After a fortnight of extraordinary type, the much-feared computer virus that was supposed to strike the globe’s hard drives last Friday simply fizzled. So many warnings were sounded that most computer owners either fed anti-virus programs into their systems or refused to turn the power on during the dreaded M-day. They dodged one disease, but more strains are on the way. The eponymous Friday-the-13th virus is due to strike this week, and the Maltese Amoeba may detonate on March 15.
Who creates these things? A disproportionate number seems to originate in Bulgaria or Russia, where writing the smallest, most elegant virus programs has become a matter of quirky pride. Viruses are transmitted either by shared disks (as was Michelangelo) or over telephone lines. The virus program hides in a computer until, activated by a date, time, or some other trigger, it springs to life. The most common virus, Stoned, makes your screen announce: “Your computer is now stoned. Legalize marijuana. ” (Regardless of your politics, you don’t want this one around; it can damage your files inadvertently.) Solution: either keep your computer isolated—no trading disks, no on-line communication—or else install one of a dozen or so commercially available anti-virus programs that detect and delete the little time bombs. If they can come up with a virus that is hidden, will they next try to extort a business?—as in, pay me $1 million or my virus will destroy your system.
In the meantime, money is being made by firms selling anti-virus programs. Egghead software stores logged a 3,000 percent jump in anti-virus sales. Was the threat overblown by the companies that make millions selling anti-virus software? Thanks to the media blitz, no one will ever know what might have happened—an unallied number of computer owners discovered and deleted Michelangelo before it was supposed to strike—on the artist’s birthday.The much-feared M-day was ________.
| A．Friday-the-13th when the eponymous virus was due to strike |
| B．Friday-the-15th when the Maltese Amoeba would be activated |
| C．the previous Friday when Michelangelo virus was due to strike |
| D．the previous Friday which coincided with the artist's birthday |
Computer viruses are ________.
| A．diseases spread from one computer to another by shared disks |
| B．viruses hidden in a computer’s instructions by the designers |
| C．little time bombs hidden in a computer waiting to be triggered |
| D．just those computer programs created by malevolent designers |
Which of the following sayings fits the Michelangelo virus?
| A．A burnt child dreads the fire. | B．The bug’s bark was worse than its bite. |
| C．A barking dog seldom bites. | D．Once bitten, twice shy. |
The author implies that in days to come the viruses might be used ________.
| A．to destroy data | B．to commit crimes |
| C．to commit mischief | D．to create confusion |
Dolphins are not fish, but warm-blooded animals. They live in groups, and speak to each other in their own language. In this they are like other animals, such as bees and birds. But dolphins are very different from almost all land animals. Their brain is nearly the same size as our own, and they live a long time—at least twenty or thirty years.
Like some other animals, dolphins use sound to help them find their way around. They also make these sounds to talk to each other and to help them find food. We now know they do not use their ears to receive these sounds, but the lower part of the mouth, called the jaw.
Strangely, dolphins seem to like man, and for thousands of years there have been stories about the dolphin and its friendship with people. There is a story about sailors in the 19th century. In a dangerous part of the sea off the coast of New Zealand, they learnt to look for a dolphin called Jack. From 1871 to1903 Jack met every boat in the area and showed it the way. Then in 1903 a passenger on a boat called The Penguin shot and wounded (伤害）Jack. He re-covered and for nine years more continued to guide all ships through the area—except for The Penguin.
Today, some people continue to kill dolphins, but many countries of the world now protect them and in these places it is against the law to kill them. Dolphins are different from many other animals in that they __________.
| A．live in groups |
| B．have large brains |
| C．are warm-blooded |
| D．have their own language |
Why did the sailors off the coast of New Zealand look for Jack?
| A．He was lonely and liked to be with people. |
| B．They enjoyed playing with him. |
| C．He was seriously wounded. |
| D．They wanted his help. |
By telling the story of Jack the writer wanted to show that __________.
| A．dolphins are friendly and clever |
| B．people are cruel to animals |
| C．Jack is different from other dolphins |
| D．dolphins should be protected by law |
Many views are held as to whether or not sharks will attack man. Some people believe that a shark will attack man only when he is near the shark in the wa-ter. Others take the position (见解）that sharks never attack man. The facts show that the truth is between these two positions.
There are thirty-two kinds of sharks, and only three are dangerous to man. These are the hammer head shark, the tiger shark, and the white shark. All sharks are easily frightened and are much more afraid of man than man afraid of them. They have a keen(敏锐的）sense of smell even from a place that is a fairly long way away. The smell of blood excites them, then they may attack human beings.
If such an attack does take place，however , it is done blindly because the shark
happens to be excited by the smell of blood. This is very different from the manner in which a lion or a tiger will attack its victim(受害者）in the woods. The one acts without thinking while the other acts with the greatest care. What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Sharks and other animals |
| B．Sharks' attack on man |
| C．Why does blood excite sharks |
| D．Sharks, the most dangerous of all the fishes |
The main difference between the manner in which a lion attacks its victim and a shark attacks a man is __________
| A．in the speed of the attack |
| B．that the lion is careful with the attack, but the shark acts without thinking |
| C．that the lion is more cruel than the shark |
| D．that the shark's attack is less sudden |
From the passage, we learn __________.
| A．none of the sharks are dangerous to man |
| B．all kinds of sharks aren't afraid of man |
| C．there are only two views of sharks' attack on man |
| D．the writer of the passage agrees to the two views |
Why does a shark attack a man blindly?
| A．The shark is easy to be frightened. |
| B．The shark has a keen sense of smell. |
| C．The shark has just been excited by the smell of blood. |
| D．The shark always protects itself by attacking the others. |
“The noise made by boats of whale watching tourists may be causing communication problems for the animals, "British researchers said last week.
Whale watching is a popular tourist activity in places where groups of killer whales (虎鲸）live. Every day, dozens of boats filled with tourists go to watch the beautiful animals. Unfortunately, the engines of the boats make a lot of noise，and that may cause problems for the whales, according to a report in the US science magazine Nature.
The whales travel in groups, and communicate with each other through sonic (声波的）calls that some scientists refer to as singing. The sounds of the boat engines may be creating too much background noise for the whales to be able to hear each other.
The researchers listened to recordings of whale calls made between 15 and 25 years ago, before whale watching became popular. These were com-pared to more recent recordings.
They found that the animals have started to sing for longer than they used to, like a person shouting to a friend across a noisy room.
It is believed that the whales are trying to communicate hunting or breeding (繁殖）information. Scientists said that, if this is prevented, the future of the world's whale population could be in danger.
"Animals become slow in mind and repeat them-selves in noisy areas，" said Volker Deecke , a Canadi-an biologist. “They have to say things twice or three times in order to be understood. ”
The killer whales studied were living off the coast of northwestern America. The number of killer whales in this area has been falling for several years, but scientists are not sure why. The passage mainly tells us __________.
| A．the problems of whale watching |
| B．how killer whales communicate with each other |
| C．the reduced population of killer whales caused by whale watching |
| D．hearing problems of the killer whales caused by whale watching |
Now in a noisy background, the killer whales have to __________
| A．sing in a louder voice |
| B．sing longer |
| C．travel in smaller groups |
| D．get nearer to each other |
Scientists believe that killer whales sing to __________
| A．warn each other of dangers |
| B．keep in the same group |
| C．send useful information |
| D．enjoy themselves |
From the passage, we can feel that the author is __________.
| A．angry |
| B．hopeful |
| C．worried |
| D．disappointed |
Which of the following is the possible result of whale watching?
| A．Fewer fish in the ocean. |
| B．Misunderstanding between the whales. |
| C．Reduced number of the whales in the area. |
| D．Serious water pollution along the coast. |
According to the US government, wind farms off the Pacific coast could produce 900 gigawatts of electricity every year. Unfortunately, the water there is far too deep for even the tallest windmills (see pic-ture) to touch bottom. An experiment under way off the coast of Norway, however, could help put them anywhere.
The project, called Hywind, is the world's first large-scale deep-water wind turbine (涡轮发电机). Although it
uses a fairly standard 152-ton,2. 3-megawatt turbine, Hywind represents totally new technology. The turbine will be fixed 213 feet above the water on a floating spar (鄉 picture )，a technology Hywind's creator, the Norwegian company Statoil Hydro , has developed recently. The steel spar, which is filled with stones and goes 328 feet below the sea surface, will be tied to the ocean floor by three cables (缆索）；these will keep the spar stable and prevent the turbine from moving up and down in the waves. Hywind's stability (稳定性）in the cold and rough sea would prove that even the deepest corners of the ocean are suitable for wind power. If all goes according to plan, the turbine will start producing electricity six miles off the coast of southwestern Norway as early as September.
To produce electricity on a large scale, a commercial wind farm will have to use bigger turbines than Hywind does, but it's difficult enough to balance such a large turbine so high on a floating spar in the middle of the ocean. To make that turbine heavier, the whole spar's centre of gravity must be moved much closer to the ocean's surface. To do that, the company plans to design a new kind of wind turbine, one whose gearbox (变速箱）sits at sea level rather than behind the blades (see picture).
Hywind is a test run, but the benefits for perfecting floating wind-farm technology could be extremely large. Out at sea, the wind is often stronger and steadier than close to shore, where all existing offshore windmills are planted. Deepsea farms are in-visible from land, which helps overcome the windmill-as -eyesore objection. If the technology catches on, it will open up vast areas of the planet，s surface to one of the best low-carbon power sources available. The Hywind project uses totally new technology to ensure the stability of __________.
| A．the cables which tie the spar to the ocean floor |
| B．the spar which is floating in deep-sea water |
| C．the blades driven by strong and steady sea wind |
| D．the stones filled in the spar below the sea surface |
To balance a bigger turbine high on a floating spar, a new type of turbine is to be designed with its gearbox sitting __________
| A．on the sea floor |
| B．on the spar top |
| C．at sea level |
| D．behind the blades |
Wide applications of deepwater wind power tech-nology can __________
| A．solve the technical problems of deepwater windmills |
| B．make financial profits by producing more tur-bines |
| C．settle the arguments about environmental prob-lems |
| D．explore low-carbon power resources available at sea |
Researchers are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people's depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated, Edwards points out. "The problem is how we promote that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution. ”
In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, re-searchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.
“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice，” says a seventy-year-old lady, “When I'm watching TV, he'll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his own. ”
The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.
"At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry，" Beck says. "But it's amazing how quickly we have given up that belief. "
"Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters' blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people's minds. " The purpose of Beck and Edwards' study is to __________.
| A．understand human-animal relationship |
| B．make lonely old peoples life better |
| C．find the causes of old people's loneliness |
| D．promote the animal-assisted research |
In the research, the old people are asked to __________
| A．note the activities of AIBOs |
| B．keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks |
| C．record their feelings and activity |
| D．analyze the collected information |
What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?
| A．It is easier to keep at home. |
| B．It can help the disabled people. |
| C．It responds to all the human orders. |
| D．It can watch TV with its owner. |
The author seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may __________.
| A．cure certain diseases |
| B．keep old people active |
| C．change people's beliefs |
| D．look more like real dogs |
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