| 1. 阅读理解 | 详细信息 |
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阅读理解
For years, the giant squid(大王乌贼) had remained a modern mystery. Living in the dark depths of the ocean, the creature is difficult for scientists to observe directly. It had also managed to avoid all attempts to film it. That changed last July: for the first time ever, scientists were able to catch the giant squid on video in its natural habitat. They were amazed by what they saw. The scientists filmed the squid in the North Pacific Ocean, south of Tokyo, Japan. They followed it down to a depth of 2, 952 feet. They shot more than 23 minutes of video before the squid swam off into even darker depths. The video footage will be released to the public later this month on The Discovery Channel. Tsunemi Kubodera, a zoologist at Japan's National Museum of Nature and Science, led the team that filmed the squid. The team went into the ocean in a small submarine with lights invisible to both humans and squid. Since giant squid eat smaller squid, the scientists released a small squid as bait(诱饵). Then the scientists waited in the pitch black for the giant squid to approach. The color video shows the creature floating vertically, eating the bait squid. The giant squid is 9 to 10 feet long and is missing its two longest tentacles(触须). With those tentacles, it could have measured up to 26 feet long. It has huge black eyes, the size of dinner plates, "It was shining and so beautiful, " Kubodera said. Because the deep ocean is so unfriendly to humans, little is known about the giant squid. Scientists say catching the mysterious creature on video is an important step toward understanding it. For centuries, sailors had reported seeing a huge, oceandwelling beast, thought to be the giant squid. The creature is also believed to be the subject of the Nordic myth of the kraken, a sea creature that supposedly attacked ships in Scandinavian waters over the past thousands of years.
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| 2. 阅读理解 | 详细信息 |
阅读理解With climate change and overfishing threatening our oceans, it is becoming increasingly important for researchers to closely observe and check sea animals and plants. However, it's almost impossible to make it since human presence scares the animals. Now, thanks to the robot, aka SoFi, researchers may be able to solve the problem. Built by MIT's laboratory, the snowwhite remotecontrolled robot simulates fish, complete with a flexible tail that moves from side to side and two "fins (鳍)". When the robot is under the sea, a motor is pumping water into a pair of balloonlike rooms located in the robot's tail. These rooms operate similarly to the key parts in engines. As one room expands, the tail bends to one side; when the motor pushes water to the other channel, the tail bends in the other direction. Thus the robot gains the ability to move to where it wants to go. SoFi solves many of the issues that have affected the usefulness (有效性) of previous robots—some types of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). AUVs traditionally often have had to be tied to a boat because radio frequency communications do not work well underwater. So researchers use sound waves. The new technology can travel greater distances, allowing drivers, by using a controller，to pilot SoFi from up to 50 feet away. SoFi can move around the ocean, unaffected by ropes. Also limiting traditional AUVs' usefulness is the risk of hitting something，like hard stones. With the outside made of rubber (橡胶) and plastic that can keep its builtin electronics dry, SoFi can efficiently avoid hitting. So a soft robot is more likely to survive a potential crisis. During test dives in Rainbow Reef, SoFi swam alongside the unsuspecting (无疑心的) ocean life at depths of 50 feet for up to 40 minutes at a time, obtaining highquality photos and videos. More importantly, it was able to do so without causing any disturbance. Researchers say sometimes the fish would swim alongside the strangelooking robot in curiosity, while at other times they appeared to completely ignore its existence. "It's not perfect, but we're improving it. Our efforts will pay off," says Robert Katzschmann.
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| 3. 完形填空 | 详细信息 |
完形填空Troy longed to be a professional basketball player. He had loved the1ever since he was a small child. He was also very skilled. However, he had one small2. He was very short. Although his school coach had suggested that he would never3it in the professional leagues, he4to give up his dream. Troy had several5tries at professional clubs. Then he went to a club in Los Angeles and6the coach for a try. As usual, he was refused. "But you haven't even given me a(n)7," said Troy. "Why should I?" asked the coach. "Because one day I am going to be the best player in the world8I will be able to help you out," Troy replied seriously. The coach smiled at the9of the answer. "Alright kid," he said. Troy took part in a short practice match and the coach was10at his skills. "You11have a lot of talent," he said. After two short years, Troy was a regular for the12and had even won the award as the team's most valuable player. 13with Troy's help, the team wasn't winning many games and the coach was said to be close to losing his14. Before a game against the New York team, he called Troy into his office for a discussion. "I have heard that if we lose tonight then I will be replaced by another coach, " he told Troy. "I need you to carry the team and win the game. Do you remember your15before I signed you？" Troy nodded. He went on to play the game of his life that evening. The team won the game and won every game that was left that season. （1）
A .
task
B .
class
C .
sport
D .
place
（2）
A .
doubt
B .
problem
C .
dream
D .
reason
（3）
A .
change
B .
learn
C .
hear
D .
make
（4）
A .
tried
B .
regretted
C .
refused
D .
feared
（5）
A .
unsuccessful
B .
meaningful
C .
unfair
D .
careless
（6）
A .
found
B .
asked
C .
forced
D .
considered
（7）
A .
choice
B .
instruction
C .
suggestion
D .
chance
（8）
A .
and
B .
but
C .
if
D .
as
（9）
A .
influence
B .
confidence
C .
interest
D .
shortness
（10）
A .
annoyed
B .
disappointed
C .
puzzled
D .
surprised
（11）
A .
certainly
B .
usually
C .
finally
D .
possibly
（12）
A .
program
B .
party
C .
club
D .
school
（13）
A .
Again
B .
Almost
C .
Even
D .
Only
（14）
A .
money
B .
job
C .
team
D .
patience
（15）
A .
promise
B .
purpose
C .
advice
D .
secret
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| 4. 阅读理解 | 详细信息 |
阅读理解Dolphins are universally regarded as some of the cleverest creatures in the world. In captivity (圈养), they can be trained to complete complex tasks such as jumping through hoops and somersaulting through the air. But their intelligence doesn't stop there. In a recent study of cetaceans (鲸目动物)—a group of animals that include dolphins and whales—researchers created a list of intelligent behaviors observed in 90 different cetacean species, reported the Guardian. For example, the smartest cetaceans hunt in groups, share knowledge through mimicry (模仿) and even care for each other's children. Some even consider their behavior to be humanlike. "The saying that 'it takes a village to raise a child' seems to be true for both whales and humans," Michael Muthukrishna of the London School of Economics, coauthor of the study, told the Guardian. However, cetaceans don't just use their brain power for survival. The study suggests that dolphins might even gossip. That's because some species greet each other with specific whistles，just as humans greet each other by name, the Guardian reported. Sometimes, a group of dolphins whistles the "name" of a dolphin that isn't there. Could they be speaking about their "friend" behind its back? For the researchers，dolphin small talk is a big deal. As they found that the most social cetaceans also have the largest brains, they argue that cetacean intelligence developed to meet the demands of complex social groups. Known as the "cultural brain hypothesis (假设)," it had only been used to explain the intelligence of humans and other primates (灵长目动物). The new study aimed to find a common pathway for the evolution of intelligence among biologically different species. "It is interesting to think that whale and human brains are different in their structure but have brought us to the same patterns in behavior," Luke Rendell, a biologist at the University of St Andrews, told the Guardian. Indeed, we still have a lot to learn about our intelligent oceandwelling neighbors. "We don't have to look at other planets to look for aliens," Muthukrishna told the Guardian, "because we know that underwater there are these amazing species with so many parallels to us in their complex behaviors."
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| 5. 阅读理解 | 详细信息 |
阅读理解One part of the world is still largely unexplored. It is the deep sea. Over the years, many people have explored under the sea. But the first deepsea divers wanted to find sunken treasure. They weren't really interested in studying the creatures of life there. Only recently have they begun to learn some of the mysteries of the sea. It's not easy to explore the deep sea. A diver must have a way of breathing underwater. He must be able to protect himself from great pressure. The pressure of air is about 15 pounds on every square inch. But the pressure of water is about 1, 300 pounds on every square inch! The first diving suits were made of rubber. They had a metal helmet (头盔) with windows in it. The shoes were made of lead and weighed twenty pounds each! These suits let divers go down a few hundred feet, but they were no good for exploring the very deep waters. With a metal diving suit, a diver could go down 700 feet. Metal suits were first used in the 1930s. In 1927, a diver named William Beebe wanted to explore deeper than anyone had ever gone before. He was not interested in finding treasure. He wanted to study the creatures and plants of the sea. His friend invented a metal ball called the Bathysphere. It weighed more than 5,000 pounds, but in it Beebe went down 3,028 feet. He saw many things that had never been seen by humans before.
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| 6. 任务型阅读 | 详细信息 |
任务型阅读If your parents will retire soon, to live comfortably in retirement, you need to persuade them to save until it hurts. They may think they can't afford to save or fear losing money to bad investments (投资), but they have to overcome those fears, because a financially (财政上) secure future will be up to them. They can start by saving as little as $10 a paycheck or putting away half their next rise. A small amount of money can produce massive amounts of wealth over time. People used not to worry about saving for their later years because many had pensions, and they didn't live as long as people do now. But they can no longer count on their employers, partly because the employers might not be able to afford their pensions, and most people don't stay with one employer. Consequently, they should depend on themselves for retirement. You can advise them to start by contributing 1% of their pay. If the 1% contribution hurts, then they can stay at that level until it doesn't hurt any more. If it doesn't hurt, then increase their contribution (by another 1%.) Do that until it hurts. They just ask for a small cup of coffee instead of a large cup in the coffee house or they can try to skip drinking soda daily at lunch. In time they will benefit a lot from today's efforts when they retire. A. They can start small. B. The key is getting started. C. But believe you can make it. D. Many people change jobs every few years. E. It's easy to cut a dollar a day from most budgets. F. People give lots of excuses for not saving for retirement. G. Some seniors are confident that they will be supported by their children. |
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| 7. 阅读理解 | 详细信息 |
阅读理解"The noise made by boats of whale watching tourists may be causing communication problems for the animals，" British researchers said last week. Whale watching is a popular tourist activity in places where groups of killer whales (虎鲸) live. Every day, dozens of boats filled with tourists go to watch the beautiful animals. Unfortunately, the engines of the boats make a lot of noise, and that may be causing problems for the whales, according to a report in the US science magazine Nature. The whales travel in groups, and communicate with each other through sonic (声波的) calls that some scientists refer to as singing. The sounds of the boat engines may be creating too much background noise for the whales to be able to hear each other. The researchers listened to recordings of whale calls made between 15 and 25 years ago before whale watching became popular. These were compared to more recent recordings. They have found that the animals start to sing for longer than they used to, like a person shouting to a friend across a noisy room. It is believed that the whales are trying to communicate hunting or breeding (繁殖) information. Scientists said that, if this was prevented, the future of the world's whale population could be in danger. "Animals become slow in mind and repeat themselves in noisy areas，" said Volker Deecke, a Canadian biologist. "They have to say things twice or three times in order to be understood." The killer whales studied were living off the coast of northwestern America. The number of killer whales in this area has been falling for several years, but scientists are not sure why.
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| 8. 阅读理解 | 详细信息 |
阅读理解A 17-year-old U. S. seaman steered (驾驶) his battered sailboat into a Southern California harbour on Thursday to complete a hard 13month voyage and become the youngest person to sail around the world alone. Zac Sunderland arrived in Marina Del Rey aboard, driving his 36foot sloop (单桅纵帆船) Intrepid at about 10 a. m. local time. During his 28,000nauticalmile journey, he braved storms, equipment failures, suspected pirates and narrowly escaped from the crash with freighters (货船). "It's awesome to be back," Sunderland, of Thousand Oaks, California, said after he was welcomed home by many wellwishers. Fewer than 250 people have sailed alone around the globe, with three times that many climbing the peak of Mount Everest, according to the American Sailing Association, which certified Sunderland's achievement. Sunderland left Marina Del Roy，just south of Los Angeles, on June 14,2008, and celebrated his 17th birthday at sea while off Africa's Cape of Good Hope. His return was delayed near the end of his voyage when his sloop sustained a broken bulkhead (隔板) in roaring seas off Mexico, forcing him to stop at Puerto Vallarta long enough for his father to fly in to make repairs. Another tense moment occurred in the Indian Ocean off Indonesia, where the Intrepid was approached by a suspected pirate boat. A plane flew overhead and Sunderland climbed onto his deck with a gun to threaten them and then the intruders fled, said Charlie Nobles, executive director of the association. Sunderland, who remained in satellite telephone contact with his father during the voyage, dumped the gun before entering Mexican waters, where it is illegal to carry private firearms. He becomes the first person under 18 to sail the globe alone, and the youngest to date. The previous recordholder was David Dicks of Australia, who completed his voyage in November 1996 at age 18.
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| 9. 阅读理解 | 详细信息 |
阅读理解Movie Nights at the Museum brings you classic movies in a classic location. Each film has been chosen for its connection to an area of our knowledge. We start this movie season with oceaninspired cinema to celebrate the arrival of the noble blue whale in the Museum's typical hall, the site for the series. So get your popcorn, take your seat, and settle in for Movie Nights at the Museum. Jaws Did you know that great whites actually find the taste of human flesh not tasty? However, this legendary Steven Spielberg thriller sees a giant great white shark cause destruction on the shores of a New England beach town in the mid1970s. Free Willy Did you know that the killer whale is not a whale? It's actually a dolphin. In this heartwarming 90s classic, orphan Jesse makes friends with a trapped killer whale and does whatever it takes to return him to his family and ocean home. Finding Nemo Contrary to popular belief, fish are actually good at remembering things. Follow young clownfish Nemo, taken unexpectedly from his Great Barrier Reef home, and his father and forgetful partner who go on a brave journey to find him, in this charming Disney adventure. The Little Mermaid In this classic Disney tale of a mermaid princess who dreams of becoming human, Ariel falls in love with a handsome prince, much to the sadness of her father and longsuffering friends. But did you know that a fish is actually brown and flat, with both eyes on one side of its body? Ticket: ￡28, Member: ￡25.
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