Can software bring dead tongues back to life? Probably yes.
A computer algorithm（计算程序）works almost as well as a trained linguist（语言学家） in reconstructing how dead "protolanguages" would have sounded, says a new study.
"Our computer system is doing a basic job right now," says Alex Bouchard-Côté, an assistant professor in the department of statistics at the University of British Columbia and lead author of the paper describing the algorithm. But the program does a good enough job that it may be able to give linguists a head start, the statistician added.
For centuries, scholars have reconstructed languages by hand: looking at the same word in two or more languages and making educated guesses about what that word's "ancestor" may have sounded like. For example, the Spanish word for man （"hombre"） and the French word for man （"homme"） developed from the Latin word "homo." The way linguists compare words from descendant（后代）languages to reconstruct the parent language is called, appropriately, the comparative method.
The early 19th-century linguist Franz Bopp was the first to compare Greek, Latin and Sanskrit using this method. Jacob Grimm, one of the Brothers Grimm of fairy tale fame, used the comparative method to show how Germanic languages developed from a common ancestor.
The difference between that and Bouchard-Côté's program, the statistician says, "is we do it on a larger scale." As a proof of concept, Bouchard-Côté fed words from 637 Austronesian languages （spoken in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and more） into the new algorithm, and the system came up with a list of what the ancestor words of all those languages would have sounded like. In more than 85 percent of cases, the automated reconstruction came within one character of the ancestor word commonly accepted as true by linguists.
The algorithm won't replace trained human linguists, but could speed up language analysis.
Using a computer to do large-scale reconstruction offers another advantage. Bouchard-Côté says, “With big data sets, you can really start finding regularities … You might find that certain sounds are more likely to change than others."
So Bouchard-Côté's team tested the "functional load hypothesis（假设）," which says that sounds that are more important for two clearly different words are less likely to change over time. A formal test of this hypothesis in 1967 looked at four languages; Bouchard-Côté's algorithm looked at 637.
"The revealed pattern would not be obvious if we had not been able to reconstruct large numbers of protolanguages," Bouchard-Côté and his coauthors write in the new study.
In addition to simply helping linguists understand how people spoke in the past, studying ancient languages can perhaps answer historical questions. For example, Bouchard-Côté says, "Say people are interested in finding out when Europe was settled. If you can figure out if the language of the settling population had a word for wheel, then you can get some idea of the order in which things occurred, because you would have some records that show you when the wheel was invented.”
【小题1】The underline word “protolanguages” in the first paragraph probably refers to __________.

A．the languages that couldn’t be reconstructed by hand

B．parent languages that existed in the past

C．languages developed from a common ancestor

D．languages used to explain things that occurred in the past

【小题2】We can learn from the fourth and fifth paragraphs that the reconstruction of “protolanguage” by scholars __________.

A．is commonly accepted as false

B．dates back to the 19th century

C．focuses on European languages

D．is conducted using the comparative method

【小题3】According to Bouchard-Côté, reconstructing the dead "protolanguages" might     _______.

A．arouse people’s interest in when Europe was settled

B．allow us to find answers to some historical questions

C．enable us to picture the way linguists communicated

D．help figure out how the wheel was invented

【小题4】The author probably wants to prove the computer algorithm program led by Bouchard-Côté ___________.

A．will bring every dead language back to life

B．can take the place of linguists in language analysis

C．is of great help to promote language analysis with big data sets

D．can merely reconstruct Asian-Pacific “protolanguages”

The weather is getting hotter. You are thirsty（口渴的） playing basketball or riding home from school. A cold drink may be just the thing. But be careful what you are drinking. Something that looks cool may not be good for your health. There are plenty of “energy drinks” on the market. Most of them have beautiful colors and cool names. The lists on them tell you they are helpful to your health. Sounds great!
But after a careful check you may find that most energy drinks have lots of caffeine(咖啡碱)in them. These drinks are especially aimed at young people, students, busy people and sports players. Makers sometimes say their drinks make you better at sports and can keep you awake. But be careful not to drink too much. Caffeine makes your heart beat fast. Because of this, the International Olympic Committee(IOC)（国际奥委会） has limited its use. Caffeine in most energy drinks is at least as strong as that in a cup of coffee or tea. Possible health dangers have something to do with energy drinks. Just one box of energy drink can make you nervous, have difficulty sleeping and can even cause heart problems. Scientists say that teenagers should be discouraged from taking drinks with a lot of caffeine in them.
【小题1】Which of the following can be the best title of the passage? ______

A．What’s the Use of Energy Drinks?

B．Who Can Drink Energy Drinks?

C．What’s that in Energy Drinks?

D．Why Can’t We Buy Energy Drinks?

【小题2】The underlined word “discouraged” can be replaced(替换) with ______.

A．disliked

B．helped

C．stopped

D．encouraged

【小题3】From the passage we can know that ______.

A．energy drinks are especially aimed at teenagers

B．energy drinks are helpful to teenagers’ study

C．sports players need to drink a lot of energy drinks

D．advertisements are important in getting people to buy energy drinks

【小题4】Many people like drinking energy drinks because of the following EXCEPT that ______.

A．they have beautiful colors and cool names

B．they have lots of caffeine

C．they can keep them awake and better at sports

D．they are said to be helpful to health

Butterflies are some of the most fascinating and beautiful insects in the world. Adult butterflies will live about 2 to 4 weeks. They use their senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste to survive in the world, find food and mates, lay eggs in an appropriate place, migrate, and avoid hungry enemies.
Butterflies have large compound eyes, which allow them to see in all directions without turning their heads. Like most insects, butterflies are very near­sighted, so they are more attracted to a sea of flowers than individual plants. Butterflies do not “see” colors such as red, green, and yellow, but they can sense sunlight, which indicates the direction the sun is shining, as well as ultraviolet light, which is present on many flowers and guides butterflies to honey sources.
Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but it is not in their nose, since they don't have one. Sense receptors are located in their antennae, feet, and many other parts of the body. They can help butterflies find their favorite flower honey food, and mates.
Butterflies' feet have sense organs that can taste the sugar in flower honey, letting the butterflies know if something is good to eat or not. Some females also carefully choose host plants by tasting to find appropriate places to lay their eggs. Adult butterflies feed their babies using a long tube. Butterflies force blood into the tube to straighten it out, allowing them to feed. Butterflies get all their food from this tube.
Butterflies don't have ears. Instead they “hear” sounds through their wings by sensing changes in sound vibrations.
Butterflies may possess senses we don't even know about yet, because their body structure is very different from ours, and therefore difficult to understand, when observed through our own human senses.
【小题1】The text mainly focuses on ________.

A．butterflies' living habits	B．butterflies' beauty
C．butterflies' senses	D．butterflies' daily activities

【小题2】What can we learn from the 2nd paragraph?

A．Butterflies can see in all directions and don't need to turn heads.

B．Butterflies have good eyesight.

C．Butterflies are sensitive to bright colors including red and yellow.

D．Butterflies cannot sense the ultraviolet light.

【小题3】Why do female adult butterflies carefully choose the host plants?

A．To find high­qualified honey.

B．To have a good place for living.

C．To make it easier for them to hide from the enemies.

D．To find a proper place for their eggs.

People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road. The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.
In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state.  " Today we're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality-the driverless car. " The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the U. S. government agency DARPA. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races.
Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are' making Hondas safer,  said Angie Nucci of Honda America.  " A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes. " Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars.  These systems help drivers ,  but don't replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer．
"By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident," Kendall said. He said consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. "It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first. "
Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said this will happen as the technology is improved.
【小题1】What can we learn from Paragraph l?
A. Driverless vehicles are now legal in the whole USA.
B. Volvo will be the first to sell driverless cars.
C. Driverless cars are pointing us' a faraway future.
D. Google's self-driving cars have covered a long distance.
【小题2】We learn that Governor of California Jerry Brown_________.

A． helped design self-driving cars.

B．supports self-driving cars on roads.

C．considers self-driving cars science fiction.

D．improved the self-driving car systems.

【小题3】What is the role of the systems mentioned in Paragraph 3?

A．They can help people drive more safely.

B．They can take the place of drivers now.

C．They can make cars run without fuel.

D．They can help cars run much faster.

【小题4】According to Richard Mason, what is the biggest challenge for driverless cars?

A．They are not allowed to run on the road.

B．Their technical problems remain to be solved.

C．They are now too expensive for consumers.

D．They are more dangerous for people on the street.

Are you interested in country music?I like it very much !It will take me away for a while after I am tired .The guitars and songs will take me to mountains and fields.
Country music usually talks of everyday life and feelings.It’s the spirit of America ,easy to understand ,slow and simple.
Country music developed in the Southern United States.It was the folk music of American countryside.Many of songs tell about the lives of farmers .They talk about love,crops or death.
The life of the countryside can be hard,so the words in country music are often sad.At first,people played the music only at family parties.But it became more popular later. In the 1920s,people played country songs on the radio,and they made them into records.
When people in the countryside moved to towns and cities to look for work,they took their music with them.Country music continued to change and became popular across America.
John Denver was one of America’s most famous country singers in the 1970s.His song “Take Me home,Country Roads”is well-known and people still play it today.
【小题1】Country music is usually about _______.

A．everyday life and feelings	B．farmers’s feelings
C．the lives of workers	D．the lives of students

【小题2】Country music developed ________.

A．in John Denver’s city

B．in the Southern United States.

C．in the Northern United States

D．in the middle of United States

【小题3】People began to make country song records _______.

A．in the 1920s

B．in 1920

C．in the 1970s

D．in 1970

【小题4】Why did Country music become popular in America?

A．Because city people liked the music.

B．Because farmers moved to cities with their music and it continued to change.

C．Because country music talked about city people’s lives.

D．Because country music is very famous

Going green is something that affects every single one of us. Whether by recycling those plastic water bottles, or by cutting down on electricity in your home, the importance of going green on a personal level is extremely important. But, when you’re a millionaire NBA basketball star, how do you help out the environment?
Yao Ming is a basketball player that plays for the Houston Rockets and has spoken out against hunting of sharks for fins, a delicious food in his native China. He is also the United Nations’ Environmental champion. His goal is to raise awareness of climate change and energy-saving. “I will work with young people across the world and try to inspire them to plant trees, harvest rainwater and to become environmental champions in their own communities.”
The Philadelphia Eagles, a professional American football team, are really doing their part to give back to the community. The Eagles Go Green page has a “Green Energy Calculator” and according to the web site fans have saved $ 73,674.90 a year and saved 666,320 pounds of CO₂ per year. Also, the Eagles have set up a “Stop global warming virtual march（虚拟游行）on Washington”, a march across America for one year, through the Internet with a goal to bring fans together and to urge leaders to deal with the serious problem of global warming now.
Bob Burnquist, a Brazilian skateboarder, is a member of Action Sports Environmental Coalition and founder of a program that gets organic foods and farming into schools for healthy lunch programs. Bob also has a huge homegrown organic farm where he hosted a gathering in celebration of Earth Day.
Kelly Slater is a surfer and eight-time champion, but he also supports saving the coral reefs world wide. He has founded the Kelly Slater Invitational Competition which raises funds and awareness for Reef Check, which is able to get its message out to a large group of guests including professional surfers, film and music stars, and other famous people.
【小题1】According to the passage, Yao Ming wants to ________.

A．help the Houston Rockets win the NBA championship

B．ask the United Nations to protect sharks in China

C．encourage young people to care about the environment

D．train more young people to become players of NBA

【小题2】What have the Philadelphia Eagles done to help out the environment?

A．They have called on fans to do things to reduce global warming.

B．They have marched on Washington to bring fans together.

C．They have saved $ 73,674.90 for solving global warming.

D．They have reduced CO2 emission by 666,320 pounds per year.

【小题3】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the last two paragraphs?

A．Bob Burnquist created Earth Day.

B．Bob Burnquist eats only organic foods.

C．Kelly Slater donated a lot of money.

D．Kelly Slater held a competition.

【小题4】The best title for the passage would probably be _________.

A．Highly Competitive Athletes

B．Environment-friendly Athletes

C．World-famous Athletes

D．Millionaire Athletes

【小题5】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Only famous people need to care about environmental problems.

B．America is the country that takes best care of environment.

C．Environmental problems have a common effect on everyone of us.

D．Yao Ming’s goals to raise people’s awareness of environment are mainly about climate change and air pollution.

If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.?
The study also found the younger people learn a second language, the greater the effect is.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density(密度)in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.?
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.?
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.?
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible(灵活的),”he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.
【小题1】The main subject talked about in this passage is ______.

A．science on learning a second language

B．language can help brain power

C．man's ability of learning a second language

D．language learning and maths study

【小题2】In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to ______.

A．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well

B．prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language

C．to show the importance of using the language when you learn the language

D．say language is also a kind of physical labor

【小题3】The underlined word “bilingual” probably means ______.

A．a researcher on language learning

B．an English native speaker

C．an active language learner

D．a person who can speak two languages

【小题4】We may know from the scientific findings that ______.

A．the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time

B．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn't know a second language

C．the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people's brain

D．the earlier you start to learn a second language, the higher the grey matter density is

【小题5】In the last two paragraphs, the author wants to tell us that ______.

A．early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in studying other subjects

B．learning a second language is the same as studying maths

C．Italian is the best choice for you as a second language

D．you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language

Want to travel as cheaply as possible while enjoying the great scenery as much as you like?
Backpacking is the way. As the most popular traveling choice among young western people, backpacking allows you to travel at your own free will. Carrying a tent, sleeping bag and clothes, backpackers also need to pack an attitude that will help them deal with many mental and physical challenges.
It is a thrill to put our ability to test and challenge ourselves with sorts of difficulties we might come across. So, backpacking is something young people can hardly deny.
Young people in Europe often travel around by train. Now, with plane tickets dropping in price, more are traveling to distant countries, such as Australia and China. And some just travel within their own countries.
But no matter where a backpacker travels, planning in advance is important if he or she wants to enjoy the trip.
Clothing
In summer, light, waterproof clothes are best. Backpackers must remember to travel lightly and not pack too many clothes.
Medicine
There are many medicines, especially for summer, such as those for sunstroke, snake bites and mosquitoes. Others are useful in every season, such as those for common colds, poisoning and diarrhea.
Cards
Three types of cards are of great value for backpacks: student Identity Card, personal ID and a credit card.
A student ID card can be helpful for saving money. It often gets train tickets and entrance tickets for cheaper prices in many Western countries.
Personal ID card can, not only get you out of trouble with local police, but also prove useful in all sorts of other situations.
Carrying a credit card can be a safe way of carrying money, as cash can easily get lost, stolen or wet.
And of course, don’t forget to enjoy your trip!
【小题1】What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．Backpackers also need to be in high spirits when they want to travel.

B．Backpackers may also face dangerous situations.

C．Backpackers also need to talk with doctors about their traveling.

D．Backpackers need to make preparation for many kinds of difficulty in advance.

【小题2】What does the underlined word “waterproof” mean?

A．Easy to wash.

B．Not letting water go through.

C．Washed without water.

D．Used in water.

【小题3】If you are stopped by a policeman in the street, you should show ______ to the police.

A．your student ID

B．your credit card

C．your personal ID

D．your passport

【小题4】What is of most advantage to backpackers?

A．They can travel very easily.

B．They won’t worry about where to live.

C．They can have the chance to take some adventures.

D．They can take some physical exercise.

【小题5】What is the author’s purpose to write this passage?

A．To give some ideas about traveling.

B．To encourage the young to travel.

C．To tell people how to avoid something unpleasant.

D．To offer some useful advice for traveling.

A huge cloud of dust rose and an overpass disappeared. This was the scene in Zhuzhou，Hunan Province on May 17.Nine people were killed and 16 injured.
Things were similar last year in the Sichuan earthquake. Thousands of people were buried in the ruins and lost their lives. What if we could have warned them?
People are always racking their brains to find a way of preventing buildings’ collapse. Better materials and technology help，but they are not a solution.
Just like humans，a building has its own life cycle from “birth” to “death”．If we know when a building is going to collapse，we can repair it in advance or get out of it before it falls.
Now，scientists at the University of Illinois have developed a material that turns red before it breaks. The invention could be used in things like climbing ropes or bridge supports.
The research was led by Nancy Sottos，a professor at the university’s Beckman Institute，and Douglas Davis，a graduate research assistant.
The secret behind the color­changing material is a type of molecule (分子)．A molecule is a group of atoms held together by chemical bonds. Imagine you and your friends standing in a circle，holding hands. Each person stands for one atom，your hands represent the bonds，and the entire circle represents a molecule. If one person lets go of his or her hands，the molecule changes color.
The research team put the molecule into a soft material. When the researchers stretched the material，it turned bright red for a few seconds before it broke into two pieces. When they repeatedly stretched and relaxed the material，without breaking it，it only turned a little red.
The major problem is that light can get rid of the red color. When the team shone bright light on the molecule，the broken bond was fixed，and the color disappeared.
If the bright light keeps the red color from appearing，the material’s warning system will be useless. Scientists still have a lot of work to do before the color­changing molecules can be used outside the lab.
【小题1】What does the passage mainly introduce?

A．The collapse of an overpass in Zhuzhou，Hunan Province.

B．The Sichuan earthquake

C．A material that turns red before it breaks.

D．A way of preventing building from collapsing.

【小题2】The underlined words “racking their brains” in the third paragraph mean ________.

A．suffering a lot	B．collecting beyond imagination
C．losing a lot	D．thinking very hard

【小题3】Which of the following is a WRONG statement?

A．Thousands of people died from the collapse of buildings in the Sichuan earthquake because they hadn’t been warned.

B．There is no building that will never collapse.

C．A new material has been applied to buildings to warn people of collapse.

D．A color­changing material can turn red before it breaks.

【小题4】What can we infer from the passage?

A．The color­changing molecules are certain to be used outside the lab.

B．There will be no collapse with the help of the color­changing material.

C．There is a long way to go before the material can be applied.

D．The problem caused by bright light will be solved by scientists.

Can noncombustion (非燃烧) technology create a no-pollution way to drive？Imagine pulling into a service station to fuel up your car. But not at the gas pump or electric battery charger —at the air pump! That’s not hot air, either! The next generation of cars may run on thin air. Wouldn’t that be an incredible way to cut both pollution and dependence on foreign oil?
If you’ve ever inflated a balloon and then let it go, you’ve got the basics to test-drive the amazing MiniCAT, currently being developed by Noteur Development International (MDI), headquartered in Luxembourg. Invented by Formula One racing car designer Guy Negre, this experimental vehicle is unlike any car you’ve ever seen. While your family’s traditional car or SUV draws its horsepower using combustion, the only fuel that MiniCAT needs (CAT stands for Compressed Air Technology) is the air we breathe.
Start with about 25,000 gallons of air. Now, press it all into a space smaller than your school locker—because that’s the size of two super-strong, high-pressure air tanks, made from fiber and fixed beneath the air car. 
Confining that much air inside those small tanks generates an internal pressure of over 4,000 pounds per square inch. That’s over 300 times normal air pressure.
When this cold, high-pressure air enters MiniCAT’s unique engine, it interacts(交互作用) with warmer air to create pressure waves that pump the engine’s engineered pistons (活塞) to move the car. MiniCAT’s projected top speed is 60 miles per hour, with a range of 120 miles on a full air supply.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?

A．Ways to cut down air pollution.

B．Cars that run on thin air.

C．Formula One racing car designer.

D．Dependence on foreign oil.

【小题2】What is MiniCAT according to the passage?

A．The name of a car.

B．The name of a balloon.

C．The name of a car company.

D．The name of a car designer.

【小题3】The underlined world “Confining” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by ___________.

A．Keeping

B．Preventing

C．Pushing

D．Running

【小题4】What does the last paragraph tell us?

A．How much pressure the air creates.

B．How the car works.

C．What the normal air pressure is.

D．How the air gets into the engine.