单选题New research from Australia supports the belief that many pet owners have—it shows that pets are good for your health. The 1 of this new study suggest that people who have pets are 2 less risk from heart disease than 3 who do not. Ironically this 4 study on pets was intended to 5 the myth that pets are good for your health. Earlier research 6 the benefits of owning pets received a lot of 7 , but the results were not good enough to 8 the more skeptical doctors. The new research was carried 9 over three years and examined 6000 people, the largest group yet involved in 10 a study. They took tests that measured a 11 of different factors known to be 12 in heart disease— 13 and blood levels of cholesterol (胆固醇) and triglyceride (甘油三酸酯). 14 , people were asked about their lifestyles. The 800 people who owned pets had 15 levels on each of the factors 16 than those who did not own pets. The differences were even greater than those found in similar studies on people who 17 to vegetarian diets or took 18 exercise. The study also showed that it did not matter 19 kind of pet was owned—a cat was as good as a dog—so the benefits could not be attributed 20 the exercise involved in walking a dog.

单选题Sea rise as a consequence of global warming would immediately threaten that large fraction of the globe living at sea level. Nearly one-third of all human beings live within 36 miles of a coastline. Most of the world's great seaport cities would be 56 : New Orleans, Amsterdam, Shanghai, and Cairo. Some countries- Maldives Islands in the Indian Ocean, islands in the Pacific- would be inundated. Heavily populated coastal areas such as in Bangladesh and Egypt, 57 large populations occupy low-lying areas, would suffer extreme 58 . Warmer oceans would spawn stronger hurricanes and typhoons, 59 in coastal flooding, possibly swamping valuable agricultural lands around the world. 60 water quality may result as 61 flooding which forces salt water into coastal irrigation and drinking water supplies, and irreplaceable, natural 62 could be flooded with ocean water, destroying forever many of the 63 plant and animal species living there. Food supplies and forests would be 64 affected. Changes in rainfall patterns would disrupt agriculture. Warmer temperatures would 65 grain-growing regions pole-wards. The warming would also increase and change the pest plants, such as weeds and the insects 66 the crops. Human health would also be affected. Warming could 67 tropical climate bringing with it yellow fever, malaria, and other diseases. Heat stress and heat mortality could rise. The harmful 68 of localized urban air pollution would very likely be more serious in warmer 69 . There will be some 70 from warming. New sea-lanes will open in the Arctic, longer growing seasons further north will 71 new agricultural lands, and warmer temperature will make some of today's colder regions more 72 . But these benefits will be in individual areas. The natural systems--both plant and animal- will be less able than man to cope and 73 . Any change of temperature, rainfall, and sea level of the magnitude now 74 will be destructive to natural systems and living things and hence to man as well. The list of possible consequences of global warming suggests very clearly that we must do everything we can now to understand its causes and effects and to take all measures possible to prevent and adapt to potential and inevitable disruptions 75 by global warming.

单选题 Abortion. The word alone causes civil conversation to flee the room. This is largely because the pro-choice and pro-life positions are being defined by their extremes, by those who scream accusations instead of arguments. More reasonable voices and concerns, on both sides of the fence, are given little attention. For example, pro-life extremists seem unwilling to draw distinctions between some abortions and others, such as those resulting from rape with an underage child. They would make no exception in the recent real-life case of a woman who discovered in her fifth month that her baby would be born dead due to severe disabilities. On the other hand, pro-choice extremists within feminism insist on holding inconsistent positions. The pregnant woman has an unquestionable fight to abort, they claim. Yet if the biological father has no say whatsoever over the woman's choice, is it reasonable to impose legal obligations upon him for child support? Can absolute legal obligation adhere without some sort of corresponding legal rights? The only hope for progress in the abortion dialogue lies in the great excluded middle,in the voices of average people who see something wrong with a young girl forced to bear the baby of a rapist. Any commentary on abortion should include a statement of the writer's position. I represent what seems to be a growing "middle ground" in pro-choice opinion. Legally, I believe in the right of every human being to medically control everything under his or her own skin. Many things people have a legal right to do, however, seem clearly wrong tome. adultery, lying to friends, walking past someone who is bleeding on the street. Some forms of abortion fall into that category. Morally speaking, my doubts have become so extreme that I could not undergo the procedure past the first three months and I would attempt to dissuade friends from doing so. Fanatics on both sides are using reprehensible and deceitful tactics. An honest dialogue on abortion must start by re-setting the stage, by denouncing the approaches that block communication.

单选题The discovery of the Antarctic not only proved one of the most interesting of all geographical adventures, but created what might be called "the heroic age of Antarctic exploration". By their tremendous heroism, men such as Shackleton, Scott, and Amundsen caused a new continent to emerge from the shadows, and yet that heroic age, little more than a century old, is already passing. Modern science and inventions are revolutionizing the techniques of former explorers, and, although still calling for courage and feats of endurance, future journeys into these icy wastes will probably depend on motor vehicles equipped with caterpillar traction rather than on the dogs that earlier discoverers found so invaluable. Few realize that this Antarctic continent is almost equal in size to South America, and enormous field of work awaits geographers and prospectors. The coasts of this continent remain to be accurately charted, and the mapping of the whole of interior presents formidable task to the cartographers who undertake the work. Once their labors are completed, it will be possible to prospect the vast natural resources which scientists believe will furnish one of the largest treasure hoards of metals and minerals the world has yet known, an almost inexhaustible sources of copper, coal, uranium, and many other ores will become available to man. Such discoveries will usher in an era of practical exploitation of the Antarctic wastes. The polar darkness which hides this continent for the six winter months will be defeated by huge batteries of light, and make possible the establishing of air fields for the future intercontinental air service by making these areas as light as day. Present flying routes will completely change, for the Antarctic refueling bases will make flight from Australia to South America comparatively easy over the 5,000 miles journey. The climate is not likely to offer an insuperable problem, for the explorer Admiral Byrd has shown that the climate is possible even for men completely untrained for expeditions into those frozen wastes. Some of his parties were men who had never seen snow before, and yet he records that they survived the rigors of the Antarctic climate comfortably, so that, provided that the appropriate installations are made, we may assume that human beings from all countries could live there safely. Byrd even affirms that it is probably the most health climate in the world, for the intense cold of thousands of years has sterilized this continent, and rendered it absolutely germfree, with the consequences that ordinary and extraordinary sicknesses and disease from which man suffers in other zones with different climates are here utterly unknown. There exist no problems of conservation and preservation of food supplies, for the latter keep indefinitely without any signs of deterioration; it may even be that later generations will come to regard the Antarctic as the natural storehouse for the whole world. Plans are already on foot to set up permanent bases on the shores of this continent, and what so few years ago was regarded as a "dead continent" now promises to be a most active centre of human life and endeavor.

单选题The appeal for funds did not ______ much of respond A. drag B. elicit C. tempt D. attract

单选题It comes as no surprise that societies have codes of behavior. The character of the codes, on the other hand ,can often be ______. A. predictable B. unexpected C. explicit D. confusing

单选题Howard Johnson ______ a better brand of ice cream and a new way to sell it. A. came up with B. came to C. came across D. came off

单选题Some studies confirmed that this kind of eye disease was ______ in tropic countries.(2005年电子科技大学考博试题)

单选题No other newspaper columnist has managed as yet to rival Ann Landers' popularity in terms of readership.

单选题She accidentally swallowed the poison and death was ______. A. instantaneous B. simultaneous C. symmetrical D. insufficient

单选题Today"s college students are more narcissistic (自恋的) and self-centered than their predecessors, according to a comprehensive new study by five psychologists who worry that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society. "We need to stop endlessly repeating "You"re special" and having children repeat that back," said the study"s lead author, Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University. "Kids are self-centered enough already. Unfortunately, narcissism can also have very negative consequences for society, including the breakdown of close relationships with others," he said. The study asserts that narcissists "are more likely to have romantic relationships that are short-lived, at risk for infidelity, lack emotional warmth, and to exhibit game-playing, dishonesty, and over-controlling and violent behaviors". Twenge, the author of "Generation Me: Why Today"s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled- and More Miserable Than Ever Before", said narcissists tend to lack empathy, react aggressively to criticism and favor self-promotion over helping others. Some analysts have commended today"s young people for increased commitment to volunteer work. But Twenge viewed even this phenomenon skeptically, noting that many high schools require community service and many youths feel pressure to list such endeavors on college applications. Campbell said the narcissism upsurge seemed so pronounced(非常明显的)that he was unsure if there were obvious remedies. "Permissiveness seems to be a component," he said. "A potential antidote would be more authoritative parenting. Less indulgence might be called for." Yet students, while acknowledging some legitimacy to such findings, don"t necessarily accept negative generalizations about their generation. Hanady Kader, a University of Washington senior, said she worked unpaid last summer helping resettle refugees and considers many of her peers to be civic-minded. But she is dismayed (气馁；灰心) by the competitiveness of some students who seem prematurely focused on career status. "We"re encouraged a lot to be individuals and go out there and do what you want, and nobody should stand in your way," Kader said. "I can see goals and ambitions getting in the way of other things like relationships." Kari Dalane, a University of Vermont sophomore, says most of her contemporaries are politically active and not overly self-centered. "People are worried about themselves--but in the sense of where are they"re going to find a place in the world," she said. "People want to look their best, have a good time, but it doesn"t mean they"re not concerned about the rest of the world." Besides, some of the responses on the narcissism test might not be worrisome, Dalane said. "It would be more depressing if people answered, "No, you are not special.""

单选题At the beginning of the story, the fox seems to be all EXCEPT______.

单选题Anything to do with old myths and legends ______ me.(2004年湖北省考博试题)

单选题Adages are frequently mutually antagonistic witness, "ignorance breeds prejudice" and "familiarity, breeds contempt."

单选题Despite all the healed ______ they had, they remained the best of friends throughout their lives.

单选题 When you meet Tim Winton, it's easy to understand his success at writing for teenagers. He likes surfing and fishing and camping and hanging out in the vast tract of sand dunes that borders the one-pub fishing town where he lives in Western Australia. He even looks like the big kid who sat behind you in high school and has the kind of laid-back manner and earthy conversation that you know appeals to those too young to be treated as kids but not grown-up enough to be admitted to the adult world. Winton's first foray into teenage fiction, Lockie Leonard, Human Torpedo, is about to go into its second printing. Even more gratifying for the writer has been the response the book has prompted. He's had scores of appreciative letters "from kids, parents, teachers", and has read passages from the book to students in country high schools. Writing for young readers has also enabled Winton to find a wider, non-literary audience. "It's very difficult to break out of the few-thousand-group of Australians who read, of whom half or all are professional or semi-professional readers. It's nice to get to people who aren't jaded, who will come at a story and read it for what it is. "You don't have to deal with their education and their past and their biases." Winton was himself still a teenager when he started writing seriously at 16. Three years later, in 1981, he was named joint winner of The Australian Vogel Literary Award for his first novel, An Open Swimmer. Had he known when he was 16 how difficult it is to make a living as a writer, he would never have started. "I was about 10 when I decided I wanted to be a writer, and I guess I lacked the imagination to think of anything else," he said. "I got the idea and I just stuck with it. I was unaware of how hard it is to make a living from the people you have to deal with." Neither lack of imagination nor inattention to detail is evident in Winton's writing. In That Eye, The Sky, he takes us into the turbulent soul of his 12-year-old protagonist, Morton Flack, with prose that sends you back to long, hot summer holidays in the country. The hot white day swims along real snow like the sun is breast-stroking through that blue sky when it should be going freestyle. Everyone hangs around the shade of the house listening to the trees in the east wind. The ground is wobbly with heat. The house ticks. You can hear seeds popping, grass drying up and fainting flat. You can hear the snakes puffing. Other young protagonists have been given voice in Winton's short stories, so the transition to writing for teenagers, instead of about them, was a smooth one. "Lockie's not so different in tone from the adult books," he said. "If you get too self-conscious when you're writing for kids, you end up talking down to them--you just use your own tone and be yourself, and if that doesn't work, it probably wouldn't have anyway."

单选题Being a man has always been dangerous. There are about 105 males born for every 100 females, but this ratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity, and among 70-year-olds there are twice as many women as men. But the great universal of male mortality is being changed. Now, by babies survive almost as well as girls do. This means that, for the first time, there will be an excess of boys in those crucial years when they are searching for a mate. More important, another chance for natural selection has been removed. Fifty years ago, the chance of a baby (particularly a boy baby) surviving depended on its weight. A kilogram too light or too heavy meant almost certain death. Today it makes almost no difference. Since much of the variation is due to genes one more agent of evolution has gone. There is another way to commit evolutionary suicide: stay alive, but have fewer children. Few people are as fertile as in the past. Except in some religious communities, very few women have 15 children. Nowadays the number of births, like the age of death, has become average. Most of us have roughly the same number of offspring. Again, differences between people and the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it have diminished. India shows what is happening. The country offers wealth for a few in the great cities and poverty for the remaining tribal peoples. The grand mediocrity of today everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring means that natural selection has lost 80% of its power in upper-middle-class India compared to the tribes. For us, this means that evolution is over; the biological Utopia has arrived. Strangely, it has involved little physical changes. No other species fills so many places in nature. But in the past 100,000 years even the past 100 years, our lives have been transformed but our bodies have not. We did not evolve, because machines and society did it for us. Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution—they "look at an organic being as average looks at a ship, as at something wholly beyond his comprehension". No doubt we will remember a 20th century way of life beyond comprehension for its ugliness. But however amazed our descendants may be at how far from Utopia we were, they will look just like us.

单选题Before we move, we should ______ some of the old furniture, so that we can have more room in the new house. A. cancel B. conceal C. discard D. retain