| 1. 难度：中等 | |
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From Avatar to Lord of the Rings, plants are no strangers to playing big movie roles. However, no one has ever shot a film that plants themselves can watch until now. In a New York art gallery, seven house plants have spent the last seven weeks watching Strange Skies, the first travel documentary for a vegetable audience. All the plants sat in the cinema in rows, enjoying themselves in Italian sunshine. The movie was made by American artist Jonathon Keats. It consists of Italian skies recorded over two months and made into a six-minute-long movie. The film shows the clear dawn(黎明), high clouds, amazing dusk and then beautiful night. The movie has no sound and the plants, of course, do not applaud. But Stephen Squibb, a professor from Harvard University, said these plants could benefit from it—the light of the movie keeps them alive because they can continue the process of turning light into energy. “I realized there was a much larger audience—plants—that were not being serviced, ”Keats said. “I wanted to provide plants with entertainment that companies such as Disney provide for humans. ”Meanwhile, Keats also wants to explore plants’ sensibilities(敏感性)further. He plans to open a“restaurant for plants”at a Californian museum. One visitor, photographer Abbas Ebrahimi, admired(羡慕)the green audience, “Plants are better than us. We die and go, while in spring they come back each time. ”But when talking about the movie, he said after thinking for a few minutes, “It doesn’t mean anything to me at all. It’s just about light. For some people, it might mean something. ” 1.What can we learn about Keats according to the passage? A. He is an artist from Harvard University. B. He opened a restaurant for plants. C. He made the film Strange Skies. D. He liked recording Italian skies. 2.It can be learned that Strange Skies . A. has already created beautiful sound B. was shot from dawn to dusk C. made plants play roles in it D. is the first travel film for plants 3.What did Stephen Squibb think of Strange Skies? A. He thought it had explored plants’ sensibilities. B. He thought it meant nothing to him. C. He thought it could keep plants growing. D. He thought it offered entertainment to plants. 4.Why did Abbas Ebrahimi admire the green audience? A. Because they die and re-grow in spring. B. Because they mean something to him. C. Because there are more plants than people. D. Because they can enjoy the movie.
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| 2. 难度：中等 | |
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What makes humans smarter than other animals? We’ve got a bigger brain, of course. But when it comes to brains, is bigger always better?
Traditionally, scientists have thought that humans’ superior intelligence derived(源于)mostly from the fact that our brains are three times bigger than those of our nearest living relatives, chimpanzees. People even used to believe that because men have slightly larger brains than women that men are smarter. This, however, is not the truth. Scientists at University College London in the UK have found that brain organization, and not brain size, is the key to the superiority of human intelligence, reported Live Science. Through millions of years of evolution, our ancestors were constantly pushed to get smarter so that they could meet the demands of new environments. However, holding this growing intelligence in increasingly large brains was not the best choice because bigger brains require more energy to power. “This is when reorganization may come into play, ”said Christophe Soligo, a member of the London research team. In the study, scientists looked at the brains of 17 species of primates(灵长目动物), including monkeys, apes and humans. They found that in the process of evolution, brains didn’t keep growing as a whole. Certain regions of the brain grew prior to others in response to species’ needs, and in this way they could make the best use of their limited brain space. For example, when early humans were struggling to survive, the brain region in charge of using tools and finding food grew in size more than other regions. But in modern times, the prefrontal cortex(前额皮质)—the region in charge of social cognition(认知), moral judgments and goal-directed planning—grew more than the rest of the brain. Think of the brain as a room. If a big room is poorly organized, it doesn’t necessarily store more stuff than a smaller one. Paul Manger, professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, explains this principle using the example of whales. He told Scientific American: “Whales have big brains, absolutely. But if you look at the actual structure of the brain, it’s not very complex. Brain size only matters if the rest of the brain is organized properly. ” 1.It has recently been found that humans are smarter than the other animals mainly because . A. they are a species of primates B. they have much larger brains C. their brain structure is more complex D. they were constantly pushed to get smarter 2.According to the article, in recent human evolution, . A. the brain kept growing in size to adapt to new environments B. most regions of the brain didn’t change C. the prefrontal cortex grew more than the rest of the brain D. humans’ brains became increasingly simple so that humans could survive 3.What can we conclude from the article? A. Gender makes a difference in intelligence. B. The size of the brain has nothing to do with intelligence. C. Species whose brain is organized properly tend to be smarter. D. Larger brains are usually organized better than smaller ones. 4.The method the writer uses to develop the last paragraph is . A. by presenting research data B. by giving examples C. by making a comparison D. by analyzing cause and effect
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| 3. 难度：中等 | |
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Every year Chris Brogan posts his three words for a new year. Many others and I have followed his lead for the past three or four years. They helped me a lot. My words for last year were“passion”, “focus”and“delegate”and I stayed true to them. This year, 2013, my goals are more personal and less professional. FOCUS Focus is making a repeat appearance on my list this year because I’m too much of a multitasker. The problem is that I have trouble finishing one thing with so many things calling me. When I was working as a writer, all my projects were handled via a schedule, I’m putting a fitness and housekeeping routine into my schedule. HEALTH I get so busy taking care of everyone else, and I forget to take care of myself and this has to change. My health suffers and my weight suffers. I have to get my health in check, not only for me but because I promised my 9-year-old son. I’ll make good food and lifestyle choices. I miss being thin, and it’s time to get it back. CELEBRATE What good is having it if I’m not taking time to enjoy it? I have a wonderful job, a happy family, and so much to be thankful for. So how come I spend all my time working? Last summer my family took our first vacation in four years, the best thing I’ve done for myself and my family in a long time. This year, I’m making sure to take time to enjoy life and celebrate its many blessings. Do you have any words for 2013? 1.The underlined word “multitasker” probably refers to a person who . A. makes a living by writing B. always fails to finish a task on time C. has several things to do at the same time D. pays more attention to fitness and housekeeping 2. Why does the writer have“HEALTH”as one of his three words? A. He wants to take better care of others. B. He’s gaining weight and feeling bad. C. He did not take any exercise in the past. D. He got the idea from his son. 3.What can we learn from the passage? A. The word“CELEBRATE”can remind the writer to enjoy life. B. The writer has a vacation with his family every four years. C. The word“FOCUS”can help the writer focus on his family. D. The writer used to be overweight for lack of exercise. 4.The best title for the passage might be . A. Three Words for 2013 B. Health Should Go First C. Keep Organized D. Goals for 2013
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