1
China is already the world's third largest producer of electronics, and becoming a player in the global appliance market. Twenty years ago, U.S., European and Japanese companies started moving into China to supply the local market with household goods. Now those same companies are getting whipped by Chinese competitors. Over the past six years, the market share of foreign TV makers in China has dropped from 70 percent to less than 20 percent. Matsushita opened the first microwave-oven plant in China in 1995. Two years later the Chinese company Galanz started making microwaves and selling them for half Matsushita's price.
Chinese companies now make more than 43 million TVs yearly. Konka, one of China's largest TV makers, sells its branded TVs in the United States, and has set up factories in Mexico to service the American market; While TCL, another major TV maker, exported 11 million units from its Chinese factories last year. It has more Southeast Asian factories than any other Chinese company. (164 words)
1. This passage is primarily concerned with
A. the world's third largest producer of electronics
B. Chinese electronic companies
C. China's largest TV makers
D. the increase of China's electronics
2. What do “whipped” mean?
A. beat with a whip
B. won
C. defeated
D. suffered
3. What is the decreased rate of the market share of foreign TV makers in China?
A. 70%
B. 20%
C. 50%
D. 20%--70%
4. When did Galanz start making and selling microwaves?
A. 1993
B. 1994
C. 1995
D. 1997
5. Which of the following produces more TV sets?
A. Galanz
B. Konka
C. TCL
D. Unknown
2
The China boom is by now a well-documented phenomenon. Who hasn't heard of the Middle Kingdom's startling economic growth (8 percent annually), its enormous consumer market (1.2 billion people), the investment ardor of foreign suitors ($40 billion in foreign direct investment last year alone)? China is an economic marvel. According to Nicholas Lardy of the Brookings Institution, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, "No country has expanded its foreign trade as fast as China over the last 20 years. Japan doubled its foreign trade over a 20-year period; China's foreign trade as quintupled. They've become the main producer of labor-intensive manufacturing goods in the world."
But there's been something missing from the dazzling China growth story—namely, the Chinese multinational. No major Chinese companies have yet established themselves, or their brands, on the global stage. But as Haier shows, that is starting to change. After 100 years of poverty and chaos, of being overshadowed by foreign countries and multinationals, Chinese industrial companies are starting to make a mark on the world. (170 words)
1. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A. the startling Middle Kingdom
B. China’s economic growth
C. China’s economic marvel
D. the increase of China's foreign trade
2. What does “suitor” in the first paragraph mean?
A. A man who is courting a woman.
B. A person who makes a petition or request.
C. A person who sues in court.
D. A person or group seeking to purchase.
3. What does Nicholas Lardy’s remark mean?
A. China has succeeded economically over the last 20 years.
B. China did better than Japan in economy.
C. China’s foreign trade developed the fastest in the world.
D. China is the main producer of in the world.
4. By the phrase “something missing”, the author refer to
A. the less dazzling achievements
B. the Chinese multinational
C. lack of world famous brand
D. Haier company
5. Why is Haier cited in the 2nd paragraph?
A. To show it is starting to change.
B. To show an example of a large company.
C. To show a Chinese company of world fame.
D. To show a change in Chinese industrial companies.
3
Earlier this year, when America first sneezed, the European Central Bank (along with most private-sector economists) argued that the euro area was insulated from America's slowdown and had little to worry about. This seems to have been wrong. In Germany there are fears about recession as business investment and retail sales tumble. Recent figures confirmed that Germany's GDP stagnated in the second quarter. Italy's GDP fell in the second quarter, and although growth has held up better in France and Spain, the growth in the euro area as a whole was close to zero in the quarter. Nobody is forecasting an actual recession in the euro area this year, but it is no longer expected to provide an engine for world growth.
As for Japan, it is probably already in recession. Japan's GDP grew slightly in the first quarter. Persistent deflation continues to be a severe problem. A revised measure of Japan's consumer-price index, to be published soon, is likely to show that deflation is worse than had been thought. （170 words）
1. What does the 1st sentence mean?
A. Earlier this year, America suffered from a cold.
B. The European Central Bank believed it wouldn’t be affected by US.
C. The European Central Bank had little to worry about.
D. The euro area was safe and sound.
2. What were Germany and Italy's GDP in the second quarter?
A. stagnated
B. fell
C. suffered
D. halted and deceased
3. What was the economic situation in France and Spain?
A. Much better.
B. Somewhat better.
C. Close to zero.
D. Much worse.
4. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about Japan’s economy?
A. It is perhaps already in decline.
B. Japan's GDP grew slightly in the first quarter.
C. Deflation continues to be a severe problem.
D. It is worse than that of US and Europe.
5. The best title for the passage is
A. The world economic situation
B. The world economic recession
C. The worse World economic situation
D. The reason for world economic recession
4
Silicon Valley is a magnet to which numerous talented engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs from overseas flock to in search of fame, fast money and to participate in a technological revolution whose impact on mankind will surely surpass the epoch-making European Renaissance and Industrial Revolution of the bygone age.
With the rapid spread of the Internet and the relentless technological innovations generated through it, the information era is truly upon us, profoundly influencing and changing not only our lifestyle, but also the way we work, do business, think and communicate with others.
It is noteworthy that close to 50% of its skilled manpower, including engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs, come from Asia. Prominent among them are Indians and Chinese, and not a few Singaporeans.
Intellectual challenges aside, it is a common practice for start-ups to offer generous share options to employees in order to attract the right talent into their folds. This is a powerful incentive to motivate the staff to do their utmost and to share in the company's prosperity if it reaches its goal. Many regard this as the foundation of a successful enterprise.（184 words）
1. Why is Silicon Valley compared with a magnet? Because
A. it is very famous.
B. it attracted numerous talented people.
C. numerous talented people flock to it.
D. its impact will surpass European Renaissance and Industrial Revolution.
2. What does “it” in 2nd paragraph refer to?
A. the Internet
B. the rapid spread of the Internet
C. the information era
D. our lifestyle
3. What does “its” in 2nd paragraph mean??
A. Silicon Valley’s
B. the Internet’s
C. Asia’s
D. America’s
4. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the common practice for start-ups?
A. Intellectual challenges.
B. Generous share options.
C. Sharing in the company's prosperity.
D. A successful enterprise.
5. The main idea of the passage is
A. Silicon Valley’s success
B. the information era upon us
C. Intellectual challenges
D. practice of successful enterprise
5
For all the fevered work being done, however, science is still far away from the Brave New World vision of engineering a perfect human—or even a perfect tomato. Much more research is needed before gene therapy becomes commonplace, and many diseases will take decades to conquer, if they can be conquered at all.
In the short run, the most practical way to use the new technology will be in genetic screening. Doctors will be able to detect all sorts of flaws in DNA long before they can be fixed. In some cases the knowledge may lead to treatments that delay the attack of the disease or soften its effects. Someone with a genetic heart disease, for example, could follow a low-fat diet. And if scientists determine that a vital protein is missing because the gene that was supposed to make it is defective, they might be able to give the patient an artificial version of the protein. But in other instances, almost nothing can be done to stop the damages brought on by genetic mutations. （176 words）
1. The 1st passage implies that
A. science is still far away from perfection
B. it’s difficult to engineer a perfect human
C. it’s difficult to create a perfect tomato
D. many diseases will take decades to conquer
2. According to the author, many human diseases
A. may be conquered.
B. will be surely conquered.
C. may not be conquered.
D. may never be conquered.
3. What does “in the short run” mean?
A. to run in a short time
B. for the near future
C. for the time being
D. after enough time
4. The use of the new technology in genetic screening includes all the following EXCEPT
A. detecting all sorts of flaws in DNA
B. fixing all sorts of flaws in DNA
C. treatments that delay the attack of the disease
D. artificial version of the protein
5. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. genetic engineering
B. genetic screening
C. a new technology
D. Application of genetic engineering
6
No antibiotics have been proved to be 100% effective in treating SARS so far. The only effective way to get rid of it is by ourselves. It likes a prolonged battle between the viruses and our immune response. In fact, viruses couldn't kill all the immune cells in a health individual. The stronger the immune function you have, the less the viral injury you get. Therefore, the degree of sickness after infection and the rate of recovery mainly depend on how strong your immune function is.
You cannot avoid the infection unless you avoid from those infected individuals/area. But, you can try your best to boost up your immune function by several regimes. Make sure you are "extremely healthy" at least during this critical period. Stronger immune function could keep the viral damage minimal even you were so unluckily being infected. Also, stronger immune function delays the onset of any detrimental effects from the viral infection. Scientists are now working on tracking the treatment and so make sure you are still surviving until an effective treatment occurs. 177
1. According to the author, what is the effective way to get rid of SARS?
A. by ourselves
B. in a prolonged battle
C. to kill all the immune cells in a health individual
D. to be stronger
2. According to the author, the degree of sickness after infection and the rate of recovery mainly depend on
A. how strong your are
B. how old you are
C. severe the illness is
D. the strength of your immune system
3. How to avoid the infection of SARS? You may follow all the following EXCEPT
A. keeping away from those infected individuals
B. keeping away from those infected area
C. boosting up your immune function
D. keeping extremely healthy all the time
4. Scientists are now working on tracking the treatment
A. detecting all sorts of flaws in DNA
B. fixing all sorts of flaws in DNA
C. treatments that delay the attack of the disease
D. artificial version of the protein
5. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. genetic engineering
B. genetic screening
C. a new technology
D. application of genetic engineering
7
China's central authorities have outlined a series of new guidelines on improving the country's market economic mechanism. These measures are contained in a communiqué issued on Tuesday at the end of a plenary session of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee.
One way of doing so is to perfect a market economy of public, collective and private ownership, with public ownership still as the main pillar. But the communiqué also stipulates that the share-holding system should be the main form in realizing public ownership so as to revitalize the state sector. Private capital will be allowed in infrastructure construction.
Another step is to build an integrated nationwide market to encourage the free flow of capital and commodities.
During the four-day meeting, more than 300 Central Committee members and alternative members examined and approved a work report by the Political Bureau on its work during the past year.
They also approved a draft proposal with regard to amendments to the state constitution. 161
1. What does “communiqué” in the 1st passage probably mean?
A. commune
B. communication
C. official report to the public
D. declaration or statement
2. According to the 2nd paragraph, “doing so” may refer to
A. outlining a series of new guidelines.
B. improving the country's market economic mechanism.
C. containing measures in a communiqué
D. issuing it on Tuesday.
3. According to the passage, which of the following is the major force in a market economy?
A. public ownership
B. collective and private ownership
C. share-holding system
D. private capital
4. On what day of the week did the meeting convene?
A. on Tuesday
B. four days ago
C. on Saturday
D. on Friday
5. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. a series of new guidelines
B. the plenary session of CCPCC
C. a gist of the communiqué
D. the four-day meeting of CCPCC
8
Israeli researchers said they had identified a naturally produced compound that may explain why only some smokers get lung cancer.
Researchers found that smokers with low levels of the enzyme were five to 10 times more likely to develop lung cancer than smokers with the highest levels.
The enzyme fixes damage done to DNA by smoking and other environmental stresses and is one of a large group of repair compounds in the body.
Writing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Zvi Livneh and his colleagues said 40 per cent of the 68 lung cancer patients they tested had low levels of enzyme activity, in contrast to 4 per cent of a healthy group of 68 people.
Non-smokers with the lowest levels of enzyme also had a higher risk of lung cancer, although their overall risk of cancer was much lower than that of the smokers.
Lung cancer is by far the biggest cancer killer in the world, killing a million people every year worldwide.
Smoking is also a major cause of heart disease and stroke. The researchers said the findings needed to be confirmed in larger studies but they may lead to the development of a blood test that smokers could take to determine their personal risk. 209
1. What is Israeli researchers’ discovery?
A. A naturally produced compound
B. The possible reason for smokers to get lung cancer
C. A kind of new enzyme
D. How lung cancer developed
2. According to the author, what is the function of the enzyme?
A. Repairing any damage.
B. Damage done to DNA.
C. Causing environmental stresses.
D. Repairing compounds in the body
3. How many people have been tested on levels of enzyme activity?
A. five to 10 times more
B. 40 per cent
C. 68
D. 136
4. The test also show that non-smokers
A. had the lowest levels of enzyme
B. had a higher risk of lung cancer
C. had the risk of cancer as well
D. did not have the risk of cancer
5. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Lung cancer is the biggest killer in the world.
B. Smoking may cause heart disease and stroke
C. The findings of Israeli researchers have to be confirmed yet.
D. Smokers could take blood test to determine their personal risk.
9
More cotton-padded tents are badly in need in Zhangye city in northwestern Gansu province, which was hit by twin tremors Saturday night, as most of the quake victims are now huddling in makeshift shelters in jolted areas where temperature drops to five degrees below zero Celsius at night.
A total of 1,000 cotton-padded tents transported from the city of Changsha in central-south Hunan province by the Ministry of Civil Affairs are on the way and will arrive at the destinations within the next two to three days.
The twin quakes, measuring 6.1 and 5.8 degrees on the Richter scale, jolted areas between Minle and Shandan counties of Zhangye city in Gansu at 20:41 and 20:48 hours on Saturday. The two counties are a direct distance of 33 km from Lanzhou, capital of the province.
By Sunday afternoon, nine people were confirmed dead form the quakes, and six were injured seriously wounded and 37 slightly.
According to preliminary statistics from Zhangye city, the quakes have caused an economic loss of 327 million yuan in 175 villages, flattening 14,322 houses, killing or injuring 16,219 heads of livestock and destroying 5,800 hectares of farmland. 191
1. What happened in northwestern Gansu province?
A. It was hit by twin terrorists
B. Most people became the quake victims
C. It was hit by two successive quakes.
D. It was five degrees below zero Celsius.
2. How many cotton-padded tents are needed there?
A. A total of 1,000
B. About 1000
C. More than 1000
D. The more, the better.
3. Where is the specific spot of the quake?
A. Zhangye city
B. jolted areas between Minle and Shandan counties
C. 175 villages
D. 33 km from Lanzhou
4. How many people became victims of the quake?
A. Within one hundred.
B. Thousands.
C. Tens of thousands.
D. Millions.
5. Which of the following is in charge of tents transporting?
A. Changsha City
B. Hunan Province
C. the Ministry of Civil Affairs
D. Lanzhou, capital of the province
10
New global estimates, based on improved data, show about 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS, including an estimated 2.5 million children under 15 years old. About 5 million people were infected in 2003 and more than 3 million have died.
Peter Piot, head of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, (UNAIDS) said: "The AIDS epidemic continues to expand; we haven't reached the limit yet. More people have become infected this year than ever before and more people have died from AIDS than ever before. It is the first cause of death in Africa and the fourth cause of death worldwide."
China has stepped up its battle against HIV/AIDS in recent months, pledging free drugs to people in the countryside and poor urban residents who have the disease. China's ministry of health has warned that if stronger HIV/AIDS prevention measures are not taken, 10 million people could be HIV-positive by 2010.
According to the UNAIDS, as much as 40 per cent of the population - approximately five-hundred million persons - don't know how to protect themselves against the virus. In some areas, up to 10 per cent were HIV-positive and they estimated that 8.5 million people have sexually transmitted infections in the same year. 206
1. Which of the following accounts for the biggest amount of HIV/AIDS?
A. Children under 15.
B. Adults.
C. People were infected in 2003.
D. The died.
2. From Peter Piot remark we know that the AIDS epidemic
A. continues to expand in Africa.
B. will continues to expand worldwide.
C. is the first cause of death worldwide.
D. can never be stopped.
3. What does “step up” mean? (Para. 3)
A. walk close to
B. come up with
C. increase in size or speed
D. climb onto
4. “The population” in the last paragraph refer to
A. the world population
B. the Chinese population
C. the HIV/AIDS population
D. five-hundred million persons
5. What is the tone of the passage?
A. optimistic
B. pessimistic
C. subjective
D. objective
11
The English language is spoken or read by the largest number of people in the world, for historical, political, and economic reasons; but it may also be true that it owes something of its wide appeal to qualities and characteristics inherent in itself. What are these characteristic features which outstand in making the English language what it is, which give it its individuality and make it of this worldwide significance?
First and most important is extraordinary receptive and adaptable — it has taken to itself material from almost everywhere in the world and has made the new elements of language its own. English, which when the Anglo-Saxons first conquered England in the fifth and sixth centuries was almost a "pure" or unmixed language—which could make new words for new ideas from its own compounded elements.
A second outstanding characteristic of English is its simplicity and the relationship of words in a sentence with only the minimum of change in their shapes or variation of endings.
A third quality of English is its relatively fixed word order. （177 words）
1. This passage is primarily concerned with
A. reasons for the popularity of English
B. English language has largest number of people in the world
C. extraordinary receptive and adaptable of English language
D. characteristic of English
2. What are the most important characteristic features of English?
A. the largest number of people
B. historical, political, and economic reasons
C. extraordinary receptive and adaptable
D. worldwide significance
3. Where has English taken itself material?
A. everywhere in the world.
B. the Anglo-Saxons.
C. a "pure" or unmixed language.
D. many places in the world.
4. According to the text, England was once
A. conquered by some foreigners.
B. defeated by the Anglo-Saxons.
C. a colony of the Anglo-Saxons.
D. mixed with the Anglo-Saxons.
5. Which of the following is NOT the characteristic of English language?
A. simple
B. wide spread
C. pure
D. relatively fixed word order
注释
- the largest number of 最大量
- owes something to 归功于
- inherent a.固有的,与生俱来的
- characteristic features突出的特质
- outstand v.突出
- individuality n.个性,人格,特征
- receptive and adaptable容易接受和适应
- new elements of language新的语言成分
- Anglo-Saxons盎格鲁—撒克逊人
- conquer v.克服,征服,战胜
- unmixed a.未混杂他物的,纯粹的
- compounded element复合的成分
- outstanding a.杰出的,突出的
- simplicity n.单纯,简朴
- minimum n.最小量; a.最小的,最低的
- shapes or variation of ending词尾的形式或变化
12
Most vehicles built so far are expensive, sometimes costing millions of dollars, and all consume more power than their developers would like them to. But size, cost, and power consumption have been coming down, and can be expected to continue dropping as microelectronic processing components shrink and become integrated with low-power micromechanical sensors.
Odyssey, a vehicle developed at the MIT Sea Grant Laboratory, represents the state of the art: it is small, inexpensive (around $ 50,000 ), and capable. Odyssey is 2.2 meters long and weighs 195 kilograms; it can dive to 6,000 meters—making accessible all but a small fraction of the world's oceans—and can travel up to 1,000 kilometers at 3 knots, depending on the type of battery and the power needed by its sensors. Equipped with video and a range of sensors for taking oceanographic measurements, the vehicle has successfully completed missions in the waters off the states of Massachusetts and Washington and in both the Arctic and the Antarctic, from ship-and- shore-based facilities.（169 words）
1. This passage is primarily concerned with
2. What is Odyssey?
3. What do “the state of the art ” mean?
4. What is the speed of the vehicle?
5. What are the missions of the vehicle?
Key
DCCDD CDCCC BDBDB BAADA
AABBD DDDBD CABBC BDDCA
CCBCC CBCCD ACDAC
1
China is already the world's third largest producer of electronics, and becoming a player in the global appliance market. Twenty years ago, U.S., European and Japanese companies started moving into China to supply the local market with household goods. Now those same companies are getting whipped by Chinese competitors. Over the past six years, the market share of foreign TV makers in China has dropped from 70 percent to less than 20 percent. Matsushita opened the first microwave-oven plant in China in 1995. Two years later the Chinese company Galanz started making microwaves and selling them for half Matsushita's price.
Chinese companies now make more than 43 million TVs yearly. Konka, one of China's largest TV makers, sells its branded TVs in the United States, and has set up factories in Mexico to service the American market; While TCL, another major TV maker, exported 11 million units from its Chinese factories last year. It has more Southeast Asian factories than any other Chinese company. (164 words)
注释
- producer of electronics电器生产者
- appliance n.器械,用具
- household goods 家用 (电器) 产品
- get whipped 搞得焦头烂额,whip v.鞭打
- Matsushita 松下公司
- microwave-oven微波炉
- Galanz 格兰仕公司
- Konka康佳电子（集团）股份有限公司
- brand n.商标,牌子
- Southeast Asian东南亚
2
The China boom is by now a well-documented phenomenon. Who hasn't heard of the Middle Kingdom's startling economic growth (8 percent annually), its enormous consumer market (1.2 billion people), the investment ardor of foreign suitors ($40 billion in foreign direct investment last year alone)? China is an economic marvel. According to Nicholas Lardy of the Brookings Institution, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, "No country has expanded its foreign trade as fast as China over the last 20 years. Japan doubled its foreign trade over a 20-year period; China's foreign trade as quintupled. They've become the main producer of labor-intensive manufacturing goods in the world."
But there's been something missing from the dazzling China growth story—namely, the Chinese multinational. No major Chinese companies have yet established themselves, or their brands, on the global stage. But as Haier shows, that is starting to change. After 100 years of poverty and chaos, of being overshadowed by foreign countries and multinationals, Chinese industrial companies are starting to make a mark on the world. (170 words)
注释
- boom n.繁荣,隆隆声
- a well-documented 得到充分证实的
- kingdom n.王国,国度,领域
- ardor n.热心,热情
- the Brookings Institution布鲁金斯学会
- think tank n.智囊团
- quintuple a.五倍的；v.使成五倍
- labor-intensive劳动密集型
- dazzling a.眼花缭乱的,耀眼的
- multinational a.多国的,多种国籍的; n.多国籍公司,跨国公司
- Haier 海尔公司
- chaos n.大混乱,混沌
- overshadow v.遮阴,使阴暗,使失色
- make a mark 产生影响
3
Earlier this year, when America first sneezed, the European Central Bank (along with most private-sector economists) argued that the euro area was insulated from America's slowdown and had little to worry about. This seems to have been wrong. In Germany there are fears about recession as business investment and retail sales tumble. Recent figures confirmed that Germany's GDP stagnated in the second quarter. Italy's GDP fell in the second quarter, and although growth has held up better in France and Spain, the growth in the euro area as a whole was close to zero in the quarter. Nobody is forecasting an actual recession in the euro area this year, but it is no longer expected to provide an engine for world growth.
As for Japan, it is probably already in recession. Japan's GDP grew slightly in the first quarter. Persistent deflation continues to be a severe problem. A revised measure of Japan's consumer-price index, to be published soon, is likely to show that deflation is worse than had been thought. （170 words）
注释
- sneeze v.打喷嚏，感冒
- the European Central Bank欧洲央行
- along with 随同...一起; 连同...一起
- euro area 欧元地区
- insulated v.使...绝缘; 不受……影响
- slowdown n.降低速度,减速
- recession n. 后退，衰退
- retail sales零售
- confirmed v.确认
- stagnate v.使淤积; 停滞
- forecast v.预测
- persistent a.坚持的,持续的
- deflation n.通货紧缩
- revised measure修订标准
- consumer-price index物价指数
4
Silicon Valley is a magnet to which numerous talented engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs from overseas flock to in search of fame, fast money and to participate in a technological revolution whose impact on mankind will surely surpass the epoch-making European Renaissance and Industrial Revolution of the bygone age.
With the rapid spread of the Internet and the relentless technological innovations generated through it, the information era is truly upon us, profoundly influencing and changing not only our lifestyle, but also the way we work, do business, think and communicate with others.
It is noteworthy that close to 50% of its skilled manpower, including engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs, come from Asia. Prominent among them are Indians and Chinese, and not a few Singaporeans.
Intellectual challenges aside, it is a common practice for start-ups to offer generous share options to employees in order to attract the right talent into their folds. This is a powerful incentive to motivate the staff to do their utmost and to share in the company's prosperity if it reaches its goal. Many regard this as the foundation of a successful enterprise.（184 words）
注释
- Silicon Valley 硅谷
- magnet n.磁铁,有吸引力之人,有吸引力之物
- entrepreneur n.企业家,主办人
- flock n.群; v.成群而行,聚集
- in search of [=looking for]寻找; 追求
- surpass v.超越，胜过
- the epoch-making 划时代的
- European Renaissance欧洲文艺复兴
- Industrial Revolution产业革命
- the bygone age .过去的时代
- relentless a.无情的,冷酷的,残酷的
- technological innovations 技术创新
- lifestyle n 生活方式
- noteworthy a.值得注目的,显著的
- prominent a.卓越的,显著的,突出的
- aside ad. 除了……之外
- start-ups n. 起始，启动（公司、企业）
- incentive n.动机; a.激励的,刺激的
- utmost n.极限,最大限度
-
5
For all the fevered work being done, however, science is still far away from the Brave New World vision of engineering a perfect human—or even a perfect tomato. Much more research is needed before gene therapy becomes commonplace, and many diseases will take decades to conquer, if they can be conquered at all.
In the short run, the most practical way to use the new technology will be in genetic screening. Doctors will be able to detect all sorts of flaws in DNA long before they can be fixed. In some cases the knowledge may lead to treatments that delay the attack of the disease or soften its effects. Someone with a genetic heart disease, for example, could follow a low-fat diet. And if scientists determine that a vital protein is missing because the gene that was supposed to make it is defective, they might be able to give the patient an artificial version of the protein. But in other instances, almost nothing can be done to stop the damages brought on by genetic mutations. （176 words）
注释
- fevered a.发烧的,激动的
- the Brave New World 美妙的新世界
- therapy n.治疗
- commonplace n.常事,老生常谈 a.平凡的,陈腐的
- conquer v.克服,征服,战胜
- in the short run从短期来看
- genetic screening遗传筛选
- low-fat diet低脂饮食
- vital protein 重要蛋白质
- artificial version人造的形式（方案）
- mutation n.变化,突变
12
Most vehicles built so far are expensive, sometimes costing millions of dollars, and all consume more power than their developers would like them to. But size, cost, and power consumption have been coming down, and can be expected to continue dropping as microelectronic processing components shrink and become integrated with low-power micromechanical sensors.
Odyssey, a vehicle developed at the MIT Sea Grant Laboratory, represents the state of the art: it is small, inexpensive (around $ 50,000 ), and capable. Odyssey is 2.2 meters long and weighs 195 kilograms; it can dive to 6,000 meters—making accessible all but a small fraction of the world's oceans—and can travel up to 1,000 kilometers at 3 knots, depending on the type of battery and the power needed by its sensors. Equipped with video and a range of sensors for taking oceanographic measurements, the vehicle has successfully completed missions in the waters off the states of Massachusetts and Washington and in both the Arctic and the Antarctic, from ship-and- shore-based facilities.（169 words）
注释
- vehicle n.交通工具,车辆装置
- so far 到目前为止
- consume v.消耗,消费,饮食
- microelectronic processing components 微电子处理元件
- shrink v.收缩，变小
- integrated with 结为一体
- micromechanical sensor微机械传感器
- Odyssey n.《奥德赛》
- MIT Sea Grant Laboratory美国麻省理工学院西格兰实验室
- the state of the art最新工艺
- accessible a.易接近的,可进入的,易受影响的
- all but几乎
- up to 一直到，高达
- knot n. 节＝1海里/小时
- oceanographic measurement海洋测量
- both the Arctic and the Antarctic北极和南极
- ship-and-shore-based facilities船基和岸基的设备
13
The idea of photography had been around for a while. Scientists, artists, and dabblers dreamed of making these images permanent，and they were getting close.
There is much debate about who invented photography; several people were working on the idea around the same time. For the general public，much of the appeal of the first photographic images came from their perfection and detail. No matter how good the craftsmanship, a painting is not a photograph.
For more than l50 years, photography has had an extraordinary impact on the way we live. From the start, it changed the way people saw themselves, and it launched innovations in nearly every field. The sciences, the arts, politics, history—all were transformed. Suddenly, too, the world must have seemed a much smaller place.
With his invention of the stroboscopic flash in the early1930s, MIT engineer Harold Edgerton was able to photograph events previously too quick to capture including his famous picture of a milk drop’s splash in 1957. Though majestic in appearance, the splash is only half an inch across. （179 words）
注释
- be around for a while在...周围有相当一段时间了
- dabbler n.业余家,涉猎者
- permanent a.永久的,不变的,固定的
- debate n.辩论,讨论
- work on the idea为这一念头努力工作
- around the same time差不多同时
- for the general public对于普通老百姓来说，public n.公众,民众
- appeal n.吸引力
- perfection and detail完美性和细节的清晰度
- craftsmanship技艺
- an extraordinary impact非凡的影响
- the way people saw themselves人们认识自身的方式
- launch innovation发起革新
- transform v.转换,使...变形
- stroboscopic a.频闪观测仪的
- MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology美国麻省理工学院
- previously ad.先前; 以前
- a milk drop’s splash一滴牛奶的溅起，splash n.飞浅的水,溅开
- majestic in appearance看上去很壮观
- half an inch across直径半英寸
14
If you received a molecule-sized car, snowmobile, or jet ski for Christmas, you've probably realized by now that the thing is totally useless. It just sits there on your microscope slide like an inert dust speck, incapable of going for a spin around the cover slip. Okay, so molecular vehicles are pure fantasy. But their immobility is a problem that's all too real for would-be builders of nano-sized devices. Such devices are so small, there's no obvious way to power them. Now, researchers are turning to biology for what may be a possible solution: molecular motors from living things.
Cells are packed with protein-based motors powered by the chemical fuel of life, adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. These motors ferry cargo, flex muscles, and even copy DNA. And at a recent meeting, some scientists reported taking the first baby steps toward harnessing these motors to power nanotechnology devices. Like molecular mechanics, the researchers have unbolted the motors from their cellular moorings, remounted them on engineered surfaces, and demonstrated that they can in fact perform work, such as twirling microscopic plastic beads. （180 words）
注释
- a molecule-sized car分子大小的汽车
- snowmobile n.摩托雪撬
- jet ski 喷气式水橇
- microscope slide显微镜承物玻璃片
- an inert dust speck惰性灰尘微粒
- fantasy n.幻想,白日梦
- immobility n 静止，不活动性
- would-be 未来的，可望成为……的
- nano-sized devices纳米大小的装置
- turn to v.转向，求助于
- are packed with protein-based motors挤满了基于蛋白质的马达
- adenosine triphosphate腺苷三磷酸盐
- ferry v..船渡, 运送
- flex v.弯曲,伸缩,折曲; n.电线,松紧带
- taking the first baby steps迈出小小的第一步
- unbolt v.拔去门闩,释放
- cellular moorings细胞系泊处
- remount v.再骑上, 重镶上
- twirl v..旋转
15
As the clock crept toward 11: 15 p. m. last Thursday, the 500 scientists and engineers packed into the control room and an adjacent auditorium at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory kept their eyes fixed on a bank of computer monitors. They waited anxiously as technicians injected less than 1 oz. of tritium gas into the doughnut-shaped hollow at the heart of a 50-ft. tall reactor in the next room. Then they waited some more as the tritium mixed with deuterium gas already inside and the combination was heated with powerful radio beams.
The temperature climbed above 100 million degrees—three times hotter than the core of the sun—causing the mixture to burn suddenly in a nuclear-fusion reaction, the same kind that takes place inside stars and hydrogen bombs. More than 3 million watts of energy began pouring from the superheated gas inside the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor, and for the four seconds, or so that the experiment lasted, the hottest spot in the solar system by a sizable margin was in Plainsboro, New Jersey.（175 words）
注释
- pack v.挤满，塞满
- adjacent auditorium毗连的礼堂
- the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory普林斯顿等离子体物理实验室
- inject v.注射,注入
- oz. ounce 盎斯
- tritium n.氚，三重氢
- doughnut-shaped hollow 环状空洞，doughnut n.油炸圈饼
- deuterium n.[化]氘; 重氢
- radio beams无线电射线
- nuclear-fusion reaction核聚变反应
- hydrogen bomb n.氢弹
- superheat v.过热化; n.过热
- Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor托克马克核聚变试验反应堆
- Plainsboro, New Jersey新泽西的普兰斯波洛
- 16
- The history of computing began with an analog machine. In 1623 German scientist Wilhelm Schikard invented a machine that could add and, with the aid of logarithm tables, multiply and divide.
- French philosopher, mathematician, and physicist Blaise Pascal invented a machine in 1642 that added and subtracted, automatically carrying and borrowing digits from column to column. Pascal built 50 copies of his machine, but most served as curiosities in parlors of the wealthy. Seventeenth-century German mathematician Gottfried Leibniz designed a special gearing system to enable multiplication on Pascal's machine.
- In the early 19th century French inventor Joseph-Marie Jacquard devised a specialized type of computer: a loom. Jacquard's loom used punched cards to program patterns that were output as woven fabrics by the loom. Though Jacquard was rewarded and admired, he fled for his life from the city of Lyon, pursued by weavers who feared their jobs were in danger due to Jacquard's invention. The loom prevailed, however: When Jacquard passed away, more than 30,000 of his looms existed in Lyon. The looms are still used today, especially in the manufacture of fine furniture fabrics. （184 words）
-
注释
- analog machine模拟机
- logarithm tables对数表
- multiply v.繁殖,乘,增加
- subtract v.减去,扣掉,减少
- borrowing digits from column to column竖式借位运算
- curiosity n.新奇的事物
- parlor n.客厅,会客室
- gearing n.传动装置
- loom n.织布机
- flee v.逃避,逃跑,逃走
- Lyon (法国)里昂
- pursue v.追捕
- prevail v.获胜,流行,盛行
- pass away 去世
- fabric n.织物
17
To have a telephone conversation over the Internet, the person you want to talk to no longer needs a computer. Now all you need to talk to someone in Melbourne is one computer with speakers, a microphone, a sound card and some software. Typically, you'll pay a flat monthly fee (usually under $ 20) to a service provider, but after that, the calls themselves are local. Sound quality is equivalent to that of a cell phone.
Even if you don't have a computer, you can still use the Web to cut down your long-distance phone bill. Some companies offer a service that lets you use an ordinary phone to call another ordinary phone, but charge only a few cents per minute for U.S. calls because they route them through the Internet.
Today 48 percent of American homes have computers—a figure that is expected to climb to 60 percent by 2003. And by the end of the next decade, Americans will likely be spending more time shopping, banking, investing and learning on the Internet than in the real world. （178 words）
注释
- Melbourne n.墨尔本
- sound card声卡
- provider提供者
- equivalent to与……相当
- cell phone移动电话
- long-distance phone bill长途电话账单
- charge v.收费,要价
- route v 运送，传送
- climb v.攀登,上升
- the real world 现实世界
18
In the old days, sending a thank-you note to a relative was easy. You wrote it, stuck a stamp on the envelope and dropped it into a mailbox. Off it went in a red-white-and-blue U.S. mail truck, and a couple of days later the friendly neighborhood mailman walked it, regardless of weather, right to the recipient's door.
Now you're as likely to send a fax, e-mail, or instant message. Even if you cling to traditional pen and paper, it's no longer clear how it will travel. Airborne Express? Overnight? Two-Day Priority?
As it moves into the 21st century, the American mail system is struggling to survive. In the past few years, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has launched many new services, including stamps over the Internet, electronic bill payment, and a service that prints and mails electronic documents. Yet revenues depleted by alternative communications (e-mail, electronic banking), combined with rising fuel and operating costs, led to a $350 million loss in 2000. (163 words)
注释
- thank-you note感谢信
- mailbox n.邮筒,邮箱
- red-white-and-blue 红白蓝三色相间的
- regardless of 不管; 不顾; 不惜
- recipient n.收信人
- cling to 坚守
- airborne a.空运的,空中传播的
- overnight n.前晚; a.前夜的
- priority n.优先权,优先顺序
- survive v.生存,生还
- U.S. Postal Service美国邮政总局
- deplete v.耗尽,使...空竭
- alternative na.二中择一的,选择性的
- operating costs运作成本
19
The recent boom in technological advances, formation of new businesses, and personal fortunes is the third, and most dramatic wave generated by the computer industry in the last twenty-five years. The first wave involved tangible products—“hardware," as opposed to the computer programs that constitute software. In the 1960s and 1970s companies in the Santa Clara Valley, between San Jose and San Francisco, produced silicon memory chips for computers thus the name Silicon Valley. Then they produced silicon logic chips, which direct a computer's operation. Then many produced computers as well.
The second wave of wealth creation involved software— "application" software that people use for work or recreation, like word-processing programs or computer games, and "systems" software used to run businesses or, very often, computer networks themselves. The difference between software and hardware provides a classic illustration of what economists mean by "increasing returns to scale." Because the cost of producing additional units of software—the “marginal cost”—is extremely low, once you become the market leader in a field, your profits grow enormously. （174 words）
注释
- boom n.繁荣, 欣欣向荣
- personal fortunes 个人财富
- most dramatic wave 最令人注目的一次浪潮; dramatic a. 戏剧性的，令人注目的
- tangible products有形产品；tangible a..有形的,明白的
- as opposed to与…相对而言
- the Santa Clara Valley圣克拉拉谷地[美国加利福尼亚州]
- San Jose 圣何塞[美国加利福尼亚州]
- San Francisco旧金山
- silicon memory chip 存储器硅芯片
- Silicon Valley硅谷
- as well 也，同样
- "application" software“运用”型软件
- recreation n.娱乐,消遣,休养
- word-processing program词汇处理程序
- a classic illustration经典例证
- by "increasing returns to scale" 规模递增收益；returns 收入，收益
- the “marginal cost” 边际成本
20
According to a recent survey of the richest 1% of Americans by US newspapers, around half fear that their children's initiative and independence will be destroyed by having material advantages. Some 80% want their kids to find a satisfying career, and 65% want them to earn enough to support themselves entirely through their own work. But most of them accept that this is an uphill struggle. How can a child be taught that money is a scarce commodity when the most clinching reason for turning down a request, "We can't afford it", patently does not apply?
A growing number of family limited partnerships are being created which allow children to work alongside parents in managing the family fortune without actually getting control of the money. Such schemes provide a tax-efficient way of transferring wealth between generations, and also offer a method of stopping the family money going to an ex-spouse. Only 27% of rich parents would advise their children to get a pre-nuptial agreement, and even if they did their advice might be ignored: such unromantic agreements are rare in first marriages.（181 words）
注释
- around half 大约半数
- initiative n.主动性，积极性
- material advantages优越的物资生活条件
- uphill struggle uphill a.上坡的,向上的
- a scarce commodity 一种稀罕的商品；scarce a.难得的,稀罕的; 不足的
- the most clinching reason决定性理由
- turn down 拒绝
- patently does not apply明显地不适用，patently ad.明白地,公然地
- partnership n.合伙,合股
- to work alongside parents和父母一道工作，alongside prep, 与…并排，一道
- a tax-efficient way 有效的课税法
- an ex-spouse前配偶;ex-前，原
- a pre-nuptial agreement婚前协议；nuptial a.婚姻的,婚礼的
- unromantic a.平淡无奇的， 其构词为: un＋romantic
