This summer, for the first time, Emory College let freshmen pick their own roommates in an online roommate-selection system that works on the same principles as computer dating. Students, using screen names to hide their identities, posted profiles of themselves detailing, personality attributes, work habits, music and food preferences, and answers to questions like whether they hoped to "do almost everything" with their roommate or "lead separate but compatible lives". Roommate-matching is a summer ritual that plunges college housing offices into the most intimate realm of sleep patterns, cleaning habits, and noise tolerance. Online matching is on the cutting edge. Housing officials at Emory, in Atlanta, say they expect that letting students pick their own roommates will increase the likelihood of compatibility. And there's little risk of hurt feelings if the e-mail exchanges do not lead to a match, since the initial round of contacts is done under screen names. Several studies have shown that roommates have an impact on the attitudes and social behavior of those they live with. And one recent study found that a roommate's academic performance has a small, but statistically significant, effect on the other roommate's grade-point average. Other studies, however, did not find that effect. The business of assigning roommates varies widely across the country. At Davidson College, the housing staff sort every freshman with careful hand-selection. The Davidson philosophy is that roommates should be as similar as possible, while halls should be as diverse as possible. "We had a match that seemed perfect, until we discovered that one was a cattle rancher's son and the other was a vegan(绝对素食者)," said Ms. Kromm. "They should definitely meet, on the same hall. But we didn't want to put them in the same room. " Occasionally, an incoming student asks to be paired with an Asian, or says she might not be able to get along with a Republican. In such cases, Ms. Kromm will remind them that Davidson does not accept roommate preferences based on race, ethnicity, and religion. Davidson's care in matching pays off. "By Christmas last year, we had only four requests for roommate changes out of 480 students. " No one knows whether computer-matching works as well. But at Emory, so far, student reaction seems to be telling something: the online system is overwhelmed with clicks.

We all carry bitter, discomforting memories of deeds done or undone, and words said or unsaid. And we all bear wounds—some slight, some not-so-slight—that have been inflicted upon us by others. The healing balm of forgiveness can soothe a troubled conscience and bring peace to an injured soul, even years after the fact. Of course, it isn't enough to just say "I'm sorry" and "You're forgiven" , while there is indeed great power in those simple words. It is not available to those who are insincere, or who are only looking for a way to control, manipulate or exploit. But when those words are truly felt and sincerely expressed, they can open the door to miracles of the heart and soul—miracles of forgiveness, even at a baseball game.

In ancient Greece athletic festivals were very important and had strong religious associations. The Olympian athletic festival held every four years in honor of Zeus, king of the Olympian Gods, eventually lost its local character, became first a national event and then, after the rules against foreign competitors had been abolished, international. No one knows exactly how far back the Olympic Games go, but some official records date from 776 B. C. The games took place in August on the plain by Mount Olympus. Many thousands of spectators gathered from all parts of Greece, but no married woman was admitted even as a spectator. Slaves, women and dishonored persons were not allowed to compete. The exact sequence of events uncertain, but events included boy's gymnastics, boxing, wrestling, horse racing and field events, though there were fewer sports involved than in the modem Olympic Games. On the last day of the Games, all the winners were honored by having a ring of holy olive leaves placed on their heads. So great was the honor that the winner of the foot race gave his name to the year of his victory. Although Olympic winners received no prize money, they were, in fact, richly rewarded by their state authorities. How their results compared with modern standards, we unfortunately have no means of telling. After an uninterrupted history of almost 1,200 years, the Games were suspended by the Romans in 394 A. D. They continued for such a long time because people believed in the philosophy behind the Olympics: the idea that a healthy body produced a healthy mind, and that the spirit of competition in sports and games was preferable to the competition that caused wars. It was over 1,500 years before another such international athletic gathering took place in Athens in 1896. Nowadays, the Games are held in different countries in turn. The host country provides vast facilities, including a stadium, swimming pools and living accommodation, but competing courtiers pay their own athletes' expenses. The Olympics start with the arrival in the stadium of a torch, lighted on Mount Olympus by the sun's rays. It is carried by a succession of runners to the stadium. The torch symbolized the continuation of the ancient Greek athletic ideals, and it burns throughout the Games until the closing ceremony. The well-known Olympic flag, however, is a modem conception: the five interlocking rings symbolize the uniting of all five continents participating in the Games. In ancient Greece, the Olympic Games ______.

There are still many problems ahead of us

A recent U. S. study claims that in areas where there are fewer single men, women are more career focused because there are less options for marrying. Increasingly, women have been delaying starting a family in order to nurture their careers. But a recent study asks if this phenomenon might just be on account of a lack of marriageable men. The study, published in the journal of Personality and Social Psychology, looks at the ratios of single men versus single women in various U. S. states and on college campuses. When stores of single men are low, or are perceived to be low, women showed higher levels of motivation to pursue high-paying careers. The researchers conclude that it's not necessarily ambition that drives a woman to single-mind-edly pursue her career—it's merely because there isn't a potential husband in sight.The researchers also note that women who perceive themselves to be less desirable as mates— "those women who are not like Angelina Jolie", as Durante, a professor from the University of Minnesota, puts it, are more likely to immerse themselves in their careers. What do you think? Are careers merely a fall-back option for women who aren't able to marry and have children right away? Comment 1 : For all women, is a career just something to pass the time and fill lonely, otherwise meaningless hours? What about lesbians(女同性恋者)and women who are not particularly interested in marrying or ever having children? Comment 2 : I think this article is offensive, that's what I think. What if I published an article saying women delay getting married because most men are jerks? What do you say? Comment 3: But the issue is not that simple. If less single men are available as husbands, there will be more single women who need to get on with their lives. At the same time not all single women want to put up with husbands and they do not have to do so if they don't want to. Comment 4: Universities and colleges have spent the last 25 years trying to shut men out and make higher education female friendly through affirmative action programs. Well, they got what they wanted and now most universities have 60% to 70% women. Obviously, it will be more difficult for women to find male marriage. Comment 5: What if I told you the truth and said most women are now either lesbians, feminists, complaining, insane, or all around just not worth committing to? Back in my day when I got married it was worth getting married. Nowadays, why get stuck to one woman who isn't worth?

A. help maintain environmental qualityB. as people clear landsC. depends on countless interactionsD. by overfishing and by pollutionPhrases: A.【T13】 1for homes and farms and cut wood for fuelB. They also【T14】 2by breaking down or removing some pollutantsC. fish supplies have been greatly reduced【T15】 3D.【T16】 4among plants, animals, and microorganisms Wildlife plays a vital role in the biological processes that are essential to life itself. The functioning of the biosphere, and hence the maintenance of human life,【T17】 5These processes are essential for agriculture, fisheries, and other efforts necessary to human life.【T18】 6and by preventing the pile-up of waste. Some of the biological processes in which wildlife is involved are seed scattering, soil generation, nutrient cycling and pest control. No discussion of threats to wildlife is complete without an examination of the causes, which are human needs. In Africa, forests are shrinking【T19】 7Sheep eat the vegetation, leaving the bare soil to be carried away by wind and water. Humans kill wildlife for the illegal trade in furs. The loss of forests is destructive to many species and plants. Beyond that, in the oceans,【T20】 8 【T13】

A. That's travel expenses for business trips.B. How much would you like to remit?C. I'd like it remitted by telegraphic transfer. A: What can I do for you, ma'am?B: I'd like to send some money to London. A:【D4】______B: 200,000 yuan, and I want to have it converted to British pounds before I remit it. A: That's quite a large sum. Would you please tell me the reason for the remittance? B: I'm a marketing manager from NKO.【D5】______A: I see. The current rate is 13. 8 yuan for a British pound. Then 200, 000 yuan can be exchanged for 14, 492 pounds. Do you want your money to go by telegraphic transfer, mail transfer or demand draft?B:【D6】______Here is the check of 200, 000 yuan. How much do you charge for that?A: 10 pounds for each 1, 000 pounds, so we'll charge you 144. 92 pounds. B: Can I pay the charge in Renminbi? A: Sure. Please fill in the form and sign your name here.

All the recent news on AIDS is bad. The death of Rock Hudson【C1】______public concern about the【C2】______almost to the point of panic. Now general concern is【C3】______not so much on personal risk but on the growing realization that this disease is having a deep impact on our society in a number of ways. For one thing, it is【C4】______financial and other resources. AIDS patients require long term care in hospitals and outpatient facilities. The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta estimates that hospital expenditures for the first 10, 000 AIDS patients were about $1.4 billion. The total economic cost to the nation of AIDS cases is estimated to【C5】______to $ 6 billion in health care, disability, and lost productivity. Private insurers were unprepared for the crisis【C6】______the invariably fatal disease hits primarily young people. It is becoming increasingly difficult for those in high risk groups to get health and life assurance, and in the absence of private coverage, public funds must be used.【C7】______, many of the victims are rejected by disapproving or frightened friends and family, without employment , and in need of emotional and psychological support. There is also bad news on the medical【C8】______In spite of a stepped-up research program there is no sign of an【C9】______breakthrough to a cure. Yet the physicians and others continue to work and to hope. Others not directly involved can help by giving support to public funding for research, hospital and support services. A public【C10】______to provide care now and an eventual cure for those who suffer is the best response.

A. learning B. until C. whenPhrases: A. does not mature【T1】 1about the age of twoB. remember【T2】 2to walkC.【T3】 3they search through their mental files What's your earliest childhood memory? Can you【T4】 4? Or talk? The first time you heard thunder or watched a television program? Adults seldom recall events much earlier than the year or so before entering school, just as children younger than three or four rarely retain any specific, personal experiences. A variety of explanations have been proposed by psychologists for this "childhood amnesia"(儿童失忆症). One argues that the hippocampus, the region of the brain which is responsible for forming memories,【T5】 5But the most popular theory maintains that, since adults do not think like children, they cannot reflect childhood memories. Adults think in words, and their life memories are like stories or narratives—one event follows another as in a novel or film. But 61 for early childhood memories to add to this verbal life story, they don't find any that fits the pattern. It's like trying to find a Chinese word in an English dictionary.

The rear section of the brain does not contract with age, and one can continue living without intellectual or emotional faculties.

Just few years ago, a graduate from Brown University medical school had just a slight understanding about how to care for the elderly. Now, Brown and other U. S. medical schools are plugging geriatric(老年医学的)courses into their curricula. The U. S. Census Bureau projects the number of elderly Americans will nearly double to 71 million by 2030. The first members of the Baby Boomer generation, so named for the explosion in births in the years after World War Two, turn to 65 in three years. In addition, people are living longer than ever. " The first ripples of the silver tsunami are lapping at the shores of our country, but there is not a coordinated or strategic response taking place in America," said Richard Besdine, who is director of the geriatrics division at Brown University medical school in Providence. Geriatrics has never been a field of choice for young doctors. Elderly care doctors are paid less than most other physicians and surgeons and the aged can be hard to treat. They have complicated medical histories and their ailments, even such routine illnesses as pneumonia(肺炎), can be more difficult to diagnose because they may be masked by other conditions. Also, drugs can affect them more differently than middle-aged adults. "It's a hard job: it's not paid very well: it's complicated: and there's very little status within the hierarchy of medical specialties to being a geriatric physician," said Gavin Hougham, senior program officer and manager of medicine programs at the John A. Hartford Foundation. " Out of 800, 000 doctors in the United States, roughly 7,000 are geriatricians," Hougham said. The country needs another 13,000 to adequately care for today's older population, according to the American Geriatrics Society. The shortfall could reach 36,000 by 2030. To help counter that, private groups are bankrolling medical schools'emphasis on aging. The Hartford Foundation has given more than $ 40 million to 27 schools to train faculties in elderly care, and the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation has given more than $ 100 million to 30 schools to include more geriatrics content. "If they don't learn it, they still have to deal with it," Hougham said. "It's not that not learning geriatrics will cause these older people to go away. They're coming whether we're ready or not. "

A.out of B.rural C. to protect A. working 1 their urban forest B

The scenery on the way was truly spectacular, with beautiful mountains, rivers and valleys, and I took a lot of pictures from the window.

A. that I didn't think of itB. I wonder what's wrong with the phone serviceC. it slipped my mindStudent: Excuse me. My phone hasn't worked since yesterday.【D4】______Employee: What's your room number? Student: Room 456. Employee: Ah. Ellen McCully? Student: Yes, that's me.Employee: You didn't pay your phone bill for the past three months. Your service has been disconnected. Student: Really? I guess【D5】______Why didn't I get any prior notice about the bill? I would have paid it if I'd known.Employee: We sent four or five notices to your email.Student: Oh! I haven't been checking my email. I've been so busy with mid-terms【D6】______ Okay, what do I need to do to get my phone back on?Employee: You have to pay all of the bills. And there's a late penalty of forty dollars.Student: Forty dollars? Okay then.

The Eskimo is perhaps one of the most trusting and considerate of all Indians, but seems to be ______the welfare of his animals.

A. make contribution B. agenda C. recycledPhrases: A. a greater demand for the【T7】 1materialsB. seems to be on the【T8】 2C. feels moved to【T9】 3and help Protecting our delicate environment【T10】 4of politicians, government leaders, and citizens in many parts of the world to show support for mother nature. The concept of green consumerism has gained momentum more and more over the last decade, and the public【T11】 5However, three essential keys needed to power this movement include a more informed public, the development of improved technology, and【T12】 6 【T7】

Excerpt 1 : The process of vaccination allows the patient's body to develop immunity to the virus or disease so that, if it is encountered, one can ward it off naturally. To accomplish this, a small weak or dead strain of the disease is actually injected into the patient in a controlled environment, so that his body's immune system can learn to fight the invader properly. Information on how to penetrate the disease's defenses is transmitted to all elements of the patient's immune system in a process that occurs naturally, in which genetic information is passed from cell to cell. Excerpt 2: Scientists are hoping to eliminate malaria(疟疾)by developing a genetically modified mosquito that cannot transmit the disease. Malaria has long troubled the populations of South America, Africa, and Asia, where mosquito bites infect 500 million people a year with this serious and sometimes fatal parasitic blood disease. For generations, scientists have been trying to eliminate malaria by developing new drugs and using pesticide(杀虫剂)to wipe out local mosquito populations. But these measures aren't working...and some scientists, like Greg Lanzaro, say that because of drug resistance and population changes, malaria is actually more prevalent now than it was 20 years ago. Excerpt 3: Gene therapy and gene-based drugs are two ways we could benefit from our growing mystery of genetic science. But there will be others as well. Here is one of the remarkable therapies on the cutting edge of genetic research that could make their way into mainstream medicine in the coming years. While it's true that just about every cell in the body has the instructions to make a complete human, most of those instructions are inactivated, and with good reason: the last thing you want for your brain cells is to start churning out stomach acid or your nose to turn into a kidney. The only time cells truly have the potential to turn into any and all body parts is very early in a pregnancy, when so-called stem cells haven't begun to specialize. Yet this untapped potential could be a terrific boon to medicine. Most diseases involve the death of healthy cells—brain cells in Alzheimer's, cardiac cells in heart disease, pancreatic cells in diabetes, to name a few: if doctors could isolate stem cells, then direct their growth, they might be able to furnish patients with healthy replacement tissue. Excerpt 4: For years, pediatricians didn't worry much about treating hypertension in their patients. After all, kids grow so fast, it's hard keeping up with their shoe sizes, let alone their blood pressure. Sure, hypertension in adults places them at greater risk of heart attack and stroke. But nobody likes the idea of starting youngsters on blood-pressure medicine they could wind up taking the rest of their lives. Who knows what previously unheard-of side effects could crop up after five or six decades of daily use? Excerpt 5: From the health point of view we are living in a marvelous age. We are immunised from birth against many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once illnesses can now be cured by modern drugs and surgery. It is almost certain that one day remedies will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. Excerpt 6: Cardiologists have pioneered the world's first non-surgical bypass operation to turn a vein into an artery using a new technique to divert blood flow in a man with several heart diseases: the keyhole procedure, which avoids the extensive invasive surgery of a conventional bypass, will offer hope to tens of thousands of people at risk from heart attacks. Coronary heart disease, where the arteries are progressively silted up with fatty, deposits, is responsible in a major industrial country like Britain for more than 160,000 deaths each year. Although major heart surgery is becoming commonplace, with more than 28,000 bypass operations in the UK annually, it is traumatic for patients and involves a long recovery period.

Write at least 150 words about the topic: Tourist Industry in China. You should write according to the outline given below.1. The great importance of tourist industry for China.2. Problems with China's management of our tourist industry.3. My suggestions on how to improve travel management, especially the travel in big holidays.

When he first started in university, he really felt at______with his major—economics.

Professor Johnson's retirement______from next January.