Penguins can taste only sour and salty food, scientists have discovered. A genetic study suggests the flightless birds lost three of the five basic tastes long ago in evolution. Taste is critical for survival in most animals, but may not matter in the penguin, which swallows fish whole, say researchers in China and the US. Many other birds are unable to taste sweet things, but they do have receptors for detecting bitter and umami (or meaty) flavours. The discovery was made when researchers decoding penguin genomes found some of the taste genes were missing. A closer look at the DNA of penguins revealed that all species lack functioning genes for the receptors of sweet, umami, and bitter tastes. "Based on genetic data, penguins are believed to have sour and salty tastes, but have lost sweet, umami, and bitter tastes," lead researcher Prof Jianzhi Zhang, of the University of Michigan, US, and Wuhan University, China, told the reporter. The umami taste gives food the strong, savoury flavour associated with meat. Lacking this sense is surprising for a carnivorous animal, but does not matter that much in the penguin, which swallows fish without chewing. "Their behaviour of swallowing food whole, and their tongue structure and function, suggest that penguins need no taste perception," said Prof Zhang. "Although it is unclear whether these traits are a cause or a consequence of their major taste loss." The findings, published in Current Biology journal, were a puzzle, he added. One clue comes from the bird's evolution on the frozen ice sheets of Antarctica. Sending signals from sweet, umami, and bitter (but not sour or salty) taste receptors to the brain does not work at very low temperatures. This may have led to the penguin gradually losing its sense of taste, say the researchers. Intriguingly , the sweet taste is missing in almost all birds. The hummingbird, which feeds on sweet nectar, is an exception. What was the discovery made by the researchers when decoding penguin genomes? A) Some of the taste genes were missing. B) Penguins are believed to have sweet and salty tastes. C) The bird's evolution on the frozen ice sheets of Antarctica. D) Taste is critical for survival in most animals.
A
One day, around Christmas time, fishermen off the west coast of Peru started on their traditional fishing trip. Much to their surprise, there were no fish! They knew immediately what had happened. Tales from years gone by had told them this was the result of El Nino which sometimes stop fishing for many months! El Nino is a warm _ that comes and goes along the west coast of South America. It got its name from fishermen in Peru more than a century ago. Every few years, they noticed a sudden warming in the normally cool Pacific water where they fished. Because this warming often came about around Christmas, they called it El Nino, which is Spanish for the "Christ Child". Generally, El Nino occurs every three to seven years and lasts only a few weeks to a month or more. El Nino warms the water it flows through. Because the fish and sea birds need cold water to live, many of them die when El Nino comes through. El Nino also causes both floods and droughts. It is believed that El Nino may have caused the 1993 Mississippi and 1995 California floods. And at the same time, it may have caused droughts in South America, Africa and Australia. El Nino has occurred thirteen times within the last fifty years, bringing natural disasters to many countries such as Indonesia and Peru. However, El Nino does not often trouble China. During this period China was badly hit by El Nino only once. In 1998, North China had a terrible drought, while South China was troubled by floods. The purpose of this passage is _ . A) to discuss the prevention of El Nino B) to explain how El Nino trouble farmers C) to let us know about El Nino D) to tell us how to prepare for El Nino
C
Q: Over the years I've been teaching children about a simple but powerful concept -- the ant philosophy .I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part: ants never quit. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them; they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, and they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go. Second, ants think winter all summer. That's an important viewpoint. You can't be so naive ( ) as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer. An ancient story says, "Don't build your house on the sand in the summer. " Why do we need that advice.'? Because it is important to be realistic. In the summer, you've got to think storm. You've got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun. Think ahead. The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, "This won't last long ; we'll soon be out of here. " And on the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down, but then they come out on the first warm day. They can't wait to get out. And here's the last part of the ant-philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-you-possibly-can" philosophy. Wow, what a great seminar to attend -- the ant seminar. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can. Which of the following can best describe the third part of the ant philosophy? A) Always stay positive. B) Always remind yourself. C) Always think summer. D) Always be hardworking.
A: A
*Question*
Patricia was worried.She had a job interview, and she wanted to look good.She decided to get some new clothes.The store owner, Pallas Hansen, helped Patricia find a suit.But when she left the store, she didn't pay for the suit! How could Patricia do this? She was in a special store called Career Closet in San Jose, California.Pallas Hansen and Charlotte Krumwiede started this nonprofit store to help women.They knew that many women don't find jobs because they don't have the right clothes for a job interview.Women who don't have a lot of money have to use their money to buy food and clothes for their children.They can't buy clothes for themselves. Pallas and Charlotte started the store in 1992 after they heard about a store like this in Chicago.Volunteers work in the store.Working women donate most of the clothes to the store.This makes it possible for the customers at Career Closet to get clothes for free. Career Closet has helped 2,500 San Jose women, but clothes aren't the only things women get at the store.They also get confidence.Patricia is 36 years old.Her husband was hurt in an accident, and Patricia needed a job to support her seven children.She went to Career Closet and got a jacket, a skirt, and a blouse."The whole day made me feel special," she said.Patricia was a success at her interview, and she got the job.One reason why she got it was that she was wearing the right clothes for the workplace. Pallas says," I love this job.Sixty percent of the women get jobs.It's like being a fairy god-mother." The best title for the passage might be _ . A) Getting Clothes Free of Charge B) Fashion C) Success of women D) Job Interview
**Answer**
A