单选题{{B}}第二篇{{/B}} {{B}} System of Criminal Trial{{/B}} How efficient is our system of criminal trial? Does it really do the basic job we ask of it— convicting the guilty and acquitting the innocent? It is often said that the British trail system is more like a game than a serious attempt to do justice. The lawyers on each side are so en- grossed in playing hard to win, challenging each other and the judge on technical points, that the object of finding out the truth is almost forgotten. All the effort is concentrated on the big day, on the dramatic cross examination of the key witnesses in front of the jury. Critics like to compare our "adversarial" system (resembling two adversaries engaged in a contest) with the continental "inquisitorial" system, under which the judge plays a more important inquiring role. In early times, in the Middle Ages, the systems of trial across Europe were similar. At that time trial by "ordeal"—especially a religious event—was the main way of testing guilt or innocence. When this way eventually abandoned the two systems parted company. On the continent church-trained legal officials took over the function of both prosecuting and judging, while in England these were largely left to lay people, the Justice of the Peace and this meant that all the evidence had to be put to them orally, this historical accident dominates procedure even today, with all evidence being given in open court by word of mouth on the crucial day. On the other hand, in France for instance, all the evidence is written before the trial under supervision by an investigating judge. This exhaustive pretrial looks very undramatic; much of it is just a public checking of the written records already gathered. The Americans adopted the British system lock, stock and barrel and enshrined it in their constitution. But, while the basic features of our systems are common, there are now significant differences in the way serious cases are handled. First, because the U. S.A. has virtually no contempt of court laws to prevent pretrial publicity in the newspaper and on television, Americans lawyers are allowed to question jurors about knowledge and beliefs. In Britain this is virtually never allowed, and a random selection of jurors who are presumed not to be prejudiced are empanelled. Secondly, there is no separate profession of barrister in the United States, and both prosecution and defense lawyers who are to present cases in court prepare them themselves. They go out and visit the scene, track down and interview witnesses, and familiarize themselves personally with the background. In Britain it is the solicitor who prepares the case, and the barrister who appears in court is not even slowed to meet witness beforehand. British barristers also alternate doing both prosecution and defense work. Being kept distant from the preparation and regularly appearing for both sides, barristers are said to avoid becoming too personally involved, and can approach cases more dispassionately. American lawyers, however, often know their cases better. Reformers rightly want to learn from other countries' mistakes and successes. But what is clear is that justice systems, largely because they are the result of long historical growth, are peculiarly difficult to adapt piecemeal.

单选题{{B}}第一篇{{/B}} {{B}}"Salty" Rice Plant Boosts Harvests{{/B}} British scientists are breeding a new generation of rice plants that will be able to grow in soil containing salt water. Their work may enable abandoned farms to become productive once more. Tim Flowers and Tony Yeo, from Sussex University's School of Biological Sciences, have spent several years researching how crops, such as rice, could be made to grow in water that has become salty. The pair have recently begun a three-year programme, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, to establish which genes enable some plants to survive salty conditions. The aim is to breed this capability into crops, starting with rice. It is estimated that each year more than 100 hectares (公顷) of agricultural land are lost because salt gets into the soil and stunts (妨碍生长) plants. The problem is caused by several factors. In the tropics, mangroves (红树林) that create swamps (沼泽) and traditionally formed barriers to sea water have been cut down. In the Mediterranean, a series of droughts have caused the water table to drop, allowing sea water to seep (渗透) in. In Latin America, irrigation often causes problems when water is evaporated (蒸发) by the heat, leaving salt deposits behind. Excess salt then enters the plants and prevents them functioning normally. Heavy concentrations of minerals in the plants stop them drawing up the water they need to survive. To overcome these problems, Flowers and Yeo decided to breed rice plants that take in very little salt and store what they do absorb in cells that do not affect the plants' growth. They have started to breed these characteristics into a new rice crop, but it will take about eight harvests before the resulting seeds are ready to be considered for commercial use. Once the characteristics for surviving salty soil are known, Flowers and Yeo will try to breed the appropriate genes into all manners of crops and plants. Land that has been abandoned to nature will then be able to bloom again, providing much needed food in the poorer countries of the world.

单选题{{B}}第二篇{{/B}} {{B}} The Deer's Death{{/B}} He ran close, and again stood still, stopped by a new fear. Around him the grass was whispering and alive. He looked wildly about, then down. The ground was black with ants, great energetic ants that took no notice of him, but hurried towards the fighting shape. And as he drew in his breath and pity and terror seized him, the beast fell and the screaming stopped. Now he could hear nothing but a bird singing, and the sound of the rustling (沙沙声) whispering ants. He peered over at the blackness that twitched with the jerking(抽搐) nerves. It grew quieter. There were small twitches from the mass that still looked vaguely like the shape of a small animal. It came into his mind that he could shoot it and end its pain; and he raised the gun. Then he lowered it again. The deer could no longer feel; its fighting was a mechanical protest of the nerves. But it was not that which made him put down the gun. It was a swelling feeling of rage and misery and protest that expressed itself in the thought: if I had not come it would have died like this, so why should I interfere? All over the bush things like this happen; they happen all the time; this is how life goes on, by living things dying painfully. I cannot stop it. He was glad that the deer was unconscious and had gone past suffering so that he did not have to make a decision to kill it. At his feet, now, were ants tricking back with pink fragments in their mouths and there was a fresh acid smell in his nose. He sternly controlled the uselessly convulsing(痉挛的) muscles of his empty stomach, and reminded himself: the ants must eat, too. The shape had grown small. Now it looked like nothing to be recognized. He saw the blackness thin, and bits of white showed through, shining in the sun—yes, there was the sun just up. Then the boy looked at those insects. A few were standing and gazing up at him with small glittering eyes. "Go away!" he said to the ants coldly. "I am not for you—not just yet, at any rate." He bent over the bones and touched the sockets(孔) in the skull: that was where the eyes were, he thought suspiciously, remembering the liquid eyes of a deer. That morning, perhaps an hour ago, this small creature had been stepping proud and free through the bush even as he himself had done. Proudly stepping the earth, it had smelt the cold morning air. Walking like kings, it had moved freely through this bush, where each blade of grass grew for it alone, and where the river ran pure sparkling water for it to drink. And then—what had happened? Such a sure swift footed thing could surely not be trapped by a swarm of ants?

单选题The index is the government"s chief gauge of future economic activity.

单选题Usually there is a {{U}}substantial{{/U}} increase in the amount of mail during the Christmas season.

单选题Why can't you stop your eternal complaining?A. everlastingB. longC. temporaryD. boring

单选题The number of United States citizens who are eligible to vote continues to increase.

单选题One Good Reason to Let Smallpox Live It"s now a fair bet that we will never see the total extinction of the smallpox virus. The idea was to cap the glorious achievement of 1980, when smallpox was eradicated in the wild, by destroying the killer virus in the last two labs that are supposed to have it—one in the US and one in Russia? If smallpox had truly gone from the planet, what point was there in keeping these reserves? 1 reality, of course, it was naive to 2 that everyone would let 3 of such a potent potential weapon. Undoubtedly several nations still have 4 vials. 5 the last "official" stocks of live virus bred mistrust of the US and Russia, 6 no obvious gain. Now American researchers have 7 an animal model of the human disease, opening the 8 for tests on new treatments and vaccines. So once again there"s a good reason to 9 the virus—just in 10 the disease puts in a reappearance. How do we 11 with the mistrust of the US and Russia? 12 Keep the virus 13 international auspices in a well-guarded UN laboratory that"s open to all countries. The US will object, of course, just as it rejects a multilateral approach to just about everything. But it doesn"t 14 the idea is wrong. If the virus 15 useful, then let"s make it the servant of all humanity—not just a part of it.

单选题His shoes were shined to perfection.A. clearedB. polishedC. washedD. mended

单选题It is a poem that celebrates the joys of love.

单选题 Water Resource Humanity uses a little less than half the water available worldwide. Yet occurrences of shortages and droughts (干旱) are causing famine and distress in some areas, and industrial and agricultural by-products are polluting water supplies. Since the worlds population is expected to double in the next 50 years, many experts think We are on the edge of a widespread water crisis. But that doesn't have to be the outcome. Water shortages do not have to trouble the world—if we start valuing water more than we have in the past. Just as we began to appreciate petroleum more after the 1970s oil crises, today we must start looking at water from a fresh economic perspective. We can no longer afford to consider water a virtually free resource of which we can use as much as we like in any way we want. Instead, for all uses except the domestic demand of the poor, governments should price water to reflect its actual value. This means charging a fee for the water itself as well as for the supply costs. Governments should also protect this resource by providing water in more economically and environmentally sound ways. For example, often the cheapest way to provide irrigation (灌溉) water in the dry tropics is through small-scale projects, such as gathering rainfall in depressions (凹地) and pumping it to nearby cropland. No matter what steps governments take to provide water more efficiently, they must change their institutional and legal approaches to water use. Rather than spread control among hundreds or even thousands of local, regional, and national agencies that watch various aspects of water use, countries should set up central authorities to coordinate water policy.

单选题I have been trying to quit smoking. A. give up B. pick up C. build up D. take up

单选题Mr. Stephen used to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, but now he has decreased to half a pack.A. cut offB. cut inC. cut downD. cut across

单选题Very often bacteria or viruses inhabit the body without causing illness,a condition known as the "carrier state".

单选题She longed for a chance to speak to Tom in private. A. preferred B. wanted C. chose D. asked for

单选题The high-speed trains can have a major impact on our lives.A. effortB. problemC. influenceD. concern

单选题They Say Ireland"s the Best Ireland is the best place in the world to live for 2005, according to a life quality ranking that appeared in Britain"s Economist magazine last week. The ambitious attempt to compare happiness levels around the world is based on the principle that wealth is not the only measure of human satisfaction and well-being. The index of 111 countries uses data on incomes, health, unemployment, climate, political stability, job security, gender equality as well as what the magazine calls "freedom, family and community life". Despite the bad weather, troubled health service, traffic congestion (拥护), gender inequality, and the high cost of living, Ireland scored an impressive 8.33 points out of 10. That put it well ahead of second-place Switzerland, which managed 8.07. Zimbabwe, troubled by political insecurity and hunger, is rated the gloomiest (最差的), picking up only 3.89 points. "Although rising incomes and increased individual choices are highly valued," the report said, "some of the factors associated with modernization such as the breakdown (崩溃) in traditional institutions and family values in part take away from a positive impact." "Ireland wins because it successfully combines the most desirable elements of the new with the preservation of certain warm elements of the old, such as stable family and community life." The magazine admitted measuring quality of life is not a straightforward thing to do, and that its findings would have their critics. No. 2 on the list is Switzerland. The other nations in the top 10 are Norway, Luxembourg, Sweden, Australia, Iceland, Italy, Denmark and Spain. The UK is positioned at No. 29, a much lower position chiefly because of the social and family breakdown recorded in official statistics. The US, which has the second highest per capita GDP (人均国内生产总值) after Luxembourg, took the 13th place in the survey. China was in the lower half of the league at 60th.

单选题The word “invade” in Paragraph 4 is closet in meaning to

单选题Most of the butterflies Uperish/U in the first frosts of autumn.

单选题Spoilt for Choice Choice, we are made to believe, is a right. In daily life, people have come to expect endless situations about which they are required to make decisions one way or another. In the main, these are just annoying moments at work which demand some extra energy or brainpower, or during lunch breaks like choosing which type of coffee to order or indeed which coffee shop to go to. But sometimes selecting one option as opposed to another can have serious or lifelong consequences. More complex decision making is then either avoided, postponed, or put into the hands of the army of professionals, lifestyle coaches, lawyers, advisors, and the like, waiting to lighten the emotional burden for a fee. But for a good many people in the world, in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, created by companies and advertisers wanting to sell their wares. The main impact of endless choice in people's lives is anxiety. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of consumer goods induces a sense of powerlessness, even paralysis(瘫痪),in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item that is not really wanted in order to solve the problem and reduce the unease. Recent surveys in the United Kingdom have shown that a sizeable proportion of electrical goods bought per household are not really needed. The advertisers and the manufacturers are, nonetheless, satisfied. It is not just their availability that is the problem, but the speed with which new versions of products come on the market. Advances in design and production mean that new items are almost ready by the time that goods hit the shelves. Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The classic example is computers, which are almost out dated once they are bought. At first, there were only one or two available from a limited number of manufacturers, but now there are many companies all with not only their own products but different versions of the same machine. This makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety. The plethora(过剩)of choice is not limited to consumer items. With the greater mobility of people around the world, people have more choice about where they want to live and work—a fairly recent phenomenon. In the past. nations migrated across the earth in search of food, adventure, and more hospitable environments. Whole nations crossed continents and changed the face of history. So the mobility of people is nothing new. The creation of nation states and borders effectively slowed this process down.