单选题Testing Baby's Brain As far as her friends and teachers are concerned, Ashdod is an ordinary, bright, playful 5-year-old. They might be surprised to learn that not long ago therapists were fighting to keep her from succumbing to (患严重的) autism (自闭症) - a brain disorder that afflicts one in 100 children, typically leaving them with lifelong difficulties in communicating, socializing and carrying out many basic tasks. Ashdod was lucky: when she was 10 months old, her parents became alarmed that she had little interest in looking them in the eyes, eating and moving from her back, and whisked (急忙送离) her to the Mifne Center in Rosh Pinna, Israel, a clinic that focuses on children 5 months and older who show early warning signs of autism. The results of the Mifne treatment were startling, recalls the girl' s mother, Tikva. "Now she goes to a regular school where she is the same sort of articulate (齿伶俐的), funny, normal child as anyone else," she says. Despite a big jump in autism awareness in the past decade, parents, schools and doctors still frequently ignore warning signs in very young children. These can be subtle: a child never points at things, shows more interest in objects than people, has delayed speech and develops a fascination with spinning in place or with spinning toys. Many pediatricians dismiss these symptoms as harmless quirks (怪癖) that kids will outgrow. New research and experience in some autism clinics, however, suggests that starting treatment by age 2 is critical to mitigating (缓解) and in some cases entirely avoiding the disorder. That's because unlike the brain of an adult or even an older child, a 12 - or 18 - month - old's brain is, in a sense, highly reprogrammable--that is, it responds well to treatments designed to permanently change basic patterns of thought and behavior. "All the evidence we have suggests that outcomes for these children will be better with an earlier diagnosis, before they reach 18 months, if possible," says Christopher Gillberg, a child psychiatrist at Gothenburg University in Sweden.

单选题The substance can be added to gasoline to {{U}}accelerate{{/U}} the speed of automobiles. A. quicken B. shorten C. loosen D. enlarge

单选题Where Have All the Bees Gone? Scientists who study insects have a real mystery on their hands. All across the country, honeybees are leaving their hives and never returning. Researchers call this phenomenon colony-collapse disorder. According to surveys of bee keepers across the country, 25 to 40 percent of the honeybees in the United States have vanished from their hives since last fall. So far, no one can explain why. Colony collapse is a serious concern because bees play an important role in the production of about one-third of the foods we eat. As they feed, honeybees spread pollen from flower to flower. Without this process, a plant can"t produce seeds or fruits. Now, a group of scientists and beekeepers have teamed up to try to figure out what"s causing the alarming collapse of so many colonies. By sharing their expertise in honeybee behavior, health, and nutrition, team members hope to find out what"s contributing to the decline and to prevent bee disappearance in the future. It could be that disease is causing the disappearance of the bees. To explore that possibility, Jay Evans, a researcher at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Bee Research Laboratory, examines bees taken from colonies that are collapsing. "We know what a healthy bee should look like on the inside, and we can look for physical signs of disease," he says. And bees from collapsing colonies don"t look very healthy. "Their stomachs are worn down, compared to the stomachs of healthy bees," Evans says. It may be that a parasite is damaging the bees digestive organs. Their immune systems may not be working as they should. Moreover, they have high levels of bacteria inside their bodies. Another cause of colony-collapse disorder may be certain chemicals that farmers apply to kill unwanted insects on crops, says Jerry Hayes, chief bee inspector for the Florida Department of Agriculture. Some studies, he says, suggest that a certain type of insecticide affects the honeybee"s nervous system (which includes the brain) and memory. "It seems like honeybees are going out and getting confused about where to go and what to do," he says. If it turns out that a disease is contributing to colony collapse, bees genes could explain why some colonies have collapsed and others have not. In any group of bees there are many different kinds of genes. The more different genes a group has, the higher the group"s genetic diversity. So far scientists haven"t determined the role of genetic diversity in colony collapse, but it"s a promising theory, says Evans.

单选题First Self-contained Heart Implanted A. patient on the brink of death has received the world's first self-contained artificial heart — a battery-powered device about the size of a softball that runs without the need for wires, tubes or hoses sticking out of the chest. Two surgeons from the University of Louisville implanted the titanium and plastic pump during a seven-hour operation at Jewish Hospital Monday. The hospital said the patient was "awake and responsive" Tuesday and resting comfortably. It refused to release personal details. The patient had been expected to die within a month without the operation, and doctors said they expected the artificial heart to extend the person's life by only a month. But the device is considered a major step toward improving the patient's quality of life. The new pump, called AbioCor, is also a technological leap from the mechanical hearts used in the 1980s, which were attached by wires and tubes to bulky machinery outside the body. The most famous of those, the Jarvic-7, used air as a pumping device and was attached to an apparatus about the size of a washing machine. "I think it's potentially a major step forward in the artificial heart development, " said Dr. David Faxon, president of the American Heart Association. However, he said the dream of an implantable, permanent artificial heart is not yet a reality: "This is obviously an experimental device whose long-term success has to be demonstrated. " Only about half of the 4,200 Americans on a waiting list for donor hearts received them last year, and most of the rest died. Some doctors, including Robert Higgins, chairman of cardiology at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, said artificial hearts are unlikely to replace donor hearts. "A donor heart in a good transplant can last 15 to 30 years, " he said. "It's going to be hard to replace that with a machine. " The AbioCor has a 2-pound pumping unit, and electronic controls that adjust the pumping speed based on the body's needs. It is powered by a small battery pack worn outside the body that transmits current through the skin.

单选题It is necessary to {{U}}segment{{/U}} the movie into three parts in order to show it on TV. A. assert B. divide C decrease D. transact

单选题Electronic Teaching The potential of closed-circuit television and other new electronic leaching tools is so great that it is fascinating to visualize "the school of tomorrow". Televised lessons will originate from a central building having perhaps four or five master studios. The lessons will be carried into classrooms all over a city, or even an entire country. After a televised lesson has been given, the classroom teacher will take over for tire all-important "follow-up" period. The students will ask any troublesome questions, and difficult points will be cleared up through discussion. The teacher in the classroom will have additional electronic tools. On the teacher's desk, the traditional chalk and erasers will have been replaced by a multiple-control panel and magnetic tape players. The tape machines will run pre-recorded lessons which pupils will follow by headphones. The lessons will be specifically geared to the students' levels of ability. For instance, while the class as a whole studies history, each student will receive an individual history lesson, directed to his particular level of ability. Should question arise, the students will be able to talk directly to the teacher on individual intercoms without disturbing the rest of the class. In this way, the teacher will he able to conduct as many as three classes at the same time. With the rapid development of computer science, students will be aided with specially prepared multi-media software to study their subjects better. Homework will possibly be assigned and handed in via electronic mail system. Students can even take examinations on their computer linked with the teachers and get the score instantly. They will get certificates or diplomas if they pass all the required examinations. Experts believe that this type of education will be very popular in the years ahead.

单选题I can"t put up with my neighbor"s noise any longer, it"s driving me mad.

单选题His quest for eternal youth failed in the end.

单选题A research center has been set up in this country.

单选题Food The U. S. food supply is the most varied and abundant in the world. Americans spend a smaller share of their disposable income on food than citizens of any other country and choose from an average of 50,000 different food products on a typical outing to the supermarket. In 1994, the fowl supply provided an estimated 3,800 calories per person per day, enough to supply every American with more than one and a half times their average daily energy needs. Given this abundance, few of the Nations resources have traditionally been devoted to measuring or reducing food waste. In recent years, growing concern about hunger, resource conservation, and the environmental and economic costs associated with food waste have raised public awareness of food loss. This in turn has accelerated public and private efforts to make better use of available, food supplies by recovering safe and nutritious food that would otherwise be wasted. Of course, not all food that is lost is suitable for consumption. Some losses like the condemnation of diseased animals at the slaughtering house (屠宰场), or the discard of rotten fruit from the produce shelf at the supermarket are necessary to ensure the safetyand health of the U. S. food supply. Such foods are not recoverable for human use. Likewise, plate fragments are appropriately discarded at eating establishments out of health considerations. In addition, not all food that is lost is economically recoverable. Food recovery efforts are often limited by financial restraints that make it difficult to match recovered food with potential recipients. Nevertheless, large quantities of healthy, edible food are lost at every stage of the marketing system. Example of such losses include meats, bread, and other foods prepared by a restaurant or hotel but never served and the discard of defected or over-ripe .produce, which maybe difficult to sell out for some reasons, but are otherwise nutritious and safe.

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}} My Experience about English{{/B}} One summer night, on my way home from work I decided to see a movie. I knew the theatre would be air-conditioned and I couldn't face my {{U}}(51) {{/U}} apartment. Sitting in the theatre I had to look through the crack between the two tall heads in front of me. I had to keep changing the {{U}}(52) {{/U}} every time she leaned over to talk to him, {{U}}(53) {{/U}} he leaned over to kiss her. Why do Americans display such {{U}}(54) {{/U}} in a public place? I thought the movie would be good for my English, but {{U}}(55) {{/U}} it turned out, it was an Italian movie {{U}}(56) {{/U}} about an hour I decided to give up on the movie and concentrate on my popcorn(爆玉米花). I've never understood why they give you so much popcorn! It tasted pretty good, {{U}}(57) {{/U}}. After a while I heard {{U}}(58) {{/U}} more of the romantic sounding Italians. I just heard the {{U}}(59) {{/U}} of the popcorn crunching(咀嚼) between my teeth. My thought started to wander. I remembered when I was in South Korea (韩国), I {{U}}(60) {{/U}} to watch Kojak on TV frequently. He spoke perfect Korean—I was really amazed. He seemed like a good friend to me, {{U}}(61) {{/U}} I saw him again in New York speaking {{U}}(62) {{/U}} English instead of perfect Korean. He didn't even have a Korean accent and I felt like I had been betrayed. When our family moved to the United States six years ago, none of us spoke any English. {{U}}(63) {{/U}} we had begun to learn a few words, my mother suggested that we all should speak English at home. Everyone agreed, but our house became very {{U}}(64) {{/U}} and we all seemed to avoid each other. We sat at the dinner table in silence, preferring that to speaking iii a difficult language. Mother tried to say something in English but it {{U}}(65) {{/U}} out all wrong and we all burst into laughter and decided to forget it! We've been speaking Korean at home ever since.

单选题The construction of the railway is said to have been terminated .

单选题 阅读下面这篇短文，短文后列出了7个句子，请根据短文的内容对每个句子做出判断。 {{B}}Step Back in Time{{/B}} Do you know that we live a lot longer now than the people who were born before us? One hundred years ago the average woman lived to be 45. But now, she can live until at least 80. One of the main reasons for people living longer is that we know how to look after ourselves better. We know which foods are good for us and what we have to eat to make sure our bodies get all the healthy things they need. We know why we sometimes get ill and what to do to get better again. And we know how important it is to do lots of exercise to keep our hearts beating healthily. But in order that we don't slip back into bad habits, let's have a look at what life was like 100 years ago. Families had between 15 and 20 children, although many babies didn't live long. Children suffered from lots of diseases, especially rickets (佝偻病) and scurvy (坏血病), which are both caused by bad diets. This is because many families were very poor and not able to feed their children well. Really poor families who lived in crowded cities like London and Manchester often slept standing up, bending over a piece of string, because there was no room for them to lie down. People didn't have fridges until the 1920s. They kept fresh food cold by storing it on windowsills (窗台板), blocks of ice, or even burying it in the garden. Some children had to start work at the age of seven or eight to earn money for their parents. If you had lived 100 years ago, you might well be selling matchsticks (火柴杆) (a job done by many children) or working with your dad by now.

单选题Breastfeeding Can Cut Cardiovascular (心血管的) Risk Breastfeeding can reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke later in life and could prevent hundreds of 1 of deaths each year, researchers said on Friday. Babies who are breastfed have fewer childhood infections and allergies (过敏的) and are less 2 to obesity (肥胖的). British scientists have now shown that breastfeeding and slow growth in the first weeks and months of life has a protective effect 3 cardiovascular disease. "Diets that promote more rapid growth put babies at risk many years later in 4 of raising their blood pressure, raising their cholesterol (胆固醇) and increasing their tendency to diabetes (糖尿病) and obesity—the 5 main risk factors for stroke and heart attack." said Professor Alan Lucas of the Institute of Child Health in London. "Our evidence suggests that the reason why breastfed babies do better is because they grow more 6 in the early weeks." Lucas said the effects of breastfeeding on blood pressure and cholesterol later in life are greater than 7 adults can do to control the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, other than taking drugs. An estimated 17 million people die of 8 disease, particularly heart attack and strokes each year, according to the World Health Organization. Lucas and his colleagues compared the health of 216 teenagers 9 as babies had either been breastfed or given different nutritional baby formulas. They reported their 10 in medical journal. The teenagers who had been 11 had a 14 percent lower ratio of bad to good cholesterol and lower concentrations of a protein that is a marker for cardiovascular disease risk. The researchers also found that 12 of the child"s weight at birth, the faster the infants grew in the early weeks and months of life, the 13 was their later risk of heart disease and stroke. The effect was the 14 for both boys and girls. "The more human milk you have in the new born period, the lower your cholesterol level is and the lower your blood pressure is 16 years 15 ," Lucas said.

单选题The company recommended that a new gas station be built here.

单选题The conference {{U}}explored{{/U}} the possibility of closer trade links. A. rejected B. investigated C. proposed D. postponed

单选题Her death was a great grief to him and I doubt if he ever recovered afterwards.A. got byB. got throughC. got onD. got off

单选题Grooming and Personal Hygiene of Americans Grooming and personal hygiene have been around for ages. It's hard to imagine a time when people weren't concerned with taking care of their appearance and their bodies. Perhaps these practices started when Adam first took a bath and combed his hair before going on a date with Eve. Or maybe they began when Eve put on some herbal makeup to make herself more beautiful. No matter where they started, grooming and personal hygiene have become important parts of everyone's daily routine. There used to be an old joke in America that people should take a bath once a week, whether they need one or not. In fact, though, Americans generally take a bath or more commonly, a shower every day. But in contrast to some cultures, most Americans get their shower in the morning, so they can start the day fresh. And instead of going to a beauty parlor for a shampoo, many Americans prefer to wash and style their own hair. So if Americans have a bad hair day, they have no one to blame but themselves. But most people in America do head for the beauty parlor or barbershop occasionally for a haircut, a perm or just some friendly conversation. Americans are known for having very sensitive noses. In America, "BO." (body odor) is socially unacceptable. For that reason, Americans consider the use of deodorant or antiperspirant a must. Ladies often add a touch of perfume for an extra fresh scent. Men may splash on after-shave lotion or manly-smelling cologne. Another cultural no-no in America is bad breath. Americans don't like to smell what other people ate for lunch-especially onions or garlic. Their solution? Mouthwash, breath mints and even brushing their teeth after meals. Americans put great value on both grooming and personal hygiene. For some people, taking care of themselves has become almost a religion. As the old saying goes, "Cleanliness is next to godliness." Whether or not being clean and we!l-groomed brings one closer to God, it certainly brings one closer to others. Americans look down on people who don't take care of themselves, or who "let themselves go." To Americans, even if we don't have much to work with, we have to make the best of what we've got.

单选题Unfortunately, the more industrialized we become the farther away we move from direct contact with plants, and the less distinct our knowledge of botany grows. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing amount of botanical knowledge, and few people will fail to recognize a rose, an apple, or an orchid. The more industrialized we are, the more we move away from direct contact with plants.A. RightB. WrongC. Not mentioned

单选题They had a far better yield than any other farm miles away around this year.