【推荐2】In the past, before alarm clocks were invented, what did people depend on to wake them up in the morning? Roosters.

“ A rooster’s crow symbolizes the break of dawn in many countries,” Takashi Yoshimura, professor at Nagoya University in Japan, told National Geographic. They are known to regularly crow two to three times at dawn.

However, scientists have long been unsure about why the animals do this. “It wasn’t clear whether crowing is under the control of a biological clock or is simply response to external stimuli.”

Roosters do react to the environment-such as car headlights-at any time of day. So it was previously thought that the increasing light in the morning might be the trigger for roosters’ crowing.

But Yoshimura and his colleagues now claim to have finally figured out the reason-roosters don’t need morning light to know when to start crowing; they will crow at the same time every day regardless of whether they can see dawn breaking.

In the study, which was published in the journal Current Biology, researchers placed 40 roosters in a soundproof, windowless room under dim lighting for 24 hours. But this didn’t deter the roosters. No matter what, they kept crowing in the morning just before dawn.

“It is proof that the behavior is caused by circadian rhythm”, said Yoshimura. In short, the roosters are genetically programmed to crow at a certain time every 24 hours.

Most animals, as well as plants, have such an internal time-keeping system. That’s why we tend to eat, sleep and exercise at around the same time every day. By consciously being aware of the schedule, our body has a chance to adapt to it, so keeping a regular biological clock is often tied to good health.

This experiment is the first of its kind to investigate the timing of roosters’ crowing. Kristen Navara, a scientist at the University of Georgia in the US who was not involved in the study, said that she wasn’t sure why no one had taken a closer look at this well-known phenomenon before.

“I think this is a very interesting study and something that should have been done a long time ago.” said Navara.

1. What has been recently discovered to make roosters crow in the morning？

A．External stimuli like noises.	B．Their biological clocks.
C．Exposure to morning light.	D．Increased temperature.

2. What does the underlined word “deter” mean in Paragraph 6?

A．Prevent.

B．Attract.

C．Encourage.

D．Upset.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?

A．Roosters have the same circadian rhythms as humans.

B．Following our biological clocks is good for our health.

C．Dark conditions can have some effect on roosters’ crowing.

D．Roosters’ biological clocks will change to help them adapt to the environment.

4. How would Kristen Navara describe Yoshimura’s study?

A．Worthless.

B．Meaningful

C．Boring.

D．Unscientific.

【推荐3】Dolphins learn special foraging(捕食) techniques from their mothers and it's now clear that they can learn from their buddies as well.       1     It turns out that they learn this skill by watching their pals do the job. The discovery, reported in the journal Current Biology, helps reveal how groups of wild animals can transmit learned behaviors and develop their own distinct cultures.

"Dolphins are indeed very clever animals. So it makes sense that they are able to learn from others," says Sonja Wild, a researcher at the University of Konstanz in Germany.     2     This study, however, shows that dolphins are also motivated to learn from their peers in addition to mimicking their mothers.

The bottle-nose dolphins that live in Shark Bay, Western Australia, have been studied for decades, and scientists have identified over a thousand individuals by looking at the unique shape and markings of their dorsal fins. Researchers know what families the dolphins belong to, and keep track of their close associates.

Wild and her colleagues have closely examined how dolphins learn particular strategy for catching fish---one that involves using the empty shells of large sea snails. A dolphin will chase a fish to one of these shells, and then they insert their beak into the shell, bring the whole thing up to the face. After that, they shake it up above the water surface to drain the water out of the shell until the fish basically falls into their open mouth.

Whether or not dolphins caught fish in this way didn't seem to be explained by how many shells were lying around their hunting area, nor whether a dolphin was genetically related to another dolphin that knew how to do it.     3     Previously, it's been shown that humpback whales seem to learn hunting techniques from their peers in a similar way.

The new observations of wild dolphins learning from their peers is "exciting, "says Diana Reiss, a dolphin cognition researcher at Hunter College, CUNY, "It tells us about the source of some these behaviors. It seems like they're not relying on just learning from mom when they're out there. They seem to be observing others, watching what they're doing and acquiring it from others in their social group."

Being able to learn from peers may help animal populations survive in a changing environment.     4     "In unstable environments that are changing, it's more beneficial to kind of look around and see what others are doing" says Wild, "and maybe adopt their behavioral innovations that may be more adaptive to the new environmental conditions."

A．The best explanation is that dolphins learned this method from a close associate.

B．Research shows that this behavior gets passed down almost exclusively through the maternal line.

C．Young dolphins spend years in close association with their mothers and naturally tend to adopt their mothers' ways

D．Because while knowledge from previous generations has been tested by time, certain behaviors may become less useful if conditions change.

E．Take, for example, the clever trick that some dolphins use to catch fish by trapping them in seashells.

F．Based on this assertion, we can't discount the possibility that they innovate individually on their own.

【推荐2】I fell in love with rhinos when I worked in a zoo in the 80s, and spent much of the next 20 years as the keeper of the largest captive (圈养的) group of rare black rhinos.

There’s a popular misconception that rhinos are aggressive and stupid, but I found them sensitive and affectionate animals. Weighing over a ton, black rhinos are unexpectedly agile (敏捷的) and have an unpredictable nature — but, given reassurance, they tend to believe people. In the past few decades, their numbers have dropped dramatically. In recent years, I’ve helped look after rhinos being moved to the reserve so they can form new populations in countries that have few left. Last year, I helped on a project to fly five black rhinos from a private reserve in South Africa to the Serengeti National Park. Once there, the animals had to be kept captive for a few weeks to adapt to the new environment, in which time they lived in “bomas” — wooden enclosures with “bedrooms”, designed to create a calm space.

A couple of weeks before their planned release, the sky filled with smoke. Watching the flames rushing through the bush toward the bomas, I froze. Terrified that it would catch fire, my instinct was to release the rhinos, but they hadn’t yet been fitted with transmitters (发信器). If I let them out into a bushfire and they were injured, we’d have great difficulty tracking them down. So I dashed back to the bomas and called the rhinos to the bedrooms. Sensing the fear in my voices, they moved without hesitation and remained astonishingly calm. It was crucial the rhinos didn’t panic — they can easily hurt each other if they do.

That we and the rhinos had escaped safe and sound was a miracle. The teamwork of everybody there played a large part, and the rhinos were very much a part of that team. The relationships we’d built with them had proved crucial — had they or we panicked, all our work would have been in vain.

1. What does the author think of the rhinos?

A．They are trusting animals.	B．They are highly organized.
C．Their habitats are under threat.	D．Their adaptability needs improving.

2. Why were bomas set up?

A．To assist rhinos to settle in.	B．To boost tourism in the reserve.
C．To avoid rhinos’ aggressive behavior.	D．To stop rhinos from fleeing.

3. How did the author rescue the rhinos?

A．By setting them free.	B．By tracking them down.
C．By driving them into bomas.	D．By fitting them with the transmitters.

4. What contributed most to the safety of the rhinos?

A．The keepers’ timely alarm.	B．The inborn nature of rhinos.
C．The faith in the keepers’ heart.	D．The teamwork between the keepers and the rhinos.

【推荐3】The story of Oprah Winfrey’s life is one of overcoming incredible difficulties and achieving great success. Born into poverty in Mississippi, Winfrey faced numerous challenges throughout her childhood. She was raised by her grandmother, who passed on her a love of reading and a moral duty in work. However, Winfrey was also the victim of abuse and neglect (忽视), both at home and in her community.

Despite these obstacles, Winfrey showed great promise from a young age. At age 19 she became a news anchor (主播) for the local television station, and in 1976 she was made a reporter and co-anchor for the ABC news in Baltimore, Maryland. She found herself limited by the objectivity required of news reporting, and in 1977 she became co-host of the Baltimore morning show People Are Talking.

Winfrey excelled in the casual and personal talk-show format, and in 1984 she moved to Chicago to host the declining talk show AM Chicago. Winfrey’s honest and engaging personality quickly turned the program into a success, and in 1985 it was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. Winfrey’s warmth, intelligence, and empathy (同理心) made her a beloved figure to millions of viewers. She used her platform to address important social issues, such as child abuse, domestic violence, and poverty.

Despite her success, Winfrey faced many challenges along the way. She struggled with her weight, and was often criticized for her appearance. She also faced many personal and professional setbacks in her life and work. However, Winfrey refused to give up. She continued to work hard, launching her own production company, Harpo Productions, and starting her own cable network, OWN. She also became a charitarian, donating millions of dollars to charitable causes.

Today, Winfrey is one of the most successful and influential people in the world. She has won lots of awards for her work. She is also a best-selling author and a respected public speaker. Winfrey’s story proves the power of perseverance, hard work, and faith in oneself.

1. What can we infer about Oprah Winfrey when she was young?

A．She led a comfortable life.

B．She was brought up by her parents.

C．She worked early to support her family.

D．She was positively impacted by her grandmother.

2. What did Oprah Winfrey start her career as?

A．A news anchor.	B．A talk show co-anchor.
C．A manager of a company.	D．A reporter of a TV station.

3. What do we know about The Oprah Winfrey Show?

A．It was Winfrey’s excellent qualities that made it popular.

B．It called on viewers to fight against international crimes.

C．It was meant to help the local citizens.

D．It was designed only for Winfrey.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Oprah Winfrey’s struggle against poverty.

B．Oprah Winfrey’s rise to fame and success.

C．Oprah Winfrey’s contributions to society.

D．Oprah Winfrey’s influence on the media industry.

【推荐1】For a girl who’s interested in fashion, what would be the dream job? Being a model? Probably no — that’s for a pencil thin who doesn’t eat. One answer is, fashion stylist.

Girls can find it hard to ignore this attractiveness and the field is opening up to normal girls, not only style or fashion design majors. “It looked too high before, but now I find it more approachable,” said Xue Rui, 22, a Fudan University Chinese literature graduate who works as an assistant stylist at Hermes in Shanghai. “There is no certain principle in dressing up models, and you can try every way with your own distinct taste to make them pretty and attractive.” Some professionals said that Xue’s not mistaken.

The attractiveness of this work is not only in the wonderful clothes. Now it’s a career with a bright future and pay packet. The income can allow you to buy expensive clothes and, with your name and photo appearing on pages, readers will remember your fashion tips.

A stylist at a fashion magazine can have some unique rights. You have a chance to contact famous persons and dress them up in a style you like. You need to cooperate with top photographers and select places around the world to take photos in. You might also be invited to fashion shows of top brands and can select some of the favorite clothes.

“You have to be all-round, from hair and make-up to clothes, shoes, and accessories (配饰) to the event,” said He Qing, 21, a junior in fashion design at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. “You have to know everything, and handle several things at the same time. It’s challenging. That’s why I love it.”

So, remember, girls, you’ve been warned.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．There are certain principles in dressing up models.

B．The only attractiveness of a fashion stylist is in the wonderful clothes.

C．Only style or fashion design majors can work as a fashion stylist.

D．A stylist knows how to make a person beautiful, from head to toe.

2. The underlined phrase “pay pocket” means _____.

A．a large bag	B．a large amount of money
C．a great chance	D．a good choice

3. What is the unique right a stylist at a fashion magazine can have?

A．He/She has a chance to contact celebrities and dresses them up in a style he/she likes.

B．He/She needs to cooperate with top photographers and select places around the world to take photos in.

C．He/She might be invited to fashion shows of top brands and can select some of the favorite clothes.

D．All of the above.

4. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．Top brands.	B．Fashion majors.
C．Fashion stylists.	D．Promising Girls.

【推荐2】Keeping your teenager out of the social media world is impossible. Whether we like it or not, our kids are growing up in a digital era- -and although that creates major opportunities, it also comes with some pretty big risks. We saw this firsthand when we asked a group of tweens and teens to give up their phones and social media for a week; it was as though we’d asked them to part with a limb.

A recent study of more than 10 ,000 six- to twelve-grade girls carried out by a nonprofit organization Ruling Our Experiences found that high school girls spend an average of six hours a day on social media. And the effect of too much logged-on time is clear. The study found kids who spend eight hours or more on technology per day are five times more likely to be sad or depressed. Adding to the pressure is that2 out of 3 high school girls report being asked to send a revealing photo to another person, and most of them report that they do send sexual texts and photos to each other.

Another study, carried out by Common Sense Media, found that girls use social media more than boys and are also more likely to experience negative consequences. Most of the girls investigated admitted that content posted online often makes them worry about their appearance or social status, while just a quarter of the boys said the same. An earlier study from the Pew Research Center’s Internet came to a similar conclusion: A third of 12- to 13-year-old girls who used social media believed their peers were mostly unkind to each other online , while only 9 percent of the boys agreed.

Of course, these differences don' t mean we shouldn’t have concerns about boys and the impact of digital overload or online bulling. In fact, other studies have shown that boys and girls can be equally damaged by social media. The most important thing is for teens to feel safe, online and in the real world alike.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．The pressure of the high school girls logging-on.

B．The influence of too much logged-on time on high school girls.

C．Too much time spent on social media for high school girls.

D．The increasing population of the high school girls logging-on.

2. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “revealing” in paragraph 2?

A．Exposed.	B．Interesting.
C．Funny.	D．Romantic.

3. Why are the girls more likely to experience negative effect online than boys?

A．Because the girls' social status is low.

B．Because the girls are mostly unkind to each other.

C．Because the girls use social media more than boys.

D．Because the girls pay more attention to their appearance.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Parents should keep teens out of the social media.

B．Parents keep teens feel safe online and in the real life.

C．It is time to worry about your teens and social media.

D．Boys and girls can be equally damaged by social media.

【推荐3】Dear Editor,

I’m a Senior I student in a middle school. This term, my favorite teacher, Miss Mao, no longer teaches us. I want to see her, but I’m afraid that she no longer likes me and I don’t want to trouble her. I really miss her. What should I do?

Tian Yan

Dear Tian Yan,

It’s bad luck that you have lost your favorite teacher, But if she is still in your school, nothing can stop you going to see her. When she isn’t busy, ask her if she minds having a quick chat. You can then tell her she was your favorite teacher------ everyone is happy to know that they are liked!

If she has left the school, it will be more difficult to meet her. It will be hard, but remember people always come and go in their lives. We can’t rely on them to be with us all the time.

You may be sad to say goodbye to her, but we can remember and learn from her. Think of her best qualities.

You could also try looking for similar qualities in your other teachers. Study hard and give your new teacher a chance. In time, you might start to see that he or she has different qualities to learn from.

Finally, you can not completely rely on other people to get you through your studies, or even your life.

Editor

1. What’s Tian Yan’s identity?

A．a student

B．a teacher

C．an editor

D．an adviser

2. What happened to Miss Mao?

A．She was ill	B．She went to another school
C．She was too busy to have classes	D．It was unclear

3. The letters are from________.

A．book

B．newspaper

C．poster

D．advertisement

4. Which of the following does the editor advise Tuan Yan NOT to do?

A．Find a time to see Miss Mao	B．Have a short chat with Miss Mao
C．Tell Miss Mao she likes her	D．Keep quiet about the thing

5. According to the passage, students can make progress in their studies ________.

A．completely by their favorite teachers	B．completely by their favorite classmates
C．mainly by their parents	D．mainly by themselves

【推荐1】Proudly reading my words, I looked around the room, only to find my classmates bearing(忍住) big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Puzzled, I took a quick look at my stone-faced teacher. Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had worked on, hoping to hide myself. “What could be causing everyone to act this way?”

Quickly, I remembered the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real task I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched the name of this fellow, it became clear that there were two people having the same name who looked completely different!One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts(花生), while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice: flip(掷) a coin. As a result, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.

Weeks later, I was totally lost in front of the unfriendly people. I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution.” The whole world became quiet！How could I know that she meant that George Washington?

Clearly, my grade was terrible. Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re-dos; no new grade. So I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation. I smiled and remembered the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster told me that I could skip(跳级) the sixth grade. What a nice feeling！

1. What did the author’s classmates think about his report?

A．Amazing.	B．Boring
C．Funny.	D．Puzzling.

2. Why was the author puzzled about the task?

A．He followed the advice and flipped a co.

B．He was unfamiliar with American history.

C．He forgot his teacher’s instruction.

D．He didn’t know why the teacher gave such a task.

3. In the end, the author turned things around ___________.

A．through his own efforts	B．by redoing his task
C．with the help of his grandfather	D．under the guidance of his headmaster

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Actions speak louder than words.	B．Practice makes perfect.
C．One is never too old to learn.	D．Everything comes to him who works hard.

【推荐2】Remittance (汇款) increase living standards in the country of origin. Remittances m a large share of the GDP of many developing countries. A study on remittances to Mexico found that remittances lead to a considerable increase in the availability of public services in Mexico, surpassing government spending in some localities.

Research finds that emigration and low migration barriers have net positive effects on human capital formation in the sending countries. This means that there is a “brain gain” instead of a" brain drain to emigration.

One study finds that sending Countries benefit indirectly in the long run from the emigration of skilled workers because those skilled workers are able to innovate more in developed countries, which the sending countries are able to benefit as a positive externality. Greater emigration of skilled workers consequently leads to greater economic growth and welfare improvements in the long run.

Research also suggests that emigration, remittances and return migration can have a positive impact on political institutions and democratization in the country of origin. Research also shows that remittances can lower the risk of civil war in the country of origin. Return migration from countries with liberal gender norms has been associated with the transfer of liberal gender norms to the home country.

Research suggests that emigration causes an increase in the wages of those who remain in the country of origin. A 2014 survey of the existing literature on migration finds that a 10 percent emigrant supply shock would increase wages in the sending country by 2 % - 5.5 %. A study of emigration from Poland shows that it led to a slight increase in wages for high-and medium-skilled workers for remaining Poles. A 2013 study finds that emigration from Eastern Europe after the 2004 EU enlargement increased the wages of remaining young workers in the country of origin by 6%, while it had no effect on the wages of old workers. The wages of Lithuanian men increased as a result of post-EU enlargement emigration. Return migration is associated with greater household firm revenues(收入).

Some research shows that the remittance effect is not strong enough to make the remaining natives in countries with high emigration flows better off.

It has been argued that high-skill emigration causes labor shortages in the country of origin. This remains unsupported in the academic literature though. According to economist Michael Clemens, it has not been shown that restrictions on high-skill emigration reduce shortages in the countries of origin.

1. This passage mainly tells us that ______

A．people's living standards in the receiving countries have been greatly improved

B．emigration has both advantages and disadvantages to the sending countries

C．the reasons behind economic growth in the sending countries

D．the effect of migration on the sending countries

2. From the first three paragraphs, we know that ______

A．the emigration of skilled workers brings economic growth to developed countries

B．emigration means a kind of “brain gain” rather than "brain drain"

C．the government in Mexico should spend more on public services

D．highly qualified workers are bound to return to their home country

3. The examples in Paragraph 5 show that ______

A．return migration makes the natives better off

B．a wage increase is associated with economic growth

C．enlargement brings welfare to all Europeans

D．emigration leads to a salary increase for remaining natives

4. According to the passage, what can we know about the country of origin?

A．The negative effects of high-skill emigration have shown up.

B．Remittances have a good effect on maintaining social stability,

C．High migration barriers can reduce shortages of skilled workers.

D．High-skill emigration may cause economic fall within a short time.

【推荐3】Space is a dangerous place, not only because of meteors(流星), but also because of rays from the sun and other stars. The atmosphere again acts as our protective blanket on the earth. Light gets through, and this is necessary for plants to make the food which we eat. Heat, too, makes our environment suitable to live. Various kinds of rays come through the air from outer space, but enormous quantities of radiation from the sun are screened off. As soon as men leave the atmosphere they are exposed to this radiation but their spacesuits or the walls of their spacecraft, if they are inside, do prevent a lot of radiation damage.

Radiation is the greatest known danger to explorers in space. The unit of radiation is called “rem”. Scientists have reason to think that a man can put up with far more radiation than 0.1 rem without being damaged; the figure of 60 rems has been agreed on. The trouble is that it is extremely difficult to be sure about radiation damage a person may feel perfectly well, but the cells of his or her sex organs may be damaged, and this will not be discovered until the birth of deformed(畸形的) children or even grandchildren. Missions of the Apollo flights have had to cross belts of high radiation and, during the outward and return journeys, the Apollo crew accumulated a large amount of rems. So far, no dangerous amounts of radiation have been reported, but the Apollo missions have been quite short. We simply do not know yet how men are going to get on when they spend weeks and months outside the protection of the atmosphere, working in a space laboratory. Drugs might help to decrease the damage done by radiation, but no really effective ones have been found so far.

1. According to the first paragraph, the atmosphere is necessary to man because of the following reason EXCEPT________

A．protecting him against the harmful rays from space	B．providing sufficient light for plant growth
C．suppling the heat necessary for human survival	D．screening off the falling meteors

2. We learn from the passage that ________

A．exposure to even tiny amounts of radiation is fatal

B．the effect of exposure to radiation is slow in coming

C．radiation is avoidable in space exploration

D．astronauts in spacesuits needn’t worry about radiation damage

3. The harm radiation that has been done to the Apollo crew members ________

A．is insignificant

B．is enormous

C．seems overestimated

D．remains unknown

4. It can be inferred from the passage that________

A．the Apollo mission was very successful

B．the protection from space radiation is no easy job

C．astronauts may possibly have deformed children or grandchildren

D．radiation is not a threat to well-protected space explorers

5. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Space is dangerous only because of meteors.

B．Explorers in space have to avoid the damage from radiation

C．We have got effective ways to treat illnesses caused by radiation.

D．The atmosphere doesn’t screen off radiation