1 . Glover and her colleagues tested their hypothesis in the lab. In their experiment, they found that bees felt confused sometimes when the petals were very iridescent and that bees had no problem finding the flowers with more nectar when the petals were not very iridescent. The team shared its new findings in the March 21 Current Biology.

What does the underlined word “hypothesis” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Discussion.	B．Method.
C．Assumption.	D．Invention

2 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What did researchers study in two tests?

A．The way of seagulls’ stealing food.

B．The effects of staring at seagulls.

C．The different food thieves.

2. What did one fourth of birds do with eye contact in the test?

A．They flew away immediately.

B．They stood still and looked at the food.

C．They made an attempt to steal food.

3. What did Madeleine think of seagulls?

A．They snatched food violently.

B．They stole food secretly.

C．They attacked people aggressively.

4. How do people stop seagulls stealing food effectively?

A．By feeding them first.

B．By setting a big trap.

C．By staring at them.

3 . It is late autumn—millions of gardeners across the northern hemisphere, pulled on their thickest sweaters, spent hours clearing large piles of leaves and packed them into plastic bags at the end of driveways.

In the US alone, nearly 10 million tonnes of garden waste go to landfill every year. That is a large amount of effort, not just from an environmental viewpoint but from that of our aching backs, too. So where does this advice come from? Well, it largely comes from the belief that thick fallen leaves can make plants under them unable to breathe, especially shorter grass. They shut down important photosynthesis (光合作用) and get in the way of the growth of the shorter grass. However, this received wisdom has recently been questioned by researchers at Wisconsin University.

The key finding of their new research was that although clearing fallen leaves is one of the most common gardening practices, it makes very little sense. In natural ecosystems, fallen leaves help return nutrients necessary for healthy plant growth to the soil, which greatly improves soil condition. Removing leaves year after year breaks this ecological (生态的) balance. Letting some leaves stick around to cover your garden is a great way to help your grass and the local ecosystem.

They further explained that if up to 50percent of your grass lawn (草坪) is covered by fallen leaves, you might as well go back indoors and put your feet up. The advantages of this light leaf coverage far outweigh the disadvantages—the leaves will quickly break down and help next year’s lawn grow far better than if you had cleared them. Only at over 50 percent coverage do the Wisconsin researchers recommend clearing.

So why not consider leaving the leaves? Save time, carbon and effort, and in exchange get a healthier lawn from this garden waste—that seems like a pretty good deal. And how many plastic bags could be saved by simply not binning fallen leaves every year? In the US alone, about 700 million.

1. What does the author describe in paragraph 1?

A．An amazing autumn game.	B．A common sight in gardens.
C．A hot attraction in the north.	D．An extreme weather event.

2. What is the received wisdom?

A．Fallen leaves need not be cleared.

B．Fallen leaves protect shorter grass.

C．Fallen leaves block photosynthesis.

D．Fallen leaves are hard to break down.

3. The new research finds clearing fallen leaves makes little sense, because ________.

A．it ruins city image	B．it breaks gardening rules
C．it affects local economy	D．it causes ecological damage

4. What’s the author’s attitude to Wisconsin University’s study?

A．Doubtful.

B．Positive.

C．Unclear.

D．Worried.

4 . The computer is a useful machine. It is the most important invention in many years. The oldest kind of computer is the abacus, used in China centuries ago, but the first large, modern computer was built in 1946. A computer then could do maths problems quite fast.

Today computers are used in many ways and can do many kinds of work. In a few years the computer may touch the life of everyone, even people in faraway villages.

In the last few years, there have been great changes in computers. They are getting smaller and smaller, and computing faster and faster. Many scientists agree that computers can now do many things, but they cannot do everything. Who knows what the computers of tomorrow will be like? Will computers bring good things or bad things to people? The scientists of today will have to decide how to use the computers of tomorrow.

1. The computer is a ______ machine.

A．helpful

B．strange

C．large

D．dangerous

2. The first large, modern computer was built about ______ years ago.

A．a few

B．forty

C．sixty

D．eighty

3. The computers of today are ______ than before.

A．bigger

B．fewer

C．smaller

D．taller

4. Computers can do ______.

A．everything

B．anything

C．nothing

D．lots of things

5. The scientists of today ______ how to use the computers of tomorrow.

A．may decide

B．must decide

C．can make

D．needn’t make

5 . 根据短文内容，从所给词语中选择恰当的词并用其正确形式填空（每词限用一次）。

cause     choice     common     grow     inside     news     on     tall     want     who

Many teenagers feel lonely. You are not alone. In fact, it is very     1     for teenagers to feel lonely. This feeling is considered as growing pains — the difficulties that teenagers face while growing up.

As teenagers     2    , it becomes harder for them to deal with the changes both inside and outside. They experience great physical (身体的) changes. They grow     3     and their voices get deeper, among many other developments.

Along with these outside changes, there come many     4     changes. Many boys always want to take risks, but may not have the ability to make right     5    . When girls try to deal with their strong feelings, they often     6     someone to talk to.

In the social world, as teenagers get older, they try to depend     7     themselves. They may also need love badly at the same time. This will     8     trouble. They often question     9     they are and what they should do.

The good     10     is that these kinds of growing pains do not last long. In the end, everything will be OK — the teenager becomes a healthy adult. This period helps teenagers to become better.

6 . With low or no-carbohydrate diets rising in popularity in recent times, the potato is now regularly overlooked in favour of other vegetables. In fact, research literature has previously indicated potatoes may have a detrimental effect on health, such as increasing the possibility of developing Type2 diabetes(糖尿病).

However, new research done by Edith Cowan University (ECU) has shown while potatoes may not have all the same benefits as some other vegetables, such as lowering risk of Type 2 diabetes, health issues associated with potatoes may actually be due to how people are preparing them and what they’re eating them with.

A recent analysis of this study led by Dr Nicola Bondonno from ECU’s Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute found people who consumed the most vegetables were 21 percent less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those who consumed the least amount of vegetables. PhD candidate Pratik Pokharel carried out work on the analysis and said while potatoes didn’t have the same impact on Type 2 diabetes, they also didn’t have any negative effect.

“In Denmark, people consume potatoes prepared in many different ways. In our study, we could distinguish between the different preparation methods. When we separated boiled potatoes from mashed potatoes(土豆泥), fries or crisps, boiled potatoes were no longer associated with a higher risk of diabetes: They had a zero effect,” said Pokharel.

“In our study, people who ate the most potatoes also consumed more butter, red meat and soft drinks-foods known to increase your risk of Type 2 diabetes,” said Pokharel. “We should separate potatoes from other vegetables in regard to messaging about disease prevention but replacing refined grains such as white rice and pasta(意大利面食)with potatoes can improve your diet quality because of fibre and other nutrients found in potatoes.”

1. What does the underlined word “detrimental” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Magical.

B．Protective.

C．Fantastic.

D．Negative.

2. What may contribute to the bad reputation of potatoes according to ECU’s research?

A．The effects they have caused.	B．The ways they are consumed.
C．The places where they are planted.	D．The results previous studies have shown.

3. Which of the following have little effect on Type 2 diabetes?

A．Fries.

B．Crisps.

C．Boiled potatoes.

D．Mashed potatoes.

4. What is Pokharel’s attitude towards potatoes?

A．Critical.

B．Opposed.

C．Indifferent.

D．Objective.

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What’s the relationship between smoking and drinking?

A．Dependent.

B．Unrelated.

C．Contradictory.

2. What do we know about nicotine?

A．It helps quit drinking.

B．It makes people sleepy.

C．It weakens the effect of alcohol.

3. What is mentioned at last?

A．The method of the research.

B．The subjects of the research.

C．The significance of the research.

8 . Colors can affect (影响) our feelings. Blue is a calm (冷静的) color. If you are feeling nervous (紧张), you can wear blue clothes or stay in a blue room. Blue is also the color of sadness. When someone says he’s feeling blue, he means he is sad.

White can also make you feel calm. So you can wear white too if you are nervous. And white often means a new beginning.

Green is the color of nature. It can give us more energy when we are feeling tired.

Some colors can make you feel warm. In cold areas, people usually use warm colors in their homes, like orange and yellow. Yellow is also the color of wisdom. Some people prefer this color when they study for exams. For example, they may use yellow school things.

Red is one of the strong colors. It often makes us feel active. But this color can also mean danger. So it is often used in stop signs (停车标志) and lights.

1. Which may be NOT good for you if you are nervous?

A．Wear white clothes.	B．Wear blue clothes.
C．Stay in a red room.	D．Stay in a blue room.

2. If you are sad, you can say “______”

A．I like blue.	B．I’m feeling white.
C．I like white.	D．I’m feeling blue.

3. What colors can make you feel warm?

A．Yellow and blue.	B．Yellow and orange.
C．White and green.	D．Blue and white.

4. The word “wisdom” means _____ in Chinese.

A．智慧

B．消极

C．愉快

D．正义

5. Which is TRUE?

A．White can make us feel tired.	B．Red is often used in stop signs.
C．Orange can mean danger sometimes.	D．Green symbolizes a new beginning.

9 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. conflicts             B. tackle             C. encounter             D. instinctive             E. senses F. regulate             G. sparks             H. originates             I. immediate             J. disagreeable K. interfere

When you are frightened or feel endangered, your breathing and your pulse quicken in order to give you a better chance of either running away from the threat or defending yourself against it. When the danger is eliminated, your body returns to its pre-stress state.

Psychological stress can also be triggered in response to an external-factor, as with a fear of heights or public speaking. However, since it     1     inside our own minds and is strongly tied to out past experiences, psychological stress can also be caused simply by our thoughts about a(n)     2    event is enough to make some people anxious, even when the event is days away.

Experience plays a large role in determining what you consider as stressful. Many reactions to stress are subconscious or     3    and therefore, difficult to prevent. However, while the body’s initial reaction is hard to     4    , the choices you make can play a large role in helping keep psychological stress from going out of control.

So, what are some major types of stress?

The first type of stress is survival stress. When in fear for your safety, your body prepares to     5    the problem either by facing it or fleeing from it. Your body reacts to this type of stress by sharpening your     6    of sight and hearing and increasing your breathing and heart rate.

Another type is environmental stress, which is caused by unpleasant things you     7    in daily life. Workplace stress, which is often caused by overwork or     8    with coworkers, is one common environmental stressor.

The third type of stress is internal stress. This type of stress is caused by thinking about stressful situations that occurred in the past or will take place in the future. Being stressed is an appropriate reaction to a(n)     9    threat, but the same reactions that are helpful in the short term can prove harmful over time. Long-term-stress, known as chronic stress, can cause both mental and physical health problems. For example, many people find preparing for a job interview or to give a speech to be a stressful activity become overwhelming and can     10    with daily life if they last for days or weeks. With chronic stress, severe health consequences can be caused, including heart disease, depression, excessive weight gain, sleeplessness, and digestive problems. Long-term stress tends to weaken your immune system, makıng you more likely to contract flu or other illnesses. Furthermore, it slows down your recovery from these illnesses.

10 . A workday filled with mentally challenging tasks can make people feel worn out and desire a relaxing evening of TV shows. A study led by Antonius Wiehler of Pitié-Salpêtrìère University Hospital provides an explanation for this familiar phenomenon.

Researchers arranged for two sets of subjects to work for over six hours. The first group was assigned a difficult version of tasks, while the second was given a simple version. They measured levels of glutamate (谷氨酸) that collected in the cognitive area of subjects’ brains, finding higher levels of the chemical appeared in the first group, although both groups reported feeling similar levels of tiredness after the daylong experiment. Glutamate helps learning and memory, but too much glutamate can give rise to brain cell damage.

Also, when researchers offered financial choices, as a measure of whether the difficulty of work affected subjects’ decision-making ability, those finishing harder tasks were more likely to choose to take home an immediate reward rather than wait for a larger cash-out at a later date. “Existing theories suggested fatigue (疲劳) is an unreal feeling cooked up by the brain to make us relax,” Wiehler says. “Yet our findings provide proof that cognitive work causes the collection of bad substances, so fatigue would be signal that makes us stop working but for a different purpose: to preserve normality of brain functioning.”

“Defining what fatigue is remains a challenge for the field, says neuroscientist Matthew Apps, “but it’s exciting that this experiment provides a reasonable alternative explanation that is of great help.” He notes some areas where these findings might come in. For people in jobs requiring intense focus, burnout can lead to damaging consequences. Preventing glutamate’ building may help maintain attention. Another area of interest would be researching clinical conditions related to fatigue. The presence of glutamate might reveal why patients struggle with fatigue.

For Wiehler, open questions remain. One limitation is their focus on the brain’s specific region, so what impact cognitively effortful work has on the rest parts remains to be seen. In addition, it’s not yet clear how the balance of glutamate is restored after rest. “Maybe it leaves the brain during sleep,” Wiehler says. “There’s tons of research to come.”

1. What was found in the experiment?

A．People who work longer expect higher rewards.

B．Tasks’ difficulty greatly affects levels of fatigue.

C．Tougher tasks cause more glutamate to build up.

D．Decision-making is linked with financial factors.

2. What might the researchers agree about fatigue?

A．It bothers people in the workplace.	B．It mainly results from mental stress.
C．It signals the necessity of relaxation.	D．It serves as a protection for the brain.

3. What is stressed in Paragraph 4?

A．Reliability of the finding.	B．The practical use of the study.
C．The challenge in the cognitive field.	D．Urgency to solve fatigue-related problems.

4. What might Wiehler explore next?

A．What limitations their experiment has.

B．Whether the balance of glutamate can recover.

C．Why rest is important for the brain to function well.

D．How demanding tasks affect other areas of the brain.