【推荐2】How do the world’s only flying mammals(哺乳动物) communicate? Researchers have observed young bats adopting new “dialects” simply by hearing them repeatedly, making them one of the few animals known to be capable of voice learning. “These bats may help us clarify the development of speech learning skills,” says Yosef Prat, a PhD at Tel AvivUniversity.

For one year, researchers raised 14 Egyptian fruit baby bats with their mothers in controlled area, surrounding each young bat with two different voices: the natural call of its mother and a distinct recording that varied in loudness or tone. They found that the baby bats in each group developed a dialect like the recording. “The general assumption in this field is that most animals develop their born voices in despite of what they hear, and that human voice learning abilities have developed as time goes by,” says Mr. Prat. “The finding that bats learn the common dialect in their rest place was unusual. ”

Scientists know little about the origin of spoken language, which is believed to have appeared in humans within the past 500,000 years. A diversity of theories attempts to give a detailed clarification of this skill, but none have done so conclusively.

“Studying voice communication and voice learning in animal models is a very useful way to approach the problem,” says Olga Feher, an assistant professor at the University of Warwick in England.

But animal voice s and human speech are very different things, says Jamin Pelkey, a professor at Ryerson University. “All species communicate. Unlike other animals, though, human beings are able to use sound patterns for functions that are far stranger—functions that are imaginative, theoretical, and critical. When speech is involved in these stranger functions, that is what we mean by spoken ‘language’. ‘‘

1. How do young bats pick up their “language” according to the research?

A．By hearing it constantly.	B．By interacting with partners.
C．By learning from researchers.	D．By repeating it with their mothers.

2. Why does Mr. Prat think the findings unusual?

A．It is distinct from the general assumption.

B．It helps people understand human voice leaning.

C．It proves animals only develop their inborn voices.

D．It makes the previous assumption more convincing.

3. What does the underlined word “problem” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Illustrating the origin of animal voices.

B．Giving a full account of spoken language.

C．Helping animals develop their born voices.

D．Telling the differences between animal voices and human speech.

4. What does professor Pelkey think of researching young bats?

A．It is not so relevant to understanding human speech.

B．It promotes people to use imaginative sound patterns.

C．It is essential for analyzing animal voice learning skills.

D．It helps people explore more functions of spoken language.

【推荐3】To have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see rare Black Sea dolphins(海豚),people in the landlocked Russian town of Kaluga don't have to leave their city.In the parking lot of a large shopping mall is a white aquarium(水族馆):the Moscow Traveling Dolphinarium.

Russia's dozen or so traveling aquariums are seen as a way to bring native wild animals to people who might never see the ocean.Owners and operators of wildlife tourism attractions say their animals live longer than wild animals,and the animals under their care are with them for life.They’re family.

Alla Azovtseva,a longtime dolphin trainer in Russia,shakes her head.

“I don't see any sense in this work.My conscience bites me.I look at my animals and want to cry,”says Azovtseva.She has spent 20 years training dolphins to do tricks.But along the way she’s grown heartsick from the forcing highly intelligent, social creatures to live a lonely life in small tanks.“Dolphins have evolved to swim great distances and live in complex social groups-conditions that can't be reproduced in a pool,”she says.

“I would compare the dolphin situation with making a physicist sweep the street,”she says.“When they’re not engaged in performance or training,they just hang in the water facing down.It's the deepest depression.”

What people don't know about aquarium shows in Russia,Azovtseva says,is that the animals often die soon after being put in captivity(囚养),especially those in traveling shows.And Azovtseva,making clear she’s referring to the industry at large in Russia,says she knows many aquariums quietly and illegally replace their animals with new ones.

It's illegal to catch Black Sea dolphins in the wild for entertainment purposes,but aquarium owners who want to increase their dolphin numbers quickly and cheaply buy dolphins caught there.Because these dolphins are acquired illegally,they're missing the microchips that captive dolphins in Russia are usually tagged with as a form of required identification.

Some aquariums get around that,Azovtseva says,by cutting out dead dolphins’microchips and putting them into replacement dolphins.

1. What can be inferred about the town of Kaluga?

A．It is a seaside town.

B．It is a long way from the ocean.

C．It is full of traveling aquariums.

D．It is well known for dolphins.

2. What does Azovtseva really mean by shaking her head?

A．Dolphins in aquariums are actually treated badly.

B．Her work as a dolphin trainer is really boring.

C．Dolphins are more intelligent than people think.

D．People know little about how dolphins live.

3. What is the use of the microchips?

A．To show the dolphins are used legally.

B．To show the dolphins can be replaced.

C．To prove the dolphins are still alive.

D．To prove the dolphins are from the Black Sea.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To give an account of how an aquarium works.

B．To draw people's attention to dolphin society.

C．To uncover the dark truth behind aquarium shows.

D．To report the dolphin situation in the world.

【推荐3】Sitting on the sofa in her family’s Michigan home in 2009, looking through the Guinness World Records, 10 year-old Winter Vinecki was surprised to find that the record for the youngest person to complete a marathon on every continent was held by a 27-year-old man. “I can beat that,” she declared. “For Dad. ” And she had every reason to believe she could.

A natural athlete since the age of 5, Winter had been running together with her mom and uncle, both athletes, and competing in races across the country. Soon, her name was appearing in national competitions. Trophies (奖牌) lined her walls.

But in 2008, at the age of 9, Winter stopped racing for medals. In May of that year, her father found out he had caught a rare cancer. To raise awareness and funds to fight the disease. Winter started an organization called I earn Winter. Just 10 months after his diagnosis, her father passed away.

Over the next three years, Winter came first in 20 of the 37 races in which she competed, including four Junior Olympics Cross Country Championships. Along the way, she raised over $ 400,000 to help find a cure for cancer.

Now 14, Winter is working on her world record to win her cause a place in the Guinness World Records. She recently completed her first marathon in Eugene, Oregon, a race normally limited to runners over 16, finishing in an amazing 3:45:04. “I’m used to racing with adults, and I think it’s kind of fun to race past them,” said Winter before the race.

With six continents to go, Winter has just begun a journey that will take her two years. “Every time I step to a starting line,” Winter says, “I have one thought in mind: keeping my dad’s spirit alive.”

1. Winter tries to break the Guinness World Record as ________.

A．the youngest marathon runner

B．the athlete with the most medals

C．the marathon runner with the most medals

D．the youngest marathon runner on all continents

2. What caused Winter to start the organization “Team Winter”？

A．Her father’s disease.	B．Her father’s death.
C．Her uncle’s advice.	D．Her mother’s disease.

3. When did Winter finish her first marathon race?

A．At age 9.	B．At age 10.
C．At age 14.	D．At age 16.

4. What does the word “them” in paragraph 5 refer to?

A．World records.	B．Adult runners.
C．Young runners.	D．Marathon races.