Be careful what you say around your dog. It might understand more than you think.
A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee(黑猩猩).
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words.
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew. The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before.
The correct object was chosen in seven out of l0 tests, suggesting that the dog had worked out the answer by process of elimination(排除法). A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed (品种) known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months.
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't talk back. Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!
1.What’s the best title of the passage? (No more than 15 words)
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2.What do the underlined words “a border collie” in Paragraph 2 refer to? (No more than 12 words)
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3.Why does Rico seem smarter than the average dog? (No more than 15 words)
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4.What does the writer advise us to do by saying “it wouldn’t hurt to sweet-talk…”? (No more than 10 words)
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5.Would you like to keep a dog as a pet? Why? (No more than 25 words)
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The ninth week of SEAL(Sea, Air, Land) training is referred to as Hell Week. It is six days of no sleep, physical and mental suffering and one special day at the Mud Flats (泥沼）where you will sink into the mud.
It is on Wednesday of Hell Week that we came down to the mud flats and spend the next 15 hours trying to survive the freezing-cold mud, the cold wind and the strong pressure from the instructors to give up.
As the sun began to set that Wednesday evening, my training class, having broken some of the rules, was ordered into the mud. We sank into the mud until only our heads could be seen. The instructors told us we could leave the mud if only five men would give up—just five men and we could get out of the cold.
Looking around the mud flat, it was clear that some of us were about to give up. It was still over eight hours till the sun came up--eight more hours of coldness. Our cries were so loud that it was hard to hear anything. And then, one voice began to fly through the night--one voice raised in song.
The song sounded terrible, but it was sung with great power. One voice became two, and two became three, and before long everyone in the class was singing.
We knew that if one man could rise above the suffering then others could as well. The instructors warned us of more time in the mud if we kept up the singing—but the singing went on and on. And somehow, the mud seemed a little warmer, the wind a little weaker and the morning not so far away.
If I have learned anything in my time traveling the world, it is the power of hope. The power can change the world by giving people hope.
So, if you want to change the world, start singing when you're up to your neck in mud.
1.What did the writer experience during Hell Week?
A. He suffered sleeplessness for one day.
B. He was physically and mentally crazy.
C. He went through some hard tests.
D. He sank into the mud for the week.
2.Why did the class have the experience at the Mud Flat?
A. Because it was one of the training courses.
B. Because the weather was terribly bad.
C. Because the instructors were strict with them.
D. Because they wanted to break the rules.
3.What did the class do when they were in the mud?
A. Five of them gave up.
B. They cried all the time.
C. Someone sang from the beginning.
D. Everybody joined in the singing.
4.What is probably the author’s job?
A. A terrorist.
B. A soldier.
C. An instructor.
D. A trainer.
5.What does the writer want to tell us?
A. Singing helps change the world.
B. Singing solves problems in life.
C. People should help each other.
D. Hope helps pull through difficulties.
New research, attempting to throw light upon how male and female brains differ, has found that timing is everything. American Vanderbilt University researchers Stephen Camarata and Richard Woodcock discovered that females have a significant advantage over males in timed tests and tasks. The study involved more than 8,000 males and females ranging in age from 2 to 90 from across the US.
“We found hardly any differences in overall intelligence. But we discovered that females performed better than men in time limited situations,” Camarata said, “It is very important for teachers to understand this difference in males and females when it comes to assigning work and tests.”
Many males can do a better job without strict time limits, added Camarata.
“Consider that many classroom activities, including testing, are directly or indirectly related to processing speed,” the researchers wrote in their report. “The higher performance in females may contribute to a classroom culture that favors females, not because of teacher bias(偏见)but because of inherent(与生俱来的)differences in gender processing speeds.”
The researchers found that males scored lower than females in all age groups in tests measuring processing speed. However, the study also found that males consistently outperformed females in some language abilities, such as identifying objects and knowing antonyms(反义词)and synonyms(同义词). The research contradicts the popular belief that girls develop all communication skills earlier than boys.
The researchers found no significant overall intelligence differences between males and females in any age groups.
“We believe there are fundamental differences in how male and female brains end up getting organized,” Camarata said, “Our next studies will give us some insight into where these processing differences are occurring.”
1.The new research referred to in the passage is intended to ________.
A. find whether age has something to do with people's intelligence
B. help teachers to assign work and arrange tests for students
C. find what's the differences between male and female brains
D. prove the differences in processing speed between males and females
2.The underlined word “outperformed” in the fifth paragraph probably means “________”.
A. to achieve better results than someone
B. to perform worse in some aspect than someone
C. to do something as well as someone
D. to be not so good at something as someone
3.People usually believe that ________.
A. there're hardly any differences between males' and females' overall intelligence
B. teachers favor girl students instead of boy students in schools
C. girls develop their language skills earlier than boys
D. females have a significant advantage over males in all subjects
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The researchers interviewed more than 8,000 males and females all over the world.
B. Generally speaking, males can do better jobs with strict time limits than females.
C. Females scored higher than males in any age groups in any situations.
D. The differences in gender processing speeds occur when people are born.
5.Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. The researchers will continue to study how the gender differences in timing occur.
B. A female mathematician will make greater achievements than a male one.
C. School teachers have already known about these processing differences before.
D. If a girl has a higher processing speed than a boy, she must be more intelligent than him.
Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mum, I can’t peel(削皮) potatoes. I have only one hand.”
Mum never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”
In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod(杆) to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.
That night I told Mum about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, mum looked carefully at the bars.
“Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung(横杠) I reached.
I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs; I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.
One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mum came into my room. “Mum,” I said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”
For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint and cracking. I peeked(偷看) out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears.
1.Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mum’s attitude when she made the child peel potatoes?
A. Cruel.
B. Serious.
C. Strict.
D. Cold.
2.From the passage, we know money bars can help a child train ________.
A. the way to throw and catch things
B. the speed of one’s hand movement
C. the strength and skill to hang and swing
D. the bodily activity to move round a bar
3.What does the sentence “I saw her ‘we’ll see about that’ look” imply?
A. Mum believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.
B. The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up.
C. Mum was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.
D. What the child had said brought Mum great attraction and curiosity.
4.When the child looked down at the kids, they were standing with their mouths open because ________.
A. they felt sorry for what they had done before
B. they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt
C. they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars
D. they were astonished to find the author’s progress
5.The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is ________.
A. the last incident was sad enough to make Mum weep
B. the child’s experience reminded Mum of that of her own
C. Mum could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph
D. Mum suffered more in the process of the child’s growth actually
The Adventure Guides Program
New Member Information for the Adventure Guides Program (for children aged 4-12)
What Is the Adventure Guides Program All about?
The objectives of the program are:
● Fostering companionship and setting foundation for positive, lifelong relationships between parent and child
● Increased understanding of one another
● Expanded awareness of spirit, mind and body
● Great memories
● Fun!
Parent and Child Will Be Joining…
The nationwide affiliated(隶属的) program sponsored by local YMCA's and part of the National Council of YMCA's
A smaller group of families called a "circle"
What Is the Time Commitment?
● Program runs from October to May (ending with the Memorial Day Parade)
● One "circle" activity per month (one circle decides on fees and dates)
Additional all participant activities (scheduled by Wilton Family Y) —additional fees and registration required.
Outing Dates: To Be Announced
What Do I Do Now?
● Registration is on-going. Registration forms are available online under "Registration".
● You will be notified by the Wilton Family Y of which "circle" you and your child are in and who your "circle" leader is.
● You will be notified by your "circle" leader as to when your first parent/child "circle" meeting will take place.
Fees:
Participant: Full Child or Family member $110. 00 / Program member $200. 00
Sibling(兄弟姐妹): Full child or Family member $75. 00 / Program member $150. 00
Adult: Family member FREE / Program member $125. 00
Wilton Family Y Contact Information:
Geoff Malyszka Teen Director 762-8384 ext. 224
E-mail: gmalyszka@wiltonymca. org
Kim Murphy Early Childhood Ed. Director762-8384 ext. 214
E-mail: kmurphy@wiltonymca. Org
1.The Adventure Guides Program will ________.
A. promote understanding between parents and children
B. develop a lifelong friendship between members
C. make members realize relationships between mind and body
D. impress members with great memories and enjoyment
2.Which of the following is true about "circle"?
A. You and your children will make up a "circle".
B. A "circle" activity will be held once a month.
C. You have the right of choosing your "circle" leader.
D. You are free to choose to become a member of a "circle".
3.If you are adult family member, how much must you pay?
A. $ 110.00.
B. $ 75.00.
C. Free.
D. $ 150.00.
4.What information can you get from the passage?
A. There is no extra fees for additional all participant activities.
B. The program will be held only in October and May
C. You can register just by making a call to 762-8384 ext. 224.
D. It has not been decided yet when you will go out.
5.The passage is mainly written for ________.
A. parents and their children
B. adventurous travelers
C. international students
D. children with bad memories
My parents fixed in me the ideas of family, faith and patriotism(爱国主义) when I was young._________we struggled to make ends meet, they___________ to me and my four brothers and sisters how _________ we were to live in a great country with ___________ opportunities.
I got my first real _________ when I was ten. My dad injured his back working in a factory and had to be _________as a hairstylist. The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a(n) _________on his rent for cleaning the parking lot(停车场) three nights a week, which meant a little _________that looked like a lawn mower(割草机). Mom and I emptied garbage cans and _________ waste by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. I’d __________in the car on the way home because of tiredness.
I did this for two years, but the ________I learned have lasted a lifetime. I ________discipline and a strong work ethic(道德准则), and learned at a(n) ____________age the importance of balancing life’s ________interestsin my case, school, homework and a job. This really __________during my senior year of high school, when I worked 40 hours a week at a fastfood restaurant while taking collegepre ____________.
The hard work ____________. I attended the U．S Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in __________and business from Harvard. __________, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California State Assembly(议会). In these jobs and in everything else I’ve done. I have never forgotten those __________in the parking lot.
1.A. Now that B. If only C. As if D. Even though
2.A. stressed B. announced C. suggested D. admitted
3.A. important B. surprising C. fortunate D. satisfying
4.A. several B. limitless C. fewer D. instant
5.A. chance B. dream C. success D. job
6.A. retrained B. regarded C. considered D. respected
7.A. increase B. order C. discount D. explanation
8.A. bag B. machine C. knife D. stick
9.A. brought up B. gave up C. made up D. picked up
10.A. sleep B. talk C. study D. sing
11.A. knowledge B. information C. lessons D. skills
12.A. cancelled B. acquired C. evaluated D. forgot
13.A. common B. legal C. old D. early
14.A. competing B. developing C. supporting D. increasing
15.A. turned B. changed C. helped D. improved
16.A. measures B. courses C. messages D. tours
17.A. came true B. took off C. went ahead D. paid off
18.A. law B. medicine C. science D. arts
19.A. However B. Indeed C. Later D. Before
20.A. people B. nights C. cars D. opportunities
