Small discoveries in Indonesia are causing a stir in the science world. Researchers have unearthed tiny bones that they believe belong to an entire new human species. If that's true, it will change how we think about our ancestors. Clues that the little people may have lived long ago were first revealed last year in the scientific journal Nature. Scientists said that they had found the bones of a three-foot-tall female on the island of Flores, in Indonesia. When they looked more closely, they saw that the nearly complete skeleton belonged to a full-grown adult. Researchers named her Hobbit, after the tiny heroes of the Lord of the Rings books. Now the team is saying it has unearthed even more pieces of the puzzle, including a jawbone and parts of arms, legs and hands from several individuals, as well as stone tools. They reported their find in Nature this month. "The new evidence makes it very clear that these people are a new species, distinct from modern humans," Peter Brown, a scientist on the team, said. They named these ancient humans Homo floresiensis. Brown says that these little people lived as recently as 12,000 years ago. If Homo floresiensis was a different species from modern humans, that would make our family tree bigger than we knew. It means, says Brown, that "until recently, a shared the planet with us." Many scientists think a new species is unlikely. Some argue that the bones must have belonged to modern humans whose small size was the result of a genetic problem. Daniel E. Lieberman, a scientist at Harvard University, thinks that the debate over the discovery is healthy. He believes that the questions and arguments raised by critics will help us learn more about these unusual skeletons. "Disagreement is an important part of the scientific process," Lieberman said. "As far as I'm concerned, the story's only just begun." Researchers name the skeleton Hobbit because _ . A) it is a figure described in the Lord of the Rings B) it resembles the tiny heroes in a set of books C) it proves to be a full-grown adult D) it belongs to an ancient human species
B
(Question)
Valencia is in the east part of Spain. It has a port on the sea, two miles away on the coast. It is the capital of a province that is also named Valencia. The city is a market centre for what is produced by the land around the city. Most of the city's money is made from farming. It is also a busy business city, with ships, railways, clothes and machine factories. Valencia has an old part with white buildings, coloured roofs, and narrow streets. The modern part has long, wide streets and new buildings. Valencia is well known for its parks and gardens. It has many old churches and museums. The university in the centre of the city was built in the 13th century. The city of Valencia has been known since the 2nd century. In the 8th century it was the capital of Spain. There is also an important city in Venezuela named Valencia. What is Valencia famous for? A) Its seaport B) Its university C) Its churches and museums D) Its parks and gardens
(Answer)
D
Ques: Cellphone feels like a part of your body? A global survey has found that most people can't live without their mobiles, never leave home without them and, if given a choice, would rather lose their wallet.[: _ ] Calling mobile phones the "remote control" for life, market research firm Synovate's poll said cell phones are so ubiquitous that by last year more humans owned one than did not. Three-quarters of the more than 8,000 respondents polled online in 11 countries said they take their phone with them everywhere, which Russians and Singaporeans the most attached. More than a third also said they couldn't live without their phone, topped by Taiwanese and again Singaporeans, while one in four would find it harder to replace the mobile than their purse. Some two thirds of respondents go to bed with their phones nearby and can't switch them off, even though they want to, because they're afraid they'll miss something. Mobiles have changed the nature of relationships, with the survey finding a fifth of all respondents set up first dates via text and almost the same number use the same method to end a love affair. Apart from the obvious calling and SMS-ing, the top three features people use regularly on their mobile phones globally are the alarm clock, the camera and the games. As for email and Internet access, 17 percent of respondents said they checked their inboxes or surfed the Web on their phones, led by those in the United States and Britain. One in 10 respondents log onto social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace regularly via mobile, again led by Britain and the United States.[:Zxxk.Com] Not everyone is tech savvy , however,37 percent of respondents said they don't know how to use all the functions on their phone. Which would be the best title of the passage? A) People can live better without the cellphone. B) People would rather lose their wallet than their cellphone. C) Different uses of the cellphone. D) New functions of the cellphone.
Ans: B
Ques: Learning to communicate in another language may be challenging, but it is also a very rewarding and enriching experience. It is the best passport to discovering another culture. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of the experience. Work at your own pace. Make the most of the time you have available to study. You will find you can learn more effectively if you study for half an hour every day, rather than try to do a whole unit in one sitting. Why not learn with someone else? It helps if you can learn with someone else. If you can persuade a friend or family member to study with you, it will give you extra motivation to keep working. Remember that you can go a long way with just a little language. Even if you feel unsure about your ability to form right sentences, you'll find that it is possible to communicate with just a few words. Above all, don't worry about getting things wrong: people will still be able to understand you. The more confidence you gain in communicating, the more fluent you'll become. Build up your vocabulary. A wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning but don't try to learn too much at once. It's best to study frequently. Put words into sentences to fix them in mind, and come back to them later. Learning vocabulary in this way is usually very effective. And most of all, have fun! This passage is basically about some _ of foreign language learning. A) news B) notices C) suggestions D) advertisements
Ans:
C