There was a time when we thought humans were special in so many ways. Now we know better. We are not the only species that feels emotions, or follows a moral code. Neither are we the only ones with personalities, cultures and the ability to design and use tools. Yet we have all agree that one thing, at least, makes us unique: we alone have the ability of language.
It turns out that we are not so special in this aspect either. Key to the revolutionary reassessment of our talent for communication is the way we think about language itself. Where once it was seen as an unusual object, today scientists find it is more productive to think of language as a group of abilities. Viewed this way, it becomes apparent that the component parts of language are not as unique as the whole.
Take gesture, arguably the starting point for language. Until recently, it was considered uniquely human - but not any more. Mike Tomasello of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, and others have collected a list of gestures observed in monkeys and some other animals, which reveals that gestures plays a large role in their communication. Ape(猿) gestures can involve touch, vocalising or eye movement, and individuals wait until they have another ape’s attention before making visual or auditory gestures. If their gestures go unacknowledged, they will often repeat them.
In an experiment carried out in 2006 by Erica Cartmill and Richard Byrne from the University of St Andrews in the UK, they got a person to sit on a chair with some highly desirable food such as banana to one side of apes and some undesirable food such as vegetables to the other. The apes, who could see the person and the food from their enclosures, gestured at their human partners to encourage them to push the desirable food their way. If the person showed incomprehension and offered the vegetables, the animals would change their gestures - just as a human would in a similar situation. If the human seemed to understand while being somewhat confused, giving only half the preferred food, the apes would repeat and exaggerate their gestures - again in exactly the same way a human would. Such findings highlight the fact that the gestures of the animals are not merely inborn but are learned, flexible and under voluntary control - all characteristics that are considered preconditions for human-like communication.
1. It is agreed that compared with all the other animals, only human beings ________.| A．own the ability to show their personalities |
| B．are capable of using language to communicate |
| C．have moral standards and follow them in society |
| D．are intelligent enough to release and control emotions |
| A．involve some abilities that can be mastered by animals |
| B．is a talent impossibly owned by other animals |
| C．can be divided into different components |
| D．are productive for some talented animals |
| A．Apes can use language to communicate with the help of humans. |
| B．Repeating and exaggerating gestures is vital in language communication. |
| C．Some animals can learn to express and communicate through some trials. |
| D．The preferred food stimulates some animals to use language to communicate. |
| A．Language involves gestures! | B．Animals language - gestures! |
| C．So you think humans are unique? | D．The similarity between humans and apes. |
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【推荐1】A Beijing-based gene firm on Monday announced the world’s first cloned wild arctic wolf, which is listed as endangered in the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or the IUCN. Experts said its birth pioneers the breeding of more rare and endangered animals through cloning technology.
“We started the research cooperation with Harbin Polarland on cloning the arctic wolf in 2020. After two years of painstaking efforts, the arctic wolf was cloned successfully. It is the first case of its kind in the world,” Mi Jidong, the company’s general manager of the Beijing-based Sinogene Biotechnology Co said at a press conference in Beijing.
The birth of the world’s first cloned wild arctic wolf is a milestone for the application of cloning technology, which is of great significance to the conservation of rare and endangered animals and biodiversity, experts believe.
He Zhengming, the head of Chinese Experimental Animal Resources Research Institute for Food and Drug Control said that the cloned animals still have the ability to reproduce if they have intact fertilized eggs (受精卵). The cloning technology can copy all genetic information for selective reproduction.
From the world’s first mammal clone “Dolly”, cloning technology has provided the possibility to diversify the populations of some species such as cattle, pigs and horses. When endangered species in some places are identified, cloning of cells preserved from freezing technologies could also generate new life, experts said.
As part of a more concrete step to boost the breeding of more rare and endangered animals through cloning technology, the Sinogene Biotechnology Co and Beijing Wildlife Park built a partnership on gene seed preservation cloning technology applications in rare and endangered wild animals. Enhanced efforts for the protection of endangered wildlife species and their habitats are part of the goals of the country’s national development plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
1. Where is the text most probably taken from?| A．A guidebook. | B．A report. | C．A review. | D．A novel. |
| A．It reduces biodiversity. |
| B．It helps to restore the wolf population. |
| C．It helps the conservation of rare species. |
| D．It increases the risk of animal extinction. |
| A．Preserve fertilized eggs. |
| B．Copy their genetic information. |
| C．Help promote population diversity. |
| D．Prevent their populations from diversifying. |
| A．Cloning technology creating a new species of arctic wolf. |
| B．Cloning technology cooperation promoting rare animal breeding. |
| C．Cloning technology helping build a gene seed preservation facility. |
| D．Protecting wild animals in National Forestry and Grassland Administration. |
【推荐2】Far from the land of Antarctica（南极洲）, a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.
For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secrets. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.
Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish's blood and measured its freezing point.
The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of—1.88°C and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to-2.05°C. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice—salt mixture.
The scientists' next research job was clear： Find out what in the fish's blood kept it from freezing. Their research led to some really strange thing made up of a protein（蛋白质）that has never been seen before in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.
Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules（分子）held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content, it is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein, or AFGP.
1. Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?| A．The seawater has a temperature of-1.88°C. | B．It loves to live in the ice—salt mixture. |
| C．A special protein keeps it from freezing. | D．Its blood has a temperature lower than-2.05°C |
| A．No one can carry out any research work in the Antarctic |
| B．The ice—salt mixture enables the Antarctic cod to live under the freezing water |
| C．The protein in the blood of the Antarctic cod has a low freezing point |
| D．The sugar content is believed to be an unusual kind of protein. |
| A．It is made up of many small sugar molecules. | B．It can be removed from the blood |
| C．It keeps the blood of the cod from freezing. | D．It is called a glycoprotein. |
| A．The terrible conditions in the Antarctic | B．A special fish living in freezing waters. |
| C．The ice shelf around Antarctica. | D．Protection of the Antarctic cod |
【推荐3】One bird may not make a summer but seeing or hearing birds does improve mental wellbeing, a ground-breaking study in the journal Scientific Reports has found.
Researchers tracked 1, 292 participants’ everyday encounters with birds last year via a smartphone app called Urban Mind. Over the course of two weeks, the participants, from the UK, Europe, the US, China and Australia, were asked every two hours to document how they were feeling, including whether they were happy or stressed.
The researchers found that participants’ average mental wellbeing scores increased when they saw or heard birds, including among those who said they had been diagnosed (诊断) with depression.
Andrea Mechelli, professor of early intervention (干涉) in mental health at King’s College London, said that the positive effect of bird encounters on people with depression was significant because many “interventions that help so-called ‘healthy people’ don’t work for individuals with mental health issues”. Mechelli said, “We know exercise makes everyone feel better. But it’s so challenging to motivate someone with depression to exercise, while contact with bird life is something that, perhaps, is feasible.”
Adrian Thomas, the author of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ Guide to Birdsong, said the report’s findings came as no surprise as most people described their reaction to birdsong as joy. He added, “Birdsong would have once been the natural soundtrack to all human lives, and I do think that it is rooted somewhere deep within us. It is related with spring and good times coming, which is just one of the reasons why we need to appreciate the role of birds in our life and ensure that nature.”
1. What were the participants asked to do?| A．To keep track of birds. | B．To keep record of moods. |
| C．To report health issues. | D．To analyze feeling changes. |
| A．Practicable. | B．Inspiring. | C．Measurable. | D．Effective. |
| A．Potential application of the research results. | B．A reasonable doubt to the research question. |
| C．Detailed descriptions of the research process. | D．A further explanation of the research findings. |
| A．Bird watching activity. | B．Stress relief methods. |
| C．Bird protection campaign. | D．Mental health treatment. |
【推荐1】Caffeine (咖啡因) is linked to lower body mass index (BMI) and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes (糖尿病). Genetic differences in how people metabolise (代谢) caffeine may influence how overweight they are, but this doesn’t mean drinking more coffee will make you slimmer.
Genetic evidence indicates that higher levels of caffeine in a person’s blood may be linked with lower weight. But people shouldn’t assume that drinking more coffee will be a route to weight loss, says Dipender Gill at Imperial College London, who helped carry out the study. Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive (对精神起作用的) substance, with many people consuming much coffee or caffeinated soft drinks a day.
Numerous studies have previously suggested that caffeine consumption is linked with lower weight. But these were mainly observational studies, which recorded people’s health and their caffeine consumption, making it hard to know if caffeine caused the effects or just correlated with them. Gill’s team used an alternative approach, looking at genetic differences in how quickly people break down caffeine to mimic (模仿) the effects of giving different amounts in a random trial.
There are two genes that affect people’s ability to break down caffeine, meaning that after consuming the same amount of it, people with different variants would have different levels of it in their blood. Gill and his colleagues analysed data from several previous studies that recorded people’s DNA and tracked their health. They included nearly 10,000 people in total, although most included only people of European ancestry.
The studies didn’t analyse blood samples, but previous work has shown that those who break down caffeine more slowly have higher levels of it in their blood on average — even though they tend to drink less coffee. The team found that people genetically predisposed (有倾向的) to have higher caffeine levels had a lower BMI, a measure of a person’s weight in relation to their height; lower fat mass; and a lower likelihood of having type 2 diabetes, a condition linked with being overweight.
“We know that caffeine affects metabolism (新陈代谢) and how energetic someone is. It makes sense that there might be an association,” says Benjamin Woolf at the University of Bristol, UK, who also worked on the study. Gill says people shouldn’t change their drinking habits based on these results — and that people wanting to lose weight should be especially wary of consuming milky and sugary coffee drinks. “A lot of caffeinated drinks are quite calorific,” he says. “Caffeine can have other harmful effects, including effects on sleep and heart function.”
1. What can we learn about caffeine?| A．Caffeine can make you have a slim figure. |
| B．The people thinner may have higher levels of caffeine in their blood. |
| C．Caffeine is the most psychoactive substance in the world. |
| D．Caffeine can be only found in people’s blood. |
| A．By finishing a questionnaire. | B．By doing investigation. |
| C．By analyzing previous data. | D．By collecting blood sample. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Scared. | C．Aware. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．People should drink more coffee to lose weight. |
| B．Europeans are more likely to be affected by coffee. |
| C．Those breaking down caffeine more slowly have higher levels of it in their blood. |
| D．Caffeine may have an impact on your sleep and heart. |
As far back as 1726, Johann Beringer was fooled by his fellow scientists into thinking he had made an amazing discovery. The fossils of spiders, lizards, and even birds with the name of God written on them in Hebrew were unlike anything that had been found before. He wrote several papers on them and was famous for those only to have it revealed that they were planted by jealous colleagues to ruin his reputation.
When an early human being was discovered in 1912, scientists at this time were wild with excitement over the meaning it had for the theory of evolution. There were hundreds of papers about this Piltdown man over the next fifty years until it was finally discovered to be a complex hoax. The skull (头骨) of a man had been mixed with the jawbone of an orangutan (猩猩) to make the ape (猿) man.
The next time you read the exciting new findings of a study of the best scientist, do not automatically assume that it is true. Even qualified people can get it wrong. Though we certainly should not ignore scientific research, we do need to take it with a grain of salt. Just because it is accepted as the truth today does not mean it will still be trustworthy tomorrow.
1. What is the reason why Johann Beringer was fooled?
| A．His fellow scientists wanted to make fun of him. |
| B．His workmates are eager to become famous too. |
| C．These scientists made a mistake because of carelessness. |
| D．His colleagues was jealous of him and did so to destroy his fame. |
| A．was in fact a complex hoax |
| B．was a great scientific invention |
| C．contributed to the theory of evolution |
| D．had the skull like that of an ape |
| A．Happily. | B．Generally. |
| C．Doubtfully. | D．Completely. |
| A．Hebrew is probably a kind of language. |
| B．Truths of science will never be out of time. |
| C．People believe scientists because they are persuasive. |
| D．We are advised to believe famous scientists. |
【推荐3】It’s official. Denmark—as well as being the world’s best country to live in for women with the second-happiest people and one of the best healthcare systems in Europe—has the most contented babies. Or, at least, the ones who cry the least. According to research published in the Journal of Pediatrics, Danish, German and Japanese babies cry the least, while British, Canadian and Italian babies cry the most.
“I’m not surprised,” Danish parenting expert and co-author of The Danish Way of Parenting Jessica Alexander tells me. “The first year of a child’s life is considered so important in Denmark. Danish parents are much less stressed because they get good maternity and paternity leave (孕产假). The atmosphere is much calmer and, if mothers are getting more time off, that goes hand in hand with less stress, more contact, more routines and less crying.” She pauses before throwing in a final tip: “Oh, and Danish babies sleep outdoors a lot.”
In Denmark, a woman is given four weeks pregnancy leave followed by 52 weeks of paid leave that can be shared between parents. And Alexander thinks there is another important reason why Danish babies cry less: breastfeeding. “It’s just the done thing in Denmark,” she says of a country that has the world’s highest breastfeeding rates. “In other countries, there are continual discussions about whether you should or shouldn’t breastfeed. In Denmark, breastfeeding has never gone out of style. And everyone does it for a year.”
For Iben Sandahl, Alexander’s co-author, it comes down to the Danish attitude to life in general. “We are an honest and pure people,” she tells me. “We are surrounded by social support and are less likely to become angry, sad or annoyed when our babies are crying. And we are good at embracing (拥抱) all kinds of feelings, so we aren’t scared. Instead, we try to connect with the babies when they cry. It’s how babies communicate and it’s about trying to understand it.”
1. Which of the following can make a baby cry less?| A．An effective healthcare system. |
| B．More company from a parent. |
| C．An energetic busy mother. |
| D．More chances to meet fellow babies. |
| A．something in the milk from breastfeeding can keep babies happy |
| B．Demark is second to none in protecting its females’ rights |
| C．Danish parents’ attitudes to a baby’s first year vary considerably |
| D．breastfeeding is a common and accepted practice in Denmark |
| A．try to figure out what they want |
| B．put them outdoors for a good sleep |
| C．seek social support for guidance |
| D．wait a moment for them to calm down |
【推荐1】The Internet is a growing new world that has been developing ever since it was created many years ago. The only reason Internet sales are not taxed(征税) is because we did not know the Internet would be used to sell products when it was created. Internet sales are no different from going into the store to buy the exactly same products except for the fact that Internet sales are not taxed.
When buying online, people cannot see and touch the product the same way they could in a store. To fix this, customers are going into the store to see the product. Then if they like the product, they buy it online to save money on the sales tax. This is a form of tax evasion(逃税) if you ask me!
Everyone has to pay the tax in the store and they should have to pay taxes online as well. Also, the added money brought in through Internet taxing could help the government to fund certain policies and other things that they could not do without the added funds(资金). This could go toward the country’s schools or other institutions necessary for society to function well. These funds could be extremely beneficial because of the recession(经济衰退) that the country is in at this point. Internet taxing is a way to increase those funds and in turn improve the quality of life for all who live in that country.
In a word, there are many more advantages than disadvantages in the argument over taxing Internet sales. I do understand that I may have to pay more if I want to buy something online, but the funds stay within my society and help my country. The added cost may hurt me at first but in the end, the funds will help me and others in our country.
1. Internet sales are not taxed because .| A．they are different from store sales | B．selling online was unexpected |
| C．people don’t know how to tax them | D．many people are against taxing them |
| A．Customers get better products at a lower price online. |
| B．Online shoppers find it difficult to buy satisfactory goods. |
| C．Online shoppers probably try to avoid paying tax. |
| D．Problems related to online shopping are hard to fix. |
| A．is good for all people living in the country |
| B．can help the country out of the recession |
| C．can help improve the quality of products |
| D．is beneficial to the development of Internet |
| A．whether Internet sales should be taxed |
| B．why Internet sales are not taxed |
| C．why people love to buy things online |
| D．whether it is a good way to buy things online |
【推荐2】Do you know the following expressions?
Homeric laughter
The “Homer” in this expression is the Greek poet who wrote The Iliad and the Odyssey. People laugh differently. Some laugh silently, while others tend to laugh loudly. “Homeric laughter” refers to laughter of the latter (后者) kind. It is at times uncontrollable, and the entire body shakes during the process. This kind of laughter is called Homeric laughter because this is how the gods laughed in Homer’s classics.
Faustian bargain
According to most stories, Faust was a German scholar who was rather unhappy with his life. The devil( 魔 鬼 ), Mephistopheles, promises him that in return for his soul, he will give Faust unlimited power and knowledge. Faust agrees and experiences all kinds of pleasures, but, in the end, his soul is condemned to the hell (下地狱). A “Faustian bargain” therefore is a deal that finally results in one's ruin. It means a bargain made for temporary gain without taking future consequences into consideration.
A three-ring circus (马戏团)
When you refer to a situation as being a three-ring circus, you are saying that it is a situation of complete confusion. There are so many activities taking place all together that they leave you confused or annoyed. The expression comes from the world of entertainment — the circus. The area where the artists perform their acts is called the “ring”. In the past, some of the circuses were so grand that they had three acts taking place simultaneously in three different “rings”. The audience had to decide which “ring” they wanted to focus on.
In the swim (of things)
When someone is in the swim of things, the individual is actively participating in the things happening around him, as in “I've been ill, but soon I'll be back in the swim of things.” In the world of fishing, fishermen use the word “swim” to refer to the section of the lake/river where fish can be found in plenty. So, if you are a fisherman and wish to catch a lot of fish, where would you be? You would be “in the swim”!
1. According to the text, Homeric laughter _______.| A．was the way Homeric laughed |
| B．means nervous, silent laughter |
| C．is a way to show disagreement |
| D．comes from a Greek poet’s works |
| A．he might come to a bad end |
| B．he would be considered clever |
| C．his life would become satisfying |
| D．he would gain power and knowledge |
| A．All of a sudden. | B．Little by little. |
| C．At the same time. | D．One after another. |
| A．It means having a lot of things to do． |
| B．It has nothing to do with swimming． |
| C．Originally it was used to refer to "going fishing"． |
| D．Patients use it to express their desire for health. |
【推荐3】There is good news for students of vacational(职业的) colleges in China: The government has announced plans to develop modern vacational education.
In the Government Work Report delivered to the National People’s Congress on March 5, Premier Li Keqiang spoke of the need to accelerate the development of modern vacational education to ease the pressure in the job market and meet the demand for skilled workers and technicians.
It is noteworthy that Li said that enrollment(招生) in higher vacational colleges in China should increase by 1 million this year, the first time the central authority has set a clear target.
This comes after the news of the large shortfall(不足) in high-level technicians, despite the fact that China has millions of technical workers, according toChina Daily.
China is expected to face a shortage of 3 million skilled workers who are able to operate robot and high-end numerical(数字的) control machines by 2020, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The shortfall will grow to 4.5 million by 2025. In addition, vacational education is at present unsatisfactory, although there’re many vacational colleges in China.
“In some vacational schools, the education methods and curriculum are not able to meet the demand of upgrading manufacturing(制造业升级),” Xing Hui, director of the Vocational Education Center of the National Academy of Education Administration, toldXinhua News Agency.“As can be seen from job markets, companies still can’t recruit qualified technicians even with high salaries.”
Some foreign countries have set a good example with respect to vacational education. For example, Germany has a dual(双重的) system in its vacational education. Teaching content and methods are determined by industries and training schools to reflect current industrial practice, reportedChina Daily. The system requires that students should be trained at both the school and the company, with company training as the main focus.
In Switzerland, the apprenticeship(学徒制) system is popular. Two thirds of Swiss students start vacational education after finishing middle school, reportedThe Telegraph. Many have academic and vacational training at the same time. They work as apprentices in a company for three or four days a week and study in school for the rest of the time. The experience of these countries shows vacational schools can cooperate with employers to better prepare students for the market, according toChina Daily.
“With the rising of the skilled workers’ status and income, it is believed the vacational education system in China will assume a bigger role in social and economic development,” commentedChina Daily.
1. What can we know from the words of Li Keqiang?a. China will put much effort into the job market to meet the demand for skilled workers and technicians.
b. Vocational education is pleasant, because there’re many vacational colleges in China.
c. Enrollment in higher vacational colleges in China might increase by 1 million this year
d. 2/3 of Swiss students start vacational education after Junior High, which is normal in foreign countries.
| A．ab | B．ac | C．ad | D．cd |
| A．Some contradiction(矛盾)on vacation China. | B．Problems in vacational education school |
| C．The shortfall in job markets in mainland China. | D．The importance of upgrading manufacturing. |
a. that will assume a bigger role in social and economic development.
b. whose teaching content and methods are determined by industries and training schools.
c. whose students work as apprentices in a company for three or four days a week and study in school for the rest of the time
d. which requires that students should be trained at both the school and the company, with company training as the main focus.
| A．ac | B．bc | C．ab | D．bd |
| A．To give a clear description of vacational education. |
| B．To motivate students to accept vacational education. |
| C．To point out some highlights in NPC and CPPCC Congress. |
| D．To ask people to go abroad to have a more promising vacational education |
