单选题 下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题，每题后面有4个选项。请仔细阅读短文并根据短文回答其后面的问题，从4个选项中选择1个最佳答案。{{B}}第一篇{{/B}} {{B}} Culture, Language and Equality{{/B}} Culture is the sum total of all the traditions, customs, belief and ways of life of a given group of human beings. In this sense, every group has a culture, however savage, undeveloped, or uncivilized it may seem to us. To the professional anthropologist, there is no intrinsic superiority of one culture over another, just as to the professional linguist there is no intrinsic hierarchy among languages. People once thought of the languages of backward groups as savage, undeveloped form of speech, consisting largely of grunts and groans. While it is possible that language in general began as a series of grunts and groans, it is a fact established by the study of “backward” languages that no spoken tongue answers that description today. Most languages of uncivilized groups are, by our most severe standards, extremely complex, delicate, and ingenious pieces of machinery for the transfer of ideas. They fall behind the Western languages not in their sound patterns or grammatical structures, which usually are fully adequate for all language needs, but only in their vocabularies, which reflect the objects and activities known to their speakers. Even in this department, however, two things are to be noted: 1. All languages seem to possess the machinery for vocabulary expansion, either by putting together words already in existence or by borrowing them from other languages and adapting them to their own system. 2. The objects and activities requiring names and distinctions in “backward” languages, while different from ours, are often surprisingly numerous and complicated. A western language distinguishes merely between two degrees of remoteness (“this” and “that”); some languages of the American Indians distinguish between what is close to the speaker, or the person addressed, or remote from both, or out of sight, or in the past, or in the future. This study of language, in turn, casts a new light upon the claim of the anthropologists that all cultures are to viewed independently, and without ideas of rank or hierarchy.

单选题下面的短文有15处空白，请根据短文内容为每处空白确定1个最佳选项。 Obtaining Drinking Water from Air Humidity Not a plant to be seen，the desert ground is too dry．But the air contains water，and research scientists have found a{{U}} (51) {{/U}}of obtaining drinking water from air humidity． “The process we have developed is based exclusively on renewable energy sources{{U}} (52) {{/U}}thermal solar collectors and photovoltaic(光电的)cells，{{U}} (53) {{/U}}makes this method completely energy autonomous．It will{{U}} (54) {{/U}}function in regions where there is no electrical infrastructure(基础设施)，”says Siegfried Egner，head of the research team．The principle of the{{U}} (55) {{/U}}is as follows：hygroscopic(吸湿的)brine(盐水)，-saline(含盐的)solution which absorbs moisture-runs down a tower shaped unit and absorbs water from the air．It is then sucked{{U}} (56) {{/U}}a tank a few meters off the ground in which a vacuum prevails．Energy from solar collectors{{U}} (57) {{/U}}up the brine，which is diluted by the water it has{{U}} (58) {{/U}}． Because of the vacuum，the boiling point of the liquid is lower than it would be under{{U}} (59) {{/U}} atmospheric pressure．The evaporated(蒸发的)，non-saline water is condensed and runs down through a completely filled tube in a controlled manner．The gravity of this water column{{U}} (60) {{/U}}produces the vacuum and SO a vacuum pump is not needed．The reconcentrated brine{{U}} (61) {{/U}}down the tower surface again to absorb moisture from the air． “The concept is suitable for various water{{U}} (62) {{/U}}．Single-person units and plants supplying water to entire hotels are conceivable，”says Egner．Prototypes have been built for{{U}} (63) {{/U}}system components-air moisture absorption and vacuum evaporation-and the research scientists have already {{U}}(64) {{/U}}their interplay on a laboratory scale．In a further{{U}} (65) {{/U}}the researchers intend to develop a demonstration facility．

单选题They agreed to settle the dispute by peaceful means.A. solveB. determineC. untieD. complete

单选题He {{U}}demolished{{/U}} my argument in minutes．

单选题To Prevent Deaths In Hospital Operating Doctors around the world now perform more than two hundred thirty million major operations every year. The World Health Organization says preventable injuries and deaths from medical operations are a growing concern. Experts estimate that at least one million people die every year because of complications from surgical treatments. The W. H. O. says studies suggest that about half of these problems may be preventable. The United Nations agency hopes to reduce mistakes with a program built around a new Surgical Safety Checklist. Atul Gawande works at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. He helped develop the Safe Surgery Saves Lives program. Doctor Gawande and other researchers studied records from fifty-six countries. In two thousand four, surgical complications in developed countries led to death in less than one percent of cases. In developing countries, the rate was five to ten percent. Complications can happen during an operation or after. For example, an infection might develop after an operation. More than two hundred medical societies and health ministries have joined in the effort to make surgery safer. The new list is similar to what airplane pilots use before flying. One member of the surgical team is responsible for the checklist. The first questions are asked before the patient receives anesthesia. The very first step is to confirm the patient's identity and the operation to be performed. More questions are asked before the first cut. All members of the team are supposed to identify themselves by name and job. Another step is to confirm whether the patient was given antibiotic drugs within the last hour to prevent infection. The third and final part of the checklist is completed before the patient leaves the operating room. For example, surgical equipment is counted to make sure nothing unnecessary stays in the patient. At eight locations worldwide, these actions were being done only thirty-six percent of the time. But the W. H. O. says use of the list increased that to sixty-eight percent. Some hospitals reached almost one hundred percent. Early results from one thousand patients showed a drop in complications and deaths. Doctor Gawande says the checklist has helped him in his own surgery. A final version of the list is expected by the end of the year.

单选题The curious look from the strangers around her made her feel uneasy .

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

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}} Dried Foods{{/B}} Centuries ago, man discovered that removing moisture{{U}} (51) {{/U}}food helped to preserve it, and that the easiest way to do this was to expose the food to the sun and wind. In this{{U}} (52) {{/U}} the North American Indians produce dried meat and make it into cakes, the Scandinavians make{{U}} (53) {{/U}}fish and the Arabs make dried dates. All foods contain{{U}} (54) {{/U}}, cabbage and other leaf vegetables contain as much as 93% water, potatoes and other root vegetables 80%, lean meat 75%, and fish anything from 80% to 60% depending{{U}} (55) {{/U}}how fatty it is. If this water is{{U}} (56) {{/U}}, the activity of the bacteria which causes food to go bad is stopped. Now day most foods are dried mechanically. The most common{{U}} (57) {{/U}}of such drying is to put food in chambers. This is the usual method for drying such things{{U}} (58) {{/U}}vegetables, minced meat, and fish. Liquids such as milk, coffee, tea, soups and eggs may be dried{{U}} (59) {{/U}}pouring them over a heated horizontal steel cylinder or by spraying them into a chamber through{{U}} (60) {{/U}}a current of hot air passes. In the first{{U}} (61) {{/U}},the dried material is scraped off the roller as a thin film which is then broken up into small pieces, though still relatively coarse flakes. In the second process it falls to the bottom of the chamber as a fine powder. Where{{U}} (62) {{/U}}pieces of meat and vegetables are required, as in soup, the ingredients are dried separately and then mixed. Dried foods take up less room and weigh less{{U}} (63) {{/U}}the same food packed in can or frozen, and they are{{U}} (64) {{/U}}to climbers, explorers and soldiers in battle, who have little storage space. They are also popular with housewives{{U}} (65) {{/U}}it takes so little time to cook them. Usually it is just a matter of replacing the dried-out moisture with boiling water.

单选题Her sister urged her to apply for the job.

单选题The Development of American Postal System In the early days of the United States, postal charges were paid by the recipient and charges varied with the distance carried. In 1825, the United States Congress permitted local postmasters to give letters to mail carriers for home delivery, but these carriers received no government salary and their entire compensation depended on what they were paid by the recipients of individual letters. In 1847, the United States Post Office Department adopted the idea of a postage stamp, which of course simplified the payment for postal service but caused grumbling by those who did not like to prepay. Besides, the stamp covered only delivery to the post office and did not include carrying it to a private address. In Philadelphia, for example, with a population of 150,000, people still had to go to the post office to get their mail. The confusion and congestion of individual citizens looking for their letters was itself enough to discourage use of the mail. It is no wonder that, during the years of these cumbersome arrangements, private letter-carrying and express businesses developed. Although their activities were only semi legal, they thrived and actually advertised that between Boston and Philadelphia they were half-day speedier than the government mail. The government postal service lost volume to private competition and was not able to handle efficiently even the business it had. Finally, in 1863, Congress provided that the mail carriers who delivered the mail from the post offices to private addresses should receive a government salary, and that there should be no extra charge for that delivery. But this delivery service was at first confined to cities, and free home delivery became a sign of urbanization. In 1890, of the 75 million people in the United States, fewer than 20 million had mail delivered free to their doors. The rest, nearly three quarters of the population, still received no mail unless they went to their post office.

单选题Sonic Device The other day, Dr. Robert Smith, who is blind, took a remarkable stroll through the campus of the University of California at Santa Barbara. As Dr. Smith walked along the campus, places and impediments (障碍物) in his path seemed to call out their names to him, "library here, library here", "bench here, bench here". Dr. Smith was testing a prototype(样机) navigation system for the blind that announced the surrounding objects through stereo headphones that were mounted to a computer in his back-pack (背包), creating virtual reality landscape(仿真景象). The information came not from some miniature radar but from the signals broadcast by the military"s network of global positioning satellites(全球定位卫星). One day, its developers hope, miniaturized(小型化) versions of this navigation device, which now weighs 28 pounds, will help the blind navigate unfamiliar neighborhoods. "With this system you do not need to know a thing in advance about where you are going," said Dr. Roberta Klatzky, a psychologist at Carnegie Mellon University who is working with Dr. Smith to develop the navigating device. Dr. Michael Oberdor of the National Eye Institute said, "A blind person could walk down the street and know not just that he was at 80th and Broadway, but what stores are around, and that Zabar"s delicatessen(熟食店) was up ahead. This navigation system tells you not just where there are obstacles, but your overall location geographically." It lets blind users construct a mental map of new surroundings and learn their way around. The navigation system uses signals from a computerized map to create a "virtual acoustic display (仿真声音显示)." This is a talking map in which large objects seem to announce themselves in the headphones with the precise timing and loudness that would be the case if the objects were actually making a sound. This allows the blind person to sense immediately his or her distance or direction, and use that information for guidance While no one knows whether it is because blind people tend to develop a sharper sense of hearing. Those who have tried the system say that they quickly adapt to locating an object through the sounds. "One of the crucial features of this system is that it takes advantage of sensory psychophysics(感官心理物理学) how the brain interprets signals from outside to make a map of your surroundings so you can navigate," Dr. Oberdor said.

单选题There is more rainfall

单选题Tom is still Ufull of beans/U at 70.

单选题The Invention of the Telephone In the nineteenth century, the invention of the telegraph made it possible to send noises, signals, and even music over wires from one place to another. However, the human voice 1 this way. Many inventors tried to find a 2 to send a voice over wires, and in 1876 some of their efforts were crowned with success. 3 American inventors, Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray, 4 at almost the same time. The United States Supreme Court finally had to decide which of the two 5 the first inventor of the telephone. The Court decided 6 Bell"s favor. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Bell grew up in a family 7 was very interested in teaching people to speak. His grandfather had been an actor who left 8 to teach elocution; his father was a teacher 9 deaf-mutes learn how to speak. However, probably none of the 10 inventions gave Bell the same feeling of triumph 11 he had on the day when he spilled some acid from his batteries. It was after he had worked for months to find ways to send something more 12 metallic twangs over the wires. Thinking Watson, 13 , was in the next room, Bell called, "Mr. Watson, 14 I want you." Watson was not in the next room. He was down in his laboratory, 15 to the receiver. To Watson"s surprise, he heard the words perfectly. He ran to tell Bell the news. the wires had carried Bell"s voice perfectly.

单选题Recent studies have shown that the stature of male Americans has scarcely changed in the past two hundred years.

单选题I don't quite follow what she is saying. A．observe B．understand C．explain D．describe

单选题Too Polite for Words A Japanese colleague the other day was talking about a meeting with a man whom she abruptly described using the English word "jerk". I thought she was toning down her Japanese for my benefit, so I asked her how to say "jerk" in Japanese. "There's no such word, "she answered helplessly. "We have to use 'jerk'". Heaven knows it's not as if there are no jerks in Japan. But the Japanese language is just not made for sniping at people. At first, I thought maybe my Japanese teachers had been too polite to teach me the real lingo, so I watched to see what Japanese drivers would say to each other after a car accident. It turned out that they say: "I'm sorry. " Gradually I came to realize that there is perhaps no language so ill suited to invective as Japanese. Linguistically, these guys are wimps. Take the vicious Japanese insult "kisama, "which is deeply offensive. It means: "your honorable self. "That's right. Instead of using all kinds of dirty words, the Japanese insult each other by frowning and growling."Your honorable self. " Likewise, a nasty expression for a woman is "ama, 'another term not to try with the nice woman at the sushi restaurant. But literally it means "nun". Sure, sarcasm may be intended, hut still most women would probably prefer to be characterized as a nun than as a female dog. Since people are least inhibited when they are shaking their fists at each other, insults offer a window into a culture. I've been interested in such terms ever since I arrived in Cairo a dozen years ago to study Arabic and discovered that my name was a curse. "Nick" sounds very much like the imperative of an extremely vulgar verb for sex. I would introduce myself in Arabic, and my new acquaintance would flee in horror. There's no such danger in Japanese. There are explicit terms for sex and for body parts, crude as well as clinical, but they are descriptive rather than insulting. There is one exception. One of the meanest things one Japanese child can say to another is: "Omaeno kaachan debeso. "That means. "Your mom's belly button sticks out. "This has no deep Freudian meaning; it simply means that your mother is rude and ugly.

单选题The American Family In the American family the husband and wife usually share important decision making. When the children are (51) enough, they take part as well. Foreigners are often surprised by the permissiveness (宽容) of American parents. The old rule that "children should be seen and not heard" is rarely (52) , and children are often allowed to do (53) they wish without strict control of their parents. The father seldom expects his children to listen to him (54) question, and children are encouraged to be (55) at an early age. Some people believe that American parents carry this freedom (56) far. Others think that a strong father image would not (57) the American values of equality and independence. Because Americans emphasize the importance of independence, young people are expected to (58) their parental families by the time they have (59) their late teens or early twenties. Indeed, not to do so is often regarded as a (60) , a kind of weak dependence. This pattern of independence often results in serious (61) for the aging parents of a small family. The average American is expected to live (62) the age of 70. The job-retirement age is (63) 65. The children have left home, married, and (64) their own households. At least 20 percent of all people over 65 do not have enough retirement incomes. (65) the major problem of many elderly couples is not economic. They feel useless and lonely with neither an occupation nor a close family group.

单选题They tried their best to resolve the Uresidual/U problems.

单选题Strict sanitary procedures help to forestall out-breaks of disease.