填空题A. the ability to work with othersB. encouraging group membersC. lack of good leadersD. overcoming fears about being a leaderE. bossing people aroundF. working out good strategies
填空题Living Alone Is Joyful More and more Americans are living alone. Some live alone because of divorce or the death of a partner. (46) According to a recent U.S. census (人口普查), 25 percent of all households in the U. S. are made up of just one person. This is a dramatic change from the extended families of just a couple of generations ago. The typical person living alone is neither old nor lonely. (47) The majority of these people have chosen to live alone. They are responding to decreasing social pressure to get married and have a family. It's now socially acceptable, even fashionable, to live alone. As people get better jobs and become financially independent, it becomes possible for them to maintain a one-person household. (48) However, people who do get married are marrying at a later age and divorcing more often. The number one reason given by most people for living alone is that they simply enjoy doing what they want when they want to do it. "Living alone is a luxury, "says Nina Hagiwara, 338. "Once you do it, you can't ever go back to living with others. "David C'Debaea, 46, agrees. (49) Children think that being grown up means being able to do exactly as they please. (50) The chance to discover whether that freedom is as wonderful as it sounds is a chance more and more Americans are taking.A.There's more pressure to get married nowadays.B.The growing number of women with good jobs has done much to increase the number of people living alone.C.However, even more people are living alone because they have chosen to.D.It seems that many grown-ups today are realizing that childhood dream. E In fact, a quarter of the 23 million single people in the U.S. are under the age of 35. F He says, "I like being by myself. "
填空题Games Are Not Just Games
Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules...planning your next move...acting as a team member...these are all "game" ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas. These games can teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow in the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating(合作).
Many children"s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones. This game can sharpen the hand-eye coordination(协调)needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much, which can encourage the people to a large degree.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it—some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life. After all, games are not just games.
填空题A a member of the National Academy of Science B a pseudo-scientist C a science popularizer D a reporter E an astronomer F a physicist
填空题Ceding to Wear Ties
It"s useless. It"s dirty. It spreads disease. That"s why the British Medical Association in the UK recently called for hospital doctors to stop wearing ties.
That leads to another question. Why does anyone wear a tie? Ties serve no purpose. They do not cover any part of your body and keep you warm. They always seem to get covered in food stains. Perhaps that is the purpose of the tie. It lets everyone know what you just ate.
Ties have an odd history. Soldiers from Croatia, in Eastern Europe, served as mercenaries (雇佣军) in various conflicts in the 17th century. They were identified by brightly colored pieces of silk worn around the neck. Known as cravats (围巾), these became a popular fashion item in France and eventually evolved into the tie.
It"s an interesting story, but it doesn"t tell us why men want to put useless pieces of cloth or silk around their necks. The answer seems to be about identification (身份证明). In the 19th-century Britain, ties were used by universities, military regiments (团), sports clubs, schools and gentleman"s clubs. Each tie was in a particular set of colors which identified the wearer as a member of that organization. Wearing ties was also the mark of Britain"s most powerful classes. That made the tie itself a symbol of power and respect. And that led it to be adopted by a much larger class—the business class.
You cannot wear a tie if you work with machinery, so wearing a tie became a sign that you were a man who used his brain to make a living, rather than his hands. It showed you were serious. It showed you were a professional. It meant that everyone who wanted a job in business had to wear one. It was just impossible to take seriously a man who did not wear a piece of colored silk around his neck. This is how millions of people came to wear ties across the world.
Is there a future for ties? The signs are not promising. Many political leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now go without ties.
填空题
Gorillas Have a Word for it
Koko is the first gorilla to have been taught sign language. With a
vocabulary of more than 1,000 words, she is the first to prove we share a world
with other intelligent beings who feel emotions, look forward to celebrations
and also have a sense of humour. The 30-year study of Koko has
redefined science's concept of gorilla intelligence. {{U}} {{U}} 1
{{/U}} {{/U}}But what had not been recognised by the scientific community was
that gorillas have the ability to learn a language and have complex
emotions. Koko lives in the Santa Cruz mountains in North
America, in a wooded spot overlooking a valley. {{U}} {{U}} 2
{{/U}} {{/U}}She has a barrel on which she likes to sit when "talking" to
humans—gorillas feel more secure when they can look down on others—while her
toys are spread everywhere. In addition she has an outside enclosure where she
spends her days when it is not raining. It is her conversations
with her teacher, Dr. Penny Patterson, that are inspiring. Patterson explains:
"The reality of my discovery is that our abilities as humans, our skills,
sensibilities and emotions are very similar to the great apes. {{U}}
{{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}} When she began teaching Koko
sign language, placing the little fingers of the one-year-old gorilla into the
correct positions for "drink", "eat", "more", and rewarding her with food, Dr.
Patterson had no idea how quickly Koko would learn. "At first, it seemed Koko
was using sign language as a tool to get something," says Patterson. "It became
the kind of reward system that you could expect of a cat or a dog. But early in
her training, she began to combine signs that made me think she was capable of
more. "{{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}For example, she didn't know
the word for "ring", so she combined the signs for "finger" and "bracelet" to
express it. Dr. Patterson continues: "Koko loves babies and
young people. And when she is asked what gorillas like best, she always says
'Gorilla love eat, good'. "One of Patterson's favourite stories demonstrates
Koko's sense of humour. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}
From the age of three, Koko shared her accommodation with Michael who was
intended as a mate. However, Michael died suddenly two years ago of a heart
attack. "Koko went into a depression following Michael's death," says Patterson.
"She would sit for hours with her head hung low, looking upset."
Dr. Patterson asked her if she was looking forward to moving to Hawaii,
where Patterson is raising money to build a gorilla refuge. Koko signed "Yes",
provided she could have curtains in her new home! A. When a
visitor asked her to show him something scary, she held up a mirror to his
face! B. Language studies had been made using chimpanzees
before, but never with a gorilla. C. According to some
scientists, genetically there is only a 2% difference between gorillas and
humans: we share the same blood type, have the same number of hairs per square
inch and also the same temperament. D. She has her own home,
with curtains, and a nest of blankets, which is her bed, in one
corner. E. What we have learnt is that gorillas are more
complex than we ever imagined. F. Now Koko is so proficient in
sign language that if she doesn't know a word she invents one.
填空题下面的短文有5处空白,短文后有6个句子,其中5个取自短文,请根据短文内容将其分别放回原有位置,以恢复文章原貌。 {{B}}ABadIdea{{/B}}Thinkyoucanwalk,drive,takephone,calls,e-mailandlistentomusicatthesametime?Well,NewYork'snewlawsaysyoucan't{{U}}(46){{/U}}Thelawwentintoforcelastmonth,followingresearchandashockingnumberofaccidentsthatinvolvedpeopleusingelectronicgadgets(小巧机械)whencrossingthestreet.Who'stoblame?{{U}}(47){{/U}}"Weareundertheimpressionthatourbraincandomorethanitoftencan,"saysReneMarois,aneuroscientist(神经科学家)inTennessee."Butacorelimitationistheinabilitytoconcentrateontwothingsatonce."Theyoungpeopleareoftenconsideredthegreatmultitaskers.{{U}}(48){{/U}}Agroupof18-to21-year-oldsandagroupof35-to39-year-oldsweregiven90secondstotranslateimagesintonumbers,usingasimplecode.{{U}}(49){{/U}}Butwhenbothgroupswereinterruptedbyaphonecalloraninstantmessage,theoldergroupmatchedtheyoungergroupinspeedandaccuracy.Itisdifficulttomeasuretheproductivitylostbymultitaskers.Butitisprobablyalot.JonathanSpira,chiefanalystatBasex,abusiness-researchfirm,estimatesthecostofinterruptionstotheAmericaneconomyatnearly$650billionayear.{{U}}(50){{/U}}Thesurveysconcludethat28percentoftheworkers'timewasspentoninterruptionsandrecoverytimebeforetheyreturnedtotheirmaintasks.A.Talkingonacellphonewhiledrivingbringsyoujoyanyway.B.Theestimateisbasedonsurveyswithofficeworkers.C.Theyoungergroupdid10percentbetterwhennotinterrupted.D.However,anOxfordUniversityresearchsuggeststhisperceptionisopentoquestion.E.Scientistssaythatourmultitasking(多任务处理)abilitiesarelimited.F.Andyou'llbefined$100ifyoudosoonaNewYorkcitystreet.
填空题Too Dangerous for College On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that beer maker Anheuser - Busch has scaled back a promotion called" Fan Cans" in which the company targeted college students by painting cans of Bud Light in school colors. (46) In response, the company agreed to stop selling the special - edition cans where colleges objected. A number of colleges had complained about the campaign, on the grounds that, among other things, it sends the wrong message about drinking. "We think it's an ill - conceived and inappropriate campaign that runs counter to our collective efforts to combat underage drinking. "a spokesman for Boston College told the Associated Press. On its face, restricting the ability of beer makers to target college students directly seems like a fine idea. After all, the logic seems to go, these people are old enough to be away from home, but not quite old enough to make responsible decisions. (47) If we're going to treat college kids like kids, then beer isn't the only product that ought to have its marketing wings clipped by those who know what's best. Actually there is a list of products that get marketed to college students every day all across the country, such as cigarettes. Last year, the American Lung Association reported that after 1998, when the tobacco industry signed an agreement with 46 states that restricted tobacco advertising, the industry began targeting college students by spending more money on promotions in bars and nightclubs where those students spendtime. (48) Moreover, those promotions seem to work. (49) Should society be concerned about Big Tobacco targeting college kids? You bet: according to the AIA, fully half of occasional college smokers were still smoking four years later. Smoking is arguably as dangerous to students' well - being as alcohol. (50) If we're going to be paternalistic(家长式作风的) ,let's at least be consistent. A. But if college students aren't quick -witted(机敏的) enough to see past colored beer cans, call we really trust them to navigate the slick(狡猾的)marketing campaigns of other dangerous products? B. Yet all of them are marketed at college students. C. Anheuser- Busch got a push from the Federal Trade Commission, which was "concerned that cans will be marketed to fans under the legal age of 21. " D. It is more dangerous for college students nowadays than previous years. E. According to a 2004 paper by researchers at Harvard, students who were exposed to those promotions were more likely to smoke than those who didn't. F. In a 2000-2001 survey, students at 115 of the 119 schools studied said they saw tobacco promotions at a bar or nightclub.
填空题Global Warming
Smoke is clouding our view of global warming, protecting the planet from perhaps three quarters of the greenhouse (温室) effect. That might sound like good news, but experts say that as the cover diminishes in coming decades, we are facing a dramatic increase of warming that could be two or even three times as great as official best guesses.
This was the dramatic conclusion reached last week at a workshop in Dahlem, Berlin, where top atmospheric scientists got together, including Nobel Prize winner Paul Crutzen and Swedish scientist Bert Bolin, former chairman of the UN"s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
IPCC scientists have suspected for a decade that aerosols (乳质) of smoke and other particles from burning rainforest, crop waste and fossil fuels are blocking sunlight and counteracting the warming effect of carbon dioxide (二氧化物) emissions. Until now, they reckoned that aerosols reduced greenhouse warming by perhaps a quarter, cutting increases by 0.2℃. So the 0.6℃ of warming over the past century would have been 0.8℃ without aerosols.
But the Berlin workshop concluded that the real figure is even higher—aerosols may have reduced global warming by as much as three quarters, cutting increases by 1.8℃. If so, the good news is that aerosols have prevented the world getting almost two degrees warmer than it is now. But the bad news is that the climate system is much more sensitive to greenhouse gases than previously guessed.
As those gases are expected to continue accumulating in the atmosphere while aerosols stabilize or fall, that means "dramatic consequences for estimates of future climate change", the scientists agreed in a draft report from the workshop.
填空题Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds which are present in certain foods and are essential to the health of men and other animals.
1
Without these substances, the breakdown and absorption of foods could not occur. Certain vitamins participate in the formation of blood cells, hormones, nervous system chemicals, and genetic materials.
2
Fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E and K. The water-soluble vitamins include Vitamin C and the B-vitamin complex.
Fat-soluble vitamins are usually absorbed with foods that contain fat. Excessive amounts of these vitamins are stored in the body"s fat, the liver and kidneys. Because fat-soluble vitamins can be stored, they do not have to be consumed every day.
3
A deficiency of Vitamin A leads to skin changes and night blindness, or failure of the eye to adapt to the dark. Vitamin A can be obtained directly from foods of animal origin such as milk, eggs, and liver.
4
Vitamin D acts much like a hormone and regulates calcium and phosphorus absorption and metabolism. Some Vitamin D is obtained from such foods as eggs, fish, liver, butter, and milk. But humans get most of their Vitamin D from exposure of the skin to sunlight. A deficiency of Vitamin D leads to bone problems.
The role of Vitamin E in the human body has not been established.
5
Vitamin E is found in seed oil and wheat.
Vitamin K is necessary for the clotting of blood. It is produced in sufficient quantities by bacteria in the intestine, but is also provided by leafy green vegetables and eggs.
The water-soluble vitamins, C and B complex, cannot be stored and therefore need to be consumed daily o satisfy the body"s needs. Vitamin C is important in the formation and maintenance of connective tissue. It protects gums, skin, and mucous membranes. It is mainly found in fruits like oranges.
B-complex vitamins serve a wide range of important metabolic functions and prevent some diseases. They are found mostly in the liver.
A. Vitamins are classified into two groups, that is, the fat-soluble (脂溶性的) and the water-soluble (水溶性的) vitamins.
B. Their functions are mainly to enhance the metabolism (新陈代谢) of proteins and fats.
C. It is necessary for a healthy life.
D. Vitamin A is essential for normal growth and for the health of epithelial cells.
E. It has been popularly advocated for a great variety of diseases, but no clear evidence exists that it eases any specific: disease.
F. Vitamin A can also be obtained through eating green and yellow fruits and vegetables:
填空题Hurricanes (龙卷风)
Did you know that before 1950, hurricanes had no names? They were simply given numbers. The first names were simply Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc. but in 1953, females names were given because of the unpredictability (不可预知) factor of the storms. In 1979, realizing the sexist (性别歧视的) nature of such names, the lists were expanded to include both men and women.
Hurricanes and typhoons (台风) are the same things. If they form in the Atlantic, we call these strong storms hurricanes, from the West Indian word hurricane, meaning "big wind." And if they are Pacific storms, they are called typhoons from the Chinese taifun, meaning "great wind." To be classified as a hurricane, the storm must have maximum winds of at least 75 mph. These storms are big, many hundreds of miles in diameter.
Hurricanes get their power from water vapor as it gives out its Stored-up energy. All water vapor gives out heat as it condenses (凝结) from a gaseous state to a liquid state over fixed points on the equator (赤道). To make a hurricane, you must have extremely wet, warm air, the kind of air that can only be found in tropical region.
Scientists have determined that the heat given out in the process of water condensation can be as high as 95 billion kilowatts per hour. In just one day alone, the storm can produce more energy than many industrialized nations need in an entire year! The problem is that we don"t know how to make sure such great energy work for us.
Predicting the path of a hurricane is one of the most difficult tasks for forecasters. It moves at a typical speed of 15 mph. But not always. Some storms may race at twice this speed, then suddenly stop and remain in the same location for several days. It can be maddening (发疯的) if you live in a coastal area that may be hit.
The biggest advance in early detection is continuous watch from weather satellites. With these, we can see the storms form and track them fully, from birth to death. While they can still kill people and destroy property, hurricanes will never surprise any nation again.
填空题Looking to the Future
When a magazine for high-school students asked its readers what life would be like in twenty years, they said: Machines would be run by solar power. Buildings would rotate so they could follow the sun to take maximum advantage of its light and heat. Walls would "radiate light" and "change color with the push of a button." Food would be replaced by pills. School would be taught "by electrical impulse while we sleep." Cars would have radar. Does this sound like the year 2000? Actually,
1
and the question was, "what will life he like in 1978?"
The future is much too important to simply guess about, the way the high school students did, so experts are regularly asked to predict accurately. By carefully studying the present skilled businessmen, scientists, and politicians are supposedly able to figure out in advance what will happen. But can they? One expert on cities wrote:
2
, but would have space for farms and fields. People would travel to work in "airbuses", large all-weather helicopters carrying up to 200 passengers. When a person left the airbus station he could drive a coin-operated car equipped with radar. The radar equipment of cars would make traffic accidents "almost unheard of". Does that sound familiar? If the expert had been accurate it would, because he was writing in 1957. His subject was "The city of 1982."
If the professionals sometimes sound like high-school students, it"s probably because
3
. But economic forecasting, or predicting what the economy will do, has been around for a long time. It should be accurate, and generally it is. But there have been some big mistakes in this field, too. In early 1929, most forecasters saw an excellent future for the stock market. In October of that year,
4
, ruining thousands of investors who had put their faith in financial foreseers.
One forecaster knew that predictions about the future would always be subject to significant errors. In 1957, H. J. Rand of the Rand Corporation was asked about the year 2000, "Only one thing is certain," he answered. "Children born today
5
."
A. the stock market had its worst losses ever
B. will have reached the age of 43
C. the article was written in 1958
D. Cities of the future would not be crowded
E. the prediction of the future is generally accurate
F. future study is still a new field
填空题I Know Just How You Feel Do you feel sad? Happy? Angry? You may think that the way you show these emotions is unique. Well, think again. Even the expression of the most personal feelings can be classified, according to Mind Reading game, a DVD displaying every possible human emotion. It demonstrates 412 distinct ways in which we feel the first visual dictionary of the human heart. Attempts to classify expressions began in the mid-1800s, when Darwin divided the emotions into six types-anger, fear, sadness, disgust, surprise and enjoyment. (46) . Every other feeling was thought to derive from Darwin's small group. More complex expressions of emotions were probably learned and therefore more specific to each culture. But now it is believed that many more facial expressions are shared worldwide. (47) . The Mind Reading DVD is a systematic visual record of these expressions. The project was conceived by a Cambridge professor as an aid for people with autism (孤独), who have difficulty both reading and expressing emotions. But it quickly became apparent that it had broader uses. Actors and teachers, for example, need to understand a wide range of expressions. The professor and his research team first had to define an "emotion" (48) . Using this definition, 1,512 emotion terms were identified and discussed. This list was eventually reduced to 412, from "afraid" to "wanting". Once these emotions were defined and classified, a DVD seemed the clearest and most efficient way to display them. In Mind Reading, each expression is acted out by six different actors in three seconds. (49) . The explanation for this is simple: we may find it difficult to describe emotions using words, but we instantly recognize one when we see it on someone's face. "It was really clear when the actors had got it right," says Cathy Collis, who directed the DVD "Although they were given some direction," says Ms Collis, "the actors were not told which facial muscles they should move." (50) . For example, when someone feel contempt, you can't say for certain that their eyebrows always go down. Someone who has tried to establish such rules is the American, Professor Paul Ekman, who has built a database of how the face moves for every emotion. The face can make 43 distinct muscle movements called "action units". These can be combined into more than 10,000 visible facial shapes. Ekman has written out a pattern of facial muscular movements to represent each emotion. A. He said that this expression of feeling is universal and recognizable by anyone from any culture. B. Any other method of showing the 412 emotions would have been far less effective. C. Research has also been done to find out which area of brain read the emotional expressions. D. These particular muscles are difficult to control, and few people can do it. E. They decided that it was a mental state that could be preceded by "I feel he looks" or "she sounds". F. We thought of trying to describe each emotion, but it would have been almost impossible to make clear rules of this.
填空题Energy from the Sun Everyone needs and uses energy. If there were no energy, (46) Most of the energy on this planet comes from the sun, but people do not receive that energy directly. It comes from different sources and in different forms. Green plants convert the sun's energy to food energy that animals and people use for life. The energy from animals has been used for hundreds of years to operate farm equipment and to pull carts, wagons , and other vehicles. The sun's energy takes water from rivers, lakes, and oceans and (47) When rain or snow falls on the land some of it flows into rivers and streams. This flowing water can be used to (48) Water can also be converted (更换) to steam, which produces energy to operate machines. Winds also come from solar energy. Air that has been heated by the sun rises and creates winds. The process of winds has moved ships on the sea, ground grain, and brought water to the earth. There is also solar energy in wood, oil, and coal. These fuels have been (49) People burn them to produce heat and to create power for machines. Oil and coal are used to produce electrical energy, too. And electricity produces light heat, and sound energy. In addition, electric power operates (操作) many kinds of equipment, tools, and machines, which make work easier. If you made a list of all the jobs performed by the different kinds of energy, you would fill many pages . The need for power increases every day, and some sources of energy (50) So scientists and technicians are trying to find new ways to produce power.A. formed over many centuries from plants.B. returns it to the earth in the form of rain or snow.C. are being used up very quickly.D. there would be no life.E. produce mechanical energy and electricity.F. are being produced everyday.
填空题
阅读下面这篇短文,短文后有2项测试任务:(1)第23~26题要求从所给的6个选项中为规定段每段选择1个正确的小标题;(2)第27~30题要求从所给的6个选项中选择4个正确选项,分别完成每个句子。
{{B}}Computer Security{{/B}}1. As the
business sector, and indeed all of our society, becomes more dependent on
computers, concern about computer security grows. According to Business Week,
roughly $1 trillion is transferred every day via computer networks. Yet a
knowledgeable person can, with relative ease, access a computer system and cause
serious damage. Estimates of the annual cost of computer crime range from $ I
billion to $ 2 billion.2. One of the most recent computer
problems firms face is called a "computer virus". A virus is a type of computer
program that is intentionally hidden in other computer programs. When a program
with a virus comes into contact with other programs, the virus attacks the other
programs. Some viruses can destroy every bit of information in a computer.
Businesses also fact the problem of losing highly confidential data to computer
hackers. These individuals break into computer systems and steal information or
damage programs.3. Computer viruses and computer hackers
present a huge potential risk to firms. They have shut down entire computer
systems in some large companies.4. Fortunately, business firms
can now obtain insurance coverage for losses from computer crime. Although some
policies specifically cover computer viruses, many others were drafted before
computer viruses became a problem. These policies generally insure all risks of
direct physical loss or damage, unless something is specifically excluded. The
issue then becomes whether or not the damage caused by a computer virus is a
physical loss. In some cases, insurance companies have maintained that
information lost on a computer is not physical property and thus is not covered
by a traditional all-risk policy.5. Many insurance companies
are beginning to use policy language that deals specifically with the loss of
computer information. In this way, the insured understands what is covered, and
the insurance company can avoid a large, unexpected loss. Courts have held that
information stored on the computer is tangible (切实的) property in tax cases. In
property insurance cases, they may handle the destruction of computer
information the same way. Destruction of valuable information, therefore, could
result in a catastrophic loss that is covered under an all- risk policy unless
there is limiting language.A. Fatalness from viruses and hackersB.
Two primary dangerous factors: virus and hackerC. How the viruses and
hackers destroy our computers the loss of computer informationD. Attitudes
towardsE. The best way to protect our computersF. The policies about the
viruses
填空题Washoe Learned American Sign Language
1. An animal that influenced scientific thought has died. A chimpanzee named Washoe and born in Africa died of natural causes late last month at the age of 42 at a research center in the American state of Washington. Washoe had become known in the scientific community and around the world for her ability to use American Sign Language. She was said to be the first non-human to learn a human language. Her skills also led to debate about primates and their ability to understand language.
2. Research scientists Allen and Beatrix Gardner began teaching Washoe sign language in 1966. In 1969, the Gardners described Washoe"s progress in a scientific report. The people who experimented with Washoe said she grew to understand about 250 words. For example, Washoe made signs to communicate when it was time to eat. She could request foods like apples and bananas. She also asked questions like, "Who is coming to play?" Once the news about Washoe spread, many language scientists began studies of their own into this new and exciting area of research. The whole direction of primate research changed.
3. However, critics argued Washoe only learned to repeat sign language movements from watching her teachers. They said she had never developed true language skills. Even now, there are some researchers who suggest that primates learn sign language only by memory, and perform the signs only for prizes. Yet Washoe"s keepers disagree. Roger Fours is a former student of the Gardners. He took Washoe to a research center in Ellensburg, Washington. There, Washoe taught sign language to three younger chimpanzees, which are still alive.
4. Scientists like private researcher Jane Good all believe Washoe provided new information about the mental workings of chimpanzees. Today, there are not as many scientists studying language skill with chimps. Part of the reason is that this kind of research takes a very long time.
5. Debate continues about chimps" understanding of human communication. Yet, one thing is sure—Washoe changed popular ideas about the possibilities of animal intelligence.
A. Reason Why Not Many Scientists Carry out This Research Nowadays
B. Report about Washoe"s Progress in Learning Sign Language
C. General Information about Washoe
D. The Gardeners" Contributions Recognized
E. Debate on Chimps" Intelligence
F. Washoe"s Love for Three Young Chimps
填空题Some people fear that changes in the citizenship test will do little _____.
填空题
阅读下面的短文,文章中有5处空白,文章后有6组文字,请根据文章的内容选择5组文字,将其分别放回文章原有位置,以恢复文章原貌。
{{B}}The World's Longest Bridge{{/B}} Rumor has it that a legendary
six-headed monster lurks in the deep waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea between Italy
and the island of Sicily. {{U}}(46) {{/U}}When completed in 2010, the
world's longest bridge will weigh nearly 300,000 tons — equivalent to the
iceberg that sank the Titanic — and stretch 5 kilometers long. "That's nearly 50
percent longer than any other bridge ever built," says structural engineer Shane
Rixon. {{U}} (47) {{/U}}They're suspension bridges,
massive structures built to span vast water channels or gorges. A suspension
bridge needs just two towers to shoulder the structure's mammoth weight, thanks
to hefty supporting cables slung between the towers and anchored firmly in deep
pools of cement at each end of the bridge. The Messina Strait Bridge will have
two 54,100-ton towers, which will support most of the bridge's load. The beefy
cables of the bridge, each 1.2 meter in diameter, will hold up the longest and
widest bridge deck ever built. When construction begins on the
Messina Strait Bridge in 2005, the first job will be to erect two 370 meter-tall
steel towers. {{U}}(48) {{/U}}Getting these cables up will be something.
It's not just their length — totally 5.3 kilometers — but their weight.
{{U}}(49) {{/U}} After lowering vertical "suspender"
cables from the main cables, builders will erect a 60 meter-wide 54,630-ton
steel roadway, or deck — wide enough to accommodate 12 lanes of traffic. The
deck's weight will pull down on the cables with a force of 70,500 tons. In
return, the cables yank up against their firmly rooted anchors with a force of
139,000 tons — equivalent to the weight of about 100,000 cars. Those anchors are
essential. {{U}}(50) {{/U}} A Some
environmentalists are against the project on biological grounds.
B What do the world's longest bridges have in common?
C If true, one day you might spy the beast while zipping (呼啸而过)
across the Messina Strait Bridge. D They're what will keep
the bridge from going anywhere. E The second job will be
to pull two sets of steel cables across the strait, each set being a bundle of
44,352 individual steel wires. F They will tip up the
scales at 166,500 tons — more than half the bridge's total mass.
填空题Keeping Cut Flowers(鲜切花)
1.While everybody enjoys fresh cut flowers around his/her house, few people know how to keep them for as long as possible. This may be done by keeping in mind a few simple facts.
2.An important thing to remember about cut flowers is that they are sensitive to temperature. For example, studies have shown that cut carnations (康乃馨) retain their freshness eight times longer when kept at 12℃ than when kept at 26℃. Keeping freshly harvested flowers at the right temperatures is probably the most important aspect of flower care.
3.Flowers are not intended by nature to live very long. Their biological purpose is simply to attract birds or insects, such as bees, for pollination (授粉). After that, they quickly dry up and die. The process by which flowers consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide (二氧化碳), called respiration (呼吸) , generates the energy the flower needs to give the flower its shape and color. The making of seeds also depends on this energy. While all living things respire, flowers have a high level of respiration. A result of all this respiration is heat, and for flowers the level of heat relative to the mass of the flower is very high. Respiration also brings about the eventual death of the flower. Thus the greater the level of respiration, the sooner the flower dies.
4.How, then, to control the rate at which flowers die? By controlling respiration. How is respiration controlled? By controlling temperature. We know that respiration produces heat, but the reverse(相反的过程) is also true. Thus by maintaining low temperatures, respiration is reduced and the cut flower will age more slowly.
5.Another vital factor in keeping cut flowers is the quality of the water in which they are placed. Flowers find it difficult to "drink" water that is dirty or otherwise polluted. Even when water looks and smells clean, it almost certainly contains harmful substances that can endanger the flowers. To rid the water of these unwanted substances, household chlorine bleach (漂白剂) can be used in small quantities. It is recommended that 15 drops of chlorine bleach (at 4% solution) be added to each litre of water. The water and solution should also be replaced each day.
填空题Adult Education
1. Voluntary learning in organized courses by mature men and women is called adult education. Such education is offered to make people able to enlarge and interpret their experience as adults. Adults may want to study something which they missed in earlier schooling, get new skills or job training, find out about new technological developments, seek better self-understanding, or develop new talents and skills.
2. This kind of education may be in the form of self-study with proper guidance through the use of libraries, correspondence courses, or broadcasting. It may also be acquired collectively in schools and colleges, study groups, workshops, clubs and professional associations.
3. Modern adult education for large numbers of people started in the 18th and 19th centuries with the rise of the Industrial Revolution. Great economic and social changes were taking place: people were moving from rural areas to cities; new types of work were being created in an expanding factory system. These and other factors produced a need for further education and re-education of adults.
4. The earliest programs of organized adult education arose in Great Britain in the 1790s, with the founding of an adult school in Nottingham and a mechanics institution in Glasgow. Benjamin Franklin and some friends found the earliest adult education institution in the U.S. in Philadelphia in 1727.
5. People recognize that continued learning is necessary for most forms of employment today. For example, parts of the adult population in many countries find it necessary to take part in retraining programs at work or even to learn completely new jobs. Adult education programs are springing up constantly to meet these and other needs.
