阅读理解Technology to understand and analyze CVs just as a human would be launched in Europe by recruitment software innovator People Genie. The patented technology has been developed to create ''Smart Genie'', which will be fully integrated within the People Genie family of plug-in facilities. Smart Genie can analyze a job specification and by using predictive modeling it can rank CVs in order of their suitability based on over 40 analytical techniques. Additional features also include the ability to match any number of CVs with an ideal job role. Marc Hendrickse, Managing Director of People Genie said: "Smart Genie is a real breakthrough for the recruitment industry." There are some basic programs to read CVs, but by only searching against key words they can easily overlook the best candidates. This cutting edge technology uses artificial intelligence to understand each CV to the extent that it can spot the difference between a skill studied in a course and hands-on experience. "Traditional reading software does not eradicate the need for recruiters to sort through CVs, although they may have been able to eliminate up to half of a batch of 100 CVs by searching for a specific job title. Smart Genie will pioneer the way forward by enabling recruiters to spend more time with a true shortlist of candidates and less time processing irrelevant CVs." To link in with the other People Genie applications, Smart Genie has also been developed to assist with creating job adverts by suggesting all relevant skills for a role. It does this not only by utilizing its extensive built-in information library, but also by learning from every CV it reads. The program continuously improves by storing information gathered from CVs collected from all worldwide users enabling it to recognize the most relevant skills required to help attract quality candidates. Smart Genie will completely eliminate the need for recruiters to maintain an up-to-date skills library as it can easily be integrated with an existing database and then continuously up-dates and stores new information. Smart Genie will also help specialist recruiters to diversify by suggesting skills for job adverts and searching CVs in a whole range of industries, offering a powerful advantage over competitors.

阅读理解Lacking a cure for AIDS, society must offer education, not only by public pronouncement but in classrooms. Those with AIDS or those at high risk of AIDS suffer prejudice, they are feared by some people who find living itself unsafe, while others conduct themselves with a "bravado (冒险心理)" that could be fatal. AIDS has afflicted a society already short on humanism, open-handedness and optimism. Attempts to strike it out with the offending microbe are not abetted (教唆) by pre-existing social ills. Such concerns impelled me to offer the first university-level undergraduate AIDS course, with its two important aims: To address the fact that AIDS is caused by a virus, not by moral failure or societal collapse. The proper response to AIDS is compassion coupled with an understanding of the disease itself. We wanted to foster(help the growth of) the idea of a humane society. To describe how AIDS tests the institutions upon which our society rests. The economy, the political system, science, the legal Establishment, the media and our moral ethical-philosophical attitudes must respond to the disease. Those responses, whispered, or shrieked, easily accepted or highly controversial, must be put in order if the nation is to manage AIDS. Scholars have suggested that how a society deals with the threat of AIDS describes the extent to which that society has the right to call itself civilized. AIDS, then, is woven into the tapestry (挂毯) of modem society; in the course of explaining that tapestry, a teacher realizes that AIDS may bring about changes of historic proportions. Democracy obliges its educational system to prepare students to become informed citizens, to join their voices to the public debate inspired by AIDS. Who shall direct just what resources of manpower and money to the problem of AIDS? Even more basic, who shall formulate a national policy on AIDS? The educational challenge, then, is to enlighten(启发) the individual and the societal, or public, responses to AIDS.

阅读理解THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY It seems like every day there is a new announcement in the news about automobiles powered by fuel cells. The promises are great, since fuel cells have the potential to very quickly double the efficiency of cars while significantly reducing air pollution. At the same time, there have been news stories for decades about the problems associated With petroleum. Everything from oil spills to ozone(臭氧) alerts to global warming gets blamed on our dependence on fossil(化石) fuels. These two forces are leading the world toward what is broadly known as the hydrogen economy. If the predictions are true, over the next several decades we will all begin to see an amazing shift away from the fossil fuel economy we have today toward a much cleaner hydrogen future. Problems with the fossil fuel economy While fossil fuels have played an important role in getting society to the point it is at today, there are four big problems that fossil fuels create: Air pollution--When cars burn gasoline, the internal combustion engine also produces: Carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas Nitrogen oxides, the main source of urban smog Unburned hydrocarbons, the main source of urban ozone Environmental pollution--The process of transporting and storing oil has a big impact on the environment whenever something goes wrong. An oil spill, pipeline explosion or well fire can create a huge mess. Global warming—The carbon dioxide coming out of every car''s tailpipe is a greenhouse gas that is slowly raising the temperature of the planet. The ultimate effects are unknown, but it is a strong possibility that, eventually, there will be dramatic climate changes that affect everyone on the planet. Dependence--The United States, and most other Countries, cannot produce enough oil to meet demand, so they import it from oil-rich countries. That creates an economic dependence. When Middle East oil producers decide to raise the price of oil, the rest of the world has little choice but to pay the higher price. Advantages of the hydrogen economy The hydrogen economy promises to eliminate all of the problems that the fossil fuel economy creates. Therefore, the advantages of the hydrogen economy include: The elimination of pollution caused by fossil fuels-When hydrogen is used in a fuel cell to create power, it is a completely clean technology. The only byproduct is water. There are also no environmental dangers like oil spills to worry about with hydrogen. The elimination of greenhouse gases--If the hydrogen comes from the electrolysis of water, then hydrogen adds no greenhouse gases to the environment. There is a perfect cycle--electrolysis produces hydrogen from water, and the hydrogen recombines with oxygen to create water and power in a fuel cell. The elimination of economic dependence--The elimination of oil means no dependence on the Middle East and its oil reserves. Distributed production--Hydrogen can be produced anywhere that you have electricity and water. People can even produce it in their homes with relatively simple technology. The problems with the fossil fuel economy are so great, and the environmental advantages of the hydrogen economy so significant, that the push toward the hydrogen economy is very strong. Technological Hurdles(障碍) The big question with the hydrogen economy is, "Where does the hydrogen come from?" After that comes the question of transporting, distributing and storing hydrogen. Hydrogen tends to be large and tricky in its natural gaseous form. Once both of these questions are answered in an economical way, the hydrogen economy will be in place. Where does the hydrogen come from? There are two possible sources for the hydrogen: Electrolysis of water--Using electricity, it is easy to split water molecules to create pure hydrogen and oxygen. One big advantage of this process is that you can do it anywhere. For example, you could have a box in your garage producing hydrogen from tap water, and you could fuel your car with that hydrogen. Reforming fossil fuels--Oil and natural, gas contain hydrocarbons--molecules consisting of hydrogen and carbon. Using a device called a fuel processor or a reformer, you can split the hydrogen off the carbon in a hydrocarbon relatively easily and then use the hydrogen. You discard the leftover carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. The second option is, of course, slightly perverse(不正当的). You are using fossil fuel as the source of hydrogen for the hydrogen economy. This approach reduces air pollution, but it doesn''t solve either the greenhouse gas problem or the dependence problem. However, it may be a good temporary step to take during the transition(转变) to the hydrogen economy. The interesting thing about the first option is that it is the core of the real hydrogen economy. To have a pure hydrogen economy, the hydrogen must be derived from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels so that we stop releasing carbon into the atmosphere. Having enough electricity to separate hydrogen from water, and generating that electricity without using fossil fuels, will be the biggest change that we see in creating the hydrogen economy. Where will the electricity for the electrolysis of water come from? Currently, about 68 percent of the electricity produced in the United States comes from coal or natural gas. All of that generating capacity will have to he replaced by renewable sources in the hydrogen economy. Right now there are several different ways to create electricity that do not use fossil fuels: Nuclear power Hydroelectric dams Solar cells Wind turbines Geothermal power Wave and tidal power Co-generation How do you store and transport the hydrogen? Hydrogen is a large gas of its kind, and it is not nearly as easy to work with as gasoline. Compressing the gas requires energy, and compressed hydrogen contains far less energy than the same volume of gasoline. However, solutions to the hydrogen storage problem are surfacing. For example, hydrogen can be stored in a solid form in a chemical called sodium borohydride. Once the storage problem is solved and standardized, then a network of hydrogen stations and the transportation infrastructure will have to develop around it. The main barrier to this might be the technological sorting-out process. Stations will not develop quickly until there is a storage technology that clearly dominates the marketplace. For instance, if all hydrogen-powered cars from all manufacturers used sodium borohydride, then a station network could develop quickly; that sort of standardization is unlikely to happen rapidly, if history is any guide. Prospects for the future You will hear more and more about the hydrogen economy in the news in the Coming months, because the drumbeat is growing louder. The environmental problems of the fossil fuel economy are combining with breakthroughs(突破) in fuel-cell technology, and the pairing will allow us to take the first steps, The most obvious step we will see is the marketing of fuel-cell-powered vehicles. Although they will be powered initially by gasoline and reformers, fuel cells represent two major improvements over the internal combustion engine: They are about twice as efficient. They can significantly reduce air pollution in cities.

阅读理解To apply the word "system" to anything the Americans do is a bit optimistic. For example, the term "health care system" masks the fact that the provision of health care in the United States is anything but systematic. Many people can''t afford to go to the doctor or pay for (47)______ insurance. Then again, the " criminal justice system" (48)______ that criminals are treated fairly and justice is served, (49)______ anyone who has been involved with the courts knows that this is far from the truth. The Americans'' need to talk to each other means that the telephone system is the best in the world. (50)______, the American love for the automobile has driven all other forms of transportation into the ground, and the average city''s public transportation is expensive, slow, and (51)______ Another system that really (52)______ in the United States is the highway system. When General Eisenhower was commanding the U. S. forces in the European (53)______, he saw Hitler''s autobahns and said to himself, "What a nifty(迅速敏捷的) way to move (54)______ equipment around the country. I wish America had such nice big roads. " Once he was President, he made his dream a reality. (55)______ was born the Interstate Highway System, now the atherosclerotic arteries (粥样硬化动脉) of American commerce. In the beginning, families would go for weekend drives and end the day by going to a drive in restaurant so they could eat while still in their wonderful car. These days, suburban mothers battle through fierce traffic for hours as they shuttle their children from soccer practice to piano lessons, eating sandwiches behind the wheel out of (56)______ necessity. WORD BANK A) highway B) works C) court D) sheer E) reverse F) private G) Thus H) whereby I) military J) theatre K) whereas L) implies M) Conversely N) uncomfortable O) refer

阅读理解Why Don''t Girls Think Like Boys? Do you believe that only boys do well in science? Does it seem to you that girls have better vocabularies than boys? In your opinion, are boys better at building things? If your answer to each of those questions is "Yes", you are right, according to an article in Current Science. There are exceptions, but here are the facts. On the average, males score higher on tests that measure mathematical reasoning, mechanical ability, and problem-solving skills. Females show superior ability in tests measuring vocabulary, spelling and memory. But these differences will probably not always exist. In the future, a person''s abilities may not be determined by sex. As one scientist says, "Nothing is impossible for a person to be or do." In several recent studies, young babies have been observed and tested to discover how different abilities are developed. A scientific team headed by Jerome Kanga, a psychologist at Harvard University, is studying the thinking ability of children 11 months old. The test is a simple one. The baby, while seated on its mother''s lap watches "show" on a small theater stage. In act 1 of the show, an orange-colored block is lifted from a blue box and moved slowly across the stage. Then it is returned to the box. This is repeated six times. Act 2 is similar, except that the orange block is smaller, but girls immediately become excited and begin to make noises that sound like language. They seem to be trying to talk. It is known that bones, muscles, and nerves develop faster in baby girls. Usually, too, baby girls talk at an earlier age than boys do. Scientists think there is a physical reason for this. They believe that the nerve endings in the left side of the brain influences an individual''s ability to use words, to spell, and to remember things. By the time they start to school, therefore, little girls have an advantage that boys do not have. Girls are physically more ready to remember facts, to spell, and to read. There, of course, are skills that are important in elementary school. But what have the boys been doing in the years before starting school? They have been developing something called aggression. An aggressive person has courage and energy. He feels strong and independent. He is often the first one to start a fight. What produces aggression in little boys? It has long been assumed that aggression is caused by male hormones. Scientists today believe that male hormones are not the only part of the explanation, however. They say aggressiveness in boys is also caused by mothers. A team of psychologists discovered this by placing mothers and their one-year-old babies in a room filled with toys. The room had a wall through which the scientists could observe what happened without being seen. They took notes on everything the mothers and babies did. Here is a sample of those notes, taken during the observation of a baby boy and his mother: "Baby leans against mother. Looks up at her, she speaks to him. She turns him around. He walks away, picks up a toy cat, Goes to mother drops the cat, and leans against her. Looks up at her, she turns him around." From such observations and from conversations with mother, the scientists learned something about the treatment of baby boys and baby girls. While the mother keeps her daughter close to her, she unconsciously trains her son to move away from her, to develop independence, and to explore his surroundings. She trains him to become aggressive and to be a problem solver. Consequently, it is easy to understand why little girls often perform school tasks more satisfactorily than boys, especially if the task requires sitting still, obeying few grades. While boys of her age bring home low marks, the girl may easily get good grades. Girls seem to have "better brains" in school. Why, then, do so few girls become great scientists? Why is the most important thinking in adult society done by men? According to scientists, the answer is aggression. Because boys are aggressive, they refuse to accept other people''s solutions: they insist upon solving problems for themselves. Thus, while little girls are getting high marks in school for remembering what the teacher had told them, little boys are learning to think in more independent ways. In the adult world, the aggressive person is usually the one who gets the big salary, the great responsibility, the powerful job. And since males are trained at an early age to be aggressive, males are more often chosen for key positions. Many people believe this situation is wrong. They think women could be successful in science and industry if their early training included some "aggression lessons," if they were rewarded for independence and problem-solving, as boys are. Furthermore, some psychologists believe that boys may get too much training in aggression. Perhaps little boys should be permitted to learn more on their mothers. It might make them more gentler. The world needs gentleness as much as aggressive strength.

阅读理解Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become "computer literate", in other words, to learn to understand computers. Not all experts agree, however, that this is a good idea. One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbutt, the founder of computer-town UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer, David does not see it that way. He says that Computer-town UK was formed just for the opposite reason, to bring computers to the people and make them "people-literate". David first got the idea when he visited one of America''s best-known computer figures, Bob Albrecht. In a small university town in Northern California, Albrecht had started a project called Computer-town USA in the local library, and the local children used to call round every Wednesday to borrow some time on the computers there, instead of borrowing library books. Albrecht was always on hand to answer any questions and to help the children discover about computers in their own way. Over there, in Britain, Computer-towns have taken off in a big way, and there are now about 40 scattered over the country. David Tebbutt thinks they are most successful when tied to a computer club. He insists there is a vast and important difference between the two, although they complement each other. The clubs cater for the enthusiasts, with some computer knowledge already, who get together and eventually form an expert computer group. This frightens away non-experts, who are happier going to computer-towns where there are computers available for them to experiment on, with experts available to encourage them and answer any questions; they are not told what to do, they find out. David Tebbutt finds it interesting to see the two different approaches working side by side. The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to explain the answers to the questions that people really want to know. In some Computer-towns there are question sessions, rather like radio phone-ins, where the experts listen to a lot of questions and they try to work out some structure to answer them. People are not having to learn computer jargons, but the experts are having to translate computer mysteries into easily understood terms; the computers are becoming "people-literate".

阅读理解Thank-you cards—heartfelt expressions of gratitude for gifts, services and general kindness— seem to be rare in an age when the Internet continues to reduce human interaction. Although our society has changed greatly over the past century, the etiquette(礼节) of thank-you notes has not. While most people would agree that thank-you notes under these circumstances are a necessity, there are still those who forever postpone or are forgetful for unknown reasons. And at no time of the year are thank-you notes more visible than June, the month of brides and graduations, and the beginning of summer parties. "It''s a must-do thing. A real thank you does not come by e-mail. They come in the mail in an envelope. And what comes out of an envelope is a beautiful thing to touch and to handle and to pass around. for everyone to read," said etiquette expert Letitia Baldrige. Don''t think for a second that Baldrige is old-fashioned. Handwritten thank-you notes—any handwritten correspondence, for that matter — have taken on an air of extra importance and dignity in this e-hyper world. Baldrige remains hopeful that the art may be enjoying a renaissance(复兴). More than simply obeying rules of etiquette, thank-you cards are a sign of caring. "They''re more important now than ever," expert Peter Post says. "You''re building a relationship. And part of building that relationship is that you acknowledge when someone has done something nice for you." The payoff(回报), Post says, can be huge. "It will continue indefinitely," he says. "The more we do it, the more it comes back to us, and it''s a benefit to us all. It makes our world a little bit nicer place to live in. "

阅读理解Living in the UK We have always invested a great deal of effort and resources into the welfare and quality of life of our students. If problems of a non-academic nature crop up, there are helping hands that can give you guidance on financial and personal problems or health matters. You will usually have a course tutor or research supervisor who can be approached on a personal as well as academic basis. International Office This office was set up on 1995 to provide a focal point for existing and intending international students of the University. As well as tutoring many countries to show potential applicants what Brunei has to offer, we can give advice to international students on a whole range of matters, from financial difficulties and Home Office regulations to individual personal problems. At the start of each academic year, we organize an orientation programme to help new international students adjust to life in the UK. Together with the Students'' Union, the International Office also produces a handbook of pre-arrival information which is sent to all applicants from overseas in August. We also arrange a "meet and greet" scheme whereby new students arriving from overseas are met at Heathrow Airport and driven to their accommodation. Students'' Union The Students'' Union, which represents the interests of all its members, provides may services, including two Information and Advice Centers. In addition, the Union organizes over 16 ethnic societies—Chinese and Hellenic, for example—which bring together students from different parts of the world, as well as more general social events with a multi-cultural emphasis. Information and Advice Centers The Students'' Union, with funding and cooperation from the University, runs two Information and Advice Centers, one at Uxbridge and one at Osterley. These aim to provide professional advice and information to all Brunei students about a wide range of issues, from immigration to the Council Tax. The staff of the Centres can help and advise overseas students in a variety of areas. Counselors The University has an extensive network of trained counselors who are available to give advice to all students on personal or emotional problems. Medical Care The Medical Centre houses a general medical practice on the Uxbridge Campus which is open throughout the year. Students resident on this campus or in the immediate surrounding area may therefore register with a doctor on campus. Students on the other three campuses must register with a doctor in their area. Free medical care under the UK National Health Service in normally available to all overseas students at Brunel provided that: a) they are registered with the University as an overseas student or are a dependent of one and, b) they are seeking treatment for a complaint which has developed since registration. It is essential to bring to the UK a certificate signed by your own doctor stating that your health is good. Dental care is Not provided by the University and students will need to register with a local NHS practice (non-NHS practices charge more for treatment). You can also obtain further information before coming to the UK from the Department of Health, Alexander Fleming House, London SE1 6BY, or the Department of Social Security (overseas branch), Castle Buildings Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3HH, N Ireland. Role of the British Council The Council''s headquarters, based in central London, organizes trips, courses and other activities for overseas visitors. It also publishes a book called "How to live in Britain".

阅读理解Spitting in public has become socially reprehensible -- and even criminal -- in many parts of China as public health authorities struggle to curb the spread of SARS. Many public health workers feel their (47) have become easier, with fewer dirty marks found in most roads in Nanjing. In the city, anyone who spits in public will be (48) 20 Yuan , ac cording to a latest regulation on public health. One resident surnamed Li said, "If I see someone spitting in the street, I (49) criticize them. Social habits have not (50) as fast as urban construction and these acts are an eyesore." In Beijing, (51) spitters will have to clean up the dirty marks and pay a fine of fifty Yuan. The fine goes up to 200 Yuan in Shanghai. Guangzhou has also set up cameras in the streets to (52) public spitting. China''s battle against SARS had forced Chinese to reconsider on (53) behavior and provided an opportunity to keep more healthy (54) , said Wang Kaiyu, of Jiangsu Academy of Social Sciences. (55) discussion has been carried out on the Internet, television, radio and in newspapers. The (56) alert on public spitting would remain for generations in individual behavior patterns, said Wang Kaiyu. WORD BANK A) current I) catch B) individual. J) immediately C) reduced K) habits D) duties L) hesitantly E) developed M) Heated F) professions N) fined G) private O) public H) hobbies

阅读理解Three years after its first test flight ended in an explosion, NASA on March 27 successfully launched an experimental jet that the agency believes it (47)______ a record-setting speed of about 5,000 mph. The unpiloted X43A made an 11 second rocket boosted flight, then went through some twists and (48)______ during a six-minute glide before (49)______ into the Pacific Ocean about 400 miles off the California (50)______ . Flight engineer Lawrence Huebner said preliminary data (51)______ the needle-nosed jet reached a maximum speed of slightly over seven times the speed of sound, or about 5,000 mph, after a rocket boosted it to about 3,500 mph. Huebner said it was the first time an "air breathing" jet had ever traveled so fast. The rocket powered X15 reached Mach 6.7 in 1967. NASA built the X43A under a $250 million program to develop and test an (52)______ type of engine called a supersonic combustion ramjet, or scramjet. In theory, the air breathing engine could (53)______ an airplane to speeds of Mach 7 or faster, (54)______ around-the-world flights that would (55)______ several hours. The Department of Defense also is working on the technology, which is (56)______ for use in bombers that quickly could reach targets anywhere on the globe. A third X43A could fly as early as the fall. Word Bank A) turns I) border B) plunging J) foreign C) complicate K) take D) reached L) propel K) coast M) eyeing F) enabling N) indicated G) spend O) haughty H) exotic

阅读理解A century ago in the United States, when an individual brought suit against a company, public opinion tended to protect that company. But perhaps this phenomenon was most striking in the case of the railroads. Nearly half of all negligence cases decided through 1896 involved railroads. And the railroads usually won. Most of the cases were decided in state courts, when the railroads had the climate of the times on their sides. Government supported the railroad industry; the progress railroads represented was not to be slowed down by requiring them often to pay damages to those unlucky enough to be hurt working for them. Court decisions always went against railroad workers. A Mr. Farwell, an engineer, lost his right hand when a switchman''s (铁路的转辙员) negligence ran his engine, off the track. The court reasoned that since Farwell had taken the job of an engineer voluntarily at good pay, he had accepted the risk. Therefore the accident, though avoidable had the switchman acted carefully, was a "pure accident". In effect a railroad could never be held responsible for injury to one employee caused by the mistake of another. In one case where a Pennsylvania Railroad worker had started a fire at a warehouse and the fire had spread several blocks, causing widespread damage, a jury found the company responsible for all the damage. But the court overturned the jury''s decision because it argued that the railroad''s negligence was the immediate cause of damage only to the nearest buildings. Beyond them the connection was too remote to consider. As the century wore on, public sentiment began to turn against the railroads — against their economic and political power and high fares as well as against their callousness toward individuals.

阅读理解Lead deposits, which accumulated in soil and snow during the 1960''s and 70''s, were primarily the result of leaded gasoline emissions originating in the United States. In the twenty years that the Clean Air Act has mandated unleaded gas use in the United States, the lead accumulation worldwide has decreased significantly. A study published recently in the journal Nature shows that air-borne leaded gas emissions from the United States were the leading contributor to the high concentration of lead in the snow in Greenland. The new study is a result of the continued research led by Dr. Charles Boutron, an expert on the impact of heavy metals on the environment at the National Center for Scientific Research in France. A study by Dr. Boutron published in 1991 showed that lead levels in arctic (北极的) snow were declining. In his new study, Dr. Boutron found the ratios of the different forms of lead in the leaded gasoline used in the United States were different from the ratios of European, Asian and Canadian gasolines and thus enabled scientists to differentiate (区分) the lead sources. The dominant lead ratio found in Greenland snow matched that found in gasoline from the United States. In a study published in the journal Ambio, scientists found that lead levels in soil in the Northeastern United States had decreased markedly since the introduction of unleaded gasoline. Many scientists had believed that the lead would stay in soil and snow for a longer period. The authors of the Ambio study examined samples of the upper layers of soil taken from the same sites of 30 forest floors in New England, New York and Pennsylvania in 1980 and in 1990. The forest environment processed and redistributed the lead faster than the scientists had expected. Scientists say both studies demonstrate that certain parts of the ecosystem (生态系统) respond rapidly to reductions in atmospheric pollution, but that these findings should not be used as a license to pollute.

阅读理解As social science research data and government surveys increasingly show, the decline in marriage since the 1960s has been (47)______ by a rise in a number of serious social problems. Children born (48)______ or whose parents divorce are much more likely to experience poverty, abuse, and behavioral and emotional problems, have lower academic achievement, and use drugs more often. Single mothers are much more likely to be victims of (49)______ violence. With the rise in these problems comes high program costs to deal with the effects of the (50)______ of marriage. For children whose parents remain married, however, the benefits are real. (51)______ from these families have been found to have better health and are less likely to be depressed, are less likely to (52)______ a grade in school, and have fewer developmental problems. The (53)______ of such mounting evidence for social policy are immense. Too many welfare programs continue to undermine marriage among the poor and must be reevaluated. Members of Congress should recognize from the wealth of social science research that the most effective way to reduce child poverty and increase child well-being is to increase the number of stable two-parent married families. The findings of the Princeton University and Columbia University Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study show that many unwed mothers have high expectations for the future of their children and their own chances of marrying their child''s father. The findings show that a (54)______ of unwed fathers want to be involved in their child''s life and also have hopes for marriage. It is time for Congress to (55)______ policies and programs that would help such couples make a permanent (56)______ to each other and their children, and begin reaping the emotional, health, educational, social, and economic benefits of marriage. Word Bank A) probable B) breakdown C) implement D) repeat E) accompanied F) up to date G) participate H) out of wedlock I) majority J) adolescents K) implications L) complex M) domestic N) commitment O) breakthrough

阅读理解What do we know about the black boxes from Air France Flight 447?

阅读理解What advice does the author give to college students?

阅读理解Internet use appears to cause a decline in psychological well-being, according to re search at Carnegie Mellon University. Even people who spent just a few hours a week on the Internet (47) more depression and loneliness than those who logged on less frequently, the two-year study showed. And it wasn''t that people who were already feeling (48) spent more time on the Internet, but that using the Net (49) appeared to cause the bad feelings. Researchers are puzzling over the results, which were completely (50) to their expectations. They expected that the Net would prove socially (51) than television, since the Net allows users to choose their information and to communicate with others. The fact that Internet use reduces time (52) for family and friends may account for the drop in well-being, researchers hypothesized. Faceless, bodiless "virtual" (53) may be less psychologically satisfying than actual conversation, and the relationships formed through it may be shallower. Another possibility is that (54) to the wider world via the Net makes users less satisfied with their lives. "But it''s important to (55) this is not a bout the technology itself; it''s about how it is used," says psychologist Christine Riley of Intel, one of the study''s sponsors. "It really (56) to the need for considering social factors in terms of how you design applications and services for technology." WORD BANK A) communication I) bad B) meaningful J) points C) exposure K) available D) agrees L) repeatedly E) efficiency M) remember F) contrary N) experienced G) connection O) healthier H) actually

阅读理解The newspaper must provide for the reader the facts, objectively selected facts. But in these days of complex news it must provide more; it must supply interpretation, the meaning of the facts. This is the most important assignment confronting American journalism—to make clear to the reader the problems of the day, to make international news as understandable as community news, to recognize that there is no longer any such thing as "local" news, because any event in the international area has a local reaction in terms of our very way of life. There is in journalism a widespread view that when you start interpretation, you are entering dangerous waters, the swirling tides of opinion. This is nonsense. Those who are against interpretation insist that the writer and the editor shall confine himself to the "facts". This insistence raises two questions: what are the facts? And: are bare facts enough? As to the first, consider how a so-called "factual" story comes about. The reporter collects, say, fifty facts. Then he selects the ten which he considers most important. This is Judgment Number One. Then he or his editor decides which of these ten facts shall constitute the lead of the piece. This is Judgment Number Two. Then the night editor determines whether the article shall be presented on Page One, where it has a large impact, or on Page Twenty-four, where it has little. This is Judgment Number Three. Thus in the presentation of a so-called "factual" or "objective" story, at least three judgments are involved. And they are judgments not at all unlike those involved in interpretation, in which reporter and editor, calling upon their research resources, their general background, and their "news neutralism", arrive at a conclusion as to the significance of the news.

阅读理解Port City The port city provides a fascinating and rich understanding of the movement of people and goods around the world. We understand a port as a centre of land-sea exchange, and as a major source of livelihood and a major force for cultural mixing. But do ports all produce a range of common urban characteristics which justify classifying port cities together under a single group label? Do they have enough in common to guarantee distinguishing them from other kinds of cities? Ports and harbors A port must be distinguished from a harbor. There are two very different things. Most ports have poor harbors, many fine harbors see few ships. Harbor is a physical concept, a shelter for ships; port is an economic concept, a center of land-sea exchange which requires good access to a hinterland even more than a sea-linked foreland. It is landward access, which is productive of goods for export and which demands imports, that is critical. Poor harbors can be improved with breakwaters and dredging if there is a demand for a port. Madras and Colombo are examples of harbors expensively improved by enlarging, dredging (清淤) and building breakwaters. Once a port city, always a port city Port cites become industrial, financial and service centers and political capitals because of their water connections and the urban concentration which arises there and later draws to it railways, highways and air routes. Water transport means cheap access, the chief basis of all port cities. Many of the worlds'' biggest cities, for example, London, New York, Shanghai, Istanbul, Buenois Airs, Tokyo, Jakarta, Calcutta, Philadelphia and San Fracissco began as ports — that is, which land-sea exchange as their major function — but they have since grown proportion in other respects so that their port functions are no longer dominant. They remain different kinds of places from non-port cities and their port functions account for that difference. A truly international environment Port functions, more than anything else, make a city cosmopolitan. A port city is open to the world. In it races, cultures, and ideas as well as goods from a variety of places, jostle, mix and enrich each other and the life of the city. The smell of the sea and the harbor, the sound of boat whistles or the moving tides are symbols of their multiple links with a wide world, samples of which are present in microcosm (缩影) within their own urban areas. Reasons for the decline of ports Seaports have been transformed by the appearance of powered vessels, whose size and draught have increased. Many formerly important ports have become economically and physically less accessible as a result. By-passed by most of their former enriching flowing of exchange, they have become cultural and economic backwaters or have acquired the character of museums of the past. Examples of these are Charleston, Salem, Bristol, Plymouth, Surat, Galle, Melaka, Suzhou, and a long list of earlier prominent port cities in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. Relative significance of trade and service industry Most ports have few poor harbors, many fine harbors see many ships. Harbor is not a physical concept but also an economic concept, a center of connections of different politics, commerce and other different styles. Calcutta traded mainly with other parts of India and so on. Most of any city''s population is engaged in providing goods and services for the city itself. Trade outside the city is its basic function. But each basic worker requires food, housing, clothing and other such services. Estimates of the ratio of basic to service workers range from 1:4 to 1:8. Their own way to develop and exist No city can be simply a port but must be involved in a variety of other activities. The port function of the city draws to it raw materials and distributes them in many other forms. Ports take advantage of the need for breaking up the bulk material where water and land transport meet and where loading and unloading costs can be minimized by refining raw materials or turning them into finished goods. The major examples here are oil refining and ore refining, which are commonly located at ports. It is not easy to draw a line around what is and is not a port function. All ports handle, unload, sort, alter, process, repack, and reship most of what they receive. A city may still be regarded as a port city when it becomes involved in a great range of functions not immediately involved with ships or docks. Cities which began as ports retain the chief commercial and administrative centre of the city close to the waterfront. The centre of New York is in lower Manhattan between two river mouths, the City of London is on the Thames, Shanghai along the Bund. This proximity to water is also true of Boston, Philadelphia, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Yokohama, where the commercial, financial, and administrative centers are still grouped around their harbors even though each city has expanded into a metropolis. Even a casual visitor cannot mistake them as anything but port cities.

阅读理解The City at Night One third of the day, we work. Another 1/3, we sleep. We keep the precious rest to ourselves for fun. Work may change at any time. Time slips away in bed. Only nightlife is immortal. Forget about your daytime worries and get lost in this wild, nighttime playground. Beijing: In Search of Happiness Compared with Shanghai and Guangzhou, Beijing''s nightlife seems less charming. Even Beijingers would have to agree. Whether it is due to climate or custom, Beijing''s nightlife doesn''t hold a candle to Guangzhou or Shanghai. However, there are still places for you to go and enjoy the night. Don''t worry about having the latest nightlife guide. The Sanlitun bar strip remains the most popular and recognizable bar district in Beijing. Most of the patrons are young and like to play just as hard as they work. If you''re looking for a more intense night, try the disco halls or Karaoke clubs (more commonly known as KTVs, short for Karaoke Television). Want to experience a traditional Beijing night? Try Laoshe Teahouse in Qianmen for its original flavor. Sip the culture of the old city from a cup of tea or watch the traditional Beijing opera in an elegantly furnished building. Don''t forget to shout " Bravo!" for the brilliant performers! Another place to visit is the Shicha-hai Bar Zone. Shicha-hai is a natural lake with a 700-year history. Since Beijing is short of water resources, Shicha-hai is considered a blessed place. While the rest of the capital city is on the express train to modernization and globalization, Shicha-hai is one of the few places where you can still hear the singing of insects and stroll around old Siheyuan (traditional style single story houses with rows of rooms around the four sides of a courtyard). These bars have one thing in common, unattractive outsides and unexpectedly charming insides. Old compounds and vogue trends have their proper place, making Shichahai sexy. If you go hungry and want to try something special in a restaurant, don''t miss Guijie in the eastern part of the city. The food vendors on the street thrive after 2 a. m. The most popular color here is the red of the lights that stretch along the street, and the most mouthwatering cuisine is the spicy crayfish. In the hot days of summer or on snowy winter nights, this street is always a hot hit. You can try all kinds of Chinese cooking along this street that is no more than 1500 meters long. The food is cheap and the service is good. Most of the restaurants are in business around the clock. Your only worry is about how to eat it all with only one stomach! It''s easy to overlook familiar sites but it is a mistake to do so in Beijing. Keep yourself curious, explore the city and the Beijing nights won''t desert you. Shanghai: Players with Taste Shanghai nights are a mixture of cigar smoke, jazz and red wine with a lingering fragrance of romance. It appeals to all your sensory organs and can be an emotional experience. Shanghai is the most Xiaozi city in China. Xiaozi refers to a specific life style and spiritual pattern practiced mainly in white collar and intellectual(知识分子) circles. It is characterized by the pursuit of individualism, extraordinary and refined tastes and exquisite and graceful lifestyles. Paoba, (loitering in bars) , is quite Xiaozi. Pao means soaking, an accurate metaphor of what one does in a bar—soaking oneself in a relaxing atmosphere as in a hot spring, soothing your flesh and soul with good wine, music and conversation. The people in Shanghai put emphasis on the style of Paoba. There are a host of exotic, top grade bars in the city, most of which are clustered on the renowned Hengshan Road, which used to be a lofty uptown area during the French Concession in the early 20th century. The styles of the bars are as varied as the sponsors themselves and without exception, delicate and unique. Bourbon Street is passionately American, Sasha''s Restaurant and Bar is elegantly English, Zanglong Fang is modern-classic Chinese, Yesterday Once More is reminiscent of the good old days in Shanghai in the 1920s, True Love is a camp of new-new generation of youngsters who have novel ideals, and are always ready to try out new fashions and new lifestyle. People of all ages, characters, and tastes can find a place here. The New Oriental Plaza is another chic place for Xiaozi to spend their time. Many businessmen talk to their hearts'' content during Paoba and some even iron out problems unsolved on the negotiating table. Poet, writer and fashion critic Ms. Lu, who is now living in Shanghai, is a Paoba lover. " I just love the atmosphere of peace and elegance," she said, sitting on a stool in the " Shanghai Hour" bar. " It is really a joy to whisper sweet words here. " She said she sometimes invites other writers for a brainstorm session in bars, which have become a spring of inspiration for her. " Bars are a living index of fashion, you can feel its pulse. Remember that most of the bar-goers are fashionable people," said Lu, who writes fashion columns for magazines and newspapers around the country. " I spy on them, and get to know what is going on. That helps me a lot in my writing. The life of the bar is the dream of the city. It pumps vigor into the veins of the city. Everyone can savor the pleasures of nightlife in Shanghai for free. It''s not just for the Xiaozi anymore. Take a stroll a-long the prosperous Bund (Wai Tan) or go shopping in malls. Both of these activities can be quite enjoyable at night. After dinner, old grandma Liu, a Shanghai native, goes for a stroll in the Bund fan in hand. She has been keeping the same routine for decades on summer nights and is a witness to the Bund''s ever-changing look over the years. This is Shanghai, a city where even its nooks and crannies radiate charm and prosperity at night. Guangzhou; Heavenly Food It is hard to categorize the city of Guangzhou. It is fashionable, yet it is more than skin deep. Commercial, yet it has a long history and proud culture. It is beautiful, down to earth, kind and tolerant but seething. It is nothing, as well as everything. Only one thing can be said for sure, Guangzhou never sleeps. Hundreds of years ago Guangzhou was a major oriental port where spice, tea, silk, china were shipped and unloaded. This busy activity kept the city awake day and night. Since Guangzhou is close to Hong Kong, they share some similar nightlife scenes: massage salons, footbath houses and Cantonese restaurants. Guangzhou boasts the most varied and colorful nightlife in the country. For many people in Guangzhou , it has become part of their daily routine and never lacks excitement. Nightlife is called "Pujie" in Cantonese. Pu, a kind of floating grass, represents the state of drifting along, sinking and emerging. Jie means street in Chinese. Hence pujie means sauntering along the streets. Pujie starts from 10 p. m. and reaches its first climax at midnight. Although night market isn''t the best thing about Pujie, it is a dose of dope. In the 1980s the first sleepless night market of China opened in Guangzhou. Wanderers can eat throughout the night and into the next day. The most crowded places are invariably teahouses, restaurants and Da Pai Dong (sidewalk snack booths). People in Guangzhou love food. They say "food is heaven" and the city is a heaven of food. Guangzhou is most praised as well as complained about, for its grass-roots atmosphere, particularly the Da Pai Dong. Rich or poor, intellectual or illiterate, everyone has equal footing in the realm of the Guangzhou night. By the Pearl River, there is another place to bring an appetite -- the Xigong Street of Seafood. It is said to be the biggest in Southeast Asia, with over 30 seafood restaurants and thousands of tables in the open air. It is not until after 9 p.m. that this paradise hits its stride. Wine and mora chips are plentiful, as are the voices that provide the audio backdrop to this nighttime gem.

阅读理解Good morning, boys and girls! You may be used to replying: Good morning, SIR! Well, you won''t hear that here, because you are now here in our campus, ready to venture out from under the wings or shadow of your parents and your teachers. It is first principle in this University that we treat you as an adult and expect adult responsibility. When you graduate in three or four years in this very Auditorium, you will be men and women ready for life''s great challenges. We want all freshmen to stay on campus so that they can begin to become part of our campus community. This year, about 80% of you are staying on campus. Staying on campus is great for convenience. You can wake up at the last minute and still make it to class, or sneak back to the room in between lectures for a snooze if you had a really late night doing homework or just partying. Now, look around you, at the persons seated to your left and your right. Do you know each other? Introduce yourself and strike up a conversation. Same thing in the dorms. They may be great for forming a study group or a basketball team. You will find, ten or twenty years later, that the friendship formed in university lasts and endures, and will be something you cherish through life. If you talk to older people, like me for example, you will find that all of us will tell you the soft skills are the central factors behind success. The hard skills that you acquire through your formal education gets you started. But they soon become out of date. Besides picking up new knowledge and experience, the inner strength and your people skills will play an increasingly important part in your successful and happy life. We will help you achieve this more intangible learning as you spend three or four years with us. Over the years, we have been creating the best possible academic programmes to prepare you for your career. You may have the opportunity to go for double degrees, or a very general liberal education. I wish you a growing and enriching time in this great University. May you grow to be great people, respectable young men and women!