英语时文阅读1
时文阅读1-14
考研时文阅读（1）教育FEW ideas in education are more controversial than vouchers---letting parents choose to educate their children wherever they wish at the taxpayer’s expense. First suggested by Milton Friedman, an economist, in 1955, the principle is compelling simple. The state pays; parents choose; schools compete; standards rise; everybody gains.Simple, perhaps, but it has aroused predictable----and often fatal---opposition from the educational establishment. Letting parents choose where to educate their children is a silly idea; professionals know best. Cooperation, not competition, is the way to improve education for all. Vouchers would increase inequality because children who are hardest to teach would be left behind.But these arguments are now succumbing to sheer weight of evidence. Voucher schemes are running in several different countries without ill-effects for social cohesion; those that use a lottery to hand out vouchers offer proof that recipients get a better education than those that do not.Harry Patrinos, an education economist at the World Bank, cites a Colombian program to broaden access to secondary schooling, known as PACES, a 1990s initiative that provided over 125,000 poor children with vouchers worth around half the cost of private secondary school. Crucially, there were more applicants than vouchers. The programme, which selected children by lottery, provided researchers with an almost perfect experiment, akin to the “pill-placebo” studies used to judge the efficacy of new medicines. The subsequent results show that the children who received vouchers were 15—20% more likely to finish secondary education, fivepercentage points less likely to repeat a grade, scorced a bit better on scholastic tests and were much more likely to take college entrance exams.Vouchers programmes in several American states have been run along similar lines. Greg Forster, a statistician at the Friedman Foundation, a charity advocating universal vouchers, says there have been eight similar studies in America: seven showed statistically significant positive results but was not designed well enough to count.The voucher pupils did better even though the sate spent less than it would have done had the children been educated in normal state schools. American voucher schemes typically offer private schools around half of what the sate would spend if the pupils stayed in public schools. The Colombian programme did not even set out to offer better schooling than was available in the state sector; the aim was simply to raise enrollment rates as quickly and cheaply as possible.These results are important because they strip out other influences. Home, neighborhood and natural ability all affect results more than which school a child attends. If the pupils who received vouchers differ from those who don’t----perhaps simply by coming from the sort of go-getting family that elbows its way to the front of every queue---any effect might simply be the result of any number of other factors. But assigning the vouchers randomly guarded against this risk.Opponents still argue that those who exercise choice will be the most able and committed, and by clustering themselves together in better schools they will abandon the weak and voiceless to languish in rotten ones. Some cite the example of Chile, where a universal voucher scheme that allows schools to charge top-up fees seems to have improved the education of the best-off most.The strongest evidence against this criticism comes from Sweden, where parents are freer than those in almost any other country to spend as they wish the money the government allocates to educating their children. Sweeping education reforms in 1992 not only relaxed enrolment rules in state sector, allowing students to attend schools outside their own municipality, but also let them take their state funding to private schools, including religious ones and those operating for profit. The only real restrictions imposed on private schools were that they must run their admissions on a first-come-first-served basis and promise not to charge top-up fees(most American voucher schemes impose similar conditions).The result has been burgeoning variety and a breakneck expansion of the private sector. At the time of the reforms only around 1% of Swedish students were educated privately; now 10% are, and growth in private schooling continues unabated.Anders Hultin of Kunskapsskolan, a chain of 26 Swedish schools founded by a venture capitalist in 1999 and now running at a profit, says its schools only rarely have to invoke the first-come-first-served rule----the chain has responded to demand by expanding so fast that parents keen to send their children to its schools usually get a place. So the private sector, by increasing the total number of places available, can ease the mad scramble for the best schools in the state sector(bureaucrats, by contrast, dislike paying for extra places in popular schools if there are vacancies in bad ones).More evidence that choice can raise standards for all comes from Caroline Hoxby, an economist at Harvard University, who has shown that when American public schools must compete for their students with schools that accept vouchers, their performance improves. Swedish researchers say the same. It seems that those whowork in state schools are just like everybody else: they do better when confronted by a bit of competition.没有什么教育观念比学券更容易引发争议。
英语时文阅读
英语时文阅读第一篇 A ban on setting off firecrackersXINHUA话题：“过年要不要燃放烟花爆竹”这个讨论从年前争论到年后，从减少环卫工人负担到降低空气污染，反对者的声音高涨。
但也有人认为，作为传统节日活动，应该燃放烟花爆竹。
你怎么看？Wang Xingyue, 14, from Shanghai:I don’t think we should set off firecrackers (爆竹) during holidays. It is really noisy. Some people fire them during midnight. People around cannot sleep well. Besides, it brings air pollution (污染) and lots of rubbish. Most people do not clean the rubbish after they set off firecrackers. So I think there is no need to set them off anymore during holidays.Liu Ran, 14, from Shandong:Setting off firecrackers is a tradition during Chinese festivals. They set them off to celebrate or wish a happy new year. The ceremony (仪式) is very important in Chinese people’s lives. And it also reminds (提醒) us of one of the four great inventions (发明) of China, gunpowder (火药). We cannot give it up. It is good to have this ceremony during holidays. Do you agree with me？Lin Yisong, 15, from Zhejiang:I think we should control (控制) the setting off of firecrackers. During holidays, the government could get people together in a place. They can set off some firecrackers or fireworks and people can watch. It is safer to do this and people can also enjoy their holiday tradition.Zhang Qi, 14, from Guangxi:Firecrackers are dangerous and bad for the air. But it is really an important tradition in Chinese festivals. So I think we can use something else to replace (代替) them. For example, we can use LED fireworks instead. It is also beautiful and attractive. And it is much safer. Even kids can play with them.Li Qing, 14, from Jiangsu:I think we can improve the technology of firecrackers. The firecrackers we use now are dangerous. That’s why we cannot fire them anytime or anywhere we want. But if we can make them much safer and good for the air, we don’t have to give up the interesting tradition during Chinese festivals.第二篇Birthday girl’s trip of mystery神秘的银冠带来的奇幻之旅THE Silver Crown (《银色皇冠》) is an exciting read. It is abouta girl who wakes up on her birthday to find a silver crown underher pillow (枕头), but the day doesn’t turn out as she would have thought. Eventually she ends up in a mysterious school and then is hunted for her crown. To find her family, the girl has to travel through forests, mountains and the countryside while meeting many interesting characters with completely different natures.There are many different characters and it is very hard to choose a favorite, as they are all individuals (与众不同的人) with their own personalities. The story kept me guessing as it takes many twists and turns (波折). My favorite part in the story was when the main character and her friend camp in a cave with gems (珍宝) in all of the walls. The description that the author gives here makes you think and keep the pages turning. There was nothing I really disliked about this book. Perhaps apart from the fact it ended on a cliffhanger (悬念), which I personally do not like in books generally. Overall I think this is a great book. I recommend it to teenagers and people aged 11 onwards. It can keep you guessing and wondering, which is a great characteristic of a book for me!By Grace BaytonGrace Bayton, 13, is an eighth-grader at Newbridge School, Wales, UK. She loves reading and reads two books a week.。
英语时文阅读(一)
英语时文阅读（一）IMF head on suicide watch in New York City jailNEW YORK –The maid came from one of the world's poorest countries to the U. S., working to support the teen daughter she raised alone. To her, the penthouse s uite at the Sofitel Hotel was just another empty room to clean.She says she had no idea there was a man inside or that he was a famous Fren ch politician. She says he was naked, chased her down and tried to rape her. The man, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, remained jailed under a suicide watch Wednes day as a lawyer for the woman sought to rebut whispered allegations that her char ges were a conspiracy and a setup.Calls intensified for the 62-year-old Strauss-Kahn to step down as head of the pow erful International Monetary Fund, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner sa ying Strauss-Kahn "is obviously not in a position to run" the agency.Strauss-Kahn was one of France's most high-profile politicians and a potential candi date for president in next year's elections. His arrest on charges including attempte d rape shocked France and cast intense attention on his accuser, a 32-year-old ch ambermaid from the West African nation of Guinea.On Tuesday her lawyer, Jeffrey Shapiro, said he had no doubts his client was telli ng the truth about her encounter with Strauss-Kahn on Saturday."She came from a country in which poor people had little or no justice, and she's now in a country where the poor have the same rights as do the rich and the po werful," Shapiro said. "What (Strauss-Kahn) might be able to get away with in som e countries, he can't here in this country."Strauss-Kahn's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said at his client's arraignment this week that defense lawyers believe the forensic evidence "will not be consistent with a f orcible encounter."But Shapiro dismissed suggestions that the woman had made up the charges or tri ed to cover up a consensual encounter."This is nothing other than a physical, sexual assault by this man on this young w oman," Shapiro said in an interview in his Manhattan office. He said that the woman didn't know who was staying in the 28th-floor suite she went to clean on Saturd ay afternoon, before she said she was attacked."She did not know who this man was until a day or two after this took place," Sha piro said. "She had no idea who this man was."Strauss-Kahn is also charged with sex abuse, a criminal sex act, unlawful imprison ment and forcible touching. The most serious charge carries five to 25 years in pri son.Because of his high profile, he was being held Tuesday at Rikers Island in a secti on of the jail that normally houses prisoners with highly contagious diseases like m easles or tuberculosis. Corrections spokesman Stephen Morello said Strauss-Kahn h as been placed in a wing with about 14 cells, all of them empty except for his. Norman Seabrook, president of the correction officers union, said Strauss-Kahn did or said something during a mental health evaluation that concerned doctors, and h e is being monitored day and night.A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sens itivity of prisoner medical information, said Strauss-Kahn had not tried to harm hims elf.Strauss-Kahn's cell has a toilet and a sink. He takes his meals there, with breakfas t at 5 a.m., lunch at 11 a.m. and dinner at 4 or 5 p.m.Morello said Strauss-Kahn can occasionally leave his cell and wander the wing, an d can go outside for an hour each day. Because he is awaiting trial, Strauss-Kahn isn't required to wear a prison uniform. He may bring his own clothing and wear w hat he chooses, except for his shoes.Meanwhile in Europe, Strauss-Kahn's past conduct with other women was getting n ew scrutiny.The IMF investigated him following a 2008 affair with an employee, the Hungarian-born economist Piroska Nagy. The institution eventually cleared him of wrongdoing, but a person close to Nagy said Tuesday that she had sent the organization a let ter at the time warning about his behavior toward women.The letter voiced "doubts about Dominique Strauss-Kahn's suitability for running an international institution," according to the person, who declined to be identified, citin g the sensitivity of the matter.The New York Times published an excerpt of the letter, along with an account that said Strauss-Kahn had aggressively pursued Nagy, sent her sexually explicit messages and once had her summoned from the bathroom to speak to him.The scandal comes at a delicate time for the IMF, which is trying to shore up teet ering economies in Europe. The IMF is an immensely powerful agency that loans money to countries to stabilize the world economy. In exchange it often imposes st rict austerity measures.Strauss-Kahn seemed to anticipate that his problems with women could be a politic al liability ahead of France's presidential elections.The French daily newspaper Liberation reported this week that at a meeting with S trauss-Kahn in April, he speculated that his presidential campaign might be subject ed to low blows over "money, women and my Jewishness."Strauss-Kahn also theorized that his enemies might try to pay someone to accuse him of rape, according to the newspaper.The Associated Press does not name victims of alleged sex crimes unless they ag ree to it. But in the days since the alleged attack in Manhattan, details are beginni ng to emerge about Strauss-Kahn's accuser.The woman came to the United States under "very difficult circumstances" in 2004 from Guinea, one of the world's most destitute countries, said Shapiro, her lawyer. Guinea's average annual income of $1,000 per person is lower than Haiti's and Rw anda's and about the same as Afghanistan's, according to the CIA World Factbook. The woman's daughter, then 8, came with her. The girl's father is dead, and they have no other relatives in the United States, Shapiro said."They are very much alone in this world," he said.The United States gave the pair political asylum, he said, though he was unsure of the reason.The woman found work as a chambermaid in hotels, he said, eventually landing a job in 2008 at the French-owned Sofitel Hotel on 44th Street in Manhattan. The ho tel said she was a satisfactory employee.The woman and her daughter moved into an apartment building in the Bronx about 10 months ago, said Zulema Zuniga, who lives on the same floor. The neighbors would occasionally meet in the elevator and say hello."She was very nice," Zuniga said.But this humble immigrant life was shattered, police say, on Saturday afternoon, wh en the woman entered Strauss-Kahn's suite at the Sofitel to clean the room. Strauss-Kahn came out of the bathroom naked, chased her down a hallway and pulled her into a bedroom, the woman told police. Then he dragged her into a bathro om, forced her to perform oral sex on him and tried to remove her underwear, she said.She broke free, fled the room and told hotel security, but Strauss-Kahn was gone by the time detectives arrived, authorities said. They arrested him soon afterward o n an airliner that was just about to depart for Europe.Brafman said he is confident his client will be exonerated once all the physical evi dence is collected.Shapiro, a personal injury attorney, said he was put in touch with the woman throu gh a mutual acquaintance. He said they had not discussed the possibility of a civil lawsuit against Strauss-Kahn.Media attention has made it impossible for his client to return to her house or to work, Shapiro said. This week television crews and photographers hung around the employee entrance of the Sofitel and loitered outside her apartment, hoping for a glimpse of her.Shapiro said his client is now in a "safe place," but would not elaborate."Her life has now been turned upside down," Shapiro said. "She can't go home, sh e can't go back to work. ... This has been nothing short of a cataclysmic event in her life."___Associated Press writers David B. Caruso and Tom Hays in New York, video produ cer Matt Friedman in Washington and Raphael G. Satter in London contributed to t his report.。
时文阅读1
时文阅读1自己动手种的有机食物，吃起来格外香！Growing fresh healthy behaviorsHOW does your lunch taste (滋味) ？For students at Philips Academy Charter School in the US, their lunch tasted fresh (新鲜的) and “proud (自豪的)”.From Grade 6 to 8, students in the school had to grow their own lunch. On the small farm inside their kitchen, they grew crops (庄稼) like broccoli and many kinds of Asian greens.To most students, it was the first time for them to see how food is produced (生产).The greens grow under artificial lights (人造灯). Each month, students from different grades come to observe (观察) and water them. The farm produced about 8 pounds (3.6 kg) of leafy greens every three weeks. The fresh food was soon on the students’ table.“We harvest it and then it’s used in the kitchen and the salad bar. And we’re eating it during lunch, and it’s fun,” said Yves Millien, 14.And this organic (有机的) project is not only for teaching science. It really helped change students’behavior. Catkin Flowers, 13, hated green food before. She thought they tasted bad. However, after she grew her own crops, Catkin changed her mind.“I made this and I want to eat it because it’s good and I am proud of it,” said Catkin.选自21st1. Why did the lunch taste “proud”?A. Because it was cooked with fresh vegetables.B. Because there were different kinds of food in the meal.C. Because the students grew the lunch themselves.D. Because it was one of the best school lunches in the US.2. From the story, we learn that ________.A. the small farm is on the playgroundB. they don’t grow Asian greensC. the greens grow under artificial lightsD. every week they can get about 8 pounds of greens.3. What did the students think of the project?A. They were enjoying the food they grew.B. It took up too much of their study time.C. It didn’t help to learn science.D. The greens were not as good as those grown on farms.4. What does the story mainly talk about?A. Different kinds of school lunches.B. How to grow vegetables.C. An organic school project.D. Learning from growing greens.1-42It’s not always black or whiteWHEN I was in primary school, I got into a big argument (争吵) with a boy in my class. I forgot what the argument was about, but I will never forget the lesson I learned that day.I thought that I was right and he was wrong —and he thought that I was wrong and he was right. The teacher decided to teach us a very important lesson.She brought us to the front of the class and asked him to stand on one side of her desk and me on the other. In the middle of her desk was a large, round ball. I could clearly see that it was black. She asked the boy what color the ball was. “White,” he answered.I couldn’t believe he said the ball was white, when it was obviously (明显地) black! Another argument started between us, this time about the color of the ball.The teacher told us to change places and then asked me what color the ball was. I answered: “White.”It was a ball with two differently colored sides, and from his side it was white. Only from my side it was black.Sometimes we need to look at problems from the other person’s view in order to truly understand his or her perspective (观点). 选自21st1. What happened to the writer in the beginning?A. She fought with a boy in her class.B. She didn’t get along with boys.C. She had a big argument with a boy.D. A boy tried to teach her a lesson.2. When in the boy’s place, the writer changed her answer because _________.A. the boy changed his answer tooB. the ball had two differently colored sidesC. she wanted to say sorry to the boyD. the teacher said the boy was right3. From what the teacher said, we know that she is ________.A. kindB. friendlyC. wiseD. strict4. What lesson can we learn from the story?A. Put yourself into others’ shoes.B. Seeing is not always believing.C. Nobody can always be right.D. Different people have different opinions.。
时文阅读 (1)
Beautiful colours of AutumnAUTUMN is the season of gifts. While fresh fruits are ripe to make your mouth water, the leaves turn red and gold - a feast (盛宴) for the eyes. So, travel with Teens to see nature at its most beautiful time.The red leaves in the Fragrant Hills (香山) provide the most beautiful autumn scenery in Beijing. The best time to visit the hills is in late autumn when red leaves blanket the whole mountain and the sunlight adds an extra special glow (发亮).It's an amazing sight: The mountain looks like a picture postcard of red leaves, green pines, yellow ginkgo (银杏树) trees and orange persimmon (柿子) trees.The park's name comes from the shape of the hills. It is said the highest peak (山顶) looks like an incense burner (香炉). First developed in 1186 during the Jin Dynasty, the Fragrant Hills is home to many temples and ancient buildings.Autumn is also the time when the whole valley in Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan Province, turns into a huge palette(调色板) of colour. The trees flame(燃烧) with the colours of crimson(深红色) and yellow.The magic of Jiuzhaigou lies in its waters - the lakes and waterfalls. Pure and clear as they are, the lakes of Jiuzhaigou also have gorgeous colours. The reflection (倒影) of the colourful forest in the water is so beautiful that it makes people believe they are walking through a fairytale world.Our last stop is Yuelu Mountain in Changsha, Hunan. You may have already got to know the beauty of the red leaves here through the Tang Dynasty poet, Du Mu. He wrote: Stopping in my sedan chair in the evening, I sit admiring the maple grove; The frost-covered leaves are redder than the flowers of spring (停车坐爱枫林晚，霜叶红于二月花). The place where Du stayed was named after his poem and called the"Aiwan Pavilion"(爱晚亭).At the foot of the mountain lies Yuelu Academy (岳麓书院), one of the four famous academies in China. Established in the Song Dynasty, Yuelu Academy was a school for traditional Confucian (儒家) learning. Many great thinkers, including Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming, gave lectures there.。
一本英语时文阅读第一辑与第二辑区别
一本英语时文阅读第一辑与第二辑区别《英语时文阅读》是一本以提供最新信息和培养学生英语阅读技能为目标的书籍。
第一辑和第二辑在很多方面有相似之处，但也有一些显著的区别。
以下将从文章主题、文章类型、阅读难度、词汇量和注释与解析五个方面进行比较。
1. 文章主题《英语时文阅读》第一辑和第二辑的主题都涵盖了政治、经济、科技、文化等多个领域。
然而，第二辑更加注重当下热门话题和社会现象，例如人工智能、社交媒体的影响、环境保护等。
相比之下，第一辑的主题更为广泛，涉及的领域更多，但可能没有第二辑那么深入。
2. 文章类型两本书的文章类型大体相同，包括新闻报道、评论文章、特写等。
然而，第二辑更加注重说明文和议论文等较为深入的文章类型，这些文章通常需要读者进行深入思考。
第一辑的文章则相对较短小精悍，更注重提供最新信息。
3. 阅读难度总体来说，第二辑的阅读难度要高于第一辑。
这主要是因为第二辑的文章主题较为深入，同时文章类型也更为复杂。
此外，第二辑的词汇量和语法结构也相对更难。
然而，对于已经具备一定英语阅读基础的学生来说，第二辑的挑战也许更能帮助他们提高阅读技能。
4. 词汇量第二辑的词汇量明显高于第一辑。
这主要是因为第二辑的文章主题和类型更为深入和复杂，需要用到更多的专业词汇。
虽然这会增加读者的阅读难度，但对于扩大词汇量和提高阅读技能是非常有帮助的。
5. 注释与解析两本书都有详细的注释和解析，以帮助读者更好地理解文章。
然而，第二辑的注释与解析更为全面和深入。
这主要是因为第二辑的文章主题和类型更为复杂，需要更多的解释和解析。
第一辑的注释与解析相对较为简洁明了，更注重提供必要的信息来帮助读者理解文章。
除了以上提到的区别，第一辑和第二辑在排版和设计方面也有一些不同。
以下是具体的比较：1. 排版《英语时文阅读》第一辑和第二辑的排版都很清晰，易于阅读。
然而，第二辑的排版更加现代和简洁，使用了更多的空白和分段来使文章更易于理解。
第一辑的排版相对较为传统，没有太多的空白和分段。
高考时文阅读(passages 1-2)
高考时文阅读(passages 1-2)Passage 1 Giant leap for ChinaA few days ago, he was just Colonel (上校) Yang; few people knew his name or recognized his face. But last Thursday, when he came back to the earth after a 21-hour trip to space, Yang Liwei's smile was seen across the world above the magic words: "China's first spaceman".The 38-year-old astronaut was sent into space at 9 a.m. last Wednesday by China's Shenzhou V spacecraft, which orbited the earth 14 times. He landed safely at 6:23 a.m. the next day, making China the third country to successfully send a person into space, after the former Soviet Union and the US.Yang was satisfied with his job. "I have seen many landing scenes before on video, and I think ours was one of the most successful," he said on a special plane to Beijing after landing.Born into an ordinary family in Liaoning Province, he became a pilot in the Chinese Air Force in 1987, spending 1,350 hours in the air. He joined the Chinese space programme 11 years later.While in space, Yang recorded everything he saw as well as showing China's national flag and the United Nations' flag to the people watching on TV at home. He also ate a meal of diced chicken and fried rice, before taking a 3-hour nap. The whole project went according to plan, but space exploration is not as easy as it seems.Anyone who saw the destruction of the US space shuttle Columbia in February this year will know that Yang took a great risk.He experienced extremely high temperatures, while the gravitational forces (重力) on takeoff and landing were strong enough to force tears from his eyes.He has spent five years training to become a spaceman."I eat all of my meals at the space programme's dinning room and have never been able to take my son to kindergarten," he said. "I've never met his teachers."But becoming China's first spaceman has made all the effort worthwhile."When I boarded the spacecraft for the first time, I couldn't help feeling excited," he said. "I decided that I had to fly it."To Chinese people, Yang is now a hero. One visitor to a Xinhua news agency online forum (网上论坛) said: "Yang's trip is a giant leap forward for China."Officials say the next Shenzhou will be launched by 2005. China also plans to develop spacewalking and a space lab.1. What is the main idea of the story?A. China's first manned space flight.B. A hero with great courageC. The first Chinese man in spaceD. How Yang Liwei became China's first spaceman2. How long did each of Yang's orbits take on average?A. 1 hour.B. 1.5 hours.C. 6 hours.D. The story didn't mention.3. Why did the writer mention the gravitational forces on takeoff and landing?A. To stress the hardship and the spaceman had to experience.B. Because it was a very special experience for any spacemen.C. To stress how much training he had to do to prepare for the flightD. To show that Yang is lucky.4. Why did the writer use "giant leap" in the title?A. Because the space flight marked China's great progress in the field of space exploration.B. Because Neil Armstrong said it was a "giant leap" for mankind when he first set foot on the moon.C. Because the space flight was a huge success.D. Both A and B.Passage 2 Chinese fourth unmanned spacecraft into spaceChina blasted its fourth unmanned craft into space on Monday in what is likely a final test before sending its first astronaut into orbit around earth, state media said.The Shenzhou IV, or "Divine Ship," took off from its launch center in the northwestern province of Gansu early Monday morning and had already settled into its course around Earth, the official Xinhua news agency and newspapers reported. "The successful launch of the Shenzhou IV has laid a solid foundation for China to send Chinese astronauts into space," the China Daily quoted an official at the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center as saying. Like its predecessors, the craft will circle Earth once every 90 minutes. The vessel, which boasts a complete system needed for manned flight, will fly in space for a few days before landing.China's space program is a test of national pride as the country, growing fast after two decades of market-oriented reforms, seeks a place on the world stage alongside great powers. China aims to become the third nation in the world capable of putting people in space. The Soviet Union first accomplished the feat in 1961, with the United States following the next year. The country started its manned flight program in 1992, the Xinhua reported, adding astronauts had entered the Shenzhou IV to train for missions for the first time. Xinhua quoted Su Shuangning, a leading official for the manned flight program, as saying Chinese astronauts, all with fighter pilot backgrounds, were absolutely capable of making their maiden voyage to outer space.1. In ________ China started its manned flight program.A. 1961B.1962C.1992D.20002. Which nations succeeded in carrying people into space?A. the Soviet Union and ChinaB. the United States and ChinaC. the former Soviet Union and the United StatesD. Russia3. Which is NOT true about "the Shenzhou IV" according to this report?A. It's Chinese fourth unmanned spacecraft launched into space.B. It is likely to be a final test before launching a manned craft.C. It was successfully launched early Monday morning.D. It did not boast a system needed for manned flight.4. The Last sentence in bold implies all of the following but _________.A. The leading official is quite sure that China is capable of sending manned crafts into space.B. The astronauts who will take the first trip into space were picked out among the fighter pilots.C. Chinese astronauts have made several voyages to outer space before.D. Xinhua news agency quoted impersonally what Su Shuangning , the leading official for the manned flight program, said.keys:Passage 1 1. C 2. B 3. A 4. D中国载人航天飞行取得圆满成功，这一消息令国人振奋。
考研英语_时文阅读50篇
考研英语_时⽂阅读50篇考拉进阶英语时⽂阅读50篇Passage1Dealing With Spam1:Confidence Game(2010.11.18The Economist)[483words]Bill Gates,then still Microsoft’s boss,was nearly rightin2004when he predicted the end of spam in two years.Thanks to clever filters2unsolicited3e-mail has largelydisappeared as a daily nuisance4for most on the internet.But spam is still a menace5:blocked at the e-mail inbox,spammers post messages as comments on websites and increasingly on social networks like Twitter and Facebook.The criminal businesses behind spam are competitive and creative.They vault over6technical fixes as fast as the hurdles7are erected.The anti-spam industry has done applaudable work in saving e-mail.But it is always one step behind.In the end,the software industry’s interest is in making money from the problem(by selling subscriptions to regular security updates)rather than tackling it at its source.Law-enforcement agencies have had some success shutting down spam-control servers in America and the Netherlands.But as one place becomes unfriendly, spammers move somewhere else.Internet connections in poor and ill-run countries are improving faster than the authorities there can police them.That won’t end soon.In any case,the real problem is not the message,but the link.Sometimes an unwise click leads only to a website that sells counterfeit8pills.But it can also lead to a page that infects your computer with a virus or another piece of malicious software that then steals your passwords or uses your machine for other immoral purposes. Spam was never about e-mail;it was about convincing us to click.To the spammer,it needs to be decided whether the link is e-mailed or liked.The police are doing what they can,and software companies keep on tightening security.But spam is not just a hack9or a crime,it is a social problem,too.If you look beyond the computers that lie between a spammer and his mark,you can see allthe classic techniques of a con-man:buy this stock,before everyone else does.Buy these pills,this watch,cheaper than anyone else can.The spammer plays upon the universal human desire to believe that we are smarter than anyone gives us credit for,and that things can be had for nothing.As in other walks of life,people become wiser and take precautions only when they have learned what happens when they don’t.That is why the spammers’new arena10—social networks—is so effective.A few fiddles might help,such as tougher default privacy settings on social networks.But the real problem is man,not the machine.Public behaviour still treats the internet like a village,in which new faces are welcome and anti-social behaviour a rarity.A better analogy would be a railway station in a big city,where hustlers11gather to prey on the credulity12of new arrivals.Wise behaviour in such places is to walk fast,avoid eye contact and be cautious with strangers.Try that online.1.spam/sp?m/n.垃圾邮件2.filter/?f?lt?/n.过滤器；滤光器；筛选过滤程序3.unsolicited/??ns??l?s?t?d/adj.未经请求的，⾃发的4.nuisance/?nju?s?ns/n.⿇烦事，讨厌的⼈或东西5.menace/?men?s/n.威胁，恐吓；危险⽓氛；烦⼈的⼈或事物6.vault over越过7.hurdle/?h??dl/n.障碍；跨栏，栏8.counterfeit/?ka?nt?f?t/n.伪造，仿造，制假9.hack/h?k/n.砍,劈；供出租的马；出租车司机；⾮法侵⼊（他⼈计算机系统）10.arena/??ri?n?/n.圆形运动场，圆形剧场；竞技舞台，活动场所11.hustler/?h?sl?/n.耍诡计骗钱的⼈12.credulity/kr??du?l?t?/n.轻信Passage2A Gene to Explain Depression（2011.1.3Time）[459words]As powerful as genes are in exposing clues to diseases,not even the most passionate geneticist1believes thatcomplex conditions such as depression can be reduced to atell-tale2string of DNA.But a new study confirms earlier evidence that aparticular gene,involved in ferrying3a brain chemical critical to mood known as serotonin4,may play a role in triggering5the mental disorder in some people.Researchers led by Dr.Srijan Sen,a professor of psychiatry at University of Michigan,report in the Archives6of General Psychiatry that individuals with a particular form of the serotonin transporter gene were more vulnerable to developing depression when faced with stressful life events such as having a serious medical illness or being a victim of childhood abuse.The form of the gene that these individuals inherit prevents the mood-regulating serotonin from being re-absorbed by nerve cells in the brain.Having such a low-functioning version of the transporter starting early in life appears to set these individuals up for developing depression later on,although the exact relationship between this gene,stress,and depression isn’t clear yet.Sen’s results confirm those of a ground-breaking7study in2003,in which scientists for the first time confirmed the link between genes and environment in depression.In that study,which involved more than800subjects,individuals with the gene coding for the less functional serotonin transporter were more likely to develop depression following a stressful life event than those with the more functional form of the gene.But these findings were questioned by a2009analysis in which scientistspooled814studies investigating the relationship between the serotonin transporter gene,depression and stress,and found no heightened risk of depression among those with different versions of the gene.“One of the hopes I have is that we can settle this story,and move on to looking more broadly across the genome9for more factors related to depression,”he says.“Ideally we would like to find a panel of different genetic variations that go together to help us predict who is going to respond poorly to stress,and who might respond well to specific types of treatment as opposed to others.”He believes that the2009findings do not contradict those from2003,or the latest results,but rather reflect a difference in the way the study was conducted.Sen stresses,however,that this gene is only one player in the cast of genetic and environmental factors that contribute to depression.“All things considered,this gene is a relatively small factor,and for this finding to be clinically10useful,we really need to find many,many more factors.Ultimately we may identify new pathways that are involved in depression to come up with new and better treatments.”1.geneticist/dnet?s?st/n.遗传学家2.tell-tale/?tel?te?l/adj.暴露实情的，能说明问题的3.ferry/?fer?/vt.渡运，摆渡4.serotonin/?s??rt??n?n/n.[⽣化]⾎清素，5-羟⾊胺（神经递质，易影响情绪等）5.trigger/?tr?ɡ?/vt.触发，引发；开动，启动6.archive/?ɑ?ka?v/n.档案馆；档案⽂件7.ground-breaking/?gra?nd?bre?k??/adj.开创性的；创新的8.pool/pu?l/vt.合伙经营；集中（智慧等）；共享，分享9.genome/??i?n??m/n.[⽣]基因组；[⽣]染⾊体组10.clinically/?kl?n?kl?/adv.临床地；冷淡地；通过临床诊断Passage3Second Thoughts on Online Education(2010.9New York Times)[415words]Let the computer do the teaching.Some studies,expertopinion and cost pressures all point toward a continuing shiftof education online.A major study last year,funded by the EducationDepartment,which covered comparative research over12years,concluded that online learning on average beat face-to-face teaching by a modest1but statistically meaningful margin2.Bill Gates,whose foundation funds a lot of education programs,predicted last month that in five years much of college education will have gone online.“The self-motivated learner will be on the Web,”Mr.Gates said,speaking at the Techonomy conference in Lake Tahoe.“College needs to be less place-based.”But recent research,published as a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper,comes to a different conclusion.“A rush to online education may come at more of a cost than educators may suspect,”the authors write.The research was a head-to-head experiment,comparing the grades achieved in the same introductory economics class by students—one group online,and one in classroom lectures.Certain groups did notably worse online.Hispanic3students online fell nearly a full grade lower than Hispanic students that took the course in class.Male students did about a half-grade worse online,as did low-achievers,which had college grade-point averages below the mean for the university.The difference certainly was not attributable4to machines replacing a tutorial-style human teaching environment.Instead,the classroom was a large lecture hall seating hundreds of students.Initially,David Figlio,an economist at Northwestern University and co-author of the paper,said he had thought that the flexibility5of the Internet—the ability to“go back and roll the tape”—would probably give the online coursework6an edge over traditional“chalk and talk teaching.”The online lectures were well done,using a professional producer and cameraman7.“It had very much the feel of being in the room,”Mr.Figlio said.So what accounts for the difference in outcomes8?Mr.Figlio has a few theories. For the poorer performance of males and lower-achievers,he says the time-shifting convenience of the Web made it easier for students to put off viewing the lectures and cram9just before the test,a tactic10unlikely to produce the best possible results.It’s partly a stereotype11but also partly true,Mr.Figlio says,that female students tend to be better at timemanagement,spreading their study time over a semester,than males.“And the Internet makes it easier to put off12the unpleasant thing,attending the lecture,”he said.1.modest/?m?d?st/adj.谦虚的,谦恭的；适中的,适度的；些许的2.margin/?mɑ:d??n/n.页边空⽩；边,边缘；差数,差额3.Hispanic/h?s?p?n?k/adj.西班⽛和葡萄⽛的4.attributable/??tr?bj?t?bl/adj.可归因于，可能由于5.flexibility/?fleks??b?l?t?/n.灵活性；柔韧性6.coursework/?k?:sw?:k/n.课程作业7.cameraman/?k?m?r?m?n/n.摄影师8.outcome/?a?tk?m/n.结果9.cram/kr?m/v.挤满，塞满；临时死记硬背10.tactic/?t?kt?k/n.兵法；⽅法,策略；⼿段；招数11.stereotype/?ster??ta?p/n.模式化观念，⽼⼀套，刻板形象12.put off撤销，取消Passage4The Kids Can’t Help It（2010.12.16Newsweek）[372words]What new research reveals about the adolescentbrain—from why kids bully1to how the teen yearsshape the rest of your life.They say you never escape high school.And forbetter or worse,science is lending some credibility tothat old saw.Thanks to sophisticated imaging technology and a raft2of longitudinal3studies,we’re learning that the teen years are a period of crucial brain development subject to a host of environmental and genetic factors.This emerging research sheds4light not only on why teenagers act they way they do,but how the experiences of adolescence—from rejection to binge5 drinking—can affect who we become as adults,how we handle stress,and the way we bond with others.One of the most important discoveries in this area of study,says Dr.Frances Jensen,a neuroscientist at Harvard,is that our brains are not finished maturing by adolescence,as was previously thought.Adolescent brains“are only about80percentof the way to maturity,”she said at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in November.It takes until the mid-20s,and possibly later,for a brain to become fully developed.An excess of gray matter6(the stuff that does the processing)at the beginning of adolescence makes us particularly brilliant at learning—the reason we’re so good at picking up new languages starting in early childhood—but also particularly sensitive to the influences of our environment,both emotional and physical.Our brains’processing centers haven’t been fully linked yet,particularly the parts responsible for helping to check7our impulses8and considering the long-term repercussions9of our actions.“It’s like a brain that’s all revved10up not knowing where it needs to go,”says Jensen.It’s partially because of this developmental timeline that a teen can be so quick to conjure11a stinging remark,or a biting insult,and so uninhibited12in firing it off at the nearest unfortunate target—a former friend,perhaps,or a bewildered parent.The impulse to hurl13an insult14is there,just as it may be for an adult in a stressful situation,but the brain regions that an adult might rely on to stop himself from saying something cruel just haven’t caught up.1.bully/?b?l?/v.恐吓；充当恶霸，恃强凌弱2.raft/rɑ?ft/n.筏；橡⽪艇，充⽓船；⼤量3.longitudinal/?l?ntju?d?nl/adj.纵向的；纵观的；经度的4.shed/?ed/vt.散发出光；去除，摆脱；蜕，落5.binge/b?nd?/n.饮酒作乐；狂饮；狂闹6.gray matter灰质（脑、脊髓内神经元集中的地⽅）7.check/t?ek/v.检查，核验，核对；制⽌，控制8.impulse/??mp?ls/n.冲动；脉冲；刺激，推动⼒9.repercussion/?ri?p??kn/n.（间接的）反响，影响，恶果10.rev/rev/v.（发动机等）加快转速11.conjure/?k?n??/v.变魔术；使变戏法般地出现（或消失）12.uninhibited/??n?n?h?b?t?d/adj.⽆限制的;⽆拘束的,放任的13.hurl/h??l/vt.猛掷，猛扔；⼤声说出14.insult/?n?s?lt/n.侮辱；凌辱；⽆礼Passage5The Power of Posture(2011.1.13The Economist)[486words]“Stand up straight!”“Chest out!”“Shoulders back!”Theseare the perennial1cries of sergeant2majors and fussy3parentsthroughout the ages.Posture certainly matters.Big is dominantand in species after species,humans included,postures thatenhance the posturer’s apparent size cause others to treat him asif he were more powerful.The stand-up-straight brigade4,however,often make a further claim:that posture affects the way the posturer treats himself,as well as how others treat him.To test the truth of this,Li Huang and Adam Galinsky,at Northwestern University in Illinois,have compared posture’s effects onself-esteem with those of a more conventional ego-booster,management responsibility. In a paper just published in Psychological Science they conclude,surprisingly,that posture may matter more.The two researchers’experimental animals—77undergraduate students—first filled out questionnaires5,ostensibly6to assess their leadership capacity.Half were then given feedback forms which indicated that,on the basis of the questionnaires, theywere to be assigned to be managers in a forthcoming7experiment.The other half were told they would besubordinates8.While the participants waited for this feedback, they were asked to help with a marketing test on ergonomic9chairs.In fact,neither of these tests was what it seemed.The questionnaires were irrelevant.V olunteers were assigned to be managers or subordinates at random.The test of posture had nothing to do with ergonomics.And,crucially,each version of the posture test included equal numbers of those who would become“managers”and “subordinates”.Once the posture test was over the participants received their new statuses and the researchers measured theirimplicit10sense of power by asking them to engage in a word-completion task.Participants were instructed to complete a number of fragments11with the first word that came to mind.Seven of the fragments could be interpreted as words related to power(“power”,“direct”,“lead”,“authority”,“control”,“command”and“rich”).Although previous studies suggested a mere title is enough to produce a detectable increase in an individual’s sense of power,Dr Huang and Dr Galinsky found no difference in the word-completion scores of those told they would be managers and those told they would be subordinates.Having established the principle,Dr Huang and Dr Galinsky went on to test the effect of posture on other power-related decisions:whether to speak first in a debate, whether to leave the site of a plane crash to find help and whether to join a movement to free a prisoner who was wrongfully locked up.In all three cases those who had sat in expansive12postures chose the active option(to speak first,to search for help,to fight for justice)more often than those who had sat crouched13. The upshot14,then,is that father(or the sergeant major)was right.Those who walk around with their heads held high not only get the respect of others,they seem also to respect themselves.1.perennial/p??ren??l/adj.[植]多年⽣的；长久的，持续的2.sergeant/?sɑnt/n.[军]（英）陆军、空军、海军陆战队中⼠；（美）陆军或空军中⼠3.fussy/?f?s?/adj.挑剔的，⼤惊⼩怪的；紧张不安的4.brigade/?br?ɡe?d/n.旅；伙，帮，派5.questionnaire/?kwestn e?/n.问卷；调查表6.ostensibly/?s?tens?bl?/adv.表⾯上；明显地7.forthcoming/?f??θ?k?m??/adj.即将发⽣的；现成的；乐于提供信息的8.subordinate/s??b??d?n?t/n.下级，部属9.ergonomic/ɡn?m?k/adj.⼈类⼯程学的10.implicit/?m?pl?s?t/adj.不⾔明的，含蓄的11.fragment/?fr?ɡm?nt/n.碎⽚，⽚段12.expansive/?ks?p?ns?v/adj.⼴阔的，辽阔的；⼴泛的，全⾯的；友善健谈的，开朗的13.crouch/kraut?/vt.屈膝,蹲伏,蹲,蹲下14.upshot/??p??t/n.最后结果，结局Passage6How Rest Helps Memory:Sleepy Heads(2010.2.25The Economist)[402words]Mad dogs and Englishmen,so the song has it,go out in themidday sun.And the business practices of England’s linealdescendant1,America,will have you in the office from nine in themorning to five in the evening,if not longer.Much of the world,though,prefers to take a siesta2.And research presented to theAAAS meeting in San Diego suggests it may be right to do so.Ithas already been established that those who siesta are less likely todie of heart disease.Now,Matthew Walker and his colleagues at the University of California,Berkeley,have found that they probably have better memory, too.A post-prandial3snooze4,Dr Walker has discovered,sets the brain up for learning.The role of sleep in consolidating5memories that have already been created has been understood for some time.Dr Walker has been trying to extend this understanding by looking at sleep’s role in preparing the brain for the formation of memories in the first place.He was particularly interested in a type of memory called episodic6memory,which relates to specific events,places and times.This contrasts with procedural memory,of the skills required to perform some sort of mechanical task,such as driving.The theory he and his team wanted to test was that the ability to form new episodic memories deteriorates7with increased wakefulness,and that sleep thus restores the brain’s capacity for efficient learning.They asked a group of39people to take part in two learning sessions,one at noon and one at6pm.On each occasion the participants tried to memorise and recall 100combinations of pictures and names.After the first session they were assigned randomly to either a control group,which remained awake,or a nap group,which had 100minutes of monitored sleep. Those who remained awake throughout the day became worse at learning.Those who napped8,by contrast,actually improved their capacity to learn,doing better in the evening than they had at noon.These findings suggest that sleep is clearing the brain’s short-term memory and making way for new information.The benefits to memory of a nap,says Dr Walker,are so great that they can equal an entire night’s sleep.Hewarns,however,that napping must not be done too late in the day or it will interfere with night-time sleep.Moreover,not everyone awakens refreshed from a siesta.1.lineal descendant直系后裔2.siesta/s??est?/n.午睡，午休3.prandial/?pr?nd??l/adj.膳⾷的，正餐的4.snooze/snu:z/n.⼩睡5.consolidate/k?n?s?l?de?t/vt.使巩固，使加强；合并6.episodic/?ep??s?d?k/adj.偶尔发⽣的，不定期的；有许多⽚段的7.deteriorate/d??t??r??re?t/vi.恶化,退化；变坏8.nap/n?p/vi.⼩睡Passage7Learning Gap Between Rich and Poor Starts Early（2011.2Newsweek）[354words]It’s generally accepted that there is a correlationbetween a child’s educational attainment1and a family’spoverty level,but new research shows that the problemmay take root2earlier than previously thought.A new study in Psychological Science found that at10months old,children from poor families performed just as well as children from wealthier families,but by the time they turned2,children from wealthier families were scoring consistently higher than those from poorer ones.“Poor kids aren’t even doing as well in terms of school readiness,sounding out letters and doing other things that you would expect to be relevant to early learning,”Elliot M.Tucker-Drob of the University of Texas at Austin,lead author of the study, said in a press release.To conduct the study,researchers assessed the mental abilities of about750pairs of fraternal3and identical4twins from all over the U.S.The participants’socioeconomic status was determined based on parents’educational attainment, occupations and family income.Each child was asked to perform tasks that included pulling a string to ring a bell, placing three cubes in a cup,matching pictures and sorting pegs by color first at10 months and again when they were2years old.At this time,researchers discovered that during the14-month window between the aptitude5tests,gaps in cognitive6 development had started to occur.Children from wealthier families had started to consistently outperform those from poorer ones.Researchers attempted to disprove7a genetic explanation by comparing the aptitude tests of each set of twins.Among the2-year-olds from wealthier families, identical twins had much more similar test scores than fraternal twins,who share only half of their genes.However,among2-year-olds from poorer families,identical twins scored no more similar to one another than did fraternal twins.The implication is that children’s genetic potential is subdued8by poverty, though the study stopped short of drawing a scientific conclusion as to what specifically was causing the achievement gaps.Researchers did postulate9that, generally speaking,poorer parents may not have the time or resources to spend playing with their children in stimulating ways.1.attainment/??te?nm?nt/n.达到；成就，造诣2.take root⽣根；开始；建⽴3.fraternal/fr??t??nl/adj.兄弟般的，亲如⼿⾜的4.identical/a??dent?kl/adj.同⼀的，完全相同的5.aptitude/??pt?tju?d/n.天资，天赋6.cognitive/?k?ɡn?t?v/adj.认知的，认识的7.disprove/d?s?pru?v/vt.证明……是错的8.subdue/s?b?dju?/vt.征服；抑制，克制9.postulate/?p?stj?le?t/v.假定，假设Passage8More Than Meets the Mirror：Illusion1Test Links Difficulty Sensing InternalCues2with Distorted3Body-Image(2011.1.4Scientific America)[457words]With all of the New Year’s diet ads claiming you canlose dozens of pounds in seemingly as many days,youprobably are not alone if you looked in the mirror thismorning and saw a less than ideal body.Or maybe you justpicked up a new magazine in which already thin modelshave their remaining flesh scavenged4by Photoshop to make them appear even slimmer.With all of these unrealistic promises and images,it can be hard to gain an accurate sense of one’s own body.But the disjunction5for some people might go deeper than manipulated5photos.A new study shows that the way people perceive their external7appearance is likely linked to how they experience their bodies internally.Researchers found that people who had greater difficulties sensing their own internal bodily states were also more likely to be fooled into believing a rubber hand was part of their own bodies. These results,published online in the issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,may one day help scientists understand how body image can become so distorted in disorders like body dysmorphia8and anorexia nervosa9,says lead author Manos Tsakiris of Royal Holloway,University of London.“The sense of self is built up from a representation of internal states,”says Hugo Critchley,a professor of psychiatry at the University of Sussex in England who was not involved with the study.“This paper is showing that sensitivity of individuals to their internal state predicts the strength of their self-representation.”Most of the time,the image someone has of their body is pretty close to its external appearance.You may see your thighs10as slightly bigger than they actually are,or your arm muscles as slightly smaller,but the discrepancy11is usually minimal12.In some mental disorders,however,body image can become dramatically distorted.Those who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder think that parts of their bodies are malformed13or grotesque14,even when these supposed flaws are not noticeable to others.In eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa patients continue to think they need to lose weight even as their bodies waste away.Crucial to the formation of body image—pathological15and otherwise—is the integration of external and internal cues.What we see in the mirror and what we feel against our skin melds with16our own internal awareness of our bodies to create an overarching17body image.Scientists have historically focused on how external factors like magazines and fashion models affect the creation of an accurate body image.Tsakiris and his colleagues,however,hypothesized that a person’s internal awareness of his or her body,known as interoceptive18awareness,was also related to the creation of an accurate body image.1.illusion/??ljun/n.错觉，幻觉；假象2.cue/kju?/n.提⽰；暗⽰,暗号3.distorted/d?s?t??t?d/adj.变形的，扭曲的；歪曲的，曲解的4.scavenge/?sk?v?n?/v.（从废弃物中）觅⾷，捡破烂；吃（动物⼫体）5.disjunction/d?sk??n/n.分离，分裂6.manipulate/m??n?pj?le?t/vt.控制，操纵；操作，使⽤；正⾻7.external/?k?st??nl/adj.外部的，外⾯的；外界的，外来的；对外的8.dysmorphia/d?s?m??f??/n.[医]畸形,变形9.anorexia nervosa神经性厌⾷症10.thigh /θa?/n.股，⼤腿11.discrepancy/d?s?krep?ns?/n.差异，不符合，不⼀致12.minimal/?m?n?m?l/adj.极⼩的，极少的，最⼩的13.malformed/?m?l?f??md/adj.畸形的14.grotesque/ɡrtesk/adj.怪诞的，荒唐的；奇形怪状的15.pathological/?p?θ??lkl/adj.不理智的，⽆道理的；病态的；病理学的16.meld with与……融合；与……合并17.overarching/v?r?ɑ?t/adj.⾮常重要的，⾸要的18.interoceptive /??nt?r?u?sept?v/adj.内感受(器)的Passage9The Tussle1for Talent（2011.1.6The Economist）[432words]Plato believed that men are divided into three classes:gold,silver and bronze.Vilfredo Pareto,an Italianeconomist,argued that“the vital2few”account for mostprogress.Such sentiments are taboo today in public life.Politicians talk of a“leadership class”or“the vital few”attheir peril3.Schools abhor4picking winners.Universities welcome the masses:more people now teach at British ones than attended them in the 1950s.In the private sector5things could hardly be more different.The world’s best companies struggle relentlessly6to find and keep the vital few.They offer them fat pay packets,extra training,powerful mentors7and more challenging assignments.If anything,businesses are becoming more obsessed with ability.This is partly cyclical8.Deloitte and other consultancies have noticed that as the economy begins to recover,companies are trying harder to nurture raw talent,or to poach9it from their rivals.When new opportunities arise,they hope to have the brainpower to seize them.The acceleration of the tussle for talent is also structural, however.Private-equity firms rely heavilyon a few stars.High-tech firms,for all their sartorial10egalitarianism11,are ruthless12about recruiting the brightest.Firms in emerging markets are desperate to find high-flyer13s—the younger the better—who can cope with rapid growth and fast-changing environments.Successful companies make sure that senior managers are involved with“talentdevelopment”.Jack Welch and /doc/2e5e0328482fb4daa58d4b15.html fley,former bosses of GE and P&G,claimed that they spent40%of their time on personnel.Andy Grove,who ran Intel,a chipmaker14,obliged all the senior people,including himself,to spend at least a week a year teaching high-flyers.Nitin Paranjpe,the boss of Hindustan Unilever,recruits people from campuses and regularly visits high-flyers in their offices.Involving the company’s top brass15in the process prevents lower-level managers from monopolising16high-flyers(and taking credit for their triumphs).It also creates a dialogue between established and future leaders.Successful companies also integrate talent development with their broader strategy.This ensures that companies are more than the sum of their parts.Adrian Dillon,a former chief financial officer of Agilent,a firm that makes high-tech measuring devices,says he would rather build a“repertory17company”than a “collection of world experts”.P&G likes its managers to be both innovative and worldly:they cannot rise to the top without running operations in a country and managing a product globally.Agilent and Novartis like to turn specialists into general managers.Goodyear replaced23of its24senior managers in two years as it shifted from selling tyres to carmakers to selling them to motorists.1.tussle/t?sl/n.扭打；争论；争⽃；奋⽃2.vita l/?va?tl/adj.⽣命的；充满活⼒的；⽣死攸关的；极其重要的3.peril/?per?l/n.严重危险；祸害，险情4.abhor/?b?h??/vt.痛恨，憎恶5.sector/?sekt?/n.[数]扇形；两脚规；部分；部门6.relentlessly/r??lentl?sl?/adv.残酷地，⽆情地；不停地，不减弱地7.mentor /?men?t??/n.私⼈教师，辅导教师；良师益友8.cyclical/?sa?kl?kl/adj.周期的，循环的9.poach/p??t?/vt.⽔煮；偷猎；盗⽤，挖⾛（⼈员）10.sartorial/sɑ??t??r??l/adj.服装的，男装的，⾐着的11.egalitarianism/??ɡ?l??te?r??n?z?m/n.平等主义，平均主义12.ruthless/?ru?θl?s/adj.⽆情的，冷酷的;残忍的13.high-flyer/?ha?fla??/n.抱负极⾼的⼈；有野⼼的⼈14.chipmaker/?t??p?me?k?/n.集成块制造者；半导体(元件)制造商15.top brass要员16.monopolise/m??n?p?la?z/vt.垄断，独占；占去（⼤部分时间、精⼒），霸占17.repertory/?rep?tr?/n.保留剧⽬轮演Passage10What Is a Medically Induced Coma1and Why Is It Used?（2011.1.10Scientific America）[497words]Basically what happens with a medically induced。
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The earthquake has become a too-familiar experience in Tokyo, a crowded subway train screeches to a sudden stop. From around the car, mobile phones start to ring.The sound is an emergency earthquake warning from an iPhone app that lets users know when the quake will come, where the epicenter will be located and how strong the shaking will be. Often, seconds after the phone rings, the shaking starts.
Japan has been hit by hundreds of aftershocks. After the devastating March 11 earthquake and ground sea, which have left nearly 28,000 dead and missing,
The app called Yure Kuru, or shaking coming,was developed by RC Solution Co,a Tokyo-based firm that specializes in offerring disaster-related information services, such as relaying warnings or letting people confirm the safety of friends and family. "Emergency quake warnings began several years ago, but the machine to receive them was quite expensive," said Akira Kuriyama, president of RC Solution.
"We wondered if there wasn't a cheaper and easier way to provide this service, and we thought of smartphones." When the alarm rings out, a window comes up on the phone screen saying that in about 10 seconds, there will be a quake of a certain strength. Users can decide for themselves at what strength of quake the phone will ring.
Now there are at least 1.5 million, and the company has stopped counting. The app is symbolized by a cartoon catfish, Because Japanese people thought the catfish can warn the earthquake. "We're very happy to be of service," Kuriyama said. "Among other things, there still isn't a lot of understanding about the quake warning. If our app helps more people learn about this, and increases their safety, we'll be pleased."
注释：1. screech [skri:tʃ]
vi. 发出尖锐的声音；发出恐惧或痛苦的叫喊声
2. emergency [i'mə:dʒənsi] n. 紧急情况；突发事件；非常时刻adj. 紧急的；备用的
3. epicenter ['episentə] n. 震中；中心
4.ground sea 海啸
5.. aftershock['ɑ:ftəʃɔk, 'æf-] n.余震
6. specialize ['speʃəlaiz] vi. 专门从事；详细说明；特化
7. symbolized ['simbəlaiz] vt. 象征；用符号表现vi. 采用象征；使用符号；作为…的象征
8. catfish ['kætfiʃ] n. 鲶鱼
9. Emergency [i'mə:dʒənsi]n. 紧急情况；突发事件；非常时刻
1.The earth quacke will be happen the phone rings
A. when
B. after
C. at the same time
D. before
2.The word underlined means .
A. 移动手机
B. 智能手机
C. 平板电脑
D. 3D手机
3.Now there are 1.5 million people have used this kind of phone.
A. more than
B. exactly
C. less than
D. about
4.According to the passage, which of the following is Not True?
A. Kuriyama want s to make a lot of money .
B. RC Solution Co wants to sell a good many phones.
C. RC Solution Cowants to save a lot of people.
D. Kuriyama wants to learn more about the earth quake and increase their safety.
5.From this passage we can learn .
A. The people will know the earth quake in their home .
B. The people can’t be dead in the earth quake.
C. The people will know thw earth quake in the car.
D. The people will know thw earth quake everywhere.。