Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

     Ironically, a study finds that we’re awful gift-givers precisely because we spend too much time trying to be considerate. We imagine our friends  a gift that is impressive, expensive, and sentimental. We imagine the look of happiness and surprise on their faces and the warmth we feel  . But there’s something that the most sentimental-gift-givers tend not to think too much about:  the gift is practical in the first place.
     , practicality seems like an enemy of great gift giving. Beautiful jewelry, lovely watches, perfect rugs, finely crafted kitchen hardware: These things  great gifts because they communicate something beyond practicality. They communicate that the giver cares.
    But do the receivers care? Often, no. "Gift receivers would be  if givers gave them exactly what they requested  attempting to be 'thoughtful and considerate' by buying gifts they did not explicitly request" to surprise them, the researchers write. Their clever paper asks givers and receivers to  gifts from two perspectives: desirability (e.g. the cost of a coffee maker) and feasibility(e.g. the  of the coffee maker). Across several experiments, they find that givers consistently give gifts based on desirability and receivers  favor gifts based on feasibility.

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

     Why do kids hate Brussels sprouts(芽甘蓝)? Because Brussels sprouts are bitter, and kids generally don't like bitter tastes. But it's not their . Researchers say that a dislike for bitter and sour is a survival instinct, since most toxic substances  that way too. On the other hand, sweetness typically indicates that something is  to eat, so children are born with a  for sweets.
     What we like to eat changes over time. As we age, we realize that  something tastes bitter or sour, it won't kill us, and we learn to  it. When we're older, we  some of our smell sensitivity. Humans need smell to experience flavor, which is different from taste. With our senses diminished, we'll probably begin  sugar and salt to our food, to heighten the flavor. , there's a theory that the reason many especially "big"-tasting wines in recent years have won awards is that wine critics are getting older and finding subtle flavors  to sense.
     If someone is  to detect flavors at all, he may have a taste , which can be caused by a tongue injury or brain damage. Or it could be a problem with . The channel that separates the mouth from the nose allows us to smell behind our nose and is  enjoying most complex flavors. That's why food seems  when we have a stuffy nose—except chicken noodle soup. It's so salty.

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

     Riding a bike is good exercise and great fun. But what do you do with a bike after you outgrow it? Nicole Basil, 12, has a terrific answer to this question. When she was 8 years old, she  Pedal Power. It is a charity that collects bikes that kids have outgrown and donates them to Chicago public schools.
     Since 2008, Nicole has collected and donated more than 1,000 bikes.  the bicycles, Pedal Power supplied riders with 400 helmets (头盔) last year. "It is important to ride  on a bike, and helmets are a big part of that," Nicole says. The Wilmette Bicycle & Sport Shop helps to  that all donated bikes are safe to ride. Each bike receives a five-minute  by the shop's employees.
     The bikes are given to students who have good grades and perfect attendance. Nicole says: "Some kids aren't as lucky as others,  they still do well in school. I think they should be  for that." Nicole has received e-mails and phone calls from parents and teachers that say test  are improving. "Bikes can take you far," she says. "Good grades can take you even ."
     Barton Dassinger is the principal of Cesar E. Chavez school in Chicago. Students in his school have received bikes. "It's been a great way to  students to do their best," Dassinger says. "They work hard to make it happen."

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank. 

     When asked about the impact of disturbing news on children, one mother said: “My 11-year-old daughter doesn’t like watching the news. She has  about what she has seen. One time, she watched a report about a person who killed a family member with a knife. That night she dreamed that she too was being killed.” Another interviewee said: “My six-year-old niece saw reports of tornadoes (龙卷风) from elsewhere in the country. For weeks , she was terrified. She  call me on the phone, convinced that a tornado was coming her way and that she was going to die.”
     Do you think disturbing news reports can frighten children? In one survey, nearly 40 percent of parents said that their children had been  by something they saw in the news and that, , the children had feared that a similar event would happen to them or their loved ones. Why? One factor is that children often  the news differently from adults. For example, small children may believe that a  that is broadcast repeatedly is really happening repeatedly.
     A second factor is that daily reports of disturbing events can distort a child’s  of the world. True, we live in “critical times hard to .” But repeated exposure to disturbing news reports can cause children to develop lasting fears. “Children who watch a lot of TV news  to overestimate the occurrence of crime and may perceive the world to be a more dangerous place than it actually is,” observes the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

     Zoos have become an important site for the preservation and protection of wildlife resources,  those species that are endangered. , many zoos displayed live animals for public entertainment. Presently some zoos have become scientific and educational  that have contributed to the understanding and conservation of wild animal populations.  the challenges facing modern zoos are the cost of upgrading old facilities, the struggle to obtain  operating funds, and the need to attract more visitors to new and entertaining exhibits.
     Many  zoos in American dries have undergone renovation (翻新) during the last decades of the twentieth century. Among the recent trends in zoo  is the construction of new enclosures that resemble natural habitats (栖息地). The replacement of traditional steel bars and concrete floors  appropriately designed surroundings improves visitor appreciation of the animals. Such renovations may.  stress on animals and allow them to interact with one another more naturally.
     Several major zoos conduct captive propagation programs. A captive propagation program includes the breeding of  zoo or wild animals to obtain offspring, usually for release to  or for transfer to other zoos. Captive breeding is one method of  some species from extinction.
     Zoos have expanded and improved public education programs also, with education departments that develop programs  zoo exhibits. Public activities include in-school programs, zoo tours, special events, and websites. The Zoological Society of New York, for example, conducted a major project with a Western African government to monitor an elephant herd it moved throughout its range.
     The importance of zoos will increase as natural habitats are diminishing. Through their efforts  conservation, education, and environmental advocacy, zoos will continue to play a critical role in wildlife preservation throughout the world. 

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank. 

     Every day, they slowly accumulate. Plates covered in sauces and bread pieces. Bowls with a fine layer of who-knows-what. Forks, knives, and spoons all stuck with bits of this and that. At the end of a long day of work, cooking, cleaning, and, for many, negotiating with small children, a couple has to  the big question: Who is going to do the ?
     A recent report on family dynamics suggests that the answer to that question can have a significant impact  the health and long lasting of a relationship. The study examined a variety of different household tasks,  shopping, laundry and housecleaning, and found that, for women in families, it's more important to  the responsibility of doing the dishes than any other task. Women who wash the vast majority of the dishes themselves report  relationship conflict and less relationship satisfaction than women with husbands  help. Women are happier about sharing dish washing  than they are about sharing any other household task.
     What is it about dishes? Dan Carlson, assistant professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah, and the lead author of the study, offers his own observations: "Doing dishes is gross. , unlike some other household tasks such as cooking or gardening, doing dishes well does not  praises."

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

     How many people can live on the face of the earth? No one knows the answer. It depends on how much food people can grow  destroying the environment.
     More people now exist than ever before, and the population  growing. Every 15 seconds, about 100 babies are born. Before the end of this century, the earth may  10 billion people!
     To feed everyone, farmers must grow more food. They are trying to do so. World food production has gradually  over the years. In some parts of the world, , the population is growing faster than the food supply. Some experts fear the world will not be able to produce enough food for a  that never stops increasing.
     To grow more crops on the same  of land, farmers use fertilizers and pesticides (杀虫剂). Some plant new kinds of grains that produce more food. These things help— they don't provide perfect solutions. The chemicals in fertilizers and pesticides can pollute water supplies. The new seeds developed by scientists have reached the  of what they can produce.
     When hungry people can get no more out of  field, they clear trees from hills and forests for new farmland, and in doing so they expose the soil. Then rain and floods may strip the topsoil from fields. This process is called erosion. Each year erosion steals billions of tons of topsoil from farmers.

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

     In order to work here the foreigner needs a work permit, which must be applied for by his prospective employer. The problem here is that the Department of Employment has the right to  or refuse these permits, and there is little that can be  about it, it would be extremely unwise for a foreign visitor to work without a permit, since anyone doing so is  to immediate deportation. There are some exceptions to this rule, most notably people from the Common Market countries, who are  to work without permits and who are often given temporary residence permits of up to five years. Some  people, such as doctors, foreign journalists, authors and others, can work without permits.
     The problem with the Act is not just that some of its rules are  but  it is administered, and the people who administer it.
     An immigration official has the power to stop a visitor  these shores coming into the country. If this happens the visitor has the  to appeal to the Immigration Appeal Tribunal.  the appeals are being considered the visitor has no choice but to wait sometimes for quite a long time.

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

     Cloud computing (云计算) means storing and accessing data programs over the Internet instead of your computer's hard drive. It  computing over a network, where a program or application may run on many connected computers at the same time.
     For some, cloud computing is metaphor (隐喻) for the Internet. It  uses connected hardware machines called servers. Individual users can use the server's processing power to run an application, store data, or  any other computing task.
     For businesses, cloud computing is an ideal way to reduce . For example, companies may buy services in the cloud. That is to say, instead of  applications on every single computer in the company, cloud computing would allow workers to log into Web-based service (a could) which hosts all the  individual users would need for their job.
     While cloud computing could change the entire computer industry, there are still some  about the security of the data stored on the remote machines. It is true that it promises to save a lot of work. However, this technology  a fundamental question. Is it safe to store one's data on someone else's computer? The cloud service provider needs to establish relevant policies that describe  the data of each cloud user will be accessed and used. Cloud service users should also be able to encrypt (加密)  that is processed or stored within the cloud to prevent unauthorized access.

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

     Are you single but too busy to search for love? Then you need to try the latest dating phenomenon that is sweeping  the UK—speed dating.
     Speed dating  men and woman meeting in a room and finding out as much as they can about possible  in three minutes. It’s proving every  with Britain’s young people who find that they haven’t got the time to meet that special one.
     At a speed dating event you are given three minutes to talk, , with a member of the opposite sex. Then a bell is  and you move to another person and start chatting again. By the end of the evening you will have spoken with up to twenty men or women!
     If, by the end of a conversation, you  the person or would like to see him or her again, you write it  on a card. Then, if the other person also fancies you, the organizers will contact you with their details.
     But is three minutes long enough to make an impression and  if you want to see someone again? Research suggests that  can be felt within the first thirty seconds of meeting someone, and that is  speed dating is all about, knowing quickly if you are going to like someone.
     And what about romance? Is it possible to make a good  in such a short time? , people say you can’t hurry love. However, Britain will soon have its first marriage from a speed date.
     So, if you are on a  to find Mr. or Miss Right, what have you got to lose? , you still go home on your own. But at best, the person of your dreams could be just three minutes away.

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

     Cloud computing (云计算) means storing and accessing data programs over the Internet instead of your computer's hard drive. It  computing over a network, where a program or application may run on many connected computers at the same time.
     For some, cloud computing is metaphor (隐喻) for the Internet. It  uses connected hardware machines called servers. Individual users can use the server's processing power to run an application, store data, or  any other computing task.
     For businesses, cloud computing is an ideal way to reduce . For example, companies may buy services in the cloud. That is to say, instead of  applications on every single computer in the company, cloud computing would allow workers to log into Web-based service (a could) which hosts all the  individual users would need for their job.
     While cloud computing could change the entire computer industry, there are still some  about the security of the data stored on the remote machines. It is true that it promises to save a lot of work. However, this technology  a fundamental question. Is it safe to store one's data on someone else's computer? The cloud service provider needs to establish relevant policies that describe  the data of each cloud user will be accessed and used. Cloud service users should also be able to encrypt (加密)  that is processed or stored within the cloud to prevent unauthorized access.

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.
     The history of transportation is very long and full of changes and inventions. It starts  walking, which is not any invention; it just takes energy. People used to walk to get to other places. If you wanted to get somewhere quickly, the  way to do that was to run. Actually, the first invention for the transportation  was the shoe. Centuries ago there were no shoes, and people walked barefoot.
     Then people invented  to transport themselves and materials from one place to another. In some cultures, people invented sledges (雪橇),  are a kind of board that you drag along the ground. You can tie things on the sledges to help carry them, but it’s a challenging invention  if you hit a rock with the sledges as you pull it, the contents can . In other cultures, people invented the wheels, which they used to make it easier to move things — and people. That was the beginning of many innovations in transportation. 

      people had wheels they could invent other ways to travel. They could put the wheels on a board and make it a wagon, and then they could  that wagon to an ox or a horse and ride as well as carry materials. That wheel led to  we have today: trucks, automobiles, and even boats and planes. For example, there were steamboats that used giant wheels that turned with blades, pushing the water and pushing the boat forward.

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

        The English countryside has a classic image. People imagine that life in the country is slow and calm; that there are no traffic jams, no pollution, and no crime. In some places, this is true; but in it is not.
        Small towns and villages are becoming more and more : people have more space and most houses have gardens. But problems are . Lots of people want to live in the country and work in the city; so more and more people travel  distances each day, to go to work. Of course they don't use buses or trains; they use cars. Little villages now have traffic problems in the morning, just  big cities!
        The problems are very complicated! If everyone moves into the country, the peace of the countryside will ! People leave cities and big towns, to escape from urban problems; but more and more, they are  their problems with them. On warm summer days, and cold winter days, air pollution can be a big problem in large  of the south of England, not just in London.
        Perhaps there is  for the future. Soon Britain's population will stop rising. From about the year 2030, it will perhaps start to fall. In 100 year's time, there will be less people in Britain than today—perhaps two million less. No doubt there will be  pollution too; oil and petrol will probably be rare by then.

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

        Andrew Carnegie, known as the King of Steel, built the steel industry in the United States, and, in the process, became one of themen in America. His success resulted in part from his ability to sell the product and in from his policy of expanding during periods of economic decline, when most of his competitors were their investments.

        
Carnegie believed that individuals should progress through hard work, he also felt strongly that the wealthy should use their fortunes for the of society. He opposed charity, preferring instead to provide educational opportunities that would allow others to help . "He who dies rich, dies disgraced," he often said.


        Among his more noteworthy contributions to society are those thathis name, including the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, which has a library, a museum of fine arts, and a museum of national history. He alsoa school of technology that is now part of Carnegie-Mellon University. Other philanthropic gifts are the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to promote understanding between nations, the Carnegie Institute of Washington toscientific research, and Carnegie Hall to provide a center for the arts.


        Few Americans have been untouched by Andrew Carnegie's generosity. His contributions of more than five million dollars established 2,500 libraries in small communities throughout the country and formed the nucleus of the public library system that we all enjoy today.

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

     Ironically, a study finds that we’re awful gift-givers precisely because we spend too much time trying to be considerate. We imagine our friends  a gift that is impressive, expensive, and sentimental. We imagine the look of happiness and surprise on their faces and the warmth we feel  . But there’s something that the most sentimental-gift-givers tend not to think too much about:  the gift is practical in the first place.
     , practicality seems like an enemy of great gift giving. Beautiful jewelry, lovely watches, perfect rugs, finely crafted kitchen hardware: These things  great gifts because they communicate something beyond practicality. They communicate that the giver cares.
    But do the receivers care? Often, no. "Gift receivers would be  if givers gave them exactly what they requested  attempting to be 'thoughtful and considerate' by buying gifts they did not explicitly request" to surprise them, the researchers write. Their clever paper asks givers and receivers to  gifts from two perspectives: desirability (e.g. the cost of a coffee maker) and feasibility(e.g. the  of the coffee maker). Across several experiments, they find that givers consistently give gifts based on desirability and receivers  favor gifts based on feasibility.

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank. 

     Every day, they slowly accumulate. Plates covered in sauces and bread pieces. Bowls with a fine layer of who-knows-what. Forks, knives, and spoons all stuck with bits of this and that. At the end of a long day of work, cooking, cleaning, and, for many, negotiating with small children, a couple has to  the big question: Who is going to do the ?
     A recent report on family dynamics suggests that the answer to that question can have a significant impact  the health and long lasting of a relationship. The study examined a variety of different household tasks,  shopping, laundry and housecleaning, and found that, for women in families, it's more important to  the responsibility of doing the dishes than any other task. Women who wash the vast majority of the dishes themselves report  relationship conflict and less relationship satisfaction than women with husbands  help. Women are happier about sharing dish washing  than they are about sharing any other household task.
     What is it about dishes? Dan Carlson, assistant professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah, and the lead author of the study, offers his own observations: "Doing dishes is gross. , unlike some other household tasks such as cooking or gardening, doing dishes well does not  praises."

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank. 

     When asked about the impact of disturbing news on children, one mother said: “My 11-year-old daughter doesn’t like watching the news. She has  about what she has seen. One time, she watched a report about a person who killed a family member with a knife. That night she dreamed that she too was being killed.” Another interviewee said: “My six-year-old niece saw reports of tornadoes (龙卷风) from elsewhere in the country. For weeks , she was terrified. She  call me on the phone, convinced that a tornado was coming her way and that she was going to die.”
     Do you think disturbing news reports can frighten children? In one survey, nearly 40 percent of parents said that their children had been  by something they saw in the news and that, , the children had feared that a similar event would happen to them or their loved ones. Why? One factor is that children often  the news differently from adults. For example, small children may believe that a  that is broadcast repeatedly is really happening repeatedly.
     A second factor is that daily reports of disturbing events can distort a child’s  of the world. True, we live in “critical times hard to .” But repeated exposure to disturbing news reports can cause children to develop lasting fears. “Children who watch a lot of TV news  to overestimate the occurrence of crime and may perceive the world to be a more dangerous place than it actually is,” observes the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

     In order to work here the foreigner needs a work permit, which must be applied for by his prospective employer. The problem here is that the Department of Employment has the right to  or refuse these permits, and there is little that can be  about it, it would be extremely unwise for a foreign visitor to work without a permit, since anyone doing so is  to immediate deportation. There are some exceptions to this rule, most notably people from the Common Market countries, who are  to work without permits and who are often given temporary residence permits of up to five years. Some  people, such as doctors, foreign journalists, authors and others, can work without permits.
     The problem with the Act is not just that some of its rules are  but  it is administered, and the people who administer it.
     An immigration official has the power to stop a visitor  these shores coming into the country. If this happens the visitor has the  to appeal to the Immigration Appeal Tribunal.  the appeals are being considered the visitor has no choice but to wait sometimes for quite a long time.

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

     Riding a bike is good exercise and great fun. But what do you do with a bike after you outgrow it? Nicole Basil, 12, has a terrific answer to this question. When she was 8 years old, she  Pedal Power. It is a charity that collects bikes that kids have outgrown and donates them to Chicago public schools.
     Since 2008, Nicole has collected and donated more than 1,000 bikes.  the bicycles, Pedal Power supplied riders with 400 helmets (头盔) last year. "It is important to ride  on a bike, and helmets are a big part of that," Nicole says. The Wilmette Bicycle & Sport Shop helps to  that all donated bikes are safe to ride. Each bike receives a five-minute  by the shop's employees.
     The bikes are given to students who have good grades and perfect attendance. Nicole says: "Some kids aren't as lucky as others,  they still do well in school. I think they should be  for that." Nicole has received e-mails and phone calls from parents and teachers that say test  are improving. "Bikes can take you far," she says. "Good grades can take you even ."
     Barton Dassinger is the principal of Cesar E. Chavez school in Chicago. Students in his school have received bikes. "It's been a great way to  students to do their best," Dassinger says. "They work hard to make it happen."

Cloze

Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best answer for each blank.

     Cloud computing (云计算) means storing and accessing data programs over the Internet instead of your computer's hard drive. It  computing over a network, where a program or application may run on many connected computers at the same time.
     For some, cloud computing is metaphor (隐喻) for the Internet. It  uses connected hardware machines called servers. Individual users can use the server's processing power to run an application, store data, or  any other computing task.
     For businesses, cloud computing is an ideal way to reduce . For example, companies may buy services in the cloud. That is to say, instead of  applications on every single computer in the company, cloud computing would allow workers to log into Web-based service (a could) which hosts all the  individual users would need for their job.
     While cloud computing could change the entire computer industry, there are still some  about the security of the data stored on the remote machines. It is true that it promises to save a lot of work. However, this technology  a fundamental question. Is it safe to store one's data on someone else's computer? The cloud service provider needs to establish relevant policies that describe  the data of each cloud user will be accessed and used. Cloud service users should also be able to encrypt (加密)  that is processed or stored within the cloud to prevent unauthorized access.