判断题When was the last time you saw a frog? Chances are, if you live in a city, you have not seen one for some time. Even in wet areas once teeming with frogs and toads, it is becoming less and less easy to find those slimy, hopping and sometimes poisonous members of the animal kingdom. All over the world, even in remote jungles on the far side of the globe, frogs are losing the ecological battle for survival, and biologists are at a loss to explain their demise. Are amphibians simply over-sensitive to changes in the ecosystem? Could their rapid decline in numbers be signaling some coming environmental disaster for us all? This frightening scenario is in part the consequence of a dramatic increase over the last quarter of a century in the development of once natural areas of wet marshland: home not only to frogs but to all manner of wildlife. Yet, there are no obvious reasons why certain frog species are disappearing from rainforests in the Southern Hemisphere which are barely touched by human hands. The mystery is unsettling to say the least, for it is known that amphibian species are extremely sensitive to environmental variations in temperature and moisture levels. The danger is that planet Earth might not only lose a vital link in the ecological food chain (frogs keep populations of otherwise pestilent insects at manageable levels), but we might be increasing our output of air pollutants to levels that may have already become irreversible. Frogs could be inadvertently warning us of a catastrophe. An example of a bizarre occurrence regarding a species of frog dates from the summer of 1995, when "an explosion" of multi-coloured frogs of the species Rana klepton esculenta occurred in the Netherlands. Normally these frogs are brown and greenish-brown, but some unknown contributory factor is turning these frogs yellow and/or orange. Nonetheless, so far, the unusual bi- and even tri-coloured frogs are functioning similarly to their normal-skinned contemporaries. It is thought that frogs with lighter coloured skins might be more likely to survive in an increasingly warm climate due to global warming. One theory put forward to explain extinct amphibian species that seems to fit the facts concerns the depletion of the ozone layer, a well-documented phenomenon which has led to a sharp increase in ultraviolet radiation levels. The ozone layer is meant to shield the Earth from UV rays, but increased radiation may be having a greater effect upon frog populations than previously believed. Another theory is that worldwide temperature increases are upsetting the breeding cycles of frogs. Decide the following statements are true (T) or (F) according to the passage.

判断题ItseemednormalwhenNguyenNgocTruongSonwantedtoplaychesswithhisparents.However,itwasunusualwhenherevealedthathealreadyknewhowtoplay—beforeanyonetaughthim.Apparentlythetwo-year-oldhadlearnedalloftherulesbywatchinghisparents.Byage4,hewascompetinginnationaltournaments.Byage12,hewasVietnam"syoungestchampion.Anothertwo-year-oldchild,JayGreenberg,likewisesurprisedhisparentsbydrawingpicturesofmusicalinstrumentsthathehadneverseen.TheysoondiscoveredthatJay"heardmusicinhishead."Hebegantocomposemusicatage3.Byage10,hewasattendingtheprestigiousJulliardConservatoryinNewYork,composingfullsymphonies.Jaywasnotednotonlyforthequalityofhismusicalwork,butalsothespeedatwhichhewasabletoproduceit.Thatis,whiletalentedprofessionalcomposersnormallywritefiveorsixsymphoniesinalifetime,Jaywrotefivebytheageof12.Childprodigiessuchastheseareamysterytoexpertsandnon-expertsalike.Ontheonehand,theyattractpraiseandattentionfromeveryonetheymeet;ontheotherhand,theyattractcriticismandtheyfinditdifficulttofitinwiththerestoftheworld.Childprodigiesarehighlyintelligent,butthisisnottheonlyfactorthatsetsthemapart.Theyareconsideredprodigiesbecauseoftheirexceptionalabilityinonedomain,orarea.Expertsdefineprodigyas"ayoungchildwhodisplaysmasteryoffieldthatisusuallyundertakenbyadults."Childprodigiesusuallyappearinstructuredareassuchaslanguage,math,drawing,chess,andmusic.Theyarenotaslikelytoappearinlessstructureddomainssuchasmedicine,law,orcreativewriting,areasthatrequireexperience.Childprodigiescanfocustheirattentionforlongperiodsoftime,concentratingontasksthatwouldboreotherchildrenofthesameage.Two-year-oldNguyenNgocTruongSonhadtheconcentrationtoplaychessforhoursatatime.Thedistinctionof"prodigy"thusgoesbeyondmereintelligence.Forexplanations,expertslookintwodirections:nature,thechild"suniquebiology,andnurture,thechild"senvironment.Whenresearcherslooktonaturetoexplainchildprodigies,theystudyinnateorinbornqualities.Forexample,theylookatwhetherthebrainstructureofaprodigyisdifferentfromthatofachildwithaverageintelligence.Technologyisagreathelponansweringthisquestion.Forinstance,scientistsutilizeimagingtechnologytoseetheamountofactivityindifferentpartsofthebrain.Thesebrainscansrevealthatthefrontallobeofaprodigy"sbrainisveryactive,unlikechildrenwithaverageintelligencedoingthesametasks.Theirfrontallobesarevirtuallyinactive.Scientistshaveproventhatthefrontallobeofthebraincontrolsmanyaspectsofthoughtandconcentration.Thismayexplainhowprodigiescanfocusonatask,solvecomplexproblems,andlearnquickly.Whenresearcherslooktonurturetoexplainchildprodigies,theyfocusonthechild"senvironmentinsteadofthechild"sbiology.Themostimportantfactoronthenurturesideistheparents.Raisingachildprodigyisextremelychallenging.Itrequiresconsiderablepatience,creativity,andresourcefulness.Someparentsaredelightedbytheextraordinaryabilitiesoftheirchildren.Theymakeuseofalltheresourcestheyhaveorcanfindtosupportthem.Forexample,JayGreenberg"sparentsboughttheir2-year-oldsonacellowhenherequesteditandarrangedformusiclessons.Otherparentsarenotsosupportiveoftheirchildprodigy.Onthecontrary,someparentsevenseetheiroffspring"sgiftsasawaytodrawattentiontothemselvesandtheirowninterests.BorisSidis,forexample,wasawell-knownscientistwithstrongopinionsaboutmakingthemostofone"sintelligenceandaboutraisingchildren.WhenhissonBillywasborn,Borissawthechildasanopportunitytotesthistheories.Whenpeopleareunusual,theyattractattention.Inthecaseofchildprodigies,theattentiontheyreceiveisbothpositiveandnegative.Itispositivebecausemostpeopleadmireintelligence.Itisnegativebecauseprodigiesareverydifferentfromotherpeople.Theyareachallengeforteachers,whoexpect7-year-oldstopreferBatmantoBeethoven.Theyareachallengetoparents,whowanttohelpthembutoftenlacktheresourcesorfindtheirneedsanddesiresdifficulttounderstandandmeet.Theypresentachallengetoscientists,whowanttostudythemwithoutfurtherisolatingthemfromnormalsociety.Andtheychallengetheworldbecausetheyrevealthetendencythatpeoplehavetorejectthosewhoaredifferentfromthenorm.Markeachstatementaseithertrue(T)orfalse(F)accordingtothepassage.

判断题Dear Advisor: Should She Propose? Dear Advisor, My boyfriend and I just celebrated three years together. [ want to ask him to marry me. My friends say I shouldn"t. They say that only desperate women propose marriage. Are they right? Nervous in New Jersey Dear Nervous, Your friends are not right. Today it is fine for a woman to propose to a man. In 2003, the Korbel Champagne Company conducted a survey. They asked, "Should women ask men to marry them?" Sixty-seven percent of Americans said yes. The survey asked women, "Would you propose to a man?" Almost 50 percent of the women said they would. They also asked men, "Would you accept a woman"s proposal?" Almost 80 percent said yes. Thirty-one percent of women know a woman who has proposed to a man. Experts generally agree. Dr. Linda O"Connor has a radio talk show about love and marriage. O"Connor says that women who propose are usually educated and self-confident. In addition, their boyfriends usually like strong women. However, advice columnist Susan Fine argues that even women with a lot of self-confidence may need some help with their proposals. Here is her advice. First, the proposal should not be a surprise. The relationship should be serious. She also advises women to do two more things. They should write out the proposal and practice it before they ask for their boyfriends"hands in marriage. How would Susan Fine answer you? If you and your boyfriend are happy, do not pay attention to your friends. And don"t invite them to the wedding. The Advisor Statements:

判断题Using land for a house and for a park, which one best reflects a cost to society as defined in the passage?

判断题Ateamofscientistshasjustfinishedwhatmightliterallybedescribedasoneofthemostbreathtakingjobsintheworld—surveyingandmappingthecoralreefsinSoutheastAsia"sCoralTriangleoffthecoastofIndonesia"sSulawesiIsland.AspartoftheCatlinSeaviewSurvey,teamsfromtheUniversityofQueensland,Indonesia"sSamRatulangiUniversityandIndonesia"sInstituteofSciencesspenttimeunderwateroverseveralweeksnearthecityofManadotorecorddataandmapreefsinwhatthesurveysays"couldbecomeoneofthelastrefugesonEarthforcoralreefs".TheeffortwaspartofalargerprojecttomaptheCoralTriangle,whichencompasses647millionhectaresoflandandsealocatedwithintheterritoriesofIndonesia,Malaysia,thePhilippines,PapuaNewGuinea,theSolomonIslandsandTimor-Leste."CoralTriangle"referstoaroughlytriangularshapeofwatersbetweenthePacificandIndianoceans.Asoneoftheworld"smostcrucialbreedinggroundsformarinebiodiversity,it"shometo75percentofallknowncoralspecies,includingnearly600speciesofreel-buildingcoralsand3,000speciesofreeffish.TheCatlinSeaviewSurveysaysthescaleofitsunderseamappingprojectisunprecedented.LocatedontheislandofSulawesi,ManadoisthecapitalofIndonesia"sNorthSulawesiprovince.CoraldevastationAccordingtoexperts,about40percentoftheworld"scoralshavebeenlostinthelastthreedecadesduetoclimatechangeandhumanactivities.Assumingthecurrentrateofdeclineremainssteady,somemarinebiologistspredictthatmostoftheworld"sremainingcoralwilldisappearbythemiddleofthecentury.TheCatlinSeaviewSurveygotunderwayinSeptember2012onAustralia"sGreatBarrierReef.CentringonthewatersofSoutheastAsia,the2014campaigncommencedinAprilhasalsocoveredareasaroundApoIslandandTubbatahaReefsinthePhilippines,KomodoandBaliinIndonesia,andEastTimor.LocatedinthecentreoftheCoralTriangle,Manadoisacrucialsectionforresearchers."RegionslikeManadointheCoralTrianglecould,bythemiddleofthecentury,beoneoftheonlyplacesonEarthwherecoralreefswillexist,"saysOreHoegh-Guldberg,chiefscientistofthesurveyanddirectoroftheGlobalChangeInstituteattheUniversityofQueensland."Understandingthestructureandfunctionofsuchreefsisoftheutmostimportanceifwearetounderpintheirresiliencetoglobalchange.""Thisinformationisnecessarytomakeinformeddecisionsabouthowmuch,andwhere,governmentsshouldinvesttoensurethefuturewell-beingofourplanet,"saysStephenCatlin,chiefexecutiveofCatlinGroupLimited,aBermuda-basedinsurancecompanythatsponsorsthesurvey.HowcoralreefmapsaremadeThecoralmappingeffortemploysaSeaviewSVIIunderwatercamera,whichhasarodandpropellerattachedtothebacktocreateasortofphotoscooter.ThreedigitalSLRcamerasencasedintheSVII"sglobe-shapedlenscapturehighresolution,360degreeimagesofreefs.DesignedbyCatlinSeaviewSurvey,thecamera"snewtechnologyhelpsshortensurveyingtimeoflarge,shallowwaterareasfrommonthstodays.Tomapsuchavastarea,scientist-diverstookphotographswhile"riding"thecameraatanaveragedepthofeightmeterswhiletravelingat4kph(KilometersperHour).Thousandsofimageswilleventuallybestitchedtogethertocreateawholepictureofthereefsystem.Theimageswillbeuploadedforviewingonthecompany"sdatabase—theGlobalReefRecord.SomeoftheimagescanbefoundonGoogleMaps.Markeachstatementaseithertrue(T)orfalse(F)accordingtothepassage.

判断题Would you like to orbit the Earth inside the International Space Station? Now you can take a space holiday—for a price. This is due to a recent decision by top space officials of the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency. Last April, American businessman Dennis Tito reportedly paid between twelve-million and twenty-million dollars to spend one week on the International Space Station. NASA had strongly objected to the Russian plan to permit a civilian on the costly research vehicle. After two years of negotiations, space officials have agreed on a process to train private citizens to take trips to the International Space Station. NASA recently agreed to conditions that will permit Russia to sell trips to the space station. The trips are planned by an American company called Space Adventures Limited of Arlington, Virginia. The company calls itself "the world's leading space tourism company." The company has sold a space trip to Mark Shuttleworth, a South African businessman. In April, Mister Shuttleworth will be launched into space from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Yet, the average citizen will not be able to travel into space in the near future. Space Adventures Limited sells a training program for space flight that costs two-hundred-thousand dollars. That price does not include the cost of the trip to the International Space Station. That holiday in space costs twenty-million dollars. Candidates for adventure space travel trips must be in excellent health and must pass difficult health tests. They must receive a lot of training and all successful candidates who wish to travel to the International Space Station must be able to read and speak English.

多选题-- Can I book a room from now until Friday? -- ______ -- What's the price? -- $128.75 not counting the service.

多选题______ turn up late at the meeting, he forget his relevant documents.

多选题The film Titanic tells about a very ______ love story which touches every spectator.

多选题______ her pen in ink, when she heard the tramping of little feet along the hall, and then a pounding at her door.

多选题Mother: You're watching too much TV, Emily. Emily: Oh, come on, Morn. Mother: ______ And you're eating too many snacks. Emily: I only had some popcorn and some potato chips.

判断题The stores in Downtown Manhattan are open round the clock.

判断题Alaska In 1959 Americans welcomed Alaska into the Union as the 49th state, symbolizing a change of attitude from that held in 1867, when the peninsula was purchased from Russia. Then, most Americans had little interest in 1,500,000 square kilometers "of icebergs and polar hears"—beyond Canada"s western borders, far from the settled areas of the United States. 16 Ice masses lie buried in the earth, which is permanently frozen to a depth of 90 or more meters. From early May until early August, the midnight sun never sets on this fiat, treeless region, but the sun cannot melt the icy soil more than two-thirds of a meter down. 17 According to estimates, 800,000 hectares of its land area are fit for plowing but only about 640,000 hectares are being cultivated. 18 It is believed that the Eskimos moved there from Mongolia or Siberia, probably crossing Bering Strait, named for Virus Bering, the Danish sea captain who discovered Alaska on his voyage for Russia in 1741. The Eskimos are the state"s earliest known inhabitants. Russian fur traders established settlements but, by the time Alaska was sold to the United States, most of the traders had departed. 19 Thousands of Americans rushed to the region on their way to Klondike; some never returned. Alaska was never completely cut off again, although even today transportation is a major problem. There are only two motor routes from the U.S. mainland, and within the state, every town has its own airfield. 20 The gold that changed life so suddenly for Alaska was soon ended, and although many stories about mining camps have become part of American literature, the gold from Alaskan earth contributed less to economic progress than the fish from Alaskan waters. The fish caught in a single year range in value from $80 million to $90 million. Fur-bearing animals are plentiful in the forests and streams, and valuable fur seals inhabit the waters. After fishing, the state"s chief industry is lumber and the production of wood pulp. In recent years, Alaska"s single most important resource has become oil. The state also has large deposits of coal, copper, gold and other minerals. Complete the article with the following sentences. There are two extra sentences that you do not need to use. A. Arctic Alaska has been the home of Eskimos for countless centuries. B. In those sections of the state which lie above the Arctic Circle, Alaska still is a land of icebergs and polar bears. C. In 1896 gold was discovered near the Klondike River in Canada just across the Alaskan border. D. The sheer weather has driven many gold diggers away. E. Alaska is America"s largest state, but only about 325,000 people live there. F. Nowadays Alaksa has become an exploration resort for millions of people to explore. G. Planes fly passengers, mail and freight to the most distant villages.

判断题In 10 years the ages of two brothers and two sisters will total 100. How much will their ages total in 7 years?

多选题One of the serious ______ of meteorology is that natural weather patterns cannot be in the laboratory for investigation.

多选题I think Red Team will win the final game; it's ______ that they will win.

多选题Nancy: I'd like to withdraw some money, but I've never used a bank machine. Roger: OK. ______ Nancy: Thanks. That would be nice. Roger: First, you put your card in here. Next ...

多选题Lucy: What made you leave such a large company? Ken: My work there was so boring. I couldn't do anything myself. I always had to have my boss' approval. So I decided to get a new job at Coricom, a small venture company. Lucy: ______ Ken: The work here is very challenging, which suits me. We always have to cope with dynamic working conditions. And, since there are not many people in this company, we understand each other very well and feel like we are all in the same family.

多选题At the last place Gary, worked, they ______ an annual company picnic. All the employees ______ bring their families along and spend the day at a nearby park. It was great.

多选题James: Can I pay by credit card or euro-cheque? Receptionist: ______ James: I'll pay by credit card, then. Receptionist: That's fine. I hope you enjoyed your stay here.