The mystery of why humans are the only animals to have chins (下巴) may have been solved by scientists who suggest that it is connected to the invention of cooking.

    A paper from the University of Florida tries to explain exactly why humans 一 unlike all other primates (灵长目动物) 一have chins.

     A team led by Dr James Pampush collected information from more than 100 kinds of primate and compared it with historical information. Computer modelling found how the chin developed.

    Random genetic change(随机的基因变化)was ruled out because the chin developed 77 times faster than the average genetic change. And the study finds no evidence that it -served a useful purpose. The research,published in the Journal of Human Evolution,suggests the chin is a by-product of another event. In this case,the event could well be the invention of cooking.

     “The chin began to appear as a result of major changes six million years earlier. The arrival of cooking and softer food meant humans no longer needed big teeth and powerful jaws .and over the next two million years to 200,000 years both got smaller and the chin was bora ,” said Dr Pampush. “My guess is that it most likely happened around two million years ago when there was a jump in brain size. The changes which finally lead to the chin are directly related to cooking,and indirectly related to larger brains and bodies."

     Dr Pampush's new theory goes against previous suggestions that the chin was an example of sexual selection,with attractive chins marking out men who are likely to make good mates(配偶) . The fact that both men and women have chins means the theory is unlikely.

     Another theory put forward in the past said that the chin was a way to balance out the stress of chewing,but Dr Pampush also threw doubt on that idea.

1. The reason why we have chins .

   A. is connected to humans’ action of chewing

   B. has something to do with cooking

   C. is random genetic change

   D. is related to eating time

2. How did the researchers get their result?

   A. By carrying out experiments. .

   B. By studying scientific theories.

   C. By examining the human brain.

   D. By comparing recorded information.

3. Before developing chins,humans .

   A. had bigger teeth

   B. cooked softer food

   C. had smaller jaws

   D. had larger bodies

4. According to Dr Pampush,the chin most

probably appeared around .

   A. 6 million years ago

   B. 4  million years ago

   C. 2  million years ago

   D. 0.2 million years ago

5. What does the underlined part “the theory” refer to?

   A. Men are likely to have more attractive chins.

   B. The chin helps humans attract a mate.

   C. Both men and women have chins.

   D. Dr Pampush's theory.

         Since he was nine,Babar Ali has been running his own school in Bhabta,a small village in West Bengal,India,passing on to the children of poor families the knowledge he has acquired(学到) at his school during the day.

        It began when children in his village asked him questions about what he learned at the 1,000-rupee-a-year school their parents could not afford.

       “It started without much effort,”hesays. aThere were lots of children who had dropped out of school,or never been to school at all. They were "always asking questions about my lessons and I would repeat everything for them.

      “There used to be just eight pupils,and my friends helped me with the teaching. We worked on the standard of teaching. The word spread to nearby villages,and gradually we took on more and more students."

Five years later,the school has a total of 1C teachers,all of whom are studeiits at school,and 650 pupils.

         On a typical(典型的) day,Babar will rise ai 5 am,do housework,then take a bus to school in a

village three miles away. From 10 am to 4 pm,he focuses on(集中注意力于) his own studies,then he races back to his village to welcome his students at 5 pm. He teaches until 8 pm. The

teaching doesn’t make hin) tired,he says,but gives him more strength to keep up his busy life.

       His parents are filled with pride. His father,Nasiruddin,was shocked when he first discovered

his son was teaching. “I couldn’ t believe it. He always rushing from place to place and I was worried it might affect his studies. So I visited his school. Seeing his dedication(奉献) to teaching cleared my doubts,he says.

    In 2009,Babar was npied the “youngest headmaster in the world by BBC. From then on,his story appeared in many textbooks,and now he is regularly invited to speak at many meetings all over the world. 

21. Babar started teaching the children nearby

   A. because he wanted to make money to pay for his studies

   B. when they went to his school to ask him questions

    C. because their parents asked him to do so   

    D. when he was quite a young boy

22. As time went by,Babar.

   A. is planning to set up more schools

   B. had to ask some teachers to help him

   C. gradually made his school bigger and bigger

   D. had to drop out of school to teach other children

23. Why does the author describe Babar's typical day?

   A. To show he works very long hours.

    B;To explain why he feels tired at the end of a day.

   C. To show he works much harder than other teachers.

   D. To explain why he has no time to stay with his family. 

24. How did Babar's father react to his teaching at first?

   A. He was very surprised.

   B. He was proud of Babar.

   C. He had doubts about Babar's ability.

   D. He was unhappy about Babar's decision.

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