We humans often say that a growling dog is “angry” or a purring cat is “happy”. But those terms are of little use to scientists like David Anderson who studies the brain circuits (脑回路) involved in emotional behaviors.
“We have to do more than just project our own emotions onto other animals,” he says. Yet Anderson describes research from his lab that suggests the brain circuits underlying human emotions have a lot in common with circuits found in animals’. “What lies beneath feelings,” he says, “is brain states that produce certain behaviors. And that’s the part of emotions we share in common with animals and that scientists can study.”
For example, Anderson’s lab has investigated fruit flies that become much more active when they see a moving shadow looking like their natural enemy. “We see that the more times we deliver the shadow the jumpier the flies become,” he says. And the flies keep jumping long after the shadow is gone. Anderson would behave much the same if he saw a snake. “I’d jump in the air,” he says. “Even for minutes after the snake had slipped away into the bushes, my heart would be pounding, and I’d probably jump every time I saw a snakelike object—even if it was a stick.”
That sort of behavior is typical of an ongoing brain state called defensive arousal(防御性唤醒). It’s present in both fruit flies and people which is why Anderson believes studying fear of an insect or a mouse is meaningful as it can reveal a lot about human emotions. “We can try to figure out how the brain is generating that state and what makes the animal finally calm down,” Anderson says. “We now understand specific parts of the circuit that increase fear and other parts of the circuit that decrease fear,” Anderson says. The next step, he says, is to figure out how to tweak that circuit to reduce the fear response of people with certain diseases like PTSD.
1. What does Anderson think about people’s common description of animals emotions?| A．It is limited by people’s knowledge of brain functions. |
| B．It is too subjective to be regarded as scientific evidence. |
| C．It is actually some misunderstanding of animals behavior. |
| D．It is meaningless to the study of animals’ emotional behavior. |
| A．To prove the effect of natural enemies on flies’ behavior. |
| B．To show similarities between human and animal emotions. |
| C．To mention the great influence of Anderson’s bad experience. |
| D．To stress the effects of negative emotions on people and animals |
| A．Replace. | B．Predict. | C．Adjust. | D．Observe. |
| A．Looking beyond human feelings. | B．Figuring out more human brain states. |
| C．Finding a cure for certain mental diseases. | D．Changing traditional ways of treating animals. |
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【推荐1】Have you ever wondered how dogs can walk barefoot(赤脚)in the snow? Now a Japanese scientist may have the answer-an inside central heating system.
The secret lies in how dogs circulate(使循环)their blood to prevent cold surfaces from chilling(使冷却)the rest of their bodies, according to Hiroyoshi Ninomiya, a professor at Yamazaki Gakuen University.
The system uses warm, oxygenated blood(含氧血)to heat the cold blood that has been in contact with a cold surface before returning it to the dog's heart and central circulation. "Dogs exchange heat at the end of their legs. Arterial(动脉的)blood flows to the end of their legs and then heats up venous(静脉的)blood before returning it to the heart, " Ninomiya said of his findings. "In other words, they have a heat exchange system in their feet."
Ninomiya studied a well-kept dog's leg under a microscope and found that because of the nearness of arteries and veins(静脉)in the foot pad,the heat in the blood carried from the heart to the arteries is easily conducted to the cooler blood in the veins.
This heat transference(热量转换)keeps a constant temperature in the foot pad, even when exposed to very cold conditions.
Dogs are not alone in having this sort of heat exchange system, which is shared by other animals such as dolphins.
1. Who is Hiroyoshi Ninomiya?| A．A famous writer. |
| B．A crazy dog lover. |
| C．An amazing doctor. |
| D．A university professor. |
| A．On the rest of their bodies. | B．On the top of their heads. |
| C．At the end of their legs. | D．Inside their deep hearts. |
| A．A travel magazine. | B．A science report. |
| C．A maths book. | D．A personal diary. |
【推荐2】Many people like travelling, but they cannot take their dogs wherever they go. Some people let their dogs stay alone at home while others ask someone else to take care of their pets. If you’re leaving your beloved pet at home for a holiday, it can turn into a bad experience. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about your dogs any more because Rover can cover for you while you are on leave. Rover is the latest service to offer at home dog boarding. It’s a good alternative (替代物) to boarding your dog at a dog boarding kennel (狗舍) or your neighbor’s house.
The way Rover works is sort of like Airbnb. Dog owners browse the “search” section of the site or app for pet sitters (宠物保姆), which can be organized by zip code and available dates. Information of pet sitters is provided, complete with many reviews, specific services and rates. Now Rover has over 25,000 pet sitters in more than 5,000 US cities. And they’re all experienced pet sitters.
After finding someone that meets your needs, just send messages to the pet sitter to arrange a meeting. Then, like Rover says, all that is left to do is relax! Rover’s pet sitters are encouraged to send text and picture information throughout the day, and if there’s a medical emergency, the site will send a vet. Besides, don’t worry about a pet sitter who falls through, because someone else will soon take his or her place.
Happy doggie, happy travels—that sounds good to us. To learn more about Rover, click here.
1. What kind of service does Rover mainly provide?| A．Telling people where to travel. |
| B．Providing information about dogs. |
| C．Helping parents look after their kids. |
| D．Helping people take care of their dogs. |
| A．sending emails | B．making phone calls |
| C．asking other dog owners | D．looking at information on Rover |
| A．advertise a website | B．advertise a service |
| C．encourage people to travel | D．introduce some pet sitters |
【推荐3】A beast of burden is an animal which has been trained to carry people or goods. Different animals are used as beasts of burden around the world.
In some areas, working animals have been replaced by mechanized (机械化的) transport.
A beast of burden may come to be viewed as an important member of the family. However, it shouldn’t be treated as a pet.
| A．Some even have special skills. |
| B．Therefore, these animals are treated as pets. |
| C．Beasts of burden can be used in a variety of ways. |
| D．The use of animals to carry goods and people is ancient. |
| E．But in other areas, they are still an important part of society. |
| F．Some common examples are elephants, donkeys, horses, oxen and camels. |
| G．Like other working animals, beasts of burden should not be interrupted when they are working. |
【推荐1】People can experience loneliness for many reasons and many life events may cause it, like the lack of friendship relations during childhood and adolescence, or the physical absence of meaningful people around a person. At the same time, loneliness may be a symptom of another social or psychological problem, such as chronic depression.
Many people experience loneliness for the first time when they are left alone as infants. It is also a very common, though normally temporary, consequence of a breakup, divorce, or loss of any important long-term relationship. In these cases, it may result both from the loss of a specific person and from the withdrawal from social circles caused by the event or the associated sadness.
The loss of a significant person in one’s life will typically start a sadness response; in this situation, one might feel lonely, even while in the company of others. Loneliness may also occur after the birth of a child, after marriage, or following any other socially disruptive event, such as moving from one’s home town into an unfamiliar community leading to homesickness. Loneliness can occur within unstable marriages or other close relationships in a similar nature, in which feelings present may include anger or bitterness, or in which the feeling of love cannot be given or received.
Loneliness may represent a dysfunction of communication, and can also result from places with low population densities in which there are comparatively few people to interact with. Sometimes, loneliness is capable of spreading like a disease. When one person in a group begins to feel lonely, this feeling can spread to others, increasing everybody’s risk for feelings of loneliness. People can feel lonely when they’re surrounded by other lonely people.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．The influence of a specific person in life. | B．The harm caused by loneliness. |
| C．The reasons for loneliness. | D．The importance of mental health. |
| A．The regular attendance at social events. | B．The physical absence of meaningful people. |
| C．The breakup of a marriage. | D．The lack of friendship relations. |
| A．bring to a family extra unexpected financial burdens |
| B．prevent one’s life from continuing in a normal way |
| C．make people too excited to control their feelings |
| D．replace the feeling of love with anger and bitterness |
| A．Loneliness can have a certain social effect. |
| B．Loneliness won’t occur in crowded places. |
| C．Loneliness is a disease spreading among people. |
| D．Loneliness can be the result of losing important relation. |
【推荐2】Research is done all the time and most of it goes straight by us, but sometimes we come across some results that are too interesting not to share. It can be fun to find out about new facts, but sometimes you come across things you’d rather not have known. Luckily, we’ve got some fun facts for you today! It turns out that your hand can tell you a lot about your personality. It’s really quite strange. This research mostly focuses on your fingers.
The secret lies in your ring finger and index finger（食指）. It can say a lot about what kind of man you are. Yes, this test only applies to men because the length of these fingers indicates the level of testosterone（睾酮）in men. There are three types: A, B and C.
A. The ring finger is longer than the index finger
We’re talking about handsome men here. They’re charming and can get along with everyone. Yet they are a little more aggressive and are quick to take risks. This also means that these people often make more money than their colleagues with a shorter ring finger.
B. The ring finger is shorter than the index finger
Men with these hands are very confident and can even be a little self-loving. These people have no trouble being alone often and don’t like being disturbed. When it comes to love, they do not take a risk out there a lot. They’re not the ones to make the first move.
C. The ring finger and index finger are the same lengths
Maybe this says enough already. Men with these hands are good mediators（调停者）, devoted and loving. Everything is balanced with these people. They’re calm and everything seems to run smoothly, as if it’s all organised.
1. Why does the author think the hands are strange?| A．We know nothing about them. | B．Both the hands are different. |
| C．They can let out the personality. | D．Some facts about them are fun. |
| A．The length of the fingers. | B．The existence of testosterone. |
| C．The ability to handle things. | D．The requirement of patience. |
| A．They are attractive. | B．They are confident. |
| C．They are devoted. | D．They are aggressive. |
| A．The new use of the fingers | B．The latest research into the hands |
| C．The three categories of the fingers | D．The secret of ring and index fingers |
【推荐3】Very often, we have small medical problems that aren't serious enough to require a visit to the doctor’s office. Problems, such as a sore throat or a stomachache, can often be taken care of with medicines available on drug stores. However, many people prefer to treat slight medical problems at home instead of going to a doctor. For a sore throat, it’s certainly easy to stop by a local drug store and pick up a pack of lozenges (含片). But some people prefer to make special drinks, such as warm milk with honey, or lemon juice and honey. Other people like to wash out their mouths with warm, salty water.
Stomachaches can be treated with medicines that are available at local drug stores, but many people first try drinking soda (苏打水) to settle their stomachs. Another more natural treatment is peppermint (薄荷) tea.
Besides the various cold medicines available, many people treat their colds by having a bowl of homemade chicken soup. Others like to drink hot water with lemon and honey before they go to bed.
Many books offer helpful suggestions for the treatment of small medical problems at home and provide useful information about first-aid. In case of a bee sting (蜇伤), for example, they advise that you put mud or a piece of potato directly on the sting or a little vinegar on the skin so the sting will disappear.
Modern medicine has progressed greatly in the past few years, but there are still times when it’s very convenient to rely on good old home treatment.
1. What does the underlined word “available” in the first paragraph mean?| A．Cautious. | B．Obtainable. |
| C．Delighted. | D．Previous. |
| A．Drink warm, salty water. |
| B．Pick up a piece of potato. |
| C．Drink hot water with lemon. |
| D．Drink warm milk with honey. |
| A．Soda. | B．Peppermint tea. |
| C．Chicken soup. | D．A little vinegar. |
| A．If you feel uncomfortable, you don’t need to see a doctor. |
| B．Once you are ill, please see some famous doctors at once. |
| C．Modern medicine should be taken on time, if you are ill. |
| D．We can rely on good old home treatment if we aren’t seriously ill. |
【推荐1】As university doors opened in September for a new year, an estimated six million people across the world took to the streets in a historic week of climate action. The power of this youth－led campaign reflected the urgency for action on the environment. So what now? For freshers starting a new chapter at university, deciding how to live your life is vital. Here are some ideas about how you can be sustainable as a student.
What you put on your plate matters: nearly a quarter of all greenhouse gases come from agriculture, and most of those are from meat and dairy. Meat and dairy consumption results in excessive (过度的) land use, industrial emissions, methane, water use and deforestation. Cutting out meat is an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint. A meat－free diet has been recommended as the “single－biggest way” an individual can reduce their impact on the planet.
Forget fast fashion: keeping your clothes for as long as possible has much more than just monetary value. In the UK, clothing has the fourth－largest environmental impact after housing, transport and food. So recycle your clothes or mend them.
For some freshers, this will be your first time living alone, which means doing your own washing, cooking and cleaning. There are simple ways you can change your habits to live more sustainably. Wash your clothes at a lower temperature，and choose a bamboo toothbrush or more eco－friendly sanitary(卫生的) products. When shopping, see if there's a zero－waste shop nearby, where all products are free from plastic packaging. Just turn up with your own container. If you're planning a weekend away with new friends, try to travel by train or bus.
Individual actions matter, as they demonstrate commitment and provide an alternative to how we can live. But campaigning is important, too. University campuses can be the perfect place for this. If you don't know where or how to start, see if there are any societies at your university like UK Student Climate Network. Students of the Fossil Free campaign, for example, have brought on huge changes by calling on their institutions to stop using fossil fuels—and 76 UK universities have now committed to it.
1. What can we learn from the text?| A．Meat consumption delays industrial development. |
| B．A meat－free diet is suggested for a low－carbon life. |
| C．Food production generates few greenhouse gases. |
| D．Clothing has a bigger impact on environment than food. |
| A．By washing clothes at a lower temperature. |
| B．By shopping less and buying organic food. |
| C．By growing their own vegetables on campus. |
| D．By travelling somewhere by train or airplane. |
| A．Alternative lifestyle. |
| B．Individual actions. |
| C．Campaigning. |
| D．Commitment. |
| A．Fashion: A Big Waste of Resources |
| B．Recycle: Individual Actions Matter |
| C．How to Live a Zero－waste Life |
| D．How to Be a Sustainable Student |
【推荐2】Zea Tongeman, a 14-year-old student, who is crazy about the Internet, applied technology to create an application that encourages people to recycle rubbish while having fun.
Zea was really inspired when she attended “Little Miss Geek Day”, an event that aims at making technology more accessible and appealing to young women and inspiring them to consider technology careers. Soon after, she entered “Apps for Good”, a competition that encourages students to create positive change through technology. Teaming up with her friend, Jordan Stirbu, she laid the foundations for the “Jazzy Recycling”.
The “Jazzy Recycling” application is designed to encourage young people to recycle rubbish more, which wins the favour of the youth. It turns waste disposal into a game and helps you find places to recycle it. Then you scan what you need to recycle, share it, and get rewards such as shopping vouchers (代币券) and games to be unlocked for what you have recycled.
Tapping into the teen enthusiasm for sharing every little aspect of their daily lives on social media, recycling efforts can be shared too as a fun game among friends, which can make more people take part in recycling activities.
Zea explains why she is addicted to the Internet and how technology has changed her ideas about the future, “I used to think technology was just fixing computers and using smartphones; I have become very tired of just using what is available. I have discovered another side of it and that I can make technology of my own.”
In fact, Zea Tongeman has taken the idea of recycling seriously and hopes all her fellow human beings would give it a serious thought. This teen girl from the United Kingdom has made use of computer programming to create her own app that would encourage people to go recycling for a better world.
1. What is “Little Miss Geek Day” intended to do?| A．To inspire students to go recycling. | B．To encourage students to create more. |
| C．To introduce some famous young ladies. | D．To get girls interested and involved in technology. |
| A．It combines recycling with fun. | B．It offers money to those who recycle rubbish. |
| C．It raises their awareness of waste disposal. | D．It provides varieties of convenient services. |
| A．Brave. | B．Honest. | C．Creative. | D．Kind. |
| A．Teenagers have a talent for creating apps. |
| B．Technology plays a significant role in education. |
| C．Competitions inspire teenagers to achieve success. |
| D．Young people can make a difference in their own ways. |
【推荐3】4 Poetry Collections to Read and Enjoy
In honor of National Poetry Month, celebrated every April, we’re sharing a roundup of poetry collections that have been published within the last year.
Black Girl You Are AtlasBy Renee Watson,
illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Renee Watson, the best-selling author of Ways to Make Sunshine, draws from her childhood for some of these poems, which include haiku and free verse. The subjects range from racial injustice to self-love. The artwork is spectacular.
Ages 12 and up
In and Out the Window
By Jane Volen,
illustrated by Cathrin Peterslund
In addition to being the author of more than 350 novels, Jane Yolen is an esteemed poet. This new collection includes more than 100 of her works on popular childhood topics including school, animals, and sports. One title: “On My Toes: A True Story. ”
Ages 8-12
Poetry Comics
By Grant Snider
illustrated by Leo Dawson
The dozens of short poems in this collection are written and illustrated in comic panels. The book contains four chapters—one for each season of the year. Titles for the spring poems include “Bubbles,” “Balloon Story,” and “Tadpole.” The subjects for the poems feel fresh and fun.
Ages 8-12
She’ll Be the Sky
By Ela Risbridger,
illustrated by Anna Shepeta
Dozens of female poets, including Amanda Gorman, contributed to this collection. Topics range from animals to activism. Most poems are accompanied by a full-page color illustration.
Ages 8 and up
1. Which book is tailored for readers who are over 12 years old?
| A．Poetry Comics. | B．She’ll Be the Sky. |
| C．In and Out the Window. | D．Black Girl You Are Atlas. |
| A．Animals and activism. | B．Four seasons of the year. |
| C．Popular childhood topics. | D．Racial injustice and self-love. |
| A．To fascinate poetry-goers. | B．To advertise 4 poetry collections. |
| C．To celebrate National Poetry Month. | D．To comment on 4 poetry collections. |
