Scientists from Australia declared that they were able to find out how some species of birds managed to develop the ability to recognize each other’s language. Together with his partners from the School of Botany and Zoology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Professor Robert Magrath discovered that fairy-wrens (细尾鹩莺) can learn the alarm calls produced by other species of birds.
Although scientists had known that some birds could understand the alarm calls of other species and use their ability to escape danger, it was unknown how they developed this ability. There were several assumptions.
Some researchers suggested that some species of birds were able to understand the alarm calls of other species due to the fact that they were born with the ability to react (反应) to calls that are somewhat similar. There was another assumption that all birds could learn alarm calls from different species over a certain period of time.
In order to find out which assumption was closer to the truth, scientists played the sounds of alarm calls of white-browed scrubwrens (白眉丝刺莺) to fairy-wrens that live side-by-side with white-browed scrubwrens in Canberra. Alarm calls of the two species are somewhat similar. The second step was playing recordings of alarm calls of white-browed scrubwrens to fairy-wrens that live 600 km away from Canberra, in Macquarie Marshes, the region where white-browed scrubwrens don’t live. The experiment showed that fairy-wrens living in Canberra fled (逃跑) but Macquarie Marshes fairy-wrens didn’t, which, according to Magrath, had to do with learning.
Another experiment involved playing recordings of a different alarm call produced by New Holland honeyeaters. Researchers said that after hearing the calls, the fairy-wrens fled, which means that they can learn calls completely different from theirs. “They have a very sharp perception (领悟力) of other species’ calls.” said Magrath.
However, some scientists had different opinions. For example, Professor Gisela Kaplan considered that learning was not the entire reason why birds fled after hearing the alarm calls. She considered that birds’ brain features an emergency pack which includes pre-programmed (预定程序) reactions at birth. The pack may be constructed of neurons that produce a basic reflex (反射作用) when it is touched off by auditory (听觉的) reactions.
“It could be that a certain sound, like a 6 kilohertz high-pitched frequency (频率), causes that basic reflex. Where the learned part comes in is the key to correctly tell whether somebody else is simply making a high-pitch call or whether it is an alarm call,” said Kaplan. She added that her team played the same recordings to magpies (喜鹊) at various distances and discovered that their reaction was different. “It depends on whether the bird’s sound is coming from within the magpie’s territory (领地). The difference can be as small as two meters,” she said.
1.According to Paragraph 2, alarm calls produced by birds mean _____.
A. they need to flee
B. there are visitors
C. there is something to eat
D. they need help to kill their enemies
2.From the experiment in Paragraph 4, we can infer that _____.
A. birds only understand alarm calls similar to theirs
B. birds are born to understand alarm calls of other species
C. birds understand alarm calls of other species by learning
D. white-browed scrubwrens are not enemies of fairy-wrens
3.Which of the following does Kaplan agree with?
A. Magpies react violently to a 6 kilohertz high-pitched frequency.
B. Magpies learn how to tell a high-pitch call from an alarm call.
C. Birds tend to give alarm calls if danger is within two meters.
D. The location of alarm calls is important to magpies’ reactions to them.
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. How do birds escape danger?
B. Birds can learn other species’ languages.
C. Birds have a sharp perception of alarm calls.
D. How do birds understand each other’s language?
It's been named the “Venice of Africa”, but comparisons between the unattractive community (社区) of Makoko and the historic Italian city begin and end at the water's edge.
Makoko's huts (简陋的棚) rise from the dirty waters of the lagoon around Lagos, Nigeria's biggest city — a far cry from the beautiful bridges and buildings that mark Venice.
Now it is hoped that education, with the help of creative architecture (建筑), can help create a better future for the children of Makoko.
The hope comes in the shape of a floating school, built completely by the locals. The project, backed by the UN Development Fund, the Nigerian government and the Heinrich Boll Foundation, is the brainchild of local architect Kunle Adeyemi. Kunle said that improving the poor area required something new that was more in tune with (和……融洽) local customs and the environment.
“Living on water is actually a way of life ... so, the question is then, how do you improve that condition, how do you deal with the challenges of living on water in a safe, healthy and environmentally sound way?” he said.
Canoes, long light boats, are how the 150,000 people who live in Makoko get around as they try to make a living by fishing and trading.
The new school floats on 250 empty blue barrels fixed under its wooden base designed to get around the problems of periodic flooding in the area. Fishermen search the waters for the day's catch. The floating school gives them a place to tie up their canoes and mend nets while children are in class.
Jeremiah Oleole Austin is one of the few young people to have gone on to further education. “I was born and brought up here, so I know how the people suffer. I know what they really need in this community. Without some ... training or skills, how can they go places?” said the art student. “There are only a few of us who went out into the city to see more ... If there are more schools, I believe there will be change in the community.”
1.What do the comparisons between Makoko and Venice show?
A. Makoko is far better than Venice.
B. Makoko is very different from Venice.
C. Makoko will become a second Venice.
D. Makoko deserves the name “Venice of Africa”.
2.What do Kunle's words suggest?
A. Solutions should be realistic.
B. It's hard to make a living on water.
C. There should be a change in lifestyle.
D. Unhealthy conditions are a great problem.
3.What is Jeremiah's opinion on the floating school?
A. It should teach what young people really need.
B. It gives children a chance to change their lives.
C. It should run some training courses for fishermen.
D. It's the only way to escape the state of being poor.
Brownsea Open Air Theatre
DORSET
The only way to this theatre is by boat. Each June volunteers travel there to begin building the set.
“The people do Brownsea for the love of the island,” says BOAT director Denise Mallender. “We're a charity, and we help the work on the island by holding a regular Shakespeare play.”
Visit brownsea-theatre.co.uk for details
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
LONDON
Each summer, almost 140,000 people visit the park to watch one of the four yearly plays. This year's plays include J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan and William Golding's Lord of the Flies.
With the stage and seating both completely uncovered, the actors and the audiences are left at the mercy of the British weather — although this hasn't prevented stars such as Jeremy Irons and Benedict Cumberbatch from performing here.
Visit openairtheatre.org for details
Scarborough Open Air Theatre
SCARBOROUGH
Enjoy the sea air and sights of Europe's largest open-air playhouse. The stage and seating are separated by a lake.
“It's a unique place,” says Janet Deacon, area director of Welcome to Yorkshire. The theatre now plays host to concerts by big-names such as Elaine Paige and Tom Jones, who are both performing this month.
Visit scarboroughopenairtheatre.com for details
Rutland Open Air Theatre
RUTLAND
This theatre is home to the Stamford Shakespeare Company, who this year celebrate their 39th year of outdoor plays with performances of Romeo and Juliet and Henry V.
In all its years, ROAT has never cancelled a performance because of rain — and although the stage and actors are left open to the weather, the audience can shelter in the covered hall.
Visit stamfordshakespeare.co.uk for details
1.What do we know about Regent's Park Open Air Theatre?
A. It puts on four plays a year.
B. It has a covered hall for the audience.
C. It has the same plays on show every year.
D. Its stage and seating are separated by a lake.
2.What do BOAT and ROAT have in common?
A. They do Shakespeare plays.
B. They are completely uncovered.
C. They have the same history.
D. They can be reached only by boat.
Each spring, I conduct a unit on careers with my students. In the past, I asked my students to write down their areas of ____, and then I made a mass call on Facebook for guest speakers. Typically, I got about five people who could come and ____ with my students, but I also heard ____ from more than fifty people who would have loved to come but lived too far away.
It was always such a pity to ____ the chance to host someone who carried out a career in a field that interested a student of mine because of ____. Therefore, a year ago I ____ to try and solve the problem and Skype was the ____. I created a Skype account (账号), and we ____ six of my friends who have careers in ____ areas.
It became clear that while the discussions that ____ the ins and outs of daily career tasks indeed interested my classes, the most inspiring aspects of the interviews had to do with the speakers’ ____ to their present jobs. I saw my students ____ when they heard about the real-life twists and turns (迂回曲折) these adults made on the way to making their futures. Soon more and more students asked to ____ the interviews.
What had begun as an attempt to ____ real-life professionals into the classroom suddenly had all kinds of possibilities. Why not record these videos and create a video library for all students to ____ when their curiosity took hold? All of the work involved was ____ it when I saw my most disengaged (闲散的) students ask questions about areas I had no idea they were interested in.
Students are ____ for adults other than their teachers and parents to ____ their varieties of life paths. The ____ of Skyping and networking also led to some amazing ____ contacts in town.
1.A. research B. fortune C. expertise D. interest
2.A. study B. speak C. agree D. deal
3.A. back B. hard C. little D. abroad
4.A. have B. improve C. lose D. ignore
5.A. health B. knowledge C. money D. distance
6.A. decided B. continued C. deserved D. stopped
7.A. answer B. level C. reason D. pattern
8.A. challenged B. interviewed C. visited D. interrupted
9.A. creative B. average C. various D. technical
10.A. depended on B. drew on C. carried on D. centred on
11.A. solutions B. freedoms C. journeys D. objections
12.A. turn up B. light up C. stay up D. break up
13.A. give B. attend C. hold D. get
14.A. fool B. lead C. force D. bring
15.A. wander B. explain C. access D. manage
16.A. within B. unlike C. worth D. beyond
17.A. grateful B. hungry C. ready D. sorry
18.A. offer B. discuss C. add D. show
19.A. act B. figure C. set D. sign
20.A. daily B. physical C. new D. psychological
_____ seemed selfish of him not to share his dictionary with others. But you shouldn’t have blamed him for this because he needed his dictionary to finish his paper then.
A. That B. What
C. It D. As
—I think we should give up the project.
—What for? You know I have spent a(n) _____ month on it. I won’t give up.
A. unique B. pure
C. practical D. entire
