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What makes humans smarter than other animals? We’ve got a bigger brain, of course. But when it comes to brains, is bigger always better?
Traditionally, scientists have thought that humans’ better intelligence（智慧）came mostly from the fact that our brains are three times bigger than those of our nearest living relatives, chimpanzees. People even used to believe that men are smarter than women because men have a little larger brains.
This, however, is not the truth. Scientists at University College London in the UK have found that brain organization, and not brain size, is the key to the advantage of human intelligence, reported Live Science.
Through millions of years of gradual development, our ancestors（祖先）were pushed to get smarter all the time so that they could meet the needs of new environments. However, holding this growing intelligence in increasingly large brains was not the best choice because bigger brains require more energy to power. “This is when reorganization may come into play,” said Christophe Soligo, a member of the London research team.
In the study, scientists looked at the brains of 17 kinds of primates（灵长目动物）, including monkeys, apes and humans. They found that in the process of gradual development, brains didn’t keep growing as a whole. Certain parts of the brain grew more than others as needed, and in this way they could make the best use of their limited brain space.
For example, when early humans were trying hard to live, the brain region（区域） which is in charge of using tools and finding food grew in size more than other regions. But in modern times, the prefrontal cortex（前额皮质）— the region in charge of social cognition (认知), moral judgments and goal-directed planning — grew more than the rest of the brain.
Think of the brain as a room. If a big room is poorly organized, it doesn’t necessarily store more things than a smaller one.
Paul Manger, a professor, explains this using the example of whales. He told Scientific American: “Whales have big brains. But if you look at the actual structure（结构）of the brain, it’s very simple. Brain size only matters if the rest of the brain is organized properly. ”
1.According to the passage, in recent human development, ________.
A.the prefrontal cortex grew most in the brain
B.human’s most regions of the brain didn’t change
C.brain became simple because the brain space is limited
D.brain kept growing in size to deal with new environments
2.The words “in charge of” in Paragraph 6 probably mean “________”.
A.similar to B.responsible for C.in need of D.with help of
3.The writer probably agrees that ________.
A.the difference between men and women has an effect on intelligence
B.the larger brains are usually organized better than the smaller ones
C.animals whose brains are organized properly can be smarter
D.the size of the brain has nothing to do with intelligence
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Is Human Brain the Biggest of All Animals’? B.Do Men have bigger Brains than Women?
C.Are Human Brains Growing as a Whole? D.Does a Bigger Brain Make you Smarter?
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Many animals have special skills that make them perfect for certain jobs - even better than humans!
Take a train ride in Japan and you may meet Tama, a cute, friendly stationmaster, who just happens to be a cat! This ll-year-old cat works in exchange for cat food at Wakayama Electric Railway’s Kishi station. She has her own office, and there’s even a Tama train ! When Tama was “hired (雇用)” in 2007, the station was losing money, but today, thanks to Tama, it’s a popular tourist attraction.
In the 1950s, US Navy (海军) officials got a great idea. Why not train dolphins to do some special work humans can’t do? Today, dolphins are trained to find underwater mines (水雷) so that the Navy officials can make the mines disabled before they explode (爆炸). Dolphins are well fit for the job for many reasons, but the best of all, they’re too small to set off the mines so they’re never in danger.
Most squirrels are happy to collect nuts, and run after each other up and down trees. Not Twiggy! She prefers water skiing. Twiggy comes from a team of water-skiing squirrels, whose owner trained them to ski behind a toy boat. Today, Twiggy travels around the United States putting on shows and even appearing on TV. It’s all in a day’s work for this squirrel!
1.How long has Tama been the stationmaster?
A. For 5 years. B. For 8 years.
C. For 10 years. D. For 11 years.
2.Why are dolphins trained to find underwater mines?
A. They are quite good at swimming in the sea.
B. They are so smart that they're never in danger.
C. They are small enough not to set off the mines.
D. They can understand the officials’ orders easily.
3.What is Twiggy’s job?
A. Collecting nuts.
B. Running after others.
C. Performing water skiing.
D. Traveling around the world.
4.What do these animals have in common?
A. They all can make money.
B. They are all from America.
C. They all can do special work.
D. They are all popular around the world.
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阅读下面短文，选择最佳答案
Why do you remember Hello Kitty, Snoopy and all the other playful animals? What makes you love them? Well, maybe because they' re like the people around you. Think about it! You may just find a friend or classmate who is like them. Is he or she:
As sweet as Hello kitty: She likes to eat cakes. She loves to make new friends. She asks friends to her tea parties. She is warm and sunny and will always help you.
As clever as Snoopy: He went to school when he was nine. He learned to use a typewriter in two years! He thinks a lot. He is so clever that you like to be with him.
As sarcastic（讽刺的）as Garfield: He sits happily in the seat and says sharp words to you. Sometimes he is not nice. He doesn't really like you? He thinks you're a fool? No, in his heart, he loves you. He is a friend with hard words but a warm heart.
As naughty as Mashimaro: He doesn't look like a good boy. He has sleepy eyes and looks naughty. He always plays tricks on people. So you get angry with him and don't like him very much. His mind is active and full of ideas. He tries to be big and catch your eyes. But, he's still a child.
1.If you want to make a friend like Snoopy, he or she must be _________ at least.
A. clever B. naughty C. active D. sweet
2.Tom' s friend is always warm - hearted with sharp words. He is just like_____.
A. Hello Kitty B. Mashimaro C. Snoopy D. Garfield
3.The underlined words plays tricks probably mean________.
A. plays games B. makes mistakes C. makes fun of D. makes friends
4.According to the passage, people love cartoon animals because_________.
A. they are the animals that often make people laugh
B. their personalities are like the people around them
C. the cartoon animals are sunny, warm and full of ideas
D. they always help people, think a lot and try to be big
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How many animals are killed for human use every year in the United States? The numbers are in the billions, and these are just the ones we know about. Let’s break it down.
How many animals are killed for food? According to Farm Animal Rights Movement, about 10 billion land animals are killed every year for food in the United States, and about 58 billion are killed around the world. What’s more, this does not even include wild animals.
How many animals are killed for experiments? From 17 million to 100 million! The numbers are difficult to tell because most animals used in experiments are not reported.
How many animals are killed for fur? Every year, over 40 million animals are killed for fur around the world. About 30 million animals are raised on fur farms and killed, about 10 million wild animals are killed for fur, and this does not include sea animals and those that are injured and die later.
How many animals are killed by hunters? According to In Defense of Animals, hunters kill the most animals every year. Over 200 million animals are killed by hunters in the United States every year. This does not include animals that are injured and die later and those who die after their mothers are killed.
If these numbers are shocking enough for you and you want to do something to help, act out at this very moment. Refuse wild animals on dinner tables, say no to fur coats and try your best to protect the environment. Also, don’t forget to tell the numbers above to the people around you.
1.How many animals are killed every year for food around the world?
A. About 30 million. B. About 10 billion.
C. About 40 million. D. About 58 billion.
2.Who kills the most animals?
A. Farmers. B. Scientists.
C. Hunters. D. Mother animals.
3.Which is NOT the reason why people kill animals according to this article?
A. For fur. B. For food.
C. For experiments. D. For environment.
4.Why does the writer use so many numbers in the article?
A. To tell us animals are human’s best friends.
B. To show which country kills the most animals.
C. To hope us to do something to protect the animals.
D. To tell us there are many animals around the world.
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Do you know that animals have love for each other and their children just like us humans? Let me tell you some moving stories of great animal parents.
Several years ago a heavy rain hit a town and made the river go up. When the rain stopped, people found that a dog swam to an island in the river twice a day for two weeks. Why did she do so? Her four children were there. The mother swam there every day to feed her babies. This true story moved many people.
Another story is about chimpanzees(猩猩). A scientist named Jane Goodall spent 4 years living with chimpanzees in Africa. She found that chimpanzees also cared for those that were hurt or got lost. “It is not only humans who have duties, animals also do,” she said.
Two birds in Chengdu also showed their parental(父母的) love. Their baby was hurt and fell on the street in the center of the city. Cars were driving past but the brave parents rushed down to the road and took the little bird away with their claws(爪子).
1. After the heavy rain, the mother dog swam to the island ________.
A. to look for food B. to feed her babies
C. to move some people D. to carry things to her owner
2. The scientist found chimpanzees ________.
A. cared for the hurt or lost ones B. often left for a far place
C. always stayed in the same place D. didn’t care about each other
3.The two birds rushed down and took the little one away because ________.
A. they didn’t like their baby B. they were not kind enough
C. they wanted to teach their baby D. they wanted to save their baby
4. From the passage we know ________.
A. dogs like to swim across the river in a heavy rain.
B. mother birds don’t want to save their children
C. animal parents love their children a lot
D. all animals want to move people very much
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Do you kow that animals have love for each other and their children just like us humans? Let me tell you some moving stories of great animal parents.
Several years ago a heavy rain hit a town and made the river go up. When the rain stopped, people found that a dog swam to an island in the river twice a day for two weeks. Why did she do so? Her four children were there. The mother swam there every day to feed her babies. This true story moved many people.
Another story is about chimpanzees(猩猩). A scientist named Jane Goodall spent 4 years living with chimpanzees in Africa. She found that chimpanzees also cared for those that were hurt or got lost. “It is not only humans who have duties, animals also do,” she said.
Two birds in Chengdu also showed their parental(父母的) love. Their baby was hurt and fell on the street in the center of the city. Cars were driving past but the brave parents rushed down to the road and took the little bird away with their claws(爪子).
1.After the heavy rain, the mother dog swam to the island ________.
A. to look for food B. to feed her babies
C. to move some people D. to carry things to her owner
2. The scientist found chimpanzees ________.
A. cared for the hurt or lost ones B. often left for a far place
C. always stayed in the same place D. didn’t care about each other
3.The two birds rushed down and took the little one away because ________.
A. they didn’t like their baby B. they were not kind enough
C. they wanted to teach their baby D. they wanted to save their baby
4. From the passage we know ________.
A. dogs like to swim across the river in a heavy rain.
B. mother birds don’t want to save their children
C. animal parents love their children a lot
D. all animals want to move people very much
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. – ________?
– Well, Sandy is a bit wilder than her sister, and smarter.
A. What are they like B. What do they like C. What do they look like
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﹣In my opinion，dogs are better pets than any other animal．
﹣______ They are really faithful and helpful to humans．
A.I don't think so． B.I agree． C.That's all right． D.I am afraid not．
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— What do you think of the human and the computer?
—A human ____can do some things better than a computer, for example, creating new ideas.
| A．head | B．body | C．brain | D．arm |
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Rita got No. 1 in the race. That means, she ran faster than the others.
A. In other words B. In another way
C. On the other hand D. In another ways