单选题 Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids (小行星) now, one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it, say some scientists. Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids (流星)that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don't threaten us. But there are also thousands whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth. Buy $ 40 million worth of new telescopes right now. Then spend $10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one, the scientists say, we'll have a way to change its course. Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons. But the cost wouldn't be cheap. Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: 1) How likely the event is; and 2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 400,000 years. Sounds pretty rare-but if one did fall, it would be the end of the world. "If we don't take care of these big asteroids, they'll take care of us," says one scientist. "It's that simple." The cure, though, might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? "The world has less to fear from doomsday (毁灭性的) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them, "said a New York Times article.

单选题The brain drain of experts away from developing countries will greatly influence these coun tries' development of Usophisticated/U industry.

单选题 The rise of "temp" work has further magnified the decreasing fights and alienation of the worker. It is common corporate practice to phase out full-time employees and hire temporary workers to take on more workload in less time. When facing a pressing deadline, a corporation may pay $15～$ 20 per hour for a temp worker, but the temp worker will only see $ 7 or $ 8 of that money. The rest goes to temp agency, which is usually a corporate chain, such as Kelly Services, that blatantly makes its profits off other people's labor. This increases profits of the corporations because they can increase a workload, get rid of the employee when they're finished, and not worry about paying benefits or unemployment for that employee. I have had to work with temps a few times in my current position, and the workers only want one thing - a full-time job with benefits. We really wanted to hire one temp I was working with, but we could not offer her a full-time job because it would have been a breach in our contract with the temp agency that employed her. To hire a temp full-time, we would have had to pay the agency over a thousand dollars. Through this practice and policy, the temp agency locks its temporary workers into a horrible new form of servitude form which the worker cannot break free. Furthermore, corporate powers push workers to take on bigger workloads, work longer hours, and accept less benefits by instilling a paranoia in their workforce. The capitalist bosses assume dishonesty, disloyalty, and laziness amongst workers, and they breed a sense of guilt and fear through their assumptions. Where guilt doesn't seep in, bitterness, anger, and depression take over, the highest priorities of Big Business are to increase profits and limit liabilities. Personal relations and human needs are last on their list of priorities. So what we see is a huge mass of people who are alienated, disempowered, overworked, mentally and physically ill and who spend the vast majority of their time and energy on their basic survival. They are denied a chance to really "love", because they are forced to make profits for the capitalists in power.

单选题Nancy: Have you heard about Dana? She is going to get married with Graham. Scott: ______

单选题It amazes me that she's got the energy for all those parties.

单选题A: George, I would like to introduce a friend of mine, if I may: Albert Snow. Albert, this is George Smith. B: ______ A. How have you been? B. Pleased to meet you, George. C. Mind if I call you George? D. The pleasure is mine.

单选题I have an infatuation (迷恋) with autumn. The colors of the season, and the smells, have always thrilled me. I have always found joy in this time of year. The last few autumns of my life, however, I recollect in shades of gray rather than cheerful oranges and yellows. When I became a single mother, every aspect of life took on new meaning. Since I was used to carrying out most of the parental duties without much help during my marriage, I truly did not foresee how different parenting would become after the marriage was over. But suddenly I realized I was a statistic. The daily routine was not changed so much; it was the angle at which I had begun to look at life. I believed my ex-husband's lawyer was tracking every grade the children made, and I was under a microscope in this new town where the Children and I moved our "broken home." I feared having to eventually establish my family with each new teacher and each new term as a single-parent family. I just wanted to be us again, without the stigma (特征) of the label that put on us. During those few gray years, I would reassure myself that soon things would be better, and that I would someday be able to feel whole again. There is no mathematical equation of adults proportioned to children to equal a stable, loving family. Every family has its strengths. In fact, studies show that in families who read together, eat together and communicate openly, children are likely to succeed academically, as well as socially and emotionally. I am sure these habits are just as effective when practiced in single-parent families. I realize now that I am not a statistic. We are an active, vital family in this charming community, where we are not marked by any stigma of any statistics of any focus groups. We are given opportunity, all of us. We are surrounded by beauty and immersed in possibility. There is joy to be found here, in what we see around us and in creating our own rendition of how we want to be seen. There is strength and grace in our own willingness to break free from conformity without falling behind the barriers of self-imposed limitations or preconceived notions of where we should fit in this world according to research.

单选题What might driving on an automated highway be like? The answer depends on what kind of system is ultimately adopted. Two distinct types are on the drawing board. The first is a special-purpose lane system, in which certain lanes are reserved for automated vehicles. The second is a mixed traffic system： fully automated vehicles would share the road with partially automated or manually driven cars. A special-purpose lane system would require more extensive physical modifications to existing highways, but it promises the greatest gains in freeway (高速公路) capacity. Under either scheme, the driver would specify the desired destination, furnishing this information to a computer in the car at the beginning of the trip or perhaps just before reaching the automated highway. If a mixed traffic system was in place, automated driving could begin whenever the driver was on suitably equipped roads. If special-purpose lanes were available, the car could enter them and join existing traffic in two different ways. One method would use is a special onramp (人口引道). As the driver approached the point of entry for the highway, devices installed on the roadside would electronically check the vehicle to determine its destination and to ascertain that it had the proper automation equipment in good working order. Assuming it passed such tests, the driver would then be guided through a gate and toward an automated lane. In this case, the transition from manual to automated control would take place on the entrance ramp. An alternative technique could employ conventional lanes, which would be shared by automated and regular vehicles. The driver would steer onto the highway and move in normal fashion to a "transition" lane. The vehicle would then shift under computer control onto a lane reserved for automated traffic. (The limitation of these lanes to automated traffic would, presumably, be well respected, because all trespassers (非法进入者) could be swiftly identified by authorities. ) Either approach to joining, a lane of automated traffic would harmonize the movement of newly entering vehicles with those already traveling. Automatic control here should allow for smooth merging, without the usual uncertainties and potential for accidents. And once a vehicle had settled into automated travel, the drive would be free to release the wheel, open the morning paper or just relax. (392 words)

单选题The next decade could see commuters speeding to work at about 300 miles per hour aboard magnetic levitation vehicles, according to a report by Argonne National Laboratories. But before "maglev" vehicles can become commercial successes, the report says, people need to stop thinking of them as high-speed trains. Instead, consider them low-flying aircraft. Argonne contends that maglev vehicles will be best suited to replace commuter aircraft. Plane flights under 600 miles are the least energy-efficient, and maglev "planes" should cut these fuel needs by up to 75 percent. Reportedly, the money saved by a 2,000- mile maglev network linking major cities world more than pay for its construction in 20 years. The quiet purr of levitating crafts would also be a balm for neighborhoods tormented by the roar of conventional takeoffs and landings. The technology behind magnetic levitation is already well understood, the report notes. The west Germans and the Japanese already well understood, the report notes. The West Germans and the Japanese have several full-scale working models. Meanwhile, research in the United States has lapsed.

单选题We must ______ that the experiment is gong to be controlled as rigidly as possible.

单选题 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 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 maybe 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 investment 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.

单选题If the value-added tax was done away with, it would act as a ______ to consumption. A. progression B. prime C. stimulus D. stability

单选题Customer: I'm looking for a new living room set.Salesman: We have a lot of very nice sets. What style do you have in mind?Customer: ______.What I need is something comfortable.

单选题The touch excites no defensive response unless the approach is from above where the spider can see the motion, ______ on its hind legs, lifts its front legs, opens its fangs and holds this threatening posture as long as the object continues to move. A. in which case it rises B. in that case it rises C. in which case does it rise D. such being the case it rises

单选题Man: English is a difficult language to learn. Woman: ______

单选题Directions: For each blank in the following passage, choose the best answer from the choices given below. Mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET by drawing with a pencil a short bar across the corresponding letter in the brackets. The way of thinking in English is quite important for English learners. But how can you do that? I think the best way is to {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}as what a football player does every day. During the practice the football player will pass the ball to his {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}over and over again. So he won't have to think about passing the ball in the game, he will just do it {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}. You can {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}yourself to think in English this way. The first step is to think of the words that you use daily, simple everyday words {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}a book or cherry or tree. For example, whenever you {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}a "book" you should think of it in English instead of in your mother tongue. After you have learned to think of several words in English, then move on to the next step -- thinking in {{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}. Listening and repeating is a very useful {{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}}to learn a language. Listen first and don't care too much about {{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}} {{/U}}you fully understand what you're hearing. Try to repeat what you hear. The more you listen, the {{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}you learn. After reaching a higher level, you can try to have conversations with yourself in English. This will lead you to think in English.

单选题{{B}}Part B{{/B}}Directions: Read the following text and decide whether each of the statement is true or false. Choose A if the statement is true or B if the statement is not true. Copying Birds May Save Aircraft Fuel Both Boeing and Airbus have trumped the efficiency of their newest aircraft, the 787 and A350 respectively. Their clever designs and lightweight composites certainly make a difference. But a group of researchers at Stanford University, led by Ilan Kroo, has suggested that airlines could take a more naturalistic approach to cutting jet-fuel use, and it would not require them to buy new aircraft. The answer, says Dr Kroo, lies with birds. Since 1914, scientists have known that birds flying in formation-a V-shape-expand less energy. The air flowing over a bird's wings curls upwards behind the wingtips, a phenomenon known as upwash. Other birds flying in the upwash experience reduced drag, and spend less energy propelling themselves. Peter Lissaman, an aeronautics expert who was formerly at Caltech and the University of Southern California, has suggested that a formation of 25 birds might enjoy a range increase of 71%. When applied to aircraft, the principles are not substantially different. Dr. Kroo and his team modelled what would happen if three passenger jets departing from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas were to assemble over Utah, assume an inverted V-formation, occasionally change places so all could have a turn in the most favourable positions, and proceed to London. They found that the aircraft consumed as much as 15% less fuel (coupled with a reduction in carbon-dioxide output). Nitrogen-oxide emissions during the cruising portions of the flight fell by around a quarter. There are, of course, knots to be worked out. One consideration is safety, or at least the perception of it. Would passengers feel comfortable travelling in companion? Dr. Kroo points out that the aircraft could be separated by several nautical miles, and would not be in the intimate groupings favoured by display teams like the Red Arrows. A passenger peering out of the window might not even see the other planes. Whether the separation distances involved would satisfy air- traffic-control regulations is another matter, although a working group at the International Civil Aviation Organisation has included the possibility of formation flying in a blueprint for new operational guidelines. It remains to be seen how weather conditions affect the air flows that make formation flight more efficient. In zones of increased turbulence, the planes' wakes will decay more quickly and the effect will diminish. Dr. Kroo says this is one of the areas his team will investigate further. It might also be hard for airlines to co-ordinate the departure times and destinations of passenger aircraft in a way that would allow them to gain from formation flight. Cargo aircraft, in contrast, might be easier to reschedule, as might routine military flights. As it happens, America's armed forces are on the case already. Earlier this year the country's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency announced plans to pay Boeing to investigate formation flight, though the programme has yet to begin. There are reports that some military aircraft flew in formation when they were low on fuel during the Second World War, but Dr. Lissaman says they are unsubstantiated. "My father was an RAF pilot and my cousin the skipper of a Lancaster lost over Berlin," he adds. So he should know.

单选题 We all know that the normal human daily cycle of activity is of some 748 hours' sleep alternating with some 16417 hours' wakefulness and that, broadly speaking, the sleep normally coincides with the hours of darkness. Our present concern is with how easily and to what extent this cycle can be modified. The question is no mere academic one. The ease, for example, with which people can change from working in the day to working at night is a question of growing importance in industry where automation calls for round the-clock working of machines. It normally takes from five days to one week for a person to adapt to a reversed routine of sleep and wakefulness, sleeping during the day and working at night. Unfortunately, it is often the case in industry that shifts are changed every week: a person may work from 12 midnight to 8 a.m. one week, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. the next, and 4 p. m. to 12 midnight the third and so on. This means that no sooner has he got used to one routine than he has to change to another, so that much of his time is spent neither working nor sleeping very efficiently. The only real solution appears to be to hand over the night shift to a number of permanent night workers. An interesting study of the domestic life and health of night shift workers was carried out by Brown in 1957. She found a high incidence of disturbed sleep find other disorders among those on alternating day and night shifts, but no abnormal occurrence of these phenomena among those on permanent night work. This latter system then appears to be the best long-term policy, but meanwhile something may be done to relieve the strains of alternate day and night work by selecting those people who can adapt most quickly to the Changes of routine. One way of knowing when a person has adapted is by measuring his body temperature. People engaged in normal day-time work will have a high temperature during the hours of wakefulness and a low one at night; when they change to night work the pattern will only adjust gradually back to match the new routine and the speed with which it does so parallels, broadly speaking, the adaptation of the body as a whole, particularly in terms of performance. Therefore, by taking body temperature at intervals of two hours throughout the period of wakefulness it can be seen how quickly a person can adapt to a reversed routine, and this could be used as a basis for selection. So far; however, such a form of selection does not seem to have been applied in practice.

单选题What is said about the over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 15 years?