Bigger-brained birds survive better than their feathered friends with smaller brains, according to a study published on Tuesday.
Scientists have suspected that birds with large brains in relation to their body size lived longer because they were able to adapt their behavior to environmental challenges.
Now they have provided evidence that it does.
“We have tested the hypothesis(假设) that the brain can buffer(缓冲) animals against the environment and help them to survive when they face environmental challenges,” said Daniel Sol of the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications in Barcelona, Spain.
After comparing death rates, brain size and body mass of 236 species of birds from different regions of the world, Sol and scientists in Britain, Hungary and Canada discovered that the bigger the brain the better. Crows and parrots have the largest brains, while pheasants (野鸡) have a relatively small brain.
Earlier studies have shown there is a relationship between the size of the brain and an animal’s capacity to create new behavior and adapt more easily.
“The idea is that if you have a big brain, you are more capable of adjusting behavior and responding to environmental changes. This can help you to survive,” said Sol, who reported the finding in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
Tamas Szekely of the University of Bath in England and a co-author of the report, said birds were ideal to test the hypothesis because they are the only species in which brain size and behavioral response to environmental challenges such as climate and habitat destruction is understood.The finding of bird’s brains recently refers to ________.
| A．the smaller brain the birds have, the longer they live |
| B．the smaller brain the birds have, the cleverer they are |
| C．the bigger brain the birds have, the larger their bodies are |
| D．the bigger brain the birds have, the abler they are to deal with environment |
Scientists from ________ countries have made the discovery.
| A．two | B．three | C．four | D．five |
According to the text we can know that the report of the finding was written by________.
| A．Daniel Sol |
| B．Tamas Szekely |
| C．Daniel Sol and Tamas Szekely |
| D．someone whose name was not mentioned |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Pheasants have the smallest brains of all birds. |
| B．Crows and parrots have the largest brains in all animals. |
| C．A pig’s brain is bigger than a cock, so it must be cleverer than the cock. |
| D．The discovery is now only certain about and mainly limited to birds. |
B
A sunflower is a sunflower. A mobile phone is a mobile phone. But can combine the two to do something for your local environment? As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury it in a garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower.
A biodegradable (生物所能分解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists. It is hoped that the new type of phone will encourage consumers to recycle.
Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic and can be hard or soft, and is able to change shape. Over time it can also break down into the soil without giving out any poisonous chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this new type of cover turns into wastes, it forms fertilizers. These feed the seed and help the flower grow.
Engineers have designed a small transparent (透明的) window to hold the seed. They have made sure it only grown when the phone is thrown away. “We’ve only put sunflower seeds into the covers so far. But we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time.” said one scientist.
As phone technology is developing so quickly, people are constantly throwing their mobiles away. This means manufacturers are under pressure to fine ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can offer some relief for nature, according to the scientists.
“The seed comes out and the flower grows in the pot so you don’t have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it,” said Kerry Kirwan. She leads the research team, which is based at the University of Warwick in Britain.
61. What is the purpose of this passage?
A. Tell the popularity of biodegradable cell phone.
B. To persuade the reader to buy the biodegradable cell phone.
C. To discuss the development of phone technology.
D. To introduce an environmental-friendly cell phone to readers.
62. People throw away their cell phones most probably because _________.
A. there is something wrong with them B. no sunflowers can grow out of them
C. they are out of fashion D. they are becoming cheaper and cheaper
63. It could be learned from the passage that __________.
A. developing the new type of phone is mainly to protect the environment
B. phone-makers will benefit much more from the new type of phone
C. the new type of phone will certainly be popular with users all over the world
D. the phones that can be recycled are available only in Britain now
64. According to the passage, which of the following statements is right?
A. The new material for the biodegradable phone was found by British scientists.
B. The cover of the new type of mobile can bread down and become fertilizers after it becomes waste.
C. The sunflower seed in the best to be put into the phone cover.
D. The biodegradable cover must be very expensive.
65. What might be the most suitable title for this passage?
A. Sunflower and Phone. B. Plant Your Phone.
C. Protect Our Environment. D. No Worry about Phone.
第三部分 阅读理解
A
Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-far diet, vegetable diet… We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically.
Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically. On one level, we are not allowing our brain to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale (秤) instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food labels.
On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don’t have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle.
The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients. Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet Industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemical that go into diet products are potentially dangerous.
Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological harm that comes from using them.
56. From Paragraph 1, we learn that _________.
A. diet products fail to bring out people’s potential
B. people have difficulty in choosing diet products
C. diet products are misleading people
D. people are fed up with diet products
57. One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to _________.
A. try out a variety of diet foods B. hesitate before they enjoy diet foods
C. pay attention to their own eating habits
D. watch their weight rather than their diet
58. In Paragraph 3, “gain comes without pain” probably means _________.
A. losing weight is effortless B. it costs a lot to lose weight
C. diet products bring no pain D. diet products are free from calories
59. Diet products indirectly harm people physically because such products _________.
A. are over-consumed B. lack basic nutrients
C. are short of chemicals D. provide too much energy
60. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
|
CP: Central Point P: Point SP: Sub-point(次要点) C: Conclusion
D
Annual holidays have become a luxury and are no longer a staple of family life, according to government research.
A getaway of a week or more is no longer considered essential by many families and is often beyond their reach, said the analysis of what parents and children say they really need. Fashionable clothes for the children, expensive birthday parties and lots of toys are also on the list of luxuries families don’t have to have. Instead, recession-hit parents are thinking of the future, and the things they want for their children centre around learning to behave properly, good education and good health.
Their picture of what a family ought to have includes a space to eat together away from the television, plenty of fruit and vegetables, and bicycles so children can get exercise.
The breakdown of necessities and luxuries was prepared by researchers from the Department for Work and Pensions(DWP) who were trying to establish an up-to-date picture of what parents say they really need.
Their findings show how families have scaled down their expectations in the face of economic difficulties — how parents are now concentrating their attention and money firmly on the long-term interests of their children. Many believe that while it is vital for a family to do things together, day trips or weekend breaks are enough.
Spending on furniture or decorating the house was also considered luxurious, unless the state of the home was so bad it became difficult to invite visitors in.
Instead, researchers said: A family home should have an area where the family can eat together, not on their laps in front of a television. Families should be able to go on outings, overnight trips and possibly short holiday: the fact of being able to share these experiences is more important than the precise activity and its cost.
71. It can be inferred that ______________.
A. a week or more holiday is considered beyond many families’ reach
B. children hardly ever need fashionable clothes and lots of toys
C. what a family should have is basic things that they must have
D. annual holidays were once considered necessary and vital
72. In the opinion of most parents, _____________.
A. families can watch TV together in order to keep up their relationship
B. day trips or weekend breaks are enough for families to share experiences
C. their expectations should be increased in the face of economic difficulties
D. a week’s holiday is an essential minimum during the financial crisis
73. Which of the following is TRUE of the researchers from the DWP?
A. They confirm many families still need at least a week away on holiday each year.
B. They learn it is insignificant for a family to do things with each other regularly.
C. They want to know what parents really need in the face of economic difficulties.
D. They found spending on furniture or decorating the house was thought valuable.
74. We can conclude from the last paragraph____________.
A. being able to share experiences is important for families
B. a family needs at least a week away on holiday each year
C. a family home should have a comfortable area to watch TV
D. going on outings and overnight trips is wasting time for families
75. What does the author mainly discuss in the text?
A. Cycling is very important for children’s health.
B. Family holidays once a year have become a luxury.
C. It is vital for parents to eat together with children.
D. Parents are concerned with children’s future.
C
Imagine a world 400 years ago where children were used as chimney sweeps. The pay was low, it was a dirty trade and there was little reward for the men who did the job and even less for children.
Medway’s annual Sweeps Festival recreates the joy and laughter enjoyed by the chimney sweeps at their traditional holiday: the one time of the year the sweeps could leave the soot（烟灰） behind and have some fun. The sweeps’ holiday was traditionally held on 1 May each year. Locally, they used to mark the occasion by staging a procession through the streets of Rochester.
Their fun continued with the Jack-in-the-Green ceremony, a seven-foot character that they used to waken at dawn on Blue Bell Hill, Chatham. The Jack-in-the-Green would walk with the chimney sweeps in their parade. When the Climbing Boys’ Act 1868 made it illegal to employ young boys to carry out the trade, the traditional procession gradually began to fade. The final May celebration was held in the early 1900s.
The modern day Rochester Sweeps Festival is a colorful mix of music, dancing and entertainment with more than 60 Morris sides and entertainers celebrating throughout the three-day festival. The festival was revived in 1981 by local businessman Gordon Newton, a keen historian. He decided it was time to bring it back and over the years he has helped develop the festival into what it is today — an excellent performance of traditional Britain.
Gordon researched the Sweeps’ tradition and organized a small parade, involving local Morris teams. In time, Medway Council took over organization of the festival but Gordon remained actively involved. Today he is festival producer and plays melodeon（簧风琴） for several Morris teams. Doug Hudson is the festival’s music director, a role he has held for many years. Through Gordon’s vision and hard work, Doug’s musical ability and the council’s help, the Rochester Sweeps Festival has become the largest May Day celebration of its kind in the country.
66. According to the writer, chimney sweeps ____________.
A. were highly respected B. were well rewarded
C. led a hard life in the past D. worked in good conditions
67. Medway’s Sweeps Festival ____________.
A. has been organized by the Jack-in-the-Green
B. dated back to the May celebration in the early 1900s
C. is held to honor those chimney sweeps every other year
D. has become a time for chimney sweeps to enjoy themselves
68. The underlined word “revive” in the 4th paragraph most probably means ___________.
A. realize B. review C. recreate D. recognize
69. It can be inferred from the passage that ____________.
A. the festival has never been supported by the local government
B. The festival is a good way to see British folk customs in action
C. youngsters has been forbidden to be chimney sweeps since 1981
D. the modern festival lasts five days celebrating the coming of spring
70. What is the passage mainly concerned about?
A. Sweeps Festival history B. Medway’s traditional holidays
C. Climbing Boys’ Act 1868 D. a procession in Rochester
B
Laws that would have ensured pupils from five to 16 received 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 five 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 11-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.
61. The passage is mainly about _____________.
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
62. It can be inferred from the first two paragraphs that __________.
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
63. The website and the consumer campaigner joined to _________.
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
64. According to Pfeg, ___________.
A. it is easy to keep good habits long
B. teenagers spend their money as planned
C. parents are willing to pay the debt for their kids
D. it will be in trouble if the teenagers are left alone
65. A poll is mentioned to ___________.
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
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