单选题The children
trembled
with fear when they saw the policeman.
单选题In the case of a church wedding, the vicar of each parish in which the bride and bridegroom live is normally informed about a month in advance of the ceremony so that an announcement of the coming wedding can be made in church on each of three Sundays before it takes place. Anyone who may know of an existing marriage of either partner is ordered to give information about it, though this means of avoiding bigamy(重婚) must have been more effective in the days when people moved about the world less than they do today. Often up to a hundred or more people attend the religious service and the bride usually wears the traditional long white dress and veil, while bridesmaids, who are often children, wear long dresses in attractive colors. This may also happen in the case of a civil wedding in a register office but is probably less usual. The arrangements for a church wedding are usually made some time before in order toA. allow the necessary length of time for publicize the wedding.B. provide time for organizing the reception.C. make sure that the guests can arrange to be free on the day.D. ensure a thorough investigation of the couple's existing marital status.
单选题ADS is a fatal disease.A. deadB. deadlyC. dyingD. died
单选题It will be safer to walk the streets because people will not need to carry large amounts of cash. Virtually all financial
deals
will be conducted by computer.
单选题Many of Carson McCuller"s characters are
isolated
, disappointed people.
单选题Mary {{U}}called me up{{/U}} very late last night.
单选题I didn't ask because I was afraid of looking stupid.A. foolishB. boringC. childishD. exciting
单选题Light Night, Dark Stars
Thousands of people around the globe step outside to gaze at their night sky. On a clear night, with no clouds, moonlight, or artificial lights to block the view, people can see more than 14,000 stars in the sky, says Dennis Ward, an astronomer (天文学家) with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in Boulder, Colo. But when people are surrounded by city lights, he says, they"re lucky to see 150 stars.
If you"ve ever driven toward a big city at night and seen its glow from a great distance, you"ve witnessed light pollution. It occurs when light from streetlights, office (照亮) the night buildings, signs, and other sources streams into space and illuminates sky. This haze (朦胧) of light makes many stars invisible to people on Earth. Even at night, big cities like New York glow from light pollution, making stargazing difficult.
Dust and particles of pollution from factories and industries worsen the effects of light pollution. "If one city has a lot more light pollution than another," Ward says, "that city will suffer the effects of light pollution on a much greater scale."
Hazy skies also make it far more difficult for astronomers to do their jobs.
Cities are getting larger. Suburbs are growing in once dark, rural areas. Light from all this new development is increasingly obscuring (使变模糊) the faint (微弱的)light given off by distant stars. And if scientists can"t locate these objects, they can"t learn more about them.
Light pollution doesn"t only affect star visibility. It can harm wildlife too. It"s clear that artificial light can attract animals, making them go off course. There"s increasing evidence, for example, that migrating (迁徙) birds use sunsets and sunrises to help find their way, says Sydney Gauthreaux Jr., a scientist at Clemson University in South Carolina. "When light occurs at night," he says, "it has a very disruptive (破坏性的) influence." Sometimes birds fly into lighted towers, high-rises, and cables from radio and television towers. Experts estimate that millions of birds die this way every year.
单选题The {{U}}court{{/U}} sentenced him to death for murder.
单选题Two People, Two Paths
You must be familiar with the situation: Dad"s driving, Mum"s telling him where to go. He"s sure that they need to turn left. But she says it"s not for another two blocks. Who has the better sense of direction? Men or women.
They both do, a new study says, but in different ways.
Men and women, Canadian researchers have found, have different methods of finding their way. Men look quickly at landmarks (地标) and head off in what they think is the right direction. Women, however, try to picture the whole route in detail and then follow the path in their head.
"Women tend to be more detailed," said Edward Cornell, who led the study, "while men tend to be a little bit faster and... a little bit more intuitive (直觉感知的)."
In fact, said Cornell, "sense of direction" isn"t one skill but two.
The first is the "survey method". This is when you see an area from above, such as a printed map. You can see, for example, where the hospital is, where the church is and that the supermarket is on its right.
The second skill is the "route method". This is when you use a series of directions. You start from the hospital, then turn left, turn right, go uphill—and then you see the supermarket.
Men are more likely to use the survey method while women are more likely to use one route and follow directions.
Both work, and neither is better.
Some scientists insist that these different skills have a long history. They argue it is because of the difference in traditional roles.
In ancient times, young men often went far away with the older men to fish or hunt. The trip took hours or day sand covered unfamiliar places. The only way to know where you were was to use the survey method to remember landmarks the mountains, the lakes and so on.
The women, on the other hand, took young girls out to find fruits and plants. These activities were much closer to home but required learning well-used paths. So, women"s sense of space was based on learning certain routes.
单选题The Acquisition of Two Companies The Provident Companies, the No. 2 seller of individual disability insurance policies, agreed yesterday to buy the No. 1 insurer in the field in a deal that would give it more than 1/3 of the market. The $1.2 billion deal would eliminate about 600 jobs, give a big Swiss money-losing policies sold by the insurer that is being acquired, the Paul Revere company. Last year Provident's insurance units had $2.6 billion in premium revenues and Paul Revere had $1.5 billion. About 57 percent of the combined $4.1 billion in premiums came from disability policies that were sold to individuals. Provident's next largest competitor, the UNUM Corporation, has about 10 percent of the market. Paul Revere has been controlled since 1985 by Textron Inc. Textron acquired the insurer when it bought Avco Financial Services, which makes high interest rate loans to people whose employment and credit histories make them too risky for bank loans. James F. Hardymon, Textron's chairman and chief executive, said the sale "reinforces Textron's strategy to focus on its core manufacturing and finance businesses." He said, that up to half the income might be used to pay down the company's more than $10 billion of debt or to buy back stock. Paul Revere's remaining public shareholders will get $26 in cash for each share, Provident stock worth $26, or $20 in cash and Provident stock worth $6. To finance the deal, Provident is getting a $300 million infusion of cash from the Zurich insurance Group of Switzerland, which is buying a 15.2% stake in Provident under an agreement allowing it to increase the stake to 40%. Provident, which is based in Chattanooga, Tenn., announced a $423 million write-off on individual disability policies in December 1993. Paul Revere, which is based in Worchester, Mass., has not taken a similar write-off, said John M. Hanon, an analyst at Derby Securities. Provident, Paul Revere and other companies have previously said that they had to pay claims on diseases not even known when the policies were written and that many disability claims resulted in larger than expected benefits payment. The deal drew mixed responses from insurance ratings agencies, which had ranked both companies in the upper grades, indicating a strong likelihood that they would be able over the long haul to pay claims.
单选题Glaciers terminate where the rate of ice loss is equivalent to the forward advance of the glacier. A.stop B.turn C.crack D.rotate
单选题It is well-known that the retired workers in our country are
{{U}}eligible{{/U}} to free medical care.
A. entitled to
B. involved in
C. associated with
D. assigned to
单选题Many
residents
of the apartment complexes object to noisy neighbors.
单选题{{B}}第三篇{{/B}}
The Greatest Show on Earth
The Olympic Games (奥林匹克运动会) are the greatest festival of sport in the
world. Every four years, a hundred or more countries send their best sportsmen
to compete (竞赛) for the highest honors in sport. As many as 6,000 people take
part in over 20 sports. For the winners, there are gold medals(奖牌) and glory.
But there is honor, too, for all who compete, win or lose. That is in spirit of
the Olympics-to take part is what matters. The Olympic Games
always start in a bright color and action. The teams of all the nations parade
in the opening ceremony(仪式) and march round the track. The custom is for the
Greek team to march in first. For it was in Greece that the Olympics began. The
team of the country where the Games are being held-the host country-marches in
last. The runner with the Olympic torch (火炬) then enters the
stadium(体育场) and lights the flame. A sportsman from the host country takes the
Olympic oath (誓言) on behalf of all the competitors(竞赛者). The judges and
officials also take an oath. After the sportsmen march out of the stadium the
host country puts on a wonderful display. The competitions begin
the next day. There are usually more than twenty sports in the Games. The rule
is that there must be at least fifteen. The main events are in track and field
(田径), but it is a few days before these sports start. Each day the competitors
take part in a different sport-riding, shooting, swimming, and cross-country
running. Points are gained for each event. Medals are awarded (颁发) for the
individual winners and for national teams. More and more women
are taking part in the games. They first competed in 1900, in tennis and golf,
which are no longer held in the Olympics. Women's swimming events were
introduced in 1912. But it was not until 1928 that there were any track and
field events for women. Now, they compete in all but half a dozen of the sports.
In horse riding, shooting, and boat racing, they may compete in the same events
as the men.
单选题It is useless to argue with him once he has
made up his mind
.
单选题Chinese people began to
be aware of
the seriousness of the population.
单选题We can draw a conclusion from the last paragraph that _____.
单选题{{B}}第三篇{{/B}}
Renewable Energy Sources
Today petroleum (石油) provides around 40% of the world's energy needs,
mostly fuelling automobiles. Coal is still used, mostly in power stations, to
cover one-quarter of our energy needs, but it is the least efficient,
unhealthiest and most environmentally damaging fossil fuel (矿物燃料). Natural gas
reserves could fill some of the gap from oil, but reserves of that will not last
into the 22nd century either. Most experts predict we will exhaust easily
accessible reserves within 50 years. Less-polluting renewable energy sources
offer a more practical long-term energy solution. "Renewable" refers to the fact
that these resources are not used faster than they can be replaced.
Hydroelectric (水力发电的) power is now the most common form of renewable
energy, supplying around 20% of world electricity. China's Three Gorges Dam is
the largest ever. At five times the size of the US's Hoover Dam, it's 26
turbines (涡轮机) will generate the equivalent energy of 18 coal-fired power
stations. It will satisfy 3% of China's entire electricity demand.
In 2003, the first commercial power station to use tidal (潮汐的) currents in
the open sea opened in Norway. It is designed like windmill (风车), but others
take the form of turbines. As prices fall, wind power has become
the fastest growing type of electricity generation quadrupling (翻两番) worldwide
between 1999 and 2005.Modern wind farms consist of turbines that generate
electricity. Though it will be more expensive, there is more than enough wind to
provide the world's entire energy needs. Wind farms come in onshore and offshore
forms. They can often end up at spots of natural beauty, and are often unpopular
with residents. And turbines are not totally harmless—they can interfere with
radar, alter climate and kill sea birds. Scotland is building Europe's
largest wind farm, which will power 200,000 homes. The UK's goal is to generate
one-fifth of power from renewable sources, mainly wind, by 2020.But this may
cause problems, because wind is unreliable.
单选题The History of Examinations In ancient times the most important examinations were spoken, not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome, testing usually consisted of saying poetry aloud or giving speeches. In the European universities of the Middle Ages, students who were working for advanced degrees had to discuss questions in their field of study with people who had made a special study of the subject. This custom exists today as part of the process of testing candidates for the doctor's degree. Generally, however, modern examinations are written. The written examination, where all students are tested on the same question, was probably not known until the nineteenth century. Perhaps it came into existence with the great increase in population and the development of modern industry. A room full of candidates for a state examination, timed exactly by electric clocks and carefully watched over by managers, resembles a group of workers at an automobile factory. Generally, during examinations teachers and students are expected to act like machines. One type of test is sometimes called an "objective" test. It is intended to deal with facts, not personal opinions. To make up an objective test the teacher writes a series of questions, each of which has only one correct answer. Along with each question the teacher writes the correct answer and also three statements that look like correct answers to students who have not learned the material properly.
