knows a lot about Picasso |
According to the text, Hamad’s first painting of Ronal-do ________.
| A．has bright colours and impressionistic forms |
B．was bought by Steve Turner |
C．was completed five years ago |
D．is his favourite work |
What does the underlined phrase "snapped up"in the fifth paragraph probably mean?
| A．Shown to the public. | B．Bought very quickly. |
C．Cleaned up. | D．Hung up. |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Steve Turner speaks very highly of Hamad. |
B．Hamad prefers maths to painting. |
C．Hamad’s works will be sold after the show. |
D．The public can see all Hamad’s paintings at the show. |
My first full-time job after high school was selling vacation packages via the telephone for a well-known company. One day, I was put through to a man who sounded a bit out of breath. I started with my normal pitch (音高), expecting to hear the normal reply —"I don’t want any."
Instead, he spoke in a faint, weak voice and told me how he wished to take a vacation I was offering, but he couldn’t because he was dying of illness. He explained how he was lacking in oxygen then, and it took almost all his energy to answer the call. He asked if I smoked, which I did, and begged me to stop. He told me smoking was what was killing him. He told me to spend every day with my loved ones, and tell them how much I love them. At this point, I couldn’t control myself. We ended the call, but I held on my phone to prevent another call coming in so I could collect myself.
I wrote down his name and address, and sent him a card appreciating his advice and praying for him and his family. Shortly after, I received a letter from Frank, along with a picture of him and his wife. We continued to write back and forth over the next few months, and became very fond of each other. He was old enough to be my grandfather, and in many ways, I felt as if he was.
About a year later I received a letter from his wife. When I started to read, tears came to my eyes. She told me how Frank’s battle with the disease had finally come to an end, and he passed away shortly before the Christmas. She wanted to thank me for the letters to Frank, and explained how Frank touched many lives over the years. At his funeral, to show just that, they read the 1st letter I had written to Frank to show how he affected a 19-year-old he’d never met.
The author was then probably working for ______.
| A．a travel agency | B．a cigarette company |
C．an e-shopping store | D．a vacation school |
The underlined part "collect myself" in the second paragraph probably means "_______".
| A．gather together | B．comfort myself |
C．relax myself | D．calm down |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．Frank was in hospital while answering the phone. |
B．Frank is actually the author’s grandfather. |
C．There was something wrong with Frank’s lung. |
D．The author asked Frank to travel and he took his advice. |
We can learn from the text that the author ________.
| A．took down Frank’s name and address to visit him in person |
B．was warmly welcomed by her customers when she called them |
C．didn’t stop smoking even though Frank asked him to |
D．kept in touch with Frank through letters until he died |
At Frank’s funeral the author’s 1st letter to Frank was read in order to ____.
| A．encourage people to fight against disease and live bravely |
B．indicate that Frank touched many people’s hearts |
C．show the good relationship between Frank and the author |
D．praise Frank and give thanks to the author |
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