填空题A．Star Is Born 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.

填空题DVD for Rent 1．A．pay-for-play system for video DVD will emerge by summer as an alternative, and possibly a competitor, to the DVD．format currently available. 2．The new system, called Digital Video Express (Divx), operates like a DVD player, except for the specially coded discs. These will cost $5 for initial viewing over a 48-hour period and can be viewed again for additional fees and even purchased for unlimited viewing. 3．Divx combines the service of a video rental (出租的) store with the operation of a pay-per-view TV channel. Unlike a rented videotape, though, the Divx disc needn't be returned. Customers can retain the disc for replay in the future at an additional fee, or simply throw it away. 4．Subsequent plays, or the purchase of unlimited-viewing rights, are billed to the customer's Divx account and charged to a credit card. The player's built-in memory keeps track of all Divx plays, and sends this information by toll-free phone modem (调制解调器) to the Divx record-keeping centre. Each Divx disc and player has a unique identification code, so the system knows which discs have been played and where. 5．Some Divx discs could be converted for unlimited play at a price likely to be lower than buying a conventional DVD. Others, called Divx Gold, would be sold from the beginning for unlimited play without further charge. Although conventional DVDs will run in a Divx player, conventional DVD players will lack the decoding and communications ability to play. Divx discs. Divx players will be offered by Panasonic, RCA, and Zenith. 6．About 100 discs will be available initially from Disney, Dreamworks, Paramount, and Universal, growing to 500 titles within a year. Other film makers have yet to adopt the Divx system, which is owned by retailer Circuit City, the 350-store electronics chain that bankrolled (提供资金) its development.

填空题A. teach children to be intelligent B. whatever stimulation has been received from the environment C. and because of the lack of communication with his classmates D. a predictor of children's future learning E. taught to be more intelligent F. language and psychological aspects of the parent-child relationship

填空题2. Missing the 9-To-5 Routine Jonathan Harris was determined to be part of the migration to the enticing (诱人的) land of high tech. (46) He lasted just seven mouths. He admits he was" seduced by the glamour," realizing only later that" the fundamental economics were not good. " Translation: instead of running a rapidly growing start-up, his company was constantly short of cash and manpower. He spent his days trolling for (搜索) investment money and new employees to replace the defective old ones. Last July, Harris, 37, left the company and went back to Los Angeles-and is now looking for a job in a traditional, non-techie company. Like so many prospectors of a different epoch, workers such as Harris are discovering that "risking everything" actually involves... risk. (47) "I've really started to appreciate a situation where one has significant resources," Harris says. "I think folks who are blindly jumping to start-ups arc undervaluing what they have." (48) Russell Reynolds Associates, an executive-search firm, says you should have experience launching new products, be comfortable with technology and have an ability to make decisions based on incomplete information in order to succeed at an Internet firm. Otherwise, it might he wise to stay put(原位不动). Still, it's the stock options that typically keep employees working long and faithfully at Internet start-ups, virtually handcuffed to their workstations. Author Bill Lessard, who co-wrote "Netslaves," a firsthand account about the travails of working in Webville, says options are " basically used as a carrot to get people to give up their lives and work like lunatics (疯子) for the promise of getting rich. " (49) Gray, for example, had 20 shares of stock when she left—worth only around $250. Increasingly, new hires at Web firms are distressed to learn that the numbers of options they get are so paltry(不足取的)as to be insignificant. (50) A. With most market watchers predicting an eventual tech shakeout (股票市场震动), such tales of frustration and disappointment could become far more comnqon.B. Most tech converts(皈依者) simply roll their eyes when asked about going back to what are now called" legacy" industries.C. If the promise isn't kept, tile carrot looks less tasty.D. Last year Harris left the hair-accessories firm he'd co-founded to manage a high-tech design firm called Brilliant Media in San Francisco.E. Increasingly, recruiters (招聘人员) are telling job candidates that the Web isn't for everyone.F. They enter into a Web venture with high hopes, only to find a grim reality of taxing hours, lack of support staff, greenhorn (缺乏经验的) bosses and worthless stock options.

填空题A. larger than the party above the waterB. stay near the icebergC. melt away just as unnoticedD. larger crystalsE. stay away from icebergF. above the water

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}}Screen Test{{/B}}1. Every year millions of women are screened with X-rays to pick up signs of breast cancer. If this happens early enough, the disease can often be treated successfully. According to a survey Australia, Canada, the US and Spain, screen women under 50.2. But the medical benefits of screening these younger women are controversial, partly because the radiation brings a small risk of inducing cancer. Also, younger women must be given higher doses of X-rays because their breast tissue is denser.3. Researchers at the Polytechnic University of Valencia analysed the effect of screening more than 160,000 women at 11 local clinics. After estimating the women’s cumulative dose of radiation, they used two models to calculate the number of extra cancers this would cause.4. The mathematical model recommended by Britain’s National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) predicted that the screening programme would cause 36 cancers per 100,000 women, 18 of them fatal. The model preferred by the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation led to a lower figure of 20 cancers.5. The researchers argue that the level of radiation-induced cancers is “not very significant” compared to the far larger number of cancers that are discovered and treated. The Valencia programme, they say, detects between 300 and 450 eases of breast cancer in every 100,000 women screened.6. But they point out that the risk of women contracting cancer from radiation could be reduced by between 40 and 80 percent if screening began at 50 instead of 45, because they would be exposed to less radiation. The results of their study, they suggest, could help “optimize the technique” for breast cancer screening.7. “There is a trade-off between the diagnostic benefits of breast screening and its risks,” admits Michael Clark of the NRPB. But he warns that the study should be interpreted with caution. “On the basis of the current data, for every 10 cancers successfully detected and prevented there is a risk of causing one later in life. That’s why radiation exposure should be minimized in any screening programme.”

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}}Conservation or Wasted Effort?{{/B}} The black robin (旅鸫) is one of the world’s rarest birds. It is a small, wild bird, and it lives only on the island of Little Mangere, off the coast of New Zealand. In 1967 there were about fifty black robins there; in 1977 there were fewer than ten.{{U}} (46) {{/U}} Energetic steps are being taken to preserve the black robin.{{U}} (47) {{/U}}The idea is to buy another island nearby as a special home, a “reserve”, for threatened wild life, including black robins. The organizers say that Little Mangere should then be restocked (重新准备) with the robin’s food. Thousands of the required plants are at present being cultivated in New Zealand. Is all this concern a waste of human effort?{{U}} (48) {{/U}}Are we losing our sense of what is reasonable and what is unreasonable? In the earth’s long, long past hundreds of kinds of creatures have evolved, risen to a degree of success and died out. In the long, long future there will be many new and different forms of life. Those creatures that adapt themselves successfully to what the earth offers will survive for a long time.{{U}} (49) {{/U}}This is nature’s proven method of operation. The rule of selection—“the survival of the fittest”—is the one by which human beings have themselves arrived on the scene. We, being one of the most adaptable creatures the earth has yet produced, may last longer than most,{{U}} (50) {{/U}}You may take it as another rule that when, at last, human beings show signs of dying out, no other creature will extend a paw (爪) to postpone our departure. On the contrary, we will be hurried out. Life seems to have grown too tough for black robins. I leave you to judge whether we should try to do anything about it. A. Some creatures, certain small animals, insects and birds, will almost certainly outlast (比……长久)man, for they seem even more adaptable. B. Those that fail to meet the challenges will disappear early. C. Detailed studies are going on, and a public appeal for money has been made. D. Both represent orders in the classification of life. E. Is it any business of ours whether the black robin survives or dies out? F. These are the only black robins left in the world.

填空题Sleeping Giant Right now, an eruption is brewing (酝酿) in Yellowstone National Park (黄石国家公园). Sometime during the next two hours, the park's most famous geyser(间歇泉), Old Faithful, will begin gurgling (潺潺地流) boiling water and steam. (46) Old Faithful is not only a spectacular sight; it's also a constant reminder that Yellowstone sits on one of the largest volcanoes in the world. If you have never heard of Yellowstone's volcano, you are not alone. (47) Yet it has erupted three times during the last 2 million pears. And one of those eruptions spewed (喷涌) enough volcanic ash and other debris to blanket half the United States. Yellowstone's volcano is sometimes called a "super volcano", or extremely large and explosive calderas(破火山口)volcano. (48) This super volcano formed over a hot spot, an extremely hot area in Earth's mantle(地幔). John Valley, a volcano professor, said that as the crust moves across a hot spot, the hot spot melts a section of the plate moving over it, forming "one volcano after another". The Yellowstone hot spot melts thick continental(大陆的) crust, which may cause catastrophic (灾难性的) eruptions. According to experts, the eruptions that created each of the three calderas in and around Yellowstone National Park were larger than any other volcanic eruption in recorded history. The most recent eruption, which happened 640,000 years ago, produced at least 1, 000 cubic kilometers of ash and debris and blanketed most of the western half of the United States. (49) Geological evidence shows Yellowstone has blown its stack every 700,000 years or so. "If nature were truly that regular and reliable, we would be due for another eruption soon," said Valley. "However, these processes are subject to variability(可变性的), so we don't really know when the next eruption will happen. " (50) It is the volcanic energy that powers the geysers and hot springs, creates the mountains and canyons(峡谷) and generates the unique ecosystems that support Yellowstone's diverse wildlife. A. Three calderas make up more than a third of Yellowstone National Park. B. The first Yellowstone eruption, 2 million years ago, released more than double that amount of ash and debris. C. The volcano is so inconspicuous (不显眼的) that few people know it exists. D. Then, an enormous fountain will shoot high into the air. E. While the active geologist processes at Yellowstone do pose some risk to the public, they also make it a unique treasure. F. Yellowstone National park at trams the interest of geologists the world over.

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}}Ford{{/B}}1 Ford's great strength was the manufacturing process--not invention. Long before he started a car company, he was a worker, known for picking up pieces of metal and wire and turning them into machines. He started putting cars together in 1891. Although it was by no means the first popular automobile, the Model T showed the world just how creative Ford was at combining technology and market.2 The company's assembly line alone threw America's Industrial Revolution into overdrive (高速运转). Instead of having workers put together the entire car, Ford's friends, who were great toolmakers from Scotland, organized teams that added parts to each Model T as it moved down a line. By the time Ford's Highland Park plant was humming (嗡嗡作响) along in 1914, the world's first automatic conveyor belt could turn out a car every 93 minutes.3 The same year Henry Ford shocked the world with the ＄5-a-day minimum wage scheme, the greatest contribution he had ever made. The average wage in the auto industry then was ＄2.34 for a 9-hour shift. Ford not only doubled that, he also took an hour off the workday. In those years it was unthinkable that a man could be paid that much for doing something that didn't involve an awful lot of training or education. The Wall Street Journal called the plan "an economic crime", and critics everywhere laughed at Ford.4 But as the wage increased later to daily $10, it proved a critical component of Ford's dream to make the automobile accessible (可及的) to all. The critics were too stupid to understand that because Ford had lowered his costs per car, the higher Wages didn't matter---except for making it possible for more people to buy cars.

填空题Is There a Way to Keep the Britain's Economy Growing 1. In today's knowledge economy, nations survive on the things they do best. Japanese design electronics while Germans export engineering techniques. The French serve, the best food and Americans make computers. 2. Britain specializes in the gift of talking. The nation doesn't manufacture much of anything. But it has lawyers, stylists and business consultants who earn their living from talk and more talk. The World Foundation think tank says the UK's four iconic jobs today are not scientists, engineers, teachers and nurses. Instead, they're hairdressers, celebrities, management consultants and managers. But can all this talking keep the British economy going? The British government thinks it can. 3. Although the country's trade deficit was more than ￡60 billion in 2006, UK's largest in the postwar period. Officials say the country has nothing to worry about. In fact, Britain does have a world class pharmaceutical industry? And it still makes a small sum from selling arms abroad. It also trades services-accountancy, insurance, banking and advertising. The government believes Britain is on the cutting edge of the knowledge economy. After all, the country of Shakespeare and Wordsworth has a literary tradition of which to be proud. Rock "n" roll is an English language medium, and there are billions to be made by their cutting-edge bands. In other words, the creative economy has plenty of strength to carry the British economy. 4. However, creative industries account for only about 4 percent of UK's exports of goods and services. The industries are finding it hard to make a profit, according to a report of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. The report shows only 38 percent of British companies were engaged in "innovation activities", 3 percentage points below the EU average and well below Germany (61 percent) and Sweden (47 percent). 5. In fact, it might be better to call Britain a "servant" economy—there are at least 4 million people "in service". The majority of the population are employed by the rich to cook, clean, and take care of their children. Many graduates are even doing menial jobs for which they do not need a degree. Most employment growth has been, and will continue to be, at the low skill end of the service sector—in shops, bars, hotels, domestic service and in nursing and care homes.

填空题The Roadrunner The roadrunner (走雀) lives in the desert zone of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. (1) People gave it its name because they usually see it running across a road, but of course, it spends more time among the plants of the desert than it does on roads. The roadrunner is quite a large bird—about 45 centimeters long and 25 centimeters high. (2) It holds its head straight out in front and its tail sticks straight out in back. It takes long steps and can run 30 kilometers an hour. It eats an amazing variety of food. Although it eats plants once in a while, it is mostly a meat eater. Most of its diet is insects, but it also catches birds, mice, and other small animals. It is even brave enough to catch snakes and black widow spiders (蛛). (3) When he finds one, he gives her presents—a snake to eat or a tiny branch of a tree to use in building a nest. Then they build their nest, the female lays eggs, and they raise their young. (4) One couple in Arizona feeds a pair of roadrunners that come once at a time every day and make a noise outside the window. If someone doesn't give the bird a piece of hamburger immediately, the bird knocks on the window with its beak (喙). Roadrunners are not shy. (5) They will stand on a chair or table and watch television, and they seem really interested in what is happening on the program. A．Roadrunners can also become friendly with people. B．People laugh when it runs because it looks so funny. C．It is a bird, but it can only fly about as much as a chicken can. D．In early spring, the bird doesn't eat anything. E．Another couple feeds a pair of roadrunners that go right into the house. F．In the spring, a male roadrunner begins looking for a female as a mate.

填空题Chemical energy is generated ______.

填空题A Baby"s Growth 1. To describe a baby"s growth, the old saying "one thing leads to another" should really read, "one thing leads to an explosion." The perfection of vision and the ability to hold his head up allow appreciation of visual space. The evolution of increasingly efficient reaching also lets the baby appreciate and participate in his three-dimensional world. 2. You may notice that your baby can grab toys with either hand. This is partly because the baby has learned to grasp an object even if it touches his hand lightly or his eyes are averted. By the end of the fourth month, he can probably alternate hands to grab the toys or transfer a toy from one hand to the other. He may even wave it briskly, then transfer it and repeat the waving, shuttling it back and forth between hands. In imitating the behavior of one hand with the other, the baby may be becoming aware that he can do the same thing with each arm and that each hand is distinct from the other. This awareness is important to his receiving information about space. The baby also begins to see himself act when he repeatedly reaches for and grasps things. He starts to distinguish himself from the outer world. 3. If you would like another sign of this growth process, try one of Gesell"s measures of mental growth, the behavior of a baby before a mirror. According to Gesell, a baby will smile at his image at around twenty weeks of age. Hold your baby up to a mirror and watch him examine the faces there. He will probably attend most to his own image and perhaps smile at it. As his image returns the smile, he may become active and vocalize. He may also look back and forth between your image and you as if the duplication puzzles him. A baby who knows his mother"s face cannot understand two of them. Calling softly to your baby, as he looks at your confusing double, complicates matters even further. His turning back to the real you shows that a baby four months old is likely to have the ability of preference in discrimination. 4. An early attachment to one object—a toy or a stuffed animal—is another index of discrimination, as well as self-development, for the baby"s interests are going beyond himself. Most babies do not prefer one toy this early, but some will. After exploring each toy, your baby may start reaching and playing with one special one. In the months to come, the toy or anything else the baby identifies with himself by wearing or carrying may become a "lovely". A "lovely" will be slept with, chewed, hugged, loved, and "talked to". These "lovelies" give the baby a way of coping with the necessary separations from the mother. A friendly and familiar toy bear may just make him easier on himself. Rather than feeling threatened, a mother should be flattered by her baby"s extension of affection elsewhere. A baby with the heart to find a "lovey" is showing early mental resourcefulness and flexibility.

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}}Female Bullfighting{{/B}} It was a unique, eye-catching sight: an attractive woman in a shiny bullfighter's suit, sword in hand, facing the sharp horns of a black, 500-kilogram beast. Most people thought the days of female bullfighting were over in Spain. {{U}}(46) {{/U}}. The first woman fighter, Cristina Sanchez, quit in 1999 because of male discrimination (歧视). But Vega is determined to break into what could be Spain's most resistant male field.{{U}} (47) {{/U}}. Spanish women have conquered almost all male professions.{{U}} (48) {{/U}}"The bull does not ask for your identity card," she said in an interview a few years ago. She insisted that she be judged for her skills rather than her femaleness. Vega became a matador (斗牛士) in 1997 in the southwestern city of Caceres. {{U}} (49) {{/U}}She entered a bullfighting school in Malaga at age nine and performed her first major bullfight at age 14. She has faced as much opposition as Sanchez did. And the "difficulties have made her grow into a very strong bullfighter," her brother Jorge says. The 1.68-metre tall and somewhat shy Vega says her love of bullfighting does not make her any less of a woman.{{U}} (50) {{/U}}.A She intends to become even better than Sanchez was.B Her father was an aspiring (有雄心壮志的) bullfighter.C But many bullfighting professionals continue to insist that women do not have what it takes to perform the country's "national show".D "I'm a woman from head to toe and proud of it," she once said.E She looks like a male bullfighter.F But recently, 29-year-old Mari Paz Vega became the second woman in Spanish history to fight against those heavy animals.

填空题A what you say B apair of sunglasses C the listening machine D a visual sensor E who have disabilities F living forever in a computer

填空题 A. born to be more intelligent or less intelligent B. have a better chance to develop his intelligence C. taught to be more intelligent D. that intelligence was something a baby was born with E. and because of the lack of communication with his classmates F. and partly stimulated

填空题Even the most sophisticated Japanese robots are ______.

填空题 The Tough Grass that Sweetens Our Lives Sugar cane was once a wild grass that grew in New Guinea and was used by local people for roofing their houses and fencing their gardens. Gradually a different variety evolved which contained sucrose (蔗糖) and was chewed on for its sweet taste. Over time, sugar cane became a highly valuable commercial plant, grown throughout the world. {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}} Sugar became a vital ingredient in all kinds of things, from confectionery (糖果点心) to medicine, and, as the demand for sugar grew, the industry became larger and more profitable. {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}} Many crops withered (枯萎) and died, despite growers' attempts to save them, and there were fears that the health of the plant would continue to deteriorate. In the 1960s, scientists working in Barbodos looked for ways to make the commercial species stronger and more able to resist disease. They experimented with breeding programmes, mixing genes from the more delicate, commercial type. {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}This sugar cane is not yet ready to be sold commercially, but when this happens, it is expected to be incredible profitable for the industry. {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}Brazil, which produces one quarter of the world's sugar, has coordinated an international project under Professor Paulo Arrudo of the Universidade Estaudual de Campinas in Sao Paulo. Teams of experts have worked with him to discover more about which parts of the genetic structure of the plant are important for the production of sugar and its overall health. Despite all the research, however, we still do not fully understand how the genes in sugar cane. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}This gene is particularly exciting because it makes the plant resistant to rust, a disease which probably originated in India, but is now capable of infecting sugar cane across the world. Scientist believe they will eventually be able to grow a plant which cannot be destroyed by rust. A. Since the 1980s, scientists have been analysing the mysterious of the sugar canes genetic code. B. Unfortunately, however, the plant started to become weaker and more prone to disease. C. The majority of the world's sugar now comes from this particular commercial species. D. One major gene has been identified by Dr. Angellique D'Hont and her team in Montpeller, France. E. Eventually, a commercial plant was developed which was 5 percent sweeter than before, but also much stronger and less likely to die from disease. F. Sugar cane is now much more vigorous and the supply of sugar is therefore more guaranteed.

填空题A. be costlyB. harmfulC. save a lifeD. still open to debateE. reduce the risk of radiation triggering a cancerF. reduced to the minimum

填空题A have higher demands of museums B are open to more people with different social background C to lengthen their opening hours D charge too little for admission E have been built and open to public F by lowering the admission fees