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[多选题]共用题干 The Race Into SpaceAmerican millionaire Dennis Tito will always be famous.He was the first tourist in space."I spent sixty years on Earth and eight days in space and from my viewpoint,it was two separate lives,"Tito explained.He loxed his time in space."Being in space and looking back at the earth is one of the most rewarding experi-ences a human being can have."This kind of experience isn't cheap.It cost$20 million.However,Tito achieved his dream,so he was happy."For me it was a life dream.It was a dream that began when I didn't have any money,"he told reporters.On 24th,April 2002,Mark Shuttleworth became the world's second space tourist.Shuttleworth is a South African businessman.At the age of twenty-eight,he also paid $20 million for the eight-day trip.Both Tito and Shuttleworth bought their tickets from a company called Space Adventures.The company has around 100 people already on their waiting list for flights into space.The spaceship to take them doesn't exist yet.Many of the customers are people who like adventure.They are the kind of people who also want to climb Mount Qomolangma.Other customers are people who love space.However,these people are worried.Because it's so expensive,only very rich people can go into space.They want space travel to be available to more people.That day may soon be here.InterOrbital Systems(IOS)plans to send up to four tourists a week into space.The tours will depart from an island in Tonga.The company promises a package that includes forty-five days of astronaut training in Russia and California,seven days in space and a vacation in Tonga,for $2 million.However,space flight is still very dangerous.Bill Readdy is NASA's deputy assistant administrator for space flight.He says that the chances of dying are about 1 in 500.Because of this,it may take time before space tourism really takes off.You might be able to go up,but will you come down?
[多选题]共用题干 第一篇An Expensive MistakeIs there water on the planet Mars? Is there life on Mars?Was there ever life on Mars?Scientists from NASA wanted to know the answers to tliese questions.They built a spacecraft to travel around Mars and get informnation.The spacecraft was called the Mars Climate orbiter.The Mars Climate Orbiter left for Mars iii December 1998.The trip took nine and a half months.At first, everything was fine.However.when the Orbiter got near Mars,something terrible happened.The spacecraft didn't go to the right place.It went too close to Mars.it was too hot for the Orbiter there.The spacecraft couldn't function correctly.Suddenly,it stopped sending messages to NASA.The Orbiter was lost.How could this terrible thing happen? How did the Orbiter get closer to Mars than the scientists planned? Finally,they found the anlswer. Two teams of scientists worked together on the Orbiter. One team was in England,and one teann was in the United States.There were many similarities in the way they worked,but there was one important difference:The teams used different guidelines for measuring things.The United States team used the metric systcnni(公制).The oilier team used the English system.Because they used different systems,the scientists made a mathematical mistake.The Orbiter's orbit (the shape and pattern of its path)around Mars was not correct.The scientists put the Orbiter on the wrong path.The Orbiter got too close amid too hot,and it stopped functioning.Why didn'tanybody see the mistake before it was too late?Many things contributed to the problem. One thing was that NASA scientists and mathematicians were working on two other spacecrafts at the same time.This was a challenge,and they were very tired from working long hours.The Mars Climate Orbiter cost $94 million to build.It also cost a lot of money to try to find the lost Or- biter in space.In addition,NASA's research on the cause of the problem was very expensive.This wasn't the first time that two different measurement systems caused mistakes in scientific projects.However,the Mars Climate Orbiter was definitely the most expensive mistake of all! What caused the Orbiter's problem?
[多选题]共用题干 Animal's"Sixth Sense" A tsunami was triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean in December,2004.It killed tens of thousands of people in Asia and East Africa.Wild animals,______(51),seem to have escaped that terrible tsunami."This phenomenon adds weight to notions that they possess a "sixth sense" for ______(52),"experts said. Sri Lankan wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over 24,000 people along the Indian Ocean island's coast clearly______(53)wild beasts,with no dead animals found. "No elephant are dead,not______(54)a dead rabbit.I think animals can______(55) disaster.They have a sixth sense.They know rhen things are happening." H. D.Ratnayake,deputy director of Sri Lanka's Wildlife Department,said about one month after the tsunami attack.The ______(56)washed floodwaters up to 2 miles inland at Yala National Park in the ravaged southeast,Sri Lanka’s biggest wildlife______(57)and home to hundreds of wild elephants and several leopards. "There has been a lot of______(58)evidence about dogs barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes.But it has not been proven," said Matthew van Lierop,an animal behavior______(59)at Johannesburg Zoo. "There have been no______(60)studies because you can't really test it in a lab or field setting."he told Reuters.Other authorities concurred with this_______(61). "Wildlife seems to be able to pick up certain_______(62),especially birds… there are many reports of birds detecting impending disasters,"said Clive Walker,who has written several books on Mrican wildlife. Animals______(63)rely on the known senses,such as smell or hearing,to avoid danger such as predators. The notion of an animal's"sixth sense”-or______(64)other mythical power is an enduring one which the evidence on Sri Lanka's ravaged coast is likely to add to, The Romans saw owls______(65)omens of impending disaster and many ancient cultures viewed elephants as sacred animals endowed with special powers or attributes. 64._________
[多选题]共用题干 Why Buy Shade-Grown Coffee?When people argue about whether coffee is good for health,they're usually thinking of the health of the coffee drinker. Is it good for your heart?Does it increase blood pressure?Does it help you concentrate?However,coffee affects the health of the human population in other ways, too.Traditionally, coffee bushes were planted under the canopy(树冠)of taller indigenous(土生土长的)trees. However, more and more farmers in Latin America are deforesting the land to grow full-sun coffees.At first,this increases production because more coffee bushes can be plan-ted if there aren't any trees.With increased production come increased profits.Unfortunately,deforesting for coffee production immediately decreases local wildlife habitat. Native birds nest and hide from predators(捕食者)in the tall trees and migrating birds rest there.Furthermore,in the long term,the full-sun method also damages the ecosystem because more chemical fertilizers and pesticides are needed to grow the coffee.The fertilizers and pesti- cides kill insects that eat coffee plant,but then the birds eat the poisoned insects and also die. The chemicals kill or sicken other animals as well, and can even enter the water that people will eventually drink.Fortunately,farmers in Central and South America are beginning to grow more coffee bushes in the shade .We can support these farmers by buying coffee with such labels as"shade grown" and"bird friendly."Sure,these varieties might cost a little more.But we're paying for the health of the birds,the land,ourselves,and the planet. I think it's worth it. What does increased production of full-sun coffee bring about?
[多选题]共用题干 Do You Have a Sense of Humor?Humor and laughter are good for us.There is increasing evidence that they can heal us physically mentally,emotionally,and spiritually.In fact,every system of the body responds to laughter in some positive healing way.So how can we get more laughter into our lives?_______(46)Psychologist and author Steve Wilson,has some answers.Many people believe that we are born with a sense of humor.They think,"either you've got it,or you don't."Dr.Wilson points out that this is false._________(47)The parts of the brain and central nervous system that control laughing and smiling are mature at birth.______(48)(After all,when a baby laughs,we don't rush over and say,"That kid has a great sens(of humor!")A sense of humor is something that you can develop over a lifetime.Sometimes people think that they don't have a good sense of humor because they are not good joke tellers Dr.Wilson reminds us that telling jokes is only one of many ways to express humor._______(49)Then we will make others laugh,too.A person who has a true sense of humor is willing and able to see the funny side of everyday life.On of the best definitions of a sense of humor is"the ability to see the nonserious element in a situation".Consider this sign from a store window:"Any faulty merchanJise will be cheerfully replaced with merchandise of equal quality."The store manager probably placed the sign in the window to impress customers with the store's excellent service.________(50)As Dr.Wilson says,"a good sense of humormeans that you don't have to be funny,you just have to see what's funny." _______(49)
[多选题]共用题干 Learning Disorder一Dyslexia As many as 20% of all children in the United States suffer from some form of the learning disorder called dyslexia. Experts on dyslexia say that the problem is not a disease.They say that persons with dyslexia use infor- ination in a di价rent way.One of the world's great thinkers and scientists Albert Einstein was dyslexic.Ein- stein said that he never thought in words the way that most people do.He said that he thought in pictures in- stead.The American inventor Thomas Edisoii was also dyslexic.Dyslexia first was recognized in Europe and the United States more than 80 years ago.Many years passed before doctors discovered that persons with the disorder were not mentally slow or disabled.The doctors found that the brains of persons with dyslexia are different,In most people,the left side of the brain一the part that controls language一is larger than the right side.In persons with dyslexia,the right side of the brain is bigger. Doctors are not sure what causes this difference.However,research has shown that dyslexia is more common in males than in females,and it is found more often in persons who are left-handed.No one knows the cause of dyslexia,but some scientists believe that it may result from chemical changes in a baby's body long before it is born.They are trying to find ways to teach persons with dyslexia. Dyslexic persons think differently and need special kinds of teaching help.After they have solved their problems with language,they often show themselves to be especially intelligent or creative. The left side of the brain in a dyslexic person is bigger than the right side.
[多选题]共用题干 第二篇Communications RevolutionCyberspace,data superhighway,multi-media一for those who have seen the future,the linking of computers television and telephones will change our lives forever. Yet for all the talk of a forthcoming technological utopia little attention has been given to the implications of these developments for the poor. As with all new high technology,while the West concerns itself with the"how",the question of"for whom"is put aside once again.Economists are only now realizing the full extent to which the communications revolution has affected the world economy.Information technology allows the extension of trade across geographical and industrial boundaries,and transnational corporations take full advantage of it.Terms of trade,exchange and interest rates and money movements are more important than the production of goods.The electronic economy made possible by information technology allows the haves to increase their control on global markets一with destruc-tive impact on the have-nots.For them the result is instahiTity.Dcveioping countries which rely on the production of a small range of goods for export are made to feel like small parts in the international economic machine.As"futures"are traded on computer screens,developing countries simply have less and less control of their destinies.So what are the options for regaining control?One alternative is for developing countries to buy in the latest comnputers arid telecommunications themselves一so-called"development communications"moderniza- tiori. Yet this leads to long-term dependency and perhaps permanent constraints on developing countries' economies.Communications technology is generally exported from the U.S.,Europe or Japan;the patents,skills and ability to manufacture remain in the hands of a few industrialized countries.It is also expensive,and im- ported products and servoces must therefore be bought on credit一credit usually provided by the very coun- tries vhose companies stand to gain.Furthermore,when new technology is introduced there is often too low a level of expertise to exploit it for native development.This means that while local elites,foreign communities and subsidiaries of transna- tional corporations may benefit,those whose lives depend on access to the information are denied by it. Why does the author say that the electronic economy may have a destructive impact on developing countries?
[多选题]共用题干 G8 SummitLeaders of the Group of Eight Major Industrialized Nations(G8)will meet in Scotland in July this year. Representatives from China,India,Mexico,South Africa and Brazil have also been invited.Here's what the G8 leaders want from the meeting.British Prime Minister Tony Blair wants the G8 to cancel debt to the world's poorest' countries. He wants them to double aid to Africa to 50 billion pounds by 2010.He has also proposed reducing subsidies to Western farmers and removing restrictions on African exports.This has not got the approval of all members because it will hurt their agricultural interests.On climate change,Blair wants concerted(共同的)action by reducing carbon emissions(排放).US President George W. Bush agrees to give help to Africa. But he says he doesn't like the idea of increasing aid to countries as it will increase corruption.Bush said he would not sign an agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions at the summit,according to media. The US is the only G8 member not to have signed the Kyoto Protocol(《京都议定书》).Although the US is the world's biggest polluter,Bush so far refuses to believe there is sufficient scientific data to establish beyond a doubt that there is a problem.French President Jacques Chirac supports Blair on Africa and climate change.He is determined to get the US to sign the climate change deal.German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder remains doubtful of Blair's Africa proposals.Schroder's officials have dismissed the notion that money will solve Africa's problems as"old thinking".Berlin says that African states should only receive extra money if they can prove they've solved the corruption problem.Russian President Vladimir Putin was doubtful about the value of more aid to Africa. But he has seen a way to make this work to his advantage.Putin intends to use the aid to Africa as a springboard(跳板)next year to propose aid to the former Soviet republics of Georgia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Moldova.Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's priorities are a seat on the UN Security Council, for which he will be lobbying(游说)at the summit. And he's concerned about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear weapons programme.
[多选题]共用题干 Kicking the HabitWhat is a bad habit?The most common definition is that it is something that we do regularly,almost without thinking about it,and which has some sort of negative consequence.This consequence could affect those around us,or it could affect us personally.Those who deny having bad habits are probably lying. Bad habits are part of what makes us human.Many early habits,like sucking our thumb,are broken when we are very young.We are either told to stop doing it by our parents,or we consciously or subconsciously observe that others do not have the same habit,and we gradually grow out of it.It is when we intentionally or unintentionally pick up new habits in our later childhood or early adulthood that it becomes a problem.Unless we can break that habit early on,it becomes a part of our life,and becomes"programmed"into our brain.A recent study of human memory suggests that no matter how hard we try to change our habits,it is the old ways that tend to win,especially in situations where we are rushed,stressed or overworked.Habits that we thought we had got rid of can suddenly come back.During the study programme,the researchers showed a group of volunteers several pictures,and gave them words to associate with them.They then showed the volunteers the same pictures again,and gave them new words to associate with them.A few days later,the volunteers were given a test.The researchers showed them the pictures,and told them to respond with one of the words they had been given for each one.It came as no surprise that their an- swers were split between the first set of words and the second.Two weeks later,they were given the same testagain.This time,most of them only gave the first set of. words.They appeared to have completely forgotten the second set.The study confirms that the responses we learn first are those that remain strongest over time.We may try to change our ways,hut after a while,the response that comes to mind first is usually the first one we learned.The more that response is used,the more automatic it becomes and the harder it becomes to respond in any other way.The study therefore suggests that over time,our had habits also become automatic,learned behavior. This is not good news for people who picked up bad habits early in life and now want to change or break them.Even when we try to put new,good intentions into practice,those previously learned habits remain stronger in more automatic,unconscious forms of memory. Researchers were surprised by the answers that the volunteers gave in the first test.

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