1 . Humans evolved from apes. This is what we learned in biology class. But what came before apes? Chinese scientists have discovered fossils that could enrich the evolutionary story of how humans evolved from fish.
According to four articles published in the journal Nature in late September, Chinese researchers found fish fossils that provide the “missing link” about the origin of the jaw, a key feature that 99.8 percent of vertebrate (脊椎动物) species have.
Zhu Min, a lead researcher of the studies from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the findings drew a large amount of interest in the science world due to the importance of jaws in animal evolution.
However, the rise of the jaw had been a mystery due to a lack of sufficient fossil evidence to support that jawed vertebrates lived 450 million years ago.
The latest findings made by Zhu’s team presented a set of five surprisingly well-preserved fish fossils that included three whole-bodied fish, helping scientists paint a more accurate evolutionary picture of the origin of the jaw. The fish fossils were discovered at two sites in Chongqing and Guizhou, whose strata (岩层) date back to the Silurian Period that began around 440 million years ago.
These fossils show that jawed fish were already thriving (繁荣) in the world’s ancient oceans at that time. Later on, more diverse and larger jawed fish evolved and began to spread around the world, paving the way for some fish to eventually go on land and evolve into other animals — including humans.
“These fossils provide an unprecedented (前所未有的) opportunity to peek into the ‘dawn of fish’ and help scientists trace many human body structures back to these ancient fish thus filling some key gaps in the evolutionary history of how fish evolved into humans,” Zhu said.
1. In which column of a magazine will you most probably read the passage?| A．Your Voice. | B．Animals. |
| C．Science Study. | D．History. |
| A．Because jaws are a key trait of all vertebrate species. |
| B．Because jaws are significant in animal evolution. |
| C．Because the rise of the jaw had been a mystery. |
| D．Because there is a lack of sufficient evidence. |
| A．Around 440 million years ago. |
| B．Around 450 million years ago. |
| C．When jawed fish began to spread around the world. |
| D．When fish evolved into humans. |
| A．Who Are Our Ancestors? | B．What Came Before Apes? |
| C．The Origin of the Jaw | D．Key Gaps in Evolution |
The story of coffee often begins with a shepherd
Coffee reached Europe in the late 16th century through trade. Coffee was introduced into Italy first. Coffee really became popular in Europe in the 17th century, and the coffee houses opened across Europe.
In the Americas, coffee was introduced during colonization, first as an imported good, then as a cultivated crop throughout Central America. The cultivation of coffee in Americas, like other cash crops, resulted
3 . A Father's day is a day set aside for honoring fathers in church services and in the home. It's celebrated in the U.S. in the third Sunday of June. This idea was begun by Mrs John Bruces Dodd, who in 1909 persuaded an organization in Washington to salute fathers with special church services. The idea was officially agreed to by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge suggested national celebration of the day to form closer relations between fathers and their children, and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their duties. The red or white rose is recognized as the official Father's Day flower.
1. Father's Day, at first, meant________.| A．to respect all the fathers |
| B．to win honour for fathers in church services |
| C．to do honour to fathers at home |
| D．to warn the fathers of their duties |
| A．the French | B．the British |
| C．the German | D．the American |
| A．Woodrow Wilson | B．Calvin Coolidge |
| C．George Washington | D．Abraham Lincoln |
| A．people remembered their fathers |
| B．the relations between fathers and their children became closer |
| C．fathers must remember that they should be good fathers |
| D．both B and C |
4 . She was one of the most powerful women of ancient Egypt. But not much is known about Queen Nefertiti. No one knows for sure where she was born or where she died. For years, archaeologists have been trying to find the queen’s burial place.
Now a British archaeologist says he may have the answer. Nicholas Reeves thinks the queen’s body may be hidden inside the tomb of Egypt’s most famous ruler: Tutankhamen, better known as King Tut.
Nefertiti is believed to have ruled Egypt more than 3,300 years ago, shortly before King Tut became pharaoh (ruler of ancient Egypt) at about age 9. Some experts think the famous boy king was Nefertiti’s stepson.
Tut’s tomb was discovered in 1922. Filled with gold statues and other treasures, the tomb and Tut have fascinated people around the world ever since. In 2009, archaeologists began to build a replica (复制品) of Tut’s tomb. Visitors can now see Tut’s burial place without damaging the original. As part of that project, researchers used a special scanner to take detailed pictures of the walls of the tomb.
When Reeves studied the scans, some strange markings caught his eye. He saw what looked like the outlines of two doors that had been painted over. Reeves thinks these doors could lead to two secret chambers—including the tomb of Nefertiti. He says the paintings around the doors are a clue that Nefertiti was buried there. His theory is that the chamber where Tut is buried may have been added to Nefertiti’s tomb after the young king died suddenly at about age 19.
Some archaeologists believe Nefertiti’s tomb could hold treasures even more amazing than those found in Tut’s.
Reeves hopes to take the next step in finding out whether that’s true this month. With the help of Egyptian archaeologists, he plans to use high-tech scanning equipment to “see” through the walls without damaging them. That may let Reeves know what, if anything, is hidden there.
“If I’m wrong, I’m wrong,” he told The Economist Magazine. “But if I’m right, this is potentially the biggest archaeological discovery ever made.”
1. What do we know about Tut’s tomb?| A．It was rediscovered in 2009 | B．Its replica is bigger than the original |
| C．Its original is in poor condition. | D．It is a popular tourist attraction. |
| A．Nefertiti died at a very young age. |
| B．Nefertiti ruled Egypt for more than 19 years. |
| C．Nefertiti was the grandmother of Tut. |
| D．Nefertiti’s tomb was hidden in Tut’s tomb. |
| A．By visiting the original of Nefertiti’s tomb. |
| B．By studying the pictures of Tut’s tomb. |
| C．By touring the replica of Tut’s tomb. |
| D．By scanning the walls of Nefertiti’s tomb. |
| A．To restore Tut’s original tomb. |
| B．To remove the treasures from Tut’s tomb. |
| C．To find the lost queen of Egypt. |
| D．To report his find in The Economist Magazine. |
Longjing tea,
Thanks
6 . The Origins of Famous Brands
Our lives are full of brand names and trademarked products that we use every day. Although many brand names are simple acronyms(首字母缩略词) or versions of their founders names, some of the companies we trust every day actually have fascinating and surprising back stories.
Starbucks
It seems fitting that the most famous coffee brand in the world would take its name from one of the world’s greatest works of literature. The inspiration for the name of the coffeehouse came from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. The founders’ original idea was to name the company after the Captain Ahab’s ship, but they eventually decided that Pequot wasn’t a great name for coffee, so they chose Ahab’s first mate, Starbucks, as the name instead.
Google was originally called Backrub, for it searched for links in every corner of the Web. In 1997, when the founders of the company were searching for a new name showing a huge amount of data for their rapidly improving search technology, a friend suggested the word “googol”. When a friend tried to register the new domain (域) name, he misspelled “googol” as “google”.
Nike
Originally founded as a distributor for Japanese running shoes, the company was originally named BRS, or Blue Ribbon Sports. In 1971, BRS introduced its own soccer shoe, a model called Nike, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of victory. In 1978, the company officially renamed itself as Nike, Inc.
The right name is essential to a company’s success, and a great origin story is just as important as a great product. An attractive origin story is one more thing that keeps customers guessing, wondering, and buying its products.
1. What is the name of the Captain Ahab’s ship?| A．Moby Dick. | B．Starbucks. |
| C．Pequot. | D．Herman Melville. |
| A．They mistook their name. |
| B．They wanted new customers. |
| C．The company’s original name was too long. |
| D．The company’s search technology was improving rapidly. |
| A．It can change the company’s image. |
| B．It can add myth to the company. |
| C．It explains the development of the company to customers. |
| D．It makes customers imagine and purchase its goods. |
7 . Long, long ago people couldn’t write and they had no books. But they had stories. People learned the stories by heart and taught new ones to one another. Sometimes it was hard to remember them all.
The ancient Egyptians wrote their stories on something made from papyrus (纸沙草) plants. People in other places wanted to learn from the Egyptians to use papyrus.
In ancient China books looked a little different. People there used ink to write on bamboo or silk. And then they invented paper. Made of trees, paper was easier and cheaper to make than papyrus or parchment.
| A．It took years to finish making just one book. |
| B．But papyrus grew mainly in Egypt. |
| C．Things grew a little easier when writing was invented. |
| D．Finally books could be printed by the thousands. |
| E．The Chinese were the first to think of a way to speed things up a little. |
| F．Books in the West didn’t change for a long time after that. |
| G．Its surface was smoother and better for writing on too. |
8 . The “Chong Yang Festival” is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, which is also known as the Double Ninth Festival.
Climbing Mountains
People like to climb mountains on this festival, so Double Ninth Festival is also called “Mountain-climbing Festival”.
The 9th lunar month, with clear autumn sky and bracing air, is a good time for sightseeing.
Climbing mounting also indicates “climbing to a higher position”. Another reason why climbing mountains are valued by people, especially by the elderly is that it has a meaning of “climbing to ligneous life”. Climbing mountains on Double Ninth Festival was already popular in the Tang Dynasty.
Drinking Chrysanthemum Flower(菊花) Wine
The chrysanthemum flower wine is unique in brewing. In ancient times, people usually picked fresh chrysanthemum flowers and leaves on the 9th of the 9th lunar month, and brewed the mixture of them and grains into the wine.
The Double Ninth cake is also known as “flower cake”. It dates back to the Zhou Dynasty. It is said that the cake was originally prepared after autumn harvests for farmers to have a taste of what was just in season, and it gradually grew into the present cake for people to eat on the Double Ninth Day.
| A．Eating Double Ninth Cake |
| B．Making “flower cake” with friends |
| C．A lot of poems were devoted to this custom |
| D．So people love to go sightseeing this month |
| E．It would not be drunk until the same day next year |
| F．Here are some traditional customs of the Double Ninth Festival |
| G．But few Chinese people are aware of the importance of the festival |
9 .
Most of the money today is made of metal or paper.
Shells were not the only things used as money. In China, cloth and knives were used. In the Philippine Islands, rice was used as money for a long time. Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used as money in parts of Africa.
The first metal coins were made in China. They were round and had a square hole in the centre.
Different countries have used different metals and designs for their money.
But even gold and silver were inconvenient if you had to buy something expensive. Again the Chinese thought of a way to improve money.
Money has had an interesting history from the days of shell money until today.
| A．The first coins in England were made of tin (锡). |
| B．But people used to use all kinds of things as money. |
| C．No one knows for certain when people began to use money. |
| D．People strung (串连) them together and carried them from place to place. |
| E．Money, as we know, is all made of paper. |
| F．They began to use paper money. |
| G．Today anyone will accept money in exchange for goods and services. |
