Sheep, like turkeys and ostriches, are not considered the cleverest animals．British scientists said last Wednesday human may have underestimated(低估)the woolly creatures．They could be much smarter than we think．
Researchers at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, southern．England, have shown that animals have a good memory system and are extremely good at recognizing faces--which they think is a sure sign of intelligence．
Behavioral scientist Keith Kendrick and his friends trained 20 sheep to recognize and distinguish(区别)25 pairs of sheep faces and used electrodes(电极)to measure their brain activity, which showed they could remember 50 faces for up to two years．
"If they can do that with faces, the fact is that they have to have reasonable intelligence, otherwise, what is the point of having a system for remembering anything else," Kendrick said in an interview．
So hours of seemingly mindless eating grass may not be so mindless after all．
Kendrick believes sheep got their reputation as dumb animals because they live in large groups and do not appear to have much individuality and are frightened of just about everything．
"All animals, including humans, once they are frightened don't tend to show signs of intelligent action," he explained．
In research reported in the science journal Nature, Kendrick and his team showed that sheep, like humans, have a specialized system in the brain, which allows them to distinguish between many different faces that look extremely similar．
"The most important findings of the study is that they are able, both from a behavioral point of view and from looking at the way the brain is organized, to remember a large number of faces of individuals for a very long time," said Kendrick．"It is a very strange system．They are showing similar abilities in many ways to humans．"
(1)
From the first paragraph we can find that ________．
[ ]
A．
people used to think sheep are smarter than the other animals
B．
people used to raise sheep in a wrong way
C．
people don't consider sheep as clever animals
D．
people have done a lot of research on sheep
(2)
From what Kendrick said in the interview we learn that ________．
[ ]
A．
scientists have learned a lot about sheep's intelligence
B．
scientists have learned little about sheep's intelligence
C．
scientists can't do anything more about sheep's memory
D．
scientists don't have to research animals' memory
(3)
As is shown in the passage ________．
[ ]
A．
sheep are among the weak animals
B．
it is not right for people to raise sheep in groups
C．
when sheep eat grass in the fields their minds may be active
D．
if people feel frightened, they may become more brave
(4)
When scientists found that sheep show similar abilities in many ways to humans they may think it ________．
[ ]
A．
worrying
B．
moving
C．
frightening
D．
interesting
阅读理解
When I opened my e-mail the other day, a pretty woman named Rachel appeared on my computer screen．She greeted me by name and started talking with great enthusiasm．Every now and then she stopped to smile at me or blow a kiss．She was reading to me an e-mail from my brother, and a lot of it was about his getting the phone company to give him a high-speed Internet connection．It was pretty cool．
Rachel was there thanks to a new technology called Facemail．Facemail lets you send e-mail that gets ready to the receiver by an attractive male or female form or by a clown(小丑)．The software, which is free, can be downloaded at www．Facemail．com．
Facemail faces are lifelike, and they simulate(模拟)emotions based on emotions that you put in your text．For example, type in-X, and Rachel blows a kiss．
LifeFX, the company that develops the Facemail, is sure there are broad business uses．The reason e-business is not popular, the company says, is that buying over the Internet lacks the human touch．But what if you went to the Nike website and Michael Jordan greeted you by name, waited on you and personally closed the sale?And it is talking with Whirl(惠而浦公司)about using the technology in a computer screen on a fridge．Then if Morn can't be home when the kids get back from school, she can leave a note with voice and image telling them what there is to eat．
Facemail could get hot fast．Personally, I'm a fan．But Facemail should be used with care．The clown looks lively and funny at first．But if you select the clown, put a few rude words in an e-mail and add some angry emotions, you've got a Psycho-mail(疯人型电子邮件)．
(1)
The pretty woman that appears on the writer's computer screen was ________．
[ ]
A．
a woman working on the Internet
B．
his brother's girlfriend
C．
not a real person
D．
the picture of his pen-friend
(2)
The main advantage of Facemail is that ________．
[ ]
A．
you can hire a beautiful woman to read the e-mail to you
B．
you can see the person who sends you the e-mail
C．
yon can send an e-mail free of charge
D．
e-mail can be attractive in a more lovely way
(3)
The writer mentioned Nike website and Michael Jordan to show that ________．
[ ]
A．
Famous people like Michael Jordan also like to use Facemail
B．
Facemail can make shopping on the Internet more interesting
C．
Nike website will increase its sales by Jordan
D．
Michael Jordan will serve you himself on Nike website
(4)
What is the writer's attitude towards Facemail?
[ ]
A．
He thinks it needs further improvement．
B．
He thinks it cool and funny．
C．
He thinks it a danger to the Internet．
D．
He thinks people should be careful with Facemail．
阅读理解
Alzheimer's disease is a major national health problem．Nearly 2 million Americans over the age of 65 have Alzheimer's disease．It is a leading cause of death among the elderly．But Alzheimer's disease is not confined(限于)to the aged．There may be a million or more people under the age of 65 suffering from the disease．
At one time, people suffering from the disease were said to be "getting old"．The disease was thought to be a natural part of growing old, but it is now known that Alzheimer's disease strikes young and old alike．It is an organic(器官的)disease that destroys brain cells．
Alzheimer's disease affects the patient's memory, speech, and movement．In the beginning stages of the disease, the patient may seem slightly confused．He may have trouble speaking．Then the patient's memory begins to fail．He may forget dates, telephone numbers, names and plans．
As the disease progresses, the patient may not recognize family and friends．These symptoms(症状)often cause terrible anxiety in the patient．He may feel lost and frightened．Sometimes the patient reacts with wild and bad behavior．
In the last stages of the disease, the patient may not be able to take care of himself．He may have lost the ability to speak and walk．
Scientists don't know exactly what causes Alzheimer's disease．It may be caused by a virus(病毒)．It may be caused by a poisonous substance(物质)in the environment．At present, there is no cure for the disease．But there are ways to slow its progress．Exercise and physical treatment can help the patients of this disease．
(1)
The main idea of the passage is that Alzheimer's disease ________．
[ ]
A．
is a terrible part of the aging process
B．
is an organic disease that affects young and old
C．
can be cured by physical treatment
D．
causes forgetfulness
(2)
All of the following are symptoms of Alzheimer's disease EXCEPT ________．
[ ]
A．
forgetfulness
B．
difficulty in speaking
C．
loss of sight
D．
loss of the ability to walk
(3)
According to the passage, which of the following may be a cause of Alzheimer's disease?
[ ]
A．
Poisons produced by the brain．
B．
Getting old．
C．
A virus．
D．
Lack of exercise．
(4)
The progress of Alzheimer's disease can be slowed by ________．
[ ]
A．
operation
B．
a change in environment
C．
medicines
D．
physical treatment and exercise
阅读理解
A device that stops drives from falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months．
The system, called Driver Alert, aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20％－40％ that are caused by tiredness．Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30％ of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue．
Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband．The device, worn by drives or pilots, gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey．After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel(方向盘)．A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time between the sound and the driver's response．
Tiredness is directly related to a driver's response time．Usually, a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond, but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds, it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy．
In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds, showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest．If the driver's response continues to slow down, the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warns that the driver must stop as soon as possible．
The device has been delivered to the department's laboratories for testing．If these tests, scheduled for six months' time, are successful, the makers will bring the product to market within about a year．
(1)
According to the text, Driver Alert ________．
[ ]
A．
aims to reduce tiredness-related accidents
B．
aims to prevent drivers from sleeping
C．
has gone through testing at laboratories
D．
has been on sale for 12 months
(2)
How should a driver respond to the sounds from Driver Alert?
[ ]
A．
By sounding a warning．
B．
By checking the driving time．
C．
By touching the wrist hand．
D．
By pressing the steering wheel．
(3)
We can learn from the text that the driver needs to stop for a break when his response time is ________．
[ ]
A．
about 400 milliseconds
B．
over 500 milliseconds
C．
below 500 milliseconds
D．
about 4 minutes
(4)
When the driver gets sleepy while driving, Driver Alert ________．
[ ]
A．
moves more regularly
B．
opens the window for the driver
C．
stops working properly
D．
sounds more frequently and loudly
阅读理解
Win a trip to the OREGON COAST-Dare to Explore the Pacific Ocean．Build the biggest sand castle on the beach．Search tide pools for sea life．Watch the bright orange sunset over the ocean．Whether you've been to the Pacific Ocean before or have only closed your eyes and imagined it, we want to know how you would explore the Oregon Coast if you had the chance to go this summer．
JUDGING
1．Clear relationship between the Essay and the Drawing 40％
2．Creativity and skill in design and form of the Drawing 40％
3．Expression of the passion to draw and explore 10％
4．Journalistic quality, tidy nature and overall quality of the Essay 10％
PRIZE
By entering, you will have the chance to win an all expense paid trip to the ORECON COAST．Activities will include：kite flying, studying beautiful sea creatures, searching for sea life in a boat, science exploration at a science center and roasting over a beach campfire．
Who may enter：The competition is 0pen to kids aged 6－14．
TERM：Entries(参赛作品)must be postmarked no later than July 31, 2009．
How to enter
Surf travelogue．com/kids to download and print out an entry form．
Be sure to mark whether you have or have not been to the Pacific Ocean in山e form．Create a drawing of the Pacific Ocean on a piece of paper using a pen or paints．
Write an article of 100 words or less to explain why you want to go, what you think you would see and what you would explore if you have never been to the Pacific Ocean, or describe your favorite memories from your last visit．
Send to Dare to Explore the Pacific Ocean．NG1145 14th street NW．Washington D．C．20036
(1)
What is the most important for the judging?
[ ]
A．
Whether your article is written in a neat way．
B．
The article and the drawing should be closely related．
C．
Whether you show your passion to draw and explore．
D．
The skill in your drawing the map of the Atlantic Ocean．
(2)
If you win the competition, you may ________
[ ]
A．
search the beach for sea plants
B．
fly a kite on the beach
C．
roast the sea creatures over a beach campfire
D．
win an all expense paid trip to Washington D．C．
(3)
What information can you get from the passage?
[ ]
A．
Your article should be 8t least 100 words．
B．
Every kid can rake part in the competition．
C．
You must send the drawing before June 31, 2009．
D．
Your entry form should be downloaded and printed out．
(4)
You can most probably read the passage in ________．
[ ]
A．
a textbook
B．
a travel guide
C．
a newspaper
D．
a research book
阅读理解
As school starts again, there's so much more for an American parent to nag(唠叨)about, like homework，bedtime and lost hours on the Internet．
But in the age of digital childhood，Jacky Longwell, 45, of McLean, Virginia, often text–messages what she once told her children by mouth：Be nice to your brother; walk the dog; remember your reading．
This is the world of the modern family, in which even reminding children to do something has become electronic．
There are changes in how parents nag and in what they nag about and in how often of their nagging．
With technology," you nag more, and you are a little bit more precise(其体的)with your nagging,” said Reginald Black, 46, of Woodbridge．Virginia．
For many young people electronic nagging is part of the experience of growing up．
Charles Flowers, 17, a senior at St．John's College High School in Washington, says his mother reminds him about everything from laundry, being on time to baseball practice and mowing the lawn by text．
When she uses capitals he knows she's serious：GET HOME!
Some say technology has made nagging less annoying．Jacky Longwell thinks texts are less emotional than spoken messages and less likely to be resisted by teenagers．
“It's not as painful for them to hear it by text．It becomes grouped with the friendly communication．” she said．“They can't hear the nagging．”
She thinks a good way to do it is to mix friendliness with nagging．A parent can always start by saying hello．
Not all parents like the new electronic nagging．Joyce Bouchard, 51, a mother of four in Fairfax, Virginia, texts her 14-year-old son but says that for many things-chores, homework-the old-fashioned way works better．Nagging by text has risks．She notes：“I always think, if you're texting them something and they're with their friends, they are getting a big laugh out of it．”
(1)
The main idea of the article is ________．
[ ]
A．
what American parents like to nag about
B．
why American parents like to nag their children
C．
that electronic nagging is becoming common in the US
D．
how American parents began to nag their children by text messages
(2)
The example of Reginald Black is used to show readers ________．
[ ]
A．
that her nagging is thoughtful
B．
that she likes nagging her children very much
C．
the kind of skills a parent needs to nag effectively
D．
how the amount and kind of nagging have changed with the arrival of the digital age
(3)
The underlined sentence “Nagging by text has risks．” most probably means“________”
[ ]
A．
Electronic nagging costs too much
B．
Nagging messages may he resisted
C．
Receiving texts is harmful to teenagers' health
D．
Parents are likely to be addicted to nagging by text
(4)
We can infer from the article that ________．
[ ]
A．
it's better for parents to nag in a friendly way
B．
if nagging is electronic, it is not annoying
C．
American parents generally don't like to nag
D．
American parents like to use capital letters in messages
阅读理解
Modern scientists have mad great development in building computers that can imitate logical thought．There are two schools of thought on artificial intelligence(人工智能)。 Supporters of “Strong AI” consider that all human thought can be broken down into a set of mathematical operations．They expect that they will one day be able to copy the human mind and create a robot able to both think and feel, with a sense of self---the stuff of classic science fiction．Supporters of “Weak AI” think a computer might seem intelligent, but it is not aware of what it is doing, with no sense of self or consciousness．
Now the development of life－like robots may be closer to reality than you think．Engineers have created robotic soccer players, and bees that act like the real thing．
Powered by a small battery on her back, humanoid robot Lola is a soccer champion．“The idea of the robot is that it can walk and see things because it has a video camera on top．” Raul Rojas, Ph．D．, professor of artificial intelligence at Freie University in Berlin, Germany, told Ivanhoe．Using the camera on her head, Lola recognizes objects by color．
“Using this camera, Lola can locate objects on the floor, such as a red ball, go after the ball and try to score a goal,” said Dr．Rojas．German engineers have also created a bee robot．It can imitate the bee's “waggle” dance which communicates the location of food and water．
“Later what we want to prove is that the robot can send the bees in any decided direction using the waggle dance,” said Dr．Rojas．
Robots like this could one day become high-tech surveillance(侦察)tools that secretly fly and record data．
(1)
Robotic soccer players mentioned in the text reach the level of ________．
[ ]
A．
“Strong AI” technology
B．
“Weak AI” technology
C．
being able to think themselves
D．
having a sense of consciousness
(2)
How does Lola tell different objects according to the text?
[ ]
A．
By microwave
B．
By sound
C．
By smell．
D．
By color
(3)
The underlined word “this” in the last paragraph refers to “________”．
[ ]
A．
a bee robot
B．
a robotic soccer player
C．
a bee that can use the waggle dance
D．
a surveillance tool
(4)
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
[ ]
A．
A robot able to both think and feel only exists in science fiction now．
B．
Scientists have created the robots that can play soccer better than men．
C．
Engineers have created robotic soccer players and bees that can replace the real thing,
D．
Scientists have made great development in recording data in the past few years．
阅读理解
THE Little Mermaid, a fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is well known．It tells of a young mermaid who falls in love with a prince．She wants to be with the prince so she gives her tongue to a witch, who gives her legs for her fish tail．But the story has an unhappy ending．The little mermaid never gets to be with the prince．
At the Denmark Pavilion(展馆)at Shanghai Expo 2010, visitors will have a chance to meet the little mermaid．How so?In the form of the famous statue from Copenhagen．
Petersen Niels Lund Petersen, a designer of the pavilion said the idea was to find something for the Chinese and the Danish to share．
The brewer(酿酒商)Carl Jacobsen of Carlsberg gave the statue to the city of Copenhagen in 1913．The work of Edvard Erichsen, the statue, is one of the most well-loved in Denmark．About 75 percent of all tourists who visit the Danish capital go to see the Little Mermaid．
Visitors to the pavilion will find the Little Mermaid in the water from Copenhagen's harbor---just as she is in her home city．Two decades ago the harbor was filthy with pollution from factories．Today it is so clean that local people will sometimes take a swim in it．Visitors to the pavilion will be able to take off their socks and shoes and dip their toes in the water．
The pavilion will give visitors a sense of life in a modern Danish city．They can ride a bicycle in a Danish bicycle path, visit a park on the roof and have an organic picnic there, China Daily reports．
(1)
The statue of the Little Mermaid will be at Shanghai Expo 2010 because ________．
[ ]
A．
it was created by famous author Hans Christian Andersen
B．
the fairy tale of the Little Mermaid is part of the Chinese school course
C．
the Danish government thinks it can introduce people to the history of the country
D．
the designer of the Denmark Pavilion believes it will be something that the Chinese and the Danish can share
(2)
The underlined word “filthy” probably means ________．
[ ]
A．
dirty
B．
clean
C．
undeveloped
D．
well-known
(3)
At the Denmark Pavilion, visitors will be able to do all of the following EXCEPT ________．
[ ]
A．
enjoy an organic picnic
B．
ride a bicycle along a Danish bicycle path
C．
see a film called The Little Mermaid
D．
dip their toes in the water by the little mermaid statue
(4)
With the pavilion, Denmark wants to ________．
[ ]
A．
show off the modern life there
B．
recommend its bicycle and food industry
C．
remind visitors to live an environmentally friendly life
D．
attract people to swim in the water from Copenhagen's harbor
阅读理解
The first time I saw Crlos I would never have believed he was going to change my life．I had my arms full of books and I was tearing into the classroom when I ran into something solid．It was Carlos．
“My God, you're tall,” he said．
Of course, the class began to laugh．Angry, I walked to seat without a word．
I glanced back to see if Reed Harrington was laughing with anything else．That would be the last straw．But Reed was studying chemistry and did not seem to be aware of anything else．I didn't know why I considered Reed my friend．Maybe just because he was a good two inches taller than I．Anyway, every time I blew out my birthday candles and made a wish, it was for a date with Reed Harrington．
“Take that seat,” Mr．McCarthy told the cocky newcomer Carlos, pointing to the only empty one, in the back of the room．
Carlos grinned, “ But I need a couple of dictionaries．” Again the class laughed, but now they were laughing with Carlos, not at him．He had been here only 10 minutes and already he had them on his side．
It was the school elections that made me think of Carlos again．Reed Harrington was voted president and Carlos vice-president．“How come?” I kept asking myself, “How come this shrimp who's only been in town for a little over a month gets to be so popular?”
So that morning, I stopped Carlos and said,“It doesn't seem to bother you-being short．”He looked up at me, “ Of course I mind being short．But there isn't anything I can do about it．When I realized I was going to have to spend my life in this undersized skin, I just decided to make the best of it and concentrate on being myself．”“You seem to get along great,” I admitted, “But what about me?Nobody wants to date a girl taller than he is．” “The trouble with you is you're afraid to be yourself．You're smart．And you could be pretty．In fact, you might be more than pretty．”I felt myself turning red…
(1)
The author was angry because ________．
[ ]
A．
the class made fun of her
B．
Carlos was too rude to her
C．
she had to carry many books
D．
Reed Harrington didn't date her．
(2)
Which of the following about Carlos is NOT TRUE?
[ ]
A．
He was popular．
B．
He was new in the school．
C．
He was shorter than the author
D．
He was chosen president in the school elections．
(3)
We can infer from the passage that ________．
[ ]
A．
Carlos and the author have become good friends．
B．
the author will be more confident．
C．
Carlos always encouraged the author．
D．
the author was tall
(4)
What's the best title of the passage?
[ ]
A．
How to be popular
B．
A tall girl
C．
Be yourself
D．
Something about Carlos
阅读理解
Every year farmers in areas which often suffer flood in Southeast Asia lose millions of tons of rice to high water that kills their crops．That large amount of waste may soon be a thing of the past：SUBIA, a gene discovered by researchers which the International Rice Research Insitule(IRRI)and the University of California, allows rice palnts carrying the gene to live completely under water for two weeks．
Flood–resistant(抗水浸)rice turned up among the 110,000 types of seed stored at the institute．It produced disappointingly low yields(产量), but scientistis were able to transfer the gene into more bountiful varieties．These have shown promising results in tests by growers in India and Bangladesh over the past two years．
This rice success story would not have been possible without the treasure of genetic diversity hidden in the IRRI's vault(underground room)．As the world faces new agricultural challenge – charging climate, bugs and diseases that have developed resistance(抵抗力)to old defenses–such genetic resources are likely to become increasingly valuable．Fortunately, the IRRI is one of more than 1,000 organizations around the world working to protect crop genes．Most plant species grown for food have an associated bank that stores thousands of samples; seeds of landraces, wild relatives, and varieties that are rare, old, or adapted to very specific envionments．The banks ensure that it will be possible to develop new varieties in the future．
The need for these botanical libraries has its roots in modern agricultural practices．According to the U．N．Food and Agriculture Organization, 75 percent of plant diversity has been lost over the last century．Of more than 30,000 eatable species, humans grow just 200 for food; 60 percent of plant calories in our diet comes from wheat, rice, and corn．
(1)
Accordint to the second paragraph, what can we learn about the flood – resistant rice?
[ ]
A．
It produces a small amount of rice．
B．
Scientists have developed many more varieties of it．
C．
Sientists have managed to improve its output．
D．
It can produce more rice than the other 110,000 types at the institute．
(2)
From the passage we can infer that ________．
[ ]
A．
the newly – discovered gene will bring hope to the farmers in the areas often suffering flood
B．
scientists will not be able to change the fact that rice plants carrying the gene produce low yields
C．
the tests by growers in India and Bangladesh were hopeless
D．
110,000 types of seed stored at the Institute are flood-resistant
(3)
What's the main idea of the third paragraph?
[ ]
A．
The world faces new agricultural challenges．
B．
Such genetic resources are likely to become valuable．
C．
Scientists set up banks to store thousands of seed samples．
D．
We should owe the rice success story to the seed banks．
(4)
As to the botanical libraries, the writer thinks they are ________．