Homing pigeons are placed in a training program from about t

Homing pigeons are placed in a training program from about the time they

are twenty-eight days of age. They are taught to enter the cage through a trap

and to exercise above and around the loft(

鸽棚

) , and gradually they are taken

away for short distances in willow baskets and released. They are then expected

to find their way home in the shortest possible time.

In their training flights or in actual races, the birds are taken to

prearranged distant points and released to find their way back to their own lofts.

Once the birds are liberated, their owners, who are standing by at the home

lofts, anxiously watch the sky for the return of their entries. Since time is of the

essence, the speed with which the birds can be induced to enter the loft trap

may make the difference between gaining a win or a second place.

The head of a homing pigeon is comparatively small, but its brain is one

quarter larger than that of the ordinary pigeon. The homing pigeon is very

intelligent and will persevere to the point of stubbornness; some have been

known to fly a hundred miles off course to avoid a storm.

Some homing pigeon experts claim that this bird is gifted with a form of

built-in radar that helps it find its own loft after hours of flight, for hidden under

the head feathers are two very sensitive ears, while the sharp, prominent eyes

can see great distances in daytime.

Why do homing pigeons fly home? They are not unique in this inherent

skill; it is found in most migratory birds, in bees, ants, toads, and even turtles,

which have been known to travel hundreds of miles to return to their homes. But

in the animal world, the homing pigeon alone can be trusted with its freedom

and trained to carry out the missions that people demand.

1. This passage is mainly about_______.

A. homing pigeons and their training

B. how to buy a homing pigeon

C. protection of homing pigeons against the threat of extinction

D. liberation of homing pigeons

2. According to the passage, what happens to homing pigeons when

they are about a month old?

A. They are kept in a trap.

B. They enter their first race.

C. They begin a training program.

D. They get their wings clipped and marked.

3. According to the passage, the difference between a homing pigeon

and an ordinary one is_______.

A. the span of the wings B. the shape of the eyes

C. the texture of the feathers D. the size of the brain

4. The author mentions all of the following attributes that enable a

homing pigeon to

return home EXCEPT_______.

A. instinct B. air sacs

C. sensitive ears D. good eyes

5. Why does the author mention bees, ants, toads, and turtles in the

last paragraph?

A. To describe some unusual kinds of pets.

B. To measure distances traveled by various animals.

C. To compare their home-finding abilities with those of homing pigeons.

D. To interest the reader in learning about other animals.

第二篇

Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence

developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the

answer to both these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given

us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child

born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring

environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and

varied surroundings. Thus the limits of a person's intelligence are fixed at birth,

but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This

view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.

It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born

with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are

likely to be in intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random(

任

意的

) from the population,

it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different. If on

the other hand we take two identical (

完全相同的

) twins they will very likely be as

intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and

children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that

intelligence depends on birth.

来源：

Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different

environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to

a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in

intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth

plays

a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in

close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have

similar degrees of intelligence.

26. Which of these sentences best describes the writer's point in

Paragraph 1?

A. To some extent, intelligence is given at birth.

B. Intelligence is developed by the environment.

C. Some people are born clever and others born stupid.

D. Intelligence is fixed at birth, but is developed by the environment.

27. It is suggested in this passage that_______.

A. unrelated people are not likely to have different intelligence

B. close relations usually have similar intelligence

C. the closer the blood relationship between people, the more different they

are likely to be in intelligence

D. people who live in close contact with each other are not likely to have

similar degrees of intelligence

28. Brothers and sisters are likely to_______.

A. have similar intelligence B. have different intelligence

C. go to the same university D. go to the same factory

29. In Paragraph 1, the word

A. intelligence

B. life

C. environments

D. housing

30. The best title for this article would be_______.

A. On Intelligence

B. What Intelligence Means

C. We Are Born with Intelligence

D. Environment Plays a Part in Developing Intelligence

第三篇

As a company executive(

总经理

) who spent ten years in federal service, I

am often asked what I regard as the biggest difference between working for the

government and working for a private company. My invariable response is to

say that I look back on my time in government as one of the most exciting and

challenging experiences of my life. Furthermore, I never worked as hard as

when I was a public servant.

When I worked for the government, I worked with some of the finest, most

competent and most committed people I have ever met. I was impressed by the

overall quality of our career civil servants then, and I still am. But one of my

greatest concerns now is that I will not be able to hold this same high opinion in

the future.

Career public servants are leaving government in alarming numbers, and

qualified replacements are becoming harder and harder to find. Good people

who leave career government service are striving for highly paid positions in

private enterprises.

We depend on government to keep this country safe in an uncertain world,

to secure justice and domestic order and to solve a host of pressing problems.

We need the best possible people performing and overseeing these vital tasks.

A high-quality, professional federal service has been a source of national pride

for more than a century. But what we have built up during a hundred years can

be lost in less time than we imagine. We can't afford to let this happen. We must

act now if this country is to be assured of the quality public service it deserves.

21. Career public servants are leaving government in alarming numbers.

One of the

reasons may be that______.

A. they received lower pay

B. they deserved no fame and glory

C. they performed poorly

D. they worked harder than anyone else

22. According to the author, _______, so I will not be able to hold this

same high opinion

toward the public servants in the future.

A. I never worked as hard as when I was a public servant

B. I have become a company executive

C. there will not be so many competent and qualified servants in the

government as we had before

D. my time in government was not the most exciting experience in my life

23. We depend on government to keep this country safe in an uncertain

world, therefore,

A. we should make greater contributions to the country

B. the best possible people are urgently needed to do important tasks

C. we should show deep concern about the nation's future

D. we should become public servants

24. If we neglect the serious problem and make no efforts, we will

lose_______.

A. national pride

B. high-quality professional federal service

C. good people

D. private enterprise

25. Which of the following is NOT TRUE?

A. Those who work for companies are highly paid.

B. More and more public servants have left the government.

C. Career public servants are qualified.

D. Many people of high qualities want to work in the government.

第四篇

More attention was paid to the quality of production in France at the time

of Rene Coty. Charles Deschanel was then the financial minister. He stressed

that workmanship and quality were more important than quantity for industrial

production. It would be necessary to produce quality goods for the international

markets to compete with those produced in other countries. The French

economy needed a larger share of international market to balance its import

and export trade.

French industrial and agricultural production was still inadequate to meet

the immediate needs of the people, let alone long-ranged developments.

Essential imports had stretched the national credit to the breaking point. Rents

were tightly controlled, but the extreme inflation affected general population

most severely through the cost of food. Food costs took as much as 80 percent

of the worker's income. Wages, it is true, had risen. Extensive family allowances

and benefits were paid by the state, and there was fulltime and overtime

employment. Taken together, these factors enabled the working class to exist

but allowed them no sense of security. In this discouraging situation, workmen

were willing to work overseas for higher wages.

The government was unwilling to let workers leave the country. It was

feared that migration of workers would reduce the labor force. The lack of

qualified workers might hinder the improvement in the quality of industrial

products produced. Qualified workers employed abroad would only increase the

quantity of quality goods produced in foreign countries. Also the quantity of

quality goods produced in France would not be able to increase as part of its

ualified labor force moved to other countries.

26. The purpose of the passage is to_______.

A. explain the French government's emphasis on quality products

B. discuss Charles Deschanel's contribution to the French industrial

development

C. compare the quality of French goods with that of foreign goods

D. show French workmen's enthusiasm to seek well-paid jobs in foreign

countries

27. It can be inferred from the passage that at the time of Rene Coty

_______.

A. France was still at the first stage of industrial development

B. French workers were better paid than the workers in any other European

countries

C. the unemployment rate in France was comparatively higher than that in

other European countries

D. French workers were able to live better with the increase in their wages

28. It is implied in the passage that at that time_______.

A. France had a very large share of international market

B. the import and export trade in France was making a successful advance

C. demand and supply in France was barely balanced

D. France was experiencing economic depression

29. Which of the following is the best indicator of the extreme inflation in

France?

A. Eighty percent increase in the prices of consumer goods.

B. High cost of food.

C. High rents for houses.

D. Lack of agricultural products.

30. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. Rents in France were tightly controlled.

B. France was flooding the international market with inferior products.

C. French workers were prohibited from going abroad to find jobs.