查看汇总：2015考研英语阅读理解模拟题及答案汇总

　　Mass transportation revised the social and economic fabric of the American city in three fundamental ways. It catalyzed physical expansion， it sorted out people and land uses， and it accelerated the inherent instability of urban life. By opening vast areas of unoccupied land for residential expansion， the omnibuses， horse railways， commuter trains， and electric trolleys pulled settled regions outward two to four times more distant form city centers than they were in the premodern era. In 1850， for example， the borders of Boston lay scarcely two miles from the old business district; by the turn of the century the radius extended ten miles. Now those who could afford it could live far removed from the old city center and still commute there for work， shopping， and entertainment. The new accessibility of land around the periphery of almost every major city sparked an explosion of real estate development and fueled what we now know as urban sprawl. Between 1890 and 1920， for example， some 250，000 new residential lots were recorded within the borders of Chicago， most of them located in outlying areas. Over the same period， another 550，000 were plotted outside the city limits but within the metropolitan area. Anxious to take advantage of the possibilities of commuting， real estate developers added 800，000 potential building sites to the Chicago region in just thirty years – lots that could have housed five to six million people.

　　Of course， many were never occupied; there was always a huge surplus of subdivided， but vacant， land around Chicago and other cities. These excesses underscore a feature of residential expansion related to the growth of mass transportation： urban sprawl was essentially unplanned. It was carried out by thousands of small investors who paid little heed to coordinated land use or to future land users. Those who purchased and prepared land for residential purposes， particularly land near or outside city borders where transit lines and middle-class inhabitants were anticipated， did so to create demand as much as to respond to it. Chicago is a prime example of this process. Real estate subdivision there proceeded much faster than population growth.

　　1. With which of the following subjects is the passage mainly concerned?

　　[A] Types of mass transportation.

　　[B] Instability of urban life.

　　[C] How supply and demand determine land use.

　　[D] The effect of mass transportation on urban expansion.

　　2. Why does the author mention both Boston and Chicago?

　　[A] To demonstrate positive and negative effects of growth.

　　[B] To exemplify cities with and without mass transportation.

　　[C] To show mass transportation changed many cities.

　　[D] To contrast their rate of growth.

　　3. According to the passage， what was one disadvantage of residential expansion?

　　[A] It was expensive.

　　[B] It happened too slowly.

　　[C] It was unplanned.

　　[D] It created a demand for public transportation.

　　4. The author mentions Chicago in the second paragraph as an example of a city，

　　[A] that is large.

　　[B] that is used as a model for land development.

　　[C] where the development of land exceeded population growth.

　　[D] with an excellent mass transportation system.

　　Vocabulary

　　1. revise 改变

　　2. fabric 结构

　　3. catalyze 催化，加速

　　4. sort out 把……分门别类，拣选

　　5. omnibus 公共汽车/马车

　　6. trolley (美)有轨电车，(英)无轨电车

　　7. periphery 周围，边缘

　　8. sprawl 建筑物无计划延伸，蔓延，四面八方散开

　　9. lot 小片土地

　　10. underscore 强调，在下面划横线

　　11. transit lines 运输线路

　　12. subdivision (出售的)小块土地，再划分小区

　　写作方法与文章大意

　　文章论述了“公共交通从三方面改变了城市的社会和经济结构。”采用分类写法。文章一开始就提出三方面：第一，促进城市实质性的扩展;第二，把人和土地分民别类加以利用;第三，加速了城市生活的不稳定性。然后就是三方面的具体内容。

　　答案详解

　　1.D 公共交通运输对城市扩展的影响。文章开门见山提出这一点“公共交通运输从三个根本方面改变了美国城市的社会和经济结构。”后面文章内容就是三方面的具体化。

　　A. 公共交通运输类型。 B. 城市生活的不稳定性。 C. 供需如何决定土地利用。这三项文中作为具体问题提到，并不是文章涉及的主要题目。

　　2.C 说明公共交通改变了许多城市。答案箭第一段第四句“举例说，1850年，波士顿市界离老的商业地区几乎不到2英里，到了这世纪末，其半径扩至10英里。现在供得起的人们可以住得很远，远离老的城市中心，仍然来回去那里上班、购物和娱乐”。第七句，“举例说，在1890至1920年期间，据记载，芝加哥市界内有约250，000个新的住宅楼区大多数设在郊区。经过同样这段时期，市区外，但仍在芝加哥大都市地区内，又计划建造了550，000个住宅楼区。”

　　A. 表示成长的正反两方面效果。B. 举有无公共交通运输的城市为例。 D. 对比两者成长率;都不是本文中举两城市例子的目的。

　　3.C 没有计划。见第二段第三句起“城市扩展蔓延根本无计划，好几千个小的投资商进行扩展，毫不考虑相互协调配合利用土地，也不考虑未来土地利用。”

　　A. 太贵 和 B.太慢，两个选项，文内没有提。D. 它创造了对公共交通运输的需求。这不是住宅扩展的一个缺点，而是三个根本改变城市的一个方面。见第一段第三句：“通过大量开发未占土地扩建住宅，公共汽车、马车、铁路、来回火车，有轨电车把已有人定居的居住区向外扩展了三四倍，比他们先现代时期的市中心更远。”

　　4.C(第二段中以芝加哥城市例子说明)土地开发超过人口增长速度。答案详见第二段“这些购买和置备土地建设住宅，特别是购置临近城市或就在市界外的土地，抢在交通线路和中产阶层的居民进去之前。他们这样做的目的是创造一种需求，也是响应这种需求。芝加哥就是这种过程的典型例子。那里的房地产小块土地比人口增长快得很多很多。”

　　A. 城市大。B. 用作土地开发的样板。 D. 具有优越的公共的交通系统。

　　The stone age， The Iron Age. Entire epochs have been named for materials. So what to call the decades ahead? The choice will be tough. Welcome to the age of superstuff. Material science —— once the least sexy technology – is bursting with new， practical discoveries led by superconducting ceramics that may revolutionize electronics. But superconductors are just part of the picture： from house and cars to cook pots and artificial teeth， the world will someday be made of different stuff. Exotic plastics， glass and ceramics will shape the future just as surely as have genetic engineering and computer science.

　　The key to the new materials is researchers‘ increasing ability to manipulate substances at the molecular level. Ceramics， for example， have long been limited by their brittleness. But by minimizing the microscopic imperfections that cause it， scientists are making far stronger ceramics that still retain such qualities as hardness and heat resistance. Ford Motor Co. now uses ceramic tools to cut steel. A firm called Kyocera has created a line of ceramic scissors and knives that stay sharp for years and never rust or corrode.

　　A similar transformation has overtaken plastics. High-strength polymers now form bridges， ice-skating rinks and helicopter rotors. And one new plastic that generates electricity when vibrated or pushed is used in electric guitars， touch sensors for robot hands and karate jackets that automatically record each punch and chop. Even plastic litter， which once threatened to permanently blot the landscape， has proved amenable to molecular tinkering. Several manufacturers now make biodegradable forms; some plastic six-pack rings for example， gradually decompose when exposed to sunlight. Researchers are developing ways to make plastics as recyclable as metal or glass. Besides， composites – plastic reinforced with fibers of graphite or other compounds – made the round-the-world flight of the voyager possible and have even been proved in combat： a helmet saved an infantryman‘s life by deflecting two bullets in the Grenada invasion.

　　Some advanced materials are old standard with a new twist. The newest fiberoptic cable that carry telephone calls cross-country are made of glass so transparent that a piece of 100 miles thick is clearer than a standard window pane.

　　But new materials have no impact until they are made into products. And that transition could prove difficult， for switching requires lengthy research and investment. It can be said a firmer handle on how to move to commercialization will determine the success or failure of a country in the near future.

　　1. How many new materials are mentioned in this passage?

　　[A] Two

　　[B] Three

　　[C] Four

　　[D] Five

　　2. Why does the author mention genetic engineering and computer science?

　　[A] To compare them with the new materials.

　　[B] To show the significance of the new materials on the future world.

　　[C] To compare the new materials to them.

　　[D] To explain his view point.

　　3. Why is transition difficult?

　　[A] Because transition requires money and time.

　　[B] Because many manufacturers are unwilling to change their equipment.

　　[C] Because research on new materials is very difficult.

　　[D]Because it takes 10 years.

　　4. Where lies success of a country in the New Age of superstuff?

　　[A] It lies in research.

　　[B] It lies in investment.

　　[C] It lies in innovation.

　　[D] It lies in application.

　　Vocabulary

　　1. superstuff 超级材料

　　2. superconducting ceramic 超导陶瓷

　　3. exotic 神奇的

　　4. shape 塑造，成型

　　5. brittleness 脆性

　　6. polymer 聚合体

　　7. karate jacket 空手道外衣

　　8. touch sensor 触及传感器

　　9. each punch and chop 每一个击、打

　　10. blot 玷污，损害风景的东西

　　11. tinker 修补，调整

　　12. amendable 服从于，遵循的

　　13. biodegradable 能生物递减分解的

　　14. six-pack rings 放六个罐子的环状物

　　15. decompose 分解

　　16. recyclable 可循环(使用的)

　　17. infantryman 步兵

　　18. deflect 使偏斜，使转向

　　19. a new twist 一个新的观点，方法

　　难句译注

　　1. Material science – once the least sexy technology – is bursting with new， practical discoveries led by superconducting ceramics that may revolutionize electronics.

　　【参考译文】材料科学，一度曾是最无吸引力(最不起眼)的技术，正以崭新的 ，以超导陶瓷为首的种种实用性发明绽开新颜。这种超导陶瓷可能会使电子技术彻底改变。

　　2. Some advanced materials are old standard with a new twist. The newest fiberoptic cables that carry telephone calls cross-country are made of glass so transparent that a piece of 100 miles thick is clearer than a standard window pane.

　　【参考译文】有些高级材料是带有新方法的老标准。最新全国电话的光纤电缆由玻璃制成。这种玻璃透明度极高，一片100英里厚的玻璃比一块标准的窗框玻璃还要清晰透明。

　　写作方法与文章大意

　　这是一篇介绍“超导材料”的论说文，采用一般到具体的分类写作手法。先指出未来时代的材料属于超导，然后再提出三种超导材料，再逐一说明。

　　答案详解

　　1. B 三种超导材料。答案再第一段最后一句“神奇的塑料、玻璃和陶瓷”。下面各段具体讲这三种材料。第二段讲陶瓷：“新材料之关键在于研究工作者不断提高在分子水平上处理物质的能力。举陶瓷为例，由于它的脆性，长期来应用范围有限。但是通过改善导致脆性的微小缺陷，科学家制造出一种保持原有硬度和抗热性，但坚实得多的陶瓷”。第三段讲塑料。“类似的转折发生在塑料上，高强度的塑料建成了桥梁、溜冰场、直升机的叶轮。一种震动或推动就能发电的新型塑料用于电子吉他上，触及传感塑料用于机械手和空手道外衣上，它能自动记录每次击打。”后面谈及塑料垃圾可以处理，或者制造可分解还原的塑料制品。塑料内加入其他化合物加强性能。第四段讲有些高级材料由新的改变，最新的光纤电缆由玻璃制成，透明度极高，100英里厚的一块其清晰度比一块普通窗玻璃还高。

　　2. B 说明这种新材料对未来世界的意义。答案在第一段：“神奇的塑料、玻璃和陶瓷一定会象生物工程和计算机一样将改变世界。”A. 把它们和新材料相比较，这里不仅仅是比较，而是说明三者都具同样的作用——改变世界。 C. 把新材料比作它们。也不仅仅是比喻比拟。 与A一样没有说到核心电。D. 说明他的观点。太笼统。

　　3. A 转折需要钱和时间。见最后一段“可是新材料只有制成产品才有影响，而这个转折可能很困难，因为转折需要长期的研究和投资。可以这么说，在不久的将来，更牢牢地掌握如何把材料转变成商品将决定一个国家之成败。”B. 因为许多制造商不愿改变他们的设备。C. 因为新材料的研究非常困难。 D. 转折要华上十年时间。这三项文内没有涉及。

　　4. D 在超级材料时代已过之成功在于应用。A. 在于研究。B. 在于投资。C. 在于革新。这三项都是应用的部分前提。其中A和B文内提到，C项文内未涉及。

 

　　Antarctica has actually become a kind of space station – a unique observation post for detecting important changes in the world‘s environment. Remote from major sources of pollution and the complex geological and ecological systems that prevail elsewhere， Antarctica makes possible scientific measurements that are often sharper and easier to interpret than those made in other parts of the world.

　　Growing numbers of scientists therefore see Antarctica as a distant-early-warning sensor， where potentially dangerous global trends may be spotted before they show up to the north. One promising field of investigation is glaciology. Scholars from the United States， Switzerland， and France are pursuing seven separate but related projects that reflect their concern for the health of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet – a concern they believe the world at large should share.

　　The Transantarctic Mountain， some of them more than 14，000 feet high， divide the continent into two very different regions. The part of the continent to the “east” of the mountains is a high plateau covered by an ice sheet nearly two miles thick. “West” of the mountain， the half of the continent south of the Americas is also covered by an ice sheet， but there the ice rests on rock that is mostly well below sea level. If the West Antarctic Ice Sheet disappeared， the western part of the continent would be reduced to a sparse cluster of island.

　　While ice and snow are obviously central to many environmental experiments， others focus on the mysterious “dry valley” of Antarctica， valleys that contain little ice or snow even in the depths of winter. Slashed through the mountains of southern Victoria Land， these valleys once held enormous glaciers that descended 9，000 feet from the polar plateau to the Ross Sea. Now the glaciers are gone， perhaps a casualty of the global warming trend during the 10，000 years since the ice age. Even the snow that falls in the dry valleys is blasted out by vicious winds that roars down from the polar plateau to the sea. Left bare are spectacular gorges， rippled fields of sand dunes， clusters of boulders sculptured into fantastic shapes by 100-mile-an-hour winds， and an aura of extraterrestrial desolation.

　　Despite the unearthly aspect of the dry valleys， some scientists believe they may carry a message of hope of the verdant parts of the earth. Some scientists believe that in some cases the dry valleys may soak up pollutants faster than pollutants enter them.

　　1. What is the best title for this passage?

　　[A] Antarctica and environmental Problems.

　　[B] Antarctica： Earth‘s Early-Warning station.

　　[C] Antarctica： a Unique Observation Post.

　　[D] Antarctica： a Mysterious Place.

　　2. What would the result be if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet disappeared?

　　[A] The western part of the continent would be disappeared.

　　[B] The western part of the continent would be reduced.

　　[C] The western part of the continent would become scattered Islands.

　　[D] The western part of the continent would be reduced to a cluster of Islands.

　　3. Why are the Dry Valleys left bare?

　　[A] Vicious wind blasts the snow away.

　　[B] It rarely snows.

　　[C] Because of the global warming trend and fierce wind.

　　[D] Sand dunes.

　　4. Which of the following is true?

　　[A] The “Dry Valleys” have nothing left inside.

　　[B] The “Dry Valleys” never held glaciers.

　　[C] The “Dry Valleys” may carry a message of hope for the verdant.

　　[D] The “Dry Valleys” are useless to scientists.

　　Vocabulary

　　1. distant-early-warning sensor 远距离早期报警传感器

　　2. plateau 高原，高地

　　3. slash 挥砍

　　4. blast 一阵疾风/狂风

　　5. vicious 邪恶的，凶魔般的

　　6. gorge 峡谷

　　7. ripple 起伏，使起微波

　　8. sand dune 沙丘

　　9. verdant 绿色

　　10. extraterrestrial 地球之外的

　　11. aura 气氛

　　难句译注

　　1. Growing numbers of scientists therefore see Antarctica as a distant-early waning sensor， where potentially dangerous global trends may be spotted before they show up to the north.

　　【结构简析】see … as 把……看作。Where定从修饰Antarctic.

　　【参考译文】因此，越来越多的科学家把南极洲视为一个远距离早期报警敏感器，在那里地球许多潜在的危险动向早在它们出现于北方以前就能发现。

　　2. The part of the continent to the “east” of the mountain

　　东指的使印度正南的这一部分。或山移动的那部分洲。

　　3. an aura of extraterrestrial desolation

　　应译为：与地球格格不入的一种荒凉隔绝的气氛。或与世隔绝的一种荒凉气氛。

　　写作方法与文章大意

　　这是一篇有关南极洲科研考察的重要性的科普文章。采用因果，点面结合写法。首先提出：由于南极洲远离污染，又不同于其它任何地方，普遍存在着复杂的地质和生态环境，所以这块地方就可能得到更敏锐又易解释的科学测量结果。它成了监察世界环境变化的观察哨和空间站，后面几段就写了进行考察的方面和结果。

　　答案详解

　　1. A 南极洲和环境问题。B. 南极洲：地球最早的报警战。C.南极洲：独一无二的观察哨。D. 南极洲：神秘的地方。三项都是总内容众的组成部分。

　　2. D 大陆西部成为一群岛屿。第三段“横断南极的山脉，有的高达一万四千多英尺，把这大陆分成情况各异的两个地区。山脉以东的大陆部分是由差不多两英里厚的冰层覆盖的高原;山脉以西，即美洲以南的半个大陆也为冰层所覆盖。可是，这里冰层覆盖在大大低于海平面的岩石。如果西南极洲冰层消失，那这大陆西部将成为稀疏的岛群。”A. 大陆西部将小时。B. 大陆西部缩小。 D. 大陆西部将成为分散的岛屿。

　　3. C 因为地球变暖和狂风劲吹。在第四段：“……这些干谷甚至在寒冬季节也很少有冰雪。它们插在南维多利亚陆地的山脉中，一度曾有从极地高原到罗斯海的深度为9000英尺的冰河。现在冰河已不存在，很可能是冰期之后一万年间地球变暖的结果。即使落入干谷的雪也被从极地高原咆哮入海的邪恶狂风吹散了。留下来的是裸露的壮观的峡谷，沙丘起伏的原野，被时速一百英里的大风雕刻成奇形怪状的大砾石，形成与世隔绝的荒凉景象。”A. 邪恶的狂风吹走了雪。B. 它很少下雪。D.沙丘。这三项只是干谷现象的一部分。

　　4. C 他们可能为地球上绿色地区带来了希望的信息。答案是第五段第一句“尽管干谷具有神秘的一面，科学家却相信他们可能为地球上葱绿的地方带来了希望的信息。”A.干谷内什么都没有留下。B. 干谷内从没有冰河。D. 按照科学家的看法，干谷毫无用处。

　　Is sitting in traffic as inevitable as death and taxes? Perhaps not. Many countries now have dedicated traffic-monitoring centres linked to networks of cameras and sensors. Throw in traffic-spotting aircraft， accident reports and the known positions of buses fitted with satellite-positioning gear， and it is possible to see exactly what is happening on the roads. Drivers could switch from busy to quiet routes and avoid congestion if only they had access to this information.

　　And now they do. Systems such as the Traffic Message Channel and the Vehicle Information and Communication System (VICS)， in Europe and Japan respectively， pipe data from traffic centres into in-car navigation systems via FM radio signals. Drivers can see where the traffic is and try to avoid it. Honda， a Japanese carmaker， even combines VICS data with position data from 150，000 vehicles belonging to members of its Premium Club so that they can choose the fastest lane on a congested road， says David Schrier of ABI Research， a consultancy.

　　Meanwhile ITIS， a British company， is one of several firms experimenting with mobile-phone signals to monitor traffic on roads that lack sensors or cameras. Its software hooks into a mobile operator's network and uses a statistical approach to deduce traffic speeds as phones are “handed off” from one cell tower to another. The data must be cleaned up to exclude pedestrians and cyclists， but this idea has great potential， says Mr Schrier.

　　Another way to dodge traffic is to predict where and when it will form. In Redmond， Washington， at the headquarters of Microsoft， employees have been testing a traffic-prediction system called JamBayes. Users register their route preferences and then receive alerts， by e-mail or text message， warning them of impending gridlock. JamBayes uses a technique called Bayesian modelling to combine real-time traffic data with historical trends， weather information and a list of calendar events such as holidays. Eric Horvitz of Microsoft， who developed the system， says it is accurate 75% of the time， and 3，000 employees use it daily.

　　A system called Beat-the-Traffic， developed by Triangle Software of Campbell， California， with funding from the National Science Foundation， goes further. It not only warns drivers of impending traffic but also suggests an alternative route via e-mail or text message. Andre Gueziec， the firm's boss， thinks traffic forecasts will become as prevalent as weather forecasts. Indeed， in June， KXTV News 10， a TV station in Sacramento， California， began showing Triangle's traffic forecasts for the coming week.

　　1. To know what is exactly happening on the rods， we don‘t need to

　　[A] dispatch aircraft to spot the traffic.

　　[B] guarantee drivers have access to the information system.

　　[C] obtain related reports of accident.

　　[D] collect data of the positions of buses.

　　2. Honda is mentioned in the second paragraph to suggest that

　　[A] Traffic Message Channel is established in Japan.

　　[B] Japan is in the lead in solving traffic problems.

　　[C] Honda demonstrated how VICS can be used.

　　[D] Only few people can afford to enjoy this service.

　　3. The use of mobile-phone signals in monitoring traffic is

　　[A] monopolized by IT IS， a British company.

　　[B] promising but still under experiment.

　　[C] based on the data from people on roads.

　　[D] effective in reducing traffic speeds.

　　4. JamBayes is deferent from the previously mentioned technologies as it

　　[A] helps the drivers to choose the fastest lane.

　　[B] send information to cars in the system.

　　[C] is based on a technique modeling to combine various data.

　　[D] helps the drivers to avoid congestion.

　　5. It can be inferred from the text that

　　[A] traffic jam remains unavoidable worldwide.

　　[B] traffic forecasts will become as authoritative as the weather forecasts.

　　[C] there is always a short cut by using one of these systems.

　　[D] new systems will improve the transportation situation.

　　参考答案：

　　1. D 细节题。本题的问题是“为了了解路上正在发生什么情况，我们不必 ”。题干中的“what is exactly happening on the roads”出自文章第一段第四句话中，表明本题与第一段有关。第一段介绍了准确了解路上发生的情况的条件——兴建交通控制中心(这些中心与摄像机和传感器网络连接在一起)、交通巡视飞机、事故报道以及配备了卫星定位装置的车辆的明确位置。这说明，[A]“派遣飞机去监控交通”，[C]“得到相关的事故报告”和[B]“收集车辆位置的信息”是需要的条件。只有[D]“确保司机可以利用信息系统”是避免堵塞的条件，与题目的要求不符，为正确答案。

　　2. A 结构题。本题的问题是“在第二段提到本田是为了表示 ”。第二段首先介绍了VICS系统的工作原理，指出，依靠这类系统，司机可以了解哪里交通堵塞，并尽量避开，随后提到了本田公司的做法——将VICS信息与15 万台车辆的定位信息综合起来，以便司机可以在堵塞的道路上选择最快的车道。这说明，提到本田公司是为了说明VICS系统的工作原理。[A]“本田证实了VICS如何可以得到应用”与此意符合，为正确答案。[C]“交通信息频道已经在日本开通”是针对第二段第二句话设置的干扰项，是误解了in Europe and Japan respectively这个短语的意思;第二段中并没有比较日本和欧洲的系统的优越性，所以[B]“在解决交通问题方面，日本处于领先地位”与文意不符;[D]“只有很少的人可以享受得起这种服务”属于无中生有。

　　3. B 细节题。本题的问题是“移动电话信号用来监控交通状况 ”。题干中的“mobile phone signals”出自文章第三段第一句话中，表明本题与第三段有关。第三段提到，英国公司ITIS是少数几家试验利用手机信号来了解缺少摄像机或传感器的线路交通状况的公司之一，随后介绍了其工作原理，指出，这种理念有很大的潜力。这说明，这种处于试验阶段的做法有前途。[B]“大有前途，但仍处于试验阶段”与此意符合，为正确答案。 [A] “由一家叫ITIS的英国公司所垄断”明显与文中“one of several firms experimenting...”的意思不符;[C]“依据路上行人的信息”与该段最后一句话的意思不符;[D]“在降低交通速度方面有效”是针对该段“to deduce traffic speeds...”这句话设置的干扰项，明显是误解了deduce一词的意思。

　　4. C 细节题。本题的问题是“‘堵塞贝叶斯’与先前提到的技术不同，因为它 ”。题干中的“JamBayes”出自文章第四段第二句话中，表明本题与第四段有关。第四段提到“堵塞贝叶斯”时指出，它利用一种名为“贝叶斯模式”的技术，将实时交通数据同以前的趋势、天气信息以及一系列像节假日这样的特别日期的信息连接起来。这说明，原因是其工作原理不同。[C]“基于一种综合各种信息的技术模式”是对文中相关信息的概括，为正确答案。选择最快的车道是VICS的功能，所以[A]“帮助司机选择最快的车道”与文意不符;向系统中的车辆发送信息和帮助司机避免堵塞这两点与前面提到的技术功能相同，所以[B]“向系统中的车辆发送信息”和[D]“帮助司机避免堵塞”不是原因。

　　5. D 推论题。本题的问题是“根据本文，可以推知 ”。文章前面的段落提到了几种避免交通堵塞的技术，介绍了它们的功能，指出，这些观念有很大的潜力，系统大多数时间都很准确，并且交通预报会像天气预报一样普遍。由此可知，交通监测系统可能改善交通状况。[D]“新系统将改善交通状况”与此意符合，为正确答案。[A]“在全世界，交通堵塞仍然不可避免”明显与第一段前面两句话的意思不符;文中只是说交通预报会像天气预报一样普遍，并没有说有权威性，所以[B]“交通预报将像天气预报一样有权威性”与文意不符;[C]“通过利用这些系统中的一种，总是可以找到捷径”太绝对，与文意不符。

　　The entertainment industry and technology companies have been warring for years over the dazzling ability of computers and the Internet to copy and transmit music and movies.

　　A crucial battle ended this week with a ruling by America‘s Supreme Court in favor of copyright holder and against two companies that distribute peer-to-peer (P2P) software which lets users share files online with others. The court’s decision， though ostensibly a victory for content providers， is nevertheless unlikely to stamp out file sharing- much of which will continue from outside America or stop technological innovation that is threatening the current business models of media firms.

　　The court was asked to decide whether two firms， Grokster and StreamCast， were liable for copingright infringement by their customers. Two lower courts had said that the firms were nor liable， citing a 1984 ruling in favor of Sony‘ Betamax vidil recorder， this held that a technology firm is immune from liability so long as the device concerned is “capable of substantial non-infringing uses”。 The court die not reinterpret the 1984 decision in light of the Internet. Instead the justices ruled that the case raised a far narrower issue： whether Grokster and StrwarnCast induced users to violate copurights and chose not to take the simple steps available to prevent it. Such behavior would make the firms clearly liable for copyright infringement and end their immunity， even under the Betamax standard. The court reasoned that there were sufficient grounds to believe that inducement occurred， and sent the case back to lower courts for trivial.

　　Although the Grokster decision will probably not squelch innovation as much as many tech firms fear， it should certainly make IT and electronics firms more cautious about how they market their products—and quite right. But the Supreme Court‘s narrow ruling makes this unlikely –indeed， the justices noted the technology’s widespread legitimate use. Yet their decision will surely emcolden the entertainment industry to pursue in court any firms that they can claim knowingly allow infringement. This could kill off some small innovative start-ups. On the other hand， the ruling could also provide legal cover for tech firms with the wit to plaster their products with warnings not to violate the law.

　　But judged from a long-term perspective， this week‘s victory for copyright holders seems likely to prove a Pyrrhic one. The Internet and file sharing are disruptive technologies that give consumers vastly more ability to use all sorts of media content， copyrighted or not. Surely entertainment firms must devise ways to use this technology to sell their wares that will also allow copyright to be protected.

　　So long as technology continues to evolve in ways that enable legitimate content sharing， piracy will also probably continue to some degree. Happily， in this case the piracy seems to have prompted content firms to compete by offering better fee-based services. The challenge for content providers is to use new technology to create value for customers， and to make those who use content illegally feel bad about it.

　　1. The ruling of America‘s Supreme Court

　　[A] indeed hit the piracy industry hard.

　　[B] has little impact on content sharing.

　　[C] may prevent tech firms from innovating.

　　[D] can lead to a flourish of entertainment industry.

　　2. The Grokster decision was based on the evidence that Grokster

　　[A] distributed P2P software illegally.

　　[B] allowed users sharing without permission.

　　[C] violated the copyright of entertainment firms.

　　[D] took advantage of Betamax standard.

　　3. The word “Pyrrhic” (Para. 5) can be replaced by

　　[A] undeserving

　　[B] unacceptable

　　[C] pointless

　　[D] unreasonable

　　4. In the last paragraph， the author suggests that

　　[A] piracy to some extent be advocated.

　　[B] content providers promot tech innovation.

　　[C] all entertainment firms protect the sopyright.

　　[D] better fee-based services be offered to combat piracy.

　　5. The best title for the text might be

　　[A] Copyright， to Be Protected Urgently

　　[B] The Pro-copyright Holder Verdict， a True Victory?

　　[C] Piracy out of Control.

　　[D] Tech Firms， How Far to Go?

　　词汇注释

　　1. peer-to-peer 对等网络

　　2. ostensibly 表面上地

　　3. stamp out 扑灭，踩灭

　　4. squelch 妨碍

　　5. embolden 鼓励

　　6. knowingly 有意识地

　　7. plaster 粘贴

　　8. Pyrrhic victory 得不偿失的胜利

　　难句讲解

　　1. The court’s decision, though ostensibly a victory for content providers, is nevertheless unlikely to stamp out file sharing- much of which will continue from outside America- or stop technological innovation that is threatening the current business models of media firms.

　　[简析] 本句话的主干是“The court’s decision is nevertheless unlikely to stamp out file sharing or stop technological innovation…”。Though引导短语是插入语，作让步状语;破折号里面的内容是在解释file sharing; or 引导的定语从句修饰innovation。

　　2. Instead the justices ruled that the case raised a far narrower issue: whether Grokster and StrwarnCast induced users to violate copyrights and chose not to take the simple steps available to prevent it.

　　[简析] 本句话的主干是“the justices ruled that…”。That引导的是宾语从句;冒号后面的句子是在解释issue，其中的it指的是violate copyrights这件事。

　　3. Although the Grokster decision will probably not squelch innovation as much as many tech firms fear, it should certainly make IT and electronics firms more cautious about how they market their products—and quite right.

　　[简析] 本句话的主干是“it should certainly make IT and electronics firms more cautious…”。Although引导的是让步状语从句，其中的as much as引导的是比较状语从句;it 指的是the Grokster decision;how 引导的是宾语从句;破折号里面的内容是在进一步说明前面的句子。

　　答案与解析

　　1. B 细节题。本题的问题是“美国最高法院的裁决 ”。题干中的“America’s Supreme court”出自文章第二段第一句话中，表明本题与第二段有关。第二段首先提到了最高法院的裁决，接着指出，虽然表面上看来是网络资源供应商的胜利，但是，法院的裁决却不可能消除文件共享。[B]“对资源共享没有产生什么影响”与此意符合，为正确答案。虽然第二段第一句话提到，裁决有利于版权所有者、不利于两家公司，但第二句话却说“法院的裁决却不可能消除文件共享”，而文件共享是盗版的重要前提，说明[A]“确实沉重打击了盗版业”与文意不符;该段第二句话说“法院的裁决不可能阻止技术革新”，并且第四段提到，针对Grokster公司一案的裁决可能不会妨碍革新，说明[C]“可能阻碍科技公司的创新”不对;根据第二段可知，裁决对娱乐业有利是表面现象，并不是事实，所以[D]“可能引导娱乐业走向繁荣”与文意不符。

　　2. B 细节题。本题的问题是“针对Groksier公司一案的裁决是基于这样的证据,Grokster公司”。题干中的“Grokster”，出自文章第三段第一句话中，表明本题与第三段有关。第三段首先介绍了最高法院的裁决，接着指出，本案提出了一个狭隘得多的问题，即Grokster和StreamCast这两家公司是否引诱用户侵犯版权，并且故意不采取任何简单可行的措施来防止这种事情的发生，而最高法院认为，有充分的理由使人相信存在这种诱导。这说明，裁决的依据是该公司可能引诱用户侵犯版权。[B]“允许用户未经许可共享文件”与此意符合，为正确答案。该段第一句话提到，最高法院被要求就Grokster和StreamCast这两家公司是否应该为其用户侵犯版权的行为负责一案做出裁决，说明销售P2P软件并不是法院裁决的依据，所以[A]“非法销售P2P软件”与文意不符;根据第三段可知，侵犯版权的是该公司的顾客，不是公司本身，所以[C]“侵犯了娱乐公司的版权”与文意不符;该段提到，即使是按照Betamax牌录像机一案的裁决标准，公司也应该对侵犯版权的行为承担责任，说明[D]“利用了Betamax一案的标准”与文意不符。

　　3. A 词义题。本题的问题是“单词‘Pyrrhic’(第五段)可以被 代替”。第四段介绍了裁决的影响，第五段接着指出，从长远看，版权所有者本周的胜利似乎可能被证明是一场得不偿失的胜利，随后分析说，因特网和文件共享是破坏性的技术，这些技术使得用户更能使用各种有版权的或没版权的传媒资源。这说明，版权所有者的胜利可能是一场不值得的胜利。[Al tt不值得的”是对此意的改写，为正确答案。[B]“无法接受的”、[C]“没有意义的”、[D]“不合理的”都不准确。

　　4. D 细节题。本题的问题是“在最后一段，作者提出， ”。最后一段提到，侵犯版权的行为似乎已经促使资源公司通过提供更好的收费服务来竞争，资源供应商面临的挑战就是利用新技术为用户创造价值。[D]“应该提供更好的付费服务来对付盗版行为”是对此意的概括，为正确答案。文中说的是“只要技术以允许分享合法资源的方式继续发展那么侵犯版权的行为也将继续下去”，说明[A]“应该在一定程度上提倡盗版”与文意不符;文中说的是“资源供应商面临的挑战就是利用新技术为用户创造价值”，[B]“资源供应商应该促进技术创新”是对此意的曲解;作者在最后一段并没有提出要娱乐公司保护版权的问题，所以[C]“所有娱乐公司都应该保护版权”属于无中生有。

　　5. B 主旨题。本题的问题是“本文的最佳标题可能是 ”。文章首先提到了最高法院的裁决，接着指出，虽然表面上看来是网络资源供应商的胜利，但是，法院的裁决却不可能消除文件共享，随后的段落介绍了法院的裁决，指出，从长远看，版权所有者的胜利可能被证明是一场得不偿失的胜利，接着分析了原因。这说明，本文主要是在解释法院的裁决是否真的对版权所有者有利。[B]“对版权所有者有利的裁决是一场真正的胜利吗?”是对本文内容的恰当概括，可以表达本文的主题，为正确答案。本文虽然提出应该保护版权，但是并没有强调保护版权的紧迫性，所以[A]“应该立即保护版权”不能表达本文的主题;最后一段虽然提到“侵犯版权的行为也将继续下去”，但并没有说盗版行为失去控制，所以[C]“盗版行为失去了控制”不能表达本文的主题;科技公司只是文中在介绍裁决时提到的细节，所以[D]“科技公司可以走多远?”不能表达本文的主题。

 

　　Scientists and members of the public are becoming increasingly concerned about the effects on mental， emotional and physical health of electro-magnetic fields emanating from power lines， mobile phones， computers and sub-stations， to name but a few devices that use and channel electricity.

　　Electro-magnetic fields are invisible to the naked eye. However， their presence in homes， offices and factories， in strong forms， is increasingly being shown to be harmful to our health. American and Scandinavian research shows how electro-magnetic stress can contribute to insomnia， lethargy， depression， allergies， headaches， learning problems， aches and pains in the joints and more serious illnesses such as cancer and me.

　　It is our contention that not enough emphasis has been placed on the interaction between man made frequencies such as radio， microwave and electro-magnetic and the earth's natural magnetic and electric fields and the effects of this interaction on health.

　　There are simple measures that can be taken in the home to reduce the electro-magnetic fields. It is advisable to remove all plugs from their sockets when electric machines are not in use. Our measuring instruments show that this is far more effective in reducing electro-magnetic fields than just turning off the socket switch on the wall. The bedroom is the most important area to be free of electro-magnetic bombardments. At night the body repairs its cells. However， if the body is being bombarded by electro-magnetic fields this function can be impaired.

　　It is therefore important not to use any plug sockets immediately behind the bed during the night owing to electro-magnetic fields being emitted. Electric blankets when not unplugged at the wall still emit a high level of electro-magnetic radiation even when the switch is in the off position. This means that the body is constantly getting a dose of electro-magnetic radiation all night which can impair sleep， cause a feeling of lethargy the next morning and can eventually affect the immune system and hormones in the body. Electric alarm clocks can also cause a wide band of electro-magnetic stress in the head area. These clocks are best moved to about four feet away from the bed or replaced by a battery only alarm clock. Similarly the bedroom television also needs to be about 6 feet away from the bed. Electrical installations on the wall immediately behind or next to the bed are also relevant here. Where there is a computer， for example， in the next room close to the bedroom wall this may well cause electro-magnetic fields to radiate through the wall to the bed area. Computers can also link with televisions and electrical kitchen equipment to cause distorted fields.

　　1. It can be inferred from the text that electric devices are

　　[A] perfect modern inventions.

　　[B] all invisible health killers.

　　[C] almost all mixed blessings.

　　[D] all directed magnetically.

　　2. The text indicates that electro-magnetic fields

　　[A] exist everywhere on the globe.

　　[B] seem inescapable to modern people.

　　[C] can be eliminated intentionally.

　　[D] may be adjusted to the survival of life.

　　3. The author appeals for sufficient awareness of the

　　[A] mutual interference from household electric appliances.

　　[B] interaction between radio frequency and earth magnetism.

　　[C] harmful results of man-made and natural electric fields.

　　[D] joint effects of artificial and natural electro-magnetic fields.

　　4. The proposed measures to reduce the harmful effects include

　　[A] unplugging the machine when it goes out of use.

　　[B] freeing the bedroom of electric appliances at night.

　　[C] switching off the apparatus when it quiets working.

　　[D] disconnect electric devices immediately after working.

　　5. The bedroom needs protection from man-made fields because

　　[A] our health is more readily harmed during our sleep

　　[B] its walls can hardly hamper the radiation of the fields.

　　[C] electric installations on the wall are hard to be shielded.

　　[D] our head is liable to be affected by electricity at rest.

　　词汇注释

　　1. substation 变电站

　　2. insomnia 失眠症

　　3. lethargy 无精打彩

　　4. contention 论点

　　5. socket 插座

　　6. repose 休眠

　　7. distorted 不正常的

　　难句讲解

　　1. Scientists and members of the public are becoming increasingly concerned about the effects on mental， emotional and physical health of electro-magnetic fields coming from power lines， mobile phones， computers and sub-stations， to name but a few devices that use and channel electricity.

　　[简析] 本句话的主干是“Scientists and members of the public are becoming concerned about…”。on mental…短语修饰effects;coming from…短语修饰electro-magnetic fields;to name…短语作状语，其中的that引导的定语从句修饰devices.

　　2. It is our contention that not enough emphasis has been placed on the interaction between man made frequencies such as radio， microwave and electro-magnetic and the earth's natural magnetic and electric fields and the effects of this interaction on health.

　　[简析] 本句话的主干是“It is our contention…”。that引导的是contention的同位语从句;microwave and electro-magnetic and…是前面短语的并列成分。

　　3. Electric blankets when not unplugged at the wall still emit a high level of electro-magnetic fields which can damage sleep， cause a feeling of lethargy the next morning and can eventually affect the immune system and hormones in the body.

　　[简析] 本句话的主干是“Electric blankets still emit a high level of electro-magnetic…”。when not unplugged at the wall是一个省略的时间状语从句;which引导的定语从句修饰electro-magnetic fields;cause a feeling of…是前面谓语的并列成分。

　　答案与解析

　　1. C推论题。本题的问题是“根据本文，可以推知，电子设备是 ”。第一段提到，人们越来越关注电磁场对人的智力、心理以及身体健康产生的影响，并指出这些电磁场来自于电线、移动电话、电脑以及变电站，随后的段落具体说明了这些电器对人产生的不利影响。由此可知，电子设备虽然可以给人类带来好处，但也会产生有害影响。[C]“差不多好坏参半的恩赐”与此意符合，为正确答案。[A]“完美的现代发明”明显与文意不符; [B]“无形的健康杀手”不准确，没有提到它的有害影响;文中的信息表明，电磁场是由电子设备产生的，所以[D]“通过磁场控制”属于本末倒置。

　　2. B 推论题。本题的问题是“本文暗示，电磁场 ”。第一段列举了一些常见的电子设备，第二段接着指出，电磁场是肉眼看不见的，它们存在于家庭、办公室以及工厂。由此可知，电磁场非常普遍，人们避免不了。[B]“对于现代人来说似乎不可避免”是对此意的改写，为正确答案。[A]“存在于地球的任何地方”是针对第三段“the earth naturalmagnetic and electric fields……”这句话设置的干扰项，与文意不符;文中只是说“可以采取一些简单措施来降低电磁场”，并没有说可以消除电磁场，所以[C]“可以有目的地消除”与文意不符;[D]“可以调整，以适应生命的幸存”属于无中生有。

　　3. D 细节题。本题的问题是“作者呼吁人们充分了解 ”。文章前面两段介绍了电磁场的影响，第三段指出，人类没有足够重视人造频率以及地球自身磁场和电磁场之间的交互作用，没有足够重视这种交互作用对人类健康产生的影响。这说明，作者希望公众了解人造频率和电磁场之间的交互作用。[D]“人造电磁场与自然电磁场之间的交互作用”与此意符合，为正确答案。[A]“家用电器的相互干扰”和[B]“无线电频率与地球磁场之间的交互作用”不准确，没有提到与电磁场的交互作用;[C]“人造电磁场和自然电磁场的有害结果”是针对第三段“…the effects of this interaction 0n health”这句话设置的干扰项，文中说的是交互作用对健康产生的影响，说明C与文意不符。

　　4. D 细节题。本题的问题是“提出的降低有害影响的措施包括 ”。第四、五段介绍了应该采取的措施——如果不使用电器，从插座上拔掉所有插头;在床后面不要使用任何插头插座;把电子闹钟移到离床头大约4英尺远的地方，或者用电池闹钟取代这些钟;卧室的电视机移到离床头大约10英尺远的地方。只有[D]“使用后立即关掉电器”属于措施之一。[A]“如果不再使用电器，就拔掉其插头”是针对第四段第二句话“remove auplugs from their sockets when electric machines are not in use”设置的干扰项，是误解了not in use(不使用)的意思，而A中的go out of use意思为“不再使用、废弃”，所以与文意不符;[B]“在晚上，在卧室不使用电器”是针对第五段第一句话设置的干扰项，与文意不符;[C]“如果电器停止工作，就关掉它”中的条件明显与文意不符。

　　5. A 细节题。本题的问题是“卧室需要免受人造磁场的影响，因为 ”。题干中的“the bedroom”出自文章第四段第四句话中，表明本题与第四段有关。第四段提到卧室时指出，卧室是降低电磁场影响的最重要区域，随后解释说，人体的细胞在晚上处于休眠状态，如果身体受到电磁场的影响，这种功能就可能受到损害。这说明，原因是在睡眠时人体容易受到影响。[A]“在睡眠时，我们的健康更容易受到损害”与此意符合，为正确答案。[B]“卧室的墙壁难以阻挡磁场的辐射”是针对最后一段倒数第二句话设置的干扰项，文中是在举例说明在墙后或靠近床头安装电器也有影响，与题目的要求不符;[C] “安装在墙上的电器难以受到保护”属于无中生有;[D]“我们的大脑在休息时容易受到电流的影响”是针对最后一段第三句话设置的干扰项，文中说的是“电子闹钟也可能在人脑部位产生很大的电磁压力”，这与题目的要求不符。

　　At an office in Virginia，in the east of the United States，a team of ten net savvy workers

　　scours the web for sexual content，from basic sex education to sex acts.This“quality assurance‘’team is making sure that the blocking component of Symantec‘s Norton Internet Security 2000 computer program remains effective.This is because there is widespread parental concern about blocking websites with sexual content from children.

　　Website blocking is nothing new——services like Net Nanny and programs like Cyber Patrol and Guard Dog have been around for a few years now，protecting children and reassuring parents that only wholesome websites are accessed by the youngsters.Net Nanny and Cyber Patrol will prevent access to any questionable sites when the program is in place.

　　Now Symantec says it has created a new category in consumer software with a package that combines website blocking with a“firewall”，protecting your computer from hackers，snoopers and viruses，as well as preventing inadvertent disclosure of personal data.

　　In short，Norton Internet Security(NIS)，as the program is called，is designed to serve as the guardian of your digital health，keeping the bad things out and the private things in.

　　The Symantec program can be configured in many ways，the website blocking，for example，can be set to be either selectively permissive or total in its banning of websites，or switched off entirely.Also，Symantec‘s list of no-go areas，which on the CD now stand at around 36，000 addresses，is not confined to sex sites.The team in Virginia is also on the lookout for sites advocating drugs，or which contain references to violence or gambling，and keeps a watch on chat rooms，e—mail services，entertainment portals——even job search and financial pages.These sites can be blocked by the program.

　　Computer users can also refresh the address list online wim the Live Update feature which is used by Norton Anti—Virus(which is bundled with NIS)to load the latest virus definitions.This service is free for the first year but，including virus definition updates，it costs$1 9.95 a year thereafter.

　　The system is not perfect，however.Limited testing found the blocking of some “questionable” sites was not comprehensive.Trying to get access to a well—known US site such as Playboy results in an immediate blocking message with a standard invitation to report an “incorrectly categorized”site.By contrast.you could find in other countries such as New Zealand a sex site.

　　1.Which of the following statements can be inferred from paragraph 1 7

　　[A] The net savvy workers are interested in searching the web for sexual content.

　　[B]The parents hope the blocking component of Norton Interact Security remains effective.

　　[C]The parents all over the world do not want the sexual websites to be blocked.

　　[D]The parents all over the world concern that their children will be harmed by the sexual websites.

　　2.The word“wholesome”(Line 3.Para.2)probably means .

　　[A]healthy [B]thorough [C]complete [D]perfect

　　3.According to the text，NIS is designed to——。

　　[A]make profit for Symantec

　　[B] permit any other people sharing your personal data

　　[C] prevent you from accessing any questionable sites

　　[D] protect personal data from carelessly disclosure

　　4.Which of the following statement is correct according to the passage?

　　[A] Both the program and virus update are free.

　　[B]The NIS program is free，but you should pay$19.95 per year for the virus update.

　　[C]The program can refresh the address list online with the Live Update function.

　　[D] Computer users should pay$1 9.95 every year the time they begin to use the program.

　　5.By saying“the blocking of some questionable sites was not comprehensive”，the author means

　　_____.

　　[A] ‘Playboy“ should be included in the list of no—go areas

　　[B] NIS is not effective in other countries at all

　　[C] all the websites in New Zealand should be included in the list

　　[D]some questionable websites are not included in the list of no-go areas

　　核心词汇

　　Switch vt.开关(电器设备);转换，转变 reference n.涉及 bundle v.捆扎

　　virus n.病毒

　　难句点津

　　Trying to get access to a well—known US site such as Playboy results in an immediate blocking message with a standard invitation to report an“incorrectly categorized”site.

　　[点津]句子的主语是一个动名词短语trying to get access to…，谓语是results in，宾语是

　　message，with引导的介词短语作定语修饰message，其中to report an…是invitation的定语。

　　文章翻译

　　美国东部弗吉尼亚州汉普顿的一个办公室里，10名精通网络的工作人员组成的小组正在搜索网络上从基础性教育到性行为等有关性的内容。这个“质量保证”小组正在确保赛门铁克公司“诺顿网络安全特警2000”的封锁还是有效的。这是因为众多父母希望屏蔽带有色情内容的网站以使孩子免受不良内容的影响。

　　网站屏蔽并不新鲜?像“网络保姆”这类服务和“网络巡警”、‘’看门狗‘’这些程序至今已运行了好几年。这些服务和程序保护孩子，也使家长放心，因为年轻人只能接触到健康的网站。当“网络保姆”和“网络巡警”运行时，可以阻止进入任何存在问题的网站。

　　现在，赛门铁克公司声称自己已经开发出了一种供用户使用的新程序，这种程序可以将网站屏蔽系统与防火墙结合起来，保护电脑免受黑客、偷窥者和病毒的袭击，同时也可防止无意中泄露个人信息。

　　总之，“诺顿网络安全特警”名如其实，它被设计成数字健康的卫士，保护你的隐私，将不好的东西排除在外。

　　赛门铁克的程序可以被设定为多种形式，以网站屏蔽为例，可以设置成部分屏蔽也可设置成全部屏蔽，或者完全将其关闭。另外，赛门铁克程序光盘上列出的禁入网站已多达3万6 千个，不只局限于色情网站。维吉尼亚的工作小组还在关注那些宣传毒品，或是包含暴力、赌博内容的网站。同时也监视聊天室、邮件服务、娱乐端口，甚至是工作搜索网站和财务方面的网页，这些网站都可以被该程序屏蔽。

　　计算机用户还可以用“诺顿防毒”程序(“诺顿网络安全特警‘’附带的)的”即时更新‘’功能在线刷新“禁入网站”名单，下载最新的病毒定义。这些服务在第一年是免费的，但之后包括对病毒定义的升级在内，每年要花费19.95美元。

　　但是这种系统并不尽善尽美。有限的几次测试就发现对“有问题的‘’网站的屏蔽并不全面。比如，想要进入美国的知名网站，如”花花公子“，结果就会马上出现一条屏蔽信息，报告这是个”错误分类“的网站。相反，你可以找到其他国家的色情网站，比如新西兰的。

　　答案解析

　　1.D推断题。文章第一段提到，质量保证小组正努力确保赛门铁克公司的计算机程序有效工作，因为世界各地的父母都关心色情网站的屏蔽，以免让孩子接触到这类网站。由此推断，家长担心孩子受到色情网站的毒害，故选D.选项B的内容在文中的确提到，但这并非本段的重点，故不选。

　　2.A语义题。由题干关键词wholesome定位第二段。该段提到，网站屏蔽可以保护孩子，也使家长放心，因为年轻人只能接触到——网站。上文提到家长关心一些不良网站的屏蔽，这里能使冢长放心，说明年轻人浏览的应为内容健康的网站，结合选项A(健康的)、B(彻底的)、C(完全的)和D(完美的)可知，正确答案应为A.

　　3.D推断题。由题干关键词NIS定位文章第四段。该段首句的“总之”一词表明是对上段的总结。即第三段开始对这种新程序进行描述：它可以将网站屏蔽系统与防火墙结合起来，保护电脑免受黑客、偷窥者和病毒的袭击，同时也可防止无意中泄露个人信息。第四段则总结：“诺顿网络安全特警”被设计成数字健康的卫士，保护你的隐私……，结合选项可知应选D.其余三项A(为Symantec公司盈利)文中并未提到，B(允许其他人共享你的个人资料)与文意相悖。C(阻止你登录任何可疑的网站)说法过于绝对。

　　4.c推断题。由选项可知，本题内容涉及NIs program.文章第六段提到，计算机用户还可以用“诺顿防毒”程序的“即时更新”功能在线刷新“禁入网站”名单，下载最新的病毒定义，这些服务第一年是免费的，以后每年付19.95美元，排除A和D.文章之前还提到了该程序的功能：可以屏蔽内容不健康的网站，结合选项可知应选C.选项B以偏概全，文中提到包括对病毒定义的升级在内，每年要花费19.95美元，而不是说仅病毒定义就需要19.95美元。

　　5.D语义题。文章最后提到，系统并非尽善尽美，“花花公子”网站被屏蔽了，但却没能屏蔽新西兰的色情网站，由此推断，D正确。A(“花花公子”应该被包括在禁止网站的名单内)并非作者说这句话的重点，应排除;B(NIS在其他国家根本不奏效)、c(新西兰所有的网站都应该包括在禁止网站的名单内)两项过于武断，应排除。

　　Admittedly， minor accidents and sup-ups continue to shake public confidence in nuclear power.Given the unquantifiable risks that nuclear power carries，it is only right that the industry be subjected to the test of public opinion and due political process. However，this argues for exceptional vigilance，regulatory scrutiny and accountability——and not for bans or shut downs.

　　Those nuclear operators with a good safety record deserve to have their licenses renewed，so that existing plants may run to the end of their useful lives.The Bush administration‘s enthusiastic support goes a lot further than this，however.It also wants to see new plants.Proponents of new nuclear power stations make three arguments in their favor.They will enhance energy security by lessening dependence on fossil fuels;far from being environmentally harmful，they will be beneficial because they will reduce the output of greenhouse gases;and，most crucially，the economics of nuclear power has improved from the days when it was wholly dependent on bail out and subsidy.

　　Yet these arguments do not stand up to scrutiny.The claim that governments should support nuclear power to reduce their vulnerability to the OPEC oil cartel is doubly absurd.Little oil is used in power generation：what nuclear power displaces is mostly natural gas and coal，which are not only more plentiful than o订but also geographically better distributed.Security is enhanced not by seeking energy self sufficiency but through diversification of supplies.Creating lots of fissile material that might be pinched by terrorists is an odd way to look for security anyway.What about the argument that climate change might be the great savior of nuclear power? Global warming is indeed a risk that should be taken more seriously than the Bush administration has so far done.Nuclear plants do not produce any carbon dioxide，which is the principal greenhouse gas.However，rushing in response to build dozens of new nuclear plants would be both needlessly expensive and environmentally unsound.It would make far more sense to adopt a carbon tax， which would put clean energy sources such as solar and wind on an equal footing with nuclear，whose waste poses an undeniable(if remote)environmental threat of its own for aeons to come.Governments should also dismantle all subsidies on fossil fuels——especially for coal，the dirtiest of a11.They should adopt reforms that send proper price signals to those who use power，and so reduce emissions.Global warming certainly provides one argument in favor of nuclear power，but it is not sufficient on its own to justify a nuclear renaissance.

　　1.What's the public‘s opinion about nuclear industry?

　　[A]People have little confidence in nuclear power for the potential disaster of nuclear accidents.

　　[B]People think it important to exercise strict monitoring and effective management of the existing plants.

　　[C]People believe the best way to avoid nuclear disaster is to shut down all the nuclear power stations.

　　[D]People agree to prohibit the existing nuclear plants from running to the end of their useful lives.

　　2.The most important reason why the Bush administration support more new nuclear power plants is that—————————

　　[A] they will increase energy security

　　[B]they help lessen dependence on fossil fuels

　　[C]they are environmentally friendly

　　[D] they need little government financial support

　　3.According to the author energy security can only be achieved by———————。

　　[A]using less oil in power generation

　　[B]replacing fossil fuels with more nuclear power

　　[C] seeking energy self sufficiency

　　[D] expanding the sources of power supply

　　4.According to the passage，which of the following measures is the least helpful in protecting the environment?

　　[A]Encouraging the use of clean energy sources.

　　[B]Cutting off subsidies on all fossil fuels.

　　[C]Adopting price reform to reduce emission.

　　[D]Promoting the resurgence of nuclear power.

　　5.It‘s implied that——。

　　[A]nuclear power stations may become the targets of terrorist attack

　　[B]the Bush administration doesn‘t give due weight to environment protection

　　[C]carbon dioxide is the principal source of greenhouse gas

　　[D]nuclear waste will turn to be all environmental threat in the long-run term

　　核心词汇

　　slip vi.犯错误，滑倒 scrutiny n.详细审查 subsidy n.补助金

　　pinch vt.偷窃

　　难句点津

　　Given the unquantifiable risks that nuclear power carries，it is only right that the industry be subjected to the test of public opinion and due political process.

　　[点津]该句包含一个让步状语从句，句子的主干是It is right that…。第一个that 引导的是以

　　文章翻译

　　risks为先行词的定语从句;第二个that引导的是主语从句，其中and连接的是介词to的并列短语。

　　不可否认，一些小事故和疏忽一直在动摇着公众对核能的信心。就核能具有难以估量的潜在风险来说，核工业应该受到公众意见的考验和适当的政治进程的影响。无论如何，这都要求格外谨慎小心，制定详细的审查规章和责任制度，而不是下达禁令或责令关闭。

　　那些具有良好安全记录的核电站应该有权利续签他们的许可证，以便现在的工厂可以运转到有效期结束。但是，布什政府的热情支持者要求更多。他们还希望看到新的核电厂。新核电厂的支持者提出了三条有利于自己的意见。他们将通过减少对矿物燃料的依赖来加强能源安全;核电站非但不会造成环境危害，而且是非常有益的，因为它们减少了温室气体的排放;最具决定性的是，核电站的经济状况已经有了改善，那些完全依靠补助和津贴的日子已经过去了。

　　然而这些论证经不住仔细推敲。政府应该支持核电站的建设从而减少对石油输出国组织的依赖，这种要求是双重荒谬的。石油很少用于发电：核能所替代的主要是天然气和煤炭，而天然气和煤炭不仅比石油充裕，而且在地理分布上也更合理。能源安全不是通过寻求能源的自足来加强的，而是通过供应的多元化来实现的。不管怎么说，制造大量可能会被恐怖分子偷窃的核燃料是寻求能源安全的蹩脚办法。那种认为气候变化可能是核能的大救星的观点又如何呢?全球变暖确实是一个需要布什政府更严肃地对待的风险。核电站不制造任何作为主要温室气体的二氧化碳。但是，对此作出仓促回应，建立许多新的核电站，不仅是不必要的花费，对环境来说也是不安全的。采取一种对碳燃料进行征税的办法，会将清洁的能源如太阳能和风能放到与核能(其废料将对未来造成不可否认的环境威胁)同样重要的地位，这将会更有意义。政府也应当废除所有对矿物燃料的补助——尤其是煤炭这种最脏的燃料。他们应当采取一些改革措施，将适当的价格信号发送到使用此燃料者那里，从而减小排放量。全球变暖确实为核能的使用提供了有利的论据，但它自己并不足以证明核能应用的复兴是正当的。

　　答案解析

　　1.B推断题。由题干关键词public‘s opinion定位文章第一段。该段着重描述了大众对核电技术的种种忧虑和看法，群众所要求的并非禁止或关闭所有核电站，而是强调“高度警惕”以及“定期检查评估”，对于运行安全的核反应堆可以续发执照，以便充分利用现有的核电资源，故正确答案为B.其余选项A(由于核事故的潜在危险，人们对核能几乎没有信心)与文中的shake public con6dence(动摇公众的信心)不相符，C(人们认为避免核灾难最好的方法是关闭所有的核电站)和D(人们同意禁止现有的核电厂运转到有效期结束)与文意相悖，故错误。

　　2.D细节题。由题干关键词But administration定位第二段。该段列举了布什政府支持建设更多核电站的三个主要原因。在提到第三个原因时，用了most crucially(最具决定性的)，表明现任政府支持核电发展最主要的原因是核电站的建设和运营已不再完全依赖政府的财政援助，故答案应为D.

　　3.D细节题。由题干关键词energy security时定位文章第三段。该段着重探讨了核电的发展是否有助于实现能源安全的问题。该段中有几处关键信息表明作者认为：能源安全不是通过寻求能源的自足来加强的，而是通过供应的多元化来实现的。由此可以排除选项c，确定D项为答案。

　　4.D推断题。最后一段中作者提出了几点有助于环保的建议：推广使用清洁能源，取消政府对化石燃料的补贴，以及通过价格改革控制废气排放;在最后重申全球气候变暖不足以成为大规模发展核电的理由，综合推断可知选项D正确。

　　5.B推断题。在第三段中作者借Global warming is indeed a risk t11at should be taken more seriously than the Bush administration has so far done含蓄批评了布什政府的环境政策，因此选项B正确。而选项A、c、D所涉及的内容，作者在文章中直截了当地阐述了，故不合题意。

　　The introduction of non-indigenous“exotic”species is now seen as a major threat to biodiversity.In 1825，a particularly vigorous female clone of itadori (called Japanese knotweed)was introduced into Holland and later distributed throughout Europe by the plant collector and nurseryman，Von Seibold.British gardeners loved it and by 1 886 it was even found growing on cinder tips in South Wales.By the turn of the century，the plant had colonized many other sites，and gardeners were advised against planting it in shrubberies.By 1 994，it was almost everywhere——railways，riversides，hedgerows，cemeteries-swamping a wide range of habitats and displacing rare species.Botanists‘ fears that the plant is still spreading and may yet colonize other new habitats have generated recent attempts to eradicate it bymechanical and chemical methods，all in vain as yet.

　　The evidence stacked against Japanese knotweed is damning.But there is a deep anxiety that behind the desire to correct human ecological cook—ups——often manifest as a passion to save endangered species and vulnerable ecosystems——is a thinly disguised xenophobia;that we are simply seeing yet another form of ecological imperialism which defines what is“natural”based on human preferences.

　　But whatever our reaction to“problem‘’or alien species is，it must involve moral decisions.And who should make such decisions and to what degree they are accountable must also be up for review.The conclusions of scientists and other sections of society may differ vastly about what to do about the introduced animals and plants that have become a common feature of everyday life.For example，the scheme to control rabbits in Australia by deliberately spreading the disease myxomatosis was a success in that huge numbers of rabbits were wiped out for the greater good——the”health“of Australian ecosystems.But would inflicting such a horrifically slow agonizing death on sentient creatures win popular support if it were proposed today?

　　Scientists of biodiversity are by their very nature concerned with the organization of species into systems and not necessarily with the interests and well-being of individual，particularly those that are seen as a threat to the maintenance of those systems.Yet there is a growing feeling for the democratization of decisions concerning nonhuman life.The movement towards environmental values must surely involve a movement away from imperialism and a search for a relationship with nature as it truly is，rather than aswe would design it.Then，when Our lawns have long disappeared，we may yet come to honor the humble dandelion.

　　1. Botanists have generated attempts to remove the Japanese knotweed because———

　　[A]it threatens the local biodiversity

　　[B]it is regarded as exotic

　　[C]it's SO vigorous as to spread everywhere

　　[D]it checks other plants growth

　　2. 111 the author's opinion.the attempt to eradicate the Japanese knotweed__.

　　[A] is worthy of praises

　　[B]reflects people‘s desire to protect ecological biodiversity

　　[C]shows people‘s passion to say endangered species and vulnerable ecosystems

　　[D]is biased by human preferences

　　3. what does the Word“xenophobia”(Line 3，Para.2)mean?

　　[A]The ecological disorders.

　　[B]The passion to save the endangered ecosystem.

　　[C]The ecological imperialism.

　　[D]The fear for alien species.

　　4. As for what to do about alien species，the author thinks——。

　　[A]who should make such decisions is open to doubt

　　[B]the decisions should be based on scientists‘conclusions

　　[C]decision making should involve more people other than scientists

　　[D]it's morally unacceptable to eradicate all alien species

　　5. According to the text，which of the following is true?

　　[A]To eliminate alien species for the sake of the indigenous ones is acceptable.

　　[B]Human‘s efforts to correct ecological disorders are actually based on ecological study.

　　[C]People‘s attitudes towards alien species involve moral considerations.

　　[D]Human have to design nature to protect biodiversity.

　　核心词汇

　　species n.种类 clone n.无性繁殖 hedgerows n.灌木树篱

　　cemetery n.墓地 vain n.徒劳 manifest v.表明

　　sectionn n.部分，界 humble口巧。卑微的 dandelion n.蒲公英

　　文章翻译

　　非本上的外来物种的传入现在被视为是对生物多样性的一个主要威胁。1825年，一种具有相当旺盛生命力的itadori(称为虎杖)雌性克隆植物被引进荷兰，并随后由植物收藏家和园丁Von Seibold推广到全欧洲。英国的园丁们很喜欢它，到1886年在南威尔士甚至都能看到它们长在煤渣上。到20世纪初，这种植物已经侵占了其他一些地方，园丁们被告知不要把它种在灌木林里。到1994年，这种植物几乎到处都是——铁道、河岸、灌木篱墙、公墓，覆盖了很大一片地方，并取代了一些稀有品种。植物学家们担心这种植物还会不断繁殖并可能抢占新的生存空间。这种忧虑促使人们用机械和化学的方法来尝试根除它，但至今为止仍徒劳无功。

　　不利于虎杖的依据是确定无疑的，但还存在一层更深的忧虑。那就是在纠正人类给生态带来的灾祸的愿望背后——通常表现为一种挽救濒临灭绝的动物和脆弱的生态系统的激情——是一种未经多少掩饰的仇外情结。那忧虑还在于我们看到了另一种生态帝国主义，以人类的喜好来决定什么是“自然的”。

　　但是无论我们对“问题”或外来物种的反应如何，它都必须包含道德的决定。谁应该做这样的决定以及他们对这样的问题应负责的程度也必须被重新认识。科学家和其他社会部门的结论的不同可能很大部分在于如何对待已经成为日常生活共同特色的外来的动植物。例如，澳大利亚通过故意散布多发黏液瘤病来控制兔子的数量并取得了成功。大量的兔子为了更大的利益——澳大利亚生态系统的“健康”——而被消灭。但是如果在当今这种造成反应灵敏的生物如此恐怖地、缓慢痛苦地死亡的提议再被提出来的话，它还会得到人们广泛的赞同吗?

　　从事生物多样性研究的科学家本质上是关心作为一种系统存在的物种的，而并不关心单个生物的利益和生存状态，特别是那些被视为对维护生态系统造成威胁的生物。但现在存在一种渐长的情绪要求对非人类生物所做的决定的民主化。争取环境价值的运动必须确实包含远离帝国主义的运动以及对人与自然关系的探索，这种关系是真实存在的而不是由人类自己设计出来的。于是，当我们大片大片的草地消失的时候，我们才可能来尊敬卑贱的蒲公英。

　　答案解析

　　1. A 推断题。由题干关键词BotanisE和the Japanese kmotweed定位文章第一段。该段首句讲到外来物种对生物多样性造成了威胁，接着以虎杖为例来支持这一论点，指出这一物种占领了很大一片地方，并取代了一些稀有品种，由此可推知，铲除虎杖的原因就是它威胁了生物多样性，正确答案为A.

　　2. D 态度题。第一段讨论了人们普遍接受的一种观点，并以铲除虎杖的尝试为例来支持这种观点，第二段提出了由这一事例引发的思考和作者自己的看法——虎杖的命运反映了人们为维护本地生物多样性而表现出的一种排外心理，即人们按照自己的喜好来维护那些所谓“自然”的东西，故选D.其余选项A(值得称道)，由文中的invalid(徒劳)可知作者并不看好这种做法。B(反映了人们保护生态多样性的愿望)和c(展示了人们保护濒危物种和脆弱的生态系统的热情)均非作者的想法。

　　3. D 语义题。由题干关键词xenophobia定位第二段。该段中被考查词xenophobia的前后句都是对其的解释。主要内容是：人们表现出的为挽救脆弱的生态系统的激情，是一种未经多少掩饰的xenophobia情结，那忧虑还在于我们看到了另一种生态帝国主义。结合上文我们知道，这种植物是外来的，当其发展影响到本土的植物时人们就尝试根除它，由此可推测xenophobia意为“排外主义，仇外”，故选D.

　　4. C 推断题。作者在第三、四段中就如何对待外来物种提出了自己的看法：在第三段中指出由谁作出决定，以及他们对此问题应负多大责任，都是值得商榷的问题;第四段中更加明确地提出决策民主化的观点，综合推断可知正确答案为C.其余三项A(由谁来做这样的决定仍有待商榷)没有C全面，B(这些决定应该以科学家的结论为基础)与文意相悖，D(铲除所有外来物种在道德上是无法接受的)说法过于绝对。

　　5. C 细节题。本题可从选项入手，A(为了本土物种而铲除外来物种是可以接受的)与文中提到的生态帝国主义和考虑道德因素相悖，可排除;B(人们纠正生态混乱的种种努力实际上都以生态系统研究为基础)文章并未提到，可排除;C(人们对外来物种的态度涉及道德因素)符合文意，故为答案;文章结尾处指出，人们在探索环境价值的过程中应该积极地探索与大自然的关系，而不是凭着人类的喜好去设计自然，故D错误。

　　Is this happening in your neighborhood? Children，notebook computers stuck under their arms，await the yellow bus for the trip to middle schoo1.On the surface，the question of computers in schools is a no-brainer.It would be strange to insist that today‘s technology shouldn’t be used to make the classroom experience more individualized，more effective，more immediate，more exciting.Computers have been in schools more than 20 years—and probably even done some good.

　　But the idea of a personal computer as a necessary daily tool for every American grammar school pupil is altogether a different thing.Beware the superficially attractive vision of 10-year-olds doing most of their work—and homework—on a computer.It‘s another illusory silver bullet that promises to solve a11 of society’s ills through technology.Regardless of whether parents or taxpayers buy the machinery，it‘s a bad policy.

　　Determining the proper role of computers in schools is too important to be left to computer suppliers and educators.An educated public with clear and realistic expectations needs to help determine the right track for technology.

　　Educators forever seem to seek the ultimate in curricular or teaching tools.They are always preoccupied with innovation—junior high school，new math，whole language，open classrooms and mastery learning，to name a few.Some ideas turned out well and over time have earned permanent positions in our education systems.Others reflected change for change‘s sake and wound up in the trash bin，Where they belong.

　　Exactly what is to be solved with computers in schools? Are we looking to improve instructional capacity and flexibility? Are we trying to make teachers and aides more productive by letting students take advantage of programmed learning tools? This all sounds good，and much has been accomplished with computer assisted instruction.

　　But that‘s not the same as making the computer a symbol of well-tempered educational policy.There’s danger in the message that a child is not fully educated if he or she can‘t surf the World Wide Web skillfully，move around in Windows or the Finder，use a word processing program，or program in Logo or Basic.

　　These skills can be learned outside the classroom.Worse，the time it takes students to acquire them is time stolen from the legitimate teaching schedule—and that‘s a bad trade.

　　And what kind of computers should be purchased? We‘re not talking brand names.Most school systems don’t have the money to replace PCs or Macs on the two-to three-year cycle that shifting technologies demand.On the other hand，$ 2，500一the cost of just one computer—invested in books for the school library produces an asset that has，shall we say，a longer shelf life.

　　And who changes the factory culture of schoolrooms to allow computers to be more effective? And who teaches the teachers? These are the really tough issues—the ones that more hardware won‘t solve.

　　Children are best served when schools contribute to shaping the solid foundations on which their future will be built.The student who can read with curiosity and understanding，who has mastered basic mathematical concepts，who can evaluate ideas critically，is the one schools should aim to produce.

　　1. According to the author，teaching computer in the school classroom is bad practice because____.

　　[A]the computer is too expensive a luxury for school pupils

　　[B]the pupils are not intelligently mature enough to master the skills

　　[C]it takes too much time which might has been spent on regular courses

　　[D]the pupils can learn nothing from computer assisted instruction

　　2. A“no-brainer”in the third sentence of the first paragraph probably means____.

　　[A]something that is taken for granted

　　[B]an idea that is brainless and foolish

　　[C]a proposal that is not worthy of serious consideration

　　[D]a machine that can never take the place of human brain

　　3. Who can determine the proper role of computers in schools?

　　[A]Computer suppliers. [B]Computer educators

　　[C]The educated public. [D]All of the above.

　　4. In the last paragraph the author implies that____.

　　[A]computer skills contribute nothing to proper education

　　[B]computer teaching is an indispensable part of education

　　[C]the fundamental purpose of education is being ignored

　　[D]teachers should be taught how to teach computer skills

　　5. The author‘s attitude towards the present way of teaching computer in schools is____.

　　[A]critical [B]objective

　　[C]positive [D]optimistic

　　参考答案：

　　1. [C]意为：它占用了太多的时间，而这些时间本来可以用于正常课程。 参阅第七段和最后一段。

　　2. [A] 根据下一句的意思，该词应理解为“无须思考的问题”。

　　3. [D] 第三段指出，决定计算机在学校中应该起什么作用是一件重要的事，不能仅交由计算机供应商和教育工作者来定，公众也应该有发言权。

　　4. [C] 最后一段指出，学校的根本任务是为学生的未来打下坚实的基础，学校旨在培养的学生应是具有好奇心和理解力，能掌握数学基本概念。并能对现存的一些观念进行独立评价。言外之意，由于盲目地进行计算机教育，这些基础容易被忽视。

　　5. [A]意为：批评的。 文章从第二段起就开始对目前的计算机教学提出了批评，并在最后一段强调指出它对培养学生基本能力的不良影响。

　　I love e-mail.Evidently，so do most other journalists.E-mail use has tripled during the past five years among some journalists.I know because I am part of a research team that surveyed 360 journalists last year to determine how they use e-mail.Our survey results show that e-mail use among respondents expanded dramatically from only 18%in 1994 to 80%in 1999.Instead of sending about eight messages a day，each of those journalists was sending 30.

　　And these same journalists said they are using e-mail for everything from locating sources to conducting online interviews.Such evidence indicates that for many journalists e-mail has created a virtual world in which they can transcend time and space.A journalist in California，for example，taps out her questions at l：30 p.m.，and sends them to London，where it‘s 9：30 p.m……It is better than getting up at 3 a.m.to do a telephone interview with a scientist in Switzerland.

　　In today‘s wired world，reporters are discovering that people who won’t respond to phone calls，often will respond quickly to e-mails.A colleague and I are now in the process of conducting follow-up interviews with a selected group of journalists who participated in our 1999 survey.Those interviewed so far all agreed that e-mail is changing the way journalists work.As one reporter for a major Southwestern daily said，“Now you can send out half a dozen e-mails and usually most of them will be returned within the next day.It has opened up a better，faster way to communicate that didn't exist before.It used to be that you could only communicate with people basically during working hours.But now you can send an e-mail in the middle of the night and get your answer in the morning.”

　　Other advantages of e-interviews：You don‘t have to transcribe a tape or decipher your notes.And when a source complains about a quote，all you have to do is send over a transcript of your e-mail message to verify its accuracy.

　　Although these journalists are crazy about the e-interview，they also admit it has its limitations.“You have to use judgment to decide when an e-mail interview is as good as a voice interview，”one said .And I agree，as long as we treat e-mail as one of many journalistic tools，we‘ll be fine.But，for most stories，you simply must drag yourself away from your keyboard.E-interviews are also good for closed-ended questions，such as：How many employees did your company lay off last year? But during an e-interview，you can’t see the pain on the face of the CEO who just fired 2，000 people.

　　1. E-mail use among some journalists has tripled during the past five years because____.

　　[A]it is more convenient and quicker

　　[B]it is particularly useful for Journalists

　　[C]it saves money for journalists in conducting international interviews

　　[D]journalists send out more messages than before

　　2. A“wired world”(the first sentence in the third paragraph)is one____.

　　[A]in which the dominant means of communication is the e-mail

　　[B]which is connected by various communication media

　　[C]in which telephone interview has replaced face-to-face interview

　　[D]in which the telephone is a dominant means of communication

　　3. Another advantage of e-mail over other kinds of communication is that____.

　　[A]it is more reliable and trustworthy

　　[B]it is more likely to be responded to

　　[C]it is more direct than face-to-face communication

　　[D]it irons out the embarrassment which may be provoked otherwise

　　4. One of the limitations of e-interview is that____.

　　[A]it is limited in time and space

　　[B]the interviewers send much useless information

　　[C]the interviewers have to dispense with body language

　　[D]the interviewers have to compare the e-mail message with their notes later

　　5. The passage is mainly concerned with____.

　　[A]the advantages of e-interviews over traditional interviews

　　[B]the limitations with the e-interview

　　[C]the changes brought to journalists by e-mail

　　[D]the importance of e-mail communication to journalists

　　参考答案：

　　1. [A] 第二段第二句指出，对许多记者来说，电子邮件开创了一个能使得他们超越时空的虚拟世界。

　　2. [B] wire此处作动词，意思是“用电线连接”，因此，这里应该不限于电话或电子邮件，而是指包括电话和电子邮件等在内的通讯手段。

　　3. [B] 参阅第三段第一句，该句是该段的主题句。 [D]的意思是：它可以消除(不使用它时)可能引起的尴尬局面。

　　4. [C] 意为：采访者看不到(被采访者的)身体语言。 参阅最后一段最后一句。

　　5. [C] 本文第二段第二句实际上表达了本文的主旨。本文第二、三、四段提到了电子邮件的诸多优点，最后一段提到了其局限性。就本文而言，所谓优点实际上谈的是电子邮件在哪些方面改变了记者的工作方式。

　　I love e-mail.Evidently，so do most other journalists.E-mail use has tripled during the past five years among some journalists.I know because I am part of a research team that surveyed 360 journalists last year to determine how they use e-mail.Our survey results show that e-mail use among respondents expanded dramatically from only 18%in 1994 to 80%in 1999.Instead of sending about eight messages a day，each of those journalists was sending 30.

　　And these same journalists said they are using e-mail for everything from locating sources to conducting online interviews.Such evidence indicates that for many journalists e-mail has created a virtual world in which they can transcend time and space.A journalist in California，for example，taps out her questions at l：30 p.m.，and sends them to London，where it‘s 9：30 p.m……It is better than getting up at 3 a.m.to do a telephone interview with a scientist in Switzerland.

　　In today‘s wired world，reporters are discovering that people who won’t respond to phone calls，often will respond quickly to e-mails.A colleague and I are now in the process of conducting follow-up interviews with a selected group of journalists who participated in our 1999 survey.Those interviewed so far all agreed that e-mail is changing the way journalists work.As one reporter for a major Southwestern daily said，“Now you can send out half a dozen e-mails and usually most of them will be returned within the next day.It has opened up a better，faster way to communicate that didn't exist before.It used to be that you could only communicate with people basically during working hours.But now you can send an e-mail in the middle of the night and get your answer in the morning.”

　　Other advantages of e-interviews：You don‘t have to transcribe a tape or decipher your notes.And when a source complains about a quote，all you have to do is send over a transcript of your e-mail message to verify its accuracy.

　　Although these journalists are crazy about the e-interview，they also admit it has its limitations.“You have to use judgment to decide when an e-mail interview is as good as a voice interview，”one said .And I agree，as long as we treat e-mail as one of many journalistic tools，we‘ll be fine.But，for most stories，you simply must drag yourself away from your keyboard.E-interviews are also good for closed-ended questions，such as：How many employees did your company lay off last year? But during an e-interview，you can’t see the pain on the face of the CEO who just fired 2，000 people.

　　1. E-mail use among some journalists has tripled during the past five years because____.

　　[A]it is more convenient and quicker

　　[B]it is particularly useful for Journalists

　　[C]it saves money for journalists in conducting international interviews

　　[D]journalists send out more messages than before

　　2. A“wired world”(the first sentence in the third paragraph)is one____.

　　[A]in which the dominant means of communication is the e-mail

　　[B]which is connected by various communication media

　　[C]in which telephone interview has replaced face-to-face interview

　　[D]in which the telephone is a dominant means of communication

　　3. Another advantage of e-mail over other kinds of communication is that____.

　　[A]it is more reliable and trustworthy

　　[B]it is more likely to be responded to

　　[C]it is more direct than face-to-face communication

　　[D]it irons out the embarrassment which may be provoked otherwise

　　4. One of the limitations of e-interview is that____.

　　[A]it is limited in time and space

　　[B]the interviewers send much useless information

　　[C]the interviewers have to dispense with body language

　　[D]the interviewers have to compare the e-mail message with their notes later

　　5. The passage is mainly concerned with____.

　　[A]the advantages of e-interviews over traditional interviews

　　[B]the limitations with the e-interview

　　[C]the changes brought to journalists by e-mail

　　[D]the importance of e-mail communication to journalists

　　参考答案：

　　1. [A] 第二段第二句指出，对许多记者来说，电子邮件开创了一个能使得他们超越时空的虚拟世界。

　　2. [B] wire此处作动词，意思是“用电线连接”，因此，这里应该不限于电话或电子邮件，而是指包括电话和电子邮件等在内的通讯手段。

　　3. [B] 参阅第三段第一句，该句是该段的主题句。 [D]的意思是：它可以消除(不使用它时)可能引起的尴尬局面。

　　4. [C] 意为：采访者看不到(被采访者的)身体语言。 参阅最后一段最后一句。

　　5. [C] 本文第二段第二句实际上表达了本文的主旨。本文第二、三、四段提到了电子邮件的诸多优点，最后一段提到了其局限性。就本文而言，所谓优点实际上谈的是电子邮件在哪些方面改变了记者的工作方式。

　　Tropical rainforests cover over an area of nearly 3 billion acres，or about 8.3 percent of the Earth‘s total 1and surface.These remarkable forests are shared by some 50 countries on five continents.Biologists believe that rainforests are the home of perhaps half the world’s biotic species，about five-sixths of which have not yet been described and named.

　　Throughout most of history，rainforests were considered to be remote，inaccessible，and unpleasant places，and as a result they were 1ittle affected by human activities.In the present century，however，rainforests have been exploited and ruined at a quickening pace，and in the last decade or so，tropical deforestation has become one of the Earth‘s most serious environmental problems.The rate of deforestation is spectacular—51 acres per minute;74，000 acres per day;27 million acres per year.More than half of the original African rainforest is now gone;about 45 percent of Asia’s rainforest no longer exists;the proportion in Latin America is approaching 40 percent.

　　As the forest goes，so goes its animal life.In the mid-1980s it was calculated that tropical deforestation was responsible for the extinction of one species per day;by 1990 it was estimated that the rate was one species per hour.

　　Moreover，loss of the forests contributes to increased soil erosion，drought，flooding，worsening water quality，declining agricultural productivity，and greater poverty for rural inhabitants.In addition，atmospheric carbon dioxide continues to be increased because there are fewer trees to absorb it and because burning of trees for forest clearing releases more to the air.

　　The irony of tropical deforestation is that the anticipated economic benefits are usually illusory.Much of the forest clearing，especially in Latin America，is in response to the social pressure of overcrowding and poverty in societies where most of the people are landless.The governments open up“new lands”for settlement in the rainforest.The settlers clear the land for crop growing or livestock raising.The result almost always is an initial one or two years of high soil productivity，followed by poor years as fertility declines and the soil begins to suffer from erosion.

　　The forests，of course，are renewable.If left alone by humans，they can regenerate，as long as there are seed trees in the neighborhood and the soil has not lost all its nutrients.The loss of biotic diversity，however，is much more serious.Extinction is an irrecoverable process.Valuable potential resources may disappear before they are even discovered.Natural genotypes that could be combined with agricultural crops or animals to resist disease，insects，parasites，and other environmental stresses may also be lost.Last，but not least，is the possibility that many small，isolated valuable groups of native people may be wiped out.

　　Much concern has been expressed about tropical deforestation，and some concrete steps have been taken.The development of agroforestry (planting crops with trees，rather than cutting down the trees and replacing them with crops) is being fostered in many areas.In Brazil，which has by far the largest expanse of rainforest，some 46，000 square miles of reserves have been set aside，and Brazilian law requires that any development in the Amazon region leave half of the land in its natural state.In 1985 a comprehensive world plan，sponsored by the World Bank，the World Resources Institute，and the United Nations Development Programme，was introduced.It proposes concrete，country-by-country strategies to combat tropical deforestation.It is an $ 8 billion，five-year project，dealing with everything concerning the protection of rainforests.

　　Meanwhile，the sounds of the axe and the chain-saw and the bulldozer continue to be heard throughout the tropical forest lands.

　　1. In the past，rainforests were nearly left intact because____.

　　[A]people then had a better sense of environmental protection

　　[B]people then knew better how to protect them

　　[C]people then looked at rainforests in some awe

　　[D]people then did not know how to exploit them

　　2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a result of deforestation?

　　[A]Loss of species diversity.

　　[B]Increased poverty for the concerned countries.

　　[C]Increased atmospheric pollution.

　　[D]Loss of culture diversity.

　　3. It can be inferred from the passage that forest destruction mainly results from____.

　　[A]people‘s desire to meet their economic needs

　　[B]people‘s ignorance of the importance of forests to biotic species

　　[C]people‘s need to burn fuel to warm their houses

　　[D]people‘s desire to open up more farmland

　　4. People‘s attempt to clear the forest to open up new lands often has the result of____.

　　[A]leaving even more people homeless

　　[B]expanding settlement but destroying the land

　　[C]finding more land for landless people to cultivate

　　[D]renewing the forest at a slower pace

　　5. The tone of the author‘s conclusion seems to be ____.

　　[A]optimistic [B]objective

　　[C]concerned [D]tolerant

　　参考答案：

　　1. [C] 意为：人们当时用敬畏的眼光看待热带雨林。参阅第二段第一句。

　　2. [B] 意为：使相关国家更贫困。第四段第一句只提到了给农村居民(rural inhabitants)带来的贫困状况。有关[A]参阅第三段和第六段，有关[C]参阅第四段第二句，有关[D]参阅第六段最后一句。

　　3. [A] 参阅第五段第一、二、三、四句。相比较而言，[D]表达的意思则有些片面。

　　4. [B] 意为：扩展了定居点，但毁坏了土地。参阅第五段。

　　5. [C] 意为：关注。参阅最后一段。

　　Looking beyond the 10-year period，the botanists estimate that some 3，000 native plant species may become extinct in the foreseeable future—more than 10 percent of the approximately 25，000 species of plants in the United States.

　　The situation is the same or worse in most other parts of the world.It is estimated that about 20 percent of Earth‘s approximately 300，000 plant species are in danger.Most of these plants are in the tropical rainforests that are being cut down，and many have not even been identified yet.

　　Why is extinction threatening so many U.S.species? The main reason is the destruction of habitats.This destruction is caused，especially in the Eastern United States，by land development，such as the construction of shopping centers and housing tracts.In the Western states，the poor management of public lands has been a critical factor.There，many habitats have been destroyed by the spread of exotic plant species.1)For example， June grass， which was introduced from Europe in the late 1800s， has invaded hundreds of square kilometers of Western lands，pushing out some native species of grass that are less able to compete for the usually scarce moisture.

　　Public indifference has also contributed to the problem.2) Americans have rallied to the cause of endangered animals such as whooping cranes and African elephants，but they seem unconcerned about endangered plants.Perhaps they consider wild animals to be public property，but plants are the property of the owner of the land on which they grow.

　　The consequences of habitat destruction are often most serious in the tropics and subtropics.Those regions have a much greater number of plant species than are found in cooler climates.And many species grow in only a small area，increasing the probability of their being wiped out.It is not surprising，therefore，that nearly 75 percent of the 680 species on the most-endangered list are located in just three states and Puerto Rico.Hawaii has 21 percent;Texas，12.2 percent;Florida，10.6 percent;and Puerto Rico，10.1 percent.But nearly all of the 50 states have at least a few native plants that are among those facing extinction.

　　Saving endangered plants is important for several reasons.Among those plants，there may be some that produce substances that could be of value in making medicines.Others might possess genetic traits that could be used to improve crop plants.We might also find that some plants are worth growing for their own sake—as food or perhaps for the oil in their seeds.But beyond such practical applications，there is a sense of loss when any species—a plant as much as an animal—disappears from the face of the Earth forever.

　　1. In another decade，it is estimated that____.

　　[A]more than 10 percent of the native plants in the United States may die out

　　[B]approximately 25，000 species of plants in the United States will be extinct

　　[C]20 percent of Earth‘s approximately 300，000 plant species will be extinct

　　[D]20 percent of Earth‘s approximately 300，000 plant species may become extinct

　　2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of plant species extinction?

　　[A]Careless introduction of foreign plant species.

　　[B]Over-development of 1and for commercial use.

　　[C]Public ignorance of the present situation.

　　[D]Inappropriate governmental land protection policies.

　　3. In what way are the public indifferent to the present situation?

　　[A]They are still unaware of the cause of land destruction.

　　[B]They pay too much attention to endangered animals.

　　[C]They do not give due attention to saving endangered plants.

　　[D]They are selfish enough to protect only their own properties.

　　4. Plant species in the tropics and subtropics are most vulnerable in that____.

　　[A]a greater number of plant species are found there than in cooler regions

　　[B]many plant species grow in only a small area in these regions

　　[C]these regions frequently become the first targets of deforestation

　　[D]countries within these regions have a worse sense of environmental protection

　　5. All of the following are practical considerations for protecting plant species EXCEPT____.

　　[A]medicinal use of plant species

　　[B]utilizing their genetic traits to develop better plant species

　　[C]a sense of loss that some species disappear even before they are identified

　　[D]production of food and oil for the dinner table out of them

　　参考答案：

　　1. [A] 参阅第一段，这句话的意思是：在展望10年后的情况时植物学家们预计，在不久的将来，3 000种植物——占美国近25 000种植物的10%以上——将可能灭绝。[D]不对，第二段第二句只提到了这些植物受到了(灭绝的)威胁，而不是将会灭绝。

　　2. [D] 第三段第四句虽然提到了公地管理不善是造成植物生长地遭破坏的根本原因，但是，这里并未提到是政策本身不好，还是政策执行得不好。有关[A]参阅第三段第五、六句，第五句中exotic意为“外(国)来的”。有关[B]参阅第四段第二句。有关[C]参阅第四段：该段批评美国人对保护动物非常热心，但对濒临灭绝的植物似乎漠不关心。在作者看来，其中的原因是他们认为野生动物是公共财产，而植物是土地所有者的私有财产。

　　3. [C] 参阅第2题题解。

　　4. [B] 参阅第五段第三句。

　　5. [C] 意为：当意识到有些物种甚至还没来得及被鉴别出就消失了时而产生的一种失落感。参阅最后一段最后一句，请注意本句中的beyond such practical applications.有关[A]参阅最后一段第二句;有关[B]参阅最后一段第三句，这句的意思指借鉴其他植物的基因特性并利用基因工程的方法来改进作物。有关[D]参阅最后一段第四句。

　　Of a11 the characteristics that man has used to distinguish himself from“lower”animals，the desire to explore the unknown may be the most enduring.As the Norwegian polar explorer and oceanographer Fridtjof Nansen observed，“Man wants to know，and when he ceases to do so，he is no longer man.”

　　The annual migrations of wildfowl and many other animals certainly cannot be regarded as a form of exploration，because such movements are actually only shifts from one habitat to another for the purpose of avoiding seasonal climatic variations.4) Likewise，the gradual expansion by certain animals into new ranges is not exploratory but rather merely a shift to a 1ess crowded or more favourable environmental setting.To be sure，mankind also has been involved in movements of this sort when subjected to population and other pressures.Then，too，economic and military considerations have frequently been major driving factors in human expansion into new realms.5)Nonetheless，in numerous instances，man‘s attempts at exploration have been marked by imaginative leaps across hostile stretches，sometimes at great risks， to reach something undefined simply for its own sake.

　　Much of the history of exploration—certainly of modern geographical exploration—has been European.6) Such has been the case not because Europeans possessed superior curiosity or some other internal force but because whatever events channeled their societies toward an advanced level of technology allowed them to expend more energy on exploration.The rapid growth and consolidation of their kingdoms provided them with an opportunity to exploit new discoveries fully.By contrast，the great Asian kingdoms，though no less capable，turned inward and erected walls between themselves and the“barbarians”of the outside world.

　　The 20th century has witnessed the last stages of exploration of the Earth‘s surface and the initial attempts to explore the deep sea and space.Scientific attention today is primarily directed toward these new frontiers.In addition to this emphasis on undersea and space exploration，efforts are also being made to investigate the interior of the Earth，knowledge of which still remains relatively limited.

　　1. What Nansen said means that____.

　　[A]a man never stops exploring the unknown until he dies

　　[B]exploration of the unknown is a characteristic of man

　　[C]ignorant people are no more than “lower” animals

　　[D]a man is not a brave man unless he shows curiosity about the unknown

　　2. According to the author，true exploration is marked by____.

　　[A]migrating from a familiar area to a new one

　　[B]moving into a less crowded and favourable environmental setting

　　[C]venturing into an unknown，sometimes risky，world

　　[D]gradually expanding into new ranges

　　3. The Europeans were often the pioneers in exploration because____.

　　[A]they had daring spirits and were more curious about the unknown

　　[B]social development offered them the means to explore the world

　　[C]they had more internal driving forces to urge them in such attempts

　　[D]they were more capable of such activities than the Asians

　　4. In the last sentence of Paragraph 3，the word“barbarians”probably refers to____.

　　[A]the fiercest enemies

　　[B]savage and uncivilized people

　　[C]hostile neighboring countries

　　[D]ambitious Europeans powers

　　5. The 20th century explorers are similar to the earlier explorers in their curiosity about____.

　　[A]the deep sea [B]the space

　　[C]the interior of the Earth [D]the surface of the Earth

　　参考答案：

　　1. [B] 意为：对未知领域进行探索是人类的特性。在第一段，Nansen所说的意思是：人类总是想去认识事物，如果他们失去这种欲望，他们就无所谓人了。

　　2. [C] 意为：敢于冒险进人未知的——有时是危险的区域。参阅第二段最后一句，本句中stretches应理解为“区域(或地段)”，undefined应根据上下文理解为“未知的”。本段否定了几种做法，认为这些做法都称不上是探险;在作者看来，只有最后一句提到的情况才算得上是探险活动。

　　3. [B] 根据第三段第二句，探险者多为欧洲人，这并不是因为他们好奇心强或内在的动力大，而是因为历史将他们的社会推向了更高的技术水平，这使得他们可以花更多的精力来从事冒险活动。

　　4. [B] 意为：野蛮而未开化的人。该词意为“野蛮人”，是文明社会对未开化民族带有偏见的称呼。

　　5. [D] 第四段第一句提到，20世纪进入探索地球表面的最后阶段，而开始了对深海区域和太空的探索。由此可以看出，对地球表面的探索在20世纪还在继续。

　　Fluency with information technology (shortened as FITness) goes beyond traditional notions of computer literacy.Literacy about information technology might call for a minimal level of familiarity with technological tools like word processors，e-mail，and Web browsers.By contrast，FITness requires that persons understand information technology broadly enough to be able to apply it productively at work and in their everyday lives，to recognize when information technology would assist or impede the achievement of a goal，and to continually adapt to the changes in and advancement of information technology.FITness therefore requires a deeper，more essential understanding and mastery of information technology for information processing，communication，and problem solving than does computer literacy as traditionally defined.Note also that FITness builds on many other fundamental competencies，such as logical reasoning and knowledge of society.

　　Information technology is a medium that permits the expression of a vast array of information，ideas，concepts，and messages，and FITness is about effectively exploiting that expressive power.FITness enables a person to accomplish a variety of different tasks using information technology and to develop different ways of accomplishing a given task.

　　FITness comes in degrees and gradations and is tied to different purposes.FITness is thus not an“end state”。but rather develops over a lifetime in particular domains of interest involving particular applications.Aspects of FITness can be developed by using spreadsheets for personal or professional budgeting，desktop publishing tools to create or edit documents or Web pages，search engines and database management tools for locating information on the Web or in large databases，and design tools to create visualizations in various scientific and engineering disciplines.

　　The wide variety of contexts in which FITness is relevant is matched by the rapid pace at which information technology evolves.Most professionals today require constant upgrading of technological skills as new tools become useful in their work;they learn new word processing programs，new computer-assisted design environments，or new techniques for searching the World Wide Web.Different applications of information technology emerge rather frequently，both in areas with long traditions of using information and information technology and in areas that are not usually seen as being technology-intensive.Perhaps the major challenge for individuals embarking on the goal of lifelong FITness involves deciding when to learn a new tool，when to change to a new technology，when to devote energy to increasing technological competency，and when to allocate time to other professional activities.

　　The above comments suggest that FITness is personal，graduated，and dynamic.FITness is personal in the sense that individuals evaluate，distinguish，learn，and use new information technology as appropriate to their own sustained personal and professional activities.What is appropriate for an individual depends on the particular applications，activities，and opportunities for FITness that are associated with the individual‘s area of interest or specialization，and what is reasonable for a FIT lawyer or a historian to know and be able to do may well differ from what is required for a FIT scientist or engineer.FITness is graduated in the sense that it is characterized by different levels of sophistication，and it is dynamic in that it requires lifelong learning as information technology evolves.

　　1. The primary difference between FITness and traditional notions of computer literary lies in____.

　　[A] the kind of technological tools to be mastered

　　[B] the range of knowledge about software

　　[C] the competency to effectively exploit the information technology

　　[D] the ability to sort out new information from old information

　　2. Information technology can best be defined as____.

　　[A] a maximal level of familiarity with technological tools

　　[B] effective application of information at work or in life

　　[C] a different way of using information to accomplish a task

　　[D] a medium by which diversified information is expressed

　　3. A person should constantly update his computer skills owing to____.

　　[A] the increasing flow of new information

　　[B] the rapid renewal of information technology

　　[C] the frequent transformation of modern life

　　[D] the major challenges put to him at workplace

　　4. The main idea of Paragraph 4 is that____.

　　[A] different working contexts demand different technological skills

　　[B] FITness is dynamic and requires lifelong learning

　　[C] FITness helps to achieve the goal of life

　　[D] Enough energy should be spent to increase technological competency

　　5. FITness is personal in the sense that____.

　　[A] it is up to an individual to decide what skill to develop first

　　[B] everyone should master technological skills in a step-by-step manner

　　[C] different technological skills are of different significance for individuals

　　[D] information technology means different things to different individuals

　　参考答案：

　　1. [B] 意为：有效利用信息技术的能力。

　　参阅第一段第三、四句，请特别注意其中的productively;第二段第一句中，请特别注意其中的effectively exploiting.

　　2. [D] 意为：传送各种信息的媒介。参阅第二段第一句。

　　3. [B] 意为：信息技术的快速更新。

　　参阅第四段，尤其是其中的第一、二句，注意其中的information technology和new tools.

　　4. [B]本段的主题在本段第二句和最后一句表达得最清楚。

　　5. [C]参阅最后一段第二、三句。这里强调了每个人根据自己的需要掌握相应的技能的重要性。

　　Digital television(by satellite or cable)allows literally hundreds of channels.Many people expect this to change fundamentally the nature of television programming and viewing，from a broadcast medium(dominated by big networks like Britain‘s BBC and ITV and the big U.S.networks，showing a mixture of programme types with something for everyone)to a “narrowcast” medium more like today’s magazines and radio.On this narrowcast model，each channel would specialize in a particular niche：one programme type aims at one specific target market.

　　One widely assumed benefit of this approach is that，as with magazines，the audiences of these niche channels would be strongly segmented，so that，for instance，the gardening channel would be mostly watched by home owners with gardens，many of whom would be relatively affluent retired people.The argument is that，as with gardening magazines today，such a channel could generate revenue both from subscriptions(since it would be tailored to that target audience)and from advertising(not just for gardening products，but also for other products and services such as cruise holidays and financial services aimed at the same target market)。

　　Some of this is happening already，especially in countries with high cable penetration，notably the USA where the average family already has fifty channels.However，even in homes with fifty channels，half the viewing is still of the four national terrestrial networks or of local，public or cable channels showing general mixed programming.

　　More important，even for the niche channels the degree of audience segmentation and involvement is surprisingly low.For instance，whereas U.S，radio stations are typically listened to by relatively few people but for many hours per week，the niche TV channels are watched only occasionally by those who watch them at all.

　　This reflects a fundamental difference between radio，which people mostly listen to as a secondary activity while working or driving，and television which—although watched fairly passively and often combined with desultory eating or conversation—is a primary activity.People listen to radio to take their minds off what they are doing，they watch television to take their minds off what they are not doing.

　　1. The narrowcast model is based on the idea that____.

　　[A] digital transmission will change the nature of television broadcasting

　　[B] the target market is segmented according to people‘s interests

　　[C] channels that show a mixture of programme types are no longer popular

　　[D] specialists like television channels with no advertising in them

　　2. It is implied in the second paragraph that today‘s magazines are run with____.

　　[A] payment from subscribers

　　[B] money earned from advertising

　　[C] financial support from the rich retired people

　　[D] both A and B

　　3. Surveys indicate that the most often watched programme in the United States is____.

　　[A] the narrowcast [B] the general type

　　[C] the particular type [D] the gardening channel

　　4. The word“segmentation”in the first sentence of the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to____.

　　[A] division [B] preference

　　[C] subscription [D] activity

　　5. It seems the chief difference between watching television and listening to radio lies in____.

　　[A] the number of the audience

　　[B] the availability of the media

　　[C] the domain of interest

　　[D] the degree of attentiveness

　　参考答案：

　　1. [B] 意为：根据人们的兴趣对目标市场进行划分。参阅第一段最后一句。该句的意思是：在这种小范围播送模式中，每个频道有一个专门领域，即向某个特定的目标市场播送某种电视节目。

　　2. [D] [A]意为：订阅者付的款。参阅第二段第二句。

　　3. [B] 第三段第二句提到，即使家里有50个频道，美国人一半时间都是在看那四个全国性地面电视网络，或当地的和公共的频道，或有线电视频道，这些频道播送的都是综合节目。另外，第四段提到了专门频道(the niche channels)收视率低。

　　4. [A] 该词意为“划分”、“分割”。

　　5. [D] 意为：注意力集中的程度。最后一段提到了看电视和听收音机的区别，指出，听收音机对多数人来说是一项次要的活动，人们在工作和驾车(当属主要活动)过程中可以听收音机;而看电视属于重要活动——虽然人们看电视也有时相当被动，并且经常看电视时吃东西或交谈。人们听收音机的目的是将注意力从正在做的事情上移开，他们看电视的目的是不去想没在做的事情。

　　Tennis hopeful Jamie Hunt， 16， felt he could not become a world-class junior player while attending a regular school. The international circuit has players on the road 50% of the time——and it's hard to focus on your backhand when you're worrying about being on time for homeroom. So last year Hunt， who hones his ground strokes at Elite TNT Tennis Academy in April Sound， Texas， enrolled for academics in the $9，750-a-year University of Miami Online High School (UMOHS)， a virtual school that caters to athletes. “The online school gives me the flexibility I need，” says Hunt. “The workload is the same， but I can do it anywhere. It's nicer to ask a question face-to-face with a teacher， but in some ways it prepares me better for college because I have to be more independent.” A year ago， Hunt's world junior ranking was 886; now it's 108.

　　Virtual high schools， which allow students to take classes via PC， have emerged as an increasingly popular education alternative， particularly for on-the-go athletes. UMOHS has more than 400 students enrolled， 65% of whom are athletes. Accredited by the 100-year-old Southern Association of Colleges and Schools， UMOHS offers honors and advanced-placement classes. All course material is online， along with assignments and due dates. For help， says principal Howard Liebman， “a student may e-mail， instant message or call the teacher.”

　　Dallas mom Lori Bannon turned to another online school， Laurel Springs in Ojai， Calif. Bannon， who has a medical degree from Harvard， didn't want to compromise the education of her daughter Lindsay， 13， an élite gymnast who spends eight hours a day in the gym. “Regular school was not an option，” says Bannon， “but I wanted to make sure she could go back at grade level if she quit gymnastics.” Laurel Springs' enrollment has increased 35% a year for the past four years， to 1，800 students. At least 25% are either athletes or child entertainers.

　　Educators are split on the merits of such schools. Paul Orehovec， an enrollment officer for the University of Miami， admits， “I was somewhat of a skeptic. But when I looked into their programs and accreditation， I was excited. UMOHS is the first online school to be granted membership in the National Honor Society.” Kevin Roy， Elite's director of education， sees pitfalls and potential in virtual schools. “You will never have that wonderful teacher who inspires you for life，” says Roy. “But the virtual school offers endless possibilities. I don't know where education's imagination will take this.”

　　注(1)：本文选自Time;11/29/2004， p149-149， 1/2p， 1c;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2004年真题text 4第1、2题(1、2)，text 1 第2 题(3)，text 3第5 题(5)和2000年真题text 4第4题(4);

　　1. What does Jamie Hunt get from the virtual school?

　　[A] the ability to perfect his tennis skills

　　[B] the time to do his school work

　　[C] the flexibility to finish the workload anywhere

　　[D] the independence he needs to be a good tennis player

　　2. We can learn from the text that virtual high schools ___________.

　　[A] make it possible for athletes to receive training without delaying their school work

　　[B] have gained ground as a major education form

　　[C] are cheaper than real schools

　　[D] prepare students better for colleges

　　3. Which of the following is not a practice in a virtual school?

　　[A] Visiting a homeroom on time.

　　[B] E-mailing teachers for questions.

　　[C] Getting course materials online.

　　[D] Taking classes via a PC.

　　4. Lori Bannon turned to online school because____________.

　　[A] virtual school has more athlete students

　　[B] virtual school offers better education

　　[C] her daughter is an elite gymnast

　　[D] regular school can not meet her daughter‘s condition

　　5. To which of the following is the author likely to agree?

　　[A] The education provided by virtual schools is yet to be recognized by authorities.

　　[B] Educators are divided as to whether students should take virtual schools.

　　[C] Despite the defects， virtual schools show great potentials.

　　[D] Regular schools will be replaced by virtual schools sooner or later.

　　答案：CAADC

　　Muffin Man has more than 2，000 songs on his hard drive， and he's happy to share them. He's a big fan of bands like Pearl Jam and the White Stripes， so there's plenty of hard rock in his collection.

　　But chances are you'll never get to it. The 21-year-old pizza cook， who asked to be identified by his online nickname， makes his songs available only through private file-sharing networks known as darknets. Unlike such public networks as Kazaa or Morpheus， which let you share songs with anyone， private networks operate more like underground nightclubs or secret societies. To gain access， you need to know the name of the group and a password. And the only way to get that information is from another member who invites you in. Some darknets even encrypt files and mask your identity within a group to keep eavesdroppers from finding out who you are and what you are sharing.

　　It's a handy invention now that the recording industry has taken to suing kids who share music online. But darknets are not just for digital music files. Carving out a bit of privacy online has wide appeal; students， community groups and even political dissidents can use these hidden networks to share projects， papers and information. One part of the allure is anonymity; the other is exclusivity. Since participation is limited， file searches don't turn up a lot of junk or pornography. Darknets offer the convenience of the Web without a lot of the bad stuff.

　　You need special software to start a darknet of your own. The two most popular programs are Direct Connect by NeoModus (at neomodus.com) and an open-source variation of it called DC++， available at sourceforge.net. More than 800，000 copies of DC++ have been downloaded since mid-July. A third program， called Waste (also at sourceforge.net)， automatically encrypts files but is much harder to use.

　　There are no good estimates of how many people use darknets. Lowtec， a college sophomore studying computer engineering， figures that 10% of the students at his school (which he declined to name) share files through Direct Connect. “It's much faster than Kazaa，” he says. That's because private networks typically link small， close-knit communities in which all members have superfast connections.

　　The recording industry so far hasn't put much effort into combatting the secret networks， but its neglect might not last long. If networks like Kazaa become too risky， darknets could quickly rise to take their place. And if that happens， the music industry could find itself chasing users who are that much harder to catch.

　　注(1)：本文选自Time;9/29/2003， p78-78， 2/3p， 1c;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2002年真题text 4第1、2题(1，2)，text 2第2 题(3)和text 3第4、5题(4，5);

　　1. From the first two paragraphs， we learn that__________.

　　[A] Muffin Man‘s songs will be available if you know his online nickname

　　[B] Outsiders can not visit darknets without the invitation from a member

　　[C] Kazaa is to darknets what police is to underground world

　　[D] It‘s impossible for people to find out your true identity on the darknets

　　2. Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

　　[A] Darknets are being accused by the recording industry of allowing kids to share music online.

　　[B] People use darknets to share music mainly.

　　[C] One advantage of darknets is that people can avoid reading unwanted information.

　　[D] Users of private networks are mostly students.

　　3. The word “allure” (Line 4， Paragraph 3) most probably means____________.

　　[A] advantage

　　[B] achievement

　　[C] feature

　　[D] appeal

　　4. We can draw a conclusion from the text that ___________.

　　[A] darknets may become a headache of the music industry

　　[B] the age of darknets is within reach

　　[C] darknets may excel Kazaa in the number of its users very soon

　　[D] the music industry will lose the battle against darknets

　　5. From the text we can see that the write seems__________.

　　[A] positive

　　[B] negative

　　[C] doubtful

　　[D] uncertain

　　答案：BCDAA

　　It is a devastating prospect. Terrorists electronically break into the computers that control the water supply of a large American city， open and close valves to contaminate the water with untreated sewage or toxic chemicals， and then release it in a devastating flood. As the emergency services struggle to respond， the terrorists strike again， shutting down the telephone network and electrical power grid with just a few mouse clicks. Businesses are paralysed， hospitals are overwhelmed and roads are gridlocked as people try to flee.

　　This kind of scenario is invoked by doom-mongers who insist that stepping up physical security since the September 11th attacks is not enough. Road-blocks and soldiers around power stations cannot prevent digital terrorism. “Until we secure our cyber-infrastructure， a few keystrokes and an Internet connection is all one needs to disable the economy and endanger lives，” Lamar Smith， a Texas congressman， told a judiciary committee in February. He ended with his catchphrase： “A mouse can be just as dangerous as a bullet or a bomb.” Is he right?

　　It is true that utility companies and other operators of critical infrastructure are increasingly connected to the Internet. But just because an electricity company's customers can pay their bills online， it does not necessarily follow that the company's critical control systems are vulnerable to attack. Control systems are usually kept entirely separate from other systems， for good reason. They tend to be obscure， old-fashioned systems that are incompatible with Internet technology anyhow. Even authorised users require specialist knowledge to operate them. And telecoms firms， hospitals and businesses usually have contingency plans to deal with power failures or flooding.

　　A simulation carried out in August by the United States Naval War College in conjunction with Gartner， a consultancy， concluded that an “electronic Pearl Harbour” attack on America's critical infrastructure could indeed cause serious disruption， but would first need five years of preparation and $200m of funding. There are far simpler and less costly ways to attack critical infrastructure， from hoax phone calls to truck bombs and hijacked airliners.

　　On September 18th Richard Clarke， America's cyber-security tsar， unveiled his long-awaited blueprint for securing critical infrastructure from digital attacks. It was a bit of a damp squib， making no firm recommendations and proposing no new regulation or legislation. But its lily-livered approach might， in fact， be the right one. When a risk has been overstated， inaction may be the best policy.

　　It is difficult to avoid comparisons with the “millennium bug” and the predictions of widespread computer chaos arising from the change of date to the year 2000. Then， as now， the alarm was sounded by technology vendors and consultants， who stood to gain from scare-mongering. But Ross Anderson， a computer scientist at Cambridge University， prefers to draw an analogy with the environmental lobby. Like eco-warriors， he observes， those in the security industry——be they vendors trying to boost sales， academics chasing grants， or politicians looking for bigger budgets——have a built-in incentive to overstate the risks.

　　Economist; 10/26/2002， Vol. 365 Issue 8296， p19， 3/4p， 1c

　　注(1)：本文选自Economist;10/26/2002， p19， 3/4p， 1c;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象1999年真题text 2 (1，2，3，5)和2001年真题text 5第3题(4);

　　1. We learn from the first paragraph that ____________.

　　[A] terrorists could plunge a large American city into chaos through electronic attack

　　[B] American people have no experience in dealing with terrorists

　　[C] the computer systems of utility companies are rather vulnerable

　　[D] the response of emergency services is far from satisfactory

　　2. Speaking of the doom-mongers， the author implies that_____________.

　　[A] their worries are quite reasonable

　　[B] their warnings should be taken seriously

　　[C] they exaggerate the threat utility companies are facing

　　[D] they are familiar with they way terrorists strike

　　3. In the view of Gartner consultant， ___________.

　　[A] terrorists may launch another “Pearl Harbor” attack

　　[B] terrorists have ample capital and time to prepare a stunning strike

　　[C] it is very costly and time-consuming to attack critical infrastructure

　　[D] it is unlikely that terrorists would resort to electronic means to attack critical infrastructure

　　4.“Lily-livered approach” (Line 4， Paragraph 5) probably means an approach

　　characterized by________.

　　[A] flexibility

　　[B] boldness

　　[C] cowardice

　　[D] conservatism

　　5. We learn from the last paragraph that__________.

　　[A] the computer industry suffered heavy loss due to the “millennium bug”

　　[B] doom-mongers care more about their own interests than national security

　　[C] computer scientists have better judgment than doom-mongers

　　[D] environmentalists are criticized for their efforts of protecting environment

　　答案：ACDCB

　　Assistants in record shops are used to receiving “humming queries”： a customer comes into the store humming a song he wants， but cannot remember either the title or the artist. Knowledgeable staff are often able to name that tune and make a sale. Hummers， though， can be both off-key and off-track. Frequently， therefore， the cash register stays closed and the customer goes away disappointed. A new piece of software may change this. If Online Music Recognition and Searching (OMRAS) is successful， it will be possible to hum a half-remembered tune into a computer and get a match.

　　OMRAS， which has just been unveiled at the International Symposium on Music Information Retrieval， in Paris， is the brainchild of a group of researchers from the Universities of London， Indiana and Massachusetts. Music-recognition programs exist already， of course. Mobile-phone users， for instance， can dial into a system called Shazam， hold their phones to a source of music， and then wait for the title and artist to be texted back to them.

　　Shazam and its cousins work by matching sounds directly to recordings， several million of them， stored in a central database. For Shazam to make a match， though， the music source must be not just similar to， but actually identical with， one of the filed recordings. OMRAS， by contrast， analyses the music. That means it can make a match between different interpretations of the same piece. According to Mark Sandler， the leader of the British side of the project， the program would certainly be able to match performances of the same work by an amateur and a professional pianist. It should also pass the humming-query test.

　　The musical analysis performed by OMRAS is unlike any that a musicologist would recognise. A tune is first digitised， so that it can be processed. It is then subject to such mathematical indignities as wavelet decomposition， multi-resolution Fourier analysis， polyphase filtering and discrete cosine transformation. The upshot is a mathematical model of the sound that contains the essence of the original， without such distractions as style and quality. That essence can then be compared with a library of known essences and a match made. Unlike Shazam， only one library reference per tune is needed.

　　So far， Dr Sandler and his colleagues have been restricted to modelling classical music. Their 3，000-strong database includes compositions by Bach， Beethoven and Mozart. Worries about copyright mean that they have not yet gained access to company archives of pop music， though if the companies realise that the consequence of more humming queries being answered is more sales， this may change. On top of that， OMRAS could help to prevent accidental copyright infringements， in which a composer lifts somebody else's work without realising his inspiration is second-hand. Or， more cynically， it will stop people claiming that any infringement was accidental. There is little point in doing that when a quick check on the Internet could have set your mind at rest that your magnum opus really was yours.

　　注(1)：本文选自Economist;10/19/2002， p77， 2/3p， 1c;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2000年真题text 3第1题(1)，2001年真题text 4第2题(2)，2004年真题text 3第4题(3);2003年真题text 1第4题(4)，2002年真题text 3第5题(5);

　　1. The passage is mainly__________.

　　[A] a comparison of two music-recognition programs

　　[B] an introduction of a new software

　　[C] a survey of the music recognition and searching market

　　[D] an analysis of the functions of music recognition softwares

　　2. According to the author， one of the distinctive features of OMRAS is________.

　　[A] its ability to analyze music

　　[B] its large database

　　[C] its matching speed

　　[D] its ability to match music of different pieces

　　3. The word “upshot” (Line 4， Paragraph 4) most probably means_________.

　　[A] last step

　　[B] final result

　　[C] goal

　　[D] program

　　4. We can learn from the last paragraph that__________.

　　[A] OMRAS will facilitate copyright infringements

　　[B] OMRAS researchers are fans of classical music

　　[C] composers can get more inspiration with the help of OMRAS

　　[D] music companies are yet to realize the value of OMRAS

　　5. From the text we can see that the writer seems__________.

　　[A] optimistic

　　[B] uncertain

　　[C] indifferent

　　[D] skeptical

　　答案：BABDA

　　“The creation of the PC is the best thing that ever happened，” said Bill Gates at a conference on “digital dividends” in 2000. He even wondered if it might be possible to make computers for the poor in countries without an electric power grid. The answer is yes， and things are going even further. Villagers in a remote region of Laos that has neither electricity nor telephone connections are being wired up to the Internet.

　　Lee Thorn， the head of the Jhai Foundation， an American-Lao organisation， has been working for nearly five years in the Hin Heup district. The foundation has helped villagers build schools， install wells and organise a weaving co-operative. But those villagers told Mr Thorn that what they needed most was access to the Internet. To have any hope of meeting that need， in an environment which is both physically harsh and far removed from technical support， Mr Thorn realised that a robust computer was the first requirement.

　　He therefore turned to engineers working with the Jhai Foundation， who devised a machine that has no moving， and few delicate， parts. Instead of a hard disk， the Jhai PC relies on flash-memory chips to store its data. Its screen is a liquid-crystal display， rather than an energy-guzzling glass cathode-ray tube——an exception to the rule that the components used are old-fashioned， and therefore cheap. (No Pentiums， for example， just a 486-type processor.) Mr Thorn estimates that， built in quantity， each Jhai PC would cost around $400. Furthermore， because of its simplicity， a Jhai PC can be powered by a car battery charged with bicycle cranks——thus removing the need for a connection to the grid.

　　Wireless Internet cards connect each Jhai PC to a solar-powered hilltop relay station which then passes the signals on to a computer in town that is connected to both the Lao phone system (for local calls) and to the Internet. Meanwhile， the Linux-based software that will run the computers is in the final stages of being “localised” into Lao by a group of expatriates in America.

　　One thing that the new network will allow villagers to do is decide whether it is worth going to market. Phon Hong， the local market town， is 30km away， so it is worth knowing the price of rice before you set off to sell some there. Links farther afield may allow decisions about growing crops for foreign markets to be taken more sensibly——and help with bargaining when these are sold. And there is also the pleasure of using Internet telephony to talk to relatives who have gone to the capital， Vientiane， or even abroad.

　　If it works， the Jhai PC and its associated network could be a widespread success. So far， the foundation has had expressions of interest from groups working in Peru， Chile and South Africa. The prototype should be operational in Laos this December and it， or something very much like it， may soon be bridging the digital divide elsewhere as well.

　　注(1)：本文选自Economist;9/28/2002， p76， 2/3p， 1c;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2003年真题text 2第1题(1)，2002年真题text 4地1、2题(2，4)，text 3第4题(5)，1998年真题text 2第4题(3);

　　1. The author begins his article with Bill Gate‘s words to________.

　　[A] show the great prospect of the PC in improving people‘s life

　　[B] catch people‘s attention to the importance of the PC

　　[C] reveal a project that creates miracle

　　[D] prove the PC can do things even beyond imagination

　　2. From the second paragraph， we learn that_____________.

　　[A] villagers are isolated from the outside world

　　[B] Lee‘s work is to improve the life of people living in the countryside

　　[C] the harsh environment keeps Lee from doing better job

　　[D] engineers have moved to far-away towns due to the poverty of the villages

　　3. Which of the following is NOT a feature of Jhai PC?

　　[A] delicateness

　　[B] practicality

　　[C] simplicity

　　[D] low cost

　　4. Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

　　[A] The Jhai PC has no expensive parts.

　　[B] The Jhai PC is powered by solar energy.

　　[C] The project has gained support from non-resident Laotians.

　　[D] The software that runs the Jhai PC is a local product.

　　5. We can draw a conclusion from the text that___________.

　　[A] Mr. Thorn‘s project may produce a far-reaching influence

　　[B] the Jhai PC is revolutionizing the PC industry

　　[C] South Africa is as poor as Laos

　　[D] digital divide is something caused by pc and network

　　答案：ABACA

　　Las Vegas， where every born loser is told he is a potential winner， has always had a way with words. Prostitution is technically illegal in the city. But a private “dance” in one's hotel room is not——even if that's just a euphemism for what a “Hot Nude Blonde” does to cheer up a visiting conventioneer.

　　How exactly these private dancers know which hotel rooms to visit， though， has become a thorny question. On March 14th， as The Economist went to press， a hearing began at the Nevada Public Utilities Commission to investigate a complaint brought by Eddie Munoz against Central Telephone， a local subsidiary of Sprint. Mr Munoz operates an in-room “adult entertainment” service. He also publishes the Las Vegas Informer， a free paper that lists telephone numbers for his dancing troupe.

　　He alleges that rival operators have hacked into the Las Vegas telephone network and systematically diverted calls made from hotel rooms to the numbers listed in the Informer to their own services. These rivals then send out their own entertainers to do the dancing——and to collect the fees that should rightfully be his. Mr Munoz says that in the heady days of the early 1990s he was making $20，000 a month from his cut of the money earned by his dancers.

　　Telephone firms habitually deny that hackers can break in. Sprint maintains that it “has neither found nor been presented with any evidence to date that calls have been diverted”。 Others are not so sure. Hilda Brauer， who protested that call-poachers had driven her “Sexy Girls” service out of business， brought a lawsuit against Sprint and her rivals in 1998， but dropped it when her money ran out. In 1998 the FBI arrested six gangsters who were scouring Las Vegas to recruit a telephone hacker they believed was working for a successful call-girl service (although nobody found him)。

　　Mr Munoz has now hired Kevin Mitnick， a hacker who boasted last year to SecurityFocus， an online technology journal， that he used to break into Las Vegas switching systems. Mr Mitnick has diverted Mr Munoz's telephone lines to an office in Los Angeles; a temp there relays the requests for dancers back to Mr Munoz in Las Vegas. The aim is to cut Sprint out of the loop.

　　The hearings may shed more light on how the world's oldest profession has taken phone-hacking in its well-practised stride. And then， no doubt， as the fuss dies down， it will discreetly dim the lights and get on with business as usual.

　　注(1)：本文选自Economist;3/16/2002， p36-36， 1/3p;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2002年真题text 4第1题(1)，text 3第5题(5)，第4题(4);2001年真题text2第2题(2);2004年真题text 1第3题(3);

　　1. From the first paragraph we learn that in Las Vegas_________________.

　　[A] prostitution is strictly prohibited

　　[B] prostitution goes on in the name of private dance

　　[C] private dance has taken the place of prostitution

　　[D] people lose money more often than they win

　　2. Mr. Munoz made the complaint because____________.

　　[A] the local telephone company failed to provide satisfactory service

　　[B] his rivals competed with him through illegal means

　　[C] his dancers stopped dancing for him

　　[D] he could no longer collect fees from his dancing troupe

　　3. The word “call-poacher” (Line 3， Paragraph 4) most probably means __________.

　　[A] a person who breaks in other people‘s telephone conversations

　　[B] a person who eavesdrops other people‘s telephone conversations

　　[C] a person who harasses others by making telephone calls

　　[D] a person who diverts other people‘s telephone calls

　　4. We can draw a conclusion from the text that_____________.

　　[A] the competition in call-girl service is a fierce one

　　[B] public attention on the hearings will last for a relatively long period

　　[C] people know very little about the world‘s oldest profession

　　[D] telephone-hacking will be used less due to the hearings

　　5. The author‘s attitude towards the issue seems to be ___________.

　　[A] critical

　　[B] positive

　　[C] biased

　　[D] objective

　　答案：BADAA

　　Bragging about your fancy new cell phone is a fleeting pleasure; after all， today's coolest models tend to be next month's paperweights. By contrast， the half-life of a cordless phone for the home is measured in years. So if you really want to be ahead of the tech curve， forget the cell-phone wars and check out the new 5.8-GHz cordless phones.

　　Named after the frequency of the radio wave (measured in billions of cycles per second) that carries the signal between the handset and the base station， 5.8-GHz phones promise more clarity because there are fewer devices that operate on the same frequency and thus fewer to cause interference. If you have a cordless phone that is a couple of years old or even a new one that costs less than $50， chances are it is a 900-MHz model that is highly susceptible to static or buzzing from baby monitors， wireless speaker systems and your neighbors' 900-MHz phones. The newer 2.4-GHz units， introduced as an improvement over the 900-MHz models， do get less static， but wireless home networks and microwave ovens can still trigger a snap-crackle-pop effect. Not so the 5.8 GHz. So far， only a few companies sell the new models， and they don't come cheap. Uniden's TRU5865 costs $149， while the Vtech 5831 is $179. I preferred the Uniden because it was static free both inside my apartment and up to a block away. Its compact design hides the antenna inside the handset， and the glowing orange keys and display look sharp. The VTech got equally clear reception indoors， but I could stray only a few buildings down the block before buzzing set in.

　　But is it really worth an extra $100 (or more) to step up to 5.8 GHz? Maybe. When I tried out the Panasonic KX-TC1481B， a $39 900-MHz model， I could hear other conversations and even music coming through the phone. I got much clearer reception with the Motorola MA351， a $60 2.4-GHz model——except when I turned on my microwave oven and was assaulted by weird vibrating noises coming through the handset. Still， the Motorola is a decent option at a fair price.

　　No matter which kind of phone you're considering， a few other factors are worth keeping in mind. First， ask about battery life. While I liked the reception best on the Uniden， for example， it can go only four hours between charges vs. eight on the Vtech.

　　Next， find out if the phone is analog or digital. Both 5.8-MHz phones are digital， but that's not always the case with the models that use other frequencies， and this makes them an easier target for eavesdroppers. The best digitals use digital spread-spectrum (DDS) technology， which sends the signal down a broad range of frequencies to ensure that it gets through.

　　Finally， shop at a store that offers a money-back guarantee. That way you can torture test the phone for a few days. Then， once you're certain everything's O.K.， go ahead and start bragging about it to all your friends.

　　注(1)：本文选自Time; 12/2/2002， p104， 3/4p， 3c;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2004年真题Text 1;

　　1. How does the author introduce the topic?

　　[A]Explaining a phenomenon.

　　[B]Justifying an assumption.

　　[C]Posing a contrast.

　　[D]Making a comparison.

　　2. Which of the following can be an advantage of Vtech over Uniden?

　　[A]A longer battery life.

　　[B]Free of static interference.

　　[C]Fashionable outlook.

　　[D]Compact design.

　　3. The expression “susceptible to”(Line 5， Paragraph 2) most probably means __________.

　　[A]relevant with

　　[B]adaptable to

　　[C]immune from

　　[D]sensitive to

　　4. What is the most distinctive feature of 5.8-GHz phones?

　　[A]Fairer price.

　　[B]Higher clarity.

　　[C]More attractive model.

　　[D]No easier target for eavesdroppers.

　　5. Which of the following is true according to the text?

　　[A]It is worthwhile to buy any of 5.8-GHz phones.

　　[B]Battery life determines your selection of the phone.

　　[C]The earlier you bought the phone， the more static interference you got.

　　[D]5.8-GHz phones are becoming popular with consumers.

　　答案：CADBC

　　Many people think that information technology and biotechnology will rule the 21st century. Robert Birge， a chemist at the University of Connecticut， is trying to combine them， by making computer memories out of protein.

　　The protein in question is bacteriorhodopsin (bR)， a molecule that undergoes a structural change when it absorbs light. By using genetic engineering to tweak wild bR from a bacterium called Halobacterium salinarum， Dr Birge and his colleagues have made a variety of the molecule that they claim is well-suited to act as an element of a computer's memory. Hit with a green light， it adopts one shape. Hit subsequently with a red light， it twists itself into another. Then， if hit with blue light， it resets itself into its original state.

　　To make a memory from the protein， Dr Birge suspends elements made from it in a transparent plastic cube known as a cuvette. A pair of lasers arranged at right angles to one another write data into the cuvette by shining in turn on “slices” through the plastic matrix. The first laser， which produces green light， sweeps the whole cuvette， causing its protein contents to take on a shape that (in binary code) is designated as “zero”。 The second laser， which produces red light， then stimulates particular sites to take the second shape. This corresponds to “one” in binary code. Once the lasers are switched off， data recorded this way will， according to Dr Birge， remain stable for more than 12 years.

　　To read the stored data， a low-powered red laser is shone slice by slice through the cuvette. This does not disturb the conformation of the protein molecules; but those in state “zero” absorb light at this wavelength. A machine placed behind the cuvette detects this absorption pattern and translates it into the appropriate string of ones and zeroes. Once the contents have been read into a more conventional storage device， the cuvette can be wiped clean and reset by illuminating it with a blue laser.

　　Dr Birge says that each cuvette can now hold about seven gigabytes of data (a small laptop computer might have about this much space on its hard drive)。 He hopes to boost that figure to ten gigabytes by finding a better-performing variety of the protein. Only those with deep pockets， however， could afford the $25，000 cost of each device.

　　Luckily for Dr Birge， the deep-pocketed American air force thinks that bR cuvettes could be a good way to equip its aircraft and satellites with light， high-density devices to store the mountains of images collected during reconnaissance missions. A protein-based memory is particularly suitable for this， because the bR molecule is robust enough to withstand the barrage of radiation from space that wreaks havoc on conventional magnetic-memory devices operating at high altitude.

　　注(1)：本文选自Economist; 12/22/2001， p94， 1/2p， 1c;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2001年真题Text 3(第一题到第三题); 2004年真题Text 1(第四题和第五题);

　　1. What is the passage mainly about?

　　[A]What will rule the 21st century.

　　[B]How bacterial protein can be used in computers.

　　[C]What we can get from bacterial protein.

　　[D]How to make bacterial protein.

　　2. The application of bR turns out to be___________.

　　[A]very trustworthy

　　[B]rather superficial

　　[C]somewhat contradictory

　　[D]quite encouraging

　　3. The basic problem of applying bR to computer lies in ____________.

　　[A]limited space on hard drive

　　[B]its complexity

　　[C]its high price

　　[D]its limited users

　　4. Which of the following is not the advantage of bR?

　　[A]Working at higher altitude.

　　[B]Light weight.

　　[C]High density.

　　[D]Safe from strong radiation.

　　5. Which of the following is true according to the text?

　　[A]bR has a wide variety of application in life.

　　[B]The protein molecules have stable characteristics.

　　[C]The data recorded with bR can be kept for a long time.

　　[D]The new device will replace conventional storage device.

　　答案：BDCAC

　　Carly Fiorina， Hewlett-Packard's chief executive， came out fighting on November 14th. In a conference call with analysts， she announced better-than-expected quarterly results， even though profits were down. Ms Fiorina also reiterated why she believes her $24 billion plan to acquire Compaq is the best way forward for HP， despite objections by Hewlett and Packard family members. Last week Walter Hewlett， whose father co-founded the company， expressed concern that the merger would increase HP's exposure to the shrinking PC market and would distract managers from the more important task of navigating through the recession.

　　There are two ways to defend the deal. One is to point out its advantages， which is what Ms Fiorina did this week. Merging with Compaq， she said， would enable HP to reach its goals faster than it could on its own. The deal would improve HP's position in key markets such as storage and high-end computing， as well as the economics of its PC business. It would double the size of HP's sales force and broaden its customer base， providing more potential clients for its services and consulting arms. It would improve cashflow， margins and efficiency by adding “breadth and depth” to HP. “Having spent the last several months planning the integration of these two companies， we are even more convinced of the power of this combination，” Ms Fiorina concluded.

　　It sounds too good to be true， and it almost certainly is. But the other way to defend the deal is to point out that， even if it was a bad idea to start with， abandoning it could be even worse——a view that， unsurprisingly， Ms Fiorina chose not to advance， but is being quietly put forward by the deal's supporters.

　　Scrapping the merger would be extremely painful for a number of reasons. Since the executive teams of both firms have committed themselves to the deal， they would be utterly discredited if it fell apart， and would probably have to go. Under the terms of the merger agreement， HP might have to pay Compaq as much as $675m if it backed out. The two firms would be considerably weakened; they would also be rivals again， despite having shared confidential technical and marketing information with each other over the past few months. In short， it would all be horribly messy. What can be done to save the deal? Part of the problem is that HP has no plan B. “They need a brand-recovery effort immediately，” says one industry analyst. HP must give the impression that it is strong and vital， rather than desperate， and that its future is not dependent on the deal going forward. That could make the merger look more attractive and bring investors back on board.

　　This week's results will certainly help. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation， which owns just over one-tenth of HP's shares， will decide whether to back the merger in the next few weeks， and HP's shareholders are to vote on it early next year. The more credible HP's plan B， the less likely it is that it will be needed.

　　注(1)：本文选自Economist; 11/17/2001， p58， 1/2p， 1 graph;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2004年真题Text 1;

　　1. What is Ms Fiorina‘s attitude toward the merging of HP and Compaq?

　　[A]Reserved consent.

　　[B]Strong disapproval.

　　[C]Enthusiastic support.

　　[D]Slight contempt.

　　2. Which of the following is not the good reason to promote the merger?

　　[A]The majority of the firm are in favor of the merger.

　　[B]No combination is even worse than merger.

　　[C]It can bring about a lot of advantages.

　　[D]There is no plan B to save the firm from trouble.

　　3. The expression “The more credible HP's plan B， the less likely it is that it will be

　　needed.“(Last Line， Last Paragraph) most probably indicates _____________.

　　[A]plan B can win people‘s trust

　　[B]the merger needs people‘s trust in plan B

　　[C]the reliance on plan B determines the success of the merger

　　[D]appearing not to be dependent on the merger will make the merger go well

　　4. What can we learn from paragraph 4?

　　[A]The executive teams of both firms can benefit a lot from the merger.

　　[B]The future of HP depends much on the merger.

　　[C]The two sides are eager to make this deal.

　　[D]Plan B can save HP out of trouble.

　　5. What is the author‘s attitude toward the merger of HP?

　　[A]Negative.

　　[B]Supportive.

　　[C]Objective.

　　[D]Apprehensive.

　　答案：CADBC

　　Hauling yourself up by the bootstraps has never been easy. But computers do this every time they are turned on-hence the verb "to boot". Booting a computer takes valuable time, compounded by the rebooting that is inevitably necessary whenever a computer freezes.

　　The reason that this process takes so long is that a computer's operating system must be loaded from its hard disk into its random-access memory (RAM) every time the machine is turned on. Unlike magnetic tapes or hard disks, RAM is an electric form of memory. It is, in effect, an array of tiny capacitors which, when charged, represent a binary "1" and, when not charged, represent a binary "o". This has allowed them to be much faster than magnetic memory, in which the binary digits ("bits") are represented by magnetically polarised regions rather than electric charges. The big problem with electric memory, however, is that it is volatile-the capacitors have to be recharged frequently so that they can continue to remember a"1". When a computer is turned off, they lose all the data stored in them.

　　The race has been on to build nonvolatile high-speed memories that will allow computers to be turned on and off like televisions. Whichever technology wins is almost certain to be used in all new computers, so the stakes are high. Motorola, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard are all developing magnetic RAM (MRAM) which seems poised to become the nonvolatile technology of choice. Both Motorola and IBM have announced plans to bring the technology to market within 18 months, advancing their initial target date of 2004. Besides turning instantly on, computers equipped with such chips would consume less power, making the technology ideal for satellites and portable gizmos.

　　MRAM works by etching a grid of criss-crossing wires on a chip in two layers-with the horizontal wires being placed just below the vertical wires. At each intersection, a "magnetic tunnel junction" (MTJ) is created that serves as a switch-and thus as a repository for a single bit of memory. The MTJ is essentially a small magnet whose direction is easily flipped. Common materials for the MTJ include chromium dioxide and iron-cobalt alloys.

　　Earlier this year, Motorola unveiled a prototype MRAM chip that stores 256 kilobits and has a cycle time for reading and writing data of less than 50 nanoseconds (billionths of a second). That puts it in the same league as conventional dynamiC-RAM (DRAM) chips. IBM, collaborating with Germany's Infineon Technologies, has developed a one megabit (million bit) MRAM chip at its laboratories in East Fishkill, New York.

　　There is still a long way to go before MRAM is ready for prime time. Neither IBM nor Motorola, for instance, is expected to go into mass production until they prove that they can make 256 megabit chips-the standard memory module used today. But, as total sales of computer memory in 2000 were estimated by Semico Research Corporation to have been worth $48 billion, manufacturers have a considerable incentive to ensure that MRAM becomes a serious challenger for DRAM'S crown.

　　注(1)：本文选自Economist; 9/22/2001, p8, 1/3p;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2004年真题Text 3;

　　1. By the word “volatile”(Line 7, Paragraph 2), the author means _________.

　　[A]difficult to start.

　　[B]slow running.

　　[C]time-consuming.

　　[D]easy to lose data.

　　2. How does the author feel about the future of MRAM?

　　[A]Optimistic.

　　[B]Discouraging.

　　[C]Confused.

　　[D]Indifferent.

　　3. When mentioning “the stakes are high”(Line 3, Paragraph 3) the author means

　　___________.

　　[A]the risks are very high

　　[B]the payments are very good

　　[C]the applications are very wide

　　[D]the users are very satisfied

　　4. Why are Motorola, IBM, and HP all developing MRAM?

　　[A]they are most likely to have big profits.

　　[B]there is a severe competition among them.

　　[C]turning-on computer takes too much time for their users.

　　[D]the working speed of the computer is so slow.

　　5. Which of the following is not the characteristic of the computer equipped with MRAM?

　　[A]instant turning-on and turning-off.

　　[B]less consumption of power.

　　[C]huge memory module

　　[D]lasting stored data.

　　答案：DABAC

　　篇章剖析

　　本文是一篇说明文，文章主要介绍了能够达到瞬间开机的磁存储器的开发原因、运做原理以及具体的研究及开发情况。第一段指出开机和关机花费时间;第二段分析其原因，把电存储器和磁存储器进行了对比;第三段指出这种磁存储器的性能优势;第四段指出磁存储器的运做原理;第五段指出这种磁存储器的最新开发情况;最后一段指出磁存储器的发展前景。

　　词汇注释

　　poise [pCiz] vt. 使(重量)相等, 使(保持)平衡, 使悬着;作(投标枪一样的)姿势; 使(头等)保持一定姿势[位置];仔细考虑; 使作好准备;使悬而不决, 犹豫, 踌躇

　　DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory的缩写)动态随机存取存储器;[动态随机接达记忆器]

　　a run for one’s money [口] 1. 激烈的竞争2. 出了钱(或力)而得到的满足

　　haul [hC:l] vt. 拖, 拉, 曳;硬拖;强迫做硬拖强拉(特别用于审讯)

　　bootstrap [5bu:tstrAp] n. 引导程序;自举技术[设备];【动】自举,引导;[靴带式;启动程序]

　　boot [5bu:t] vt. n.启动，引导

　　compound[5kRmpaJnd]v.使增加;增加

　　reboot [ri:5bu:t] vt. n. 重新启动，重新引导

　　RAM=Random Access Memory 随机存取存贮器

　　volatile [5vClEtail] adj. (液体等)挥发(性)的, 易发散的;轻快的, 轻浮的;易变的, 短暂的; 非永久性的;易失的(电源切断后信息消失); 反复无常的

　　stake [steik] n. [pl.] 赌物; 赌金;[pl.]奖金[品];利害关系, 风险;(下在投机生意上的)股本[份]

　　of choice优先选择的，在同一类或同一组中比别的更受欢迎的，精选的

　　gizmo n. 小发明，新玩艺儿，小物件(忘记了名字、不知道名称或不道出名称时使用的词)

　　grid [^rid] n. 格栅, 格子;【电】(蓄电池中的)铅板;【无】栅极

　　etch [etF] vt, vi. (常与on, upon连用)(用酸在金属上)蚀刻

　　criss-crossing n. 十字交叉形

　　magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) 磁隧道结

　　repository [rI5pRzItErI; (?@) -tC:rI] n. 贮藏室, 智囊团, 知识库, 仓库

　　flip vi.【非正式用语】翻转，颠倒;突然转向

　　chromium dioxide 二氧化铬

　　Iron-Cobalt alloy铁钴合金

　　prime time n. 黄金时段，黄金时间(通常指晚间七时至11时电视观众最多的时段)

　　难句突破

　　Booting a computer takes valuable time, compounded by the rebooting that is inevitably necessary whenever a computer freezes.

　　主体句式：Booting a computer takes time …

　　结构分析：本句是一个简单句。现在分词短语“booting a computer”做句子主语;“compounded”之前省去了“which is”;“by”的成分是伴随状语;“that”引导定语从句来修饰“rebooting”;“whenever”引导时间状语从句。

　　句子译文：启动计算机要花费宝贵时间，但每当计算机死机后，重新启动又是不可避免、绝对必要的，这就更花时间。

　　题目分析

　　1.答案为D，属猜词题。这是一个在文中出现频率较高的单词。第一段指出开机和关机花费时间;第二段分析其原因，把电存储器和磁存储器进行了对比：电存储器比磁存储器快，但是它的缺点是“it is volatile”，句子“When a computer is turned off, they lose all the data stored in them.”是对这个单词做出的解释。

　　2. 答案为A，属情感态度题。原文对应信息是“But, as total sales of computer memory in 2000 were estimated by Semico Research Corporation to have been worth $48 billion, manufacturers have a considerable incentive to ensure that MRAM becomes a serious challenger for DRAM'S crown.”

　　3. 答案为B，属推理判断题。无论哪种技术取胜，该技术肯定会在所有新计算机里被采用，而且据Semico市场调研公司估计，2000年电脑内存的总销售额是480亿美元，因此对于制造商来说，这是相当大的刺激因素来保证使MRAM成为代替DRAM的一个真正的挑战者。

　　由此，我们可以说回报是相当高的。

　　4. 答案为A，属事实细节题。原文对应信息是“But, as total sales of computer memory in 2000 were estimated by Semico Research Corporation to have been worth $48 billion, manufacturers have a considerable incentive to ensure that MRAM becomes a serious challenger for DRAM'S crown.”

　　5. 答案为C，属事实细节题。从句子“Neither IBM nor Motorola, for instance, is expected to go into mass production until they prove that they can make 256 megabit chips-the standard memory module used today.”我们知道现在这些公司还不能生产出比标准模块更大的内存模块，因此选项C是不对的，其它选项在文中都可找到对应信息。

　　In a ditty for the stage， W.S. Gilbert once gave warning that “Things are seldom what they seem/Skim milk masquerades as cream.” If appearances were tricky in 1878， they have just become trickier still. By doubling the resolution of existing liquid-crystal displays (LCDS)， IBM has created a monitor which， when viewed from 18 inches away or farther， shows images that the human eye finds indistinguishable from the real thing.

　　The T220， as it is called， measures 22 inches across the diagonal， and displays 9.2m picture elements (“pixels”)。 That gives it a resolution of 200 pixels per inch， twice the previous state of the art. This achievement has come as a result of gradual improvements in optics， liquid-crystal chemistry and microelectronics made by IBM groups in Yamato， Japan， and Yorktown Heights， New York.

　　LCDs work by sandwiching a thin sheet of liquid crystals-in this case， thin-film transistors-between two narrowly separated panes of glass. Typically， small glass spheres have held the two panes of glass apart， impairing by refraction the performance of the display. IBM has replaced the spheres with small posts， which are located in the interstices between pixels， and so do not disturb the light as it leaves the excited liquid crystal. In the past， attempts to achieve such high pixel rates have been stymied by the build-up of electrical static， which caused problems with the brightness of the screens. The IBM groups have solved this by using a laser to scan back and forth across the glass， preventing the build up of static electricity.

　　At a current retail price of $22，000， the T220 is hardly going to be flying off the shelves. But it will be ideal for hospitals. Historically， radiology has been a driving force behind the development of high-resolution screens. And the T220's price tag will go almost unnoticed when attached to MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT (computerised tomography) scanning machines. Until now， no monitor has been able to display the 5m pixels of data that a typical CT-scanning machine produces. The ability to reproduce the data with perfect fidelity should help radiologists make more accurate diagnoses from the computer screen.

　　According to Bob Artemenko， director of marketing and strategy for IBM'S business display unit， the new screen could also help petroleum engineers to speed up their analysis of where to drill from one month to one day. Similarly， the higher fidelity will allow CAD (computer-aided design) systems， especially in the motor and aerospace industries， to work faster-because the detail revealed by the new monitor can cut out costly prototype-building exercises. RAM'S idea is that the new monitor will allow designers of all sorts to go straight from computer image to final product， eliminating many costly and time-consuming middle stages.

　　With prices of more conventional 15 inch LCDs now below $500， IBM is expected to shift its engineering effort from achieving high resolution to lowering costs. How long before the T22o starts showing up in high-end laptops? Judging from previous experience， it could happen sooner than most people think

　　注(1)：本文选自Economist; 9/22/2001， p7， 2p， 1c;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2004年Text 1;

　　1. How does the author introduce the topic?

　　[A]Posing a contrast.

　　[B]Justifying an assumption.

　　[C]Making a comparison.

　　[D]Explaining a phenomenon.

　　2. Which of the following is not the advantage of the T220?

　　[A]Reasonable price.

　　[B]Time-saving.

　　[C]Cost-saving.

　　[D]High fidelity.

　　3. The expression “stymied”(Line 6， Paragraph 3) most probably means _____________.

　　[A]limited

　　[B]controlled

　　[C]improved

　　[D]hindered

　　4. Why does the hospital ignore the price tag of T220?

　　[A]T220 creates a driving force for the medical staff.

　　[B]T220 guarantees a more accurate diagnosis.

　　[C]CT-scanning machine fails to produce such high fidelity images.

　　[D]T220 owns the ability to reproduce data with perfect fidelity.

　　5. What is the current problem IBM facing?

　　[A]Achieving high resolution.

　　[B]Pursuing more applications.

　　[C]Lowering the price.

　　[D]Reducing the size of the screen.

　　答案：CADBC

　　DOTCOMS may be moribund， but inside companies， the Internet is still finding cost-saving new uses. “B2E——business-to-employee——didn't have a crash，” says Bipin Patel， in charge of developing the potential of the corporate intranet at the Ford Motor Company. “It's still growing.”

　　Ford has gone further than most companies to get its employees online： it offered its American employees personal computers， and 90% of them accepted. Ford hopes that the free PCs will save its own and its employees' time by moving services online. General Motors， Ford's great rival， considered a similar scheme but found that most employees willing to use PCs already had them. It is helping staff to pay for high-bandwidth connections instead.

　　At Ford， the human-resources department has pioneered a scheme to provide up-to-the-minute information to employees about pay and benefits. In the past， employees sometimes found that it took weeks to get a copy of the pay information they needed to do their tax returns， and the department's staff spent mind-numbing hours answering the same questions from hundreds of different employees. Now employees can look at a password-protected site that displays their payslips over the previous 18 months. They can see all deductions， and the hours they worked. All this information was on the human-resources database： displaying it to employees has saved staff time.

　　“People want more and more of this self-service information， which they can manage themselves，” observes Mr Patel. “There is no such thing as information overload here， because it's their information.” Even training seems to work better online： Ford employees can now download a range of courses， including one on “Listening and Handling Tough Situations”， all designed for digestion in ten- or 15-minute gobbets. The company claims to have cut training costs by $2m during the past six months， as fewer people leave their desks to learn.

　　The company also uses its intranet to communicate with its staff around the world. Jacques Nasser， Ford's boss， sends out “Let's chat” notes once a week. In fact， Mr Nasser does most of the chatting. He gets hundreds of e-mails in reply， but the communication is basically a one-way flow. The company also runs chatrooms， in which employees can question various inhouse experts and outside analysts live on the corporate intranet.

　　In time， thinks Mr Patel， communications technology will reshape corporate behaviour. It will encourage collaboration and team-working. Already， the Internet is causing disintermediation within companies， he argues， just as it did in e-commerce： the human-resources department does much less administration once the benefits system is more self-service， but rather more advising and consulting. One day， working in human resources might even be fun.

　　注(1)：本文选自Economist; 8/25/2001， p50， 1/3p;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2004年真题Text 1(其中个别题目顺序做了部分调整);

　　1. How does the author introduce his topic?

　　[A]Posing a contrast.

　　[B]justifying an assumption.

　　[C]Explaining a phenomenon.

　　[D]Making a comparison.

　　2. Why did Ford and GM intend to provide their employees with PCs?

　　[A]PCs can help them save a lot.

　　[B]B2E is a growing thing.

　　[C]The employees prefer to use PCs.

　　[D]Proving PCs is a way of competition.

　　3. Which of the following is not the advantage of internet?

　　[A]It can save time.

　　[B]It can save cost.

　　[C]It encourages collaboration and team-working.

　　[D]It makes human-resources department an easy job.

　　4. The expression “a one-way flow”(Line 3， Paragraph 5) most probably means

　　__________.

　　[A]not encouraging open answers

　　[B]only one side asking questions

　　[C]only yes or no questions

　　[D]the topics lack variety

　　5. Which of the following is true according to the text?

　　[A]The Internet can help DOTCOMS come back to life.

　　[B]The courses downloaded are practical， but time-consuming.

　　[C]The internet makes the work of human-resources department more direct and interesting.

　　[D]The employees can manage all the information by themselves.

　　答案：CADBC

　　Just over 20 years ago， IBM introduced the PC jr. Derided as awkward and underpowered， the PC jr. never caught on with kids or parents. But then again， IBM didn't have the Mouse behind it.

　　Backed by a posse of Mickey， Minnie， and Pluto， the Walt Disney Co. is looking to do what IBM never could： successfully market a computer system designed specifically for kids. The Disney Dream Desk PC ($600) and its complementary big-eared， 14.1-inch monitor ($300) are aimed at kids ranging from 6 to 12 years old. But even though the system is embellished with images of Mickey and software featuring Donald Duck and Goofy， the Dream Desk is more than a toy.

　　Using Microsoft Windows XP， the Disney system is based on an Intel Celeron D processor and comes with a 40-gigabyte hard drive plus a combination CD burner and DVD player——serious enough hardware to manage games or homework. As an added feature， there's a stylus that sits in a cradle built into the keyboard. The stylus is a more comfortable pointing device than a mouse for little hands， and it also lets children create their own digital sketches.

　　Teaching tool. On the software side， Disney has included a trio of creativity programs called Disney Flix， Pix， and Mix that lets kids create their own movies， add Disney characters to digital pictures， and compose music. For parents worried about the World Wild Web， Disney has included a ContentProtect program that prevents curious tykes from visiting sites you'd rather they not view. And if you suspect they are using the Net more for games than research， the program will even track your children's surfing and report back to you.

　　By and large， the Disney system succeeds with the Dream Desk. Design elements like the monitor's mouseketeer ears， which conceal speakers， certainly grabbed my 22-month-old daughter's attention. But while she may have enjoyed “playing with Mickey，” parents may wonder if computers for kids are a help or hindrance when it comes to learning. “The danger is that people tend to replace actual human instruction with these computers，” says Reid Lyon， chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health. According to Lyon， computers are a fine tool to help kids learn——as long as there's parental participation.

　　Parents looking for educational titles on the Dream Desk will have to shop elsewhere. Furthermore， the total system price is about $150 more than comparably equipped plain-Jane PC s， and some elements of the Disney PC could be improved. Making the LCD monitor touch sensitive would be a nice addition for kids， as would a clear cover to protect the screen from sticky little fingers. In addition， some parents may bridle at the brazen commercialism of having a large orange button on the system's keyboard that takes kids directly to Disney's $9.95-a-month Toontown online game.

　　On the other hand， what parent hasn't succumbed to a son or daughter's desire for a SpongeBob toy， Spiderman lunchbox， or Dora backpack? And while this PC may have big ears， it's not just some Mickey Mouse computer.

　　注(1)：本文选自U.S. News & World Report; 10/18/2004， p87-87， 2/3p， 1c;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2004年真题Text 1(个别题目稍做调整);

　　1. How can the Walt Disney Co. make a computer system popular with the kids?

　　[A]The images of the Walt Disney Co. are deeply rooted in kids‘ heart.

　　[B]The Dream Desk is just like a super toy.

　　[C]The computer system is designed specifically for kids.

　　[D]Kids can use the computer system for games and doing homework.

　　2. Which of the following is not the description of the Dream Desk?

　　[A]Learning and playing are perfectly combined in this computer system.

　　[B]The hardware is enough for the use of a kid.

　　[C]The software takes the kids‘ needs and parents’ worry into consideration.

　　[D]The Dream Desk decorated with the image of Mickey catches the kids‘ eyes.

　　3. How can the parents take full advantage of the computer in the learning of their kids?

　　[A]Not allowing the kids to visit the inappropriate web sites.

　　[B]Using the computer to arouse kids‘ interest in learning.

　　[C]Fully exploring the potential function of the computer.

　　[D]Working together with their kids.

　　4. Which of the following is not true according to Paragraph 6?

　　[A]The Dream Desk does not have price advantage.

　　[B]The Dream Desk has been equipped with sensitive LCD monitor and a clear cover.

　　[C]Some parents have offensive feelings toward the orange button indicating commercialism.

　　[D]The computer system fails to cater for all the parents.

　　5. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

　　[A]The big ears make this PC look like a big toy that many kids long for.

　　[B]Parents always try their best to satisfy their kids‘ needs.

　　[C]Parents find it difficult to refuse to buy their kids such toys as Mickey Mouse computer.

　　[D]Mickey Mouse computer is a computer， rather than a toy.

　　答案：CADBC

　　Say this for the structure of the universe： it does tend to repeat itself. Stars orbit the pivot point at the center of galaxies， planets in turn orbit stars， and moons in turn orbit planets. Last week astronomers writing in the journal Nature announced that this cosmic reductionism goes even further. For the first time， ground-based telescopes spotted a tiny moonlet orbiting a mere asteroid in Earth's own solar system.

　　In most respects the asteroid that's causing the celestial stir is nothing remarkable. Known to astronomers as Eugenia， it measures about 133 miles across and is one of thousands of bits of cosmic flotsam in the great rubble stream between Mars and Jupiter. When an international team of astronomers working at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) on Mauna Kea in Hawaii turned their attention toward Eugenia one evening last fall， however， they spotted something curious. Off on the upper-left corner of the fuzzy-looking image was another smear of light they couldn't identify. “These blobs are often artifacts of the optics，” says astronomer William Merline， head of the team， “but this blob hung around. Once we saw it was moving in a pattern consistent with an orbit， we knew it was a satellite.”

　　The Hawaii discovery did not mark the first time a moonlet had been found around an asteroid. In 1993 the Galileo spacecraft sped past the 20-mile-wide asteroid Ida and spotted a scrap of moon just under a mile wide circling it. But the only way Galileo could detect the tiny target was to fly there across many millions of miles of space and do its exploring up close. Now， thanks to new optics in the CFHT， it's possible to search for moonlets from the comfortable perch of a faraway Earth.

　　Light streaming in from space tends to get distorted by the planet's atmosphere， causing a star's familiar twinkle. The CFHT， however， is equipped with optical hardware that lets it calibrate itself on the light from a known star——whose degree of atmospheric distortion will generally be predictable——and then use that information to correct the distortion of other， unknown bodies. A little fiddling with the incoming image and even the blurriest picture snaps right into focus.

　　Already the discovery of the moonlet is paying scientific dividends. By analyzing the orbit of the satellite， astronomers are drawing surprising inferences about the composition of Eugenia itself. Most asteroids are thought to be about three times as dense as water， but Eugenia is barely 20% denser， suggesting it either is made of loosely packed rubble or is rich in ordinary ice. Further analysis could help settle the question， and more discoveries of more moonlets could shed similar light on Eugenia's asteroid-belt sisters.

　　注(1)：本文选自Time，10/18/99， p83;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2004年真题text 3;

　　1. By saying “it does tend to repeat itself”， the author means ___________.

　　[A] the structure of the universe always appears again and again

　　[B] the universe itself is liable to repeat

　　[C] the stars in the universe always orbit the pivot point at the center of the galaxies

　　[D] the structure of celestial bodies in the universe are really always similar

　　2. By “the fuzzy-looking image”，(Line 6，Paragraph 2)the author is actually referring

　　to______.

　　[A] Eugenia

　　[B] a artifact

　　[C] a satellite

　　[D] the orbit

　　3. How do people think of the new optics at the GFHT?

　　[A] comfortable

　　[B] helpful

　　[C] thankful

　　[D] faraway

　　4. Why can little fiddling with the incoming image and even the blurriest picture snap right

　　into focus?

　　[A] The optical hardware makes this possible.

　　[B] The stars‘ twinkle helps a lot.

　　[C] The atmospheric distortion gives help.

　　[D] The information from unknown stars can be used.

　　5. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

　　[A] The discovery of moonlet is paying money now.

　　[B] More discoveries of more moonlets could give light to other similar asteroids.

　　[C] The Eugenia is not as dense as most asteroids.

　　[D] Eugenia is certainly made of small rubbles.

　　答案：D A B A C

　　Five days before the opening move of Kasparov vs. the World， the chess champion sat in a fashionable Manhattan restaurant fighting off symptoms of a nasty head cold. Hunched over a cup of hot lemon juice and pinching his throat in pain， Garry Kasparov didn't look quite ready to rumble with the rest of the human race. Was this the world team's last， best hope at victory? Don't count on it. “There will，” Kasparov says firmly， “be no mistakes in this game.”

　　You'd better believe it. The tournament， which kicks off this Monday， pits the greatest living chess player in a single match against all comers on the Internet. Anybody who logs on (at www.zone.com) can vote on a variety of moves suggested by a panel of young grand masters. The most popular move is made; 24 hrs. later， Kasparov responds. And a few sniffles aren't likely to prevent the mighty Russian from beating amateur pawn pushers like you or me into a bloody pulp. “I don't expect us to win or anything，” says Irina Krush， the 15-year-old U.S. women's chess champ and world-team coach， “but it'll be a fun game.”

　　And a closely watched one too. Quite apart from being a timely test of war by committee (take note， NATO)， it's Kasparov's first public confrontation with computer technology since his match with IBM's Deep Blue in 1997. Those games， billed as a historic confrontation between man and machine， ended with man's humiliating defeat (and petulant calls by Kasparov for IBM to hand over Deep Blue's printouts; two years later， they still refuse)。

　　This time， however， man and machine will work in harmony——on both sides. Kasparov and many of his opponents will be consulting vast databases of past games and plotting computer-assisted strategies， a practice as common in chess now as using calculators to do long division. What's new here is the vast scale. In the long run， Kasparov vs. the World may tell us more about chess and human thought processes than Deep Blue ever could. “The result is irrelevant，” says Kasparov， himself a part-time computer scientist and Internet addict. “It's a big experiment.”

　　Indeed， you could say Kasparov is experimenting on us. The idea of playing a match in cyberspace was his， and the grand master has carefully controlled the setup from start to finish. He chose the game's host——Microsoft——for its software and marketing muscle. He insisted on up-and-coming chess prodigies to lead the world team——rather than more famous rivals like Anatoly Karpov or Nigel Short——so it wouldn't become a grudge match. And he set the 24-hr. gap between moves to ensure an antiseptic game， with none of the silly blunders you get in speed chess.

　　All well and good. But isn't there any way we lab rats can beat the chess scientist? Grand master Daniel King， who will do the commentary， thinks the sluggish time frame could actually work in our favor. Kasparov， he says， “thrives on pressure situations” and may play less aggressive chess at a leisurely pace. Let's hope so. Otherwise， we'll have to start rooting for the head cold.

　　注(1)：本文选自Time; 06/28/99， p55， 2/3p， 2c;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2004年真题Text1;

　　1. What is Kasparov‘s attitude toward this match?

　　[A]Reserved.

　　[B]Proud.

　　[C]Confident.

　　[D]Indifferent

　　2. Which of the following is not the description of this match?

　　[A]It is a confrontation between man and computer.

　　[B]It is a match between one and the rest of the world.

　　[C]The vast scale makes this match different from the former ones.

　　[D]This match involves long match hours.

　　3. The expression “beating amateur pawn pushers like you or me into a bloody pulp”(Line

　　4， Paragraph 1) indicates that _____________.

　　[A]the amateurs have no intention to defeat Kasparov

　　[B]the amateurs have great confidence in themselves

　　[C]the amateurs can become mighty competitors

　　[D]the common participants can be easily defeated

　　4. What is the author‘s attitude toward Kasparov?

　　[A]Apprehensive.

　　[B]Respectful.

　　[C]Contemptible.

　　[D]Indifferent.

　　5. What is Kasparov‘s weak point in this game?

　　[A]He has got a bad cold.

　　[B]He has too many rivals.

　　[C]Less pressure makes him inactive.

　　[D]The match hours are too long.

　　答案：CADBC

　　Bryant Linares has one heck of a secret family recipe： how to make world-class diamonds. Seven years ago his father， Robert， produced a diamond in a high-pressure chamber of carbon gas and dropped it into an acid solution to clean it off. When he returned the next morning， he expected to find the usual yellow stone——a crude artificial diamond of some use to industry， perhaps， but not the stuff of dreams. At first there didn't seem to be any stone at all. Then he saw， at the bottom of the beaker， so clear it was almost invisible， a perfect quarter-carat crystal of pure carbon. “It was the eureka moment，” says Bryant. His father had managed what many scientists had given up on long ago： to manufacture a stone that wouldn't look out of place on an engagement ring.

　　Man-made diamonds are nothing new——industry started making them in the 1950s， and each year about 80 tons of low-quality synthetic diamonds are used in tools like drill bits and sanders. High-quality crystals， though， open up huge possibilities， jewelry being the least of them. Scientists are most excited about the prospect of making diamond microchips. As chips have shrunk over the years， engineers have struggled with ways of dissipating the heat they create. Because silicon， the main component of semiconductors， breaks down at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit， some experts believe a new material will be needed in a decade or so. Diamonds might fit the bill. They can withstand 1，000 degrees， and electrons move through them so easily that they would tend not to heat up in the first place. Engineers could cram a lot more circuits onto a diamond-based micro-chip——if they could perfect a way of making pure crystals cheaply.

　　The race is on. After working in secrecy for years refining their technique， the Linareses' company， Apollo Diamond， now spits out 20 carats a week， both for jewelry and for diamond wafers that could be fashioned into microchips. Rivals have also been busy. Gemesis， a Sarasota， Fla.， firm， has developed a “diamond growth chamber”——a press that squeezes out high-quality diamonds in much the same way that the early presses made rough ones. Gemesis is making blue diamonds——rare and sought-after gemstones.

　　Chipmakers are also getting into the act. The Japanese firm Nippon Telegraph and Telephone has already made prototype diamond semiconductors， and the Japanese government is actively promoting the technology. Most U.S. research is going on in universities and military labs， but Intel has recently taken an interest. Before the technology is ready for prime time， chipmakers will have to come up with a way to keep out impurities during manufacturing. And the attribute that makes diamonds so attractive——their hardness——also makes them difficult to manipulate.

　　The new diamonds are likely to show up first as tiny light-emitting diodes， or LEDs， in flat-screen displays and high-definition televisions. And then， of course， there's jewelry. Although synthetics still carry a stigma， even experts can't tell the difference. Natural-diamond merchants claim they aren't worried， but De Beers has made a device that can distinguish between the natural stones and the synthetics and is distributing it to jewelers. Will consumers care? We might find out next year when Gemesis is ready to market its blue diamonds in the United States.

　　注(1)：本文选自Newsweek，10/25/2004， p60-61， 2p， 3c

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2002年真题Text 4

　　1. From the first paragraph， we learn that______________.

　　[A] All the diamonds are almost invisible.

　　[B] Many scientists had tried hard to make perfect crystals long time ago.

　　[C] His father expected to find a diamond used in industry.

　　[D] Diamond are produced with carbon gas.

　　2. Which of the following statements is not true according to the text?

　　[A] Diamond can withstand higher degree than silicon.

　　[B] The main component of semiconductors will be replaced in a few years.

　　[C] High-quality crystals have least usages， esp. in jewelry.

　　[D] Engineers could not find perfect ways of making pure crystal cheaply.

　　3. According to the passage， why can the companies increase and perfect their production

　　of diamond?

　　[A] They all work in secrecy.

　　[B] They have improved their techniques.

　　[C] They have developed their own diamond chambers.

　　[D] They have turned the rough diamond to high-quality one‘s.

　　4. Which of the following best defines the word “attribute”(Line 5， Paragraph 4)?

　　[A] quality

　　[B] contribution

　　[C] appearance

　　[D] value

　　5. The new diamond is Not first used in___________.

　　[A] LEDs

　　[B] flat-screen display

　　[C] high-definition televisions

　　[D] prototype diamond semiconductor

　　答案：B C B A D

　　Want to travel faster than light? According to one of the most sacred principles of physics， that's impossible. In a vacuum， light travels at 186，282 miles per second， and in a medium like air or water， it goes only a bit slower， which is why when you turn on your bedside lamp， you don't have to wait half an hour before the light gets to your pillow. But now it turns out that with the right equipment， scientists can get light to go very， very slowly——as slow as 38 miles per hour. They think they can get it to move even slower， around two hundredths of a mile per hour.

　　Putting the brakes on light might have applications years down the road， but right now it's a fascinating new physical property. To get there， physicists led by Lene Vestergaard Hau of the Rowland Institute for Science in Cambridge， Mass.， used a tiny blob of supercooled sodium， activated with a laser at a particular wavelength. A second laser can then be fired through the normally opaque sodium; it passes through， but not much faster than a racehorse can run.

　　The experiment， reported in last week's issue of the journal Nature， took advantage of a peculiar property called electromagnetically induced transparency. Every element has a certain color of light with which it interacts most strongly. Light at that exact wavelength would normally be totally absorbed. For sodium， the stuff these researchers used， it's the yellow of common street lights. But a laser at a slightly different wavelength， called a coupling beam， can alter the quantum properties of the atoms so they no longer absorb that wavelength. The quantum seas part， and a laser at the wavelength that should have been absorbed passes through unfettered.

　　But changing the way a medium absorbs light also transforms the way light moves through it. All transparent substances slow down the light that moves through them——that's why light seems to bend， or refract， when it passes from air to water. Electromagnetically induced transparency， says Stanford physicist Steve Harris， spectacularly alters sodium's refractive properties. Light takes seven microseconds to cross a sample only eight thousandths of an inch long; in the vacuum of space， light would go more than a mile in the same time.

　　The sodium slows light the most if it's in a special state， a quantum curiosity called a Bose-Einstein condensate. It's created when atoms are cooled until they stop moving almost entirely. The atoms merge; the quantum wave functions that define them combine into one. ``You need a very pure gas， very cold， and the atoms in it can't be colliding with each other，'' says Eric Cornell， a physicist at the University of Colorado at Boulder and one of the makers of the first Bose-Einstein condensate. Chilled to just billionths of a degree above absolute zero， individual sodium atoms become a single， dense glob， atoms vibrating in lockstep.

　　Superslow light will remain a laboratory curiosity for some time to come. If they can slow photons down enough——Hau is shooting for about a centimeter a second——scientists could make images of the light as it passes by. In theory， it might be brought virtually to a stop， although it's hard to know what you'd do then. Now， if only they could get it to go faster——that would be something.

　　注(1)：本文选自Newsweek; 03/01/99， p61;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2004年真题Text 1;

　　1. What do scientists expect to achieve in the study of light?

　　[A]They want to get rid of absorption of the light.

　　[B]They want to travel faster than light.

　　[C]They want to get the superslow light.

　　[D]They want to get the light to move even faster.

　　2. Which of the following is the advantage of electromagnetically induced transparency?

　　[A]It causes no absorption of light.

　　[B]It makes the color of light much brighter.

　　[C]It stops the passing of light.

　　[D]It changes the nature of light.

　　3. The expression “putting the brakes on light”(Line 1， Paragraph 2) most probably means

　　_______.

　　[A]activating light

　　[B]confining light

　　[C]reserving light

　　[D]slowing down light

　　4. Why does light seem to bend when crossing from air to water?

　　[A]Light is absorbed when entering the water.

　　[B]Transparent substances slow down the light.

　　[C]Light changes its way when entering the water.

　　[D]The water reflects light when light travels across it.

　　5. Which of the following is true according to the text?

　　[A]Superslow light has been applied widely.

　　[B]Light can even be brought to a stop.

　　[C]The research on superslow light still has a long way to go.

　　[D]It is impossible to travel faster than light.

　　答案：CADBC

　　BACK in 1922， Thomas Edison predicted that “the motion picture is destined to revolutionize our educational system and……in a few years it will supplant largely， if not entirely， the use of textbooks.” Well， we all make mistakes. But at least Edison did not squander vast quantities of public money on installing cinema screens in schools around the country.

　　With computers， the story has been different. Many governments have packed them into schools， convinced that their presence would improve the pace and efficiency of learning. Large numbers of studies， some more academically respectable than others， have purported to show that computers help children to learn. Now， however， a study that compares classes with computers against similar classes without them casts doubt on that view.

　　In the current Economic Journal， Joshua Angrist of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Victor Lavy of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem look at a scheme which put computers into many of Israel's primary and middle schools in the mid-1990s. Dr Angrist and Dr Lavy compare the test scores for maths and Hebrew achieved by children in the fourth and eighth grades (ie， aged about nine and 13) in schools with and without computers. They also asked the classes' teachers how they used various teaching materials， such as Xeroxed worksheets and， of course， computer programs. The researchers found that the Israeli scheme had much less effect on teaching methods in middle schools than in elementary schools. It also found no evidence that the use of computers improved children's test scores. In fact， it found the reverse. In the case of the maths scores of fourth-graders， there was a consistently negative relationship between computer use and test scores.

　　The authors offer three possible explanations of why this might be. First， the introduction of computers into classrooms might have gobbled up cash that would otherwise have paid for other aspects of education. But that is unlikely in this case since the money for the programme came from the national lottery， and the study found no significant change in teaching resources， methods or training in schools that acquired computers through the scheme.

　　A second possibility is that the transition to using computers in instruction takes time to have an effect. Maybe， say the authors， but the schools surveyed had been using the scheme's computers for a full school year. That was enough for the new computers to have had a large (and apparently malign) influence on fourth-grade maths scores. The third explanation is the simplest： that the use of computers in teaching is no better (and perhaps worse) than other teaching methods.

　　The bottom line， says Dr Angrist， is that “the costs are clear-cut and the benefits are murky.” The burden of proof now lies with the promoters of classroom computers. And the only reliable way to make their case is， surely， to conduct a proper study， with children randomly allocated to teachers who use computers and teachers who use other methods， including the cheapest of all： chalk and talk.

　　注(1)：本文选自Economist;10/26/2002， p74;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象是1999年真题text4(1， 2， 3， 4)和text1第4题(第5题);

　　1. We can learn from the first paragraph that __________________.

　　[A] motion picture has revolutionized education system

　　[B] Edison‘s prediction has been proved wrong

　　[C] Edison encouraged schools to install cinema screens

　　[D] schools are cautious about Edison‘s idea

　　2. Dr. Angrist and Dr. Lavy have done the following except _______________.

　　[A] comparing the test scores of students in different age groups

　　[B] interviewing teachers about their teaching methods

　　[C] launching the computer program in many Israeli schools

　　[D] explaining students‘ school performance

　　3. According to Dr. Angrist and Dr. Lavy， in the Israeli scheme， students didn‘t make

　　improvement in their test scores because______________.

　　[A] other aspects of education were affected due to cash shortage

　　[B] it was not long enough for the program to take effect

　　[C] there was a negative relationship between computer use and test scores

　　[D] the use of computer was no better than other teaching methods

　　4. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ________________.

　　[A] there hasn‘t been a proper study on this issue yet

　　[B] school authorities should provide proof to support the computer program

　　[C] installing computers in schools costs too much， but has little or no effect

　　[D] chalk and talk work better than computer in teaching

　　5. The author‘s attitude towards governments’ packing computers in schools seems to be

　　___________________.

　　[A] biased

　　[B] indifferent

　　[C] disapproving

　　[D] puzzling

　　答案：BCDAC

　　Carmen Arace Middle School is situated in the pastoral town of Bloomfield， Conn.， but four years ago it faced many of the same challenges as inner-city schools in nearby Hartford： low scores on standardized tests， dropping enrollment and high rates of detention. Then the school's hard-driving principal， Delores Bolton， persuaded her board to shake up the place by buying a laptop computer for each student and teacher to use， in school and at home. For good measure， the board provided wireless Internet access at school. Total cost： $2.5 million.

　　Now， an hour before classes start， every seat in the library is taken by students eager to get online. Fifth-grade teacher Jen Friday talks about sedimentary rocks as students view them at a colorful website. After school， students on buses pull laptops from backpacks to get started on homework. Since the computers arrived， enrollment is up 20%. Disciplinary suspensions are down 80%. Scores on state achievement tests are up 35%. Bolton， who is black， is proud to run “a school with 90% black enrollment that is on the cutting edge.”

　　Indeed， school systems in rural Maine and New York City are eager to follow Arace Middle School's example. Governor Angus King has proposed using $50 million from an unexpected budget surplus to buy a laptop for all of Maine's 17，000 seventh-graders——and for new seventh-graders each fall. The funds would create a permanent endowment whose interest would help buy the computers. The plan， scaled back to $30 million in a compromise with the legislature， is scheduled to be voted on this week.

　　In the same spirit， the New York City board of education voted unanimously on April 12 to create a school Internet portal， which would make money by selling ads and licensing e-commerce sites. The portal will also provide e-mail service for the city's 1.1 million public school students. Profits will be used to buy laptops for each of the school system's 87，000 fourth-graders. Within nine years， all students in grades 4 and higher will have their own computers.

　　Back in Bloomfield， the school board is seeking federal grant money to expand its laptop program to high school students. In the meantime， most of the kinks have been worked out. Some students were using their computers to goof off or visit unauthorized websites. But teachers have the ability to track where students have been on the Web and to restrict them. “That is the worst when they disable you，” says eighth-grade honors student Jamie Bassell. “You go through laptop withdrawal.” The habit is rubbing off on parents. “I taught my mom to use e-mail，” says another eighth-grader， Katherine Hypolite. “And now she's taking computer classes. I'm so proud of her!”

　　注(1)：本文选自Time;05/01/2000， p57;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象是1994年真题text4(1，2，3，4题)和text3第4题(第5题);

　　1. The example of Carmen Arace Middle School in the text is used to ___________.

　　[A] show the challenges schools are faced with today

　　[B] prove that a school with high black enrollment can do well

　　[C] emphasize the importance of computers and the Internet in modern education

　　[D] indicate that laptops can help improve students‘ school performance

　　2. According to the author， students in New York City‘s public schools will ___________.

　　[A] all have their own laptops within nine years

　　[B] become more interested in their class activities with the application of laptop

　　[C] spend more time visiting unauthorized websites with the expansion of the laptop program

　　[D] enjoy e-mail service provided by the city‘s school system in the near future.

　　3. By introducing the laptop program， Delore Bolton has ______________.

　　[A] shaken the beliefs of both teachers‘ and students’

　　[B] witnessed a remarkable improvement in enrollment and students‘ test scores

　　[C] found herself followers all over the country

　　[D] revolutionized class-room teaching in public schools

　　4. The word “kink” (line 2， paragraph 4) most probably means ______________.

　　[A] plan

　　[B] method

　　[C] problem

　　[D] process

　　5. From the passage we learn that __________________.

　　[A] the laptop program also has a positive influence on parents

　　[B] the laptop program in public schools is sponsored mainly by endowment

　　[C] a school Internet portal is the key to a laptop program

　　[D] students generally like the idea of having their online activities tracked

　　答案：DDBCA

 

　　The discovery of planets around distant stars has become like space-shuttle launches-newsworthy but just barely. With some 50 extrasolar planets under their belt， astronomers have to announce something really strange to get anyone's attention.

　　Last week they did just that. Standing in front of colleagues and reporters at the American Astronomical Society's semiannual meeting in San Diego， the world's premier planet-hunting team-astronomer Geoffrey Marcy of the University of California， Berkeley， and his colleagues-presented not one but two remarkable finds. The first is a pair of planets， each about the mass of Jupiter， that whirl around their home star 15light years from Earth in perfect lockstep. One takes 30 days to complete an orbit， the other exactly twice as long. Nobody has ever seen such a configuration. But the second discovery is far stranger-a solar system 123 light-years away in the constellation Serpens， that harbors one “ordinary” planet and another so huge-17 times as massive as Jupiter-that nobody can quite figure out what it can be. It is， says Marcy， “a bit frightening”。

　　What's frightening is that these discoveries make it clear how little astronomers know about planets， and they add to the dawning realization that our solar system-and by implication Planet Earth-may be a cosmic oddball. For years theorists figured that other stars would have planets more or less like the ones going around the sun. But starting with the 1995 discovery of the first extrasolar planet-a gassy monster like Jupiter but orbiting seven times as close to its star as Mercury orbits around our sun-each new find has seemed stranger than the last. Searchers have found more “hot Jupiters” like that first discovery. These include huge planets that career around their stars not in circular orbits but in elongated ones; their gravity would send any Earthlike neighbors flying off into space. Says Princeton astronomer Scott Tremaine： “Not a single prediction for what we'd find in other systems has turned out to correct.”

　　Last week's giant was the most unexpected discovery yet. Conventional theory suggests that it must have formed like a star， from a collapsing cloud of interstellar gas. Its smaller companion， only seven times Jupiter's mass， is almost certainly a planet， formed by the buildup of gas and dust left over from a star's formation. Yet the fact that these two orbs are so close together suggests to some theorists that they must have formed together-so maybe the bigger one is a planet after all.

　　Or maybe astronomers will have to rethink their definition of “planet”。 Just because we put heavenly objects into categories doesn't mean the distinctions are necessarily valid. And as Tremaine puts it， “When your classification schemes start breaking down， you know you're learning something exciting. This is wonderful stuff.”

　　注(1)：本文选自Time; 01/22/2001， p51;

　　注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象：第1题模仿1998年Text5第1题;第2题模仿Text4第2题;第3题模仿1993年Text2第1题;第4题模仿1999年Text1第3题;第5题模仿1997年Text4第4题;

　　1. The author believes that .

　　[A] the discovery of planets is as important as the launch of space shuttles

　　[B] astronomers have been making a lot of discoveries of planets

　　[C] the public have no interest in astronomical discoveries

　　[D] there is little for astronomers to discover now

　　2. The two finds are remarkable in that .

　　[A] the planets are far from our solar system

　　[B] the sizes of the planets are too huge

　　[C] astronomers have never seen similar orbiting pattern and size before

　　[D] scientists can not figure out what they can be

　　3. By saying that our solar system “may be a cosmic oddball”， the author intends to render the idea that .

　　[A] other stars have planets more or less like the one going around the sun

　　[B] the orbits of extrasolar planets around their stars are elongated ones

　　[C] the way planets orbiting around the sun in our solar system is quite unique

　　[D] planets in other systems are generally huger than the ones in ours

　　4. The case of the giant heavenly body demonstrates that .

　　[A] conventional theory can not explain such astronomical phenomenon satisfactorily

　　[B] it is either a star or a planet

　　[C] it was formed like a star and orbits like a planet

　　[D] theorists give a wrong definition of “planet”

　　5. The best title for this passage could be .

　　[A] New Planetary Puzzlers

　　[B] Two Remarkable Finds

　　[C] A Redefinition of “Planet”

　　[D] “Hot Jupiters” Challenging Conventional Theory

　　答案：B C C A A

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