A scientist who developed a way to calculate how much water is used in the production of anything from a cup of coffee to a hamburger was awarded the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize.

Professor John Anthony Allan of the University of London in Britain won the award for introducing the idea of “virtual water (虚拟水)”, a calculation method that has changed the nature of trade policy and research.

Allan has written seven books and published more than 100 papers.

The Stockholm International Water Institute said this idea is now embedded (埋藏) in the production of foods and industrial products. The institute said Allan’s work had made a big effect on global trade policy and research, especially in water-scarce (缺水的) regions.

“The improved understanding of trade and water management issues on local, regional and global scales are of the highest value for the successful and sustainable (可持续的) use of water resources,” it said.

“People do not only use water when they drink it or take a shower,” the institute said. “Behind the morning cup of coffee, there are 140 liters of water that was used to grow, produce, package and ship the beans.” That is about as much water as a person in England uses on average for all daily drinking and household needs.

“For a single hamburger, about 2,400 liters of water are needed. In the USA, the average person uses nearly 7,000 liters of virtual water every day.” It said that was more than three times the average use of a Chinese person.

1.Allan was awarded the prize because _______.

A. he wrote seven books on trade policy

B. he published more than 100 papers on water management

C. he found a new kind of water in water-scarce areas

D. he came up with the idea of virtual water

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The average American uses about 7,000 liters of water a day.

B. The average Chinese uses nearly 2,300 liters of virtual water a day.

C. An Englishman usually drinks about 140 liters of coffee a day.

D. A hamburger usually contains about 2,400 liters of water.

3.What do we learn about John Anthony Allan from the passage?

A. He won the 2008 Nobel Prize.        B. He has written over 100 books.

C. He works at the University of London.        D. He lives in the USA.

4.What effect does the idea of virtual water have?

A. It helps us realize the importance of trade.   

B. It helps people do successful business.

C. It helps us make use of water scientifically. 

D. It tells us how much water we use a day.

The idea for a science experiment can come from an unusual place. After watching a YouTube video of a dancing bird named Snowball, a scientist in Californina decided to study the ability of animals to keep the beat.

Bird lovers have long claimed that their pets have rhyhm, and there are many videos of dancing birds online. Until now, scientists have suspected that humans are the only animals that can accurately keep rhythm with music.

Thanks to Snowball, that scientific opinion is changing. Snowball is a cockatoo, a kind of parrot, and his favorite song is “Everybody” by the Backstreet Boys. When he hears the song, he moves his feet and rocks his body with the tempo, or pace of the music, as though he is the only bird member of the boy band.

Aniruddh Patel is a neuroscientist, or a scientist who studies how the brain and the nervous system contribute to learning, seeing and other mental abilities. He works at the Neurosciences Instiute in San Diego. After seeing Snowbaill’s dance online, Patel visited the cockatoo at the bird rescue facility he’s called home for two years. The scientist played “Everybody” for Snowball and also played versions of the song that were sped up or slowed down. Sometimes, Snowball danced too fast or too slowly. Often, when there was a change in tempo, Snowball adjusted his dancing to match the rhythm. In other experiments, scientists have observed the same abilities in preschool children.

Patel isn’t the only scientist who has studied Snowball’s moves. Adena Schachner, who studies psychology at Harvard University, also wanted to know more about the dancing bird. Schachner’s team played different musical pieces for Snowball and a parrot named Alex, as well as eight human volunteers. The scientists observed that the birds and the humans kept time to the music with about the same accuracy.

Schachner and her team watched thousands of YouTube videos of different animals moving to music. Not all the animals could dance, however. From watching the videos, the scientists observed that only animals that imitate sounds, including 14 parrot species and Asian elephants, accurately moved in time to music.

The underlined words “that scientific opinion” in the third paragraph refers to the theory that            .

A.birds like Snowball have the ability to keep the beat

B.humans are the only animals that can accurately keep rhythm with music

C.the brain and the nervous system contribute to some mental abilities

D.bird pets can have their special rhythm under human’s instruction

From the fourth paragraph we may know that         .

A.Patel is the only scientist who has studied Snowball’s moves.

B.Snowball is able to adjust his dandcing to match the rhythm.

C.Snowball cannot dance to the versions of the song Everybody.

D.it is the brain and the nervous system that control the mental abilities.

The idea of studying animals’ ability to keep the beat comes from       .

A.bird lovers’ discovery               B.humans musical sense

C.the same abilities in children            D.videos of dancing birds

According to the scientists, Snowball’s ability to dance to music is probably related to the fact that          .

A.it is the only bird member of thd Backstreet Boys band

B.it has the ability to imitate sounds

C.it is a kind of dancing parrot

D.it has the same abilities as preschool children

A scientist who developed a way to calculate how much water is used in the production of anything from a cup of coffee to a hamburger was awarded the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize.
Professor John Anthony Allan of the University of London in Britain won the award for introducing the idea of “virtual water (虚拟水)”, a calculation method that has changed the nature of trade policy and research.
Allan has written seven books and published more than 100 papers.
The Stockholm International Water Institute said this idea is now embedded (埋藏) in the production of foods and industrial products. The institute said Allan’s work had made a big effect on global trade policy and research, especially in water-scarce (缺水的) regions.
“The improved understanding of trade and water management issues on local, regional and global scales are of the highest value for the successful and sustainable (可持续的) use of water resources,” it said.
“People do not only use water when they drink it or take a shower,” the institute said. “Behind the morning cup of coffee, there are 140 liters of water that was used to grow, produce, package and ship the beans.” That is about as much water as a person in England uses on average for all daily drinking and household needs.
“For a single hamburger, about 2,400 liters of water are needed. In the USA, the average person uses nearly 7,000 liters of virtual water every day.” It said that was more than three times the average use of a Chinese person.
【小题1】Allan was awarded the prize because _______.

It’s 8:30, time for John to start work. So he turns on his radio. Then he eats breakfast. As he eats, he reads his e-mail and reviews his to-do list. Then he sits on the sofa and thinks about an article he needs to write ... Wait a minute! Radio? Breakfast? Sofa? What kind of workplace is this? Well, actually it is John’s house, and he is a telecommuter —  he works at home, communicating with the workplace through the Internet.

    Like John, millions of people — and their employers — are finding that telecommuting is a great way to work. Telecommuters can follow their own timetables. They work in the comfort of homes, where they can also look after young children or elderly parents. They save time and money by not traveling to work. Their employers save, too, because they need less office space and furniture. Studies show that telecommuters change jobs less often. This saves employers even more money. Telecommuting helps society, too, by reducing pollution and traffic problems.

    Jobs that are suited to telecommuting include writing, design work, computer programming and accounting. If a job is related to working with information, a telecommuter can probably do it.

1.From the passage we can learn that John does his job            .

A. by telephone     B. through the Internet

C. in his office      D. away from home

2.One of the advantages of telecommuting is that you can         .

A. work for several employers            B. enjoy a lot of traveling

C. get along well with other workers       D. work on your own schedule

3.Telecommuters change jobs less often, so          .

A. their employers can save money

B. their employers will give them a higher pay

C. they can get more work experience

D. they will have a longer paid holiday

4.The underlined phrase “suited to” in the third paragraph probably means “        ”.

A. acceptable for       B. bad for

C. difficult for      D. fit for

The idea for a science experiment can come from an unusual place. After watching a YouTube video of a dancing bird named Snowball, a scientist in California decided to study the ability of animals to keep the beat.

Bird lovers have long claimed that their pets have rhythm, and there are many videos of dancing birds online. Until now, scientists have suspected that humans are the only animals that can accurately keep rhythm with music.

Thanks to Snowball, that scientific opinion is changing. Snowball is a cockatoo, a kind of parrot, and his favorite song is "Everybody" by the Backstreet Boys. When he hears the song, he moves his feet and rocks his body with the tempo, or pace of the music, as though he is the only bird member of the boy band.

Aniruddh Patel is a neuroscientist, or a scientist who studies how the brain and the nervous system contribute to learning, seeing and other mental abilities. He works at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego. After seeing Snowball's dance online, Patel visited the cockatoo at the bird rescue facility he's called home for two years. The scientist played "Everybody" for Snowball and also played versions of the song that were sped up or slowed down. Sometimes, Snowball danced too fast or too slowly. Often, when there was a change in tempo, Snowball adjusted his dancing to match the rhythm. In other experiments, scientists have observed the same abilities in preschool children.

Patel isn't the only scientist who has studied Snowball's moves. Adena Schachner, who studies psychology at Harvard University, also wanted to know more about the dancing bird. Schachner's team played different musical pieces for Snowball and a parrot named Alex, as well as eight human volunteers. The scientists observed that the birds and the humans kept time to the music with about the same accuracy.

Schachner and her team watched thousands of YouTube videos of different animals moving to music. Not all the animals could dance, however. From watching the videos, the scientists observed that only animals that imitate sounds, including 14 parrot species and Asian elephants, accurately moved in time to music.

63.   The underlined words “that scientific opinion” in the third paragraph refers to the theory that ______.

A.birds like Snowball have the ability to keep the beat

B.humans are the only animals that can accurately keep rhythm with music

C.the brain and the nervous system contribute to some mental abilities

D.bird pets can have their special rhythm under human’s instruction

64.   From the fourth paragraph we may know that ______.

A.Patel is the only scientist who has studied Snowball’s moves.

B.Snowball is able to adjust his dancing to match the rhythm.

C.Snowball cannot dance to the versions of the song Everybody.

D.it is the brain and the nervous system that control the mental abilities.

65.   The idea of studying animals’ ability to keep the beat comes from ______.

A.bird lovers’ discovery

B.humans musical sense

C.the same abilities in children

D.videos of dancing birds

66.   According to the scientists, Snowball’s ability to dance to music is probably related to the fact that ______.

A.it is the only bird member of the Backstreet Boys band

B.it has the ability to imitate sounds

C.it is a kind of dancing parrot

D.it has the same abilities as preschool children