If you saw another kid ride her bike too fast around a corner and fall down, you might ride your bike more slowly on that turn. Yes, we humans are very sensitive to others’ mistakes. And the same is true for other animals. Animals mess up all the time. They might eat poisonous leaves, fall off a tree or let their prey(猎物) slip away. By watching others fail, an animal can avoid making the same mistakes, thus improving its chance of survival.
Scientists suspected that one part of the brain helps animals process information about others’ errors. Cells in that part appear to become more active when a person sees someone else making a mistake. But researchers didn’t know whether individual cells in this part of the brain play different roles in detecting errors.
To investigate the brain’s response to errors in more detail, the researchers taught a game to two macaques, a type of monkey. One monkey could press a yellow or green button while the other watched. If the first monkey pressed the right button, the team gave both animals a treat. Every couple of rounds, the two monkeys switched roles. Meanwhile, the scientists monitored individual cells in the animal’s brains.
When the first monkey messed up the game by pressing the wrong button, a group of cells in the second monkey’s brain fired. But if the second monkey also made the wrong choice during its turn, some of the cells in that group didn’t respond. Those unresponsive cells reacted specifically to mistakes made by others, not to the monkey’s own mistakes.
Scientists believe other parts of the brain also might help people process information about another’s errors. “You start to think about this other person and see things from his angle.” Ellen de Bruijn told Science News. She studies the brain at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.According to Paragraph l, animals’ ability to learn from others’ mistakes .
| A．used to be ignored by humans |
| B．helps them to survive better |
| C．is being lost because of humans |
| D．ensures that they will never fail |
The underlined word “detecting” in Paragraph 2 probably means “ ”.
| A．correcting | B．making | C．drawing | D．sensing |
From the game the scientists taught to two macaques, we can see .
| A．animals can avoid the same mistakes |
| B．which part of the brain is more active |
| C．how the brain responds to mistakes |
| D．how the brain processes information |
In the experiment mentioned, those unresponsive cells are only sensitive to .
| A．others’ mistakes | B．the same buttons |
| C．one’s own mistakes | D．the monkey’s brain |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Animals can learn from mistakes like human beings. |
| B．An interesting experiment by scientists surprised us. |
| C．Monkeys can avoid making mistakes by learning from us. |
| D．The brain cells are always sensitive to others’ information. |
Does eating a good breakfast improve school study? A study of more than 1,000 pupils in the city of Lawrence suggests it does.
Youngsters who took part in the breakfast program improved their scores in the tests much more than those who didn’t. Among those who attended the program, fewer were found late for school than those who didn’t. And much fewer were found absent from their classes.
“Starting the day with a meal appears to be quite helpful,” says Amy Sampson, a research professor, who carried out the experiment on the students for a year.
Students who miss breakfast may be losing out on important nourishment in fruit, milk, bread and so on. If you are in a hurry in the morning, get you some pieces of bread with some fruit or yogurt. In that case, you won’t have to go to the selling machines for some chips or candy bars.How many students in primary school are interviewed in Lawrence.
| A．1000 | B．over 1000 | C．less than 1000 | D．almost 1000 |
According to the passage, pupils who took part in the breakfast program ______.
| A．are clever than those who didn’t |
| B．are healthier than those who didn’t |
| C．were often late for school |
| D．made greater progress in the study than those who didn’t |
The breakfast program was carried out by _____.
| A．the Lawrence City government | B．teachers in a middle school |
| C．a professor | D．1,000 pupils |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Over 1,000 pupils took part in the experiment. |
| B．The experiment lasted a year. |
| C．A good breakfast can improve school study. |
| D．A good breakfast means eating a lot . |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Breakfast or not? | B．1,000 clever pupils. |
| C．How to keep fit? | D．How to become clever? |
Why Doesn’t Anybody Copy Apple?
Apple’s products are the envy of the world. They have been spectacularly successful and are widely imitated, if not copied. The minute Apple crystallizes a product, everyone knows how to compete．This idea that the basis of competition is set by Apple and then the race is on to climb the path of improvement is unquestionable．When Apple releases a product that defines a category or dramatically changes the structure of an industry, it becomes obvious what needs to be built. But what I wonder is why everyone wants to copy Apple’s products but nobody wants to copy being Apple?
I can think of two reasons. Firstly, Apple is not worth copying because it's not successful; secondly, Apple’s success cannot be copied because it is a magical process．
There is a great deal of evidence for the first hypothesis. The idea of Apple being successful is not something reflected in its stock price．Being valued lower than the average company in the S&P（标准普尔）500 indicates that to whatever degree Apple was successful in the past, it's not seen by the vast majority of observers as successful in the future．Why should one bother copying Apple if it results in being punished with a low valuation? If one works really hard at innovation and then that innovation becomes commoditized（商品化）very quickly, why should one bother?
When innovation practitioners are asked what makes Apple successful, the answers regarding the cause of this success border on the mythical. The climax of this hypothesis is the “chief-sorcerer” theory of success which places one magician, like Steve Jobs, in charge of casting all the right spells（符咒）．
What about Apple’s own opinion of what makes it tick? Tim Cook refers to a great team and integration of hardware, software and services as unique Apple advantages. It’s a better explanation．Integration is something that can take a long time, but it is possible with great effort．A few companies are starting to make moves in that direction, but efforts are half-hearted．There is no “move the Earth” panic to become an integrated company from Samsung, Google or Microsoft．
My own suspicion is that Apple is more aware of what makes it special than it lets out． However, as Tim points out, it’s not a formula．It’s complex, it’s subtle, but it’s not magic．It’s a process that requires a degree of faith and courage．When a new product of Apple comes out, often it ______．
| A．ruins an industry dramatically |
| B．starts a revolution of an industry |
| C．puts itself in an unbeatable position |
| D．is soon overtaken by imitated products |
According to the passage, other companies don’t “copy being Apple” because ______.
| A． Apple is not a successful company |
| B． they have no access to relevant resources |
| C． It’s hard to find a magician like Steve Jobs |
| D．being Apple takes more than time and efforts |
We can infer from Para. 5 that ______．
| A．other companies are dedicated to integration |
| B．Apple itself is fully aware of its unique advantages |
| C．Apple will hold the leading position in this industry |
| D．other companies don't have a great team as Apple does |
What does the author think of Tim Cook's statement?
| A．Acceptable． | B．Disappointing． | C．Unquestionable． | D．Convincing． |
Regardless of their family background, the children’s reactions to new environments have struck the public.
In one episode of Dad! , the five-year-old daughter of former Olympic diving champion Tian Liang cries and hides behind her father when they arrive at a rural village. In an episode of the other series, a young girl in Tianjin breaks down into a tearful fit after being asked by her father to go out alone to buy eggs and a pancake.
In the eyes of some observers, these kids show no sense of independence, and the reason is put down to parents who are overly sheltering. But television viewers and parents were heartened when the sobbing Tianjin girl finally wiped away her tears as she returned holding the pancake. In the case of Tian’s daughter, she eventually began to take care of her younger companions and learned to seek help from people she didn’t know.
The father of the Tianjin girl felt “delightfully shocked” and said. “She used to have to be accompanied by her mother or grandmother. Now she has the courage to do it all by herself. ”
The shows have led many parents to change how they raise their children. Shanghai mother Liang Jing said she would try to “give some training” to her shy son, asking him to tidy up his toys. Lin Yi, a parenting expert in Beijing, said giving kids a chance to do things for themselves helps to raise their sense of achievement, which carries benefits throughout their lives. ”What attracts the audience’s eyes in the programs?
| A．What the kids’ family background is like. |
| B．Where children’s real comfort zone is. |
| C．How children react to new environments. |
| D．Why those children are independent. |
What is Tian Liang’s daughter expected to do in the show?
| A．Go out to buy something alone. |
| B．Hide in a safe place to avoid a danger. |
| C．Make friends with strange adults. |
| D．Live in a rural village with her father. |
It can be inferred from the underline words “delightfully shocked” that .
| A．father is more important than mother in a family |
| B．children deserve a chance to be independent |
| C．parents should provide a safe environment |
| D．the children are as fragile as parents expected |
The shows are bound to raise a wave of discussion about .
| A．protecting good traditions | B．the social safety |
| C．approaches to parenting | D．the influence of TV programmes |
China’s first moon rover，Yutu，or Jade Rabbit，separated from the lander early on Sunday，December l5，2013，several hours after the Chang’e-3 probe (探测器) soft-landed on the lunar surface．The l 40 kg six-wheeled rover touched the lunar surface at 4：35 a．m．，leaving deep trace on the loose lunar soil. The process was recorded by the camera on the lander and the images were sent to the earth，according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center．
After the separation，the rover and lander will take photos of each other and start their own scientific explorations. Engineers made final checks of the environment of the landing site，the situation of the probe and sent signals of separation to Chang’e-3．
Yutu, on the top of the probe，extended its solar panel and started to drive slowly to the transfer mechanism (机械装置) at 3：10．The transfer mechanism unlocked at 4：06 with one side reaching the moon’s surface，allowing the rover to descend to the surface following a ladder mechanism．
Chang’e-3 landed on the moon’s Sinus Iridum，or the Bay of Rainbows，at 9：11 p．m．Saturday，making China the third country in the world to carry out such a rover mission after the United States and former Soviet Union．
In ancient Chinese mythology，Yutu was the white pet rabbit of the lunar goddess Chang’e．The name for the rover was selected following an online poll that collected several million votes from people around the world．
The rover，1.5 meters long with its two wings folded，1 m in width and l．1 m in height，is a highly efficient robot controlled by the command center from the earth．It will face challenges including temperature differences of more than 300 degrees Celsius on the moon．
Yutu will survey the moon’s geological structure and surface substances and look for natural resources for three months，while the lander will conduct in-situ (现场) exploration right at its landing site for one year．What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．China’s first moon rover，Yutu，touched the lunar surface． |
| B．The rover and the lander took photos of each other successfully． |
| C．Chang’e-3 landed on the moon’s Sinus Iridum, or the Bay of Rainbows． |
| D．Yutu will survey the moon’s geological structure to find substances． |
Which of the following show the correct order of the Yutu’s landing?
a．drive to the transfer mechanism b．extend its solar panel c．follow a ladder mechanism
d．descend to the surface e．unlock the transfer mechanism
| A．e→b→a→c→d | B．a→b→e→d→c | C．b→a→e→c→d | D．c→a→b→e→d |
We can learn from the last two paragraphs that ．
| A．Yutu’s two wings are l．5 meters long and l meter wide |
| B．Yutu will explore the moon right at its site for one year |
| C．Yutu will get out of the earth command center’s control |
| D．Yutu can bear great temperature differences on the moon |
An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old highly educated son.
Suddenly a crow（乌鸦）perched on the tree near their window.
The father asked his son, “What is this? ”
The son replied, “It is a crow.”
After a few minutes, the father asked his son the 2nd time, “What is this?”
The son said, “Father, I have just now told you It’s a crow’. ”
After a little while, the old father again asked his son the 3rd time, “What is this? ”
“It’s a crow, a crow, a crow.” said the son loudly.
A little after, the father again asked his son the 4th time, “What is this?”
This time the son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? ‘IT IS A CROW’. Are you not able to understand this?”
A little later the father went to his room and came back with an old diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary:
“Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa when a crow was sitting on the window. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel annoyed; I rather felt affection for my innocent child. ” In what tone did the son say to his Father “It’s a crow, a crow, a crow. ”?
| A．impatient | B．excited | C．hurried | D．surprised |
Why did the Father ask the same question again and again?
| A．Because he wanted to make his son angry. |
| B．Because he was too old to remember anything. |
| C．Because he couldn't understand what his son said. |
| D．Because he wanted to see how patient his son would be. |
How old was the old man when his son asked him 23 times “What is this”?
| A．35 years old. | B．38 years old. | C．45 years old. | D．80 years old. |
What is the most suitable title for the passage?
| A．A crow. | B．Father's love. | C．An old dairy. | D．An old man. |
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