单选题City dwellers are {{U}}exhilarated{{/U}} by country air.
单选题The Theory of Everything
If Stephen Hawking lives until the year 2017, he will have lived more than 50 years longer than his doctors expected. When he was a college student, doctors discovered that he had a rare disease. This disease causes a gradual disintegration (分解) of the nerve cells in the brain cells that regulate voluntary muscle activity. Death almost always occurs within two or three years.
Today Stephen Hawking cannot walk or speak. He cannot move his arms or his head. He cannot taste or smell anything. And yet this man is Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, a position held by the famous scientist Isaac Newton in 1669.
Hawking is often described as the greatest scientist since Albert Einstein, but to the world outside science, he is also known as the man who made scientific theory understandable. His book,
A Brief History of Time
, has sold over eight million copies.
He says that since he does not have to think about his body or do any of the things other men have to worry about, such as washing the car or working in the yard, he can dedicate all of his time to thinking. This puts him in the perfect position to find the answer to the question that he has dedicated his life to. His question is: Is there a complete theory of the universe and everything in it?
Despite his tremendous physical disabilities, he has already made some very important discoveries about the origin of the universe, how the universe holds together, and how it will probably end. He has also been able to explain the secrets of "black holes" in space. Now he is looking for a set of rules that everything in our universe must obey. He calls it the Theory of Everything. He thinks that someone will have found the answer within the next 20 years.
If Stephen Hawking is able to find his Theory of Everything, he will have given the world the opportunity to understand things that will change the whole nature of science and probably also the way we live.
单选题Some students lose marks in their examinations simply because they don't read questions carefully.
单选题{{B}}第二篇{{/B}}
{{B}}Powering a City? It's
a Breeze.{{/B}} The graceful wooden windmills that have broken up
the flat Dutch landscape for centuries -- a national symbol like wooden shoes
and tulips -- yielded long ago to ungainly metal-pole turbines.
Now, windmills are breaking into a new frontier. Though still in its
teething stages, the "urban turbine" is a high-tech windmill designed to
generate energy from the rooftops of busy cities. Lighter, quieter, and often
more efficient than rural counterparts, they take advantage of the extreme
turbulence and rapid shifts in direction that characterize urban wind
patterns. Prototypes have been successfully tested in several
Dutch cities, and the city government in the Hague has recently agreed to begin
a large-scale deployment in 2003. Current models cost US ＄8,000 to US
＄12,000 and can generate between 3,000 and 7,000 kilowatt hours of electricity
per year. A typical Dutch household uses 3,500 kilowatt hours per year, while in
the United States, this figure jumps to around 10,000 kilowatt hours.
But so far, they are being designed more for public or commercial
buildings than for private homes. The smallest of the current models weigh
roughly 200 kilograms and can be installed on a roof in a few hours without
using a crane. Germany, Finland and Denmark have also been
experimenting with the technology, but the ever-practical Dutch are natural
pioneers in urban wind power mainly because of the lack of space. The
Netherlands, with 16 million people crowded into a country twice the size of
Slovenia, is the most densely populated in Europe. Problems
remain, however, for example, public safety concerns, and so strict standards
should be applied to any potential manufacturers. Vibrations are the main
problem in skyscraper-high turbine. People don't know what it would be like to
work there, in an office next to one of the big turbines. It might be too
hectic. Meanwhile, projects are under way to use minimills to
generate power for lifeboats, streetlights, and portable generators. "I think
the thing about wind power is that you can use it in a whole range of
situations," said Corin Millais, of the European Wind Energy Association. "It's
a very local technology, and you can use it right in your backyard. I don't
think anybody wants a nuclear power plant in their
backyard."
单选题There is an {{U}}abundant{{/U}} supply of cheap labor in this country.
A.a steady
B.a plentiful
C.an extra
D.a stable
单选题The largest warming effects happened in the Northern Hemisphere with
单选题Pool Watch
Swimmers can drown in busy swimming pools when lifeguards fail to notice that they are in trouble. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents says that on average 15 people drown in British pools each year, but many more suffer major injury after getting into difficulties. Now a French company has developed an artificial intelligence system called Poseidon that sounds the alarm when it sees someone in danger of drowning.
When a swimmer sinks towards the bottom of the pool, the new system sends an alarm signal to a poolside monitoring station and a lifeguard"s paper. In trials at a pool in Ancenis, near Nantes, it saved a life within just a few months, says Alistair MeQuade, a spokesman for its maker, Poseidon Technologies.
Poseidon keeps watch through a network of underwater and overheard video cameras. AI software analyses the images to work out swimmers trajectories. To do this reliably, it has to tell the difference between a swimmer and the shadow of someone being cast onto the bottom or side of the pool. "The underwater environment is a very dynamic one, with many shadows and reflections dancing around." Says McQuade.
The software does this by "projecting" a shape in its field of view onto an image of the far wall of the pool. It does the same with an image from another camera viewing the shape from a different angle. If the two projections are in the same position, the shape is identified as a shadow and is ignored. But if they are different, the shape is a swimmer and so the system follows its trajectory.
To pick out potential drowning victims, anyone in the water who starts to descend slowly is added to the software"s "pre-alert" 1 list, says McQuade. Swimmers who then stay immobile on the pool bottom for 5 secounds or more are considered in danger of drowning. Poseidon double-checks that the image really is of a swimmer, not a shadow, by seeing whether it obscures the pool"s floor texture when viewed from overhead. If so, it alerts the lifeguard, showing the swimmer"s location on a poolside screen.
The first full-scale Poseidon system will be officially opened next week at a pool in High Wycombe. Buckinghamshire. One man who is impressed with the idea is Travor Baylis, inventor of the clockwork radio. Baylis runs a company that installs swimming pools-and he was once an underwater escapologist with a circus. "I say full marks to them if this works and can save lives," he says. But he adds that any local authority spending ￡30,000-plus on a Poseidon system ought to be investing similar amounts in teaching children to swim.
单选题Cement was seldom used in building during the Middle Ages. A. crudely B. rarely C. originally D. symbolically
单选题It is {{U}}obvious{{/U}} that it has been too late to take action.
单选题She was sent a box of chocolates along with a letter saying she was fired. A．killed B．shot C．dismissed D．murdered
单选题Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity helps to prove ____ .
单选题They are
endeavoring
to change society as a whole.
单选题 阅读下面的短文，文中有15处空白，每处空白给出了4个选项，请根据短文的内容从4个选项中选择1个最佳答案。
{{B}}I Dislike Filling up
Forms{{/B}} Of all things in the world, I most dislike filling up
forms; in fact, I have a positive horror of it. Applying for a driving license,
{{U}}(51) {{/U}} for an evening course, booking a holiday
abroad—everything nowadays seems to involve {{U}}(52) {{/U}} information
about one’s personal life and habits that has little or nothing to do with the
matter {{U}}(53) {{/U}}hand. When I apply for a job, it may be of some
obscure interest to a {{U}}(54) {{/U}} employer to learn that I collect
stamps or had measles as a child, but why {{U}}(55) {{/U}} he
conceivably wants to know that my father was a tobacconist who died in
1988? The authorities who {{U}}(56) {{/U}} one to fill
up forms, frequently demand answers to questions that one would hesitate to put
{{U}}(57) {{/U}} one’s intimate friends. The worst of it is that, when
confronted with such questions, I find my mind goes blank. Have I ever suffered
from a serious illness? My mother always {{U}}(58) {{/U}} me I was
“delicate”. Do I suffer from any personal defects? Well, I wear {{U}}(59)
{{/U}} lenses and my upper teeth are not my own, but perhaps the word
“defects” {{U}}(60) {{/U}} to my character. Am I supposed to
{{U}}(61) {{/U}} that I like gambling, and find it difficult to get up
in the morning? Both of them are true. Of all, I think job
applications are the {{U}}(62) {{/U}}. “Education”—previous
experience—post held—give {{U}}(63) {{/U}}… Terrified by the awful
warning about giving false {{U}}(64) {{/U}} which appears at the bottom
of the form, I struggle to remember what exams I passed and how long I worked
for what firms. {{U}}(65) {{/U}} hard I try, there always seems to be a
year or two for which I cannot satisfactorily account and which I am certain, if
left blank, will give the impression that I was in prison or engaged in some
occupation too dubious to mention.
单选题The dentist has decided to
extract
her bad tooth.
单选题
Young Adults Who Exercise Get Higher IQ
Scores Young adults who are fit have a higher IQ
and are more likely to go on to university, reveals a major new study {{U}}
{{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}out at the Sahlgrenska Academy and Sahlgrenska
University Hospital. The results were recently published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study {{U}}
{{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}1.2 million Swedish men doing military service
who were born between 19550 and 1976. The research group analyses the {{U}}
{{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}of both physical and IQ tests the youngsters
took right after they started serving the army. The study shows
a clear link {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}good physical fitness
and better results for the IQ test. The strongest links are for {{U}}
{{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}thinking and verbal comprehension. But it is
only fitness that plays a {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}in the
results for the IQ test, and not strength. "Being fit means that you also have
good heart and lung {{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}and that your
brain gets plenty of oxygen," says Michael Nilsson, professor at the Sahlgrenska
Academy and chief physician at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital. "This may be
one of the reasons why we can see a clear link with fitness, but not with
muscular {{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}}. We are also seeing that
there are growth factors that are important." By analyzing data
for twins, the researchers have been {{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}}
{{/U}}to determine that it is primarily environmental factors and not genes that
{{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}the link between fitness and a
higher IQ. "We have also shown that those youngsters who {{U}} {{U}}
11 {{/U}} {{/U}}their physical fitness between the ages of 15 and 18
increase their cognitive performance," says Maria Aberg, researcher at the
Sahlgrenska Academy and physician at Aby health centre. "This being the case,
physical education is a {{U}} {{U}} 12 {{/U}} {{/U}}that has an
important place in schools, and is an absolute must {{U}} {{U}} 13
{{/U}} {{/U}}we want to do well in maths and other theoretical
subjects." The researchers have also compared the results from
fitness tests during national service {{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}}
{{/U}}the socio-economic status of the men later in life. Those who were fit at 18
were more {{U}} {{U}} 15 {{/U}} {{/U}}to go into higher
education, and many secured more qualified jobs.
单选题Reading the job ad, he wondered whether he was eligible to apply for it. A．able B．fortunate C．qualified D．competent
单选题阅读下面这篇短文，短文后列出了7个句子，请根据短文的内容对每个句子作出判断。如果该句提供的是正确信息，请选择A项；如果该句提供的是错误信息，请选择B项：如果该句的信息文章中没有提及，请选择C项。
{{B}}Plants and Mankind{{/B}} Botany, the study
of plants, occupies a peculiar position in the history of human knowledge. We
don't know what our Stone Age ancestors knew about plants, but from what we can
observe of preindustrial societies that still exist, a detailed learning of
plants and their properties must be extremely ancient. They have always been
enormously important to the welfare of people, not only for food, but also for
clothing, weapons, tools, dyes, medicines, shelter, and many other purposes.
Tribes living today in the jungle of the Amazon recognize hundreds of plants and
know many properties of each. To them botany has no name and is probably not
even recognized as a special branch of "knowledge" at all.
Unfortunately, the more industrialized we become the farther away we move
from direct contact with plants. And the less distinct our knowledge of botany
grows. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing amount of botanical
knowledge, and few people will fail to recognize a rose, an apple, or an orchid.
When our Neolithic ancestors, living in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago,
discovered that certain grasses could be harvested and their seeds planted for
richer yields the next season, the first great step in a new association of
plants and humans was taken. Grains were discovered and from them flowed the
marvel of agriculture: cultivated crops. From then on, humans would increasingly
take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than
getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild and
the accumulated knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience and
intimacy with plants in the wild would begin to fade away.
botany植物学
marvel令人惊奇的事(人)，奇迹
单选题The outcry against the government’s policies will subside only if a compromise is reached in the assembly. A. die down B. succeed C. proceed D. be dislodged
单选题The law carries a {{U}}penalty{{/U}} of up to three years in prison.
单选题{{B}}第三篇{{/B}}
{{B}}Credit Card .Only Works When Spoken to{{/B}} A
credit card that will not work unless it hears its owner's voice could become an
important weapon in the fight against fraud. The card requires
users to give a spoken password that it recognizes using a built-in
voice-recognition chip. The idea is to prevent thieves using a stolen card or
fraudsters using someone else's credit card details to buy goods
online. A prototype built by engineers at Beepcard in Santa
Monica, California, represents the first attempt to pack a microphone, a loud
speaker, a battery and a voice-recognition chip into a standard sized credit
card. They are not quite there yet: the card is the length and
width of an ordinary credit card, but it is still about three times as thick.
Alan Sege, Beepcard's CEO, says the company now plans to use smaller chips to
slim it down to normal thickness. The voice card is based on an
earlier Beepcard technology designed to prevent fraud in online transactions.
This earlier card has no microphone, but has a built-in loudspeaker that it uses
to "squawk" an acoustic ID signal via a computer's microphone to an online
server. By verifying that the signal matches the card details,
the server can establish that the user is not simply keying in a credit card
number but actually has the card to hand. 'The ID code changes each time the
card is used in a pre-ordered sequence that only the server knows.
This prevents fraudsters recording the beeps, noting the card details and
then playing back the audible ID when they key in the details later. But this
earlier technology cannot prevent fraudulent use of stolen cards. The new one
can. The new voice card also identifies itself by its 1D squawk,
but it will not do this until it hasverified the legitimate user's spoken
password. Thieves will be unable to use the card because even if they knew the
password they would have to be able to copy the owner's voice with a high degree
of accuracy. The challenge for Beepcard has been to develop
voice-recognition and audio circuitry that can be powered by a mini battery
embedded in a credit card. To maximize battery life, the electronics are only
switched on when the card is being used. Pressing a button on the card's surface
prompts it to utter "Say your password" in female voice. If the
voice-recognition software proves that the password is authentic, it sends its
ID squawk which the server then identifies, allowing the transaction to
proceed. fraudster n. 骗子 beep n.
(电子装置发出的)嘟嘟声 onlineadj.
&adv.联机的(地)，在线的(地)；实时操作的(地) legitimate adj.合法的
fraudulent adj.欺骗性的；骗得的 prototypen.原型；样品
circuitry n.电路系统 squawk v. 粗声叫 embed v.
埋置，嵌入，插入 acoustic adj. 声音；用声波操作的 utterv.
发出(声音)，说出 verify v. 证实，核实