填空题Learning Disabilities Learning disabilities are very common. They affect perhaps 10 percent of all children. Four times as many boys as girls have learning disabilities. Since about 1970, new research has helped brain scientists understand these problems better. Scientists now know there are many different kinds of learning disabilities and that they are caused by many different things. 1 You cannot look at a child and tell if he or she has a learning disability. There is no outward sign of the disorder. 2 In one study, researchers examined the brain of a learning-disabled person who had died in an accident. They found two unusual things. One involved cells in the left side of the brain, which control language. These cells normally are white. 3 The researchers also found that many of the nerve cells were not in a line the way they should have been. The nerve cells were mixed together. The study was carried out under the guidance of Norman Geschwind, an early expert on learning disabilities. Doctor Geschwind proposed that learning disabilities resulted mainly from problems in the left side of the brain. He believed this side of the brain failed to develop normally. "Probably", he said, "nerve cells there did not connect as they should." So the brain was like an electrical device in which the wires were crossed. Other researchers did not examine brain tissue. 4 Frank Duffy experimented with this technique at Children"s Hospital Medical Center in Boston. Doctor Duffy found large differences in the brain activity of normal children and those with reading problems. 5 Doctor Duffy said his research is evidence that reading disabilities involve damage to a wide area of the brain, not just the left side. A. In the learning-disabled person, however, these cells were gray. B. So some researchers began looking at the brain itself to learn what might be wrong. C. The differences appeared throughout the brain. D. Researchers tried to improve the intelligence of learning-disabled in different ways. E. There is no longer any question that all learning disabilities result from differences in the way the brain is organized. F. Instead, they measured the brain"s electrical activity and made a map of the electrical signals.

填空题Adult Education 1 Voluntary learning in organized courses by mature men and women is called adult education. Such education is offered to make people able to enlarge and interpret their experience as adults. Adults may want to study something which they missed in earlier schooling, get new skills or job training, find out new technological developments, seek better self-understanding, or develop new talents and skills. 2 This kind of education may be in the form of self-study with proper guidance through the use of libraries, correspondence courses, or broadcasting. It may also be acquired collectively in schools and colleges, study groups, workshops, clubs, and professional associations. 3 Modern adult education for large numbers of people started in the 18th and 19th centuries with the rise of the Industrial Revolution. Great economic and social changes were taking place: people were moving from rural areas to cities; new types of work were being created in an expanding factory system. These and other factors produced a need for further education and reeducation of adults. 4 The earliest programs of organized adult education arose in Great Britain in the 1790s, with the founding of an adult school in Nottingham and a mechanics institute in Glasgow. The earliest adult education institution in the United States was founded by Benjamin Franklin and some friends in Philadelphia in 1727. 5 People recognize that continued learning is necessary for most forms of employment today. For example, parts of the adult population in many countries find it necessary to take part in retraining programs at work or even to learn completely new jobs. Adult education programs are springing up constantly to meet these and other needs.

填空题 下面的短文后有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个最佳标题；(2)第27～30题要求从所给的6个选项中为每个句子确定1个最佳选项。 {{B}} Nice Name But She's So Deadly{{/B}}1 More than a million people in the United States were told to leave their homes over the weekend as Hurricane (飓风) Dennis headed to the Gulf coast, after killing at least 15 people in the Caribbean Sea.2 If you read the news often enough, you may notice that all hurricanes are given names. Why is that? Remember, there can be more than one hurricane operating at one time. Without naming them, we could get confused about which storm we're talking about.3 For hundreds of years, hurricanes in the Caribbean were named after the particular religious day on which they occurred. One Australian meteorologist (气象学家) began giving women's names to tropical storms at the end of the 19th century, in 1953, the US National Weather Service, which is responsible for tracking hurricanes and issuing warnings, began using female names for storms. By 19791 both women and men's names were being used. One name for each letter of the alphabet (字母表) is selected, except for Q, U and Z.4 So who decides which names are used each year? The World Meteorological Organization uses six lists in rotation, so each list is reused every six years.5 Here's a list of the 2005 Atlantic hurricanes, according to the US National Hurricane Centre: Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Dennis, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katrina, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rita, Stan, Tammy, Vince, Wilma.

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 everywhere 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 international 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Stars in Their Eyes The Scientific American Book of the Cosmos edited by David Levy, Macmillan, ￡20, ISBN 0333782938 Previous generations of scientists would have killed to know what we know. For the first time in history, we have a pretty good idea of the material content of the Universe, our position within it and how the whole thing came into being. In these times of exploding knowledge there is a definite need to take stock and assemble what we know in a palatable (受欢迎的)form. 1 The essays in The Scientific American Book of the Cosmos have been selected by David Levy, co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which in 1994 struck Jupiter with the violence of several full-scale nuclear wars. 2 This is certainly a great collection of essays, but it is not, as the book promises, a seamless (完美的，无缝隙的) synthesis of our current knowledge. Nobody can fault the range of articles Levy has included. There are essays on the planets, moons and assorted debris (碎片)in the Solar System, and on our Galaxy, the Milky Way. 3 The contributors, too, are stars in their own fields. Not many books can boast chapters written by such giants as Erwin Schrodinger and Francis Crick. My personal favorites are a piercingly clear essay by Albert Einstein on general relativity and an article by Alan Guth and Paul Steinhardt on the inflationary (膨胀的) Universe. So much for the book"s content. But Levy has not succeeded in providing an accurate synthesis of our current knowledge of the cosmos, which the book jacket promises. Gathering together previously published articles inevitably leaves subject gaps, missing explanations and so on. 4 But there isn"t one. In fact, surprisingly for a book so densely packed with information, there is no index. Collecting essays in this way is clearly a good publishing wheeze (巧妙的主意). But this approach shortchanges the public, who would be better served by an account moulded into a seamless whole. 5 However, for the next edition, please, please can we have an index? A. Tegmark fears he may hold the record for the longest time taken to read one book. B. In a more positive vein, this is a wonderful collection of essays to dip in and out of if you already have a good overview (概述)of current cosmic understanding. C. Levy is an active astronomer and an accomplished writer, so you"d expect him to provide a broad and accurate picture of our current understanding of the cosmos. D. Scientific American has attempted to cater to this need by bringing together essays that have appeared in the magazine. E. To some extent, these could have been plugged with a glossary (词表) of terms. F. Also included are contributions on the world of subatomic particles, the origin of life on the Earth and the possibility of its existence elsewhere.

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}}A Pioneer in Modern Dance{{/B}} Many artists late in the last century were in search of a means to express their individuality. Modern dance was One of the ways some of these people sought to free their creative spirit. In the beginning there was no exacting technique, no foundation from which to build. {{U}}(46) {{/U}}. Eventually, innovators even drew from what they considered the dread ballet, but first they had to discard all that was academic so that the new could be discovered. The beginnings of modern dance were happening before Isadora Dunca. {{U}}(47) {{/U}}. Her search for a natural movement form sent her to nature. {{U}}(48) {{/U}}. Her great contributions are in three areas. First, she began the expansion of the, kinds of movements that could be used in dance. Before Dunca danced, ballet was the only type of dance performed in concert. {{U}}(49) {{/U}}. Dunca performed dance by using all her body in the freest possible way. Her dance stemmed from her soul and spirit. She was one of the pioneers how broke tradition so others might be able to develop the art. Her second contribution lies in dance costume. She discarded corset, ballet shoes, and stiff costumes. These were replaced with flowing Grecian tunics, bare feet, and unbound hair. She believed in the natural body being allowed to move freely, and her dress displayed this ideally. Her third contribution was in the use of music. {{U}}(50) {{/U}}. She was as exciting and eccentric in her personal life as in her dance. A. She believed movement should be as natural as the swaying of the trees and the rolling waves of the sea, and should be in harmony with the movements of the Earth. B. Isadora Duncan's farther contribution to mordern dance is exciting. C. But she was the first person to bring, the new dance to general audiences and see it accepted and acclaimed. D. In the ballet the feet and legs were emphasized, with virtuosity shown by complicated, codified positions and movements. E. In later years trial, error, and genius founded the techniques and the principles of the movement. F. In her performances she used the symphonies of great masters including Beethoven and Wagner, which was not the usual custom.

填空题Keeping Cut Flowers 1．While everybody enjoys fresh cut flowers around his/her house, few people know how to keep them for as long as possible. This may be done by keeping in mind a few simple facts. 2．An important thing to remember about cut flowers is that they are sensitive to temperature. for example, studies have shown that cut carnations (康乃馨)retain their freshness eight times longer when kept at 12℃ than when kept at 26℃. Keeping freshly harvested flowers at the right temperatures is probably the most important aspect of flower care. 3．Flowers are not intended by nature to live very long. Their biological purpose is simply to attract birds or insects, such as bees, for pollination (授粉). After that, they quickly dry up and die. The process by which flowers consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide (二氧化碳), called respiration (呼吸), generates the energy the flower needs to give the flower its shape and color. The making of seeds also depends on this energy. While all living things respire, flowers have a high level of respiration. A result of all this respiration is heat, and for flowers the level of heat relative to the mass of the flower is very high. Respiration also brings about the eventual death of the flower. Thus the greater the level of respiration, the sooner the flower dies. 4．How, then, to control the rate at which flowers die? By controlling respiration. How is respiration controlled? By controlling temperature. We know that respiration produces heat, but the reverse(相反的过程)is also true. Thus by maintaining low temperatures, respiration is reduced and the cut flower will age more slowly. 5．Another vital factor in keeping cut flowers is the quality of the water in which they are placed. Flowers find it difficult to "drink" water that is dirty or otherwise polluted. Even when water looks and smells clean, it almost certainly contains harmful substances that can endanger the flowers. To rid the water of these unwanted substances, household chlorine bleach (漂白剂) can be used in small quantities. It is recommended that 15 drops of chlorine bleach (at 4% solution) be added to each litre of water. The water and solution should also be replaced each day.

填空题A. he developed 3,000 theoriesB. he couldn't afford to buy a pair of shoesC. he found himself an unsuccessful manD. they quittedE. an innovation should work immediatelyF. failure is the mother of success

填空题 Why Would They Falsely Confess? Why on earth would an innocent person falsely confess to committing a crime? To most people, it just doesn't seem logical. But it is logical, say experts, if you understand what call happen in a police interrogation (审讯) room. Under the right conditions, people's minds are susceptible (易受影响的) to influence, and the pressure put on suspects during police grillings (盘问) is enormous. {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}"The pressure is important to understand, because otherwise it's impossible to understand why someone would say he did something he didn't do. The answer is: to put an end to an uncomfortable situation that will continue until he does confess." Developmental psychologist Allison Redlich recently conducted a laboratory study to determine how likely people are to confess to things they didn't do. {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}The researchers then intentionally crashed the computers and accused the participants of hitting the "alt" key to see if they would sign a statement falsely taking responsibility. Redlich's findings clearly demonstrate how easy it can be to get people to falsely confess: 59 percent of the young adults in the experiment immediately confessed. {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}Of the 15-to 16-year-olds, 72 percent signed confessions, as did 78 percent of the 12-to 13-year-olds. "There's no question that young people are more at risk," says Saul Kassin, a psychology professor at Williams College, who has done similar studies with similar. {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}} Both Kassin and Redlich note that the entire "interrogation" in their experiments consisted of a simple accusation—not hours of aggressive questioning—and still, most participants falsely confessed. Because of the stress of a police interrogation, they conclude, suspects can become convinced that falsely confessing is the easiest way out of a bad situaion. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}} A. In her experiment, participants were seated at computers and told not to hit the "alt" key, because doing so would crash the systems. B. "In some ways," says Kassin, "false confession becomes a rational decision." C. "It's a little like somebody's working on them with a dental (牙齿) drill," says Franklin Zimring, a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley. D. "But the adults are highly vulnerable too." E. How could an innocent person admit to doing something he didn't do? F. Redlich also found that the younger the participant, the more likely a false confession.

填空题Smartphone Customers Up for Grab About 10 years ago I met an advertising executive in New York who explained the difficulty of advertising a new brand of deodorant(除臭剂) to consumers. "Most people never change their deodorant." I remember him saying, "They pick one brand when they are young, and stick with it for a long, long time. If it works, why switch?" 1 Once they have picked a type of phone, whether it"s Apple iOS, Google Android or something else, it"s difficult, and often expensive, to switch. Consumers become comfortable with the interface and design of the phone and the apps they have purchased on that platform. 2 That is why the race to pull in smartphone buyers is going to be especially severe over the next 18 to 24 months. 3 there are still hundreds or millions of mobile phone owners around the world who have yet to move from a standard mobile or feature phone to its smarter, more intelligent big brother: the smartphone. Yet the change is happening at a much quicker pace than technology analysts and companies originally theorized. A report issued this week by Nielsen, the market research firm, found that among Americans 4 55 percent opted for a smartphone. This is up from 34 percent a year ago. At this point, who will lead that market is not up for debate. Android has been growing at a pace no one could have imagined, even Google. The company said this week that it now activates more than 500,000 Android devices each day. Mr. Llamas said Apple, which changed the smartphone game in 2007 when it introduced the iPhone, potentially has a ceiling with consumers as its mobile phone is often more expensive than those of its competitors. Although millions of customers flock to Apple products for their beauty, simplicity and powerful brand, many can"t afford a new iPhone. This could change 5 as some analysts expect. "Right now the iPhone only comes in one flavor; it"s not like other Apple products like the iPod where there are several different sizes, shapes and prices," Mr. Llamas said. A. Although it may seem that everyone owns a smartphone these days. B. If Apple offers a less expensive model of the iPhone later this year. C. The same theory can be applied to customers who are making the switch to smartphones today. D. Who purchased a new mobile phone in the last three months. E. The smartphone race is still raging. F. If it works, why switch?

填空题American Dreams There is a common response to America among foreign writers: the US is a land of extremes where the best of things are just as easily found as the worst. This is a cliché (陈词滥调). In the land of black and white, people should not be too surprised to find some of the biggest gaps between the rich and the poor in the world. But the American Dream offers a way out to everyone. (1) No class system or government stands in the way. Sadly, this old argument is no longer true. Over the past few decades there has been a fundamental shift in the structure of the American economy. The gap between the rich and the poor has widened and widened. (2) Over the past 25 years the median US family income has gone up 18 per cent. For the top 1 per cent, however, it has gone up 200 per cent. Twenty-five years ago the top fifth of Americans had an average income 6.7 times that of the bottom fifth. (3) Inequalities have grown worse in different regions. In California, incomes for lower class families have fallen by 4 per cent since 1969. (4) This has led to an economy hugely in favor of a small group of very rich Americans. The wealthiest 1 per cent of households now control a third of the national wealth. There are now 37 million Americans living in poverty. At 12.7 per cent of the population, it is the highest percentage in the developed world. Yet the tax burden on America's rich is falling, not growing. (5) There was an economic theory holding that the rich spending more would benefit everyone as a whole. But clearly that theory has not worked in reality. A. Nobody is poor in the US. B. The top 0.01 per cent of households has seen its tax bite fall by a full 25 percentage points since 1980. C. For upper class families they have risen 41 per cent. D. Now it is 9. 8 times. E. As it does so, the possibility to cross that gap gets smaller and smaller. F. All one has to do is to work hard and climb the ladder towards the top.

填空题 下面的短文后有2项测试任务：(1)第23～26题要求从所给的6个选项中为第2～5段每段选择1个最佳标题；(2)第27～30题要求从所给的6个选项中为每个句子确定1个最佳选项。 {{B}} 60th Anniversary Ceremony in Moscow{{/B}}1 With thousands of soldiers and war veterans parading across Moscow's Red Square and fighter jets screaming overhead, Russia celebrated the 60th anniversary of defeating Nazi Germany. More than 50 world leaders, including China's President Hu Jintao, attended the ceremony.2 Speaking at the start of the parade, Russia's President Vladimir Putin praised all those who fought for freedom and independence. "The war shows that resorting to force to solve problems will result in tragedy for the world, so a peaceful order should be safeguarded (护卫) based on security, justice and cultural exchange," Putin said. "Faced with the real threat of terrorism today, we must remain faithful to the memory of our fathers. It is our duty to defend a world order based on security and justice and on a new culture of relations among nations that will not allow a repeat of any war, neither 'cold' nor 'hot'," he continued.3 The Second World War is perhaps the most catastrophic (灾难性的) event that mankind has ever suffered. The war affected 80 per cent of the world's people at that time, from 61 countries, and claimed 55 million lives.4 After the celebration, President Hu said that peace, development and cooperation were the future. "China will unswervingly (坚定地) follow the road of peace and development and will make a joint effort with all nations to contribute to safeguarding world peace and promoting development," he said.5 German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder asked Russia for forgiveness for the suffering Germany inflicted (造成) during the Second World War in an article in Sunday's Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. "Today we ask forgiveness for the suffering inflicted upon the Russian people and other peoples at the hands of Germans and in the name of Germans," Schroeder said.6 President Hu and the other leaders also joined a wreath (花圈) laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers on Monday.

填空题 阅读下面这篇短文，短文后有2项测试任务：(1)1～4题要求从所给的6个选项中为第 2～5段每段选择1个正确的小标题；(2)第5～8题要求从所给的6个选项中选择4个正确的选项，分别完成每个句子。 {{B}}The Paper Chase{{/B}} "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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

填空题 Home Schooling All children in the United States have to receive an education, but the law does not say they have to be educated at school. A number of parents prefer not to send their children to school. {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}There are about 300,000 home-schoolers in the United States today. Some parents prefer teaching their children at home because they do not believe that public schools teach the correct religious values; others believe they can provide a better educational experience for their children by teaching them at home. {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}} David Guterson and his wife teach their three children at home. Guterson says that his children learn very differently from children in school. {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}For example, when there is heavy snowfall on a winter day, it may start a discussion or reading about climate, snow removal (去除) equipment, Alaska, polai bears (北极熊), and winter tourism. A spring evening when the family is out watching the stars is a good time to ask questions about satellites and the space program {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}} Home schooling is often more interesting than regular schools, but critics say that home-schooled are outsiders who might be uncomfortable mixing with other people in adult life. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}However, most parents don't have the time or the desire to teach their children at home, so schools will continue to be where most children get their formal education. A. Interestingly, results show that home-schooled children quite often do better than average on national tests in reading and math. B. Critics also say that most parents are not well qualified to teach their children. C. Learning starts with the children's interests and questions. D. Children who are educated at home are known as "home-schoolers." E. In some countries, however, children are educated by their parents. F. If the Brazilian rain forests are on the TV news. It could be a perfect time to talk about how rain forests influence the climate, and how deserts are formed.

填空题A. the ability to work with othersB. encouraging group membersC. lack of good leadersD. overcoming fears about being a leaderE. bossing people aroundF. working out good strategies

填空题Living Alone Is Joyful More and more Americans are living alone. Some live alone because of divorce or the death of a partner. (46) According to a recent U.S. census (人口普查), 25 percent of all households in the U. S. are made up of just one person. This is a dramatic change from the extended families of just a couple of generations ago. The typical person living alone is neither old nor lonely. (47) The majority of these people have chosen to live alone. They are responding to decreasing social pressure to get married and have a family. It's now socially acceptable, even fashionable, to live alone. As people get better jobs and become financially independent, it becomes possible for them to maintain a one-person household. (48) However, people who do get married are marrying at a later age and divorcing more often. The number one reason given by most people for living alone is that they simply enjoy doing what they want when they want to do it. "Living alone is a luxury, "says Nina Hagiwara, 338. "Once you do it, you can't ever go back to living with others. "David C'Debaea, 46, agrees. (49) Children think that being grown up means being able to do exactly as they please. (50) The chance to discover whether that freedom is as wonderful as it sounds is a chance more and more Americans are taking.A．There's more pressure to get married nowadays.B．The growing number of women with good jobs has done much to increase the number of people living alone.C．However, even more people are living alone because they have chosen to.D．It seems that many grown-ups today are realizing that childhood dream. E In fact, a quarter of the 23 million single people in the U.S. are under the age of 35. F He says, "I like being by myself. "

填空题Games Are Not Just Games Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules...planning your next move...acting as a team member...these are all "game" ideas that you will come across throughout your life. Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas. These games can teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow in the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating(合作). Many children"s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones. This game can sharpen the hand-eye coordination(协调)needed in hunting. Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much, which can encourage the people to a large degree. Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it—some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future. Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life. After all, games are not just games.

填空题A a member of the National Academy of Science B a pseudo-scientist C a science popularizer D a reporter E an astronomer F a physicist

填空题Ceding to Wear Ties It"s useless. It"s dirty. It spreads disease. That"s why the British Medical Association in the UK recently called for hospital doctors to stop wearing ties. That leads to another question. Why does anyone wear a tie? Ties serve no purpose. They do not cover any part of your body and keep you warm. They always seem to get covered in food stains. Perhaps that is the purpose of the tie. It lets everyone know what you just ate. Ties have an odd history. Soldiers from Croatia, in Eastern Europe, served as mercenaries (雇佣军) in various conflicts in the 17th century. They were identified by brightly colored pieces of silk worn around the neck. Known as cravats (围巾), these became a popular fashion item in France and eventually evolved into the tie. It"s an interesting story, but it doesn"t tell us why men want to put useless pieces of cloth or silk around their necks. The answer seems to be about identification (身份证明). In the 19th-century Britain, ties were used by universities, military regiments (团), sports clubs, schools and gentleman"s clubs. Each tie was in a particular set of colors which identified the wearer as a member of that organization. Wearing ties was also the mark of Britain"s most powerful classes. That made the tie itself a symbol of power and respect. And that led it to be adopted by a much larger class—the business class. You cannot wear a tie if you work with machinery, so wearing a tie became a sign that you were a man who used his brain to make a living, rather than his hands. It showed you were serious. It showed you were a professional. It meant that everyone who wanted a job in business had to wear one. It was just impossible to take seriously a man who did not wear a piece of colored silk around his neck. This is how millions of people came to wear ties across the world. Is there a future for ties? The signs are not promising. Many political leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now go without ties.

填空题 Gorillas Have a Word for it Koko is the first gorilla to have been taught sign language. With a vocabulary of more than 1,000 words, she is the first to prove we share a world with other intelligent beings who feel emotions, look forward to celebrations and also have a sense of humour. The 30-year study of Koko has redefined science's concept of gorilla intelligence. {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}But what had not been recognised by the scientific community was that gorillas have the ability to learn a language and have complex emotions. Koko lives in the Santa Cruz mountains in North America, in a wooded spot overlooking a valley. {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}She has a barrel on which she likes to sit when "talking" to humans—gorillas feel more secure when they can look down on others—while her toys are spread everywhere. In addition she has an outside enclosure where she spends her days when it is not raining. It is her conversations with her teacher, Dr. Penny Patterson, that are inspiring. Patterson explains: "The reality of my discovery is that our abilities as humans, our skills, sensibilities and emotions are very similar to the great apes. {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}} When she began teaching Koko sign language, placing the little fingers of the one-year-old gorilla into the correct positions for "drink", "eat", "more", and rewarding her with food, Dr. Patterson had no idea how quickly Koko would learn. "At first, it seemed Koko was using sign language as a tool to get something," says Patterson. "It became the kind of reward system that you could expect of a cat or a dog. But early in her training, she began to combine signs that made me think she was capable of more. "{{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}For example, she didn't know the word for "ring", so she combined the signs for "finger" and "bracelet" to express it. Dr. Patterson continues: "Koko loves babies and young people. And when she is asked what gorillas like best, she always says 'Gorilla love eat, good'. "One of Patterson's favourite stories demonstrates Koko's sense of humour. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}} From the age of three, Koko shared her accommodation with Michael who was intended as a mate. However, Michael died suddenly two years ago of a heart attack. "Koko went into a depression following Michael's death," says Patterson. "She would sit for hours with her head hung low, looking upset." Dr. Patterson asked her if she was looking forward to moving to Hawaii, where Patterson is raising money to build a gorilla refuge. Koko signed "Yes", provided she could have curtains in her new home! A. When a visitor asked her to show him something scary, she held up a mirror to his face! B. Language studies had been made using chimpanzees before, but never with a gorilla. C. According to some scientists, genetically there is only a 2% difference between gorillas and humans: we share the same blood type, have the same number of hairs per square inch and also the same temperament. D. She has her own home, with curtains, and a nest of blankets, which is her bed, in one corner. E. What we have learnt is that gorillas are more complex than we ever imagined. F. Now Koko is so proficient in sign language that if she doesn't know a word she invents one.