单选题The old man lodged an official complaint about his neighbours' behaviour. A. did B. put C. made D. set up

单选题The town is famous for its Umagnidicent/U buildings．

单选题Norman Blarney is an artist of deep convictions. A. statements B. beliefs C. suggestions D. claims

单选题The book provides a concise analysis of the country"s history.

单选题She read a poem which depicts the splendor of the sunset.

单选题Unfortunately, the rate of his expenditure surpasses that of his income.A. precedesB. dominatesC. exceedsD. prevails

单选题The high-speed trains can have a major {{U}}impact{{/U}} on our lives. A. effort B. problem C. concern D. influence

单选题Study Helps Predict Big Mediterranean Quake Scientists have found evidence that an overlooked fault in the eastern Mediterranean is likely to produce an earthquake and tsunami every 800 years as powerful as the one that destroyed Alexandria in AD 365. Using radiocarbon dating techniques, simulations and computer models, the researchers recreated the ancient disaster in order to identify the responsible fault. "We are saying there is probably a repeat time of 800 years for this kind of earthquake," said Ms. Beth Shaw, an earthquake scientist at the University of Cambridge, who led the study. Scientists study past earthquakes in order to determine the future possibility of similar large shocks. Identifying the fault for the AD 365 earthquake and tsunami is important for the tens of millions of people in the region, Ms. Shaw said. The fault close to the southwest coast of Crete last produced a big enough quake to generate a tsunami about 1300, which means the next powerful one could come in the next 100 years, she added in a telephone interview. Ms. Shaw and her colleagues calculate the likely intervals by measuring the motion of either side of the fault to find how often such large earthquakes would have to occur to account for that level of motion, she said. Their computer model suggested an 8 magnitude quake on the fault would produce a tsunami that floods the coastal regions of Alexandria and North Africa, the southern coast of Greece and Sicily all the way up the Adriati to Dubrovnik. This would be similar to the ancient quake in AD 365 that caused widespread destruction in much of Greece and unleashed a tsunami that flooded Alexandria and the Nile Delta, likely killing tens of thousands of people, she said.

单选题They Say Ireland"s the Best Ireland is the best place in the world to live in for 2005, according to a life quality ranking that appeared in Britain"s Economist magazine last week, The ambitious attempt to compare happiness levels around the world is based on the principle that wealth is not the only measure of human satisfaction and well-being. The index of 111 countries uses data on incomes, health, unemployment, climate, political stability, job security, gender equality as well as what the magazine calls "freedom, family and community life". Despite the bad weather, troubled health service, traffic congestion (拥挤), gender inequality, and the high cost of living, Ireland scored an impressive 8. 33 points out of 10. That put it well ahead of second-place Switzerland, which managed 8.07. Zimbabwe, troubled by political insecurity and hunger, is rated the gloomiest (最差的), picking up only 3.89 points. "Although rising incomes and increased individual choices are highly valued," the report said, "some of the factors associated with modernization such as the breakdown (崩溃) in traditional institutions and family values in part take away from a positive impact." "Ireland wins because it successfully combines the most desirable elements of the new with the preservation of certain warm elements of the old, such as stable family and community life." The magazine admitted measuring quality of life is not a straightforward thing to do, and that its findings would have their critics. No. 2 on the list is Switzerland. The other nations in the top 10 are Norway, Luxembourg, Sweden, Australia, Iceland, Italy, Denmark and Spain. The UK is positioned at No. 29, a much lower position chiefly because of the social and family breakdown recorded in official statistics. The US, which has the second highest per capita GDP (人均国内生产总值) after Luxembourg, took the 13th place in the survey. China was in the lower half of the league at 60th.

单选题Their parents once lived under very Usevere/U conditions.

单选题The Net Cost of Making a Name for Yourself Companies are paying up to $10,000 to register a domain name on the Internet even though there is no guarantee that they will get the name they want. The task of registering domains ending in. com, org, .edu and. net is at present contracted out by the US government to the Virginia-based company Network Solutions. The contract runs out this year, and the government wants to bring in a different scheme. But last year, an ad hoc committee of the Internet's great and good revealed its own plan. This involved setting up seven new domains, each indicating the kind of business or organisation using that name. The committee recruited 88 companies around the world to act as registrars for its firm, . shop, . web, . arts, . rec, . info and. nom domains. The US government has still to give the system its blessing, and may yet push ahead with its original scheme. Despite this, the 88 registrars have been taking applications for several months. They are due to start registering names this month with the Internet Council of Registrars, which grew out of the ad hoc committee. To prevent conflicting names from being registered, the council will take one name from each registrar in mm before going back for the second name in their queues, and so on. This has led to a flourishing trade, with companies trying to buy a place near the head of the queue. Global Names of Singapore is charging $10,000 to make sure a request for a name is the first one it sends off to the central database. Other registrars are charging nonrefundable deposits for places at the top of the queue. David Maher, chairman of the Policy Oversight Committee that is helping to set up and oversee the system, says that all registrars are subject to local laws regarding consumer protection and competition. But he says that the committee "will not act as an enforcement body in this area./

单选题Preserve the Environment Throughout history man has changed his physical environment in order to improve his way of life. With the tools of technology he has altered many physical features of the earth. He has transformed woodlands into farmland, and made lakes and reservoirs out of rivers for irrigation purposes or hydroelectric power. Man has also modified the face of the earth by draining marshes and cutting through mountains to build roads and railways. However, man"s changes to the physical environment have not always had beneficial results. Today, pollution of the air and water is an increasing danger to the health of the planet. Each day thousands of tons of gases come out of the exhausts of motor vehicles; smoke from factories pollutes the air of industrialized areas and the surrounding areas of countryside. The air in cities is becoming increasingly unhealthy. The pollution of water is equally harmful. In the sea, pollution from oil is increasing and is killing enormous numbers of algae (水藻), fish and birds. The whole ecological balance of the sea is being changed. The same problem exists in rivers. Industrial wastes have already made many rivers lifeless. Conservationists believe that it is now necessary for man to limit the growth of technology in order to survive on earth.

单选题The National Trust The National Trust in Britain plays an increasingly important part in the preservation for public enjoyment of the best that is left unspoiled of the British countryside. Although the Trust has received practical and moral support from the Government, it is not a rich Government department. It is a voluntary association of people who care for the unspoiled countryside and historic buildings of Britain. It is charity which depends for its existence on voluntary support from members of the public. Its primary duty is to protect places of great natural beauty and places of historical interest. The attention of the public was first drawn to the dangers threatening the great old houses and castles of Britain by the death of Lord Lothian, who left his great seventeenth-century house to the Trust together with the 4,500-acre park and estate surrounding it. This gift attracted wide publicity and started the Trust"s "Country House Scheme". Under this scheme, with the help of the Government and the general public, the Trust has been able to save and make accessible to the public about one hundred and fifty of these old houses. Last year about one and three quarters of a million people paid to visit these historic houses, usually at a very small charge. In addition to country houses and open spaces the Trust now owns some examples of ancient wind and water mills, nature reserves, five hundred and forty farms and nearly two thousand five hundred cottages or small village houses, as well as some complete villages. In these villages no one is allowed to build, develop or disturb the old village environment in any way and all the houses are maintained in their original sixteenth-century style. Over four hundred thousand acres of coastline, woodland, and hill country are protected by the Trust and no development or disturbances of any kind are permitted. The public has free access to these areas and is only asked to respect the peace, beauty and wildlife. So it is that over the past eighty years the Trust has become a big and important organization and an essential and respected part of national life, preserving all that is of great natural beauty and of historical significance not only for future generations of Britons but also for the millions of tourists who each year invade Britain in search of a great historic and cultural heritage.

单选题He achieved success through hard work.A. reachedB. reapedC. attainedD. took

单选题To cool itself, a rhinoceros soaks in mud or water because its thick {{U}}hide{{/U}} has no sweat glands.

单选题He was kept in appalling conditions in prison.

单选题If you want my advice, you should Urevise/U your plan for the trip to Beijing.

单选题The Best Way to Reduce Your Weight You hear this: "No wonder you are fat. All you ever do is eating." You feel sad: "I skip my breakfast and supper. I run every morning and evening. What else can I do?" Basically you can do nothing. Your genes, not your life habits, determine your weight and your body constantly tries to maintain it. Albert Stunkard of the University of Pennsylvania found from experiments that, "80 percent of the children of two obese parents become obese, as compared with no more than 14 percent of the offspring of two parents of normal weight." How can obese people become normal or even thin through dieting? Well, dieting can be effective, but the health costs are tremendous. Jules Hirsch, a research physician at Rockefeller University, did a study of eight fat people. They were given a liquid formula providing 600 calories a day. After more than 10 weeks, the subjects lost 45kg on average. But after leaving the hospital, they all regained. The results were surprising by metabolic measurement, fat people who lost large amounts of weight seemed like they were starving. They had psychiatric problems. They dreamed of food or breaking their diet. They were anxious and depressed; some were suicidal. They hid food in their rooms. Researchers warn that it is possible that weight reduction doesn't result in normal weight, but in an abnormal state resembling that of starved non-obese people. Thin people, however, suffer from the opposite: They have to make a great effort to gain weight. Ethan Sims, of the University of Vermont, got prisoners to volunteer to gain weight. In four to six months, they ate as much as they could. They succeeded in increasing their weight by 20 to 25 percent. But months after the study ended, they were back to normal weight and stayed there. This did not mean that people are completely without hope in controlling their weight. It means that those who tend to be fat will have to constantly battle their genetic inheritance if they want to significantly lower their weight. The findings also provide evidence for something scientists thought was true--each person has a comfortable weight range. The range might be as much as 9kg. Someone might weigh 60-69kg without too much effort. But going above or below the natural weight range is difficult. The body resists by feeling hungry or full and changing the metabolism to push the weight back to the range it seeks.

单选题The two banks have announced plans to {{U}}merge{{/U}} next year. A. combine B. sell C. close D. break

单选题My wife wants me to {{U}}do away with{{/U}} my shoes.