单选题第一篇 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 pager. In trials at a pool in Ancenis, near Nantes, it saved a life within just a few months, says Alistair McQuade, 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" list, says McQuade. Swimmers who then stay immobile on the pool bottom for 5 seconds 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In some cases managers have to learn how to write programs so as to work out computerized information systems that suit their own companies best.

单选题The Need to Remember Some people say they have no memory at all: "I just can't remember a thing!" But of course we all have a memory. Our memory tells us who we are. Our memory helps us to make use in the present of what we have learnt in the past. In fact we have different types of memory, For example, our visual memory helps us recall facts and places. Some people have such a strong visual memory, they can remember exactly what they have seen, for example, pages of a book, as a complete picture. Our verbal (言语的) memory helps us remember words and figures we may have heard but not seen or written: items of a shopping list, a chemical formula, dates, or a recipe. With our emotional (情感的) memory, we recall situations or places where we had strong feelings, perhaps of happiness or unhappiness. We also have special memories for smell, taste, touch and sound, and for performing physical movements. We have two ways of storing any of these memories. Our short-term memory stores items for up to thirty seconds - enough to remember a telephone number while we dial. Our long-term memory, on the other hand, may store items for a lifetime. Older people in fact have a much better long-term memory than short-term. They may forget what they have done only a few hours ago, but have the clearest remembrance (记忆) of when they were very young. Psychologists tell us that we only remember a few facts about our past, and that we invent the rest. It is as though we remember only the outline of a story. We then make up the details. We often do this in the way we want to remember them, usually so that we appear as the heroes of our own past - or maybe victims needing sympathy (同情).

单选题The most widely seen sculptural work clone by Augusta Savage was probably "Lift Every Voice and Sing" , shown at the 1939-1940 New York world's fair.

单选题Before the supper, my morn asked me to {{U}}lay{{/U}} the table.

单选题Japan made a proposal to Korea for increasing trade between two countries. A. preparation B. exception C. suggestion D. companion

单选题The conclusion can be {{U}}deduced{{/U}} from the premises.

单选题She stared at his son and shaked with anger.

单选题She was one of the Uleading/U writers of her day.

单选题His idea to solve the problem is really original .

单选题Her faith Uupheld/U her in times of sadness.

单选题Experts Call for Local and Regional Control of Sites for Radioactive Waste The withdrawal of Nevada's Yucca Mountain as a potential nuclear waste repository has reopened the debate over how and where to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste. In an article in the July 10 issue of Science, University of Michigan geologist Rodney Ewing and Princeton University nuclear physicist Frank yon Hippel argue that, although federal agencies should set standards and issue licenses for the approval of nuclear facilities, local communities and states should have the final approval on the siting of these facilities. The authors propose the development of multiple sites that would service the regions where nuclear reactors are located. "The main goal..., should be to provide the Unied States with multiple alternatives and substantial public involvement in an open siting and design process that requires acceptance by host communities and states," the authors write. Ewing and yon Hippel also analyze the reasons why Yucca Mountain, selected by Congress in 1987 as the only site to be investigated for long-term nuclear waste disposal, finally was shelved after more than three decades of often controversial debate. The reasons include the site's geological problems, management problems, important changes in the Environmental Protection Agency's standard, unreliable funding and the failure to involve local communities in the decision-making process. Going forward, efforts should be directed at locating storage facilities in the nation's northeastern, southeastern, mid-western and western regions, and states within a given region should be responsible for developing solutions that suit their particular circumstances. Transportation of nuclear waste over long distances, which was a concern with the Yucca Mountain site, would be less of a problem because temporary storage or geological disposal sites could be located closer to reactors. "This regional approach would be similar to the current approach in Europe, where spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste from about 150 reactors and reprocessing plants is to be moved to a number of geological repositories in a variety of rock types," said Rodney Ewing, who has written extensively about the impact of nuclear waste management on the environment and who has analyzed safety assessment criteria for the controversial Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.

单选题Water The second most important constituent(构成成份)of the biosphere(生物圈)is liquid water. This can only exist in a very narrow range of temperatures, since water freezes at 0℃ and boils at 100℃. Life as we know it would only be possible on the surface of a planet which had temperatures somewhere within this narrow range. The earth's supply of water probably remains fairly constant in quantity. The total quantity of water is not known very accurately,but it is about enough to cover the surface of the globe to a depth of about two and three-quarter kilometers. Most of it is in the form of the salt water of the oceans -- about 97 percent. The rest is fresh,but three-quarters of this is in the form of ice at the Poles and on mountains, and cannot be used by living systems until melted. Of the remaining fraction, which is somewhat less than one percent of the whole,there is 10～20 times as much stored underground water as there is actually on the surface. There is also a tiny, but extremely important fraction of the water supply which is present as waer vapour in the atmosphere. Water vapour in the atmosphere is the channel through which the whole water circulation(循环)of the biosphere has to pass. Water evaporated(蒸发)from the surface of the oceans,from lakes and rivers and from moist(潮湿的)earth is added to it. From it the water comes out again as rain or snow,falling on either the sea or the land. There is,as might be expected,a more intensive evaporation per unit area over the sea and oceans than over the land, but there is more rainfall over the land than over the oceans and the balance is restored by the runoff from the land in the form of rivers.

单选题Retirement Brings Most a Big Health Boost The self-reported health of the newly retired improves so much that most feel eight years younger, a new European study suggests. This happy news was true of almost everyone except a small minority—only 2 percent who had experienced "ideal" conditions in their working life, anyway. "The results really say three things: that work puts an extra burden on the health of older workers, that the effects of this extra burden are largely relieved by retirement and, finally, that both the extra burden and the relief are larger when working conditions are poor," said Hugo Westerlund, lead author of a study published online Nov. 9 in the Lancet . "This indicates that there is a need to provide opportunities for older workers to decrease the demands in their work out of concern for their health and well-being." But of course, added Westerlund, who is head of epidemiology at the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University in Sweden, "not all older workers suffer from poor perceived health. Many are indeed remarkably healthy and fit for work. But sooner or later, everyone has to slow down because of old age catching up." Last week, the same group of researchers reported that workers slept better after retirement than before. "Sleep improves at retirement, which suggests that sleeping could be a mediator between work and perception of poor health," Westerlund said. This study looked at what the same 15,000 French workers, most of them men, had to say about their own health up to seven years pre-retirement and up to seven years post-retirement. As participants got closer to retirement age, their perception of their own health declined, but went up again during the first year of retirement. Those who reported are being in poorer health declined from 19.2 percent in the year prior to retirement to 14.3 percent by the end of the first year after retiring. According to the researchers, that means post-retirement levels of poor health fell to levels last seen eight years previously. The changes were seen in both men and women, across different occupations, and last-edthrough the first seven years of not punching the clock. Workers who felt worse before retirement and had lower working conditions reported greater improvements as soon as they retired, the team found.

单选题He has trouble understanding that other people judge him by his social skills and conduct .

单选题{{B}}第三篇{{/B}} {{B}} Technology Transfer in Germany{{/B}} When it comes to translating basic research into industrial success, few nations can match Germany. Since the 1940s, the nation's vast industrial base has been fed with a constant stream of new ideas and expertise from science. And though German prosperity (繁荣) has faltered (衰退) over the past decade because of the huge cost of unifying east and west as well as the global economic decline, it still has an enviable (令人羡慕的) record for turning ideas into profit. Much of the reason for that success is the Fraunhofer Society, a network of research institutes that exists solely to solve industrial problems and create sought-after technologies. But today the Fraunhofer institutes have competition. Universities are taking an ever larger role in technology transfer, and technology parks are springing up all over. These efforts are being complemented by the federal progremmes for pumping money into start-up companies. Such a strategy may sound like a recipe for economic success, but it is not without its critics. These people worry that favouring applied research will mean neglecting basic science, eventually starving industry of fresh ideas. If every scientist starts thinking like an entrepreneur (企业家), the argument goes, then the traditional principles of university research being curiosity-driven, free and widely available will suffer. Others claim that many of the programmes to promote technology transfer are a waste of money because half the small businesses that are' promoted are bound to go bankrupt within a few years. While this debate continues, new ideas flow at a steady rate from Germany's research networks, which bear famous names such as Helmholtz, Max Planck and Leibniz. Yet it is the fourth network, the Fraunhofer Society, that plays the greatest role in technology transfer. Founded in 1949, the Fraunhofer Society is now Europe's largest organisation for applied technology, and has 59 institutes employing 12, 000 people. It continues to grow. Last year, it swallowed up the Heinrich Hertz Institute for Communication Technology in Berlin. Today, there are even Fraunhofers in the US and Asia.

单选题Long Bus Rides Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard (广告牌) goes by outside the bus window. "Buy Super Clean Toothpaste." "Drink Good"n Wet Root Beer." "Fill up With Pacific Gas." Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you free from the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!" The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you"ve traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed—new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it"s fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless (鲁莽的)or daring, the ride can be as thrilling as a suspense (悬疑)story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left-hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But you"ve got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops. The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and there"s a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat, of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you"ve sat with your legs crossed, with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at the right time. There are just no more ways to sit.

单选题My doctor said I should vary my diet more.A. prepareB. cookC. changeD. choose

单选题An epidemic of swine flu has recently developed in Mexico and the United States, says the CDC. Swine flu has killed many people, and the outbreak has features that suggest it could become a global pandemic. A pandemic is an epidemic that spreads around the whole world. Pandemics also often cause more severe disease than epidemics. Which of the following statements is true about a pandemic?A. It is the same as an epidemic.B. It always follows an epidemic.C. It is widespread and serious.D. It kills all people who are infecte

单选题China to Help Europe Develop GPS (全球定位系统) Rival China is to contribute to a new global satellite navigation system being developed by European nations. The Galileo satellite system (51) a more accurate civilian alternative to the Global Positioning System (GPS), operated by the US military. China will provide 230m Euros (USD 259m) in (52) and will cooperate with technical, manufacturing and market development." China will help Galileo to (53) the major world infrastructure (基础设施)for the growing market for location services," said Loyola de Palacio, EU transport commissioner. A new center that will coordinate co-operation was also announced (54) the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology not long (55) . The China-Europe Global Navigation Satellite System Technical Training and Cooperation Center will be (56) at Beijing University. China has a substantial satellite launch industry and could potentially help launch the Galileo satellites. The US has claimed that Galileo could interfere (57) the US ability to downgrade (降级) the GPS service during military conflicts. European officials say this is unfounded and counter that US opposition (58) the commercial challenge Galileo would present to GPS. Galileo will be precise to within a meter, while the civilian GPS service is accurate to around 10 meters. The Galileo satellite constellation (卫星群集) will (59) 27 operational and three reserve satellites orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 23,600 km. The satellites will be strung along three medium-Earth orbits at 56 degrees inclination to the equator and will provide global coverage. The system should be operational by 2008 and the entire project is expected to (60) around 3.2 billion Euros (USD 3.6 billion). The European Commission has said Galileo will primarily be used for transportation technology, scientific research, land management and disaster monitoring. Galileo will provide two signals; a standard civilian one and an encrypted (编码) , wide-band signal (61) the Public Regulated Service (PRS). This second signal is designed to withstand localized jamming(干扰)and will be used by police and military services in Europe. European Commission (62) have said China will not be given access to the PRS. The first Galileo satellite is scheduled to launch late in 2004. Clocks on board the (63) will be synchronized (使同步) through 20 ground sensors stations, two command centers and 15 uplink (向上传输) stations. Receivers on the ground will use time signals from the satellites to precisely calculate their (64) . A "search and rescue" function will also (65) distress signals be relayed through the constellation of satellites.