复合题Passage TwoBooks are the last defender of the old business model—theonly major medium that still hasn’ t embraced the digitalage. Publishers and author advocates have generallyrefused to put books online for fear the content will beNapsterized. And you can understand their terror, becausethe publishing industry is in big financial trouble,filled with layoffs and restructurings. Literary scholarsare worrying: Can books survive in this Facebooked, ADD,multichannel universe? To what I reply: Sure they can. Butonly if publishers open them up and provide new ways forpeople to encounter the written word. We need to stopthinking about the future of publishing and think insteadabout the future of reading.Every other form of media that’ s gone digital has beentransformed by its audience. Whenever a newspaper story orTV clip or blog post or white paper goes online, readersand viewers begin commenting about it on blogs, cuttingtheir favorite sections, passing them along. The onlyreason the same thing doesn’ t happen to books is thatthey’ re locked into ink on paper. Release them, and yourelease the crowd. BookGlutton, a site that launched lastyear, has put 1, 660 books online and created tools thatlet readers form groups to discuss their favorite titles.Meanwhile, Bob Stein, an e-publishing veteran from the CD-ROM days, put the Doris Lessing book The Golden Notebookonline with an elegant commenting system and hired sevenwriters to collaboratively read it.Neither move should come as a surprise. Books have acenturies-old tradition of annotation and commentary,ranging from the Talmud and scholarly criticism to bookclubs and marginalia. Stein believes that if books wereset free digitally, it could produce a class of“professional readers” —people so insightful that you’ dpay to download their footnotes. Sound unlikely? Italready exists in the real world: Microsoft researcherCathy Marshall has found that university studentscarefully study used textbooks before buying them, becausethey want to acquire the smartest notes.The technology is here. Imagine a world where there’ s aURL for every chapter and paragraph in a book—everysentence, even. Readers could point to their favoritesections in a MySpace update or instant message or respondto an argument by plentifully linking to the smartestpassages in a recent best seller. This would massivelyimprove what bibliophiles call book discovery. You’ re farmore likely to hear about a book if a friend hashighlighted a couple brilliant sentences in a Facebookupdate—and if you hear about it, you’ re far more likelyto buy it in print. Yes, in print: The few authors whohave experimented with giving away digital copies havefound that they end up selling more print copies, becausetheir books are discovered by more people.I’ m not suggesting that books need always be social. Oneof the chief pleasures of a book is mental solitude, thatdeep, quiet focus on an author’ s thoughts—and your own.That’ s not going away. But books have been held hostageoffline for far too long. Taking them digital will unlocktheir real hidden value: the readers.

复合题Passage AThe fox really exasperated them both. As soon as they had let the fowls out, in the early summer mornings, they had to take their guns and keep guard; and then again as soon as evening began to mellow, they must go once more. And he was so sly. He slid along in the deep grass; he was difficult as a serpent to see. And he seemed to circumvent the girls deliberately. Once or twice March had caught sight of the white tip of his brush, or the ruddy shadow of him in the deep grass, and she had let fire at him. But he made no account of this.The trees on the wood edge were a darkish, brownish green in the full light-for it was the end of August. Beyond, the naked, copper like shafts and limbs of the pine trees shone in the air. Nearer the rough grass, with its long, brownish stalks all agleam, was full of light. The fowls were round about—the ducks were still swimming on the pond under the pine trees. March looked at it all, saw it all, and did not see it. She heard Banford speaking to the fowls in the distance—and she did not hear. What was she thinking about? Heaven knows. Her consciousness was, as it were, held back.She lowered her eyes, and suddenly saw the fox. He was looking up at her. His chin was pressed down, and his eyes were looking up. They met her eyes. And he knew her. She was spellbound—she knew he knew her. So he looked into her eyes, and her soul failed her. He knew her, he has not daunted.She struggled, confusedly she came to herself, and saw him making off, with slow leaps over some fallen boughs, slow, impudent jumps. Then he glanced over his shoulder, and ran smoothly away. She saw his brush held smooth like a feather, she saw his white buttocks twinkle. And he was gone, softly, soft as the wind.She put her gun to her shoulder, but even then pursed her mouth, knowing it was nonsense to pretend to fire. So she began to walk slowly after him, in the direction he had gone, slowly, pertinaciously. She expected to find him. In her heart she was determined to find him. What she would do when she saw him again she did not consider. But she was determined to find him. So she walked abstractedly about on the edge of the wood, with wide, vivid dark eyes, and a faint flush in her cheeks. She did not think. In strange mindlessness she walked hither and thither.As soon as supper was over, she rose again to go out,without saying why.She took her gun again and went to look for the fox. For he had lifted his eyes upon her, and his knowing look seemed to have entered her brain. She did not so much think of him: she was possessed by him. She saw his dark, shrewd, unabashed eye looking into her, knowing her. She felt him invisibly master her spirit. She knew the way he lowered his chin as he looked up, she knew his muzzle, the golden brown, and the grayish white. And again she saw him glance over his shoulder at her, half inviting, half contemptuous and cunning. So she went, with her great startled eyes glowing, her gun under her arm, along the wood edge. Meanwhile the night fell, and a great moon rose above the pine trees.The passage creates an overall impression of _____.

复合题Imagineaworldinwhichtherewassuddenlynoemotion--aworldinwhichhumanbeingscouldfeelnoloveorhappiness,noterrororhate.Trytoimaginetheconsequencesofsuchatransformation.Peoplemightnotbeabletostayalive:knowingneitherjoynorpleasure,neitheranxietynorfear,theywouldbeaslikelytorepeatactsthathurtthemasactsthatwerebeneficial.Theycouldnotlearn:Theycouldnotbenefitfromexperiencebecausethisemotionlessworldwouldlackrewardsandpunishments.Societywouldsoondisappear:Peoplewouldbeaslikelytoharmoneanotherastoprovidehelpandsupport.Humanrelationshipswouldnotexist:Inaworldwithoutfriendsorenemies,therecouldbenomarriage,affectionamongcompanions,orbondsamongmembersorgroups.Society’seconomicunderpinningswouldbedestroyed:Sincetherewouldbenoincentivesofanykind.Foraswewillsee,incentivesimplyacapacitytoenjoythem.Insuchaworld,thechancesthatthehumanspecieswouldsurvivearenexttozero,becauseemotionsarethebasicinstrumentofoursurvivalandadaptation.Emotionsstructuretheworldforusinimportantways.Asindividuals,wecategorizeobjectsonthebasisofouremotions.True,weconsiderthelength,shape,size,ortexture,butanobject’sphysicalaspectsarelessimportantthanwhatithasdoneorcandotous—hurtus,surpriseus,angerusormakeusjoyful.Wealsousecategorizationscoloredbyemotionsinourfamilies,communities,andoverallsociety.Outofouremotionalexperienceswithobjectsandeventscomesasocialfeelingofagreementthatcertainthingsandactionsare“good”andothersare“bad”,andweapplythesecategoriestoeveryaspectofoursociallife—fromwhatfoodsweeatandwhatclothesweweartohowwekeeppromisesandwhichpeopleourgroupwillaccept.Infact,societyexplainsouremotionalreactionsandattitudes,suchasloyalty,morality,pride,shame,guilt,fearandgreed,inordertomaintainitself.Itgiveshighrewardstoindividualswhoperform.importanttaskssuchassurgery,makesheroesoutofindividualsforunusualordangerousachievementssuchasflyingfighterplanesinawar,andusesthelegalandpenalsystemtomakepeopleafraidtoengageinantisocialacts.

复合题Passage 1My suicide attempt when I was a senior in high school must have puzzled those around me. From the outside, it seemed that I had a lot going for me. I lived in a comfortable middle class home with swimming pool. I was active in sports, a member of the National Honor Society, an editor of the school newspaper. But I was also miserable.I was convinced that no one understood me, especially my parents. I didn’t see much of my father, who was busy with his work. My mother had died when I was very young, and my stepmother and I didn’t get along. Our personalities clashed, and I felt she didn’t like me. I remember her once telling me, “I didn’t have to take you, you know.”Socially awkward, I tried to make amends through sports. I remember eagerly waiting for my father to come home from work so I could tell him that I had made the field-hockey team. He just said, “I bet everybody made it.” I interpreted his remark as another message that I was worthless.When I was 15, my parents began to talk about divorce, and I was sure I was the cause. I knew that my father felt caught between my mother and me. He’d yell at me to “shape up,” then I’d hear him in the next room, asking Mother, “Can’t you give the kid a break?” though I thought of running away from home, I was stopped by the horror stories I’d heard of runaway girls, falling prey to drugs and prostitution. But I did wonder if the world would be better off without me.Communication had always been a problem at home. And I was afraid to open up to friends. I felt that if people knew my problems and fears, they’d think less of me. So I nursed my hurts and anxieties into a towering self-hatred.In my junior year, I wrote a paper on Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, an autobiographical novel about despair, which foreshadowed the author’s eventual suicide. Suddenly, suicide seemed a realistic option. My English teacher commented on my report: “You really understand that book!” I thought, you bet I do! I became a closet expert on suicide, looking into serious literature on the topic. Although I wasn’t a drinker and never used drugs, I concluded that a mixture of alcohol and tranquilizers, both available at home, would be my ticket out.Once the school social worker asked me to list all my good qualities, and I came up with only two: blue eyes and good grades. I felt there wasn’t anything good about me.By my senior year I was convinced that I was an outcast, unlovable. Thoughts of suicide were ever-present. Though I had done very well on my college-board exams, I saw no reason to go on tocollege. Sooner or later, I was going to kill myself, so why bother? I applied to college “just in case,”though the idea of going terrified me. I was sure college would be worse than high school. But Icouldn’t take the constant fighting at home. I didn’t see any way out.In February 1981, I chose my date with death. Once I’d picked the time, I felt relieved. I’m sure Iseemed more cheerful to those around me as I began to plan. At about 2 a.m., on my “death date,” Isneaked out of the house and wandered back streets, downing my tranquilizers and rum. I had troubleswallowing all the pills—a handful at a time, then a swig of rum. The last thing I recall is heading forthe reservoir, where I knew wouldn’t be found for a while. I didn’t make it. I passed out on thesidewalk. A man walking his dog found me and called an ambulance.I woke up in the intensive-care unit with tubes up my nose and needles in my arms. I was sent homewith orders to visit a psychologist twice a week. But I resisted her attempts to help me. I was angry Iwas alive.I hoped that my parents would want to discuss the suicide attempt, and finally one night at dinner thesubject came up. “Why did you do such a stupid thing?” my mother asked. My father replied quickly,“I’m sure she had her reasons.” End of discussion. Except for the ever-patient psychologist and socialworker, even in school the subject was not mentioned. I think that upset me as much as failing with thesuicide did. It seemed as if nobody had enough interest in me to want to know why I’d done it.Suicide was still on my mind when I attended an orientation session at a prestigious college where Ihad been accepted. That weekend gave me a glimmer of hope. People there seemed to like me.College could be a chance for a fresh start.In college I began to make some friends, and decided to hand in “a little longer.” I also began to appreciate how my high-school social worker had reached me in ways I hadn’t realized at the time.In class, I opened up a little more and my confidence improved. I moved into a gift clubhouse. Peopleactually wanted me in their group. By my junior year, I was a field-hockey star.At the club I made friends with a girl I’ll call Beth. We shared a dark secret, for she, too, had attempted suicide. Now and then we’d discuss suicide—always in objective, intellectual terms. Then,one winter night in my senior year, a club sister burst into my room, crying: “Beth’s not breathing!”Beth had asked her to call an ambulance, then collapsed on the floor.Rage swept over me, I saw what her death put her friends through. There was a grief and guilt as weasked ourselves how we could have prevented her suicide.I slowly began to realize that taking my own life was no longer an option. I could see what a total waste suicide was. Beth would have made a solid contribution to society.I decided to do something positive with my life. I graduated in 1985. In March 1986 I answered an adasking volunteers for The Samaritans suicide-prevention hot lines, hoping I could prevent others frommaking the desperate decision I’d made.I can understand how I got to the state I was in that night several years ago. I just wish I’d known thenthat it didn’t—and it doesn’t—have to be that way. That’s what I try to tell them when the hot linerings.The author was miserable because _____.

复合题Passage BDo mobile phones cause explosions at petrol stations? That question has just been exhaustively answered by Adam Burgess, a researcher at the University of Kent, in England. Oddly, however, Dr. Burgess is not a physicist, but a sociologist. For the concern rests not on scientific evidence of any danger, but is instead the result of sociological factors: it is an urban myth, supported and propagated by official sources, but no less a myth for that. Dr. Burgess presented his findings this week at the annual conference of the British Sociological Association.Mobile phones started to become widespread in the late 1980s, when the oil industry was in the middle of a concerted safety drive, Dr. Burgess notes. This was, in large part, a response to the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988, when 167 people died in an explosion on an oil platform off the Scottish coast. The safety drive did not apply merely to offshore operations: employees at some British oil-company offices are now required to use handrails while walking up and down stairs, for example. So nobody questioned the precautionary ban on the use of mobile phones at petrol stations. The worry was that an electrical spark might ignite explosive fumes.By the late 1990s, however, phone makers having conducted their own research realized that there was no danger of phones causing explosions since they could not generate the required sparks. But it was too late. The myth had taken hold. One problem, says Dr. Burgess, is that the number of petrol-station fires increased in the late 1990s, just as mobile phones were proliferating.Richard Coates, BP’ s fire-safety adviser, investigated many of the 243 such fires that occurred around the world between 1993 and 2004. He concluded that most were indeed caused by sparks igniting petrol vapour, but the sparks themselves were the result of static electricity, not electrical equipment. Most drivers will have experienced a mild electric shock when climbing out of their vehicles. It is caused by friction between driver and seat, with the result that both end up electrically charged. When the driver touches the metal frame of the vehicle, the result is sometimes a spark.A further complication was the rise of the internet, where hoax memos, many claiming to originate from oil companies, warned of the danger of using mobile phones in petrol stations. Such memos generally explain static fires quite accurately, but mistakenly attribute them to mobile phones. Official denials, says Dr. Burgess, simply inflame the suspicions of conspiracy theorists.Despite the lack of evidence that mobile phones can cause explosions, bans remain in place around the world, though the rules vary widely. For Dr. Burgess, such concerns are part of a broader pattern of unease about mobile phones. There is a curious discrepancy, he notes, between the way that such phones have been indispensable, and the fact that they are also vaguely considered to be dangerous. The safety of mobile phones would appear to be not so much the province of the hard science of physics, as of the soft science of sociology.What’ s the author’ s intention when he/she writes about the Piper Alpha disaster?

复合题Directions: In this section there are reading passages followed by multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your answers on your answer sheet.Passage twoFood can be divided into two basic categories: real food and pleasure food. Real food is fuel for the body’ s needs, while pleasure food which is high in fat and sugar, is primarily for taste satisfaction. The categories are pretty obvious. Broccoli is real food. Cookies are in the pleasure group.When you are hungry, you are faced with choices. If you aren’ t suffering from excessive hunger, you can be rational about them. Go to the refrigerator. What looks good? If you have chosen a real food, say, a turkey sandwich, you can be certain your body can use it for fuel. Eat it and enjoy.Two hours later you are hungry again. Back to the refrigerator. What looks good? Ice cream. Stop! Employ your will power just a little. Ice cream is not what your body needs. Does something else look good? Yes, a piece of toast with peanut butter and a glass of milk sound good too. Okay, go ahead, remembering that high-fat real foods should be eaten in moderation.One trick is to eliminate pleasure foods from your kitchen. Instead, keep a variety of high-quality foods available at all times. In short, buy lots of delicious real food, food you really like, and get rid of the junk.But what if you have ice cream on hand and nothing sounds good? Although you don’ t want to eat pleasure foods whenever the urge strikes, there is a legitimate place for them in your diet. If you have analyzed your feelings and there are no other needs imitating hunger, eat the ice cream. You have not failed. On the contrary, you have accepted your natural appetite, but not blindly.Surprisingly, when you know you can eat anything you want, and that you never have to put up with unsatisfied hunger again, it takes a lot of pressure off. You will begin to want to eat what your body needs, and your body will begin to need foods that will lead to slimness.

复合题A team of international researchers has found new evidencethat an endangered subspecies of chimpanzee is the sourceof the virus that causes acquired immune deficiencysyndrome (AIDS) in humans. Experts said that the findingcould lead to new treatments for AIDS and contribute tothe development of a vaccine against the disease.The research team said the chimp—a subspecies known asPan troglodytes native to west central Africa—carries asimian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) that is closelyrelated to three strains of human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) , the virus that causes AIDS. One of these strains,HIV-1, has caused the vast majority of the estimated 30million HIV infections around the world.The researchers are uncertain when the chimp virus, calledSIVcpz (for simian immunodeficiency virus chimpanzee) ,first infected humans, although the oldest documented caseof HIV has been linked to a Bantu man who died in CentralAfrica in 1959. But they said the virus, which does notappear to harm the chimps, was most likely transmitted tohumans when hunters were exposed to chimp blood whilekilling and butchering the animals for food. Oncetransmitted to humans, the researchers believe the virusmutated into HIV-1.Team leader Beatrice Hahn, an AIDS researcher at theUniversity of Alabama in Birmingham, said the chimps haveprobably carried the virus for hundreds of thousands ofyears. Since humans have likely hunted the animals, Hahnsaid the virus may have jumped to humans on manyoccasions, but was not transmitted widely among humansuntil the 20 th century. Increased hunting of thechimpanzees, along with human migration to African citiesand changing sexual mores could help explain the recentepidemic, Hahn said.Scientists had long suspected that a nonhuman primate wasthe source of HIV-1. Earlier studies suggested that thesooty mangabey monkey, a native of West Africa, was thelikely source of HIV-2—a rarer form of the AIDS virusthat is transmitted less easily than HIV-1. However, onlya few samples of SIV strains exist, making it difficultfor researchers to confidently connect the strains to HIV-1.As part of their effort to discover the source of HIV-1,the research team studied the four known samples ofSIVcpz. They learned that three of the four samples camefrom chimps belonging to the subspecies P. t. troglodytes.The remaining sample came from another subspecies, Pantroglodytes schweinfurthii, which inhabits East Africa.The team then compared the SIVcpz strains to each otherand found that all three of the viruses from R t.troglodytes viruses strongly resembled all three HIV-1subgroups.Additional evidence that HIV-1 could be linked to P. t.troglodytes came when the researchers examined thechimpsnatural habitat. The researchers quicklydiscovered that the chimps live primarily in the WestAfrican nations of Cameroon, Central African Republic,Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Republic of the Congo, thegeographic region where HIV-1 was first identified.Upon closer study, the researchers learned that the chimpswere being killed in growing numbers of the so-called bushmeat trade, a trend assisted by the construction of newlogging roads in once remote forests. The researchers saidthat continued hunting of the animals meant that manypeople are still likely to be exposed to SIVcpz,increasing the risk of additional cross-speciestransmissions.Many AIDS researchers welcomed the teams finding, butsaid the new work had not proved the connectiondefinitely. Most of the doubts centered on the difficultyof drawing conclusions from such a small number of SIVcpzsamples. Because so few samples exist—all drawn fromchimps in captivity—researchers do not know how prevalentthe virus is among wild chimps, or how the virus istransmitted. Doubts are likely to persist until the courseof the virus is studied in chimps in the wild.Some health experts said the finding could have far-reaching implications for combating AIDS. Because SIVcpzdoes not cause the chimps to become ill, researchersbelieve that the animalsdisease-fighting immune systemmay have developed a defense against the virus. Sincechimps are 98 percent genetically similar to humans,learning more about the chimpsimmune systems could shedlight on newways to prevent and treat AIDS in humans.Discovering how the chimps immune system controls thevirus, for example, could help researchers develop avaccine that generates a similar immune-system response inhumans.Other experts noted that even if the finding does not helpin the fight against AIDS, it provides strong evidencethat dangerous viruses can be transmitted to humans fromwild animals. In some cases, the viruses may be harmlessto the host animals, but cause sickness and death whentransmitted to humans. As people increasingly venture intoremote animals habitats, some scientists believe there isa growing risk of new human exposures to previouslyunknown disease-causing microbes.In the meantime, widespread slaughter of the chimps couldmake further study of R t. troglodytes difficult. The wildchimp population, which exceeded 1 million animals in theearly 20th century, is now believed to number fewer than100, 000. “We cannot afford to lose these animals, eitherfrom the animals conservation point of view or a medicalinvestigation standpoint, ” said Hahn. “It is quitepossible that the chimpanzee, which has served as thesource of HIV-1, also holds the clues to its successfulcontrol. ”Since chimpanzees are genetically very similar to human _____.

复合题Science may never answer the most puzzling of all dinosaur questions. What killed these mighty creatures?One of the most popular theories about the death of the dinosaurs is that the world just grew too cold for them. Indeed, for age, cold-blood creatures, even a few nights of cold could spell death. How could the weather have changed? Scientists think there might have been a cooling in the earth’ s atmosphere during the Late Cretaceous Period.The shifts of the earth’ s surface might have upset theclimate and the colder weather might have attacked theplants first. As they died off, the plant-eating dinosaurswould have starved to death. And without plant-eaters forfood, the meat-eating dinosaurs would have been the nextto die.Not everyone agrees that a change in weather would havebeen enough to kill the dinosaurs. Some scientists saythat dinosaurs might have been warm-blooded. Warm-bloodedanimals are able to make their body heat. They can live inmuch colder climates than cold-blooded animals.Other scientists ask why dinosaurs could not just haveadapted to the cold water. In fact fossils have been foundthat show dinosaurs might have lived far north as Alaska,and as far south as Antarctica.In the late 1970s a naturalist named Walter Alvarez wasstudying the layer of rock that marks the end of the Ageof Dinosaurs. He made a puzzling discovery. Alvarez founda layer of clay which contained a great deal of metalcalled iridium. This metal is only found in the earth’ score, or in comets and asteroids from outer space. Otherscientists in different parts of the world found thisiridium-rich clay in the same layer as Alvarez. Couldvolcanoes have spit up large amounts of iridium from theearth core? Alvarez and others didn’ t think so. There wasjust too much iridium over too much land.Alvarez came up with the theory that a large asteroid fromouter space must have hit the earth sixty-five millionyears ago. The crash would have sent great clouds of dust—and iridium—into the air. It would have blocked out thesunlight and may have changed the earth’ s temperatures instrange ways.Without sunlight, plants would not have been able to grow.With the plants gone, many other forms of life would havestarved. A horrible chain of death would have brought downone mighty animal after another on land and in water.If a giant crash like this did kill of the dinosaurs, howdid other animals survive? Many kinds of insects, smallmammals, reptiles, birds and fish continued to live pastthe end of the Cretaceous Period. How did they manage?Some animals can wait out a disaster better than others.Small, slow-moving animals such as turtles and crocodilescan go for longer periods without food than large, activeanimals. Some sea animals live on types of plants thatdon’ t need much sunlight. And small mammals such assquirrels get through a long winter—they hibernate.The idea of a great asteroid or comet crash isfascinating. But it would mean the dinosaurs would allhave been killed within a very short time—perhaps over afew months or years. What if the dinosaurs did not die outso quickly?Many scientists think that the dinosaurs had started todie off millions years before the end of the CretaceousPeriod. And even more amazing, fossils have been found inthe U. S. and southern China that might show dinosaurslived long after they were supposed to have disappeared.In Montana, located in the north-western U. S. , dinosaurfossils have been found in a layer of rock that date toaround 40, 000 years after the end of the CretaceousPeriod.And the fossils in southern China show that dinosaursmight have survived longest in that area. They were foundin a layer almost a million years after the last dinosaurwas supposed to have died.Could the death of the dinosaurs have been caused by theirmoving into new areas? Illness and disease can be carriedby travelling animals. Is it possible that dinosaurs andother creatures died of terrible diseases caught fromother animals?Changes tong ago on the earth’ s surface might have joinedpieces of land that were once separate. With new landlinks, dinosaurs and other animals might have travelled toareas they had never seen before. Away from home, theywould have met up with new kinds of animals and might havecaught diseases that they had no defense against!According to Alvarez, what’ s the reason for the death of dinosaur?

复合题Passage AWith medicine, the benefit of biotechnology has been obvious. People readily accept it when they see how better drugs and clearer diagnoses improve their lives. Why is it different when biotech is applied to agriculture? The answer is that the clearest gains from the current crop of genetically modified (GM) plants go not to consumers but to producers. Indeed, that was what their developers intended: an appeal to farmers offered the suppliers of GM technology the best hope of a speedy return. For consumers, especially in the rich world, the benefits of super-yielding soybeans are less clear: the world, by and large, already has too much food in its stores; developing countries principally lack money, not food as such. Yet companies still pitch their products as a cure for malnutrition even though little that they are doing can justify such a noble claim. In boasting the technology as the only answer to everything from pest control to world hunger, the industry has fed the popular view that its products are unsafe, unnecessary and bad for the environment.Of the two main charges against GM crops, by far the weaker is that they are unsafe to eat. Critics assert that genetic engineering introduces into food genes that are not present naturally, cannot be introduced through conventional breeding and may have unknown health effects that should be investigated before the food is sold to the public. GM crops such as the maize and soybeans that now blanket America certainly differ from their garden variety neighbors. But there is a broad scientific consensus that the present generation of GM foods is safe. Even so, this does little to reassure consumers. Food frights such as “mad cow” disease and revelations of cancer-causing dioxin in Belgian food have sorely undermined their confidence in scientific pronouncements and regulatory authorities alike. GM foods have little future in Europe until this faith can be restored.The second big worry about GM food is that it may harm the environment. The producers argue that the engineered traits—such as resistance to certain brands of herbicide or types of insects and virus—actually do ecological good by reducing chemical use and improving yields so that less land needs to go under the plough. Opponents retort that any such benefits are far outweighed by the damage such crops might do. They worry that pesticide-resistant genes may spread from plants that should be saved to weeds that have to be killed. They fear a loss of biodiversity. They worry that the in-built resistance to bugs that some GM crops will have may poison insects such as Monarch butterfly, and allow other, nastier bugs to develop a natural resistance and thrive.Many of the fears are based on results from limited experiments, often in the laboratory. The only way to discover whether they will arise in real life, or whether they will be any more damaging than similar risks posed by conventional crops and farming practice, is to do more research in the field. Banning the experimental growth of GM plants as some protesters want simply deprives scientists of their most fruitful laboratory.Companies introduce GM food to the market as a solution to all these problems EXCEPT _____.

复合题One of the best sources modern scholars have for learning about Hellenistic Egypt is the large supply of papyrus fragments that have turned up in the Egyptian desert over the last century. Papyrus is a thick type of paper made from a reedy plant found in Egypt. Papyrus is much tougher than the wood- pulp paper used in modern society; whereas a book produced today will most likely fall apart within a century, there are papyrus fragments that are still legible over 2,000 years after scribes wrote on them.It is primarily by accident that any of these fragments have survived. Most of the surviving fragments have been found in ancient garbage dumps that were covered over by the desert and preserved in the dry heat. The benefit of this type of archeological find is that these discarded scraps often give us a more accurate picture of the daily lives of ancient Egyptians—their business affairs, personal correspondence, and religious pleas—than the stone engravings and recorded texts that were intended to be passed down to later generations.One of the most important papyrus discoveries of recent years was the revelation in 2001 that a scrap of papyrus that had been discarded and used to wrap a mummy contained 110 previously unknown epigrams (short, witty poems) by the Hellenistic poet Posidippus (ca. 280-240 B.C.). Posidippus lived in Alexandria and benefited from the support of King Ptolemy II Philadelphos (ruled 284-246 B.C.). These new epigrams have yielded fascinating insight into the court culture and literary sensibilities of early Hellenistic Egypt.King Ptolemy, of course, was also a sponsor of the famous library of Alexandria, the greatest depository of knowledge in the ancient world. According to the twelfth-century Byzantine writer John Tzetzes, the ancient library contained nearly half a million papyrus scrolls. If that library had not burned down, maybe archeologists today would not have to spend so much of their time sorting through ancient trash!

复合题Modern immigration, also known as post-1965 immigration, has forever changed American society. In 1965, amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act, more commonly known as the Hart- Cellar Act, greatly increased non-European immigration. In the decades since the Hart-Cellar Act became law, immigration has continued to increase steadily in the United States.Some experts disagree on whether the Hart-Cellar Act was the primary reason for the shift in modern immigration. In 1968, the Hart—Cellar Act’s goals were to unite fragmented families and to bring in foreign labor. The Hart-Cellar Act eliminated national quotas that were biased against immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe. In addition, the Hart-Cellar Act removed the long-standing ban on Asian immigrants. The abolition of the national quotas encouraged immigrants from Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, and Asia to come to America. Unfortunately, the original Hart-Cellar Act and its later amendments also established the first cap on immigrants from the Western Hemisphere. This greatly affected immigration from Central America, South America, and Mexico.Compared with the immigrants of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, post-1965 immigrants are distinctly diverse. These new immigrants settle in different areas, come from a wide variety of countries, and have different socioeconomic backgrounds. In fact, unlike the Ellis Island immigrants, modern immigrants hail principally from non-European nations. Modern immigration has had a significant impact on the size and design of America’s population. Since the 1960s, new immigrants have represented over one-third of America’s total growth. Although all ethnic groups contribute to America’s growth, Asian and Hispanic immigrant populations continue to grow larger and faster than all of the others. Only thirty years ago, Asians and Hispanics made up an infinitesimal percentage of the American population. Since then, the size of these groups has almost quadrupled.In the 1800s, immigrants from Europe tended to settle on the East Coast or in the Midwest. States like Michigan, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey became havens for new Americans. If these immigrants preferred the cosmopolitan life, they usually headed for booming cities like New York, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Boston. In the twenty- first century, immigrants continue to flock to these areas. However, today’s immigrants also settle on the West Coast, in the Southwest, and in the Southeast. Texas, Arizona, Florida, California, Washington, and Oregon are among the states with the largest immigrant populations.Many of the modern immigrants arrive in America with jobs, college degrees, or technical training, in stark contrast to the immigrants of the nineteenth century. Networks produced by family ties, friendships, and business contacts enable immigrants to prosper in America far more quickly than they were able to in the past. Since the 1970s, family or friends already in the United States sponsored more than two-thirds of the new immigrants. Other humanitarian institutions, both public and private, also help new immigrants become established in America. In addition to helping immigrants find jobs and homes, these organizations assist in eliminating the abuse and discrimination that many immigrants face.It is no wonder that family ties play such a major role in modern immigration. The Hart-Cellar Act of 1965 and its ensuing amendments made family reunification a priority. This important measure provided immediate family members of American citizens with unlimited visas. Extended relatives were also granted visas based on availability.Thanks to the Hart—Cellar Act and other legislation, America has become more than a melting pot. With its modern immigration policies, America has become a land filled with united and prosperous families. The Hart-Cellar Act, along with other immigration legislation, has brought increased diversity and new challenges. Like the immigrants before them, modern immigrants require assistance and compassion. However, the strengths and benefits that many of the new immigrants bring far outweigh a temporary cost to society.

复合题Thetouristtradeisbooming.Withallthiscomingandgoing,youdexpectgreaterunderstandingtodevelopbetweenthenationsoftheworld.Notabitofit!Superbsystemsofcommunicationbyair,seaandlandmakeitpossibleforustovisiteachotherscountriesatamoderatecost.Whatwasoncethegrandtour,reservedforonlytheveryrich,isnowwithineverybodysgrasp.Thepackagetourandcharteredflightsarenottobesneeredat.Modemtravelersenjoyalevelofcomfortwhichthelordsandladiesongrandtoursintheolddayscouldnthavedreamedof.Butwhatsthesenseofthismassexchangeofpopulationsifthenationsoftheworldremainbasicallyignorantofeachother?Manytouristorganizationsaredirectlyresponsibleforthisstateofaffairs.Theydeliberatelysetouttoprotecttheirclientsfromtoomuchcontactwiththelocalpopulation.Themoderntouristleadsacosseted,shelteredlife.Helivesatinternationalhotels,whereheeatshisinternationalfoodandsipshisinternationaldrinkwhilehegazesatthenativesfromadistance.Conductedtourstoplacesofinterestarecarefullycensored.Thetouristisallowedtoseeonlywhattheorganizerswanthimtoseeandnomore.Astrictschedulemakesitimpossibleforthetouristtowanderoffonhisown;andanyway,languageisalwaysabarrier,soheisonlytoohappytobeprotectedinthisway.Atitsveryworst,thisleadstoanewandhideouskindofcolonization.ThesummerquartersoftheinhabitantsoftheciteuniversitairearetemporarilyreestablishedontheislandofCorfu.BlackpoolisrecreatedatTorremotinoswherethetravelergoesnottoeatpaella,butfishandchips.Thesadthingaboutthissituationisthatitleadstothepersistenceofnationalstereotypes.Wedontseethepeopleofothernationsastheyreallyare,butaswehavebeenbroughtuptobelievetheyare.YoucantestthisforyourselfTakefivenationalities,say,French,German,English,AmericanandItalian.Nowinyourmind,matchthemwiththesefiveadjectives:musical,amorous,cold,pedantic,native.Farfromprovidinguswithanyinsightintothenationalcharacteristicsofthepeoplesjustmentioned,theseadjectivesactuallyactasbarriers.Sowhenyousetoutonyourtravels,theonlycharacteristicsyounoticearethosewhichconfirmyourpreconceptions.Youcomeawaywiththehighlyunoriginalandinaccurateimpressionthat,say,Anglo-SaxonsarehypocritesorthatLatinpeoplesshoutalot.Youonlyhavetomakeafewforeignfriendstounderstandhowabsurdandharmfulnationalstereotypesare.Buthowcanyoumakeforeignfriendswhenthetouristtradedoesitsbesttopreventyou?Carriedtoanextreme,stereotypescanbepositivelydangerous.Wildgeneralizationsstirupracialhatredandblindustothebasicfact--howtriteitsounds!-Thatallpeoplearehuman.Weareallsimilartoeachotherandatthesametimeallunique.

复合题Directions: In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words. Please write your answers on the Answer sheet.Men, these days, are embracing fatherhood with the round- the-clock involvement their partners have always dreamed of — handling night feedings, packing lunches and bandaging knees. But unlike women, many find they’ re negotiating their new roles with little support or information. “Men in my generation (aged 25-40) have a fear of becoming dads because we have no role models, ” says Jon Smith, a writer. They often find themselves excluded from mothers’ support networks, and are eyed warily on the playground.The challenge is particularly evident in the work-place. There, men are still expected to be breadwinners climbing the corporate ladder: traditionally-minded bosses are often unsympathetic to family needs. In Denmark most new fathers only take two weeks of paternity leave — even though they are allowed 34 days. As much as if not more so than women, fathers struggle to be taken seriously when they request flexible arrangements.Though Wilfried-Fritz Maring, 54, a data-bank and Internet specialist with German firm FIZ Karlsruhe, feels that the time he spends with his daughter outweighs any disadvantages, he admits, “With my decision to work from home I dismissed any opportunity for promotion. ”Mind-sets are changing gradually. When Maring had a daughter, the company equipped him with a home office and allowed him to choose a job that could be performed from there. Danish telecom company TDC initiated an internal campaign last year to encourage dads to take paternity leave: 97 percent now do. “When an employee goes on paternity leave and is with his kids, he gets a new kind of training: in how to keep cool under stress. ” says spokesperson Christine Elberg Holm. For a new generation of dads, kids may come before the company － but it’ s a shift that benefits both.

复合题Like Proust, the French author whose experiences became his literary capital, man can recapture the past. He can also summon up things to come, displaying imagination and foresight along with memory. It really can be argued, that memory and foresightedness are the essence of intelligence; that man’s ability to manipulate time, to employ both past and future as guides to present action, is what makes him human.To be sure, many animals can react to time after a fashion. A rat can learn to press a lever that will, after a delay of some 25 seconds, reward it with a bit of food. But if the delay stretches beyond 30 seconds, the animal is stumped. It can no longer associate reward so “far” in the future with present lever-pressing.Monkeys, more smart than rats, are better able to deal with time. If one of them is allowed to see food being hidden under one of two cups, it can pick out the right cup even after 90 seconds have passed. But after that time interval, the monkey’s hunt for the food is no better than chance predicts.With the apes, man’s nearest cousins, “time sense” takes a big step forward. Even under laboratory conditions, quite different from those they encounter in the wild, apes sometimes show remarkable ability to manipulate the present to obtain a future goal. A chimpanzee, for example, can learn stack four boxes, one on the other, as a platform from which it can reach a hanging banana. Chimpanzees, indeed, carry their ability to deal with the future to the threshold of human capacity: they can make tools. And it is by the making of tools—physical tools as crude as a stone chopper, mental tools as subtle as a mathematical equation—that man characteristically prepares for future contingencies.Chimpanzees in the wild have been seen to strip a twig of its leaves to make a probe for extracting termites from their hole. Significantly, however, the ape does not make this tool before setting out on a termite hunt, but only when it actually sees the insects or their nest. Here, as with the banana and the crates, the ape can cope only with a future that is immediate and visible—and thus halfway into the present.

复合题Passage AThere are few more sobering online activities thanentering data into college-tuition calculators and gaspingas the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists sayfamilies about to go into debt to fund four years ofpartying, as well as studying, can console themselves withthe knowledge that college is an investment that, unlikemany bank stocks, should yield huge dividends.A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the“labor-market premium to skill” —or the amount collegegraduates earned thats greater than what high-schoolgraduate earned—decreased for much of the 20th century,but has come back with a vengeance (报复性地) since the1980s. In 2005, the typical full-time year-round U. S.worker with a four-year college degree earned $50, 900, 62%more than the $31, 500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.Theres no question that going to college is a smarteconomic choice. But a look at the strange variations intuition reveals that the choice about which college toattend doesnt come down merely to dollars and cents.Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board$49, 260 in 2007-08) yield a 40% greater return thanattending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ($35, 542) ? Probably not. Does being anout-of-state student at the University of Colorado atBoulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student ($17, 380) there? Not likely.No, in this consumerist age, most buyers arentevaluating college as an investment, but rather as aconsumer product—like a car or clothes or a house. Andwith such purchases, price is only one of many crucialfactors to consider.As with automobiles, consumers in todays collegemarketplace have vast choices, and people search for theone that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction inline with their budgets. This accounts for the willingnessof people to pay more for different types of experiences(such as attending a private liberal-arts college or goingto an out-of-state public school that has a great marine-biology program) . And just as two auto purchasers mightspend an equal amount of money on very different cars,college students (or, more accurately, their parents)often show a willingness to pay essentially the same pricefor vastly different products. So which is it? Is collegean investment product like a stock or a consumer productlike a car? In keeping with the automotive worldshottest consumer trend, maybe its best to characterizeit as a hybrid (混合动力汽车) ; an expensive consumerproduct that, over time, will pay rich dividends.In this consumerist age, most parents _____.

复合题Passage Two 1) In the semi-darkened room, a light focuses on a hand, its palm facing up and held in two other hands. A pair of intent eyes is gazing at the palm, and a calm, low voice is sayin

复合题Longbeforetheycanactuallyspeak,babiespayspecialattentiontothespeechtheyheararoundthem.Withinthefirstmonthoftheirlives,babies’responsestothesoundofthehumanvoicewillbedifferentfromtheirresponsestoothersortsofauditorystimuli.Theywillstopcryingwhentheyhearapersontalking,butnotiftheyhearabellorthesoundofarattle.Atfirst,thesoundsthataninfantnoticesmightbeonlythosewordsthatreceivetheheaviestemphasisandthatoftenoccurattheendsofutterances.Bythetimetheyaresixorsevenweeksold,babiescandetectthedifferencebetweensyllablespronouncedwithrisingandfallinginflections.Verysoon,thesedifferencesinadultstressandintonationcaninfluencebabies’emotionalstatesandbehavior.Longbeforetheydevelopactuallanguagecomprehension,babiescansensewhenanadultisplayfulorangry,attemptingtoinitiateorterminatenewbehavior,andsoon,merelyonthebasisofcuessuchastherate,volume,andmelodyofadultspeech.Adultsmakeitaseasyastheycanforbabiestopickupalanguagebyexaggeratingsuchcues.Oneresearcherobservedbabiesandtheirmothersinsixdiverseculturesandfoundthat,inallsixlanguages,themothersusedsimplifiedsyntax,shortutterancesandnonsensesounds,andtransformedcertainsoundsintobabytalk.Otherinvestigatorshavenotedthatwhenmotherstalktobabieswhoareonlyafewmonthsold,theyexaggeratethepitch,loudness,andintensityoftheirwords.Theyalsoexaggeratetheirfacialexpressions,holdvowelslonger,andemphasizecertainwords.Moresignificantforlanguagedevelopmentthantheirresponsetogeneralintonationisobservationthattinybabiescanmakerelativelyfinedistinctionsbetweenspeechsounds.Inotherwords,babiesentertheworldwiththeabilitytomakepreciselythoseperceptualdiscriminationsthatarenecessaryiftheyaretoacquireaurallanguage.Babiesobviouslyderivepleasurefromsoundinput,too:evenasyoungasninemonthstheywilllistentosongsorstories,althoughthewordsthemselvesarebeyondtheirunderstanding.Forbabies,languageisasensory-motordelightratherthantheroutetoprosaicmeaningthatitoftenisforadults.

复合题The U.S. population is going gray. A rising demographic tide of aging baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964—and increased longevity have made adults age 65 and older the fastest growing segment of today’s population. In thirty years, this segment of the population will be nearly twice as large as it is today. By then, an estimated 70 million people will be over age 65. The number of “oldest old”—those age 85 and older—is 34 times greater than in 1900 and likely to expand five- fold by 2050.This unprecedented “elder boom” will have a profound effect on American society, particularly the field of healthcare. Is the U.S. health system equipped to deal with the demands of an aging population? Although we have adequate physicians and nurses, many of them are not trained to handle the multiple needs of older patients. Today we have about 9,000 geriatricians (physicians who are experts in aging-related issues). Some studies estimate a need for 36,000 geriatricians by 2030.Many doctors today treat a patient of 75 the same way they would treat a 40-year-old patient. However, although seniors are healthier than ever, physical challenges often increase with age. By age 75, adults often have two to three medical conditions. Diagnosing multiple health problems and knowing how they interact is crucial for effectively treating older patients. Healthcare professionals —often pressed for time in hectic daily practices—must be diligent about asking questions and collecting “evidence” from their elderly patients. Finding out about a patient’s over-the-counter medications or living conditions could reveal an underlying problem.Lack of training in geriatric issues can result in healthcare providers overlooking illnesses or conditions that may lead to illness. Inadequate nutrition is a common, but often unrecognized, problem among frail seniors. An elderly patient who has difficulty preparing meals at home may become vulnerable to malnutrition or another medical condition. Healthcare providers with training in aging issues may be able to address this problem without the costly solution of admitting a patient to a nursing home.Depression, a treatable condition that affects nearly five million seniors, also goes undetected by some healthcare providers. Some healthcare professionals view depression as “just part of getting old.” Untreated, this illness can have serious, even fatal consequences. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, older Americans account for a disproportionate share of suicide deaths, making up 18% of suicide deaths in 2000. Healthcare providers could play a vital role in preventing this outcome—several studies have shown that up to 75% of seniors who die by suicide visited a primary care physician within a month of their death.Healthcare providers face additional challenges to providing high-quality care to the aging population. Because the numbers of ethnic minority elders are growing faster than the aging population as a whole, providers must train to care for a more racially and ethnically diverse population of elderly. Respect and understanding of diverse cultural beliefs is necessary to provide the most effective healthcare to all patients. Providers must also be able to communicate complicated medical conditions or treatments to older patients who may have a visual, hearing, or cognitive impairment.As older adults make up an increasing proportion of the healthcare caseload, the demand for aging specialists must expand as well. Healthcare providers who work with the elderly must understand and address not only the physical but mental, emotional, and social changes of the aging process. They need to be able to distinguish between “normal” characteristics associated with aging and illness. Most crucially, they should look beyond symptoms and consider ways that will help a senior maintain and improve her quality of life.

复合题Passage AThe fox really exasperated them both. As soon as they had let the fowls out, in the early summer mornings, they had to take their guns and keep guard; and then again as soon as evening began to mellow, they must go once more. And he was so sly. He slid along in the deep grass; he was difficult as a serpent to see. And he seemed to circumvent the girls deliberately. Once or twice March had caught sight of the white tip of his brush, or the ruddy shadow of him in the deep grass, and she had let fire at him. But he made no account of this.The trees on the wood edge were a darkish, brownish green in the full light-for it was the end of August. Beyond, the naked, copper like shafts and limbs of the pine trees shone in the air. Nearer the rough grass, with its long, brownish stalks all agleam, was full of light. The fowls were round about—the ducks were still swimming on the pond under the pine trees. March looked at it all, saw it all, and did not see it. She heard Banford speaking to the fowls in the distance—and she did not hear. What was she thinking about? Heaven knows. Her consciousness was, as it were, held back.She lowered her eyes, and suddenly saw the fox. He was looking up at her. His chin was pressed down, and his eyes were looking up. They met her eyes. And he knew her. She was spellbound—she knew he knew her. So he looked into her eyes, and her soul failed her. He knew her, he has not daunted.She struggled, confusedly she came to herself, and saw him making off, with slow leaps over some fallen boughs, slow, impudent jumps. Then he glanced over his shoulder, and ran smoothly away. She saw his brush held smooth like a feather, she saw his white buttocks twinkle. And he was gone, softly, soft as the wind.She put her gun to her shoulder, but even then pursed her mouth, knowing it was nonsense to pretend to fire. So she began to walk slowly after him, in the direction he had gone, slowly, pertinaciously. She expected to find him. In her heart she was determined to find him. What she would do when she saw him again she did not consider. But she was determined to find him. So she walked abstractedly about on the edge of the wood, with wide, vivid dark eyes, and a faint flush in her cheeks. She did not think. In strange mindlessness she walked hither and thither.As soon as supper was over, she rose again to go out,without saying why.She took her gun again and went to look for the fox. For he had lifted his eyes upon her, and his knowing look seemed to have entered her brain. She did not so much think of him: she was possessed by him. She saw his dark, shrewd, unabashed eye looking into her, knowing her. She felt him invisibly master her spirit. She knew the way he lowered his chin as he looked up, she knew his muzzle, the golden brown, and the grayish white. And again she saw him glance over his shoulder at her, half inviting, half contemptuous and cunning. So she went, with her great startled eyes glowing, her gun under her arm, along the wood edge. Meanwhile the night fell, and a great moon rose above the pine trees.At the beginning of the story, the fox seems to the all EXCEPT _____.

复合题Thinkbacktoyourchildhoodandtrytoidentifyyourearliestmemory.Howoldwereyou?Mostpeoplearenotabletorecountmemoriesforexperiencespriortotheageofthreeyears,aphenomenoncalledinfantileamnesia.Thequestionofwhyinfantileamnesiaoccurshasintriguedpsychologistsfordecades,especiallyinlightofampleevidencethatinfantsandyoungchildrencandisplayimpressivememorycapabilities.Manyfindthatunderstandingthegeneralnatureofautobiographicalmemory,thatis,memoryforeventsthathaveoccurredinone’sownlife,canprovidesomeimportantcluestothismystery.Betweenagesthreeandfour,childrenbegintogivefairlylengthyandcohesivedescriptionsofeventsintheirpast.Whatfactorsareresponsibleforthisdevelopmentalturningpoint?PerhapstheexplanationgoesbacktosomeideasraisedbyinfluentialSwisspsychologistJeanPiaget—namely,thatchildrenunderagetwoyearsrepresenteventsinaqualitativelydifferentformthanolderchildrendo.Accordingtothislineofthought,theverbalabilitiesthatblossominthetwoyearoldalloweventstobecodedinaformradicallydifferentfromtheaction-basedcodesoftheinfant.Verbalabilitiesofoneyearoldsare,infact,relatedtotheirmemoriesforeventsoneyearlater.Whenresearchershadoneyearoldsimitateanactionsequenceoneyearaftertheyfirstsawit,therewascorrelationbetweenthechildren’sverbalskillsatthetimetheyfirstsawtheeventandtheirsuccessonthelatermemorytask.However,evenchildrenwithlowverbalskillsshowedevidenceofrememberingtheevent;thus,memoriesmaybefacilitatedbybutarenotdependentonthoseverbalskills.Anothersuggestionisthatbeforechildrencantalkaboutpasteventsintheirlives,theyneedtohaveareasonableunderstandingoftheselfasapsychologicalentity.Thedevelopmentofanunderstandingoftheselfbecomesevidentbetweenthefirstandsecondyearsoflifeandshowsrapidelaborationinsubsequentyears.Therealizationthatthephysicalselfhascontinuityintime,accordingtothishypothesis,laysthefoundationfortheemergenceofautobiographicalmemory.Athirdpossibilityisthatchildrenwillnotbeabletotelltheirown“lifestory”untiltheyunderstandsomethingaboutthegeneralformstoriestake,thatis,thestructureofnarratives.Knowledgeaboutnarrativesarisesfromsocialinteractions,particularlythestorytellingthatchildrenexperiencefromparentsandtheattemptsparentsmaketotalkwithchildrenaboutpasteventsintheirlives.Whenparentstalkwithchildrenabout“whatwedidtoday”or“lastweek”or“lastyear”theyguidethechildren’sformationofaframeworkfortalkingaboutthepast.Theyalsoprovidechildrenwithremindersaboutthememoryandrelaythemessagethatmemoriesarevaluedaspartoftheculturalexperience.ItisinterestingtonotethatsomestudiesshowCaucasianAmericanchildrenhaveearlierchildhoodmemoriesthanKoreanchildrendo.Furthermore,otherstudiesshowthatCaucasianAmericanmother-childpairstalkaboutpasteventsthreetimesmoreoftenthandoKoreanmother-childpairs.Thus,thetypesofsocialexperienceschildrenhavedofactorintothedevelopmentofautobiographicalmemories.Afinalsuggestionisthatchildrenmustbegintodevelopa“theoryofmind”anawarenessoftheconceptofmentalstates(feelings,desires,beliefs,andthoughts),theirownandthoseofothers—beforetheycantalkabouttheirownpastmemories.Oncechildrenbecomecapableofansweringsuchquestionsas“Whatdoesitmeantoremember?And“Whatdoesitmeantoknowsomething?”improvementsinmemoryseemtooccur.Itmaybethatthedevelopmentsjustdescribedareintertwinedwithandinfluenceoneanother.Talkingwithparentsaboutthepastmayenhancethedevelopmentoftheself-concept,forexample,aswellashelpthechildunderstandwhatitmeansto“remember”.Nodoubttheabilitytotalkaboutone’spastrepresentsmemoryofadifferentlevelofcomplexitythansimplerecognitionorrecall.