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. Which of the following animals can taste sweet flavour according to the passage? A) The penguin. B) The hummingbird. C) The polar bear. D) The fish.
B
Think about the last time you felt afraid. Was it a fear of height? Did you oversleep on a weekday and fear you'd get into trouble at the office? In any case, you know what it feels like to feel fear. But one woman doesn't the woman, code-named "UM", gave her first-ever interview after years of being studied by a team of researchers. The woman is given a code name because the researchers want to protect her from anyone who would take advantage of her inability to feel afraid. UM can't tell you what fear is because she's never experienced it. "I wonder what it's like to actually be afraid of something," she said. The formal name for the disease is Urbach-Wieth disease, which is characterized by a hoarse voice,small bumps around the eyes, and calcium deposits in the brain. In the case of UM,the disease has transformed the part of her brain that controls the human response to fear. In the interview, UM talks about an event in her life where she was held at knifepoint and gunpoint, "I was walking to the store,and I saw a man on a park bench.He said. "Come here,please," so I went over to him. He grabbed me by the shirt,put a knife to my throat and told me he was going to cut me. I told him, "Go ahead and cut me," I wasn't afraid at all. And for some reason,he let me go." Doctors who have been studying UM's condition for years have been trying different things that could strike fear into her. They finally figured something out--increasing UM's carbon dioxide levels.Extra carbon dioxide concentration in the blood is known to cause fear and panic in health individuals. Increasing UM's carbon dioxide levels did manage to give her a fright. The text starts by _ . A) challenging the reader B) solving daily problems C) listing situations D) giving explanations
C
Q: Music died here last spring, or rather, it was killed by members of the school committee who ignored the importance of music and drama as part of the high-school curriculum. The committee decided that teaching students how to take a standardized test is more important than a curriculum in which students can explore their interests in the arts as well as academics. Because the school system is running out of funding, it needs to make sure that students pass the mastery test or even more money will be lost. If students fail the state standardized test, it is not the fault of drama and music classes-- they are failing because the " academic" classes are not sufficient. It is painful to think of how many students will be discouraged from singing, acting, and playing instruments because school programs are no longer offered. Many families cannot afford private music lessons, and many potential musicians and artists may not find their calling if they are not exposed to it in school. The fact that the school committee thinks the arts are not worth the investment will certainly make some students believe the arts are not worth their time or support and the cycle will continue. Teaching for a test does not shape students into complete, well rounded people. It blocks the natural sense to create and express feelings through art-- there is more to life than the analytical thinking that math and English provide. What happens after a test? Sure, a student might graduate, but they will have limited knowledge -- certainly not a good preparation for the real world. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A) The sufficiency of the classes determines students' performance in the mastery test B) students can be musicians and artists only if they can afford private music lessons C) The school committee completely influences students' attitude towards the arts D) Quite a few students are discouraged from music and art in today's school system.
A: D
(Question)
Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family, and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck. I'm not going to say luck, talent, and circumstances don't come into play because they do. Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence, and that's just the reality of how life is. However, to succeed in life, one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical. And, in addition to that, in order to get really good at something, one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practicing. To become great at certain things, it'll require even more time, time that most people won't put in. This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don't enjoy what you do, it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it. When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success, you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost. It's sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent, but thinking that way does you no good, and there's a huge chance that you're wrong anyway. Whatever you do, if you want to become great at it, you need to work day in and day out, almost to the point of addiction, and over a long period of time. If you're not willing to put in the time and work, don't expect to receive any rewards. Consistent, hard work won't guarantee you the level of success you may want, but it will guarantee that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into. ks5u Successful people suggest doing what one loves because _ . A) one tends to enjoy his work B) work makes one feel pain C) one gives up his work easily D) it takes a lot of time to succeed
(Answer)
D