Flamingos (火烈鸟) make long friendships
When it comes to making friends, humans often seek people with similar interests and personalities.
Scientist Dr Paul Rose had already spotted that flamingos seemed to form narrow exclusive circles.
Each bird wore a ring around one leg with a unique code to tell them apart. McCully spent months studying their behaviour and built a personality profile for each flamingo. She found that confident, aggressive flamingos walked proudly around in their friendship groups, while the quieter birds carefully avoid those individuals.
McCully and Rose found that for the Caribbean birds, personality seemed to matter more in friendships than it did for Chilean flamingos. Caribbean birds were more likely to defend their friends and the confident ones had much larger social groups than the quieter birds. The researchers found this surprising because in many ways, including body shape and how they search for food in the wild, the two species are very similar.
| A．Their long-lasting relationships are important for survival in the wild. |
| B．He teamed up with Fiona McCully, a scientist in animal behaviour. |
| C．The scientists conclude that it’s important to keep flamingos in a large flock. |
| D．According to a recent study, so do flamingos. |
| E．This avoidance may serve to prevent the fights. |
| F．New research shows that flamingos with brighter colors tend to be more aggressive. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Many friendships hit rough patches. Sometimes it is worth the emotional strain to work through your problems, while at other times, especially when a friendship is harmful, it isn’t.
●Reflect and write down the good.
Before you face a difficult conversation with a friend, pause and reflect first. Think of a specific moment that this friendship has brought you joy or excitement. Using that memory as inspiration to write down things you appreciate about a friend.
●Choose a different way to communicate.
If repair efforts have not worked via your usual tech channels, try another way to communicate.
●
If you take a step back from the friendship and notice that it’s doing more harm than good, for example, your friend isn’t rooting for your success, bullies you, is inconsiderate, or you feel drained or misunderstood by them, it might be time to end instead of mend.
| A．Follow the red flags. |
| B．Mend it before it’s too late. |
| C．People are thrilled to get mail that’s not a catalog or a bill. |
| D．How to repair a friendship or leave it behind if it’s toxic? |
| E．Not all friendships last a lifetime and it’s OK to give up a bad one. |
| F．This indicates evaluating the balance of harm versus good is crucial. |
| G．Then, sharing that list in conversation with the friend regardless of the outcome. |
【推荐2】Too many people want others to be their friends, but they don’t give friendship back.That is why some friendships don’t last very long. To have a friend, you must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend to treat you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules: be honest; be generous (宽宏大量的); be understanding.
Honesty is where a good friendship starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you don’t tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven’t been honest, you may lose your friend’s trust. Good friends always count on one another to speak and act honestly.
Generosity (大度) means sharing and sharing makes a friendship grow. You don’t have to give your lunch money or your clothes, of course. Instead you have to learn how to share things you enjoy, like your hobbies and your interests. Naturally you will want to share your ideas and feelings. These can be very valuable to a friend. They tell your friend what is important to you. By sharing them you help your friend know you better.
Sooner or later everyone needs understanding and help with a problem. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be a first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend you must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend’s place so you can understand the problem better.
No two friendships are ever exactly alike. But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friendships, you must practice honesty, generosity and understanding.
1. Some friendships don’t last very long because________.| A．there are too many people who want to make friends |
| B．they don’t know friendship is something serious |
| C．those who give others friendships receive friendships from others |
| D．those who never give others friendships receive no friendship from others |
| A．as important as money | B．more important than anything else |
| C．something countable | D．the base of a friendship |
| A．A friend who gives you his lunch money is a true friend. |
| B．Always tell your friend the truth. |
| C．Discussing your problems with your friend often helps to solve the problem. |
| D．Sharing your mind with your friend is of great value. |
| A．Ask your friend for everything. |
| B．Don’t tell the truth to your friend. |
| C．Share your ideas and feelings with your friend. |
| D．Give your lunch money or your clothes to your friend. |
【推荐3】Have you ever been bored and decided to check social media, only to find out that your best friend is at Disneyland, that one of your classmates is eating delicious pizza at your favorite pizza store, and that one of your soccer teammates is climbing the Eiffel Tower in Paris? Have you ever had that feeling that others are experiencing things and enjoying life more than you are? Oh, man! You're missing out!
Rather than realizing this basic truth, though, we usually let FoMO lead us to compare our lives with those of others on social media.
| A．Have you ever experienced FoMO? |
| B．At least that's what you might think. |
| C．This certainly leaves us feeling dissatisfied. |
| D．So how do we break the cycle and avoid FoMO? |
| E．Over 75% of young people report feeling FoMO from time to time. |
| F．As famous Theodore Roosevelt said, "Comparison is the thief of joy". |
| G．If you let FoMO control you, the only thing you'll really be missing out on is your own life. |
【推荐1】While many animal populations seem to dwindle, one species that is moving in the opposite direction of such loss is America’s native wildlife — wood stork.
The wood stork is the only stork that breeds in North America. In 1984, it was declared an endangered species after its population decreased sharply to just 5,000 mating pairs. At the time, scientists predicted that the bird would become completely extinct by 2000. Today, it numbers 10,000 mating pairs, and the Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a delisting of the wood stork as an endangered species. So how did the population bounce back?
The success is in part down to the resourcefulness of the wood stork. The wood stork’s native home was in the Everglades in Florida, but it migrated north as the Everglades were being destroyed by development of mankind. Wetland preservation and restoration, protection of nesting areas, and management of water flows began with the approval of the wood stork’s first recovery plan in 1986. In the following year, former Savannah Coastal Refuges biologist John Robinette noticed stork nests in Georgia as stork populations moved to safer wetlands.
According to Stephanie Kurose, a senior policy specialist at the Centre for Biological Diversity, the Endangered Species Act is also to thank for this recovery. She said, “The act saved the wood stork and it helped preserve and rebuild vital habitats throughout the southeast, which has improved water quality and benefited countless other species who call the area home.” “The Endangered Species Act has saved 99 per cent of the species that were on the list since 1973. A hundred types of plants and animals have been delisted as their populations become stable again.
If the wood stork is delisted, it will remain protected by other laws and a monitoring plan will be put in place to ensure the population remains stable.
1. What does the underlined word dwindle probably mean?| A．Boost. | B．Change. | C．Decline. | D．Explode. |
| A．Its population shows a rising trend. | B．It has become completely extinct. |
| C．It is widely distributed worldwide. | D．It is the most endangered species. |
| A．Climate change of Earth. | B．Popularity of water sports. |
| C．Impact of human activities. | D．Arrival of other wild animals. |
| A．People have safer water to drink. | B．A list of species have been saved. |
| C．The local economy has boomed. | D．The wood stock has flown away. |
【推荐2】Next fall, when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying along in a V-formation (阵式), you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way.
As each bird moves its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a V-formation the whole group adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust (用力推) of one another.
When a goose falls out of its formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. If we have the same sense as a goose, we will also stay in the formation with those who are headed the same way we are.
When the head goose gets tired, it rotates (旋转) back in the wing and another goose flies to the point. It is reasonable to take turns doing demanding jobs—with people or with geese flying south. Geese honk (雁鸣) from behind to encourage those to keep up their speed. What do we say when we honk from behind?
Finally, and this is important—when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshots, and falls out of its formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies, and only then do they fly out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group. If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.
1. Every goose wants to stay in the V formation in order to ________.| A．get an uplift from each other | B．make a beautiful sign in the sky |
| C．escape from this group | D．just make fun |
| A．geese’s behaviors seem very meaningful but foolish |
| B．what the geese do should be adopted by our human beings |
| C．our human being always hate this way |
| D．geese are our people’s good friends |
| A．We are crying when we fall behind. |
| B．We are ashamed of our human’s behavior and really did worse at this aspect. |
| C．Many people envy this victory. |
| D．We have no words when we are behind. |
| A．V-formation Is Creative | B．The Life of Geese |
| C．Flying South | D．Geese’s Cooperation and Friendship |
【推荐3】We've certainly seen a dog nursing a wound, or a deer calling out in pain. But many animals suffer in silence. The most silent sufferers in the animal world may be fish.
Do fish feel pain? A new study from the University of Liverpool has found that fish feel pain in a way that's "strikingly similar" to humans. For the study, Lynne Sneddon, from the university's Institute of Integrative Biology, reviewed the existing body of research 98 studies in all and concluded that they feel pain just as sharply as we do."
When subject to a potentially painful event, fish show changes in behavior such as stopping feeding and reduced activity, which are prevented when a pain-relieving drug is provided. In fact, like us, they breathe heavily and stop eating when they're hurting. They will even rub the part of their body that aches." Sneddon notes in a university release.
To understand pain in other species, scientists look at nociceptors (疼痛感受器), which send signals to the brain when the body is being damaged. Humans have them throughout their skin, bones and muscles. Nociceptors have also been found in many other species, including even those tiny fruit flies.
Fish have the same means to detect pain signals and the equipment to receive them. Besides, the fishermen's opinion that fish feel no pain just doesn't add up from an evolutionary view. Pain is an efficient messenger that tells, us that we've got a problem. An animal that can't feel it won't get that memo (ER), even if it hurts itself.
"If we accept fish experience pain, then this has great significance for how we treat them," Sneddon says. "Care should be taken when handling fish to avoid damaging theirs sensitive skin and they should be humanely caught and killed."
1. What can we learn about fish?| A．They are insensitive to pain. | B．They are able to sense pain. |
| C．They won't react to painkillers. | D．Their brain is the first to send pain signals. |
| A．It might rub its lips. | B．It will keep its mouth open. |
| C．It will swim around like crazy. | D．It will keep eating to forget pain. |
| A．People will treat fish in a kinder way. |
| B．People can understand evolution better. |
| C．People can develop more drugs to save fish. |
| D．People will think of more ways to catch fish. |
| A．Disappear. | B．Put forward. |
| C．Make sense. | D．Happen. |
