全國職稱英語考試 通關必備利器 綜合類C級教材 牛津英語同義詞字典版 保30分
microscopicmess349A Life with BirdsFor nearly 17 years David Cope has worked as one of the Tower of Londons Yeoman Warders, better known to tourists as Beefeaters. David, 64, lives in a three-bedroomed flat right at the top of the Byward Tower, one of the gatehouses.” From our bedroom we have a marvelous view of Tower Bridge and the Thames. “ says David.The Tower of London is famous for its ravens, the large black birds which have lived there for over three centuries. David was immediately fascinated by the birds and when he was offered_the post of Raven Master eight years ago he had no hesitation in accepting it. “The birds have now become my life and Im always aware of the fact that I am maintaining a tradition. The legend says that if the ravens leave the Tower, England will fall to enemies, and its my job to make sure this doesnt happen! “David devotes about four hours a day to the care of the ravens. He has grown to love them and the fact that he lives right next to them is ideal. “I can keep a close eye on them all the time, and not just when Im working.”At first, Davids wife Mo was not keen on the idea of life in the Tower, but she too will be sad to leave when he retires next year. “When we look out of our windows we see history all around us, and we are taking it in and storing it up for our future memories.”A Lucky BreakActor Antonio Banderas is used to breaking bones, and it always seems to happen when hes doing sport. In the film Play it to the Bone he plays the part of a middleweight boxer alongside Woody Harrelson.During the making of the film Harrelson kept complaining that the fight scenes werent very convincing, so one day he suggested that he and Banderas should have a fight for real. The Spanish actor wasnt keen on the idea at first, but he was eventually persuaded by his co-star to put on his gloves and climb into the boxing ring. However, when he realized how seriously his opponent was taking it all, he began to regret his decision to fight. And then in the third round, Harrelson hit Banderas so hard in the face that he actually broke his nose. His wife, actress Melanie Griffith, was furious that he had been playing “silly macho games”. “She was right”, confesses Banderas, and I was a fool to take a risk like that in the middle of a movie.”He was reminded of the time he broke his leg during a football match in his native Malaga. He had always dreamed of becoming a soccer star, of performing in front of a big crowd, but doctors told him his playing days were probably over. “Thats when I decided to take up acting; I saw it as another way of performing, and achieving recognition. What happened to me on that football pitch was, you might say, my first lucky break.”Global WarmingFew people now question the reality of global warming and its effects on the worlds climate. Many scientists put the blame for recent natural disasters on the increase the in worlds temperatures and are convinced that, more than ever before, the Earth is at risk from the forces of the wind, rain and sun. According to them, global warming is making extreme weather events,_ such as hurricanes and droughts, even more severe and causing sea levels all around the world to rise.Environmental groups are putting pressure on governments to take action to reduce the amoumt of carbon dioxide which is given off by factories and power plants, thus attacking the problem at its source. They are in_favour of more money being spent on research into solar, wind and wave energy devices, which could then replace existing power stations.Some scientists,_however, believe that even if we stopped releasing carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere tomorrow, we would have to wait several hundred years to notice the results. Global warming, it seems, is here to stay.A Success StoryAt 19, Ben Way is already a millionaire, and one of a growing number of teenagers who have made their fortune through the Internet.What makes Bens story all the more remarkable is that he is dyslexic, and was told by teachers at his junior school that he would never be able to read or write properly. “I wanted to prove them wrong”, says Ben, creator and director of Waysearch, a net search engine which can be used to find goods in online shopping malls.When he was eight, his local authorities provided him with a PC to help with school work. Although he was unable to read the manuals, he had a natural ability with the computer, and encouraged by his father, he soon began charging people 10 an hour for his knowledge and skills. At the age of 15 he set up his own computer consultancy, Quad Computer, which he ran from his bedroom, and two years later he left school to devote all his time to business.By this time the company had grown and I needed to take on a_couple of employees to help me”, says Ben. “That enabled me to start doing business with bigger companies. “ It was his ability to consistently_overcome difficult challenges that led him to win the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the same year that he formed Waysearch, and he has recently signed a deal_worth25 million with a private investment company, which will finance his search engine.Traffic in Our CitiesThe volume of traffic in many cities in the world today continues to expand. This causes many problems, including serious air pollution, lengthy delays, and the greater risk of accidents. Clearly, something must be done, but it is often difficult to persuade people to change their habits and leave their cars at home.One possible approach is to make it more expensive for people to use their cars by_increasing charges for parking and bring in tougher fines for anyone who breaks the law. In addition, drivers could be required to pay for using particular routes at different times of the day. This system,known as “road pricing”, is already being introduced in a number of cities, using a special electronic card_fixed to the windscreen of the car.Another way of dealing with the problem is to provide cheap parking on the outskirts of the city, and strictly control the number of vehicles allowed into the centre. Drivers and their passengers then use a special bus service for the final stage of their journey.Of course, the most important thing is to provide good public transport. However, to get people to give up the comfort of their cars, public transport must be felt to be reliable, convenient and comfortable, with fares kept at an acceptable level.Telling Tales about People講述關于人們的故事One of the most common types of nonfiction最普遍的非小說類文學作品類型之一就是一些描述人們生活的故事,并且很多人喜歡閱讀這類作品。這些故事大致分為三類:自傳、回憶錄和傳記。自傳是作者記錄自己故事的文章。通常自傳會以作者最早期的回憶開始并以對現(xiàn)在情況的總結(jié)作為結(jié)束。自傳的作者也許不會完全客觀地介紹自己。然而,他們給讀者提供了一個途徑來了解自己比較好的行事風格和為何成就這樣的自己。就像本杰明富蘭克林和海倫凱勒一樣,各種各樣的人們已經(jīng)寫了自傳。其他的作者就像詹姆斯,喬伊斯一樣僅僅寫了關于自己生活的虛構小說。這些不是自傳,但是它們和自傳非常相近。嚴格意義上來講,回憶錄是既注重作者本身的生活經(jīng)歷,也注重其所處的時代所發(fā)生的事件的自傳性的描述?;貞涗涀髡咄ǔ0堰@些事件作為他們生活的背景。他們詳細地描述這些事件并論述這些事件的重要性。雖然近些年,回憶錄這個詞似乎開始變得可以和自傳互換,但是目前回憶錄也許還沒有因外界評論而有所改變。傳記事實上是記錄(作者以外)其他人的生活。在很多方面,傳記也許是這三種非小說類文學作品中最難寫的了。自傳作者知悉他們所寫的事件因為他們就生活在其中。但是傳記作者不得不盡量從很多不同的渠道來收集信息。然后他們不得不決定包含哪種事實。他們的目標是用比較全面的圖片來介紹一個人物,并不是過于積極也不是過于批判。一個公正并詳盡的傳記也許要花費許多年來研究并進行書寫。may take years to research and write.1.This passage is mostly about -the characteristics of autobiographies, memoirs, and biographies2.Helen Keller wrote -an autobiography3.Autobiography writers are not always objective because they -want to present themselves in a good light4.The writer introduces each category in the passage by -defining it5.Diverse means -varied or differentOutside-the-classroom Learning Makes a Big Difference課外學習帶來很大不同Putting a bunch of college students讓一群大學生去負責募集30萬美元的馬拉松跳舞活動,這種募捐聽起來肯定有點兒冒險。當你知道這筆募捐款是提供給需要醫(yī)療護理的兒童,你可能會覺得這個想法很瘋狂。佛羅里達大學一個22歲的學生Darren Heitner說大多數(shù)學生領導者不想在他們不太關注的事情上花太多時間。他任馬拉松跳舞經(jīng)營部經(jīng)瑪年了。Yvonne Fangmeyer是威斯康星大學學生社團辦公室主任,在2月進行了一次學生參加校園社團的調(diào)查。她說增進友誼是大家提到最多的參加校園社團的原因。像Fangmeyer大學那樣大規(guī)模的學校,有4萬多學生,學生首先想要找到屬于他們的校園一角。威斯康星大四的學生Katie Rowley肯定了調(diào)查結(jié)果?!拔壹尤胄@社團希望讓校園感覺上變得小一些,這樣不僅可以投入到校園生活中還可以交到很多朋友。”這些關于友誼的看法并不意味著學生不考慮他們的經(jīng)歷. Heitner說:“我認為很多人加入校園社團來豐富經(jīng)歷,剛上大學的時候,我加入了一些校園社團,希望培養(yǎng)自己的領導能力?!钡侨绻麤]有熱情,學生領導者很難經(jīng)受風雨考驗。例如,在4月份,威斯康星大學幾個學生社團開展了一項活動,向?qū)W生講述無家可歸和貧困。學生領導必須面對一些問題,比如解決爭論,受雨天影響而更改活動日期,與學校復雜的機構打交道。Fangmeyer說:“課外的這種學習確實帶來很大不同?!眒akes a big difference”, Fangmeyer said1.An extracurricular activity like raising a fund of $300,000 is risky because most student leaders -will not take an interest in it2.American students join campus organizations mostly for -building friendship3.Who is Katie Rowley?-Shes a senior student4.What do student leaders need to carry an activity through to a successful end?-Passion5.The phrasal verb fatten up in paragraph 6 could be best replaced by -polishShark Attack!小心鯊魚! Craig Rogers was sitting on his surfboard克雷格.羅杰斯正坐在他的沖浪板上估算著下一波浪離他還有多遠,就在這時沖浪板不動了。他低頭向水下看,驚悚的一幕出現(xiàn)了: 一條大白鯊正在撕咬沖浪板的前端?!拔业闹獠靠赡芏家呀?jīng)碰到了它的眼睛”,克雷格談道。原來,這條鯊魚悄悄地浮上了水面,完全沒讓克雷格聽到。 克雷格驚慌害怕,手足無措,但是偶然之間他被鯊魚咬掉了兩支手指,然后隨著滑板翻了個個兒,他也掉進水里。就在那時,處于水中的克雷格兩支手指鮮血直流,但這條五米長 的鯊魚卻徑直游開,消失在深海之中。 雖然鯊魚常被認為是瘋狂殺人的獵手,但事實上這是不準確的。鯊魚很少獵殺人類。比起被鯊魚殺死,人類更有可能被閃電擊中或是淹死在浴缸中。在上個世紀,有報道的只有74人命喪鯊魚之口。然而大白鯊可以長封6米長、2200公斤重或是更重。3000顆牙齒排成數(shù)排長在鯊魚那可怕的血盆大口中,它們可以輕易殺死并吃掉無助的落水者。但為什么大多數(shù)人受到大白鯊攻擊之后都能鯊口逃生呢?鯊魚研究者們正在努力尋找使得人類鯊口脫險的原因。 最常用的解釋是說大白鯊的視力不好。人們認為大白鯊會把人類錯當成是海豹或是海獅,后兩者是鯊魚的主要食物來源。但是人類又找到了理由來質(zhì)疑這一論斷。最近的研究信息表明大白鯊視力不錯。并且當大白鯊在攻擊海豹時,它們會迅速竄上海面,用力撕咬。但當大白鯊在攻擊人類時,它們在大多數(shù)情況下會慢慢浮上海面,撕咬的力度也輕得多。它們很快就會發(fā)現(xiàn)人類的肉不夠肥?!八鼈儼盐覀兺鲁鰜硎且驗槲覀兲萘恕?,艾丹.馬丁說道,他是鯊魚研究暗礁搜索中心的領頭人。 諸如馬丁這樣的鯊魚研究者們提出了這樣一種假設:大白鯊實際上是一種好奇心很重的動物,它們喜歡探索新鮮事物。有可能它們撕咬物體不僅僅是為了獵殺和吃掉,也是為了搜集信息。雖然這種經(jīng)歷對于像克雷格羅杰斯這些人來說很不幸,但是當鯊魚在撕咬沖浪板, 或是別的物體,甚至是人類時,很可能它們只是在盡量了解那到底是個什么東西。are likely just trying to learn what they are1.After Craig Rogers fell into the water, the shark -swam away2.It is difficult for the author to understand why great whites -often let humans escape3.Which of the following is closest in meaning to make up in line 2 of paragraph 4?-are4.The word their in line 2 of paragraph 4 means -great whites5.What is the main idea of the fourth paragraph?-We now know great whites dont mistake humans for other animals.Feast on Turkey and Good Wishes at Thanksgiving火雞盛宴和感恩節(jié)的祝福Four weeks ago US children dressed 四周前,美國的孩子打扮成鬼怪,四處要糖吃。這就是萬圣節(jié)。幾周之后就是圣誕節(jié),美國的房子都會被染成紅色和綠色,里面放滿了禮物。似乎這一切還不夠,這周的星期二,美國人還會慶祝另外一個節(jié)日感恩節(jié)。孩子們有兩天不上課,商店歇業(yè),房子里面家人喜歡的食物堆成了山。每年在佛羅里達的Gainesville,會有一個班級一起慶祝感恩節(jié)。全班同學會打扮起來,為家人表演劇目。劇目過后一家人分享一頓傳統(tǒng)的感恩節(jié)美食,比如火雞和南瓜餅。Dean Foster,一個10歲的男孩愿意加入這樣的慶?;顒?。他說: “我喜歡感恩節(jié),因為不用上學,有很多好吃的,還有快樂的家庭聚會?!彼?歲的弟弟Ben說:“感恩節(jié)最大的好處,就是它一結(jié)束圣誕節(jié)就開始了?!钡窃谑澄锖突ǖ舻拇蠊P錢的背后有另一層寓意。周二晚上,Dean和Ben的家人會做一個籃子,吃晚飯的時候把它放在桌子上。每個人會把他們要感謝的東西列在一張單子上,放在籃子里。一家人會讀出每一張單子上寫的內(nèi)容,花時間感謝上帝,感謝彼此給予這樣舒適幸福的生活。感恩節(jié)是一個傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日,起源于1621年第一批朝圣者來到美洲開始新生活的時候。艱苦的第一年后,在秋天取得了大豐收。他們舉行了盛宴,并邀請了當?shù)氐耐林〉诎踩艘黄鸶兄x上帝給予他們充足的食物。很多國家慶祝感恩節(jié),時間經(jīng)常是在莊稼成熟,收割完畢準備過冬之時。and the crops collected for winter1.On Halloween,children in the United States often dress up as -ghosts2.When are turkey and pumpkin pie eaten?-On Thanksgiving.3.Thanksgiving is the time for the American people to thank God for -providing them with comfortable and happy lives4.Many children in the United States like Thanksgiving because -they can stay with their parents at home and eat a lot of nice food5.The first pilgrims settled in America in -1620The Travels of Ibn Battuta伊本白圖泰游記 I left Tangier, my birthplace, the 13th of June“1325年6月13日,我離開了家鄉(xiāng)丹吉爾,打算前往麥加朝圣。我告別了所有的朋友,如鳥兒離巢般,告別故土?!边@便是伊本白圖泰游記的序言。這份舊的手稿存放在巴黎一家圖書館里。 這個年輕的摩洛哥人所處的年代比哥倫布的年代要早了幾乎兩個世紀,從他出發(fā)去麥加算起,30年之后伊本白圖泰才回到故鄉(xiāng),那時的他已經(jīng)晉升到歷史上偉大旅行家的行列。出于好奇,他游歷了伊斯蘭世界的各個角落,足跡遍布了 44座現(xiàn)代城市,總行程是馬可波羅的3倍。雖然在西方社會不怎么有名,伊本白圖泰在阿拉伯國家卻家喻戶曉。在伊本白圖泰的故鄉(xiāng)丹吉爾,有以他命名的廣場、旅店、咖啡館、渡船,甚至漢堡。 伊本白圖泰以學生的身份在麥加待了幾年,但對于游歷的渴望很快又讓他重新出發(fā)。 有一次他來到印度,在德里的蘇丹王那里謀到了一份收入頗豐的工作。他寫到,在去德里的路上,他的隊伍在野外被80名步兵和2位馬夫攻擊:“我們進行了殊死搏斗殺死 他們的一位馬夫和差不多12名步兵我和馬都中了箭,但是多謝真主的恩賜,最后我活了下來我們背著亡者的頭顱前往阿布巴卡爾的城堡并把這些頭顱掛在城墻上?!?因為有在麥加的學習經(jīng)歷,德里的蘇丹王給伊本白圖泰安排了法官的工作。但是這位蘇丹王脾氣古怪,性情多變,所以伊本白圖泰想借機逃走:當蘇丹王提出要資助伊本白圖泰去中國旅行時,他同意了。伊本白圖泰將要乘著三艘船起航,但他還未離岸,不幸便降臨了。一場突如其來的暴風雨摧毀了兩艘船,吹走了財寶,許多船員和馬匹都溺水而亡。他眼睜睜看著載著他的財物和奴隸的第三艘船被吹到了海上,從此便再無音訊。更糟的是,他的孩子也在這艘船上。 最后摩洛哥的蘇丹王要求一生游歷的伊本白圖泰回家和世人分享他的智慧。幸運的是, 他同意了此事并寫了本書。這本書已被翻譯成了很多種語言,可以讓世人了解他那無與倫比的旅行經(jīng)歷。 read about his unparalleled journeys1.What is the passage mainly about?-The adventures of Ibn Battuta.2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to set off for in line 5?-left to go to.3.The Sultan of Delhi gave Ibn Battuta a position of judge because -Ibn Battuta had studied in Mecca4.Which of the following would the writer of this passage most likely agree with?-Ibn Battuta should be better known in the West today.5.Why did Ibn Battuta finally return to his home?-The Sultan of Morocco asked him to return.TV Shows and Long Bus Trips看電視與長途汽車旅行Long bus rides are like television shows乘長途汽車旅行與看電視一樣,有開始、中間和結(jié)尾,每隔三四分鐘都會看到各種商業(yè)廣告。這些商業(yè)廣告是不可避免的,不管你是想要還是不想要。每隔幾分鐘就會有一塊廣告牌從車窗外閃過。比如“買超潔凈牙膏”,“飲格威特露啤酒”, “請用太平洋汽油”等。只有當你睡著的時候,就和關掉電視一樣,才會免受那些沒完沒了的“你需要它,現(xiàn)在就來買吧!”的干擾。旅行剛開始是蠻舒服的,甚至有點令人興奮,即使你以前曾沿此路線旅行過。通常會有不少變化,新的房屋,新的高樓,有時甚至會有一段新的道路。司機有自己的開車方式,開始一兩小時計算車速挺有趣的。如果碰上一個特別粗心大意或膽大的司機,那乘車就會像讀扣人心弦的故事一樣讓人興奮。司機能及時超過那輛卡車嗎?司機開車進左手還是右手車道呢?當然,過了會兒,興奮也就沒了。小睡片刻有助于度過中間的幾個小時。而食物則會讓旅程更加有趣,不過吃食物的時候,千萬別吃太多咸食,那樣你會很口渴。旅程的最后倒有點像剛開始。知道自己快下車了,你滿懷期望和興奮。當然,隨著時間一小時一小時過去,座位變得越來越硬。到目前為止,你交叉著雙腿,把手放在大腿上,把手放在扶手上,甚至把雙手交叉托于腦后。旅行結(jié)束得正是時候,正好沒有別的坐姿可以變換了。There are just no more ways to sit1.According to the passage,what do the passengers usually see when they are on a long bus trip?-Advertisements on billboards.2.What is the purpose of this passage?-To talk about the similarities between long bus trips and TV shows.3.The writer of this passage would probably favor -no billboards along the road4.The writer feels long bus rides are like TV shows because -they both have a beginning,a middle,and an end,with commercials in between5.The writer thinks that the end of the ride is somewhat like the begriming because both are -excitingModern Sun Worshippers現(xiàn)代日光浴崇拜者People travel for a lot of reasons人們外出觀光旅游的原因有許多,一些旅游者去看古戰(zhàn)場或是宗教圣殿;一些旅游者去追尋文化之源或是僅僅在名勝之地請人給他們照幾張相。但大多數(shù)歐洲游客愿意尋找陽光充足的海灘曬日光浴.北歐人心甘情愿花大筆錢,容忍諸多不便去獲得陽光,因為陽光對他們來說太難得了。由于冬季白天很短,像倫敦、哥本哈根和阿姆斯特丹的居民在冬季的大部分時間里,都是在昏暗中度過的,而其余的季節(jié)又都是陰雨連綿。這就是地中海地區(qū)成為人們向往之地的原因。每年夏天,有2 500多萬旅游者來到地中海的一些旅游勝地和海濱度假。他們都是為了同一個原因而來:陽光!眾多的游客意味著為地中海地區(qū)的國家?guī)砭薮蟮慕?jīng)濟財富。每年夏季,意大利的3萬多家旅館全部客滿,而且還有1 300多萬的游客要在法國的海灘、公園和路邊宿營。西班牙那漫長的海岸線更成了眾多旅游者慕名前往的地方。每年有3 700多萬游客,換句話說,旅游者與西班牙居民人數(shù)相當,即1:1。但有一些跡象表明,旅游業(yè)的發(fā)展已超出該地區(qū)的承受能力。地中海已成了地球上污染最嚴重的海洋。而隨著游客的增多,情況變得更糟。法國人想不出什么好辦法來處理宿營在圣特羅佩周圍的那些游客所丟掉的廢物垃圾。而且在許多地方因為海水受到了污染,游泳已成為一種危險的活動。然而,這些都沒有破壞人們的興致。每年到地中海觀光的游客越來越多。很顯然,他們不是為了清潔的海水和清靜自在而前往的。他們?nèi)淌苤煌ǘ氯募灏荆宜坪鹾芟矚g擁擠的海灘。他們甚至不在乎污染。不管海水是怎樣的污濁不堪,海岸線看起來仍是那么美。只要有陽光照耀,總比坐在倫敦、柏林或奧斯陸的凄風冷雨中好得多。cold rain in Berlin, London, or Oslo1.The writer seems to imply that Europeans travel mostly for the reason that -they wish to escape from the cold,dark and rainy days back at home2.In paragraph 2,cities like London,Copenhagen,and Amsterdam are mentioned -to show that they are not good cities in terms of geography and climate3.According to the passage, which of the following countries attracts more tourists than the others?-Spain4.The latter half of the last sentence in paragraph 3,i. e. , “or one tourist for every person living in Spain” means -every year almost as many tourists visit Spain as there are people living in that country5.According to the passage, which of the following factors might spoil the tourists fun at Mediterranean resorts and beaches?-Rainy weather.The Changing Middle Class變化中的中產(chǎn)階級The United States perceives itself to 美國把自己看成是一個中產(chǎn)階級的國家。然而,中產(chǎn)階級既不是一個真實的稱號,也不會帶來特別待遇。它更是一個觀念,一個也許在第二次世界大戰(zhàn)之后會變得更加正確的觀念。那時,美國經(jīng)濟不斷增長,越來越多的人擁有了自己的家庭,工人們和雇傭自己的公司簽訂了可靠的合同,并且?guī)缀跛邢胧艿礁叩冉逃娜四軌蚪邮芙逃3晒Φ娜耸肯硎苓@種上升的社會流動性。他們也許之前很窮,但是他們能夠變得富有。成功人士同樣發(fā)現(xiàn)他們有更好的地理流動性。換句話說,他們發(fā)現(xiàn)自己正移居并生活在各種各樣的地方。這些中產(chǎn)階級都持有幾種相同的價值觀和原則。認為賺取足夠金錢就可以決定自己經(jīng)濟命運的想法,是其中一種比較強烈的價值觀。另外,中產(chǎn)階級的道德觀包括個人的責任感、家庭的重要性、對他人的使命感以及相信自我以外的事物。但是在20世紀90年代,這些中產(chǎn)階級的人們發(fā)現(xiàn)了成功的代價。1994年,美國新聞與世界報道的二篇調(diào)查稱,75%的美國人認為中產(chǎn)階級家庭無法收支相抵?,F(xiàn)在夫妻雙方以及他們的一些孩子都在工作;遙遠的上下班路程變成了常態(tài),兒童看護給家庭帶來了很大壓力,并且公立學校已經(jīng)不如以前那樣好了。中產(chǎn)階級的成員不再通過薪水來支付他們的生活所需,而是通過使用信用卡來維持生活。對于中產(chǎn)階級的理解正在發(fā)生變化。middle class meant was changing1.The information in this passage deals with -a social and economic group2.A common middle class value is that -the family is very important3.In the years after World War II, the middle class could be defined as -prosperous and optimistic4.The phrase “In other words” in the first paragraph means that the following statement is -a restatement of the previous idea5.The word collectively means -as a groupSingle-parent Kids Do Best單親幼兒最出色Single mums are better at raising單身母親在撫養(yǎng)孩子方面比雙親要好至少在鳥的世界是這樣的。母斑胸草雀必須要努力工作且只能撫養(yǎng)較少的小鳥,但是它們撫養(yǎng)的雄性后代更有吸引力,更容易得到配偶。這個發(fā)現(xiàn)顯示家庭沖突是與捕食和食物提供等生態(tài)因素同樣重要的進化推動力。身邊有雙親就總會有利益沖突,這會對后代的質(zhì)量產(chǎn)生有害的影響。從進化的角度講,在動物界,任何一個父親或母親的最佳策略都是讓他人來照顧后代,這樣,它們就可以集中精力再繁殖后代。所以父母之間很自然就出現(xiàn)了相互推卸責任的現(xiàn)象。但是蘭卡斯特大學的阿蘭哈特利及他的工作組想知道家庭是如何解決這個沖突的,以及沖突本身是如何影響后代的。為了找到答案他們衡量斑胸草雀撫養(yǎng)它們的子女花了多少力氣。他們監(jiān)控每個母親或父親采集的食物量,以及移動或增加小鳥,因此每對草雀養(yǎng)4只小鳥,每只單身母雀養(yǎng)兩只假定這是相同的工作量。通過這些方法他們對單身母雀和成對草雀做了比較。但是他們發(fā)現(xiàn)單身母雀比與配偶共同撫養(yǎng)后代的母雀多付出25%。如果公雀太懶的話,為了避免受到剝削,有配偶的母雀并不十分努力工作。這樣做的后果就是后代付出代價。哈特利說:“后代要為這種沖突付出某些代價?!边@種代價不是表現(xiàn)在身材和體重的銳減,而是表現(xiàn)在它們對異性有多大吸引力上。當小鳥長大后,研究者通過提供給雌性它們所選擇的伴侶的方法檢驗雄性后代的健康狀況。那些由單身母親撫養(yǎng)大的雄性比由父母撫養(yǎng)大的雄性更多地被選中。研究鳥類父母沖突的劍橋大學動物學家瑞貝卡,卡爾納說,很久以來人們就認為兩性之間的沖突會影響對后代的照顧。 “但是試驗證據(jù)并不充分。這個突破主要是以經(jīng)驗來顯示這種影響的?!笨柤{說更為令人驚訝的是哈特利說這種沖突可能會嚴重影響行為的進化、窩卵數(shù)目甚至外表。哈特利說:“人們并沒真正確定這種聯(lián)系?!比藗兺ǔUJ為雌性的繁殖策略受捕食和食物提供方式的影響??柤{說父母之間的沖突現(xiàn)在也應該被考慮在內(nèi)了。be taken into account as well1.With which of the following statements would the author probably agree?-Two-parent families produce less attractive children2.According to the passage, in what way does family conflict affect the quality of the offspring?-The young males get less care.3.What is the relationship between paragraph 4 and paragraph 5?-Experiment and result.4.According to Hartley, which of the following is NOT influenced by sexual conflict?-The offsprings body size.5.According to the passage, people believe that a females reproductive strategy is influenced by -ecological factorsA Letter from Alan艾倫的來信I have learnt of a plan to build 我聽說了一個要在叫Parson公園上建造三百所房子的計劃。沒有幾個人知道這個打算將我們的城鎮(zhèn)擴大的計劃。對我來說,Parson公園是非常特別的,因為它是一個美麗的天然公園,當?shù)厝丝梢栽诖朔潘尚菹?。這片小樹林里有許多獨特的樹木并且這里的小溪受到了漁夫和野鳥觀察者的歡迎。這里很安靜因為附近只有幾所房子和幾條公路。我認為失去這片公園會很糟糕,因為在這附近我們沒有其他與其相似的公園了。我反對這項計劃也是因為它將會引起交通問題。住在新房子的人們將如何去工作呢?高速公路和地鐵站在城鎮(zhèn)的另一端。因此,這些人每次出行的時候?qū)⒉坏貌或?qū)車穿越城鎮(zhèn)中心。公路上將總是有很多車輛,沒有地方停車,并且來參觀我們這兒可愛的老式建筑物的觀光者將會離開這里。商店和旅館將賠錢。如果這個城鎮(zhèn)真的需要更多的房子,那片在地鐵站附近的空地是一個更合適的地方。毫無疑問,通過出售這些房子建筑商們會賺很多錢。但是,在我看來,每個人將會因這個計劃的實施而快速地變窮。不但如此,我們將失去一個非常特別的地方,并且我們的城鎮(zhèn)將會失去很多快樂。我將在周一早上到當?shù)卣k公室抗議這項計劃,并且我希望你們這些讀者將會和我一起去那里。我們必須讓他們停止這項計劃,否則就來不及了。stop this plan before it is too late1.Why has Alan written this letter?-To inform other people about the builders plans.2.Why is Parsons Place particularly important, in Alans opinion?-Because it is a place near the town where people can enjoy nature.3.What will cause traffic jams?-A building on Parsons Place.4.Alan says that ordinary people who live in the town will probably soon -have less money5.Which of these posters has Alan made?-SAY NO TO HOUSES ON PARSONS PLACEThe Development of Ballet芭蕾舞的發(fā)展Ballet is a dance form that has芭蕾舞是一種歷史悠久的舞蹈形式。事實上芭蕾舞延續(xù)至今說明了其隨著時代的變化而有所調(diào)整。在文藝復興時期,芭蕾舞開始于皇家宮廷。在那時,芭蕾舞在國王、王后以及貴族之間變得普遍,并且與音樂、詩歌以及舞蹈一起參與盛會的表演。當這些娛樂形式從意大利宮廷流傳到法國宮廷的時候,宮女們開始參與進來。雖然她們的長裙子阻礙了很多的動作,但是她們能夠表演復雜的步伐。直到1 7世紀女舞者縮短了她們的裙子,改穿平底鞋,并且開始做一些男舞者表演的跳躍和轉(zhuǎn)圈動作。而且也是在17世紀,專業(yè)的芭蕾舞舞蹈團應運而生。法國國王路易十四建立了皇家舞蹈學院,而他本身就是一個芭蕾舞愛好者。由此正式確定了腳的5個基本位置,這5個外開的位置成為發(fā)展芭蕾舞技術的基礎。18世紀末,發(fā)生了另一個重要的改變。芭蕾舞開始通過自己的表演來講述故事。它再也不僅僅是幕間表演的插舞。精致的假發(fā)和服裝被淘汰。在19世紀初,舞者學會了用腳尖站立使其看起來像是在漂浮。正如我們所知,現(xiàn)如今古典芭蕾主要受到了俄羅斯舞蹈的影響。在19世紀中葉,當歐洲其他國家對于芭蕾舞的興趣有所減少時,俄羅斯人始終保持著對芭蕾舞的興趣。在20世紀初,最有影響力的人物之一便是謝爾蓋基列夫。他的舞蹈公司俄羅斯芭蕾舞團,為芭蕾帶來了新的動力與活力。他的主要助手之一,喬治巴蘭欽,在1948年建立了紐約市芭蕾舞舞蹈團并影響了新一代的舞者。influence new generations of dancers1.This passage deals mainly with -the way ballet developed2.An important influence in early ballet was -Louis XIV3.You can conclude from this passage that ballet -will continue to change as new people and ideas influence it4.The information in this passage is presented -in chronological order5.The word pageants means -elaborate showsSmuggling走私It is