Scientists in Israel have discovered a new way to test for water pollution by "listening" to what the plants growing in water have to say．By shining a laser beam(激光束) on the tiny pieces of algae(海藻) floating in the water, the researchers said they hear sound waves that tell them the type and amount of pollution in the water．
"It is a red light, telling us that something is beginning to go wrong with the quality of water," said Zvy Dubinsky, an aquatic biologist at Israel's Bar Ilan University．"Algae is the first thing to be affected by a change in water quality．"
As water sources deteriorate worldwide, the testing of algae could be used to monitor water quality faster, more cheaply and more accurately than techniques now in use, Dubinsky said．The secret is to measure the rate of photosynthesis(光合作用) in the algae, meaning the plant's ability to transform light into energy．During photosynthesis, plants also release oxygen into the air．
Dubinsky's technique is easy to perform because of the over-abundance of algae in the planet's water．Most of the oxygen in the atmosphere comes from algae．A prototype tester shoots a laser beam at water samples to stimulate photosynthesis in the algae．But not all of the laser's heat is used．
Depending on the condition of the algae and the rate of photosynthesis, some of the heat is shot back into the water, creating sound waves, Dubinsky said．With a special underwater microphone, researchers are able to analyze the strength of the sound waves and determine the health of the algae and the condition of the surrounding water．
"Algae suffering from lead poisoning, like waste discharged from battery and paint manufacturing plants, will produce a different sound than those suffering from lack of iron or exposure to other toxins," said researcher Yulia Pinchasov．
72．To study water quality, scientists choose algae mainly because ．
A．algae is most easily affected by pollution
B．most oxygen is produced by algae
C．the amount of algae is decreasing
D．algae is a kind of plant floating in the water
73．When Dubinsky studied water quality, he mainly focused on ．
A．the amount of laser used by algae
B．the rate of photosynthesis in the algae
C．the condition of the algae
D．the heat of laser used by algae
74．After the study, scientists proved that ．
A．the increase in population is caused by lack of water
B．global warming causes water resources to reduce worldwide
C．algae can show the type and amount of pollution in the water
D．algae is dying out in the ocean around the world
75．What would be the most suitable title for the passage?
A．Water pollution is reduced with the growth of algae
B．Pollution makes it hard for plants to make photosynthesis
C．Water pollution affects the growth of marine plants
D．Scientists listen to plants to find pollution
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TV Ears helps you ___________.
| A．improve your sleeping quality. |
| B．listen to TV without disturbing others. |
| C．change TV channels without difficulty. |
| D．become interested in ballgame programs. |
What makes TV Ears different from other headsets?
| A．It can easily set TV on mute. |
| B．Its headset volume is adjustable. |
| C．It has a new noise reduction car tip. |
| D．It applies special wireless technology. |
This advertisement is made more believable by__________.
| A．using recommendations |
| B．offering reasons for this invention |
| C．providing statistics |
| D．showing the results of experiments |
I was on my way home by train. The train’s gentle rocking made me feel sleepy, despite the fact that I was standing with what felt like a building in the bag on my back. I turned slightly to reduce some of the pain in my shoulder and saw the door at the end of the ear.
An obviously homeless man walked through the door. He was dressed in a dirty heavy coat. He dragged a bag that looked thirty times as heavy as mine. He asked people for spare change in the polite, experienced voice of a person who had done this before. I glanced down as I did a quick cheek of my pockets, hoping for spare change to give him that wouldn’t leave me short for the rest of the week. I came up empty and lifted my head just as his path crossed mine. Shrugging apologetically, I told him I had no change, expecting him to move through the door next to me and continue going to the next cars.
However, he stood and stared at me, saying something quietly. Then I realized he was asking me to take him home. Suddenly money didn’t matter that much to this man who lived in poverty without even think of the proper words to say besides “I can’t , I’m sorry.” He asked me , “What’s wrong with my request?” The answer was on my lips before I knew it. I told him that I was not good enough for him.
It was after the man had left that I thought about the answer I had given him and wondered why it felt so right to say so. I realized that I should have requested love over money or food. The fact that he could appreciate something so simple and invisible in more than I could ever have expected of myself.When the author was sleepy and tired, he saw a homeless man on the train__________.
| A．looking for his long-lost friend |
| B．asking people for spare clothes |
| C．begging passengers for some money |
| D．talking about his painful experience |
Which of the following can best describe the author according to Paragraph 2?
| A．Self-centered | B．Kind-hearted |
| C．Hard-working | D．Easy-going |
To his surprise, the author found that the homeless man wanted________.
| A．neither food nor money | B．not money but love |
| C．neither money nor love | D．both shelter and protection |
What did the author learn from the man?
| A．No place is more comfortable than home. |
| B．Friendship can bring two strangers closer. |
| C．People should bravely follow their dreams. |
| D．Love is more precious than money or food.. |
Do women’s minds work the same as men’s? Absolutely not.At least, that is what most men are convinced of.Psychologists view the subject either as a matter or frustration or a joke.Now the biologists have moved into this minefield, and some of them have found that there are real differences between the brains of men and women.But being different, they point out hurriedly, is not the same as being better or worse.
There is, however, a definite structural variation between the male and female brain.The difference is in a part of the brain that is used in the most complex intellectual processes-the link between the two halves of the brain.
The two halves are linked by a trunkline of between 200 and 300 million nerves, the corpus callosum.Scientists have found quite recently that the corpus callosum in women is always larger and probably richer in nerve fibres than it is in men.This is the first time that a structural difference has been found between the brains of women and men and it must have some significance.The question is "What?", and, if this difference exists, are there others? Research shows that present-day women think differently and behave differently from men.Are some of these differences biological and inborn, a result of evolution? We tend to think that is the influence of society that produces these differences.But could we be wrong?
Research showed that these two halves of the brain had different functions, and that the corpus callosum enabled them to work together.For most people, the left half is used for word handing, analytical and logical activities; the right half works on pictures, patterns and forms.We need both halves working together.And the better the connections, the more harmoniously the two halves work.And, according to research findings, women have the better connections.
But it isn't all that easy to explain the actual differences between skills of men and women on this basis.In schools throughout the world girls tend to be better than boys at "language subjects" and boys better at maths and physics.If these differences correspond with the differences in the hemispheric trunkline, here is an unalterable distinction between the sexes.
We shan't know for a while, partly because we don't know of any precise relationship between abilities in school subject and the functioning of the two halves of the brain, and we cannot understand how the two halves interact via the corpus callosum.But this striking difference must have some effect and, because the difference is in the parts of the brain involved in intellect, we should be looking for differences in intellectual processing.Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
| A．Results of scientific research fail to support popular belief. |
| B．Brain differences point to superiority of one sex over the other. |
| C．Biologists are conducting research where psychologists have given up |
| D．The structural difference in the brain between the sexes has long been known. |
The corpus callosum functions in __________.
| A．forming the nerve fibers. |
| B．differing man from woman. |
| C．enabling the brain to work. |
| D．processing the most complex intellectuality. |
According to the passage it is commonly believed that brain differences are caused by ______
| A．social | B．psycological | C．physical | D．biological |
"these differences" in paragraph 5 refer to those in ________.
| A．school subjects |
| B．skills of men and women |
| C．the brain structure of men and women |
| D．activities carried out by the brain |
At the end of the passage the author proposes more work on ________.
| A．the brain structure as a whole |
| B．the functioning of part of the brain |
| C．the distinction between the sexes |
| D．the effects of the corpus callosum |
People around the world are superstitious about numbers; even those ancient Greeks believed that all numbers and their multiples had some mystical significance.
Those numbers between 1 and 13 were in particular to have a powerful influence over the affairs of men.
For example, it is commonly said that luck, good or bad, comes in threes; if an accident happens, two more of the same kind may be expected soon afterwards.The arrival of a letter will be followed by two others within a certain period.
Another belief involving the number three has it that it is unlucky to light three cigarettes from the one match.If this happens, the bad luck that goes with the deed falls upon the person whose cigarette was the last to be lit.The ill-omen linked to the lighting of three things from one match or candle goes back to at least the 17th century and probably earlier.It was believed that three candles alight at the same time would be sure to bring bad luck; one, two, or four, were permissible, but never just three.
Seven was another significant number, usually regarded as a bringer of good luck.The ancient astrologers believed that the universe was governed by seven planets; students of Shakespeare will recall that the life of man was divided into seven ages.Seven horseshoes nailed to a house will protect it from all evil.
Nine is usually thought of as a lucky number because it is the product of three times three.It was much used by the Anglo Saxons in their charms for healing.
Another belief was that great changes occurred every 7th and 9th of a man's life.Consequently, the age of 63 (the product of nine and seven) was thought to be a very perilous time for him.If he survived his 63rd year he might hope to live to a ripe old age.
Thirteen, as we well know, is regarded with great awe and fear.The common belief is that this derives from the fact that there were 13 people at Christ's Last Supper.This being the eve of his betrayal, it is not difficult to understand the significance given to the number by the early Christians.
In more modern times 13 is an especially unlucky number of a dinner party, for example.Hotels will avoid numbering a floor the 13th; the progression is from 12 to 14, and no room is given the number 13.Many home owners will use 12 1/2 instead of 13 as their house number.
Yet oddly enough, to be born on the 13th of the month is not regarded with any fear at all, which just shows how irrational we are in our superstitious beliefs.What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．If one good thing happens, two bad things will follow it. |
| B．If one bad thing happens, two good things will follow it. |
| C．If one good thing happens, two more good things will follow it. |
| D．Three good things and three bad things always come together. |
According to the passage, which of the following groups of numbers will certainly bring good luck to people?
| A．3 and 7 | B．7 and 9 | C．3 and 9 | D．3 and 13 |
What does the underlined word perilous in paragraphy 7 mean:
| A．dangerous | B．instable | C．unlucky | D．unhealthy |
The ill luck associated with 13 is supposed to have its origin in ________.
| A．legend |
| B．popular belief |
| C．religion |
| D．certain customs |
What is the author's attitude towards people's superstitious beliefs?
| A．His attitude is not clear. |
| B．He is strongly critical. |
| C．He is in favour of them. |
| D．He is mildly critical. |
Christmas is around the corner.If you look for a book as a gift for your child，you will be spoiled for choice even in a year there is no new Harry Potter.J．K Rowling's wizard is not alone．The past decade has been a harvest for good children's books, which has set off a large quantity of films and an increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings．
Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children．According to statistics in 1997, 23% said they didn't like reading at all．In 2003, 35% didn't．And around 6% of the children leave primary school each year unable to read properly．
Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computes games．Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile．Either way, Chancellor Cordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class．In his pre-budget report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most．
Reading Recovery is aimed at six-year-olds, who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher．An evaluation this year reported that children on the school made 20 months' progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months' progress ,and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age．
International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school, they read well, but read text often for fun than those elsewhere．Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on reading can report lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success．According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage．Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?
| A．Many high-quality childrem’s books have been published. |
| B．Many children’s books have been adapted from films |
| C．The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films. |
| D．The sales of presents for children have increased. |
Statistics suggested that____________．
| A．the number of top students increased with the use of computers. |
| B．a large percentage of children read regularly |
| C．a minority of primary school children read properly |
| D．a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading. |
What do we know about Reading Recovery?
| A．An evaluation of it will be made sometime this year. |
| B．Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking. |
| C．Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading. |
| D．It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading. |
Why is reading for fun important?
| A．Because book-loving children take greater advantage of the project. |
| B．Because book-loving children show the potential to enjoy a long life. |
| C．Because book-loving children would make excellent future researchers. |
| D．Because book-loving children are likely to succeed in their education. |
The aim of this text would probably be _________．
| A．to overcome primary school pupil reading difficulty |
| B．to introduce a way to improve early childhood reading. |
| C．to remind children of the importance of reading for fun. |
| D．to encourage the publication of more children’s books. |
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