1 . Every year, millions of monarch butterflies migrate 3,000 miles to Mexico from North America. “Everybody knows about the monarchs’ migration,” says Andy Davis, an animal ecologist at the University of Georgia. “But one of the things that we still don’t understand is how they’re capable of making such tremendous flight while being such small animals with limited energy.” Amazingly, some of the monarch’s continent-spanning magic may be owed to the size of its wing spot, according to a study published in PLOS One.
The question of how color influences the monarch’s flight began when Mostafa Hassanalian, a professor of mechanical engineering, published a paper about how the colors on the wings of the albatross (信天翁) might help it fly for longer distances. The black on the top of the bird’s wings absorbs more solar energy, creating a pocket of warm air; the white on the bottom absorbs less. Together, the opposite colors create more lift and less drag, helping the albatross to fly up more efficiently.
Motivated by Hassanalian’s paper, Andy Davis contacted him and they teamed up with three other experts to investigate whether the orange, black. and white patterns on North American monarch butterflies’ wings influenced their flight distance. Specifically, they explored whether these color patterns determined how far the butterflies could fly. They discovered that surviving migratory monarchs had 3% less black pigment (色素) and 3% more white pigment a surprising contrast from the albatross. They also observed larger white spots on Eastern monarchs, which migrate farther than Western and Floridian populations, along with deeper shades of orange. The team assumed that these color patterns might offer an aerodynamic (空气动力) advantage, although the reason for the larger white spots remains unknown.
Should the connection between white markings and flight performance prove true, they plan to apply it to drone technology. “If small coloration (自然色彩) effects can improve like 10% of your efficiency, that’s a lot,” Hassanalian says, “Another aspect is that your drone would be able to carry more, because this coloration helps it gain extra lift.” The enhancement could also benefit other aircraft, but he points out one warning: planes fly at a much faster speed than butterflies, so coloration may not be as relevant to them.
Other butterfly scientists have reacted to their work with both enthusiasm and skeptlesm. “It is a totally new idea and it’s quite exciting,” says Marcus Kronforst, an evolutionary biologist. “I’ve worked on butterfly color patterns my whole life, basically, and never, never considered this. It’s never crossed my mind that it might influence how the butterflies fly.”
1. According to Andy Davis, what remains a mystery of the monarchs’ migration?| A．How the monarchs manage the migration. |
| B．Why the monarchs make the migration. |
| C．Why the monarchs migrate to Mexico |
| D．How the monarchs choose the route. |
| A．To reveal the mechanism of the albatross’ flight. |
| B．To show Hassanalian’s achievements in albatross study. |
| C．To indicate where the researchers drew their inspiration. |
| D．To introduce common color patterns of the albatross’ wings. |
| A．They reduce orange pigment. | B．They limit migration distance. |
| C．They resemble albatross spots. | D．They offer extra lift for migration. |
| A．By conducting an experiment. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By doing field research. | D．By studying models. |
| A．Scientifically curious. | B．Cautiously optimistic. |
| C．Technologically skeptical. | D．Environmentally concerned. |
2 . Scientists have discovered a new structure that allows lunge feeding whales, also called rorqual whales (长须鲸), to take in massive amounts of water without choking.
To capture prey (猎物), rorqual whales use a method called lunge feeding. They speed up, and take in a volume of water large enough to fill their entire bodies.
Scientists didn’t know how these whales avoided choking on prey—filled water and flooding their respiratory tracts (呼吸道) during a lunge feeding event. Now Dr. Gil and his colleagues have discovered a large structure that they’ve termed the “oral plug” —a structure never before described in any other animal—that they think makes lunge feeding possible.
Dr. Gil and his colleagues analyzed dead fin whales. By physically dissecting (解剖) the mass of muscle and tissue that plug the back of the whale’s mouth, the researchers determined that when the animal is at rest, the plug blocks off the whale’s pharynx (咽道), a tube-shaped structure that leads to both the respiratory and digestive tracts. When a whale lunges, the “oral plug” protects both tracts from being flooded by the water and the living creatures that the animal has taken in.
When the animal is ready to swallow its latest meal, the oral plug shifts upward to protect the upper respiratory tract. At the same time, the larynx (喉) closes up and shifts downward, blocking the lower respiratory tract. In other words, during swallowing, the pharynx only leads to the digestive tract.
“This fills in a blank that we didn’t even know really existed,” said Dr. Gil of the team’s findings. Ari Friedlaender, who studies whale feeding behaviors at the University of California but was not involved in this research, sees great value in filling in these anatomical blanks about whales.
“The more we can understand how they develop these means for being able to eat so much, the more we understand about what their abilities are, and how they function as part of marine ecosystems,” Dr. Friedlaender said.
1. Which words can best describe the lunge feeding method of rorqual whales?①speedy ②massive ③precise
| A．②③ | B．①② | C．①③ | D．①②③ |
| A．It just blocks off the two airways when the whale rests. |
| B．It just protects the upper airway when the whale swallows. |
| C．It just blocks the lower airway when the whale lunges. |
| D．It ensures that the meals and water just go into the pharynx. |
| A．Dr. Friediaender shared his findings of whale feeding behavior with Dr. Gril. |
| B．Dr. Friedlaender praised the research for it further explains how marine ecosystems function. |
| C．Dr. Friedlaender will cooperate with Dr. Gil and his team for the future research. |
| D．Dr. Gil was probably surprised to find the existence of the “oral plug”. |
| A．Negative. | B．Indifferent. | C．Cautious. | D．Positive. |
| A．Why do whales lunge for food? | B．Why don’t whales choke? |
| C．Why do whales have respiratory tracts? | D．Why are whales unique? |
3 . I love making art and looking at artworks. I’ve found myself wondering how we gain pleasure from art. And now neuroaesthetics, a combination of neuroscience (神经科学) and aesthetics (美学), may provide an answer.
Neuroaesthetics is a relatively young field of research on what happens in the brain when we make aesthetic assessments. Researchers use brain imaging technique to see which brain areas light up when we view paintings that we consider beautiful. Similar research has been done to understand the “neuronal fireworks” that occur when we look at inspiring sculptures, attractive faces, impressive dance, etc.
But why do we find some art beautiful and other art ugly? According to research, it all comes down to the “aesthetic triad (三元组合)”.
The first part of the triad is sensory-motor. This involves perceiving things like colours, shapes and movements. Movement in art has an interesting role. If you see a painting of a movement, like of a man pulling his arm away after being bitten by a dog, you feel like going through a similar experience. The part of your brain that controls your own movements lights up in response.
Second is emotion-valuation. This is how a piece of art makes you feel, and whether or not you appreciate or enjoy that feeling. The part of the brain related to pleasure is activated in response to something we find beautiful. This system can be affected in fascinating ways, as found by research using transcranial magnetic stimulation(TMS) (经颅磁刺激). If TMS is applied to a specific part of your brain behind your forehead that is particularly important for decision-making, you suddenly like different kinds of art. Such stimulation produces significant changes in aesthetic appreciation of faces, bodies and artworks.
The third part is meaning-knowledge. This is to do with how we can connect with a piece of art and what meaning we can create in it. Art is deeply personal, because when two people see the same artwork, our perception can create vastly different experiences of meaning. If we find meaning, then we often find pleasure. We also get enjoyment from the knowledge of how something was made. For the images that an artist creates, viewers will probably get far more enjoyment once they know the process used to create them.
Informed by neuroaesthetics, the next time I create my art I will value the process even more, enjoying the activation of the aesthetic triad in my brain as I admire the vivid images that I have created.
1. What does “neuronal fireworks” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．A beautiful painting or sculpture. |
| B．The lighting-up of specific brain areas. |
| C．An advanced brain imaging technology. |
| D．The aesthetic assessment of modern art. |
| A．Certain part of their brain is activated. |
| B．Their experience of pain is reduced. |
| C．Their aesthetic sense is sharpened. |
| D．Their body reactions are delayed. |
| A．raised memory capacity |
| B．enhanced painting skills |
| C．changed artistic taste |
| D．improved decision-making ability |
| A．Knowing how it is created. |
| B．Having a pleasant personality. |
| C．Learning how science develops. |
| D．Understanding the meaning of life. |
| A．To propose an abstract theory of art making. |
| B．To reveal the beauty of science in an artistic way. |
| C．To share some personal understanding of artworks. |
| D．To introduce a new research field for art appreciation. |
4 . Many people love the Halloween season, particularly young ones. It’s not hard to understand. The Halloween season is a time for fun-sized candy, giving rocks to trick or treaters, apple cider donuts, and frights. The very last-frights, are generally all in good fun. But can they be dangerous? Can someone be scared to death?
The key factor in an imagined scare-caused death is a little chemical that anyone who’s played a particularly intense game of hide-and-seek is very familiar with: adrenaline (肾上腺素). Fear puts the body in a state of severe emotional anxiety, which in turn causes the autonomic fight-or-flight response.
The fight-or-flight response is an evolutionary defence mechanism (机制) which acts in your best interest when there is a noticed threat. You sweat a lot, your anxiety is exacerbated, your blood glucose (葡萄糖) levels are increased, and your heart rate is higher. Like a cornered animal, you’re a bit less reasonable, a bit stranger, but a bit more ready to survive.
Now, back to the adrenaline. Adrenaline causes all of these processes, but there’s just one organ, which, if overloaded, can lead to sudden death. The human body doesn’t immediately come to an end as soon as a kidney (肾) fails, but when a heart stops working, the whole business fails. This is what happens to your body during an adrenaline rush.
Adrenaline causes calcium (钙) to enter the heart at a higher rate, and when there’s more calcium rushing through the heart, it has harder time resetting to its normal resting rate. This can cause a dangerous condition, which prevents blood from pumping to the rest of the body. Without immediate treatment, this can lead to sudden death.
Of course, such cause of death isn’t unique to being scared. Any event that increases one’s adrenal level could lead to this dangerous condition. So if you are planning on scaring others the next Halloween season, be sure to do it in a controlled setting, especially if you have a history of heart problems.
1. What do we learn about the fight-or-flight response mentioned in Paragraph 2?| A．It makes us think in a better way. |
| B．It prevents adrenaline from rising. |
| C．It has nothing to do with little kids. |
| D．It is meant to help us survive better. |
| A．acquired | B．relieved | C．worsened | D．addressed |
| A．Having a failed kidney. |
| B．Having faster blood circulation. |
| C．Having too much calcium in our blood. |
| D．Having irregular heartbeats. |
| A．enjoy Halloween in a controlled way |
| B．avoid low blood glucose levels |
| C．exercise to protect ourselves from heart disease |
| D．avoid scaring others during the Halloween screen |
| A．Is it enjoyable to frighten others? |
| B．Is it possible to be scared to death? |
| C．Why is too much adrenaline dangerous? |
| D．What to watch out for during the Halloween season? |
5 . Do you ever notice how stress and mental frustration can affect your physical abilities? When you are worried about something at work, do you find yourself more tired at the end of the day? This phenomenon is a result of the activation of a specific area of the brain when we attempt to participate in both physical tasks and mental tasks simultaneously.
Ranjana Mehta, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health, carried out a study examining the relationship between physical and mental tiredness and brain behavior. The study showed that if we attempt mental tasks while doing physical tasks, we activate specific areas, called the prefrontal cortex (PFC) (前额皮质), in our brain.
This can cause our bodies to become tired much sooner than if we were only participating in a physical task. The brain is just like any other biological tissue (组织), because it can be overused and can suffer from tiredness.
“Existing examinations of physical and mental tiredness have been used to study muscular and biomechanical (生物力学的) changes,” said Mehta. “The purpose of this study was to examine the influence on the PFC while we compare the changes in brain behavior with traditional measures of tiredness.”
According to Mehta, study findings show that there were lower blood oxygen levels in the PFC following combined physical and mental tiredness compared to that of just physical tiredness conditions. Through simultaneous examination of the brain and muscle function it is obvious that when we participant in highly cognitive tasks, brain resources are divided which may speed up the development of physical tiredness.
It is critical that researchers consider the brain as well as the body when examining tiredness development and its influence on the body. This can provide us with a total understanding of what is happening to the body when we perform our daily activities. “Not a lot of people see the value in looking at both the brain and the body together,” said Mehta. “However, no one does purely physical or mental work; they always do both.”
1. What does the passage mainly tell us?| A．Influence of stress and mental frustration on tiredness development. |
| B．Influence of stress and mental frustration on mental abilities. |
| C．Influence of mental work on tiredness development. |
| D．Influence of physical work on mental abilities. |
| A．At the same time. | B．One by one. | C．Step by step. | D．Over and over again. |
| A．tiredness in the body | B．brain behavior |
| C．mental tiredness | D．mental diseases |
| A．is used to complete a specific task |
| B．suffers from tiredness caused by overuse |
| C．becomes tired much sooner |
| D．is examined from a physical view |
| A．how the combination of physical and mental tasks affects the PFC |
| B．the differences between brain behavior and traditional measures |
| C．why changes in brain behavior influence the PFC |
| D．muscular and biomechanical changes |
6 . Taste is such a subjective matter that we don’t usually conduct preference tests for food. The most you can say about anyone’s preference is that it’s one person’s opinion. But because the two big cola companies-Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola-are marketed so aggressively, we’ve wondered how big a role taste preference actually plays in brand loyalty. We set up a taste test that challenged people who identified themselves as either Coca-cola or Pepsi fans: Find your brand in a blind tasting.
We invited staff volunteers who had a strong liking for either Coca-Cola Classic or Pepsi, Diet Coke, or Diet Pepsi. These were people who thought they’d have no trouble telling their brand from the other brand.
We eventually located 19 regular cola drinkers and 27 diet cola drinkers. Then we fed them with four unidentified samples of cola one at a time, regular colas for the one group, diet versions for the other. We asked them to tell us whether each sample was Coke or Pepsi; then we analyzed the records statistically to compare the participants’ choices with what mere guesswork could have accomplished.
Getting all four samples right was a tough test, but not too tough, we thought, for people who believed they could recognize their brand. In the end, only 7 out of 19 regular cola drinkers correctly identified their brand of choice in all four trials. The diet-cola drinkers did a little worse-only 7 out of 27 identified all four samples correctly.
Both groups did better than chance would predict, but nearly half the participants in each group made the wrong choice two or more times. Two people got all four samples wrong. Overall, half the participants did about as well on the last round of tasting as on the first, so tiredness, or taste burnout, was not a factor. Our preference test results suggest that only a few Pepsi participants and Coke fans may really be able to tell their favorite brand by taste and price.
1. According to the passage the preference test was conducted in order to ______.| A．reveal which cola is more to the liking of the drinkers |
| B．show that a person’s opinion about taste is mere guesswork |
| C．find out the role taste preference plays in a person’s drinking |
| D．compare the ability of the participants in choosing their drinks |
| A．people’s tastes differ from one another |
| B．few people had trouble telling Coca-Cola from Pepsi |
| C．Coca-Cola and Pepsi are people’s two most favorite drinks |
| D．there is not much difference in taste between Coca-Cola and Pepsi |
| A．blind tasting is necessary for identifying fans |
| B．the competition between the two colas is very strong |
| C．the purpose of taste test is to promote the sale of colas |
| D．the improvement of quality is the chief concern of the two cola companies |
| A．being badly damaged by fire |
| B．being seriously burnt in the skin |
| C．being unable to burn for lack of fuel |
| D．being unable to function because of too much use |
| A．show that taste preference is highly subjective |
| B．argue that taste testing is an important marketing strategy |
| C．emphasize that taste and price are closely related to each other |
| D．recommend that blind tasting be introduced in the quality control of colas |
7 . As young people spend more time on computers, iPad and other TV sets, researchers are asking how all that screen time affects children’s and teenagers’ ability to focus and learn — even drive cars.
An online survey offers a new question: how is technology affecting their happiness and emotional development? The answer, from girls ages 8 to 12 having the online habits, is that those who say they spend amounts of time using multimedia describe themselves in ways that suggest they are less happy and less socially comfortable than other teenagers who say they spend less time on screens.
Among the key questions that the researchers are not able to answer is whether the heavy use of media is the cause for the relative unhappiness or whether girls who are less happy to begin with are drawn to heavy use of media, in fact, coming to a virtual (虚拟的) world. But the researchers assume that heavy use of media is a main factor to the social challenges of girls.
The reason the researchers say is that on a basic level girls need to experience the full face-to-face communication, such as learning to read body language and facial expressions.
Lucy Gray, 45, who lives in Chicago, said her daughter, Julia, 13 has been a heavy consumer of media for several years -she watches movies on her laptop, and has an iPad, an iPhone and a Nintendo DS portable game machine. Ms. Gray said that Julia can have trouble getting on with other people especially adults in face-to-face interactions, but she is not ready to blame her daughter’s heavy use of technology.
In fact, she thinks that, on the whole, the technology has helped her daughter navigate (航行) the world socially. “She’d be missing out on an opportunity if she wasn’t connected,” she said.
At the same time, Ms. Gray said she worries that her daughter, who is using Facebook more, is playing out her social life online sometimes without the benefits of the full emotional range that comes from face-to-face interaction.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” Ms. Gray said to social media.
1. What is the disadvantage of online habit for young girls?| A．They are more likely to cause car accidents. |
| B．They are less likely to be liked by teachers at school. |
| C．They may feel uncomfortable and unhappy in social life. |
| D．They may be cheated into doing something bad at school. |
| A．led into a world breaking away from the reality |
| B．inspired to devote themselves to learning science |
| C．directed to come to a world of happiness and luck |
| D．encouraged to face the challenges of the unhappy life |
| A．are not good at making friends online |
| B．lack real communication experience in general |
| C．are careless at seeing others’ facial expressions |
| D．spend too much time studying at and after school |
| A．She will allow her to use her iPad and iPhone only. |
| B．She will forbid her to use any kind of media. |
| C．She will allow her to use the media on weekends. |
| D．She will allow her to use all the media as usual. |
| A．Their quarrels are about whether she should use the media. |
| B．Julia likes to meet the real people knowing of on Facebook. |
| C．Julia’s performance isn’t good enough in real social life. |
| D．Julia spends too much time sending text messages. |
8 . If you’re tired and find yourself with that rare spare chunk of time, should you he using it to swing kettlebells or get more sleep? It’s a question most people have faced. Who isn’t a little sleep-deprived (被剥夺的) Who doesn’t need more exercise? Who has time for both?
The answer is a bit complicated. Obviously, both sleep and exercise are vital, and ideally, adults should make time for both. Getting the recommended seven hours a night is important for metabolic (新陈代谢的) function, weight regulation and brain health. Inadequate amount or quality of sleep is associated with both short-and long-term poor health measures, increasing the risk for heart disease, memory problems, etc. Consistent physical exercise yields similar benefits and, just like not getting enough sleep, failing to exercise can have serious health consequences. Exercise can improve deep sleep, and sleeping better enhanced the ability to exercise the next day.
Because both are so critical for health, medical experts hesitate to say one is more important than the other. However, there is a key differentiator (区分点) between the two: “We have a biological need to sleep — it’s a behavior we must do every day,” says Christopher. “Physical activity, on the other hand, is definitely beneficial for health, but being less active for a few days here and there doesn’t have the same negative health impact as having stall sleep for days.” In other words, skipping workouts, while not ideal, won’t stop you from operating, whereas being sleep deprived definitely will. Too little sleep or poor-quality sleep can impact mood, au d increase anxiety and depression symptoms.
In order to stay somewhat active without sacrificing sleep, the trick may be to look for non-traditional ways to get physical activity. Washing dishes, making beds, keeping the kid in their baby carriage and going for a quick jog—it all counts, and none of it requires skipping sleep.
1. What’s the first paragraph mainly about?| A．Tips on how to balance exercise and sleep. |
| B．A common problem that occurs in daily life. |
| C．The relationship between sleep and workout |
| D．The ways to get more sleep instead of exercise. |
| A．Hair loss. | B．Lung cancer. |
| C．Total blindness. | D．Heart failure. |
| A．Workouts matter more than enough sleep. |
| B．More physical activities ban lead to health problems |
| C．Sleeping too little for long can surely cause consequences. |
| D．Being less active for long has more negative impact than lack of sleep. |
| A．Working out by doing housework. |
| B．Giving up sleep to go for a quick jog. |
| C．Getting enough exercise before sleeping. |
| D．Leaving the baby alone in their baby carriage. |
9 . Universities are institutions that teach a wide variety of subjects at advanced levels. They also carry out research work aimed
Most students attend a university mainly to
| A．at | B．by | C．to | D．in |
| A．turns | B．ranges | C．moves | D．varies |
| A．prospect | B．place | C．control | D．favor |
| A．occupy | B．possess | C．involve | D．spare |
| A．maximum | B．medium | C．virtual | D．vast |
| A．But | B．As | C．While | D．For |
| A．natural | B．essential | C．functional | D．optional |
| A．coordination | B．accordance | C．touch | D．grasp |
| A．acquire | B．accept | C．endure | D．ensure |
| A．procession | B．profession | C．possession | D．preference |
| A．typical | B．true | C．mere | D．only |
| A．with | B．under | C．on | D．through |
| A．prompt | B．provoke | C．encourage | D．anticipate |
| A．histories | B．expressions | C．interests | D．curiosities |
| A．broaden | B．lengthen | C．enforce | D．specify |
| A．Amid | B．After | C．Over | D．Upon |
| A．object | B．course | C．effect | D．sake |
| A．take | B．make | C．suffer | D．play |
| A．field | B．scope | C．target | D．goal |
| A．radical | B．truthful | C．meaningful | D．initial |
10 . While working as a graduate student in New York City, Vanessa Bohns was given the much
Was it possible, she wondered, that most of us are
Knowing this can help us understand how our requests might
| A．appealing | B．exhausting | C．sensitive | D．ashamed |
| A．glared | B．approached | C．passed | D．pushed |
| A．sympathetic | B．glad | C．annoyed | D．tolerant |
| A．upset | B．anxious | C．hesitant | D．willing |
| A．expected | B．requested | C．promised | D．recognized |
| A．curious | B．skeptical | C．wrong | D．cautious |
| A．discovered | B．conducted | C．planned | D．recorded |
| A．case | B．circumstance | C．occasion | D．condition |
| A．ignore | B．complain | C．refuse | D．cooperate |
| A．On the contrary | B．On the whole | C．On the surface | D．On the go |
| A．optimistic | B．critical | C．negative | D．neutral |
| A．strange | B．great | C．disappointing | D．normal |
| A．deny | B．doubt | C．appreciate | D．subscribe |
| A．misuse | B．overstate | C．distinguish | D．underestimate |
| A．imitate | B．practise | C．measure | D．perform |
| A．agree | B．fail | C．claim | D．pretend |
| A．angry | B．familiar | C．happy | D．uncomfortable |
| A．mislead | B．impress | C．affect | D．puzzle |
| A．accurately | B．accordingly | C．smoothly | D．systematically |
| A．boundaries | B．assumptions | C．defence | D．intention |
