阅读理解The life of the cowboy was not always, of course, as romantic as Hollywood showed it. It was often (47)________ hard. The cowboy had to (48) ________ his herd from the dangers of (49)________ animals and thieves, from snowstorms, tornadoes(龙卷风) , and desert sunstroke (中暑). He (50)________ broken bones and being kicked or dragged to death. He often had no companion but his horse during days and nights of lonely keeping (51)________ of his herd. And yet his principle of living, which permitted a kind of rough and tough manner, allowed no complaining. The cowboy was (52)________ a person who had great self-control, who could (53)________ pain and discomfort without complaint and was very proud, " an aristocrat (贵族) among the working men of the Old West. " Today''s cowboy has been modernized. His faithful companion and most valuable tool, (54)________, has been replaced by the automobile, the jeep, even the airplane; his way of (55)________ has been simplified, replaced by blue jeans and nylon shirts. But his traditional (56)________ is still being preserved. In folk festivals throughout the west, adventure-seekers can still thrill to the spectacle and dangers of saddling wild horses, riding bareback, roping and wrestling bulls. WORD BANK A. Risked B. bitterly C. notice D. seldom E. horse F. dressing G. bear H. image I. preserve J. wild K. strangely L. protect M. watch N. always O. living

阅读理解Passage One Like fine food，good writing is something we approach with pleasure and enjoy from the first taste to the last

阅读理解Each for its own reason, the study of residential mobility has been a concern of three disciplines: sociology, economics, and geography. For the economist, residential shifts provide a means for studying the housing and land markets. Geographers study mobility to understand the spatial distributions of population types. For the sociologist, interest in residential mobility has two sources: one stemming from the study of human ecology and the other, from a concern with the peculiar qualities of urban life. "Of course, there are clearly overlapping concerns and it is often difficult to discern the disciplinary origins of a researcher by solely examining the kinds of questions he or she raises about mobility, although it is usually easier to identify a researcher''s discipline by noting the methods used and the concepts employed. Urban mobility first appears in the sociological literature as a term expressing rather generalized qualities of urban, as opposed the non-urban life. Some sociologists refer to the mobility of the city as the considerable sum of myriad and incessant sources of stimulation impinging upon the urban dweller, a sort of sensory overload which produces sophistication, indifference and a lowered level of affection in urban dwellers. There is simply so much to experience that the urban dweller''s capacity is reduced to react in a "spontaneous" and "natural" way to urban existence. It is mobility in this sense that produces some of the special qualities of urban life , which , on the other hand, appeal to migrants as an escape from the dullness and oppression of rural existence with its lack of change and stimulation, and on the other hand, produces anomie and alienation in a society where men see each other primarily as means to ends rather than as ends in themselves. Of course, mobility in this larger sense of sensory overload is not a concept which lends itself easily to measurement, especially since it is a macro-system property.

阅读理解The history of civil engineering is a very important story in the development of civilization. Civil engineers began practicing their (47) four thousand years ago. Every great civilization, Egyptian, Minoan, and Roman, (48) , had their civil engineers. What is left of their work is proof that they were intelligent. These engineers of the ancient world built entire cities. They (49) systems of pipes which supplied fresh water. They built water pipelines for farm lands as well as bridges of great length. The ruins of their structures tell us (50) about the work of early engineers. Consider the pyramids of Egypt. They are (51) that some of the earliest engineers had great scientific ability. They are also proof that those engineers could make lasting works of art and design. Although they lived thousands of years ago, the Egyptian engineers used very (52) measurements. The base of the largest pyramid -- the great pyramid near Gizeh -- comes to within inches of being a perfect square, the pyramid is (53) placed. Each corner points toward the exact directions of north, south, east, and west. The inside of the pyramid is filled with complicated passages and tunnels. These lead to different rooms inside the pyramid. Many of these passages are of (54) length and height. The engineers of Egypt did more than design the pyramids. They (55) set up methods of moving and shaping the building materials. These were very heavy. They had to be brought from miles (56) and sometimes lifted several hundred feet. During the work the engineers commanded thousands of workers. The pyramids remain as evidence of the abilities of the ancient Egyptian engineers. WORD BANK A) away I) great B) many J) tourists C) also K) evidence D) profession L) fact E) perfectly M) much F) however N) still G) exact O) designed H) for instance

阅读理解Landfills You have just finished your meal at a fast food restaurant and you throw your uneaten food, food wrappers, drink cups, utensils and napkins into the trash can. You don''t think about that waste again. On trash pickup day in your neighborhood, you push your can out to the curb, and workers dump the contents into a big truck and haul it away. You don''t have to think about that waste again, either. But maybe you have wondered, as you watch the trash truck pull away, just where that garbage ends up. Americans generate trash at an astonishing rate of four pounds per day per person, which translates to 600,000 tons per day or 210 million tons per year! This is almost twice as much trash per person as most other major countries. What happens to this trash? Some gets recycled (回收利用) or recovered and some is burned, but the majority is buried in landfills. How Much Trash Is Generated? Of the 210 million tons of trash, or solid waste, generated in the United States annually, about 56 million tons, or 27 percent, is either recycled (glass, paper products, plastic, metals) or composted (使成堆肥) (yard waste). The remaining trash, which is mostly unrecyclable, is discarded. How Is Trash Disposed of? The trash production in the United States has almost tripled since 1960. This trash is handled in various ways. About 27 percent of the trash is recycled or composted, 16 percent is burned and 57 percent is buried in landfills. The amount of trash buried in landfills has doubled since 1960. The United States ranks somewhere in the middle of the major countries (United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France and Japan) in landfill disposal. The United Kingdom ranks highest, burying about 90 percent of its solid waste in landfills. What Is a Landfill? There are two ways to bury trash: ? Dump—an open hole in the ground where trash is buried and that is full of various animals (rats, mice, birds). (This is most people''s idea of a landfill!) ? Landfill—carefully designed structure built into or on top of the ground in which trash is isolated from the surrounding environment (groundwater, air, rain). This isolation is accomplished with a bottom liner and daily covering of soil. ? Sanitary landfill—landfill that uses a clay liner to isolate the trash from the environment ? Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill—landfill that uses a synthetic (plastic) liner to isolate the trash from the environment The purpose of a landfill is to bury the trash in such a way that it will be isolated from groundwater, will be kept dry and will not be in contact with air. Under these conditions, trash will not decompose (腐烂) much. A landfill is not like a compost pile, where the purpose is to bury trash in such a way that it will decompose quickly. Proposing the Landfill For a landfill to be built, the operators have to make sure that they follow certain steps. In most parts of the world, there are regulations that govern where a landfill can be placed and how it can operate. The whole process begins with someone proposing the landfill. In the United States, taking care of trash and building landfills are local government responsibilities. Before a city or other authority can build a landfill, an environmental impact study must be done on the proposed site to determine: - the area of land necessary for the landfill - the composition of the underlying soil and bedrock - the flow of surface water over the site - the impact of the proposed landfill on the local environment and wildlife - the historical value of the proposed site Building the Landfill Once the environmental impact study is complete, the permits are granted and the funds have been raised, then construction begins. First, access roads to the landfill site must be built if they do not already exist. These roads will be used by construction equipment, sanitation (环卫) services and the general public. After roads have been built, digging can begin. In the North Wake County Landfill, the landfill began 10 feet below the road surface. What Happens to Trash in a Landfill? Trash put in a landfill will stay there for a very long time. Inside a landfill, there is little oxygen and little moisture. Under these conditions, trash does not break down very rapidly. In fact, when old landfills have been dug up or sampled, 40-year-old newspapers have been found with easily readable print. Landfills are not designed to break down trash, merely to bury it. When a landfill closes, the site, especially the groundwater, must be monitored and maintained for up to 30 years! How Is a Landfill Operated? A landfill, such as the North Wake County Landfill, must be open and available every day. Customers are typically municipalities and construction companies, although residents may also use the landfill. Near the entrance of the landfill is a recycling center where residents can drop off recyclable materials (aluminum cans, glass bottles, newspapers and paper products). This helps to reduce the amount of material in the landfill. Some of these materials are banned from landfills by law because they can be recycled. As customers enter the site, their trucks are weighed at the scale house. Customers are charged tipping fees for using the site. The tipping fees vary from $10 to $40 per ton. These fees are used to pay for operation costs. The North Wake County Landfill has an operating budget of approximately $4.5 million, and part of that comes from tipping tees. Along the site, there are drop-off stations for materials that are not wanted or legally banned by the landfill. A multi-material drop-off station is used for tires, motor oil, lead-acid batteries. Some of these materials can be recycled. In addition, there is a household hazardous waste drop-off station for chemicals (paints, pesticides, other chemicals) that are banned from the landfill. These chemicals are disposed of by private companies. Some paints can be recycled and some organic chemicals can be burned in furnaces or power plants. Other structures alongside the landfill are the borrowed area that supplies the soil for the landfill, the runoff collection pond and methane (甲烷) station. Landfills are complicated structures that, when properly designed and managed, serve an important purpose. In the future, new technologies called bioreactors will be used to speed the breakdown of trash in landfills and produce more methane.

阅读理解A college education is an investment in the future. But it can be a (47) one. The College Board (48) that the costs at a four-year public college in the United States increased 10% this past school year. That was less than the 13% increase the year before, but still much higher than the inflation (49) Public colleges and universities still cost a lot less than private ones. Financial aid often helps. But financial experts (50) parents to start college savings plans when their child is still very young, All fifty states and the District of Columbia (51) what are called 5-29 plans. These plans are named after the part of the federal tax law that created them in 1996. States use private investment companies to operate the (52) of the programs. Every state has it, s own rules (53) 5-29 plans. Some of the plans are (54) of state taxes. And all are not required to pay federal taxes. However, the government could start to tax withdrawals (取钱) in 2011 if Congress does not change the law. 5-29 plans include investment accounts that increase or decrease in value with the investments they contain, Families must decide how (55) they want to put money into stocks, or other investments. Another kind of 5-29 plan lets parents begin to pay for their child'' s education in (56) and long before their child starts college. This kind of savings program is called a prepaid tuition plan. The money goes into an account to pay for an education at a public college or university in the family'' s home state. WORD BANK A) aggressively I) advise B) estimates J) capable C) offer K) free D) automatically L) majority E) rate M) advance F) consumes N) governing G) costly O) general H) decline

阅读理解Wetlands What are wetlands? Wetlands can be thought of as "biological supermarkets." They provide great volumes of food that attract many animal species. These animals use wetlands for part of or all of their life-cycle. Dead plant leaves and stems break down in the water to form small particles of organic material called "detritus." This enriched material feeds many small aquatic (水生的) insects, shellfish, and small fish that are food for larger predatory (食肉的) fish, reptiles, amphibians (两栖动物) , birds, and mammals. What are the functions and values of wetlands? Long regarded as wastelands, wetlands are now recognized as important features in the landscape that provide numerous beneficial services for people and for fish and wildlife. Some of these services, or functions, include water quality improvement, floodwater storage, fish and wildlife habitat, aesthetics, and biological productivity. These beneficial services, considered valuable to societies worldwide, are the result of the inherent and unique natural characteristics of wetlands. Water storage. Wetlands function like natural tubs or sponges, storing water and slowly releasing it. This process slows the water''s momentum and erosive potential, reduces flood heights, and allows for ground water recharge, which contributes to base flow to surface water systems during dry periods. Although a small wetland might not store much water, a network of many small wetlands can store an enormous amount of water. The ability of wetlands to store floodwaters reduces the risk of costly property damage and loss of life—benefits that have economic value to us. For example, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found that protecting wetlands along the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts, saved $17 million in potential flood damage. Water filtration. After being slowed by a wetland, water moves around plants, allowing the suspended sediment to drop out and settle to the wetland floor. Nutrients from fertilizer application, manure, leaking septic tanks, and municipal sewage that are dissolved in the water are often absorbed by plant roots and microorganisms in the soil. Other pollutants stick to soil particles. In many cases, this filtration process removes much of the water''s nutrient and pollutant load by the time it leaves a wetland. Some types of wetlands are so good at this filtration function that environmental managers construct similar artificial wetlands to treat storm water and wastewater. Biological productivity. Wetlands are some of the most biologically productive natural ecosystems in the world, comparable to tropical rain forests and coral reefs in their productivity and the diversity of species they support. Abundant vegetation and shallow water provide diverse habitats for fish and wildlife. Aquatic plant life flourishes in the nutrient-rich environment, and energy converted by the plants is passed up the food chain to fish, waterfowl, and other wildlife and to us as well. This function supports valuable commercial fish and shellfish industries. Fish and wildlife habitat. More than one-third of the United States'' threatened and endangered species live only in wetlands, and nearly half use wetlands at some point in their lives. Many other animals and plants depend on wetlands for survival. For many animals and plants, like wood ducks and swamp rose, inland wetlands are the only places they can live. For others, such as black bear, raccoon (浣熊) , and deer, wetlands provide important food, water, or shelter. Many of the U.S. breeding bird populations—including ducks, geese, woodpeckers, hawks, and many song-birds—feed, nest, and raise their young in wetlands. Migratory waterfowl use coastal and inland wetlands as resting, feeding, breeding, or nesting grounds for at least part of the year. Recreation and aesthetics. Wetlands have recreational, historical, scientific, and cultural values. More than half of all U.S. adults hunt, fish, birdwatch or photograph wildlife. They spend a total of $59.5 billion annually. Painters and writers continue to capture the beauty of wetlands on canvas and paper, or through cameras, and video and sound recorders. Others appreciate these wonderlands through hiking, boating, and other recreational activities. Almost everyone likes being on or near the water; part of the enjoyment is the varied, fascinating life forms. How are wetlands protected? The federal government protects wetlands through regulations, economic incentives and disincentives, cooperative programs, and acquisition. Beyond the federal level, a number of states have enacted laws to regulate activities in wetlands, and some counties and towns have adopted local wetlands protection ordinances (法令) or have changed the way development is permitted. Most coastal states have significantly reduced losses of coastal wetlands through protective laws. Few states, however, have laws specifically regulating activities in inland wetlands, although some states and local governments have non-regulatory programs that help protect wetlands. Recently, partnerships to manage whole watersheds have developed among federal, state, tribal, and local governments; nonprofit organizations; and private landowners. The goal of these partnerships is to implement comprehensive, integrated watershed protection approaches. A watershed approach recognizes the inter-connectedness of water, land, and wetlands resources and results in more complete solutions that address more of the factors causing wetland degradation. The government achieves the restoration of former or degraded wetlands under the Clean Water Act Section 404 program as well as through watershed protection initiatives. Together, partners can share limited resources to find the best solutions to protect and restore America''s natural resources. While regulation, economic incentives, and acquisition programs are important, they alone cannot protect the majority of our remaining wetlands. Education of the public and efforts in conjunction with states, local governments, and private citizens are helping to protect wetlands and to increase appreciation of the functions and values of wetlands. The rate of wetlands loss has been slowing, but we still have work to do. You can be a part. Approximately 75 percent of wetlands are privately owned, so individual landowners are critical in protecting these national treasures. What can you do? Despite the efforts of governments and private conservation organizations, pressures that destroy wetlands will continue. The problems of degradation of wetlands from pollution, urban encroachment, groundwater withdrawals, partial drainage, and other actions also require attention. Many opportunities exist for private citizens, corporations, government agencies, and other groups to work together to slow the rate of wetland loss and to improve the quality of our remaining wetlands. First, state and local governments need to be encouraged to establish programs to effectively protect wetlands, especially inland wetlands, within their borders. Second, because individual landowners and corporations own many of the nation''s wetlands, they are in a key position to determine the fate of wetlands on their properties. Finally, all citizens, whether or not they own wetlands, can help protect wetlands by supporting wetlands conservation initiatives. Wetlands are an important part of our national heritage. Our economic well-being and quality of life largely depend on our nation''s wealth of natural resources, and wetlands are the vital link between our land and water resources. As wetlands are lost, the remaining wetlands become even more valuable. We have already lost many of our nation''s wetlands since America was first settled. We must now take positive steps to protect wetlands to ensure that the functions and related values they provide will be preserved for present and future generations.

阅读理解Foxes and farmers have never got on well. These small dog-like animals have long been accused of killing farm animals. They are officially classified as harmful and farmers try to keep their numbers down by shooting or poisoning them. Farmers can also call on the services of their local hunt to control the fox population. Hunting consists of pursuing a fox across the countryside, with a group of specially trained dogs, followed by men and women riding horses. When the dogs eventually catch the fox, they kill it or a hunter shoots it. People who take part in hunting think of it as a sport; they wear a special uniform of red coats and white trousers, and follow strict codes of behavior. But owning a horse and hunting regularly is expensive, so most hunters are wealthy. It is estimated that up to 100,000 people watch or take part in fox hunting. But over the last couple of decades the number of people opposed to fox hunting, because they think it is brutal (残酷的) , has risen sharply. Nowadays it is rare for a hunt to pass off without some kind of confrontation (冲突) between hunters and hunt saboteurs (阻拦者). Sometimes these incidents lead to violence, but mostly saboteurs interfere with the hunt by misleading riders and disturbing the trail of the fox''s smell, which the dogs follow. Noisy confrontations between hunters and saboteurs have become so common that they are almost as much a part of hunting as the pursuit of foxes itself. But this year supporters of fox hunting face a much bigger threat to their sport. A Labour Party member of the Parliament, Mike Foster, is trying to get Parliament to approve a new law which will make the hunting of wild animals with dogs illegal. If the law is passed, wild animals like foxes will be protected under the ban in Britain.

阅读理解Who are likely to be the first to buy the driverless car?

阅读理解Speeding off in a stolen car, the thief thinks he has got a great catch. But he is in for an unwelcome surprise. The car is fitted with a remote immobiliser (锁止器), and a radio signal from a control centre miles away will ensure that once the thief switches the engine off, he will not be able to start it again. 　　The idea goes like this. A control box fitted to the car contains a mini-cellphone, a micro- processor and memory, and a GPS (全球定位系统) satellite positioning receiver. ff the car is stolen, a coded cellphone signal will tell the control centre to block the vehicle''s engine management system and prevent the engine being restarted. 　　In the UK, a set of technical fixes is already making life harder for car thieves. “The pattern of vehicle crime has changed,” says Martyn Randall, a security expert. He says it would only take him a few minutes to teach a person how to steal a car, using a bare minimum of tools. But only if the car is more than 10 years old. 　　Modern cars are far tougher to steal, as their engine management computer won''t allow them to start unless they receive a unique ID code beamed out by the ignition (点火) key. In the UK, technologies like this have helped achieve a 31% drop in vehicle-related crime since 1997. 　　But determined criminals are still managing to find other ways to steal cars, often by getting bold of the owner''s keys. And key theft is responsible for 40% of the thefts of vehicles fitted with a tracking system. 　　If the car travels 100 metres without the driver confirming their ID, the system will send a signal to an operations centre that it has been stolen. The hundred metres minimum avoids false alarms due to inaccuracies in the GPS signal. 　　Staff at the centre will then contact the owner to confirm that the car really is missing, and keep police informed of the vehicle''s movements via the car''s GPS unit.

阅读理解Popular and learned words In every cultivated language, there are two great classes of words which, taken together, comprise the whole vocabulary. First, there are those words with which we become acquainted in (47)______ conversation, which we learn, that is to say, from the members of our own family and from our familiar (48)______, and which we should know and use even if we could not read or write. They concern the common things of life, and are the stock in (49)______ of all who speak the language. Such words may be called "popular" since they belong to the people at large and are not the (50)______ possession of a limited class. On the other hand, our language includes a multitude (大量的) of words which are (51)______ seldom used in ordinary conversation. Their meanings are known to every educated person, but there is little occasion to (52)______ them at home or in the market-place. Our first acquaintance with them comes not from our mother''s lips or from the talk of our schoolmates, but (53)______ speakers, who are discussing some particular topic. These are called learned words. The difference between popular and learned words may be easily seen in a few examples. We may describe a girl as "lively" or "vivacious". In the first case, we are using a native English formation from the familiar noun "life". In the (54)______, we are using a Latin derivative(派生词) which has precisely the same meaning. Yet the (55)______ of the two words is quite different. No one ever got the adjective "lively" out of a book. We cannot remember a time when we did not know it, and we feel sure that we learned it long before we were able to read. On the other hand, we must have passed several years of our lives before learning the word "vivacious". We may even remember the first time that we saw it in print or heard it from some grown-up friends who were talking over our childish heads. Both "lively" and "vivacious" are good English words, but "lively" is popular and "vivacious" (56)______. WORD BANK A) associates B) latter C) unknown D) meaning E) ordinary F) atmosphere G) distribute H) comparatively I) exclusive J) employ K) effectively L) educated M) trade N) plus O) learned

阅读理解Bringing up children is hard work, and you are often to blame for any had behavior of your children. If so, Judith Rich Hams has good news for you. Parents, she argues, have no important long term effects on the development of the. personality of their children. Far more important are their playground friends and neighborhood companions. Ms Harris takes to bits the assumption which has dominated developmental psychology for almost half a century. Ms Harris''s attack on the developmentalists’ "nurture" argument looks likely to reinforce doubts that the profession was already having. If parents matter, why is it that two adopted children, reared in the same home, are no more similar in personality than two adopted children reared in separate homes? Or that a pair of identical twins, reared in the same home, are no more alike than a pair of identical twins reared in different homes? Difficult as it is to track the precise effects of parental upbringing, it may be harder to measure the exact influence of the peer group in childhood and adolescence. Ms Harris points to how children from immigrant homes soon learn not to speak at school in the way their parents speak. But acquiring a language is surely a skill, rather than a characteristic of the sort developmental psychologists hunt for. Certainly it is different from growing up tensely or relaxedly, or from learning to be honest or hardworking or generous. Easy though it may be to prove that parents have little impact on those qualities, it will be hard to prove that peers have vastly more. Moreover, mum and dad surely cannot be ditched completely. Young adults may, as Ms Harris argues, he keen to appear like their contemporaries. But even in those early years, parents have the power to open doors: they may initially choose the peers with whom their young associate, and pick that influential neighborhood. Moreover, most people suspect that they come to resemble their parents more in middle age, and people child-rearing habits may be formed partly by what their parents did. So the balance of influences is probably complicated, as most parents already suspected without being able to demonstrate it scientifically. Even if it turns out that the genes they pass on and the friends their children play with matter as much as affection, discipline and good example, parents are not completely off the hook.

阅读理解What do National Semiconductor, Maxwell House Coffee, Deloitte women executives are (50) underrepresented in some industries, such as manufacturing, engineering, and financial services; and responses to the Catalyst survey show that six in ten women believe women suffer discrimination (歧视) in (51) executive business positions. Industry experts have pointed out several blocks to women''s (52) up the corporate ladder. Among these blocks are the prejudiced (53) of women that some men in managerial positions still bring to the recruiting process. In addition, because women are often (54) from the informal network outside the office for example, by not being given season tickets to sporting events and by not being invited to play golf--they miss out on the opportunity to build relationships. Other blocks include difficulties in (55) career and family (women are still the primary caregivers in our society), lack of general management experience, (56) to travel, and unfriendly corporate cultures that drive women away before they are ready for executive positions. WORD BANK A) extremely I) pursuing B) maintain J) accordingly C) headed K) balancing D) effectively L) excluded E) assisting M) evidence F) willingness N) progress G) notions O) acquired H) reluctance

阅读理解Passage One Questionsare based on the following passage

阅读理解Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relation- ships. One strength of the human condition is our tendency to give and receive support from one another under stressful circumstances. Social support consists of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to cope with major life changes and daily hassles (困难). People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over a range of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, reveal that the presence of social support helps people fend off (挡开) illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely. Social support cushions stress in a number of ways. First, friends, relatives, and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others despite our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Engaging in leisure-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting (转移……注意力) us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support — financial aid, material resources, and needed services — that reduces stress by helping us resolve and cope with our problems.

阅读理解Wisdom Teeth Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt. This occurs usually between the ages of 17 and 25. There remains a great deal of controversy regarding whether or not these teeth need to be removed. It is generally suggested that teeth that remain completely buried or un-erupted in a normal position are unlikely to cause harm. However, a tooth may become impacted due to lack of space and its eruption is therefore prevented by gum (齿龈), bone, another tooth or all three. If these impacted teeth are in an abnormal position, their potential for harm should be assessed. What are the Indications for Removing Wisdom Teeth? Wisdom teeth generally cause problems when they erupt partially through the gum. The most common reasons for removing them are: Decay Saliva, bacteria and food particles can collect around an impacted wisdom tooth, causing it, or the next tooth to decay. It is very difficult to remove such decay. Pain and infection will usually follow. Gum Infection When a wisdom tooth is partially erupted, food and bacteria collect under the gum causing a local infection. This may result in bad bream, pain, and swelling. The infection can spread to involve the cheek and neck. Once the initial episode occurs, each subsequent attack becomes more frequent and more severe. Pressure Pain Pain may also come from the pressure of me erupting wisdom tooth against other teem. In some cases this pressure may cause the erosion of these teeth. When is the Best Time to Have Wisdom Teeth Removed? It is now recommended by specialists mat impacted wisdom teeth be removed between the ages of 14 and 22 years whether they are causing problems or not Surgery is technically easier and patients recover much more quickly when they are younger. What is a relatively minor operation at 20 can become quite difficult in patients over 40. Also the risk of complications increases with age, and the healing process is slower. Should a Wisdom Tooth be Removed When an Acute Infection is Present? Generally, no. Surgery in the presence of infection can cause infection to spread and become more serious. Firefly, the infection must be controlled by local oral hygiene (卫生) and antibiotics (抗生素). The Pro''s and Con''s of Wisdom Tooth Removal Some Pro''s of Removing a Wisdom Tooth: Wisdom teeth may be hard to access with your toothbrush. Over time, the accumulation of bacteria, sugars and acids may cause a cavity to form in the tooth. If it is not restored with a filling, the cavity(洞) may spread and destroy more tooth structure causing severe consequences to the tooth and surrounding supportive structures. Due to the difficulty of keeping these teem clean with your daily home care, bacteria and food debris remaining on the wisdom teeth may present a foul smell-causing bad breath. A wisdom tooth that is still under the gums in a horizontal position (rather than a vertical position) may exert pressure to the surrounding teeth, causing crowding and crooked teeth. This also may occur if there is not enough space in the mouth for the wisdom tooth. This may warrant braces to repair the damage. Some Con''s of Removing the Wisdom Teeth: Depending on the size shape and position of the tooth, removal can vary from a simple extraction to a more complex extraction. With a simple extraction, there is usually little swelling and/or bleeding. More complex extraction will require special treatment which may result in more bruising, swelling and bleeding. However, your dental professional will provide you with post treatment instructions to minimize these side effects. Following an extraction, a condition called "dry socket" may occur. If the blood clot (凝结) that formed in the extraction area becomes removed, it exposes the underlying bone. This condition is very painful, but resolves after a few days. It is preventable by following the post treatment instructions provided by your dental professional. The longer you wait and the older you get, there is the potential for more problems to occur. This is because as you get older, the bone surrounding the tooth becomes more dense, making the tooth more difficult to remove. The healing process may also be slower. Post Operative Care: Do Not Disturb the Wound In doing so you may invite irritation, infection and/or bleeding. Chew on die oppo?site side for the first 24 hours. Do not Smoke for 12 Hours Smoking will promote bleeding and interfere with healing. Do Not Spit or Suck Through a Straw This will promote bleeding and may remove the blood clot, which could result in a dry socket. Control of Bleeding If the area is not closed with stitches, a pressure pack made of folded sterile (消毒的) gauze (纱布) pads will be placed over die socket. It is important that this pack stay in place to control bleeding and to encourage clot formation. The gauze is usually kept in place for 30 minutes. If the bleeding has not stopped once the original pack is removed, place a new gauze pad over the extraction site. Control of Swelling After surgery, some swelling is to be expected. This can be controlled through the use of cold packs, which slow the circulation. A cold pack is usually placed at the site of swelling during the first 24 hours in a cycle of 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. After the first 24 hours, it is advisable to rinse (漱口) with warm saltwater every two hours to promote healing, (one teaspoon of salt to eight ounces of warm water). Medication for Pain Control Pills such as Aspirin can be used to control minor discomfort following oral surgery. Stronger medicines may be prescribed by the dentist if the patient is in extreme discomfort. Diet and Nutrition A soft diet may be prescribed for the patient for a few days following surgery. Following the removal of your wisdom teeth it is important that you call your dentist if any unusual bleeding, swelling or pain occurs. The first 6-8 hours after the extraction are typically the worst, but are manageable with ice packs and non-prescription pain medication. You should also plan to see your dentist approximately one week later to ensure everything is healing well. It is very important to talk to your dentist about extraction procedure, risks, possible complications and outcomes of the removal of these teeth. The actual extraction may be done by a dentist or it may be referred to an oral surgeon, who is a specialist. This decision is based on the dentist''s preference and the unique features of each individual case. If you are unsure about whether or not to proceed with the treatment suggested by your dental professional, it is a good idea to get a second opinion. If you decide after consulting with a dentist not to have any teeth extracted, they should be monitored at every dental visit.

阅读理解The appeal of advertising to buying motives can have both negative and positive effects. Consumers may be convinced to buy a product of poor quality or high price because of an advertisement. For example, some advertisers have appealed to people''s desire for better fuel economy for their cars by advertising automotive products that improve gasoline mileage. Some of the products work. Others are worthless and a waste of consumers'' money. Sometimes advertising is intentionally misleading. A few years ago, a brand of bread was offered to dieters (节食者) with the message that there were fewer calories (热量单位，太卡) in every slice. It turned out that the bread was not dietetic (适合于节食的), but just regular bread. There were fewer calories because it was sliced very thin, but there were the same number of calories in every loaf. On the positive side, emotional appeals may respond to a consumer''s real concerns, Consider fire insurance. Fire insurance may be sold by appealing to fear of loss. But fear of loss is the real reason for fire insurance. The security of knowing that property is protected by insurance makes the purchase of fire insurance a worthwhile in vestment for most people. If consumers consider the quality of the insurance plans as well as the message in the ads, they will benefit from the advertising. Each consumer must evaluate her or his own situation. Are the benefits of the product important enough to justify buying it? Advertising is intended to appeal to consumers, but it does not force them to buy the product. Consumers still control the final buying decision.

阅读理解When successful corporate executives are asked how they got where they are, a common answer is, "I was lucky—I was in the right place at the right time" or, "I was working with someone who took me under his wing". No question, luck always plays a role. But "fortune favors the prepared mind". Corporate climbers most likely to succeed make the best use of their brains and personality. For most of the 20th century, intelligence meant IQ, measured by tests that focused on memory, logic, and analysis. However, the work of some psychologists describes other kinds of intelligence. Goleman popularized the concept of emotional intelligence as having to do with self-control, self understanding and empathy. Sternberg contrasted analytic intelligence with practical intelligence or street smarts and creative intelligence which includes imagination and aesthetic sensibility. Analytic intelligence — the kind that gets you high scores on the SAT or graduate record exam—used to be the major ticket to higher education and the academic credentials essential to getting hired and moving up in a company. Of course, street smarts were always useful for knowing who to trust and whom to follow. But as companies put a higher value on teamwork and customer relationships, interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence become more important. As the market demands continual innovation, creative intelligence—imagination and design capability — makes a difference. Besides, you need to have the brains that make you an effective leader: strategic intelligence. Strategic intelligence combines aspects of analytic, practical and creative intelligence. It includes the ability to see future trends, the ability of systems thinking, to view parts in relation to the whole, focusing on how parts interact and evaluating them in relation to how well they serve the system''s purpose, the ability to design an organization as a social system, and the ability to motivate people to power that organization. Strategic intelligence, especially systems thinking, is in much shorter supply than the other kinds of intelligence. Good leadership today requires all of these intellectual capabilities. But it is one thing to know what''s right, it''s another to take risks or do what is right even when there is no guarantee of success.

阅读理解Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage. Neon (霓虹)is to Hong Kong as red phone booths are to London and fog is to San Francisco. When night falls, red and blue and other colors (1)_______ a hazy (雾蒙蒙的）glow over a city lit up by tens of thousands of neon signs. But many of them are going dark,(2)_______ by more practical, but less romantic, LEDs (发光二极管）. Changing building codes, evolving tastes, and the high cost of maintaining those wonderful old signs have businesses embracing LEDs, which are energy (3)_______, but still carry great cost. To me，neon represents memories of the past, says photographer Sharon Blance, whose series Hong Kong Neon celebrates the city s famous signs. Looking at the signs now I get a feeling of amazement, mixed with sadness. Building a neon sign is an art practiced by (4)_______trained on the job to mold glass tubes into(5)_______ shapes and letters. They fill these tubes with gases that glow when(6)_______ Neon makes orange, while other gases make yellow or blue. It takes many hours to craft a single sign. Blance spent a week in Hong Kong and(7)_______ more than 60 signs ；22 of them appear in the series that capture the signs lighting up lonely streetsan (8)_______ that makes it easy to admire their colors and craftsmanship. I love the beautiful, handcrafted, old-fashioned(9)_______ of neon, says Blance. The signs do nothing more than (10)_______ a restaurant, theater, or other business, but do so in the most striking way possible.

阅读理解A lot of people don''t like to give waiters extra money — a tip, but maybe those people don''t understand about waitresses and waiters. You see, we get very low wages, most of the time less than the minimum wage. We count on the tips as part of our salary. If waiter and waitresses didn''t get tips, they wouldn''t get enough money to live. People ask me, "What''s a good tip?" I like to get 15% of the bill. So if a customer has to pay $20.00 for her dinner, I like to get about $3.00 for a tip. Sometimes I expect 20% if I did a lot work for the customer. For example, if I got her a special kind of food or recipe from the chef. But do you know something? Very often it''s the person you work the most for who gives you the smallest tips. But to tell the truth, I do pretty well with tips. I''m a friendly person, so people like me. They talk to me during their meal and leave me a good tip. Of course some people prefer a quiet waitress and every once in a while I get some pretty small tip or no tip at all. Once I looked up "tipping" in a dictionary. It said that the letters in the word "tip" stand for "To Insure Promptness". In other words, to make sure that we do things right away. The dictionary said that no one knows if that is the real meaning of "tip", but it makes sense to me. If we know a regular customer is a good tipper, then we make sure he gets good service. But if someone gives small tips, we aren''t in a hurry to bring him food or get his drinks. So remember, be nice to your waitress and she''ll be nice to you.