单选题{{B}}第二篇{{/B}} "Wash every day and you'll die young, my son!" People often said those words; long ago, of course. Napoleon's wife had new clothes every month, instead of a bath. ("It's quicker," She always said). Rich people did not often have a bath. They washed their hands and faces, but not their bodies. Many poor people did not wash at all. A young man once said to a doctor; "Soap and water have never touched my body." (And the doctor answered. "That's true. I know... ") why didn't people wash in those days long ago? Well, they did not have water in their house. They carried water from rivers or from holes in the ground ( = wells). Towns people bought it from a water--carrier. Sometimes it was expensive; and soap was always expensive. They drank water, of course; and so they were clean inside. They did not think about the outside! And this is true; they just did not like a bath. Modern life is different. We use a lot of soap and water. And we are all quite clean. However, a few people use too much soap; and they often get ill. Who are these people? Many young women work as hairdressers. They wash and then "dress" other women's hair. That is their job, and they like it. Young hairdressers sometimes wash dirty heads on a busy day! Their hands are soapy for seven or eight hours; and that is not a good thing. A young hairdresser's hands are often red and ugly; and she must then go to doctor.

单选题The research should prove invaluable in the study of linguistics.

单选题IQ-gene In the angry debate over how much of IQ comes from the genes that children inherit from parents and how much comes from experiences, one little fact gets overlooked: no one has identified any genes (other than those that cause retardation) that affect intelligence. So researchers led by Robert Plomin of London"s Institute of Psychiatry decided to look for some. They figured that if you want to find a "smart gene", you should look in smart kids. They therefore examined the DNA of students like those who are so bright that they take college entrance exams four years early—and still score at Princeton-caliber levels. The scientists found what they sought. "We have," says Plomin, "the first specific gene ever associated with general intelligence." Plomin"s colleagues drew blood from two groups of 51 children each, all 6 to 15 years old and living in six counties around Cleveland. In one group, the average IQ is 103. All the children are white. Isolating the blood cells, the researchers then examined each child"s chromosome 6. Of the 37 landmarks on chromosome 6 that the researchers looked for, one jumped out: a form of gene called IGF2R occurred in twice as many children in the high-IQ group as in the average group—32 percent versus 16 percent. The study, in the May issue of the journal Psychological Science , concludes that it is this form of the IGF2R gene that contributes to intelligence. Some geneticists see major problems with the IQ-gene study. One is the possibility that Plomin"s group fell for "chopsticks fallacy". Geneticists might think they"ve found a gene for chopsticks flexibility, but all they"ve really found is a gene more common in Asians than, say, Africans. Similarly, Plomin"s IQ gene might simply be one that is more common in groups that emphasize academic achievement. "What is the gene that they"ve found reflects ethnicity?" asks geneticist Andrew Feinberg of Johns Hopkins University. "That alone might explain the link to intelligence, since IQ tests are known for being culturally sensitive and affected by a child"s environment." And Neil Risch of Standford University points out that if you look for 37 genes on a chromosome, as the researchers did, and find that one is more common in smarter kids, that might reflect pure chance rather than a causal link between the gene and intelligence. Warns Feinberg: "I would take these findings with a whole box of salt."

单选题Beware of pickpockets in public places.A. Take care ofB. Look forC. Watch out forD. Take notice of

单选题We were attracted by the {{U}}lure{{/U}} of quick money. A. amount B. tempt C. supply D. sum

单选题Her comments about men are (utterly) ridiculous completely.

单选题Egypt felled by Famine Even ancient Egypt's mighty pyramid builders were powerless in the face of the famine that helped bring down their civilization around 2180 BC Now evidence gleaned from mud deposited by the River Nile suggests that a shift in climate thousands of kilometers to the south was ultimately to blame-and the same or worse could happen today. The ancient Egyptians depended on the Nile's annual floods to irrigate their crops. But any change in climate that pushed the African monsoons southwards out of Ethiopia would have been diminished these floods. Dwindling rains in the Ethiopian highlands would have meant fewer plants to stablise the soil. When rain did fall it would have washed large amounts of soil into the Blue Nile and into Egypt, along with sediment from the White Nile. The Blue Nile mud has a different isotope signature from that of the White Nile. So by analyzing isotope differences in mud deposited in the Nile Delta, Michael Krom of Leeds University worked out what proportion of sediment came from each branch of the river. Krom reasons that during periods of drought, the amount of the Blue Nile mud in the river would be relatively high. He found that one of these periods, from 4500 to 4200 years ago, immediately predates the fall of the Egypt's Old Kingdom. The weakened waters would have been catastrophic for the Egyptians. "Changes that affect food supply don't have to be very large to have a ripple effect in societies," says Bill Ryan of the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory in New York. Similar events today could be even more devastating, says team member Daniel Stanley, a geoarchaeologist from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. "anything humans do to shift the climate belts would have an even worse effect along the Nile system today because the populations have increased dramatically. /

单选题{{B}}第二篇{{/B}} {{B}} Obesity{{/B}} Obesity refers to the medical condition characterized by storage of excess body fat. The human body naturally stores fat tissue under the skin and around organs and joints. Fat is critical for good health because it is a source of energy when the body lacks the energy necessary to sustain life processes, and it provides insulation and protection for internal organs. But too much fat in the body is associated with a variety of health problems. Most physicians use the body mass index (BMI) to determine desirable weights. BMI is calculated as weight divided by height and people with a BMI of 27 or above are considered obese. Weight-height tables, such as those published by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, are also used as general measures of desirable weight ranges3. These tables assign a range of weights for a particular height. For example, a man of 1.8 m has a desirable range of 66 to 83 kg, with an average of 75 kg. A woman who is 1.6 m has a desirable range between 53 and 70 kg, with an average of 62 kg. The BMI and weight-height tables only provide rough estimates of desirable weights and scientists recognize that many other factors besides height affect weight. Weight alone may not be an indicator of fat, as in the case of a body-builder who may have a high BMI because of a high percentage of muscle tissue, which weighs more than fat. Likewise, a person with a sedentary lifestyle may be within a desirable weight range but have excess fat tissue. Obesity increases the risk of developing disease. According to some estimates, almost 70 percent of heart disease cases are linked to excess body fat, and obese people are more than twice as likely to develop high blood pressure. Obese women are at nearly twice the risk for developing breast cancer, and all obese people have an estimated 42 percent higher chance of developing colon cancer. The risk of medical complications, particularly heart disease, increases when body fat is distributed around the waist, especially in the abdomen. This type of upper body fat distribution is more common in men than in women. The social and psychological problems experienced by obese people are also formidable. Stereotypes about "fat" people are often translated into discriminatory practices in education, employment, and social relationships. The consequences of being obese in a world where people had better be "thin" are especially severe for women, whose appearances are often judged against an ideal of exaggerated slimness.

单选题The fuel tanks had a capacity of 140 liters, A．function B．ability C．power D．volume

单选题 Once-daily Pill Could Simplify HIV Treatment Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences have combined many HIV drugs into a single pill. Sometimes the best medicine is more than one kind of medicine. Malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/ AIDS, for example, are all treated with (51) of drugs. But that can mean a lot of pills to take. It would be (52) if drug companies combined all the medicines into a single pill, taken just once a day. Now, two companies say they have done that for people just (53) treatment for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The companies are Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences. They have (54) a single pill that combines three drugs currently on the market. Bristol-Myers Squibb sells one of them (55) the name of Sustiva. Gilead combined the (56) , Emtriva and Viread, into a single pill in two thousand four. Combining drugs involves more than (57) issues. It also involves issues of competition (58) the drugs are made by different companies. The new once-daily pill is the result of (59) is described as the first joint venture agreement of its kind in the treatment of HIV. In January the New England Journal of Medicine4 published a study of the new pill. Researchers compared its (60) to that of the widely used combination of Sustiva and Combivir. Combivir (61) two drags, AZT and 3TC. The researchers say that after one year of treatment, the new pill suppressed HIV levels in more patients and with (62) side effects. Gilead paid for the study. Professor Joel Gallant at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, led the research. He is a paid adviser to Gilead and Bristol-Meyers Squibb as well as the maker of Combivir, Glaxo Smith Kline. Glaxo Smith Kline reacted (63) the findings by saying that a single study is of limited value. It says the effectiveness of Combivir has been shown in each of more than fifty studies. The price of the new once-daily pill has not been announced. But Gilead and Bristol-Myers Squibb say they will provide it at reduced cost to developing countries. They plan in the next few months to ask the United States Food and Drug Administration9 to (64) the new pill. There are limits to who could take it because of the different drugs it contains. For example, (65) women are told not to take Sustiva because of the risk of birth disorders. Experts say more than forty million people around the world are living with HIV.

单选题Our statistics show that we consume all that we are capable of producing.

单选题Of all the planets in this solar system, Mercury is nearest to the Sun.

单选题{{B}}第二篇{{/B}} {{B}}Calling for Safe Celebrations This Fourth of July{{/B}} Last Fourth of July, Pete, a 14-year-old boy, was enjoying the lit-up skies and loud booms from the fireworks being set off in his neighborhood. Suddenly, the evening took a terrible turn. A bottle rocket shot into his eye, immediately causing him terrible pain. His family rushed him to the emergency room for treatment. As a result of the injury, Pete developed glaucoma and cataracts. Today, Pete has permanent vision loss in his injured eye because of his bottle rocket injury. June is Fireworks Eye Safety Awareness Month, and through its EyeSmart campaign the American Academy of Ophthalmology wants to remind consumers to leave fireworks to professionals. "There is nothing worse than a. Fourth of July celebration ruined by someone being hit in the eye with a bottle rocket," said Dr. John C. Hagan, clinical correspondent for the Academy and an ophthalmologist at Discover Vision Centers in Kansas City. "A safe celebration means letting trained professionals handle fireworks while you enjoy the show." According to the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 9,000 fireworks-related injuries happen each year. Of these, nearly half are head-related injuries, with nearly 30 percent of these injuries to the eye. One-fourth of fireworks eye injuries result in permanent vision loss or blindness. Children are the most common victims of firework abuse, with those fifteen years old or younger accounting for 50 percent of fireworks eye injuries in the United States. Dr. Hagan estimates that his practice sees more than 30 injuries each year from fireworks. Even fireworks that many people consider safe represent a threat to the eyes. For children under the age of five, apparently harmless sparklers account for one-third of all fireworks injuries. Sparklers can burn at nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

单选题Explorer of the Extreme Deep Oceans cover more than two-thirds of our planet. Yet, just a small fraction of the underwater world has been explored. Now, Scientists at the Woods Holel Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts are building an underwater vehicle hat will carry explorers as deep as 6,500 meters (21,320 feet). The new machine, known as a manned submersible or human-operated vehicle (HOV), will replace another one named Alvin which bas an amazing record of discovery, playing a key role in various important and famous undersea expeditions. Alvin has been operating for 40 years but can go down only 4,500 meters (14,784 feet). It"s about time for an upgrade, WHOI researchers say. Alvin was launched in 1964. Since then, Alvin has worked between 200 and 250 days a year, says Daniel Fornari, a marine geologist and director of the Deep Ocean Exploration Institute at WHOI. During its lifetime, Alvin has carried some 12,000 people on a total of more than 3,000 dives. A newer, better versions of Alvin is bound to reveal even more surprises about a world that is still full of mysteries, Fornari says. It might also make the job of exploration a little easier. "We take so much for granted on land," Fornari says. "We can walk around and see with our eyes how big things are. We can see colors, special arrangements." Size-wise, the new HOV will be similar to Alvin. It"ll be about 37 feet long. The setting area inside will be a small sphere, about 8 feet wide, like Alvin, it"ll carry a pilot and two passengers. It will be just as maneuverable. In most other ways, it will give passengers more opportunities to enjoy the view, for one thing. Alvin has only three windows, the new vehicle will have five, with more overlap so that the passengers and the pilot can see the same thing. Alvin can go up and down at a rate of 30 meters every second, and its maximum speed is 2 knots (about 2.3 miles per hour), while the new vehicle will be able to ascend and descend at 44 meters per second. It"ll reach speeds of 3 knots, or 3.5 miles per hour.

单选题My grandmother died just a few months after my grandfather, even (51) she was in good health and had (52) been sick in her life. My grandfather was a strong independent man who worshipped my grandmother. He never allowed her to work or to want (53) anything and remained deeply in love with her, often publicly (54) his affection, until he died. He was a traditional family doctor (55) made house calls and regarded his patients (56) his family. My grandmother' s (57) identity revolved around being "doctor' s wife". In hindsight I realized she never developed any interests (58) her own. In fact, she seemed to have no interests (59) from his interests. As "doctor' s Wife", she (60) him, the family and the house. When the children became independent, she became even more attentive to him and didn't (61) any other interests to replace the missing children. When grandfather died, we all tried to visit her often and tried to persuade her (62) our families. She told us to give her a little time to (63) and said that for the time being she preferred to stay home. About three months later, I found her (64) in grandfather' s bed having passed away from an apparent heart (65) . In retrospect I think that she had died in spirit when grandfather passed away. When he died, her identity died and soon there after her body.

单选题It has been said that the Acts provided a new course of action and did not merely Urequlate/U or enlarge an old one.

单选题He often finds fault with my work.

单选题He"s spent years cultivating knowledge of art.

单选题They agreed to {{U}}settle{{/U}} the dispute by peaceful means.

单选题The Smog For over a month, Indonesia was in crisis. Forest fires raged out of control as the country suffered its worst drought for 50 years. Smoke from the fires mixed with sunlight and hot dry air to form a cloud of smog. This pollution quickly spread and within days it was hanging over neighbouring countries including Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. When the smoke combined with pollution from factories and cars, it soon became poisonous(有毒的). Dangerous amounts of CO became trapped under the smog and pollution levels rose. People wheezed(喘息)and coughed as they left the house and their eyes watered immediately. The smog made it impossible to see across streets and whole cities disappeared as grey soot(烟灰) covered everything. In some areas, water was hosed(用胶管浇) from high-rise city buildings to try to break up the smog. Finally, heavy rains, which came in November, put out the fires and cleared the air. But the environmental costs and health problems will remain. Many people from South-Eastern Asian cities already suffer from breathing huge amounts of car exhaust fumes(汽车排放的废气)and factory pollution. Breathing problems could well increase and many nonsufferers may have difficulties for the first time. Wildlife has suffered too. In lowland forests, elephants, deer, and tigers have been driven out of their homes by smog. But smog is not just an Asian problem. In fact, the word "smog" was first used in London in 1905 to describe the mixture of smoke and thick fog. Fog often hung over the capital. Sometimes the smog was so thick and poisonous that people were killed by breathing problems or in accidents. About 4000 Londoners died within five days as a result of thick smog in 1952.