填空题UV Light Causes Skin Cancer Don"t laugh if you hear about kids hiding in their basement this summer. They might have been frightened by a recent report from Europe that liquid sunscreens don"t protect people from the sun"s harmful rays. Researchers kept track of 631 children, some of whom used sunscreen and 1 . The researchers found that the kids who used sunscreen got more sun-caused moles than did the kids who didn"t use sunscreen. Kids with sun-caused moles are more likely to develop skin cancer later in life. Did sunscreen harm the children? Probably not, the researchers concluded. They believe that the children relied too much on their sunscreen and stayed in the sun too long. Sunscreen is still safe to use, say skin experts, as long as it is used sensibly. Solar Cares Using sunscreen sensibly is more important than ever. Why? Skin experts like Martin Weinstock believe that 2 . Earth"s ozone layer appears to be getting thinner. Ozone is a gas. In the upper atmosphere, ozone blocks much of the sun"s harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Polluting chemicals are thought to be destroying the ozone in some places. Even though the world"s wealthy countries agreed to stop making polluting chemicals a few years ago, ozone is still disappearing. And that"s bad news, skin experts say, because UV light causes skin cancer, and skin cancer is the most common kind of cancer in the United States. More than a million new cases of skin cancer are showing up in the United States every year. Scientists are looking at kids to reverse that trend. Why? Because getting too much sun when you"re a kid seems to set the stage for getting skin cancer when 3 . According to Weinstock, three-quarters of all skin cancers might never develop if people under the age of 18 avoided overexposure to the sun. Glaring Facts What happens when skin meets sun? Light rays, which come in varying wavelengths, strike the skin. Visible light consists of wavelengths 4 . Ultraviolet light consists of waves too short to be seen. UV light comes in several varieties, among them UVB and UVA. UVB wavelengths are slightly shorter than UVA wavelengths. Scientists once thought that UVB light was harmful and that UVA light produced a healthful tan. But opinions have changed. Scientists still agree that UVB light causes sunburns. But now they suspect that both kinds of UV light damage the DNA of cells. Moreover, scientists believe that either UVA light or UVB light or both weaken the body"s disease-fighting immune system. The body becomes less capable of repairing damaged cells, and such cells may go on to divide uncontrollably. In other words, 5 . Three Little Words To help people avoid getting harmed by the sun, the American Cancer Society has summed up its advice in three words-Slip, Slop and Slap. The words are short for "Slip on a shirt! Slop on the sunscreen! Slap on a hat!" A. they may become cancerous B. people can see C. you"re older D. UVA is different from UVB E. sunlight is growing more hazardous F. some of whom didn"t

填空题A few simple facts will help you keep cut flowers ______.

填空题 The Paper Chase 1. "Running a house is a lot like running a business." says Stephanie Denton, a professional organizer based in Cincinnati, Ohio, who specializes in both residential and commercial paperwork and record keeping. To get a successful grip on organizing documents, bills, and other materials, Denton suggests the following tips: 2. Create a space in which you can always do your paperwork. This is perhaps the most important element of a successful system. If you can't devote an entire desk to the task, at least invest in a rolling file cart to store active paperwork and a two-drawer file cabinet for family records. Store the rolling file cart wherever it is most convenient and comfortable to do your work, whether that is the kitchen, office, or family room. 3. When in doubt, throw it out. The first step to implementing a workable filing system is to eliminate paper you don't use, don't need, or that you could easily access again elsewhere. Throw out duplicate statements, old catalogs, and all of the coupons, mailings, or offerings you'll never have an opportunity to use or even read. 4. Set aside two days a month to pay bills. If a monthly due date doesn't fit into your cycle, call up the creditor and suggest a more convenient date. Keep two manila folders at the front of your system for current bills—one to correspond with each bill-paying day—and file all incoming bills. Keep a list in the front of each folder of what needs to be paid in case the invoice never arrives or gets misplaced. 5. Think of your filing system not as a rigid tool, but as a living, breathing system that can accommodate your changing needs. A good filing system is both mentally and physically flexible. Everyone's needs are different, says Denton, but when devising a filling system, ask yourself: "Where would I look for this?" Create main headings for your filing system, such as Investments, Taxes, Children, and so forth, and file individual folders under the main headings. Never overstuff your files. A. Find a Place to Work on B. Implementing a Workable Filing System C. What Is a Good Filing System D. How to Invest in a Rolling File Cart E. Get Rid of Unimportant Things F. Dealing with Bills

填空题Success Stories One of the most successful fashion companies in the world is Benetton. The Benetton family opened their first shop in Italy in 1968. (1) Benetton followed four marketing principles in order to achieve their success. The first principle is Consumer Concept. To build a successful business, you have to develop products around things people value, especially quality. (2) He created clothes to match people's wants: the style is casual; the colors and patternsare bold; and the quality is excellent. The system link is another feature of good marketing. For Benetton, this means waiting to get information about what customers like and what they dislike before making the clothes. (3) The Information Link means making sure the company responds quickly to people's demands. (4) This information is then sent to the main office in Italy. Benetton can use this information to identify popular products and to continue making them; it can also identify less popular products and stop making them. A final important marketing principle is the Retail Link. There are benentton stores in countries around the world. All the stores have the same clothing, the same window displays, and the same approach to sales. (5) The things people like about Benetton stores are that the quality is always high and the prices are generally low. And that spells success.A. The founder of Benetton began by asking people what they wanted.B. There used to be a good reason for this.C. When something is sold at a Benetton store, the store records information about the type, size, and color of the item.D. Today, there are Benetton shops in major cities all over the world.E. This means that customers can go into any Benetton store in the world and be sure of what they are buying.F. In 9ther words, Benetton's clothes are made to order.

填空题Stanford University 1 Stanford University, famous as one of northern California's several institutions of higher learning, is sometimes called "the Harvard of the West. " The closeness of Stanford to San Francisco, a city thirty-two miles to the north, gives the university a decidedly cosmopolitan (世界性的) flavor. 2 The students are enrolled mainly from the western United States. But most of the fifty states send students to Stanford, and many foreign students study here, as well. And standards for admission remain high. Young men and women are selected to enter the university from the upper fifteen percent of their high school classes. 3 Not only because of me high caliber(素质)of its students but also because of the desirable location and climate, Stanford has attracted to its faculty some of the world's most respected scholars. The university staff has included many Nobel prize winners such as Dr. Felix Bloch, Dr. Robert Hofstadter, and Dr. William Shockley in physics. Dr. Author Kornberg and Dr. Joshua Lederberg in medicine. and Dr. Paul J. Flory and Dr. Linus Pauling in chemistry. The Russian novelist Aleksandr Solzhenistsyn has been in residence. Stanford'S undergraduate school of engineering and its graduate schools of business, law, and medicine are especially well-regarded. 4 What is student life like on "The Farm"? Culturally. the campus is a magnet for both students and citizens of nearby communities. P1ays, concerts, and operas are performed in the university's several auditoriums and in its outdoor theater, where graduations are also held. Several film series are presented during the school year. Guest lecturers from public and academic life frequently appear on campus. In the evenings, many students gather to socialize in the Student Union's coffee house；here the beverages(饮料)and the atmosphere both have a decidedly European flavor. For the sports—minded, the Stanford campus offers highly developed athletic facilities. Team spots, swimming, and track and field activity are a11. very much part of the Stanford picture. So are bicycling and jogging. 5 In addition to financial support from alumni(校友), Stanford receives grants from the government and from private philanthropic(慈善的)foundations。In recent years, government grants have made possible advanced studies in the fields of history, psychology, education, and atomic energy. At present Stanford is carrying out an ambitious building program, financed in part by山e Ford Foundation's 25. million grant. Recently added to the campus are a new physics building, new school of business, new graduate school of law, new student union, and undergraduate library.

填空题 阅读下面的短文，文章中有5处空白，文章后有6组文字，请根据文章的内容选择5组文字，将其分别放回文章原有位置，以恢复文章原貌。 {{B}}The First Four Minutes{{/B}} When do people decide whether or not they want to become friends? During their first four minutes together, according to a book by Dr. Leonard Zunin. In his book, "Contact: The first four minutes," he offers this advice to anyone interested in starting new friendships:{{U}} (1) {{/U}}A lot of people's whole lives would change if they did just that. You may have noticed that average person does not give his undivided attention to someone he as just met.{{U}} (2) {{/U}}If anyone has ever done this to you, you probably did not like him very much. When we are introduced to new people, the author suggests, we should try to appear friendly and self-confident. In general, he says, "People like people who like themselves." On the other hand, we should not make the other person think we are too sure of ourselves. It is important to appear interested and sympathetic, realizing that the other person has his own needs, fears, and hopes. Hearing such advice, one might say, "But I'm not a friendly, self-confident person. That's not my nature. It would be dishonest for me to do in that way." {{U}} (3) {{/U}}We can become accustomed to any changes we choose to make in our personality. "It is like getting used to a new car. It may be unfamiliar at first, but it goes much better than the old one." But isn't it dishonest to give the appearance of friendly self-confidence when we don't actually feel that way? Perhaps, but according to Dr. Zunin, "total honest" is not always good for social relationships, especially during the first few minutes of contact. There is a time for everything, and acertain amount of play-acting may be best for the first few minutes of contact with a stranger. That is not the time to complain about one's health or to mention faults one finds in other people. It is not the time to tell the whole truth about one's opinions and impressions. {{U}} (4) {{/U}}For a husband and wife or a parent and child, problems often arise during their first four minutes together after they have been apart. Dr. Zunin suggests that these first few minutes together be treated with care. If there are unpleasant matters to be discussed, they should be dealt with later. The author says that interpersonal relations should be taught as a required course in every school, along with reading, writing, and mathematics.{{U}} (5) {{/U}}that is at least as important as how much we know. A. In reply, Dr. Zunin would claim that a little practice can help us feel comfortable about changing our social habits. B. Much of what has been said about strangers also applies to relationships with family members and friends. C. In his opinion, success in life depends mainly on how we get along with other people. D. Every time you meet someone in a social situation, give him your undivided attention for four minutes. E. He keeps looking over the other person's shoulder, as if hoping to find someone more interesting in another part of the room. F. He is eager to make friends with everyone. The first four minutes.

填空题下面的短文后有2项测试任务：(1)第23～30题要求从所给的6个选项中为第1～5段各其中4段选择1个最佳标题；(2)第 27～30题要求从所给的4个选项中为每个句子确定1个最佳选项。 Is There a Way to Keep the Britain's Economy Growing? 1. In today's knowledge economy, nations survive on the things they do best. Japanese design electronics while Germens export engineering(工程) techniques. The French serve the best food and Americans make computers. 2. Britain specializes in the gift of talking. The nation doesn't manufacture much of anything. But it has lawyers, stylists and business consultants who earn their living from talk and more talk. The World Foundation think tank says the UK's four iconic (图标的)jobs today are not scientists, engineers, teachers and nurses. Instead, they're hairdressers, celebrities, management consultants (顾问) and managers. But can all this talking keep the British economy going? The British government thinks it can. 3. Although the country's trade deficit was more than ￡60 billion in 2006, UK's largest in the postwar period, officials say the country has nothing to worry about. In fact, Britain does have a world-class pharmaceutical(制药学的) industry and it still makes a small sum from selling arms abroad. It also trades services — accountancy, insurance, banking and advertising. The government believes Britain is on the cutting edge of the knowledge economy. After all, the country of Shakespeare and Wordsworth has a literary tradition of which to be proud. Rock' n' roll is an English language medium, and there are billions to be made by their cutting-edge bands. In other words, the creative economy has plenty of strength to carry the British economy. 4. However, creative industries account for only about 4 percent of UK's exports of goods and services. The industries are finding it hard to make a profit, according to a report of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. The report shows only 38 percent of British companies were engaged in "innovation activities", 3 percentage points below the EU average and well below Germany(61 percent)and Sweden(47 percent). 5. In fact, it might be better to call Britain a "servant" economy — there are at least 4 million people "in service". The majority of the population are employed by the rich to cook, clean, and take care of their children. Many graduates are even doing menial jobs for which they do not need a degree. Most employment growth has been, and will continue to be, at the low-skill end of the service sector — in shops, bars, hotels, domestic service and in nursing and care homes. A. Growth of Economy B. "Servant" Economy C. Strength of the Creative Economy D. Weakness of the Creative Economy E. Gift of Talking F. Export of Talking Machines

填空题The World"s Longest Bridge Rumor has it that a legendary six-headed monster lurks in the deep waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea between Italy and the island of Sicily. 1 When completed in 2010, the world"s longest bridge will weigh nearly 300,000 tons—equivalent to the iceberg that sank the Titanic—and stretch 5 kilometers long. "That"s nearly 50 percent longer than any other bridge ever built." says structural engineer Shane Rixon. 2 They"re suspension bridges, massive structures built to span vast water channels or gorges. A suspension bridge needs just two towers to shoulder the structure"s mammoth weight, thanks to hefty supporting cables slung between the towers and anchored firmly in deep pools of cement at each end of the bridge. The Messina Strait Bridge will have two 54,100-ton towers, which will support most of the bridge"s load. The beefy cables of the bridge, each 1.2 meter in diameter, will hold up the longest and widest bridge deck ever built. When construction begins on the Messina Strait Bridge in 2005, the first job will be to erect two 370 meter-tall steel towers. 3 Getting these cables up will be something. It"s not just their length—totally 5.3 kilometers—but their weight. 4 After lowering vertical "suspender" cables from the main cables, builders will erect a 60 meter-wide 54,630-ton steel roadway, or deck—wide enough to accommodate 12 lanes of traffic. The deck"s weight will pull down on the cables with a force of 70,500 tons. In return, the cables yank up against their firmly rooted anchors with a force of 139,000 tons—equivalent to the weight of about 100,000 cars. Those anchors are essential. 5 A. Some environmentalists are against the project on biological grounds. B. What do the world"s longest bridges have in common? C. If true, one day you might spy the beast while zipping (呼啸而过) across the Messina Strait Bridge. D. They"re what will keep the bridge from going anywhere. E. The second job will be to pull two sets of steel cables across the strait, each set being a bundle of 44,352 individual steel wires. F. They will tip up the scales at 166,500 tons—more than half the bridge"s total mass.

填空题 Hurricanes (龙卷风) 1.Did you know that before 1950, hurricanes had no names? They were simply given numbers. The first names were simply Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc. But in 1953, females names were given because of the unpredictability (不可预知的) factor of the storms. In 1979, realizing the sexist (性别歧视的) nature of such names, the lists were expanded to include both men and women. 2. Hurricanes and typhoons (台风) are the same things. If they form in the Atlantic, we call these strong storms hurricanes, from the West Indian word hurricane, meaning "big wind". And if they are Pacific storms, they are called typhoons from the Chinese taifeng, meaning "great wind". To he classified as a hurricane, the storm must have maximum winds of at least 75 mph. These storms are big, many hundreds of miles in diameter. 3. Hurricanes get their power from water vapor as it gives out its stored-up energy. All water vapor gives out heat as it condenses (凝结) from a gaseous state to a liquid state over fixed points on the equator (赤道). To make a hurricane, you must have extremely wet, warm air, the kind of air that can only he found in tropical region. 4. Scientists have determined that the heat given out in the process of water condensation can be as high as 95 billion kilowatts per hour. In just one day alone, the storm can produce more energy than many industrialized nations need in an entire year! The problem is that we don't know how to make sure such great energy work for us. 5. Predicting the path of a hurricane is one of the most difficult tasks for forecasters. It moves at a typical speed of 15 mph. But not always. Some storms may race at twice this speed, then suddenly stop and remain in the same location for several days. It can be maddening (发疯的) if you live in a coastal area that may be hit. 6. The biggest advance in early detection is continuous watch from weather satellites. With these, we can see the storms form and track them fully, from birth to death. While they can still kill people and destroy property, hurricanes will never surprise any nation again.

填空题Messages from the Media 1. The weather forecast, a story about the candidates in an election, and movie reviews are examples of messages from the media. A communication medium, of which the plural (复数的) form is media, is a means of communicating a message. Examples of media are television, radio, newspapers, books and the telephone. The media that can reach many people at once are called mass media. 2. It is not difficult to think of other messages we receive through the mass media. Every day we get hundreds of them. Think about advertisements, for example. We see and hear these messages almost every- where we go. Advertisements are important messages, even though they are sometimes annoying. They help us compare and evaluate products. 3. Most of us get more information from the media than from the classroom. Think, for a moment, about how you learn about local news and events. Do you depend on other people or the media? What about inter-national news? What is the most important source of information for you? People who are asked this question usually answer, "Television". 4. Think of all the messages you received today. Perhaps you read a newspaper during breakfast, or maybe you read advertisements on billboards (露天广告牌) on your way to school. Did you listen to a weather forecast or the sports news on the radio this morning? Right now you are getting information through a very important medium of mass communication—a book. 5. We use the information we get from radio, television, newspapers, and other media to make decisions and form opinions. That is why the mass media are so important. Editorials and articles in newspapers help us decide how to vote, consumer reports on television help us decide how to spend our money, and international news on the radio makes us think and form opinions about questions of war and peace.

填空题Can Mobile Phones Cause Disease ? 1 "Mobile phone killed my man," screamed one headline last year. Also came claims that an unpublished study had found that mobile phones cause memory loss. And a British newspaper devoted its front page to a picture supposedly (假定地) showing how mobile phones heat the brain. 2 For anyone who uses a mobile phone, these are worrying times. But speak to the scientists whose work is the focus of these scares and you will hear a different story. According: to them, there is no evidence that mobile phones cause cancer or any other illness in people. 3 What we do have, however, are some results suggesting that mobile phones' emissions have a variety of strange effects on living tissue that can't be explained by the general radiation biology. And it's only when the questions raised by these experiments are answered that we'll be able to say for sure what mobile phones might be doing to the head. 4 One of the odd effects comes from the now famous "memory loss" study. Alan Preece and his colleagues at the University of Bristol placed a device that imitated the microwave emissions of mobile phones to the left ear of volunteers. The volunteers were just as good at recalling words and pictures they had been shown on a computer screen whether or rot the device was switched on. Preece says he still can't comment on the effects of using a mobile phone for years on end. But he rules out the suggestion that mobile phones have an immediate effect on our cognitive abilities. "I'm pretty sure there is no effect on short-term memory," he says. 5 Another expert, Tattersall, remarked that his latest findings have removed fears about memory loss. One result, for instance, suggests that nerve cell synapses (突触) exposed to microwaves become more - rather than less - receptive (感受的) to undergoing changes linked to memory formation. 6 Hopefully, microwaves might turn out to be good for you. It sounds crazy, but a couple of years ago a team led by William Adey at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in California found that mice exposed to microwaves for two hours a day were less likely to develop brain tumours when given a cancer-causing chemical.

填空题阅读下面这篇短文，短文后有2项测试任务：(1)第23～26题要求从所给的6个选项中为第1～4段每段选择1个正确的小标题；(2)第27～30题要求从所给的6个选项中选择4个正确选项，分别完成每个句子。 {{B}} How to Learn Language Successfully{{/B}} 1．Some people seem to have a knack for learning languages. They can pick up new vocabulary, master rules or grammar, and learn to write in the new language more quickly than others. They do not seem to be any more intelligent than others, so what makes language learning so much easier for them? Perhaps if we take a close look at these successful language learners, we may discover a few of the techniques which make language learning easier for them. 2．First of all, successful language learners are independent learners. They do not depend on the book or the teacher；they discover their own way to learn the language. Instead of waiting for the teacher to explain, they try to find the patterns and the rules for themselves. They are good guesters who look for clues and form their own conclusions. When they guess wrong, they guess again. They try to learn from mistakes. 3．Successful language learning is active learning. Therefore, successful learners do not wait for a chance to use the language；they look for such a chance. They find people who speak the language and they ask these people to correct them when they make a mistake. They will try anything to communicate. They are not afraid to repeat what they hear or to say strange things; they are willing to make mistakes and try again. When communication is difficult, they can accept information that is inexact or incomplete. It is more important for them to learn to think in the language than to know the meaning of every world. 4．Finally, successful language learners are learners with a purpose. They want to learn the language because they are interested in the language and the people who speak it. It is necessary for them to learn the language in order to communicate with these people and to learn from them. They find it easy to practice using the language regularly because they want to learn with it. 5．What kind of language learner are you? If you are a successful language learner, you have probably been learning independently, actively, and purposefully. On the other hand, if your language learning has been less than successful, you might as well try some of the techniques outlined above.

填空题The Dangers of Second-hand Smoke Most people know that cigarette smoking is harmful to their health. Scientific research shows that it causes many kinds of diseases. In fact, many people who smoke get lung cancer. However, Edward Gilson has lung cancer, and he has never smoked cigarettes. He lives with his wife Evelyn, who has smoked about a pack of cigarettes a day throughout their marriage. 1 No one knows for sure why Mr. Gilson has lung cancer. Nevertheless, doctors believe that second-hand smoke may cause lung cancer in people who do not smoke because nonsmokers often breathe in the smoke from other people"s cigarettes. 2 The US Environmental Protection Agency reports that about 53,000 people die in the United States each year as a result of exposure to second-hand smoke. The smoke that comes from a lit cigarette contains many different poisonous chemicals. In the past, scientists did not think that these chemicals could harm a nonsmoker"s health. 3 They discovered that even nonsmokers had unhealthy amounts of these toxic chemicals in their bodies. As a matter of fact, almost all of us breathe tobacco smoke at times, whether we realize it or not. For example, we can not avoid second-hand smoke in restaurants, hotels and other public places. Even though many public places have nonsmoking areas, smoke flows in from the areas where smoking is permitted. It is even harder for children to avoid second-hand smoke. 4 Research shows that children who are exposed to second-hand smoke are sick more often than children who live in homes where no one smokes and that the children of smokers are more than twice as likely to develop lung cancer when they are adults as are children of nonsmokers. The risk is even higher for children who live in homes where both parents smoke. People are becoming very aware of the dangers of second-hand smoke. 5 A. Recently, though, scientists changed their opinion after they studied a large group of nonsmokers. B. The Gilsons have been married for 35 years. C. This smoke is called second-hand smoke. D. However, second-hand smoke is dangerous to all people, old or young. E. As a result, they have passed laws which prohibit people from smoking in many public places. F. In the United States, nine million children under the age of five live in homes with at least one smoker.

填空题A. Don't Be a PerfectionistB. The Benefits of Knowing Where We Want to GoC. Hard Work Plus Good LuckD. The Outcomes of Our EffortsE. The Importance of Attention to DetailF. Constantly Asking Ourselves about Details

填空题 Soot and Snow: a Hot Combination 1. New research from NASA scientists suggests emissions of black soot alter the way sunlight reflects off snow. According to a computer simulation, black soot may be responsible for 25 percent of observed global warming over the past century. 2. Soot in the higher latitudes of the Earth, where ice is more common, absorbs more of the sun's energy and warmth than an icy, white background. Dark-colored black carbon, or soot, absorbs sunlight, while lighter colored ice reflects sunlight. 3. Soot in areas with snow and ice may play all important role in climate change. Also, if snow and ice covered areas begin melting, the warming effect increases, as the soot becomes more concentrated on the snow surface. "This provides a positive feedback, as glaciers and ice sheet smelt, they tend to get even dirtier," said Dr. James Hansen, a researcher at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York. 4. Hansen found soot's effect on snow albedo (solar energy reflected back to space), which may be contributing to trends toward early springs in the Northern Hemisphere, such as thinning Arctic sea ice, melting glaciers and permafrost. Soot also is believed to play a role in changes in the atmosphere above the oceans and land. 5. "Black carbon reduces the amount of energy reflected by snow back into space, thus heating the snow surface more than if there were no black carbon," Hansen said. Soot's increased absorption of solar energy is especially effective in warming the world's climate. "This forcing is unusually effective, causing twice as much global warming as a carbon-dioxide forcing of the same magnitude," Hansen noted. 6. Hansen cautioned, although the role of soot in altering global climate is substantial, it does not alter the fact that greenhouse gases are the primary cause of climate warming during the past century. Such gases are expected to be the largest climate forcing of the rest of this century. 7. The researchers found that observed warming in the Northern Hemisphere was large in the winter and spring at middle and high latitudes. These observations were consistent with the researchers' climate model simulations, which showed some of the largest warming effects occurred when there were heavy snow cover and sufficient sunlight. A. Soot's Role in Changes in the Climate and the Atmosphere B. Observations of Warming in the Northern Hemisphere C. Explanation of Increased Warming Effect Caused by Soot D. Effort to Reduce Snow Albedo E. Ways to Reduce Soot Emission F. Greenhouse Gases as the Main Factor of Global Warming

填空题Intelligent Machines 1. Medical scientists are already putting computer chips (芯片) directly into the brain to help people who have Parkinson"s disease, but in what other ways might computer technology be able to help us? Ray Kurzweil is author of the successful book, The Age of Intelligent Machines and is one of the world"s best computer research scientists. He is researching the possibilities. 2. Kurzweil gets computers to recognize voices. An example of this is Ramona, the virtual (虚拟的) hostess of Kurzweil"s homepage, who is programmed to understand what you say. Visitors to the site can have their conversations with her, and Ramona also dances and sings. 3. Kurzweil uses this technology to help people with physical disabilities. One of his ideas is a "seeing machine". This will be "like a friend that could describe what is going on in the visible world," he explains. Blind people will use a visual sensor (探测器) which will probably be built into a pair of sunglasses. This sensor will describe to the person everything it sees. 4. Another idea, which is likely to help deaf people, is the "listening machine". This invention will recognize millions of words and understand any speaker. The listening machine will also be able to translate into other languages, so even people without hearing problems are likely to be interested in using it. 5. But it is not just about helping people with disabilities. Looking further into the future, Kurzweil sees a time when we will be able to download our entire consciousness onto a computer. This technology probably won"t be ready for at least 50 years, but when it arrives, it means our mind will be able to live forever.

填空题Female Bullfighting It was a unique, eye-catching sight: an attractive woman in a shiny bullfighter"s suit, sword in hand, facing the sharp horns of a black, 500-kilogram beast. Most people thought the days of female bullfighting were over in Spain. 1 The first woman fighter, Cristina Sanchez, quit in 1999 because of male discrimination (歧视). But Vega is determined to break into what could be Spain"s most resistant male field. 2 Spanish women have conquered almost all male professions. 3 "The bull does not ask for your identity card," she said in an interview a few years ago. She insisted that she be judged for her skills rather than her femaleness. Vega became a matador (斗牛士) in 1997 in the southwestern city of Caceres. 4 She entered a bullfighting school in Malaga at age nine and performed her first major bullfight at age 14. She has faced as much opposition as Sanchez did. And the "difficulties have made her grow into a very strong bullfighter," her brother Jorge says. The 1.68-metre tall and somewhat shy Vega says her love of bullfighting does not make her any less of a woman. 5 A. She intends to become even better than Sanchez was. B. Her father was an aspiring (有雄心壮志的) bullfighter. C. But many bullfighting professionals continue to insist that women do not have hat it takes to perform the country"s "national show". D. "I"m a woman from head to toe and proud of it," she once said E. She looks like a male bullfighter. F. But recently, 29-year-old Mari Paz Vega became the second woman in Spanish history to fight against those heavy animals.

填空题A to find jobs B to do low-skill jobs C to feed its people D to handle disputes E to make a profit F to worry about the British economy

填空题McGrady"s art is a spectacle 1. When Tracy McGrady is healthy, his play can be so beautiful that even his own teammates on the court cannot help but admire it in the middle of a game. 2. "It"s hard for me, because I"m a fan of basketball," Houston point guard Rafer Alston told the Houston Chronicle newspaper after McGrady"s 44 point performance against Utah on January 5, "When he"s shooting the ball like that, a lot of times I"m standing there watching and, all of a sudden, the other team"s getting the ball and going on a fast break, and I"m getting yelled at by the coach." Indeed, McGrady"s body control, his energy, his shooting-watching these are like watching an artist at work, blending colors, constructing sentences, or playing music. 3. Unfortunately, McGrady, 27, hasn"t always been on the job. Already this season, he"s missed seven games with back spasms. After Yao Ming was injured on Dec. 23, it appeared Houston would be without both of its stars. McGrady, however, returned three days later and has been playing well ever since, scoring more than 30 points in each of the last six games, as of Tuesday. Houston can"t seem to get on without him. When McGrady was injured, the Rockets won two and lost five. 4. "Listen, there are only four or five people on the entire planet that can do the things he can do with the basketball," forward Shane Battier said of McGrady, "From a fan"s perspective and we"re fans even though we"re players it"s really fun to watch him do that." From a player"s perspective, his game can affect the entire team. No question. We see him, and we get excited, and that pumps us up. He keeps making shots, and suddenly it seems to become easier for everybody. 5. But it won"t, really. Houston has just begun an important stretch on their schedule. Four of the next seven games will be played away from Houston and without Yao. Six of the games will be against teams with winning records. Opponents will double-team McGrady in an attempt to dull the impact of his art. Instead of watching, McGrady"s teammates will need to create a little art of their own.

填空题阅读下面的短文，文章中有5处空白，文章后面有6组文字，请根据文章的内容选择5组文字，将其分别放回文章原有位置，以恢复文章原貌。 {{B}} The Dangers of Secondhand Smoke{{/B}} Most people know that cigarette smoking is harmful to their health. Scientific research shows that it causes many kinds of diseases. In fact, many people who smoke get lung cancer. However, Edward Gilson has lung cancer, and he has never smoked cigarettes. He lives with his wife Evelyn, who has smoked about a pack of cigarettes a day throughout their marriage,{{U}} (46) {{/U}}. No one knows for sure why Mr. Gilson has lung cancer. Nevertheless, doctors believe that secondhand smoke may cause lung cancer in people who do not smoke because nonsmokers often breathe in the smoke from other people's cigarettes.{{U}} (47) {{/U}}The US Environmental Protection Agency reports that about 53,000 people die in the United States each year as a result of exposure to secondhand smoke.The smoke that comes from a lit cigarette contains many different poisonous chemicals. In the past, scientists did not think that these chemicals could harm a nonsmoker's health.{{U}} (48) {{/U}}They discovered that even nonsmokers had unhealthy amounts of these toxic (有毒的) chemicals in their bodies. As a matter of fact, almost all of us breathe tobacco smoke at times, whether we realize it or not. For example, we cannot avoid secondhand smoke in restaurants, hotels and other public places. Even though many public places have nonsmoking areas, smoke flows in from the areas where smoking is permitted. It is even harder for children to avoid secondhand smoke.{{U}} (49) {{/U}}Research shows that children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are sick more often than children who live in homes where no one smokes and that the children of smokers are more than twice as likely to develop lung cancer when they are adults as are children of nonsmokers. The risk is even higher for children who live in homes where both parents smoke. People are becoming very aware of the dangers of secondhand smoke.{{U}} (50) {{/U}}. A．Recently, though, scientists changed their opinion after they studied a large group of nonsmokers. B．The Gilsons have been married for 35 years. C．This smoke is called secondhand smoke. D．However, secondhand smoke is dangerous to all people, old or young. E．As a result, they have passed laws which prohibit people from smoking in many public places. F．In the United States, nine million children under the age of five live in homes with at least one smoker.