The Internet has made some men so rich and ambitious that Earth no longer seems large enough to contain their fortunes or egos. That is the simplest explanation for the revival of interest in space exploration. But exploring space has always been a noble and inspiring pursuit undertaken for motives that were neither. The first space race, which resulted in the moon landings, was also a struggle for military edge. This was not just a matter of missile technology. There are at least 350 military satellites orbiting the world today. The widely-used GPS system was developed for military purposes. If the moon has been largely abandoned, this is because it has no economic or military use. The second space race sounds more justified. Mr. Musk, for example, promotes his SpaceX enterprise as something that saves humanity from potential extinction if we stay on one planet. It is possible that a nuclear war could destroy all human civilization or all human life on Earth. But a colony on Mars could hardly survive without constant contact and reinforcement from Earth, and it will still be full of human beings as short-sighted and quarrelsome as those who destroyed their original home. The universe is expanding very fast but it will never get fast enough that we could leave all our imperfections behind. There is an economic rationale to these private space programs: SpaceX is now a profitable company and private enterprises can accomplish things that governments no longer can. The effectiveness of this argument is little diminished by the fact that it is not true: the private competition builds on and relies on the publicly funded work. But it is quite clear that what drives the second space race is not really economics; there are much more effective ways to make money The real reason is the powerful human desire for exploration and adventure beyond what anyone else has achieved in those fields. We go into space to advance the frontiers of science and to provide a new perspective on humanity’s place in the universe. In doing so, we fuel scientific curiosity and inspire generations. Billionaires may be leading that charge, but Pluto is not just for the plutocrats. A better solution may be a collective one: The UN “Office for Outer Space Affairs“ is offering space trips for nations that can’t afford them. The heavens are not just left to rich men.

Most graduate students are required to write research papers in order to get the master’s degree. They are eager to know the requirements of academic papers. There is no hard and fast rule for style, but the following three tips may be of help. Pay attention to logic and organization of paragraphs and sections. All the facts and views presented in your paper should be closely connected and center on the main theme. They should be written in logical order so that your reader may have no trouble understanding them and accepting the conclusion you have drawn. It is advisable to start a paragraph with a topic sentence and discuss the idea it expresses in the paragraph. Similarly, a section is easier to follow if it begins with a paragraph outlining the main points it is going to deal with. Secondly, make your tone objective rather than personal. A research paper is a study of some objective facts or problems, and the conclusions drawn should be based on relevant data, not on personal preferences. Your arguments will be more convincing if they are well-grounded and presented in an objective way. That’s to say, words like “I“ or “we“ should be avoided. Finally, use formal wording. A research paper is a formal piece of writing which involves the use of formal words. It is not proper to begin a paper with “Last year a couple of guys figured out...“ A better beginning would be “Recent investigations have shown....“ Also, formal writing does not contain shortened forms like “doesn’t“. The level of formality should be maintained throughout the paper. Q10: How can you help readers better understand your paper? Q11: What do you have to do to make your arguments more convincing? Q12: What’s the third tip about a good research paper? By using informal and simple words. By writing your views in a logical order. By starting a paragraph without a topic sentence. By making your tone impersonal.

Beyond the general goal of sustainability, there was little consensus at the conference on how to get there. agreement controversy sentiment censorship

Road rage has highlighted the importance of the saying that courtesy makes for safer driving. arises from focuses on interacts with leads to

This software not only brings efficiency with respect to memory utilization, but increases the processing speed. in regard to as a result of in the wake of on account of

What China has achieved so far is amazing and has won worldwide______. consciousness admission recognition confession

If you take the right approach______an issue, you won’t go______the wrong direction. to.. .in of.. .towards for.. .into about.. .to

Chinese authors of SCI papers are usually asked to have the language______by a native speaker of English. relished polished furnished cherished

It’s easy to imagine the scenario. After spending most of our adult life in paid employment, the golden day arrives. Suddenly we’re relieved of office email and that long commute. Finally we can enjoy our remaining time pursuing those interests we never had time for. Above all, time to relax. Sadly, this probably won’t be your future unless you’re independently wealthy. The real question is no longer when we will retire but whether we will retire, with the prospect of working until you drop likely to become the norm. Due to an ageing population, longer life expectancy and a state pension scheme that can’t keep up, retirement might soon be a thing of the past. Now we have entered an endless age of austerity or tightened economy. There’ll be no government help in your old age. Nor will your employer’s pension plan provide enough to make ends meet. You are on your own. The important thing is that none of this is as “inevitable“ as the politicians would have us think. Many societies have an ageing population, but not all of them are willing to force a weak 75-year-old back into a cut-throat service economy. That’s an utterly mad behavior in the UK. We can trace the untimely death of retirement to a number of assumptions about how society ought to be organized. At no other time has the welfare state been so hated by the governing elite. Social care. Unemployment assistance. Health. Libraries. Municipal parks. Anything relating to what used to be called “the public good“ is attacked at the roots. Austerity redefines these things as financial liabilities or deficits rather than shared investments in common decency. It is only a matter of time before pensions are put on the chopping block. It’s not that there isn’t enough money to fund proper healthcare or pensions. It’s just that the cash is being directed elsewhere, most notably to the private sector in the form of massive corporate subsidies, while public utilities are getting close to collapse. And let’s not forget the tax revenues that aren’t being collected when economic policy is geared towards socialism for the rich and the strictest market discipline for everyone else. In 2015 Google paid 47m euro tax in Ireland on 22bn euro sales revenue. That’s a 0.21% tax rate. It means the average wage — earner unfairly bears the burden of society. No wonder a happy retirement is starting to look like an impossible indulgence.

6. W: Excuse me. I’m looking for a two-room flat in this neighborhood. M: Furnished or unfurnished? W: Furnished, and preferably quiet. M: We have one available across this street. Would you like to go and have a look? Q: What’s probably the man’s occupation? 7. W: Can you tell me something about yourself? M: I like to manage people and get involved in interesting projects. I have been working for IBM for the past six years. And I also like sports. W: Why did you apply for this job? M: I decided to apply because I really like the vision of your company and the career growth possibilities. Q: What’s this conversation probably about? 8. W: Sir, I have been working hard for two years and I love the job I’m doing. I think I deserve a rise. M: To be eligible for a rise, you have to show more initiative about work. And then, you can get well with your fellow workers. W: Do you mean that my work leaves much to be desired? M: Yes, we judge an employee not on what she asks for, but on what she deserves. Q: What can we learn about this woman? 9. W: I don’t know what to do about the guys living above my dorm. M: Why? What are they like? W: They are up until wee hours of the morning, playing loud music and shouting. I have to wear earplugs in order to fall asleep. M: Have you talked to them about that? W: Yes, I have, but they don’t seem to care about it. Q: What is this woman complaining about? A doorkeeper. A housing agent. A car repairman. A bus driver.

This list of likely donors proved to be invaluable to our fund-raising efforts. worthless priceless valueless costless

Like the Industrial Revolution, the digital revolution has changed the world permanently. forever temporarily slightly somehow

Helicopter parents will try hard to inhibit the aggressive tendencies of their kids. promote restrain inhabit explore

What counts is to create an atmosphere that is conducive to education in rural areas in China. detrimental to correlated with crazy about beneficial for

As a cell phone is indispensible for males and females______, new brands keep emerging. likely like alike liking

The construction of this new airport in the south of Beijing will______the development of tourism. facilitate populate speculate contemplate

We all spend a good part of our lives surrounded by screens. There’s no denying that they’re pretty great. But once in a while, it’s nice to be reminded to step away from them. The first step is to take a break so the brain comes back to normal functioning. Secondly, it’s important to have a plan for how to properly balance tech use in your life. Balance is definitely a goal I had in mind, once I realized that I was dreading every sound of my smartphones. I’m obviously a fan of technology, but even I was reaching my limits. I realized that my relationship with my inbox and social media accounts was not healthy. Given what I do, it’s not uncommon for strangers to call me an idiot — or worse — at 1:30 a.m. by e-mail or Facebook message. I decided I really didn’t want to deal with that in real time anymore. The way I evade the screen has been to keep my phones out of my bedroom. That probably doesn’t sound revolutionary, but it’s been a game-changer for me. I can still hear the phone ring in case of an emergency. But I don’t check my e-mail or get on my social media accounts from bed. I even bought an alarm clock to stop myself from taking my phone to bed and to give myself some space from my phone soon after I wake up. I’ve also made it a hobby to find technology that can help me unplug. Setting up times to send your phone automatically into “do not disturb“ mode removes the temptation to check in on the office when you’re trying to sleep. Timer apps, such as 30/30 or even the basic one on your phone, can help you budget time to focus on tasks and allow you to put your phone down. Reboot made an app to start your digital day off right. The iOS app, called Friday, gives you a conversation prompt and short essays a half-hour before sundown each Friday — for example, the best way to deal with a crisis, or the benefits of idleness — to make sure you go into your tech-free hours armed with some things to think about. Even for those who don’t consider themselves addicted, setting up a full day each week to unplug is a worthy goal. It will give your brain time to reset. Using technology is great; not being able to stop is another thing altogether.

For anyone who is really concerned about keeping their thoughts private there is only one reliable technology: write with a pen on paper, and burn what you’ve written when you’re done. The devices we now carry with us everywhere give us access to various information, but simultaneously offer vast quantities of information about us. Thus, to go online is to descend into a world as transparent as an aquarium (水族箱) that is full of sharks. It would be a mistake to see these problems as primarily technological, because technological solutions will work only within a legal and political context. The real threats to privacy come not from vulnerable gadgets but weak laws, careless users and feeble oversight. A cruel government would not hesitate to hack into a company’s networks at the first opportunity. And against sufficient cruelty and physical power, technology is ultimately no defense. Adding to this problem is the increasingly interchangeable border between state and non-state actors. When the FBI could not crack the iPhone used in shootings, it turned to an Israeli private company, which, however, has in turn been hacked, and meanwhile many of the devices designed for use by law enforcement, which can get all the information out of a captured mobile phone, can be bought freely over the Internet by any private company. These threats can seem very distant, but commercially motivated attacks on privacy fill the whole of the Internet, and in fact fund most of it today. Websites routinely collect as much information as they can about the users and then sell it on to data brokers for use in personally targeted advertising campaigns. Facebook has built its entire titanic empire on this trade. Even when this data is anonymized, the protection is leaky, and someone who knows everything about you except your name is in a much stronger position than one who knows your name but nothing else. But the real danger comes when these two kinds of loss of privacy combine so that the knowledge gained for commercial ends is used for political manipulation too. It is in the interests of advertisers to short-circuit rational thought and careful consideration, but it is even more in the interests of wicked leaders to do so. Against this we must rely on moral and intellectual defenses much more than the supposed magic of advanced technology.

“Food desert“ is a term that describes geographic areas where mainstream grocery stores are either totally absent or inaccessible to low-income residents because of high prices and inadequate public transit. While typically associated with large urban communities, this phenomenon also occurs in rural neighborhoods that suffer from inferior schools and substandard housing. From a lack of fresh vegetables arise significant negative health impacts, foremost among which is obesity that is linked to an array of serious illnesses. The prevalence of junk food is going to have deadly consequences. It takes more than determination to improve the availability and affordability of healthy foods for victims of “food desert“.

1. M: Have you ever been to the Rocky Mountains? W: Yes, I have. I went skiing there with my husband last winter. M: Did you have a good time? W: Absolutely. The scenery was fantastic, the skiing was thrilling. It was a real treat. Q: What does the woman think of this trip? 2. M: I’m finding that people in China are beginning to talk about the nutrition of foods. W: The case is the same in the United States. This is because we eat better. M: Eat better? The better we are fed, the less healthy we become. W: It’s true. To some extent, you are what you eat. Q: What does the woman mean? 3. M: How can I get some money from this machine? W: First of all, put your card in this slot and enter your code. Then, choose withdrawal, not account information. M: What’s next? W: Enter the amount you want to take out of your account. Q: What’s the man doing? 4. M: Jane, I hear you are working with Harrison at the same company. W: Yes, you are right. To be more specific, I’m working under him. M: How come? W: He is in charge of our department. Q: What can we learn about Harrison and this woman? 5. M: Nancy. You have been reading about Lincoln. Do you know Lincoln was always the top student in his class when he was your age? W: Yes, I do. But when Lincoln was your age, he was already president of the United States. Q: What does the woman imply? Horrible. Pleasant. Expensive. Not worth-while.

At high school, students may begin to question the importance of a college education. The answer is that attending college provides graduates with opportunities that are not as widespread to those with a high school diploma. For many high school students, being able to immediately get an income after graduation is an appealing idea. They may also be discouraged from attending university by the rising cost of tuition rather than by poor academic performance. While a higher education may be one of the largest expenses you will ever face, its importance has become quite clear in terms of earning potential within today’s economy. The most important word to describe a college education is opportunity. As opposed to generations of the past, high school graduates today are unable to obtain the high-paying jobs that were once available. The United States has become a knowledge-based economy. A college education serves as the gateway to better options and opportunity. There are additional reasons. At college, students have the opportunity to read books and listen to the lectures of top experts in their fields. This encourages students to think, ask questions, and explore new ideas, which provides college graduates with an edge in the job market over those who have not experienced a higher education. The importance of a college education is also linked to the opportunity to gain valuable resources. The more connections you collect at college, the more options you will have when you begin your job search. Once you have started your career, a college degree often means greater promotion opportunity. Q13: Why are some high school students reluctant to go to college? Q14: Which of the following does not result from a college education? Q15: What is this passage concerned with? Due to low incomes after graduation. Because of the rising cost of tuition. Because of poor academic performance. For lack of a high school diploma.

One of the purposes of the first space race was to______.

In Paragraph Two, the author argues that the space race______.

The main idea of Paragraph Three is that______.

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to this passage?

The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably implies that______.

This passage is intended to discuss______.