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1、The end of the stripy puzzle?作者： Imogen Champagne 时间：2014-04-21 斑马为什么有条纹？ZEBRAS stripes (条纹) have puzzled scientists around the world for centuries. What is the biological purpose of being covered in black and white stripes?There are many theories that try to answer that question. Charles Darwin, th
2、e famous biologist, thought that Zebras stripes were used to attract partners.Alfred Wallace, the British naturalist and biologist thought the stripes were for camouflage (伪装). They make the zebras hard to see at night and create an optical illusion (视错觉) in the day. This protects them from being hu
3、nted by lions and other fierce animals.But the zebras real enemy might be a whole lot smaller. A new study by Tim Caro from the University of California has come up with an entirely new theory on why zebras have stripes. He thinks that their stripes will keep biting flies (螫蝇) away from them.Caro an
4、d his colleagues took a different route to other scientists who have studied zebras stripes. Instead of looking just at zebras, he looked at all equids (马科动物) (horses, zebras and asses) and the different patterns of their stripes.He found that species that live in areas with dangerous flies were mor
5、e likely to have stripes all over their bodies. Zebras live in Africa, where biting flies can cause great harm by both passing on diseases and sucking out dangerous amounts of blood.Caro is happy that they have answered the question of why zebras have stripes, but now he is left with another questio
6、n: why dont flies like stripes?“Thats what happens in science”, he told The New Yorker magazine. “You answer one question and it leads to six more.”一、一、while reading 1.What did Darwin think of zebrasstrips? 2.Whats the stripsfunction according to Alfred? 3.What is Tims new theory? 4.How do biting fl
7、ies cause harm to other animals? 5.What does “colleagues” mean in Chinese? Choose the best answer: 1. According to Tim Caro, zebras have stripes to _.MCTA. protect them from being seen B. attract partners C. create illusions D. keep biting flies away 2. Caro and his colleagues found evidence by _. A
8、. examining the strips of zebras B. staying with zebras in Africa C. observing zebras at night D. studying all animals with strips 3. The last sentence suggests that _. A. scientists sometimes find it difficult to answer the question B. people can never really find the answer to the question C. ther
9、e are always unknown things for people to explore D. scientists need to answer seven questions to find out the truth 4. Where can we probably read this passage? A. In a guidebook. B. In a science fiction book. C. In a science magazine. D. In an introduction to a zoo.Students earn bus shelter victory
10、 2014.4.26美国中学生成功说服政府为学生建造公交站站台。词数 260 建议阅读时间 5 分钟 WHILE many people walk away from real-life problems, four students at Alice Deal Middle School in Washington D.C. faced them head on and made a difference.The four testified (作证) at the Washington D.C. Council (议会) in mid February. They successfully
11、 asked the government to build a bus shelter (遮蔽处) at a bus stop near their school.Ben Korn, 13, told the council a story of him waiting for the bus on one rainy fall afternoon. He waited for more than an hour. By the time he got home, he was cold and wet.“I know many Deal students have faced simila
12、r situations. That is why we are here,” Ben said.According to the regulations of the city, a bus stop can only have a bus shelter if it is used by at least 40 people a day. The students counted at least 100 each day at the The Alice Deal Middle School Student Council takes seats at the city council
13、hall. PROVIDED TO 21STNebraska Avenue stop. Aysha Nunes, 14, showed the data to the officers at the meeting.Joe Inglima, 13, presented a birds-eye view of the possible location for the shelter. Isaac Frumkin, 13, offered one final argument: “The shelter would come at no cost to D.C. taxpayers.”They
14、found that the government planned to build up to 788 bus shelters in 2005 so that a company could put advertisements on them. So far, theyve built 745, leaving plenty of room for new shelters.These strong arguments won applause (赞同) at the meeting. The shelter was built late last month.Mary M. Cheh,
15、 transportation committee chairman, praised the students hard work. “Its never too early for people to care about their community,” Cheh said.Choose the best answer: 1. Ben believed that a bus shelter should be built near his school because _. A. the government promised to build one B. the taxpayer would pay for it C. it was sometimes hard for students to wait for the bus D. it could help advertise his school 2. In Washington D.C., a bus stop can have a shelter if it is used by at least_ a day. A. 40 people B. 35 people C. 30 people D. 100 people 3. In order to persuade the council, Ays
