阅读理解

  In the 1970s, with ever-increasing international travel and tourism, the United States Department of Transportation decided to design a set of symbols(符号)for airports, stations, and public facilities(设施). The aim was to design symbols that would be clear to people in a hurry and to those who can not read English. Therefore, the set of symbols shown below was designed. Then the designers planned an experiment with an international sample(抽样调查) of 8-year-old children from Sweden. Japan, France, Canada, and Britain. The purpose of the experiment was to determine how clear the symbols would be to the children, who were not experienced international travelers.

  The children were shown the set of sample symbols, and were then asked to explain to the experimenters what the symbols meant. The researchers thought that if the international sample of children could understand them, the grown-up travelers would probably also recognize their meanings. The following graph(图表) shows the percentages of correctly explained symbols.

  The experiments discovered that most of the children easily understand the telephone receiver and cigarette symbols. However, there were some interesting differences in their answers to the other four symbols. The Japanese children most easily understood the symbol standing for“coffee shop”. The experimenters thought that this fact showed children in Japan are more familiar with such shops than children in Sweden and Canada. The Japanese, French, and Canadian children all equally recognized the idea of“information”showed by the question mark.

  Interestingly, the French and Canadian children understood the symbol referring to“campground(露营地)”better than the other children. Again, the researchers thought that recognition of a symbol shows how common the activity is in a country.

  One particularly difficult symbol was that of the umbrella and glove used for“lost and found”, which was correctly explained by less than 50% of the children in four of the five countries. On the basis(基础) of this finding, the experimenters decided to add a question mark to make this symbol easier to understand.

1.Which of the following shows the correct meaning of(X), (Y), and (Z) in the graph above?

[  ]

A.Campground, Coffee Shop, Lost and Found.

B.Lost and Found, Campground, Coffee Shop.

C.Coffee shop, Lost and Found, Campground.

D.Telephone, No smoking, Information.

2.If we compare the Japanese and French children's understanding of the question mark and cigarette symbols, then we can find a difference of _____ between these symbols.

[  ]

A.0%   B.10%

C.80%   D.90%

3.The _____ symbol was the most difficult for the Japanese children to understand.

[  ]

A.cup   B.question mark

C.tent   D.umbrella and glove

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

[  ]

A.The experimenters thought Japanese children drink coffee.

B.The most difficult symbol was changed to make it clearer.

C.The question mark symbol is the least difficult in all five countries.

D.The researchers thought children would know as much as grown-ups.

Edward Estlin Cummings was a poet well-known for how he wrote his poems He wrote his poems with capital (大写的) letters in the words . For example, the title of one of his poems is “The little horse is newlY” The “Y” is a capital letter. He also used “i” instead of “I” to refer to himself in the poems.
Edward was born on October14, 1894 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Edward’s father was also named Edward. Young Edward’s mother was named Rebecca. She loved to spend time with her children. She also taught Edward Jr how to write poems. Edward’s sister was born 1896 and her name was Elizabeth. Edward’s father was the first professor of Sociology at Harvard University. He later became the minister of one of Boston’s respected churches. He was the one who taught his son to use his hands as well as his mind. Edward Jr used his hands to paint abstract art.
E.E.Cummings was a very smart boy. Edward was 12 when he became a freshman in high school. He loved circuses, ballets, music and amusement parks.
Edward graduated from Harvard in 1916. During World War I , he joined the army and was sent to France where he drove an ambulance. He and his friend from Harvard were arrested because people thought they were German spies. They were kept in one room where they slept , ate , talked and tried to deal with their fears and boredom. Edward wrote his first book, published in 1922, called The Enormous Room, based on his wartime experiences.
E.E.Cummings was a poet that made his own rules in poetry. He was one of the most popular poets of the 20th century.
【小题1】Which is a special feature of E.E.Cummings’ poems?

A.Their titles are all written with capital letters.
B.A special capital letter is used in them to refer to the writer.
C.He used “Y” to refer to “you”.
D.He used letters in a special way in them
【小题2】What’s the second paragraph mainly about?
A.Edward’s schoolingB.Edward’s parents
C.Edward’s familyD.Edward’s childhood.
【小题3】E.E.Cummings was arrested in the war because ___________.
A.he went to France without permissionB.he looked like a Frenchman
C.he was thought to be German agentD.he drove away a car that belonged to the army


Researchers at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology say they have found further proof that the wolf ancestors of today’s dogs can be from southern East Asia -- findings that are contrary to theories placing the birth place in the Middle East. Dr Peter Savolainen, KTH researcher in evolutionary genetics, says a new study released Nov. 23 confirms that an Asian region south of the Yangtze River was the principal and probably the only region where wolves were domesticated(驯化)by humans.
Research data show clearly that dogs are descended from wolves, but there’s never been scientific agreement on where in the world the domestication process began. “Our analysis of Y-chromosomal(染色体)DNA now confirms that wolves were first domesticated in Asia south of Yangtze River -- we call it the ASY region -- in southern China or Southeast Asia,” Savolainen says.
The Y data supports previous evidence from mitochondrial(线粒体)DNA. “Taken together, the two studies provide very strong evidence that dogs appeared first in the ASY region,” Savolainen says.
Archaeological data and a genetic study recently published in Nature suggest that dogs originate from the Middle East. But Savolainen rejects that view. “Because none of these studies included samples from the ASY region, evidence from ASY has been overlooked,” he says.
Peter Savolainen and PhD student Mattias Oskarsson worked with Chinese colleagues to analyse DNA from male dogs around the world. Their study was published in the scientific journal Heredity.
Approximately half of the gene pool was universally shared everywhere in the world, while only the ASY region had the entire range of genetic diversity. “This shows that gene pools in all other regions of the world most probably originate from the ASY region,” Savolainen says.
“Our results confirm that Asia south of the Yangtze River was the most important -- and probably the only -- region for wolf domestication, and that a large number of wolves were domesticated,” says Savolainen.
In separate research published recently in Ecology and Evolution, Savolainen, PhD student Arman Ardalan and Iranian and Turkish scientists conducted a comprehensive study of mitochondrial DNA, with a particular focus on the Middle East. Because mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother in most species, it is especially useful in studying evolutionary relationships.
“Since other studies have indicated that wolves were domesticated in the Middle East, we wanted to be sure nothing had been missed. We find no signs whatsoever that dogs originated there,” says Savolainen.
In their studies, the researchers also found minor genetic contributions from crossbreeding between dogs and wolves in other geographic regions, including the Middle East.
“This subsequent dog/wolf hybridisation(混合淡化技术)contributed only modestly to the dog gene pool,” Savolainen explains.
【小题1】What does Dr. Peter Savolainen believe?
A. Dogs’ ancestors came from the Middle East.
B. Wolves were probably first trained to work for humans in the ASY region.
C. Analysis of Y-chromosomal DNA should be combined with mitochondrial DNA.
D. Samples of the previous studies are enough to support the conclusion.
【小题2】We can learn from the passage that _______.

A.there is a universal agreement on the place of first domestication
B.data from ASY may highlight where dogs came from
C.Dr. Savolainen’s research mainly focuses on the Middle East
D.the dog/wolf hybridization makes up most of the dog gene pool
【小题3】What is special about mitochondrial DNA?
A.It is only used in studying evolutionary relationships.
B.It alone can provide hard evidence for Savolainen’s research.
C.It is the most useful in finding out the birth place of dogs.
D.It comes from the mother of most animals and plants.

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
How can we all get more laughter into our lives? Here is what the experts suggest:
 【小题1】Nancy Alguire, a teacher in Clifton Park, N. Y., was once painfully shy and had a hard time laughing. Then she married a circus clown (小丑). “I became interested in the clowns,” she recalls “One day I put on a costume and paint my face. That afternoon my whole life changed. I learned to laugh and enjoy life in a way I had never done before.”  【小题2】To this day, she still makes it a rule to be with people who enjoy life and laughing.
 【小题3】 It doesn’t take you too much time and can be easy. Collect favorite cartoons and jokes. Also, keep a paper for writing down humor you find in everyday life. “Good ideas come and go fast, you have to catch them quickly or they are gone,” says Virginia Tooper.
Laugh when you need it most. “ 【小题4】 ” says comedian Bill Cosby. “And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might by, you can survive it,” he insists.
Gray Alan, a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota, claims that laughter is a skill we can all gain – because it comes naturally.   【小题5】Just remember: we are just here for a period, so get a few laughs.

A.Mix with people who laugh.
B.You can lessen your pain through humor.
C.Practise the art of laughing.
D.But it’s also something that has to be developed.
E.He who laughs last laughs best.
F.People’s joy can affect those around them.
G.Keep a laughter file (文档).

Researchers at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology say they have found further proof that the wolf ancestors of today’s dogs can be from southern East Asia -- findings that are contrary to theories placing the birth place in the Middle East. Dr Peter Savolainen, KTH researcher in evolutionary genetics, says a new study released Nov. 23 confirms that an Asian region south of the Yangtze River was the principal and probably the only region where wolves were domesticated(驯化)by humans.

Research data show clearly that dogs are descended from wolves, but there’s never been scientific agreement on where in the world the domestication process began. “Our analysis of Y-chromosomal(染色体)DNA now confirms that wolves were first domesticated in Asia south of Yangtze River -- we call it the ASY region -- in southern China or Southeast Asia,” Savolainen says.

The Y data supports previous evidence from mitochondrial(线粒体)DNA. “Taken together, the two studies provide very strong evidence that dogs appeared first in the ASY region,” Savolainen says.

Archaeological data and a genetic study recently published in Nature suggest that dogs originate from the Middle East. But Savolainen rejects that view. “Because none of these studies included samples from the ASY region, evidence from ASY has been overlooked,” he says.

Peter Savolainen and PhD student Mattias Oskarsson worked with Chinese colleagues to analyse DNA from male dogs around the world. Their study was published in the scientific journal Heredity.

Approximately half of the gene pool was universally shared everywhere in the world, while only the ASY region had the entire range of genetic diversity. “This shows that gene pools in all other regions of the world most probably originate from the ASY region,” Savolainen says.

“Our results confirm that Asia south of the Yangtze River was the most important -- and probably the only -- region for wolf domestication, and that a large number of wolves were domesticated,” says Savolainen.

In separate research published recently in Ecology and Evolution, Savolainen, PhD student Arman Ardalan and Iranian and Turkish scientists conducted a comprehensive study of mitochondrial DNA, with a particular focus on the Middle East. Because mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother in most species, it is especially useful in studying evolutionary relationships.

“Since other studies have indicated that wolves were domesticated in the Middle East, we wanted to be sure nothing had been missed. We find no signs whatsoever that dogs originated there,” says Savolainen.

In their studies, the researchers also found minor genetic contributions from crossbreeding between dogs and wolves in other geographic regions, including the Middle East.

“This subsequent dog/wolf hybridisation(混合淡化技术)contributed only modestly to the dog gene pool,” Savolainen explains.

1.What does Dr. Peter Savolainen believe?

A. Dogs’ ancestors came from the Middle East.

B. Wolves were probably first trained to work for humans in the ASY region.

C. Analysis of Y-chromosomal DNA should be combined with mitochondrial DNA.

D. Samples of the previous studies are enough to support the conclusion.

2.We can learn from the passage that _______.

A.there is a universal agreement on the place of first domestication

B.data from ASY may highlight where dogs came from

C.Dr. Savolainen’s research mainly focuses on the Middle East

D.the dog/wolf hybridization makes up most of the dog gene pool

3.What is special about mitochondrial DNA?

A.It is only used in studying evolutionary relationships.

B.It alone can provide hard evidence for Savolainen’s research.

C.It is the most useful in finding out the birth place of dogs.

D.It comes from the mother of most animals and plants.

 

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