Do you know why different animals or pests (昆虫) have their special colors? Colors in them seem to be used mainly to protect themselves.

　　Some birds like eating locusts (蝗虫), but birds cannot easily catch them. Why? It is because locusts change their colors together with the change of the colors of crops(庄稼). When crops are green, locusts look green. But as the harvest time comes, locusts change to the same brown color as crops have. Some other pests with different colors from plants are easily found and eaten by others. So they have to hide themselves for lives and appear only at night.

If you study the animal life, you’ll find the main use of coloring is to protect themselves. Bears, lions and other animals move quietly through forests. They cannot be easily seen by hunters (猎人). This is because they have the colors much like the trees.

Have you ever noticed an even stranger act? A kind of fish in the sea can send out a kind of very black liquid (液体)when it faces danger. While the liquid spreads over (散开), its enemies (敌人)cannot find it. And it immediately swims away. So it has lived up to now though it is not strong at all.

1.From the passage we learn that locusts________.

A. are small animals                  B. are easily found by birds

C. are dangerous to their enemies    D. change their colors to protect themselves

2. How can pests with different colors from plants keep out of danger?

A. They run away quickly.         

B. They have the colors much like their enemies.

C. They hide themselves by day and appear at night.      

D. They have to move quietly.

3.Bears and lions can keep safe because _________.

A. they have the colors much like the trees     B. they move quietly

C. they like brown and gray colors             D. they live in forests

4. Why can the kind of fish live up to now?

A. Because it is very and strong.     

B. Because the liquid it sends out can help it escape from its enemies.

C. Because the liquid it sends out can kill its enemies.

D. Because it swims faster than any other fish.

5. Which is the best title for this passage?

A. The Change of Colors for Animals and Pests　 　

B. Colors of Different Animals and Pests

C. The Main Use of Colors for Animals and Pests　　

D. Some Animals and Pests

 

 

How to Be a Winner
　　Sir Steven Redgrave
　　Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals
　　“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes(糖尿病). Believing my career was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it ---the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”
　　Karen Pickering
　　Swimming World Champion
“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success----you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”
　　Kirsten Best
　　Poet & Writer
“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological tool”
【小题1】What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?

A．Difficulties influenced his career.

B．Specialists offered him medical advice.

C．Training helped him defeat his disease.

D．He overcame the shadow of illness to win.

【小题2】What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?

A．Her training schedule.	B．Her daily happenings.
C．Her achievements.	D．Her sports career.

【小题3】What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to？

A．Ways that help one to focus.

B．Words that help one to feel less tense.

C．Activities that turn one's attention away.

D．Habits that make it hard for one to relax.

【小题4】According to the passage ,what do the three people have in common?

A．Self-confidence.

B．Devotion.

C．Hard work.

D．Courage.

The way we do things round here

Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that started, “Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us. ”That “quite” saddened me. I thought he was saying “we’ re kind of pleased you decided to join　us although I wish we had hired someone else.” Then I discovered that in American English “quite” sometimes means “very”, while in British English it means “fairly”.

So the first lesson about working in other countries is to learn the language and by that I don' t

just mean the words people speak. It is body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures（文化）．

Some of these differences may be only on the surface—dress, food and hours of work—while others may be deeper and take longer to deal with. Mostly, it is just a question of getting used to the differences and accepting them, like the climate（气候），while getting on with business.

Some of the differences may be an improvement. People are more polite; the service is better; you ask for something to be done and it happens without having to ask again. However, other differences can be troubling, like punctuality（准时）．If you invite people to a party at 7 o’ clock

your guests will consider it polite to turn up exactly on time in Germany, five minutes early in the

American Midwest, an hour early in Japan, 15 minutes afterwards in the UK, up to an hour afterwards in Italy and some time in the evening in Greece. I prefer not to use the word “late” because there is nothing wrong with the times people arrive. It is simply the accepted thing to do in their own country.

1.The author was unhappy as mentioned in Paragraph 1 because he thought______．

    A. the American bank didn’ t think much of him

    B. the American bank might hire another person

    C. it’ s difficult to get used to American culture

    D. it’ s easy to misunderstand Americans

2.The word “highlights” in Paragraph 2 probably means_____.

    A. encourages                  B. helps to narrow

    C. increases                    D. draws attention to

3.According to the author, what should we do with most cultural differences?

    A. Ask the native people for help.

    B. Understand and accept them.

    C. Do things in our own way.

    D. Do in-depth research.

4.When invited to a party the people who are usually punctual are______.

    A. Italians 　　　B. Germans　　　 C. Greeks 　　　D. the British