Directions: em>For this part

Scientists now tend to agree that the noise level for potential hearing loss begins at about 70 decibels. Some of them are very concerned because normal daily life often exposes people to noise levels of about 70 decibels even inside their homes. Cities have always been noisy, but noise is now spreading to areas that were quiet just a few years ago. Clearly, something must be done or noise will seriously and permanently maim the population. Fortunately, the knowledge and methods to control noise already exist. As a matter of fact, this is one instance where the knowledge of control methods exceeds the knowledge about the effects on human life and on the environment. There are two common means for control. The first is reducing noise at its source, and the second is changing the sound path by distance or by shielding. The second approach is being used more often today as people become more aware of the danger of noise. New building codes require better sound insulation in homes and apartments. More and more towns are passing zoning ordinances that try to segregate noisy factories or airports from residential areas. Sound-absorbent materials and construction designed to block sound paths are slowly coming into use in offices and homes. New highways are being built to redirect traffic noise up and away from nearby areas. Aircraft are increasingly being required to use reduced-power flights around airports. There are many examples of available noise control methods that are not being used. More flexible building codes would permits the use of quieter kinds of plumbing pipes. Sound-absorbent materials can reduce the noise of motors and engines. Power generators can be quieted with baffles, exhaust silencers, and sound absorbers. Truck tires can be made with quieter treads. In many cases, the most of building quieter machines is the same or only slightly higher than that of the current noisy ones. Even though the new jumbo jets, for example, are quieter than the older ones, yet they are more powerful and carry twice as many passengers. All of these methods are only partial measures as noisy levels continue to rise. Most specialists in the field agree that much of the solution must come from eliminating some of the noise at its source, therefore saving through prevention the large costs of hearing loss. The noise level for possible hearing loss begins at about ______.

All the rooms on the second floor have nicely______carpets, which are included in the price of the house.

The House is expected to pass a piece of legislation Thursday that seeks to significantly rebalance the playing field for unions and employers and could possibly reverse decades of declining membership among private industries. The Employee Free Choice Act would allow a union to be recognized after collecting a majority of vote cards, instead of waiting for the National Labor Relations Board to oversee a secret ballot election, which can occur more than 50 days after the card vote is completed. Representatives of business on Capitol Hill oppose the bill. The National Association of Manufacturers, the National Federation of Independent Business, the U. S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups oppose the shift away from secret ballots saying the change could threaten the privacy of the workers. "This isn't about preventing increased unionization, it's about protecting rights," said the National Association of Manufacturer's Jason Straczewski, of his organization's opposition to bill. Straczewski says eliminating the secret-ballot step would open up employees to coercion (强迫，胁迫) from unions. Samuel of the AFL-CIO contends the real coercion comes from employers. "Workers talking to workers are equals while managers talking to workers aren't," Samuel said. He cites the 31,358 cases of illegal employer discrimination acted on by the National Labor Relations Board in 2005. Samuel also points out that counter to claims from the business lobby, the secret ballot would not be eliminated. The change would only take the control of the timing of the election out of the hands of the employers. "On the ground, the difference between having this legislation and not would be the difference between night and day," said Richard Shaw of the Harris County Central Labor Council, who says it would have a tremendous impact on the local level. The bill has other provisions (规定，条款) as well. The Employee Free Choice Act would also impose binding arbitration (仲裁) when a company and a newly formed union cannot agree on a contract after 3 months. An agreement worked out under binding compulsory arbitration would be in effect for 2 years, a fact that Straczewski calls, "borderline unconstitutional." "I don't see how it will benefit employees if they're locked into a contract," said Straczewski. The bill's proponents point to the trend of recognized unions unable to get contracts from unwilling employers. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the organization that oversees arbitration, reported that in 2004, 45 percent of newly formed unions were denied first contracts by employers. The bill would also strengthen the penalties for companies that illegally coerce or intimidate employees. As it stands, the law on the books hasn't changed substantially since the National Labor Relations Act was made into law in 1935. The NLBR can enforce no other penalty than reinstating wrongfully fired employees or recovering lost wages. Which of the following statements best summarizes the main idea of the passage?

For me

______ she wondered if she had made a mistake.

Distance education is enrollment and study with an educational institution that provides lesson materials prepared in a sequential and logical order for study by students on their own. When each lesson is completed, the student mails or transmits the assigned work to the institution for correction, grading, comment, and subject matter guidance by qualified instructors. Corrected assignments are returned promptly to the student. This exchange provides a personalized student-teacher relationship. If a student slows his or her pace or fails to send assignments, the school provides encouragement. Although some institutions provide employment placement information and assistance, no reputable school ever guarantees a job to graduates. Distance education and self-study are different. Self-study materials provide no instructional service. Corrected assignments, examinations, and special help provided by a qualified facility are vital to a good learning situation. However, these are not part of self-study. There are many self-study courses and recordings available, and they may have value, but they clearly are not correspondence or distance education courses. Some institutions offer combination courses that provide training-in-residence for students who complete their distance education lessons. In-service or on-the-job training is required or provided with other courses and is a feature of many vocational distance education programs. Quality distance education institutions screen prospective students to assure that only those who can benefit from the courses are enrolled. While there are educational prerequisites for some academic subjects, interest and aptitude are the primary factors leading to success in most distance education courses. Because they provide alternative educational opportunities, distance education institutions try not to deny a prospective student the opportunity to succeed in a course; interest and experience are good indicators of future success. Distance education courses vary greatly in scope, level, and length. Some have few lessons and require only weeks to complete, while others have a hundred or more assignments requiring three or four years of conscientious study. Also, a wide variety of subjects is offered. Subjects include yacht design, accounting, medical transcription, nutrition, robotics, travel agent training, gun-repair, gem identification, computer programming, catering and cooking, and earning an entire high school diploma, just to name a few. There is an increasing recognition of "distance education" and many colleges offer credit for their distance learning courses or accept some distance education credits of resident students working toward a degree. In fact, many distance education institutions award their own academic degrees. Acceptance of students and awarding of academic credit is the prerogative of the receiving academic institution. Also, the employing organization may set its own credit acceptance policies. Which of the following questions does the passage seek to answer?

The poor nutrition in the early stages of infancy can ______ adult growth.

He gave his works to his friend to ______

Dinner will be ready______, but we still have time for a drink.

With the economy of the country going strong

He was a brilliant musician as a boy, but he never______his early promise.

Our ape-men forefathers had no obvious natural weapons in the struggle for survival in the open. They had neither the powerful teeth nor the strong claws of the big cats. They could not【C1】______with the bear, whose strength, speed and claws【C2】______an impressive ""small fire"" weaponry. They could not even defend themselves【C3】______running swiftly like the horses, zebras or small animals. If the ape-men had attempted to compete on those terms in the open, they would have been【C4】______to failure and; extinction. But they were【C5】______with enormous concealed advantages of a kind not possessed by any of their competitors. In the search【C6】______the pickings of the forest, the ape-men had【C7】______efficient stereoscopic vision and a sense of colour that the animals of the grasslands did not possess. The ability to see clearly at close range permitted the ape-men to study practical problems in a way that lay far【C8】______the reach of the original inhabitants of the grassland. Good long distance sight was【C9】______another matter. Lack of long-distance vision had not been a problem for forest-dwelling apes and monkeys because the higher the viewpoint, the greater the range of sight so【C10】______they had had to do was climb a tree. Out in the open, however, this simple solution was not【C11】______Climbing a hill would have helped, but in many places the ground was flat. The ape-men【C12】______the only possible solution. They reared up as high as possible on their hind limbs and began to walk upright. This vital change of physical position brought about considerable disadvantages. It was extremely unstable and it meant that the already slow ape-men became slower still.【C13】______, they persevered and their bone structure gradually became【C14】______to the new, unstable position that【C15】______them the name Homo erectus, upright man."

Two trucks were reported to have______head-on yesterday.

The book gives a brief______of the course of his research up till now.

Which job will involve supervising workers using dangerous equipment?

A budget approved by the European Parliament for the European Economic Community was declared adopted Tuesday despite opposition by ministers. The president of the Parliament, Simone Veil, signed the $24.2 billion 1982 budget,【C1】______the EEC into its third【C2】______budget conflict. Minutes after receiving a【C3】______from ministers to【C4】______the signing to give time to work out a【C5】______, Veil told Britain's Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Nicholas Ridley, she had adopted the budget. Ridley told reporters【C6】______speaking to Veil by telephone, ""She has adopted it, and she is absolutely【C7】______that the ministers should write to her in this way without【C8】______con-sultation. "" EEC sources【C9】______most member states would probably【C10】______to make full payments to the budget as adopted, and the conflict was likely to【C11】______well into next year. The ministers' letter to Veil,【C12】______after a meeting in Brussels Tuesday,【C13】______of serious consequences【C14】______the budget were adopted. ""The council of ministers appeals to you to put off the adoption of the 1982 budget【C15】______a consensus can be found. "" it said. The adoption【C16】______six months of tortuous negotiations between the 434-members Assembly and EEC budget ministers over 1982【C17】______. 【C18】______was blocked in the【C19】______by parliament's addition earlier this month of some $ 250 million much of it for jobs programs. The number of people out of【C20】______in the EEC in November reached a record of almost 10 million, or nine percent of the working population, according to the EEC statistics office."

Hardy's weakness ______ his apparent inability to control the comings and goings of these divergent impulses and from his unwillingness to cultivate and sustain the energetic and risky ones.

Rain water has begun to ______ the roof of my house.

Rather like a spoilt child