2024届高考英语第一轮专项复习时事热点试题抢分秘籍之重要成就（附答案）

2024届高考英语第一轮专项复习时事热点试题抢分秘籍之重要成就

一.阅读理解（共14小题）

1.AnatmosphericresearcherLubnaDada,whoispartofaninternationalprojectcalled

CLOUD»andherteamconductedanewstudy.Thestudylooksattheroleoftreesandthenatural

compounds（混合物）theyreleaseintotheatmosphereincloudformation.Thcgoalistomore

preciselyunderstandtheclimatebeforetheIndustrialRevolutionandhowit'schangedsince.

Cloudsarenotonlyimportantfortheweather-theyalsohelpshapetheclimate.Someclouds

actasalayerofprotectionbetweenincomingsolarradiationandEarth,coolingthe

atmosphere.Othercloudsdotheopposite：theyactlikeablanketandtrapheat.

"Butmanycurrentclimatemodelsdon'taccountforeitherthewarmingorcoolingeffectsof

clouds,ortheroleaerosolsplayincloudformation.Thatistliebiggestuncertaintyinclimatescience

atprcscnt.'Dadasays.

Dadaandtheteamaretryingtofigureitoutusingasteebcylindricalroomthatroughly

recreates（heatmosphere.Todothat,（heteamcoverstheroomwithtape.lthaslightsthatseemlike

differentlayersoftheatmosphere,andtheresearcherscanchangethehumidityandtemperature

levelstocreateagivengeographiclocation.Then,Dadaandherteamcanaddspecificvaporsinto

theroomtostudytheireffects.Dadasaysthatpreviousresearchhaslookedattheeffectsoftwokinds

oforganicemissionsreleasedbyplants：monoterpenesandisoprene.Butanotherkindofcompound,

sesquiterpenes（倍半菇烯），haslargelybeenignored.

InarecentstudyfromtheCLOUDproject,scientiststestedtheeffectsofsesquiterpeneson

cloudformation.Theyaddedallthreecompounds-monoterpenes,isopreneandsesquiterpenes-

intotheCLOUDroomtoseehowmanynewparticles（微粒）formed.Theyfoundthat

sesquiterpenesformedtentimesmoreparticlesthantheothertwosubstancesatthesame

concentrations.

Dadasaysthisfindingv/illhelpscientistsunderstandtherolenaturalemissionsplayedinthe

preindustrialclimateandhov/muchhumanshavechangedthat.

（1）Whydidtheresearchersconductthestudy?

A.Torecreatethepreinciustrialclimate.

B.Toexplorethewarmingeffectsofclouds.

C.Tounderstandcloudformationandclimatechangesbetter

D.TDaccesstheimpactoftreesonweatherpatternsmoreprecisely.

(2)Whatdocstheunderlinedword"That',inparagraph3referto?

A.Climatemodel.

B.Cloudformation.

C.Thecoolingeffectofclouds.

D.Thewarmingeffectofclouds.

(3)Whatcanbeinferredaboutthecompound—sesquiterpene?

A.Itplaysasignificantroleincloudformation.

B.Itismoreimportantthantheothertwocompounds.

C.Ithasbeenlargelyignoredinthepreviousresearch.

D.Itformslessparticlesthaniheothertwocompounds.

(4)Inwhichsectionofamagazinecanreadersfindthistext?

A.Entertainment.

B.Finance.

C.Culturc.

0.Environment.

2.Wouldyouratherwatchanewmovie»oranoldfavorite?Wouldyourathertryadishyou've

neverhadatarestaurant,orstickwithsomethingyouknowyou'lllike?Researchersstudying

the"mereexposureeffect"havefoundthatweoftenpreferthefamiliaroverthenovel.

Peopledidn'tneedtoexperiencearewardorpositiveoutcomewhilearoundtheobject—simply

beingexposedtotheobjectv/ouldbeenoughtomakepeoplelikeit.Totestthis,socialpsychologist

RobertZajonchadparticipantsreadwordsinaforeignlanguageoutloudandvariedhowoften

participantsreadeachword(upto25repetitions).Next,afterreadingthewords,participantswere

askedtoguessatthemeaningofeachwordbyfillingoutaratingscale(indicatinghowpositiveor

negativetheythoughtthemeaningofthewordwas).

Hefoundthatparticipantslikedwordsthattheyhadsaidmoreoften,whilewordsthat

participantshadn'treadatallwereratedmorenegatively,andwordsthathadbeenread25times

wereratedhighestJustthemereexposuretothewordwasenoughtomakeparticipantslikeitmore.

Oneplacewherethemereexposureeffectoccursisinadvertising.ltexplainswhyseeingthe

sameadvertisementmultipletimescouldbemoreconvincingthanjustseeingitonce.Ofcourse,

there'sacautionhere：themereexposureeffectdoesn'thappenforthingsweinitially

dislikc.Rcscarchcrshavefoundthatourlikingforavarietyofthings(includingpictures,sounds,

foods,andsmells)canbeincreasedwithrepeatedexposure,suggestingthatthemereexposure

effectisn'tlimitedtojustoneofoursenses.Additionally,researchershavefoundthatthemere

exposureeffectoccursinstudieswithhumanresearchparticipantsaswellasinstudieswithnon-

humananimals.

Anotherkeyfindingfromthisanalysiswasthatparticipantseventuallystartedtolikeobjects

lessaftermanyrepeatedexposures.Inotherwords,asmallernumberofrepeatedexposureswill

makeyoulikesomethingmore------but,iftherepeatedexposurescontinue,youcouldeventuallyget

tiredofit.

(1)WhatisthekeyfactorinRobertZajonc'stest?

A.Frequency.

B.Preference.

C.Originality.

0.Achievement.

(2)Whichofthefollowingisanexampleofmereexposureeffect?

A.Wefavoranadvertisementat(hefirstsight.

B.Astudentjoinedintheclubbecauseoflove.

C.Wearemoreconvincedofwhatwemetbefore.

D.AstudentreadasmanyEnglishwordsaspossible.

(3)Whatcanwelearnabout"mereexposureeffect"accordingtoparagraph4?

A.Itis(heresultofadvertising.

B.Ithasnothingtodowithanimals.

C.Itistrueofwhatwedislikeatfirst.

D.Itcanbeappliedtomultiplesenses.

(4)Whatisthetextmainlyabout?

A.Morelovebecauseofmoreexposures.

C.Itprovesthegeographicalfeaturesofbiodiversity.

D.Itclassifiesatypeoffishcalledthegreenfindarter.

(2)Whatcanwelearnaboutthegreenfindarter?

A.Thcirappearancesvarybetweenfamilies.

B.Thcirgeneticconstitutionshavediversified.

C.Theypreferthedeepandslow-flowingriver.

D.Theygoextinctinthechanginglandscapeofrivers.

(3)HowdidNearhelptheresearchersreachtheirconclusion?

A.Bycreatinganevolutionarytreeofthefish.

B.Byofferingthefish'sgeneticdata.

C.Byreasoningoutthetimethefishevolveandseparate.

D.Byanalyzingthegeneticsimilaritybetweendifferentfish.

(4)Whatisthebesttitleforthetext?

A.RiverErosionCanShapeFishEvolution

B.GeneticChangeintheGreenfinDarter

C.Evolutionarj--TreeAnalysisoftheGreenfinDarter

D.ThcImpactofClimateChangeonFishDiversity

4.Abatandaballcost£1.10intotal.Thehatcosts$1.00morethantheball.Howmuchdoesthe

ballcost?

Ifyouanswered10cents»you'renotalone—mosipeoplegivethesameanswer(thecorrect

answeris5cents).It'sanexampleofhowweoftenrelyonintuitive(直觉的)responses—

answerswefeelaretrue.Peoplegiveanswersthat"popintotheirmind",saysStevenSIonian.We

don'tspendmuchtime"reflectingandcheckingwhethertheanswerisrightorwrong."

Thebatandballquestionhelpsexplainwhyweoftenbelieveinfake(假的)news.Itispartof

humannaturetobelieve,saysSloman.But"thetrickwithfakenewsistoknowtoverify"-inother

words,tostopandquestionwhatyouknow.Inoneexperiment,Slomanandacolleagueinventeda

discoverycalledheliumrain.Theytoldagroupofvolunteersaboutit,butadmittedtheycouklnot

fullyexplainwhatitwas.Theythenaskedthevolunteerstoratetheirownunderstandingofhelium

rain.Mostvolunteersratedthemselves1outof7,meaningtheydidnotunderstandtheconcept.

Theresearchersthentoldanothergroupofvolunteersaboutthediscovery.Thistime,(heysaid

thatscientistscouldfullyexplainhowitworks.Whenaskedtoratetheirunderstanding,the

volunteersgaveanaverageanswerof2/rhescientists'confidencegavethevolunteersanincreased

senseoftheirownunderstanding,Slomansays.

AccordingtoSloman,studiesshowthatknowledgespreadslikeacontagion(传染病).Thisidea

canbeseeninmanyfields,includingpolitics."Ifeveryonearoundyouissayingtheyunderstand

whyapoliticianisdishonest；"Slomansays,"thenyou'regoingtostartthinkingthatyou

understand,too."

Anotherexplanationforthespreadoffakenewsis"motivatedreasoning,"writesAdam

Wyatz,anAmericanmanagementprofessor."Wearenaturallymorelikelytobelievethingsthat

confirmourexistingopinions/'

So,inaworldwheremisleadinginformationiscommon»trainingpeopletocareabout

factcheckingisimportant,especiallyinonlinecommunities."Weshouldcheckthingsandnotjust

takethematfacevalue,"Slomansays."Verifybeforeyoubelieve."

(1)What'sthepurposeofusingtheexampleofthebatandballquestioninthefirstparagraph?

A.Todemonstratethatpeopletendtorushtoaconclusion.

B.lbshowthattherearcvariousanswerstoaquestion.

C.Tostimulatepeople'sinterestinplayingguessinggames.

D.Towarnthatpeoplearepooratcalculatingskillsintheirdailylife.

(2)Whatdoes(heunderlinedword"verify"meaninParagraph3?

A.Tofollowyourintuitivesense.

B.lbconfirmsomethingistrue.

C.Toconsidersomethingseriously.

D.Tospeakouttheunderstandingaboutsomething

(3)Inwhichsituationdomorevolunteersclaimtounderstandheliumrain?

A.Whensomeexpertsexplaineditto(hem.

B.Whentheybelievedthatscientistsunderstoodit.

C.Whentheyhavemoreconfidenceinthemselves.

D.WhenSlomanandhiscolleaguesshowedthemhowitworks.

(4)Whichof(hefollov/ingisanexampleof"motivatedreasoning"?

A.Youthinkauniversityprofessordishonestwheneverybodyaroundyousayso.

B.Youpostamessageonlinethatgivesyourpersonalopinionaboutanewsstory.

C.Yousearchonlineformoreinformationaboutadoubtfulstoryonsocialmedia.

D.Youbelieveadamagingstoryaboutsomeonewhoyoualwaysjudgenegatively.

5.Withabrain(hesizeofapinhead,insectspossessagreatsenseofdirection.Thcymanageto

locate(hemselvesandmovethroughsmallopenings.Howdotheydothiswiththeirlimitedbrain

power?Understandingtheinnerworkingsofaninsect'sbraincanhelpusinoursearchtowards

energy-efficientcomputing,physicistElisabettaChiccaoftheUniversityofGroningenshows

withhermostrecentresult：arobotthatactslikeaninsect.

It'snoteasytomakeuseoftheimagesthatcomeinthroughyoureyeswhendecidingwhatyour

feetorwingsshoulddo.Akeyaspecthereistheapparentmotionofthingsasyoumove."Likewhen

you'reonatrain,"Chiccaexplains."Thetreesnearbyappeartomovefasterthanthehousesfar

away."Insectsusethisinformationtoinferhowfarawaythingsare.Thisworkswellwhenmovingin

astraightline,butrealityisnotthatsimple.Tokeepthingsmanageablefortheirlimitedbrainpower,

theyadjusttheirbehaviour：theyflyinastraightline,makeaturn»thenmakeanotherstraightline.

Insearchoftheneuralmechanism(神经机制)thatdrivesinsectbehaviour.PhDstudent

ThorbcnSchocpcdevelopedamodelofitsneuronalactivityandasmallrobotthatusesthismodelto

findtheposition.Hismodelisbasedononemainprinciple：alwaysheadtowardstheareawiththe

leastapparentmotion.Hehadhisrobotdrivethroughalongpassageconsistingoftwowallsand(he

robotcentredinthemiddleofthepassage,asinsectslendtodo.Inothervirtualenvironments,such

asacewithsmallopenings,hismodelalsoshowedsimilarbehaviourtoinsects.

Thefactthatarobotcanfinditspositioninarealisticenvironmentisnotnew.Rather,themodel

givesinsightintohowinsectsdothejob,andhowtheymanagetodothingssoefficiently.Ina

similarway»youcouldmakecomputersmoreefficient.

Inthefuture,Chiccahopestoapplythisspecificinsectbehaviourtoachipaswell."Insteadof

usingageneral-purposecomputerwithallitspossibilities,youcanbuildspecifichardware；a(iny

chipthatdoes(hejob,keepingthingsmuchsmallerandenergy-efficient."Shecomments.

(1)Whyis"atrain"mentionedinParagraph2?

A.Toillustratetheprincipleoftrainmotion.

B.Tohighlightwhyhumanvisionislimited.

C/Ibexplainhowinsectsperceivedistances.

D.TDcomparethemovementoftreesandhouses.

(2)WhatdocsParagraph3mainlytalkaboutconcerningSchocpc'smodel?

A.Itsnoveldesign.

B.Itstheoreticalbasis.

C.Itspossibleapplication.

D.Itsworkingmechanism.

(3)Whatdotheresearchersthinkofthefinding?

A.Amusing.

B.Discouraging.

C.Promising.

D.Contradiclory.

(4)WhatwillChicca'sfollow-upstudyfocuson?

A.Inventinginsect-likechips.

B.Studyinggeneral-purposerobots.

C.Crcatinginsect-inspiredcomputers.

0.Developingenergy-efficienthardware.

6.Hundredsoreventhousandsofjackdaws(寒鸦)areknowntolaunchintothewinterskyat

oncefrom(hetreetopsatsunrise,and(hensplitintosmallergroupstofeedthroughoutthe

day.Now,ecologistsknowthatthissynchronized(同步的)departureistimedwithacomplicated

behaviorcalled"consensusdecision-making",wherethemajorityagreetotakeaction.

Tofigureitout,researchersintheUnitedKingdomrecordedhundredsofhoursoftheirbird

callsinCornwalloverseveralmonths.Theymeasuredwhenthefirstjackdawsbegantheircalls,how

loudthebirdswere,andhowquicklytheswell(增强)ofcallsrose*andthencomparedthesesounds

tofootage(镜头)ofthosebirds'departures.Theteamfoundthatthejackdawgrouplefttogether

oncethechorusofcallsreachedacriticalmass--themorerapidlythechorusswelled»theearlier

thebirdsleft.

"Theyallleavetogetherinafewseconds.Theskyjustfillswithblackbirdsforthwith.ltisjust

likeablacksnowstorm."AlexThornton,anecologistattheUniversityofExeter,UK,toldNew

Scientist.Everycallisajackdawcastingitsvotetoleave."Atfirstyoujustgetafewcalls,thenmore

andmorebirdsjoininanditbuildsandbuilds.Andthesteepertheincrease,theearliertheyleave,"

Thorntonadded.Onrareoccasions,whentheintensityofthechorusdoesn'tbuildenoughandthe

jackdawsdon'tagree,thebirdsinsteadlaunchoffinsmallnumbers.

Theteamalsofoundthatoncejackdawsreachedaconsensustheydepartedalmost

immediately»withhundredsofindividualsflyinginless（hanfiveseconds.Whenscientistsplayed

pastrecordingsofcallsbacktothejackdaws,gettinginthewayofthegroup'snaturalcrescendo（渐

强的声音），（heywereabletopushforwardthebirds'launchingbymorethansixminutes.Thebirds

didnot,however,changetlieirlaunchtimesinresponsetoothernoises.

"Thegregarious（群居的）birdsprefertoleaveasagroup,althougheachjackdawwillhavea

slightlydifferentpreferenceastowhentheywanttoleave,basedonfactorsliketheirsizeand

hunger,"AlexDibnah,aUniversityofExetergraduatestudentandleadauthorofthestudy»saidin

aslatement."Leavingtheroost（栖，息处）togetherhasvariousbenefits,includingsafetyfrem

predatorsandaccesstoinformationsuchaswheretofindfood."

Thisresearchshowsthecriticalrolevocalizations（发声）playingroupdecision-makingfor

thisspecies.Onenextstepforthisresearch,accordingtotheauthors,istofigureouthowhuman-

creatednoisesmightaffectthisprocessandthespreadofinformationthroughoutthesecommunities.

"Imagineabigroostnearatownorbusyroad,"Thorntonsaid."Ifthebirdscan'theareach

otherandcan'tformaconsensustoleavetogether,itcouldhavebigimpactsontheirpopulation."

（1）WhatisthepurposeoftheresearchinCornwall?

A.Tounderstandhowjackdawsreachanagreement.

B.Tostudywhatmakesjackdaws'departuretimeunique.

C.Tomakeacomparisonofjackdaws*callswithotherbirds'.

D.Toassesstheimportanceofjackdaws,complicatedbehaviors.

（2）Whatdoes（heunderlined"forthwith"inParagraph3mean?

A.Frequently.

B.Gradually.

C.Traditionally.

D.Immediately.

（3）WhatcanbeinferredaboutthejackdawgroupfromParagraph4?

A.Itcanreachanagreementwithinseconds.

B.Itslaunchtimesvarylittlefromseasontoseason.

C.Itcandistinguishitsnaturalcallsfromothernoises.

D.Itmakesnoresponsetcthepastrecordingsofcalls.

（4）Whatdotheresearchersplantostudynext?

A.Theimpactsofhumanhuntingonjackdaws'population.

B.Theeffectsofnoisesonjackdaws'groupdecision-making.

C.Thewayjackdawsspreadinformationintheircommunities.

D.Thcroleofjackdaws'vocalizationsingroupdecision-making.

7.PartsofEastAsiacouldsee"riversinthesky"fbnnduetoclimatechange,bringingrecord

-breakinglevelsofrainfallwiththem»anewstudyhasrevealed.

Theteam,fromtheUniversityofTsukuba,Japan,havealreadyseenclearsignsofglobal

warminghittingpartsofthecountry,sotheywantedtoseehowbadthingscouldget."It'sbeen

becomingmoreandmoreclearthatglobalwarniingmeansmorethanjustwarmertemperatures,

"theywrote.

Oneparticularly-damagingextremeweathereventisarincreaseinrainfalltounexpectedand

unprecedented（前所未有的）levels,whichcanresultinflooding.Tohelppredictrainfallevents,

researcherslooked（ooneofthecauses-theinceraciionofatmosphericriverswithmountainranges.

"As（henamesuggests,almosphericriversarelong,narrowbandsofconceniraledwatervapour

flowingthroughtheatmosphere»"theteamexplained."Whenoneofthesebandsmeetsabarrier,such

asamountainrange,itcanproduceextremelevelsofrainfallorsnowfall."

PartsofEastAsiahavebeensubjectedto（遭受）anincreasingnumberofdamaging,extreme

weathereventsoverthepastdecade.

Tounderstandtheimpact,theteamusedhigh-resolutionglobalatmosphericcirculations

modelsimulations（模拟）（hatvirtuallyre-createCheconditionsin（heatmosphere.Theythen

lookedatotherregionalclimatemodels,comparingsimulationsbasedonreal,meteorologicaldata

（气象数据）from1951to2010topredictionsfor2090.

Authorsusedtheclimatescenariothatwouldresultin4℃ofwarming,comparedto

preindustriallevels—whichissignificantlymorethan2"CtargetsetaspartofParisClimate

Agreement.

Firstauthor,ProfessorYoichiKamac,saidthattheirsimulationspredictstrengthenedwater

vapourtransport,aswellasincreasedrainfallatunprecedentedIcvcls.Insimulationsthegreatest

amountsofatmosphericriver-relatedrainfalloccurredonthesouthernandwesternslopesof

mountainsinEastAsia,includinginJapan,theKoreanPeninsula,andnortheasternChina.Theyhad

tolimitthestudytoEastAsiaduetocomputertimeandprocessinglimitations,butpredictitwould

applytootherregionsaroundtheworld.

(1)What'sthepossibleconsequenceoftheglobalwarming?

A.Itcontributestopollutedair.

B.Itleadstohotandrainyclimate.

C.Itonlyresultsintheriseoftemperature.

D.Itcausesthedestructionofmorespecies.

(2)TheauthorwroteParagraph4to.

A.describethenewstudy

B.introduceatmosphericrivers

C.analyzcthecauseofrainfall

D.warnpeopleofglobalwanning

(3)Howistheresearchcarriedtoknowtheeffect?

A.Bycomparison.

B.Bydiscussion.

C.Byexamples.

D.Byexplanation.

(4)What'stheattitudeofProfessorYoichiKamaetowardtheirsimulations?

A.Theyarerisky.

B.Theyarevalueless.

C.Theyareperfect.

D.Theyareconvincing.

8."Theoppositeofplayisn'twork；it*sdepression,"saysplayresearcherStuartBrown."The

adult-playshortageisbecomingapublichealthcrisis."Playmayappearinsignificant,but

recentstudiesindicateitmaybeasessentialastheneedforsleep.Playfulnesshelpssomeyoung

animalslearntomastertheirbodiesandtheir-environments—andoncetheydo,moststop

playingasadults.

"Adultplaypromotesqualitiesthatwehumanscouldusemoreof,°saysJeffHarry,aplay

consultant.Unfbrtunately»socialstandardsrestrain（抑制）oururgetoletloose."Beingaplayful

adultisreallydisapprovedinoursociety,"hesays."Youdon'twantpeopletothinkthatyou're

childish."

"Ithasn'talwaysbeenthisway,"saysPeterGray,aplayresearcheratBostonUniversity.When

Grayrevieweddescriptionsofthelastremaininghunter-gatherertribes,henoticedthattheywere

oftendescribedas"good-humored"and"joyful"."Whatwcwouldcallwork—huntingand

gathering—wasfun,"hesays."Generallyspeaking,wcliketodothethingsthatarenecessaryfor

oursunival.Humanstookonegiantstepawayfromfunwhenwestartedplantingcrops.Thenwe

inventedfactoriesandlostsightofplayentirely,"Grayadds.

Wemaybeabletoreversethissituation,saysHarry.Aswefullymakethetransitiontoa

knowledge-basedeconomy,workandplayarebeginningtomerge（合并）again.Someoftoday's

mostsuccessfulcompanies,suchasGoogleandApple,werestartedbypeopletinkering（小修补）

intheirgarages.

"Playi*allaboutlookingatatoughworldwithcreativityandoptimism,“Brownsays.Hegoes

sofarastodeclarethat"adultplayisnecessaryforoursurvivalasaspecies".

ThenextlimeI'mcaughtplaying,IknowexactlywhatI'llsay,"Iamnotwastingtime,or

actingimmature.I'mplayingforthebenefitofallhumanity.You'rewelcome."

（1）WhydoesStuartBrownconsideradultplayessential?

A.Itpromotescreativity.

B.Itbattlesdepression.

C.Ilfacilitatescooperation.

D.Itimprovesadaptivity.

（2）WhatsocietalfactorrestrainsadultplayaccordingtoJeffHarry?

A.Fearofjudgmentfromothers.

B.Lackofsufficienttimeforleisure.

C.Culturalemphasisonpersonalvalues.

D.Pressurefromwork-relatedresponsibilities.

（3）WhichstatementwillPeterGrayagreewithaccordingtoParagraph3?

A.Adultplaycontributespositivelytowork.

B.Socialattitudestowardplayregularlyshift.

C.Humansinitiallyfoundjoyinsurvivalactivities.

□.Industrializationcloselyconnectedworkandplay.

（4）Whatisthepurposeofthetext?

A.Tostressthesignificanceofadultplay.

B.lbdiscusstheevolutionofworkandplay.

C.Toadvocateplayfulnessinmodernbusinesses.

D.Toexploretheimpactofadultplayondepression.

9.Summertomatoesaresofilledwithpromise：theredcolor；thegrassytomato-leafsmell；

theexpectationofamouthfulofsweet-saltytomatodishes.Butsupermarkettomatoafter

supermarkettomatodoeslittlemorethandisappointment.Howcanafniitwithsomuchpotential

constantlytasteslightlyjuicyatbestandaglobeofcardboardatworst?

Wcknowthatmoderntomatoessoldatthesupermarketarcpickedgreenandgrownforpest

resistance,shipping,andshelflife-andthattheagricultureindustrycreatesproducedesignedfor

profit,notllavor.Arethesethefactorstoblameforthetomato'spoortaste?

Butevenwhenallowedtoripen（成熟）beforetheyareharvesiedandshippedwithgreatcare,

moderntomatoesarestilltasteless.Whenresearcherslookedintothistomatomatter,theyuncovered

afascinatinggeneticcauseforthefruit'sdullness.Whattoblameisagenemutation（基因突变）

discoveredaccidentallyaround70yearsago,ontowhichtomatogrowersquicklyrelied.Infact,now

themutationhasbeendeliberatelygrownintonearlyallmoderntomatoes.

Why?Itmakesthemauniformandattractivelyredwhenripe.Unfortunatelyfortomatolovers

farandwide,thered-makingmutationstops（heactivenessofanimportantgeneresponsiblefbr

producingthesugarandsmellthatareessentialforagoodsmellingandflavorfultomato»asreported

inthepaper,whichwaspublishedinthejournalScience.Whentheresearchers"turnedon"thegene

thathadstoppedworking,thefruithad20%moresugarand20-30%morecarotenoids（胡萝卜素）

whenripe.Yetthefruit'snon-uniformgreenishcolorsuggestthatmainstreamgrowerswillnotbe

followingsuitanytimesoon.

However,foranyonewithanearbyfarmer'smarket,asupermarketthatofferstraditional

produce,oragardenintheback,thereisanotherchoiceinsteadofcardboard-flavored

tomatocs.Traditionaltomatoesandwildspecieshavenothadtheessenceoftomatoessuckedoutof

thembyselectivegrowing-soshopforthoseorgrowthemyourself.Theymaynotlooklikethe

Disneyversionofaperfectfruit,buttheyactuallytasteliketomatoes.

(1)Whyisaquestionraisedattheendofparagraph1?

A.Tointroducethetopic.

B.lbdrawaconclusionfromcomparison.

C.Toencouragereaderstotakeaction.

D.Toexpressdisappointmentatsupermarkettomatoes.

(2)Whyaremoderntomatoestasteless?

A.Theyhaveripenedwhenpicked.

B.Theyareaffectedbygenemutation.

C.Theyarekeptontheshelffortoolong.

D.Thcyarctreatedwithchemicalsforshipping.

(3)What'sadisadvantageofthetomatoestheresearchersgrewaccordingtoparagraph4?__

A.Taste.

B.Color.

C.Size.

D.Production.

(4)What'stheauthor'sattitudetowardstraditionaltoma:oes?

A.Critical.

B.Unconcerned.

C.Curious.

D.Favorable.

10.Youngmalezebrafinches(斑胸草雀)leamtocoinmunicatebylisteningtoadults.Inthe

lab»researchershavefoundthatthesesongbirdscanlearnfromaudiorecordings.Butzebra

fincheslearnbetterwhentheylistentolivemalefinches,notesRalphSimon.Hestudieshow

animalsmakeandusesoundsattheNurembergZooinGermany.Sinionispartoftheteamthat

builtRoboFinch,aroboticsingingcoachforfinches.

Theresearchersrecordedvideosofadultmalestoanalyzehowtheirbeaks(喙)movewhen

theysing.Thcythenprogrammedtheirrobotstocopythosebeakmovements.Finally,theresearchers

paintedtheirRoboFinchesthesamecolorsastherealbirds.

Theteamdivided45youngfinchesintofourgroups.Someonlyheardrecordingsoffinchsongs

playedbyaspeaker.Otherslistenedwithfemalebirdsthatweren'tsinging.RoboFinchestaughtthe

twoothergroupsofchicks.Thebirdsongsplayedfromaspeakerrightbehindtherobots.Andthe

robots'beaksmovedeitheriroroutofsync(协调)withthesongs.Thatallowedtheteamtc

investigatewhetherbeakorheadmovementsaidsonglearning.

ThebirdshousedwithRoboFincheseventuallyspentmostoft