选择知识点

British anthropologists Russell Hill and Robert Barton of the University of Durham， after studying the results of one-on-one boxing， taekwondo， Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling matches at the Olympic Games， conclude that when two competitors are equally matched in fitness and skill， the athlete wearing red is more likely to win．
Hill and Barton report that when one competitor is much better than the other， colour has no effect on the result． However， when there is only a small difference between them， the effect of colour is enough to tip the balance． The anthropologists say that the number of times red wins is not simply by chance， but that these results are statistically significant．
Joanna Setchell， a primate （灵长目动物） researcher at the University of Cambridge， has found similar results in nature． She studies the large African monkeys known as mandrills． Mandrills have bright red noses that stand out against their white faces． Setchell's work shows that the powerful males-the ones who are more successful with females-have a brighter red nose than other males．
As well as the studies on primates by Setchell， another study shows the effect of red among birds． In an experiment， scientists put red plastic tings on the legs of male zebra finches and this increased the birds" success with female zebra finches． Zebra finches already have bright red beaks （鸟喙）， so this study suggests that， as with Olympic athletes， an extra flash of red is significant． In fact， researchers from the University of Glasgow say that the birds" brightly coloured beaks are an indicator of health． Jonathan Blount， a biologist， and his colleagues think they have found proof that bright red or orange beaks attract females because they mean that the males are healthier． Nothing in nature is simple， however， because in species such as the blue footed booby， a completely different colour seems to give the male birds the same advantage with females．
Meanwhile， what about those athletes who win in their events while wearing red？ Do their clothes give them an unintentional advantage？ Robert Barton accepts that "that is the implication" of their findings． Is it time for sports authorities to consider new regulations on sports clothing？



According to their research， Hill and Barton conclude that ______ ．

A. the colour of clothing has an effect on most sport events
B. red should be the choice of colour for clothing in sports
C. red plays a role when competitors are equally capable
D. athletes perform better when surrounded by bright red

The underlined word "tip" in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ______ ．

A. achieve
B. seek
C. keep
D. change

The example of the blue footed booby proves that ______ ．

A. male birds use different body parts to draw attention
B. red is not the only colour to attract female birds
C. blue gives female birds the same advantage
D. blue can indicate how healthy a bird is

While reading a book in English， every few lines， you run across a word or two that you don't knew．You look up every new word in the dictionary． Bad move． All that does is slow you down． Even electric or CD-ROM dictionaries can get in the way of your reading progress． A dictionary is like a road map． It can help you if you get lost and point you in the right direction． But if you stop to look at the "map" each time you take a step， you'll get now here fast．
On your English learning "journey"， a dictionary can be a helpful "travel companion" -if it's not overused． To help you start thinking in English， use an English-to-English dictionary． Otherwise， you'll always depend on your native language and end up translating in your head．
A good dictionary can help you do more than just find the meaning of a word． It can help you verify （test and check） spelling， check word forms and grammar usage， find example sentences and learn pronunciation． Some dictionaries even provide exercises to teach you how to use their resources．
Take time to get to knew your dictionary． Learn the pronunciation symbols． Understand what the abbreviations （缩写字） mean． Become familiar with the grammar codes that explain the usage for each word．Look for charts， diagrams and lists that might be useful in the future． You'll discover how rewarding it can be to make friends with your dictionary． And as they say， "A friend in need is a friend indeed"．



The underlined word "that" used in the last paragraph refers to ______ ．

A. chart， diagrams and lists
B. abbreviations and the usage for each word
C. the meaning of a word， spelling and grammar usage
D. pronunciation symbols and grammar codes

Why do you want to buy a good English-to-English dictionary？ ______

A. Because it is a good friend if we use it often．
B. Because it can help us to find the right direction if we get lost．
C. Because it can help us to start thinking both in English and in Chinese．
D. Without it we'll depend on our native language and end up translating in our head．

Which of the following statements does the writer lead you to believe？ ______

A. The more you use a dictionary， the better you can understand the article you read．
B. The more you use the resources in the dictionary， the more you can benefit from it．
C. The more you use a dictionary， the faster you may read．
D. T he better a dictionary is， the more expensive it is．

The best title of the passage be ______ ．

A. Dictionary is Like a Road Map While We Are Traveling
B. Use a Dictionary When Necessary
C. How Important a Good English-to-English Dictionary is
D. A Dictionary is a Friend Indeed

Cities in Europe and around the world may be growing "bike trees" in the near future． Invented by Japan's JFE Engineering Corp， the invention proved useful in the busiest parts of this nation's crowded cities．
Local governments of Japan have struggled for ways to encourage people to park their bikes considerably， particularly close to big stations， but that may block some roads and entrances to homes and businesses． "Our cities do not have a lot of space for any kind of parking， including bicycles．" said Mitsuharu Oshima， a spokesman for JFE Engineering． The bike tree comes in two types： one in a tower that is above ground and on the contrary， the other in an underground structure．
A cyclist registers with the operator of the equipment， pays a monthly fee and pushes the wheels of his bicycle into restraints （管理处） at the base of the bike tree． Each bicycle is fitted with an electronic card with the owner's details． A mechanical arm then pulls the bike into the base of the tower and moves it to a free location inside． To collect the bike later； the cyclist puts his card through a reader and his bike is automatically returned to him in seconds． "The science of the equipment has been difficult--even though they may look quite simple--because bikes come in many different shapes and sizes．" said Oshima．
As well as clearing away the road， bicycles cannot be stolen from a bike tree． There are presently versions at seven sites in Japan and two others are under construction， while work is under way on an even latter version with room for 9400 bicycles in Thailand． And Oshima believes that the idea could catch on in Europe， particularly in countries such as France， Holland and Denmark， where cycling is so popular．



Cities build this kind of "bike trees" so that they can ______ ．

A. ask more people to ride bikes
B. provide more jobs for people
C. make more money than before
D. save more room for people

Which is the right order of the following things when you use the bike tree？ ______
①the wheels of the bicycle are put into restraints at the base．
②the card is read and the bike is automatically returned．
③an electronic card with the owner's details is given．
④the bike is pulled and moved to a free location inside．

A. ③②①④
B. ③①④②
C. ②①④③
D. ②④③①

What made it difficult to design "bike trees"？ ______

A. The location of "bike trees"．
B. The method of finding enough bikes．
C. The differences of the bikes．
D. The importance of traffic safety

From the passage， we can knew that ______ ．

A. countries with many cyclists in Europe will like the idea of "bike trees"
B. there are seven "bike trees" used for holding bikes in Japan
C. local government of Japan encourage people to ride bikes
D. cyclists can use "bike trees" for free in Japan．

Many young students consider their friends as the most important people in their lives．They believe that their family members，especially their parents，don't know them as well as their friends do．In large families，it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice．It is very important for young students to have one good friend or many friends．Even when they are not with their friends，they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone．This communication is very important in children's growing up，because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members．
However，parents often try to choose friends for their children．Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends．The question of"choice"is an interesting one．
Have you ever thought of the following questions？
Who chooses your friends？
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you？
Have you got a good friend your parents don't like？



Many young students think their ______ know them better than their parents do．

A. teachers
B. friends
C. brothers and sisters
D. classmates

When young students stay alone，the usual way of communication is to ______ ．

A. talk with their friends on the phone
B. talk with their parents
C. have a discussion with their family
D. go to their friends

Which of the following sentences is TRUE？ ______

A. In all families，children can choose everything they like．
B. Parents should like everything their children enjoy．
C. Parents should try their best to understand their children better．
D. young students can only go to their friends for help．

The main idea of this passage is that ______ ．

A. Good friends can communicate with each other
B. Friends can give good advice
C. Parents often choose friends for their children
D. Young students need good friends

Chimps（黑猩猩） will cooperate in certain ways， like gathering in war parties to protect their territory．But beyond the minimum requirements as social beings， they have little instinct（本能） to help one another．Chimps in the wild seek food for themselves．Even chimp mothers regularly decline to share food with their children， who are able from a young age to gather their own food．
In the laboratory， chimps don't naturally share food either．If a chimp is put in a cage where he can pull in one plate of food for himself or， with no greater effort， a plate that also provides food for a neighbor in the next cage， he will pull at random-he just doesn't care whether his neighbor gets fed or not．Chimps are truly selfish．
Human children， on the other hand， are naturally cooperative．From the earliest ages， they desire to help others， to share information and to participate in achieving common goals．The psychologist Michael Tomasello has studied this cooperativeness in a series of experiments with very young children．He finds that if babies aged 18 months see an unrelated adult with hands full trying to open a door， almost all will immediately try to help．
There are several reasons to believe that the urges to help， inform and share are not taught，but naturally possessed in young children．One is that these instincts appear at a very young age before most parents have started to train their children to behave socially．Anotheris that the helping behaviors are not improved if the children are rewarded．A third reason is that social intelligence develops in children before their general cognitive（认知的） skills， at least when compared with chimps．In tests conducted by Tomasello， the human children did no better than the chimps on the physical world tests but were considerably better at understanding the social world．
The core of what children's minds have and chimps" don't is what Tomasello calls shared intentionality．Part of this ability is that they can infer what others know or are thinking．But beyond that， even very young children want to be part of a shared purpose．They actively seek to be part of a "we"， a group that intends to work toward a shared goal．



What can we learn from the experiment with chimps？ ______

A. Chimps seldom care about others" interests．
B. Chimps tend to provide food for their children．
C. Chimps like to take in their neighbors" food．
D. Chimps naturally share food with each other．

Michael Tomasello's tests on young children indicate that they ______ ．

A. have the instinct to help others
B. know how to offer help to adults
C. know the world better than chimps
D. trust adults with their hands full

The passage is mainly about ______ ．

A. the helping behaviors of young children
B. ways to train children's shared intentionality
C. cooperation as a distinctive human nature
D. the development of intelligence in children

Enough " meaninglessdrivel "．That's the message from a group of members of theUKgovernment who have been examining how social media firms like LinkedIngatherandusesocial media data．
The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee's report， released last week， has lamed firms for making people sign up to long incomprehensible legal contracts and calls for an nternational standard or kitemark （认证标记） to identify sites that haveclear terms andconditions．
he terms and conditions statement that we all carelessly agree to is meaninglessdrivel to anyone，" says Andrew Miller， the chair of the committee． Instead， he says， firms should provide a plain-English version of their terms． The simplified version would be checked by a third partyand awarded a kitemark if it is an accurate reflection of the original．
It is not yet clear who would administer the scheme， but the UK government is looking at introducing it on a voluntary basis． "we need to think through how we make that work in practice，" says Miller．
Would we pay any more attention to a kitemark？ "I think if you went and did the survey，people would like to think they would，" says Nigel Shadbolt at the University of Southampton，UK， who studies open data． "We do know people worry a lot about the inappropriate use of their information．" But what would happen in practice is another matter， he says．
Other organizations such as banks ask customers to sign long contracts they may not read or understand， but Miller believes social media require special attention because it is so new． "We still don't know how significant the long-term impact is going to be of unwise things that kids put on social media that come back and bite them in 20 years" time，" he says．
Shadbolt， who gave evidence to the committee， says the problem is that we don't know how companies will use our data because their business models and uses of data are still evolving．
Large collections of personal information have become valuable only recently， he says．
The shock and anger when a social media firm does something with data that people don't expect， even if users have apparently permission， show that the current situation isn't working．
If properly administered， a kitemark on terms and conditions could help people know what exactly they are signing up to although they would still have to actually read them．



What does the phrase " meaningless drivel" in paragraphs 1 and 3 refer to？ ______

A. Legal contracts that social media firms make people sign up to．
B. Warnings from the UK government against unsafe websites．
C. Guidelines on how to use social media websites properly．
D. Insignificant data collected by social media firms．

It can be inferred from the passage that Nigel Shadbolt doubts whether ______ ．

A. social media firms would conduct a survey on the kitemark scheme
B. people would pay as much attention to a kitemark as they think
C. a kitemark scheme would be workable on a nationwide scale
D. the kitemark would help companies develop their business models

The writer advises users of social media to ______ ．

A. think carefully before posting anything onto such websites
B. read the terms and conditions even if there is a kitemark
C. take no further action if they can find a kitemark
D. avoid providing too much personal information

Which of the following is the best title of the passage？ ______

A. Say no to social media？
B. New security rules in operation？
C. Accept without reading？
D. Administration matters!

Every September in China， people love to talk about the overprotective parents following their children around everywhere during university enrollment．
Now， with more than 420，000 youngsters in the UK starting their new college school year， what is their very first day like？ BBC's Sean Coughlan described it in a recent report．
According to Coughlan， at the very beginning it is not hard to spot something familiar to Chinese-a stream of parents arriving with their sons and daughters at the students village． Mothers， fathers and a teenager stand together like the three might have done on the first day of primary school．
"The approach road to the student village is a long traffic jam of family cars， stuffed（塞满） full with boxes， pillows， and nervous families，" he writes． "The door closes on a student's room and parents and children go their separate ways． For many families， if childhood has a final moment， this is it．"
But saying goodbye to parents is not the only similarity between college freshmen in the UK and China． In both cases， new arrivals most want to know about their Internet connections． "It's their most urgent concern，" notes Coughlan． "They'r not so much Generation Y as Generation Wifi．"
Even on their first day， university in the UK won't be an entirely lonely experience for some new students． "Before they arrive they have been using social networking to get to know their future roommates，"writes Coughlan．
Still， the first night is something no UK university student ever forgets． There are people they meet and then spend three years avoiding and people who become their friends for the rest of their lives． First week stories are all about overpartying， cooking and misguided clothing， Coughlan says．
As he concludes："These new students are entering their own soap opera of romance， friendship and ambition． It's a huge adventure that they've worked for years to achieve．"



What is the author's purpose in writing the article？ ______

A. To introduce how UK students prepare for college．
B. To show different challenges that college freshmen face in the UK and China．
C. To describe how UK colleges welcome newcomers at the beginning of a new semester．
D. To inform us about what the first day of going to college is like in the UK．

Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article？ ______

A. On the first day of college， most UK freshmen don't know each other．
B. When the new semester begins， most UK freshmen drive to college by themselves．
C. Most British parents choose to stay around their children's college for a few days at the beginning of the semester．
D. For many freshmen， when they say goodbye to their parents， they are also saying goodbye to their childhood．

A similarity between college freshmen in the UK and China is that ______ ．

A. the approach roads to their colleges are packed with cars filled with nervous families
B. they have contacted their future roommates through social networking sites
C. once they get to the campus， they want to make sure that they have access to the Internet
D. they spend their first week getting to know their roommates and partying

From the article we can conclude that Sean Coughlan's report is ______ ．

A. critical
B. descriptive
C. sympathetic
D. bitter

A m illionaire took some of his upperclass friends yachting（乘游艇）．They passed a deserted island where a man with a long beard and worn clothes stood，waving his arms and screaming in their direction．"Who is that？"asked a friend．"I don't know，"said the host，"but every time we sail by he goes crazy．"
That may be an exception to a universal rule，which is that most people are happy to help if they can．But there is another universal principle-unless you are stranded（使滞留）on a deserted island，you are probably unwilling to ask for help，especially from a stranger．Thankfully，most of the time，we are not coping with a"mayday"emergency．
I recently learned that the word"mayday"has nothing to do with the month of May．Instead，it comes from the French word"m'aidez"，which means"help me"．But it is used only as a last choice．The plane is nosediving．The ship is badly wounded．"Mayday! Mayday! Mayday！"a voice screams over the radio．If help doesn't arrive quickly，all will be lost．
In truth，most people do not easily ask for the help they need．They wait until they are hopelessly lost or a simple job has become a nightmare before they seek help．And it is also true that help is not usually too hard to get．But we have to ask for it．
A businessman，Brian Tracy，puts it well，"Ask for what you want．Ask for help，ask for input，ask for advice and ask for ideas-never be afraid to ask．You don't always get what you ask for，but you never get what you don't ask for．"
Do you need help？ It may be easier to get than you think．Just ask for it．



What can we learn about the man on the deserted island？ ______

A. He was the millionaire's friend．
B. He wanted to get to know the millionaire．
C. He was likely in great trouble．
D. He wanted to join the millionaire in yachting．

We know from the second paragraph that ______ ．

A. people often don't want to help strangers
B. most people won't refuse to help someone in need
C. people usually are too careful to actively offer help
D. most people don't know how to deal with an emergency

Brian Tracy's words were quoted to ______ ．

A. call on people to help others
B. point out when to ask for help
C. show it is easy to get help
D. encourage people to ask for help

What is the best title for the passage？ ______

A. A millionaire's holiday
B. An introduction to "mayday"
C. Where to get help
D. Be brave and ask for help

Mrs． Jones was my first patient when I started medical school-and I owe her a lot．
She was under my care for the first two years of my medical training， yet I knew very little about her，except that she was thin， perhaps in her mid 70s． It might seem rather negligent not to know the basic facts of my patient ，but I had a valid reason-Mrs． Jones was dead， and had been dead for about three years before I made a patient of her． Mrs． Jones was the dead body that I dissected（解剖）over the first two years of my medical training．
Of course， her name wasn't really Mrs． Jones， but it seemed a little impolite to be conducting research into someone's body without even knowing its name， so out of courtesy， I thought she should have one． "Me and Mrs． Jones， we've got a thing going on，" went the song coming out of the radio as I unzipped the bag of her on my first day - and so she was christened．
As the months passed， I soon forgot that Mrs． Jones had， in fact， once been alive． One day， though， she suddenly became very human again． I'd been dissecting Mrs． Jones a good 18 months before I got around to the uterus（子宫）． After I'd removed it， the professor came up to me， "If you look at the opening carefully， you'll see that the angle indicates that this woman has had several children， probably three．" I stared at it， and I suddenly felt very strange． This woman， who had given me something incredibly precious that I'd begun to take for granted， wasn't a dead body． She was a person， a mother， in fact．
At my graduation， the same professor came over to congratulate me． I explained the story about Mrs． Jones to him， and recalled what he'd told me about her having children and how that had affected me all those years ago．
"Well，" he said， "at the beginning of your training you had a dead body and managed to turn it into a person． Now you're a doctor， the trick is to have a person and not turn them into a dead body，" and he laughed， shook my hand and walked away．



Why didn't the author know much about Mrs． Jones？ ______

A. Because he was irresponsible for his patients．
B. Because he wasn't allowed to ask for her privacy．
C. Because he didn't know her until she passed away．
D. Because he was too careless while dissecting her．

How did Mrs． Jones get her name？ ______

A. It was passed down from the seniors of my school．
B. It came from a song being played when we first met．
C. She was named after a well-known singer I liked best
D. It just occurred to me when I opened the bag of her．

What could be the author's feeling for Mrs． Jones now？ ______

A. Grateful．
B. Pitiless．
C. Hateful．
D. Guilty．

What did the professor imply by his words in the last paragraph？ ______

A. Medical students are able to bring the dead back to life．
B. Being a doctor has nothing to do with the medical training．
C. Good doctors never fail to save their patients from dying．
D. Medical staff ought to have respect for life and humanity．

Western artist R．V． （Ron） Jahns creates his unique western wildlife paintings by tapping into （利用） his vast experience of true life． He has rich western experiences out in the mountains in the great Northwest．
Ron paints from the heart and his experience as a cowboy in the west． He has a particular passion for the mountains from Eastern Oregon to Alaska and draws from his many years of mountain adventures as inspiration for his western paintings． Born and raised on a farm， this cowboy artist is well knowledgeable with the subjects of his western art． Ron struggles for historical accuracy in his western cowboy paintings when an artist gives a false description of the facts about cowboys in the west!
Living in Alaska for 17 years added a new factor to Ron's western art． As a hunter and fisherman he observed the wildlife in its natural setting and has conveyed this spirit to his canvas． Ron's western art can be viewed throughout the United States， in Europe and through occasional private showings． You can find western wildlife paintings by Ron at various art shows throughout the year． For a list of art shows the cowboy artist will be attending， visit his Art Show page． Although he is a selftaught western artist， Ron himself has taught painting in colleges and through private lessons． Ron is quite a storyteller and the last of an old kind of cowboy poets and western storytellers． If you've met Ron at the Flea Markets in Sumpter， Oregon then you no doubt have already had a taste of his knack （技能） for telling tall tales and sharing his original cowboy poems of true life on the ranch．



What is the best title of the passage？ ______

A. A Handsome Cowboy
B. A Cowboy Artist
C. An Artist in the West
D. A Famous Artist

Why can Ron truly present the facts about cowboys" life in the west？ ______

A. Because he has read a lot about cowboys" life．
B. Because he has seen many such paintings．
C. Because he has experienced such life．
D. Because he knows western styles well．

From the passage we can see Ron is ______ ．

A. a good artist as well as a storyteller and poet．
B. skilled at his teaching
C. a rich artist
D. a British artist

Which of the following is true？ ______

A. Ron's painting focuses on city life．
B. Ron learned a lot from his teacher．
C. Ron was born and raised on a farm．
D. Ron's paintings can't be seen in Europe．