填空题Ruining the Ruins Acid rain (酸雨) is now a familiar problem in the industrialized countries in Europe. Harmful gases are produced by power stations and cars. They dissolve in rainwater and this makes acid rain, which damages trees, rivers and streams. Acid rain is also capable of dissolving some rocks, and buildings made of soft rock, such as limestone (石灰石), are particularly badly affected. The acid rain attacks the rock, and so carvings and statues are eroded (受腐蚀) more quickly. (46) According to a report in the New Scientist, acid rain is being blamed for the rapid decay of ancient ruins in Mexico. The old limestone buildings in places like Chichen Itza, Tulum and Palenque are wearing away very quickly indeed. These sites are the remains of the buildings built by the Mayas between 250 BC and AD 900, and the spectacular ruins of Mayan civilization are visited by thousands of tourists every year. But those ruins are in danger of being seriously damaged by pollution. At many sites the stone has been covered with a layer of black substance. (47) Scientists estimate that about one millimeter of stone is worn away every twelve years. (48) The acid rain is said to be caused by pollution from oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico. Car exhaust gases are also a problem. Local volcanic eruptions make the problem even worse. Nevertheless, with enough money and effort, researchers say that many of the problems could be solved and the rate of erosion reduced. (49) Mexico's current lack of funds is also partly due to oil. The country has rich oil fields and a few years ago, when oil was expensive, Mexico was selling large quantities of oil to the USA.and earning a lot of money. (50) However, the price of oil then dropped, and Mexico has been left owing enormous sums of money and with not enough income from oil sales to pay back the loans. So unless the price of oil rises, it is unlikely that Mexico will be able to afford to clean up the pollution and save its Mayan ruins from destruction. A.At others the painted surfaces inside temples are lifting and flaking off (剥落) and the stone is being eaten away. B.That is enough to have caused some of the ancient carvings to become seriously damaged already. C.These measures would reduce the pollution, but would not stop it completely. D.The government was therefore able to borrow huge sums of money from banks around the world, thinking they would have no problem repaying their debts. E.The problem, however, is not just a European one. F.However, the Mexican government does not have enough money to do the work, and needs to spend what money it has on the Mexican people.
填空题Earth Angels
1. Joying Brescia was 8 years old when she noticed that cigarette butts (烟头) were littering her hometown beach in Isle of Palms, South Carolina. When she learned that it takes five years for the remains of a cigarette to disintegrate, she decided to take action. Joying launched a "No Butts on the Beach" campaign. She raised money and awareness about the need to keep the beaches dean. With the help of others, Joying also bought or received donations of gallon-size plastic ice cream buckets. The buckets were filled with sand, and placed at all public-access areas of the beach. The buckets allowed people to dispose of their cigarettes before hitting the beach. Two years later, Joying says the buckets are fun and the beach is nearly free of cigarette debris (残片).
2. People who live in or visit Steamboat Springs, Colorado have Carter Dunham to thank for a new state wildlife refuge that preserves 20 acres of marshland and many species of wildlife. Carter and other students wrote a management plan for the area around the Yampa River. The plan was part of a class project when Carter was a freshman at Steamboat Springs High School. Working with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Carter and his classmates mapped the area and species of animals living there. They also made decisions about, among other things, where fences and parking areas should be built.
3. Barbara Brown and her friends collect oil. It started as a project for their 4H Club after one of the girls noticed her father using motor oil to kill weeds on their farm in Victoria, Texas. They did some research and discovered that oil can contaminate ground water—a real danger in rural areas where people live off the water on their land. The girls researched ways to recycle oil and worked with a local oil-recycling company on the issue. Now, the "Don"t Be Crude" program runs oil collection sites—tanks that hold up to 460 gallons—where people in the community can dispose of their oil.
4. Five years ago, 11-year-old Ryan Hreljac was a little boy with a big dream: for all the people in Africa to have clean drinking water. His dream began in the first grade when he learned that people were dying because they didn"t have clean water, and that as little as $70 could build a well. "We really take water for granted," says Ryan, of Kemptville, Ontario, in Canada. "In other countries, you have to plan for it." Ryan earned the first $70 by doing extra chores (零工), but with the help of others, he has since raised hundreds of thousands of dollars.
His efforts led to the start of the Ryan"s Well Foundation, which raises money for clean water and health-related services for people in African countries and developing countries.
填空题
The First Four Minutes When do
people decide whether or not they want to become friends? During their first
four minutes together, according to a book by Dr. Leonard Zunin. In his hook,
Contact: The first four minutes, he offers this advice to anyone interested in
starting new friendships: {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}A lot of
people's whole lives would change if they did just that. You
may have noticed that average person does not give his undivided attention to
someone he has just met.{{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}If anyone has
ever done this to you, you probably did not like him very much.
When we are introduced to new people, the author suggests, we should try to
appear friendly and self-confident. In general, he says," People like people who
like themselves." On the other hand, we should not make the
other person think we are too sure of ourselves. It is important to appear
interested and sympathetic, realizing that the other person has his won needs,
fears, and hopes. Hearing such advice, one might say, "But I'm
not a friendly, self-confident person. That's not my nature. It would be
dishonest for me to at that way." {{U}} {{U}} 3
{{/U}} {{/U}}We can become accustomed to any changes we choose to make in our
personality. "It is like getting used to a new car. It may be unfamiliar at
first, but it goes much better than the old one." But isn't it
dishonest to give the appearance of friendly self-confidence when we don't
actually feel that way? Perhaps, but according to Dr. Zunin, "total honest" is
not always good for social relationships, especially during the first few
minutes of contact. There is a time for everything, and a certain amount of
play-acting may be best for the first few minutes of contact with a stranger.
That is not the time to complain about one's health or to mention faults one
finds in other people. It is not the time to tell the whole truth about one's
opinions and impressions. {{U}} {{U}} 4
{{/U}} {{/U}}For a husband and wife or a parent and child, problems often
arise during their first four minutes together after they have been apart. Dr.
Zunin suggests that these first few minutes together be treated with care. If
there are unpleasant matters to be discussed, they should be dealt with
later. The author says that interpersonal relations should be
taught as a required course in every school, along with reading, writing, and
mathematics. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}That is at least as
important as how much we know. A. In reply, Dr. Zunin would
claim that a little practice can help us feel comfortable about changing our
social habits. B. Much of what has been said about strangers
also applies to relationships with family members and friends.
C. In his opinion, success in life depends mainly on how we get along with other
people. D. Every time you meet someone in a social situation,
give him your undivided attention for four minutes. E. He keeps
looking over the other person's shoulder, as if hoping to find someone more
interesting in another part of the room. F. He is eager to make
friends with everyone.
填空题Barriers to Transportation and Communication
Transportation and communication networks bring people together. Yet sometimes people themselves create barriers (障碍) to transportation and communication.
In many countries, laws stop their citizens from moving freely from place to place. Over the centuries, many groups of people have been denied the freedom to travel because of their race, religion, or nationality. In the Middle Ages, for example, Jews were often forbidden to move about freely within certain cities. South Africa"s government used to require black Africans to carry passes when they travel within the country. Some governments require all citizens to carry identification papers and to report to government officials whenever they move.
Countries set up customs posts at their borders. Foreign travellers must go through a customs inspection before they are allowed to travel in the country. Usually travellers have to carry special papers such as passports and visas (签证). Some countries even limit the number of visitors to their country each year. Others allow tourists to visit only certain areas of the country, or they may require that travellers be with an official guide at all times during their stay.
Many of those barriers to travel also act as barriers to communication. When two governments disagree with each other on important matters, they usually do not want their citizens to exchange news or ideas freely. Countries often try to keep military or industrial information secret.
Today, people have the ability to travel, to communicate and to transport goods more quickly and easily than ever before. Natural barriers that were difficult or dangerous to cross a hundred years ago can now be crossed easily. The barriers that people themselves make are not so easy to overcome. But in spite of all the different kinds of barriers, people continue to enjoy travel and the exchange of goods and ideas.
填空题
Smoke Gets in Your Mind 1.
Lung cancer, hypertension, heart disease, birth defects—we are all too familiar
with the dangers of smoking. But add to that list a frightening new
concern—mental illness. According to some controversial new findings, if smoking
does not kill you, it may, quite litter, drive you to despair.
2. The tobacco industry openly pushes its product as something to lift your mood
and soothe anxiety. But the short-term feel-good effect may mask the truth: that
smoking may worsen or even trigger anxiety disorders, panic attacks and
depression, perhaps even schizophrenia. 3. Cigarettes and
mental illness have always tended to go together. An estimated 1.25 billion
people smoke worldwide. Yet people who are depressed or anxious are twice as
likely to smoke, and up to 88 percent of those with psychotic disorders such as
schizophrenia smokers. A recent American survey concluded that around half of
all cigarettes burn in the fingers of those with mental illness.
4. But the big question is why? The usual story is that the illness comes
first. Mentally ill people take up smoking, or smoke more to alleviate some of
their distress. Even when smoking seems to start before the illness, most
doctors believe that early but invisible symptoms of the disorder spark the
desire to light up. But perhaps something more sinister is going on.
5. A growing number of researchers claim that smoking is the cause, not
the consequence of clinical depression and several forms of anxiety. "We know a
lot about the effects of smoking on physical health, and now we are also
starting to see the adverse effects in new research on mental illness," says
Naomi Breslau, director of research at the Henry Ford Health Care System in
Detroit. 6. Breslau was one of the first to consider this
heretical possibility. The hint came from studies, published in 1998, which
followed a group of just over 1,000 young adults for a five-year period. The 13
percent who began the study with major depression were around three times more
likely to progress from being light smokers to daily smokers during the course
of the study, though there was no evidence that depression increased the
tendency to take up smoking. But a history of daily smoking before the study
commenced roughly doubled the risk of developing major depression during the
five-year period smoking, and it seems, could pre-date illness.
7. At first Breslau concluded that whatever prompts people to smoke might also
make them depressed. But as the results of other much larger studies began to
back the statistical link, she became more convinced than ever that what she was
seeing were signs that smoking, perhaps the nicotine itself, could somehow
affect the brain and cause depression. 8. One of these larger
studies was led by Goodman, a pediatrician. She followed the health of two
groups of teenagers for a year. The first group of 8,704 adolescents were not
depressed, and might or might not have been smokers, while the second group of
6,947 were highly depressed and had not been smokers in the past month. After a
year her team found that although depressed teenagers were more likely to have
become heavy smokers, previous experimentation with smoking was the strongest
predictor of such behaviour, not the depression itself. What is more important
is that teenagers who started out mentally fit but smoked at least one packet
per week during the study were four times more likely to develop depression than
their non-smoking peers. Goodman says that depression does not seem to start
before cigarette use among teens. "Current cigarette use is however, a powerful
determinant of developing high depressive symptoms." 9.
Breslau, too, finds that smokers are as much as four times more likely to have
an isolated panic attack and three times more likely to develop longer-term
panic disorder than non-smokers. It's a hard message to get across, because many
smokers say they become anxious when they quit, not when they smoke. But Breslau
says that this is a short-lived effect of withdrawal which masks the reality
that, in general, smokers have higher anxiety levels than non-smokers or
ex-smokers.
填空题
阅读下面的短文,文章中有5处空白,文章后面有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}}Changes of
Museums{{/B}} {{U}} (46) {{/U}}They are no longer places
for the privileged few or for bored vacationers to visit on rainy
days. {{U}} (47) {{/U}}Some of the old, gray museums
have been rebuilt, and the newer ones are open and modern in their architecture.
Inside, there is modern lighting, color, and sound. Instead of displaying
everything they own, museum directors show fewer objects and leave open spaces
where visitors can gather and sit down. They also bring together in one display
a group of objects drawn from various parts of the museum in an effort to
represent the whole lifestyle of a region or a historical period.{{U}}
(48) {{/U}}. More and more, museum directors are
realizing that people learn best when they can somehow become part of what they
are seeing. In many science museums, for example, there are no guided tours. The
visitor is encouraged to touch, listen, operate, and experiment so as to
discover scientific principles for himself. He can have the experence of
operating a spaceship or a computer. He can experiment with glass-blowing and
paper-making.{{U}} (49) {{/U}}The theory is that people who do not
understand science will probably fear it, and those who fear science will not
use it to best advantage. Many museums now provide educational
services and children's departments. In addition to the usual displays, they
also offer film showings and dance programs.{{U}} (50) {{/U}}.
A The purpose is not only to provide fun but also to help
people feel at home in the world of science. B
Museums have changed. C In one room, for
instance, you may find materials, clothing, tools, cooking pots, furniture, and
art works of a particular place and time. D Instead
of being places that one "should" visit, they are places to enjoy.
E There are open spaces that museums leave for
visitors. F Many museums have changed in
appearance.
填空题Bomb Explosions in Thailand
The New Year celebration in Thailand was shattered by violence, when nine bombs exploded across Bangkok around midnight. Three Thai citizens were killed and more than 30 injured.
Among the injured, six were foreigners. No Chinese casualties were reported, the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok, the capital, said on Monday.
16
But other embassies have advised their citizens to avoid traveling to Bangkok. "There is a possibility of further attacks in coming days," said a travel advisory (公告) from Australia. "Australians are urged to avoid unnecessary travel in Bangkok."
No terrorist group claimed responsibility for the bombings by Tuesday.
17
Bombings and shootings occur almost daily in Thailand"s three southernmost provinces. Yala, Naarathiwat and Pattani have a dominant Muslim population and have long complained of neglect (忽视) and discrimination (歧视) in the largely Buddhist (佛教徒的) nation. They have asked for independence and a separate state. Since 2004, the insurgents (叛乱者) have carried out numerous attacks in the south and more than 1,900 people have been killed.
18
But Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said on Monday that domestic politics rather than the Muslim insurgency were behind the bombings. "It is likely related to people who lost their political benefits," Surayud said, referring to Thaksin Shinawatra.
19
Surayud was later appointed interim (临时的) prime minister. Thaksin, however, still enjoys widespread support, especially in the countryside.
20
Thaksin"s lawyer, Noppadol Patama, denied his client"s involvement in the bombings, according to a local website.
A.Some believe the explosions were the work of separatists.
B.Some believe that several senior army officers loyal to Thaksin plotted the bombings with ousted (赶下台) politicians to discredit (败坏名声) the government.
C.Thaksin was ousted in a military coup (政变) last September.
D.The Thai Government has been unable to control the violence, though thousands of troops have been sent to the south.
E.The embassy issued no travel warnings.
F.Nobody is to blame.
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。
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,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 sixtypes-anger,fear,sadness,disgust,surprise and enjoyment.{{U}} (46)
{{/U}}Every other feeling was thought to derive from Darwin's small
group.More complex expressions of emotion were probably learn ed and therefore
more specific to each culture.But now it is believed that many more facial
expressions are shared worldwide.{{U}} (47) {{/U}}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(孤独症),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”.{{U}} (48) {{/U}}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. {{U}}(49) {{/U}}The explanation for this is simple:we may
find it difficult to describe emotions using words,but we instantly recognise
one when we see it on someone's face.“It was really clear when the actots 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.{{U}} (50) {{/U}}” For example,when someone feels
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.We thought of trying to describe each emotion,but it
would have been almost impossible to make clear rules for this.
B.These particular muscles are difficult to control,and few people can do
it. C.Research has also been done to find out which areas of the
brain read emotional expressions. D.They decided that it was a
mental state that could be preceded by“I feel”or“he looks”or“she
sounds”. E.He said that the expression of these feelings was
universal and recognisable by anyone,from any culture. F.Any
other method of showing all the 412 emotions,such as words,would have been far
less effective.
填空题Teach Your Child Science
1. It is important to make your child interested in science from an early age. Most young children ask a lot of questions and you should give careful scientific answers. Don"t only give facts, but try to give explanations as well.
2. Science is not just knowledge; it is a way of thinking, a method of finding out about the world. We see something. We try to explain it, and we test our idea by setting up an experiment. One day you come home and find the plant on the table has fallen over. You think it might be the wind from the open window or the cat, so you close the window, but leave the cat in and see what happens (You can also try leaving the window open and shutting the cat out). Of course, you remember there may be a third explanation.
3. Ask your child to get a piece of string, some salt, a glass of water and an ice cube (冰块). Tell her to put the ice in the water, and then put one end of the string on the ice, leaving the other end over the side of the glass. Put a little salt on the ice. Wait a minute, and then pull the string; it should be attached to the ice. Ask the child: "What has happened?"
4. Probably she won"t know. Ask her whether fresh water or salt water freezes into ice first. If you live near the sea and have a cold winter, she should know fresh water freezes first as she will have seen that happen. Show her how to test the idea by half-filling two paper cups with water, adding salt to one. Then put them in the icebox and check every three minutes. Write the results in a table. The conclusion will be that salt changes the behaviour of water. Thinking about the string, we see the salt turned some of the ice into water. Then the salt went away into the water and the ice froze again leaving the string attached.
5. Then you can ask, "Will water with salt boil at the same temperature as water without salt?" She can think, tell you her idea and (taking care because of the heat) you can test it in the kitchen.
填空题The Joy of Living Alone
More and more Americans are living alone. Some live alone because of divorce or the death of a partner.
1
According to a recent US census (人口普查), 25 percent of all households in the US 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.
2
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 one person household.
3
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, "Once you do it, you can"t ever go back to living with others." David C" Debaca, agrees.
4
Children think that being grown up means being able to do exactly as they please.
5
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 US are under the age of 35.
F. He says, "I like being by myself."
填空题A anticipating the crucial questions B lie detectors are wildly used in the United States C convicted of crimes they have not committed D whether to adopt the lie detectors or not E they discount human imagination and ingenuity F lie detectors ire misleadingly attractive
填空题A. industrially polluted soils B. rock and soil chemistry C. naturally polluted soils D. the pathways of metals into the food E. the element of iodine F. the persistence of heavy metals
填空题
The Supercomputer Network 1.
Recently ten laboratories run by governments in different parts of the world
have become linked. Their computers have been connected so they can "talk" to
each other. This may not seem very dramatic news, but it is the beginning of a
development that will increase the power of the Internet tremendously.
2. The Internet is an interconnected (互联) system of networks that
connects computers round the world and facilitates the transmission and exchange
of information. The way that you use the Internet is by accessing this network.
This depends on the power that your system allows you to use. The power of your
computer is responsible for how fast you can download (下载) files, how much data
you can store, etc. If your computer is old and slow. Accessing the information
can be very difficult. 3. The new development in information
technology has been called "the grid" (网络技术), and it willbe a network of
computers that are linked together. The "grid" will work in a different way from
the Internet, enabling you to get the power of the biggest computers in the
world on your computer. Accessing the information will no longer depend on the
power of your computer. The idea is that while you access information, you will
also have access to the power of the bigger computer stations.
4. One advantage of this revolutionary idea is that geographical location will
become irrelevant. The "grid" will decide which are the best parts of a
worldwide network to do the job you want. This means that you may be accessing a
computer in Japan to solve a problem in Alaska. 5. The "grid"
can be compared to having an efficient personal assistant. You can give your
assistant a task and "he" will do it for you. The assistant will do the
preliminary research, collect the data, compare them and decide on the best
course of action by accessing any of the computer centres in the "grid" that
happen to have the relevant information. All you have to do is assign the task,
sit back and wait. 6. At present, possible applications of the
"grid" in scientific research are being explored. While it has taken about
fifteen years for Internet use to become widespread, experts believe that the
"grid" could be up and running for private individuals far more quickly.
Scientists working on "grid" projects are convinced that it will be as widely
used as the web in the next ten years.
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个选项中为第2~5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}}Women's Rights Movement{{/B}}1.Women's
rights are guarantees of political, social, and economic equality for women in a
society that traditionally gives more power and freedom to men. Among these
rights are control of property, equality of opportunity in education and
employment, right of voting, and freedom of marriage. Today, complete political,
economic, and social equality with men remains to be achieved.2.Male control
was obvious from the time of the earliest written historical records, probably
as a result of men's role in hunting and warfare. The belief that women were
naturally weaker and inferior to men was also found in god-centered religions.
Therefore, in most traditional societies, women generally were at a
disadvantage. Their education was limited to learning domestic skills, and they
had no access to positions of power. A woman had no legal control over her
person, her own land and money, or her children.3.The Age of Enlightenment
and the Industrial Revolution, which caused economic and social progress,
provided a favorable climate for the rise of women's rights movement in the late
18th and 19th century. In 1848 more than 100 persons held the first women's
rights convention in New York, and the feminists demanded equal rights,
including the vote.4.In the late 1960s women made up about 40 percent of the
work force in England, France, Germany, and the United States. This figure rose
to more than 50 percent by the mid-1981s. A commission under the President was
established in 1960 to consider equal opportunities for women. Acts of Congress
entitled them to equality in education, employment, and legal rights. In 1964
the Civil Rights Act, initially intended only for blacks was extended to
women.5.The objectives of the women's movement included equal pay for equal
work, federal support for day-care centers, recognition of lesbian (女性同性恋)
rights, making abortion legal, and the focus of serious attention on the
problems of forced sex relations, wife and child beating, and
discrimination against older and minority women.
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个选项中为第2~5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}}More Than 8 Hours Sleep Too Much of a Good
Thing{{/B}} 1 Although the dangers of too little sleep are
widely known, new research suggests that people who sleep too much may also
suffer the consequences. 2 Investigators at the University
of California in San Diego found that people who clock up 9 or 10 hours each
weeknight appear to have more trouble falling and staying asleep, as well as a.
number of other sleep problems, than people who sleep 8 hours a night. People
who slept only? hours each night also said they had more trouble falling asleep
and feeling refreshed after a night's sleep than 8-hour sleepers.
3 These findings, which Dr. Daniel Kripke reported in the journal
Psychosomatic Medicine, demonstrate that people who want to get a good night's
rest may not need to set aside more than g hours a night. He added that "it
might be a good idea" for people who sleep more than 8 hours each night to
consider reducing the amount of time they spend in bed, but cautioned that more
research is needed to confirm this. 4 Previous studies
have shown the potential dangers of chronic shortages of sleep -- for instance,
one report demonstrated that people who habitually sleep less than 7 hours each
night have a higher risk of dying within a fixed period than people who sleep
more. 5 For the current report, Kripke reviewed the
responses of 1,004 adults to sleep questionnaires, in which participants
indicated how much they slept during the week and whether they experienced any
sleep problems. Sleep problems included waking in the middle of the night,
arising early in the morning and being unable to fall back to sleep, and having
fatigue interfere with day-to-day functioning. 6 Kripke
found that people who slept between 9 and 10 hours each night were more likely
to report experiencing each sleep problem than people who slept 8 hours. In an
interview, Kripke noted that long sleepers may struggle to get rest at night
simply because they spend too much time in bed. As evidence, he added that one
way to help insomnia is to spend less time in bed. "It stands to reason that if
a person spends too long a time in bed, then they'll spend a higher percentage
of time awake," he said.
填空题Echo-sounding devices were early used to ______
填空题Okinawans (日本冲绳) continue to practice martial arts, ride bicycles, dance, garden, walk, and fish well into their old age, which helps keep them looking and feeling healthy. They have relaxed schedules, which reduces their stress levels. And they pay attention to their spirituality and their inner selves through prayer and meditation. ______.A. Okinawans living in Brazil and eating a typical Brazilian diet rich in red meat have a life expectancy 17 years lower than that of their countrymen in Okinawa.B. Each of these behaviors is an important piece of the Okinawan formula for health and longevity.C. The Okinawan diet consists mostly of vegetables and whole grains.D. But Okinawans enjoy riches of a different kind—they have the longest life—expectancy rate in the world.E. So what is the secret to the Okinawans' health and longevity?F. In fact, compared to the United Stales, Okinawa's death rate for coronary heart disease is 80% lower.
填空题Cloning (克隆): Future Perfect?
1 A clone is an exact copy of a plant or animal produced from any one cell. Since Scottish scientists reported that they had managed to clone a sheep named Dolly in 1997, research into cloning has grown rapidly. In May 1998, scientists in Massachusetts managed to create two identical calves (牛犊) using cloning technology. A mouse has also been cloned successfully. But the debate over cloning humans really started when Chicago physicist Richard Seed made a surprising announcement, "We will have managed to clone a human being within the next two years," he told the world.
2 Seed"s announcement provoked a lot of media attention, most of it negative. In Europe, nineteen nations have already signed an agreement banning human cloning and in the US the President announced. "We will be introducing a law to ban all human cloning and many states in the US will have passed anti-cloning laws by the end of the year."
3 Many researchers are not so negative about cloning. They are worried that laws banning human cloning will threaten important research. In March, The New England Journal of Medicine called any plan to ban research on cloning humans seriously mistaken. Many researchers also believe that in spite of attempts to ban it, human cloning will have become routine by 2010 because it is impossible to stop the progress of science.
4 Is there reason to fear that cloning will lead to a nightmare world? The public has been bombarded (轰炸) with newspaper articles, television shows and films, as well as cartoons. Such information is often misleading, and makes people wonder what on earth the scientists will be doing next.
5 Within the next five to ten years scientists will probably have found a way of cloning humans. It could be that pretty soon we will be able to choose the person that we want our child to look like. But how would it feel to be a clone among hundreds, the anti-cloners ask. Pretty cool, answer the pro-cloners (赞成克隆的人).
填空题The Magic Io Personal Digital Pen
1. Check out the io Personal Digital Pen launched by Logitech: It"s a magic pen that can store everything you write and transfer it to your computer. And you don"t have to lug a handheld device along with you for it to work.
2. Logitech"s technology works like this: The pen writes normally, using normal ballpoint pen ink. But while you are writing, a tiny camera inside the pen is also taking 100 snapshots per second of what you are doing, mapping your writing via a patchwork of minute dots printed on the paper. All this information—the movement of your pen on the paper, basically—is then stored digitally inside the pen, whether you are writing notes or drawing complex diagrams. You can store up to 40 pages worth of doodles in the pen"s memory. As far as you are concerned, you are just using a normal pen.
3. It is only when you drop the pen into its PC-connected cradle that the fun begins. Special software on your PC will figure out what you have done, and begin to download any documents you have written since the last time it was there. Depending on whether you have ticked certain boxes on the special notepad, it can also tell whether the document is destined to be an e-mail, a "to do" task, or a diagram to be inserted into a word-processing document. Once the documents are downloaded you can view them, print them out or convert them to other formats.
4. The io Personal Digital Pen is a neat and simple solution to the problem of storing, sharing and retrieving handwritten notes, as well as for handling diagrams, pictures and other non-text doodling. You don"t have to carry a laptop along with you. All you have to do is just whip out the pen and the special paper and you are off.
5. It is a great product because it does not force you to work differently—walking around with a screen strapped to your arm, or carrying with you extra bits and pieces. The pen is light and works like a normal pen if you need it to, while the special notepads look and feel like notepads. The only strange looks will be from people who are curious why you are writing with a cigar.
6. The io Personal Digital Pen also has potential elsewhere. FedEx, for example, is introducing a version of the pen so that customers can fill out forms by hand—instead of punching letters into cumbersome devices. Once that data is digital more or less anything can be done with it—transferring it wirelessly to a central computer, for example, or via a hand-phone. Doctors could transmit their prescriptions direct to pharmacies, reducing fraud; policemen could send their reports back to the station, reducing paperwork.
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个选项中为第1~4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}}
A Star Is Born{{/B}}1 The VLT (Very Large Telescope) is the
world's largest telescope (望远镜) and is taking astronomers (天文学家) further back to
the Big Bang than they ever thought possible. Located 2,600 metres up in the
Chilean Andes, it has four huge mirrors, each about the size of a London bus.
The VLT is so powerful it can spot a burning match 10,000 kilometres away.2
This astonishing power will allow astronomers to see events in space from
the birth of stars to the collision (碰撞) of galaxies (星系) on the edge of the
cosmos (宇宙). The VLT is giving astronomers their best-ever view of the cosmos.
The power of the VLT to see the smallest detail at the furthest distances makes
its designers amazed.3 Take the case of Eta Carinae, one of the most
explosive stars in the universe. This star produces ultraviolet laser rays (紫外线)
and it will destroy itself in a few million years' time. It is five times
brighter than the sun and when it explodes it is going to be a sight worth
waiting for!4 But it is at distances of millions, even billions, of
light years that the VLT really shows its power. The VLT can detect light that
set out on its journey before the earth even existed. This gives astronomers
their first-ever detailed views of events that took place in the earliest days
of the cosmos.5 In other words, the VLT is a kind of a time machine.
It takes astronomers back to a time when complete galaxies crashed into each
other. The effects of these past collisions can now be seen by scientists, and
astronomers believe the telescope will reveal more about these exciting events
in the years to come. One day, we might be able to say we have traveled back to
'the beginning of time, and we will have a much clearer picture of how our
planet was born.