阅读理解Al Gore''s "Inconvenient Truth" Movie: Fact or Hype? The message in An Inconvenient Truth, the new movie starring former U. S. Vice President Al Gore, is clear: Humans are causing global warming, and the effects are devastating. Most scientists agree that the Earth is heating up, due primarily to an atmospheric increase in carbon dioxide caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum. But how accurate are some of the scientific claims made in the documentary? In an attempt to clear the air, National Geographic News checked in with Eric Steig, an earth scientist at the University of Washington in Seattle, who saw An Inconvenient Truth at a preview screening. He says the documentary handles the science well. " I was looking for errors," he said. " But nothing much struck me as overblown or wrong. Claim: According to the film, the number of Category 4 and Category 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last year. "This is true," Steig said. "There is no theoretical basis for the notion that this is a natural cycle. A study published in the journal Nature in August found that hurricanes and typhoons have become more powerful over the past 30 years. The study also found that these upswings in hurricane strength correlate with a rise in sea-surface temperatures. Ocean heat is the key ingredient for hurricane formation. Experts emphasize that neither Hurricane Katrina nor any other single event can be linked to global warming. " But," Steig said, " the statistics show that such events are more likely now than they used to be and will become more likely in the future. Some scientists, however, believe that we are in the high-intensity stage of a decades-long natural hurricane cycle, which they say is primarily responsible for any uptick in storm activity. Still others aren''t even sure hurricanes are gaining strength. " I''ve got real concerns about whether this is a real change or whether it''s an artifact of the data," Christopher Landsea told National Geographic News in a story published in September. Landsea is a researcher with the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. He noted that scientists now generally use satellite data to gauge hurricane strength. This technique has greatly improved over the past 30 years, so earlier measurements may depict older hurricanes as weaker than they actually were, he said. Claim: Heat waves will be more frequent and more intense as temperatures rise. "There''s no question about this," the University of Washington''s Steig said. "If the average is going up, the extremes have to go up as well. 2005 was the hottest year on Earth since the late 19th century, when scientists began collecting temperature data. The past decade featured five of the warmest years ever recorded, with the second hottest year being 1998. Claim: Deaths from global warming will double in just 25 years to 300,000 people a year. " The exact numbers are, at best, an extrapolation from a heat wave that was experienced in Europe in 2003 ," Steig said. "However, there is no question that that heat wave was a major event and statistically very unlikely to have happened unless the statistics are changing. " " Since it did happen, the statistics are changing-that is, the globe really is warming up. Claim: More than a million species worldwide could be driven to extinction in just half a century as a result of global warming. Steig says " skeptical that climate change itself will cause this extinction so much as direct human impacts such as land-clearing. " But he noted that he hadn''t read the latest studies, some of which do make such a claim. For example, a study published in Nature in 2004 predicted that climate change could drive more than a million species towards extinction by 2050. " Climate change now represents at least as great a threat to the number of species surviving on Earth as habitat destruction and modification," said the lead author of that study, Chris Thomas, a conservation biologist at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. Claim: Global warming will also cause the introduction of new, invasive species. "I take issue with the invasive-species linkage, because the human influence-directly, by transporting species around-I suspect is much more important than climate change," Steig said. Claim: Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet (6 meters) with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide. There is little doubt that sea levels would rise by that much if Greenland melted. But scientists disagree on when it could happen. A recent Nature study suggested that Greenland''s ice sheet will begin to melt if the temperature there rises by 3°C (5. 4 °F) within the next hundred years, which is quite possible, according to leading temperature-change estimates. "It''s uncertain how much warmer Greenland would get, given a certain carbon dioxide level, because different climate models give different amounts of warming," said Jonathan Overpeck, director of the Institute for the Study of Planet Earth at the University of Arizona in Tucson. But many experts agree that even a partial melting would cause a one-meter (three-foot) rise in sea levels, which would entirely submerge low-lying island countries, such as the Indian Ocean''s Maldives. Claim: The Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summer by 2050. Some climate models are more conservative, suggesting that there will be no summer ice in the Arctic by the year 2100. But new research shows it could take as little as 20 years for the sea ice to disappear. " Since the advent of remote satellite imaging, we''ve lost about 20 percent of sea-ice cover," said Mark Serreze, a research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado. "We''re setting ourselves up for very big losses this year. " We think of the Arctic as the heat sink to the climate system," Serreze said. " We''re fundamentally changing this heat sink, and we don''t know how the rest of the climate system is going to respond. There is no doubt that as sea ice continues to melt, habitat for animals like polar bears will continue to shrink.

阅读理解Parts of the brain Most of us learn basic facts about the human brain in our middle or high school biology classes. We study the subcortex, the "old brain'', which is found in the brain of most animals and is responsible for basic functions such as breathing, eating, drinking, and sleeping. We learn about the neocortex, the "new brain", which is unique to humans and is where complex brain activity takes place. We find that the cerebrum, which is responsible for all active thought, is divided into two parts, or hemispheres. The left hemisphere, generally, manages the right side of the body; it is responsible for logical thinking. The right hemisphere manages the left side of the body; this hemisphere controls emotional, creative, and artistic functions. And we learn that the corpus callosum (胼胝体) is the "bridge" that connects the two hemisphere. Memorizing the names for parts of the brain might not seem thrilling to many students, but new discoveries in brain function are exciting. Recent research is teaching us a lot about creativity, memory, the differences between men and women, and the relationship between mind and body. Left brain/right brain: creativity Psychologists agree that most of us have creative ability that is greater than what we use in daily life. In other words, we can be more creative than we realize! The problem is that we use mainly one hemisphere of our brain — the left. From childhood, in school, we''re taught reading, writing, and mathematics; we are exposed to very little music or art. Therefore, many of us might not "exercise" our right hemisphere much, except through dreams, symbols, and those wonderful insights in which we suddenly find the answer to a problem that has been bothering us—and do so without the need for logic. Can we be taught to use our right hemisphere more? Many experts believe so. Classes at some schools and books (such as "The Inner Game of Tennis and Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain") claim to help people to "silence" the left hemisphere and give the right a chance to work. Memory — true or false In the 1980s in the United States, there were many cases of adults who suddenly remembered, with the help of a psychologist, things that had happened to them in childhood. These memories had been repressed—held back—for many years. Some of these newly discovered memories have sent people to prison. As people remember crimes (such as murder or rape) mat they saw or experienced as children, the police have reopened and investigated old criminal cases. In fact, over 700 cases have been filled that are based on these repressed memories. However, new students in 1990s suggest mat many of these might be false memories. At a 1994 conference at Harvard Medical School, neuroscientists(神经学科学家们) discussed how memory is believed to work. It is known that small pieces of a memory (sound, right, felling, and so on) are kept in different parts of the brain; the limbic system, in the middle of the brain, pulls these pieces together into one compete memory. But it''s certain that people can "remember" things that have never happened. Even a small suggestion can leave a piece of memory in the brain. Most frightening, according to Dr. Michael Nash of the University of Tennessee, is that "there may be no structural difference" in the brain between a false memory and a true one. Differences in male and female brains Watch a group of children as they play. You''ll probably notice that the boys and girls play differently, speak differently and are interested in different things. When they grow into men and women, the difference do not disappear. Many scientists are now studying the origins of these gender differences. Some are searching for an explanation in the human brain. Some of the findings are interesting. For example, they''ve found that more men than women are left-handed; this reflects the dominance of the brain''s right hemisphere. By contrast, more women listen equally with both ears while men listen mainly with the right ear. Men are better at reading a map without having to turning the map again and again. Women are better at reading the emotions of people in photographs. One place to look for an explanation of gender differences is in the hypothalamus, just above the brain stem. This controls anger, thirst, hunger, and sexual desire. One recent study shows that there is a region in the hypothalamus that is larger in heterosexual (异性恋的) men than it is in women and homosexual(同性恋的) men. Another area of study is the corpus callosum, the thick group of nerves that allows the right and left hemispheres of the brain to communicate with each other. The corpus callosum is larger in women than in men. This might explain the mystery of "female intuition", which is supposed to give women greater ability to "read" and understand emotional clues. The mystery of the mind-body relationship There is more and more evidence every day to prove that our minds and bodies are closely connected. Negative emotions, such as loneliness, depression, and helplessness, are believed to cause a higher rate of sickness and death. Similarly, it''s possible that positive thinking can help people remain in good physical health or become well faster after an illness. Although some doctors are doubtful about this, most accept the success of new therapies (e.g., relaxation and meditation) that help people with problems such as ulcers, high blood pressure, insomnia, and migraine headaches.

阅读理解In a country that defines itself by ideals

阅读理解One of the top selling U.S. novels of the past year has been The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown, a story of modern day (47)______ old mysteries and secret codes hidden in works of art. Now comes another best seller offering a similar kind of mix. It''s called The Rule of Four and it was written by first time novelists Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. But while The Da Vinci Code offers new revelations into some of the great icons of West European visual art, The Rule of Four (48)______ on the campus of an elite American University, and it revolves around a 15th century literary (49)______. Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason say they became literary partners around the same time they became best friends in the third grade. The two joined forces to write a crime play while attending (50)______ school in suburban Washington, D.C. They continued writing together throughout their school years, even though they went off to different colleges, Ian to Princeton and Dustin to Harvard. A week after they graduated in 1998, they began work on The Rule of Four. Ian says the idea came from a course he took at Princeton. "A Renaissance history professor suggested I write my final paper on a book called the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, "he said. "So I went to the library to look it up, and it turns out to be one of the most (51)______ books in the history of Western printing. Nobody knows who wrote it, and yet there''s a code inside the book that seems to suggest the (52)______ of the author..." Ian and Dustin turned that real life mystery into a (53)______ story set at Princeton University, where a group of students race to unravel the secrets of the Hypnerotomachia. When things turn violent, the students realize there''s more at stake than intellectual curiosity. Dustin Thomason says they drew (54)______ from their own college experiences and from the Hypnerotomachia. As to why American readers seem so interested in reading about historical codes and long-buried secrets, Ian Caldwell has this explanation. "Part of it may be that a lot of people love history, but so much of history in school tends to be facts and dates and memorization," he said. "So I think there''s always been an appetite out there to see the past in an exciting way ... It''s actually surprising to me that more novels don''t have a historical (55)______ like this." If The Rule of Four is about bringing history to life, it''s also about the power of friendship. And the good friends wrote it partly as a way of (56)______ their own. After college, Ian went to work as a software engineer in Virginia, and Dustin earned medical and business degrees in New York. But they''ve stayed in touch through The Rule of Four and they''re now working on a second thriller together. They say that while they might write separate books someday, it''s hard to imagine, they''ve gotten too used to relying on each other for inspiration. Word Bank A) fictional B) preserving C) elementary D) inspiration E) whisper F) intrigue G) charge H) valuable I) identity J) formula K) manuscript L) consist M) drama N) unfolds O) component

阅读理解Wild Foods of Australia Over 120 years ago, the English botanist (植物学家) J.D. Hooker, writing of Australia edible plants, suggested that many of them were ''eatable but not worth eating''. Nevertheless, the Australian flora (植物群), together with the fauna 动物群), supported the Aboriginal people before the arrival of Europeans. The Aborigines were not farmers and were wholly dependent for life on the wild products around them. They learned to eat, often after treatment, a wide variety of plants. The conquering Europeans displaced the Aborigines, killing many, driving others from their traditional tribal lands, and eventually settling many of the tribal remains on government reserves, where flour and beef replaced nardoo (大柄苹) and wallaby (小袋鼠) as main foods. And so, gradually, the vast store of knowledge, accumulated over thousands of years, fell into disuse. Much was lost. However, a few European men took an intelligent and even respectful interest in the people who were being displaced. Explorers, missionaries, botanists, naturalists and government officials observed, recorded and, fortunately in some cases, published. Today, we can draw on these publications to form the main basis of our knowledge of the edible, natural products of Australia. The picture is no doubt mostly incomplete. We can only guess the number of edible plant on which no observation was recorded. Not all our information on the subject comes from the aborigines. Times were hard in the early days of European settlement, and traditional foods were often in short supply or impossibly expensive for a pioneer trying to establish a farm in the bush. And so necessity led to experimentation, just as it must have done for the Aborigines, and experimentation led to some lucky results. So far as is know, the Aborigines made no use of Leptospermum or Dodonaea as food plants, yet the early settlers found that one could be used as a substitute for tea and the other for hops (啤酒花). These plants are not closely related to the species they replaced, so their use was not based on botanical observation. Probably some experiments have less happy endings; L. J. Webb has used the expression ''eat, die and learn'' in connection with the Aboriginal experimentation, but it was the successful attempts that became widely known. It is possible the edibility of some native plants used by the Aborigines was discovered independently by the European settlers or their descendants. Explorers making long expeditions found it impossible to carry sufficient food for the whole journey and were forced to rely, in part, on food that they could find on the way. Still another source of information comes from the practice in other countries. There are many species from northern Australia which occur also in southeast Asia, where they are used for food. In general, those Aborigines living in the dry inland areas were largely dependent for their vegetable foods on seed such as those of grasses, acacias (刺槐, 毛洋槐) and eucalypts (桉树). They ground these seeds between flat stones to make coarse flour. Tribes on the coast, and particularly those in the neighborhood of coastal rainforests, had a more varied vegetable diet with a higher proportion of fruits and tubers. Some of the coastal plants, even if they had grown inland, probably would have been unavailable as food since they required prolonged washing or soaking to render them non-poisonous; many of the inland tribes could not obtain water in the quantities necessary for such treatment. There was also considerable variation in the edible plants available to Aborigines in different latitudes. In general, the people who lived in the moist tropical areas enjoyed a much greater variety than those in the southern part of Australia. With all the hundreds of plants species used for food by the Australian Aborigines, it is perhaps surprising that only one, the Queensland nut, has entered into commercial cultivation as a food plant The reason for this probably does not lie with an intrinsic(本质的) lack of potential in Australian flora, but rather with the lack of exploitation of this potential. In Europeans came, the Aborigines practiced on agriculture and so there was no opportunity for such improvement, either deliberate or unconscious, in the quality of the edible plants. Since 1788, there has, of course, been opportunity for selection of Australian food plants which might have led to the production of varieties that were worth cultivating. But Australian plants have probably ''missed the bus''. Food plants from other regions were already so far in advance after a long tradition of cultivation that it seemed hardly worth starting working on Australian species. Undoubtedly, the native raspberry, for example, could, with suitable selection and breeding programs, be made to yield a high-class fruit; but Australians already enjoy good raspberries (树莓) from other areas of the world and unless some dedicated amateur plant breeder takes up the task, the Australian raspberries are likely to remain unimproved. And so, today, as the choice of which food plants to cultivate in Australia has been largely decided, and as there is little chance of being lost long periods in the bush, our interest in the subject of Australian food plants tends to relate to natural history rather than to practical necessity.

阅读理解Passage Two Engineering students are supposed to be examples of practicality and rationality，but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool

听力题Passage One Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.

听力题Days before a summit with U. S. President George W. Bush in Washington, Chinese President Hu Jintao called on Sunday for talks between Beijing and Taiwan as soon as possible to (36)______peace in the region. Beijing and Taiwan should " (37)______talks on an equal footing as soon as possible", Hu told Lien Chan, former chairman of Taiwan''s main (38) ______Nationalist Party, who led a (39) ______of 170 business leaders to (40)______a two -day economic and trade forum on April, 16th, 2006. Throughout his speech, Hu (41)______the importance of peace between the mainland and the island. Fence-mending talks between Beijing and Taipei have been (42) ______since 1999 when ''then-president'' Lee Teng-hui (43)______bilateral relations as "special state to state". (44)____________ because the island''s leaders have refused to embrace the 1992 consensus (45)____________" Adhering to the 1992 consensus is the important basis for realizing peaceful development between the two sides," Hu said. (46)____________ "We will fulfill our promises to Taiwan compatriots. There will be no change just because of momentary fluctuations in the situation or a small group of people interfering in or sabotaging (破坏)" , Hu said without elaborating.

听力题M: Hi. This is Roger Jackson

听力题 Men and women in the United States who want to become doctors usually attend four years of college or university; next they study for four years in a medical school. After that they work in hospitals as medical residents or doctors in training. Some people study and work for as many as 13 years before they begin their lives as doctors. During their university years, people who want to become doctors study science intensively. They must study biology, chemistry and other sciences. If they do not, they may have to return to college for more education in science before trying to enter medical school. There are 125 medical schools in the United States. It is difficult to gain entrance to them. Those who do the best in their studies have a greater chance of entering medical school. Each student also must pass a national examination to enter a medical school. Those who get top score have the best chance of being accepted. Most people who want to study medicine seek to enter a number of medical schools. This increase their chances of being accepted by one. In 1998, almost 47,000 people competed for about 17,000 openings in medical schools. Men and women in the United States who want to become doctors usually attend four years of college or university; next they study for four years in a medical school. After that they work in hospitals as medical residents or doctors in training. Some people study and work for as many as 13 years before they begin their lives as doctors. During their university years, people who want to become doctors study science intensively. They must study biology, chemistry and other sciences. If they do not, they may have to return to college for more education in science before trying to enter medical school. There are 125 medical schools in the United States. It is difficult to gain entrance to them. Those who do the best in their studies have a greater chance of entering medical school. Each student also must pass a national examination to enter a medical school. Those who get top score have the best chance of being accepted. Most people who want to study medicine seek to enter a number of medical schools. This increase their chances of being accepted by one. In 1998, almost 47,000 people competed for about 17,000 openings in medical schools.

听力题A country''s latitude

听力题SectionB Directions：Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations

听力题[此试题无题干]

听力题 Do you remember a time when people were a little nicer and gentler with each other? I certainly do. And I feel that much of the world has somehow gotten away from that. Too often I see people rushing into elevators without giving those inside a chance to get off first, or never saying "thank you" when others hold a door open for them. We get lazy and in our laziness we think that something like a simple "thank you" doesn''t really matter. But it can matter very much. The fact is that no matter how nicely we dress or how beautifully we decorate our homes, we can''t be truly elegant without good manners, because elegance and good manners always go hand in hand. In fact, I think of good manners as a sort of hidden beauty secret. Haven''t you noticed that the kindest, most generous people seem to keep getting prettier? It''s funny how that happens, but it does. Take the long-lost art of saying "thank you", like wearing a little make-up, or making sure your hair is neat. Getting into the habit of saying "thank you" can make you feel better about yourself. Good manners add to your image, while an angry face makes the best dressed person look ugly. Do you remember a time when people were a little nicer and gentler with each other? I certainly do. And I feel that much of the world has somehow gotten away from that. Too often I see people rushing into elevators without giving those inside a chance to get off first, or never saying "thank you" when others hold a door open for them. We get lazy and in our laziness we think that something like a simple "thank you" doesn''t really matter. But it can matter very much. The fact is that no matter how nicely we dress or how beautifully we decorate our homes, we can''t be truly elegant without good manners, because elegance and good manners always go hand in hand. In fact, I think of good manners as a sort of hidden beauty secret. Haven''t you noticed that the kindest, most generous people seem to keep getting prettier? It''s funny how that happens, but it does. Take the long-lost art of saying "thank you", like wearing a little make-up, or making sure your hair is neat. Getting into the habit of saying "thank you" can make you feel better about yourself. Good manners add to your image, while an angry face makes the best dressed person look ugly.

听力题W: Hello. This is the emergency 911 operator

听力题In phone booths in the U. S

听力题M: Can I arrange the policy over the phone

听力题(After sitting and reading the menu) W: Good afternoon. What can I get you? M: I''d like to have some lunch. Do you recommend anything? W: Well, the chefs specialties are the Manhattan clam chowder and chicken soup with mushrooms and lotus seeds. M: Mmm. . . sounds good. Well, I''d like a bowl of chicken soup with mushrooms and lotus seeds then, please. W: Would you like that as a starter? M: Yes, please. W: And what would you like for a main course? We have spaghetti with garlic, roast pork stuffed with prunes and shallots, chicken with honey, and leek and smoked salmon tart. M: I''d like a salmon, but not smoked salmon tart. W: Does your salmon come with anything? M: Yes, it comes with a side salad with chive dressing. W: Good, sir. And how would you like your salmon? M: Rare, please W: And what would you like to drink? We have beer, wine, cocktails, orange juice, soda, Coke, Pepsi, milk, yogurt, coffee, tea and mixed drinks. M: I''d just like to have an iced tea, please. (After eating) W: Would you like to see a dessert menu? We have cheesecakes, ice-creams, pancakes, sweet souffl6s, sweet pies, berry pudding, bread pudding, almond pizza, cherry crisp, ginger pumpkin mousse and rice pudding. M: Oh, I really can''t resist the temptation to try some of them. Well, bring me a little bit of ginger pumpkin mousse and rice pudding, please. W: OK. Just a moment. M: (Talking to himself) I''m full up to my throat. What can I do? (After sitting and reading the menu) W: Good afternoon. What can I get you? M: I''d like to have some lunch. Do you recommend anything? W: Well, the chefs specialties are the Manhattan clam chowder and chicken soup with mushrooms and lotus seeds. M: Mmm. . . sounds good. Well, I''d like a bowl of chicken soup with mushrooms and lotus seeds then, please. W: Would you like that as a starter? M: Yes, please. W: And what would you like for a main course? We have spaghetti with garlic, roast pork stuffed with prunes and shallots, chicken with honey, and leek and smoked salmon tart. M: I''d like a salmon, but not smoked salmon tart. W: Does your salmon come with anything? M: Yes, it comes with a side salad with chive dressing. W: Good, sir. And how would you like your salmon? M: Rare, please W: And what would you like to drink? We have beer, wine, cocktails, orange juice, soda, Coke, Pepsi, milk, yogurt, coffee, tea and mixed drinks. M: I''d just like to have an iced tea, please. (After eating) W: Would you like to see a dessert menu? We have cheesecakes, ice-creams, pancakes, sweet souffl6s, sweet pies, berry pudding, bread pudding, almond pizza, cherry crisp, ginger pumpkin mousse and rice pudding. M: Oh, I really can''t resist the temptation to try some of them. Well, bring me a little bit of ginger pumpkin mousse and rice pudding, please. W: OK. Just a moment. M: (Talking to himself) I''m full up to my throat. What can I do?

听力题[此试题无题干]

听力题 The Mediterranean is a word both easy to pronounce and easy to spell—if you only know how. It is a word of five syllables: me-di-ter-ran-ean, meaning mid-earth. The Chinese translation is a happy one, as it means exactly the same thing. Europe owes its early growth to the Mediterranean Sea. On its shores were the seats of early civilization: Egypt, Greece and Rome. The Mediterranean fed the people in these lands and provided a highway for trade and diplomacy. Together, they formed a Mediterranean civilization. In 1869 the Suez Canal was cut after 10 years of arduous work. Linking the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, the Canal shortened the passage from Europe to Asia by some 10,000 kilometres. The Canal is 171 km long and 65 km wide. An ocean liner takes some 10 hours to go through. It goes slowly, but safely. The Canal is now completely Egyptian property. Foreign ships pay for their passage, making the Canal a good earner of hard currency The Mediterranean is a word both easy to pronounce and easy to spell—if you only know how. It is a word of five syllables: me-di-ter-ran-ean, meaning mid-earth. The Chinese translation is a happy one, as it means exactly the same thing. Europe owes its early growth to the Mediterranean Sea. On its shores were the seats of early civilization: Egypt, Greece and Rome. The Mediterranean fed the people in these lands and provided a highway for trade and diplomacy. Together, they formed a Mediterranean civilization. In 1869 the Suez Canal was cut after 10 years of arduous work. Linking the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, the Canal shortened the passage from Europe to Asia by some 10,000 kilometres. The Canal is 171 km long and 65 km wide. An ocean liner takes some 10 hours to go through. It goes slowly, but safely. The Canal is now completely Egyptian property. Foreign ships pay for their passage, making the Canal a good earner of hard currency