填空题A. Communication makes both parties know more about each other which makes an agreement. B. The argument itself cannot expand knowledge. C. Reasonable debate plays a positive role in knowledge advances. D. A basic common knowledge makes contribution to the argument from which people learn something. E. Generally, knowledge is gained by argument. F. Learning can be interrupted by the argument. G. Communication is closely associated with argument. Do we learn more from people whose views we share in common than from those whose ideas contradict? The speaker claims so, for the reason that disagreement can cause stress and inhabit learning. I concede that undue discord can impede learning. Otherwise, in my view we learn far more from discourse and debate with those whose ideas we oppose than from people whose ideas are in accord with our own. (1) . Admittedly, under some circumstances disagreement with others can be counterproductive to learning. For supporting examples, one need look no further than a television set. On today's typical television or radio talk show, disagreement usually manifests itself in meaningless rhetorical bouts and shouting matches, during which opponents vie to have their own message heard, but have little interest either in finding any common ground with or in acknowledging the merits of the opponent's viewpoint. Understandably, neither the combatants nor the viewers learn anything meaningful. In fact, these battles only serve to reinforce the predispositions and biases of all concerned. The end result is that learning is impeded. (2) . Disagreement can also inhibit learning when two opponents disagree on fundamental assumptions needed for meaningful discourse and debate. For example, a student of paleontology learns little about the evolution of an animal species under current study by debating with an individual whose religious belief system precludes the possibility of evolution to begin with. And, economics and finance students learn little about the dynamics of a laissez-faire system by debating with a socialist whose view is that a centralized power should control all economic activity. (3) . Aside from the foregoing two provisions, however, I fundamentally disagree with the speaker's claim. Assuming common ground between two rational and reasonable opponents willing to debate on intellectual merits, both opponents stand to gain much from that debate. Indeed it is primarily through such debate that human knowledge advances, whether at the personal, community, or global level. (4) . At the personal level, by listening to their parents' rationale for their seemingly oppressive rules and policies, teenagers can learn how certain behaviors naturally carry certain undesirable consequences. At the same time, by listening to their teenagers concerns about autonomy and about peer pressures parents can learn the valuable lesson that effective parenting and control are two different things. At the community level, through dispassionate dialogue an environmental activist can come to understand the legitimate economic concerns of those whose jobs depend on the continued profitable operation of a factory. Conversely, the latter might stand to learn much about the potential public-health price to be paid by ensuring job growth and a low unemployment rate. Finally, at the global level, two nations with opposing political or economic interests can reach mutually beneficial agreements by striving to understand the other's legitimate concerns for its national security, its political sovereignty, the stability of its economy and currency, and so forth. (5) . In sum, unless two opponents in a debate are each willing to play on the same field and by the same rules, I concede that disagreement can impede learning. Otherwise, reasoned discourse and debate between people with opposing viewpoints is the very foundation upon which human knowledge advances. Accordingly, on balance the speaker is fundamentally correct.

填空题[A]Thenextlogicalstepistoautomatethephysicalprocessofcuttingthediamond,andDrHoldenseemstohavefoundtheidealpartner.HeistalkingtoCalibratedDiamonds.acompanybasedinJohannesburg,SouthAfrica.aboutcombininghisoptimisationtechniqueswithanadvancedlaser-cuttingsystem.Traditionally,diamondsarecutandpolishedusingotherdiamonds.Butmrecentyears,lasershavebeenintroducedtomakeroughcutsandmcarry,out"bruting",thebevellingprocessusedtogivediamondstheircharacteristicsharp-edgedshapes.JohnBond.thefounderofCalibratedDiamonds,sayshislaser-cuttingmethodcanmakemuchmoreprecisecutsandcanevenpolishdiamonds,thoughheisreluctanttoexplainhowitworks.Hebelievesthatcombininghislaser-cuttingwithDrHolden'ssoftware,andautomatingthewholeprocess,couldbothreducewastedramaticallyandcuttheturnaroundtimefrommonthstodays."Currently,peoplearelosingupto70%ofthediamond."hesays.[B]Forover600yearslapidarists,orstone-cutters,havebeenusingessentiallythesametechniquestocutdiamondsanddeterminetheirvalue,saysDrHolden.Thereisagreatneedforautomation,hesays—asentimentechoedwithintheindustry.TheGemologicalInstituteofAmerica,forexample,isdevisingsoftwaretoenableretailersandconsumerstocomparediamondsofdifferentcutsbygradingthecutautomatically.[C]Inactualuse,thesystemisfedmodelsofgemstones,whichareproducedbyscanningthe.stonesusingadesktopX-raytomographymachine.Whenastoneisidentifiedasaborderlinecasebetweentwogrades,thesystemusesanoptimisationtechnique,calledageneticalgorithm,toexplorethedifferentwaysinwhichthestonecouldbecuttomaximiseitsvalue.Sometimesbiggerisnotnecessarilybetter:removingImperfections,knownasinclusions,mayreducethesizeandcaratageofastone,butcouldalsoelevateittoamorevaluablegrade.TestsofiGemshowedthatitcouldincreasethevalueofaroughstonebyasmuchas23%.[D]Evenasmallimprovementcanyieldasignificantincreaseinvalue,saysDrHolden.whospecialisesinapplyingtechnologytoimprovedecision-makinginbusiness.TogetherWithhiscolleagueMateeSerearuno.hehasdevelopedanoptimisationsystemcallediGem.Besidesautomaticallyworkingoutthegradeofaroughdiamond,italsosuggestshowbesttocatitinordertomaximisethevalueoftheresultingstones.[E]MrBondhopesthatthiscombinationoftechnologieswillhelphishomecontinenttobenefitmorefromitsnaturalwealth.Morethan60%oftheworld'sroughdiamondscomefromAfrica,hesays,butalackofexpertiseandrelativelyhighlabourcostsmeansthatthestonesareusuallyshippedoverseas,tocountriessuchasIndia,forassessmentandcutting.Hehopestohavehisfirstfactoryupandrunninglaterthisyear.[F]Thesystemusesasetofroles,distilledfromthejudgmentsoffourdiamondexperts,mdeterminetheclarity,andhencethegrade,ofeachstone.Eachexpertwasaskedtoclassify503different"virtualstones"--computermodelsofstonescontainingdifferentWivesofflaws.Theexperts'verdictswerethenboileddownintoasetofrules,sothatwhenanewgemstoneispresentedtothesystem,itcandeterminehowtheexpertswouldprobablyhavegradedit.Datafrommoreexpertscouldhavebeenused,butfourprovedtobeenoughtoproducearobustandaccuratesystem,saysDrHolden.[G]Whileadiamondmaybeforever,itsvalueisfarfromsetinstone.ItdependsonthefourCs:carat,cut,colourandclarity.Butwhilethefirstthreecanbemeasuredobjectively,assessingadiamond'sclarityinvolvesacertainamountofsubjectivityandcanleaveexpertsdisagreeingaboutthegrade—andhencethevalue—ofastone.NowresearchersatCambridgeUniversity'sInstituteforManufacturingclaimmhavedevisedawaytomakethegradingofdiamondsandotherpreciousstonesmoreconsistent.TonyHolden,theproject'sleader,saysautomatingthisprocesscoulddomorethanjustloadmmoreaccuratevaluations.Itcouldalsomakeroughstonesmorevaluable,byreducingtheamountofwasteduringcutting.Order:

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.{{U}} (41) {{/U}} 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.{{U}} (42) {{/U}}. 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. {{U}} (43) {{/U}}. 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.{{U}} (44) {{/U}}. 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{{U}} (45) {{/U}}. 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 [A] Energising money [B] The dilemma of smart-card systems[C] The future of money [D] Sending money home[E] Flashing the plastic [F] A cash call[G] How to pay in Tokyo Smart cards and mobile phones are quickly emerging as ways to pay with electronic cash. 41. ______. Nowadays, some of the hottest nightclubs have a new trick for checking the identity of their VIP guests: they send an entry pass in the form of a super bar code to their mobile phones. Mobile phones are becoming an increasingly popular way to make all sorts of payments. In America fans of the Atlanta Hawks have been testing specially adapted Nokia handsets linked to their Visa cards to enter their local stadium and to buy refreshments. It reckons worldwide payments using mobile phones will climb from just $ 3.2 billion in 2003 to more than $ 37 billion by 2008. 42. ______. More banking services are also being offered on mobiles. On February 12th, 19 telephone operators with networks in over 100 countries said that people would be able to use their handsets to send money abroad. MasterCard will operate the system in which remittances will be sent as text messages. Sir John Bond, formerly chairman of the HSBC banking group and now chairman of Vodafone, has 10rig been convinced that payments and mobiles would somehow converge. "Mobile phones have the ability to make a dramatic change to village life in Africa," he says. 43. ______. The various "contactless" payment systems rely on a technology called "near-field communication" (NFC). But mobile phones can be much smarter. They can be de-activated remotely; they have a screen which can show information, like a credit balance and product information; they have a keyboard to enter information and they can communicate. This means they can also be used to auth0rise larger payments by entering PIN codes directly on the handset or topped up with stored credit from an online bank account without having to go to an ATM. 44. ______. To see the potential of mobile-phone money, start in Japan. Most Japanese have at least one credit card, but they tend to stay in their owners' pockets. Housewives routinely peel off crisp YI0 000 ($ 82) notes to pay for their shopping. Utility bills and other invoices are dutifully taken to the bank and paid in cash, or more likely these days at the local convenience store. Yet despite the popularity of cash, the mobile phone is starting to change even Japan's traditional habits." However, many smart-card systems do not work with each other, but that will change on March 18th when 26 railways and 75 bus companies in the greater Tokyo area will begin sharing a new stored-value system, called Pasmo. This too will be available both as a plastic smart-card or built into mobile phones. 45. ______. Unlike the Japanese, Americans prefer to use plastic for their purchases. Cards account for more than half of all transactions, up from 29% a decade ago, according to Nilson Report, a trade publication. More than 1.5 billion credit cards are stuffed into Americans' wallets. The average household has more than ten. Banks and credit-card firms hope to convert more cash and cheque payments to plastic with new smart cards. Some versions are already very successful. Many Americans use EasyPass, in which drivers pay for highway tolls wirelessly. A decade ago some observers predicted that internet banking would render retail banking from high-street branches obsolete. But JPMorgan, Bank of America and others are adamant that people are nowadays using bank branches more than ever. Even if the phone and the smart card replace cash, who gets to collect the fees remains open to contention.

填空题A.Foronething,manyyoung"'vegetarians"continuetoeatthewhitemeatofdefenselesschickens(25%inthecurrentstudy)aswellasthefleshofthoseadorableanimalsknownasfish(46%),evenwhentheyarebutcheredandserveduprawassushi.AndinarecentstudyintheJournalofAdolescentHealth,researchersfoundthatthemostcommonreasonteensgaveforvegetarianismwastoloseweightorkeepfromgainingit.Adolescentvegetariansarefarmorelikelythanotherteenstodietortouseextremeandunhealthymeasurestocontroltheirweight,studiessuggest.Thereverseisalsotrue:teenswitheatingdisordersaremorelikelytopracticevegetarianismthananyotheragegroup.B.Butapproximately20%ofthevegetariansturnedouttobebinge(excessiveeatinganddrinking)eaters,comparedwithonly5%ofthosewhohadalwayseatenmeat.Similarly,25%ofcurrentvegetarians,ages15to18,and20%offormervegetariansinthesameagegroupsaidtheyhadengagedinextremeweight-controlmeasuressuchastakingdietpillsorlaxativesandforcingthemselvestovomit.Only1in10teenswhohadneverbeenvegetarianreportedsimilarbehavior.C.Beingateenagermeansexperimentingwithfoolishthingslikedyeingyourhairpurpleorcandyflippingorgoingdoor-to-doorforapoliticalparty.Parentstendtooverlookseeminglymild,earnestteenpursuits,butanewstudyintheJournaloftheAmericanDieteticAssociationsuggeststhatanothercommonteenfad,vegetarianism,isn'talwayshealthy.Instead,itseemsthatasignificantnumberofkidsexperimentwithavegetariandietasawaytomaskaneatingdisorder.D.InanotherresearchventurebyRobinson-O'BriencalledProjectEAT-II:EatingAmongTeens,theresearcherssurveyed2,516yokingMinnesotans,ages15to23.Oftherespondents,108(or4.3%)describedthemselvesascurrentlyvegetarian,another268(10.8%)saidtheywereformervegetariansandtherestwerelifelongmeateaters.Theresearchersfoundthatinonesense,thevegetarianswerehealthier:theytendedtoconsumelessthan30%oftheircaloriesasfat,whilenon-vegetariansgotmorethan30%oftheircaloriesfromfat.Notsurprisingly,thevegetarianswerealsolesslikelytobeoverweight.E.Thestudy,ledbynutritionistRamonaRobinson-O'Brien,foundthatwhileadolescentandyoungadultvegetarianswerelesslikelythanmeateaterstobeoverweightandmorelikelytoeatarelativelyhealthfuldiet,theywerealsomorelikelytobingeeat.AlthoughmostteensinRobinson-O'Brien'sstudyclaimedtoembarkonvegetarianismtobehealthierortosavetheenvironmentandtheworld'sanimals,theresearchsuggeststheymaybemoreinterestedinlosingweightthanprotectingcattleorswine.F.Thatbeingsaid,evenamongtheyoungadults,currentvegetariansreportedbingeeatingmoreoftenthantheirpeers,whichtheauthorstheorizecanbeexplainedbythefactthatvegetariansaresimplymoreawareanddisciplinedaboutwhattheyeatandare,therefore,morelikelytoreportoverindulging.Therefore,theauthorssuggestthatparentsanddoctorsshouldbeextravigilantwhenteenssuddenlybecomevegetarians.G.Thisdifferenceinextremebehaviordisappearedbetweencurrentvegetariansandlifelongmeateatersintheoldergroup,ages19to23,withabout15%ineachgroupreportingsuchweight-controltactics.Butamongformervegetarians,thatnumberjumpedto27%.Thefindingssuggestthatagematterswhenitcomestovegetarianism:teenagevegetariansaswellasyoungexperimentersmaybeathigherriskforothereatingdisorderscomparedwiththeirpeers.Butbyyoungadulthood,manystillpracticingvegetarianshavepresumablychosenitasalifestyleratherthanadietingploy,thestudysuggests.

填空题{{B}}Directions:{{/B}} You are going to read a list of headings and a text about learning from argument. Choose the most suitable from the list A—F for each numbered paragraph (41—45). The first and last paragraphs of the text are not numbered. There is one extra heading which you do not need to use. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. [A] Communication makes both party know more about each other which make an agreement. [B] The argument itself can not expand knowledge. [C] Reasonable debate plays a postive role in knowledge adrances [D] A basic common knowledge mabe contribution to the argument from which people learn something. [E] Generally, knowledge is gained by argument. [F] Learning can be interrupted by the argument. Do we learn more from people whose views we share in common than from those whose ideas contradictors? The speaker claims so, for the reason that disagreement can cause stress and inhabit learning. I concede that undue discord can impede learning. Otherwise, in my view we learn far from discourse and debate with those whose ideas we oppose than from people whose ideas are in accord with our own. 41.______ Admittedly, under some circumstances disagreement with others can be counterproductive to learning. For supporting examples, one need look no further than a television set. On today's typical television or radio talk show, disagreement usually manifests itself in meaningless rhetorical bouts and shouting matches, during which opponents vie to have their own message heard, but have little interest either in finding any common ground with or in acknowledging the merits of the opponent's viewpoint. Understandably, neither the combatants nor the viewers learn anything meaningful. In fact, these battles only serve to reinforce the predispositions and biases of all concerned. The end result is that learning is impeded. 42.______ Disagreement can also inhibit learning when two opponents disagree on fundamental assumptions needed for meaningful discourse and debate. For example, a student of paleontology learns little about the evolution of an animal species under current study by debating with an individual whose religious belief system precludes the possibility of evolution to begin with. And, economics and finance students learn little about the dynamics of a laissez-faire system by debating with a socialist whose view is that a centralized power should control all economic activity. 43.______ Aside from the foregoing two provisions, however, I fundamentally disagree with the speaker's claim. Assuming common ground between two rational and reasonable opponents willing to debate on intellectual merits, both opponents stand to gain much from that debate. Indeed it is primarily through such debate that human knowledge advances, whether at the personal, community, or global level. 44.______ At the personal level, by listening to their parents' rationale for their seemingly oppressive rules and policies, teenagers can learn how certain behaviors naturally carry certain undesirable consequences. At the same time, by listening to their teenagers concerns about autonomy and about peer pressures parents can learn the valuable lesson that effective parenting and control are two different things. At the community level, through dispassionate dialogue an environmental activist can come to understand the legitimate economic concerns of those whose jobs depend on the continued profitable operation of a factory. Conversely, the latter might stand to learn much about the potential public-health price to be paid by ensuring job growth and a low unemployment rate. Finally, at the global level , two nations with opposing political or economic interests can reach mutually beneficial agreements by striving to understand the other's legitimate concerns for its national security, its political sovereignty, the stability of its economy and currency, and so forth. 45.______ In sum, unless two opponents in a debate are each willing to play on the same field and by the same rules, I concede that disagreement can impede learning. Otherwise, reasoned discourse and debate between people with opposing viewpoints is the very foundation upon which human knowledge advances. Accordingly, on balance the speaker is fundamentally correct.