Scientists are learning new things about Antarctica, the coldest place on Earth. For example, the Antarctic ice sheet is shrinking. A new study found that summer ice loss in parts of Antarctica was at its highest level in 1,000 years. The study showed that Antarctic ice was melting mostly from below ice shelves, where the water is warmer than the ice.
Eric Rignot is an earth system expert at the University of California, Irvine. He also works for the American space agency, NASA. There he serves as senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also in California. He says ice melting from below is responsible for 55 percent of the shelf loss from 2003 to 2008. That is a much higher rate than scientists thought earlier.
Professor Rignot and his team used satellite observations, radar and computer models to measure features above the ice to learn what was going on below.
The measurements show differences from one area to the next around the continent. The major ice shelves are called Ross, Filchner and Ronne. They make up two-thirds of Antarctica’s ice shelves. But they are responsible for only 15 percent of the melting ice.
The professor says even small changes, like changes in ocean flow driven by wind, can make a huge difference in the melting of the ice shelf.
Sixty percent of the Earth’s fresh water is held in the huge Antarctic ice sheet. Professor Rignot says the study will help experts predict how the continent reacts to warmer ocean waters and helps to cause rising sea levels around the world. The study was published in the journal Science.What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．the Antarctic ice sheet is shrinking |
| B．the coldest place on earth |
| C．the major Antarctica’s ice shelves |
| D．the Atlantic Ocean are changing |
How did Eric Rignot and his team do the research?
| A．He serves as senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
| B．They used satellite observations, radar and computer models to know the things happening below the ice. |
| C．Small changes, like changes in ocean flow driven by wind, can make a huge difference in the melting of the ice shelf. |
| D．They melted 55% of the Antarctica’s ice to prove their theory is right. |
Which is true of the following statements?
| A．Ice melting from below is responsible for 35 percent of the shelf loss from 2003 to 2008. |
| B．The major ice shelves are called Ross, Filchner and Ronne, which make up one-third of Antarctica’s ice shelves. |
| C．Sixty percent of the Earth’s fresh water is contained in the huge Antarctic ice sheet. |
| D．Summer ice loss in Antarctica was at its highest level in 1,000 years. |
About 59% of engineering companies in the IET's 2014 survey feared skill shortages could threaten（威胁） business.Engineers should embrace（接受） the arts, Sir John O'Reilly, a fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, argued in a lecture.
"There is nothing as creative as engineering," Sir John told the reporter. He says science, technology, engineering and mathematics - often known as "Stem" subjects, are vital for a modern knowledge economy. But there is a massive shortfall in the number of recruits（招聘） - with a recent study by the Royal Academy of Engineering saying the UK needs to increase by as much as 50% the number of Stem graduates it produces.
Delivering this year's Mountbatten Lecture at the Royal Institution, Sir John argued that engineers should recognise the role of the arts in their work - among other benefits; this could attract more people into the profession. The lecture, Full Steam Ahead for Growth, advocated a wider adoption -- Steam, or science, technology, engineering, arts and maths. Engineers should embrace the arts as being key to creativity and an important component of innovation（创新）, crucial to creating new products and boosting future competitiveness, he argued. "Engineering and technology is an increasingly diverse and creative field," said Sir John.
Some university engineering departments already cooperated with art schools to develop understanding, he told the reporter. In particular he mentioned Cranfield University's Centre for Creative Competitive Design and Imperial College's work with the Royal College of Art. The two sets of people could work well together and more emphasis on the creative side of engineering could improve the success of products, he said.
"Aesthetics(美学) is part of it," he told the reporter, adding that Apple's iPod was not the first digital media player, nor the only one that worked - but it came to dominate the market "because it was nice to have".
Sir John said he was not suggesting universities started requiring A-level art from engineering applicants - the key subjects for admission would continue to be maths and the sciences. But an emphasis on creative skills would help "broaden the pool and attract more people in".According to a recent study by the Royal Academy _______ .
| A．the UK needs more graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics |
| B．engineering graduates are not as creative as expected |
| C．there are not enough arts graduates produced in the UK. |
| D．skill shortages could threaten business |
According to the lecture Full Steam Ahead for Growth, _______ .
| A．engineers should cooperate with arts majors |
| B．Accepting the arts could attract more people into engineering |
| C．engineers should realize arts play the most important part in their work |
| D．engineering and technology is as diverse and creative as before |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．More university students should study arts instead of engineering. |
| B．Engineering and technology is increasingly different and unrelated fields. |
| C．The IET's skills survey raised concerns about the number of recruits to engineering. |
| D．Students from some university engineering departments have already transferred to art schools |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Lack of creativity makes it difficult for the engineering major to find a satisfactory job. |
| B．The key subjects for engineering majors remain to be maths and the sciences rather than arts. |
| C．University engineering departments should cooperate with art schools to improve the success of products. |
| D．Engineering needs to emphasize its creative side to encourage more young people to choose it as a career. |
The National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to National Geographic, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded. It has become one of the world’s best-known magazines and is immediately identifiable by the characteristic yellow border running around the edge of its cover.
There are 12 monthly issues of National Geographic per year, plus additional map supplements. On rare occasions, special editions are also issued. It contains articles about geography, popular science, history, culture, current events, and photography. The current Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic Magazine is the well-known photographer, Chris Johns, who has photographed extensively in Africa. The foreword to Johns’ own illustrated book on Africa was written by Nelson Mandela.
Society Executive Vice President John Q. Griffin, and President of the Magazine Group, has overall responsibility for the English language magazines at National Geographic. Terry B. Adamson, Society Executive Vice President who also is the Society’s chief legal officer and heads governmental relations, has overall responsibility for the Society’s international publications.
With a worldwide circulation in all languages of nearly nine million, more than fifty million people read the magazine every month. In May, 2007, National Geographic magazine won the American Society of Magazine Editors’ prestigious General Excellence Award in the over two million circulation category and the best photography award for three issues of the magazine in 2006.
How many issues does the National Geographic Magazine have per year?
| A．Less than 10 issues. | B．Less than 11 issues. |
| C．Less than 12 issues. | D．About 12 issues. |
Who wrote the introduction to Johns’ own illustrated book on Africa?
A. John Q. Griffin. B. Terry B. Adamson.
C. Nelson Mandela. D. Chris Johns.
【改编】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．With its first issue in 1888, there are over fifty million people in the world. |
| B．As an official magazine, there are 12 monthly issues with additional map supplements. |
| C．It contains articles about geography, popular science, history, politics, and photography. |
| D．It is identified by the orange border running around the edge of its cover. |
My mom has eyes in the back of her head. She also taught me from an early age to be suspicious of strange men, especially when they give you presents. One day, a “nice man” bearing flowers managed to steal 20 euros from her purse, while she was holding it in her hands. “He said he was collecting for a church charity so I pulled out a euro,” she explains, “He said ‘no, no, that’s too much’ and offered to look in my purse to find a smaller coin. He must have slid out that 20 euro note at the same time. I did not even notice until an hour later. I felt so stupid.”
According to neuroscientists, the key requirement for a successful pickpocket is not having nifty (熟练的) fingers, it’s having a working knowledge of the loopholes (漏洞) in our brain. The most important of these loopholes is the fact that our brains are not set up to multi-task. Most of the time that is a good thing — it allows us to filter (过滤) out all but the most important features of the world around us. But a good trickster can use it to against you. This kind of trick involves capturing all of somebody’s attention with other movements. Street pickpockets often use this effect to their advantage by manufacturing a situation that can not help but overload your attention system. Other strategies are more psychological. Pickpockets tend to hang out a “beware of pickpockets” sign, because the first thing people do when they read it is check they still have their valuables, helpfully giving away where they are. And in my mom’s case, the thief’s best trick was not coming across like a pickpocket. “He was a very nice guy and very confident. Not someone that would cause you to suspect,” she says. Apollo Robbins, a stage pickpocket, said smart move, like moving your hand in an arc motion rather than a straight line, is another popular strategy employed by tricksters.
At last, it should be pointed out that most thefts are opportunistic. The skill level of most thieves is far less than you think. But they are opportunistic enough to keep up with new technology.What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．People’s brains are not designed to multi-task. |
| B．People’s brains can filter out all but the most important features. |
| C．Somebody’s attention can be distracted by a certain trick. |
| D．Somebody’s overload attention system. |
【改编】 How did the pickpockets manage to cheat the mother ?
| A．He had such smart motion that she didn’t notice that. |
| B．He looked so reliable that she didn’t suspect him. |
| C．He made her focus her attention on what he said instead of being cheated . |
| D．All the above. |
In the author’s opinion, _________.
| A．people’s brains have many loopholes |
| B．thieves are more skillful than opportunistic |
| C．signs reminding people of pickpockets can play a negative role in protecting valuables |
| D．his mom’s losing money is nothing but a by-accident experience |
What will the author probably talk about next?
| A．Mom’s another suffering |
| B．Pickpockets concerning new technology |
| C．Pickpockets’ tricks |
| D．Apollo Robbins’ stage pickpockets |
Batteries are included, but the charger’s not. The Nokia E-Cu concept phone doesn’t need to plug in; it charges from any heat source. Designer Patrick Hyland says it can even work off the warmth of your pocket. The first time“it would take approximately seven hours to reach full charge, then after that it’s continuously charging by keeping the phone in areas between 86 degrees and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. ”That’s one hot pocket.
He’s put a thermo generator(热偶发电器)inside the phone that transforms heat into electric potential energy. To better conduct the heat to that little power plant in your pocket, the E-Cu(E for energy, Cu for copper)is coated by copper backing with heat sinks like those normally used to keep electronics from overheating.
Nokia doesn’t have current plans to build the phone, so for now it remains a concept. But Hyland says he’s open to anyone who wants to cooperate.
For Americans this technology would certainly be convenient. It would also save a bit on energy bills and waste. ”Annually, unwanted phone chargers produce 51, 000 tons of waste in addition to the greenhouse gases created by the production of the electricity needed to charge them, ”Hyland says. So a charger-free phone is also a green phone. Though adapting our plug-in habits would help a group of people, most cell phone related energy use comes from leaving your charger plugged in all day unnecessarily.
The real potential for charger-free cell phone technology is what it could enable places where plugging in isn’t an option, like rural areas in the developing world.
Cell phones are spreading faster than power lines and bringing with them countless opportunities, aid and health advances. A phone like the E-Cu, if it ever comes to be, would enable all manner of expanded aid and development by phone projects. Let’s hope Patrick finds a partner.
What do we know about the E-Cu phone?
| A．It doesn’t have a battery or a charger. |
| B．It is properly marketed and sells well. |
| C．It’s continuously charging from any area. |
| D．It has a highly conductive copper cover. |
What’s the function of the underlined part “heat sinks” in Paragraph 2?
| A．To give off heat. | B．To measure heat. |
| C．To turn up heat. | D．To supply heat. |
【改编】The most benefit of the Nokia E-Cu concept phone is .
| A．It would be a hit as soon as this kind of phone was produced. |
| B．It is friendly to the environment, because it is free of charge. |
| C．It charges from any heat source instead of traditional way of charging. |
| D．It must be welcomed by people in rural areas in the developing world. |
From the last two paragraphs we can know that .
| A．Patrick is not ready to cooperate with others |
| B．power lines spread every corner of the world |
| C．phone projects may help solve the energy crisis |
| D．phones like the E-Cu have huge potential benefits |
What is the best title of the text?
| A．Designer Patrick Hyland |
| B．Charging Your Phone from Pockets |
| C．Nokia Concept Phone on Sale |
| D．Benefiting from Phone Technology |
While most teenagers were studying to get into a top university，one 19-year-old was starring in his first movie，Blue Gate Crossing．It was a film about love on campus and it was well received in Taiwan．Many say it was this film that put Bolin Chen in position for his later glittering career in show business．
In fact．it was not until he played a troubled young man in the movie Buddha Mountain three years ago that he regained his passion for acting．
While being called a“youth idol”may seem like a compliment，it is a title that Chen has tried to shake off．He believes that “a youth idol means you simply rely on your appearance，not your acting talent”．
The most important thing for Chen now is to take more initiative(主动性）as an actor．“To me，an actor is like a chess piece，waiting for producers and directors to put him somewhere they want him to be．”Chen，29，told NetEase．“But I want to be the game player．”He even took his ambition a step further，setting tip his own production company．
But just when Chen started to focus on off-screen work，his life on screen took another turn．He won the title of Best Leading Actor at the 2012 Golden Bell Awards on Oct 26 for his role in hit TV drama In Time with You．When asked why he accepted the part，which is another “youth idol”role．he told Yangcheng Evening News：“I played it for my grandfather．He tells everyone around that I am an actor．but I used to play in movies，not TV series．Now he is in the hospital．I hope that he can watch my performances by simply turning on the TV．”
Chen is a veteran(老手)in the entertainment world，but unlike many stars，he hasn’t led a luxurious(奢华的)life．He doesn’t even have a car but walks，rides a bike or takes a taxi whenever he goes out．He doesn’t have a house，either．“Everyone will eventually find some place to live anyway，why bother to buy property (地产)?”he asked Taiwan magazine Business Today．
What does Bolin Chen think of his title“youth idol”?
| A．He likes it very much． | B．He thinks it a compliment． |
| C．He wants to get rid of it． | D．He is not worthy of it． |
Bolin Chen’s words in Para 4 suggest that he______．
| A．1ikes to play games such as chess |
| B．wants to take an active part in producing his films |
| C．cannot get along well with some directors |
| D．thinks producers are more important in making a film |
Bolin Chen played a part in the TV drama In Time with You because he_____．
| A．failed in off-screen work |
| B．had become a“youth idol” |
| C．wanted to delight his grandfather |
| D．wanted to succeed in the new field |
【改编】In what way is Bolin Chen different from many stars?
| A．He hasn’t led a luxurious life |
| B．He doesn’t like to be a “youth idol”. |
| C．He acted for his sick grandfather |
| D．He has become famous since he was young. |
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