单项选择题Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations. They think that if countries play games together they will learn to live together, and even in worse situations, that if they fight on the game court, they would not like to meet on battlefield. Others say that the opposite is true: that international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred. There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourage international brotherhood. Not only was there the tragic incident involving the murder of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by lesser incidents caused principally by minor national contests.
One country received its second-place medals with visible indignation after the hockey final. There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, the losers objecting to the final decisions. They were convinced that one of their goals should not have been disallowed and that their opponents’ victory was unfair. Their manager was in a rage when he said: "This wasn’t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished." The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension of the team for at least three years.
The American basketball team announced that they would not yield first place to Russia, after a disputable end to their contest. The game had ended in disturbance. It was thought at first that the United States had won by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play. A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another player popped it into the basket. It was the first time the USA had ever lost an Olympic basketball match. An appeal jury debated the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand. The American players then voted not to receive the silver medals.
Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals, or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for. But in the present organization of the Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive patriotism.

单项选择题People thinking about the origin of language for the first time usually arrive at the conclusion that it developed (31) as a system of grunts, hisses and cries and (32) a very simple affair in the beginning. (33) , when we observe the language behavior of (34) we regard as primitive cultures, we find it (35) complicated. It was believed that an Eskimo must have the tip of his tongue a vocabulary of more than 10,000 words (36) to get along reasonably well, much larger than the active vocabulary of a (n) (37) businessman who speaks Eng-fish. (38) , these Eskimo words are far more highly inflected (词尾变化的) than (39) of any of the well-known European languages, for a (40) noun can be spoken or written in (41) hundred different forms, each (42) a precise meaning different from that of any other. The forms of the verbs are even more (43) . The Eskimo language is, (44) , one of the most difficult in the world to learn, (45) the result that almost no traders or explorers have (46) tried to learn it. Consequently, there has grown up, in communication between Eskimos and whites, a jargon (47) to the pidgin English used in Old China, with a vocabulary of from 300 to 600 uninflected words. Most of them are (48) from Eskimo but some are derived from English, Danish, Spanish, Hawaiian and other languages. It is this jargon (49) is usually referred to by travelers (50) "the Eskimo language".

单项选择题Can computers reason Reasoning requires the individual to take a given set of facts and draw correct conclusions. Unfortunately, errors frequently occur, and we are not talking about simple carelessness as occurs when two numbers are incorrectly added, nor do we mean errors resulting from simple forgetfulness. Rather, we have in mind errors of a logic nature--those resulting from faulty reasoning. Now, or at least soon, computers will be capable of error-free logical reasoning in a variety of areas. The key to avoiding errors is to use a computer program that relies on the last two decades’ research in the field of automated theorem proving. AURA (Automated Reasoning Assistant) is the program that best exemplifies this use of the computer.
AURA solves a problem by drawing conclusions from a given set of facts about the problem. Program does not learn, nor is it self-analytical, but it reaches logical conclusions flawlessly. It used various types of reasoning and, more important, has access to very powerful and sophisticated logical strategies. AURA seldom relies on brute force to find solutions. Instead it solves almost all problems by using sophisticated techniques to find a contradiction. One generally starts with a set of assumptions and adds a statement that the goal is unreachable. For example, if the problem is to test a safety system that automatically shuts down a nuclear reactor when instruments indicate a problem, AURA is told that the system will not shut the reactor down under those circumstances. If AURA finds a contradiction between the statement and the system’s design assumptions, then this aspect of the reactor’s design has been proved satisfactory. This strategy, known as the set of support strategy, lets AURA concentrate on the problem at hand and avoid the many fruitless steps required to explore the entire theory underlying the problem. Almost never does the program proceed by carrying out an exhaustive search.
The chief use for AURA at this time is for electronic circuit design validation, but a number of other uses will arise. For example, there already exist "expert systems" that include a component for reasoning. An expert system is a special purpose program designed to automate reasoning in a specific area such as medical diagnosis. These expert programs, unlike human experts, do not die. Such systems continue to improve and have an indefinite life span. Moreover, they can be replicated for pennies. A human who can expertly predict where to drill for oil is in great demand. A program that can predict equally well would be invaluable and could be duplicated any number of times.
Will the computer replace the human being Certainly not. It seems likely that computer programs will reproduce--that is, design more clever computer programs and more efficient, more useful components. Reasoning programs will also analyze their own progress, learn from their attempts to solve a problem, and redirect their attack on a problem. Such programs will assist, rather than replace, humans. Their impact will be felt in design, manufacturing, law, medicine, and other areas. Reasoning assistants will enable human minds to turn to deeper and far more complex ideas. These ideas will be partially formulated and then checked for reasoning flaws by a reasoning program. Many errors will be avoided.

单项选择题Common cold is a viral infection that starts in the upper respiratory tract, sometimes spreads to the lower structures, and may contribute secondary infections in the eyes or middle ears. The main differences between the common cold and other respiratory infections are the absence of fever and the relative mildness of the symptoms.
About 200 different strains of virus are capable of producing colds. Frequently two or more different viruses can be isolated during a single episode. The cold is spread by person-to-person contact. People can carry the virus and communicate it without themselves experiencing any of the symptoms. Incubation is short--usually one to four days. The viruses start spreading from an infected person before the symptoms appear, and the spread reaches its peak during the symptomatic phase. The incidence of colds peaks during the autumn, and minor epidemics commonly occur throughout the winter. The reason for this incidence is unknown; it may not stem mainly from stresses imposed by chilly weather but rather result from the greater amount of time spent indoors, which increases the likelihood of close contact with those persons carrying cold viruses.
Pathologic changes occurring in the mucous membrane that lines the nose, the nasal sinuses, the nasoharynx, and other upper respiratory passages may include tissue swelling, congestion of blood, and oozing of fluids. During the acute phase of the disease, the respiratory secretions are altered by increase in serum proteins. Parts of cells may also be found in tile fluids. Tissue repair is rapid and seems complete, although a relationship might exist between colds and more serious respiratory conditions.
Cold symptoms vary from person to person, but in the individual the same symptoms tend to recur in succeeding bouts of infection. Manifestations may include sneezing, headaches, fatigue, chilling, sore throat, inflammation of the nose (rhinitis), and nasal discharge. There is usually no fever. The symptoms usually last for only a few days. The nasal discharge is the first warning. The secretions become watery, clear, and excessive. Later, they thicken, increase in mucus and pus content, and may colour a yellow-green, with traces of blood. Coughing can be dry or produce amounts of mucus. Other more serious diseases with similar general symptoms may be mistaken for a cold; some of these are tuberculosis, bronchitis, lung abscesses, and inflammation around the heart.
Treatment is, in most instances, directed toward allaying of symptoms, coupled with rest and adequate fluid intake. Occasionally antibiotics are given to prevent secondary infections.

单项选择题 Questions 28 to 30 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.
Now, listen to the news.

单项选择题Less than a year ago, a new generation of diet pills seemed to offer the long-sought answer to our chronic weight problems. Hundreds of thousands of pound-conscious Americans had discovered that a drug combination known as "fen-phen" could shut off voracious appetites like magic, and the FDA had just approved a new drug, Redux, that did the same with fewer side effects. Redux would attract hundreds of thousands of new pill poppers within a few months.
But now the diet drug revolution is facing a backlash. Some of the nation’s largest HMOs, including Aetna U.S. Healthcare and Prudential Healthcare, have begun cutting back or eliminating reimbursement for both pills. Diet chains like Jenny Craig and Nutri System are backing away from them too. Several states, meanwhile, have restricted the use of fen-phen. Last week the Florida legislature banned new prescriptions entirely and called on doctors to wean current patients from the drug within 30 days; it also put a 90-day limit on Redux prescriptions. Even New Jersey doctor Sheldon Levine, who touted Redux last year on TV and in his book The Redux Revolution, has stopped giving it to all but his most obese patients.
The reason for all the retrenchment: potentially lethal side-effects. Over the summer, the FDA revealed that 82 patients had developed defects in their heart valves while on fen-phen, and that seven patients had come down with the same condition on Redux.
As if that weren’t bad enough, physicians reported that a woman who had been taking fen-phen for less than a month died of primary pulmonary hypertension, a sometimes fatal lung condition already associated with Redux. And an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association last month confirmed earlier reports that both fen-phen and Redux can cause brain damage in lab animals.
These findings led the New England Journal to publish an editorial admonishing doctors to prescribe the drugs only for patients with severe obesity. Meanwhile, FDA asked drug makers to put more explicit warnings on fen-phen and Redux labels. Since mid-July, prescriptions for fen-phen have dropped 56%, and those for Redux 36%, according to IMS America, a pharmaceutical market research firm.
All that really does, however, is bring the numbers down to where they should have been all along. Manufacturers said from the start that their pills offered a short-term therapy for the obese, not for people looking to fit into a smaller bathing suit. FDA approved Redux with just such a caveat, and when limited to these patients, the drugs may still make sense--despite the risks--because morbid obesity carries its own dangers, including heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Too often, however, Redux and fen-phen were peddled to all comers, almost like candy. The current backlash, says Levine, is a "roller coaster that never should have happened.\

问答题

单项选择题People thinking about the origin of language for the first time usually arrive at the conclusion that it developed (31) as a system of grunts, hisses and cries and (32) a very simple affair in the beginning. (33) , when we observe the language behavior of (34) we regard as primitive cultures, we find it (35) complicated. It was believed that an Eskimo must have the tip of his tongue a vocabulary of more than 10,000 words (36) to get along reasonably well, much larger than the active vocabulary of a (n) (37) businessman who speaks Eng-fish. (38) , these Eskimo words are far more highly inflected (词尾变化的) than (39) of any of the well-known European languages, for a (40) noun can be spoken or written in (41) hundred different forms, each (42) a precise meaning different from that of any other. The forms of the verbs are even more (43) . The Eskimo language is, (44) , one of the most difficult in the world to learn, (45) the result that almost no traders or explorers have (46) tried to learn it. Consequently, there has grown up, in communication between Eskimos and whites, a jargon (47) to the pidgin English used in Old China, with a vocabulary of from 300 to 600 uninflected words. Most of them are (48) from Eskimo but some are derived from English, Danish, Spanish, Hawaiian and other languages. It is this jargon (49) is usually referred to by travelers (50) "the Eskimo language".

单项选择题Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations. They think that if countries play games together they will learn to live together, and even in worse situations, that if they fight on the game court, they would not like to meet on battlefield. Others say that the opposite is true: that international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred. There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourage international brotherhood. Not only was there the tragic incident involving the murder of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by lesser incidents caused principally by minor national contests.
One country received its second-place medals with visible indignation after the hockey final. There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, the losers objecting to the final decisions. They were convinced that one of their goals should not have been disallowed and that their opponents’ victory was unfair. Their manager was in a rage when he said: "This wasn’t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished." The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension of the team for at least three years.
The American basketball team announced that they would not yield first place to Russia, after a disputable end to their contest. The game had ended in disturbance. It was thought at first that the United States had won by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play. A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another player popped it into the basket. It was the first time the USA had ever lost an Olympic basketball match. An appeal jury debated the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand. The American players then voted not to receive the silver medals.
Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals, or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for. But in the present organization of the Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive patriotism.

问答题