P1 人类文明

　　P2 鸟类迁徙 Bird Migration

　　P3 味觉的研究

　　朗阁讲师高川川点评

　　1. 本场考试的难度中等，虽然出现了Heading和配对题，但是很多看过机经的学生对文章相对熟悉，是已经多次考到的。

　　2. 整体分析：涉及社会类(P1)、动物类(P2)、科学类(P3)。

　　本次考试第一篇暂时没有收到反馈，不确定具体的题型搭配和文章结构内容。第二篇文章出现的是常规的Heading+选择+填空的搭配形式，主要在Heading的答案确定上存在难度，因为需要在段落中找到中心句或者看明白段落论述的重心，再和选项信息出现转换。第三篇文章出现了段落信息的配对，很多同学反映做题时间很紧张。课下的备考一定要多练习看到不同的题型搭配如何注意合理分配做题时间。

　　3. 部分答案及参考文章：

　　Passage 1：人类文明

　　题型及文章信息待确认

　　Passage 2：鸟类迁徙 Bird Migration

　　题型：List of Headings 7+多选2+完成句子4

　　技巧分析：这篇文章是近10年来第12次考到，最近的14，15，16，17年都有考到这篇，是非常经典的文章和题型搭配。学生在课下的备考还是要多关注对于段落主旨内容和论述重心的判断，这样在Heading的解题过程中才能得心应手。

　　参考答案：

　　14. iv

　　15. v

　　16. ii

　　17. x

　　18. vii

　　19. i

　　20. vii

　　21. A

　　22. C

　　23. parental guidance

　　24. compass

　　25. predators

　　26. visible

　　参考文章与题目：

　　Bird Migration

　　A

　　Birds have many unique design features that enable them to perform such amazing feats of endurance. They are equipped with lightweight, hollow bones, intricately designed feathers providing both lift and thrust for rapid flight, navigation systems superior to any that man has developed, and an ingenious heat conserving design that, among other things, concentrates all blood circulation beneath layers of warm, waterproof plumage, leaving them fit to face life in the harshest of climates. Their respiratory systems have to perform efficiently during sustained flights at altitude, so they have a system of extracting oxygen from their lungs that far exceeds that of any other animal. During the later stages of the summer breeding season, when food is plentiful, their bodies are able to accumulate considerable layers of fat, in order to provide sufficient energy for their long migratory flights.

　　B

　　The fundamental reason that birds migrate is to find adequate food during the winter months when it is in short supply. This particularly applies to birds that breed in the temperate and Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where food is abundant during the short growing season. Many species can tolerate cold temperatures if food is plentiful, but when food is not available they must migrate. However, intriguing questions remain.

　　C

　　One puzzling fact is that many birds journey much further than would be necessary just to find food and good weather. Nobody knows, for instance, why British swallows, which could presumably survive equally well if they spent the winter in equatorial Africa, instead fly several thousands of miles further to their preferred winter home in South Africa’s Cape Province. Another mystery involves the huge migrations performed by arctic terns and mudflat-feeding shorebirds that breed close to Polar Regions. In general, the further north a migrant species breeds, the further south it spends the winter. For arctic terns this necessitates an annual round trip of 25,000 miles. Yet, en route to their destination in far-flung southern latitudes, all these individuals overfly other areas of seemingly suitable habitat spanning two hemispheres. While we may not fully understand birds’ reasons for going to particular places, we can marvel at their feats.

　　D

　　One of the greatest mysteries is how young birds know how to find the traditional wintering areas without parental guidance. Very few adults migrate with juveniles in tow, and youngsters may even have little or no inkling of their parents’ appearance. A familiar example is that of the cuckoo, which lays its eggs in another species’ nest and never encounters its young again. It is mind boggling to consider that, once raised by its host species, the young cuckoo makes it own way to ancestral wintering grounds in the tropics before returning single-handedly to northern Europe the next season to seek out a mate among its own kind. The obvious implication is that it inherits from its parents an inbuilt route map and direction-finding capability, as well as a mental image of what another cuckoo looks like. Yet nobody has the slightest idea as to how this is possible.

　　E

　　Mounting evidence has confirmed that birds use the positions of the sun and stars to obtain compass directions. They seem also to be able to detect the earth’s magnetic field, probably due to having minute crystals of magnetite in the region of their brains. However, true navigation also requires an awareness of position and time, especially when lost. Experiments have shown that after being taken thousands of miles over an unfamiliar landmass, birds are still capable of returning rapidly to nest sites. Such phenomenal powers are the product of computing a number of sophisticated cues, including an inborn map of the night sky and the pull of the earth’s magnetic field. How the birds use their ‘instruments’ remains unknown, but one thing is clear: they see the world with a superior sensory perception to ours. Most small birds migrate at night and take their direction from the position of the setting sun. However, as well as seeing the sun go down, they also seem to see the plane of polarized light caused by it, which calibrates their compass. Traveling at night provides other benefits. Daytime predators are avoided and the danger of dehydration due to flying for long periods in warm, sunlit skies is reduced. Furthermore, at night the air is generally cool and less turbulent and so conducive to sustained, stable flight.

　　F

　　Nevertheless, all journeys involve considerable risk, and part of the skill in arriving safely is setting off at the right time. This means accurate weather forecasting, and utilizing favorable winds. Birds are adept at both, and, in laboratory tests, some have been shown to detect the minute difference in barometric pressure between the floor and ceiling of a room. Often birds react to weather changes before there is any visible sign of them. Lapwings, which feed on grassland, flee west from the Netherlands to the British Isles, France and Spain at the onset of a cold snap. When the ground surface freezes the birds could starve. Yet they return to Holland ahead of a thaw, their arrival linked to a pressure change presaging an improvement in the weather.

　　G

　　In one instance a Welsh Manx shearwater carried to America and released was back in its burrow on Skokholm Island, off the Pembrokeshire coast, one day before a letter announcing its release! Conversely, each autumn a small number of North American birds are blown across the Atlantic by fast-moving westerly tail winds. Not only do they arrive safely in Europe, but, based on ringing evidence, some make it back to North America the following spring, after probably spending the winter with European migrants in sunny African climes.

　　Questions 14-20选项

　　i. The best moment to migrate

　　ii. The unexplained rejection of closer feeding ground

　　iii. The influence of weather on the migration route

　　iv. Physical characteristics that allow birds to migrate

　　v. The main reason why birds migrate

　　vi. The best wintering grounds for birds

　　vii. research findings on how birds migrate

　　viii. Successful migration despite trouble of wind

　　ix. Contrast between long-distance migration and short-distance migration

　　x. Mysterious migration despite lack of teaching

　　Questions 21-22

　　Choose TWO letters, A-E.

　　Write the correct letters in boxes 21 and 22 on your answer sheet.

　　Which TWO of the following statements are true of bird migration?

　　A. Birds often fly further than they need to.

　　B. Birds traveling in family groups are safe.

　　C. Birds flying at night need less water.

　　D. Birds have much sharper eyesight than humans.

　　E. Only shorebirds are resistant to strong winds.

　　Question 23-26

　　Complete the sentences below using NO MORE THAN ONE WORD OR NUMBER from the passage.

　　Write your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.

　　23.It is a great mystery that young birds like cuckoos can find their wintering grounds without ______.

　　24.Evidence shows birds can tell directions like a ______ by observing the sun and the stars.

　　25.One advantage for birds flying at night is that they can avoid contact with ______.

　　26.Laboratory tests show that birds can detect weather without ______signs.

　　Passage 3：味觉的研究

　　题型：段落信息配对5+判断5+填空4

　　技巧分析：出现段落细节的配对题，篇章答案的定位相对较难，因为整篇文章答案的位置会出现交叉或者重合。注意在三个题型内先确定定位的突破口，找到最容易定位且自己做题正确率最高的题型，然后再去看段落细节的配对，这样可以充分利用已读信息进行解题，避免多次重复阅读。

　　参考答案：

　　27. 待确认

　　28. 待确认

　　29. 待确认

　　30. 待确认

　　31. 待确认

　　32.FALSE

　　33.TRUE

　　34.NOT GIVEN

　　35.FALSE

　　36.NOT GIVEN

　　37.firmenich

　　38.chemical sense institute

　　39.university of Bath

　　40.language

　　考试预测

　　1. 本场考试出现了上次预测的Heading和段落信息的配对题型，算是意料之内。这两种题型出现，不管话题和文章语言难度，对定位的要求或者文章段落理解的要求都会更高，一定注意合理分配做题时间，保证在规定时间内能够尽量做多题。下场考试，除了常规基础题型：填空，判断和选择，还要关注前后句的配对和它的篇章搭配。

　　2. 下场考试的话题可能有关历史类，社会类和管理类。

　　3. 重点浏览2014到2018年机经。