Skeptics are a strange lot. Some of them refuse to admit the serious threat of h

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Skeptics are a strange lot. Some of them refuse to admit the serious threat of human activities to the environment, and they are tired of people who disagree with them. Those people, say skeptics, spread nothing but bad news about the environment. The “eco-guilt” brought on by the discouraging news about our planet gives rise to the popularity of skeptics as people search for more comforting worldviews.
Perhaps that explain why a new book by Bjorn Lomborg received so much publicity. That book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, declares that it measures the “real state of the world” as fine. Of course, another explanation is the deep pockets some big businesses with special interests. Indeed, Mr. Lomborg’s views are similar to those of some Industry-funded organizations, which start huge activities though the media to confuse the public about issues like global warming.
So it was strange to see Mr. Lomborg’s book go largely unchallenged in the media though his beliefs were contrary to most scientific opinions. One national newspaper in Canada ran a number of articles and reviews full of words of praise, even with the conclusion that “After Lomborg, the environmental movement will begin to die down.”
Such one-sided views should have immediately been challenged. But only a different review appeared in Nature, a respected science magazine with specific readership. The review remarked that Mr. Lomborg’s “preference for unexamined materials is incredible (不可信的)”。
A critical (批判的) eye is valuable, and the media should present information in such a way that could allow people to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, that is often inaccessible as blocked by the desire to be shocking or to defend some special interests. People might become half-blind before a world partially exhibited by the media. That’s a shame, because matters concerning the health of the planet are far too important to be treated lightly.
小题1: According to the passage, which of the following may be regarded as “skeptics”?

A．People who agree on the popularity of “eco-guilt”.

B．People who disbelieve the serious situation of our planet.

C．People who dislike the harmful effect of human activities.

D．People who spread comforting news to protect our environment.

小题2:Which of the following can be a reason for the popularity of Lomborg’s books?

A．Some big businesses intend to protect their own interests.

B．The book challenges views about the fine state of the world.

C．The author convinces people to seek comforting worldviews.

D．Industry–funded media present confusing information.

小题3:The author mentioned the review in Nature in order to_____.

A．voice a different opinion

B．find fault with Lomborg’s book

C．challenge the authority of the media

D．point out the value of scientific views.

小题4:What is the author’s main purpose in writing the passage?

A．To encourage the skeptics to have a critical eye.

B．To warn the public of the danger of half–blindness with reviews.

C．To blame the media’s lack of responsibility in presenting information.

D．To show the importance of presenting overall information by the media.

答案

小题1: B
小题2:A
小题3:A
小题4:D

解析

略

举一反三

Humpback whales

Humpback whales are sometimes called performers of the ocean. This is because they can make impressive movements when they dive. The name “humpback”, which is the common name for this whale, refers to the typical curve shape the whale’s back forms as it dives. Sometimes the humpback will dive with a fantastic movement, known as a breach. During breaching the whale uses its powerful tail flukes to lift nearly two-thirds of its body out of the water in a giant leap. A breach might also include a sideways twist with fins stretched out like wings, as the whale reaches the height of the breach. A humpback whale breathes air at the surface of the water through two blowholes which are located near the top of the head. It blows a double stream of water that can rise up to 4 meters above the water. The humpback has a small dorsal fin located towards the tail flukes about two-thirds of the way down its back. Other distinguishing features include large pectoral fins, which may be up to a third of the body length, and unique black, and white spots on the underside of the tail flukes. These markings are like fingerprints: no two are the same. Humpback whales live in large groups. They communicate with each other through complex “songs”.	Quick Facts
	Size:	14m~18m in length 30~50 tons in weight
	Living environment:	Open ocean and shallow coastline waters
	Migration:	From warm tropical (热带的) waters, where they breed, to cold polar waters, where they eat.
	Diet:	Shellfish, plants and fish of small size
	Hunting:	Sometimes in groups, in which several whales form a circle under the water, blowing bubbles that form a “net” around a school of fish. The fish are then forced up to the surface in a concentrated mass.
	Current state:	Endangered: it is estimated that there are about 5000~7000 humpback whales worldwide.

小题1:According to Quick Facts, a humpback whale ______.

A．cannot survive in waters near the shore

B．doesn’t live in the same waters all the time

C．lives mainly on underwater plants

D．prefers to work alone when hunting food

小题2:To make a breach, a humpback whale must ______.

A．use its tail flukes to leap out of the water

B．twist its body sideways to jump high.

C．blow two streams of water

D．communicate with a group of humpbacks.

小题3:From the passage we can learn that a humpback whale ______.

A．has its unique markings on it tail flukes

B．has black and white fingerprints

C．gets its name from the way it hunts

D．is a great performer due to its songs

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Human remains of ancient settlements will be reburied and lost to science under a law that threatens research into the history of humans in Britain, a group of leading archeologists (考古学家) says. In a letter addressed to the justice secretary, Ken Clarke, 40 archaeologists write of their “deep and widespread concern” about the issue. It centers on the law introduced by the Ministry of Justice in 2008 which requires all human remains unearthed in England and Wales to be reburied within two years, regardless of their age. The decision means scientists have too little time to study bones and other human remains of national and cultural significance.
“Your current requirement that all archaeologically unearthed human remains should be reburied, whether after a standard period of two years or a further special extension, is contrary to basic principles of archaeological and scientific research and of museum practice,” they write.
The law applies to any pieces of bone uncovered at around 400 dig sites, including the remains of 60 or so bodies found at Stonehenge in 2008 that date back to 3,000 BC. Archaeologists have been granted a temporary extension to give them more time, but eventuallly the bones will have to be returned to the ground.
The arrangements may result in the waste of future discoveries at sites such as Happisburgh in Norfolk, where digging is continuing after the discovery of stone tools made by early humans 950,000 years ago. If human remains were found at Happisburgh, they would be the oldest in northern Europe and the first indication of what this species was. Under the current practice of the law those remains would have to be reburied and effectively destroyed.
Before 2008, guidelines allowed for the proper preservation and study of bones of sufficient age and historical interest, while the Burial Act 1857 applied to more recent remains. The Ministry of Justice assured archaeologists two years ago that the law was temporary, but has so far failed to revise it.
Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeologist at Sheffield University, said: “Archaeologists have been extremely patient because we were led to believe the ministry was sorting out this problem, but we feel that we cannot wait any longer.”
The ministry has no guidelines on where or how remains should be reburied, or on what records should be kept.
小题1:According to the passage, scientists are unhappy with the law mainly because ______.

A．it is only a temporary measure on the human remains

B．it is unreasonable and thus destructive to scientific research

C．it was introduced by the government without their knowledge

D．it is vague about where and how to rebury human remains

小题2:Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．Temporary extension of two years will guarantee scientists enough time.

B．Human remains of the oldest species were dug out at Happisburgh.

C．Human remains will have to be reburied despite the extension of time.

D．Scientists have been warned that the law can hardly be changed.

小题3:What can be inferred about the British law governing human remains?

A．The Ministry of Justice did not intend it to protect human remains.

B．The Burial Act 1857 only applied to remains uncovered before 1857.

C．The law on human remains hasn’t changed in recent decades.

D．The Ministry of Justice has not done enough about the law.

小题4:Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．New discoveries should be reburied, the government demands.

B．Research time should be extended, scientists require.

C．Law on human remains needs thorough discussion, authorities say.

D．Law could bury ancient secrets for ever, archeologists warn.

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A. focus B. examining C. expressive D. communication E. significantly
AB. neglect AC. distinguishing AD. reliably AE. recognition BC. considerate

People from East Asia tend to have more difficulty than those from Europe in   42  facial expressions – and a new report published online in Current Biology explains why.
Rachael Jack, University of Glasgow researcher, said that rather than scanning evenly (均匀地) across a face as Westerners do, Easterners   43  their attention on the eyes.
“We show that Easterners and Westerners look at different face features to read facial expressions,” Jack said. “Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth in equal measure, whereas Easterners favor the eyes and   44  the mouth.”
According to Jack and her colleagues, the discovery shows that human   45  of emotion is more complex than previously believed. As a result, facial expressions that had been considered universally recognizable cannot be used to   46  convey emotion in a cross-cultural situation.
The researchers studied cultural differences in the   47  of facial expressions by recording the eye movements of 13 Western people and 13 East Asian people while they observed pictures of   48  faces and put them into categories: happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral (中立的). They compared how accurately participants read those facial expressions using their particular eye movement strategies.
It turned out that Easterners focused much greater attention on the eyes and made   49   more errors than did Westerners. “The cultural difference in eye movements that they show is probably a reflection of cultural difference in facial expressions,” Jack said. “Our data suggest that whereas Westerners use the whole face to convey emotion, Easterners use the eyes more and mouth less.”
In short, the data show that facial expressions are not universal signals of human emotion. From here on,   50  how cultural factors have differed in these basic social skills will help our understanding of human emotion. Otherwise, when it comes to communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners will find themselves lost in translation.

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Below is adapted from an English dictionary. Use the dictionary to answer the following questions.

figure / fīgə / noun, verb
●noun 1 [C, often pl.] a number representing a particular amount, especially one given in official information: the trade /sales figures
2 [C] a symbol rather than a word representing one of the numbers between 0 and 9: a six-figure salary 3 [pl.] (informal) the area of mathematics that deals with adding, multiplying, etc. numbers 4 [C] a person of the type mentioned: Gandhi was both a political and a religious figure in Indian history. 5 [C] the shape of a person seen from a distance or not clearly 6 [C] a person or an animal as shown in art or a story: a wall with five carved figures in it 7 [C] the human shape, considered from the point of view of being attractively thin: doing exercise to improve one’s figure 8 [C] a pattern or series of movements performed on ice: figure-skating [IDM] be/become a figure of fun: be/become sb. that others laugh at cut a…figure: (of a person) to have a particular appearance He cut a striking figure in his dinner jacket. put a figure on sth.: to say the exact price or number of sth.

a fine figure of man / woman: a tall, strong-looking and well-shaped person figure of speech: a word or phrase used in a different way from its usual meanings in order to create a particular mental image or effect figurehead: someone who is the head or chief in name only (with no real power or authority)
●verb 1 to think or decide that sth. will happen or is true: I figured that if I took the night train, I could be in Scotland by morning. 2 to be part of a process, situation, etc. especially an important part: My opinion of the matter didn’t seem to figure at all. 3 to calculate an amount or the cost of sth.: We figured that attendance at 150,000. [PHRV] 1 figure in: to include (in a sum): Have you figured in the cost of hotel? 2 figure on: to plan on; to expect sth. to happen: I haven’t figured on his getting home too late. 3 figure out: to work out; understand by thinking: Have you figured out how much the trip will cost? [IDM] It/That figures! (informal): That seems reasonable, logical and what I expect.

小题1:
—She was coming late again for the work.
—________! That’s typical of her. You just can’t do anything to stop her doing that.

A．It figures her out	B．It figures
C．It cuts a poor figure	D．She is a figure of fun

小题2:
The phrase “watch my figure” in the sentence “Don’t tempt me with chocolate; I am watching my figure.” means “________”.

A．add the numbers	B．have sports
C．try not to get fat	D．watch games

小题3:
Which underlined word in the following sentences is used as figure of speech?

A．John is fond of animals and raises a rabbit as a pet.

B．In some countries, bamboo can be used to build houses.

C．We all regard Mr. Smith as an important figure in our company.

D．I didn’t really mean my partner was a snake.

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It takes two to duet (二重唱), and one question for scientists is how these coordinated (协调的) performances arise — in birds. Are they the result of cooperation, a way in which one pair signals to others that they’ve got it together? Or are they the result of conflict, evolving to avoid one partner’s song interfering with the other’s?
A study of duetting in Peruvian warbling antbirds(蚁鸟) suggests that it might be a little of both, and that context is everything. Joseph A. Tobias and Nathalie Seddon of the University of Oxford show in Current Biology that sexual conflict can cause the female of a pair that normally cooperates to “jam” the male’s song by singing over it.
The researchers exposed antbird pairs to recorded songs of other antbirds and monitored the songs the pairs produced. In one experiment, they played the songs of an intruding pair. In this case, the resident pair “both are likely to lose their territory, so both should cooperate,” Dr. Tobias said. And they do. They produce a coordinated duet that in effect tells the intruders to keep away.
But when the researchers played the song of a single female, the pair behaved differently. “You’d expect the resident female to be highly motivated to defend her position in the partnership,” Dr. Tobias said. And that’s what occurs. The male sings its heart out, flirting(调情) with the single female, and the female of the pair does its best to interfere with the song by singing over it, apparently to make her mate less attractive to the other female.
“It’s clear that the male doesn’t like what she’s doing,” Dr. Tobias said. The behavior “breaks up what is otherwise a very cooperative situation into a more complicated signal,” he added.
It’s the first evidence of this kind of signal jamming among pairs, Dr. Tobias said.
And in that it leads the male to alter its song to avoid the female’s interfering notes, it shows that this kind of conflict could, over a long period, drive the evolution of coordinated song.
小题1:
What is the key factor of antbirds’ duet?

A．Their cooperation.	B．Their conflict.
C．The context.	D．Their instinct.

小题2:
How did the researchers conduct the experiment?

A．They put the antbird pairs back to nature and observe them.

B．They played different recorded songs of other antbirds.

C．They put an antbird to the other’s territory and observed.

D．They played the songs of an intruding pair.

小题3:
Why did the female bird sing according to Paragraph 4?

A．It wanted to show its singing talent to the partner.

B．It aimed at keeping the partnership with the male.

C．It wanted to frighten the other females.

D．It wanted to make her mate more attractive.

小题4:
Which of the following is the topic of this passage?

A．The special phenomenon about birds pairs.

B．The conflict of bird pairs.

C．The cooperation of bird pairs.

D．The piece of music for bird pairs.

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