One in 400 children in the United States has diabetes(糖尿病). And the most difficult thing for the young diabetic patients is that many of them don’t have a clear idea when they need to take insulin(a drug used in treating diabetes).The parents of one Long Island boy found the perfect solution—Hero, a specially trained dog that can discover when a diabetic is in trouble and find help.
Johnny Pion, eight years old, is a poor kid that was told he was a diabetic in 2008. He can’t do without insulin. His blood-sugar levels should be closely checked. He even can’t go out to play without his mom or dad fearing he might need help.
With Hero in her new home, Johnny’s parents may worry a little less. They received the news about Hero on the newspaper. The dog cost around $20,000. With the help of friends and family, the Pions brought Hero home from Warren Retrievers in Virginia. Mary Campbell. Hero’s trainer, said the dog could discover the slightest changes in blood sugar by her sense of smell.“Humans have 5 million smell receptors(感受器)； dogs have 5 billion smell receptors,”she said.
When the dog discovers something’s wrong, she’ll rub(蹭)her head against Johnny’s legs. If he doesn’t answer her, Hero knows to look for Johnny’s mom and dad. Hero even could ring up 911.
On their first night, Johnny’s was comfortably sleeping in his own bed with Hero and not with his parents for the first time. Night time is very important because blood sugar goes unchecked while sleeping. Now Hero is a round-the-clock nurse.Young people with diabetes have difficulty .
| A．telling when they need to take medicine |
| B．finding what is he best medicine for them |
| C．remembering the names of their medicine |
| D．knowing how to keep healthy and live a longer life |
Hero can help Johnny because she .
| A．cost around $20,000 |
| B．never sleeps during the night |
| C．has 5 million smell receptors |
| D．can discover the changes of blood sugar |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Hero can telephone her owners for help. |
| B．Hero is helpful for the family. |
| C．The Pions paid for the dog by using donations. |
| D．The Pions provided special food for the dog. |
After Johnny Pions got ill, he had to .
| A．carry insulin every day |
| B．go to hospital very often |
| C．sleep under the care of others |
| D．live with his family doctor |
Upon entering college, Yang Yi was uncertain about a lot of things. However, the 19-year-old international economics and trade student was certain about one thing: She wanted to participate in animal welfare efforts.
“I'm .always a nature and animal lover," she said. She joined the environmental protection association at her school. Now being president of a group of 25, she leads its efforts to help stray（流浪）cats and dogs by raising money to buy them food and collecting old clothes to make them homes.
However, sometimes the association raises doubts. Some students have questioned whether helping stray animals breaks the laws of nature. "We tried to resolve the controversy," Yang said. “For wild animals, the best way to protect them is to preserve their environment and their natural habitat, and to let them live their own way. However, for animals that depend heavily on humans, such as dogs and cats, the proper way to treat them is to respect them and take care of them." Besides, if not accommodated properly, stray animals can bring threats to public health, as they are the main cause of rabies（狂犬病）in cities. "Now, many young people in China have agreed upon the need to strike a balance between humans and nature. The only problem is how," said Yang. Yang and her fellow volunteers are cautious about what they do to help. For instance, sometimes people feed stray cats human food such as chocolate. But Yang and her friends point that such food can be dangerous to stray cats.
Yang also cooperates with Non-Governmental Organizations to spread animal protection knowledge. One of their recent exhibits was about animals in the entertainment industry. "We are still figuring out the best way to protect animals, but simple deeds such as saying no to animal performances can prevent wildlife from being captured and tamed. Step by step, we'll eventually reach our goal," she said.
Why did Yang Yi join the environmental protection association?
| A．She majored in a relevant field. |
| B．She wanted to protect nature and animals. |
| C．She was uncertain about her life. |
| D．She intended to know about animal welfare. |
What do the group members do for stray animals?
| A．They shelter them with old clothes. |
| B．They feed human food to them. |
| C．They train them for entertainment. |
| D．They donate money to the association. |
In paragraph 3,Yang believes that
| A．all animals should live naturally |
| B．young people have known how to balance human and nature |
| C．stray animals are bound to spread rabies |
| D．chocolate is not a proper food for stray cats |
What does Yang Yi think of her work?
| A．Enjoyable. | B．Doubtful. | C．Hopeful. | D．Awful. |
Ben walked quietly. He wanted to surprise the hunter. But then, what would he do?
Suddenly he heard a bird’s wings beating the dry grass. Ben moved quickly toward the sound.
He saw a colored head… the head of a beautiful bird. The bird did not move until Ben came close. Then it tried to fly away, but one wing was broken.
Ben lifted the bird and held it close against his body. The bird fought to escape, but soon lay quietly in Ben’s arms.
Ben decided to take the bird home and fix its broken wing so that it could fly again.
He was almost out of the woods when he heard the hunter behind him.
You just found that bird? the hunter asked.
Yes, Ben answered.
It is mine!
Ben was afraid and tried to answer, but his mouth was too dry to speak. Nevertheless, he wetted his lips and said, No.
I shot him and I say he is mine!
But he is not dead yet, Ben answered, and besides, anything on my land belongs to me.
The hunter looked down at the little man and smiled. Say,
who are you?”
Bens voice shook with both fear and anger. I own this land. There are signs everywhere that say, No hunting.
No need to get angry, mister, the hunter said, Control yourself.
There was something threatening in the mans cool quiet voice. And he had a gun. His arms were free and Bens were not.
The hunter stepped closer and said, Give me that bird!
Ben was white with anger, No! he answered. His eye glasses became wet and he had to look over the top of them to see the other man.
Give me the bird and I will go away, the hunter said.
You get off my land, Ben told him. Get off right now you do not belong here!
The man’s face got red. Mister, he said, I have been hunting here all my life. I grew up here.
That is a thing of the past. Ben said. I do not know who you are and I do not care. I own this place now and I'm telling
you to leave. You go back through the woods and get off my land!
Now look, mister, the hunter said, be reasonable.
The hunter raised his gun.
A cold wind blew across Bens face. He looked into the hunter’s gray eyes. Ben was frightened. It was not too late, he thought. He could still give the bird to the hunter and return safely home that would end this whole ugly business.
The bird strugg
led weakly and made a wild, strange noise.
Then Ben knew he could never give this bird to the hunter. This feeling gave Ben great strength, and he was no longer afraid.
I will never let you kill this bird, he said. Get away from here. If you try to take this bird, I will fight… you have a gun and you are bigger, but that does not worry me. You will never get this bird… you will have to kill me first.
The two men looked at each other. Ben’s fear returned. His knees began to shake and felt sick. Yet he stood straight, wondering what would happen next.
They stood close to each other for a long time. The woods are strangely quiet. Then the hunters rough voice broke the silence.
You are a fool. And then to Bens surprise, he slowly walked away.
Ben watched until he was gone. His arms hurt, his body felt wet and cold.
Why did the hunter smile when saying Say, who are you (Paragraph 13)?
| A．He was amused at Bens reply and interested in him. |
| B．He wanted to confirm Bens identity in a friendly way. |
| C．He looked down on Ben and thought his reply ridiculous. |
| D．He meant to be friendly enough to get the bird from Ben. |
What strengthened Bens determination never to give the bird to the hunter?
| A．His strong dislike of the hunter. |
| B．His firm confidence in himself. |
| C．His ownership of this piece of land. |
| D．His concern and sympathy for the bird. |
The hunter thought Ben a fool in the end because _______.
| A．Ben tried to protect a bird at all costs |
| B．Ben insisted he should leave the land |
| C．Ben pretended to be fearless though scared |
| D．Ben stood close to him saying nothing for long |
It can be learned from the passage that _______.
| A．Ben held out to the end |
| B．Ben never thought of giving in |
| C．Ben was willing to compromise |
| D．Ben was sure about his victory |
The most complex object known to humanity is the human brain — and not only is it complex, but it is one of the few natural phenomena that science has no consciousness of. To try to replicate (复制) something that is so poorly understood may therefore seem like pride. But you have to start somewhere, and International Business Machines (IBM) and the Ecole Polytechnique Feder
ale de Lausanne (EPFL), in Switzerland, propose to start by replicating “in silico”, one of the brain’s building blocks.
In a partnership announced, the two organizations said they would be working together to build a simulation (模拟) of a structure known as a neo-cortical（新大脑皮质的）column on a type of IBM supercomputer that is currently used to study the molecular functioning of genes. If that works, they plan to use more powerful computers to link such simulated columns together into something that mimics（模仿) a brain.
In a real brain, a neo-cortical column is a cylindrical（圆柱形的）element about a third of a millimeter in diameter and three millimeters long. It is these columns, arranged side by side like the cells of a honeycomb, which make up the famous “grey matter” that has become shorthand for human intelligence. The Blue Gene/L supercomputer that will be used for the simulation consists of enough independent processors for each to be programm
ed to mimic an individual nerve cell in a column.
The EPFL’s contribution to the Blue Brain Project will be to create a digital description of how the columns behave. The database from its Brain Mind Institute will provide the raw material for the simulation. Biologists and computer scientists will then connect the artificial nerve cells up in a way that mimics nature. They will do so by assigning electrical properties（电能）to them, and telling them how to communicate with each other and how they should modify their connections with one another depending on their activity.
That will be no mean feat. Even a single nerve cell is complicated, not least because each one has about 10,000 connections with others. And nerve cells come in great variety—relying, for example, on different chemical transmitters to carry messages across those connections. Eventually, however, a digital representation of an entire column Should occur.
Assuming that the growth of computing power continues to follow Moore’s Law, the leader of IBM’s side thinks it should be practical to mimic an entire human brain in silico this way in ten to fifteen years. Such an artificial brain would, of course, be a powerful research tool. It would allow neurological experiments that currently take days in a “web lab” to be conducted in seconds. The researchers hope that their simulated brain will reveal the secrets of how certain psychiatric and neurological, disorders develop. But that is probably not the real reason for doing it. The most interesting question, surely, is whether such an artificial brain will be intelligent, or conscious, or both.In a real brain, a neo-cortical column ____________.
| A．looks like the cells of a honeycomb |
| B．is a simulation of a structure |
| C．is the famous grey matter |
| D．contains a large number of nerve cells |
What does the underlined sentence “That will be no mean feat” in Paragraph 5 indicate?
| A．It is rather difficult to connect the artificial nerve ceils up. |
| B．The function of chemical transmitters is hard to understand. |
| C．A digital representation of an entire column is time-consuming. |
| D．A single nerve cell is complicated to identify across connections. |
The fundamental purpose of doing the research is probably ____________.
| A．to simulate an entire human brain in silico |
| B．to tell us how some certain disorders emerge |
| C．to discover how the artificial brain would work |
| D．to examine whether Moores Law is still functioning |
What type of writing is this passage?
| A．A science fiction |
| B．A research report |
| C．An official document |
| D．A computer advertisement |
The slavery drama “12 Years a Slave” won the Academy Award for best picture on Sunday, making history as the first movie from a black director to win the film industry’s highest honor in 86 years of the Oscars. Britis
h director Steve McQueen’s brave portrayal of pre-Civil War American slavery won two other Oscars, including best supporting actress for newcomer Lupita Nyong’o and best adapted screenplay based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free man tricked and sold into slavery in Louisiana. “Everyone deserves not just to survive but to live. This is the most important legacy of Solomon Northup,” said McQueen in his acceptance speech.
“12 Years a Slave” was better over space thriller “Gravity” from Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, which nevertheless got the most Oscars of the night with seven, including the best director honor for Cuaron, a first for a Latin American director.The film starring Sandra Bullock as an astronaut lost in space swept the technical awards like visual effects and cinematography, a reward for its groundbreaking work on conveying space and weightlessness. Referring to the “transformative” experience he and others undertook in the four-plus years spent making “Gravity”, Cuaron, whose hair is graying, said, “For a lot of these people, that transformation was wisdom. For me, it was just the color of my hair.” In one of the strongest years for film in recent memory, the 6,000-plus voters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences scattered golden Oscar statuettes among the many acclaimed movies in contention.
It was a good night for the scrappy, low-budget film “Dallas Buyers Club”, directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, a biopic of an early AIDS activist two decades in the making that won three Oscars, including the two male acting awards.
Matthew McConaughey, in a validation of a remarkable career turnaround, won best actor for his portrayal of the homophobe who turned AIDS victim and then turned treatment crusader Ron Woodroof, a role for which he lost 50 pounds (23 kg). His co-star, Jared Leto, won best supporting actor for his role as Woodroof’s unlikely business partner, the transgender woman Rayon, for which he also slimmed down drastically.
Australia’s Cate Blanchett won the best actress Oscar for her acclaimed role as the socialite unhinged by her husband’s financial crimes in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine.” “As random and subjective as this award is, it means a great deal in a year of, yet again, extraordinary performances by women,” said Blanchett, who beat out previous Oscar winners Bullock, Amy Adams, Judi Dench and Meryl Streep.
The film which won the largest number of Oscar awards this year is ______.
| A．12 Years a Slave | B．Gravity |
| C．Dallas Buyers Club | D．Blue Jasmine |
Which director spent the least money in making the film?
| A．Steve McQueen. | B．Alfonso Cuaron. |
| C．Jean-Marc Vallee. | D．Woody Allen. |
How many Oscar best actresses are mentioned in this passage?
| A．One. | B．Three. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
Which of the following statements is WRONG?
| A．12 Years a Slave won two Oscar awards altogether. |
| B．The director of Gravity is from Latin America. |
| C．The character Rayon is played by Jared Leto. |
| D．The woman film star Cate Blanchett comes from Oceania. |
| The following are the sculptures in the Underwater Museum, which are accessible in person by glass boat, or scuba diving. |
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The Archive of Lost Dreams The Visual: It describes an underwater archive of messages in bottles. The Meaning: The bottles contain messages of dreams for future generations. The Hope: The statue is placed with the purpose of helping draw visitors away from the healthy parts of the reef. The Location: The Archive of Lost Dreams was placed 8 meters deep at Manchones Reef, close to Isla Mujeres. Behind the Scenes: The collection of bottled messages were provided by various communities who wrote about today’s values and their dreams for the future generations. |
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The Gardener of Hope The Visual: Here a young Mexican girl lies in a garden surrounded by pots which will be grown with live coral. The Meaning: The young girl in the sculpture represents a model for hopeful future generations. The Hope: The base of the Gardener of Hope was built to attract various marine creatures. The coral in the pots is also expected to grow. The Location: The Gardener of Hope was placed 4 meters deep at Punta Nizuc near the coast of Cancun. Behind the Scenes: The pots here are filled with live coral cuttings that were saved from areas of the local reef system. |
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Man on Fire The Visual: Man on Fire describes a lone male figure covered in live fire coral to resemble fire. The Meaning: The sculpture symbolizes the unawareness of the “fire” our generation has started with the over use of limited natural resources. The Hope: Man on Fire has 75 holes planted with small live cuttings of fire coral which are expected to grow like fire. The Location: Man on Fire was installed 8 meters deep at the Manchones Reef nearby to Isla Mujeres. Behind the Scenes: The sculpture was cast from a local Mexican fisherman and it weighs over 1 ton. |
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The Silent Evolution The Visual: Here more than 400 sculptures depict the timeline of human nature. The Meaning: It is a documentation of how society and people have changed over time. It is also to remind us of how we are connected to nature. The Hope: The installation is designed for forming a complex reef structure that marine life will claim as its own and inhabit. The Location: The Silent Evolution will be installed 8 meters deep behind the Manchones Reef. Behind the Scenes: The total installation will expand over 150 square meters and will weigh over 120 tons. |
| Attention: Guided tours are a must. You can catch a tour from Aquaworld, which leaves every hour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．You can tour individually without a tourist guide by glass boat. |
| B．The Gardener of Hope will remind us of the relationship with nature. |
| C．Bottled messages are filled with live coral cuttings for future generations. |
| D．Man on Fire can educate us to protect the limited natural resources. |
Which sculptures are installed in the same area?
| A．Man on Fire & The Silent Evolution. |
| B．The Archive of Lost Dreams & Man on Fire. |
| C．The Gardener of Hope & The Silent Evolution. |
| D．The Archive of Lost Dreams & The Gardener of Hope. |
The writer introduces the sculptures to _______.
| A．defend Mexican Tourism Industry |
| B．call on us to go on a tour to Aquaworld |
| C．appeal to readers to protect Marine Life |
| D．attract tourists to the Underwater Museum |
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