Little birds talk with their sisters and brothers in their nest. They make a sound for food. Mum tells them to be quiet when danger comes. But now a new study finds that kind of talk begins long before the babies are born. Even in the eggs, they can talk with each other and know when to get out or when to keep waiting.
To check that finding, a team of scientists from Spain watched unborn birds carefully in Salvora Island. Over there, sea birds produce eggs and minks eat baby birds. So it is quite a dangerous place for baby birds. Knowing when to come out of the egg is a matter of life and death.
Scientists collected sea bird eggs and put them into two groups. When minks come, a parent will give warning calls to the baby birds. Scientists played those calls for one group. While the other group stayed in a safe box. They would never hear such calls.
When scientists put all the eggs together, they found something surprising: after receiving warning calls, the eggs vibrated more than the others. Those vibrations moved from one egg to another. It was just like there were ears in the eggs. It was clear that unborn birds talked with their sisters and brothers about danger.
1. This passage is mainly about ________.| A．a magic egg | B．a wild animal | C．a new study | D．a huge box |
| A．check when birds begin talking | B．protect the sea birds in danger |
| C．take photos of beautiful sea birds | D．know when birds get out of eggs |
①collected bird eggs ②played warning calls ③put eggs together ④put eggs in group
| A．①→②→③→④ | B．①→④→②→③ |
| C．②→①→④→③ | D．②→①→③→④ |
| A．Birds in Danger | B．Love from Eggs |
| C．Nature for Birds | D．Talk in the Eggs |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】When spring is in the air, everyone looks forward to seeing the beautiful and eye-pleasing flowers and plants. The following flowers and plants might not be so eye-pleasing, but are certainly eye-catching!
Lady's SlipperThis flower is amazing. It looks like a shoe. To be more exact, it is like a lady's slipper. That's how it gets its name. Although it was once found across Europe and the UK, now Lancashire in England is the only place where this plant can be found. The flower was so unusual that people picked almost all of them. Besides, it is one of the most difficult plants to grow. Fortunately, strict rules have been made to protect this endangered plant.
Hot Lips
When you see a plant like this, don't get shocked! No, they are not a woman's lips （唇）! You can find these plants in countries with tropical （热带的） rain forests, such as Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama. Because of the cutting down of trees, these unusual plants have become endangered.
Black Bat Flower
The black bat flower is an unusual flower that grows in the wild and tropical forests of Yunnan Province in China. It is famous for its bat﹣shaped black flowers. It needs special environmental conditions to grow. This is the reason why it is an endangered plant.
You can consider yourself lucky if you actually see one of the plants mentioned above. After all, they are all endangered and disappearing from the earth. Hopefully, there are other unusual flowers that are left and undiscovered, because the world is full of surprising things!
1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean？________
| A．When spring comes. |
| B．When spring flies. |
| C．When spring is gone. |
| D．When the air is fresh. |
| A．One. |
| B．Two. |
| C．Three. |
| D．Four. |
a.
b.
c.
d.
| A．Lady's slipper（a）, Hot lips（b）, Black bat flower（c） |
| B．Lady's slipper（c）, Hot lips（a）, Black bat flower（b） |
| C．Lady's slipper（d）, Hot lips（c）, Black bat flower（b） |
| D．Lady's slipper（d）, Hot lips（c）, Black bat flower（a） |
| A．Get to know these eye﹣pleasing flowers |
| B．Three kinds of unusual tropical flowers |
| C．The world is full of surprising things |
| D．How to protect the endangered plants |
【推荐2】Kangaroos live in Australia. They can’t walk. But they can jump. They can jump very fast. Baby kangaroos are very small — only three centimeters(厘米) long. They can’t jump or see. A young kangaroo is always in its mother’s pouch(育儿袋) for the first six months. They can see when they are nine weeks old. They can jump when they are eight months old.
Camels(骆驼) live in a desert. They can close their long noses to keep out the sand.
Camels have humps(驼峰). Humps do not carry water. They carry fat(脂肪). If a camel is hungry, its hump will get smaller. A thirsty camel can drink a lot of water. If it drinks a lot of water, it won’t drink again for over a week.
1. A young kangaroo is in its mother’s pouch for _______.| A．six months | B．eight months | C．nine weeks | D．six weeks |
| A．walk | B．run | C．see | D．jump |
| A．湿地 | B．沙漠 | C．森林 | D．湖泊 |
| A．pouches | B．long noses | C．teeth | D．humps |
| A．food | B．water | C．fat | D．meat |
| Favorite animal(动物) | Food for the animal | |
Liu Chang |  | Meat(肉),milk(牛奶) |
Susan |  | Fish(鱼),bread |
Mike |  | Grass(草) |
Tom |  | Bamboo(竹子) |
根据表格所提供的信息选择填空
1. From the form, we know Mike likes _________best.
| A．dogs | B．cats | C．rabbits |
| A．dog | B．panda | C．cat |
| A．milk | B．bread | C．grass |
| A．meat and milk | B．fish and bread | C．bamboo |
| A．Yes. | B．No | C．We have no idea. |
【推荐1】A strange-looking, enormous (巨大的 ) sunfish was discovered by two fishermen on the shore at Coorong National Park in South Australia over the weekend. The ocean sunfish was spotted at the mouth of the Murray River by Steven Jones and his colleague Hunter Church.
“He thought it was a piece of driftwood (浮木) as they were driving past on the work truck,” Jones’ partner Linette Grzelak, who posted the photos of the fish on Facebook, said. “Neither of them had seen anything like this before. They find all sorts of sea life along the beaches but it has been mostly sharks and seals (海豹). This was something very different.” Grzelak added.
National Parks South Australia said these sunfish are the world’s largest bony fish and they can weigh more than a car. The fish feed largely on jellyfish (水母) and can grow well over 2 meters—although this one was “only” 1.8 meters long, putting it on the smaller end of the scale, according to the South Australian Museum. “The sunfish is known for its large size, odd (奇特的) flattened (扁平的) body shape,” the museum’s fish collection manager Ralph Foster said. He added that he was able to identify (识别) the fish from the markings on its tail and the shape of its head.
Foster added that the fish is called sunfish because it enjoys basking (晒太阳) in the sun. Their size and sun bathing habit mean they can be hit by boat. “Researchers have found they will come to the surface and lay on their side on the surface,” Foster said. “Once they are warm enough they dive down several hundreds of meters and feed on jellyfish and stay down there for some time. We know very little about them. It’s only in the last few years that technology has allowed us to start learning about them.”
1. Which can replace the underlined word in Paragraph 1?| A．Killed. | B．Discovered. | C．Stranded. | D．Shoot. |
| A．Excited. | B．Shocked. | C．Lucky. | D．Uninterested. |
| A．The category (类别) of the fish. | B．The physical characteristics of the fish. |
| C．The living environment of the fish. | D．The dietary habit of the fish. |
| A．What are the life habits of the fish like. | B．The reason why the fish is called sunfish. |
| C．Why the fish is easy to be hit by boat. | D．How the researchers learn about the fish. |
| A．In an advertisement. | B．In a novel. | C．In a science magazine. | D．In a newspaper. |
1. ________ A small change in your daily routine can bring about noticeable improvements for the situation of sub-health（亚健康）. The following are simple suggestions for students to fight sub-health. 5 to 7 am: This is the best time to get up. Getting up early and having a good breakfast is the easiest way to raise your energy and fight tiredness.
2. ________ A study shows that drinking water before work and study improves cognitive(认知的) ability. Drinking two liters of water can circulate（使循环）the levels of oxygen and minerals in the body.
3. ________ Take your eyes off the book or screen every two hours and look into the distance. The eyes can affect brain and heart functions if overused, which can lead to a risk of sudden death.
4. _______ Working out for one hour every day is important for students to remain healthy. Taking part in group sports is also a good way to reduce pressure.
5. ________ Reading paper-based books is good for improving concentration. A consistent amount of information allows you to memorize more efficiently. 10 pm to 11 pm: This is the suggested bedtime.
【推荐3】The Longtaitou Festival, also known as the Eryue’er Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival. It is on the second day of the second month of the Chinese calendar. This year it falls on February 21st. As an old saying goes, “Er yue er, long tai tou.” It means on the second day of the second month, the dragon lifts his head.
Ancient people believed that after this day, the rain would increase because the rain—bringing Dragon King woke up from his winter sleep. So it marks the start of spring and farming.
There are many ways to celebrate the festival. The most famous tradition is to have a haircut. It is said that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to the mother’s brothers. So many people have their hair cut on the Longtaitou Festival.
Also people eat special food on that day. People in Fujian Province eat tofu balls during the festival. They often make tofu and vegetable balls to pray for family and business. Eating chengyao cakes on this day is a tradition in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. It is said that if you eat chengyao cakes on Longtaitou, your waist (腰) won’t hurt the whole year. People in parts of Shandong Province eat fried beans to celebrate the festival.
Other foods, like noodles, dumplings, spring rolls and popcorn, are all named after dragon. Noodles are called dragons’ beard (long xu), dumplings are dragons’ears (long er), spring rolls are dragons scales (long lin), and popcorn is called dragon seeds (long zi). It’s said that eating these foods on this day can bring good luck.
判断正误（正确“T”，错误“F”）1. The Longtaitou Festival is a traditional festival in the world.
2. The Longtaitou Festival of 2023 falls on February 21st.
3. The Eryue’er Festival marks the start of spring and farming.
4. Eating chengyao cakes on Longtaitou is a tradition in Yangzhou.
5. The passage is mainly about the Eryue’er Festival.
The shadow play (皮影戏) is a folk drama. During the performance, the artists act behind the white cloth, controlling the silhouette (剪影) to act, sing and talk with the music.
According to historical records, the shadow play appeared as early as in Warring States, developed in the Han Dynasty and became popular in the Song Dynasty.
There are many different forms of shadow play in different places of China, but the ways to make silhouettes are almost the same.
The first step is choosing skin. Cow skin is the most popular material because it is not too thin or too thick. The chosen skin should be processed to become clean and then a picture of a character is drawn on it. After that, the skin is colored, air-dried, and then carefully cut into pieces according to the body parts. The last step is combination. All the pieces are sewn (缝) together to make the character move freely. Then it is put onto a bamboo stick so that it can be held easily.
Like many other traditional folk arts, its artists always want to pass on the art only to men not women in the past. Also, young people today don’t want to take up the tradition because they cannot make enough money to live through it. What can we do to help the development of Chinese traditional art?
1. How is the shadow play performed?
| A．By choosing skin. |
| B．By controlling the silhouettes. |
| C．By dressing up as the characters. |
| A．In Warring States. | B．In the Han Dynasty. | C．In the Song Dynasty. |
| A．Choose skin—Draw a character—Process skin—Color and dry skin—Cut it into pieces—Combine |
| B．Choose skin—Process skin—Draw a character—Color and dry skin—Cut it into pieces—Combine |
| C．Choose skin—Process skin—Draw a character—Cut it into pieces—Color and dry skin—Combine |
| A．组合 | B．创造 | C．包装 |
| A．Men and women can perform the shadow play in the past. |
| B．It’s difficult for young people to perform the shadow play well. |
| C．The shadow play may disappear if we don’t change its present situation. |
The British Museum is the biggest one in the world. It was built nearly 300 years ago by a doctor, Sir Hans Sloane. The man liked to collect things such as books, drawings, clothes and so on. He also hoped that his children and grandchildren kept his things well and so people would visit them after his death. His wish came true, and the museum opened in 1759, six years after Sir Hans Sloane died. Later, more antiques (古董) arrived at the museum and more people wanted to visit it.
The museum had a famous round Reading Room. There was something unusual in the room. Cool air came up through small holes in the tables. Hot air flowing under the floor kept readers’ feet warm. Since its opening, many famous people wrote and studied there.
It is open every day of the year, except two holidays (New Year’s Day and Christmas). Entrance (入场) is free. There are lots of special exhibitions and every day there are different films and talks, some of them for children. Small machines tell you about the museum as you walk around it.
So if you are one of the British Museum’s two million tourists this year, don’t try to see it all too quickly. There is a lifetime of looking in the British Museum.
1. People built the British Museum to remember Sir Hans Sloane.2. The doctor Sir Hans Sloane died in the year of 1753.
3. Tourists can visit the museum on New Year’s Day and Christmas Day.
4. The British Museum is worth spending much time visiting.
5. The text mainly talks about the Reading Room in the British Museum.
【推荐3】Not enough rubber any more
Look around you. Can you find anything made of rubber (橡胶)? Your erasers, rain shoes, car tires, doctors’ gloves …Rubber is soft and isn’t afraid of water. It is important and useful to us. But there is bad news. We might run out of natural rubber.
Where does rubber come from?
Most natural rubber comes from trees in warm places like India and Thailand. About 85% of the world’s rubber comes from these places.
Why are we running out?
Some rubber trees are sick. They can spread (传播) sickness to other trees. More trees can get sick. Rubber is very cheap. Farmers can’t make enough money by selling it. They don’t want to harvest and sell rubber.
What can we do?
We can grow more rubber trees. We can try to get rubber from other plants, such as a kind of Russian dandelion (蒲公英).
1. What is the meaning of the phrase “run out”?| A．跑出去 | B．耗尽 | C．增加 | D．追逐 |
| A．Because rubber is too expensive. |
| B．Because people in India and Thailand stop planting rubber trees. |
| C．Because people can get rubber from other plants. |
| D．Because some rubber trees are sick. |
| A．Cut down more rubber trees. | B．Make more things made of rubber. |
| C．Ask fewer farmers to harvest rubber. | D．Try to get rubber from other plants. |
