单选题Listening Device Provides Landslide Early Warning A device that provides early warning of a landslide by monitoring vibrations in soil is being tested by UK researchers. Tile device could save thousands of lives each year by warning when an area should be evacuated, the scientists say, "such natural disasters are common in countries that experience sudden, heavy rainfall, and can also be triggered by earthquakes and even water erosion". Landslides start when a few particles of soil or rock within a slope start to move, but the early stages can be hard to spot. Following this initial movement, "slopes can become unstable in a matter of hours or minutes," says Nell Dixon at Loughborough University, UK. He says a warning system that monitors this movement "might be enough to evacuate a block of fiats or clear a road, and save lives." The most common way to monitor a slope for signs of an imminent landslide is to watch for changes in its shape. Surveyors can do this by measuring a site directly, or sensors sunk into boreholes or fixed above ground can be used to monitor the shape of a slope. Slopes can, however, change shape without triggering a landslide, so either method is prone to causing false alarms. Now Dixon's team has developed a device that listens for the vibrations caused when particles begin moving within a slope. The device takes the form of a steel pipe dropped into a borehole in a slope. The borehole is filled in with gravel around the pipe to help transmit high-frequency vibrations generated by particles within the slope. These vibrations pass up the tube and are picked up by a sensor on the surface. Software analyses the vibration signal to determine whether a landslide may be imminent. The device is currently being tested in a 6-metre-tall artificial clay embankment in Newcastle, UK. Early results suggest it should provide fewer false positives than existing systems. Once it has been carefully and thoroughly tested, the device could be used to create a complete early-warning system for dangerous slopes. "Locations with a significant risk of landslides could definitely benefit from a machine like this," says Adam Poulter, an expert at the British Red Cross. "As long as it doesn't cost too much." But, Poulter adds that an early-warning system may not be enough on its own. "You need to have the human communication," he says. "Making systems that get warnings to those who need them can be difficult./

单选题A Miracle Cancer Cure Unless you have gone through the experience yourself, or watched a loved one"s struggle, you really have no idea just how desperate cancer can make you. You pray, you rage, you bargain with God, but most of all you clutch at any hope, no matter how remote, of a second chance at life. For a few excited days last week, however, it seemed as if the whole world was a cancer patient and that all humankind had been granted a reprieve. Triggered by a front- page medical news story in the usually reserved The New York Times , all anybody was talking about on the radio, on television, on the Internet, in phone calls to friends and relatives—was the report that a combination of two new drugs could, as The New York Times put it, cure cancer in two years. In a matter of hours patients had jammed their doctors" phone lines begging for a chance to test the miracle cancer cure. Cancer scientists raced to the phones and fax lines to make sure everyone knew about their research too, generating a new round of headlines. The time certainly seemed ripe for a breakthrough in cancer. Only last month scientists at the National Cancer Institute announced that they were halting a clinical trial of a drug called tamoxifen—and offering it to patients getting the placebo—because it had proved so effective at preventing breast cancer (although it also seemed to increase the risk of uterine cancer). Two weeks later came The New York Times" report that two new drugs can shrink tumors of every variety without any side effects whatsoever. It all seemed too good to be true, and of course it was. There are no miracle cancer drugs, at least not yet. At this stage all the drug manufacturer can offer is some very interesting molecules, and the only cancers they have cures so far have been in mice. By the middle of last week, even the most breathless TV talk-show hosts had learned what every scientist already knew: that curing a disease in lab animals is not the same as doing it in humans. "The history of cancer research has been a history of curing cancers in the mouse," Dr. Richard Klausner, head of the National Cancer Institute, told the Los Angles Times. "We have cured mice of cancer for decades--and it simply didn"t work in people."

单选题 People around the globe hit the height of their misery and depression in {{U}}(51) {{/U}}age, a new international study suggests. The finding by British and American researchers was based on an analysis of well-being among approximately 2 million people in 80 nations. With few exceptions, the observation appears to apply across the board, regardless {{U}}(52) {{/U}} gender, culture, geography, wealth, job history, education, and marriage or parental status. "The scientific fact seems to be that happiness and positive mental health follow a giant 'U' {{U}}(53) {{/U}} through life, " said study author Andrew J. Oswald, a professor of economics at Warwick University in Warwickshire, England. "For the average person, it's high when you're 20, and then it slowly falls and bottoms out {{U}}(54) {{/U}} your 40s. But the good news is that your {{U}}(55) {{/U}} health picks up again, and eventually gets back to the high levels of our youth. " The finding was {{U}}(56) {{/U}} on the pooling of several different sources of happiness data, including: two multi-decade happiness/satisfaction surveys (first launched in the 1970s), involving about 500,000 American and Western European men and women; four rounds of the 80-nation "World Values Survey" {{U}}(57) {{/U}} between 1981 and 2004 in North America, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Central and South America; and a 2004—2007 survey {{U}}(58) {{/U}} nearly 1 million Britons. The bottom-line: For most people throughout the world, the highest probability for depression striking is around 44 years of {{U}}(59) {{/U}}. In the United States, however, some as-yet unexplained {{U}}(60) {{/U}} differences were observed, with happiness among men dipping the most in their early 50s, whereas women hit their Nadir around the age of 40. The researchers cautioned that cheerful people tend to live longer than unhappy {{U}}(61) {{/U}}—a fact that might have skewed the overall finding. But they also suggested that evidence of a happiness {{U}}(62) {{/U}} might simply reflect a midlife choice to give up long-held but no longer tenable aspirations, followed by a senior's sense of gratitude for having successfully endured {{U}}(63) {{/U}} others did not. "That said, some might find it helpful simply to understand the general {{U}}(64) {{/U}}of mental health as they go through their own life," said Oswald. "It might be useful for people to realize that if they are {{U}}(65) {{/U}} in their 40s, this is normal, it is not exceptional. And just knowing this might help. "

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。 Walk a Quarter-Mile or Die If you can walk a quarter-mile, odds (可能性) are you have at least six years of life left in you, scientists say. And the faster you can {{U}}(51) {{/U}} it, the longer you might live. While walking is no guarantee of {{U}}(52) {{/U}} or longevity (长寿), a new study found that the ability of elderly people to do the quarter-mile was an "important determinant (决定因素) " in whether or not they'd be {{U}}(53) {{/U}} six years later and how much illness and disability they would endure. "The {{U}}(54) {{/U}} to complete this walk was a powerful predictor of health outcomes. " said study leader Anne Newman of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. " In fact, we {{U}}(55) {{/U}} that the people who could not complete the walk were {{U}}(56) {{/U}} an extremely high risk of later disability and death. " Newman and colleagues recruited nearly 2,700 white and African-American men and women aged 70 to 79 to {{U}}(57) {{/U}} the walk. All the participants were screened and determined to be in relatively {{U}}(58) {{/U}} health, and they had all said they had previously walked that far with no {{U}}(59) {{/U}}. Only 86 percent of them finished, {{U}}(60) {{/U}}. The scientists then monitored the health and mortality of all {{U}}(61) {{/U}} for the next six years. "There was a big gap in health outcomes {{U}}(62) {{/U}} people who could complete the longer walk and people who could not, with the latter being at an extremely high {{U}}(63) {{/U}} of becoming disabled or dying. " Newman said. "What was really surprising is that these people were not {{U}}(64) {{/U}} of how weak they actually were. " Finishing times were found to be crucial, too. Those who completed the walk but were among the slowest 25 percent {{U}}(65) {{/U}} three times greater risk of death than the speedier folks.

单选题Thousandsof people perished in the storm.

单选题He often mocks my French accent.

单选题In Britain and many other countries appraisal is now a tool of management.

单选题The little boy went to visit his teacher at times.A. some timeB. sometimesC. some timesD. sometime

单选题Common-cold Sense You can't beat it, but you don't have to join it. Maybe it got the name "common cold" because it's more common in winter. The fact is, though, being cold doesn't have anything to do with getting one. Colds are caused by the spread of rhinoviruses，and, at least so far, medical science is better at telling you how to avoid getting one than how to get rid of one. Children are the most common way cold viruses are spread to adults, because they have more colds than adults--an average of about eight per year. Why do kids seem so much more easily to get colds than their parents? Simple. They haven't had the opportunity to become immune to many cold viruses. There are more than 150 different cold viruses, and you never have the same one twice. Being infected by one makes you immune to it--but only it. Colds are usually spread by direct contact, not sneezing or coughing. From another person's hand to your hand and then to your nose or eyes in the most common route. The highest concentration of cold viruses anywhere is found under the thumbnails of a boy, although the viruses can survive for hours on skin or other smooth surfaces. Hygiene is your best defense. Wash your hands frequently, preferably with a disinfectant soap, especially when children in your household have colds. But even careful hygiene won't ward off every cold. So, what works when a coughing, sneezing, runny nose strikes? The old prescription of two aspirins, lots of water, and bed rests a good place to start. But you'll also find some of the folk remedies worth trying. Hot mixtures of sugar ( or honey), lemon, and water have real benefits.

单选题In short , I am going to live there myself.

单选题In judging our work you should take into consideration the fact that we have been very busy recently.A. thoughtB. mindC. accountD. memory

单选题About eight million school-age children are home alone after school. These are the hours when the number of violent crimes peaks and when youths are most likely to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Many older children take care of themselves after school for an hour or two until a parent comes home, and research suggests that some of these children are more at risk of poor grades and risky behaviors. Studies have been done to find out what helps to reduce these kinds of risky behaviors among youths. One study of Chicago neighborhoods showed that after-school programs resulted in less violence even in poor neighborhoods. After-school programs can help to reduce crime and violence because they offer activities to children and youths during their out-of-school time. In addition to helping youths make use of after school hours, after-school programs provide teens with opportunities to develop caring relationships with adults. Studies have found that high-quality relationships with parents and other adults, as well as good use of time, are very important for healthy development in youth. After-school programs can also be used for teens who hang out at friends' houses and play basketball when a parent or other responsible adult is at home. The programs can also be helpful for formal after-school activities, including "drop-in" programs that are provided by organizations. Despite the benefits of after-school programs, there are many reasons why some parents do not use them. Programs may be too expensive, of poor quality, or hard to join. Some other children and young teens may refuse to attend programs that seem like they are just child care. Parents may feel uncertain about how much freedom is proper for children and youths who are beyond the traditional child care years. However, research supports the effectiveness of these programs in protecting middle school and high school youths from risk and harm.

单选题I understand that George can play piano {{U}}by ear{{/U}}; is that true?

单选题 下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题。请根据短文内容，为每题确定1个最佳选项。{{B}}第一篇{{/B}} {{B}}Population Densities{{/B}} The average population density (密度) of the World is47 persons per square mile. Continental densities range from no permanent inhabitants in Antarctica to 211 per square mile in Europe. In the western hemisphere, population densities range from about 4 per square mile in Canada to 675 per square mile in Puerto Rico. In Europe the range is from 4 per square mile in Iceland to 831 per square mile in the Netherlands. Within countries there are wide variations of population densities. For example, in Egypt, the average is 55 persons per square mile, but 1,300 person inhabit each square mile in settled portions where the land is arable (适合耕种的). High population densities generally occur in regions of developed industrialization, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Great Britain, or where lands are intensively used for agriculture, as in Puerto Rico and Java. Low average population densities are characteristic of most Underdeveloped countries. Low density of population is generally associated 'with a relatively low percentage of cultivated land. This generally results from poor quality lands. It may also be due to natural obstacles to cultivation, such as deserts, mountains, or malaria-infested (疟疾横行) jungles; to land uses other than cultivation, as pasture and forested land; to primitive methods that limit cultivation; to social obstacles More economically advanced countries of low population density have, as a rule, large proportions of their populations living :in urban areas. Their rural population densities are usually very low. Poorly developed countries of correspondingly low population density, on the other hand, often have a concentration of rural population living on arable land, which is as great as the rural concentration found in the most densely populated industrial countries.

单选题Everybody was Uglad/U to see Mary back.

单选题He demolished my arguments in minutes.

单选题He was {{U}}elevated{{/U}} to the post of prime minister.

单选题 下面的短文后列出了7个句子，请根据短文的内容对每个句子做出判断：如果该句提供的是正确信息，请选择A；如果该句提供的是错误信息，请选择B；如果该句的信息文中没有提及，请选择C。 {{B}}Survey Finds Many Women Misinformed about Cancer{{/B}} Sixty-three percent of American women think that if there's no family history of cancer, you're not likely to develop the disease, a new survey found. In fact, most people who develop cancer have no family history of cancer, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) (美国妇产科医师学会), Which sponsored the survey. "Too many women are dying from cancer," Dr. Douglas W. Laube, ACOG's immediate past president, said during a Friday teleconference. "An estimated 200,070 women will die in the U. S. this year, and over 600,078 women will be diagnosed with cancer. The results of this survey found a worrisome (令人担扰的) gap in women's knowledge about cancer." Based on the findings, ACOG is increasing its efforts to educate women about cancer and the need for regular screening tests. Although the survey found many misconceptions (错误观念) about cancer, 76 percent of women surveyed did say they feel knowledgeable about how they can reduce their risk of the disease. However, only 52 percent said they were doing enough to reduce that risk. And 10 percent said they hadn't done anything in the past year to lower their risk. Seventeen percent said they wouldn't change their lifestyles, even if changes would lower their cancer risk. Many women said they were afraid to undergo screening out of fear of finding cancer. Twenty percent said they didn't want to know if they had cancer. In response to these findings, ACOG will launch on Oct. 29 a new website - Protect & Detect: What Women Should Know about Cancer. The guide is designed to help women to take charge of their health and improve their understanding of their risk of cancer - and the lifestyle steps they can take to cut that risk.

单选题 The Body Thieves In the early nineteenth century in Britain, many improvements were being made in the world of medicine. Doctors and Surgeons were becoming more knowledgeable about the human body. Illnesses that had been fatal a few years before were now curable. However, Surgeons had one problem. They needed dead bodies to cut up, or dissect (解剖). This was the only way that they could learn about the flesh and bones inside the body, and the only way to teach new surgeons to carry out operations. The job of finding these dead bodies was carried out by an unpleasant group of people called "body snatchers". They went into graveyards (墓地) at night and, using wooden shovels to make less noise, dug up any recently buried bodies. Then they took the bodies to the medical schools and sold them. A body could be sold for between ￡5 and 10, which was a lot of money at that time. The doctors who paid the body snatchers had all agreement with them—they never asked any questions. They did not desire to know where the bodies came from, as long as they kept arriving. The most famous of these body snatchers were two men from Edinburgh called William Burke and William Hare. Burke and Hare were different because they did not just dig up bodies from graveyards. They got greedy and thought of all easier way to find bodies. Instead of digging them up, they killed the poorer guests in Hare's small hotel. Dr. Knox, the respected surgeon they worked for, never asked why all the bodies they brought him had been strangled (勒死). For many years Burke and Hare were not caught because, unsurprisingly, the bodies of their victims were never found by the police. They were eventually arrested and put on trial in 1829. The judge showed mercy to Hare and he was released but Burke Was found guilty and his punishment was to be hanged. Appropriately, his body Was given to the medical school and he ended up on the dissecting table, just like his victims. In one small way, justice was done. Now, over 150 years later, surgeons do not need the help of criminals to learn their skills. However, the science of surgery could not have developed without their rather gruesome (令人毛骨悚然的) help.

单选题 Using HIV Virus to Cure Cancer Scientists are planning to use human immunodeficiency (免疫缺陷) virus (HIV), one of mankind's most feared viruses, as a carrier of genes which can fight cancer and a range of diseases that cannot be cured. The experts say HIV has an almost perfect ability to avoid the body's immune (免疫的) defenses, making it ideal for carrying replacement genes into patients' bodies, according to the Observer. A team at the California-based Salk Institute, one of the world's leading research centers on biological sciences, has created a special new breed of HIV and has started negotiations with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin clinical gene therapy (治疗) trials this year. The first trials are expected to involve patients suffering from cancers that cannot be cured by surgery although project leader Professor Inder Verma said the HIV technique would have "far wider applications". The plan remains very likely to cause controversy since it involves making use of a virus which has caused more than 22 million deaths around the world in the past two decades. Verma said that the idea of using HIV for a beneficial purpose was "shocking" but the fierce nature of HIV had disappeared by having all six of the potentially deadly genes removed. Illnesses such as various cancers are caused when a gene in a patient's body fails to work properly. In the past two years, breakthroughs in genetics (遗传学) have led gene therapy scientists to try and replace the genes that do not function normally. Unfortunately, the body's immune defenses have been known to attack the modified genes and make them lose their effects before they can start their task and progress in the field has been held up by the lack of a suitable carrier. The HIV virus has the ability to escape from, and then destroy, the immune defense ceils designed to protect our bodies and this makes it attractive to scientists as a way of secretly conveying replacement genes into patients' bodies.