Do you have good friends? Do you sometimes feel so close to them that they are like family to you?
It turns out that this isn’t just an expression. A study by Yale University has found that you and your friends have more genes (基因) in common than strangers do. Researchers looked at the genes of 1,932 people and compared them in pairs of unrelated friends and strangers. They found that friends have 1% of genes that match.
“1% of genes may not sound like much to the layperson (外行), but to geneticists (遗传学家) it is a larger number,” Professor Nicholas Christakis of Yale University told Discovery News. In fact, this is the same amount of genes you share with your fourth cousins, those who have the same great-great-great grandparents as you.
So do you happen to become friends with people who share your genes? Not at all. In fact, it is evolution (进化) that brings you together.
“People who share certain genes also share skills and have similar likes and dislikes,” researchers said. In ancient times, it was important that people who were alike stayed together. For example, people who had a similar susceptibility (易感性) to the cold were more likely to help each other build a fire, giving them a better chance to stay alive.
Researchers also found that among all the genes studied, those producing a change in sense of smell were the most similar in friends.
This is probably because people who smell things in the same way are more easily drawn to similar environments. For example, people who like the smell of coffee may hang out at cafes (咖啡馆) more often and as a result are more likely to meet and become friends with each other.
With their findings, the team has developed an interesting test called the “friendship score”. It can help tell how big the chances are that two people will be friends by studying their genes.
So, here is a question for you: would you like to take this test and know in advance (提前) who your friends are going to be, or would you still prefer to learn about it by yourself and let time be the judge?
1. From the passage, we know that friends _______.| A．look like our cousins | B．share 1% of genes with us |
| C．feel close to our family | D．can help us when we feel cold |
| A．study how ancient people dealt with the cold |
| B．predict that similar environments lead to friendship |
| C．prove that it is evolution that brings friends together |
| D．explain why ancient people gave each other chance to keep alive |
| A．Friendship: Its Influence on People and Behavior. |
| B．Friendship: Its Benefits to Teens and Decision Making. |
| C．Friendship: Is It Necessary to Be Judged by Time? |
| D．Friendship: Is It Possible to Be Influenced by Genes? |
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【推荐1】The most famous food in Korca is kimchi(泡 菜). It is the food they eat every day. Also, there are about 190 kinds of kimchi. There are different kinds of kimchi for different seasons of the year. For example, in spring, watery kimchi, which is called mool kimchi, and Chinese cabbage are popular. In summer, young radish(萝卜) kimchi which is called chong kaik kimchi and cucumber(黄瓜) kimchi are common.
Korea is a small country. There are not enough fields to grow vegetables. In winter, it often snows and it is very cold. In the old days, people there found pepper was very good for them. They also found salty water could help them keep cabbage longer, so they mixed pepper, salt and cabbage together. They named it kimchi.
Today, lots of things are added to kimchi, such as fish, letuce, pears, apples and other ingredients. Some scientists say kimchi is very good for health, but others don’t agree. What do you think of it?
1. What do Korean people make in spring?| A．Mool kimchi. | B．Chong kak kimchi. |
| C．Cucumber kimchi. | D．Fruit kimchi. |
| A．Because people there didn’t grow vegetables. |
| B．Because there was too much pepper. |
| C．Because there were not enough vegetables. |
| D．Because eating kimchi made them warm. |
| A．Kimchi’s ingredients. | B．Different kinds of kimchi. |
| C．Korean people and kimchi. | D．The history of kimchi. |
| A．Cabbage | B．Yogurt | C．Fish | D．Lettuce |
| A．People in Korea eat kimchi every day. |
| B．Chong kak kimchi is made of radishes. |
| C．Scientists have the same ideas about kimchi. |
| D．There are different kinds of kimchi in different seasons of the year. |
Everyone knows that boys and girls are different. These differences can be seen in many parts of life, but the questions then comes.
Neither is better than the other and both are useful. Last week, a storm went through our town. Some houses fell down and a woman died. Many people went to help.
We shouldn’t fight those differences but accept them and understand we are all stronger when we help each other.
| A．Where do they come from? |
| B．The men looked for something to fix. |
| C．Children cried to look for their parents. |
| D．Men’s and women’s brains work differently. |
| E．Of course, there are also physical differences. |
| F．However, the right one deals with emotional things. |
| G．Maybe we can avoid these differences between them. |
【推荐3】How are movies made? There are many steps to follow when making a movie.
A movie is based on a story called a script. Some scripts are taken from books which are often already popular. A person who writes a movie script is called a screenwriter. Screenwriters write screenplays that not only have a story, but also tell about each movie scene. Screenwriters must write and draw pictures. Their pictures show what the scenes will look like in the movie. It does not matter if screenwriters are not good artists. They can write notes beside each picture. These give more information about each scene. Sometimes writers hire artists to draw for them.
The screenwriter sends the screenplay out to movie companies when it is finished. These companies receive hundreds of screenplays every day. So it is very difficult for the screenwriter to get the companies to like his story! If one company likes it, it will buy and film it!
To make a movie, there needs to be people to act in it. Casting actors can be a lot of fun! This is when the talent agency (经纪公司) matches real people to the film’s characters. Actors try out for a part in a movie. Only the best are chosen.
There also needs to be someone to film, or shoot the movie. This is the job of the director. Directors must use the best words and images for each scene.
The director makes the plan for shooting the movie. In fact, movies are not always shot in order. Sometimes the end scenes are shot first. This is often because different places can be used for each scene. Some places are not always open or able to be used. The director tells the crew when and where they will shoot the scenes.
The movie location is important, and choosing it can be tricky. Sometimes it takes a long time to find the right place. Movie locations usually must be large enough for the crew to work there. That can make them very expensive to use.
A script is chosen, the actors are hired, and the location is set. The crew and director are ready now. It is time to shoot the movie!
1. Why does the passage begin with a question?| A．To show off how much the writer knows about making films. |
| B．To catch readers’ attention to the topic of film making. |
| C．To show respect for the efforts film producers made. |
| D．To collect answers to the question for the passage. |
| A．Some new films based on famous books. |
| B．Some important influences on screenplays. |
| C．Some choices a movie company will make. |
| D．Some interesting things about screenwriters’ job. |
| A．Many people are needed to work hard together to make a good movie. |
| B．Many sounds are mixed by computer in the location while shooting films. |
| C．Actors can choose his favourite role in the movie when trying out for it. |
| D．Sometimes the end scenes are shot first because some actors are absent. |
【推荐1】Do you still remember the lesson from China’s Tiangong space station last year? On March 23, astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu gave another one! It was live-streamed worldwide. What fun experiments did they do this time?
A bridge of water
How do you build a “bridge” with water? It’s hard to do it on Earth. But in the space station, with little gravity, it’s quite easy!
In the lesson, Wang Yaping first made two water balls on two plates, then let them touch each other. Next, Wang pulled the two plates away, and the water between them didn’t break. It became a “bridge”! This is because the surface tension (张力) of water is not affected by gravity in space. The surface tension keeps the “skin” of the water strong so that the bridge doesn’t break.
Separate water and oil
If we mix oil and water in a bottle on Earth, we can separate them quickly because they have different densities (密度). Gravity brings the water down while the oil stays on top. However, if you do this in the space station, with no gravity, oil and water will mix together.
How can we separate them, then? In the lesson, Ye Guangfu rotated the bottle to create centrifugal force. With this man-made gravity, the heavier water and the lighter oil are separated.
1. We can build a “bridge” with water easily because of ______ in space.| A．the surface of water | B．the strong “skin” of water |
| C．little gravity | D．no gravity |
| A．they will be separated | B．they will mix together |
| C．the oil will go down | D．the water will stay on the top |
| A．The astronauts only gave one lesson from the space station. |
| B．The two experiments were live-streamed in China. |
| C．We can build a “bridge” with water on Earth easily. |
| D．In the space station, oil and water can be separated soon with centrifugal force. |
【推荐2】There are many people doing yoga in their spare time to exercise, especially women. It not only helps them become healthier but also keeps them happier.
Feeling a little stressed out? Research shows yoga can reduce (减少) stress levels and lower blood pressure. Yoga may even reduce more serious mental health problems.
Yoga can help you to make your body stronger, from your back to your arms. It’s a great way to change your weight by working for something different every once in a while. Try some yoga practices and you will feel the burn of the fat in your body.
Yoga can make your mind clear and active. Exercise is a natural way to improve your memory. Yoga may also help improve brain work and improve reaction (反应) time.
Study shows that the practice can help with insomnia. Now, sleeping well is a dream and wish for many people. Let yoga help you have a good sleep from now on. Forget the sleeping pills, and allow yoga to put you into a soft sleep. And with its calming work, there’s no doubt that your mind will be relaxed and prepared for the rest. Try one of these night time yoga practices for a better sleep.
Yoga may lead you to a happier state of mind. After such training about yoga, you are peaceful and quiet, and you feel quite pleased with all the things around you in your life. Every day is just a happy time for you.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
1. What can we know about yoga from the passage?
| A．Yoga can make life full of activities. |
| B．Yoga is good for the mind and the body. |
| C．Yoga practice comes from dance. |
| A．抑郁 | B．失眠 | C．嗜睡 |
| A．Helping you improve your memory. |
| B．Helping you have a good body shape. |
| C．Helping you have good dreams. |
| A．Yoga and health. | B．Yoga and sleep. | C．Yoga and stress. |
【推荐3】If you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they become weak. When you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows that. Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way. When someone says that he has a good memory. he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong. If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his own fault (过错). But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame (受责备), and few of us know that it is just his own fault. Have you ever found that some people can’t read or write but usually they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write and they have to remember things. They cannot write down in a little notebook. They have to remember days, names, songs and stories, so their memories are the whole time being exercised. So if you want to have a good memory, learn from the people: practise remembering.
1. The main reason why one has a poor memory is that ________.| A．his father or mother may have a poor memory |
| B．he does not use his arms or legs for some time |
| C．his memory is not often used |
| D．he can’t read or write |
| A．you can’t use them any more |
| B．they will become stronger |
| C．they will become weak and won’t become strong until you use them again |
| D．they will become neither stronger nor weaker |
| A．Your memory works in the same way as your arms or legs. |
| B．Your memory, like your arms or legs, becomes weak if you don’t give it enough chance for practice. |
| C．Don’t learn how to read and write if you want to have a better memory. |
| D．A good memory comes from more practice. |
| A．they have saved much trouble |
| B．they have saved much time to remember things |
| C．they have to use their memories all the time |
| D．they can’t write everything in a little notebook |
| A．Don’t stop using your arms or legs |
| B．How to have a good memory |
| C．Strong arms and good memories |
| D．Learn from the people |
【推荐1】When we were very small, we realized that having friends was important. Some of us even had imaginary(想象中的) friends. The need for friends continued as we grew into our teens. Friends played a big part in forming our personalities(性格). As adults, it is still important for us to have friends.
True friends are people who like us though we made mistakes and who listen to us and tell us the truth. Friends support our decisions and tell us when we’re foolish. They laugh with us and share our sadness. They are our partners and share interests with us. They stimulate us when we are feeling down. They are people we aren’t afraid of telling our secret wishes to or what is really on our minds.
Friends are our supporters. When you can depend on friends, you feel safe and warm. Friends offer acceptance and emotional(情感的) support. At times, they also help with our everyday lives, cooking a meal, doing chores, or giving us a lift when we need one. Friends also are there to offer advice, an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on.
Friends also help us reduce stress. Not only do they listen to us when we feel stressed, but they also discuss what is stressing us. Sharing interests and doing activities with friends help us forget about problems at work or at home. For a short time, we can lose ourselves in a pleasant activity and perhaps laugh and breathe more easily.
1. What is the best title for the passage?| A．How to Reduce Stress | B．How to Make New Friends |
| C．The Importance of Friends | D．The Qualities of Good Friends |
| A．educate | B．encourage | C．surprise | D．dislike |
| A．laugh at us when we’re foolish | B．tell us other people’s secrets |
| C．share our sadness and interests | D．support us when we need help |
| A．people should make friends anytime |
| B．friends are people who allow you to cry |
| C．a friend helps you in many ways |
| D．good friends are always difficult to meet |
【推荐2】In everyday life, people always have problems with others. Do you know how to get on well with others or keep a friendship forever? The following will help you.
Show your kindness.
Be open-minded (虚心的). Try to understand other people’s ways and ideas and learn something from them.
根据材料内容，从下面五个选项中选出能填入文中空缺处的最佳选项，使短文意思通顺、内容完整。
| A．Find some time to do special things for other people. |
| B．We are never too old to learn. |
| C．Be friendly and polite. |
| D．Listen carefully. |
| E．Remember names. |
【推荐3】Starting your new school life can be difficult. Everything seems hard, and you don’t even know where to go for your own classes.
Be active to start a conversation. A smile goes a long way. When walking in the halls, don’t keep your eyes on the floor. If you see someone, give them a smile or say hi.
Remember people’s names.
Join some clubs and activities. A new school and a new group of classmates offer more chances to explore(探索) some new interests.
| A．Have an opinion. |
| B．Making new friends can be hard too. |
| C．If not, don’t be afraid to ask them more than once. |
| D．They will smile and introduce themselves to you too. |
| E．Try to develop your skills as a leader in the new school. |
| F．This is a great help to you to have your first talk with others. |
| G．Try to be a member of a sports team or a part of a school play. |
