Sheep Learned to Read Faces
①Which animals are smart? Your answer may be dogs, or elephants. Now there is one more animal on the list: sheep.
②According to a new study, sheep learned to recognize four famous people after being shown their pictures, suggesting these animals have face-recognition abilities similar to humans.
③Before testing, scientists let the sheep take a look at pictures of four famous people like former US President Barack Obama and British actress Emma Watson. Then the sheep went into a room with two computer screens. Each screen showed a human face looking straight ahead. One screen showed a famous person and the other screen showed a common person. The sheep were more likely to walk toward the screen showing the famous person. On average, they chose correctly in 8 out of 10 tests.
④After learning the animals’ ability to recognize famous people, researchers gave them a new task. They wanted to see if the farm animals could correctly recognize the same people shown from the side. The animals were still able to identify (识别) them, though they were a bit slower to recognize the pictures than before and they were correct less than 70% of the time.
⑤Finally, the researchers wanted to know if the sleep could recognize their trainers from a photo. Pictures of their trainers were randomly (随机地) shown on screens along with other unfamiliar faces. Without any training, the sheep could recognize their trainers.
⑥The results show that the animals’ face-recognition abilities are similar to those of monkeys, and humans.
⑦Face recognition is a difficult process (过程). But sheep have big brains. When they see other sheep, they use this process to recognize one another, said Jenny Morton, the lead researcher.
⑧The researchers plan to further study the sheep and find out if they can recognize different facial expression made by humans.
⑨The researchers hope that the study could shed light on certain brain diseases (疾病) such as Huntington’s disease, which affects (影响) abilities like facial recognition.
⑩We can’t say for sure, but it might help us understand how the disease starts, said Morton.
1.Scientists found that sheep can .
A.become humans’ best friend B.be smarter than other animals
C.identify people by their names D.recognize familiar human faces
2.Which paragraphs describe how the scientists did the experiments?
A.①②③ B.③④⑤ C.⑥⑦⑧ D.⑧⑨⑩
3.What do the words “shed light on” in Paragraph 9 probably mean?
A.Make it easier to understand. B.Turn a very strong light on.
C.Find ways to solve problems. D.Keep trying new experiments.
Don’t Disrespect Others
More than 70 years ago, a young man traveled far away to take an entrance exam for a famous music school. During the exam, he tried his best, but the examiner didn’t enroll (录取) him.
The young man had no money, so he could only make a living by playing the violin on the street. He played so well that a lot of people stopped to listen and put money into his violin case.
A hoodlum (流氓) dropped some money at the young man’s feet. The young man bent down to pick up the money, then handed it to the hoodlum and said, “Sir, your money dropped on the ground.”
The hoodlum took the money, threw it at the young man’s feet again and said, “This money has been yours, so you must take it!”
The young man deeply bowed to him and said, “Sir, thank you for your support! When you dropped your money, I picked it up for you. Now my money is on the ground, may I trouble you to pick it up for me?”
The hoodlum was surprised. Finally, he picked up the money, put it into the young man’s violin case and left in shame.
The examiner who had been quietly watching the young man among other onlookers decided to give him a second chance. He brought the young man back to the school and enrolled him in the end.
The young man became a famous musician later.
1.The young man traveled far away to for a famous music school.
A.earn money B.play the violin C.take an exam D.fight a hoodlum
2.The young man played the violin on the street because .
A.he had no money and needed to make a living B.he wanted a lot of people to listen to his music
C.he decided to find someone who liked his music D.he needed to make his examiner know him well
3.What did the young man teach the hoodlum?
A.He should never give up hope. B.He should respect other people.
C.He should never waste his money. D.He should work hard on his skills.
Each New Year is a time for change and a fresh start, so many people like to make New Year’s resolutions (决心). Here are some teenagers’ New Year’s resolutions for 2019.
My New Year’s resolution is to get healthy. I’ll stop drinking coke, and I’ll eat more fruit, at least an apple every day. I’ll also do more exercise, such as playing basketball for half an hour every day. Jacky |
I want to get better grades. To realize it, I will pay more attention in class, do homework on time and study hard. When I have difficulties with lessons, I won’t give up. I’ll ask others for help. Ted |
I would like to be nice to the people around me, and not get angry for every little thing that others say or do to me. When I do feel angry, I’ll take a break and find good ways to deal with it, like exercising, reading, writing, or talking with a friend a parent. Mary |
I’ll try to be more helpful to others. I will start with small things, like helping my parents clean the houses and wash dishes after meals. I’d also like to volunteer in some places in my community. Amy |
1.Jacky’s New Year’s resolution is .
A.to get healthy B.to get better grades C.to be nice to others D.to be more helpful
2.Who will pay more attention in class?
A.Jacky. B.Ted. C.Mary. D.Amy.
3.Mary will try not to be .
A.heavy B.careless C.weak D.angry
The Human Touch
I spent an hour in the bank with my dad to transfer (转账) some money. I asked him, “Dad, why not use online banking?”
“________ would I do that?” He replied.
“Well, then you won’t have to spend an hour here. You can do your shopping online, too. Everything will be easier!” I was excited to try to ________ my father.
He asked, “If I do that, I won’t have to step out of the house?”
“Yes!” I said. I told him how even fruit and vegetables can be sent to us now and how online shops ________ everything to customers’ doors.
However, his answer left me speechless. He said, “Since I walked into this bank today, I have met four of my friends and I have talked for a while with people here. I have plenty of free time, so I like to come to the ________. Two years ago, when I was seriously sick, the shop owner, from whom I buy fruit, was ________ and came to see me. Also, when your mom fell down a few days ago while on her morning walk, the bank manager saw her and helped her get to the hospital. You see, people ________ and we matter to them.”
He continued, “Why would I want to look at my computer all the time? I like to know the ________. Do online shops deliver bonds (情感纽带) and relationships as well?”
I was silent after hearing his words. My dad was right, of course. We shouldn’t spend so much time in front of a computer. It’s better to spend time with ________ people.
1.A.When B.Where C.Why D.How
2.A.encourage B.support C.interview D.protect
3.A.throw B.send C.give D.sell
4.A.bank B.shop C.office D.hospital
5.A.bored B.moved C.strange D.worried
6.A.share B.wonder C.care D.argue
7.A.place B.person C.tool D.item
8.A.kind B.friendly C.amazing D.real
—________do you help at the Food Bank, Lily?
—Once a month.
A.How often B.How long C.How many D.How much
—Adam, where are the other members of our team?
—They________ research in the library now. Let’s go and join them.
A.do B.did C.will do D.are doing
