填空题{{B}}Directions:{{/B}}In the following article, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 41～45, choose the most suitable one from the list A～G to fit into each of the numbered blanks. There are two extra choices which do not fit in any of the gaps. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. A recession marked the early years of Reagan's presidency, but conditions started to improve in 1983 and the United States entered one of the longest periods of sustained economic growth since World War Ⅱ. However, an alarming percentage of this growth was based on deficit spending. In 1988, former vice president George Bush became President. He continued many of Reagan's policies. Bush's efforts to gain control over the federal budget deficit, however, were problematic. The 1990s brought a new president, Bill Clinton, a cautious, moderate Democrat, whose liberal initiatives created a myth for the American economy. 41)__________. Still, although Clinton reduced the size of the federal work force, the government continued to play a crucial role in the nation's economy. Mast of the major innovations of the New Deal, and a good many of the Great Society, remained in place. And the Federal Reserve system continued to regulate the overall pace of economic activity, with a watchful eye for any signs of renewed inflation. 42)__________. Technological developments brought a wide range of sophisticated new electronic products. Innovations in telecommunications and computer networking spawned a vast computer hardware and software industry and revolutionized the way many industries operate. 43)__________. No longer are Americans afraid that the Japanese will overwhelm them with superior technology or that they will saddle their children with government debt. America's labor force changed markedly during the 1990s. Continuing a long term trend, the number of farmers declined. A small portion of workers had jobs in industry, while a much greater share worked in the service sector, in jobs ranging from store clerks to financial planners. If steel and shoes were no longer American manufacturing mainstays, computers and the software that make them run were. 44)__________. Economists, surprised at the combination of rapid growth and continued low inflation, debated whether the United States had a "new economy" capable of sustaining a faster growth rate than seemed possible based on the experiences of the previous 40 years. 45)__________. Asia, which had grown especially rapidly during the 1980s, joined Europe as a major supplier of finished goods and a market for American exports. Sophisticated worldwide telecommunications systems linked the world's financial markets in a way unimaginable even a few years earlier. A. The economy, meanwhile, turned in an increasingly healthy performance as the 1990s progressed. With the fall of the Soviet Union and Eastern European communism in the late 1980s, trade opportunities expanded greatly. B. Still, Americans ended the 1990s with a restored sense of confidence. By the end of 1999, the economy had grown continuously since March 1991, the longest peacetime economic expansion in history. C. Clinton sounded some of the same themes as his predecessors. After unsuccessfully urging Congress to enact an ambitious proposal to expand health-insurance coverage, Clinton declared that the era of "big government" was over in America. He pushed to strengthen market forces in some sectors, working with Congress to open local telephone service to competition. He also joined Republicans to reduce welfare benefits. D. Finally, the American economy was more closely intertwined with the global economy than it ever had been. Clinton, like his predecessors, had continued to push for elimination of trade barriers. A North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA. had further increased economic ties between the United States and its largest trading partners, Canada and Mexico. E. While many Americans remained convinced that global economic integration benefited all nations, the growing interdependence created some dislocations as well. Workers in high-technology industries at which the United States excelled fared rather well, but competition from many foreign countries that generally had lower labor costs tended to dampen wages in traditional manufacturing industries. F. The expansion that began in March 1991 has raised real gross domestic product by more than a third, minted 100,000 more people earning a million dollars a year. After peaking at $290,000 million in 1992, the federal budget deficit steadily shrank as economic growth increased tax revenues. In 1998, the government posted its first surplus in 30 years, although a huge debt mainly in the form of promised future Social Security payments to the baby boomers remained. G. Best of all, the healthy economy has transformed the psyche of millions of Americans. The pervasive gloom at the beginning of the 1990s is gone.

填空题[A] In 1849 gold was discovered in California in the mountains near San Francisco. So started the famous Gold Rush of the 49ers across the vast, unexplored wilderness that lay west of the Mississippi. Whole families perished. One small group of 49ers, looking for a short cut across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, happened to enter the infamous Death Valley. It was lucky for them it was winter, for in summer Death Valley is about the hottest and most desolate place on earth. As it was, one of the group died of thirst, and it was the 49ers who gave the valley its grim name.[B] The completion of the railroad not only joined the cities of the east with California, it also brought prosperity to the isolated farmers of the plains, and to the ranchers who were now able to send their cattle to the slaughterhouses in freight cars. In fact, the new railroad became an essential life-line for a nation which now stretched 3000 miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans.[C] As late as the 1880s a man in the Far west could be hanged for stealing a horse, yet get no more than five years in jail for robbing a bank. Ever since the pioneers went west into the unknown, they depended absolutely on their horses and their guns. If a man lost his horse or his gun in the deserts, mountains or forests of Nevada, Arizona and eastern California, he stood no chance. Hunger, thirst, a grizzly bear, a mountain lion, or hostile Indians would finish him off sooner or later. A frontiers man had to be tough, brave and resourceful in those days.[D] The colonization of the West was given a tremendous impetus by the building of the Transcontinental railroad, one of the great engineering feats of all time. Congress decided that the laying of the tracks should begin from the East and the West at the same time. So the building of this railroad lined with poles for the first east-west telegraph system, developed into a race. The Easterners, moving across the plains, progressed faster, for they did not have to tunnel through giant mountains or bridge gaping canyons. The two railroads linked up in Utah on July 10th, 1867. There was great excitement, and a special ceremony to mark the occasion.[E] Deserts, mountains and forests are still the frontier between teeming Californian cities and the sparsely populated wilderness of Nevada and eastern California. Even today, Nevada has hardly more than 500 thousand inhabitants, most of whom live in the cities of Las Vegas and Reno.[F] Later, in 1865, after the Civil War, disillusioned soldiers, unable to find work, followed in the footsteps of the 49ers. They did not find much gold, but they found rich pastures for cattle. It was they who founded the USA's great food industry, and they worked with the vigor and courage of the early pioneers and with a faith fortified by the Bible.[G] Some Americans feel that the frontier spirit no longer exists in the USA. But it expressed itself in a number of ways. Americans do not like being without work, and they will travel hundreds of miles in search of a job, showing a courage and an enterprise which is un-usual in most of the older European countries. Then there is the exploration of outer space. President John Kennedy in a speech to the nation, spoke of this "New Frontier." The frontier spirit certainly played a part in putting the first men on the noon, the most recent of all frontiers to be crossed.

填空题A."Ijustdon'tknowhowtomotivatethemtodoabetterjob.We'reinabudgetcrunchandIhaveabsolutelynofinancialrewardsatmydisposal.Infact,we'llprobablyhavetolaysomepeopleoffinthenearfuture.It'shardformetomakethejobinterestingandchallengingbecauseitisn't—it'sboring,routinepaperwork,andthereisn'tmuchyoucandoaboutit."B."Finally,Ican'tsaytothemthattheirpromotionswillhingeontheexcellenceoftheirpaperwork.Firstofall,theyknowit'snottrue.Iftheirperformanceisadequate,mostaremorelikelytogetpromotedjustbystayingontheforceacertainnumberofyearsthanforsomespecificoutstandingact.Second,theyweretrainedtodothejobtheydooutinthestreets,nottofilloutforms.Allthroughtheircareeritisthearrestsandinterventionsthatgetnoticed."C."I'vegotarealproblemwithmyofficers.Theycomeontheforceasyoung,inexperiencedmen,andwesendthemoutonthestreet,eitherincarsoronawalk.Theyseemtolikethecontacttheyhavewiththepublic,theactioninvolvedincrimeprevention,andtheapprehensionofcriminals.Theyalsolikehelpingpeopleoutatfires,accidents,andotheremergencies."D."Somepeoplehavesuggestedanumberofthingslikeusingconvictionrecordsasaperformancecriterion.However,weknowthat'snotfair—toomanyotherthingsareinvolved.Badpaperworkincreasesthechancethatyouloseincourt,butgoodpaperworkdoesn'tnecessarilymeanyou'llwin.Wetriedsettingupteamcompetitionsbasedontheexcellenceofthereports,buttheguyscaughtontothatprettyquickly.Noonewasgettinganytypeofrewardforwinningthecompetition,andtheyfiguredwhytheyshouldlaborwhentherewasnopayoff."E."Theproblemoccurswhentheygetbacktothestation.Theyhatetodothepaperwork,andbecausetheydislikeit,thejobisfrequentlyputoffordoneinadequately.Thislackofattentionhurtsuslateronwhenwegettocourt.Weneedclear,factualreports.Theymustbehighlydetailedandunambiguous.Assoonasonepartofareportisshowntobeinadequateorincorrect,therestofthereportissuspect.Poorreportingprobablycausesustolosemorecasesthananyotherfactor."F."SoIjustdon'tknowwhattodo.I'vebeengropinginthedarkinanumberofyears.AndIhopethatthisseminarwillshedsomelightonthisproblemofmineandhelpmeoutinmyfuturework."G.Alargemetropolitancitygovernmentwasputtingonanumberofseminarsforadministrators,managersandexecutivesofvariousdepartmentsthroughoutthecity.Atoneofthesesessionsthetopictobediscussedwasmotivation—howwecangetpublicservantsmotivatedtodoagoodjob.Thedifficultyofapolicecaptainbecamethecentralfocusofthediscussion.Order:

填空题[A] Possible ways to keep free from Alzheimer's[B] Deficiency of data-collecting in the study[C] The new findings of ineffectiveness of past cures[D] Weak evidence of the research[E] How the new analysis coming from[F] Future direction of the research concerned[G] Traditional beliefs in preventive measures Lifestyle May Not Prevent Alzheimer's A comprehensive analysis by an independent government panel has found that there is not enough scientific evidence to date to support the advice doctors currently give—such as exercising, doing crossword puzzles or eating a Mediterranean-style diet—for preventing or controlling symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. (41)______ As rates of age-related dementia and Alzheimer's disease have continued to rise in the U.S.—largely because Americans are living longer and the over-65 population has swelled to record highs—researchers have worked relentlessly to understand the causes of these mind- robbing diseases and to help prevent or slow their progression. To clarify the state of the current evidence and offer physicians clearer treatment guidelines, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in early 2009 commissioned a detailed analysis of existing studies, covering 165 papers published between 1984 and 2009. (42)______ For years, the prevailing hypothesis has been "Use it or lose it" when it comes to avoiding gradual age-related mental decline. Data has associated behaviors such as keeping the mind actively engaged throughout life, staying physically active, eating certain foods and supplementing the diet with specific vitamins and nutrients with lower rates of dementia in old age. These lifestyle factors appeared to limit cognitive decline of various kinds, from occasional "senior moments" to the more serious episodes of cognitive impairment that can be a prelude to Alzheimer's disease. (43)______ Now researchers at Duke University report in the current issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine that the data on the preventive effects of lifestyle factors is not as strong as they had thought. Led by Brenda Plassman, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, the study authors analyzed decades' worth of research, including observational studies in which scientists looked retrospectively at a group of participants to tease out associations between certain behaviors (like exercise) and selected effects (like scores on tests of memory and cognitive skills), as well as the more definitive clinical trials that randomly assign volunteers to intervention or control groups and then assess how the intervention affects cognitive ability. (44)______ Overall, the researchers say they were dismayed with the paucity and weakness of the existing evidence. "When we applied rigorous but consistent standards to review all the studies, we found that there was not sufficient evidence to recommend any single activity or factor that was protective of cognitive decline later in life, " says Plassman. (45)______ However weakly, though, the review did support what doctors know about risk factors for cognitive decline: smoking, diabetes, depression, metabolic syndrome and specific gene variants were all linked with increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. In addition, preventive behaviors such as eating a Mediterranean diet, exercising, maintaining cognitive engagement (doing puzzles, learning new things) and fostering extensive social relationships were linked to a lower risk. The problem is that none of these relationships were particularly robust, the authors say. And none were strong enough to justify recommending the behaviors to people who want to prevent or slow down the onset of dementia. The findings led the NIH to issue Monday's state-of-the-science statement, in which the agency notes, "Currently, firm conclusions cannot be drawn about the association of any modifiable risk factor with cognitive decline or Alzheimer's disease." Although the statement does not constitute an official policy or government recommendation, it serves as a guideline for doctors advising patients about the best evidence on the role of lifestyle factors in Alzheimer's prevention.

填空题41)____________Many of the options have already been rehearsed in the press: excluding some treatments from the NHS, charging for certain drugs and services, and developing voluntary or compulsory health insurance schemes. 42)____________We spend about 7 per cent of GDP on health, compared with 9 per cent in the Netherlands and 10 per cent in France and Germany. In terms of health outcomes versus spend, we compare pretty favourably. I don' t see private health care providing much of the solution to current problems. 43)____________Neither is close to being implemented, but the future could see a deliberate shift of attention to voluntary health insurance and an emphasis on social insurance. 44)____________Even so, higher taxes will plainly be needed to fund health care. I think we'll eventually see larger NHS charges, more rationing of medical services and restrictions on certain procedures without proven outcomes. Stricter eligibility criteria for certain treatments are another possibility. 45)____________.None of them is going to win votes for the political party desperate enough to introduce them—but then nobody is going to vote for ill—health or an early death either. [A] English National Health Service is a universal health keeping system. But Now, the shortage of money becomes a serious problem. [B] All such options would mean a sharp break with tradition and political fall out that could be extremely damaging. [C] The options provides solution to the shortage of money problem. [D] I expect individuals to take greater responsibility for their personal health using technology that allows self diag-nosis followed by serf- treatment or home care. [E] Looking at how far we' 11 be able to fund the Health Service in the 21st century raises any number of thorny is-sues. [F] More likely is a shift from universal health coverage to top up schemes which give people basic health entitlements but require them to finance other treatment through private financing, or opt out schemes which use tax relief to encourage individuals to make private provision. [G] Compared to its European Union counterparts Britain. operates a low cost health system.

填空题{{B}}Directions:{{/B}} In the following article, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 41-45, choose the most suitable one from the list A--G to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the blanks. Mark your answers on Answer Sheet 1. The government panel that sets U. S. vaccine policy already has begun discussing "universal immunization" as a way to boost vaccination rates and reduce flu-linked sickness and death, Dr. Scott Harper of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at a vaccine meeting this week. (41) ___________________ Harper acknowledged that the recent crisis momentarily upstaged universal immunization discussions, but said it remains a viable proposal. (42) ___________________ The vaccine meeting, held every year, seeks to set an agenda for the upcoming flu season. Participants many with a financial stake in getting more people vaccinated--said the universal vaccination push is likely to come within the next five years. (43) ___________________ Also, flu vaccine is altered every year because there are always different flu strains circulating. The unused vaccine is discarded at season's end, making flu shots financially unappealing for manufacturers. (44) ___________________ Sanofi Pasteur's Philip Hosbach said the company has two idle U. S. factories "because there's not the return on the investment." Universal vaccination could in the long term help stabilize supply if it increased demand, he said. (45) ___________________ Demand has historically been a problem, too. Millions of the at-risk patients routinely skip annual shots. Some people worry the vaccine isn't safe or they simply don't like shots, but many also underestimate the seriousness of flu, said Dr. Ann O'Malley, a researcher at the Center for Studying Health System Change. A. "Part of our job is to just keep this issue on the radar screen," Harper told vaccine providers, distributors and manufacturers at the national flu vaccine summit here. B. So far only one company, Sanofi Pasteur, is licensed to make U. S. flu vaccine for the upcoming season, though public health officials hope two others, including Chiron, will soon gain approval. C. Estimates suggest that in an average year, flu infects about 82 million people nationwide, hospitalizes 200,000 and kills 36,000. D. Dr. Herb Young of the American Academy of Family Physicians said recommending shots for everyone could ease the confusion--and that his group is moving toward supporting the idea. E. The hurdles, some observers say, are daunting. Unstable supply is one of the biggest. This year the best case scenario--having about 90 million shots available--isn't even enough for the 180 million high-risk people advised to get shots, let alone the total population of 280 million. F. The end of a chaotic season where many people seeking flu shots were turned away because of a shortage might seem an odd time to broach the idea of vaccinating even more people. G. But I'ra Longini, an Emory University biostatistician who specializes in vaccine analysis, said universal vaccination would be unworkable unless supply problems can be resolved.

填空题After its misadventures in 1993. when American marines were driven out of Somalia by skinny gunmen, America has used a long spoon in supping with Somalia's warlords. This. tike so much else, changed on September 11th. (41) Clandestine. up to a point: within hours of the arrival in Baidoa of nine closely cropped Americans sporting matching satellite phones and shades, their activities were broadcast. After meeting various warlords, the group inspected a compound that had apparently been offered to them as their future base. They also saw an old military depot. Neither can have been encouraging: the compound has been taken over by war-displaced families, and the depot by thorn-scrub. America was already convinced of al-Qaeda's presence in Somalia. It had listed a Somali Islamic group, al-ltihaad al-Islamiya (Islamic Unity), as a terrorist organisation. (42) . It fears that lawless Somalia could become a haven for escapes from Afghanistan. The American navy Is currently patrolling the country's long coastline, while spy planes are said to be crisscrossing the heavens. (43) . With a little bit of help, he told his American visitors, he would be ready "to liberate the country from these evil forces". America had already heard as much through its embassies in Nairobi and Addis Ababa, which maintain contact with the warlords, and from Ethiopia. The warlords are supported by Ethiopia. which has a historical fear of a strong Somalia. in a bid to oppose the government. But their differing views on where to strike at the "terrorists" reveal that their individual ambitions are even sharper than their dislike of the government. Mr. Ismail says that Merca. which is claimed by his Rahanwein clan. is the capital of terror. (44) . The UN says there is only an orphanage there now. But the island is close to Mr. Morgan's home town of Kismaayo, which he failed to capture from a pro- government militia in July, and he is determined not to fail again. None of this looks good for Somalia's official president, Abdiquassim Salad Hassan. whose government is in control of about half the capital, Mogadishu. He has formed his own anti-terrorism unit, and invited America to send investigators, or even troops. America. armed with stories about the presence of al-Itihaad members held back. but on December 18th sent an envoy to Mogadishu. Both Mr. Hassan and the UN say that al-Itihaad is not a terrorist organisation. It emerged as an armed force in 1991. battling for power in the aftermath of Siad Barre's fall. It had some early successes. briefly taking Kismaayo. But it was always dependent on the blessing of its members' clan elders. When the elders eventually called their fighters back. a hard core of Islamists fled to the Gedo border region where, in 1997, they were crushed by Ethiopian troops (45) . The Baidoa alliance plainly hopes to be supported as proxies in a fight against "terrorism" and the Mogadishu regime. But the latest intelligence leaks suggest that the first reports may have overestimated al-Qaeda's presence in Somalia. Nor would Mr. bin Laden and his henchmen find it easy to lie low in an oral culture that considers rumour-mongering to be a form of manners. Even so. the warlords seem to believe that they have won some promise of help. Soon after the arrival of the American group, they pulled out of the peace talks they had been holding with their government in Nairobi.[A] Al-Itihaad subsequently infiltrated Somalia's business class, and now runs Islamic schools, courts and clinics with the money it has accumulated.[B] According to Abdullahi Sheikh Ismait, the acting chairman of the loose alliance of warlords who control most of Somalia and are based in Baidoa. there are "approximately 20.480 armed extremists" in Somalia and "85% of the government is al-Itihaad".[C] Muhammad Hersi Morgan, known as the "butcher of Hargeisa" because he once razed that town to the ground, says an al-Itihaad camp on Ras Kamboni island, is still active.[D] But since September 11th 2001. western governments, anxious to prevent al-Qaeda from using Somalia as a base. have pressed the warlords to make peace.[E] American intelligence officers are working with two warlords to gather information about suspected at-Qaeda people in Somalia.[F] On December 9th America sent a clandestine mission to talk to a collection of Somali warlords. who like to claim that their country, in particular their UN-sponsored government, is overrun with terrorists[G] It had also forced the closure of Barakaat, Somalia's biggest banking and telecoms company, which handles most of the remittances that Somalis working abroad send back to their families.

填空题{{B}}Directions:{{/B}}In the following article, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 41～45, choose the most suitable one from the list A～G to fit into each of the numbered blanks. There are two extra choices which do not fit in any of the gaps. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. The job of raising children is a tough one. Children don't come with an instruction manual. And each child is different.41)__________. To Americans, the goal of parents is to help children stand on their own two feet. From infancy, each child may get his or her own room. As children grow, they gain more freedom to make their own choices. Teenagers choose their own forms of entertainment, as well as the friends to share them with.42)__________. But once they "leave the nest" at around 18 to 21 years old, they want to be on their own, not "tied to their mother's apron strings." 43)__________. When children become adults, their relationship with their parents becomes more like a friendship among equals. But contrary to popular belief, most adult Americans don't make their parents pay for room and board when they come to visit. Even as adults, they respect and honor their parents. 44)__________.Many Americans have strong feelings about which type of arrangement is best. Some argue that attending a day care center can be a positive experience for children. Others insist that mothers are the best caregivers for children. A number of women are now leaving the work force to become full-time homemakers. 45)__________.Many parents feel that an old-fashioned spanking helps youngsters learn what "No!" means. Others prefer alternate forms of discipline. For example, "time outs" have become popular in recent years. Children in "time out' have to sit in a corner or by a wall. They can get up only when they are ready to act nicely. Older children and teenagers who break the rules may be grounded, or not allowed to go out with friends. Some of their privileges at home--like TV or telephone use—may also be taken away for a while. Although discipline can' t fun for parents or children, it's a necessary part of training. Being a parent is a tall order. It takes patience, love, wisdom, courage and a good sense of humor to raise children (and not lose your sanity). Some people are just deciding not to have children at all, since they're not sure it's worth it, But raising children means training the next generation and preserving our culture. What could be worth more than that? A. The relationship between parents and children in America is very informal. American parents try to treat their children as individuals--not as extensions of them- selves. They allow them to fulfill their own dreams. Americans praise and encourage their children to give them the confidence to succeed. B. So parents sometimes pull their hair out in frustration, not knowing what to do. But in raising children—as in all of life—what we do is influenced by our culture. Naturally then, American parents teach their children basic American values. C. Disciplining children is another area that American parents have differing opinions about. D. Naturally, every parent wants their child to be safe, whether the child is online or on the school bus. And certainly if you suspect your child is involved in drugs, inappropriate relationships, or other dangerous situations, it' s your responsibility to step in and intervene using whatever tools are necessary. E. When they reach young adulthood, they choose their own careers and marriage partners. Of course, many young adults still seek their parents' advice and approval for the choices they make. F. Most young couples with children struggle with the issue of childcare. Mothers have traditionally stayed home with their children, In recent years, though, a growing trend is to put preschoolers in a day care center so Mom can work. G. Keep the family PC in an accessible part of the house where you can easily keep an eye on your children's activity, and limit the amount of time your kids spend online. Discuss some of the dangers of the Internet with older children, and make sure they understand that they should not provide personal information such as their name, address, or school to people they meet online, and they should never agree to meet an online acquaintance face to face without your permission.

填空题Northern Europeans will not forget the name Eyjafjallajokull (埃亚菲亚德拉冰盖) in a hurry, even if they may have trouble pronouncing it. Monday April 19th marked a fifth day of jet-free skies over a huge swathe of the continent as a result of the eruption of the Icelandic volcano, which began pumping large quantities of ash into the sky last Wednesday. {{U}} 1 {{/U}}______. Demonstrating the unpredictability of volcanic eruptions, Britain's National Air Traffic Service said on Monday afternoon that airspace in Scotland and parts of northern England would reopen on Tuesday morning, and sounded optimistic that the rest of Britain would be cleared for flying later in the day; hut later switched to a more cautious tone as a new ash cloud began spreading. Earlier, Norway, Sweden and Finland had allowed a few mainly domestic flights to operate. The civil-aviation authorities had come under strong pressure from European airlines, several of whom had conducted successful test flights in the supposed danger zone. However, the engines of a Finnish military jet did suffer considerable damage as a result of breathing in the ash. By late on Monday night there was still no clear answer as to how long the disruption might last. {{U}} 2 {{/U}}______ Furthermore, there is no way of telling what concentration of ash the test aircraft were flying through. The best source of information for the moment is a theoretical model of where the cloud might be, taking into account the prevailing wind and other weather conditions. One interesting wrinkle is that studies of natural disasters tend to be paid for by insurance companies. As volcano eruption is deemed to be an uninsurable (不可予以保险的) risk, there are few studies to turn to. {{U}} 3 {{/U}}______ The industry body reckons that its members have been losing $ 200m a day as a result of the shut-down. On Monday British Airways said that it and other European airlines had asked for cash from the EU in compensation for the losses suffered because of the closure of airspace, citing the bailout offered to American airlines in the wake of the September 11th 2001 terror attacks. IATA reckons the situation for Europe's airlines is even worse than then. {{U}} 4 {{/U}}______ If meteorologists and vulcanologists developed a dynamic model of the ash cloud's progress, it might be possible to keep more airports open, and to reroute planes to get passengers moving again. Wind patterns could change at any time and some reckon that they might do so by the end of the week. If the ash cloud were to drift in another direction flights could be sent around or above it. But when it sits over Europe's biggest airports, that is all but impossible. And while there remains any uncertainty, passengers may decide not to make trips in case the temporary respite reverses along with the wind. stranding them far from home. {{U}} 5 {{/U}}______ Some fear that they could be in for a long wait. Icelandic volcanic activity has been low for some time. Eyjafjallajokull is particularly prone to producing the fine ash that has caused the current mayhem. So far, aside from airlines and air travellers, the impact has been limited. But as the shutdown continues Europe's fragile economies will suffer as tourists fail to arrive, meetings are cancelled and businesses with supply chains that rely on air freight nervously watch stocks running down. [A] This uncertainty has led the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to plead on behalf of its members for Europe's government to rethink policy on shutting airspace. [B] If the eruption were to worsen again, there are several ways that the damage wrought by the volcano might be mitigated. [C] That fine volcanic ash could pose a risk to jet engines, which have broken down in the past' after exposure to similar volcanic material. Many of Europe's busiest airports remained out of action. [D] Some air freight might take to the road or water—98% of the world's trade is already carried by ship. And plenty of the world's container vessels are sitting idly waiting for the world economy to pick up after the recent recession in the rich world. [E] For one thing, the European Aviation Safety Agency says that there is currently no consensus as to what is an acceptable level of ash in the atmosphere. [F] Some airlines were offering little compensation, leaving cash-strapped travelers to turn a number of international airports into impromptu emergency shelters. Across Europe, meanwhile, authorities were weighing cancellations of championship soccer matches and heads of state were altering travel plans. [G] Even if the volcano stopped emitting ash immediately, it might take two or more weeks before airlines could restore their schedules, with planes and crew stuck around the globe along with their passengers.

填空题A. Set a Good Example for Your Kids B. Build Your Kids' Work Skills C. Place Time Limits on Leisure Activities D. Talk about the Future on a Regular Basis E. Help Kids Develop Coping Strategies F. Help Your Kids Figure Out Who They Are G. BuildYour Kids' Sense of Responsibility How Can a Parent Help?Mothers and fathers can do a lot to ensure a safe landing in early adulthood for their kids. Even if a job's starting salary seems too small to satisfy an emerging adult' s need for rapid content, the transition from school to work can be less of a setback if the start-up adult is ready for the move. Here are a few measures, drawn from my bookReady or Not, Here Life Comes, that parents can take to prevent what I call "work-life unreadiness": 41．_________________.You can start this process when they are 11 or 12. Periodically review their emerging strengths and weak- nesses with them, and work together on any shortcomings, like difficulty in communicating well or collaborating. Also, identify the kinds of interests they keep coming back to, as these offer clues to the careers that will fit them best 42．_________________.Kids need a range of authentic role models -- as opposed to members of their clique, pop stars and vaunted athletes. Have regular dinner-table discussions about people the family knows and how they got where they are. Discuss the joys and downsides of your own career and encourage your kids to form some ideas about their own future. When asked what they want to do, they should be discouraged from saying "I have no idea." They can change their minds 200 times, but having only a foggy view of the future is of little good. 43．_________________. Teachers are responsible for teaching kids how to learn; parents should be responsible for teaching them how to work. Assign responsibilities around the house and make sure homework deadlines are met. Encourage teenagers to take a part-time job. Kids need plenty of practice delaying gratification and deploying effective organizational skills, such as managing time and setting priorities.44．___________________. Playing video games encourages immediate content. And hours of watching TV shows with canned laughter only teaches kids to process information in a passive way. At the same time, listening through earphones to the same monotonous beats for long stretches encourages kids to stay inside their bubble instead of pursuing other endeavors. All these activities can prevent the growth of important communication and thinking skills and make in difficult for kids to develop the kinds of sustained concentration they will need for most jobs.45．___________________. They should know how to deal with setbacks, stresses and feelings of inadequacy. They should also learn how to solve problems and resolve conflicts, ways to brainstorm and think critically. Discussions at home can help kids practice doing these things and help them apply these skills to everyday life situations. What about the son or daughter who is grown but seems to be struggling and wandering aimlessly through early adulthood? Parents still have a major role to play, but now it is more delicate. They have to be careful not to come across as disappointed in their child. They should exhibit strong interest and respect for whatever currently interests their fledging adult (as naive or ill-conceived as it may seem) while becoming a partner in exploring options for the future. Most of all, these new adults must feel that they are respected and supported by a family that appreciates them.

填空题[A] The impotence of creationism.[B] Natural selection acts by competition.[C] The role of natural selection in this colorful world[D] The delicate hierarchy of the natural system.[E] The agency of selection can account for more cases.[F] No leaps in natural evolution. As each species tends by its geometrical rate of reproduction to increase excessively in number; and as the modified descendants of each species will be enabled to increase by as much as they become more diversified in habits and structure, so as to be able to seize on many and widely different places in natural selection to preserve the most divergent offspring of any one species. Hence, during a long-continued course of modification, the slight differences characteristic of varieties of the same species, tend to be augmented into the greater differences characteristic of the species of the same genus. 41. __________ New and improved varieties will inevitably displace and destroy the older, less improved, and intermediate varieties; and thus species are rendered to a large extent defined and distinct objects. Dominant species belonging to the larger groups within each class tend to give birth to new and dominant forms; so that each large group tends to become still larger, and at the same time more divergent in character. But as all groups cannot thus go on increasing in size, for the world would not hold them, the more dominant groups beat the less dominant. 42. __________ This tendency in the large groups to go on increasing in size and diverging in character, together with the inevitability of much extinction, explains the arrangement of all the forms of life in groups subordinate to groups, all within a few great classes, which has prevailed throughout all time. This grand fact of the grouping of all organic beings under what is called the Natural System, is utterly unexplainable on the theory of creation. 43. __________ As natural selection acts solely by accumulating slight, successive, favorable variations, it can produce no great or sudden modifications; it can act only by short and slow steps. We can see why throughout nature the same general end is gained by an almost infinite diversity of means, for every peculiarity when once acquired in long inherited, and structures already modified in many different ways have to be adapted for the same general purpose. We can, in short, see why nature is extravagant in variety, though not generous in innovation. But why this should be a law of nature if each species has been independently created no man can explain. 44. __________ Many other facts are, as it seems to me, explicable on this theory. How strange it is that a bird, under the form of a woodpecker, should prey on insects on the ground and that upland geese which rarely or never swim, should possess webbed feet, and so in endless other cases. But on the view of each species constantly trying to increase in number, with natural selection always ready to adapt the slowly varying descendants of each to any unoccupied or ill-occupied place in nature, these facts cease to be strange, or might even have been anticipated. 45. __________ We can to a certain extent understand how it is that there is so much beauty throughout nature; for this may be largely attributed to the agency of selection. That beauty, according to our sense of it, is not universal, must be admitted by every one who will look at some hideous bats with a distorted resemblance to the human face. Sexual selection has given the most brilliant colors, elegant patterns, and other ornaments to the males. With birds it has often rendered the voice of the male musical to the female, as well as to our ears. Flowers and fruit have been rendered conspicuous by brilliant colors in contrast with the green foliage, in order that the flowers may be readily seen, visited and fertilized by insects. As natural selection acts by competition, it adapts and improves the inhabitants of each country only in relation to their co-inhabitants; so that we need feel no surprise at the species of any one country being beaten and supplanted by the naturalized productions from another land. The wonder indeed is, on the theory of natural selection, that more cases of the want of absolute perfection have not been detected.