单选题{{B}}第二篇{{/B}} {{B}}The Only Way Is Up{{/B}} Think of a modem city and the first image that come to mind is the skyline. It is full of great buildings, pointing like fingers to heaven. It is true that some cities don't permit buildings to go above a certain height. But these are cities concerned with the past. The first thing any city does when it wants to tell the world that it has arrived is to build skyscrapers. When people gather together in cities, they create a demand for land. Since cities are places where money is made, that demand can be met. And the best way to make money out of city land is to put as many people as possible in a space that covers the smallest amount of ground. That means building upwards. The technology existed to do this as early as the 19th century. But the height of buildings was limited by one important factor. They had to be small enough for people on the top floors to climb stairs. People could not be expected to climb a mountain at the end of their journey to work, or home. Elisha Otis, a US inventor, was the man who brought us the lift - or elevator, as he preferred to call it. However, most of the technology is very old. Lifts work using the same pulley system the Egyptians used to create the Pyramids. What Otis did was attach the system to a steam engine and develop the elevator brake, which stops the lift falling if the cords that hold it up are broken. It was this that did the most to gain public confidence in the new invention, In fact, he spent a number of years exhibiting lifts at fairgrounds, giving people the chance to try them out before selling the idea to architects and builders. A lift would not be a very good theme park attraction now. Going in a lift is such an everyday thing that it would just be boring. Yet psychologists and others who study human behavior fund lifts fascinating. The reason is simple. Scientists have always studied animals in zoos. The nearest they can get to that with humans is in observing them in lifts. "It breaks all the usual conventions about the bubble of personal space we carry around with us — and you just can't choose to move away," says workplace psychologist, Gary Fitzgibbon. Being trapped in this setting can create different types of tensions, he says. Some people are scared of them. Others use them as an opportunity to get close to the boss. Some stand close to the door. Others hide in the corners. Most people try and shrink into the background. But some behave in a way that makes others notice them. There are a few people who just stand in a corner taking notes, Don't worry about them. They are probably from a university.

单选题How many businesses in the US can be called “small”?

单选题A supermarket usually has

单选题The Klondike was the scene of one of the biggest gold rushes the world has ever known.

单选题That is a sign of its immense potential. A. natural B. fatal C. tiny D. enormous

单选题The new job will provide you with {{U}}invaluable{{/U}} experience. A. simply useless B. really practical C. very little D. extremely useful

单选题Not all member states Uabided by/U the principle they had agreed on previously.

单选题They converted the spare bedroom into an office. A. reduced B. moved C. reformed D. turned

单选题{{B}}第二篇{{/B}} Walking Robot Carries a Person The first walking robot capable of carrying a person unveiled on Friday in Tokyo, Japan. Its creators at Waseda University in Tokyo and the Japanese robotics company Tmsuk hope their two-leg-ged creation will one day enable wheel-chair users to climb up and down the stairs and assist the movement of heavy goods over uneven ground. The battery-powered robot, code-named WL-16, is essentially an aluminium chair mounted on two sets of telescopic poles. The poles are bolted to flat plates which act as feet. WL-16 uses 12 actuators (传动装置) to move forwards, backwards and sideways while carrying an adult weighing up to 60 kilograms (130 pounds). The robot can adjust its body and walk smoothly even if the person it is carrying shifts in the chair. At present it can only step up or down A few millimeters, but the team plans to make it capable of dealing with a normal flight of stairs. "I believe this bipedal (两足的) robot, which I prefer to call a two-legged walking chair rather than a wheel-chair, will eventually enable people to go up and down the stairs. " said Atsuo Takanishi, from Waseda University. "We have had strong robots for some time but usually they have been manipulators, they have not been geared to carrying people around. " says Ron Arkin, at the Georgia Institute of Technology and robotics consultant for Sony. "But I don't know how safe and how user-friendly WL-16 is. " Tmsuk chief executive Yoichi Takamoto argues that bipedal or multi-legged robots will be more useful than so-called "caterpillar (毛毛虫) models" for moving over uneven ground. WL-16's normal walking step measures 30 centimeters, but it can stretch its legs to 136 cm a part. The prototype (原型) is currently radio-controlled, but the research team plans to equip it with a stick-like controller for the user in future. Takanishi said it will take "at least two years" to develop the WL-16 prototype into a working model. Smaller, ground-hugging (紧贴地面行走的) robots have been developed to pass across tricky ground. One maggot-like (像蛆一样的) device uses a magnetic fluid to pulse its way along, while another snake-like robot uses smart software to devise new movement strategies if the landscape affects any one part. One ball-shaped robot even uses a leap-and-bounce approach to travel over rough territory. But none of these are big or strong enough to carry a person too.

单选题下面的短文有15处空白，请根据短文内容为每处空白确定1个最佳选项。 Space Research Does walking on the moon make life better for people on earth?{{U}} (51) {{/U}}all the problems of our own world, why should we be spending huge{{U}} (52) {{/U}}on trips to outer space? Such questions as these are often asked, especially{{U}} (53) {{/U}}those whose tax money is paying for space explorations. The answers to these questions are many and{{U}} (54) {{/U}}. Up to now, the practical benefits resulting{{U}} (55) {{/U}}space research have included the development of new methods and skills, new processes, new services, new products, and even new companies created to make use of what{{U}} (56) {{/U}}through space travel. Also among the benefits{{U}} (57) {{/U}}better education (especially in scientific subjects),{{U}} (58) {{/U}}management, higher quality of industrial products ,and rapid{{U}} (59) {{/U}}growth. People all over the world are now served by{{U}} (60) {{/U}}weather predictions, better communication systems, and better understanding of the earth and its environment. Everyone will benefit{{U}} (61) {{/U}}observations from space make{{U}} (62) {{/U}}possible to measure the earth's resources and{{U}} (63) {{/U}}whether or not they are being used properly.{{U}} (51) {{/U}}the space program will help our world deal with the problems of the environment. It has already brought a new appreciation of the complex system{{U}} (65) {{/U}}man is only a part. In addition to improving the quality of existing products, the space program has been responsible for the development and improvement of new ones. The most important is the computer. To bring the endangered Apollo 13 astronauts home safely in 1970,a new flight plan had to be made taking account of an unbelievably complex combination of elements. The computer accomplished this task in seventy-two minutes, whereas a man or a woman working with pencil and paper take more than a million years! If there had been no space program, it is doubtful that computers would now be so widely used in industry and government.

单选题She gave up her job and started writing poetry.

单选题The cost of elections in the United States is borne by both the government and the private sector.

单选题It is the movement, not the color, of objects that {{U}}excites{{/U}} the bull

单选题 The Sandwich Generation Today people often look forward to their middle age as a time when they will be able to take things easier. After their children are grown, they expect to enjoy the life they have worked hard to create. However, the reality is often very different. In middle age, many people discover that they have two ongoing responsibilities: one is to look after their aging parents, and the other is to help their young adult children deal with the pressures of life. Around the world, there are millions of people who are "sandwiched" in between the older and the younger generations. Sometimes there may be two or three generations living in the same household—a situation that is common in many Asian countries and in some parts of Europe. In other cases, a couple may be taking care of parents and children, but they do not live with them. There are two important reasons for the rise of the sandwich generation. First, people are living longer than they used to. In the early nineteenth century, the average life expectancy for adults in the United States, for example, was about 40, whereas today people live to an average age of 75. Therefore, children are taking care of their parents over a longer period of time. The second reason is that these days, young adults often live with their parents for a longer time than they did in the past. This is often for financial reasons. It's also more common for today's young adults to return home during or after college if they need financial or emotional support. Young adults feel sandwiched between their financial responsibilities and their desire to enjoy life. They may have to cover expenses that their parents cannot. They may have to manage their parents' financial and legal affairs. They may have to prepare for their parents' future needs, such as special medical care or a move to a nursing home. This can be a traumatic (长期困扰的) experience for everyone. Caring for adult children presents challenges as well, and caregivers have to resolve important questions: How can financial responsibilities be shared among members of the household? How can household chores be shared? What is the best way to ensure everyone's privacy? Successfully coping with these issues can avoid a lot of stress for the whole family. The financial and emotional pressures on the sandwich generation can be overwhelming. However, this time in life also has its rewards. It can be a time to rediscover the special qualities of one's parents or children. It can also provide a valuable opportunity to spend more time with them. However, in order to survive this difficult period in their lives, the members of the sandwich generation must remember that they also need to pay attention to their own needs and look after the quality of their own lives. They can't be totally selfless.

单选题We can surely {{U}}overcome{{/U}} all difficulties that may come up. A. get on B. come over C. get over D. come across

单选题During the past ten years there have been {{U}}dramatic{{/U}} changes in the international situation.

单选题The river widens considerably as it begins to turn west A．extends B．stretches C．broadens D．bends

单选题Language When most of us think about language, we think first about words. Thus, the hardest part of learning a foreign language may seem to be memorizing 【51】 vocabulary; when we observe a child first acquiring speech, we talk of his progress 【52】 a matter of learning new words. We are also 【53】 to feel that the adult speaker with the largest vocabulary has the best 【54】 of English. To think 【55】 a language as just a stock of words is 【56】 , quite wrong. Words alone do not 【57】 a language; a grammar is 【58】 to combine them in some intelligible way. Moreover, words are relatively easy to learn, and indeed all of us go 【59】 learning them all our 【60】 . They are also the 【61】 stable part of language. Words come into 【62】 , change their pronunciations and meanings, and disappear completely all with comparative ease. Yet it is true that the 【63】 is focus of language. It is in words 【64】 sounds and meanings interlock to allow us to 【65】 with one another, and it is words that we arrange together to make sentences, conversations and discourse of all kinds. Thus we have a paradox in that the most short-lived part of language is also the centre where meaning, pronunciation, and grammar come together.

单选题A Life with Birds For nearly 17 years David Cope has worked as one of the Tower of London"s yeoman warders, 1 known to tourists as beefeaters. David, 64, lives in a three-bedroomed flat right at the 2 of the Byward Tower, one of the gatehouses. " 3 our bedroom we have a marvelous view of Tower Bridge and the Thames," says David. The Tower of London is famous 4 its ravens, the large black birds which have lived there for over three centuries. David was immediately fascinated by the birds and when he was 5 the post of Raven Master eight years ago he had no 6 in accepting it. "The birds have now become my life and I"m always 7 of the fact that I am 8 a tradition. The legend says that if the ravens leave the Tower, England will fall to enemies, and it"s my job to 9 sure this doesn"t happen!" David 10 about four hours a day to the care of the ravens. He has grown to love them and the 11 that he lives right next to them is ideal. "I can 12 a close eye on them all the time, and not just when I"m working." 13 , David"s wife Mo was not 14 on the idea of life in the Tower, but she too will be sad to leave when he retires next year. "When we look out of our windows, we see history 15 around us, and we are taking it in and storing it up for our future memories."

单选题My First Job I was six when I joined my father and two elder brothers at sunrise in the fields of Eufaula, Oklahoma. 1 the time I was eight I was helping Dad fix up old furniture. He gave me a cent for every nail I 2 out of old boards. I got my first real job, at JM"s Restaurant in town, when I was 12. My main responsibilities (职责) were 3 tables and washing dishes, but sometimes I helped cook. Every day after school I would 4 to JM"s and work until ten. Even on Saturdays, I worked from two until eleven. At that age it was difficult going to work and 5 my friends run off to swim or play. I didn"t necessarily like work, but I loved what working 6 me to have. Because of my job I was always the one buying when my friends and I went to the local bar Tastee Freez. This made me 7 . Word that I was trustworthy and hard-working 8 around town. A local clothing store offered me credit (赊账) 9 I was only in the seventh grade. I immediately 10 a $68 sports coat and a $22 pair of shoes. I was 11 only 65 cents an hour, and I already owed the storekeeper $90 ! So I learned 12 the danger of easy credit. I paid it off as soon as I could. My first job taught me self-control and responsibility, it brought me a 13 of personal satisfaction few of my friends had experienced. As my father, 14 worked three jobs, once told me, "If you 15 sacrifice (奉献) and responsibility, there are not many things in life you can"t have. " How right he was!