1 . On an ordinary fossil-hunting (化石搜寻) outing, the members of the Hamilton Junior Naturalist Club might expect to find a few interesting shells (壳). But on a 2006 trip to Kawhia Harbour in New Zealand’s North Island, the students discovered the bones of a fossilized huge penguin (企鹅).
“We were expecting to find common fossils — shells, but were hugely shocked to find a huge animal skeleton (骨架) just lying on the beach,” said Mike Safey, president of the club.“Our club’s fossil expert Chris Templer realised immediately that we had discovered something hugely important. We made the decision to rescue this fossil, otherwise it would have been completely destroyed by weather.”
Researchers from Massey University used 3D scanning to compare the fossils to digitalized bones from all over the world. The penguin fossil is between 27.3 and 34.6 million years old, according to Daniel Thomas, a senior lecturer in Massey’s School of Natural andComputational Sciences. It is similar to Kairuku penguins but with longer legs. Researchers named it “Kairuku waewaeroa” for this characteristic.
Around 1.4 meters tall, this penguin was much huger compared to living penguins. We know that body size can be an important factor when thinking about ecology. How and why did penguins become huge, and why aren’t there any huge penguins left? Well-preserved fossils like Kairuku waewaeroa can help us answer these questions.
“The discovery is important for researchers, and it was also rewarding for the students who found it and encourages other young people to go out in nature and make their own discoveries. It reminds us that ancient New Zealand had many kinds of birds, and emphasizes how important New Zealand is for bird diversity today,” Thomas says.
1. Where is this text probably taken from?| A．A science magazine. | B．A health lecture. |
| C．A storybook. | D．An advertisement. |
| A．An interesting shell. | B．A huge penguin. |
| C．A huge penguin fossil. | D．A new kind of penguin. |
| A．Ancient New Zealand had various birds. |
| B．Teenagers should go out to find fossils. |
| C．Researchers should scan the bird carefully. |
| D．New Zealand has a number of huge penguins. |
| A．New Zealand’s birds are in danger today |
| B．New Zealand is suitable for penguins to live in |
| C．School kids should go out for discoveries |
| D．The fossil of a huge penguin was found in New Zealand |
2 . Some people do live longer than others, and we are all curious to know why that is. In fact, scientists think that genes make up about 20-30 percent of our life expectancy (预期寿命). The remaining 70-80 percent is determined by other factors such as lifestyle and environment.
Bestselling author, Dan Buettner, set out to learn more about why some people lived longer than others. In 2005 he wrote an article about it called The Secrets of Living Longer. He had found, five places where people lived a longer life. He called them Blue Zones, because when he and his team found such places, they drew a blue line around them on the map. The locations were found in Italy, Japan, California, Costa Rica and Greece.
Each of the Blue Zones has common characteristics. Most of the people there eat a plant-based diet. They seldom eat meat more than five times a month. It is also a common factor that the Italians and Greeks often drink a glass of red wine with their meals, but no more than one.
They also found that most residents (居民) of the Blue Zones get seven hours’ sleep every day. Having a nap (打盹) in the afternoon is also popular. But before you head off to your bedroom for a post-lunch nap, researchers have found that napping for more than 30 minutes is not good for you.
As you would expect, exercise is important as well. For Blue Zone residents though, this does not mean heading off to the gym. Most of them are involved in some way with labor work. They are often farmers working in the fields.
One final area of interest about the people who live in the Blue Zones: many of them live in close-knit families, the older generations living with their younger children. Perhaps as they spend time together, the older Blue Zoners pass on tips for a long life to their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
1. What did Dan Buettner hope to find out in 2005?| A．The reasons for a long life. | B．The trend in people’s lifestyles. |
| C．The situation of the global environment. | D．The development of human healthcare. |
| A．Eating habits. | B．Labor work. |
| C．Sleeping patterns. | D．Regular exercise |
| A．They eat meat quite often. | B．They often do labor work. |
| C．They have a one-hour nap every day. | D．They drink white wine with their meal. |
| A．Families with many children. | B．Families with few elderly members. |
| C．Families that share the same diets. | D．Families that have strong relationships. |
3 . Globalization (全球化) means that people, ideas, technology, money, services and many other things are moving between countries and changing the way people think and act.
Not everyone thinks the same way about globalization. Some people think it is bad，and some people think it is good. Some believe that globalization helps rich people get richer and makes poor people poorer. These people say that globalization helps big companies like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s destroy local businesses. However, the people who think globalization is a good thing argue that globalization helps poorer people to become richer. They also think that it doesn’t destroy local cultures. These people also believe globalization helps prevent wars. This is because countries with economic (经济的) connections will try hard to keep good relationships so that their economies aren’t destroyed.
Whether you think globalization is good or bad, it affects the world in two areas: jobs and cultures.
Globalization has had a very strong influence on jobs all over the world. For some workers, such as engineers, lawyers and bankers, globalization has been a good development. These workers are able to successfully compete globally and have seen an increase in their pay. But for those who work in factories or in the service industry (at hotels, shops and restaurants), it has not been good. Workers from poorer countries are trying to get these types of jobs. They will do the same job for less money. This decreases the pay for that job, so people get paid less to do it.
Cultures have also been affected by globalization. Foods such as Japanese noodles, Indian curry and French cheeses have spread around the world. We can also see an increase in the use of Chinese characters in tattoos (纹身). Some people get these tattoos but they don’t really know what the characters mean. Globalization also affects the film industry. Most people have seen American movies. But because of globalization, Korean, Indian and Japanese movies have become more worldwide.
No one knows the future of globalization. Most experts agree that it will continue to grow and have an increasingly greater influence on people’s life in the future.
1. Some people think globalization is good because it may __________.| A．change local cultures | B．help local businesses develop |
| C．help stop wars among countries | D．make rich people become richer |
| A．engineers will get a lower pay |
| B．globalization greatly affects people’s jobs |
| C．workers from rich countries get paid less |
| D．people can get favorite jobs more easily |
| A．enjoy foods from different countries | B．go to different countries for movies |
| C．own the same culture in the end | D．know Chinese characters very well |
| A．Globalization is sure to do good to people. |
| B．Globalization may change people’s life in the future. |
| C．Globalization will be limited in the future. |
| D．Globalization will be loved throughout the world. |
4 . A British sleep expert, professor Chris Idzikowski, did a research showing that there was some connection between the way people sleep and their personality.
The fetal position
The fetal position gets its name from the shape of a baby in the mother's stomach. It is the most common position in the world. People who sleep in the fetal position tend towards worry and anxiety. They are often shy and sensitive. In the fetal position, a sleeper's body is like a ball as he lies on one side with legs and arms bent. Adults usually sleep in this position.
The starfish position
When sleeping like a starfish, you lie on your back with arms up near the pillow. Sleep scientist Idzikowski says starfish sleepers value friendship. People who sleep in this position are good listeners and quick to help others. If you have a starfish sleeper as a best friend, you’re in luck. Starfish sleepers are great listeners and a source of comfort to others.
The freefall position
In the freefall position, sleepers have their hands on or around their pillows, with their heads turned to one side. Freefall sleepers are social but sensitive and can become upset by extreme situations. They like to be in control of everything around their life. It's all part of their long periods of indecision, but once they make a choice, they stick to it. This position can aid in digestion (消化).
The log position
For those who suffer from back pain, the log position could be helpful for you. Log sleepers have both their arms and legs extended, so their bodies are straight like a log. Log sleepers are very trusting, but are usually social and easy-going individuals. Idzikowski claims that preferring a log position suggests that a person is sociable and can communicate with others easily.
1. What's the personality of people sleeping in fetal position?| A．Social and easy-going. | B．Sensitive and social. | C．Friendly and positive. | D．Shy and sensitive. |
| A．A fetal sleeper. | B．A starfish sleeper. | C．A freefall sleeper. | D．A log sleeper. |
| A．They do well in sports. | B．They are good listeners. |
| C．They are easy to get along with. | D．They have difficulty making decisions. |
5 . Humans are not the animal world’s only fashion followers. Tits (山雀) can be one of them, too. A study by Sonja Wild and Lucy Aplin shows that, given the chance, they make their nests (巢穴) with this season’s must-have color.
Dr. Wild and Dr. Aplin followed up on a study which noted that the blue tits preferred to put the same plants into their nests. This also suggested fashion-following—and it led Dr. Wild and Dr. Aplin to imagine that birds were studying the nests of others and copying them.
The birds they followed carried instruments on them. That allowed researchers to follow a large number of tits by their arrival at food dispensers (自动取物装置) throughout the woods.
One day in March 2021, Dr. Wild and Dr. Aplin used five dispensers with wool rather than food. Each contained two colors—either orange and pink or blue and purple—but all were rigged to give only one of these. This remained so until at least one local nest was seen to include wool from a dispenser. At that moment, the other color was discovered, too. As a comparison, Dr. Wild and Dr. Aplin set up four wool dispensers in a separate area, each providing two colors from the beginning.
Of 68 tits’ nests, 26 included wool from a dispenser. Of these, 18 were built after both colors had been gotten from all dispensers. Even so, 10 of that 18 included only the color of wool first chosen by a nest makers. By contrast (相比之下), all 8 nests with wool have mixed colors, which showed a clear difference in the record.
Tits, then, do seem to be “in fashion” when it comes to nest-building materials. Tits like those of the leaders of human fashions and it is worth more deep research.
1. Why are the same plants put into nests by the tits?| A．They want to beautify their nests. |
| B．They find no other plants. |
| C．They are used to doing this. |
| D．They want to keep warm. |
| A．Refused. | B．Warned. | C．Forced. | D．Arranged. |
| A．Testing colors. | B．Observing activities. |
| C．Comparing results. | D．Checking numbers. |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Supportive |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
6 . Mastering a new concept (概念) takes time and energy, but don’t you expect an easier way to get the hang of it?
Take handwritten notes.
Say it out loud. Hearing yourself repeat the information helps you remember it easier.
Try self-testing. After you’ve read through or practiced something, test your memory by reciting (背诵) everything you just learned. If you need to remember keywords or information,try writing down their definitions without looking them up. Make note of what you have trouble remembering so you can go back and practice it some more.
| A．Teach the information to others. |
| B．Use simple language as much as possible. |
| C．Therefore, you are going to recall it a lot easier. |
| D．The following tips can help you pick it up a little quicker. |
| E．Read aloud if you’re studying from a book, website, or your notes. |
| F．You are more likely to remember something you have written down. |
| G．That way, you needn’t waste time focusing on things you already know well. |
7 . We have been taught from a young age that red means stop and green means go. So why were these colors chosen for traffic lights? And what’s the history behind the colors?
To trace the connection between the colors and traffic lights,we have to travel back in time to the earliest railroad signals (信号灯) developed in the 1830s. Those first railroad signals were the forerunner of our modern stoplights. Like modern traffic controls,they contained three lights:one for stop,one for caution (警告),and one for go. The original color system was different from our modern system,though. Red meant stop,green meant caution,and white meant go.
The choice of red for stop was fairly obvious,since red — the color of blood — has been associated with danger for thousands of years, long before cars were even around. Scientifically speaking,red is the color with the longest wavelength which means that as it travels,it gets spread less in different directions than other colors,so it can be seen from a greater distance.
Why green and white were chosen for the other signals remains a bit of a mystery. It’s possible that the two colors were chosen because how they contrasted (反差) with red. This system of color-coded signals remained in place (仍然有效) for several decades until it became clear that using white for go could cause serious problems. Around 1914,a train signal’s red lights broke down,causing it to appear white. As a train approached the signal,it was supposed to stop,but the driver believed the white meant go. The result was a terrible train crash. After that,the color for go was eventually changed to green.
To provide the most contrast between red and green,yellow was then chosen as the new color for caution,because it can be seen well at all times of the day. After cars were invented and went into mass production,a similar signaling system was needed to control the flow of traffic. When traffic lights were put up,it became standard for them as well.
1. How does the author describe the original traffic lights?| A．By listing an example. | B．By offering a suggestion. |
| C．By making a comparison. | D．By showing the importance. |
| A．It is the easiest to recognize all day long. |
| B．It reminds people of accidents and danger. |
| C．It spreads fastest in all directions in the air. |
| D．It has proved the least harmless to our eyes. |
| A．The driver’s tiredness. | B．The train’s high speed. |
| C．The travel system’s shortcoming. | D．The white light’s failing to work. |
| A．How did the present traffic lights form? |
| B．Why was the first traffic system invented? |
| C．Why did white disappear from the traffic lights? |
| D．How did an accident change the traffic systems? |
Scientists have discovered six new species of frog the size of a thumbnail (拇指甲) in the forests of Mexico, with one earning the distinction of Mexico’s smallest frog.
All six species are
With millions of these frogs
Their lifestyle is completely fascinating. These frogs live in the dark, humid leaf litter of the forests，
9 . A healthy diet may not offset (抵消) the effects of a high salt intake on blood pressure, suggests a new study. The research, from scientists at a number of institutions, studied the diets of over 4,000 people. The results showed that people eating higher amounts of salt had higher blood pressure — no matter how healthy a person’s overall diet.
The scientists behind the research are now advising people to monitor their salt intake-and food companies to lower the salt content in their products.
High blood pressure affects more than one in four adults in the UK, and increases the risk of a number of conditions including heart attacks and stroke. It’s thought that vitamins and minerals in fruit and vegetables might in some way affect blood vessels (血管), enabling them to lower blood pressure. Previously, experts believed that eating high amounts of fruit and vegetables might help offset the effects of high salt on blood pressure. However, while these foods do tend to lower blood pressure, the new research suggests they do not offset the adverse influence of high salt intake.
In the paper, the team studied data from the so-called INTERMAP study. In this study published in 2018，scientists tracked the diets of 4, 680 people, aged 40-59, from the USA, the UK, Japan and China. The researchers found a link between high blood pressure and high salt intake, even in people who were on a healthy diet.
The recommended upper limit of adult salt intake in the UK is 6 g a day. The study found that the average salt intake across the study was 10.7 g a day. The average intake for the UK was 8.5 g while the intake for the USA, China and Japan were9.6g, 13.1 g and 11.7 g respectively.
Increasing salt intake above this average amount was linked 10 an increase in blood pressure. Dr Queenie Chan, joint lead author of the research, said the research shows the importance o cutting salt intake.
1. What can food industry do to help lower people’s high blood pressure?| A．Take control of their salt production. |
| B．Monitor the quality of their products. |
| C．Cut down salt content in their products. |
| D．Make salt-free food only. |
| A．Adventurous. |
| B．Harmful. |
| C．Brief. |
| D．Average, |
| A．The USA. |
| B．The UK. |
| C．China. |
| D．Japan. |
| A．High blood pressure is related to high salt intake |
| B．A healthy diet may not offset high salt intake |
| C．Research shows the importance of cutting salt intake |
| D．People eating higher amounts of salt have higher blood pressure |
10 . Worry is defined as thoughts and images of a negative nature in which mental attempts are made to avoid the expected potential threats.
If we were to keep a record of all the things we worried about during a given period of time, we would discover, in reviewing them, that the great majority of our expected problems or troubles never come to pass. This means that most of the time we devote to worrying, which pushes us to try to come up with a solution to what is troubling us, is wasted, Thus, we not only caused ourselves unnecessary mental pain, but took up valuable minutes and hours that could’ve been spent elsewhere.
To avoid this, it is often necessary to stay calm and trace the sources of worry. More importantly, we should analyze the situation and see whether it is the very problem that is bothering us. Blindly feeling nervous about whether the problem can be solved is sometimes ridiculous, for the problems do not exist. Once, shortly before a major concert, a member of Arturo Toscanini’s orchestra approached the great Italian conductor with an expression of fear on his face. “Maestro (大师), ”the musician said, “my instrument is not working properly. I cannot reach the note of E-flat. Whatever will I do? We are to begin in a few moments.” Toscanini looked at the man with amazement. Then he smiled kindly and placed an arm around his shoulders. “My friend, ” he replied, “Do not worry about it. The note E-flat does not appear anywhere in the music that you will be playing this evening. ”
The next time we find ourselves in the middle of worrying about some matters, we might be wise to stop and ask ourselves what the problem is and whether it will happen. Then we may be able to go on to do something more meaningful or at least avoid being disturbed by something imaginary.
1. What do we know about worry from the first two paragraphs?| A．It requires people to record and review the trouble later. |
| B．It drives people to try and stay safe from anticipated trouble. |
| C．It’s referred to as negative ideas about things that will never happen. |
| D．It causes a waste of time that should be spent on solving the problem. |
| A．the note E-flat does not appear in the music |
| B．wrongly analyzing the problem is ridiculous |
| C．it’s not wise to be disturbed by something imaginary |
| D．a man of wisdom is able to deal with1 worry effectively |
| A．Arturo Toscanini was a great Italian musician from Italy. |
| B．Worry is defined as thoughts and images of a negative nature. |
| C．Time wasted on worry should be spent on something meaningful. |
| D．People feel annoyed by worry because of psychological problems. |
| A．The source of worry. |
| B．How to deal with worry. |
| C．The definition of worry. |
| D．How worry affects people. |
