There's this great recurring "Saturday Night Live" skit from several years back where Phil Hartman plays an unfrozen caveman who goes to law school. He pontificates (发表武断的意见) on the American judicial system while marveling at modern technology like "the tiny people in the magic box" (a TV). It fits a common stereotype: Human ancestors were, well, cavemen, and not as smart as we are today. A new hypothesis from a Stanford geneticist tries to turn this stereotype upside down. Human intelligence may have actually peaked before our ancient predecessors ever left Africa, Gerald Crabtree writes in two new journal articles. Genetic mutations during the past several millennia are causing a decline in overall human intellectual and emotional fitness, he says. Evolutionary pressure no longer favors intellect, so the problem is getting worse. He is careful to say that this is taking quite a long time, so it's not like your grandparents are models of brilliance while your children will be cavemen rivaling Hartman's SNL character. But he does maintain that an ancient Athenian, plucked from 1000 BC, would be "among the brightest and most intellectually alive of our colleagues and companions." His central thesis is that each generation produces deleterious (有害的) mutations, so down the line of human history, our intelligence is ever more impaired compared to that of our predecessors. Not surprisingly, the hypothesis, published in the journal Trends in Genetics, has several geneticists scratching their heads. "It takes thousands of genes to build a human brain, and mutations in any one of those can impair that process, that's absolutely true. It's also true that with each new generation, new mutations arise...but Crabtree ignores the other side of the equation, which is selection," said Kevin Mitchell, associate professor at the Smurfit Institute of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin. "Natural selection is incredibly powerful, and it definitely has the ability to weed out new mutations that significantly impair intellectual ability. There are various aspects in these papers that I think are really just thinking about things in a wrong way. " Crabtree said he wanted to examine the cumulative effect of generation-to-generation mutation on intelligence, which is thought to be controlled by many genes. Using indexes that measure X-chromosome (染色体)-related mental retardation, he comes up with between 2,000 and 5,000 genes related to human intellectual ability. Using another index measuring average mutations that arise in each generation of children, he calculates that within 3,000 years, "we have all sustained two or more mutations harmful to our intellectual or emotional stability.""There is a general feeling that evolution constantly improves us, but it only does that if there is selection applied," Crabtree said in an interview. "In this case, it is questionable about how much selection is occurring now compared to the process of optimizing those genes, which occurred in the jungles of Africa 500,000 years ago." There's already evidence for this in other areas, he argues: Take our sense of smell. Humans have far fewer olfactory receptors than other animals, he said—we're guided by our intellect now, not by smell. We can think about where a piece of food came from, how it was processed, which plant it's from, who has been around it, and so on. A dog, on the other hand, simply sniffs something and either eats it or doesn't. Similarly, he believes evolution now selects for other traits—namely, the most healthy and the most immune, not the most intelligent. But geneticists took issue with his claims, not to mention his citations and methods. Mitchell took issue with Crabtree's characterization of genes—he describes them as links in a chain, with incredible overall disruptive power. They're like a bulb on a string of Christmas tree lights that suddenly fails to work, taking out the entire strand with it: "It can be concluded that genes related to intelligence do not operate as a robust network, but rather as links in a chain, failure of any one of which leads to intellectual disability," he writes. Mitchell countered that this ignores other genes that don't cause intellectual disability. "Biological systems are robust to degradation of several different components," Mitchell said. "Evolution has gone to a lot of trouble to craft your genome so it's finely honed to do its job, and it doesn't make sense that you would have all this random mutation in your brain cells. Also, you would have a very high rate of brain cancer."

Teaching Methods for Effective CommunicationI . Introduction: some teaching approaches helpful to classroom communication—well-organized ideas and a(n)【T1】______【T1】______—writing on the board technical terms or【T2】______【T2】______—writing down words about which the teacher is unsure II.【T3】______of communication【T3】______A. Correcting many【T4】______【T4】______B. Finding out where the problems lie:【T5】______or language problems【T5】______III. Advice for teachersA. Proper teaching【T6】______:【T6】______—state the point→make the point→summarize the point→notify studentsbefore【T7】______【T7】______B. Ways to guarantee students' comprehension—encouraging students to【T8】______【T8】______—asking【T9】______of students【T9】______—expressing one idea in【T10】______【T10】______C.【T11】______between students and teachers【T11】______—prompting students to help with classroom communicatione. g. an Iranian teacher making his students at ease in the class by【T12】______and encouraging their questions【T12】______D.【T13】______of providing comfortable atmosphere【T13】______—students paying less attention to the teacher's【T14】______【T14】______—students being more voluntary to【T15】______the teacher【T15】______

During the early years of this century, wheat was seen as the very lifeblood of Western Canada People on city streets watched the yieldsand the price of wheat in almost as much feeling as if they were growers. 【S1】______The marketing of wheat became an increasing favorite topic of 【S2】______conversation. War set the stage for the most dramatic events in marketing the western crop. For years, farmers mistrusted speculative grain selling as carried on through the Winnipeg Grain Exchange. Wheat priceswere generally low in the autumn, so farmers could not wait for 【S3】______markets to improve. It had happened too often that they sold their wheatsoon shortly after harvest when farm debts were coming due, 【S4】______just to see prices rising and speculators getting rich. On various 【S5】______occasions, producer groups asked firmer control, but the government 【S6】______had no wish to become involving, at least not until wartime when 【S7】______wheat prices threatened to run wild. Anxious to check inflation and rising life costs, the federal 【S8】______government appointed a board of grain supervisors to deal with deliveries from the crops of 1917 and 1918. Grain Exchange tradingwas suspended, and farmers sold at prices fixed by the board. To handle 【S9】______with the crop of 1919, the government appointed the first CanadianWheat Board, with total authority to buy, sell, and set prices. 【S10】______

Despite rising education levels and the convenience of buying books online, Chinese of every age are reading less and less these days, according to an analysis released by Chinese Academy of Press and Publication. The following article gives detail information of this phenomenon. Write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize the article briefly; 2. give your comment. Why Aren't Chinese People Reading Books Anymore? While the supply of books has exploded in China in recent decades, people's interest in them has not kept up. According to a survey result published by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication in February, Chinese people read 4.39 books per capita in the past year, a figure that trails far behind major developed countries. And, on average, Chinese people allocated just over 15 minutes a day to reading, compared to almost 100 to watching television and over 45 for using the Internet. Why are the Chinese turning away from reading books? The question has prompted soul-searching among the country's intellectuals. Zhang Lijia, a freelance writer based in Beijing, reminisced fondly about people's passion for reading: "I often had get-togethers with friends where we talked about politics and discussed the books we were reading," she recalled. "There was such a strong spirit of inquiry." That spirit disappeared, Zhang says, by China's single-minded pursuit for economic prosperity, which has left its people with little regard for anything else. "People are too restless, too utilitarian," she reflected. "You need some peace in mind in order to be able to sit down with a book." Zhang's opinion is echoed by a number of longtime professionals in the book industry, who, since the early days of the industry's market-driven reform, have kept close watch of the public's changing preference in books. Some of them point out that in addition to turning away from books, Chinese people have also abandoned more serious and intellectually enriching stories in favor of easy reads. "In the last decade, best-sellers in China have less intellectual content and have become increasingly practical," said He Xiongfei, a well-known publisher of popular books since the early 1990s. Best sellers in China today, He says, consist mainly of "child-rearing manuals, cookbooks, health and fitness guides, test-preparation books, thrillers, and romance novels." Chinese people now have flocked to the Web for more light-hearted fare. According to a 2012 report from the China Internet Network Information Center, almost 200 million Chinese read online literature, although the term lacks a clear definition. A survey by the Chinese research firm iResearch shows that the ten most popular Chinese literature websites receive a total of 12.2 million visitors on an average day. These websites run the gamut of genres, from romance and horror to science fiction and fantasy, and reader interest helps carve them into more specific niches, like military fantasy novels, "officialdom" literature, and stories about time travel. Some websites require readers to pay a small fee, usually less than 5 RMB (80 cents), to access the most popular serialized novels. In the U.S., readers who used to buy physical books now flock to digital stores to find content. China's online readers, however, are choosing e-books for precisely what print books lack: critical and realistic depictions of society, and, more often, a cheap form of escape that, not unlike video games and television, offers them a refuge from the complications and concerns of the real world.

Many of the most flexible examples of tool use in animals come from primates(the order that includes humans, apes, and monkeys). For example, many wild primates use objects tothreaten outsiders. Or there are many examples of tool use by【S1】______the other mammals, as well as by birds and other types of animals.【S2】______ Tools are used by many species in the capture or preparation offood. Chimpanzees use sticks and poles to bring up ants and termites【S3】______(白蚁)from their hiding places. Among the most complex tool useobserving in the wild is the use of stones by Ivory Coast chimpanzees【S4】______to crack nuts open. They select a large flat stone as anvil(a heavy【S5】______block on which to place the nuts)and a smaller stone as a hammer.Stones suitable for use as anvils are not easy to find, but thus often a【S6】______chimpanzee may carry a haul of nuts more than 40 meters to find a suitable anvil. The use of tools in chimpanzees is especiallyinteresting while these animals sometimes modify tools to make them【S7】______better suited their intended purpose. To make a twig more effective【S8】______for digging out termites, for example, a chimp may first strip it of its leaves. Surprisingly, there is also a species of bird that use sticks to【S9】______probe holes in the search for insects. One of the species of Galapagos finch(雀类), the woodpecker finch, picks up or breaks off a twig, cactus spine, or leaf stem. This primitive tool is thenheld in their beak and used to probe for insects in holes in trees that【S10】______the bird cannot probe directly with its beak. Birds have been seen to carry twigs from tree to tree searching for prey.

PASSAGE THREEAccording to Plato, what is the core of Socrates's philosophy?

On Feb. 2, 2007, the United Nations scientific panel studying climate change declared that the evidence of a wanning trend is "unequivocal" , and that human activity has "very likely" been thedriven force in that change over the last 50 years. The last report by【S1】______the group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in 2001, had found that humanity had "likely" played a role. The addition of that single word " very" did more than reflectto mounting scientific evidence that the release of carbon dioxide【S2】______and other heat-trapping gases from smokestacks, tailpipes andburning forests have played a central role in raising the average【S3】______surface temperature of earth by more than 1 degree Fahrenheit【S4】______in 1900. It also added new momentum to a debate that now seems【S5】______to center less over that humans are warming the planet, but instead【S6】______over what to do about it. In recent months, business groups havebanded together to make unprecedented calls to federal regulation of【S7】______greenhouse gases. The subject had a red-carpet moment when former Vice President Al Gore's documentary, " An InconvenientTruth" , was rewarded an Oscar; and the Supreme Court made its【S8】______first global warming-related decision, ruling 5 to 4 that theEnvironmental Protection Agency had not justified their position that【S9】______it was not authorized to regulate carbon dioxide. The latest report from the climate panel predicted that the global temperature is likely to rise between 3. 5 and 8 degreesFahrenheit whether the carbon dioxide concentration in the【S10】______atmosphere reaches twice the level of 1750. By 2100, sea levels are likely to rise between 7 and 23 inches, it said, and the changes now underway will continue for centuries to come.

Until what age do you think people should be encouraged to remain in paid employment? In some countries the average worker is obliged to retire at the age of 50, while in others people can work until they are 65 or 70. The following are opinions on whether there should be a mandatory retirement age. Read them carefully and write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the arguments on both sides; 2. give your comment. Saying Yes 1. People over the age of 65 get many diseases. If there isn't a mandatory retirement age, people who has disease can't work and earn money as much as people who are healthy. This is unfair. Healthy or not is not their fault. So, there should be one mandatory retirement age for all jobs. 2. Workers younger than 65 are unemployed and underemployed. One reason is that all these older people fear being idle or not having more money. In a bad economy, the government should get rid of these people who earn more, and then could afford to hire perhaps a couple of newbies, while still saving money. 3. I'm sorry to say, I think old people should retire. They made it in the workforce, and now should leave jobs for younger people that have to make it. They can always volunteer if they are bored. If they can't afford to, maybe lifestyle changes are needed. A lot don't want to retire where I work and it is causing us to get sent home. Old people get out and give young ones a chance. Sorry if it seems harsh, but reality always is. 4. Older people should be forced to retire at a certain age because the world is steadily changed and their knowledge becomes outdated. With new and upcoming technology the older people fall behind by not knowing how to work these things.Saying No 1. How is it fair for someone to be forced to quit a job that they still may need to help make payments and live off? Just because someone is in their sixties doesn't mean that they aren't mentally and physically able to get the job done. As long as they wish to work they should be able to keep their jobs. 2. I definitely don't think there should be a mandatory retirement age because not all older people necessarily want to retire. I know an 83 year old woman that still works at an elementary school as a secretary, not because she needs the money but because she genuinely likes her job and probably doesn't want to be sitting at home feeling useless. There are some older people that are still coherent and are able to work. Sure, there are some jobs they shouldn't do when they get older but let them and their family choose. 3. There should be no mandatory retirement age, but the age at which the average American does retire should be lower. No one should be forced out of the workforce, but we also shouldn't have work until we are 65 just to make sure we have enough money to get by when we can no longer hold a job. 4. Mandatory retirement age is discriminatory by its very nature. It ignores the realities of an older employee being clearly able to continue productivity and enforces stereotypes like "old people get sick" or "old people are crazy" or "old people can't handle change". None of those are true on the whole and it's harmful to implement policies based on prejudices like that.

中国科技馆的诞生来之不易。与国际著名科技馆和其他博物馆相比，它先天有些不足，后天也常缺乏营养，但是它成长的步伐却是坚实而有力的。它在国际上已被公认为后起之秀。 世界上第一代博物馆属于自然博物馆，它是通过化石，标本等向人们介绍地球和各种生物的演化历史。第二代属于工业技术博物馆，它所展示的是工业文明带来的各种阶段性成果。这两代博物馆虽然起到了传播科学知识的作用，但是它们把参观者当成了被动的旁观者。 世界上第三代博物馆是充满全新理念的博物馆。在这里，观众可以自己去动手操作，自己细心体察。这样，他们可以更贴近先进的科学技术，去探索科学技术的奥妙。 中国科技馆正是这样的博物馆!它汲取了国际上一些著名博物馆的长处，设计制作了力学、光学、电学、热学、声学、生物学等展品，展示了科学的原理和先进的科技成果。

七十五岁时重返文坛，丁玲没有时间为自己的遭遇呻吟叹息。她就像年轻人一样急切地捧出了一枝报春的红杏——《杜晚香》，忘情地投入新的生活和创作。她奔波于大江南北，游历于欧、美、澳大陆，会见各种人，发表演说，奋笔疾书，写散文，写评论，每年都有十多万字的新作，每年都有新书问世。晚年的丁玲，迎来了一个宝贵的创作旺盛期。她珍惜夕阳的余晖，计划在有生之年再写三本书。

威尼斯是意大利东海岸对东方贸易的三大港口之一，其余的两个是它南边的巴利和北边的特利斯提。在它的繁盛的时代，就是公元后十三世纪，那时是中国的元朝，有个商人名叫马可波罗曾到过中国，在扬州作过官。他在中国住了二十多年，回到威尼斯之后，写了一本游记，极称中国文物之盛。在他的游记里，曾仔细地描写过芦沟桥，因此直到现在，欧洲人还把芦沟桥称作马可波罗桥。

看看社会上“有福”的人，有几个人的福是因为老实而得?看看那些发了横财、飞黄腾达的人，考察一下他们的发达过程，你便会得出另一个结论：不老实的人也会有福。这样说来，“吃亏是福”难道真的错了? 其实，并不错的，不吃亏的福，与吃亏的福，虽同是“有福”，含义却大大不同。二者的区别是：不吃亏的福，福气浓烈，但“福兮祸所伏”；吃亏之福，福味清淡，但福祚长久。福，没有固定和统一的标准，是在相互比较中的一种感受，和粗茶淡饭、平民布衣相比，灯红酒绿、宝马香车的人就是福；和坐牢枪毙的人相比，躬耕陇亩、好好活着就是福。从这个角度说，“吃亏是福”永远没有错。

Now, the second characteristic of active learners is to reflect on information and【T1】 1. Being reflective is an important part of active learning because it means that you are【T2】 2. In other words, you are【T3】 3. For instance, you may make connections between the new information and【T4】 4, identify concepts that you may not understand very well or evaluate the importance of what you are reading. An active learner【T5】 5 in this way. In contrast, passive learners may【T6】 6 and listen to lectures and even understand most of what is read and heard, but they do not take that crucial next step of actually thinking about it. Now, the second characteristic of active learners is to reflect on information and【T1】 7. Being reflective is an important part of active learning because it means that you are【T2】 8. In other words, you are【T3】 9. For instance, you may make connections between the new information and【T4】 10, identify concepts that you may not understand very well or evaluate the importance of what you are reading. An active learner【T5】 11 in this way. In contrast, passive learners may【T6】 12 and listen to lectures and even understand most of what is read and heard, but they do not take that crucial next step of actually thinking about it. 【T1】

最令人怵目惊心的一件事，是看看钟表上的秒针一下一下地移动，每移动一下就是表示我们的寿命已经缩短了一部分。再看看墙上挂着的可以一张张撕下的日历，每天撕下一张就是表示我们的寿命又缩短了一天。因为时间即生命。没有人不爱惜他的生命，但很少有人珍视他的时间。如果想在有生之年做一点什么事，学一点什么学问，充实自己，帮助别人，使生命成为有意义，不虚此生，那么就不可浪费光阴。这道理人人都懂，可是很少人真能积极不懈地善于利用他的时间。

克隆人、千年虫、互联网…… 我们触目所见的许多东西都在挑战我们的思维和传统。虽然我们应当有勇气来接受和不断地超越人类的局限，可是并非一切发展都无懈可击。无限制的发展和无限制的挥霍一样的可怕，所以西方科学家生活在隐忧中，对未来的科学又喜又惊，反思科学发展成了他们的日常工作之一。我们或许还可以争辩说，中国人还生活在争取富足的道路上，不必杞人忧天。 也许对于生活在科学门槛前面的中国人来说，科学仍然神秘而美丽，明艳照人。

Creative Thinking I. Facts to be known about creative thinkingA. People are creative【T1】 1【T1】 2B. It isn't developed enough in【T2】 3【T2】 4C. It's the distinctive【T3】 5 of human being【T3】 6II. The role of creative thinking in all areas of one's lifeA. Creative thinking will always be【T4】 7 whatever you do【T4】 8— it gives one the edge that really【T5】 9【T5】 10himself from other people— it helps generate what repetitive procedure should first be— developing the skill of it helps one to get to【T6】 11 of a field【T6】 12— it helps one【T7】 13 a new set of procedures to follow【T7】 14— it helps one to absorb new knowledge and experiencesB. Creative thinking is the key to opportunities— wide application of man's creativity in the Internet, airplane, etc.— a whole new realm of opportunities resulting from【T8】 15【T8】 16a)a happier home atmosphereb)more【T9】 17 brought about by diet and exercise【T9】 18c)an additional stream of income brought about by【T10】 19【T10】 20d)interpersonal relationship brought about by gym and networkC. Creativity promotes initiative and【T11】 21【T11】 22— people having strong sense of【T12】 23 and initiative【T12】 24—【T13】 25, people becoming more optimistic【T13】 26— one of the best ways to cope with the【T14】 27【T14】 28III. Easiest ways to develop creative thinking, and your gainsA. Taking your ideas seriously and【T15】 29【T15】 30B. Getting to know the true power of creative thinking Creative Thinking I. Facts to be known about creative thinkingA. People are creative【T1】 31【T1】 32B. It isn't developed enough in【T2】 33【T2】 34C. It's the distinctive【T3】 35 of human being【T3】 36II. The role of creative thinking in all areas of one's lifeA. Creative thinking will always be【T4】 37 whatever you do【T4】 38— it gives one the edge that really【T5】 39【T5】 40himself from other people— it helps generate what repetitive procedure should first be— developing the skill of it helps one to get to【T6】 41 of a field【T6】 42— it helps one【T7】 43 a new set of procedures to follow【T7】 44— it helps one to absorb new knowledge and experiencesB. Creative thinking is the key to opportunities— wide application of man's creativity in the Internet, airplane, etc.— a whole new realm of opportunities resulting from【T8】 45【T8】 46a)a happier home atmosphereb)more【T9】 47 brought about by diet and exercise【T9】 48c)an additional stream of income brought about by【T10】 49【T10】 50d)interpersonal relationship brought about by gym and networkC. Creativity promotes initiative and【T11】 51【T11】 52— people having strong sense of【T12】 53 and initiative【T12】 54—【T13】 55, people becoming more optimistic【T13】 56— one of the best ways to cope with the【T14】 57【T14】 58III. Easiest ways to develop creative thinking, and your gainsA. Taking your ideas seriously and【T15】 59【T15】 60B. Getting to know the true power of creative thinking

Cross-Cultural Communication Tips for AmericansI. Why Americans need cross-cultural tips?a)Not a "melting pot" but a(n)"【T1】_____"【T1】______b)Different cultural identities in the mixed crowdII. General advice for cross-cultural communication(CCC)a)Do not base actions on【T2】_____【T2】______b)Watch for the other【T3】_____【T3】______c)Expect【T4】_____【T4】______d)Don't feel【T5】_____because of the mistakes【T5】______III. Three key tips for CCCa)Keep the conversation【T6】_____【T6】______— Asking friendly questions can make people【T7】_____【T7】______b)Don't assume where someone is from by his/her【T8】_____【T8】______— Someone with a British accent might come from a dozen of countriesc)Respond to a personal question by avoiding it with【T9】_____【T9】______— If you're pressed for specifics, simply【T10】______ it.【T10】______IV. A(n)【T11】______-Jeffs mistakes【T11】______a)He addressed Lora by her first name without【T12】_____【T12】______b)He forced Lora into an uncomfortable【T13】_____【T13】______c)He assumed Lora was from【T14】_____ or Mexico【T14】______d)He made himself a fool by assuming that— Lora didn't know some people think bullfighting is cruel— Lora had never been to【T15】_____【T15】______

It is convenient to distinguish between nonverbal and verbalcommunication, just as is to distinguish between decoding and【M1】______encoding processes, but such distinctions can be misled.【M2】______COMMUNICATION is a system, simultaneously engaging in【M3】______encoding and decoding processes. In social settings, we only occasionally speak, but we cannot "not behave." To understand nonverbal communication it is necessary to appreciate the interdependence of the verbal and nonverbal components of simultaneous encoding and decoding processes. An example ofthis interdependence may have seen in the cognitive processes【M4】______directing verbal and nonverbal behavior. Both encoding anddecoding can vary from being automatic to reflective and【M5】______deliberate, but verbal communication is typically more deliberately【M6】______and cognitively demanding than nonverbal communication. Furthermore, if we assume that there are limited cognitive resources available for encoding and decoding verbal andnonverbal components, then altering the cognitive demands on any【M7】______one process can affect other processes and the course of communication. In general, to the extent that nonverbal processes require less【M8】______cognitive resources than verbal processes do, nonverbal communication is more resilient than verbal communication.Moreover, specific interpersonal goals can make the encoding of【M9】______nonverbal behavior(e.g., a difficult impression management task)and the decoding of nonverbal behavior(e.g., looking for evidence of deception)less automatic and more cognitively demanding.Understand the dynamic relationships between encoding and【M10】______decoding aspects of verbal and nonverbal behavior is a critical step in understanding the broader communicative process.

我是个好动的人；每回我身体行动的时候，我的思想也仿佛就跟着跳荡。我做的诗，不论它们是怎样的“无聊”，有不少是在旅行期中想起的。我爱动，爱看动的事物，爱活泼的人，爱水，爱空中的飞鸟，爱车窗外掣过的田野山水。星光的闪动，草叶上露珠的颤动，花须在微风中的摇动，雷雨时云空的变动，大海中波涛的汹涌，都是在触动我感兴的情景。是动，不论是什么性质，就是我的兴趣，我的灵感。