单选题The most popular way of relaxing is perhaps ______.

单选题The word "yield" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.

单选题The author says that the powerful computers of today ______.

单选题On Tuesday August 11th, 1911, a young artist, Louis Beraud, arrived at the Louvre in Paris to complete a painting of the Salon Carre. This was the room where the world's most famous painting, the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, was on display. To his surprise there was an empty space where the painting should have been. At 11 o'clock the museurn authorities realized that the painting had been stolen. The next day headlines all over the world announced the theft. Actually the Leonardo had been gone for more than twenty-four hours before anyone noticed it was missing. The museum was always closed on Mondays for maintenance. Just before closing time on Sunday three men had entered the museum, where they had hidden themselves in a storeroom. The actual theft was quick and simple. Early the next morning Perrugia removed the painting from the wall while the others kept watch. Then they went out a hack exit. Nothing was seen or heard of the painting for two years when Perrugia tried to sell it to a dealer for half a million lire. Perrugia was arrested on December 13th Perrugia claimed he had stolen it as an act of patriot-ism, because, he said, the painting had been looted from the Italian nation by Napoleon. Perrugia was imprisoned for 7 months. It seemed that the crime of the century had been solved. But had it? Perrugia was keen to claim all responsibility for the theft, and it was twenty years before the whole story came out. In fact Perrugia bad been working for two master criminals, Valfierno and Chaudron, who went unpunished for their crime. They would offer to steal a famous painting from a gallery for a crooked dealer or an unscrupulous private collector. They would then make a copy of the picture and, with the help of bribed gallery attendants, tape the copy to the back of the original painting. The dealer would then be taken to the gallery and would be invited to make a secret mark on the back of the painting. Of course the dealer would actually be marking the copy. Valfierno would later produce forged newspaper cuttings announcing the theft of the original, and then produce the copy, complete with secret marking. If the dealer were to see the painting still in the gallery, he would be persuaded that it was a copy, and that he possessed the genuine one. Chaudron then painted not one, but six copies of the Mona Lisa, using 400-year-old wood panels from antique Italian furniture The forgeries were carefully aged, so that the varnish was cracked and dirty. Valfierno commissioned Perrugia to steal the original, and told him to hide it until Valfierno contacted him Perrugia waited in vain in a tiny room in Paris with the painting, but heard nothing from his partners in crime. They had gone to New York, where the six copies were already in store. They had sent them there before the original was stolen. At that time it was quite common for artists to copy old masters, which would be sold quite honestly as imitations, so there had been no problems with US Customs. Valfierno went on to sell all six copies for $ 300 000 each. Valfierno told the story to a journalist in 1914, on condition that it would not be published until his death. Does the story end there? Collectors have claimed that Perrugia returned a copy. It is also possible that Leonardo may have painted several versions of the Mona Lisa, or they might be copies made by Leonardo's pupils. There has been a lot of controversy and argument about the 450-year-old painting, but after all, maybe that's what She's smiling about.

单选题Taking charge of yourself involves putting to rest some very prevalent myths. At the top of the list is the notion that intelligence is measured by your ability to solve complex problems; to read, write and compute at certain levels; and to resolve abstract equations quickly. This vision of intelligence asserts formal education and bookish excellence as the true measures of self-fulfillment. It encourages a kind of intellectual prejudice that has brought with it some discouraging results. We have come to believe that someone who has more educational merit badges, who is very good at some form of school discipline is "intelligent". Yet mental hospitals are filled with patients who have all of the properly lettered certificates. A truer indicator of intelligence is an effective, happy life lived each day and each present moment of every day. If you are happy, if you live each moment for everything it's worth, then you are an intelligent person. Problem solving is a useful help to your happiness, but if you know that given your inability to resolve a particular concern you can still choose happiness for yourself, or at a minimum refuse to choose unhappiness, then you are intelligent. You are intelligent because you have the ultimate weapon against the big N. B. D. -Nervous Break Down. "Intelligent" people do not have N. B. D. It's because they are in charge of themselves. They know how to choose happiness over depression, because they know how to deal with the problems of their lives. You can begin to think of yourself as truly intelligent on the basis of how you choose to feel in the face of trying circumstances. The life struggles are pretty much the same for each of us. Everyone who is involved with other human beings in any social context has similar difficulties. Disagreements, conflicts and compromises are a part of what it means to be human. Similarly, money, growing old, sickness, deaths, natural disasters and accidents are all events, which present problems to virtually all human beings. But some people are able to make it, to avoid immobilizing depression and unhappiness despite such occurrences, while others collapse or have an N. B. D. Those who recognize problems as a human condition and don't measure happiness by an absence of problems are the most intelligent kind of humans we know; also, the most rare.

单选题 To paraphrase 18th-century statesman Edmund Burke, "all that is needed for the triumph of a misguided cause is that good people do nothing." One such cause now seeks to end biomedical research because of the theory that animals have rights ruling out their use in research. Scientists need to respond forcefully to animal rights advocates, whose arguments are confusing the public and thereby threatening advances in health knowledge and care. Leaders of the animal rights, movement target biomedical research because it depends on public funding, and few people understand the process of health care research. Hearing allegations of cruelty to animals in research settings, many are perplexed that anyone would deliberately harm an animal. For example, a grandmotherly woman staffing an animal rights booth at a recent street fair was distributing a brochure that encouraged readers not to use anything that comes from or is tested in animals — no meat, no fur, no medicines. Asked if she opposed immunizations, she wanted to know if vaccines come from animal research. When assured that they do, she replied, "Then I would have to say yes." Asked what will happen when epidemics return, she said, "Don't worry, scientists will find some way of using computers." Such well-meaning people just don't understand. Scientists must communicate their message to the public in a compassionate, understandable way — in human terms, not in the language of molecular biology. We need to make clear the connection between animal research and a grandmother's hip replacement, a father's bypass operation, a baby's vaccinations, and even a pet's shots. To those who are unaware that animal research was needed to produce these treatments, as well as mew treatments and vaccines, animal research seems wasteful at best and cruel at worst. Much can be done. Scientists could "adopt" middle school classes and present their own research. They should be quick to respond to letters to the editor, lest animal rights misinformation go unchallenged and ac- quire a deceptive appearance of truth. Research institutions could be opened to tours, to show that laboratory animals receive humane care. Finally, because the ultimate stakeholders are patients, the health research com- munity should actively recruit to its cause not only well-known personalities such as Stephen Cooper, who has made courageous statements about the value of animal research, but all who receive medical treatment. If good people do nothing, there is a real possibility that an uninformed citizenry Will extinguish the precious embers of medical progress.

单选题If the various advocates of the conflicting options are all smart, experienced, and well-informed, why do they disagree so completely? Wouldn't they all have thought the issue through carefully and come to approximately the same "best" conclusion? The answer to that crucial question lies in the structure of the human brain and the way it processes information. Most human beings actually decide before they think. When any human being —executive, specialized expert, or person in the street — encounters a complex issue and forms an opinion, often within a matter of seconds, how thoroughly has he or she explored the implications of the various courses of action? Answer: not very thoroughly. Very few people, no matter how intelligent or experienced, can take inventory of the many branching possibilities, possible outcomes, side effects, and undesired consequences of a policy or a course of action in a matter of seconds. Yet, those who pride themselves on being decisive often try to do just that. And once their brains lock onto an opinion, most of their thinking thereafter consists of finding support for it. A very serious side effect of argumentative decision making can be a lack of support for the chosen course of action on the part of the "losing" faction. When one faction wins the meeting and the others see themselves as losing, the battle often doesn't end when the meeting ends. Anger, resentment, and jealousy may lead them to sabotage the decision later, or to reopen the debate at later meetings. There is a better way. As philosopher Aldous Huxley said, "It isn't who is right, but what is right, that counts. " The structured-inquiry method offers a better alternative to argumentative decision making by debate. With the help of the Internet and wireless computer technology, the gap between experts and executives is now being dramatically closed. By actually putting the brakes on the thinking process, slowing it down, and organizing the flow of logic, it's possible to create a level of clarity that sheer argumentation can never match. The structured-inquiry process introduces a level of conceptual clarity by organizing the contributions of the experts, then brings the experts and the decision makers closer together. Although it isn't possible or necessary for a president or prime minister to listen in on every intelligence analysis meeting, it's possible to organize the experts' information to give the decision maker much greater insight as to its meaning. This process may somewhat resemble a marketing focus group; it's a simple, remarkably clever way to bring decision makers closer to the source of the expert information and opinions on which they must base their decisions.

单选题You will hear three passages. Before listening to each one, read the questions related to it. While listening, answer each question by choosing A, B, C or D. You will hear each piece ONLY ONCE.

单选题The physicians in a hospital form the core of the medical staff. But they couldn't provide effective medical care to their patients without the help of numerous other medical employees. Form the viewpoint of the patients, the nursing staff is particularly important. Nurses are usually in close contact with patients as long as they are in the hospital. A nurse does not study for as many years as a doctor. However, each must be equally dedicated. Caring for sick persons requires a great deal of patience and concern. Most nurses work long days, and they often must work at odd hours or during the night. Under the supervision of the head nurse, the nursing staff must provide nursing services on a 24-hour basis and attend' to patients' needs. This responsibility continues around the clock, and so nurses must work in shifts. A shift is a period of duty, usually eight in length. The nurses on the ward rotate their shifts. All of them work out of a central area on the ward called the nurses' station. A nurse must always be alert. She can never afford to be careless. This is true in all nursing situation, but it is especially true in the intensive care unit. Patients under intensive care are critically ill, and they must be monitored at all times. The nurses who do intensive care duty have one of the most demanding jobs in the hospital. Serving as a nurse can be a very rewarding job. But it is not an easy one. Not every person is suited to become a nurse. Only very dedicated people have chosen nursing as a profession.

单选题My adviser encouraged ______ a summer course to improve my writing skills. A. for me taking B. me taking C. for me to take D. me to take

单选题{{B}}Passage 2{{/B}} In the 18th century, New York was smaller than Philadelphia and Boston. Today it is the largest city in America. How to explain the change in its size and importance? To answer this question we must consider certain facts about geography, history and economies. Together these three will explain the huge growth of America's most famous city. The map of the Northeast shows that four of the most heavily-populated areas in this region are around seaports. At these points materials from across the sea enter America, and the products of the land are sent there for export across the sea. Economists know that places where transportation lines meet are good places for making raw materials into completed goods. That is why seaports often have cities nearby. But cities like New York needed more than their geographical location in order to become great industrial centers. Their development did not happen simply by chance. About 1815, when many Americans from the east coast had already moved to the west, trade routes from the ports to the central regions of the country began to be a serious problem. The slow wagons of that time, drawn by horses or oxen, were too expensive for moving heavy freight very far. Americans had long admired Europe's canals. In New York State a canal seemed the best solution to the transportation problem. From the eastern end of Lake Erie all the way across the state to the Hudson River there is a long trip of low land. Here the Erie Canal was constructed. After working for several years it was completed in 1825. The canal produced an immediate effect. Freight costs were cut to about one-tenth of what they had been. New York City, which had been smaller than Philadelphia and Boston, quickly became the leading city of the coast. In later years, transportation routes on the Great Lakes were joined to routes on the Mississippi River. Then New York City became the end point of a great inland shipping system that extended from the Atlantic Ocean far up the western branches of the Mississippi. The new railroads made canal shipping not as important as before, but it tied New York even more closely to the central regions of the country. It was easier for people in the central states to ship their goods to New York for export overseas. Exports from New York were greater than imports. Consequently, shipping companies were eager to fill their ships with passengers on the return trip from Europe. Passengers could come from Europe very cheaply as a result. Thus New York became the greatest port for receiving people from European countries. Many of them remained in the city. Others stayed in New York for a few weeks, months, or years, and then moved to other parts of the United States. For these great numbers of new Americans, New York had to provide homes, goods, and services. Their labor helped the city become great.

单选题Empowering workers constitutes the first step toward a stronger economy and stronger citizenry. It is a vital step toward overcoming inequality in American society. During the 1980s, the need for better wages for all workers increased as women, traditionally secondary earners, assumed greater responsibility for their own and their children"s well-being. Yet the ability to raise families to a decent living standard through wage work decreased; real wages fell for most workers. And the Federal Government enacted no new policies to facilitate the integration of work and family, as working women and working families suffered a loss in political power as well. Black or Hispanic women are four times as likely to be low-wage workers as are white men with comparable skills and experience. White women are more than three times as likely as white men to be low-wage workers, and black or Hispanic men more than one-and-a-half times as likely. More than half of all low-wage workers are the only wage workers in their families, or live alone. Employment no longer provides an escape from poverty. More than eight million working adults are poor; two million of them work full-time, year-round. More than seven million poor children have at least one working parent. When that one working parent is a low-wage worker, the children have no better chance of escaping from poverty than if the parent were not working at all; more than two-fifths of such children are poor. Even if generous income assistance were available, the wages employers pay would be held to a minimum. In addition, policies such as tax credits for working parents do nothing to increase the political power of working women and men. Our research shows that unionization is among the most effective strategies for raising pay, especially for women and minority men. Being a union member, or being covered by a collective-bargaining agreement, raised 1984 wages by $ 1.79 per hour for Hispanic men, $ 1.32 for black men, $ 1.26 for Hispanic women, $ 1.01 for black women, $ 0.68 for white women, and $ 0.41 for white men, when all other factors, such as occupation, industry, firm size, education and experience were held constant. In percentage terms, the union increase was more than 15 percent for blacks and Hispanics, 11 percent for white women, and 4 percent for white men.

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