Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy. After all, you probably sing or whistle when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.
Do you know what a “territory” is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
If so, you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting（筑巢）season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs.
You can see that birds have a language of their own. Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories.Some scientists believe that most of the time bird’s singing is actually________.
| A．an expression of happiness | B．a way of warning |
| C．an expression of anger | D．a way of greeting |
What does the underlined word “territory” mean?
| A．A place where families of other species are not accepted |
| B．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice |
| C．An area for which birds fight against each other |
| D．An area which a bird considers to be its own |
Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?
| A．Because they want to invite more friends |
| B．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away |
| C．Because they want to find outsiders around |
| D．Because their singing helps get rid of their fears |
How does the writer explain bird’s singing?
| A．By comparing birds with human beings |
| B．By reporting experiment results |
| C．By describing birds daily life |
| D．By telling a birds story |
You may know the English letters A, B and C. But do you know there are people called ABC? You may like eating bananas. But did you know there is such a thing as a “banana person”? How strange! Are these people from “another earth”? No. They are just Chinese people like you and me.
ABC means American-born Chinese. An ABC is a Chinese, but was born in the United States. Sometimes, people call an ABC a “banana person”. A banana is yellow outside and white inside. So, when a person is a banana, he or she is white inside-thinking like a Westerner and yellow outside-looking like a Chinese.
Do you know why? Usually, ABCs know little about China or the Chinese language. Some of them don’t speak Chinese. Also, they are not interested in Chinese politics.
But if ABCs cannot speak Chinese, can we still call them Chinese people? Yes, of course. They are Chinese. They are overseas (海外的) Chinese. These people may be citizens(公民) of another country like the US, Canada or Singapore. But they have Chinese blood. Their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents were from China. They all have black eyes and black hair. But they are not Chinese citizens. They are not people of the People’s Republic of China. For example, we all know the famous scientist C. N. Yang (杨振宁). He got the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1957. Chinese people love him. But he is an American citizen.“ABC” in this text stands for “_______”.
| A．three English letters | B．a kind of banana |
| C．Chinese born in America | D．Americans born in China |
Chinese in Western countries are called “banana persons” because __________.
| A．their bodies are white inside but yellow outside |
| B．they think like Westerners but look like Chinese |
| C．they were born in China but go to study in America |
| D．they are Chinese who look like bananas |
C. N. Yang is mentioned here to show that ________.
A. American Chinese are great
B. we love American Chinese
C. Chinese people can win Nobel Prizes
D. American Chinese are not Chinese citizensThis text is mainly about _________.
A. different kinds of bananas
B. overseas Chinese
C. the Nobel Prize
D. the life story of C. N. Yang
To get cash out in the 21st century, you won’t need a bank card, a PIN or even have to move a finger. You will simply have to look the cash machine straight in the eye, declares National Cash Registers, a multinational company that makes automated teller machines, or ATMs. NCR has shown its first example machine that is believed to be the future of banking. Instead of asking you for your PIN on a screen, the Super Teller-Stella for short, asks you orally through a loudspeaker to look straight ahead while an infrared camera turns to your head, then your eye, and finally takes an infrared photograph of your iris . For identification purposes, an iris picture is better than a fingerprint, with around 256 noticeable characteristics compared with 40 for fingerprints. This means that the chances of someone else being recognized in your place is about 1 in 1020. Once you’ve been identified, Stella greets you by name and says: “Would you like cash or a statement?” An infrared port allows the machine to send a bank statement straight to your pocket computer.What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．A new type of cash machine |
| B．A new medical instrument |
| C．A new type of talking machine |
| D．National Cash Register |
What is this new machine called?
| A．PIN | B．ATM | C．Stella | D．NCR |
When you want to get cash out in the 21st century, you will _______.
| A．need a bank card |
| B．have to put in your PIN |
| C．move your finger |
| D．just look directly at the teller machine |
“Choo, Choo!” Here comes the Chunnel train. Get aboard if you want to learn more about this underground transportation system. This is an unusual form of transportation, because it is a tunnel that trains travel through and not an actual form of transportation.
The Chunnel is actually the English nickname for the Channel Tunnel. In French, it is called le tunnel sous la Manche. It is a rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Straits of Dover. It connects Cheriton in Kent, England with Sangatte in northern France. It is the second longest rail tunnel in the world.
Did you know that the British and the French had a race whi1e they were building the Chunnel? The race was to see who could get to the middle of the tunnel first. The British won by a little bit. It took 15,000 workers over seven years to dig the tunnel. The tunnel was finished in 1994.
The completed Chunnel cost about $ 21 billion. But it all paid off, because it became very popular, very quick. Millions of people use it. Now it is getting even more popular.
There are three complete tunnels in the Chunnel. The two outside ones are the passenger trains. The small inner one is a guidance train. The guidance train is not used for transportation. Each track is exactly parallel to each other.
There are four different train systems in the Chunnel. The Eurostar is a high speed passenger service that connects London, Paris, Brussels, and Lille. The Eurotunnel shuttle is a rail ferry service. These shuttles carry cars. These are railcars that allow drivers to drive their vehicles on and off. There are also two Eurotunnel goods service trains.
Now you know more about the Chunnel. Everybody off, this is the last stop.The Channel Tunnel connects ______ with _______.
| A．Dover; Kent | B．London; Paris |
| C．Cheriton; Sangatte | D．Lille; Brussels |
Which of the following shows the structure of the tunnels in the Chunnel?
The Eurotunnel shuttle is intended to carry _________.
| A．passengers |
| B．goods |
| C．drivers and their vehicles |
| D．staff members of the Chunnel |
The text can most probably be __________.
| A．found in a textbook | B．broadcast on a train |
| C．read in a magazine | D．heard in a railway station |
Liverpool, with its half a million citizens, is a big city. It's a city with variety and options.
Every year, tourists from all over the world go to Liverpool, most of whom head straight for the stadium to catch the city's two football teams in action. Liverpool and Everton are both world－famous clubs with fans from all corners of the World, as well as a good number of home grown supporters.
Another big draw to the city is the four local boys. Paul, John, George and Ringo, collectively famous as The Beatles. The pop quartet (四重唱表演小组) first put Liverpool on the world map in the 1960s. The Beatles Story, situated at the Albert Dock, is a huge draw for fans, and you'll find the Beatles shop and ever－popular Cavern Club, the “birthplace of the perfect Four”, in the Cavern Quarter of the city. Fans can also join one of the coach trips around the sights associated with the band, from the houses they grew up in, to the places including Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields.
But Liverpool is about more than music and sport. It is rich in history, with some of the most shocking architecture in the UK. The city has two great cathedrals(教堂): Anglican－the largest of its kind in Europe; and the more modern－styled Metropolitan. The famous waterfront, with the Pierhead and the Albert Docks, is also worth a visit. Many of the city's great museums are situated here, including the Walker Art Gallery, the Liverpool Maritime Museum, and the Tate Gallery, which is home to the largest modern art collection in the North. The nightlife in the city also has a lot to offer. With more than 250 bars, pubs and restaurants, there is always something for everyone to do in Liverpool. Music, museums, shopping, history, pubs and bars——it's all there. It is the world in one city, a place truly deserving of the Capital of Culture title.Liverpool and Everton are___________clubs.
| A．architecture | B．music |
| C．tourist | D．football |
What made Liverpool first known to the world?
| A．The Beatles. | B．Cavern Club. |
| C．The Beatles Story. | D．The Beatles shop. |
Compared with Metropolitan, the cathedral Anglican is__________.
| A．better－known | B．more shocking |
| C．more traditional | D．smaller |
Why does the author say “It is the world in one city” in the last paragraph?
| A．Liverpool belongs to the world. |
| B．Liverpool is a lively city with various cultures. |
| C．Liverpool owns lots of museums well－known in the world. |
| D．Liverpool is world famous now. |
During my high school years, the most important thing was what I was wearing to the Friday night dance and who I was taking. Although college was talked about, it was the least of my worries.
When I was graduating eighth grade and starting high school, my older brother was graduating twelfth grade and going onto college. For my graduation, he gave me a card in which he wrote, “Enjoy your four years…, they go by fast.” I remember not believing him then, but looking back…, he was right. Those four years shaped who I was as a person, pushed me to my limit and encouraged me to become an adult.
However, I was so completely absorbed in my junior and senior years of high school, that when someone spoke of college I brushed it off. I wasn't ready to leave my comfort zone of having all of my closest friends together and knowing what every single day was going to be like . Studying was something I did only AFTER I nailed my half-time dance performance. I knew my parents wanted me to go to college, so I told them I would go to commuity college and I didn’t worry about my SAT scores.
When my senior year passed and everyone graduated and went off to their own college ,I started to wish I had done the same. My friends were living away, meeting new people, discovering new places, and I was living at home and driving to and from class every day. It seemed exactly like high school. I hated it! I thought college was supposed to be different! Why didn’t I take more time to research colleges and do the same? I ended up loving college and wishing I had four years to enjoy the campus atmosphere instead of two.
My advice to anyone thinking about attending college is to think about it very seriously and look into all of your choices well ahead of time. Now I have graduated and I am working full time and I would do anything to go back to my high school days for a second chance!Why didn’t the author worry about his SAT scores?
| A．He had a gift for dance.. |
| B．He wanted to go to community college |
| C．He was well prepared for the exam. |
| D．He believed his brother would help him. |
When in high school, the author .
| A．buried himself in his study all the time |
| B．drove to and from class every day |
| C．enjoyed talking about future college life |
| D．lived in the school except on holidays |
What did the author’s brother mean by “Enjoy your four years…, they go by fast.”?
| A．He wished the author to have more dance. |
| B．He encouraged the author to leave his comfort zone. |
| C．He advised the author to value the years. |
| D．He suggested the author aim at a community college. |
Talking of his high school years, the author feels .
| A．regretful | B．lonely | C．angry | D．pleased |
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