Our listener question this week comes from Abdullahi Farah, who wants to know about the life and work of Doctor Benjamin Carson.
Doctor Carson is an internationally recognized doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He has been the director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the hospital for twenty-five years. At the age of thirty-three, he became one of the youngest doctors in the United States to hold that position. And he was the first African-American to have that position at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Ben Carson is known for his work as a brain surgeon for children. For example, in nineteen eighty-seven, he led a team of seventy doctors and nurses in an operation to separate two babies joined at the head. Earlier attempts by other surgeons on other babies had failed. Doctor Carson successfully performed the operation. Both babies were able to survive independently.
Doctor Carson has written four books. His first book, "Gifted Hands," tells the story of his life. Benjamin Carson was born in nineteen fifty-one in Detroit, Michigan.
As a boy, Ben was not a good student. In fact, he was the worst in his class. When his mother learned of his failing grades she asked her sons to read two library books every week. She limited the amount of time they watched television. And she told them to respect every person.
Ben Carson soon became the top student in his class. He went on to study at Yale University, one of the best universities in the country, and later to medical school at the University of Michigan.
Doctor Carson has received many awards and honors. Last year he received the nation's highest civilian honor. Former President George W. Bush presented Benjamin Carson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a ceremony at the White House.The passage is probably taken from _____.
| A．a radio | B．a magazine | C．TV | D．a paper |
What does the word “surgeons” in paragraph 3 mean?
| A．nurses | B．doctors | C．hospitals | D．points |
Benjamin Carson’s change in study was largely because of ______
| A．his hard work | B．his teacher |
| C．his mother | D．his father |
What’s the aim to write the passage?
| A．To call on us to learn from Benjamin Carson. |
| B．To praise Benjamin Carson for his achievements. |
| C．To show us how Benjamin Carson succeeded |
| D．To introduce Benjamin Carson’s life and work |
Some researchers claim that people’s personalities can be classified by their blood types．If you have blood type O, you are a leader．When you see something you want, you strive to achieve your goal．You are passionate, loyal, and self-confident, and you are often a trendsetter．Your enthusiasm for projects and goals spreads to others who happily follow your lead．When you want something, you may be ruthless about getting it or blind to how your actions affect others．Another blood type, A, is a social “people” person．You like people and work well with them．You are sensitive, patient, compassionate, and affectionate．You are a good peacekeeper because you want everybody to be happy．In a team situation, you resolve conflicts and keep things on a smooth course．Sometimes type As are stubborn and find it different to relax．They may also find it uncomfortable to do things alone．
People with type B blood are usually individualists who like to do things on their own．You may be creative and adaptable, and you usually say exactly what you mean．Also you can adapt to situations, you may not choose to do so because of your strong independent streak．You may prefer working on your own to being part of a team．The final blood type is type AB．If you have AB blood, you are a natural entertainer．You draw people to you because of your charm and easygoing nature．ABs are usually calm and controlled, tactful and fair．On the downside, though, they may take too long to make decisions．And they may procrastinate, putting off tasks until the last minute．．People with type O will do the following things except____．
| A．manage businesses | B．self-oriented | C．be considerate | D．set the fashion |
．Which of the following is not the feature of type A?
| A．Stubborn． | B．Sensitive． | C．Reserved． | D．Patient． |
．What is Not true to type B?
| A．He finds it uncomfortable to do things alone． |
| B．He doesn’t think much before he speaks． |
| C．He has many original ideas． |
| D．He cannot fit in with the environment． |
．The best profession for a type AB is ____．
| A．Athlete | B．Peacekeeper | C．Actor | D．Country leader |
David Beckham had a dream: to be the first English player to appear in four World Cups．But now it appears that dream is over after a serious injury to his Achilles tendon （跟腱） which means he could be out of action for around six months．With this year's World Cup in South Africa only three months away, sadly Beckham looks set to miss out．The injury happened while Beckham was playing for AC Milan against AC Chievo in the Italian league．After attempting to kick the ball he fell to the ground and hobbled off the pitch before being stretchered （被担架抬走）away．
It is not yet known whether he has completely severed （切断）his Achilles tendon or only torn it．The player has now flown to Finland for assessment and treatment by a knee specialist．
England manager Fabio Capello fears the worst for Beckham's World Cup chances．
"We have to wait for the results of the scan but it looks like he is out of the World Cup," he said in a statement．"I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support．
"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow．"
Beckham's former manager at American club LA Galaxy, Alexei Lalas, echoed （共鸣）Capello's words of support:
"It is a horrible situation for Beckham．I know how much it meant to him to be in the World Cup and how important he was to the England team．
David Beckham is now 34 and some are asking whether this serious injury could mean his whole career is over．
Whatever happens, as one of football's best-known and popular players, Beckham will have no shortage of encouragement from fans around the world．
Some will remember Beckham's miraculous recovery from an Achilles injury in 2006, when he was back on the pitch after only eight weeks．
If he could repeat the same feat in time for the World Cup it really would be the stuff of fairytales．
So, perhaps all is not lost．Optimists will take heart from Alexei Lalas' words:
"You never want to write off David Beckham as he has shown us his ability to bounce back（恢复原状）．" ．What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Beckham had a dream? |
| B．Beckham--- a great football player! |
| C．The end for Beckham? |
| D．World Cup in South Africa! |
．What does the author mean by saying “missing it will be a big blow” in paragraph 4 ?
| A．Missing the world cup will be a big success． |
| B．Missing Beckham means a great failure ． |
| C．Missing Beckham means an important opportunity for the American club LA Galaxy． |
| D．Missing the world cup means a big disappointment for Beckham ． |
．We may infer from the passage that ________ ．
| A．Beckham will definitely not be able to play football again |
| B．Beckham was cured by a great knee specialist he found |
| C．Beckham has his ability to bounce back |
| D．Beckham is likely to miss the world Cup |
．What does the underlined words “take heart” probably mean ?
| A．get disappointed | B．get help | C．get encouraged | D．get hurt |
An early invention by Albert Einstein has been rebuilt by scientists at Oxford University. They are trying to develop an environmentally friendly refrigerator that runs without electricity.
We all know that modern fridges cause damage to the environment. They work by using a kind of man-made greenhouse gas called Freon (氟里昂), which is far more damaging than carbon dioxide.
Now Malcolm McCulloch, an electrical engineer at Oxford, is leading a three-year project to develop appliances that can be used in places without electricity.
His team has completed a prototype (样机) of a fridge patented in 1930 by Einstein. It used only pressurized gases to keep things cold. The design was partly used in the first refrigerators, but the technology was dropped when more efficient compressors (压缩机) became popular in the 1950s. That meant a switch to using Freon.
Einstein's idea uses butane (丁烷) and water and takes advantage of the fact that liquids boil at lower temperatures, when the air pressure around them is lower.
"If you go to the top of Mount Qomolangma, water boils at a much lower temperature than it does when you're at sea level and that's because the pressure is much lower up there," said McCulloch.At one side is the evaporator (蒸发器), a bottle that contains liquid butane. "If you introduce a new vapor above the butane, the liquid boiling temperature decreases and, as it boils off, it takes energy from the surroundings to do so," says McCulloch. "That's what makes it cold."
The gas fridges based on Einstein's design were replaced by Freon-compressor fridges partly because Einstein's design was not very efficient. But McCulloch thinks that by changing the design and replacing the types of gases used it will be possible to quadruple (翻两番) the efficiency.
However, McCulloch's fridge is still in its early stages. "It's very much a prototype," he said. "Give us another month and we'll have it working."． According to the passage, an early invention by Albert Einstein _______.
| A．has been rediscovered because it costs much less and works more efficiently |
| B．is being redesigned because it could be used in places without electricity |
| C．has just been found to be energy-saving and environmentally friendly |
| D．will be fully made use of and become the fridge of the future |
．Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Freon was used in fridges long before the 1950s. |
| B．Freon is what makes current fridges big polluters. |
| C．McCulloch thinks he could improve Einstein's design by using other types of vapors. |
| D．The fridge Malcolm McCulloch and his team designed will be put into production soon. |
．We can learn from the text that the prototype completed _______.
| A．changed the air pressure around it |
| B．was tested on the top of Mount Everest |
| C．increased the liquid boiling temperature |
| D．used only pressurized gases to keep things cold |
．McCulloch's words in Paragraph 6 _____.
| A．serve as an explanation for the principle behind Einstein's fridge |
| B．give you the reason why Einstein's fridge was not efficient |
| C．tell you how to take advantage of low air pressure |
| D．show you how Einstein's fridge works |
A latest national survey has found that over half of China's netizens are suffering from various mental problems although some 62 percent of them claim at the same time that they are happy on the whole anyway.
This is the result of China's first White Paper on Netizens' Health Conditions issued on Wednesday by 39.net, China's largest authoritative website on health sciences. It is the first most comprehensive health survey on netizens' health situation ever conducted in China in ten years' time. The white paper came out after two months of online and offline research that involved over 150 thousand netizens, covering topics and questions on health knowledge, mental situation, sense of health, and living habits.
According to the white paper, more than 70 percent of China's netizens say they are suffering from mental problems such as bad memory, anxiety, depression, and a lack of confidence. And a similar 72 percent of them also say they are often suffering from diseases like insomnia, dizziness, joint degeneration and achings. Meanwhile, another 53 percent of netizens believe that white collar employees who have bigger work pressures are more likely to catch mental problems.
The white paper adds, doing almost no sports and spending long time surfing online lead to the above mentioned health problems among netizens. Only 9 percent of netizens take up sports on weekends while over 40 percent stay home, surfing. And only 16 percent netizens can assure more than eight hours' sleeping daily.
At present, China has a netizen population of 162 million, with a monthly consumption of 186 yuan, or about 25 dollars, on Internet surfing. The national survey on netizens' health situation ________.
| A．was conducted by sohu.com | B．is conducted every year |
| C．was carried out online and offline | D．covered about half a million netizens |
. Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined part "white collar"?
| A．White clothes. | B．White offices. | C．Office workers. | D．White people. |
. All the following factors have been mentioned to cause the health problems among netizens EXCEPT ________.
| A．doing no sports | B．spending long time online |
| C．heavy work pressures | D．shopping online |
.What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．China has a large netizen population. |
| B．Many netizens in China have mental problems. |
| C．The Internet has a negative influence on people. |
| D．How to surf the Internet safely and healthily. |
People diet to look more attractive. Fish diet to avoid being beaten up, thrown out of their social group, and getting eaten as a result. That is the fascinating conclusion of the latest research into fish behavior by a team of Australian scientists.
The research team has discovered that subordinate (隶属的)fish voluntarily diet to avoid challenging their larger competitors. “In studying gobies we noticed that only the largest two individuals, a male and female, had breeding(繁殖) rights within the group, ”explains Marian Wong. “All other group members are non-breeding females, each being 5–10% smaller than its next largest competitor. We wanted to find out how they keep this size separation.”
The reason for the size difference was easy to see. Once a subordinate fish grows to within 5–10% of the size of its larger competitor，it causes a fight which usually ends in the smaller goby being driven away from the group. More often than not, the evicted fish is then eaten up.
It appeared that the smaller fish were keeping themselves small in order to avoid challenging the boss fish. Whether they did so voluntarily，by limiting how much they ate, was not clear. The research team decided to do an experiment. They tried to fatten up some of the subordinate gobies to see what happened. To their surprise，the gobies simply refused the extra food they were offered，clearly preferring to remain small and avoid fights, over having a feast.
The discovery challenges the traditional scientific view of how boss individuals keep their position in a group. Previously it was thought that large individuals simply used their weight and size to threaten their subordinates and take more of the food for themselves, so keeping their competitors small.
While the habits of gobies may seem a little mysterious, Dr. Wong explains that understanding the relationships between boss and subordinate animals is important to understanding how hierarchical (等级的) societies remain stable.
The research has proved the fact that voluntary dieting is a habit far from exclusive(排他的) to humans. “As yet, we lack a complete understanding of how widespread the voluntary reduction of food intake is in nature,” the researchers comment. “Data on human dieting suggests that, while humans generally diet to improve health or increase attractiveness, rarely does it improve long term health and males regularly prefer females that are fatter than the females’ own ideal.”
When a goby grows to within 5–10% of the size of its larger competitor, it_______.
| A．faces danger | B．has breeding rights |
| C．eats its competitor | D．leaves the group itself |
The underlined words “the evicted fish” in Paragraph 3 refer to _______.
| A．the fish beaten up | B．the fish found out |
| C．the fish fattened up | D．the fish driven away |
The experiment showed that the smaller fish_______.
| A．fought over a feast | B．went on diet willingly |
| C．preferred some extra food | D．challenged the boss fish |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Fish dieting and human dieting. | B．Dieting and health. |
| C．Human dieting. | D．Fish dieting. |