单选题In an average winter, highway departments spread some ten million tons of salt to keep roads safe. The corrosive effects are well known, but for years they"ve been dismissed with the argu-ment that at around $25 a ton, salt is far cheaper than any alternative. Lately, economists have added up the actual costs. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that salt-induced road damage and vehicle corrosion cost $3 billion a year. That does not include damage to underground cables, which adds hundreds of millions to utility bills. Nor does it reflect the cost or salty water leaking into roadbeds, which kills evergreens and poisons streams. The various costs probably add another $2 billion to the national salt bill. Scientists esti-mate the full economic, or "life cycle", cost for a ton of salt at $500, or 20 times the $25 pur-chase price. That begins to make the switch to calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), perhaps the most promising alternative, look practical. CMA costs $600 a ton and has minimal side effect. Some researchers believe the cost can be halved by making CMA from waste cheese whey (乳浆). While CMA and other alternatives are being researched, many cities and states are cutting back on their use of salt.

单选题I don't believe you are going to have the matter looked into today, ______? A. are you B. do you C. aren't you D. don't you

单选题Speaker A: I think studying math at school is a waste of time. Who needs it? Speaker B: ______ A. That's a good idea. I don't like math at all. B. Yes, I think students only need to study for a few years. C. I see what you mean. Very few students will become mathematicians in the future. D. But don't you think math is something that everyone needs to know?

单选题A: ______.B: Why don't we go down the lake? It's not far from here. A. Where should we go for swimming? B. Where are you going? C. It's very cold by the river. D. Do you like boating?

单选题M: I had a hard time getting through this novel. W: I share your feeling. Who can remember the names of 35 different characters? Question: What does the woman imply?

单选题Modern Japan, despite its ready adoption of Western manners, is in things theatrical still faithful to the ancient feudal day. It is true that within the last few years, the old school drama has to some extent lost ground, and quite recently performances of Shakespeare's Othello and Hamlet, and Daudet's Sappho have been received with favor by Tokyo audiences. The explanation of this curious survival of the old form of play, at a time when all Japan is eagerly imitating the foreigner, is undoubtedly to be found in the peculiar customs of the country. The progressive Japanese finds it easier to change his mode of dress than to reform habits bred in the bone. The old plays, lasting, as they formerly did, from early morning until nearly midnight, just suited the Japanese play-goer, who, when he does go to the theatre, makes an all-day affair of it. Indeed, theatre-going in Japan is a very serious matter, and not to be entered upon lightly or without due preparation. Recently Sada Yoko and Oto Kawakami, who learned a good deal in their foreign travels, introduced the comparatively short evening performance of three or four hours, an innovation which was at once welcomed by the better class of people. But the new arrangement found little favor with the general public, and particular indignation was aroused in the bosom of the Japanese Matinee Girl who loves to sit in the theatre as long as possible and weep over the play. For, to the young gentlewoman, the theatre is essentially the place for weeping. Japanese girls are extremely sentimental, and a play without tear-provoking situations would not appeal to them in the least. The Japanese women are passionately devoted to the drama. It is usual for a party to book a box through a tea house connected with the theatre and at the same time make arrangements for what refreshments they wish served. The Japanese maiden makes the most elaborate preparations days beforehand. To be at the theatre on time, playgoers must rise with the sun, and all their meals, including breakfast, are eaten in the tiny box in the playhouse. It is not an easy task to reach one's seats and once the family has settled down, nothing but a catastrophe would induce it to leave its box. The women chew candy and the men freely drink sake as the play goes on.

单选题It has never been easy to be a teenager, and it is particularly difficult today. The world expects us to be grown up but rarely treats us like adults; we are part of a society in which drugs are readily available but extremely dangerous; our education consists of examinations and more exemptions. Is it any wonder we struggle at times? One of the biggest problems is that parents demand mature and intelligent behavior from us, yet usually think of us as still being children. We help do a range of housework and care for sickly grandparents, but cannot watch adult movies on television. We are expected to show an interest in current affairs and get a part-time job to begin to support ourselves, but are not even allowed a say in where we go for the family holiday—never mind being allowed to holiday with our friends! Outside the home, we have to make sure our dissatisfaction does not lead us to rebellion and to the dealers who are just waiting to sell us various drugs. Older generations had to come to terms with alcohol arid cigarettes; that was easy, by comparison. We go to a club, to dance, then are faced with temptations (诱惑) , peer pressures and our own desire to fit in with the crowd. There is always someone there with a designer drink, a designer smile and the latest designer drug to tempt us. Being a teenager has never been harder. Of course, it has never been so hard in school either. We have so many examinations that it is difficult to keep track: SATs, GCSEs ...and the practice tests that accompany them. Homework is never ending. No teacher seems aware of how much work the others are setting, and, anyway, they would not care, because they are all under orders to improve results or their own careers will suffer.

单选题Intellectual property rights are the rights given to persons over the creations of their minds. They usually give the creator an exclusive right over the use of his/her creation for a certain period of time. Intellectual property rights are customarily divided into two main areas. Copyright and rights related to copyright. The rights of authors literary and artistic works (such as books and other writings, musical compositions, paintings, sculpture, computer programs and films) are protected by copyright, for a minimum period of 50 years after the death of the author. Also protected through copyright and related (sometimes referred to as "neighboring") rights are the rights of performers (e. g. actors, singers, and musicians), producers of phonograms (sound recordings) and broadcasting organizations. The main social purpose of protection of copyright and related rights is to encourage and reward creative work. Industrial property can usefully divided into two main areas: one area can be characterized as the protection of distinctive signs, in particular trademarks (which distinguish the goods or services of one undertaking from those of other undertakings) and geographical indications (which identify a good as originating in a place where a given characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin). The protection of such distinctive signs aims to stimulate and ensure fair competition and to protect consumers, by enabling them to make informed choices between various goods and services. The protection may last indefinitely, provided the sign in question continues to be distinctive. Other types of industrial property are protected primarily to stimulate innovation, design and the creation of technology. In this category fall inventions (protected by patents), industrial designs and trade secrets. The social purpose is to provide protection for the results of investment in the development of new technology, thus giving the incentive and means to finance research and development activities. A functioning intellectual property regime should also facilitate the transfer of technology in the form of foreign direct investment, joint ventures and licensing. The protection is usually given for a finite term (typically 20 years in the case of patterns). While the basic social objectives of intellectual property protection are as outlined above, it should also be noted that the exclusive rights given are generally subject to a number of limitations and exceptions, aimed at fine-stunning the balance that has to be found between the legitimate interests of right holder and of users.

单选题A: Good morning. I'd like to speak to Mr. Adams, please. This is Edward Miller at the Sun Valley Health Center. B: __________________ A. Mr. Miller, my husband isn't at home. I can give you his business phone if you'd like to call him at work, though. B. My husband is not here. What's the matter? C. Oh, I'm his wife. May I take a message? D. This is Mrs. Adams, my husband is out, you can talk to me.

单选题If the population of the Earth goes on increasing at its present rate, by the middle of the 21stcentury we______all the oil that drives our cars.

单选题That father cannot even discipline himself, ______ setting a good example to his children. A. let alone B. much less C. still less D. not to mention

单选题Speaker A: How about the food I ordered? I've been waiting for 20 minutes already. Speaker B: ______ A. I'm very sorry, sir. I will be back with your order in a minute. B. Ok. I will bring it to you in a moment. C. Don't worry. It will be ready soon. D. Sorry, but I think you should have ordered it earlier.

单选题I had to wait for half an hour before he ______ see me.

单选题The swan is mostly silent through its life, unable to sing sweet songs like most other birds. In ancient times, however, people believed a swan sings a most beautiful song just before it dies. The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates talked of this 2,300 years ago. Socrates explained that the swan was singing because it was happy. The bird was happy because it was going to, serve the Greek God Apollo. Swans were holy to Apollo, the god of poetry and song. The story of the swan's last song found a place in the works of other writers, including the early English writers Chaucer and Shakespeare. And the expression swan song has long been a part of the English language. At first, "swan song" meant the last work of a poet, musician or writer. Now, it means the final effort of any person. Someone's swan song usually is also considered that person's finest work. A political expression with a similar meaning is "the last hurrah". The expression may be used to describe a politician's last campaign, his final attempt to win cheers and votes. The last hurrah also can mean the last acts of a politician, before his term in office ends. Writer Edwin O'Connor made the expression popular in 1956. He wrote a book about the final years in the political life of a long-time mayor of Boston. He called his book The Last Hurrah. Some language experts say the expression came from a name given to noisy supporters of Andrew Jackson, America's seventh president. They cheered hurrah so loudly for Andy Jackson during his presidential campaign that they became known as the hurrah boys. Jackson's hurrah boys also played a part in the election to choose the next president. Jackson's choice was his vice president, Martin VanBuren. A newspaper of the time reported that VanBuren was elected president: "... by the hurrah boys, and those who knew just enough to shout hurrah for Jackson. " President Jackson really heard his last hurrahs in the campaign of the man who would replace him in the White House.

单选题Sociologists have long recognized that social tensions are ______ elements of group life.

单选题Speaker A: I need to go to the drugstore. I have a bad cold, and my head is all stuffed up.Speaker B: ______ A. Oh, that's too bad. I hope you feel better soon. B. As far as I know, there is a drugstore around the corner. C. I don't catch a cold as often as you do. D. Would you like me to dose the window? It's cold outside.

单选题The human nose is an underrated tool. Humans are often thought to be insensitive smellers compared with animals, (51) this is largely because, unlike animals, we stand upright. This means that our noses are (52) to perceiving those smells which float through the air, missing the majority of smells which stick to surfaces. In fact, (53) , we are extremely sensitive to smells, even if we do not generally realize it. Our noses are capable of (54) human smells when these are diluted to far below one part in one million. Strangely, some people find that they can smell one type of flower but not another, (55) others are sensitive to the smells of both flowers. This may be because some people do not have the genes necessary to generate (56) smell receptors in the nose. These receptors are the cells which sense smells and send (57) to the brain. However, it has been found that even people insensitive to a certain smell at first can suddenly become sensitive to it when (58) to it often enough. The explanation for insensitivity to smell seems to be that the brain finds it (59) to keep all smell receptors working all the time but can (60) new receptors if necessary.

单选题Some politicians are scurrying about with much zest and anticipation. It's time, their polls inform them, to find the quick fix for what they have determined is a society plagued by the irregular heartbeat of deficient values. But there are contradictions that intrude on this denunciatory atmosphere. If there are moral omissions in the society, they cannot be sealed by instant, slenderly based attacks on entertainment. The plain fain fact is we are rearranging our priorities in the wrong way. We are today misplacing our energies and our funding by directing all sorts of incentives to high schools and colleges. Too late. The moral scaffolding has been built by then, for better or worse. How then to begin this revision of life conduct? We must introduce in pre-school, and keep alive through grade five, a new school course. The course could be titled, "What is right, and what is plainly wrong. " For 30 minutes each day, the teacher would illuminate for these very young children what William Faulkner labeled "the old verities", the words that construct and implement the daily moral grind in every durable society must engage if it is to be judged a "just" society. These are words like duty, honor, service, integrity, pity, pride, compassion and sacrifice, plus the clear admonition that violence is wrong. To the teaching of the meaning of those words must be added that cleansing rule of treating other people as you would want them to treat you. And most of all to make sure that these kids understand with growing clarity that home, school and church are the sanctuaries for their later life. There is a grand simplicity to this kind of school course. It enters a child's mind early, burrowing deep into those recesses of the human brain that even today advanced medical science has not been able to penetrate. If you ask enough people, you will find that most of us remember our first-or second-grade teacher. I remember Miss Corbett and Miss Walker, who read to us before we really understood, but the words had weight and allure. We listened and, without really knowing it, we learned and saved what we learned. Perhaps it was because what we heard in those early school years was the first entry into our learning vessel. Absent this kind of early instruction, absent the building of this moral shield, no congressional law, no presidential executive order, no fiery rhetoric will salvage a child's conduct nor locate a missing moral core.

单选题{{B}}Passage Three{{/B}} You wouldn't expect an Information Age company like Intel to get on the wrong side of environmentalists, but the company's recent 42 billion expansion at Rio Rancho, New Mexico, plunged the world's largest semiconductor maker into an age-old Western problem., water rights. Chip plants consume millions of gallons of water a day, mainly to wash microscopic dirt from the surface of chips. That's a problem in the dry West, where, as Twain remarked, whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting about. During construction of the new 1.3 million-square-foot chip-making plant, which starts pro duction this month, residents and activists complained that the company's expanding thirst would be too great a drain on local supplies. After weeks of public hearings, the state of New Mexico last year granted Intel 72% of the water it requested. The strife at Rio Rancho is the most intense the industry has faced．"I think it sensitized us," says Howard High, spokesman for Intel. "We have a lot of efforts under way to try and minimize the amount of water we use." Current conservation efforts may not work for an industry that in North America is expected to double in size to ＄ 75 billion in sales in the next three years. The trend is to reuse treated wastewater from chip cleaning in places such as cooling towers and air-conditioning systems. Motorola employs such methods in Phoenix and Austin. Recycling water for chip cleaning is the most logical approach. But the technology to make ultra-pure water for such a closed-loop system is still too costly. New technologies could eventually take the water out of chip cleaning. One company, Radiance Services, a six-person start-up based in Bethesda, Maryland, holds patents for a new "dry cleaning" method．Using laser light and inert gas (惰性气体) to lift impurities (杂质,不洁物) from surfaces of a chip, Radiance claims its process can clean as effectively as the current water- based methods.

单选题Speaker A: I think Jack needs to go on a diet. He's putting on so much weight. Speaker B: ______ A. Yes, he used to be overweight. B. Yes, I don't think highly of him. C. How much do you think he actually weighs now? D. Do you think so? I think he looks OK the way he is.