Whether you're heading into the wild or down the road, it's hard to find a better electronic sidekick than a GPS. (Well, you know, other than a cell phone.)
Because a GPS has to receive a signal from space, physical impediments(遮挡) like skyscrapers, cliff faces, and even trees can stump(阻断) it. Reception is less of an issue with the ultrasensitive(超灵敏) chipsets in newer models, but if the walls are closing in on you, take a tip from a time when navigation systems weren't the streamlined panels they are today: Hooking up an antenna(天线) will make use of even the most tenuous celestial connection. There's a port on the back of most GPS devices for jacking in.
You'll also want to remember that a GPS is not a compass: It runs on software. Like your PC, it needs to communicate with the mother ship periodically. Vendors(供应商) refresh firmware and maps on a regular basis, sometimes even daily. These updates deliver new bits of data that significantly affect your gadget's accuracy. But if you live in the boonies(郊区) on a road named after your sister-wife, don't expect NavTeq to come a-knocking with its survey equipment. Fortunately, most companies make it easy to update your own maps. Usually it's as simple as plugging into your home computer, dropping a couple of pins in Google Maps, and clicking Save.
If you own a new Tom Tom, it's even easier. You can edit maps on the unit itself, though you might not have to: Some of the company's navigation updates themselves. Tom Tom's IQ Routes software takes data from every person who uses the company' gadgets and readjusts its assumptions about which roads you should use and how long a given route will take. It will even change its own maps.
See, it's not that hard: Your GPS may use NASA technology, but getting the most out of it isn't rocket science.
46. The writer thinks the useful electronic partner is __
____besides a cell phone when driving outdoors.
A. a GPS B. Tom Tom's IQ Routes C. a PC D. NASA
47. Which statement is NOT true about a GPS according to the passage?
A. It receives a signal from space.
B. It is not a compass.
C. It needs to refresh its information.
D. It has no port to connect other equipment.
48. You may learn from the passage that Tom Tom (Para 4) is _______.
A. a GPS receiver
B. a device that can be used to edit maps
C. a device that can be used to update software
D. a person who readjusts GPS assumptions
49. The main idea of the last paragraph is _______.
A. that we should make the most of GPS in rocket science
B. that getting the most out of GPS is too difficult
C. getting the most out of GPS is very easy
D. GPS owns NASA technology
50. Which is not mentioned about a GPS according to the passage?
A. Its usage. B. Its price and shape. C. Its technology. D. Its benefit.
One Test for Graduate and Business School.
Getting an advanced degree can create many opportunities. The GRE revised General Test—the most widely accepted graduate admission test worldwide—can bring you one step closer to achieving your career goals.
There has never been a better time to take the test that gives you more opportunities for your future. The GRE revised General Test features question types that closely reflect the kind of thinking you'll do in graduate or business school.
Who Takes It?
Prospective graduate and business school applicants from all around the world who are interested in pursuing a master's , MBA, specialized master's in business or doctoral degree take the GRE revised General Test. Applicants come from varying educational and cultural backgrounds and the GRE revised General Test provides a common measure for comparing candidates' qualifications.
GRE scores are used by admissions or fellowship panels to supplement(补充) your undergraduate records, recommendation letters and other qualifications for graduatelevel study.
When and Where Do People Take It?
The GRE revised General Test is available at more than 700 test centers in more than 160 countries. In most regions of the world, the computerdelivered test is available on a continuous basis throughout the year. In Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea, the computerdelivered test is available one to two times per month. In areas of the world where computerdelivered testing is not available, the paperdelivered test is available up to three times a year in October, November and February.
Who Accepts It?
The GRE revised General Test is accepted at thousands of graduate and business schools as well as departments and divisions within these schools.If you want to study for a master's degree in the USA, you'd better________．
| A．achieve your career goals |
| B．earn as much money as possible |
| C．take the GRE revised General Test |
| D．vary educational and cultural background |
In a lessdeveloped area with very few computers, testtakers probably can't take the GRE revised General Test in ________．
| A．August | B．October | C．November | D．February |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To sell test papers. |
| B．To introduce a kind of test. |
| C．To get new students for schools. |
| D．To compare two kinds of tests. |
Thinking is something you choose to do as a fish choose to live in water. To be human is to think. But thinking may come naturally without your knowing how you do it. Thinking about thinking is the key to critical（判断性的） thinking. When you think critically, you take control of your thinking processes(过程). Otherwise, you might be controlled by the ideas of others. Indeed, critical thinking is at the heart of education.
The word “critical” here has a special meaning. It does not mean taking one view against another view, as when someone criticizes another person for doing something wrong. The nature of critical thinking is thinking beyond the easily seen—beyond the pictures on TV, the untrue reports in the newspapers, and the faulty reasoning.
Critical thinking is an attitude as much as an activity. If you are curious about life and desire to dig deeper into it, you are a critical thinker. If you find pleasure in deep thinking about different ideas, characters, and facts, you are a critical thinker.
Activities of the mind and higher-order reasoning are processes of deep and careful consideration. They take time, and do not go hand in hand with the fast speed in today’s world: fast foods, instant coffee, and self-developing film. If you are among the people who believe that speed is a measure of intelligence（智力）, you may learn something new from a story about Albert Einstein. The first time Banesh Hoffman, a scientist, was to discuss his work with Albert Einstein, Hoffman was too nervous to speak. But Einstein immediately put Hoffman at ease by saying, “Please go slowly. I don’t understand things quickly.”Critical thinking is important to us because if we do not think critically, ______.
| A．it will be hard for us to think naturally and fast |
| B．we might be controlled by other people’s ideas |
| C．we will follow the ideas of others naturally |
| D．we might be fooled by other people’s ideas |
If you are a critical thinker, you will ______.
| A．think deeply about different ideas |
| B．trust the reports in the newspapers |
| C．take one view against another view |
| D．criticize other people for their mistakes |
In the last paragraph, “something new” suggests that ______
| A．the smarter you are , the faster you do things |
| B．the faster you do things, the smarter you become |
| C．speed can improve intelligence |
| D．intelligence is not decided by speed |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Thinking and Critical Thinking |
| B．Understanding Critical Thinking |
| C．Thinking is Natural and Human |
| D．Thinking Fast Means Intelligence |
International Studies (BA)
Key features
·Recognizes the “global community”(国际社会)
· Has close connections with practical research
· Much of the teaching is done in small discussion groups
About the course
The course gives you chances to know great power politics between nation states. It will provide more space to study particular issues such as relationship among countries in the European Union, third world debt, local and international disagreement, and the work of such international bodies as the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, and the World Bank.
The course puts theories into the working of the international system with close attention to particular countries. You will also have a better knowledge of methods of solving the international problems.
Related (相关的) courses
●BA (Hons) Community Management ● BA (Hons) Public Policy and Management
Employment possibilities
●International organizations ● International business
Earth Science (BSc)
Key features
· Based on key courses and the latest research findings
·Pays much attention to practical skills
·Offers chances for fieldwork(实地考察)
About the course
The demand for natural resources is becoming an increasingly serious problem for the future of mankind. Graduates in Earth Science will play an important role in meeting this demand, and in knowing the meaning of using the natural resources.
The course covers geography and geology. You will carry out fieldwork in the UK and possibly overseas, and a research in an area of interest to you in the final year.
Related courses
BSc (Hons) Geography; BSc (Hons) Geology
Employment possibilities
Mineral , oil, water or other related engineering industries.International Studies is a course in _______
| A．international politics | B．international business |
| C．international systems | D．international bodies |
After taking the course of International Studies, the students will _______.
| A．become practical and open-minded |
| B．have a greater ability to discuss theories |
| C．know how to settle international problems |
| D．have good jobs in any international organizations |
Earth Science, as described in the second text, ______.
| A．is attractive because of the chances for fieldwork |
| B．pays more attention to practical skills than theories |
| C．is built on important courses and the results of recent studies |
| D．encourages students to play a role in using natural resources |
It can be inferred that the above two texts are written for the students who _______.
| A．enjoy research work |
| B．plan to choose courses |
| C．study in the UK |
| D．are interested in overseas fieldwork |
Deserts are found where there is little rainfall or where rain for a whole year falls in only a few weeks' time. Ten inches of rain may be enough for many plants to survive (存活)if the rain is spread throughout the year, If it falls within one or two months and the rest of the year is dry, those plants may die and a desert may form.
Sand begins as tiny pieces of rock that get smaller and smaller as wind and weather wear them down. Sand dunes (沙丘) are formed as winds move the sand across the desert. Bit by bit, the dunes grow over the years, always moving with the winds and changing the shape. Most of them are only a few feet tall, but they can grow to be several hundred feet high.
There is, however, much more to a desert than sand. In the deserts of the southwestern United States, cliffs (悬崖) and deep valleys were formed from thick mud that once lay beneath a sea more than millions of years ago. Over the centuries, the water dried up. Wind, sand, rain, heat and cold all wore away at the remaining rocks. The faces of the desert mountains are always changing –-very, very slowly ---as these forces of nature continue to work on the rock.
Most deserts have a surprising variety of life. There are plants, animals and insects that have adapted to life in the desert. During the heat of the day a visitor may see very few signs of living things, but as the air begins to cool in the evening, the desert comes to life. As the sun begins to rise again in the sky, the desert once again becomes quiet and lonely.Many plants may survive in deserts when__________________.
| A．it is dry all the year round |
| B．the rain falls only in a few weeks |
| C．there is little rain in a year |
| D．the rain is spread out in a year |
Sand dunes are formed when___________________.
| A．sand piles up gradually |
| B．there is plenty of rain in a year |
| C．the sea has dried up over the years |
| D．pieces of rock get smaller |
The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that in a desert there is____________.
| A．too much sand |
| B．more sand than before |
| C．nothing except sand |
| D．something else besides sand |
It can be learned from the text that in a desert____________.
| A．there is no rainfall throughout the year |
| B．life exists in rough conditions |
| C．all sand dunes are a few feet high |
| D．rocks are worn away only by wind and heat |
Eating too much fatty food, exercising too little and smoking can raise your future risk of heart disease. But there is another factor that can cause your heart problems more immediately: the air you breathe.
Previous studies have linked high exposure (暴露）to environmental pollution to an increased risk of heart problem, but two analyses now show that poor air quality can lead to heart attack or stroke (中风）within as little as a few hours after exposure. In one review of the research, scientists found that people exposed to high levels of pollutants (污染物）were up to 5% more likely to suffer a heart attack within days of exposure than those with lower exposure. A separate study of stroke patients showed that even air that the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers to be of “moderate” (良好）quality and relatively safe for our health can raise the risk of stroke as much as 34% within 12 to 14 hours of exposure.
The authors of both studies stress that these risks are relatively small for healthy people and certainly modest compared with other risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure. However, it is important to be aware of these dangers because everyone is exposed to air pollution regardless of lifestyle choices. So stricter regulation by the EPA of pollutants may not only improve environmental air quality but could also become necessary to protect public health.The text mainly discusses the relationship between ______ .
| A．heart problems and air quality |
| B．heart problems and exercising |
| C．heart problems and smoking |
| D．heart problems and fatty food |
The underlined word “modest” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ______ .
| A．relatively high | B．extremely low |
| C．relatively low | D．extremely high |
The author’s purpose of writing the text is most likely to _______.
| A．describe | B．persuade | C．inform | D．entertain |