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1、microscopicmess13阅读理解：第四十八篇 Researchers Discover Why Humans Began Walking Upright Most of us walk and carry items in our hands every day. These are seemingly simple activities that the majority of us dont question. But an international team of researchers, including Dr. Richmond from GWs Columbian C
2、ollege of Arts and Sciences，have discovered that human walking upright, may have originated millions of years ago as an adaptation to carrying scarce, high- quality resources. The team of researchers from the U. S., England, Japan and Portugal investigated the behavior of modern-day chimpanzees as t
3、hey competed for food resources，in an effort to understand what ecological settings would lead a large ape one that resembles the 6 million-year old ancestor we shared in common with living chimpanzees to walk on two legs. “These chimpanzees provide a model of the ecological conditions under which o
4、ur earliest ancestors might have begun walking on two legs, ，said Dr. Richmond. The research findings suggest that chimpanzees switch to moving on two limbs instead of four in situations where they need to monopolize a resource. Standing on two legs allows them to carry much more at one time because
5、 it frees up their hands. Over time，intense bursts of bipedal activity may have led to anatomical changes that in turn became the subject of natural selection where competition for food or other resources was strong. Two studies were conducted by the team in Guinea. The first study was conducted by
6、the team in Kyoto Universitys “ outdoor laboratory ” in a natural clearing in Bossou Forest. Researchers allowed the wild chimpanzees access to different combinations of two different types of nut the oil palm nut，which is naturally widely available, and the coula nut, which is not. The chimpanzees
7、behavior was monitored in three situations:(a) when only oil palm nuts were available,(b)when a small number of coula nuts were available，and(c) when coula nuts were the majority available resource. When the rare coula nuts were available only in small numbers, the chimpanzees transported more at on
8、e time. Similarly, when coula nuts were the majority resource, the chimpanzees ignored the oil palm nuts altogether. The chimpanzees regarded the coula nuts as a more highly-prized resource and competed for them more intensely. In such high-competition settings，the frequency of cases in which the ch
9、impanzees started moving on two legs increased by a factor of four. Not only was it obvious that bipedal movement allowed them to carry more of this precious resource, but also that they were actively trying to move as much as they could in one go by using everything available 一even their mouths. Th
10、e second study, by Kimberley Hockings of Oxford Brookes University, was a 14-month study of Bossou chimpanzees crop-raiding, a situation in which they have to compete for rare and unpredictable Resources. Here, 35 percent of the chimpanzees activity involved some sort of bipedal movement, and once a
11、gain, this behavior appeared to be linked to a clear attempt to carry as much as possible at one time.词汇：scarce adj.缺乏的，不足的；稀有的chimpanzee n.黑猩猩ape n.无尾猿; 类人猿bipedal adj. 二足的anatomical adj.解剖的coula nuts( coula也可写作cola或kola)可乐果注释：1. GWs Columbian College of Arts and Sciences:乔治华盛顿大学哥伦比亚艺术与科学学院。乔治华盛顿大学
12、（George Washington University)的英文简称为GW，是美国顶尖的私立大学之一，于1821年建校，位于美国首都华盛顿。2. ecological settings: 生态环境3. bipedal activity：双足活动4. anatomical chaiige: 解剖学上的变化5. Kyoto University:京都大学，是继东京大学之后成立的日本第二所国立大学，于I897年建校。京都大学主要校区位于日本历史名城京都市。6. Bossou: 博苏,几内亚的一个地名。博苏森林生活着黑猩猩群落。7. oil palm nut: 油棕榈坚果8. increased b
13、y a factor of four:增加了四倍9. in one go: 口气10. Oxford Brookes University: 牛津布鲁克斯大学，创立于1865年，是英国最具特色的综合性大学之一。牛津布鲁克斯大学位于世界学术名城牛津。这里学风浓郁、精英荟萃，历来为求学圣地。练习：1. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the first two paragraphs? A Many people question the simple human activities of walking and
14、 carrying items.B Chimpanzees behaviors may suggest why humans walk on two legs.C Human walking upright is viewed as an adaptation to carrying precious resources.D Our ancestors ecological conditions resembled those of modern-day chimpanzees.2. Dr. Richmond conducted the experiment with the purpose
15、of findingA when humans began walking on two legs.B what made our ancestors walk upright.C what benefits walking upright brought to our ancestors.D how walking upright helped chimpanzees monopolize resources.3. Kyoto, Universitys study discovered that chimpanzees.A regarded both types of nut as pric
16、ed resources.B preferred oil palm nuts to coula nuts.C liked coula nuts better than oil palm nuts.D ignored both types of nut altogether.4. Why did the chimpanzees walk on two limbs during Kyoto Universitys experiment?A Because they imitated the human way of walking just for fun.B Because they wante
17、d to please the researchers to get more coula nuts from them.C Because they wanted to get to die nut-rich forest faster by walking that way.D Because they wanted to carry more nuts with two free limbs.5. What can we infer from the reading passage?A Chimpanzees are in the same process of evolution as
18、 our ancestors were.B Chimpanzees are similar to humans in many behaviors.C Walking on two limbs and walking on four limbs each have their advantages.D Human walking on two legs developed as a means of survival.答案与题解：1. A第一段第一句和第二句说明，大多数人对人类直立行走习以为常,并不质疑这种习惯。而A的内容正好与此相反，所以是答案。其他选项所述内容均可从第一段和第二段推断出2.
19、 B 文章报道，科学家通过实验证实黑猩猩直立行走是为了解放前肢，让前肢搬运对其生命至关重要的资源，从而推断出人类祖先也经历了从四足到二足的进化过程。科学家想通过对黑猩猩的实验解释人类直立行走的成因。所以B是答案，A、C、D选项不是科学家进行研究的目的。3. C第五段明白无误地描述了黑猩猩全然不顾油棕榈坚果（ignored the oil palm nuts altogether),集中精力抢运可乐果。所以C是答案，B、C、D的内容不符合文章原意。4. D黑猩猩用后肢直立行走，搬运资源的效率提高了四倍。选项D符合原意，是答案。选项A、B、C的内容文章中没有提到，所以不是答案。5. D 了解了通篇
20、文章的意思，就会选择选项D。人类直立行走是受生态环境所迫，是人类生存的一种手段，直立行走是自然选择的结果。选项A和C的内容文章中没有涉及。文章中有选项B的内容，但它不是文章的主旨。译文：我们大多数人每天都走路而且手里搬着东西。这样的活动看似太简单，大多数人没有疑问。但是一个国际研究者（包括乔治华盛顿大学哥伦比亚艺术与科学学院的Richmond博士）团队已经发现了人类直立行走可能源于数百万年以前适应搬运稀有的、高质量的资源。这些来自美国、英国、日本和葡萄牙的研究者研究了当代黑猩猩争抢食物时的行为特征，试图对什么样的生态环境竟然导致大猿（一种我们与现存的黑猩猩一样的600万年前的祖先）直立行走作出
21、解释。“这些黑猩猩居住的生态环境和我们最早的祖先开始直立行走时是相同的，” Richmond博士说。研究结果显示，当黑猩猩需要独占一种资源时，它们就从四肢行走转换为直立行走。由于直立行走可以解放它们的双手，这使得它们能搬更多的东西。久而久之，双足活动的强烈爆发可能导致了解剖学上的变化，因此这种变化也就成为自然选择的主题，在那种情况下，对食物或其他资源的争夺是十分激烈的。有两项研究是在几内亚完成的。第一项研究是在京都大学博苏森林的一块天然空地“室外实验室”进行的。研究者们允许森林里的黑猩猩能得到两种不同的坚果，一种叫油棕榈坚果，自然界随处可见，一种叫可乐果，自然环境中不常见。人们监控黑猩猩在下列
22、三种情形下的行为：(a)只有油棕榈坚果；（b)只有少量的可乐果，大多数是油棕榈坚果;(c)大多数是可乐果，少数是油棕榈坚果。当稀有的可乐果数量很少时，黑猩猩一次就会拿得多。同样，当大部分是可乐果时，黑猩猩对油棕榈坚果根本视而不见。黑猩猩认为可乐果才是珍贵的资源，并为得到可乐果激烈竞争。处于这种激烈竞争的环境中，黑猩猩直立行走的频率增加了四倍。很显然，双足行走可以使它们拿走更多的稀有资源，而且，为了尽可能地一口气多拿，它们积极利用可用到的任何方法，甚至嘴巴。第二项研究是在牛津布鲁克斯大学的Kimberley Hockings进行的。该研究历时14个月，主题是博苏的黑猩猩抢劫粮食，场景是它们不得不
23、为稀有和不可预知的资源竞争。在这项研究中，黑猩猩35%的活动是直立行走。而这一次研究再一次证实了黑猩猩的直立行走与它们试图一次搬走尽可能多的东西有关。第五十篇Cell Phones Increase Traffic, Pedestrian FatalitiesCell phones are a danger on the road in more ways than one. Two new studies show that talking on the phone while traveling, whether youre driving or on foot, is increasin
24、g both pedestrian deaths and those of drivers and passengers, and recommend crackdowns on cell1 use by both pedestrians and drivers.The new studies, lead-authored by Rutgers University, Newark, Economics Professor Peter D. Loeb2, relate the impact of cell phones on accident fatalities to the number
25、of cell phones in use, showing that the current increase in deaths resulting from cell phone use follows a period when cell phones actually helped to reduce pedestrian and traffic fatalities. However, this reduction in fatalities disappeared once the numbers of phones in use reached a critical mass
26、3 of 100 million, the study found.These studies looked at cell phone use and motor vehicle accidents from 1975 through 2002, and factored in4 a number of variables, including vehicle speed, alcohol consumption, seat belt use, and miles driven. The studies found the cell phone-fatality correlation to
27、 be true even when including factors such as speed, alcohol consumption, and seat belt use.Loeb and his co-author determined that, at the current time, cell phone use has a significant adverse effect on pedestrian safety and that “cell phones and their usage above a critical thresholds adds to motor
28、 vehicle fatalities. In the late 1980s and part of the 1990s, before the numbers of phones exploded, cell phone use actually had a life-saving effect in pedestrian and traffic accidents, Loeb notes. Cell-phone users were able to quickly call for medical assistance when involved in an accident. This
29、quick medical response actually reduced the number of traffic deaths for a time, Loeb hypothesizes.However, this was not the case when cells were first used in the mid-1980s, when they caused a life-taking effect among pedestrians, drivers and passengers in vehicles. In those early days, when there
30、were fewer than a million phones, fatalities increased, says Loeb, because drivers and pedestrians probably were still adjusting to the novelty of using them, and there werent enough cell phones in use to make a difference in summoning help following an accident, he explains.The life-saving effect o
31、ccurred as the volume of phones grew into the early 1990s, and increasing numbers of cells were used to call 911 following accidents, leading to a drop in fatalities, explains Loeb. But this life-saving effect was canceled out6 once the numbers of phones reached a critical mass of about 100 million
32、and the life-taking effect - increased accidents and fatalities outweighed the benefits of quick access to 911 services, according to Loeb.Loeb and his co-authors used econometric models to analyze data from a number of government and private studies. He and his co-authors recommend that governments
33、 consider more aggressive policies to reduce cell phone use by both drivers and pedestrians, to reduce the number of fatalities.词汇：crackdown n.制裁，严惩 outweigh v.超过 fatality n.死亡者 econometric adj.计量经济的 hypothesize v.假设，假定注释：1. cell：cell phone 的缩写。2. The new studies, lead-authored by Rutgers University
34、, Newark, Economics Professor Peter D. Loeb .第一作者为罗格斯大学纽瓦克分校的经济学教授 Peter D. Loeb 的新研究成果lead-author：第一作者;lead-authored 为动词的过去分 词形式，具有被动意义。罗格斯大学纽瓦克分校是美国新泽西州最负盛名的文理学院。3. critical mass：临界数量。4. factored in：包括，把计算在内。5. a critical threshold：指的是前文所说的 critical mass。见注释3。6. was canceled out：被抵消。练习：1. The two
35、new studies, lead-authored by Professor Peter D. LoebA show that talking on the phone while driving or walking in the street increases deaths of drivers and pedestrians.B show that talking on the phone while driving increases pedestrian deaths.C recommend that strict measures be taken to restrain ce
36、ll phone use.D both A and C.2. According to the second paragraph, when did cell phones actually help to reduce pedestrian and traffic fatalities?A Right after cell phones were invented.B Before the number of cell phone users reached a critical massC When cell phone users totaled to a certain number.
37、D When the number of cell phones decreased to a certain number.3. What is said about cell phone use in paragraph 4?A The number of cell phones in use exploded in the late 1980s and part of the 1990s.B The number of traffic deaths was reduced in the late 1980s and part of the 1990s due to cell phone
38、use.C Cell phone users are likely to be involved in traffic accidents.D The use of cell phones has a life-saving effect for pedestrians and drivers.4. What is said about cell phone use in the mid-1980s in paragraph 5?A It had a life-taking effect because there werent enough cell phones in use then.B
39、 The increased use of cell phones then caused a life-taking effect.C Traffic fatalities increased then because the number of cell phones in use decreased.D Traffic fatalities decreased then because the number of cell phones in use increased.5. Which of the following statements DOES NOT answer the qu
40、estion What caused the life-saving effect to occur in the early 1990s?A There were more cell phone users during that period.B The number of cell phone users reached about 100 million.C More cell phones were used to call 911 when accidents occurred.D Cell phones enabled people to have quick access to
41、 911 services.答案与题解：1. D 根据短文第一段的内容，Loeb 教授的最新研究发现，开车或行路时打手机使司机和行 路人的死亡率上升，并建议采取严厉措施限制司机和行路人使用手机。B 是错误理解， 因为只有行路人被提到。2. B 短文第二段最后两个句子提供了答案：在手机使用者达到 1 亿的临界点之前，手机的 使用的确减少了交通事故的死亡率。A、C 和 D 的表述内容都没有在文章中提到。3. B A 是错误选择，因为该段的第四个句子 In the late 1980s and part of the 1990s, before the numbers of phones explo
42、ded, .表明。手机数量在 80 年代末期和 90 年 代早期还未激增。C 的表述内容没有在文章中提到。句子cell phone use actually had a “life-saving effect”用的是过去式，说的是发生在 80 年代末期和 90 年代早 期的事情，而 D 句用的是一般现在时，表示通常的状况，所以是错误的选择。4. A第五段的大概意思是，80 年代中期，交通事故的死亡率增加，因为人们还在适应这一 新事物，没有足够的手机让人们在发生交通事故时及时求救。该段没有讨论 80 年代中 期手机数量的增减问题，所以 B、C 和 D 都是错误选择。5. B第六段最后一个句子说，
43、当手机使用者数量达到 100 万时，life-saving effect 就被 抵消了，life-saving effect 超过了手机使用者能迅速呼叫 911 服务的优点。所以，B 不是问题的答案。其他选项都表述了该段的内容。第四十二篇Renewable Energy Sources Today petroleum provides around 40% of the worlds energy needs, mostly fuelling automobiles. Coal is still used, mostly in pover stations, to cover one-quar
44、ter of our energy needs, but it is the least efficient, unhealthiest and most environmentally damaging fossil fuel. Natural gas reserves could plug some of the gap from oil, but reserves of that will not last into the 22nd century either. Most experts predict we will exhaust easily accessible reserv
45、es within 50 years. We could fast reach an energy crisis. We need to rapidly develop sustainable solutions to fuel our future. Less-polluting renewable energy sources offer a more practical long-term energy solution. They may benefit the worlds poor too. “Renewable” refers to the fact that these res
46、ources are not used faster than they can be replaced. Hydroelectric power is now the most common form of renewable energy, supplying around 20% of world electricity. Chinas three gorges Dam, which has just been completed, is the largest ever. At five times the size of the USs Hoover Dam, its 26 turb
47、ines will generate the equivalent energy of 18 coal-fired power stations. It will satisfy 3% of Chinas entire electricity demand. In 2003, the first commercial power station to harness tidal currents in the open sea opened in Norway. It is designed like windmill, but others take the form of turbines
48、. As prices fall, wind power has become the fastest growing type of electricity generation quadrupling worldwide between 1999 and 2005. Modern wind farms consist of turbines that generate electricity. Though it will be more expensive, there is more than enough wind to provide the worlds entire energy needs. Wind farms come in onshore and offshore forms. They can often end up at spots of natural beauty, and are often unpopular with