The secret of carrier pigeons' unbelievable ability to find their way home has been discovered by scientists: the feathered navigators follow the roads just like we do.
Scientists at Oxford University spent 10 years studying homing pigeons using global positioning satellite (GPS) and got a surprising result. The birds often don't use the sun to decide their directions. Instead, they fly along motorways, turn at crossings and even go around roundabouts (绕道) , adding miles to their journeys.
“It really has knocked our research team sideways to find that after a decade-long international study, pigeons appear to ignore their inbuilt directional instincts (本能) and follow the road system,” said Prof Tim Guilford, reader in animal behavior at Oxford University's Department of Zoology.
Guilford said pigeons use their own navigational system (导航系统) when doing long distance trips or when a bird does a journey for the first time.
“But once homing pigeons have flown a journey more than once, they can fly home on a habitual route, much as we do when we are driving or walking home from work,” said Guilford.
“In short, it looks like it is mentally easier for a bird to fly down a road. They are just making their journeys as simple as possible.” What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Birds Follow Roads as We Do. |
| B．Why Pigeons Can Fly Long Distance? |
| C．How Pigeons Find Their Ways Home? |
| D．Why Crows Fly the Shortest Distance? |
What does the underlined words "the feathered navigators" refer to?
| A．The pigeons. |
| B．The crows. |
| C．Dogs. |
| D．Animals that can swim. |
Scientists used to think that homing pigeons often find their directions _______.
| A．by global positioning satellite |
| B．by the sun |
| C．by the road system |
| D．by following other birds |
W Taipei
The W Hotel is among the city’s big-name luxury(奢华) hotels. Futuristic and fancy, the W Taipei’s setting is reminding you of a Lady Gaga video; perhaps that explains why the singer insisted on staying here on a recent visit. There are eight room types to choose from, with names such as Fabulous and Extreme Wow. They vary wildly in style.
10 Zhongxiao E. Road, Sect. 5, Xin Yi Area Taipei City Hall MRT; +886 2 7703 8888; from NT$8,900 (US$299); www.wtaipei.com
Grand Hotel
If sleeping in landmarks is your thing, the Taipei Grand Hotel is a must. The Grand is an expression of classical Chinese art mixed with Western construction principles. The Grand Hotel is attractive and full of history, but rooms are aging, so don’t expect the inside to be as “grand” as the outside. You can enjoy yourself at a driving range of golf, year-round pools and no fewer than eight restaurants.
No. 1, Lane 1, Zhongshan N. Road, Section 4 shuttle from Yuan Shan MRT; +886 2 2886 8888; from NT$4,800 (US$165); www.grand-hotel.org
Dandy Hotel
From free drinks and snacks in the lobby(大堂) to seasonally themed decorations, this hotel takes care of the small touches. But what places the Dandy Hotel above others in the same price category（范围）are views over Da-An Park; they’re reminders of those of New York’s Central Park. Rooms with views are worth the extra money paid, but book early -- there are only two on each floor.
No. 33, Xin Yi Road, Sect. 3, Dongmen MRT; +886 2 2707 6899; from NT$2,340 (US$80); www.dandyhotel.com.tw
Homey Hostel
Taiwanese brother and sister Josh and Kelly make guests feel right at home at this bargain Hostel. According to them, their motive in starting the hostel was to make friends, which is why they can often be found in the public area chatting with guests. There's a small kitchen, public computer, free coffee and tea, and luggage storage.
1/F, No. 7, Lane 180, Tonghua Street,) Liuzhangli MRT; +886 91900 2116; dorms from NT$500 (US$17); www.homeyhostel.com May is fan of Lady Gaga, and she may probably stay in ________when in Taipei.
| A．W Taipei | B．Grand Hotel | C．Dandy Hotel | D．Homey Hostel |
Which of the following words can best take the place of the underlined word “touches”?
| A．ways | B．details | C．senses | D．contacts |
If you are a backpack traveller with a low budget, which would be your best choice?
| A．W Taipei | B．Grand Hotel | C．Dandy Hotel | D．Homey Hostel |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according the passage?
| A．Rooms in the W Hotel are of the similar style but with different fancy names. |
| B．The Taipei Grand Hotel is an excellent mixture of classic and modern construction. |
| C．It is the park-view rooms in the Dandy Hotel that make it quite unique. |
| D．The desire of helping strangers drives Josh and Kelly to open the Homey Hostel. |
Some novels simply entertain and others contain a powerful message in the story line and characters. In his first novel, A Wind In Montana, Mitch Davies tells a story about young adults and how they accept responsibility for their lives.
A Wind in Montana is a great tale of two teenagers, Rory Coleman and Victoria Beach, high school students at the same school, who struggle to make the right decision for themselves. As each of them nears adulthood, they become more concerned with the future and set goals that will bring them happiness and a sense of achievement.
Without any advice from his parents, Rory chooses to pursue (追求) a profession in chemistry, applies for a chemistry scholarship, and determines to do everything he can to achieve it. Along the path, Rory finds that even though he has a plan, there are obstacles (障碍) that could prevent him from realizing his goals. Victoria’s struggles are different from Rory’s. Although her father has decided that she should become a professional musician, Victoria has other plans for her life. Together, Rory and Victoria attempt to follow their dreams, despite the obstacles in their paths. A Wind In Montana contains a lesson for all teens about to enter adulthood — that disappointment and setbacks (挫折) are going to occur no matter how determined they are and that they need to develop skills along the way that will help them deal with them effectively.
Mitch Davies’ book stands out among today’s teen books that deal with imaginary situations. A Wind In Montana is a real story about real people facing real-life situations. It’s entertaining and also helps readers think about their own lives and offers various ways to handle situations that may arise.According to the passage, both Rory and Victoria ____.
| A．get along well with others |
| B．pursue a profession in chemistry |
| C．follow their parents’ advice |
| D．have a strong sense of self |
The third paragraph is mainly about ____.
| A．the popularity of A Wind In Montana |
| B．the content of A Wind in Montana |
| C．Mitch Davies’ writing style |
| D．Mitch Davies’ achievements |
Unlike other teen books, A Wind In Montana ____.
| A．deals with some imaginary situations |
| B．is based on real-life experiences |
| C．focuses on responsibilities teens should take |
| D．discusses the future of young adults |
The purpose of the passage is ____.
| A．to speak highly of an author |
| B．to report a piece of news |
| C．to review a book |
| D．to collect materials for a book |
A few years ago my sister moved from her home in Alabama to Buffalo, New York. Since moving to Buffalo she’s become a big hockey fan and has encouraged me to start watching it. Unfortunately it’s very difficult to find hockey on television here in Alabama. Since hockey games don’t air very much on television I’ve had to look for different ways to watch hockey games.
I often see websites that claim if you go to their website you can watch television on your computer. I try out many of these websites hoping that one of the television stations is a northern station that airs hockey games. Unfortunately, most of them don’t work. Either the site doesn’t really give you what they advertise or their video player doesn’t work properly. But finally I’ve found one website that actually works.
Free Tube is a site that you can go to and watch Television online for free. You don’t have to download any kind of special software or pay money or even sign up for anything. All you have to do is go to Free Tube, choose your channel and start watching.
The different channels to choose from are separated into different categories like news, business, entertainment, music and sports. You’re not going to find channels like NBC or ABC so you can watch the latest episode of Heroes or Grey’s Anatomy but it does include some popular channels like Cartoon Network and ESPN.
There is also a movie section. Each movie channel airs different sorts of films like adventure, classics, comedy or horror and that channel will always air that kind of movies. The movie section also includes my favorite station called Maxx Trailers (预告片). Maxx Trailers airs nothing but movies trailers 24 hours a day. Some of the trailers are for movies coming out and some are for movies that have already been released but already released movies don’t go back farther than a couple of months.
So far I haven’t had any problems with Free Tube’s video player either. Whenever I choose a channel, the video almost always works and usually loads every quickly. The only problem I have with Free Tube is that there is currently a glitch if you’re using Firefox. Once you choose a channel you can’t select another channel to change to, your web browser will freeze up. So if you’re using Firefox, the only way to switch channels is to leave the site and re-enter the site, when choosing what channel you want to go to. However, Free Tube is aware of this glitch and is working with Mozilla to get it fixed right away.
If you’re missing some show everyone is talking about like Grey’s Anatomy or Heroes, this isn’t really a solution for that. But Free Tube is a good way to find channels that you weren’t aware of; there are several good stations to be found. The author mainly ________ in this passage.
| A．tells us his experience in using the Web |
| B．introduces Free Tube to the readers |
| C．shows us the disadvantages of Free Tube |
| D．shows us how to enjoy films online |
The author got interested in watching hockey games ________
| A．because he is a sports fan |
| B．due to his sister’s influence |
| C．since everyone enjoys the games |
| D．because he has nothing to do all day long |
From the passage we can learn that ______________
| A．the author is also very fond of movies |
| B．Maxx Trailers airs to-be-released movies |
| C．ABC is a very famous TV station in America |
| D．Firefox is the only software used to watch films online |
The underlined word “glitch” probably means _________
| A．cover | B．change | C．note | D．fault |
China needs to set absolute restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions(释放) if it is to fulfill its aim to set up a carbon market over the next five years, a cabinet office think tank said in a paper.
“It is only under an absolute emissions cap that carbon emission permits will become a scarce resource and possess the qualities of a commodity,” the State Council‟s Development and Research Center said in a paper in Seeking Truth, a magazine published by the ruling party.
China has traditionally baulked(犹豫) at the idea of emissions caps either on a regional basis or for industrial sectors, invoking a key Kyoto protocol principle that puts most of the burden of cutting green-house gases on developed countries.
China, the world ‘s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, has also been under external pressure to make stronger commitments in the battle against global warming .The country has been the biggest beneficiary(受益人) of the Clean Development Mechanism, a UN-backed scheme that allows industrialized countries to meet their CO2 reduction targets by purchasing certified emission reductions or CERs from low-carbon projects launched in developing nations.
However, the European Union, the biggest buyer of CERs, has said it will not accept CERs generated by Chinese projects once the first phase of its Emissions Trading Scheme ends in 2012, though projects already registered will remain valid. What does China hope to do in the next five years?
| A．to cut its emissions by 45% |
| B．to set up a carbon market |
| C．to have lower emissions than other countries |
| D．to increase both emissions and production |
China agreeing to limit emissions now because______
| A．they care about the environment |
| B．emissions harm people’s health |
| C．of pressure from other countries |
| D．they want more profit for their factories |
How does the CER scheme work?
| A．Countries can buy the right to produce as much carbon emissions as they like. |
| B．All countries are required to set a carbon emissions cap and can then get certificates on how developed their environmental programme is. |
| C．Developed countries are allowed to produce more emissions than industrial countries. |
| D．Developed countries can buy the right to produce more carbon emissions from developing countries that produce less. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Air pollution is still increasing the problem of climate change all over the world. |
| B．China is still resisting cutting emissions as it is necessary for the manufacturing industry. |
| C．China believes that it is free from meeting international standards on emissions. |
| D．China will need to cut its emissions in the near future in order to keep up with the international community |
The letter is probably from __________.
A. Supervisor Management Unit B Thames Valley Police
C. Criminal Justice System D. Crime Reduction Committee What’s the purpose of this letter?
| A．To thank Ms. Adamczak for her contribution to the security of her community. |
| B．To inform Ms. Adamczak of how the investigation of the crime she reported was going |
| C．To respond to Ms. Adamczak’s crime report |
| D．To inform Ms. Adamczak of the investigation result of crime she reported |
Which one is not the possible result of this reported crime?
| A．The police will pay a visit to Ms. Adamczak’s . |
| B．The police will contact Ms. Adamczak and give her an update. |
| C．The police will not send Ms. Adamczak any further letters. |
| D．Your report will be held on file as an undetected crime. |
What does the word “leads” most probably mean?
| A．Clue. | B．Darkness. | C．Investigation. | D．Contact. |
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