Fish Ears Tell Fish Tales

　 Fish have ears. Really. They’re quite small and have no opening to the outside world carrying sound through the body. For the past seven years, Simon Thorrold, a university professor, has been examining fish ears, small round ear bones called otoliths (耳石).

　 As fish grow, so do their otoliths. Each day, their otoliths gain a ring of calcium carbonate (碳酸鈣). By looking through a microscope and counting these rings, Thorrold can determine the exact age of a young fish. As a fish gets older, its otoliths no longer get daily rings. Instead, they get yearly rings, which can also be counted, giving information about the fish’s age, just like the growth rings of a tree.

　 Ring counting is nothing new to fish scientists. But Thorrold has turned to a new direction. They’re examining the chemical elements (元素) of each otolith ring.

　 The daily ring gives us the time, but chemistry tells us about the environment in which the fish swam on any given day. These elements tell us about the chemistry of the water that the fish was in. It also says something about water temperature, which determines how much of these elements will gather within each otolith ring.

　 Thorrold can tell, for example, if a fish spent time in the open ocean before entering the less salty water of coastal areas. He can basically tell where fish are spending their time at any given stage of history.

　 In the case of the Atlantic croaker, a popular saltwater food fish, Thorrold and his assistant have successfully followed the travelling of young fish from mid-ocean to the coast, a journey of many hundreds of miles.

　 This is important to managers in the fish industry, who know nearly nothing about the whereabouts of the young fish for most food fish in the ocean. Eager to learn about his technology, fish scientists are now lending Thorrold their ears.

What can we learn about fish ears from the text?

　A. They are small soft rings.

　B. They are not seen from the outside.

　C. They are openings only on food fish.

　D. They are not used to receive sound.

Why does the writer compare the fish to trees?

　A. Trees gain a growth ring each day.

　B. Trees also have otoliths.

　C. Their growth rings are very small.

　D. They both have growth rings.

Why is it important to study the chemistry of otolith rings?

　A. The elements of the otoliths can tell the history of the sea.

　B. Chemical contents of otoliths can tell how fast fish can swim.

　C. We can know more about fish and their living environment.

　D. Scientists can know exactly how old a fish is.

How would you understand “fish scientists are now lending their ears”?

　A. They are very interested in Thorrold’s research findings.

　B. They want to know where they can find fish.

　C. They lend their fish for chemical studies.

　D. They wonder if Thorrold can find growth rings from their ears.　

Don’t disturb Tony, for he ________ all night and has just fallen asleep.

A. has been working     B. is working    C. has worked    D. works

We look forward to the day when motorcars will be replaced by some less dangerous ____ of transport.

A. means              B. methods            C. manners              D. ways

The gray-haired lady can’t wait to leave the building to search for her dad. Unless watched, she will walk in the streets in an effort to find her father, who died 30 years ago.

Not all cases of Alzheimer’s disease look like this, but Alzheimer’s is a serious disease that is said to be the fourth or fifth leading cause of death for people over age 75. It is said that about three percent of the U.S. population over age 65 have Alzheimer’s. In the early stages, people may exhibit short-term memory loss. Some may experience changes in personality, easy to be angry. As the disease progresses, patients might lose the ability to move and may be unable to speak or move at all. This progressive disease generally lasts 8 to 10 years before death occurs.

While no one is certain what causes these changes in the brain’s nerve fibers （神經(jīng)纖維）, their effect is certain. Alzheimer’s destroys not only the patients, but also spouses（配偶）, friends and families.

What should you do if you notice progressive memory loss in yourself or a loved one? Have the person examined by a doctor who is a specialist in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Though many reasons other than Alzheimer’s disease may cause memory loss, its early diagnosis（診斷）and treatment may delay some of the most serious effects.

What feeling will you likely experience if a loved one suffers from Alzheimer’s disease? A person will often go through the various stages of sadness, shock, anger, and so on. If the spouse develops the disease, you may experience hurt and disappointment when he or she doesn’t remember you are married.

Life for the Alzheimer’s patients and their loved ones will never be the same as the disease progresses, bringing a deep sorrow, loss and even anger towards God. No matter what feelings are present, facing them honestly will serve one better than burying them.

What can be inferred from the passage about the gray-haired day?

       A. She has been living with her father.

       B. She was sad about the death of her father.

       C. She can’t search for her father without being watched.

       D. She suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

When people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, ________.

       A. their families and friends will suffer from the same disease

       B. their families and friends will experience mental sufferings

       C. they will certainly die in 8 to 10 years

       D. they will forget everybody but their spouses

Memory loss occurs ________.

       A. from Alzheimer’s disease and nothing else

       B. from sadness, shock, anger, and so on

       C. for a number of reasons   

       D. with changes in personality

From the passage we know that        .

A. early treatment may stop Alzheimer’s disease occurring

B. it is still unknown what causes the changes in the brain’s nerve fibers

C. nerve fibers in the brain will cause Alzheimer’s disease

D. when one suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, he will be buried

—— Jack, go and clean the blackboard.

——Why ______? I’m not on duty today.

A. he       B. you       C. I        D. me

The girl looked at me with a ____expression. Maybe the problem was quite ___.

A. puzzled; puzzling  B. puzzling; puzzled  C. puzzled; puzzled  D. puzzling; puzzling

——How did you like Nick’s performance last night?

   —— To be honest, his singing didn’t             to me much?

 A. appeal          B. belong           C. refer           D. occur

-----How did you think of the job he did last week ?

-----Well done. ______.

A. It couldn't be worse   B. It should be better.   C. It couldn't have been better.       D. It was worse.

As a candidate（候選人）, you must try to make a good         on everyone if you want to win the election.

A. decision            B. situation            C. impression         D. position

She is an excellent student in our class, and she always________ herself in her studies.

A. hides             B. buries             C. covers            D. leaves