填空题[A] What have they found? [B] Is it true that laughing can make us healthier? [C] So why do people laugh so much? [D] What makes you laugh? [E] How did you come to research it? [F] So what's it for?Why are you interested in laughter? It's a universal phenomenon, and one of the most common things we do. We laugh many times a day, for many different reasons, but rarely think about it, and seldom consciously control it. We know so little about the different kinds and functions of laughter, and my interest really starts there. Why do we do it? What can laughter teach us about our positive emotions and social behaviour? There's so much we don't know about how the brain contributes to emotion and I think we can get at understanding this by studying laughter. 41. Only 10 or 20 per cent of laughing is a response to humour. Most of the time it's a message we send to other people—communicating joyful disposition, a willingness to bond and so on. It occupies a special place in social interaction and is a fascinating feature of our biology, with motor, emotional and cognitive components. Scientists study all kinds of emotions and behaviour, but few focus on this most basic ingredient. Laughter gives us a clue that we have powerful systems in our brain which respond to pleasure, happiness and joy. It's also involved in events such as release of fear. 42. My professional focus has always been on emotional behaviour. I spent many years investigating the neural basis of fear in rats, and came to laughter via that route. When I was working with rats, I noticed that when they were alone, in an exposed environment, they were scared and quite uncomfortable. Back in a cage with others, they seemed much happier. It looked as if they played with one another—real rough-and-tumble—and I wondered whether they were also laughing. The neurobiologist Jaak Panksepp had shown that juvenile rats make short vocalisations, pitched too high for humans to hear, during rough-and- tumble play. He thinks these are similar to laughter. This made me wonder about the roots of laughter. 43. Everything humans do has a function, and laughing is no exception. Its function is surely communication. We need to build social structures in order to live well in our society and evolution has selected laughter as a useful device for promoting social communication. In other words, it must have a survival advantage for the species. 44. The brain scans are usually done while people are responding to humorous material. You see brainwave activity spread from the sensory processing area of the occipital lobe, the bit at the back of the brain that processes Visual signals, to the brain's frontal lobe. It seems that the frontal lobe is involved in recognising things as funny. The left side of the frontal lobe analyses the words and structure of jokes while the right side does the intellectual analyses required to "get" jokes. Finally, activity spreads to the motor areas of the brain controlling the physical task of laughing. We also know about these complex pathways involved in laughter from neurological illness and injury. Sometimes after brain damage, tumours, stroke or brain disorders such as Parkinson's disease, people get "stonefaced syndrome" and can't laugh. 45. I laugh a lot when I watch amateur videos of children, because they're so natural. I'm sure they're not forcing anything funny to happen. I don't particularly laugh hard at jokes, but rather at situations. I also love old comedy movies such as Laurel and Hardy and an extremely ticklish. After starting to study laughter in depth, I began to laugh and smile more in social situations, those involving either closeness or hostility. Laughter really creates a bridge between people, disarms them, and facilitates amicable behaviour.

填空题[A]Bycontrast,somewhatmorethan25percentoftheearth'spopulationcanbefoundintheindustrializedsocieties.Theyleadmodernlives.Theyareproductsofthefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury,moldedbymechanizationandmasseducation,broughtupwithlingeringmemoriesoftheirowncountry'sagriculturalpast.Theyare,ineffect,thepeopleofthepresent.[B]Theremaining2or3percentoftheworld'spopulation,however,arenolongerpeopleofeitherthepastorthepresent.Forwithinthemaincentersoftechnologicalandculturalchange,inSantaMonica,CaliforniaandCambridge,Massachusetts,inNewYorkandLondon,andTokyo,aremillionsofmenandwomenwhocanalreadybesaidtobelivingthewayoflifeofthefuture.Trend-makersoftenwithoutbeingawareofit,livetodayasmillionswilllivetomorrow.Andwhiletheyaccountforonlyafewpercentoftheglobalpopulationtoday,theyarealreadyfromaninternationalnationofthefutureinourmidst.Theyaretheadvancedagentsofman,theearliestcitizensoftheworldwidesuper-industrialsocietynowinthethroesofbirth.[C]Itis,infact,nottoomuchtosaythatthepaceoflifedrawsalinethroughhumanity,dividingusintocamps,triggeringhittermisunderstandingbetweenparentandchild,betweenMadisonAvenueandMainStreet,betweenmenandwomen,betweenAmericanandEuropean,betweenEastandWest.[D]Whatmakesthemdifferentfromtherestofmankind?Certainly,theyarericher,bettereducated,moremobilethanthemajorityofthehumanrace.Theyalsolivelonger.Butwhatspecificallymarksthepeopleofthefutureisthefactthattheyarealreadycaughtupinanew,stepped-uppaceoflife.They"livefaster"thanthepeoplearoundthem.[E]Theinhabitantsoftheeartharedividednotonlybyrace,nation,religionorideology,butalso,inasense,bytheirpositionintime.Examiningthepresentpopulationoftheglobe,wefindatinygroupwhostilllive,huntingandfood-foraging,asmendidmillenniaago.Others,thevastmajorityofmankind,dependnotonbear-huntingorberry-picking,butonagriculture.Theylive,inmanyrespects,astheirancestorsdidcenturiesago.Thesetwogroupstakentogethercomposeperhaps70percentofalllivinghumanbeings.Theyarethepeopleofthepast.[F]Somepeoplearedeeplyattractedtothishighlyacceleratedpaceoflife—goingfaroutoftheirwaytobringitaboutandfeelinganxious,tenseoruncomfortablewhenthepaceslows.Theywantdesperatelytobe"wheretheactionis.'JamesA.Wilsonhasfound,forexample,thattheattractionforafastpaceoflifeisoneofthehiddenmotivatingforcesbehindthemuch-publicized"brain-drain"—themassmigrationofEuropeanscientistsandengineerswhomigratedtotheU.S.andCanada.Heconcludedthatitwasnohighersalariesorbetterresearchfacilitiesalone,butalsothequickertempothatlurethem.Themigrants,hewrites,"arenotputoffbywhattheyindicatedasthefasterpace'ofNorthAmerica;ifanything,theyappeartopreferthispacetoothers."[G]Thepaceoflifeisfrequentlycommentedonbyordinarypeople.Yet,oddlyenough,ithasreceivedalmostnoattentionfromeitherpsychologistsorsociologists.Thisisagapinginadequacyinthebehavioralsciences,forthepaceoflifeprofoundlyinfluencesbehavior,evokingstrongandcontrastingreactionsfromdifferentpeople.Notes：gaping是gape的现在分词；gapevi.裂开。nottoomuch一点也不多，一点也不过分。MadisonAvenue麦迪逊街(纽约一条街道的名字。美国主要广告公司、公共关系事务所集中于此。常用以表示此等公司之作风、做法等。)。MainStreet实利主义社会。food-foraging觅食的。millennium千年。trend-maker(＝trend-setter)领导新潮的人。inthethroesof为……而苦干、搏斗。becaughtupin陷入。goingfaroutoftheirwaytobringitabout远远没有阻碍它的诞生。brain-drain(高科技)人才流动(从欧洲到美洲)。Order:

填空题Today there is widespread agreement that multinational corporations will have an important effect on international relations and world economy. But there is little agreement on exactly what that effect will be. There are two groups of those who see them as benevolent and those who see them as evil. Among those who see multinational corporations as benevolent, many emphasize their importance in helping reduce the gap between rich countries and poor ones. These business giants are referred to as "engines of development" because it is claimed that they do more to improve the economic life in less developed countries than all governmental foreign aid programs have ever done. By setting up factories abroad, they provide jobs; by equipping these factories with the latest machines and equipment, they make available the most modern technology. (1) . In fact, they do better on their own. It may have been necessary in the mid-nineteen century for Admiral Perry to threaten the Japanese with naval bombardment if they did not allow western countries to trade with them. Such threats would make no sense today. (2) . The leaders of multinational corporations see patriotism as old-fashioned, the nation-state obsolete, and war in pursuit of national glory downright foolish. They believe that the multinational corporation is "a modern concept evolved to meet the requirements of modern age", while the nation-state is "still rooted in archaic concepts unsympathetic to the need of our complex world." (3) . "I think," an official of General Electric once said, "getting General Electric everywhere in the world is the biggest thing we can do for world peace." These proponents of the multinational corporations come by and large from the business world. There are, however, many critics among academic students of multinational corporations who regard them as a sinister force. They have produced detailed studies to prove that the benefits of multinational corporations are mostly illusory. To the claim that multinational corporations provide jobs, they point out that this is at the cost of jobs in other countries. To the claim that multinational corporations transfer technology, they reply: (1) often the equipment shipped overseas is out of date; (2) their technology is often unsuitable for many of the less developed countries where labor is plentiful and therefore cheap. (4) . Therefore, they maintain that instead of being the "engines of development", the multinational corporations are actually "engines of impoverishment". These critics do not deny that consumption of the products of these corporations has risen in countries around the world. (5) . Therefore, although these corporations may breakdown national frontiers they strengthen class distinctions, widening the gap between the rich and the poor, creating greater social injustice and instability. A. The long, expensive American war in Vietnam did not bring new opportunities in Southeast Asia for the multinational corporations. The decision of the Nixon administration to improve relations with China was more profitable to them. B. The fact that both American teenagers and Mexican peasants are drinking Coca Cola does not mean that the life of the Mexican peasants is getting better due to the multinational corporations. C. They therefore characterize themselves as hard-headed people who are helping to bring about a more cooperative system or world order by breaking down national, geographical, political, economic and ideological barriers. D. One study actually showed that multinational corporations do not invest capital from wealthy countries, but prefer to finance their operations from the local economy. In other words, they are simply transferring wealth from poorer countries to richer ones. E. According to these critics, states will soon realize that they have lost their control over issues such as taxation, employment and even the stability of their own currency. F. But they point out that this so-called "Global Shopping Center" is available only to a very small portion of the local population. G. Because goods are now produced within the less developed countries, there is less need for them to import from abroad, and their balance of payments will improve. Multinational corporations today do not need their countries to provide military force to open foreign countries to their investment, products and sales.

填空题 The best way to calm down concerns about doctors' and researchers' financial conflicts of interest is to require full disclosure, according to an expert report that adds its voice to a growing chorus. A panel of the National Academies' Institute of Medicine (IOM) says faculty members at medical institutions should be required to report all industry money they receive from outside their institution to special committees. {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}But IOM's mostly voluntary plan has an important selling point, some say: It could head off more-intrusive federal regulations. Panel members agreed that some action is called for. "Many relationships between researchers and industry are very constructive, but it has to be overseen and kept in bounds," says panel chair Bernard Lo, a bioethicist at the University of California, San Francisco. {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}Similar concerns resulted in a ban on all such payments to scientists at National Institutes of Health, Lo notes. More recently, as part of an ongoing investigation, Senator Chuck Grassley has identified several psychiatrists who allegedly failed to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting income. Disclosure is "a critical but limited first step" toward addressing conflicts of interest, the IOM panel concludes. {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}Companies should also disclose money given to institutions, scientific societies, patient groups, and basic researchers, the report says, because their work can lead to clinical trials. Three of the 17 panel members recommended that physicians and researchers themselves also be required to publicly report their financial ties with companies, including stock.{{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}} As a rule, the report says, institutions should ensure that if a significant conflict exists, a researcher "may not conduct research with human participants" unless his or her role is essential to the research.{{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}} Many of these steps have been recommended in past reports from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which has also endorsed the company payments database. But not all schools have followed AAMC's advice. "We give a pretty clear warning," Lo says. "If the institutions don't get their act together, they're really inviting the legislators to step in." A. It urges research and physician organizations to develop a standard reporting format. And it endorses a proposal similar to one from Grassley to require that drug and device companies report payments to physicians in a public database. B. That, he warns, could lead to "very, very blunt" regulations and "a risk that valuable relationships will be cut in ways that will hurt patients." C. The policy recommended by IOM would be far more intrusive than current U.S. rules, which require National Institutes of Health grantees to report to their own institutions outside income of more than ＄10,000 per year. D. The report also recormnends that institutions ban faculty members from accepting drug company gifts, serving as a spokesperson for a company, and authoring articles ghost-written by industry. E. Such payments would also have to be reported publicly by the companies. F. But the others disagreed partly because they felt it would be expensive, could intrude on privacy, and would not add much to the company database. G. IOM decided to undertake the study two years ago amid growing concerns that academic researchers who took drug company payments were withholding data from publication or otherwise biasing results.

填空题A. Human behaviorB. Culture attributesC. Physiology of Homo sapiensD. Classification of Homo sapiensE. Human societyF. Structure of Homo sapiensHuman, common name given to any individual of the species Homo sapiens and, by extension, to the entire species. The term is also applied to certain species that were the evolutionary forerunners of Homo sapiens. Scientists consider all living people members of a single species.41.__________ Homo sapiens is identified, for purposes of classification, as an animal with a backbone and segmented spinal cord that suckles its young; that gestates its young with the aid of a placenta; that is equipped with five-digited extremities, a collarbone, and a single pair of mammary glands on the chest; and that has eyes at the front of the head, stereoscopic vision, and a proportionately large brain. The species belongs to the family Hominidae, the general characteristics of which are discussed below. 42.__________ The details of skeletal structure distinguishing Homo sapiens from the nearest primate relatives-the gorilla, chimpanzee, and orangutan-stem largely from a very early adaptation to a completely erect posture and a two-footed striding walk. The uniquely S-shaped spinal column places the center of gravity of the human body directly over the area of support provided by the feet, thus giving stability and balance in the uptight position. Complete bipedalism in the human freed the hand to become a supremely sensitive instrument for precise manipulation and grasping. The most important structural detail in this refinement is the elongated human thumb, which can rotate freely and is fully opposable to the other fingers. The physiological requirements for speech were secondarily established by erect posture, which positions the vocal cords for controlled breathing, and by the skilled use of the hands. The latter development occurs in association with the enlargement and specialization of a brain area that is a prerequisite for refined control of the lips and tongue. 43.__________ The large brain of Homo sapiens is approximately double that of early human toolmakers. This great increase in size in only 2 million years was achieved by a process called neoteny, which is the prolongation of retention of immature characteristics. The juvenile stage of brain and skull development is prolonged so that they grow for a longer period of time in relation to the time required to reach sexual maturity. Unlike the early human adult skull, with its sloping forehead and prominent jaw, the modem human skull-with biologically insignificant variations-retains into maturity a proportionately large size, in relation to the rest of the body, a high-rounded dome, straight-planed face, and reduced jaw size, all closely resembling the characteristics of the skull in the juvenile chimpanzee. Its enlarged dimensions required adaptations for passage through the birth canal; consequently, the human female pelvis widens at maturity, and the human infant is born prematurely. 44.__________ The physiological adaptations that made humans more flexible than other primates allowed for the development of a wide range of abilities and an unparalleled versatility in behavior. The brain's great size, complexity, and slow maturation, with neural connections being added though at least the first 12 years of life, meant that learned behavior could largely modify stereotyped, instinctive responses. New environmental demands could be met by rapid adjustments rather than by slow genetic selection; thus, survival in a wide range of habitats and under extreme conditions eventually became possible without further species differentiation. Each new infant, however, with relatively few innate traits yet with a vast number of potential behaviors, must be taught to achieve its biological potential as a human. 45.__________ The human species has a unique capability for culture in the sense of conscious thinking and planning, transmission of skills and systems of social relationships, and creative modification of the environment. The integrated patterns of behavior required for planning and fashioning tools were accomplished at least 2.5 million years ago, and some form of advanced code for vocal communication may also have existed at this time. By 350, 000 years ago planned hunting, fire making, and the wearing of clothing were well established, as was possibly ritualized disposal of the dead. Evidence of religion, recorded events, and art date from 30, 000 to 40, 000 years ago and imply advanced language and ethics for the complex ordering of social groups required for such activities. From about that time the genus Homo began to stabilize into the one generalized species of Homo sapiens.

填空题Back when we were kids, the hours spent with friends were too numerous to count. There were marathon telephone conversations, all-night studying and giggling sessions. Even after boyfriends entered the picture, our best friends remained irreplaceable. And time was the means by which we nurtured those friendships. Now as adult women we never seem to have enough time for anything. Husbands, kids, careers and avocations--all require attention; too often, making time for our friends comes last on the list of priorities. And yet, ironically, we need our friends as much as ever in adulthood. A friendship network is absolutely crucial for our well-being as adults. We have to do the hard work of building and sustaining the network. Here are some important ways for accomplishing this. Let go of your less central friendships. Many of our friendships were never meant to last a lifetime. It's natural that some friendships have time limits. Furthermore, now everyone has a busy social calendar, so pull back from some people that you don't really want to draw close to and give the most promising friendship a fair chance to grow. (41) Be willing to "drop everything" when you're truly needed. You may get a call from a friend who is really depressed over a certain problem when you are just sitting down to enjoy a romantic dinner with your husband. This is just one of those instances when a friend's needs mattered more. (42) Take advantage of the mails. Nearly all of us have pals living far away--friends we miss very much. Given the limited time available for visits and the high price of phone calls, writing is a fine way to keep in touch--and makes both sender and receiver feel good. (43) Risk expressing negative feelings. When time together is tough to come by, it's natural to want the mood during that time to be upbeat. And many people fear that others will think less of you if you express the negative feelings like anger and hurt. (44) Don't make your friends' problems your own. Sharing your friend's grief is the way you show deep friendship. Never underestimate the value of loyalty. Loyalty has always been rated as one of the most desired qualities in friends. True loyalty can be a fairly subtle thing. Some people feel it means that, no matter what, your friend will always take your side. But real loyalty is being accepting the person, not necessarily of certain actions your friend might take. (45) Give the gift of time as often as time allows. Time is what we don't have nearly enough of--and yet, armed with a little ingenuity, we can make it to give it to our friends. The last but not the least thing to keep a friendship alive is to say to your friends "I miss you and love you. " Saying that at the end of a phone conversation, or a visit, or writing it on a birthday card, can sustain your friendship for the times you aren't together.[A] But taking on your friend's pain doesn't make that pain go away. There's a big difference between empathy or recognizing a friend's pain, and over identification, which makes the sufferer feel even weaker--"I must be in worse pain than I even thought, because the person I'm confiding in is suffering so much!" Remember troubled people just need their friends to stay grounded in their own feelings.[B] Remember honesty is the key to keeping a friendship real. Sharing your pain will actually deepen a friendship.[C] Besides, letters, cards and postcards have the virtue of being tangible--friends can keep them and reread them for years to come.[D] The trick is remembering that a little is better than none and that you can do two things at once. For instance, if you both go for a weekly aerobics, go on the same day. If you both want to go on vocation, schedule the same destination.[E] Careful listening, clear writing, close reading, plain speaking, and accurate description--will be invaluable. In tomorrow's fast-paced business environment there will be precious little time to correct any misunderstandings. Communications breakdown may well become a fatal corporate disease.[F] Sometimes, because of our unbreakable commitments or other circumstances, we simply can't give a needy friend the time we'd like. If you can't be there at that given moment, say something like, "I wish I could be with you--I can hear that you're in pain. May I call you tomorrow?" Be sure your friend knows she's cared about.

填空题Do mobile phones cause explosions at petrol stations? That question has just been exhaustively answered by Adam Burgess, a researcher at the University of Kent, in England. Oddly, however, Dr Burgess is not a physicist, but a sociologist. For the concern rests not on scientific evidence of any danger, but is instead the result of sociological factors: it is an urban myth, supported and propagated by official sources, but no less a myth for that. Dr Burgess presented his findings this week at the annual conference of the British Sociological Association. Mobile phones started to become widespread in the late 1980s, when the oil industry was in the middle of a concerted safety drive, Dr Burgess notes. This was, in large part, a response to the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988, when 167 people died in an explosion on an oil platform off the Scottish coast. 41.______So nobody questioned the precautionary ban on the use of mobile phones at petrol stations. The worry was that an electrical spark might ignite explosive fumes. 42.______But it was too late. The myth had taken hold. One problem, says Dr Burgess, is that the number of petrol-station fires increased in the late 1990s, just as mobile phones were proliferating. Richard Coates, BP's fire-safety adviser, investigated many of the 243 such fires that occurred around the world between 1993 and 2004. He concluded that most were indeed caused by sparks igniting petrol vapour, but the sparks themselves were the result of static electricity, not electrical equipment. Most drivers will have experienced a mild electric shock when climbing out of their vehicles. It is caused by friction between driver and seat, with the result that both end up electrically charged. When the driver touches the metal frame of the vehicle, the result is sometimes a spark. 43.______ 44. ______ One e-mail contained fictitious examples of such explosions said to have happened in Indonesia and Australia. Another, supposedly sent out by Shell, found its way on to an internal website at Exxon, says Dr Burgess, where it was treated as authoritative by employees. Such memos generally explain static fires quite accurately, but mistakenly attribute them to mobile phones. Official denials, says Dr Burgess, simply inflame the suspicions of conspiracy theorists. 45. ______ Warning signs. abound in Britain, America, Canada and Australia. The city of Sao Paulo, in Brazil, iatroduced a ban last year, And, earner tins month, a member of Connecticut's. senate proposed making the use of mobile phones in petrol stations in that state punishable by a $ 250 fine.[A] The safety drive did not apply merely to offshore operations: employees at some British oil-company offices are now required to use handrails while walking up and downstairs, for example.[B] As a result, the company had to pay a huge amount of compensation to the families of the victims and law suits concerning those fires seemed to be endless.[C] A further complication was the rise of the internet, where hoax memos, many claiming to originate from oil companies, warned of the danger of using mobile phones in petrol stations.[D] This is particularly noticeable in Britain. The country that led the way in banning mobile phones at petrol stations is also the country that has taken the strongest line on the safety of mobile-phone use by children.[E] Despite the lack of evidence that mobile phones can cause explosions, bans remain in place around the world, though the rules vary widely.[F] By the late 1990s, however, phone makers--having conducted their own research— realized that there was no danger of phones causing explosions since they could not generate the required sparks.[G] This seems to have become more common as plastic car interiors, synthetic garments and rubber-soled shoes have proliferated.

填空题{{B}}Directions:{{/B}} In the following text, 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 gaps. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. The U.S. space agency, NASA, is planning to launch a satellite that scientists hope will answer fundamental questions about the origin and destiny of our universe. (41) __________. The prevailing theory of the universe's origin, the "Big Bang" theory, says all matter and energy were once compressed into a tiny point. The density and resulting temperature were so enormous that, about 13-to-15-billion years ago by current estimates, a mighty explosion flung the matter hurtling outward in all directions. (42) __________.They also ask, is the expansion accelerating? Will the universe collapse? What is its shape? Scientists will seek explanations with NASA's new Microwave Anisotropy Probe, abbreviated as MAP. (43) __________."MAP will take the ultimate baby picture, an image of the infant universe taken in the fossil light that is still present from the Big Bang," he says. "This glow, this radiation, is the oldest light in the universe. Imprinted on this background, physicists knew, would be the secrets of the Big Bang itself." This background radiation is the light and heat that the early cosmic soup of matter emitted. Once roiling hot, it has cooled over the eons to just a few degrees above absolute zero. It was once thought to be distributed evenly. But in 1992, a highly sensitive NASA satellite named COBE detected nearly imperceptible variations in temperature as tiny as 30- millionths of a degree. (44) __________."These patterns result from tiny concentrations that were in the very early universe that were the seeds that grew to become the stars and the galaxies that we see today," he says. "The tiny patterns in the light hold the keys for understanding the history, the content, the shape, and the ultimate fate of our universe." (45) __________. Princeton University scientist David Spergel says MAP Will give us a much more accurate matter count than we have now. "Right now, we want to measure something like the matter-density of the universe," he says. "Today, we can estimate that to a factor of two. That's pretty good. What we want to do is be able to measure it to about the three-percent level, which is what MAP will be capable of doing." To do its job, the $145 million MAP spacecraft will settle into an orbit 1. 5 million kilometers from the Earth. This is where the Earth's and Sun's gravitational pull are equal, and well past the range of the Earth's own obscuring microwave radiation. While the older COBE satellite measured just a small part of the sky, Chalrles Bennett says MAP will scan the entire sky at 1,000 times better resolution. "The patterns that MAP measures are extremely difficult to measure," he says, "MAP will be measuring millionths of a degree temperature accuracies, and that's hard to do. That's like measuring the difference between two cups of sand to the accuracy of a single grain of sand." [A] The principal NASA scientist for the New MAP spacecraft, Charles Bennett, says the heat patterns represent slight differences in the density of the young universe, where denser regions evolved into the present web of structures. [B] NASA says the first results from the MAP mission will be ready in about 18 months after launch. [C] The spacecraft will orbit the Earth seeking answers from an extremely faint glow of microwaves that have existed since the beginning of time. [D] Scientists are trying to learn how it clumped together to produce stars, clusters of stars called galaxies, and clusters of galaxies. [E] Astronomers are reporting evidence that points to a massive star-eating black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. [F] One of those keys is the amount of matter and its density. More matter with a higher density me, fins mole gravitational pull, suggesting a slowing of the universe's expansion, and perhaps even its collapse. [G] The head of NASA's Evolution of the Universe program, Alan Bunner, says MAP will measure what is thought a remnant of the Big Bang--an afterglow of microwaves bathing the universe that was emitted by the ancient cosmic matter.