填空题·has a limit in the age for those who will live on campus?

填空题Supermarket shoppers have never been more spoilt for choice. But just when we thought traditional systems of selective farming had created the most tempting array of foods money can buy, we are now being presented with the prospect of genetically created strains of cabbages, onion, tomato, potato and apple. It may not tickle the fancy of food purists but it fires the imagination of scientists, last week they discovered that the classic Parisian mushroom contains just the properties that, when genetically mixed with a wild strain of mushroom from the Sonora desert in California, could help it grow en masse while at the same time providing it with the resilience of the wild strain. 1 "We have found a way of increasing the success rate from one to 90 per cent." This is just one of the many products that, according to skeptics, are creating a generation of "Frankenfoods". The first such food that may be consumed on a wide scale is a tomato which bas been genetically manipulated so that it does not soften as it ripens. 2 Critics say that the new tomato—which cost $25 million to research—is designed to stay on supermarket shelves for longer. It has a ten-day life span. Not surprisingly, every-hungry US is leading the search for these forbidden fruit. By changing the genes of a grapefruit, a grower from Texas has created a sweet, red, thin-skinned grapefruit expected to sell at a premium over its California and Florida competitors. For chip fanatics who want to watch their waist-lines, new high-starch, low-moisture potatoes that absorb less fat when fried have been created, thanks to a gene from intestinal bacteria. The scientists behind such new food argue that genetic engineering is simply an extension of animal and plant breeding methods and that by broadening the scope of the genetic changes that can be made, sources of food are increased. Accordingly, they argue, this does not inherently lead to foods that are less safe than those developed by conventional techniques. But if desirable genes are swapped irrespective of species barriers, could things spiral out of control? "Knowledge is not toxic," said Mark Cantley, head of the biotechnology unit at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, "It has given us a far greater understanding of how living systems work at a molecular level and there is no reason for people to think that scientists and farmers should use that knowledge to do risky things." Clearly, financial incentive lies behind the development of these bigger, more productive foods. But we may have only ourselves to blame. In the early period of mass food commerce, food varieties were developed by traditional methods of selective breeding to suit the local palate. But as suppliers started to select and preserve plant variants that had larger fruit, consumer expectations rose, leading to the development of the desirable clones. Still, traditionalists and gourmets in Europe are fighting their development. 3 Even in the pre-packaged US, where the slow-softening tomato will soon be reaching supermarkets, 1,500 American chefs have lent their support to the Pure Food Campaign which calls for the international boycott of genetically engineered foods until more is known about the consequences of the technology and reliable controls have been introduced. In the short term, much of the technology remains untested and in the long term the consequences for human biology are unknown. Questions have arisen over whether new proteins in genetically modified food could cause allergies in some people. 4 Then there are the vegetarians who may be consuming animal non-vegetable proteins in what they think is a common tomato, or the practicing Jew who unknowingly consumes a fruit that has been enhanced with a pig"s gene. As yet, producers are under no obligation to label "transgenetic" products. Environmentalists worry that new, genetically engineered plants may damage natural environment. A genetically engineered pest-resistant strain of plant that contacts with a native strain, for example, could turn them into virulent weeds beyond chemical control. Animal welfare groups worry about the quality of life of farm animals manipulated so that they produce more meat, milk, and eggs but which may suffer physical damage in the process. 5 Many of these fears spring from ignorance. And although it is hard to separate the paranoia from the benefits, the fact remains that genetic engineering offers ways of solving serious medical and agricultural problems. A. Western farmers have already bred cattle with mare muscle than a skeleton can carry. B. Supporters say the tomato, unsurprisingly called Flaw Saw, will taste better because it will be able to mature on the branch longer. C. Consumer opposition means that there are genetically manipulated foods on the German markets, and the Norwegian government has recently put research into genetically engineered foods on hold. D. For example, if a corn gene is introduced into a wheat gene for pest resistance, will those who are allergic to corn then be allergic to wheat? E. "Mushrooms in the past were almost impossible to cross," says Philippe Callac, one of the three scientists working on the mushroom. F. Genetic engineering will interfere with the balance of nature.

填空题 Read the following text and fill each of the numbered spaces with ONE suitable word. Write your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. One of the most important social developments{{U}} (31) {{/U}}helped to make possible a shift in thinking about the role of public education was the effect of the{{U}} (32) {{/U}}boom of the 1950's and 1960's on the schools. In the 1920's, but{{U}} (33) {{/U}}in the Depression conditions of the 1930's, the United States experienced a declining birthrate—every thousand women aged fifteen{{U}} (34) {{/U}}forty-four gave birth to about 118 live children in 1920, 89. 2 in 1930, 75.8 in 1936, and 80 in 1940. {{U}}(35) {{/U}}the growing prosperity brought on by the Second World War and the economic boom that{{U}} (36) {{/U}}it, young people married and established households earlier and began to{{U}} (37) {{/U}}larger families than had their predecessors during the Depression. Birth{{U}} (38) {{/U}}rose to 102 per thousand in 1946, 106.2 in 1950, and 118 in 1955. Although economics was probably the most important determinant, it is not the only explanation for the baby boom. The increased value placed{{U}} (39) {{/U}}the idea of the family also helps to explain this rise in birth rates. The baby boomers began streaming into the first grade by the mid-1940's and became a flood{{U}} (40) {{/U}}1950. The public school system suddenly found itself overtaxed. While the number of schoolchildren{{U}} (41) {{/U}}because of wartime and postwar conditions, these same conditions made the schools even less prepared to cope{{U}} (42) {{/U}}the flood. The wartime economy meant that few new schools were built{{U}} (43) {{/U}}1940 and 1945. Moreover, during the war and in the boom times that followed, large{{U}} (44) {{/U}}of teachers left their profession for better-paying jobs elsewhere in the economy. Therefore, in the 1950's and 1960's, the baby boom hit an antiquated and inadequate school system. Consequently, the "custodial rhetoric" of the 1930's and early 1940's no longer made{{U}} (45) {{/U}}; that is, keeping youths aged sixteen and older out{{U}} (46) {{/U}}the labor market by keeping them in school could no{{U}} (47) {{/U}}be a high priority for an institution unable{{U}} (48) {{/U}}find space and staff to teach younger children aged five to sixteen. With the baby boom, the focus of educators and of laymen interested in education inevitably turned toward the lower grades and back to basic academic skills{{U}} (49) {{/U}}discipline. The{{U}} (50) {{/U}}no longer had much interest in offering nontraditional, new, and extra services to older youths.

填空题In July of 1994, an astounding series of events took (31) . The world anxiously watched as, every few hours, a hurtling chunk of comet plunged into the atmosphere of Jupiter. All of the twenty-odd fragments, collectively (32) comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 after its discoverers, were once part of the same object, now dismembered and strong out along the same orbit. This cometary train, glistening like a string of pearls, had been first glimpsed only (33) few months before its fateful impact with Jupiter, and rather quickly scientists had predicted (34) the fragments were on a collision course with the giant planet. The impact caused (35) explosion clearly visible from Earth, a bright flaming fire that quickly expanded as each icy mass incinerated itself. When each (36) shammed at 60 kilometers (37) second into the dense atmosphere, its immense kinetic energy was transformed (38) heat, producing a superheated fire ball that was ejected back through the tunnel the fragment had made a few seconds earlier. The residues from these explosions left huge black marks on the face of Jupiter, some of (39) have stretched out (40) form dark ribbons. Although this impact (41) was of considerable scientific import, it especially piqued public curiosity and interest. Photographs of each collision made the evening. television newscast and were posted (42) the Internet. This (43) possibly the most open scientific endeavor (44) history. The face of the largest planet in the solar system was changed before our very eyes. And (45) the very first time, most of humanity came to fully appreciate the fact (46) we ourselves live on a similar target, a world subject to catastrophe by random assaults (47) celestial bodies. That realization was a surprise to many, but it should not have been. One of the great truths revealed by the last few decades of planetary exploration is that collisions (48) bodies of all sizes are relatively commonplace, at least in geologic (49) , and were even more frequent in the early solar (50) .

填空题{{B}} A = Part Ⅰ B = Part Ⅱ C = Part Ⅲ D = Part Ⅳ Which part (s) say (s) that{{/B}} {{B}} A Part Ⅰ{{/B}} 1. Baghdad, capital of Iraq with about 7. 4 million inhabitants (2005 estimate), is situated in the interior of the country on the river Tigris at the point where land transportation meets river transportation, and where the distance between Tigris and the other main river of Iraq, Euphrates, is the shortest. The distance to the Persian Gulf is a sailing distance of about 900 km. The distance from Baghdad to the Euphrates is only 50 km. 2. Baghdad is the main transportation hub of Iraq, and is linked with the two most important neighbor countries, Jordan and Syria, with excellent highways. Connections from north to south in Iraq pass near Baghdad. The country's main airport, Baghdad International Airport, lies here as well, now back in use after more than a decade of sanctions on Iraq.{{B}} B Part Ⅱ{{/B}} 3. Baghdad has for centuries been the richest and economically most important city of Iraq. This has continued to be the case even after finding oil in other regions, since most of the trade is administered through Baghdad. Since the US/British-Iraq War of 2003 Baghdad has been through a period of much hardship, causing damage to both the production levels and infrastructure. But, except for governmental institutions, which have largely been dismantled and rebuilt, much of the activities of the city remains as before the war. Baghdad has a wide variety of industries, producing leather goods, furniture, wood products, chemicals, electrical equipment, 'textiles, clothing, bricks, cement, tobacco, processed food and beverages. Baghdad is also the centre of financial operations and the headquarters of the Central Bank of Iraq. 4. Most of the national bureaucracy is located here, and for the most part the state is the principal employer in Baghdad. The leading learning institutions are here as well, including 3 universities. Among the industries of Baghdad are oil refineries, food-processing, tanneries and textile mills. Baghdad still has extensive production f handicrafts, like cloth, household utensils, jewelry, leather, felt and rugs. 5. The population of Baghdad has increased dramatically over the last 100 years. As late as 1932, there were 358, 840 inhabitants. The majority are Muslims, and with an Arab identity. There is also a substantial Christian population, and a tiny Jewish population. The Jewish community was heavily decimated in the 1950's. Other ethnic groups come mainly from other regions within the borders of modem Iraq, like Kurds and Armenians. Most Iranians left for Iran in the 1970's and 80's. There are also groups of Indians, Afghans and Turks.{{B}} C Part Ⅲ{{/B}} 6. Baghdad is the most important centre of learning in Iraq with the University of Baghdad (established in 1957), al-Mustansiriyya University (established in 1963) and the University of Technology (established in 1974 ). There are more than 1,000 primary schools in the Baghdad governorate, hundreds of intermediate and secondary schools, several occupational schools, technical institutes, and in addition to the 3 universities, al-Bakr Military Academy. Education in Iraq is free on all levels. 7. Baghdad was, prior to the wars of the 1980's and 90's, one of the leading cultural centres of the Arab world. Some of the most famous sculptors, poets and writers have come from Baghdad, or worked in the city. In literature, Baghdad has earned fame for its free-verse poets. Painting is a popular art in Baghdad, and them were until the 2003 war numerous exhibitions well attended by the population. The National Theatre was earlier one of the best equipped in the Arab world, but continued its work even under the embargo. It was however looted during the 2003 war. Since the 2003 war, most of the institutions of Baghdad has suffered hard, especially in terms of finances, but the city has kept its communities of artists, and the major institutions are the process of being rebuilt and reestablished or already operative.{{B}} D Part IV{{/B}} 8. Baghdad's city structure is vast, with several centers. The main areas of activities are the quarters around Saadoun and al-Jamoun Streets, on the east hank of the Tigris. These were predominantly built up in the 1970's, but there are many examples of traditional architecture mainly in the outskirts. Along Rashid Street some of the nicest old town houses of Baghdad are found, even if many now are in bad condition. In between the streets, areas of typical Baghdad houses are found. These are distinguished by the 1st floor wooden bays with latticed windows, and inner open courtyards Roads of modern Baghdad are wide and many buildings stand free from other buildings. 9. This especially applies to the western side of the Tigris, with the many governmental buildings, hotels and middle and upper class mansions. Wide highways run through all parts of Baghdad, making it a city that is easy to move around in with a car. There are also tramways or subways in Baghdad. 10. Baghdad has many parks, of which Zawra Park is the most popular. There are also several great monuments, of which the Martyr's Monument of 1983 is the most impressive, with a 50 metre high split green dome at its centre. The areas beyond the Army Canal in the east have been allocated for low-income housing development, housing 20-30% of the city'spopulation.·the University of Technology was established in 1974? 71. ______.·most of trade is operated through Baghdad? 72. ______.·there are many parks and several great monuments in Baghdad? 73. ______.·Baghdad is linked with Jordan and Syria with excellent highways? 74. ______.·Baghdad is the most important centre of learning with three universities? 75. ______. 76. ______.·In literature, Baghdad has earned its fame? 77. ______.·the distance from Baghdad to the Euphrates is only 50km? 78. ______.·there are also groups of Indians, Afghans and Turks living in Baghdad? 79. ______.·In between streets, people can see areas of typical Baghdad houses? 80. ______.

填空题The author's thought processes are different when he studies literature and engineering respectively.

填空题 During 1958 the West German government caused some disappointment to the British and French aircraft industries by failing to order British or French interceptors for the re-established German Air Force. Instead they ordered the American Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. Even so it was well known beforehand that whatever aircraft were ordered would be regarded as interim equipment, against the day when a very high-speed vertical take-off aircraft became available—if ever.66. ______ A step towards this ideal interceptor seems to have been taken. It has just been reported that the Ministry of Defense in Bonn has awarded "a secret development contract to a French firm for a new type of vertical take-off fighter"—the coleopter.67. ______ Basically, tile Coleoptere is a jet engine, adapted to run in a vertical position while sitting on its tail, with a small cockpit on the top. Several aircraft of roughly this form have been flying for some time in the United States, but the Coleoptere is unique in that it has an annular wing; the aircraft stands inside it like a salt cellar inside a napkin ring. What is stopping the Coleoptere becoming a successful vertical take-off aircraft? The first difficulty has been to develop a precise and reliable method of balancing the aircraft on the column of air from its jet pipe during take-off and landing and, more particularly, during manoeuvres out of the vertical.68. ______ Another control difficulty was that of overcoming the torque imparted to a vertical engine by its own rotating compressor and turbine wheels.69. ______ A sensitive pilot can control the height of a unit such as this by careful operation of the throttle, so that the thrust of the jet balances its weight, but it would take a Superman to control pitching and rolling forces at the same time; automatic stabilisation has therefore to be introduced. This consists of a system of gyroscopes and gyrometers which sense the aircraft's movements and operate the jet steering system, the directional nozzle unit which counteracts tilting, and auxiliary air jets which compensate for any tendency to rotate.70. ______ Nevertheless, before a successful coleopter can be achieved it must be shown that the Atar Volant with an annular wing can make the transition from vertical to horizontal flight, that the annular wing can support the aircraft in horizontal flight, and also that the much more tricky transition from horizontal flight back to a tail-first landing can be successfully made. The C.400 P.3 has accordingly been built as a full-scale coleopter to carry out the appropriate test programme. No doubt we can look forward to seeing it in flight at the International Paris Air Salon, which will be held in June this year at Le Bourget.A. The engine produced by SNECMA engineers to overcome these problems was a straightforward turbojet in their "Atar" series, and in the logical French way it became known as the Atar Volant or C.400 P1. It was encased in a simple fairing which contained fuel and remote-control equipment. As the complete unit weighed 5600 pounds and the engine could produce a thrust of 6200 pounds, vertical lift was obviously feasible.B. The MiG-21 proved itself over and over as a formidable dogfighter against the heavier American fighters which was another reason for the success of the MiG-21. Its reliable engine, easy maintenance, rough field capabilities, and save flight characteristic made it the most successful jet aircraft of all times.C. Vertical take-off implies virtually indestructible air bases, because any piece of road or any field would serve for take-off. A fast climb to height is required since West Germany could expect only the shortest warning of an attack from the east.D. I was privileged to inspect the test rig in October 1956, but even that experience was no preparation for the fantastic impression created by the second Atar Volant (the C.400 P.2), which stole the show at the international air display at Le Bourget in June 1957. At that time the P.2 surmounted by Auguste Morel, the test pilot, rose in a cloud of dust, stalked across the main runway, tilted about 20 degrees, danced back and forth, spun rapidly on its vertical axis, shot up to about 500 feet and then withdrew, leaving a sophisticated audience gasping. On the face of it the aircraft seemed distinctly unsafe but, of course, the very fact that these manoeuvres were even possible, and in rapid succession, was a considerable achievement.E. SNECMA had already had experience of directional control of high-speed airflow by mechanical means—that is, metal spoilers inserted into the jet efflux. This method inevitably generated a delay of several seconds before an alteration of the controls by the pilot could be fully effective on the aircraft. This delay is unacceptable when the aircraft's stability depends entirely on the airflow from the engines. SNECMA therefore devised a directional nozzle unit consisting of a number of auxiliary jets of low output, bled from the engine compressor and sited round the outlet of the main jet. These deflect the main jet in order to steer the machine.F. Work on this very interesting project has been going on in France for the past six years. The "firm" concerned is the Societe National d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation (SNECMA), working in conjunction with Nord-Aviation, both organisations being integrated parts of the nationalised French aircraft industry. The aircraft should make its first flight this spring.

填空题·has,in general, a warm climate?

填空题 A stunned Hollywood debated the future of one of its biggest stars Sunday. as a sheriff's watchdog launched an investigation into a possible cover up of a leaked report that quoted Mel Gibson unleashing a tirade of anti-Semitic remarks during a drunken driving arrest. One media expert said Gibson irreparably damaged his career with his "crazy" behavior following his arrest by Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies in Malibu early Friday. Charges of anti-Semitism were also leveled against the actor-director with the release of his 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ." 66. ______. According to the report, in addition to threatening the arresting deputy and trying to escape, Gibson said, "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," and asked the officer, James Mee, "Are you a Jew?" The report has not been made public, but the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that it had independently verified its authenticity. 67. ______. Filmgoers, too, could overlook much if the film is perceived as worthwhile. "Usually it comes down to the marketing of the movie and does the average person want to see the film," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. The Office of Independent Review, a department watchdog panel, has opened an investigation into whether authorities gave Gibson preferential treatment by covering up his alleged inflammatory comments, said its chief attorney, Mike Gennaco. "Assuming that the report was excised, then the question is was it done for a good reason within regulations," he said. Gibson has filmed public service announcements for Sheriff Lee Baca's relief committee dressed in a sheriff's uniform. 68. ______. Gibson said in his apology that he said "despicable" things to deputies during his arrest. "I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable," Gibson said. Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, called Gibson's apology "unremorseful and insufficient." 69. ______. Days before "Passion" was released, Gibson's father Hutton Gibson was quoted saying the Holocaust was mostly "fiction." The younger Gibson has said that he will not speak against his father. Gibson, 50, was arrested after deputies stopped his 2006 Lexus LS 430 for speeding at 2:36 a. m. Friday. Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said deputies clocked him doing 87 mph in a 45 mph zone. 70. ______. He won a best-director Oscar for 1995's "Braveheart." He also starred in the "Lethal Weapon" and "Mad Max" films, "What Women Want" and "The Man Without a Face," among other films. A. "There is no cover-up," Baca told the Los Angeles Times. "Our job is not to focus on what he said. It's to establish his blood-alcohol level when he was driving and proceed with the case. Trying someone on rumor and innuendo is no way to run an investigation, at least one with integrity." B. Gibson's publicist, Alan Nierob, would not elaborate beyond a nonspecific apology Gibson issued Saturday. Sheriff's sources also declined to comment on Gibson's alleged remarks. Studio executives; who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the mater, were divided on how Gibson's behavior would affect his career. One noted that people have short memories, including filmmakers who might want to profit from Gibson's star power. C. "It's a nuclear disaster for him," said publicist Michael Levine, who has represented Michael Jackson and Charlton Heston, among others. "I don't see how he can restore himself." The entertainment Web site TMZ posted what it said were four pages from the original arrest report, which quoted Gibson as launching an expletive-laden "barrage of anti-Semitic remarks" after he was stopped on Pacific Coast Highway. D. "It's not a proper apology because it does not go to the essence of his bigotry and his anti-Semitism," he said in a statement on the organization's Web site. "We would hope that Hollywood now would realize the bigot in their midst and that they will distance themselves from this anti-Semite." This is not the first time Gibson has faced accusations of anti-Semitism. Gibson produced, directed and financed "Passion," which some Jewish leaders said cast Jews as the killers of Jesus. In a 2004 interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, Gibson said he was not anti- Semitic. "To be anti-Semitic is a sin," he said. "It's been condemned by one Papal Council after another. To be anti-Semitic is to be tm-Christian, and I'm not." E. It is clear, however, that there is considerable dissent within the scientific community. Researchers from green pressure groups claim that the report's results under-report the scale of decline in fish stocks. But independent research commissioned by the Sea Fisherman's Society argues that the report's figures are wildly wrong. Todd Marvin of the Society claimed in an interview that the report used data which was collected a long time ago, and ignores recent research showing a much more healthy picture of fish numbers. He called for a widening of the powers of fishing vessels to take different species in increased numbers. F. A breath test indicated Gibson's blood-alcohol level was 0. 12 percent, Whitmore said. The legal limit in California is 0.08 percent. Gibson posted $ 5,000 bail and was released hours later. In his statement, Gibson also said he has struggled with alcoholism and had taken steps "to ensure my return to health."

填空题WherewouldhestayafterhisscholarshipyearinLondonwasover?

填空题{{B}} A = Sweden B = Norway C = Finland In which country can you find{{/B}} {{B}} A Sweden{{/B}} With the value of exports amounting to 30 percent of its GDP, Sweden is highly dependent on free international trade to maintain its living standard. In 1991 Sweden attached its currency to the European Currency Unit (ECU), and in 1995 it became a full member in the European Community (EC). Sweden also has to cope with problems of competitiveness that have caused industry to invest much more abroad than at home. Most of Sweden's large industrial companies today are transnational, and some employ more people abroad than in Sweden, where production costs are high. Employment in agriculture, forestry, and fishing has declined since the mid-20th century. Employment in industry reached a peak in 1960, but the tertiary sector (including services and administration) has become the main growth area, the expanding public sector being one of its major components. Female participation in the workforce is high compared to most other countries. Sweden is noted for its liberal employee benefit plans. The normal statutory work week is 40 hours, but actual work hours per employee in Swedish industry is among the lowest in Europe. The minimum amount of annual paid vacation is five weeks and two days. In addition, there are other legal grounds for paid absence. Employers pay additional fees of more than 43 percent of gross wages for statutory social benefits, including pensions.{{B}} B Norway{{/B}} The Norwegian economy is dependent largely on the fortunes of its important petroleum industry. Thus, it experienced a decline in the late 1980s as oil prices fell, but by the late 1990s it had rebounded strongly, benefiting from increased production and higher prices. Norway reversed its negative balance of payments, and the growth of its gross national product (GNP) --which had slowed during the 1980s--accelerated. By the late 1990s Norway's per capita GNP was the highest in Scandinavia and among the highest in the world. In an effort to reduce economic down turns caused by drops in oil prices, the government in 1990 established the Government Petroleum Fund, into which budget surpluses were deposited for investment overseas. Only about one-fifth of Norway's commodity imports are food and consumer goods; the rest consists of raw materials, fuels, and capital goods. The rate of reinvestment has been high in Norway for a number of years. This is reflected in the relatively steady employment in the building and construction industry. Rapid growth, however, has been registered in commercial and service occupations, as is the case in most countries with a high standard of living. Fewer than 5 percent of the industrial companies in Norway have more than 100 employees. Nonetheless, they account for half of the industrial labour force and for more than half of production. The smaller companies are usually family-owned, whereas most of the larger ones are joint-stock companies. Foreign interests control companies accounting for about 10 percent of total production. Only a few larger concerns are state-owned, and even these are usually run with almost complete independence. However, the government traditionally has had a significant ownership control over major economy sectors, such as oil, telecommunications, power, and transport, but from the end of the 1990s many such companies were partially or fully privatized.{{B}} C Finland{{/B}} Finland's economy is based primarily on private ownership and free enterprise; in some sectors, however, the government exercises a monopoly or a leading role. After World War II Finland was still only semi-industrialized, with a large part of the population engaged in agriculture, mining, and forestry. During the early postwar decades, primary production gave way to industrial development, which in turn yielded to a service and information-oriented economy. The economy grew especially rapidly in the 1980s, as the country exploited its strong trading relations with both eastern and western European countries. By the early 1990s, however, the country was experiencing economic recession, largely because the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 deprived Finland of its chief trading partner. The economy began a slow recovery in the mid-1990s, as Finland refocused its trade primarily toward western Europe. The Finnish government derives most of its revenue from taxes on income and property, sales taxes, and excise duties. About two-fifths of the government's expenditures are for education and social services, including housing and health care. This pattern of expenditure is markedly different from the years following World War II; then much of the Finnish annual budget went to paying war reparations and to rebuilding the nation's infrastructure. Finland has subscribed to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade since 1949 and to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development since 1969. It became first an associate (1961) and later a full member (1986) of the European Free Trade Association before leaving that organization to join the European Union in 1995. Finland also became a member of the constituent European Community (until 1903 called the European Economic Community), with which it had maintained a free-trade agreement since 1974.·by the late 1990s its per capita GNP was the highest in Scandinavia? 71. ______.·employees can enjoy at least five-week-and-two-day annual paid vacation? 72. ______.·its economy is largely dependent on how successful its petroleum industry is? 73. ______.·the employment rate of its women workers is higher than most other 74. ______.countries? ·it gained its European Union membership in 1995? 75. ______.·there has once been high reinvestment rate in the building and construction 76. ______.industry for many years? ·its economy was gradually converted from traditional to service-oriented 77. ______.and information-oriented only after World War Ⅱ?·economic recession occurred in the early 1990s as the result of the collapse 78. ______.of the Soviet Union?·more and more privatized state-owned companies have sprung up from 79. ______.the end of the 1990s?·40% of its annual government budget has been spent on education and 80. ______.social services?

填空题A = LETTER 1 B = LETTER 2 C = LETTER 3 D = LETTER 4 Which letter defends the safety of the vaccination programme? claims that fears about the vaccine were based on unreliable evidence? believes that intellectual freedom is threatened by mistakes made by science and society? emphasizes the difficulties in dealing with health scares? makes a comparison of Iraqi civilian deaths and MMR? says that Melanie Phillip is confused about epidemiology and clinical results? points out that scientists would become less credible if they do not base their conclusion on enough evidence? suggests that readers search the journal mentioned in the debate by using Google? suggests that a neutral organization be established for mediation of scientific controversies? accuses Melanie Phillips of misrepresenting the truth? 1. ______ 2. ______ 3. ______ 4. ______ 5. ______ 6. ______ 7. ______ 8. ______ 9. ______ 10. ______ A LETTER 1 When a vaccine, drug or therapy is marketed as "safe", it is done so on the basis or formally controlled, large-scale, usually blind investigations by qualified professionals. The fact that "a small proportion of parents found that after vaccination their children developed bowel problems, an allergic reaction to various foods and a halt to their behavioural development that produced the symptoms of autism" does not render an entire vaccination programme unsafe any more than it suggests a causal relationship between administration of the vaccine and onset of symptoms. Anybody with even the most basic grasp of scientific principles can understand this. The MMR vaccine in its current form was approved following the same extensive testing as any other clinical prophylaxis. For Melanie Phillips to suggest that the "government and [the] medical establishment ... have behaved recklessly and spinelessly" in the aftermath of Wakefield's so-called research is itself an irresponsible misrepresentation of the truth, which contributes to the unnecessary confusion in the general public domain. B LETTER 2 The difficult relationships between science, medicine and public policy are well illustrated by your reports on Iraqi mortality (The media are minimising US and British war crimes in Iraq, November 8) and MMR (The case against me boils down to smear and evasion, November 8). The triggers for these controversies were research papers published in the Lancet. In a lost age, these studies would have been privately discussed in academic circles, their conclusions confirmed, refined or refuted. This environment of intellectual freedom has served science and society well for 400 years. But such freedoms are now under threat from errors made by both science and society. The mistake scientists have made -- and 1 include myself in this criticism -- is to blur their roles as independent investigators and public advocates. It is entirely right that scientists and doctors play a prominent part in social and political debate. But we lose credibility, justifiably, when we go beyond the evidence. Here, the comparison between Iraq and MMR is instructive. On Iraq, the authors of the Lancet report used their results to call for the genuine uncertainty over civilian deaths to be clarified urgently by drawing on further data that only government could provide -- indeed, which government had a duty to provide under the Geneva conventions. This was responsible advocacy in the face of scientific uncertainty. By contrast, Andrew Wakefield used a press conference to subvert the conclusions of his Lancet study by casting doubt on the safety of the MMR vaccine, a doubt that the research paper specifically denied. One could argue that neither study should have seen the light of day. This would be a capitulation to those who would prefer censorship to serious public discussion about controversial ideas. While it is impossible to turn the clock back to a time when science was hidden from the public sphere, there is a need to find better ways to conduct complex debates openly and accountably. An independent body to provide a neutral public space to mediate, investigate and make recommendations about scientific and health controversies, akin to the Food Standards Agency, deserves serious consideration. C LETTER 3 It is a microcosm of the difficulties in dealing with health scares that I can write 850 words on an anti-MMR diatribe by Melanie Phillips, generate 900 words of letters in return as well as an article by Phillips -- all reinforcing her original misconceptions, and raising some new ones. For every unit of energy you put in, you get twice as much back, and so you can never win. She is still amazed that a critical review of the scientific literature on MMR is critical of some of the literature it reviewed and she still thinks this is evidence of guilt or cover-up in the conclusions of the report. I criticised her for claiming that: "Wakefield's discovery of autistic enterocolitis as a completely new syndrome has now been replicated in studies around the world as a new and so far unexplained disease in patients with autism." Her response is to provide references to various speculative research findings on the bowels of people with autism. Such studies exist but few would claim that such early work constitutes wide replication of the discovery of a "new disease". I also encourage any readers who are interested in what Phillips considers to be an appropriate source for ground-breaking, peer-reviewed scientific research to look up the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons on Google and read about this strange esoteric political organisation for themselves. Having said all that, Melanie Phillips of the Daily Mail has misrepresented and attacked me personally: and so whatever the future may bring, I can die a rounded and happy human being. D LETTER 4 Melanie Phillip's rebuttal of Ben Goldacre's criticisms bears out his main points. She claims that the Cochrane report does not say that the fears about the vaccine were based on unreliable evidence. Yes it does. You need go no further than the abstract to read "no credible evidence of an involvement of MMR with either autism or Crohn's disease was found'. She goes on to say that epidemiology cannot establish a causal association, and that Goldacre is confusing epidemiology and clinical results. No, the confusion is hers. Epidemiology can produce overwhelming evidence for a causal connection. What it cannot produce is information about the mechanism of that connection. It is worth adding that clinical studies do not necessarily produce information about the causal mechanism.

填空题Long before man lived on the Earth, there were fishes, reptiles, birds, insects, and some mammals. Although some of these animals were ancestors of kinds living today, others are now extinct, that is, they have no descendants alive now. (66) Very occasionally the rocks show impression of skin, so that, apart from color, we can build up a reasonably accurate picture of an animal that died millions of years ago. That kind of rock in which the remains are found tells us much about the nature of the original land, often of the plants that grew on it, and even of its climate. (67) Nearly all of the fossils that we know were preserved in rocks formed by water action, and most of these are of animals that lived in or near water. Thus it follows that there must be many kinds of mammals, birds, and insects of which we know nothing. (68) There were also crablike creatures, whose bodies were covered with a horny substance. The body segments each had two pairs of legs, one pair for walking on the sandy bottom, the other for swimming. The head was a kind of shield with a pair of compound eyes, often with thousands of lenses. They were usually an inch or two long but some were 2 feet. (69) Of these, the ammonites are very interesting and important. They have a shell composed of many chambers, each representing a temporary home of the animal. As the young grew larger it grew a new chamber and sealed off the previous one. Thousands of these can be seen in the rocks on the Dorset Coast. (70) About 75 million years ago the Age of Reptiles was over and most of the groups died out. The mammals quickly developed, and we can trace the evolution of many familiar animals such as the elephant and horse. Many of the later mammals though now extinct, were known to primitive man and were featured by him in cave paintings and on bone carvings. A．The shellfish have a long history in the rock and many different kinds are known. B．Nevertheless, we know a great deal about many of them because their bones and shells have been preserved in the rocks as fossils. From them we can tell their size and shape, how they walked, the kind of food they ate. C．The first animals with true backbones were the fishes, first known in the rocks of 375 million years ago. About 300 million years ago the amphibians, the animals able to live both on land and in water, appeared. They were giant, sometimes 8 feet long, and many of them lived in the swampy pools in which our coal seam, or layer is formed. The amphibians gave rise to the reptiles and for nearly 150 million years these were the principal forms of life on land, in the sea, and in the air. D．The best index fossils tend to be marine creatures. These animals evolved rapidly and spread over large over large areas of the world. E．The earliest animals whose remains have been found were all very simple kinds and lived in the sea. Later forms are more complex, and among these are the sea lilies, relations of the star fishes, which had long arms and were attached by a long stalk to the sea bed, or to rocks. F．When an animal dies, the body, its bones, or shell, may often be carried away by streams into lakes or the sea and there get covered up by mud. If the animal lived in the sea its body would probably sink and be covered with mud. More and more mud would fall upon it until the bones or shell become embedded and preserved.

填空题A = University of Wollongong B = The University of Adalaide C = Murdock University D = Monash University Which university/universities... ● offer double-major programs ? 1 2 ● lays stress on research? 3 ● claims its students will have the highest income upon graduation? 4 ● boasts a system of learning according to the situation? 5 ● has won the most awards in recent years? 6 ● opened its first overseas campus? 7 ● trained students who became leaders in their professions throughout the world? 8 ● have a close relationship with industry? 9 10 A University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong signalled a new mood in higher education when it was established in 1951: flexible, highly-motivated and responsive to students" needs. Today, its energetic, entrepreneurial style is increasingly popular. The University of Wollongong breaks with tradition, valuing practical and applied skills in the context of a strong theoretical and ethical base; a strategy employers appreciate. The figures speak for themselves. University of Wollongong graduates enter the workforce in the highest starting-salary bracket according to the Graduate Careers Council of Australia. The University of Wollongong was the first to have compulsory student-evaluation of teaching: the first to insist that new staff undertake teaching-skills courses; the first to make Information Technology skills compulsory for students; and among the first with flexible double-degree programs. Students are encouraged to map career-paths from enrolment day. The University of Wollongong has strong industry links, and its world-class research program attracted $6 million in Australian Research Council grants last year. For example, the Institute for Telecommunications Research is a key centre for international firms seeking a foothold in the Asia-Pacific region. B The University of Adelaide Established in 1874, the University of Adelaide has a strong research focus. On almost any index chosen, Adelaide is ranked in the top group of Australian universities for research output, teaching and curriculum design, staff-student ratios and positive graduate outcomes. It also ranks very well among other universities in the Asia-Pacific region. Adelaide"s strengths lie in the biological and agricultural sciences, engineering (including information technology and telecommunications), medicine, dentistry, the physical science, environmental science and management, and the social sciences (especially Asian studies, international economics and human geography). The University has produced graduates who are leaders in the professions, government and industry in Australia and around the world. These include Lord Florey, who received the Nobel Prize for his discovery of penicillin, and Dr. Andrew Thomas, Australia"s first astronaut. Adelaide has extensive and growing international linkages in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific, involving student and staff exchange, research, teaching and consultancy. Links with international governments, research organizations and industry are also expanding rapidly, as a consequence of the University"s capabilities and expertise on a world scale. C Murdoch University Murdoch University offers a university education of the highest quality and has been rewarded by a ranking as the best teaching campus of all Australia"s public universities in an independent national survey of university graduates. The University has won two awards in the Prime Minister"s 1998 Australian Awards for University on teaching (one for the best humanities teacher, one specially-created award for services to students and the community). The University has also won a top, five-star rating for graduate satisfaction from the 1999 Good University Guide for the fourth consecutive year. This is a reputation of continuing excellence sustained over a number of years. It is a reputation established by some of the best-qualified academic staff in Australia; an international reputation for a caring and friendly environment; the high quality of the research undertaken and the University"s flexible, academic structure that allows students to design the degree they need for their future. Murdoch prides itself on being a community-oriented university and as one of Australia"s best teaching universities. It is highly regarded for its flexibility, with the choice of double-majors such as commerce and multi-media available to give students a head-start in their career. D Monash University Studying at Monash University opens the door to new worlds. A strong international focus, constant innovation and engagement with the broader community highlight the University"s pioneering approach to scholarship. With the opening of its first off-shore campus in, Malaysia in 1998, Monash has taken a significant step towards becoming a truly global university. Over the next few years, as plans proceed for other off-shore campuses, Monash students will have an increasing choice about where they obtain their Monash degree. With a well-founded reputation for excellence in teaching, research and scholarship, Monash is being increasingly recognized, too, for its innovative approach to flexible learning. The university offers high-quality education and a vibrant, inclusive learning environment to more than 42,000 students across seven campuses. Its strengths include cooperative research projects with the private sector, links with professional bodies in presenting practical study components, rich performing arts programs and distance education courses which afford learning opportunities to an enormous range of people. Above all, Monash seeks to deliver a total education experience that equips its students for the future, providing not just academic qualifications, but instilling in them an awareness of their potential to contribute to society.

填空题Recent surveys show that Japanese youth have become a "Me Generation" that rejects traditional values. "Around 1980 many Japanese, (31) young people abandoned the values of economic success and began (32) for new sets of values to (33) them happiness, " writes sociologist Yasuhiro in Comparative Civilizations Review. Japanese youth are placing more importance on the individual's pursuit of (34) and less on the values of work, family, and society. Japanese students seem to be losing patience with work, (35) their counterparts in the United States and Korea. In a 1993 (36) of college students in the three countries, only 10% of the Japanese regarded (37) as a primary value compared with 47% of Korean students and 27% of American students. A greater (38) of Japanese aged 18-24 also preferred easy jobs (39) heavy responsibility. The younger Japanese are showing less concern for family values as they pursue an inner world of private satisfaction. Data collected (40) the Japanese government in 1993 shows that only 23% of Japanese youth are thinking about supporting their aged parents, in contrast (41) 63% of young Americans, It appears that many younger-generation Japanese are (42) both respect for their parents (43) a sense of responsibility to the family. Author Yoshizaki attributes the change (44) Japanese parents' over-indulgence of their children, material affluence, and growing (45) for private matters. The shift (46) individualism among Japanese is most pronounced among (47) very young. According to 1991 data (48) the Bunka Center of Japan, 50% of Japanese youth aged 16-19 can be labeled "self-centered" compared with 33% among (49) aged 25-29. To earn the self-centered label, the young people responded positively to (50) ideas as "I would like to make decisions without considering traditional values" and "I don't want to do anything I can't enjoy doing. /

填空题 Good school science education is expensive. It requires specialist teachers, laboratories, equipment, technicians and consumables. Many countries have made a substantial investment in school science, yet there is growing evidence that by the time students get to the age 15, most of them have been turned off science. The most striking findings come from an ongoing international study whose results show that the higher a country's ranking according to the UN index of human development, the less. interested its 15-year-old are in school science.66. ______ In countries such as Bangladesh, Ghana and Uganda, which score low on human development, 15-year-olds are very positive about wanting to continue to study science—perhaps because of the benefits that they think science can bring—whereas in Japan and western Europe they are not.67. ______ A number of researchers have found that the ii-year-olds arriving at secondary school are keen to study science, and enthusiastic about the prospect of practical work in exciting laboratories. Some maintain this interest over the next five years, but sadly the majority find science lessons boring and irrelevant compared with other subjects.68. ______ There are various ways to address the problem. Some countries have changed their school science curriculum, often making it more context-based. The teacher starts with an issue that is of interest to students and uses that as a pathway into the science one needs to understand in order to deal with such questions.69. ______ This growth reflects a deeper point about the nature and purposes of school science laboratories. We can think of them as providing stripped-down versions of reality, where care has been taken to simplify things to help reveal the underlying science.70. ______ Finally, we need to reflect on how we assess learning in science. Too often what teachers teach and, therefore, what students learn is driven by how the students are assessed It is easier for exams to test factual knowledge than some of the skills we want the next generations of scientists to develop. Governments need the confidence to develop assessment regimes that reward what we really want students to learn and science teachers to teach.A. In real life it's not easy to show Ii-year-olds the relationship between voltage and current, between evaporation and condensation or between oxygen concentrations and rates of respiration. There are the sort of things school science labs are good for. But we need out-of- the-classroom experiences too, to help children relate such abstract activities to real-life issues.B. By the standards of educational research, the relationship is. startlingly tight one: The correlation between a country's index of development and the stated wish of its 15-year-olds to become a scientis is -0.93—almost a perfect linear relationship.C. Researches found it particularly intriguing that 15-year-olds in developing countries remain high interests in continuing to study science partly because they unrealistically pin their future on this career. So their motivation is rather pragmatic.D. Teenagers criticize school science in particular for not enabling genuine discussion and debate, for not tackling up-to-date issues, and for giving them little choice—for example, about what practical work to undertake, Though they are generally think science is important, most feel that a career in it is not for them but for others who are cleverer than they are.E. In many well-off countries, the number of students wanting to go on to higher education to study chemistry and physics--though not biology--has fallen over the past decade. In the UK this lack of enthusiasm for physical sciences has led to the closure of some 80 university science departments in the past six years. So why is school science, especially chemistry and physics, so unpopular in wealthier countries, and what can we do about it?F. Another tack is to encourage out-of-the-school learning. Last week, for example, London's Science Museum reopened its well-known Launchpad gallery. What is particularly notable is the care the Science Museum has taken to ensure that the exhibits support the physics that 8 to 14-year-olds will learn in schools as part of the national curriculum. There has been an explosion in the number of science museums and centres around the world, making such visits possible for an increasing number of children.

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填空题A=Patroclus B=Achilles C=Zeus Which God... ● was slain by Hector? 1 ● is the ruler of the Olympian gods? 2 ● was made invulnerable by the waters except for the heel? 3 ● managed to rescue the Greeks in Achilles" armor? 4 ● is the greatest Greek warrior in the Trojan war? 5 ● was the protector and ruler of the human race? 6 ● killed the king of the Ethiopians? 7 ● ruled over the sky? 8 ● is the dearest friend of Achilles? 9 ● was mortally wounded in the heel by Paris? 10 Patroclus Patroclus is the dearest friend of the hero Achilles. He accompanied Achilles to the Trojan War. In the tenth year of the conflict Achilles withdrew his troops, the Myrmidons, from combat because of a quarrel with Agamemnon, commander of the Greek forces. Without Achilles, the Greeks began to lose to the Trojans. Finally, as the Trojans began to burn the Greek ships, Patroclus persuades Achilles to allow him to lead the Myrmidons to the rescue. Clad in Achilles" armor, Patroclus led the Greeks to victory, forcing the Trojans back to the walls of their city. In his moment of glory, however, Patroclus was slain by the Trojan commander, Hector. To avenge his friend"s death, Achilles rejoined the battle and killed Hector. Achilles Achilles is the greatest of the Greek warriors in the Trojan War. He was the son of the sea nymph Thetis and Peleus, king of the Myrmidons of Thessaly. When he was a child his mother dipped him into the River Styx to make him immortal. The waters made him invulnerable except for the heel by which his mother held him. Achilles fought many battles during the 10-year siege of Troy. When the Mycenaean king Agamemnon seized the captive maiden Briseis from him, Achilles withdrew the Myrmidons from battle and sulked in his tent. The Trojans, emboldened by his absence, attacked the Greeks and drove them into headlong retreat. Then Patroclus, Achilles" friend and companion, begged Achilles to lend him his armor and let him lead the Myrmidons into battle. Achilles consented. When Patroclus was killed by the Trojan prince Hector, the grief-stricken Achilles returned to battle, slew Hector, and dragged his body in triumph behind his chariot. He later permitted Priam, king of Troy, to ransom Hector"s body. Achilles fought his last battle with Memnon, king of the Ethiopians. After killing the king, Achilles led the Greeks to the walls of Troy. There he was mortally wounded in the heel by Paris. The quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon, the subsequent battle, and the ransoming of Hector"s body are recounted in the Iliad. Zeus Zeus in Greek mythology, is the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods. Zeus corresponds to the Roman god Jupiter. He did not create either gods or mortals; he was their father in the sense of being the protector and ruler both of the Olympian family and of the human race. He was lord of the sky, the rain god, and the cloud gatherer, who wielded the terrible thunderbolt. His breastplate was the aegis, his bird the eagle, his tree the oak. Zeus presided over the gods on Mount Olympusin Thessaly (Thessalia). His principal shrines were at Dodona, in Epirus, the land of the oak trees and the most ancient shrine, famous for its oracle, and at Olympia, where the Olympian Games were celebrated in his honor every fourth year. The Nemean games, held at Nemea, northwest of Argos, were also dedicated to Zeus. Zeus was the youngest son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea and the brother of the deities Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter, and Hera. Upon the birth of Zeus, Rhea wrapped a stone in swaddling clothes for Cronus to swallow and concealed the infant god in Crete, where he was fed on the milk of the goat Amalthaea and reared by nymphs. When Zeus grew to maturity, he forced Cronus to disgorge the other children, who were eager to take vengeance on their father. In the war that followed, the Titans fought on the side of Cronus, but Zeus and the other gods were successful, and the Titans were consigned to the abyss of Tartarus. Zeus henceforth ruled over the sky, and his brothers Poseidonand Hades were given power over the sea and the underworld, respectively. The earth was to be ruled in common by all three.

填空题A = Jancis Robinson B = Anthony Rose C = David Moore D = Malcolm Gluck Which wine critic(s) thinks that consumers have contributed to the situation in UK wine criticism? shows more direct critique on the colleague's writing? can make a good living out of wine critic? share common negative idea on some of their colleagues? believes that honesty is the most important thing? admits that UK wine market is not as well-developed as some other countries? predicts that customers will not have to rely on the recommendations of wine critics? insists on having never been written under the pressure of press? thinks that wine critics must be good at communication? 1. ______ 2. ______ 3. ______ 4. ______ 5. ______ 6. ______ 7. ______ 8. ______ 9. ______ 10. ______ One might easily imagine that wine critics have an enviable lifestyle. They spend much of their time drinking wines, provided, for the most part, for free. It is a respectable job that involves meeting many wealthy and talented individuals. To get the inside view on the world of wine criticism in the UK, I spoke to some of Britain's most influential critics: Jancis Pobinson MW, who writes for the Financial Times; Anthony Rose of the Independent; David Moore, whose book Wine Behind the Label is now in its fifth edition; and Malcolm Gluck, the broadcaster and author who had a regular column about wine in the Guardian for more than 15 years. Summarizing wine criticism is not easy, though Anthony Rose made a good' attempt at it. "Wine tasting is an inadequate science. It requires an objective assessment of the wine and a subjective assessment of the taste, and then a form in which you can communicate this to the reader. It means being an all-round communicator of the enjoyment of wine." It is obviously that it is a fairly closed and yet gregarious world. "Ahhh ... haaa," was how one well-known critic greeted my proposal to discuss their wine-commentating colleagues, as if I'd caught them walking out the door with my favorite Burgundy glass. "So the small upside of alienating all my colleagues in your article is that a couple of people click through to my website?" Clearly I wasn't going to collect too much data on how critics feel about each other. Rose referred to a recent correspondence where one commentator felt it was not a wine critic's duty to criticize his colleagues. Certainly there doesn't appear to be much mud-slinging among the critics in other creative spheres, such as literature and film-making. Still, one might be forgiven for thinking that the world of wine criticism is just a little too cosy. I put that question to Jancis Robinson, who regarded the whole topic as fairly incendiary. Rose, however, felt that integrity ultimately wins out, and he hadn't had any hesitation in panning a recent book published by a colleague, despite the potential awkwardness. "I didn't pull my punches. If he doesn't want to speak to me again, then that's just one of the hazards of the job. If you write an honest opinion on a wine or about a wine book, then that will be respected." Malcolm Gluck agreed wholeheartedly, even deriding his colleagues who form part of a special wine literary circle. "It is all a bit clubby ... It's not something I join in much although I'm a member. It leads to critical blandness." Rose was more mollifying and ventured, "I think we should thank the likes of Hugh Johnson, Oz Clarke and Jancis Robinson for raising the profile of wine criticism generally and giving more people the opportunity to write about wine in publications, getting away from its elitist nature." The famous American wine critic Robert Parker has suggested that UK wine critics aren't as independent as they might be, although Robinson thought this was more true in the past, when those who traded wine also wrote about it. Some feel Parker has gone too far, however, in endorsing a book that libeled a well-known French wine critic and wrongly accused the commentator of working for certain producers. Even if the independence of critics is now more robust, there does seem to be too much opportunity for manipulating the coverage of writing by large retailers and brand owners. Robinson agreed that wine commentating could be improved "if critics got out and about a bit more, rather than relying on being spoon-fed by the rather mundane press tastings put on by the multiple retailers." When I tried to push her to name names, she rebuffed me before I had even finished asking the question. She confirmed, though, that her newspaper editors have never put any pressure on her to write about any specific wines. The degree to which journalists were being "spoon-fed by the wine trade" was a point I put to Rose. "1 can't speak for other critics but only myself. I go to many vineyards around the world, trade and press tastings, and tasting put on by importers and producers. It's really up to each critic to get out and about as much as possible in order to sift through the hype. The customer isn't stupid. They can soon see if a critic is in the pay of the wine trade. Certainly there are trips offered by individual producers, which puts pressure on the writer to write about those individuals, but I don't go on those." David Moore agreed, "The perception of independence is important." The problem for the critics, as Moore sees them, stem from the tastes of consumer. "Newspaper columns are becoming a reflection of what is happening in the retail market. As a nation, we're not interested in wine the way they are in the United States, France and Italy, and that's reflected in what people are reading about." However, that's not the perception one would have while reading his book, Wine Behind the Label, and Moore confirms that the USA is now a much more important market than the domestic UK market. Even worse, he didn't feel that the UK market is well served. "Too big retailers and too big brand," he said. "It's a shame we don't hear more about what is on offer from specialist retailers, which is partly their fault. The scope for the consumer is pretty poor in terms of what is available for them to drink. A lot of smaller good producers are struggling, and they're not written about, and they're not available in the UK." There is a sense that some critics are unable to write about wines that interests them -- that they are being manipulated by the wine trade -- but at least they're all working hard and enjoying a great lifestyle. This lifestyle perception is not as real as one might think. "There are undoubtedly one or two people at the top," said Rose, "such as Robert Parker, Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson and Oz Clarke, who are making a reasonable living from wine because they're popular, they're good and they've successfully branded themselves. Most of the rest of us are in another group that manages to get by. And then there are other people who dabble, who need to supplement their income or they have another job, but they are doing something they love doing." We are back to where we started, and I put the question referring to their colleagues another way: who is the worst king of critic, and what can be done about it? "1 think we're our own worst critics," offered Rose. "We mostly come to wine writing because we love wine, not because we're writers. There are a couple who can write very well, but most of us are just struggling along, doing our best to get our enthusiasm and passion across to our readers." Gluck was more forthright, "It is the person who takes no account of his or her readership and simply parades toffee- nosed views about how much you should spend, implying the more you spend, the better the value -- which is absolute rubbish." According to Robinson, "We should go out and try a bit harder with inspiration for our stories and be more original." But these domestic issues should not be the only concerns for critics -- or, indeed, for consumers. In pensive mood, Rose said, "The world wine glut is posing a severe strain on the social fabric of the wine trade, particularly in France. It is sad that this is happening, and I hope we will begin to see supply and demand achieve more of a balance to eradicate those social and economic problems." Gluck's words were more chilling. "I've always tried to give people confidence to make judgments using their own palate," he said. "I believe that wine critics will eventually write themselves out of existence. Columns are becoming less and less read and less and less relevant, because people are more confident about their purchases, up to a certain price point." Could he be right?

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