高考试题及答案

2010年普通高等学校招生全国统一考试（江苏卷）

英语

第一部分听力（共两节，满分30分）

做题时，先将答案标在试卷上，录音内容结束后，你将有两分钟的时间将试卷上的答案转

涂到答题卡上。

第一节（共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分）

听下面5段对话，每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最

佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置，听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题

的阅读下一小题，每段对话仅读一遍。

例：Howmuchistheshirt?

A£19.15B£9.15C£9.18

答案是B

1、WhatwillDorothydoontheweekend?

AGooutwithherfriend

Bworkonherpaper

CMakesomeplans

2、WhatwasthenormalpriceoftheT-shirt?

A$15

B$30

C$50

3、WhathasthewomandecidedtodoonSundayafternoon?

AToattendawedding

BTovisitanexhibition

CTomeetafriend

4、WhendoesthebankcloseonSaturday?

AAT1:00pm

BAT3:00pm

CAT4:00pm

5、wherearethespeakers?

Ainastore

BInaclassroom

CAtahotel

第二节（共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分）

听下面5段对话或独白，每段对话和独白后有儿个小题，从题中所给的ABC三个选

项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置，听每段对话和独白前\你将有时间阅读各个小

题，每小题5分钟；听完后，各小题给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话和独白读两遍。

听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。

6WhatdoweknowaboutNora?

ASheprefersaroomofown

BShelikestoworkwithothergirls

CShelivesnearthecitycenter

7、Whatisgoodabouttheflat?

AIthasalargesittingroom

BIthasgoodfurniture

CIthasabigkitchen

听第七段材料，回答第8、9题。

8.wherehasBarbarabeen?

A.Milan.

B.Florence.

C.Rome.

9.WhathasBarbaragotinhersuitcase?

A.Shoes.

B.Stones.

C.Books.

听第8段材料，回答第10至12题。

10.Whoismakingthetelephonecall?

A.ThomasBrothers.

B.MikeLandon.

C.JackCooper.

11.WhatrelationisthewomantoMr.Cooper?

A.Hiswife.

B.Hisboss.

C.Hissecretary.

12.Whatisthemessageabout?

A.Ameeting.

B.AvisittoFrance

C.Thedateforatrip.

听第9段材料,回答第13至16题。

13.Whocouldthemanspeakermostprobablybe?

A.Apersonwhosawtheaccident.

B.Thedriverofthelorry.

C.Apoliceofficer.

14.WhatwasMrs.Franksdoingwhentheaccidenttookplace?

A.WalkingalongChurchillAvenue.

B.Gettingreadytocrosstheroad.

C.Standingoutsideabank.

15.Whendidtheaccidenthappen?

A.Atabout8:00am.

B.Atabout9:00am.

C.Atabout10:00am.

16.Howdidtheaccidenthappen?

A.Alorryhitacar.

B.Acarranintoalorry.

C.Abankclerkrushedintothestreet.

听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。

17.Whatisthetalkmainlyabout?

A.Thehistoryoftheschool.

B.Thecoursesfortheterm.

C.Theplanfortheday.

18.Wherecanthevisitorslearnaboutthesubjectsfornewstudent?

A.Intheschoolhall.

B.Inthesciencelabs.

C.Intheclassrooms.

19.Whatcanstudentsdointhepracticalareas?

A.Takesciencecourses?

B.Enjoyexcellentmeals.

C.Attendworkshops.

20.Whenarethevisitorsexpectedtoaskquestion?

A.Duringthelunchhour.

B.Afterthewelcomespeech.

C.Beforethetouroflabs.

第二部分：英语知识运用（共两节，满分35分）

第一节：单项填空（共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分）

请认真阅读下面各题，从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答

题卡上将该项涂黑。

例：Itisgenerallyconsideredunwisetogiveachild______heorshewants.

A.howeverB.whateverC.whicheverD.wherever

答案是Bo

21.Thevisitorsherearegreatlyimpressedbythefactthatpeoplefromall

walksoflifeareworkinghardfornewJiangsu.

A.不填；aB.不填；theC.the;aD.the;the

22.Thedoctorisskilledattreatinghearttroubleandneveracceptsanygiftfrom

hispatients,sohehasaverygood_.

A.expectationB.reputationC.contributionD.civilization

23.—why,Jack,youlooksotired!

--Well,IthehouseandImustfinishtheworktomorrow.

A.waspaintingB.willbepaintingC.havepaintedD.havebeenpainting

24.ThousandsofforeignersweretotheShanghaiWorldExpothedayitopened.

A.attendedB.attainedC.attractedD.attached

25.—Ihaven'tgotthereferencebookyet,butI'llhaveatestonthesubjectnextmonth.

—Don'tworry.YouhaveitbyFriday.

A.couldB.shallC.mustD.may

26.Theexperimenthasthepossibilityoftheexistenceofanylifeonthatplanet,butit

doesnotmeanthereisnolifeonotherplanets.

A.foundoutB.pointedoutC.ruledoutD.carriedout

27.----DoyouthinktheirtabletennisteamwillwinthefirstplaceatthecomingAsianGames?

----.Oursismuchstrongerthantheirs.

A.OfcourseB.ItdependsC.Don'tmentionitD.Bynomeans

28.Theretiredmandonatedmostofhissavingstotheschooldamagedbytheearthquakein

Yushu,thestudentstoreturntotheirclassrooms.

A.enablingB.havingenabledC.toenableD.tohaveenabled

29.Sofarwehavedonealottobuildalow-carboneconomy,butitisideal.Wehaveto

workstillharder.

A.nexttoB.farfromC.outofD.dueto

30.—Peter,wheredidyouguysgoforthesummervacation?

--Webusywithourworkformonths,sowewenttothebeachtorelaxourselves.

A.wereB.havebeenC.hadbeenD.willbe

31.--一Ihavetriedveryhardtofindasolutiontotheproblem,butinvain

--whynotconsultwithFrank?Yousee,.

A.greatmindsthinkalike

B.twoheadsarebetterthanone

C.abirdinthehandisworthtwointhebush

D.it'sbettertothinktwicebeforedoingsomething

32.Thenewlybuiltcafe,thewallsofarepaintedlightgreen,isreallyapeacefulplacefor

us,speciallyafterhardwork.

A.thatB.itC.whatD.which

33.■--Iseveryonehere?

—Notyet・・・..・Look,theretherestofourguests!

A.comeB.comesC.iscomingD.arecoming

34.Georgeisgoingtotalkaboutthegeographyofhiscountry,butI'dratherhemoreon

itsculture.

A.focusB.focusedC.wouldfocusD.hadfocused

35.-IprefershuttingmyselfinandlisteningtomusicalldayonSundays.

-That'sIdon'tagree.Youshouldhaveamoreactivelife.

A.whereB.howC.whenD.what

第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后个题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，

并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Anotherperson?senthusiasmwaswhatsetmemovingtowardthesuccessIhave

achieved.Thatpersonwasmystepmother.

IwasnineyearsoldwhensheenterdourhomeinruralVirginia.Myfather36metoher

withthesewords:641wouldlikeyoutomeetthefellowwhois37forbeingtheworstboyin

thiscountyandwillprobablystartthrowingrocksatyouno38thantomorrowmorning.”

Mystepmotherwalkedovertome,39myheadslightlyupward,andlookedmerightin

theeye.Thenshelookedatmyfatherandreplied,44Youare40.Thisisnottheworstboyatall,

41thesmartestonewhohasn'tyetfoundanoutlet（释放的途径）forhisenthusiasm.^

Thatstatementbegana（n）42betweenus.Noonehadevercalledmesmart,Myfamily

andneighborshadbuiltmeupinmy43asabadboy.Mystepmotherchangedallthat.

Shechangedmanythings.She44myfathertogotoadentalschool,fromwhichhe

graduatedwithhonors.Shemovedourfamilyintothecountysrat,wheremyfather'scareercould

bemore45andmybrotherandIcouldbebetter46

WhenIturnedfourteen,sheboughtmeasecondhand47andtoldmethatshebelieved

thatIcouldbecomeawriter.Iknewherernthusiasmj48

ithadalreadlyimprovedourlives.Iacceptedher49andbegantowriteforlocal

newspapers.Iwasdoingthesamekindof50thatgreatdayIwenttointerviewAndrew

Carnegieandreceivedthetaskwhichbecamemylife'sworklater.Iwasn'tthe51

beneficiary（受益者）.Myfatherbecamethe52manintown.Mybrotherandstepbrthers

becameaphysician,adentist,alawyer,andacollegepresident.

Whatpower53has'Whenthatpowerisreleasedtosupportthecertaintyofone'spurpose

andis54strengthenedbyfaith,itbecomesanirresistible（不可抗拒的）forcewhichpoverty

andtemporarydefeatcannever55.

Youcancommunicatethatpowertoanyonewhoneedsit.Thisisprobablythegreatestwork

youcandowithyourenthusiasm.

36.A.rushedB.sentC.carriedD.introduced

37.A.distinguishedB.favoredC.mistakenD.rewarded

38.A.soonerB.laterC.longerD.earlier

39.A.draggedB.shookC.raisedD.bent

40.A.perfectB.rightC.wrongD.impolite

41.A.butB.soC.andD.or

42.A.ageementB.friendshipC.gapD.relationship

43.A.opinionB.imageC.espectationD.mind

44.A.beggedB.persuadedC.orderedD.invited

45.A.successfulB.meaningfulC.helpfulD.useful

46.A.（rearedB.entertainedC.educatedD.respected

47.A.cemeraB.radioC.bicycleD.typewriter

48.A.consideredB.suspectedC.ignoredD.appreciated

49.A.beliefB.requestC.criticismD.description

50.A.teahingB.writingC.studyingD.reading

51.A.nextB.sameC.onlyD.real

52.A.cleverestB.wealthiestC.strongestD上ealthiest

53.A.ebthusiasmB.sympathyC.fortuneD.confidence

54.A.deliberatelyB.happilyC.traditionallyD.constantly

55.A.winB.matchC.reachD.doubt

第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，

并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

Usually,whenyourteacherasksaquestion,thereisonlyonecorrectanswer.Butthereis

onequestionthathasmillionsofcurrentanswers.Thatquestionis"What'syourname?"

Everyonegivesadifferentanswer,buteveryoneiscorrect.

Haveyoueverwonderedaboutpeople'snames?Wheredotheycomefrom?Whatdothey

mean?

People'sfirstnames,orgivennames,arechosenbytheirparents.Sometimesthenameofa

grandparentorothermemberofthefamilyisused.Someparentschoosethenameofa

well-knownperson.AboycouldbenamedGeorgeWashingtonSmith;agirlcouldbenamed

HelenKellerJones.

Somepeoplegivetheirchildrennamesthatmeangoodthings.Clarameans"bright";

Beatricemeans“onewhogiveshappiness”;Donaldmeans“worldruler";Leonardmeans"as

braveasalion”.

Theearliestlastnames,orsurnames,weretakenfromplacenames.Afamilywiththename

BrookorBrooksprobablylivednearbrook（小溪）；someonewhowascalledLongstreetprobably

livedonalong,pavedroad.TheGreenwoodfamilylivedinornearaleafyforest.

Otherearlysurnamescamefrompeople'soccupations.Themostcommonoccupational

nameisSmith,whichmeansapersonwhomakesthingswithironorothermetals.Inthepast,

smithswereveryimportantworkersineverytownandvillage.Someotheroccupationalnames

are:Carter-apersonwhoownedordroveacart;Potter-apersonwhomadepotsand

pans.

TheancestorsoftheBakerfamilyprobablybakedbreadfortheirneighborsintheirnative

village.TheCarpenter'sgreat-great-great-grandfatherprobablybuilthousesandfurniture.

Sometimespeoplewereknownforthecoloroftheirhairorskin,ortheirsize,ortheir

specialabilities.WhenthereweretwomenwhowerenamedJohninthesamevillage,theJohn

withthegrayhairprobablybecameJohnGray.OrtheJohnwasverytallcouldcallhimselfJohn

Tallman.JohnFishwasprobablyanexcellentswimmerandJohnLightfootwasprobablyafast

runneroragooddancer.

Somefamilynamesweremadebyaddingsomethingtothefather'sname.English-speaking

peopleadded-sor-son.TheJohnsonsaredescendantsofJohn;theRobertsfamily'sancestor

wasRobert.IrishandScottishpeopleaddedMacorMeorO.PerhapsalloftheMacDonnellsand

theMcDonnellsandtheO'DonnellsaredescendantsofthesameDonnell.

56.WhichofthefollowingaspectsdothesurnamesinthepassageNOTcover?

A.Placeswherepeoplelived.B.People'scharacters.

C.Talentsthatpeoplepossessed.D.People/soccupations.

57.Accordingtothepassage,theancestorsofthePotterfamilymostprobably.

A.ownedordroveacartB.madethingswithmetals

C.madekitchentoolsorcontainsD.builthousesandfurniture

58.SupposeandEnglishcouplewhoseancestorslivednearaleafyforestwantedtheirnew-born

sontobecomeaworldleader,thebabymightbenamed.

A.BeatriceSmithB.LeonardCarter

C.GeorgeLongstreetD.DonaldGreenwood

59.Theunderlinedword“descendants“inthelastparagraphmeansaperson's

A.latergenerationsB.friendsandrelatives

C.colleaguesandpartnersD.latersponsors

B

ItisreportedthatconservationgroupsinNorthAmericahavebeenarguingaboutthe

benefitsanddangersofwolves.Somegroupsbelievewolvesshouldbekilled.Otherpeople

believewolves

Mustbeprotectedsothattheywillnotdisappearfromthewilderndss（荒野）

ForKillingWolves

InAlaska,thewolfalmostdisappearedafewyearsago,becausehunterswerekillinghundreds

Ofthemforsport.However,lawswereestablishedtoprotectthewolvesfromsportsmenand

peoplewhocatchtheanimalsfortheirfur.Sothewolfpopulationhasgreatlyincreased.Now

therearesomanywolvesthattheyaredestroyingtheirownfoodsupply.

Awolfnaturallyeatsanimalsinthedeerfamily.Peopleinthewildernessalsohuntdeerfor

food.Manyoftheanimalshavebeendestroyedbytheverycoldwintersrecentlyandbychanges

inthewildernessplantlife.Whenthedeercan'tfindenoughfood,theydie.

Ifthewolvescontinuetokilllargenumbersofdeer,theirprey（猎物）willdisappearsome

day.Andthewolveswill.too.Sowemustchangethecycleoflifeinthewildernesstobalancethe

ecology.Ifwekilledmorewolves,wewouldsavethemandtheirpreyfromdyingout.We'dalso

savesomefarmanimals.

Inanothernorthernstate,wolvesattackcowsandchickensforfood.Farmerswantthe

governmenttosendbiologiststostudytheproblem.Theybelieveitnecessarytokillwolvesin

someareasandtoprotecttheminplaceswherethereisasmallwolfpopulation.

AgainstKillingWolves

Ifyouhadlivedlongago,youwouldhaveheardmanydifferentstoriesaboutthedangerous

wolf.Accordingtomoststories,hungrywolvesoftenkillpeopleforfood.Eventoday,thestories

ofthe“bigbadwolf"willnotdisappear.

Butthefactiswolvesareafraidofpeople,andtheyseldomtravelinareaswherethereisa

humansmell.Whenwolveseatotheranimals,theyusuallykilltheveryyoung,orthesickand

injured.Thestrongestsurvive.Nokindofanimalwouldhavesurvivedthroughthecenturiesifthe

weakmembershadlived.Andhasalwaysbeenalawofnature

Althoughsomepeoplesayitisgoodsensetokillwolves,wesayitisnonsense!Researchers

havefoundwolvesandtheirpreylivinginbalance.Thewolveskeepthedeerpopulationfrom

becomingtoolarge,andthatkeepsabalanceinthewildernessplantlife.

Therealproblemisthattheareaswherewolvescanlivearebeingusedbvpeople.Evenif

wildernesslandisnotuseddirectlyforhumanneeds,thewolvescan/talwaysfindenough

food.Sotheytraveltothenearestsource,whichisoftenafarm.Thenthereisdanger.The"big

badwolf“hasarrived!Andeveryoneknowswhathappensnext.

60.Accordingtothepassage,somepeopleinNorthAmericafavorkillingwolvesforallthe

followingreasonsEXCETthat.

A.therearetoomanywolvesB.theykilllargenumbersdeer

C.theyattackcowsandchickensforfoodD.theydestroythewildernessplantlife

61.Somepeopleareagainstkillingwolvesbecause.

A.wolveshelptokeeptheecologicalbalanceinthewilderness

B.thereistoosmallawolfpopulationinthewilderness

C.therearetoomanydeerinthewilderness

D.wolvesareafraidofpeopleandneverattackpeople

62.Accordingtothoseagainstkillingwolves,whenwolveseatotheranimals,.

A.theynevereatstrongandhealthyones

B.theyalwaysgoagainstthelawofnature

C.theymighthelpthiskindofanimalssurviveinnature

D.theydisturbtheecologicalbalanceinthewilderness

63.Thelastsentence,Andeveryoneknowswhathappensnext“impliesthatinsuchcases

A.farmanimalswillbeindangerandhavetobeshippedaway

B.wolveswillkillpeopleandpeoplewillinturnkillthem

C.wolveswillfindenoughfoodsourcesonfamis

D.peoplewillleavetheareaswherewolvescanlive

C

BORDER

CROSSINGS

Whiletherearenorestrictionsonzheamountofmoneythatyoucanbring

acrosstheborder.youmustreporttoboththeUSandCanadianborder

servicesamountsequaltoorgreaterthan$10,000.

PERSONALEXEMPTIONS(免税)ONPURCHASES

AMERICANSRETURNINGTOTHEUS

Lessthan48hours:$200US

48hoursormore:$800USduty-freepersonalexemption.

next$1.000USat3%

Includingupto100cigarsand100cigarettes.

CANADIANSRETURNINGTOCANADA

Lessthan24hours:$50CAN

48hoursormore:$400CAN

Includingupto100cigarsand200cigarettes.

7daysormore:$750CAN

Includingupto100cigarsand200cigarettes.

DOCUMENTATIONNEEDEDFOR

BORDERCROSSING

LANDORSEATOTHEUS(INCLUDINGFERRIES)

Avalidpassportorpassportcard,oraNEXUScard.

(ANEXUScardisaTrustedTravelerProgramthatprovidesquicktravelfor

pre-approved,lowrisktravelersthroughspeciallanes.)

ArecentWashingtonState,NewYorkorBCdriver'slicense.

Note:Children15yearsofageandyoungerrequireonlyabirthcertificateor

copy.(Certifiedcopiesarenotrequiredbutareadvised.)

AIRTRAVELTOTHEUS

Avalidpassport,anAirNEXUScard,oraU.S.CoastGuardMerchant

MarineDocument.

64.IfaCanadianwhoisona7-daytriptoNewYorkbuys$800CANworthofgoods,howmuch

shouldhepaytaxonwhenreturninghome?

A.$800CANB.$750CANC.$400CAND.$50CAN

65.ForanAmericancitizenona2-daytourofCanada,howmuchtaxdoeshehavetopayon

$1.600USworthofpurchaseswhenreturningtotheUS?

A.$24USB.$48USC.$52USD.$200US

66.Whatdocumentationshouldacouplewitha7-year-oldchildcarrywhentheydriveacarfrom

CanadatoAmerica?

A.ABCdriver'slicense,anAirNEXUScard,andabirthcertificate.

B.AnAirNEXUScard,aU.S.CoastGuardMerchantMarineDocument,andabirthcertificate.

C.Twovaildpassportcradsandacertifiedcopyofabirthcertificate.

D.ANEXUScard,aU.S.CoastGuardMerchantMarineDocument.,andacertifiedcopyofabirth

certificate.

D

Imagine,oneday,gettingoutofbedinBeijingandbeingatyourofficeinShanghaiinonlya

coupleofhours,andthen,afterafulldayofwork,goingbackhometoBeijingandhavingdinner

there.

Soundsunusuabdoesn'tit?Butit*snotthatunrealistic,withthedevelopmentofChinaTs

high—speedrailwaysystem.Andthat,snotall.Chinahasanevengreaterhigh—speedrailway

plan—toconnectthecountrywithSoutheastAsia,andeventuallyEasternEurope.

Chinaisnegotiatingtoextenditsownhigh-speedrailwaynetworktoupto17countriesin1

0to15years,eventuallyreachingLondonandSingapore.

Chinahasproposedthreesuchprojects.ThefirstwouldpossiblyconnectKunming

withSingaporeviaVietnamandMalaysia.AnothercouldstartinUrumqiandgothrough

KazakhstanandUzbekistan,andpossibly

toGermany.ThethirdwouldstartinthenortheastandgonorththroughRussiaandthen

intoWesternEurope.

IfChina'splanforthehigh-speedrailwaygoesforward,peoplecouldzipoverfromLondon

toBeilinginundertwodays.

ThenewsystemwouldstillfollowChina'shigh一speedrailwaystandard.Andthetrains

wouldbeabletogo346kilometersanhour,almostasfastassomeairplanes.

China'sbullettrain（高速客车），theoneconnectingWuhantoGuangzhou,alreadyhasthe

World'sfastestaveragespeed.Itcovers1,069kilometersinaboutthreehours.

Ofcourse,therearesometechnicalchallengestoovercome.Therearesomanyissuesthat

needtobesettled,suchassafety,railgauge（朝L距）,maintenanceofrailwaytracks.So,it's

importanttopayattentiontoeverydetail.

Butthekeyissueisreallymoney.Chinaisalreadyspendinghundredsofbillionsofyuanon

domesticrailwayexpansion.

Chinaprefersthattheothercountriespayinnaturalresourcesratherthanwithcapital

investment.ResourcesfromthosecountriescouldstreamintoChinatosustaindevelopment.

It'llbeawin-winproject.Forothercountries,therailwaynetworkwilldefinitelycreate

moreopportunitiesforbusiness,tourismandsoon,nottomentionthebettercommunication

amongthosecountnes.

ForChina,suchaprojectwouldnotonlyconnectitwiththerestofAsiaandbringsome

much-neededresources,butwouldalsohelpdevelopChina'sfarwest.Weforeseethatinthe

comingdecades,millionsofpeoplewillmigratetothewesternregions,wherethelandisempty

andresourcesunused.Withhigh-speedtrains,peoplewillsetupfactoriesandbusinesscenters

inthewestonceandforall.Andthey'lltradewithCentralAsianandEasternEuropean

countries.

67.China/snewhigh-speedrailwayplanwillbeawin-winprojectbecause.

A.Chinawillgetmuch-neededresourcesanddevelopitswesternregions

B.Chinaandthecountriesinvolvedwillbenefitfromtheprojectinvariousways

C.Chinawilldevelopitsrailwaysystemandcommunicationwithothercountries

D.theforeigncountriesinvolvedwilldeveloptheirrailwaytransportation,businessand

tourism

68.Accordingtothepassage,thegreatestchallengetothenewhigh-speedrailwayplan

is.

A.technicalissuesB.safetyofthesystem

C.financialproblemsD.maintenanceofrailwaytracks

69.Whichofthefollowingwordsbestdescribestheauthor'sattitudetowardsChina'shigh-speed

railwayplan?

A.Critical.B.Reserved.C.DoubtfulD.Positive.

70.Whichofthefollowingmightbethebesttitleforthepassage?

A.NewRailwayStandardsB.BigRailwayDreams

C.High—speedBulletTrainsD.InternationalRailwayNetwork

第四部分：任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入7个最恰当的单

词。

注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填1个单词。

Formorethantwentyyearsscientistshavebeenseekingtounderstandthemysteryof

the/zsixthsense"ofdirection.Bytryingoutideasandsolvingproblemsonebyone,theyarenow

gettingclosertooneanswer.

Onefunnyideaisthatanimalsmighthaveabuilt-incompass（指南针）.

Ourearthitselfisabigmagnet（磁体）.Soalittlemagneticneedlethatswingsfreelylines

itselfwiththebigearthmagnettopointnorthandsouth.Whenpeoplediscoveredthatidea

aboutathousandyearsagoandinventedthecompass,itallowedsailorstonavigate（航海）on

oceanvoyages,evenunder

cloudyskies.

Actualllytheideaofthelivingcompasscamejustfromobservinganimalsinnature.

Manybirdsmigratetwiceayearbetweentheirsummerhomesandwinterhomes.Someof

themflyforthousandsofkilometersandmostlyatnight.Experimentshaveshownthatsome

birdscanrecognizestarpatterns.Buttheycankeeponcourseevenundercloudyskies.Howcan

theydothat?

Acommonbirdthatdoesnotmigratebutisgreatatfindingitswayhomeisthehoming

pigeon.Notallpigeonscanfindtheirwayhome.Thosethatcanareverygoodatit,andthey

havebeenwidelystudied.

Oneinterestingexperimentwastoattachlittlemagnetstothebirds'headstoblocktheir

magneticsense一justasaloudradiocankeepyoufromhearingacalltodinner.Onsunny

days,thatdidnotfoolthepigeons.Evidentlytheycanusethesuntotellwhichwaytheyare

going.Butoncloudydays,thepigeonswithmagnetscouldnotfindtheirway.Itwasasifthe

magnetshadblockedtheirmagneticsense.

Similarexperimentswiththesamekindofresultsweredonewithhoneybees.Theseinsects

alsoseemtohaveaspecialsenseotdirection.

Inspiteoftheexperiments,theideaofananimalcompassseemedpretty

extraordinary.How

wouldananimalgetthemagneticstuffforacompass.

Ananswercamefromanunexpectedsource.Ascientistwasstudyingbacteriathatlivein

the

mudofpondsandmarshes.Hefoundaccidentallylittlerod-likebacteriathatallswamtogetherin

onedirection——north.

Furtherstudyshowedthateachlittlebacteriumhadachainofdenseparticlesinside,which

provedmagnetic.Thebacteriahadmadethemselvesintolittlemagnetsthatcouldlineupwith

the

earth'smagnet.

Thebignewswasthatalivingthing,evenasimplebacterium,canmakemagnetite.Thatled

toasearchtoseewhetheranimalsmighthaveit..Byusingaspecialinstrumentcalled

magnetometer,scientistswereabletofindmagnetiteinbeesandbirds,andeveninfish.Ineach

animal,exceptforthebee.themagneticstuffwasalwaysinorclosertothebrain.

Thus,theideaofabuilt—inanimalcompassbegantoseemreasonable.

TheMagneticSense—TheLivingCompass

PassageoutlineSupportingdetails

Theexistenceoftheearth◊Ourearthisabigmagnetandalittlefreely(71)A

magnetandtheinventionmagneticneedlelinesitselfwiththeearthmagnetto

ofthenavigatingcompasspointnorthandsouth.