1 . We recognize our friends’ faces. And we’re not alone. Many social animals can identify individuals of their own species by features of their faces. That's important, because they need to be able to change their behavior depending on who they meet. And a recent research has shown that some species of monkeys, birds, and domesticated (家养的) animals can even tell different faces apart by looking at photographs alone.
Ethologist Léa Lansade of the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment did an experiment to find out how well horses can recognize individual people in photographs.
She and her team first taught the horses how to “choose” between two side-by-side pictures by touching their noses to a computer screen. The horses were then shown photos of their present keeper alongside faces of unfamiliar humans. They had never seen photos of any of the people before. The horses correctly identified their current keeper and ignored (忽视) the stranger’s face about 75%of the time. In fact, even though the horses didn't get it right every single time, they were at least as correct in picking out their earlier keeper as they were at identifying their present one.
The results suggest that not only can horses differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar human faces, they also naturally understand that photographs are two dimensional representations (二维呈现) of real life, without any other intimations such as smell or sound. And they’re even better at this than our oldest animal parter, the domestic dog.
In addition, horses seem to have a strong long-term memory for human faces, like their long lifespan and history of domestication. In future experiments, the researchers would like to test whether looking at photos of people that they have had bad experiences with in the past might cause horses to act anxious or even avoidance. So maybe think twice before doing anything that might give a horse a long face.
1. Why did researchers show the horses both the keeper’s photos and the strangers’?| A．To find out what horses would do in the experiment. |
| B．To see why horses could recognize the keeper in the pictures. |
| C．To test whether horses could recognize the strangers in pictures. |
| D．To study to what degree horses can make out different people in pictures. |
| A．Clues. | B．Differences. |
| C．Photographs. | D．Senses. |
| A．Whether horses can live longer than other animals. |
| B．Whether horses can remember human's faces for a long time. |
| C．Whether horses can show their emotions at the sight of photos. |
| D．Whether horses are better at recognizing photos than other animals. |
| A．To talk about animals’ species. |
| B．To explain animals’ facial features. |
| C．To show animals’ behaviour for adaptation. |
| D．To introduce animals’ ability to identifying faces. |
2 . What role might arts play in response to climate change and related economic and ecological crises?
It’s often said that a novel, a painting, a song or a motion picture changed how a lot of people thought or felt about the world. Anthropologists (人类学家) and historians rightly argue that major changes in society have sprung up not from the arts, but from-our relationship to our environment. Nevertheless, artists’ efforts help shape the terms by which society adapts to such changes and their consequences. Think of how Beethoven marked the beginnings of modern democracy and the nascent (初期的) Industrial Revolution. Or how Hollywood writers and directors inspired massive support for the U.S. war effort during the early 1940s.
We have stepped into a century in which the societal systems have been built since the start of the Industrial Revolution. Our food system，transport system，energy system，financial system，and possibly our political and governance systems were designed during an era in which fossil fuels met the great quantity of our fast-growing energy demand. But fossil fuels are exhaustible resources, and their reduction will drive evermore desperate methods of extraction (提炼), create evermore environmental risk and require evermore capital-even as alternative energy sources they are also costly. Further, burning fossil fuels changes our planet’s climate. So, at the same time our economy will need to be redesigned to run on entirely different energy sources, and the natural world will be shifting around us in unprecedented (空前的) ways, with more frequent disastrous storms，floods，droughts etc.
Everything will be up for negotiation, redesign and change. And artists have the opportunity and duty to translate the resulting tumultuous (动荡的) human experience into words, images，and music that help people not just to understand these events mentally, but also to come to grips with them willingly. The economic and environmental shifts described above are currently being detailed in ever-greater specificity in hundreds of reports released yearly by climate and energy experts. What’s missing in their carefully worded journal articles is the human dimensions of imagination, joy or sorrow, inspiration, and passion. Art can help us cope with the possible effects of our collective challenges. It can help prepare society for a possibly painful future. It can give voice to suffering and loss, helping people deal with life’s unavoidable stress. And it can also offer beauty, which can be especially important in hard times.
Meaningful art can and must express the chaos we encounter and help us process it mentally and emotionally. To achieve this, artists need to dig deeper, observe more closely and help their audiences connect abstract explanations and forecasts with actual experiences.
1. The author mentions Beethoven to suggest that__________.| A．musicians can easily adapt to changes in society |
| B．music can control the social change of the world |
| C．anthropologists are right about major changes in society |
| D．art serves as a bridge for people to understand the world |
| A．start to create | B．begin to deal with |
| C．try to record | D．take an interest in |
| A．are expected to show human experience in works |
| B．deal with the unpleasant events willingly |
| C．help people forecast painful future |
| D．are the voice of suffering and loss |
| A．Art in Greater Need during Climate Change |
| B．The Relationship Between Society and Art |
| C．The Climate Clues Hidden in At History |
| D．The Best Ways to Change the World |
3 . The biggest and the smallest of the world’s animals are most at risk of dying out, according to a new analysis, with vertebrates (脊椎动物) in the so-called “Goldilocks zone”—not too big and not too small—winning out. Action is needed to protect animals at both ends of the scale, they say. The research adds to evidence that animals are dying out on such a scale that a sixth extinction is considered under way.
One clue is body size. Research on birds and mammals has shown that those with larger bodies are more likely to go extinct. Yet, when the researchers made a database of thousands of birds, mammals, fish, amphibians (两栖动物) and reptiles (爬行动物) at risk of extinction, they found disproportionate (不成比例的) losses at the large and small ends of the scale.
“Surprisingly, we found that not only the largest of all vertebrate animal species are most threatened, but the very tiniest ones are also highly threatened with extinction,” Prof. Ripple told BBC News.
Large animals, such as elephants, rhinos (犀牛) and lions have long been the target of protection efforts. However, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians that are the giants of their kind, such as the whale shark, Somali ostrich (鸵鸟) and the Chinese giant salamander (蝾螈), tend to be overlooked. Meanwhile, small species at risk--such as frogs and shrews (鼩鼱)--receive very little attention.
“I think, for the smallest species, first of all we need to bring higher awareness to them, because the larger ones get a lot of attention, but the smaller ones get very little,” said Prof. Ripple.
In the study, vertebrates with the smallest and the largest bodies were found to be most at risk of disappearing, whether they were on land or living in oceans, streams or rivers.
Heavyweights are threatened mainly by hunting, while featherweights are losing out to pollution and cutting down forests. “Ultimately, reducing global consumption of wild meat is a key step to reduce negative impacts of hunting, fishing, and trapping on the world’s vertebrates,” they write in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
1. What made the researchers feel surprised?| A．A sixth of animals are dying out. |
| B．Small animals are in great danger. |
| C．Great losses of birds and mammals. |
| D．Big animals are at risk of disappearing. |
| A．Transform our habits. | B．Change our concepts. |
| C．Find ways to save small animals. | D．Take measures to stop pollution. |
| A．Loss of forests. | B．Climate change. |
| C．Human activities. | D．Environmental pollution. |
| A．Size Matters When It Comes to Extinction Risk |
| B．Large Animals Are Badly in Need of Protection |
| C．Why a Great Number of Animals Are Dying out |
| D．What We Should Do to Protect Endangered Species |
4 . It is interesting when you think about how Japan is a nation that appreciates silence and good manners, and yet when it comes to eating noodles, Japanese people can be the loudest in the world.
According to lifestyle website gm/Tee.jp, slurping (发出“哧溜”声) when eating noodles is encouraged in Japanese culture. It is believed that taking air into your mouth can improve the flavor of the noodles, and that it helps cool down the noodles. It is also considered to be a way to show appreciation for the dish. Sometimes, just making the noise alone seems to make the noodles more enjoyable.
It was not until a new expression “noodle harassment (骚扰)” or “hu-hara” in Japanese came out last year on social media that Japanese people started to realize that the slurping noise is making some foreign visitors uncomfortable.
As a response, Japanese instant noodle maker Nissin introduced a so-called noise-canceling fork last month. The fork, which looks like an electric toothbrush, is connected to a smartphone. When the person using the fork starts to slurp, the fork sends a signal to the person’s phone, making it play a sound to mask the slurping noise. “The fork is a solution to the ‘noodle harassment’ issue, particularly as the number of tourists visiting Japan increases,” said the company, according to Euronews.
But is it really necessary?
Dining traditions do vary. What is considered to be proper table manners in one country is likely to be seen as rude in another. In India, for example, people eat with their hands because they think in this way they build a connection with the food. However, people who are used to eating with utensils (餐具) might find it uncomfortable to get their hands covered in oil and bits of food. But this eating method is part of India’s culture, just like Japan’s slurping. It is common and an everyday part of the nation’s culture.
Reporter Brian Ashcraft on blog Kotaku wrote “if anyone gets annoyed while you are slurping, pay them no mind because they are missing the point entirely.”
1. Which of the following is NOT a reason for Japanese to slurp when eating noodles?| A．It makes the noodles taste more delicious. |
| B．It enables their dining experience to be more pleasant. |
| C．It shows appreciation for the food they eat. |
| D．It keeps the noodles warm in their mouth. |
| A．It stops its users from slurping. |
| B．It plays a sound to cover the slurping. |
| C．It needs a smartphone to be connected. |
| D．It functions as an electronic toothbrush. |
| A．give an example of different table manners |
| B．show a more annoying eating habit than slurping |
| C．indicate the Indians’ dislike of slurping |
| D．prove the conflicts between different dining traditions |
| A．Annoyed. | B．Embarrassed. | C．Favourable. | D．Indifferent. |
5 . I had always been warmly praised for my shooting ability when I was in high school. But when I went to Ohio State, I discovered that everyone on the team was
To win a starting job on the team, I had figured I would have to
One day, when we were
Then, near the end of the game, in a(an)
Standing there in that circle of cheering audience, I came to
| A．ordinary | B．anxious | C．inexperienced | D．excellent |
| A．bless | B．impress | C．help | D．equip |
| A．turned out | B．turned to | C．turned up | D．turned down |
| A．count | B．focus | C．wait | D．call |
| A．problem | B．approach | C．comment | D．decision |
| A．looking | B．playing | C．applying | D．preparing |
| A．responsibility | B．potential | C．comfort | D．change |
| A．cheerful | B．satisfied | C．disappointed | D．frightened |
| A．mood | B．attempt | C．rush | D．position |
| A．opportunity | B．method | C．suggestion | D．lesson |
| A．caught | B．kicked | C．shot | D．held |
| A．rare | B．typical | C．key | D．possible |
| A．wish | B．achieve | C．advise | D．realize |
| A．Poor | B．Losing | C．Strong | D．Capable |
| A．income | B．praise | C．support | D．promotion |
6 . Climate Change: Yes, Your Individual Action Does Make a Difference
What can we do in the face of the climate emergency? Many say we should drive less, fly less, eat less meat. But others argue that personal actions like these are a pointless drop in the ocean when
It’s a debate that has been raging for decades.
In a survey I
I wondered if these impressionable people were already behaving like squeaky-clean environmentalists, but the
To explore people’s
That people are influenced by others is
| A．set down | B．set against | C．set aside | D．set apart |
| A．puzzling | B．terrifying | C．devastating | D．astonishing |
| A．Clearly | B．Especially | C．Fortunately | D．Angrily |
| A．knock-out | B．knock-down | C．knock-off | D．knock-on |
| A．confronted | B．conducted | C．contributed | D．combined |
| A．ways | B．attitudes | C．behaviors | D．shields |
| A．reduced | B．raised | C．increased | D．decreased |
| A．In this case | B．In some cases | C．In case | D．In any case |
| A．results | B．habits | C．points | D．figures |
| A．reasoning | B．thinking | C．predicting | D．displaying |
| A．neutralised | B．crystallised | C．actualised | D．generalised |
| A．subtle | B．visual | C．valid | D．varied |
| A．merely | B．hardly | C．nearly | D．only |
| A．survive | B．peak | C．nurse | D．starve |
| A．bugle | B．flute | C．whistle | D．trumpet |
7 . Pablo Ruiz Picasso’s family moved to Barcelona in the autumn of 1895, and Pablo entered the local art academy, where his father had assumed his last post as professor of drawing. The family hoped that their son would achieve success as an academic
The Spanish capital was the
Picasso fell
In Barcelona Picasso moved among a circle of Catalan artists and writers whose eyes were turned
| A．painter | B．writer | C．professor | D．critic |
| A．works | B．success | C．power | D．fame |
| A．offered | B．sold | C．awarded | D．presented |
| A．necessary | B．obvious | C．favourite | D．interesting |
| A．achieving | B．obeying | C．seeking | D．fulfilling |
| A．academic | B．stupid | C．indifferent | D．satisfying |
| A．travellers | B．teachers | C．artists | D．archaeologists |
| A．ill | B．upset | C．down | D．asleep |
| A．permitting | B．recovering | C．remaining | D．struggling |
| A．moved to | B．settled in | C．lived in | D．returned to |
| A．Barcelona | B．Catalan | C．French | D．British |
| A．welcomed | B．planned | C．decided | D．covered |
| A．on | B．over | C．up | D．toward |
| A．subjects | B．characters | C．spectators | D．painting |
| A．doctor | B．priest | C．policyholder | D．policeman |
8 . Summer is a great time to hit the beach, but a few East Coast beach goers have recently had their fun in the sun turned into a nightmare. In July alone, there have been at least five known shark attacks at Carolina beaches. Although shark attacks are actually quite rare, these animals still inspire fear in ocean waters.
Skip feeding time.
You don't need to dump shark repellent（驱鲨剂）into the sea when you swim, but it helps to be less attractive as a target. Since sharks tend to attack individuals, swim or surf in groups. Don't wear brightly colored or high-contrast swimwear that is attractive to sharks, and leave the shiny jewelry at home in case of being mistaken for the scales（鳞片）of a fish.
Fight back.
When a shark wants to eat you, you'll know in advance: It will hunch its back, lower its fins, and rush at you in a zigzag pattern. Use your dive knife or anything else you' re packing to discourage it.
| A．Don't act like dinner. |
| B．Don't go into the water individually. |
| C．Also watch your movement in the water. |
| D．Nevertheless, the following three aspects could help. |
| E．If you have a surfboard or bodyboard, use it as a shield. |
| F．If you actually get trapped, avoid irregular movements and splashing. |
| G．The time of a day has always been a factor in a possible shark attack on humans. |
9 . It was Jennifer Williams’ mother who got her interested in books. As a librarian, Williams’ mother read to her three children every day. “From when we hadn’t gone to kindergarten,” Williams told vadogwood.com, a local news site, “until we went to college.”
When Williams, who is now 54, became an elementary school teacher and tutor in Danville, Virginia, she wanted her students to be falling in love with reading just as she had. But early on, she realized that some kids had little chance to get enough books to read.
To Williams, the solution was simple: give kids books. In 2017, she donated (捐赠) 900 used children’s books over three days. “I wanted to do something that’s going to continue my faith,” she said.
So she started a new project for herself: give away one million books. It sounds like an unreachable number, but as Williams posted on Facebook: “Don’t complain in the stand if you aren’t willing to work hard out on the field.”
She got to work, first by persuading her friends to donate books or money to buy books. Before long, as news of Williams’ project spread, strangers started leaving varieties of books on her front walk way. As quickly as the books came in, Williams gave them to local schools—free of charge —and also supplied 41,000 books to little free libraries around the city just over the North Carolina border. She also hosted a book club for prisoners in the local prison.
Over the four years she’s been doing all this. The Book Lady, as Williams has come to be celebrated, has given away more than 78,000 books—only 922,000 more to reach her goal! And she’s not slowing down. “Reading can take you anywhere,” she told CNN. “You can travel in time and space. If you can read, you can learn almost anything.”
1. What made Williams decide to give away books?| A．The requirement of teaching. |
| B．The shortage of kids’ books. |
| C．Her mother’s faith in reading. |
| D．The desire for being famous. |
| A．She hosted a book club locally for prisoners. |
| B．She persuaded her friends to donate only money. |
| C．She gave all the books collected to local schools. |
| D．She invited strangers to leave books in her house. |
| A．Positive. | B．Serious. |
| C．Proud. | D．Famous. |
| A．Humorous and confident. | B．Independent and smart. |
| C．Curious and professional. | D．Kind and influential. |
10 . How do you teach a monkey new tricks? Labs have proved difficult places to train monkeys to respond to different sounds, but in the forests of Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park, researchers were astonished how quickly one species of monkey adapted its behavior to a new sound.
Julia Fischer at the German Primate Center in Gottingen and her team flew drones over a community of green monkeys in the area, to see what they made of a new flying object in their environment. They responded instantly, making alarm calls to warn one another of the potential new threat.
The vocalizations were distant from the ones they made in response to models of leopards and snakes, but almost identical to calls made by a related species of monkey about eagles. The results suggest a hardwired response to the perception of an aerial threat and the use of that specific call.
They monkeys adapted so quickly to the mechanical noise that they began scanning the skies and making the calls even when the sound of the drone was played from the ground. The monkeys were never seen issuing alarm calls in response to birds of prey in the area, suggesting that the birds they usually see aren’t considered a threat. The drones, however, seemed to be perceived as dangerous. “It’s certainly disconnecting, unpredictable, something they’ve not seen before, so it makes sense to alert everybody,” say Fischer. She says she was “blown away” by how rapidly the monkeys appeared to learn. “The listeners are smart. It’s almost impossible to get a monkey in a lab to do an audio task. It isn’t clear why such learning is harder in a lab environment,” she says.
The study involved a year’s worth of fieldwork by a team of eight, who flew the drone about 60 meters above the monkeys. The research wasn’t without incident. Fisher had to duck inside a shelter made of palm leaves at one point, after a baboon ran to attack the leopard model she was holding.
Vervet monkeys in East Africa are related to green monkeys. They have been closely studied for the different calls they make in response to a variety of predators, including pythons, leopards, baboons and martial eagles.
The expectation for the green monkey study was that they would stay silent. come up with a new alarm call or produce one similar to the velvet monkeys’ eagle call. Fischer’s bet was on the eagle call option, and she was proved right. The vocalization appears to be highly conserved by evolution. “It teaches us about how different their vocal communication system is from ours,” says Fischer. “There is a very limited level of flexibility.”
1. What can be learned about green monkeys’ behavioral adaptability to a new sound?| A．They made sounds similar to a new flying object. |
| B．They alerted each other to possible danger. |
| C．They responded as though they had seen eagles. |
| D．They scanned the sky for the source of the sound. |
| A．compare the different sounds made by the monkeys |
| B．specify the monkeys’ extraordinary adaptability |
| C．illustrate these birds pose no threat to the monkeys |
| D．prove drones are more appealing to the monkeys |
| A．The study conducted by Fischer and her team was painstaking. |
| B．Monkeys differ greatly in their ability to adapt to a new sound. |
| C．Researchers have unlocked why monkeys learn quickly in nature. |
| D．Monkeys turn out to be quite flexible in their vocal communication. |
| A．Unbelievable—Monkeys Should Make Different Sound! |
| B．How Do Monkeys Get New Tricks? |
| C．Monkeys See Drones... |
| D．Vervet Monkeys vs Green Monkeys |
