第二十九篇I’ll Be Bach练习：1．The music composed by David cope is about ______.A Classical musicB pop musicC dramaD country music2．By developing a computer software，David cope aimed ______.A to be like BachB to study BachC to write an operaD to create a musical database3．What did cope realize about a great composer’s brain?A It forms new musical patterns all by itselfB It writes a computer programC It can recognize any music patternsD It creates an accurate database4．Who is Emmy?A a databaseB a computer softwareC a composer who helped DavidD an opera5．We can infer from the passage that ______.A David Cope is a computer programmer.B David Cope loves music.C Bach’s music helped him a lot.D Emmy did much more work than a composer.第40篇（2012新增）Teaching Math, Teaching Anxiety教数学，教焦虑在最新一项关于小学生学数学的研究中，芝加哥大学的心理学家Sian Beilock和Susan Levine 发现，女教师的想法和女学生的学习之间有着惊人的联系：如果女教师对自己的数学能力感到焦虑，她的女学生很可能认为男孩子数学比女孩学得更好。
"如果一直由对数学有焦虑的女教师教授数学，就会对她们的数学成绩产生雪球效应"，Levine说。
换言之，女孩子们最后从老师那里获得的是对数学的焦虑。
该研究表明，如果女孩子们在一个认为男孩比女孩数学好的环境中成长，那么她们的数学可能会不如在更自信的状态下学得好。
如同学生，教师也会觉得某些学科难学和难教，这就是研究者所言的"焦虑"：不自在或担心。
此研究发现，教师对数学的焦虑能够传染给她的女学生们。
该研究的研究对象包括65个女孩，52个男孩和17位在中西部教一二年级的教师。
学生们在学年的开始和结束时都进行数学测试，研究者们比较得分。
研究者们测试学生是否认为数学明星一定会是男孩。
然后研究者们测试教师，试图找出哪些教师对数学感到焦虑，研究者们问教师们当碰到数学问题诸如阅读销售清单时的感受，如果一位教师一看到销售清单的数字就感到紧张，那么她很可能对数学存在焦虑。
平均来说，教师的焦虑不会影响到男孩子。
但是，一般说来，如果教女孩子的教师有数学焦虑症，那么女孩子们在学年结束时测试得分比其他的女孩要低。
另外，在关于是否认为数学明星应该是男孩的测试中，有20个女孩认为男孩数学比女孩好，这20个女孩的老师都是女性，且都患有数学焦虑症。
来自密苏里大学的心理学家David Geary说"这是一个有趣的研究，但是这只是初步结果，需要用更大的调查样本进行重复验证"。
1. What is the result of the research at the University of Chicago,according to the first paragraph?A Girls comfortable with their own math skills are better than boys at math.B Girls uncomfortable with their own math skills are not as good as boys at math.C Female teachers' math skills have influence over girl students' math skills.D Female teachers' confidence in their math skills is related to girl's math skills.2. What is implied in the third paragraph?A Math teachers,like math learners,do not like the subject due to its difficulty.B A difficult subject like math may affect teachers' confidence in teaching the subject.C Teachers are more anxious teaching math than their students learning math.D Math is so difficult that no teachers like to teach it.3. According to the experiment,those teachers were probably anxious about math when they feltA nervous memorizing the numbers of a sales receipt.B helpless saving the numbers of a sales receipt.C uneasy reading the numbers of a sales receipt.D hopeless filling in the numbers of a sales report.4. The sixth paragraph tells us that the research findingsA prove a strong link between female teachers' math anxiety and their female students' mathachievements.B show that male students are less likely to be affected by their math anxiety than female students.C provide strong evidence that math superstars are more likely to be males than females.D discover a strong link between teachers' math anxiety and their students' math achievements.5. David Geary thinks thatA the study is interesting but it is based on unreliable research process.B the research results need to be retested based on a larger sample.C the research results need to be reinterpreted to be meaningful.D the study is well based and produces significant results.***第46篇（2012年新增）Ants Have Big Impact on Environment as "Ecosystem Engineers"蚂蚁作为“生态系统工程师”对环境影响巨大埃克斯特大学所做的研究表明，蚂蚁作为“生态系统工程师”和食肉动物的行为对当地的环境影响巨大。
该研究发表在动物生态杂志上，它表明蚂蚁对当地的环境有两大显著的影响。
第一，通过筑巢而挪动土壤或采集食物，蚂蚁影响土壤的营养水平。
这可间接影响当地从腐生物到食物链高层的许多动物种群的数量。
第二，它们捕食的动物种类很多，包括那些被大量工蚁攻击的大猎物。
Dirk Sanders是该大学生态和保护中心所做的此项研究的作者，他说：“蚂蚁是高效的食肉动物，而且能大量繁殖。
它们具有很强的领地意识，并且会竭尽全力对抗其他的食肉动物来保卫自己的领地。
所有这些都意味着蚂蚁对周围环境影响巨大。
”“在该研究中，我们第一次对蚂蚁带来的影响程度及微妙程度进行研究。
所得到的发现是：尽管是食肉动物，蚂蚁的出现能促使其他动物族群在数量和品种上的增长。
并对当地的环境起到切实重要的作用，对大草原的食物链影响巨大。
”Sanders说。
该研究在德国进行，它对花园黑蚂蚁和一般的红蚂蚁在不同混合程度和不同密度下的影响力进行研究。
黑蚂蚁和红蚂蚁在整个欧洲包括英国都能找到。
研究发现，一个地区的蚂蚁密度小，而其他动物尤其是食草动物和腐生物的数量和种类会增多。
如果蚂蚁的密度大，就不可能产生同样的影响，或者产生相反的影响，这表明，蚂蚁的掠食活动会抵消蚂蚁给环境带来的积极影响。
Dr Frank van Veen是本研究的另一作者，他说：“我们的发现是：如果蚂蚁的数量少，其对土壤的营养水平的影响会对动物族群产生积极的效果。
如果蚂蚁的数量增加，其捕食的影响会达到最大化，因此会抵消蚂蚁通过生态工程给环境带来的积极影响。
”蚂蚁是生态系统的重要组成部分，不仅因为它占有很大部分的生物量，而且因为其作为生态系统工程师的角色。
蚂蚁具有难以想象的多样性，但极易受人类的影响，这就使它的多样性有显著的减少。
然而，科学家还不消楚人类对蚂蚁这种干扰如何破坏蚂蚁对生态系统的维护作用。
蚂蚁通过变动物理的和化学的环境，通过对植物、微生物和其他土壤生物的影响而对生态环境起至关重要的作用。
练习：1 .Why are ants compared to ecosystem engineers?A Because they build their own nests.B Because they collect food.C Because their activity affects the environment.D Because they are predators.2. As predators, antsA prey on small as well as large animals.B collect nutritious food from the soilC collect food as decomposers.D prey on species much higher up the food chain.3. Dir Sanders' study centered on how antsA can manage to thrive in huge numbers.B defend their resources and territory against other predators.C attack those invading animals for survival.D produce such a big impact on the environment.4. What does paragraph 6 tell us?A Ants bring about a negative influence to an area when their population is small.B Ants bring about a positive influence to an area when their population is small.C Ants' predation counteracts the positive influence they may have on an area.D At higher density, ants produce a positive influence on an area.5. What still remains unclear about ants, according to the last paragraph?A What roles do ants play in the ecosystem in which they live?B How do ants affect the animal diversity in a given ecosystem?C How do human activities affect ants' influence on a given ecosystem?D How do ants alter the physical and chemical environment?***第48篇（2013新增）Researchers Discover Why Humans Began Walking Upright第四十八篇研究人员发现人类开始直立行走的原因我们大多数人每天都走路而且手里搬着东西。