Pierre is a 25-year-old penguin at the California Academy of Sciences．Due to his old age，he was going bald，which made him feel too cold to swim in the pool．Therefore，biologists at the academy had a wetsuit created for this penguin to help him get back in the swimming pool．
Unlike marine(海生的) mammals，which have a layer of blubber(鲸脂) to keep them warm，penguins depend on their waterproof feathers．Without them，Pierre was unwilling to jump into the swimming pool and ended up trembling on the side of the pool while his 19 peers played in the water．
“He was cold：he would shake，”said Pam Schaller，a senior biologist．Schaller first tried a heat lamp to keep Pierre warm．Then she got another idea：if wetsuits keep humans warm in the cold Pacific，why not make one for Pierre?
Schaller designed the suit，which covered Pierre’s body and had small openings for his flippers．
“I would walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps．and cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely suitable．”she said．
One concern was that the other penguins would reject Pierre in his new suit，but in fact，they accepted his new look．He swam freely and got along with others well，although he was the only penguin with a black stomach．
Schaller couldn’t say for sure whether the wetsuit allowed Pierre to recover his fine feathers，but” certainly we were able to keep him comfortable during a period of time that would have been very difficult for him to stay comfortable”．
Pierre will take off his suit after his new feathers grow back．Pierre felt too cold to swim in the pool because of____．
| A．not having a layer of blubber |
| B．having few feathers due to old age |
| C．having no wetsuit |
| D．others penguins rejecting him |
The idea of making a wetsuit for Pierre came from__________.
| A．total invention | B．the use of wetsuit on humans |
| C．the use of heat lamp | D．waterproof feathers． |
Schaller followed Pierre in order to see____________________．
| A．whether other penguins would reject him |
| B．if anywhere of wetsuit needed to be cut and refit |
| C．if the wetsuit kept warm |
| D．whether the wetsuit would keep the feathers from recovering |
The best title of the passage is____．
| A．Wetsuit for An old Penguin | B．Old Penguin Getting Bald |
| C．Unwilling to Swim | D．Strange Look of Pierre |
(1)Needed: Full time secretary position available. Applicants（申请人）should have at least 2 years experience and be able to type 60 words a minute. No computer skills required. Apply（申请） in person at United Business Ltd., 17 Browning Street, Leeds.
(2) Are you looking for a part time job? We require 3 part time shop assistants to work during the evening. No experience required; applicants should between 18 and 26. Call 366 - 76564 for more information.
(3) Computer trained secretaries: Do you have experience working with computers? Would you like a full time position working in an exciting new company? If your answer is yes, give us a call at 457-896754
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(5) Part Time work available: We are looking for retired adults who would like to work part time at the weekend. Responsibilities include answering the telephone and giving customer's information. For more information contact us by calling 345-674132
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| A．writing letters | B．making telephone calls |
| C．going there personally | D．sending emails |
You must work __________ if you are accepted by calling 345-674132.
| A．during the evening | B．at the weekend |
| C．from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | D．during the day |
If you are ______, you can’t work as a shop assistant according to the above advertisements.
| A．a woman | B．in your thirties |
| C．a man | D．a student |
Julian went to business school and studied computer and secretarial skills. He is looking for his first job and would like a full time position. The best position for him is ______.
| A．(3) | B．(1) | C．(6) | D．(4) |
There is a joke among flu researchers: “If you've seen one flu season, you've seen one flu season.” The joke is about the unpredictable nature of the flu virus. Every year it looks different, and every strain (类型) follows its own pattern — it's the reason why new strains like H1N1 are extremely difficult to predict.
Dr. Michael Osterholm is a former adviser to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “I know less about influenza today than I did 10 years ago,” he says in a joking way. “Every stone we've turned over, we get more questions.”
The flu rectums every season and the world experiences terrible pandemics (全国或全世界范围流行的疾病), but researchers still do not understand why some strains infect people and others do not; they are not entirely sure about how the flu is transmitted; nor do they understand why some patients become seriously ill while others develop mild symptoms (症状). As a result, when a new strain shows up — like H1N1 — they often have little information to fall back on, and the lessons of previous pandemics are only somewhat helpful. While researchers are still putting together a complete picture of H1N1, for example, its most striking difference with the seasonal flu is that the elder1y are not the most vulnerable (易受攻击的) population.
Influenza's unpredictable nature makes it a moving target for researchers, says researcher Allison Aiello at the University of Michigan. “Even if we had complete seasonal flu data from the past, it wouldn't be much helpful for a new strain of influenza,” she explains.
Whi1e researchers are frustrated by the holes in their knowledge, they say, however, that the pub1ic--health community is generally doing a very good job responding to H1N1 with seasonal flu data that do exist. Studying influenza, says Osterholm, is “like looking through the windows of a house you can't get into because the door is locked.” Gathering the data researchers do have is like “looking through the windows to get a pretty good picture of what the inside looks like.”
One thing researchers do know for sure: the best way for people to protect against H1N1 is to get the vaccine once it becomes available to them.What do we learn about H1N1 from the passage?
| A．In fact it is not a kind of influenza virus. |
| B．It is quite possible to predict it in theory. |
| C．Old people are more likely to contract it than kids. |
| D．Receiving vaccines will be effective to protect against it. |
The underlined phrase “fall back on” in Para. 3 probably means .
| A．rely on | B．pass on | C．col1ect | D．exchange |
What do we know about previous seasonal flu data?
| A．It is useless to study them. |
| B．It is still necessary to study them. |
| C．They are misleading most of the time. |
| D．They are much more helpful than expected. |
Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?
| A．Outbreaks of the flu | B．Symptoms of the flu |
| C．Mysteries of the flu | D．Risks of the flu |
Rare birds in the UK have been living far better than the more common birds over the last decade due to the efforts of conservation organisations, according to a new assessment.
The research shows almost 60% of the 63 rare birds that live in the UK have increased over the last 10 years.
By contrast, only about one third of common species have increased over the same period. Just 28% of rare birds have decreased over the same period, compared with four out of every 10 common birds. The rare birds described in the assessment with increasing populations include the osprey (鹗) and corncrake (秧鸡). All of these birds are subject to conservation action.
The declining common birds include the nightingale, swift (雨燕), house sparrow and red grouse (苏格兰雷鸟). These are suffering declines for a variety of reasons, including changes in farming practices.
Dr David Noble, from the British Trust for Ornithology, said: “That some of our rarer birds have responded to targeted conservation action is great news. It shows just what can be achieved. What we need to do now is to continue the good work and use some of the lessons we have learned to help our more common birds.”
Dr Mark Avery, the conservation director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), said: “Over the last decade we've enjoyed some great conservation successes, including removing some threatened species from the World Conservation Union's Red List of Thratened Animals and increasing the populations of red kite, osprey, etc. However, these successes are countered (抵消) by continued declines of some widespread species.”
The overview of 210 native birds has been produced by a group of conservation organisations, to mark the publication of The State of the UK's Birds report, which is in its l0th year. The report was published by the RSPB for a group of conservation organisations. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The decline of widespread birds is not worrying for the UK. |
| B．The UK has got some practical experience of bird conservation. |
| C．Changes in farming practices contribute to the increase of rare birds. |
| D．Half of common birds have decreased in the past ten years in the UK. |
We can learn from the passage that Dr David Noble .
| A．hopes that conservation organisations will change the way they work |
| B．is quite disappointed with the result of the new assessment |
| C．is losing confidence in conservation organizations’ action |
| D．has high hopes for the increase in bird population in Britain |
Which of the following can best explain Dr Mark Avery's words?
| A．The UK should not be satisfied with what they have achieved. |
| B．The UK should share their experience with other countries. |
| C．What conservation organisations do is far from satisfactory. |
| D．The RSPB is responsible for the decrease of common birds. |
The passage is most likely to be found in a book about .
| A．popular science | B．historical events |
| C．nature | D．society |
The author's purpose of writing this article is to tell people .
| A．some good ways to protect rare birds |
| B．the differences between rare birds and common birds |
| C．the number of rare birds has increased over the last decade |
| D．some widespread birds in the UK are in great need of help |
Hummingbirds have got their name from the distinct “hum” sound made by their rapidly flapping (拍打) wings. The size of the bird decides the number of flaps it can do. The average lifetime of a hummingbird is 3 or 4 years, but some of them have lived beyond 12 years also. They are unique in many ways. Besides the number of rapid flaps they can do per second, they can also fly backwards.
Hummingbirds have an amazing sense of assessing the amount of sugar in the nectar (花蜜) they eat. They feed on the nectar of flowers. Hummingbirds do not feed on flowers whose nectar contains less than 10% sugar. Talk about a sweet tooth! As they cannot sustain themselves on nectar alone because of its poor nutritional value, they also feed on insects and spiders, and hummingbird food mixture that one can make at home.
Attracting hummingbirds to your garden will require a little planning. Plant butterfly bush, mimosa, coral bells, foxglove, morning glory, etc. These flowers attract the hummingbirds due to their high visibility (可见性) and nectar production. Avoid using pesticides (杀虫剂), as it will not only kill the insects around the flowers, but hurt the hummingbirds as well.
A common food for these birds is the sweettasting sugar syrup (糖浆). Hummingbird food ingredients are just two: sugar and water. Take a large clean bowl, pour in it four cups of hot water, and dissolve one cup of table sugar in it. Stir slowly until all sugar has dissolved.
Hummingbirds, tiny as they are, collect a lot of nutrition. Providing them with hummingbird food mixture made of sugar water is a sure way to get all these beauties humming in your garden.Hummingbirds will have some little animals for their meal when .
| A．they can't find any green plants |
| B．they can't take in enough nutrition |
| C．they are bored with eating nectar |
| D．they are too old to fly |
In order to attract hummingbirds, you should .
| A．plan high trees |
| B．grow plants with small flowers |
| C．grow plants whose flowers are bright in color |
| D．grow plants coming into flower in the morning |
The main idea of the fourth paragraph is .
| A．how to prepare food for hummingbirds |
| B．where hummingbirds can find delicious food |
| C．hummingbirds can't live for long without sugar |
| D．hummingbirds like manmade food better than nectar |
COOL INVENTIONS
From school to band Practice, the Venturi Eclectic is an Earth-friendly way to get Where you want to go. This battery-powered, zero-emission (meaning it doesn't pollute the air) vehicle runs mainly on renewable energy. Solar panels on the Eclectic's roof absorb sun rays when you're driving. On windy days, you can connect a machine to the car's roof that collects energy from the wind while you're parked. The Eclectic's top speed is 28 miles an hour; the battery lasts for 31 miles before it needs to be recharged. Zipping (迅速行进) around the neighborhood has never been better.
Here's an eco-friendly way to tell time: Simply fill the Bedol Water-powered Clock's tank (箱) with water, add some lemon juice, and the clock will display the time without the need for environmentally harmful batteries. There are two sets of metal electrodes (电极) inside the water tank. Water contains ions (离子) that carry negative and positive charges. These ions complete a charge between the electrodes, creating enough energy to power the clock. Just refill the tank every few weeks, and this clock will keep on ticking.
Bloodhound SuperSonic Car (SSC) will be the first car to attempt to break the l,000-mile-an-hour barrier. (The current record is 763 miles an hour.) A concept for now, the rocket-shaped car gets its initial push to 350 miles an hour from a jet engine. Then a rocket fires up, pushing the SSC past 1,000 miles an hour. In order to keep the car streamlined (流线型的), the driver lies back at a 45-degree angle.
You're having a blast at your friend's birthday party. But when it's time to bring out the cake, everyone crowds around, blocking your view. No worries. Throw the Triops into the air, and this clever camera captures the view from above. The Triops can take three pictures at once, each from different angles. You can also record sounds and command the Triops to start shooting whenever it hears that noise. That's one smart camera.According to the passage, the Venturi Eclectic .
| A．is popular with businessmen | B．is suitable for a long trip |
| C．can turn wind into energy | D．has only a little gas emission |
What is the common characteristic of the Venturi Eclectic and the Bedol Water-powered Clock?
| A．They don't need batteries. | B．They are difficult to operate. |
| C．They can be powered by water. | D．They are environmentally friendly. |
The underlined phrase “having a blast” in the last paragraph probably means .
| A．looking at a picture | B．enjoying yourself |
| C．blowing out a candle | D．recording sounds |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The Triops is sensitive to sounds. |
| B．The driver of the SSC must be of great size. |
| C．The color of the Bedol Water-powered Clock is like that of lemon. |
| D．The SSC doesn’t have anything to do with a rocket actually. |
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