单选题Loud noises can be Uirritatinq/U.

单选题After Emily Dickinson {{U}}retreated from {{/U}}the world at the age of twenty-six, she wrote more than one thousand poems.

单选题He is renowned for his skill.

单选题What differences do you find between Finch's airplane and Earhart's?

单选题 Age Discrimination By the year 2000 nearly half the workforce in Europe are over 40 and yet throughout Europe there is a deep ambivalence (犹豫)-if not outright suspicion-towards the capabilities of older workers. Those over the age of 40 generally take longer to find new employment, but European governments have done little to protect their employment rights. Only Germany, with incentives to business to encourage the employment of older people, and France, with the introduction of legislation making it illegal to use age barriers in recruitment-or to make employees redundant because of their age done anything substantive to combat age discrimination. Yet even in these two countries, there has been no noticeable improvement in the lot of the older workers; indeed, in France, job advertisements flout (轻视，反对) the law openly by asking for applicants of a certain age. So, should France and Germany be tightening up their laws and should the rest of Europe follow suit? Bill Robbins, a careers consultant said, "Legislation against age discrimination has been in existence for well over ten year in the U.S. and Canada, but has had no effect. Employers will always be able to find some reasons for turning down an older applicant without appearing to break the law." Ironically, it was governments which played a leading role in hardening business culture against older workers in the first place. In the late 1970s, many European countries were extremely concerned about the levels of youth unemployment, and France, Germany and Belgium even initiated incentive schemes for businesses to encourage older employees to take early retirement provided that younger trainees were taken on in their place. As more and more employees took early retirement, often willingly, a new, youth-oriented culture permeated business throughout most of Europe-even in those countries that had taken no active measures to promote it. Demographic (人口统计学) trends mean that governments are now anxious to slow down the policy of early retirement as they realize that they simply do not have the funds to meet their pension promises. But reversing business attitudes is no easy matter. Dianah Worman a policy adviser said, "There is a widely held belief that older people are less adaptable and trainable. This is just not true: research has shown that differences in capability are as wide within age groups as they are between them."

单选题The Now Rich and the Old Rich Though it is mere 1 to 3 percent of the population, the upper class possesses at least 25 percent of the nation’s wealth. This class has two segments: upper-upper and lower-upper. Basically, the upper-upper class is the “old rich”—families that have been wealthy for several generations and aristocracy of birth and wealth. Their names are in the Social Register, a listing of acceptable members of high society. A few are known across the nation, such as the Rockfellers, Roosevelts, and Vanderbilts. Most are not visible to the general public. They live in grand seclusion (深居简出), drawing their income from the investment of their inherited wealth. In contrast, the lower upper class is the “new rich”. Although they may he wealthier than some of the old rich, the new rich have hustled(急于做)to make their money like everybody else beneath their class. Thus their prestige is generally lower than that of the old rich, who have not found it necessary to lift a finger to make their money, and who tend to look down upon the new rich. However its wealth is acquired, the upper class is very, very rich. They have enough money and leisure time to cultivate an interest in the arts and to collect rare books, painting, and sculpture. They generally live in exclusive areas, belong to exclusive social clubs, communicate with each other, and marry their own kind — all of which keeps them so distant from the masses that they have been called the out-of-sight class. They also command an enormous amount of power and influence here and abroad, as they hold many top government positions, run the Council on foreign relations, and control multinational corporations. Their actions affect the lives of millions.

单选题A great deal has been done to better the situation A. change B. improve C. assess D. harm

单选题Deforestation and Desertification (沙漠化) The Sahel zone lies between the Sahara desert and the fertile savannahs (热带大草原) of northern Nigeria and South Sudan. The word sahel comes from Arabic and means marginal or transitional, and this is a good description of these semi-arid (半干旱) lands, which occupy much of the Western African countries of Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad. Unfortunately, over the last century the Sahara desert has steadily crept southwards eating into once productive Sahel lands. United Nations surveys show that over 70 percent of the dry land in agriculture use in Africa has deteriorated over the last 30 years. Droughts have become more severe, the most recent lasting over twenty years in parts of the Sahel region. The same process of desertification is taking place across southern Africa as the Kalahari desert advances into Botswana and parts of South Africa. One of the major causes of this desert advance is poor agricultural land use, driven by the pressures of increasing population. Overgrazing—keeping too many farm animals on the land—means that grasses and other plants cannot recover, and scarce water supplies are exhausted. Over cultivation—trying to grow too many crops on poor land—results in the soil becoming even less fertile and drier, and beginning to break up. Soil erosion (侵蚀) follows, and the land turns into desert. Another cause of desertification is loss of tree cover. Trees are cut down for use as fuel and to clear land for agricultural use. Tree roots help to bind the soil together, to conserve moisture, and to provide a habitat for other plants and animals. When trees are cut down, the soil begins to dry and loosen, wind and rain erosion increase, other plant species die, and eventually the fertile topsoil may be almost entirely lost, leaving only bare rock and dust. The effects of loss of topsoil and increased drought are irreversible. They are, however, preventable. Careful conservation of tree cover and sustainable agricultural land use have been shown to halt deterioration of soils and lessen the effects of shortage of rainfall. One project in Kita in south-west Mall funded by UNDP has involved local communities in sustainable management of forest, while at the same time providing a viable (有活力的) agricultural economy. This may be a model for similar projects in other West African countries.

单选题The company has the right to end his employment at any time． A．provide B．stop C．offer D．continue

单选题Their parents once lived under very {{U}}severe{{/U}} conditions. A. sound B. hard C. strict D. tight

单选题Human Space Exploration While scientists are searching the cause of the Columbia disaster, NASA．is moving ahead with plans to develop a new craft that would replace shuttles (航天飞机) on space station missions by 2012 and respond quickly to space station emergencies. The space agency released the first set of mission needs and requirements several days ago for the orbital space plane (轨道航天飞机), which would be designed to transport a crew of four to and from the International Space Station. Although it includes few specifics, the plan states the orbiter (轨道航天飞机) will be safer, cheaper and require less preparation time than the shuttle. It would be able to transport four crew members by 2012—though it would be available for rescue missions by 2010. NASA．says the craft should be able to transport injured or ill space station crew members to "definitive (决定性的) medical care" within 24 hours. The release of the requirements showed NASA．remains focused on the long-term priorities of space exploration, even as questions exist concerning the loss of Columbia and its seven-member crew on February 1,2003. Experts at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, have been working for years on a successor to the shuttle. The project, known as the Space Launch Initiative (倡议), was divided last year into two parts—one focusing on a future launch vehicle, the other on a space station orbiter. The orbiter is expected to be ready sooner. The program's managers say NASA officials have told them not to alter Space Launch Initiative in light of the Columbia disaster. U.S. President George W. Bush asked Congress for about U.S. $1 billion for Space Launch Initiative in 2004, funds that would be almost equally split between the Orbital Space Plane and Next Generation Launch Technology.

单选题The new style of shoes appeals to those students.A. arisesB. absorbsC. attractsD. accepts

单选题Puerto Rican Cuisine（菜肴） Puerto Rico, a Caribbean (加勒比海区) island rich in history and remarkable natural beauty, has a cuisine all its own. Immigration（移民） to the island has helped to shape its cuisine, with people from all over the world making various contributions to it. However, before the arrival of these immigrants, the Taino people lived on the island of Puerto Rico. Taino cuisine included such foods as rodents (啮齿动物), fresh shellfish and fish fried in corn oil. Many aspects of Taino cuisine continue today in Puerto Rican cooking, but it has been heavily influenced by the Spanish, who invaded Puerto Rico in 1508, and Africans, who were initially brought to Puerto Rico to work as slaves. Taino cooking styles were mixed with ideas brought by the Spanish and Africans to create new dishes. The Spanish extended food choices by bringing cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep to the island. Africans also added to the island's food culture by introducing powerful, contrasting tastes in dishes. In fact, much of the food Puerto Rico is now famous for - coffee, coconuts, and oranges - was actually imported by foreigners to the island. A common assumption many people make about Puerto Rican food is that it is very spicy(辛辣的). lt's true that chili peppers are popular; aij caballero in particular is a very hot chili pepper that Puerto Ricans enjoy. However, milder(微辣的) tastes are popular too, such as sofrito. As the base of many Puerto Rican dishes, sofrito is a sauce made from chopped onions, green bell peppers, sweet chili peppers, and a handful of other spices. It is fried in oil and then added to other dishes.

单选题One of California"s greatest problems is providing adequate water to meet the needs of its expanding population.

单选题The game requires us to find out two {{U}}simple{{/U}} but effective ways to solve this problem.

单选题Norman Blarney is an artist of deep convictions .

单选题The first scientific air flight was designed by

单选题They are giant geometric patterns, which appear over-night in a field of crops. Many people believe that they are made by aliens. Others call them hoaxes. " Crop circle", as the mysterious patterns are called, became a hot phrase this month. A strange pattern 360 feet (110 meters) in diameter was discovered earlier this month in a wheat field in Oxfordshire, England. It's believed to be the world's first three-dimensional crop circle. The giant crop circle gives an impression of looking down on skyscrapers from above. The design's discovery immediately generated a new tide of public interest in this mysterious phenomenon. Crop circles were first widely noticed in the late 1970s as many mysterious circles began appearing in crop fields throughout the English countryside. People were intrigued by these giant patterns. They were huge (at least tens of meters in diameters) and popped up over-night. No one knew how or by whom they were made. The world's first three-dimensional crop circle appearedA. in a wheat field in Oxfordshire.B. throughout the countryside of Oxfordshire.C. in the English countryside in the 1970s.D. in all the wheat fields in the English countrysid

单选题Robots May Allow Surgery in Space Small robots designed by University of Nebraska researchers may allow doctors on earth to help perform surgery on patients in space. The tiny, wheeled robots, 16 are about 3 inches tall and as wide as a lipstick case, can be slipped into small incisions (切口) and computer-controlled by surgeons in different locations. Some robots are 17 with cameras and lights and can send images back to surgeons and others have surgical 18 attached that can be controlled remotely. "We think this is going to 19 open surgery," Dr. Dmitry Oleynikov said at a news conference. Oleynikov is a specialist 20 computer-assisted surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Officials hope that NASA will teach 21 to use the robots soon enough so that surgeries could one day be performed in space. On earth, the surgeons could 22 the robots themselves from other locations. For example, the robots could 23 surgeons in other places to work on injured soldiers on the front line. Researchers plan to seek federal regulatory (联邦管理局的) 24 early next year. Tests on animals have been successful, and tests on humans in England will begin very soon. The camera-carrying robots can provide 25 of affected areas and the ones with surgical tools will be able to maneuver (操控) inside the body in ways surgeons" hands can"t. The views from the camera-carrying robots are better than the naked eye, because they send back color images that are magnified (放大). Because several robots can be 26 through one incision, they could reduce the 27 and size of cuts needed for surgery, which would 28 recovery time. This is particularly helpful to those patients who have been debilitated (使虚弱) by long illness. Eventually, Oleynikov said, the tiny robots may enable surgeons to 29 without ever placing their hands in patients" bodies. "That"s the goal;" Oieynikov said. "It"s get— ting easier and easier. We can do even more with these 30 ."