For more than twenty years scientists have been seeking to understand the mystery of the "sixth sense"
of direction. By trying out ideas and solving problems one by one, they are now getting closer to one answer.
One funny idea is that animals might have a built-in compass (指南针).
Our earth itself is a big magnet (磁体). So a little magnetic needle that swings freely lines itself with the
big earth magnet to point north and south. When people discovered that idea about a thousand years ago and
invented the compass, it allowed sailors to navigate (航海) on ocean voyages, even under cloudy skies.
Actually the idea of the living compass came just from observing animals in nature.
Many birds migrate twice a year between their summer homes and winter homes. Some of them fly for
thousands of kilometers and mostly at night. Experiments have shown that some birds can recognize star
patterns. But they can keep on course even under cloudy skies. How can they do that?
A common bird that does not migrate but is great at finding its way home is the homing pigeon. Not all
pigeons can find their way home. Those that can are very good at it, and they have been widely studied.
One interesting experiment was to attach little magnets to the birds" heads to block their magnetic sense-just
as a loud radio can keep you from hearing a call to dinner. On sunny days, that did not fool the pigeons.
Evidently they can use the sun to tell which way they are going. But on cloudy days, the pigeons with magnets
could not find their way. It was as if the magnets had blocked their magnetic sense.
Similar experiments with the same kind of results were done with honeybees. These insects also seem to
have a special sense of direction.
In spite of the experiments, the idea of an animal compass seemed pretty extraordinary. How would an
animal get the magnetic stuff for a compass?
An answer came from an unexpected source. A scientist was studying bacteria that lived in the mud of
ponds and marshes. He found accidentally little rod-like bacteria that all swam together in one direction-north.
Further study showed that each little bacterium had a chain of dense particles inside, which proved magnetic.
The bacteria had made themselves into little magnets that could line up with the earth"s magnet.
The big news was that a living thing, even a simple bacterium, can make magnetite. That led to a search to
see whether animals might have it. By using a special instrument called magnetometer, scientists were able to
find magnetite in bees and birds, and even in fish. In each animal, except for the bee, the magnetic stuff was
always in or close to the brain.
Thus, the idea of a built-in animal compass began to seem reasonable. |
| The Magnetic Sense-The Living Compass |
答案
| Passage outline | Supporting details | The existence of the
earth magnet and
the invention of the
navigating compass | ◇Our earth is a big magnet and a little freely
1._______ magnetic needle lines
itself with the earth magnet to point north
and south.
2. _______ on the idea above, the
navigating compass was invented. | The possibility of
birds" built-in campasses | ◇One piece of evidence is the 3. _______
of many birds between their summer
homes and winter homes.
◇Birds can recognize star patterns on clear
nights and keep on course 4._______
under cloudy skies. | The 5. _______
on pigeons"
and bees" built-in
compasses | ◇Little magnets were tied to the pigeons"
heads to 6._______ their magnetic
sense.
◇The pigeons" magnetic sense seemed to be
affected on 7. _______ days.
◇Similar things with the same results were
done with bees. | The 8. _______
of the magnetic
stuff for the
animal compass | ◇Little rod-like bacteria were found by chance to
swim together in the direction of 9. ________
◇Some animals had a chain of dense magnetic
particles in or close to the 10._______
inside their bodies. |
解析 1. swinging 2. Based 3. migration 4. even 5. experiments/tests/study/research
6. block 7. cloudy 8. discovery 9. north 10. brain(s) |
举一反三
| 用方框中词或短语的适当形式完成短文。 | communicate with, base, make use of, bring about, latter,
such as, identity, number, over time, at present | | 根据短文，完成表格。 | Quality after-school programs are designed to improve academic performance, decrease youth crimes and
other high-risk behaviors, and help young people grow into healthy, successful adults.
The effect of quality after-school programs on academic performance is clear. Studies show that students
who take part in such programs show better work habits, higher rates of homework completion, improved
grades, and higher scores on achievement tests. They also have fewer absences and are less likely to blame.
After-school programs also influence high-risk teen behaviors. Various studies show decreased rates of crime,
drug-taking, and teen sex among youth who join in well-run after-school programs when compared to similar
youth who do not. Finally, after-school programs play an important role in supporting different kinds of fields
of development: physical development, mental development and social development. Thus, one can safely say
that after-school programming is an effective method to help young people become contributing members of
society.
Although there is enough proof from both small and large assessments that after-school programs can make
a positive difference, it is important to note that not all programs are equal. First, dosage matters-young people
who attend the most hours over the most years benefit more than members who attend less often or over a
shorter period of time. Next, after-school programs make a bigger difference for those students who need help
most and have the fewest choices. Finally, program qualities matter. After-school programs work best when
they create unique opportunities for youth. They should provide opportunities, skill building meaningful
involvement, expression, suggestion, service, and work. Staff characteristics make an important difference in
the quality of a program. The adults should treat youth as partners, create safe and fair environment, encourage
personalized involvement, and actively create learning opportunities. In short, although after-school programs
have a promising future, how they are designed and run matters. | Title: Quality After-school Programs
| Aims | 1. ______ academic performance
Decreasing youth crimes and other high-risk behaviors
Helping young people grow into healthy, successful adults | | 2.______ | Improved academic performance
●better work habits
●higher rates of homework completion
●improved grades and higher scores
●fewer absences and 3.______ blame
Decreased high-risk teen behaviors
●decreased rates of crime
●drug 4.______
●teen sex among youth
5.______ development
●physical development
●mental development
●social development | | Result | Helping young people become members making
a 6.______ to society | | Factor | 7.______ matter.
Qualities matter. | | 8.______ | The future of after-school programs is promising,
9.______ how to design and run the programs
is very 10.______ | | 阅读理解。 | Surely, it"s good to get along with your teacher because it makes the time you spend in the classroom more
pleasant. But really, there"s one important reason why you should get along with your teacher. When you do it,
"learning bursts right open," says Evelyn Vuko, a long time teacher who writes an education column (专栏)
called "teacher says" for the Washington Post.
In fact, kids who get along with their teachers not only learn more, but they"re more comfortable asking
questions and getting extra help; This makes it easier to understand new material and do your best on tests.
When you have this kind of relationship with a teacher, he or she can be someone to turn to with problems,
such as problems with learning.
As a kid in elementary or middle school, you"re at a wonderful stage in your life. You"re like a sponge (海
绵), able to _____. Besides, you"re able to think about all this information in new ways. Your teacher knows
that, and, in most cases, is excited to be the person who"s giving you all that material and helping you put it
together. Remember, teachers are people, too, and they feel great if you"re open to what they"re teaching you.
That"s why they want to be teachers in the first place-to teach!
Some kids may be able to learn in any case, whether they like the teacher or not. But most kids are sensitive
to the way they get along with the teacher, and if things aren"t going well, they won"t learn as well and won"t
enjoy being in class. | 1. What is the best title of the passage? (within 10 words)
___________________________________________________________________________________
2. Which sentence in Paragraph l can be replaced by the following one "you can learn more and easily."?
___________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please fill in the blank with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.
___________________________________________________________________________________
4. What are the benefits if kids get along well with their teachers?
___________________________________________________________________________________
5. Translate the underlined sentence in the third paragraph into Chinese.
___________________________________________________________________________________ | | 阅读理解。 | A mobile phone is in fact a small radio. A radio sends
a person"s voice over a long way to another radio. A voice
that is sent by a radio is called a signal. A radio signal travels
very quickly. |  | | 选做题：阅读下面短文，并根据短文后的要求答题请注意问题后的词数要求。 | Called "The School of the Future" and created with help from software giant Microsoft, a recently-
opened public school in Philadelphia, US, is believed to be the first in the world to combine innovation
teaching methods with the latest technology. At this school, students work on wireless laptops, teachers
eschew traditional subjects for real-world topics and parents can track their children"s work on the Internet.
The school, which costs the school district $63 million to build, is free and has no entrance exams.
The 170 ninth-grade students were selected at random from l,500 applicants.
Philadelphia School District Chief Executive Paul Vallas told students they would be observed by other
schools around the world. "You have become instant role models," Vallas said. "People are going to be
watching you."
Students still sit in classrooms, but lessons rely heavily on information found on the Internet and on
interactive software. Students will be allowed to learn at their own pace. Homework is done on the computer
and sent to the teacher for grading and parents can access to the school"s network to read the teacher"s
feedback on their children"s progress.
Traditional education fails to teach students the skills of problem-solving, critical thinking and effective
communication, which they need to succeed in the 21st century, Principal Shirley Grover said in an interview.
"It"s not about memorizing certain algebraic equations (代数方程式) and then presenting them in 8 test,"
Grover said. "It"s about thinking how maths might be used to solve a quality of water problem or how it
might be used to determine whether or not we are safe in Philadelphia from the bird flu."
David Terry, 14, said he was hoping to "turn over a new leaf" after discipline problems in his previous
school left him with an "average to really bad" academic record. "This is a great opportunity for me," he said.
"In other schools, I would not _____." | 1. What"s the best title of this passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)
______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one? Although the students have their
lessons in classrooms, they mainly learn through the Internet and on some software.
______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (Please
answer within 10 words.)
______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Do you think this kind of school good? Why? (Please answer within 30 words.)
______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Please translate the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph into Chinese.
______________________________________________________________________________________ | 最新试题
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