阅读理解Fish Oil Much has been made of the benefits of oil derived from fish. It is claimed that people with a diet rich in fish oil have a greatly reduced chance of heart disease and arteriosclerosis. In addition, it has been shown conclusively that people suffering from elevated blood lipids react positively to treatment using fish oils. limits'' Diet and Diseases The advantages of fish oil became apparent after studies some two decades ago of the diet of the Inuit, or Erkimo, populations of Greenland. It was found that the Inuit, with their traditional diet of seal, whale and Arctic fish — a diet very high in fat — suffered practically no heart disease, had near zero incidence of diabetes, and enjoyed a comparatively low rate of rheumatoid arthritis. (Interestingly, incidence of cancer, equal to that found in most other parts of the world, appeared unaffected by the traditional Inuit diet.) Few Heart Attack Deaths Until the work of Dyberg and Bang in the 1970s, little attention was paid to the implications of a fish-rich diet, despite a centuries-old knowledge of Inuit customs. The two researchers noted that in one community of 1,800 people there were only three heart attack deaths between 1950 and 1974. To understand why, they examined the Inuits'' blood lipids and diet. Omega-3 fatty acids featured strongly in the bloodstream of the research subjects, directly attributable to diet. A Comparison between the Inuits in Greenland and those in Denmark In order to rule out genetic or racial factors from their findings, Dyberg and Bang went on to compare the Greenland Inuit communities with those Inuit residing in Denmark who consumed a diet almost identical to that of the Danes. The Inuit in Denmark, particularly those who had been there for longer periods, were shown to have higher blood cholesterol levels and significantly higher serum triglyceride levels than their Greenland counterparts. In fact, the levels of the Westernized Inuits matched those of the Danes themselves, who consume mainly meat, milk products and eggs. As would be expected, levels of heart disease and arteriosclerosis of the Inuit well-established in Denmark were far closer to those of the Danes man those of the Greenland Inuit. The findings, according to the researchers, indicated an Omega-3 deficiency in the Danish diet compared with the Greenland diet. Findings in Japan Similar findings come from Japan. A comparison of the diets of farmers and fishermen, together with an examination of health records and death rates of the two groups, has shown a link between the health of the human heart and fish oil. Whereas the average Japanese farmer has 90 grams of fish a day, the average fisherman has 250 grams. In all other respects, their diets are similar. Correspondingly, fishermen have lower blood pressure and lower rates of heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. This compares with the 20 grams eaten daily by the average person in the US, where rates of heart disease and arteriosclerosis are five to seven times higher than in Japan. Fish Oil''s Effects in the Treatment of Hyperlipidaemic Patients Its high Omerga-3 content and easy digestibility make fish oil particularly useful in the treatment of hyperlipidaemic patients. Studies have shown an inverse relationship between dosage of salmon oil and plasma triglyceride concentrations. Specifically, it has been found that the consumption of three grams of salmon oil per day by such patients reduces their plasma triglyceride levels some 32 per cent. For patients given six grams, the levels fall by 41 per cent, and for those taking nine grams, concentrations dropped an average of 52 per cent. The table below gives the Omega-3 contents of several fish varieties as compared with a selection of vegetable-based oils and butterfat.

阅读理解World''s Top Distance Races We''ve scoured the globe to find the world''s best distance events — and we''ve found the following races which you simply must run if you get the chance. A Swiss Alpine Races This is as beautiful — and tortuous — as it sounds: the Swiss Alpine races take runners through verdant upland meadows and deep woods on primitive running trails. Runners travel through tunnels, over high wooden bridges, up flights of steps and through mountain villages, with only yodelling spectators to break the silence. Two of the three races (the 28-kilometre Landwasserlauf and the 67-kilometre "marathon") begin benignly enough on a stadium track in Davos( at 5,000 m). a centre for high-altitude sports training in Europe. The mid-distance Sertiglauf covers the last 39 kilometres of the marathon course, providing runners with the challenge of crossing the 3,000m Sertig Pass. Founded as recently as 1986. the races already attract more than 2,000 runners from over 20 countries to the south-eastern. Germanspeaking quadrant of Switzerland. A training camp, held the week before the race, includes alpine running and hiking in the mountains to help runners to acclimatise to the altitude. B Stramilano 15km & Half-Marathon Italy‘s electrifying Stramilano breaks the pattern for road races by holding separate events in four classes of running. On the Saturday. thousands of spectators jam the streets at the heart of the city of 1.7 million people to watch 200 élite men run a four-lap half-marathon. The next day''s citizens'' 15-kilometre race draws a field of around 50,000 from 50 countries to trek from the Piazza Duomo(the square in front of Milan''s massive white marble cathedral, which dates from 1386) to Arena Stadium. About 2,500 non élite runners opt for a half-marathon that begins and ends in the stadium. Finally, there''s a 6-kilometre children''s fun run from the Piazza Duomo to the stadium. Founded in 1972, Stramilano is one of the best deals in international road racing. For the equivalent of ￡5, runners receive a programme, medal and T-shirt. Until recently, the race has been largely unknown outside Italy, even though Milan has long been Italy''s centre for finance, sport and some of the greatest northern Italian cuisine. C Boston Marathon Qualifying for Boston has become a goal for runners everywhere. Arguably the world''s most famous marathon (now over 100 years old), Boston was known to sports fans decades before there was any such thing as a running boom. While the event has been modernised to accommodate the financial realities of big-time marathoning, Boston retains many of its charms and traditions from the old days. One is the Monday noon start (Patriots Day in Massachusetts) at Hopkinton''s village green. The Boston experience includes Hopkinton''s crowded and frantic start, the deafening cheers from the women of Wellesley College, the reality test of the Newton Hills (including, at 17 miles, the infamous Heartbreak Hill) and a downtown Boston finish in front of thousands of spectators. Runners take over the city the weekend before, with exhibitions, warm-up runs along the Charles River and famous-runner sightings among the leading activities. Moderately demanding qualifying standards limit the field to about 7,000 and add prestige to the event. D New York City Marathon The "big daddy" of the modem big-city megamarathon, the New York traces its humble origins to a four-lap run around Central Park which took place in 1970, with 55 finishers. When the race went citywide in 1976, the world took notice, and the field has now ballooned to nearly 30,000. Apply early for entry — more runners are rejected man accepted through New York''s lottery system. The race starts at the world''s largest suspension bridge, the Verrazano Narrows, and finishes among falling autumn leaves in stately Central Park. The meandering point-to-point course(with some hills)passes through all five New York boroughs, giving runners a rich sampling of the city''s many ethnic neighbourhoods and subcultures and weaving them through crowds of enthusiastic spectators. The racesupport covers every imaginable runner need, from foreign-language translation to psychological trauma counselling. E The M édoc and Graves Marathon It may not be the ideal race to set a world best in, but if it''s fun and frivolity you want throughout your 42 kilometres, then M édoc has it in abundance. It features an extraordinary party in the grounds of an ancient chateau, a route that cuts through the cloistered, manicured private vineyards of the region, and the kind of hospitality and atmosphere that no other event can match. Fancy dress is the order of the day, with wide-eyed villagers turning out to cheer on hordes of runners as they make their slow progress from the wine parishes of Pauillac, St Est é phe, St Julien and Margaux. Finishers get an open-air supper and take home a wooden-cased bottle of claret, a pendant cast as a bunch of grapes and a knapsack to carry the goodies in. Understandably, the French make up the lion''s share of the field, but although large tour groups are discouraged, single competitors or small independent groups are welcomed with open arms. Apply early — it''s the most popular marathon in France and always heavily oversubscribed. But with all that for under a fiver, it''s not hard to understand why. F Boder Boulder Set in the Rocky Mountain foothills and with the presence of a core of elite athletes and a fitnessmad population, one of America''s largest 10-kilometre races is a natural outgrowth of the Boulder Community. Few cities do a better job of giving 30,000 runners a memorable day without losing them in the masses. Some 40 wave starts, in which runners are grouped with those of similar ability, ensure a smooth, uncrowded course. The ''citizen'' divisions begin first, so that later everybody gets to watch separate fields of élite men and women sprint to the tape in the 51,000-seat Folsom Field stadium. To take your mind off the gruelling nature of this hilly, mile-high course, there are entertainers performing along the way, including belly dancers, gymnasts and rock bands. There are 10 prizes for each age group, and all finishers receive a certificate with their official time and placing. The race has gone from strength to strength since 1979, when local banker Steve Bosley and Olympic gold medallist Frank Shorter created the event. G London Marathon Inspired by Chris Brasher''s trip to New York in 1980, the race has now surpassed its older American cousin in numbers of applicants, entrants and finishers. In 1994, with the finish moved from Westminster Bridge back down the Mall to the steps of Buckingham Palace, the number of finishers reached a historic high of 25,000. The now familiar flat-to-downhill course, starting at Greenwich Park and on Blackheath Common and passing the Curry Sark, the Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament along the way, packs in more history than a secondary-school textbook. Competition for places is intense, with the lottery for ''open'' spots denting more than a few British club runners'' ambitions. Not only is the race the world''s biggest in numerical terms, it also raises the most money for charity. Cartoon characters, charging rhinos and Zulu warriors all find their way onto the start line, with thousands of pounds riding on their successful finish.

阅读理解Hardly a week goes by without some advance in technology that would have seemed incredible 50 years ago. And we can expect the rate of change to accelerate rather than slow down within our lifetime. The developments in technology are bound to have a dramatic effect on the future of work. By 2010, new technology will have revolutionized communications. People will be transmitting messages down telephone lines that previously would have been sent by post. Not only postmen but also clerks and secretaries will vanish in a paper-free society. All the routine tasks they perform will be carried on a tiny silicon chip so that they will be as obsolete as the horse and cart after the invention of the motor car. One change will make thousands, if not millions, redundant. Even people in traditional professions, where expert knowledge has been the key, are unlikely to escape the effects of new technology. Instead of going to a solicitor, you might go to a computer which is programmed with all the most up-to-date legal information. Doctors, too, will find that an electronic competitor will be able to carry out a much quicker and more accurate diagnosis and recommend more efficient courses of treatment. In education, teachers will be largely replaced by teaching machines far more knowledgeable than any human being. Most learning will take place in the home via video conferencing. Children will still go to school though, until another place is created where they can make friends and develop social skills. What can we do to avoid the threat of unemployment? We shouldn''t hide our heads in the sand.. Unions will try to stop change but they will be fighting a losing battle. People should get computer literate as this just might save them from professional extinction. After all, there will be a few jobs left in law, education and medicine for those few individuals who are capable of writing and programming the software of the future. Strangely enough, there will still be jobs like rubbish collection and cleaning as it is tough to programme tasks which are largely unpredictable.

阅读理解Section BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.

阅读理解It is generally accepted that the experiences of the child in his first years largely determine his character and later personality. Every experience teaches the child something and the effects are cumulative. "Upbringing" is normally used to refer to the treatment and training of the child within the home. This is closely related to the treatment and training of the child in schoo1, which is usually distinguished by the term "education". In a society such as ours, both parents and teachers are responsible for the opportunities provided for the development of the child, so that upbringing and education are interdependent. The ideals and practices of child rearing vary from culture to culture. In general, the more rural the community, the more uniform are the customs of child upbringing. In more technologically developed societies, the period of childhood and adolescence(青春期) tends to be extended over a long time, resulting in more opportunity for education and greater variety'' in character development. Early upbringing in tile home is naturally affected both by the cultural pattern of the community and by the parents'' capabilities and their aims and depends not only on upbringing and education but also on the innate abilities of the child. Wide differences of innate intelligence and temperament exist even in children of the same family. Intelligent parents, however, realize that the particular setting of each family is unique, and there can be no rigid(严格的) general rules. They use general information only as a guide in making decisions and solving problems. All parents have to solve the problems of freedom and discipline. The younger the child, the more readily the mother gives in to his demands to avoid disappointing him. She knows that if his energies are not given an outlet, her child'' s continuing development may be warped. A child must be allowed to enjoy this "messy" but tactile stage of discovery before he is ready to go on to the less physical pleasures of toys and books. Similarly, throughout life, each stage depends on the satisfactory completion of the one before.

阅读理解What does the author say Kodak's history has become?

阅读理解JOBS A person planning for a career today must look carefully at the expected occupational trends and changes in the job market. Affecting the economy are changes in the size, age, and distribution of the population, as well as developments in technology. These changes also affect employment opportunities. For example, an aging population has increased the need for medical care and other health services. Computer technology has not only eliminated or changed the nature of many jobs but also created new occupations. By analyzing the changing economy and the factors causing these changes, a person can forecast, or predict, future trends in employment. A New Labor Force The United States labor force--the total number of people over the age of 16 who are employed or are actively seeking work totaled 127 million in 1992. By the year 2005, the labor force is expected to reach 151 million, an increase of 19%. This increase represents a slight slowdown in the growth of the labor force compared with growth during the previous 13-year period, 1979-1992. The slowdown is largely due to slower population growth in the United States. The U. S. labor force will become more diverse by 2005, White non-Hispanic men will make up a slightly smaller proportion of the labor force than in 1992, while women and minority group members will make up a larger share, Between 1992 and 2005, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and other ethnic(种族的) groups will account for roughly 35% of all people entering the work force. In addition, women will continue to join the labor force in growing numbers. In 1979, women made up 42% of the labor force. By 2005, their share is expected to be 48%. The age make-up of the U. S. population will change from 1992 to 2005. There will be a smaller proportion of children and teenagers and a larger proportion of middle-aged and older people. The decline in the proportion of Children and teenagers reflects the lower birth rates of the 1980s and 1990s. The large increase in the middle-aged population reflects the aging of the baby boom generation--people born between 1946 and 1964. The rapid growth of the older population reflects both the high birth rates before the 1930s and improvements in medical technology that are allowing Americans to live longer. The changing age make-up of the U. S. population will directly affect tomorrow''s work force, Young people age 16 to 24 are expected to make up roughly the same percentage of the labor force in 2005 as they did in 1992. However, the percentage of workers age 25 to 34 will decline dramatically, from 28% to 21%. The baby boom generation will continue to add members to the work force, but their'' share will decline slightly. The most striking change will be a large increase in the percentage of workers between the ages of 45 and 54. These workers will account for 24% of the labor force in 2005, up from 18% in 1992. Workers in this age group usually have more employment experience than younger workers. Thus, employers will be able to choose from a larger pool of experienced applicants, people seeking jobs, in coming years. Education: A Prerequisite(先决条件) for Employment The education level of the labor force has risen dramatically in recent years. In 1980, for example, 19% of all workers age 25 and older had completed four years of college. In 1992, 27% had a bachelor''s degree or higher. The trend toward higher educational achievement is expected to continue. From 1992 to 2005, employment growth will be faster for occupations requiring higher levels of education or training than for those requiring less. Managerial, professional, and technical positions will make up an increasing proportion of new jobs that become available. Many of the occupations projected for grow most rapidly are those with higher earnings. Office and factory automation, changes in consumer demand, and the movement of factories overseas will continue to affect job opportunities. Employment in jobs requiring little formal education may decline. They may also stagnate, or stay the same, making job opportunities for people who have not finished high school increasingly limited. In addition, those workers will be more likely to have low paying jobs with little opportunity for advancement. Goods Vs Services Today industries providing services employ more people than those providing goods. Currently, about 21% of the labor force is employed in goods-producing industries, such as mining, manufacturing, and construction. About 79% of United States workers are employed in service-producing industries, such as health care, education, transportation, communications, and banking. Economists forecast a continued increase in the number of jobs in service-producing industries. By 2005, service jobs are expected to make up 82% of the job market. Employment Trends in Service Industries Health services will continue to be one of the fastest growing industries in the U. S. economy from 1992 to 2005. For example, home health care is the second most rapidly growing industry today. The increased demand for health services is due to improvements in medical technology, the growing size of the U.S. population, and the increasing proportion of older people in the population. Business services, also will generate many jobs by 2005. However, this industry will grow more slowly than it did from 1979 to 1992. Business services include one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S. economy: computer and data processing services. This industry''s rapid growth is due to advances in technology, worldwide trends toward office and factory automation, and increased demand by companies, government agencies, and individuals. Other service industries also will experience growth from 1992 to 2005. Education, for example, is expected to add 2.8 million jobs due to population growth and rising school enrollments. Employment in social services is expected to increase by 1.7 million, In fact, the most rapidly growing industry in the U. S. economy today is residential care. The economy will also see strong job growth in the passenger transportation industry, including travel agencies. Employment in the communications industry, however, is expected to decline by 12%. This decline is due to laborsaving technology and increased competition among companies. Employment Trends in Goods-Producing Industries Overall employment in goods-producing industries is expected to show little change between 1992 and 2005. However, growth will vary among industries, with some industries experiencing an increase in jobs and others experiencing a decrease. Employment in the construction industry, for example, is expected to increase 26%, from 4. 5 million in 1992 to 5.6 million in 2005. The need to improve the nation''s roads, bridges, and tunnels will offset (补偿) the declining demand for new homes and office buildings. Also, after declining for many years, overall employment in farming, forestry, and fishing is projected to grow by 14%, from 1.7 million to 2 million jobs. Jobs in other goods-producing industries will continue to decline. For example, employment in manufacturing is expected to decrease by 3% from its 1992 level of 18 million jobs. Most of the jobs that will disappear will be production jobs, as machines continue to replace people. However, the number of professional and technical positions in manufacturing will increase. Mining employment, which includes the petroleum industry, is expected to decline 11% by 2005, from 631,000 to 562,000 jobs.

阅读理解What does energy tycoon Pickens try to say in his Giving Pledge letter?

阅读理解What does the author argue for in the passage?

阅读理解What does Kofi Annan say should be the focus of the Copenhagen conference?

阅读理解Ships are often sunk in order to create underwater reefs (暗礁)perfect for scuba diving (水肺式潜泳)and preserving marine 【A1】 Turkish authorities have just sunk something a little different than a ship, and it wouldnt normally ever touch water, an Airbus A300

阅读理解Why haven’t falling oil prices boosted the global economy as they did before?

阅读理解Some prominent environmentalists—as well as Senators McCain and Lieberman, who back legislation to reduce carbon dioxide (二氧化碳c) emissions (排放)—are supporting further development of nuclear power to serve as an emission-free bridge to an economy based entirely on renewable energy. "It''s not that something new and important and good had happened with nuclear, it''s mat something new and important and bad has happened with climate change," says environmentalist Stewart Brand, who recently authored a controversial article on the topic in the May issue of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology''s Technology Review. Brand has joined a small but growing cadre of environmentalists, which includes Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies dean James Gustave Speth and World Resources Institute head Jonathan Lash, in promoting new, cleaner, safer nuclear technologies as a solution to the frustrating problem of how to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels (矿石燃料) before solar and other renewables are ready for use. Together, alternative renewables account for less than two percent of the nation''s energy production, while nuclear power contributes ten times as much power to the production today. And in his new attempt, Senator John McCain has reportedly added language to the climate change bill he is drafting with Senator Joseph Lieberman that calls for major federal subsidies (资助) to pay the cost of developing new nuclear energy technologies to lessen our nation''s dependence on fossil fuels, which cause heat-trapping carbon dioxide build-up in the atmosphere. Felicity Barringer writes in the New York Times that the new language in the McCain-Lieberman bill would actually increase its chances of passage significantly: "Conservatives would support emission controls in return for support for a new generation of nuclear power plants." But despite the conversion of a few greens and some Senators, the majority of environmentalists still question the safety risks and economic expense of nuclear power, instead calling on the federal government to subsidize the development of renewable alternatives such as solar, wind, etc. "The notion out there from some of these deep thinkers is that we have to take our medicine and if only we could accept nuclear power plants, the global warming problem would be solved," says Anna Aurilio, the legislative director at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. "We have a whole bunch of solutions already that are not as risky." Indeed, as the issues get more complex — and the planet continues to heat up — it''s getting harder and harder to tell the realists from the idealists anymore.

阅读理解Every year thousands of people are arrested and taken to court for shop-lifting. In Britain alone, about HK$3,000,000''s worth of goods are stolen from shops every week. This amounts to something like HK$150 million a year, and represents about 4 per cent of the shops'' total stock. As a result of this "shrinkage" as the shops call it, the honest public has to pay higher prices. Shop-lifters can be divided into three main categories: the professionals, the deliberate amateur, and the people who just can''t help themselves. The professionals do not pose much of a problem for the store detectives, who, assisted by closed circuit television, two-way mirrors and various other technological devices, can usually cope with them. The professionals tend to go for high value goods in parts of the shops where security measures are tightest. And, in any case, they account for only a small percentage of the total losses due to shop-lifting. The same applies to the deliberate amateur who is, so to speak, a professional in training. Most of them get caught sooner or later, and they are dealt with severely by the courts. The real problem is the person who gives way to a sudden temptation and is in all other respects an honest and law-abiding citizen. Contrary to what one would expect, this kind of shop-lifter is rarely poor. He does not steal because he needs the goods and cannot afford to pay for them. He steals because he simply cannot stop himself. And there are countless others who, because of age, sickness or plain absent-mindedness, simply forget to pay for what they take from the shops. When caught, all are liable to prosecution, and the decision whether to send for the police or not is in the hands of me store manager. In order to prevent the quite incredible growth in ship-lifting offences, some stores, in fact, are doing their best to separate the thieves from the confused by prohibiting customers from taking bags into the store. However, what is most worrying about the whole problem is, perhaps, that it is yet another instance of the innocent majority being penalized and inconvenienced because of the actions of a small minority. It is the aircraft hijack situation in another form. Because of the possibility of one passenger in a million boarding an aircraft with a weapon, the other 999,999 passengers must subject themselves to searches and delays. ^Unless the situation in the shops improves, in ten years'' time we may all have to subject ourselves to a body-search every time we go into a store to buy a tin of beans!#

阅读理解Millions of people travel by plane every single day

阅读理解The fridge is considered a necessity. It has been so since the 1960s when packaged food first appeared with the label: "store in the refrigerator." In my fridgeless Fifties childhood, I was fed well and healthily. The milkman came daily, the grocer, the butcher, the baker, and the ice-cream man delivered two or three times a week. The Sunday meat would last until Wednesday and surplus bread and milk became all kinds of cakes. Nothing was wasted, and we were never troubled by rotten food. Thirty years on, food deliveries have ceased; fresh vegetables are almost unobtainable in the country. The invention of the fridge contributed comparatively little to the art of food preservation. A vast way of well-tried techniques already existed — natural cooling, drying, smoking, salting, sugaring, bottling... What refrigeration did promote was marketing — marketing hardware and electricity, marketing soft drinks, marketing dead bodies of animals around the globe in search of a good price. Consequently, most of the world''s fridges are to be found, not in the tropics where they might prove useful, but in the wealthy countries with mild temperatures where they are climatically almost unnecessary. Every winter, millions of fridges hum away continuously, and at vast expense, busily maintaining an artificially-cooled space inside an artificially-heated house — while outside, nature provides the desired temperature free of charge. The fridge''s effect upon the environment has been evident, while its contribution to human happiness has been insignificant. If you don''t believe me, try it yourself, invest in a food cabinet and turn off your fridge next winter. You may miss the hamburgers, but at least you''ll get rid of that terrible hum.

阅读理解Now that she's got a boyfriend, Toebe is no longer crazy about ______.

阅读理解Many teachers believe that the responsibilities for learning lie with the students. If a long reading assignment is given, instructors expect students to be familiar with the (47) in the reading even if they do not discuss it in class or take an examination. The (48) student is considered to be one who is motivated (激发) to learn for the sake of learning, not the one interested only in getting high grades Sometimes homework is returned with brief written comments but without a grade. Even if a grade is not given, the students is (49) for learning the material assigned. When research is (50) , the professor expects the student to take it actively and to complete it with (51) guidance. It is tile student responsibility to find hooks, magazines, and articles in the library. Professors do not have the time to explain how a university library works; the}, expect students, (52) graduate students, to be able to exhaust the reference (53) in the library. Professors will help students who need it, but (54) that their students should not be hate dependent on them. In the United States professors have many other duties besides teaching, such as administrative or research work therefore, the time that a professor can spend with a students outside of class is (55) . If a student has problems with classroom work, the student should either (56) a professor during office hours or make an appointment. WORD BANK A) ideal I) approach B) responsible J) assigned C) minimum K) information D) distribute L) abstract E) context M) exactly F) sources N) prefer G) dismissed O) particularly H) limited

阅读理解Scholars and students have always been great travelers. The official case for "academic mobility" is now often stated in impressive terms as a fundamental necessity (47)________ economic and social progress in the world, and (48)________ in the corridors of Europe, but it is certainly (49)________ new. Serious students were (50)________ ready to go abroad in (51)________ of the most (52)________ teachers and the most famous academies. In short, they are (53)________ the likeliest road to mobility of this kind which means also the (54)________ of ideas, the academic movement across frontier, and the great impact upon many (55)________ of people. The point of learning is to share it, (56)________ with colleagues or with other scholars. This exchange has provided for the rapid transmission of knowledge around the world. WORD BANK A. boring B. nothing C. search D. while E. crowds F. for G. something H. exchange I. whether J. stimulating K. always L. debated M. seeking N. groups O. seldom

阅读理解How Important Is Knowledge? Knowledge Makes the Difference between Poverty and Wealth Forty years ago, Ghana and the Republic of Korea had about the same income per capita. By 1990, Korea''s income was six times higher than Ghana''s. While part of the difference is due to more investment and more workers, half of the difference is attributed to Korea''s greater success in organizing and using knowledge.'' Knowledge Makes the Difference between Sickness and Health Knowledge doesn''t only mean higher economic growth and higher incomes. It can also mean a better quality of life, such as a cleaner environment and better health. In recent decades, infant mortality rates have declined sharply for people in all income groups. Even very poor families suffer fewer infant deaths today than equally poor families suffered ten years ago. Reason: the advance of knowledge has made possible new drugs and vaccines, better sanitation practices, and more effective public health campaigns. What Kind of Knowledge Our report focuses on two types of knowledge that are especially important to development. First, technical knowledge or simply know-how. Examples are nutrition and birth control, engineering and accounting. Poor countries and poor people have less know-how than others, and these knowledge gaps make it harder for people to escape poverty. Second, knowledge about attributes or characteristics, such as the purity of milk, the diligence of a worker, the solvency (偿付能力) of a firm, and the security of a bank. When this information is lacking, markets function badly —or fail. We call the difficulties arising from lack of this type of knowledge information problems. Information problems are often worse in developing countries and they especially hurt the poor. Knowledge Gaps and Information Problems in the Green Revolution The Green Revolution illustrates how dealing with both types of problems can improve people''s lives. The first steps in the Green Revolution involved narrowing knowledge gaps — research to develop new seed and techniques, and teach the new techniques to farmers. But the potential of the Green Revolution could not be dug up unless poor farmers obtained loans to buy new seeds and fertilizer. As we will see, credit for the poor is a classic information problem. Lack of credit and other information problems turned out to be as important and difficult as the original agricultural research. One study in India found that for a typical family with a small parcel of land, the loss of potential income over five years from slow adoption and inefficient use of high-yielding varieties was nearly four times its annual income before the introduction of the new seeds. As these problems were solved, through research, agricultural extension services and later through micro credit, the Green Revolution indeed helped the poor. Incomes of small farmers almost doubled and the incomes of landless laborers — the poorest of the poor — more than doubled. The two types of problem often overlap and interact, as in the case of the Green Revolution. To narrow knowledge gaps — both between and within countries — it is necessary to know how knowledge can be acquired, how it can be absorbed, and how it can be communicated. Acquiring Knowledge Most new knowledge is being created in richer countries, where spending on research and development is the highest. Fortunately, developing countries don''t need to re-invent the light bulb, or the computer, or the vaccine for measles. In many cases, tapping global knowledge will be quickest and easiest way to narrow knowledge gaps. How? Foreign direct investment, trade, and — in an era of strengthened intellectual property rights — licensing are all important mechanisms for acquiring knowledge from abroad. And countries should not neglect the knowledge in their own backyard, such as traditional knowledge about ecosystems and medicinal plants. China, Brazil, India and Korea are building their own research capacity, to complement the acquisition of knowledge from abrade. Absorbing Knowledge Education is more important than ever before. In the past 20 years, the share of medium and high-technology goods in world trade has more than doubled, to half of world trade. Basic education remains crucial, but it is no longer enough. To compete globally, a country''s workforce must include people with advanced technical training and higher education. At the household level, too, education is crucial. It is well known that educated women have healthier children and that farmers with more schooling are quicker to adopt new techniques. Despite great changes, too many poor people — especially women — remain illiterate. In low-income countries, four out of ten women do not know how to read. Communicating Knowledge Falling communication costs offer new opportunities to cope with these old problems. Computing power and telephone lines cost only one ten-thousandth of what they cost two decades ago. Yet millions of people remain isolated. In the U.S. there are more than 600 telephone lines for every 1,000 people. But in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, there are only 20 telephone lines for every 1,000 people. The problem isn''t lack of demand. Worldwide about 28 million households and businesses in developing countries are on waiting lists for a telephone line. Many more would gladly pay if only service were available. Breaking up monopolies and introducing more competition can help to increase the supply of phones. In Ghana the number of phone lines increased by 25 percent in the first year after the market was opened to competition. Chile used an innovative scheme to award subsidies to companies that install pay phones in remote villages. By the end of this year almost everybody in Chile will have access to a phone. Even if knowledge gaps were closed entirely, with everyone in the world having the same access to know-how as well-educated people in rich countries, people in poorer countries would still face more serious information problems. Knowledge about attributes — the quality of a product or the solvency of a firm — cannot be stored for long. It must be generated on the spot and constantly refreshed. Many of the institutions needed to collect and spread this information are weak or lacking in developing countries. Information problems are especially important in three areas: poverty as is discussed above, finance, and environment. Finance The financial crisis in East Asia is clear reminder of the severity of information problems and the need to develop institutions to deal with them. By now the story is familiar. A build-up of short-term debt inevitably exposes a country to risk. But why was the withdrawal of funds so great? Part of the answer lies with inadequate information: depositors, unable to distinguish good banks from bad ones, withdrew their money from all banks; investors, unable to distinguish good firms from bankrupt ones, dumped the shares of all companies. The importance of good accounting standards and the disclosure of information has now been revealed in the worst way possible. Part of the solution then lies in standardized balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, loan loss provisions, realistic valuation of collateral (抵押品) and so on. Argentina has greatly strengthened its financial sector by adopting a "multiple eyes" approach that involves as many agents as possible in monitoring bank behavior. Capital adequacy ratios are a stiff 11.5 percent; foreign banks hold 45 percent of banking assets, the central bank provides on-line information about companies'' balance sheets and income statements, and overall supervision of the banks has been greatly strengthened. Environment Information problems underlie many environmental problems, because information about environmental concerns is often unavailable. Some governments have discovered that by gathering and disclosing this information, they can make unexpected progress on tough issues. In Indonesia, the government created incentives for firms to reduce pollution by rating factories'' environmental performance, from black for the worst water polluters to gold for the very cleanest. In barely a year, one-third of the firms found to be in violation of environmental laws—some of which had been polluting for years — cleaned up enough to earn the blue rating of firms that comply with the law. Why? Partly because investors care about the environment. A recent World Bank study of stock markets in Argentina, Chile, Mexico and the Philippines found that bad environmental news about a company depressed the price of its shares by about 15 percent, while good news raised its share prices about 20 percent.