For photographers lacking training, experience and even the ability to click a shutter button, they produce remarkable pictures.Under the sea, deep in the woods and high in the sky, furry, feathery and leathery-skinned creatures are opening up vistas(远景)by taking cameras where no human can go.

This is the world of animal-borne imagine celebrated last month at a conference sponsored(supported) by the National Geographic Society for the 20th anniversary of its Crittercam, the device that started it all.

Since its debut(首次公开露面)in 1987 on the back of a turtle, the Crittercam and similar devices developed by others have grown smaller and more powerful.

“It’s more than just a camera now,” said Greg Marshall, the marine biologist and now filmmaker who invented the Crittercam.“We are now including more instruments to gather more data while at the same time reducing everything in size.”

The idea of attaching video cameras to animals came to Mr.Marshall in 1986 on a dive off Belize when a shark apporached him.When the animal quickly turned away, he noticed a shark with a sucker fish on its belly.He came up with the idea that putting a camera in place of the sucker fish would allow people to witness the shark’s behavior without disturbing it.

Crittercams have been attached to sharks, sea lions and other marine animals, and, more recently, to land animals.

Birds are a new addition, Mr.Marshall said.Dr.Christian Rutz of Oxford recently reported on tiny cameras called feathercams that monitor the crows in the South Pacific.It has discovered that crows are smarter than anyone knew they not only use twigs(嫩枝)and grass stems as tools to root out food, but they also save their favorite tools to use again.

Tracey L.Rogers, director of the Australian Marine Mammal Research Center in Sydney, said crittercam was a powerful tool in her work with leopard seals(豹斑海豹)in Antarctica.“In studying animals,” Dr.Rogers said at the meeting, “you want to see how our animal models align(与……一致)with reality.With a camera, you actually see what they do.You don’t have to guess.”

What’s the text mainly about?

A.The advantages of crittercam.

B.The development of Crittercams in the past 20 years.

C.How crittercam was invented.

D.How crittercam works.

What inspired Marshall to invent crittercam?

A.The sight of sucker fish clinging to a shark on a dive.

B.The thought of how to photograph animals better.

C.Noticing a shark eating a sucker fish on a dive.

D.Seeing a shark with a camera on its belly on a dive.

According to Dr.Rogers, crittercam ____.

A.can clear up all your doubts about animals

B.is the most powerful tool in studying animals

C.enabled her to observe the crows in the South Pacific closely

D.helped a lot with her research on leopard seals in Antarctica

All of the following are improvements of crittercams EXCEPT that ____.

A.the size is becoming smaller

B.more instruments are involved to gather more data

C.they allow researchers to see where and how animals live

D.they are able to be applied to smaller animals such as birds

The UN Security Council was created in 1945. It is made up of 10 rotating (轮值的) members and five permanent members, which have a veto, the power to stop a resolution (决议). Most UN members now consider the organization's structure outdated. But any changes need the agreement of two-thirds of the 191 members, and no veto from any of the five permanent council members.

Last year, Japan, Germany, Brazil and India formed a lobbying (游说) group to get permanent council seats. But North and South Korea have doubts about Japan, Italy opposes Germany for a seat, Pakistan is against India's candidacy (候选资格) and Mexico and Argentina frown on Brazil.

A wave of emotion swept through China last week as millions voiced their opposition to Japan's permanent membership of the United Nations (UN) Security Council. By last Friday over 22 million Chinese had signed an online petition (请愿) against Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the council.

According to major Chinese websites, such as sina.com, more than 170,000 overseas Chinese also signed. This is the first online activity of its kind.

The petition was started by US-based Alliance for Preserving the Truth of the Sino-Japanese War (抗日战争史实维护会). They want Japan to apologize for crimes during World War II. The group also plans to present the petition to the UN this autumn.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said he didn't think the petition shows anti-Japanese feeling. He believed instead it is a request for Japan to take a responsible attitude towards history.

What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

       A.Function of the UN in world affairs.     B.Members of the UN.

       C.Facts about the UN Security Council.    D.Reform of the UN Security Council.

Which statement is true according to the text?

       A.Four countries, such as Japan, Germany, Brazil and India are applying for joining the UN.

       B.Some countries, such as North and South Korea, Italy, Pakistan, Mexico and Argentina

propose ticking the four countries out of the UN.

       C.If the countries’ bids for permanent membership of the Council are turned down, the

opponent countries will take the place.

       D.The UN Security Council is going to take in new members.

The underlined phrase “frown on” in the third paragraph can be replaced by _____.

       A.agree on         B.disapprove of  

       C.give a firm support to          D.say yes to

What’s the main reason for China’s opposition to Japan’s permanent membership of the

Council?

       A.Japan is unwilling to admit to its crimes against the Chinese in the World War II.

       B.Millions of people in Asia signed a petition against it.

       C.The Chinese people have strong anti-Japanese feeling.

       D.Japan is an irresponsible country that once had a history of invasion.


I am a music store owner. One day, when I was cleaning the instruments in my store, I saw an old man come in. His short steps dragged on the carpet. “Is 77 too old to learn the banjo (班卓琴)?”  he asked.
“You can learn to play it well,” I replied, holding back my doubts. My mind told me I was giving false encouragement. I reached the instructor’s schedule and gave the rates, the available time and the additional information that he would need. To my surprise and delight, the old man, Carl, began banjo lessons three days later with my most patient teacher.
With nothing to do at home but practice, Carl made surprising progress. After breakfast he practiced for his required half hour. While waiting for lunch he picked up his banjo again for just a couple of minutes. Since TV was difficult for him to see and hear, he often played the banjo in the evenings. Carl was always early for lessons so it was a surprise that he didn’t arrive one Tuesday.
The next morning I listened to the answering machine with sadness. “Carl’s in hospital,” the voice recorded.
Two months later, I shared the newspaper obituary with the banjo teacher. We both shed tears for a surprisingly clever banjo student.
Several months later, a woman came into the store carrying a plant. “This is for Carl’s banjo teacher,” she said. “I’m his wife, Mary.”
“Why did Carl want to play the banjo?” I asked. Mary took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Carl was at some show when he was 10 years old. He came close to the stage to watch the performers. When they were packing up their instruments, the banjo player said to Carl, ‘You want to see this up close?’ Carl climbed up on the stage and from then on he wanted to play the banjo.” Carl had waited 67 years to realize a dream! Mary gave the plant to me. “Thank you for the best six months of his life,” she said.
68. In Paragraph 2, the author’s reaction to Carl’s question showed that he ______.
A. was willing to help                   
B. didn’t want to encourage Carl
C. didn’t want to give him false encouragement 
D. encouraged Carl though he had doubts
69. How did Carl learn to play the banjo well?
A. By working hard.                    B. By taking short cuts.
C. By asking his wife to help him.        D. By finding the best teacher.
70. The underlined word “obituary” in Para.5 means a notice that _______.
A. announces somebody has died    B. announces somebody is needed
C. announces a good piece of news  D. announces a gift for somebody

任务型阅读。
     请认真阅读下面短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最适当的单词。注意:每空1个单词。
     Even the most self-confident among us will experience doubt from time to time. Self-doubt is that
feeling of uncertainty about your ability to accomplish something. This dark shadow of insecurity can lead
to hesitation and indecision. If left unchecked, it can cause us to abandon our course or radically
compromise our expectations.
    Here are seven simple steps to conquering (战胜) self-doubt.
    1. Recognize and acknowledge your doubt. You cannot overcome something until you first recognize
and acknowledge its existence. If we give into the temptation (诱惑)to ignore or deny self-doubt, it will
impose limits on our ability to act. Self-doubt can be a stealthy (潜在的) problem. If you suspect that it
exists, you need to pull it into the light so it can be dealt with. The better you become at identifying hidden doubts, the easier it will be to overcome them.
    2. Analyze your doubt. Spend some time drilling down and figure out what triggered (引发) it and
why? When you analyze feelings, you make them vulnerable (脆弱) logic and reason. Normally, feelings
override logic, but questioning the validity of feelings brings them within the reach of reason.
    3. Identify the source. If you can figure out where these feelings originate, then you can hit them where
they live. You don't need to psychoanalyze yourself back to childhood or anything like that. Just try to
get a handle on the area of your life that creates your sense of uncertainty so you can work on it.
    4. Is there a pattern. Do you have a history of self-doubt in this area? Doubt tends to have favorite
places to hang out. This raises the likelihood that we have probably experienced it in a similar situation
before. Think back, have you been down this road before? Did you overcome your doubts? If so, what
steps did you take? If not, what can you do differently this time around?
    5. Design a plan. Sit down and plan out a strategy for defeating your doubt. Make an educated
decision about what to do next. Choose a path that you think will lead to conquering your doubts. Next,
put your plan down in writing.
    6. Anticipate (预计) possible challenges. Now look at your plan and try to identify possible challenges
along the way. Is there some area that you need help with? If so, ask someone close to you to give you
some encouragement. Sometimes, some foresight and a little support is all it takes.
    7. Take action. You have a plan, the next step is to put it to use by taking action. Stick to your plan
and ask for help if you need it. In fact, encouragement is good even if you think you can go it alone.
      For most people, self-doubt is just a temporary condition. Think of it like a speed bump on the road
to success. Take the bump in stride(脚步), then put the pedal to the metal, and go for it. When your
confidence is challenged, just follow these seven steps and you will get past it. In fact, I have no doubt
about your ability to leave self-doubt in the dust.
                                               Title: How to conquer self-doubt
The symptoms of self-doubt l Feeling uncertain about being _1_ of accomplishing something l Leading to hesitation and indecision or, even worse, abandoning the task. l Lasting a _2_ time

 Seven simple steps
Recognize   and acknowledge your doubt   3  until you first recognize and acknowledge hidden doubts can you overcome them.

  4  ▲ your doubt Spending some time drilling down and figure out the cause of it and the reason.

Identify the origin Trying to get a handle on the area of your life that creates your sense of uncertainty so you can figure out the  5  .

Is there a pattern   6   how you overcome your doubts in a similar situation before and deciding what you can do differently this time.

Design a plan Making an educated and proper decision about what to do next and getting it  7    down.

Anticipate possible  challenges Trying to foresee possible challenges and ask someone close to you to   8   you.

Take action Sticking to the plan and getting help as well as encouragement if necessary.

The author's   9 
Self-doubt is sure to be   10  ▲ of.

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网