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[*]1. Many people were injured in an accident on Freeway 65 yesterday afternoon. Two buses collided in the rain, and 20 of the passengers had to be taken to the hospital. Fortunately, none of the injuries were serious.
2. Fire destroyed a video factory near an oil plant yesterday, running a collection of over 20,000 video cassettes. Old electric wiring is being blamed for the fire.
3. The oldest living woman in France turned 120 years old today. Although she can not see well, her mind is sharp and her health is good. When she was asked, “How do you see your future?“she replied, “Very short“.
4. A briefcase containing over $10,000 in cash was found on a United Airlines flight that arrived in New York on Tuesday night. The bag is believed to belong to a passenger. So far, no one has contacted the airline to claim the money.
5. And lastly, it has been announced that the winner of last year’s Miss Universe contest, 20-year-old Wendy Thomas from New Zealand has been arrested for shoplifting in a Miami department store.
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[*]As of 2001, the estimated total market value of organic products was estimated to be $ 20 billion. By 2002 this was $ 23 billion and by 2007 more than $ 46 billion according to Organic Monitor. In recent years both Europe and North America have experienced strong growth in organic farmland. However, this growth has occurred under different conditions. While the European Union has shifted agricultural subsidies to organic farmers due to environmental benefits, the United States has taken a free market approach. As a result, as of 2008, 4. 1 percent of the European Union’ s farmland was organically managed compared to just 0. 6 percent of United States farmland. The growth of organic farmland area in the EU was 21% from 2005 to 2008 reaching a total of 7. 8 million hectares. Statistics and Emerging Trends 2009 lists the countries which had the most hectares in 2007. The country with the most organic land is Australia, with more than 12 million hectares, followed by Argentina, Brasil and the US. In total 32. 2 million hectares were under organic management in 2007. For 1999, 11 million hectares of organically managed land are reported. In recent years organic agriculture has grown greatly. Considering this rapid growth, it is within the nature of organic farming to keep it from becoming a large scale industrial business. As to organic food, two studies have found that children fed organic diets experienced significantly lower pesticide exposure than children fed conventional diets. Although the researchers did not collect health outcome data in this study, they concluded “children whose diets consist of organic food items would have a lower probability of brain health risks“. A 2007 study found that consumption of organic milk is associated with a decrease in risk for skin disease.
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Why are “How To“ books in great demand in the United States?In America today, books with suggestions on how to do things are very popular. There are about four to five thousand books with titles that begin with the words “How To“. One book may tell you how to earn more money , another may tell you how to save or spend it, and another may explain how to give your money away.
Some “How To“books tell you how to find a job and how to succeed at it. If you fail, however, you can get a book called How to Turn Failure into Success. If you would like to become very rich, you can buy the book How to Make a Million. If you never make any money at all, you may need a book called How to Live on Nothing.
One of the most popular types of books is one that helps people with their private problems. If you are unhappy with your life, you can read How to Love Every Minute of Your Life. If you are tired of books on happiness, you may prefer a book called How to Get Yourself in Trouble. There is even a book about how to take your own life. Because the rich do not always satisfy. Because many people read books only for pleasure. Because these books help Americans out of trouble. Because the books meet the needs of different readers.
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What kind of proof did the man probably have when he bought the radio?M: Good morning, Miss. I’d like to speak to the manager.
W: I am the manager, Sir. How can I help you?
M: Oh, really? It’s this radio. It doesn’t work.
W: Mm...did you buy it here?
M: What do you mean? Of course I bought it here. Look, you switch it on and nothing happens.
W: Could I see your receipt?
M: Receipt? I haven’t got one.
W: Oh, you should have got a receipt when you bought it.
M: I perhaps did. I must have thrown it away.
W: Ah, well, have you got any other proof of purchase, the guarantee, for example?
M: No. It must have been in the box. I threw that away, too.
W: Oh, dear. You really ought to have kept it. We need to know the exact date of purchase.
M: What? I only bought it yesterday! That young man over there served me.
Oh, I paid by cheque. I’ve got the cheque stub.
W: That’s all right then. Did you check the radio before you left the shop?
M: Check it? No, it was in the box. I hoped it would work. It wasn’t a cheap radio. It’s a good make.
W: You should have checked it.
M: Come on ! Do not tell me what I should have done, and do something! Either give me my money back or give me another radio.
W: There’s no need to get aggressive,Sir. Let me look at it...mm...you see this little switch on the back?
M: Yes?
W: It’s on“ main“ , and it should be on “battery“. You really should have read the instructions.
M: Oh! A receipt and the cheque stub. The guarantee and the receipt. The radio and the box. The credit card and a receipt.
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What is the occasion for the man’s speech?It is a great privilege for me to be invited to speak at the tenth year reunion of State University’ s graduating class. When you arrived on campus today, after a decade, you were probably impressed by two changes at State: one, the absence of University Tower, the first building constructed on the campus, and a historic landmark for many years; and two, the disappearance of parking lots on main campus.
Two years ago, University Tower was inspected and found to be unsafe. In spite of efforts to restore it, it was necessary to level the building. A bell tower was constructed on the same site, built for the most part using the good brick that was saved from the original building. The original bells were also preserved. As for the parking lots, they have been replaced by grass, trees, and pedestrian walkways. Parking is now located in parking garages on the North and West sides of the campus.
Two more subtle changes have occurred within the past decade. One is the creation and expansion of the Division of Continuing Education for the Community, including a Saturday and summer enrichment program for children, and an afternoon and evening special interest program for adult. The other is the addition of the student population of many young people from a-broad, especially students from Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East. Most international students are enrolled in the College of Engineering and the College of Business.
And so, State is a different place, but like University Tower, it is built of the same brick. We are still committed to the same age old ideals “quality education for our citizens“, but we have extended our commitment beyond the borders of our state and nation to encompass the citizens and nations of the world. Graduation. A class reunion. The dedication of a new building. The groundbreaking ceremony for a pedestrian walkway on campus.
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Some doctors are taking an unusual new approach to communicate better with patients—they are letting【C1】______read the notes that physicians normally share only with each other.
After meeting with patients, doctors typically jot【C2】______notes on a range of topics, from musings about possible diagnoses to observations about【C3】______ a patient is getting a- long with a spouse. The notes are used to justify the bill, and may be audited. But the main idea is to have a written record【C4】______insights into the patient’ s condition for the next visit or for other doctors to see.
A study currently under way,【C5】______the OpenNotes project, is looking at what happens【C6】______doctors-notes become available for a patient to read, usually【C7】______e- lectronic medical records. In a report on the early stages of the study, published Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers say that inviting patients to review the【C8】______can improve patients understanding of their own health and get them to stick to their treatment regimens【C9】______closely.
But researchers also point to possible downsides: Patients may panic if their doctor speculates 【C10】______writing about cancer or heart disease, leading to a flood of follow-up calls and emails. And doctors say they worry that some medical terms can be taken the【C11】______way by patients. For instance,【C12】______phrase “the patient appears SOB“【C13】______ to shortness of breath, not a derogatory designation. And OD is short for oculus dexter, or right eye,【C14】______for overdose.
Medical providers have been stepping up efforts to improve doctor-patient communication, in part【C15】______studies show it can result in better patient outcomes. The introduction of electronic medical records in recent years has helped to achieve that.
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On the north bank of the Ohio River sits Evansville, Ind. , home of David Williams, 52, and of a riverboat casino (a place where gambling games are played). During several years of gambling in that casino, Williams, a state auditor earning $35,000 a year, lost approximately $ 175,000. He had never gambled before the casino sent him a coupon for $ 20 worth of gambling.
He visited the casino, lost the $20 and left. On his second visit he lost $800. The casino issued to him, as a good customer, a “Fun Card“, which when used in the casino earns points for meals and drinks, and enables the casino to track the user’ s gambling activities. For Williams, those activities become what he calls “electronic heroin. “
【R1】______. In 1997 he lost $21,000 to one slot machine in two days. In March 1997 he lost $ 72,186. He sometimes played two slot machines at a time, all night, until the boat docked at 5 a. m. , then went back aboard when the casino opened at 9 a. m. Now he is suing the casino, charging that it should have refused his patronage because it knew he was addicted. It did know he had a problem.
In March 1998, a friend of Williams’ s got him involuntarily confined to a treatment center for addictions, and wrote to inform the casino of Williams’ s gambling problem. The casino included a photo of Williams among those of banned gamblers, and wrote to him a “cease admissions“ letter. Noting the “medical/psychological“ nature of problem gambling behavior, the letter said that before being readmitted to the casino he would have to present medical/psychological information demonstrating that patronizing the casino would pose no threat to his safety or well-being.
【R2】______.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the casino has 24 signs warning: “Enjoy the fun...and always bet with your head, not over it“. Every entrance ticket lists a toll-free number for counseling from the Indiana Department of Mental Health. Nevertheless, Williams’ s suit charges that the casino, knowing he was “helplessly addicted to gambling“, intentionally worked to “lure“ him to “engage in conduct against his will. “ Well.
【R3】______.
The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders says “ pathological gambling“ involves persistent, recurring and uncontrollable pursuit less of money than of the thrill of taking risks in quest of a windfall.
【R4】______. Pushed by science, or what claims to be science, society is reclassifying what once were considered character flaws or moral failings as personality disorders akin to physical disabilities.
【R5】______.
Forty-four states have lotteries, 29 have casinos, and most of these states are to varying degrees dependent on—you might say addicted to—revenues from wagering. And since the first Internet gambling site was created in 1995, competition for gamblers’ dollars has become intense. The Oct. 28 issue of Newsweek reported that 2 million gamblers patronize 1,800 virtual casinos every week. With $3. 5 billion being lost on Internet wagers this year, gambling has passed pornography as the Web’ s most profitable business.
[A] Although no such evidence was presented, the casino’ s marketing department continued to pepper him with mailings And he entered the casino and used his Fun Card without being detected.
[B] It is unclear what luring was required, given his compulsive behavior. And in what sense was his will operative?
[C] By the time he had lost $ 5,000 he said to himself that if he could get back to even, he would quit. One night he won $ 5,500, but he did not quit.
[D] Gambling has been a common feature of American life forever, but for a long time it was broadly considered a sin, or a social disease. Now it is a social policy: the most important and aggressive promoter of gambling in America is the government.
[E] David Williams’ s suit should trouble this gambling nation. But don’t bet on it.
[F] It is worrisome that society is medicalizing more and more behavioral problems, often defining as addictions what earlier, sterner generations explained as weakness of will.
[G] The anonymous, lonely, undistracted nature of online gambling is especially conductive to compulsive behavior. But even if the government knew how to move against Internet gambling, what would be its grounds for doing so?
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I remember the way the light touched her hair. She turned her head, and our eyes met, a momentary awareness in that raucous fifth grade classroom. I felt as though I’ d been struck a blow under the heart. Thus began my first love affair.
Her name was Rachel, and I mooned my way through the grade and high school, stricken at the mere sight of her, tongue-tied in her presence. Does anyone, anymore, linger in the shadows of evening, drawn by the pale light of a window—her window—like some hapless summer insect? That delirious swooning, asexual but urgent and obsessive, that made me awkward and my voice crack, is like some impossible dream now.
I would catch sight of her, walking down an aisle of trees to or from school, and I’ d become paralyzed. She always seemed so poised, so self-possessed. At home, I’ d relive each encounter, writhing at the thought of my inadequacies. We eventually got acquainted and socialized as we entered our adolescence, she knew I had a case on her, and I sensed her affectionate tolerance for me. “Going steady“ implied a maturity we still lacked. Her Orthodox Jewish upbringing and my own Catholic scruples imposed an inhibited grace that made even kissing a distant prospect, however fervently desired. I managed to hold her once at a dance-chaperoned, of course. Our embrace made her giggle, a sound so trusting that I hated myself for what I’d been thinking. At any rate, my love for Rachel remained unrequited. We graduated from high school, she went on to college, and I joined the Army.
When World War II engulfed us, I was sent overseas. For a time we corresponded, and her letters were the highlight of those grinding endless years. Once she sent me a snapshot of herself in a bathing suit, which drove me to the wildest of fantasies. I mentioned the possibility of marriage in my next letter, and almost immediately her replies became less frequent, less personal. Her Dear John letter finally caught up with me while I was awaiting discharge. She gently explained the impossibility of a marriage between us. Looking back on it, I must have recovered rather quickly, although for the first few months I believed I didn’t want to live. Like Rachel, I found someone else, whom I learned to love with a deep and permanent commitment that has lasted to this day.
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More than 30,000 drivers and passengers who sit in the front of the vehicles are killed or seriously injured each year. At a speed of only 30 miles per hour it is the same as falling from a third-floor building. Wearing a seat belt saves lives: it reduces your chance of death or serious injury by more than a half.
Therefore drivers or front seat passengers over 14 in most vehicles must wear a seat belt. If you do not, you will be fined up to ￡ 50. It will not be up to the drivers to make sure you wear your belt. But it will be the driver’s responsibility to make sure that children under 14 do not ride in the front unless they are wearing a seat belt of some kind.
However, when you’re reversing your car, you do not have to wear a seat belt; or when you are making a local delivery or collection using a special vehicle; or if you have a valid medical certificate which excuses you from wearing it. Make sure these circumstances apply to you before you decide not to wear your seat belt. Remember that you may be taken to court for not doing so, and you may be fined if you cannot prove that you have been excused from wearing it.
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A finding in recent years shows that men cannot manufacture blood as efficiently as women can. This makes surgery riskier for men. Because they do not breathe as often as women, men also need more oxygen. But men breathe more deeply and this exposes them to another risk. They draw more of the air when it is polluted.
Men’s bones are larger than women’s and they are arranged somewhat differently. The feminine walk that evokes so many whistles is a matter of bone structure. A man has broader shoulders and a narrower pelvis, which makes him stride out with no waste motion. A woman’s wider pelvis , designed for childbearing, forces her to put more movement into each step she takes with the result that she displays a bit of jiggle and sway as she walks.
If you think a man is brave because he can climb a ladder to clean out the roof gutters, don’t forget it is easier for him than for a woman. The angle at which a woman’s thigh is joined to her knees makes climbing difficult for her, no matter whether it is a ladder or stairs or a mountain that she is tackling.
A man’s skin is thicker than a woman’s and not nearly as soft. This prevents the sun’s radiation from getting through, which is why men wrinkle less than women do. Women have a thin layer of fat just under the skin and there is a plus to this greater fat reserve. It acts as an invisible fur coat to keep a woman warmer in the winter. Women also stay cooler in summer. Because the fat layer helps insulate them against heat. Men’s fat is distributed differently. And they do not have that layer of it underneath their skin. In fact, they have considerably less fat than women and more lean mass. 41 percent of a man’s body is muscle compared to thirty-five percent for women, which means that men have more muscle power. When we mention strength, almost 90 percent of a man’s weight is strength compared to about 50 percent of a woman’s weight.
The higher proportion of muscle to fat makes it easier for men to lose weight. Muscle burns up five more calories a pound than fat does just to maintain itself. So when a man wants to lose weight, the pounds roll off much faster. For all men’s muscularity they do not have the energy reserves women do. They have more start-up energy, but the fat tucked away in women’s nooks and crannies provides a rich energy reserve that men lack.
Cardiologists at the University of Alabama who tested healthy women on treadmills discovered that over the years the female capacity for exercise far exceeds the male capacity. A woman of sixty who is in good health can exercise up to 90 percent of what she could do when she was twenty. A man of sixty has only 60 percent left of his capacity as a twenty-year-old.
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During the traditional wedding ceremony, the bride and the bridegroom promise each other lifelong devotion. Yet, about one out of four American marriages ends in divorce. 【T1】Since 1940, the divorce rate has more than doubled, and experts predict that, of all marriages that occurred in the 1970s, about 50% will end in divorce. The U. S. A. has one of the highest divorce rates in the world, perhaps even the highest.
What goes wrong? 【T2】The fact that divorce is so common in the United States does not mean that Americans consider marriage a casual, unimportant relationship. Just the opposite is true. Americans expect a great deal from marriage. They seek physical, emotional, and intellectual compatibility. They want to be deeply loved and understood. It is because Americans expect so much from marriage that so many get divorced. They prefer no marriage at all to a marriage without love and understanding. With typical American optimism, they end one marriage in hope that the next will be happier. With no-fault divorce laws in many states, it is easier than ever to get a divorce. 【T3】Some American women stay in unhappy marriages because they don’ t have the education or job experience to support themselves and their children, but most American women believe that, if necessary, they can make it alone without a husband. All things considered, Americans have little reason to continue an unhappy marriage.
Which marriages are most likely to end in divorce? Marriages between people with low incomes or limited education and marriages between teenagers are at greatest risk. The number of divorces between couples with children under the age of 18 is declining, and almost 45% of divorcing couples are childless.
【T4】When a couple gets divorced, the court may require the man to pay his former wife a monthly sum of money, which depends on the husband’ s income, the wife’ s needs, and the length of the marriage. If the woman is working and earns a good salary, she may receive no money at all. Occasionally, the court decides that a woman should pay her husband money. About 10% of American women outearn their husbands. 【T5】If the woman has totally supported her husband during the marriage, the court may decide that she must continue to support him after the divorce, which is a rather new concept in the United States.
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Read the following text(s) and write an essay to
1) summarize the main points of the text(s) ,
2) make clear your own viewpoints, and
3) justify your stand.
In your essay, make full use of the information provided in the text(s). If you use more than three consecutive words from the text(s), use quotation marks (“ “).
You should write 160 -200 words on the ANSWER SHEET.
The case for college has been accepted without question for more than a generation. All high school graduates ought to go, says conventional wisdom and statistical evidence, because college will help them earn more money, become “better“ people, and learn to be more responsible citizens than those who don’ t go.
But college has never been able to work its magic for everyone. And now that close to half our high school graduates are attending, those who don’ t fit the pattern are becoming more numerous, and more obvious. College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; college students interfere with each other’ s experiments and write false letters of recommendation in the intense competition for admission to graduate school. Others find no stimulation in their studies, and drop out—often encouraged by college administrators.
Some observers say the fault is with the young people themselves—they are spoiled and they are expecting too much. But that’ s a condemnation of the students as a whole, and doesn’ t explain all campus unhappiness. Others blame the state of the world, and they are partly right.
Some adventuresome educators and campus watchers have openly begun to suggest that college may not be the best, the proper, the only place for every young person after the completion of high school. We may have been looking at all those surveys and statistics upside down, it seems, and through the rosy glow of our own remembered college experiences. Perhaps college doesn’ t make people intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, or quick to learn things—maybe it’ s just the other way around, and intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, quick-learning people are merely the ones who have been attracted to college in the first place. And perhaps all those successful college graduates would have been successful whether they had gone to college or not.
