单选题Questions 17--20 are based on a dialogue about intermarriage. You now have 29 seconds to read Questions 17- 20.

单选题 Recent research had claimed that an excess of positive ions (离子) in the air can have an illeffect on people's physical or psychological health. What are positive ions? Well, the air is full of ions, electrically charged particles, and generally there is a rough balance between the positive and the negative charges. But sometimes this balance becomes disturbed and a larger proportion of positive ions are found. This happens naturally before thunderstorms, earthquakes or when winds are blowing in certain countries. Or it can be caused by a build-up of static electricity indoors from carpets or clothing made of man-made fibers, or from TV sets, duplicators or computer display screens. When a large number of positive ions are present in the air many people experience unpleasant effects such as headaches, fatigue, irritability, and some particularly sensitive people suffer nausea (恶心) or even mental disturbance. Animals are also found to be affected, particularly before earthquakes; snakes have been observed to come out of hibernation (冬眠), rats to flee from their burrows, dogs howl and cats jump about unaccountably. This has led the US Geographical Survey to fund a network of volunteers to watch animals in all effort to foresee such disasters before they hit vulnerable areas such as California. Conversely, when large numbers of negative ions are present, then people have a feeling of well-being. Natural conditions that produce these large amounts are near the sea, close to waterfalls or fountains, or in any place where water is sprayed, or forms a spray. This probably accounts for the beneficial effect of a holiday by the sea, or in the mountains with tumbling streams or waterfalls. To increase the supply of negative ions indoors, some scientists recommend the use of ionizers: small portable machines which generate negative ions. They claim that ionizers not only clean and refresh the air but also improve the health of people sensitive to excess positive ions. Of course, there are the detractors, other scientists, who dismiss such claims and are skeptical about negative/positive ion research. Therefore people can only make up their own minds by observing the effects on themselves, or on others, of a negative rich or poor environment. After all, it is debatable whether depending on seismic readings to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than watching the cat.

单选题According to the author, when a doctor tells a patient to "return next Wednesday", the doctor is in fact

单选题What is the writer's feeling for cats?

单选题Electricity plays an essential part in our life. No one can deny that electric light is necessary for people"s life. However, can you imagine such a world where there is no 1 of electric light? As darkness falls over, children read in the light given by oil lamps and candies. Youths 2 time only by talking instead of watching TV. Everything is surrounded by 3 shadows. 4 , we have a man named Edison. He created bulb that 5 for two days before burning out. He also developed successfully a system for 6 electricity from a central powerhouse. It is he that gives us electric light, gramophone, moving pictures—all those we take 7 granted. After the invention of electricity, manufacturers increasingly applied the findings of invention to their businesses, 8 generating new industrial growth. Development of electricity leads to the 9 creations of new products and materials. In the past century and a half, electricity has steadily 10 . At first, it is scientific curiosity, then to a luxurious part of the 11 , and then to being necessary in every one"s life. Electricity has been common in the latest fifty years. Simple tasks, such as setting alarm clock to wake up at a 12 time or enjoying a piece of music, are accomplished via electronic means. We live with the benefits of electricity every day. As a result, we always think that whenever we 13 our gadgets into the wall socket, the power will be there. For most modern people, the loss of power means the complete loss of 14 . Their lifestyle is so dependent upon the grid"s constancy 15 they do not know how to live without it. How do you cook a meal without electricity if your gas stove has an electric ignition? Please imagine the life without electricity further. What do you do with a freezer full of food in a hot day? How do you find out what is happening in your area with the TV and radio off? These are questions which should be seriously considered. Let us imagine the 16 of a short power outage together. Factories close down; phones and computers go dead; food 17 in refrigerators. What a disordered life that would be! All the convenience which electricity has brought to our life should owe to Edison. When Edison died at has home in New Jersey in 1931, the whole United States were switched off to mark his passing, and in 18 of the man whose discoveries had so changed and improved the life of people everywhere. For a moment, all was 19 —as the world had always been before, until Edison 20 on the light.

单选题{{I}} Questions 11-13 are based on the following passage. You now have 15 seconds to read questions 11-13.{{/I}}

单选题 Questions 17—20 are based on the following conversation about a department store.

单选题Electricity plays an essential part in our life. No one can deny that electric light is necessary for people's life. However, can you imagine such a world where there is no (21) of electric light? As darkness falls over, children read in the light given by oil lamps and candles. Youths (22) time only by talking instead of watching TV. Everything is surrounded by (23) shadows. (24) , we have a man named Edison. He created bulb that (25) for two days before burning out. He also developed successfully a system for (26) electricity from a central powerhouse. It is he that gives us electric light, gramophone, moving pictures--all those we take (27) granted. After the invention of electricity, manufacturers increasingly applied the findings of invention to their businesses, (28) generating new industrial growth. Development of electricity leads to the (29) creations of new products and materials. In the past century and a half, electricity has steadily (30) . At first, it is scientific curiosity, then to a luxurious part of the (31) , and then to being necessary in every one's life. Electricity has been common in the latest fifty years. Simple tasks, such as setting alarm clock to wake up at a (32) time or enjoying a piece of music, are accomplished via electronic means. We live with the benefits of electricity every day. As a result, we always think that whenever we (33) our gadgets into the wall socket, the power will be there. For most modern people, the loss of power means the complete loss of (34) . Their lifestyle is so dependent upon the grid's constancy (35) they do not know how to live without it. How do you cook a meal without electricity if your gas stove has an electric ignition? Please imagine the life without electricity further. What do you do with a freezer full of food in a hot day? How do you find out what is happening in your area with the TV and radio off? These are questions which should be seriously considered. Let us imagine the (36) of a short power outage together. Factories close down; phones and computers go dead; food (37) in refrigerators. What a disordered life that would be! All the convenience which electricity has brought to our life should owe to Edison. When Edison died at his home in New Jersey in 1931, the whole United States were switched off to mark his passing, and in (38) of the man whose discoveries had so changed and improved the life of people everywhere. For a moment, all was (39) -- as the world had always been before, until Edison (40) on the light.

单选题Greenspace facilities are contributing to an important extent to the quality of the urban environment. Fortunately it is no longer necessary that every lecture or every book about this subject has to start with the proof of this idea. At present it is generally accepted, although more as a self-evident statement than on the base of a closely-reasoned scientific proof. The recognition of the importance of greenspace in the urban environment is a first step on the right way, this does not mean, however, that sufficient details are known about the functions of greenspace in towns and about the way in which the inhabitants are using these spaces. As to this rather complex subject I shall, within the scope of this lecture, enter into one aspect only, namely the recreative function of greenspace facilities. The theoretical separation of living, working, traffic and recreation which for many years has been used in town and country planning, has in my opinion resulted in disproportionate attention for forms of recreation far from home, whereas there was relatively little attention for improvement of recreative possibilities in the direct neighbourhood of the home. We have come to the conclusion that this is not right, because an important part of the time which we do not pass in sleeping or working, is used for activities at and around home. So it is obvious that recreation in the open air has to begin at the street-door of the house. The urban environment has to offer as many recreation activities as possible, and the design of these has to be such that more obligatory activities can also have a recreative aspect. The very best standard of living is nothing if it is not possible to take a pleasant walk in the district, if the children cannot be allowed to play in the streets because the risks of traffic are too great, if during shopping you can nowhere find a spot of enjoying for a moment the nice weather, in short, if you only feel yourself at home after the street-door of your house is closed after you.

单选题Lindalearnedaboutsquare-footgardening______.A.byattendingaclassB.fromherparentsC.throughagardeningmagazineD.bylearningformherfriend

单选题Questions 17—20 are based on the following conversation about a department store. You now have 20 seconds to read Questions 17—20.

单选题Many United States companies have, unfortunately, made the search for legal protection from import competition into a major line of work. Since 1980 the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) has received about 280 complaints alleging damage from imports that benefit from subsides by foreign governments. Another 340 charge that foreign companies "dumped" their products in the United States at "less than fair value". Even when no unfair practices are all alleged, the simple claim that an industry has been injured by imports is sufficient ground to seek relief. Contrary to the general impression, this quest for import relief has hurt more companies than it has helped. As corporations begin to function globally, they develop an intricate Web of marketing, production, and research relationships. The complexity of these relationships makes it unlikely that a system of import relief laws will meet the strategic needs of all the units under the same parent company. Internationalization increases the danger that foreign companies will use import relief laws against the very companies the laws were designed to protect. Suppose a United States-owned company establishes an overseas plant to manufacture a product while its competitor makes the same product in the United States. If the competitor can prove injury from the imports-and that the United States company received a subsidy from a foreign government to build its plant abroad-the United States company's products will be uncompetitive in the United States, since they would be subject to duties. Perhaps the most brazen case occurred when the ITC investigated allegations that Canadian companies were injuring the United States salt industry by dumping rock salt, used to deice roads. The bizarre aspect of the complaint was that a foreign conglomerate with United States operations was crying for help against a United States company with foreign operations. The "United States" company claiming injury was a subsidiary of a Dutch conglomerate, while the "Canadian" companies included a subsidary of a Chicago firm that was the second largest domestic producer of rock salt.