问答题{{B}}The Environment in Perspective: Is Everything Getting Steadily Worse?{{/B}} Much of the discussion of environmental problems in the popular press leaves the reader with the impression that matters have been growing steadily worse, and that pollution is largely a product of the profit system and modern industrialization. There are environmental problems today that are both enormous and pressing, but in fact pollution is nothing new. Medieval cities were pestholes—the streets and rivers were littered with garbage and the air stank of rotting wastes. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, a German traveler reported that to get a view of London from the tower of St. Paul's, one had to get there very early in the morning "before the air was full of coal smoke." Since 1960 there has been progress in solving some pollution problems, much of it the result of concerted efforts to protect the environment. The quality of the air in most Canadian cities has improved. In Toronto, for example, the concentration of suspended particulates, or soot, in the air has fallen dramatically since 1962. To put this figure in perspective, it should be noted that the current health advisory level for the index is 32. At a level of 58, people with chronic respiratory diseases may be affected. At 100, even healthy people may be affected by prolonged conditions, and those with cardiac and respiratory diseases could suffer severe effects Recently in Toronto, the index has exceeded 32 on fewer than half a dozen days annually. Similar improvements have occurred elsewhere in Canada and in other industrialized countries. Even the famous, or rather infamous, "fogs" of London are almost a thing of the past. There have been two high readings of particular note in the British capital in 1959 (when the index rose to 275 and there was a 10 percent increase over the normal number of deaths) and in 1962 (when the index rose to 575 and there was a 20 percent increase in mortality ). But more recently, London's, cleaner air has resulted in an astounding 50 percent increase in the number of hours of winter sunshine. In short, pollution problems are not a uniquely modem phenomenon, nor is every part of the environment deteriorating relentlessly. Environmental problems do not occur exclusively in capitalist economies. For example, in the People's Republic of China, coal soot from factory smokestacks in Beijing envelops the city in a thick black haze. Similarly, smoke from brown-coal furnaces pollutes the air almost everywhere in Eastern Europe. It has been estimated that a third of Poland's citizens live in areas of "ecological disaster". The citizens of Leipzig, a major industrial city in what was formerly East Germany, have a life expectancy a full six years shorter than the national average. However, we do not mean to suggest that all is well with the environment in market-oriented economies or that there is nothing more to do. While there have been some improvements, serious problems remain. Our world is now subject to a number of new pollutants, most of which are far more dangerous than those we have reduced, even though they may be less visible and less malodorous While environmental problems are neither new nor confined only to capitalist, industrialized economies, these facts are not legitimate grounds for complacency. The potential damage that we are inflicting on ourselves and on our surroundings is very real and very substantial.

问答题{{B}}Passage 1{{/B}} {{B}}Why Is it So Difficult to Swat a Fly?{{/B}} The brains of flies are wired to avoid the swatter, US researchers said on Thursday. At the mere hint of a threat, the insects adjust their preflight stance to flee in the opposite direction, ensuring a clean getaway, they said in a finding that helps explain why flies can so easily evade swipes from their human foes. "These movements are made very rapidly, within about 200 milliseconds, but within that time the animal determines where the threat is coming and activates a set of movements to position its legs and wings," Michael Dickinson of the California Institute of Technology said in a statement. "This illustrates how rapidly the fly's brain can process sensory information into an appropriate motor response," said Dickinson, whose research appears in the journal {{I}}Current Biology{{/I}}. Dickinson's team studies this process in fruit flies using high-speed digital imaging equipment and a fancy fly swatter. In response to a threat from the front, the fly moves its middle legs forward, leans back and raises its back legs for a backward takeoff. If the threat is from the side, the fly leans the other way before takeoff. The findings offer new insight into the nervous system of the fly, and lends a few clues on how to outsmart them. Dickinson, a bioengineer, has devoted his life's work to the study of insect flight. He has built a tiny robotic fly called Robofly and a 3-D visual flight simulator called Fly-O-Vision.

问答题经过仔细研究，他们发现这个设计{{U}}落后{{/U}}了。

问答题你要当合格的导游，就必须熟悉这个国家的历史和文化。

问答题He harassed me with condemnations.

问答题将来，随着计算机技术的发展，互联网或许会越来越成熟。很多专家相信，互联网可以成为更大的网络——信息高速公路的一部分。信息高速公路尚在发展阶段，它能将计算机同电话公司，有线电视台以及其他信息系统连接起来。人们能够通过网络储蓄、购物、看电视，也可以进行其他的任务。

问答题The proportion of children in America who are overweight has tripled over the past 20 years and now exceeds 17% , according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The health problems that this causes include hypertension and type-2 diabetes, formerly known only among the nation's overweight adult population. A group sponsored by the National Institute on Ageing has warned that this may be the first generation ever to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. All the while, the proportion of children who take part in daily exercise at high school has dropped from 42% in 1991 to only 28% in 2004, according to the CDC. Snacking has greatly in-creased; the Government Accountability Office found in 2003 that 99% of America's high schools now sell snacks and other food as well as providing lunches. In an attempt to get the problem tackled at local level, Congress in 2004 passed an act directing school districts that get money from the national school-lunch programme to create "wellness" policies by the start of the 2006-07 school year. The districts were told to set standards for nutrition, physical activity and education about good food, then make sure that schools actually implement them. One year after the deadline, the results are haphazard. School districts' plans range from a few paragraphs long to more than 25 pages. Some states, like Texas and Arkansas, have pre-emptively set standards for school districts under their jurisdiction, forcing schools to ban fizzy drinks and junk food while increasing the amount of exercise the pupils take. Others offer guidelines rather than man-dates, with no repercussions for schools that don't comply. And in some areas, schools are being eased into change very slowly. Oregon's legislature passed a bill in June that gives its schools ten years to meet its new physical-education requirements. Last October the School Nutrition Association (SNA), a pressure group, analysed health policies from the 100 largest school districts in the country, which account for almost a quarter of the nation's primary-and-secondary-school students. Many districts had indeed created guidelines for nutrition education, physical activity and school food, as required, but the rules tended to be fairly broad. Some policies merely defaulted to the state recommendations and some to the federal government's minimal requirements. The physical-activity guidelines were also varied; only 62% of schools made physical education obligatory. Action for Healthy Kids, another schools-oriented NGO, also looked at a smattering of policies last year. Of the 112 districts it analysed, only 30% specified a time requirement for physical-edu-cation classes and 42% offered only general guidelines for the sort of food and drink allowed to be sold in the schools. Cafeterias where nachos, French fries and cookies are tucked alongside salads, juice and fresh fruit do not encourage children to eat well. The SNA has now done a follow-up. It found that less than half of the schools were implemen-ting their nutrition-education guidelines and enforcing vending-machine rules. The sporty bits fared better, with 64% of the schools meeting their physical-education requirements. Bringing the issue to a local level is meant to make up for the dearth of guidelines from the fe-deral government. Other than banning chewing-gum and sweets from the cafeteria at lunchtime, there are no national guidelines for food sold outside the school lunch programme, nor are there any requirements for physical education. So far, the 2004 act does not seem to be doing enough to change that.

问答题Mark Twain was so impressed that he said of Montreal "you can't throw a brick without hitting a church".

问答题一旦人与人之间的关系出现危机，每个人都会认为问题出在别人身上。所以每个人都有要改变他人的冲动。

问答题清晨3:45进行了最后表决。经过半年的争辩和最后16个小时的国会激烈辩论，澳大利亚北部地区(即澳北州)成了世界上第一个允许医生根据病人意愿结束绝症患者生命的合法当局。这一法案是以15票通过对10票反对的无可争议的结果通过的。这一消息几乎同时出现在互联网上。身处地球另一端的加拿大死亡权利执行主席约翰·霍夫塞斯收到这条消息后便通过协会的网上服务站“死亡之网”发了公告。他说：“我们一整天都在发布公告，这么做当然不是因为澳大利亚出了什么事情，而是因为这是要载入世界历史的。” 这一立法的深刻意义可能要过一段时间才能为人们所理解。澳北州所通过的晚期病人权益法使得无论是内科医生还是普通市民都同样地力图从道义和实际意义两方面来对待这一问题。有些人如释重负，另一些人，包括教会人士、生之权利组织成员以及澳大利亚医学会成员则进行了猛烈抨击，并谴责其草率通过。而安乐死潮流将不可逆转。在澳大利亚，人口老龄化、延长寿命技术以及公众态度的变化都在发挥着各自的作用。其他州也准备考虑制定类似的法规来处理安乐死问题。在美国和加拿大，死亡权利运动正在积蓄力量，观察家正等待着多米诺骨牌开始倒下。

问答题中国是个大国，百分之八十的人口从事农业，但耕地只占土地面积的十分之一，其余为山脉、森林、城镇和其他用地。

问答题陆地交通的形式，与其说取决于技术，不如说取决于政治、经济和环境方面的考虑。我们现在就可以建造更坚固、更安静、更防滑的道路，但却不建，因为费用太高。我们可以在高速公路两旁安装隔音板并且设计出尾气少、轮胎噪音低的卡车，从而使交通噪音减半，但我们不愿意掏这笔钱。环保游说者们已对汽车厂商产生了巨大影响，对尾气排放的控制已经严格了许多，但是在控制空气污染方面仍然任重而道远。

问答题{{B}}中国的生态旅游研讨会{{/B}} 旅行给游客带来了很多乐趣，然而旅游业的发展却给环境带来不少问题，严重的甚至扰乱到社会秩序。联合国环境规划署委员会针对这些问题，提出了发展“生态旅游”的新策略。 国际旅游协会将生态旅行定义为具有保护自然环境和维护当地人民福利双重责任的旅游活动。 今年八月，20多位专家学者，包括生态旅游专家、来自世界野生动物基金的官员和一些地方相关团体，举办了一次研讨会，共同为世界遗产九寨沟的扎如沟草拟发展生态旅游的方案。 扎如沟位处我国四川省北部，拥有5290多平方千米的广阔区域，是140多种鸟类和大量濒临灭绝种的动植物的栖息生长地区，其中还包括国宝大熊猫和金丝猴。 最近一次世界野生动物基金会的调查表明，大众旅游不仅会对扎如沟地区产生负面影响，而且还会殃及周边自然保护区。 游客到处乱弃垃圾，制造废水，再加上这一地区大兴土木，建造旅游设施，这一切都严重破坏了当地的生态环境和文化氛围。 参加研讨会的专家一致认为，在扎如沟地区发展生态旅游应遵循以下几条原则：限制旅客人数，减少道路建设；鼓励当地团体积极参与管理；对游客进行环保教育；以及重点保护藏族文化。 一位专家指出：“把保护生物多样化和旅游管理合理结合起来，能够产生更好的效益；而损坏环境的做法无异于杀鸡取卵。”

问答题1．意识到我们的文化差异可以帮助我们更有效地相互交流，了解我们不同的交流方式可以丰富我们的文化生活。不同的交流风格体现了我们深层的哲学观及世界观，这些深层的哲学观及世界观正是我们各自的文化基础。明白了这些深层哲学我们就会获得这个世界展示给我们的更加宽广的景象。 2．从某种意义上说，各国对多极化的认可反映了国际关系中对民主化的追求。在经济全球化的时代，一种深入的相互依赖的关系正在国与国之间形成。在联合国宪章中曾发表过的一种国与国平等的原则正深入人心，越来越多的国家已经清楚地意识到：无论大小、强弱、贫富，所有的国家都是世界大家庭中平等的一员，国际关系的民主化将成为构筑世界新秩序的共同愿望。 3．质疑不仅是从消极方面去伪存真的必要步骤，也是从积极方面建立新学说，启迪新发明的基本条件。对于别人说过的话，不经过思索，都不打折扣地承认，那是思想上的懒惰。这样的人永远是被动的，永远不能治学。只有常常质疑，常常发问的人才能提出问题，提出问题才想求出解答。学问只有通过不断的发问和求解才能增长，别无他法。

问答题Research published in May 1993 by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) showed that reducing coastal and river pollution and ensuring a reliable water supply were among the top environmental priorities for the public. All discharges to water in the UK require the consent of the appropriate regulatory authority. In England and Wales the Environment Agency's principal method of controlling water pollution is through the regulation of all effluent discharges, including sewage, into groundwater, and inland and coastal waters. The Agency maintains public registers containing information about water quality, discharge consents, authorizations and monitoring. Applicants for consents to discharge have the right of appeal if they are dissatisfied with the Agency's decision; most of these appeals are dealt with by the Planning Inspectorate, an executive agency of the DETR. In Scotland control is the responsibility of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and most appeals are dealt with by the Scottish Office. In Northern Ireland the Environment and Heritage Service is responsible for controlling water pollution. In 1997, there were 4,717 cases in England and Wales of discharges exceeding their consented limits, including a number of offences by water companies discharging insufficiently treated sewage. The majority of these breaches did not cause any significant environmental damage. However, the Environment Agency did bring 65 cases to court, of which 61 were successful, resulting in fines ranging from ￡ 440 to ￡ 12,000 and one prison sentence of two months. In Scotland, there were 2,734 pollution incidents in 1997; SEPA seeks prosecution in all significant cases. In 1997 and 1998, the Government introduced statutory Environmental Quality Standards (EQSs) for 33 substances in water. The new regulations give legal force for the first time to standards for some of the most dangerous pollutants found in the aquatic environment. In the UK, 96 percent of the population live in properties connected to a sewer, and sewage treatment works serve over 80 percent of the population. In England and Wales, the water industry is committed to an investment programme of some ￡ 11,000 million over ten years for improvements to water quality. Progressively higher treatment standards for industrial waste effluents and new measures to combat pollution from agriculture are expected to bring further improvements in water quality. In Scotland, responsibility for the provision of all water and sewerage services lies with three Water and Sewerage Authorities, covering the north, east and west of the country.

问答题Each nation has the right to determine its own form of government, free of outside interference or domination.

问答题Don't make your conclusion before he comes back.

问答题1．全球经济一体化和区域化、集团化加速发展，国际经济、贸易、科技竞争越来越激烈。在这种形势下，发展中国家在实现经济增长、提高人民生活水平的道路上面临严峻的挑战。 2．消费，消费，再消费!我们的社会以消费者为中心——而且到了危险的地步。为了使工业的车轮不停地运转，我们生产出无数的消费品，而且在此过程中使自然资源急速枯竭，但这仅仅是问题的一半。 3．在美国商界，网络犯罪(cybercrime)比其他形式的犯罪更令人担忧。2005年，约90%的美国公司发生过电脑安全事故，如病毒、网络盗窃等。

问答题We"ve come to a turning point, a moment for hard decision. I have asked that Cabinet and my staff a question and now I put the same question to all of you. If not us, who? And if not now, when? 6 It must be done by all of us going forward with a program aimed at reaching a balanced budget. We can then begin reducing the national debt. I will shortly submit a budget to the Congress aimed at freezing government program spending for the next year. 7 Beyond this, we must take further steps to permanendy control government"s power to tax and spend. We must act now to protect further generation form government"s desire to spent its citizens money and tax them into servitude when the bills come due. 8 Let us make it unconstitutional for the Federal Government to spend more than the Federal Government takes in. We have already started returning to the people and to state and local governments responsibilities better handled by them. Now, there is a place for the Federal Government in matters of social compassion. 9 But our fundamental goals must be to reduce dependency and upgrade the dignity of those who are infirm or disadvantage. And here a growing economy and support from family and community offer our best chance for a society where compassion is a way of life, where the old and infirm are cared for, the young and, yes the unborn, protected, and the unfortunate looked after and made self-sufficient. Now there is another area where the Federal Government can play a part. As an older American, I remember a time when people of different race, creed or ethnic origin in our land found hatred and prejudice installed in social custom and, yes, in law. There"s no story more heartening in our history than the progress that we"ve made toward the brotherhood of man that God intended for us. 10 Let us resolve: there will be no turning back or hesitation on the road to an America rich in dignity and abundant with opportunity for all our citizens.

问答题In line with the latest trends in fashion, a few dress designers have been sacrificing elegance to audacity.