Would it surprise you to learn that, like animals, trees communicate with each other and pass on their wealth to the next generation?
UBC Professor Simard explains how trees are much more complex than most of us ever imagined.Although Charles Darwin thought that trees are competing for survival of the fittest, Simard shows just how wrong he was.In fact, the opposite is true: trees survive through their co-operation and support, passing around necessary nutrition “depending on who needs it”.
Nitrogen（氮） and carbon are shared through miles of underground fungi（真菌） networks, making sure that all trees in the forest ecological system give and receive just the right amount to keep them all healthy. This hidden system works in a very similar way to the networks of neurons（神经元）in our brains, and when one tree is destroyed, it affects all.
Simard talks about “mother trees”, usually the largest and oldest plants on which all other trees depend.She explains how dying trees pass on the wealth to the next generation, transporting important minerals to young trees so they may continue to grow.When humans cut down “mother trees” with no awareness of these highly complex “tree societies” or the networks on which they feed, we are reducing the chances of survival for the entire forest.
“We didn't take any notice of it.” Simard says sadly.“Dying trees move nutrition into the young trees before dying, but we never give them chance.” If we could put across the message to the forestry industry, we could make a huge difference towards our environmental protection efforts for the future.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Old Trees Communicate Like Humans |
| B．Young Trees Are In Need Of Protection |
| C．Trees Contribute To Our Society |
| D．Trees Are More Complex Than You Think |
In Simard's opinion, trees _______
| A．compete for survival | B．protect their own wealth |
| C．depend on each other | D．provide support for dying trees |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．“mother trees” are usually of no use to other trees. |
| B．Charles Darwin had the same thought as Simard. |
| C．if “mother trees” are cut down, the survival for the entire forest will be affected. |
| D．people know much about the complex “tree societies”. |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to .
| A．how “tree societies” work |
| B．how trees grow old |
| C．how forestry industry develops |
| D．how young trees survive |
Most nutrition education isn’t very effective. People know that an apple is better than a Snickers bar, but they often eat the Snickers bar anyway. After conducting hundreds of studies on the psychology of how and why we eat, I’ve seen that it’s good to understand nutrition, but it’s much better to change your eating environment. Doing so can help you make better choices without even thinking about it.
Part 1
We all know children can be stubbornly habitual in what they want to eat. If kids had French fries yesterday, they want them again today. We came up with a simple way to interrupt this default. Instead of asking kids what they want, what if we ask them about someone they admire?
We studied this with elementary school–aged children one summer. We treated 22 kids to apple slices or fries at a fast-food restaurant. The first week, 20 of them ordered French fries, and two ordered apple slices. But the next week, we asked, “What would Batman eat: apple slices or French fries?” After they answered for Batman, we asked them what they wanted. This time, the number of kids who ordered apple slices jumped from two to ten— almost half of them.
If you ask yourself before deciding between the salad and the cheesy bacon fries, “What would my role model choose?” you’ll be a lot less tempted. Thinking about what a well-liked person would do makes us less indulgent.
Part 2
If we knew what a skinny person’s kitchen looked like, we could set up our own kitchens in a similar way. Once we got into people’s homes, we took pictures of everything: their dishes, sinks, refrigerator shelves, counters, snacks, pet-food dishes, tables, lighting — even random items held up by magnets on their refrigerators. Then we spent eight months coding these kitchens to see what thin people do differently.
We wondered if big kitchens turn us into big people. But it turns out that kitchen size isn’t the problem. It’s what you see in the kitchen. The average woman who kept potato chips on the counter weighed eight pounds more than her neighbor who didn’t. “In sight, in stomach.” We eat what we see, not what we don’t.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined part “less indulgent”?
| A．self-confident | B．self-controlled |
| C．self-estimated | D．self-centered |
What’s the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To give advice on how to become slim. |
| B．To warn people that nutrition education is important for our daily life. |
| C．To tell us that someone children admire may influence their eating habits. |
| D．To introduce some innovative ways to help us eat healthier. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Changing your eating environment is more effective than understanding nutrition in order to eat healthier. |
| B．The role model way has no effect on children at all when they choose what to eat. |
| C．Setting up our kitchens just like the slim person’s will help us eat healthier. |
| D．It is not the size of the kitchen but what we see in the kitchen that turns us into big people. |
What is the best title for part 2?
| A．The Slim Person’s Kitchen |
| B．How to decorate your Kitchen |
| C．Kitchen size makes a difference |
| D．Big kitchens are more popular |
Unlike chemists and physicists, who usually do their experiments using machines, biologists and medical researchers have to use living things like rats. But there are three Nobel prize-winning scientists who actually chose to experiment on themselves – all in the name of science, reported The Telegraph.
1. Werner Forssmann (Nobel prize winner in 1956)
Forssmann was a German scientist. He studied how to put a pipe inside the heart to measure the pressure inside and decide whether a patient needs surgery.
Experiments had been done on horses before, so he wanted to try with human patients. But it was not permitted because the experiment was considered too dangerous.
Not giving up, Forssmann decided to experiment on himself. He anaesthetized (麻醉) his own arm and made a cut, putting the pipe 30 centimeters into his vein. He then climbed two floors to the X-ray room before pushing the pipe all the way into his heart.
2. Barry Marshall (Nobel prize winner in 2005)
Most doctors in the mid-20th century believed that gastritis was down to stress, spicy food or an unusually large amount of stomach acid. But in 1979 an Australian scientist named Robin Warren found that the disease might be related to a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori.
So he teamed up with his colleague, Barry Marshall, to continue the study. When their request to experiment on patients was denied, Marshall bravely drank some of the bacteria. Five days later, he lost his appetite and soon was vomiting each morning – he indeed had gastritis.
3. Ralph Steinman (Nobel prize winner in 2011)
This Canadian scientist discovered a new type of immune system cell called the dendritic cell. He believed that it had the ability to fight against cancer.
Steinman knew he couldn’t yet use his method to treat patients. So in 2007, when doctors told him that he had cancer and that it was unlikely for him to live longer than a year, he saw an opportunity.
With the help of his colleagues, he gave himself three different vaccines based on his research and a total of eight experimental therapies. Even though Steinman eventually died from his cancer, he lived four and a half years, much longer than doctors had said he would.What’s the main purpose of the article?
| A．To introduce a few Nobel prize winners who did experiments on themselves. |
| B．To list difficulties that scientists went through in order to make important discoveries. |
| C．To explain why some scientists chose to experiment on themselves. |
| D．To introduce some dangerous experiments that Nobel prize winners did on themselves. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
| A．Forssmann’s experiment ended in failure. |
| B．Forssmann had the pipe pushed all the way into his heart. |
| C．Barry Marshall succeeded by drinking some Helicobacter pylori. |
| D．Barry Marshall’s experiment on himself confirmed that most doctors’ belief about gastritis |
was correct.The underlined word “gastritis” in Paragraph 5 probably means ______.
| A．a kind of bacteria |
| B．a kind of stomach disease |
| C．a new type of therapy |
| D．a large amount of stomach acid |
From the text, we can conclude that Ralph Steinman ______.
| A．discovered a new type of cancer cell called the dendritic cell |
| B．tried different therapies containing the dendritic cell on himself |
| C．had his request to experiment on patients denied |
| D．believed that he was better than doctors at treating cancer |
It’s not so surprising that US First Lady Michelle Obama has called Modern Family her favorite TV series. September saw the fun, heartwarming sitcom take home the Best Comedy Series award at the 2013 Emmys. This is the fourth year in a row that the series has won that title. The show features three families who move in and out of each other’s lives. The first one is a typical American family: the working dad Phil, stay-at-home mom Claire and their three children.
The second family is made up of Jay, his young Hispanic wife and her son Manny. Jay, 65, is the father of Claire. He is 30 years older than his wife and everyone mistakes the two for being father and daughter.
The third family is made up of a gay couple, Mitchell and Cameron, and their adopted daughter Lily. Mitchell is Jay’s son.
On Sept 25, the show started its fifth season, in which Claire makes a big change – she returns to work. The other big storylines include Jay’s stepson Manny starting high school and Mitchell and Cameron looking for a primary school for Lily. Will things go right for the three families?
Modern Family has no spies, aliens or vampires (吸血鬼); it’s just about ordinary people. So what has made it such a hit?
According to the Los Angeles Times, its “presentation of contemporary US society” contributes to its success. The show presents what a typical “nuclear family” is like in the US: two parents, a big house and two or three children. When there’s a fight between their kids, Phil wants to be the “cool dad” while traditional mom Claire lives by the saying “an eye for an eye”. She always forces Phil to punish the troublemaker.
The show also touches upon developments in interracial relations in the US by focusing on Hispanic communities. This makes sense, as “by 2040, America will no longer be a majority-white country, with the fastest growth rate among Hispanics…” BBC pointed out.
In addition, according to BBC, 40 percent of Americans say they have a gay friend or relative. By including Mitchell and Cameron, Modern Family reflects the changing status of gay people in the US.
“The US is a melting pot … so the family has come to reflect that diversity.” commented The Hartman Group, a US research firm.Which of the following is TRUE about the characters in Modern Family?
| A．There are always fights between Phil and Claire because of their different ways of raising kids. |
| B．Jay, Claire and Mitchell make up a typical American family. |
| C．Mitchell and Cameron are a gay couple and they adopted a boy. |
| D．Jay and his wife are often not thought of as a couple because their ages are so far apart. |
What’s new in Modern Family’s fifth season?
| A．Lily is entering kindergarten. |
| B．Jay’s grandson Manny starts high school. |
| C．Phil loses his job. |
| D．Claire goes back to work. |
Why is Modern Family so popular?
| A．It reflects current US society. |
| B．It presents what a typical “nuclear family” is like in the US. |
| C．It includes developments in interracial relations in the US. |
| D．It reflects the changing status of gay people in the US. |
Which of the following best shows the structure of the article?
Every September in China, people love to talk about the overprotective parents following their children around everywhere during university enrollment.
Now, with more than 420,000 youngsters in the UK starting their new college school year, what is their first day like? BBC’s Sean Coughlan described it in a recent report.
According to Coughlan, at the very beginning it is not hard to spot something familiar to Chinese–a stream of parents arriving with their sons and daughters at the student village. Mothers, fathers and a teenager–now most likely taller than they are – stand together like the three might have done on the first day of primary school.
“The approach road to the student village is a long traffic jam of family cars, stuffed full with boxes, pillows and nervous families,” he writes. “The door closes on a student’s room and parents and children go their separate ways. For many families, if childhood has a final moment, this is it.”
But saying goodbye to parents is not the only similarity between college freshmen in the UK and China. In both cases, new arrivals most want to know about their Internet connections. “It’s their most urgent concern,” notes Coughlan.
Even on their first day, university in the UK won’t be an entirely lonely experience for some new students. “Before they arrive they have been using social networking to get to know their future roommates,” writes Coughlan.
Still, the first night is something no UK university student ever forgets. There are people they meet and then spend three years avoiding and people who become their friends for the rest of their lives. First week stories are all about over-partying, bad cooking and misguided clothing, Coughlan says.
As he concludes: “These new students are entering their own soap opera of romance, friendship and ambition. It’s a huge adventure that they’ve worked for years to achieve.”What is the author’s purpose in writing the article?
| A．To introduce how UK students prepare for college. |
| B．To show different challenges that college freshmen face in the UK and China. |
| C．To describe how UK colleges welcome newcomers. |
| D．To inform us about what the first day of college is like in the UK. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
| A．On the first day of college, UK freshmen don’t know each other. |
| B．When the new semester begins, most UK freshmen drive to college by themselves. |
| C．For many freshmen, when they say goodbye to their parents, they are also saying goodbye to their childhood. |
| D．Most British parents stay around their children’s colleges for a few days at the beginning of the semester. |
A similarity between college freshmen in the UK and China is that ______.
| A．the approach roads to their colleges are packed with cars filled with nervous families |
| B．they have contacted their future roommates through social networking sites |
| C．once they get to the campus, they want to make sure that they have access to the Internet |
| D．they spend their first week getting to know their roommates and partying |
From the article, we can conclude that Sean Coughlan’s report is ______.
| A．descriptive | B．critical |
| C．sympathetic | D．bitter |
There was once a beautiful nymph called Echo. But Echo had one failing; she was fond of talking, and whether in chat or argument, would have the last word. As she was good company, she and Zeus became good friends. However, Zeus’ wife, Hera, became jealous. She followed Zeus to the earth to find out what he was doing and Zeus asked Echo to distract Hera until he could escape. Later when Hera discovered she had been tricked, she became very angry. She turned on Echo and said, “You shall lose the use of your tongue because you cheated me. You’ll have the last word, bur no longer have the power to speak first.” So from that moment on, Beautiful Echo was hardly able to hold a conversation because she could only repeat the last words of those around her. She became very embarrassed and hid herself deep in the woods.
One day a handsome young man called Narcissus came into the woods. He had been hunting deer and lost his way. However, the moment Echo saw him, she fell in love with him. She followed him, wishing to tell him but unable to begin a conversation. Oh, how she wished she could speak first. Unfortunately, Narcissus was far too busy worrying about where his companions might be and how he could find his way home.
Eventually Narcissus, with Echo following behind along, came to a pool of water in the middle of the woods. Feeling thirsty, Narcissus bent down to drink. As he did so, he saw a beautiful creature in the water staring up at him. He immediately bent over and said to him, “I love you!” Echo, nearby, and seeing her chance, immediately responded “…. I love you!” But it was too late. Narcissus was already in love, with himself.
The stranger seemed to rise up closer to Narcissus who was so involved that he entirely failed to notice Echo. “I want to stay and look at this beautiful sight forever,” he whispered dreamily to himself.”… Forever,” repeated Echo sadly. “Come here,” called Narcissus to his reflection as he moved his head and the creature seemed to move away. “…Here.” responded Echo. Narcissus bent back down to see his reflection more clearly. “So beautiful! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful!” “….So beautiful!” responded Echo truthfully.
Narcissus remained by the water refusing all Echo’s silent offers of food and drink until he died. Where he had been, a flower grew in his place, as beautiful as Narcissus himself. As for Echo, from that time forward, she also didn’t eat or drink till she turned to rocks and all that was left was her voice. Even now you can still hear Echo trying to attract Narcissus’ attention by repeating his words and still see Narcissus as a beautiful flower growing near a pool.Why was Echo unable to let Narcissus know she loved him?
| A．Because she had lost the ability to speak. |
| B．Because she was too shy to speak first. |
| C．Because Narcissus took no notice of her. |
| D．Because Hera had taken away her ability to speak first. |
“The stranger” in paragraph 4 refers to ______.
| A．Echo |
| B．Hera. |
| C．Narcissus himself. |
| D．a fairy in the woods. |
Which of the following kinds of person can be described as a “Narcissus”?
| A．A person who loves and admires himself or herself. |
| B．A person who loves to admire beautiful water flowers. |
| C．A person who is too shy to have a chat with other people. |
| D．A person who’s afraid of being separated from companions. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Echo’s sacrifice. | B．Echo and Hera. |
| C．Echo and Narcissus. | D．Narcissus’s self-love. |
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