WhenBabbagewasworkingatCambrid-优题课

The question of whether our government should promote science and technology or the liberal arts（文科） in higher education isn't an either/or proposition（命题），although the current emphasis on preparing young Americans for STEM（science，technology，engineering，maths）-related fields can make it seem that way．
The latest congressional report acknowledges the critical importance of technical training，but also states firmly that the study of the humanities and social sciences must remain central components of America's educational system at all levels．Both are critical to producing citizens who can participate effectively in our democratic society，become creative leaders，and benefit from the spiritual enrichment that the reflection on the great ideas of mankind over time provides．
Parents and students who have invested heavily in higher education worry about graduates' job prospects as technological advances and changes in domestic and global markets transform professions in ways that reduce wages and cut jobs．Under these circumstances，it's natural to look for what may appear to be the most “practical” way out of the problem “Major in a subject designed to get you a job” seems the obvious answer to some，though this ignores the fact that many disciplines in the humanities characterized as “soft” often，in fact，lead to employment and success in the long run．Indeed，according to surveys，employers have expressed a preference for students who have received a broadly-based education that has taught them to write well，think critically，research creatively，and communicate easily．
Moreover，students should be prepared not just for their first job，but for their 4th and 5th jobs，as there's little reason to doubt that people entering the workforce today will be called upon to play many different roles over the course of their careers．The ones who will do the best in this new environment will be those whose educations have prepared them to be flexible．The ability to draw upon every available tool and insight—picked up from science，arts，and technology—to solve the problems of the future，and take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves，will be helpful to them and the United States．
What does the latest congressional report suggest？

A．STEM-related subjects help students find jobs in the information society.

B．Higher education should be adjusted to the practical needs of society.

C．The liberal arts in higher education help enrich students' spiritual life.

D．The humanities and STEM subjects should be given equal importance．

What kind of job applicants do employers look for？

A．Those who have a strong sense of responsibility.

B．Those who are good at solving practical problems.

C．Those who are likely to become innovative leaders.

D．Those who have received anall-round education.

What advice does the author give to college students？

A．Seize opportunities to explore their potential．

B．Try to take a variety of practical courses．

C．Adopt a flexible approach to solving problems．

D．catch asmany chances as possible to change their jobs.

Energy independencehas a nice ring to it．Doesn't it？ If you think so，you're not alone，because energy independence has been the dream of American president for decades，and never more so than in the past few years，when the most recent oil price shock has been partly responsible for kicking off the great recession.
“Energy independence”and its rhetorical （修辞的） companion“energy security” are，however，slippery concepts that are rarely though through．What is it we want independence from，exactly？
Most people would probably say that they want to be independent from imported oil．But there are reasons that we buy all that old from elsewhere.
The first reason is that we need it to keep our economy running．Yes，there is a trickle（涓涓细流）of biofuel（生物燃料）available，and more may become available，but most biofuels cause economic waste and environmental destruction.
Second，Americans have basically decided that they don't really want to produce all their own oil．They value the environmental quality they preserve over their oil imports from abroad． Vast areas of the United States are off-limits to oil exploration and production in the name of environmental protection．To what extent are Americans really willing to endure the environmental impacts of domestic energy production in order to cut back imports？
Third，there are benefits to trade．It allows for economic efficiency，and when we buy things from places that have lower production costs than we do，we benefit．And although you don't read about this much，the United States is also a large exporter of oil products，selling about 2 million barrels of petroleum products per day to about 90 countries.
There is no question that the United States imports a great deal of energy and，in fact，relies on that steady flow to maintain its economy．When that flow is interrupted，we feel the pain in short supplies and higher prices．At the same time，we obtain massive economic benefits when we buy the most affordable energy on the world market and when we engage in energy trade around the world.
What does the author say about energy independence for America？

A．It sounds very attractive．

B．It ensures national security．

C．It will bring oil prices down

D．It has long been everyone’s dream.

Why does America rely heavily on oil imports？
A． It wants to expand its storage of crude oil（原油）.
B． Its own oil reserves are quickly running out.
C． It wants to keep its own environment undamaged.
D． Its own oil production falls short of demanD．
What does the author say about oil trade？

A．It proves profitable to both sides．

B．It improves economic efficiency．

C．It makes for economic prosperity．

D．It saves the cost of oil exploration．

Chimpanzees，long considered reluctant to share，apparently can display selfless tendencies，revealing one more key way our closest living relatives are like humans，scientists find． These findings could shed light on the evolution of altruism in humans．
Previously，a belief was widely held that human altruism evolved only after humans split from their ape cousins about 6 million years ago．In recent years，however，research has revealed just how much chimpanzees have in common with us．They can hunt with spears，play with dolls and mourn their partners'death.
“Most of the earlier studies had presented the apes with a complex implement that helped them deliver food to themselves or others，often so complicated that the experiments tested tool skills rather than social tendencies，”De Waal told Live Science．“Ours is the first study that uses no such implement at all.”
In addition to using complex food-delivery systems，past experiments often placed the chimpanzees so far apart that they might not have realized how their actions benefited others．In these new，simplified experiments，two apes were housed next to each other with a screen through which they could see each other．Then，one chimpanzee had to choose between two differently colored tokens （币） from a bin，one of which represented a pro-social （亲社会的） option，the other a selfish option．The pro-social option would cause both chimpanzees to receive a piece of banana wrapped in paper．The selfish option only rewarded the ape who made the choice.
In a study with seven adult female chimps placed into various pairs，the scientists found all the apes showed a definite preference for the pro-social option．“For me，the most important finding is that like us，chimpanzees take into account the needs and wishes of others，”researcher Victoria Horner，said.
The chimpanzees behaved especially altruistically toward partners who either patiently waited or gently reminded them that they were there by drawing attention to themselves．They were less likely to reward partners who pressured through making a fuss，begging persistently or spitting water at them．This is opposite to a long-standing view that the chimpanzees only share food under pressure.
The word“ altruism” （paragraph 1） is closest in meaning to ______.

A．selfishness

B．selflessness

C．willingness

D．reluctance

Recent researches are performed with less complicated implements mainly to ______.

A．show that chimps are only good at using implements

B．see whether chimps are willing to share food with others

C．find out if chimps are likely to reward partners

D．test chimps’ social tendencies instead of tool skills

Which of the following might be the best title of the passage？

A．Evolution History of Altruism in Humans

B．Similarities between Chimps and Mankind

C．Chimps Do Show Selfless Behavior

D．Chimps Only Share Food under Pressure

Here is the tour that's voted “3^rdbest tour in London” on the Best Things to Do－TripAdvisor! Hairy Goat is the best and most original tour company in London．
Do you like walking around a city and discovering something that makes a great photo? London is full of interesting photo chances and maybe you need someone to lead you to them．The tour is perfect for team events，families，groups of friends and school or college classes．
Bring A fully charged camera and plenty of memory cards or film，a drink and wear comfortable walking shoes．Dress for three hours' walking outside．
Price ￡45 per adult (18yrs and over)，￡40 per child (12-15yrs) and full-time students (student ID required)．Some tours to be booked and paid in advance．Please call or email for details．Please follow the links on the website or call Corinna at +44(0)7540832771．
Meet in front of the Royal Exchange Building at Bank Underground Station．Take Exit 3 or 4 from the underground station．
When See the website for scheduled dates．
Duration Three hours，at a comfortable walking pace．
Finish By an underground station within the city．Location varies daily．
A family of four，including a son of 19 and a daughter of 13，should pay ________．

A．￡180

B．￡160

C．￡170

D．￡175

According to the passage，the tour．

A．is intended for individuals only

B．offers chances to take great photos

C．has been voted the best tour in London three times

D．takes three hours on a sightseeing vehicle

According to the passage，which statement is NOT true?

A．Hairy Goat organizes the tour．

B．The tour finishes at the same location every day．

C．People can go through the website to find the date．

D．All the tours are not to be booked in advance．

Have you ever used Facebook? Many people are being lured (引诱) onto it with the promise of a fun，free service without realizing they're paying for it by giving up large amounts of personal information．Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages．
Most Facebook users don't realize this is happening．Even if they know what the company is up to，they still have no idea what they're paying for Facebook because people don't really know what their personal data is worth．
The biggest problem，however，is that the company keeps changing the rules．Early on，you keep everything private．That was the great thing about Facebook — you could create your own little private network．Last year，the company changed its privacy rules so that many things — your city，your photo，your friends' names—were set，by default (默认) to be shared with everyone on the Internet．
According to Facebook's vice-president Elliot Schrage，the company is simply making changes to improve its service，and if people don't share information，they have a “less satisfying experience”．
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money．Its original business model，which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page，totally failed．Who wants to look at ads when they're online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington．In April，Senator(议员) Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy．He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites．“I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them，”Schrage admits．
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy is only the beginning，which is why I'm considering deactivating(撤销) my account．Facebook is a handy site，but I'm upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don't know．That's too high a price to pay．
What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?

A．It is a website that sends messages to targeted users．

B．It makes money by putting on advertisements．

C．It profits by selling its users'personal data．

D．It provides loads of information to its users．

What does the author say about most Facebook users?

A．They are reluctant to give up their personal information．

B．They don't know their personal data enriches Facebook．

C．They don't identify themselves when using the website．

D．They care very little about their personal information．

Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?

A．To provide better service to its users．

B．To follow the Federal guidelines．

C．To improve its users'connectivity．

D．To expand its scope of business．

Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?

A．He is dissatisfied with its current service．

B．He finds many of its users untrustworthy．

C．He doesn't want his personal data abused．

D．He is upset by its frequent rule changes．