Urban swans might be born with a daredevil gene that makes them less fearful of humans, compared with their rural colleagues.
A study has found swans living in cities tend to be bolder and it is at least partly determined by a gene called DRD4. Birds with this gene could therefore be better adapted to settling in more populated areas, while more timid（胆怯的）swans would escape to less inhabited regions.
It could help to explain why swans in public parks and on urban rivers have a reputation for being so aggressive towards humans - they are simply not afraid of us.
Biologists from some universities in Australia, tracked and collected blood samples from black swans living in two wetlands near cities. One group of swans lived in a recreational urban park, while the other occupied a waste-water processing site out of town. The two areas were less than 20 miles apart. Later, from 2011 through 2013, the researchers started systematically scaring the swans at both sites. The researchers approached the birds and calculated how close they could get before they flew away. As expected, they noticed that while rural swans started flying away if a human was closer than 119 meters, the scientists could come as close to urban swans as 39 meters before taking off.
Analyses of the blood samples, in fact, showed that 83 per cent of the less cautious swans presented the same genetic DRD4 variation（变异)while rural swans have different genetic makeups resulting in more wariness(谨慎，小心）.
The researchers conclude that swans with the bold variation of the gene might choose to live in urban environments, as they tend to be less bothered by human presence.
1.The underlined word in paragraph 1 means__________.
A. timid B. cautious
C. bold D. stubborn
2.What’s the difference between rural swans and urban ones？
A. The rural swans carry more DRD4.
B. The urban swans are more friendly.
C. The urban swans are less scared of people.
D. The rural swans are aggressive towards humans.
3.What does DRD4 refer to ?
A. a kind of blood. B. a kind of food.
C. a kind of genetic variation. D. a kind of swan.
4.What does the 4th paragraph mainly talk about?
A. The living habit of swans.
B. The living environment of swans.
C. The contribution of the biologists.
D. The process and result of the research.
One of the greatest soccer players of all time is Pelé. He was born in 1940 in Tres Coracoes, Brazil. His first soccer ball was a grapefruit. He also used an old sock and filled it with newspaper. Pelé left school at a young age to play soccer and work to help his family. Later in life, he finished high school and college.
Pelé scored 1,281 goals—more goals than any other player in the world. He helped Brazil win three World Cup titles.
Pelé retired from soccer in 1971. People all over the world admired Pelé. Presidents and world leaders invited him to their countries. Nigeria once stopped its war for three days to let Pelé play. His talent is very unusual. Doctors once tested Pelé to find out why he played soccer so well. They found that he had excellent eyesight. He is also very intelligent. Pelé liked to do math problems and play chess. He said these activities helped him play better.
Pelé is married and has three children. He likes to be with his family. He also plays the guitar and writes songs. Pelé cares about people, especially children. He gives money to help poor children. He never advertises for tobacco or liquor companies. He knows that he has a great influence on young people. Pelé once said that he wants to “unite people, never to separate them.” He is loved and admired all over the world.
1.The text is mainly talking about Pelé’s __________.
A. family B. life
C. hobby D. work
2.How old was Pelé when he stopped playing soccer?
A. 49 B. 39
C. 31 D. 22
3.Which words can best describe Pelé ？
A. Caring and responsible. B. Intelligent and aggressive.
C. Helpful and outgoing. D. Generous and modest .
随着网络的日益发展，网店成为一种新时尚，并且越来越多的学生开始创办网店。假定你是李华，是校报记者，请以“学生是否可以开办网店”为主题给校报撰稿。
支持 | 反对 | 你的观点 |
早一步接触社会 得到实践的机会 | 分心，影响学业； 社会经验少，容易被骗 | ... |
注意：
1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.标题和开头已经写好，不计入总词数。
Should Students Open Online Stores?
With the Internet developing rapidly, creating an online store becomes trendy. ___________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧）并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Last summer I go to America and studied at a language school. I had many wonderful experience, but I also had a sad one. One day, the school held party , where I invited to talk about Chongqing. After that they asked me a lot of things about China. But I couldn’t explain them with English clearly. I felt sadly. I learned a lesson from this experience. I have already studied English for eight years, I can’t use it very good. I must work hard to improve my spoken English so that I will not be able to communicate freely with foreigners. I hope I can be a bridge between China and others countries in the future.
1.It is a ___________ moment when Yang Liwei, a Chinese astronaut, traveled in space. (历史性的)
2.He is so t_________ to hear the news that he won the first prize in the writing competition.
3.Mostly I cook by myself, but o__________ I will eat out.
4.It is _________ that the police have found the related evidence in solving the murder case. (报道的)
5.The _________ crisis in American brought a great impact on the world economy. (金融的)
6.The new cinema is s__________ in one of the most livest business districts.
7.Do you happen to know his w__________? I can’t find him anywhere.
8.China is one of the __________ of ancient civilization. （发源地；出生地）
9.You can see a wide r__________ of animals in the newly built zoo.
10.Eiffel tower, the landmark of Paris, is a piece of artwork designed by the famous __________, Gustave Eiffel. （建筑师）
If you read a newspaper or listen to a newscast recently, you may hear or read a strange word, “staycation”. Staycation is 1. new word the American press is using 2. (describe) vacation very close to your own home, 3. simply staying at home during your vacation. It is a combination (合成) of the words “stay” and “vacation”.
According to many news reports, these staycations are very popular among American families this year. Why? The high price of gasoline for cars and airplanes has made it very costly for Americans to travel 4. (compare) to past years. When you combine this with the weak American dollar, it all adds up to people deciding to stay close to home 5. their traditional summer vacations. Without doubt, some places are more 6. (interest) to “stay at home” than others. And if you live in a very small town, well, you may just want to skip your vacation and save your time up to next year.
Everything is increasingly 7. (expense) nowadays, and let’s face it --- a vacation just may not be in your plan this year. You don’t have to give up family fun just because you can’t get away; instead, follow my tips for an 8. (economy) staycation filled with old favorites and new adventures! Staycations have 9.(achieve) high popularity in modern society in which 10. (employ) levels and gas prices are high.
