Think of the animal world. and a group of colorful wild animals will spring to mind: a parrot's rainbow feathers or the showy scales of sea fish. But, many mammals(哺乳动物) on the planet come in only two colors: black and white. Spend some time exploring what science has discovered about these animals' appearances, and you' ll see that basic black and white isn't so basic at all.
| The panda's white body helps it hide in snowy areas. The arms and legs are black, helping it hide in forests. The markings on its head are not used to hide, but to communicate. Black ears can act as a warning to enemies. |
| Depending on the species, black skunks(臭鼬) may wear white spots that act as covering or white stripes that signal enemies to be aware of their smelly spray, which causes no real harm to its victims, but it makes them uncomfortable. |
| Zebras' thin coats make them more vulnerable than long-haired animals to biting flies that carry disease, but the coats stripes prevent flies from landing on them, for reasons that scientists are still studying. Further, their attractiveness to flies increases with stripe width. No two zebras' stripes are exactly the same. |
1.According to the passage, which of the following sentences is TRUE?
A. The panda's white parts help it hide against snow.
B. Both white spots and white stripes help skunks kill their victims.
C. Zebras with wider stripes are less attractive to flies.
D. Scientists have already known all the secrets about the stripes.
2.What does the underlined word "vulnerable" mean?
A. Being easily landed.
B. Being easily attracted.
C. Being easily discovered.
D. Being easily attacked.
3.Which could be the best title of the passage?
A. Why Animal Stripes Come in Different Shapes
B. Why So Many Animals Wear Black-and-White Coats
C. How Wild Animals Protect Themselves from Enemies
D. How Black and White Become Basic Colors in Animal World
阅读下面短文，根据短文中的信息完成文后表格。在答题卡标有题号的横线上，写出空缺处所填单词的正确形式。(每空一词)
Beyond its influence on health, not getting enough sleep can lead to car accidents or other mistakes. Here are what sleep researchers have found about how to sleep.
How much sleep do we actually need?
It is known that all of us naturally need no less than eight hours of sleep per night. When we sleep below six hours per 24. we're at an increased risk of health problems. Some of us think we can make up any of those hours lost during the week on the weekends. Sadly there is no storage system for sleep in the brain.
Can we train ourselves to need less sleep?
As a study in 1964, a 17-year-old boy named Randy Gardner stayed awake for 264 hours. How many people could do anything close to that without dying?
When you are reading this, you might say you usually get six hours of sleep and feel just fine. Sleep experts often compare people without enough sleep to drunk drivers: They don’t get behind the wheel thinking they're probably going to kill someone.
Can we drink coffee instead of sleeping?
Coffee can keep us awake. Remember, too much coffee may throw off our sleep and energy cycles. So limit coffee and avoid caffeine for four to six hours before bedtime.
Does a sense of purpose connect to sleep quality?
A new research suggests a kind of strong connection between purpose in life and sleep. People who have a greater sense of purpose usually have better physical and mental health, which in turn explains their higher-quality sleep. Perhaps developing a sense of purpose in life could be as useful at improving sleep as the healthy habits above.
How to sleep | ||
Introduction | Not getting enough sleep can influence our health and1.many mistakes. | |
Findings from2. researchers | How much sleep do we actually need? | ●Eight hours of sleep a night is 3.for all of us. ●Sleeping less than six hours a day can4. the risk of health problems. ●It is 5.to make up the lost sleeping hours during the workweek. |
Can we train ourselves to need less sleep? | ●People without enough sleep would insist that they were 6., but weren't doing well at all. | |
Can we drink coffee instead of sleeping? | ●Using coffee instead of sleeping might lead to sleep 7.. ●Drink proper amount of coffee at proper8.. | |
Does a sense of purpose connect to sleep quality? | ●A sense of purpose in life is closely9.with sleep quality. ●People with a greater sense of purpose may sleep 10. |