At night, bats fly through the air, catching hundreds of insects and other small animals. But during the day, they hardly move at all. Instead, bats pass the time hanging upside down from a secret spot.
There are a couple of reasons why bats rest this way. First of all, it puts them in a position for takeoff. Unlike birds, bats can’t fly into the air from the ground. Their wings don’t produce enough lift to take off from a dead stop, and their hind legs are so small and underdeveloped that they can’t run to build up the necessary takeoff speed. Instead, they use their front claws to climb to a high spot, and then fall into flight.
During the hours when most enemies are active, bats gather where few animals would think to look and most can’t reach. This allows
them to disappear from the world until night comes again. There’s also little competition for these resting spots, as other flying animals don’t have the ability to hang upside down.
Bats have a unique physiological adaptation that lets them hang around this way without using a
ny energy. For you to hold your fist around an object tight, you contract（紧缩）several muscles in your arm, which are connected to your fingers by ten
dons（腱）；as one muscle contracts, it pulls a tendon, which pulls one of your fingers closed. A bat’s talons（爪）close in the same way, except that their tendons are connected only to the upper body, not to a muscle. To hang upside down, a bat pulls its claws open with other muscles. To get the talons to take hold of the surface, the bat simply lets its body relax. The weight of the upper body pulls down on the tendons connected to the talons, causing them to hold tight. Therefore, the bat doesn’t have to do anything to hang upside down.Bats hang upside down because________．
| A．they haven’t developed a pair of strong claws | B．they can’t start to fly from the ground directly |
| C．they have no hind legs to support their body | D．they can’t find quiet places to stay during the day |
The third paragraph tells us that bats’ hanging upside down_______.
| A．is to save their energy for night movement | B．is a way to fight against flying animals |
C．is a great way to hide from danger |
D．is a skill to compete for the flying places |
Why can bats hang upside down easily?
| A．Because their upper body is light. |
| B．Because they have strong muscles. |
| C．Because their talons are linked to muscles tightly. |
| D．Because their tendons are linked to their upper body. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The living habits of bats. | B．How and why bats  hang upside down. |
| C．The importance of bats’ hanging upside down. | D．How bats use their energy at night. |
Where Are We Going, Dad? has become one of China’s most popular television shows, since its debut（首次登场）in October, averaging more than 600 million viewers each week. Sponsorship rights（冠名权）for the show’s second season were sold for 312 million yuan（about $ 50 million）, more than ten times higher than the rights to the first season.
What accounts for its popularity? The show features a mew generation of Chinese fathers, who, as part of the country’s new middle class, have faced more problems with modern child-raising techniques such as taking an active role with their children.
Part of the appeal of the show is the chance to throw a glance at the lives of Chinese celebrities（名流）and their children. Audiences are interested in watching the failed attempts of celebrity dads making dinner, doing hair, and disciplining（管教）children — tasks often left to mothers in a society still influenced by the saying that “men rule outside and women are inside.” “In traditional Chinese culture, fathers are strict and mothers are kind. But on the show, we see fathers who are much gentler on their kids and more involved in their upbringing,” said Li Minyi, an associate professor. “This show raises an important question for modern Chinese society — what is the role of fathers in today’s China?”
After each episode（集）goes to air, the Chinese Internet explodes with comments on each celebrity’s parenting style.
Actor Guo Tao tries to communicate with his son, Shitou, but is seen as a more traditional Chinese father, and has been criticized online for being too harsh. Zhang Liang, a supermodel, is an audience favorite for treating his son, Tiantian, more like a friend. The show’s most famous celebrity, Lin Zhiying, a film star, was originally praised as patient with his son Kimi. But as the season progresses, fans begin to criticize him for raising a spoiled, undisciplined boy. Director Wang Yuelun is at a complete loss when it comes to care of his daughter’s hair.
Even the People’s Daily is pleased with the success of the show.Sponsorship rights for the show’s first season were sold for ________.
| A．312 million yuan |
| B．about 50 million yuan |
| C．more than 600million yuan |
| D．about 30million yuan |
According to the passage, the show_________.
| A．gives audiences the chance to raise the stars’ children themselves |
| B．invites some famous film stars to take part in it |
| C．lets people think about the role of fathers in modern families |
| D．raises people’s concern about women’s role in the society |
The underlined word “harsh” in the fifth paragraph most probably means “_____”.
| A．careless | B．strict | C．clumsy | D．kind |
According to the writer, _________ is the most successful father.
| A．Zhang Liang | B．Guo Tao |
| C．Lin Zhiying | D．Wang Yuelun |
People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them good food and medical care. However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression, “to lead a dog’s life”, describes a person who lives an unhappy life.
Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.
Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.
Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways. People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as meaner than a junkyard dog. Junkyard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. Mean dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark at or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad. We say his bark is worse than his bite.
Husbands and wives use this doghouse term when they are angry at each other. For example, a woman might get angry at her husband for coming home late or forgetting their wedding anniversary. She might tell him that he is in the doghouse. She may not treat him nicely until he apologizes. However, the husband may decide that it is best to leave things alone and not create more problems. He might decide to let sleeping dogs lie.
Dog expressions also are used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.To achieve success, you must____________.
| A．work like a dog | B．feel dog-tired |
| C．become sick as a dog | D．be meaner than a junkyard dog |
To everyone’s surprise, Jack has been employed by a big company, about which we can say, “______”.
| A．Jack works like a dog |
| B．Every dog has its day |
| C．His bark is worse than his bite |
| D．Jack really lives in a dog-eat-dog world |
If you are in the doghouse,_________.
| A．you must be forgetful |
| B．someone is annoyed with you |
| C．you are living a hard life |
| D．you can get along with your partner |
What kind of people live a difficult life?
| A．Those who is in the doghouse. |
| B．Those who have the dog’s. |
| C．Those who lead a dog’s life. |
| D．Those whose bark is worse than his bite. |
What does the article mainly talk about?
| A．Dogs’ life in America. | B．How to treat dogs well. |
| C．Why Americans love dogs. | D．Expressions with the word “dog”. |
Children form opinions about drugs and alcohol at a very early age. Even four and five year olds have definite opinions about alcohol. Preschoolers, because of the commercials they see on TV, often think that alcohol helps people have more fun and be better athletes! Images of alcohol are everywhere in out society—consumption of alcohol is represented twice per hour in daytime shows, and three times in an average evening program.
Despite the wide spread of alcohol in our society, and the problems that can be connected with it, many parents feel uncomfortable when talking about alcohol with their children, or are not sure when and how to start. Many parents believe that teenage drinking is something that their children would never be involved in.
Unfortunately, teenage drinking is very common in North Dakota. In a state wide survey of adolescents in junior and senior high school. Only 24% claimed to have never consumed alcohol. When asked about their drinking in the past 30 days:
·61% adolescents reported drinking
·42% drank five or more drinks in a row
·17% reported binge drinking
·4.2% reported driving and drinking
Other research on rural youth in North Dakota has found that about 10% of a sample of fifth and sixth graders were engaged in frequent drinking. Teenagers who reported alcohol use (especially those who began use in late elementary school and junior high school) were more likely to be depressed, feel less positive about both their family and friends, and have poorer grades.
Research has found that children and even teenagers look to their parents in making decisions about important things in their life. Decisions about using alcohol are undoubtedly something that parents will want to provide guidance about. Here are some suggestions about talking to children about alcohol.The author’s attitude towards images of alcohol is ___________.
| A．negative | B．responsible |
| C．shocking | D．positive |
We can infer from Paragraph 2 that _____________.
| A．many parents don’t realize the seriousness of teenage drinking |
| B．many parents feel uncomfortable with teenage drinking |
| C．many children would never be involved in teenage drinking |
| D．alcohol is a general topic between parents and children |
Which of the following is a misguided idea?
| A．Teenagers involved in drinking tend to have poorer grades. |
| B．Teenagers involved in drinking alcohol tend to be better athletes. |
| C．Teenagers reporting alcohol use are more likely to be depressed. |
| D．Teenagers reporting alcohol use feel less positive about their family. |
What will the article probably talk about next?
| A．How to be supportive of your children. |
| B．Means of teaching children to make important decisions. |
| C．Advice about talking to children about alcohol. |
| D．Why teenagers look to their parents in making decisions. |
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．Keeping Away from Alcohol |
| B．Teenage Drinking Becoming Very Common |
| C．Tips on How to Talk to Children about Alcohol |
| D．Talking with Young Children about Alcohol |
Laws that would have ensured pupils from 5 to 16 to receive a full financial education got lost in the ‘wash up’. An application is calling on the next government to bring it back.
At school the children are taught to add up and subtract(减法) but, extraordinarily, are not routinely shown how to open a bank account — let alone how to manage their finances in an increasingly complex and demanding world.
Today the parenting website Mumsnet and the consumer campaigner Martin Lewis have joined forces to launch an online application to make financial education a compulsory element of the school curriculum in England. Children from 5 to 16 should be taught about everything from pocket money to pensions, they say. And that was exactly the plan preserved in the Children, Schools and Families bill that was shelved by the government in the so-called “wash-up” earlier this month — the rush to legislation before parliament was dismissed. Consumer and parent groups believe financial education has always been one of the most frustrating omissions of the curriculum.
As the Personal Finance Education Group (Pfeg) points out, the good habits of young children do not last long. Over 75% of seven- to-eleven-year-olds are savers but by the time they get to 17, over half of them are in debt to family and friends. By this age, 26% see a credit card or overdraft(透支) as a way of extending their spending power. Pfeg predicts that these young people will “find it much harder to avoid the serious unexpected dangers that have befallen many of their parents' generation unless they receive good quality financial education while at school.”
The UK has been in the worst financial recession(衰退)for generations. It does seem odd that — unless parents step in — young people are left in the dark until they are cruelly introduced to the world of debt when they turn up at university. In a recent poll of over 8,000 people, 97% supported financial education in schools, while 3% said it was a job for parents.
| A．how to manage school lessons |
| B．how to deal with the financial crisis |
| C．teaching young people about money |
| D．teaching students how to study effectively |
| A．the author complains about the school education |
| B．pupils should not be taught to add up and subtract |
| C．students have been taught to manage their finances |
| D．laws on financial education have been effectively carried out |
| A．instruct the pupils to donate their pocket money |
| B．promote the connection of schools and families |
| C．ask the government to dismiss the parliament |
| D．appeal for the curriculum of financial education |
| A．stress the necessity of the curriculum reform |
| B．show the seriousness of the financial recession |
| C．make the readers aware of burden of the parents |
| D．illustrate some people are strongly against the proposal |
The world economy has run into a brick wall. Despite countless warnings in recent years about the need to address a potential hunger crisis in poor countries and an energy crisis worldwide, world leaders failed to think ahead. The result is a global food crisis. Wheat, corn and rice prices have more than doubled in the past two years. And oil prices have increased more than three times since the start of 2004.These food-price increases, combined with increasing energy costs, will slow if not stop economic growth in many parts of the world and will even affect political stability. Practical solutions to these problems do exist, but we’ll have to start thinking ahead and acting globally.
Here are three steps to ease the current food crisis and avoid the potential for a global crisis. The first is to promote the dramatic success of Malawi, a country in southern Africa, which three years ago established a special fund to help its farmers get fertilizer and seeds with high productivity. Malawi’s harvest doubled after just one year. An international fund based on the Malawi model would cost a mere $10 per person annually in the rich world, or $10 billion altogether.
Second, the U.S. and Europe should abandon their policies of paying partly for the change of food into biofuels. The U.S. government gives farmers a taxpayer-financed payment of 51 cents per gallon of ethanol(乙醇) changed from corn. There may be a case for biofuels produced on lands that do not produce foods but tree crops, grass and wood products, but there’s no case for the government to pay to put the world’s dinner into the gas tank.
Third, we urgently need to weather-proof the world’s crops as soon and as effectively as possible. For a poor farmer, sometimes something as simple as a farm pond—which collects rainwater to be used in dry weather—can make the difference between a good harvest and a bad one. The world has already committed to establishing a Climate Adaptation Fund to help poor regions climate-proof vital economic activities such as food production and health care but has not yet acted upon the promise.
| A．cost each of the developed countries $10 billion per year |
| B．aim to double the harvest in southern African countries in a year |
| C．decrease the food prices as well as the energy prices |
| D．give poor farmers access to fertilizer and highly productive seeds |
| A．it is not wise to change food crops into gas |
| B．it is misleading to put tree crops into the gas tank |
| C．we should get alternative forms of fuel in any way |
| D．biofuels should be developed on a large scale |
| A．slow down but not to stop economic growth |
| B．develop tree crops, grass and wood products |
| C．achieve economic growth and political stability |
| D．act now so as to relieve the global food shortage |
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