“Human influenza viruses can survive and be infectious for several days when they are deposited on banknotes,” according to the latest study by Yves Thomas and his colleages in Switzerland. Scientists put different types of flu virus onto Swiss franc notes and found that they could survive from a few hours to more than a week. The results depended on the type of flu virus.
According to the study, Swiss-banknotes are mostly cotton covered by a nonporous resin(无孔树脂). Banknotes from other countries may be composed of different materials, and this could affect viral transmission. “Whether similar results would be obtained with banknotes from other countries and with different characteristics needs to be studied.” the authors wrote. In an interview with Reuters, Thomas said. “Our studies have convinced us that it is possible to catch the flu from banknotes, but the chances are very, very small and there is no cause for concern among the gneral population,” To be sure, many kinds of frequently touched surfaces could temporarily hide the flu virus. Broadly speaking, scientists consider the risk of transmission in this way to be low. Particularly if hand-washing and other hygiene measures are practiced.
Three things must happen for a flu virus to be transmitted from one person to another via money. First, a person who is infected with the flu virus must sneeze or cough onto the banknote. Next, an uninfected person would need to touch the money while the virus si still present. Finally, that person would need to put his hand in his mouth or pick his nose, says Thomas. The best defense against infection: follow public health guidelines and wash your hands frequently.
49. What does the underlined word “this” refers to in the second paragraph?
A. The time when people stay in a bank.
B. The fact that banknotes may consist of deferent materials.
C. The bank where people draw their money.
D. The country where the banknotes are in circlation.
50. From the last paragraph, we can know that an infected person should ________.
A. pay attention to his personal hygiene B. wash his hands after leaving a bank
C. be monitored at a bank D. not cough at a bank
51. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Any person who touches banknotes will become infected.
B. Different flu viruses stay on the surface of banknotes for different lengths of time.
C. The bank should not allow any infected person to enter.
D. Only banknotes in Switzerland can transmit the flu virus.
52. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Is it Dangerous to Stay in a Bank?
B. How to Avoid Being Infected with the Flu Virus?
C. Can You Catch the Flu from Handling Money?
D. Why Do People Refuse to Use Banknotes in Switzerland?
It is common for older people to forget things. Now an American study has found that memory starts to fail when we are young adults. People younger than thirty years of age usually do not know that they are starting to forget information. But scientists from the University of Michigan say the loss of memory has usually already started.
Researchers say people do not observe this slow reduction in mental ability until the loss affects their everyday activities.
Denise Park led the new study. She directs the Centre for Aging and Cognition at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Her team studied more than 350 men and women between the ages of twenty and ninety years. The study identified people in their middle twenties with memory problems.
She says young adults do not know they are forgetting things because their brains have more information than they need.
But she says that people in their twenties and thirties are losing memory at the same rate as people in their sixties and seventies.
Ms. Park says people between the ages of sixty and seventy may note the decrease in their mental abilities. They begin to observe that they are having more trouble remembering and learning new information.
The study found that older adults are more likely to remember false information as being true. For example, they remembered false medical claims as being true. Younger people remembered hearing the information. But they were more likely to remember that it was false.
Ms. Park is now using modern imaging equipment to study what happens in the brains of people of different ages. She is studying what parts of the brain older adults use for different activities compared to younger adults. Ms. Park says mental performance is a direct result of brain activity and brain structure. She says keeping the brain active is important. She hopes future studies will identify ways to improve the operation of our aging minds.The passage is meant to _____________.
| A．emphasize the importance of exercising the brain |
| B．analyze the difference between different age groups on the loss of memory |
| C．reveal the decrease in mental ability of young adults as well as older adults |
| D．introduce effective ways to improve memory |
According to the passage, young adults differ from older adults in that ________.
| A．they lose their memory at a slower rate |
| B．they rarely realize they have memory problems |
| C．their brains can store much more information |
| D．all of the above |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
| A．Not until the loss of memory affects their daily activities, do people notice the decrease in their mental abilities. |
| B．People begin to lose memory in their twenties. |
| C．Older people tend to remember false information as being true. |
| D．Younger people find it easier to remember the information that is proven false. |
It can be inferred from what Denis Park says that ______.
| A．mental performance can be improved |
| B．mental ability is determined entirely by brain structure |
| C．people of different ages use different parts of the brain for memorizing |
| D．different parts of the brain are responsible for different mental activities |
Which of the following is a suitable title for the passage?
| A．The Mysterious Brain | B．The Ability to Forget |
| C．Memory Reduction | D．Mental Performance |
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e-mail: harcourt@learning.comWhat kind of people will probably answer this advertisement?
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People can get a Specialized Associate Degree by_______.
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When I was an education official in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our school board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim had great difficulty in school. He was classified as educationally disabled and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents acknowledged his academic difficulties, but always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.
Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known when I talked to him last that it would be the last time. If I had only known I would have said, “Jim, I love you and I’m very proud of you.”
I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he brought to the lives of the many who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, the sound of his laughter, his genuine love of people.
When you put all the good qualities on the scale and try to balance all the irritating phenomena such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., your angry feelings won’t amount to much.
I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, you do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear as if you knew it would be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died. He called me to say, “Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. Got to go to work. Bye.” He gave me something to treasure forever.
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially family members, take the time to let each other know just how much we care.According to the passage, we know that ________.
| A．Jim kept to himself |
| B．Jim did very well in his studies |
| C．Jim’s parents were patient with him |
| D．Jim failed to finish his high school. |
The underlined word “irritating” in Paragraph 4 means _________.
| A．annoying | B．aggressive | C．impatient | D．thrilling |
By writing the letter printed in the Palo Alto Times, the mother intends to ______________.
| A．mourn her son’s sudden death in a traffic accident |
| B．remind people to be cautious of motorcycles |
| C．advise people to take the chance to express their love in time |
| D．appreciate more of life than ever before |
What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Love your Family | B．Do it Today |
| C．Walk with Pride | D．Appreciate Smiles |
With the Indian economy predicted to grow by 7．5 percent this year, experts say it could be time for Western CEOs to learn some lessons from Indian CEOs．The key differences between Indian and Western bosses are:
Social purpose
One of the most important things is that Indian leaders lead with a sense of social purpose．Every leader in India gave a specific social purpose as being the goal of their business．Those purposes ranged from improving healthcare to getting cell phones to people who didn't have access to communication tools．Having a social purpose motivates workers．
Invest in employees
Indian firms invest an enormous amount in their employees' training and development．IT firms typically offer 60 days of formal training for newly hired workers and they even spend months training experienced workers．A study said that Western firms have largely abandoned investing in employees, seeing it as a waste if they quit．But Indian bosses believe that investing in employees ensures the quality of those who stay at the company．
Take the long view
Indian bosses stress far less on shareholders than it is typical at Western business．As a result they're more able to take a long-term view．Western companies can't just ignore their shareholders, but their CEOs can do more to protect their -employees from short-term financial pressures, letting them get on with their jobs．
Work fromtheir strengths
Western companies often think about strategy in terms of chasing customers or pursuing market opportunities, but Indian firms will more often start by identifying their strengths and customers’ needs, and then try to meet those needs．
Act as a role model
Being a personal role model for their employees is an amazing thing for a CEO．If Western bosses could think of themselves as role models, it would have a real impact on their workers．Indian CEOs use their sense of social purpose to _________．
| A．improve the workers' healthcare system |
| B．provide cell phones to people in need |
| C．motivate and encourage their employees |
| D．promote the development of communication systems |
Western firms have largely abandoned investing in employees’ training and development because _______．
| A．it takes too long to complete the formal training of newly hired workers |
| B．they often hire experienced workers who don't need much training |
| C．they are afraid of the losses brought about by the resignation of employees |
| D．they don't care about the quality of the employees in their firms |
Which of the following is TRUE about Western bosses?
| A．They stress on workers more than shareholders． |
| B．They always act as role models for employees． |
| C．They are good at identifying their own strengths． |
| D．They pay closer attention to market opportunities． |
It takes courage to stand up at work．Now more and more people are standing up when they are working on something important．Standing up is in fashion．Medical researchers have found that people who stand at work tend to be much healthier than those who sit．But I wasn't just looking for better health — standing would also improve how I work and relax my body．
In recent years, many office supply companies have begun to sell adjustable desks．These so-called "sit / stand" models are equipped with an electric motor that lets them shift from chair height to person height at the push of a button．Unfortunately, sit / stand desks tend to be expensive, hard to find and not very easy to test in person．
I discovered that when I worked standing up, my mind was clearer and new ideas kept coming to me．I suspect that this is because when you're standing, you feel a bit unchained from your desk．If I got stuck on a word or sentence as I wrote it, I found myself shaking my arms, bouncing （跳） on my feet or stepping away from the desk for a bit — things I couldn't do in a chair．Often, standing up seemed to relax my mind enough for me to get over creative barriers．
There's another thing about standing for a long time: I tend to get hungrier than I do when I sit on a chair．That feels like confirmation（证实） of the stand-up advocates’ belief that you burn more calories when you stand than when you sit．For this reason alone, I' m hoping that one day mass-market furniture companies can make many low-priced versions of sit / stand desks．We could all work with a bit more standing up．The author likes standing up while working because __________．
| A．he wants to show that he has a lot of courage |
| B．researchers say standing makes one healthier |
| C．he intends to catch up the fashion trend |
| D．he hopes to improve his work and relax himself |
It can be inferred from the text that ________．
| A．adjustable desks are mass-produced now |
| B．adjustable desks are easy to operate |
| C．cheaper adjustable desks will soon be available |
| D．adjustable desks can be tried out easily |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．Standing up at work is a better choice． |
| B．Standing up at work takes courage． |
| C．Standing up at work burns more calories． |
| D．Standing up at work will replace traditional sitting． |