It looks a bit like the coolers used to keep drinks fresh on asunny day but the cool box being tested in hot Mozambique serves a higher purpose –saving lives from malaria(疟疾).
The new cool box is intended to keep malaria medicines at 25 degrees Celsius(77 degrees Fahrenheir) or below in poor rural areas without electricity where the temperature can reach 45 degrees Celsius.
“At the beginning, the cool boxes will be used to store malarial drugs,” said Parfair Komlan Edah, advisor to John Snow Incorporated, a US company developing the coolers.
“We will change the treatment pattern and procedure because the drugs are expensive and they have to be well stored to be effective,” he said.
The projuct, funded by the US Agency for International Development , started in 2006 and is still at an expermental stage. The coolers are currently being tested in three regions of Mozambique –Maputo, Tete and Zambezia.
The tests will determine whether the coolers are adopted for use nationwide.
In Mozambique , malaria is the leading cause of death among children admitted to pediatric(儿科的) services and there has been an increase in cases of malaira in recent years.
Faced with the sudden increase in malaira, Mozambique’s health ministry last year decided to expand the use fo rapid diagnostic tests for the disease that can give a result within minutes.
The only trouble was that diagnostic tests have to be stored at the temperature of 25 degrees Celsius or below and are currently only available in provincial hospitals that have refrigeration facilities.
“The project was faced with the dilemma(进退两难的处境) of how to ensure quality products despite the hot, humid weather and lack of electricity common in remote health facilities,” Edah said.
The solution was to design”evaporative(蒸发的) coolers”—similar in size to a small refrigerator. The coolers have a water tank at the top that is regularly refilled. When water evaporates from the tank it passes aong wicks that stick out of the cooler, keeping the content s of the box cool/
In a message on World Malaria Day, the World Health Organization(WHO) stresed the importance of national malaira programmes.
Nelson Nkini, head of Proserv, a Mozambican non-governmental group supplying mosquito nets treated with anti-malarial substances, said preventing the disease was cheaper than curing it because of the cost of medicines.
60. If the cool boxes are used,_________.
A. medicines can be stored at any degree Celsius
B. malaria will disapear in Mozambique
C. malaria medicines will be used more effectively
D. the temperature will become lower in Mozambique
61. The situation in Mozambique is that__________.
A. the official department doesn’t know what mianly causes children’s death
B. the project funded by the US Agency for International Development is fighting against malaria.
C. the use of rapid diagnostic tests for malaria is being expanded inth whold country
D. diagnostic tests can be currently available in most rural hospitals.
62. Which can be the best title for the passage?
A. A project in Mozambique
B. Fighting against malaria
C. Preventing the spread of malaria
D. Super cooler gives hope for malaria victims
I have happy memories of trips to Europe, but my trip to Romania was unique. My husband was born there, but his family sent him to study in Italy. He hasn’t seen his family since he was 16.
When we reached Bucharest, his family was waiting outside to greet us. After a lot of hugging, kissing, and crying, his family also embraced (拥抱) me, the American wife with two young children. They had great interest in me. Few Americans visited Romania at that time, and most Romanians had little chance to travel.His family loved our gifts. We made trips to the Black Sea and the Carpathian Mountains. Eating at outdoor cafes to the sound of gypsy violins was very different, but nothing was as unforgettable as family dinners.
Most Romanian homes had old-fashioned washing machines but no dryers. It was a hot summer. My husband’s relatives didn’t want to risk dirtying their clothes. Their solution was as simple as it was surprising: The women had dinner in their bras (文胸) and slips (衬裙). The men were shirtless. They all had jobs, so time was precious. Disrobing (脱去衣服) for dinner was a small inconvenience compared with the effort of doing laundry – at least in their household, and perhaps all across Romania. I washed my clothes by hand and hung them outdoors to dry. I, of course, having just met them, ate fully clothed.
On the last night of our three-week stay, we had a large family dinner. I was tired of washing my clothes. So I pulled my dress over my head and placed it on the chair behind me. The table applauded. Even with my poor Romanian, I understood that they were saying: “She’s part of our family now.”When the author arrived in her husband’s hometown, _____.
| A.his family showed no respect for her at first |
| B.she intended to talk to his family in English |
| C.she got extra attention from his family for her nationality |
| D.she found that she hadn’t brought enough gifts for his family |
What surprised the author most during her visit to her husband’s family?
| A.Most of his family members didn’t travel a lot at the time. |
| B.Women in his family had dinner in only their underclothes. |
| C.Most of her husband’s relatives didn’t like doing laundry. |
| D.They had old-fashioned washing machines but no dryers at home. |
On the last night of the author’s stay, the family applauded her because _____.
| A.the author disrobed for dinner as the family did |
| B.they just wanted to show their love for the author |
| C.the author could finally understand them easily |
| D.it was time for the author to give a speech |
A funny thing happened on the way to the communications revolution: we stopped talking to one another.
I was walking in the park with a friend recently, and his cell phone rang, interrupting our conversation. There we were, walking and talking on a beautiful sunny day and…I became invisible, absent from the conversation.
The telephone used to connect you to the absent. Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent. Why is it that the more connected we get, the more disconnected I feel? Every advance in communications technology is a tragedy to the closeness of human interaction. With e-mail and instant messaging over the Internet, we can now communicate without seeing or talking to one another. With voice mail, you can conduct entire conversations without ever reaching anyone. If my mom has a question, I just leave the answer on her machine.
As almost every contact we can imagine between human beings gets automated, the alienation(疏远) index goes up. You can't even call a person to get the phone number of another person anymore. Directory assistance is almost always fully automated.
I am not against modern technology. I own a cell phone, an ATM card, a voice, mail system, and an e-mail account. Giving them up isn't wise, they're a great help to us. It's some of their possible consequences that make me feel uneasy.
More and more, I find myself hiding behind e-mail to do a job meant for conversation, or being relieved that voice mail picked up because I didn’t really have time to talk. The industry devoted to helping me keep in touch is making me lonelier, or at least facilitating my antisocial instincts.
So I've put myself on technology restriction: no instant messaging with people who live near me, no cell phoning in the presence of friends, no letting the voice mail pick up when I'm at home.Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A.The Advance of Communications Technology |
| B.The Consequences of Modern Technology |
| C.The Story of the Communications Revolution |
| D.The Automation of Modern Communications |
The sentence “Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent” means that _________.
| A.the people sitting beside you have to go away to receive phone call |
| B.you can hardly get in touch with the people sitting beside you |
| C.modern technology makes it hard for people to have a face-to-face talk |
| D.people can now go to work without going to the office |
The writer feels that the use of modern communications is _________.
| A.satisfying | B.encouraging |
| C.disappointing | D.embarrassing |
The passage implies that________.
| A.modern technology is bridging people |
| B.modern technology is separating people |
| C.modern technology is developing too fast |
| D.modern technology is interrupting our communication |
Donald was shaken by thunder on the bed before he could count “one thousand one”. Then he heard the smoke alarm go off. He went downstairs quickly to investigate. When he opened the door to the basement (地下室), flames exploded out.
Donald fled (逃) back upstairs to call 911 but the phone didn’t work. When he tried to go downstairs, he was stopped by a wall of flames. He had to use a towel to cover his mouth. His house was three miles off the main road and so well hidden by trees that Donald knew calling for help would be useless. Actually, he didn’t even try to do that.
About one mile away lived Donald’s closest neighbor, Jeremie. When he heard some sounds, Jeremie jumped out of bed, holding a phone and a flashlight, and went towards the noise. He dialed 911 the instant he saw the flames. When he came close to the house, Jeremie knew he’d better wait until rescuers came. But he didn’t want Donald to die in the fire.
Without hesitation (犹豫), he rushed into the house. He shouted, “Donald, where are you?” Then he had to run outside to catch his breath. After one more attempt (尝试), he gave up and circled around back. He saw Donald on the second-floor balcony, but there was no way to get to him. Suddenly, he noticed a ladder. He dragged it over to the balcony and pulled Donald down just when the second floor fell down.
Within the year, Donald built a new two-story wood house at the site of the fire. Jeremie and Donald don’t run into each other regularly, but Donald knows that if he ever needs help, Jeremie will be there.What was Donald doing when he heard thunder?
| A.He was going to sleep on the bed. |
| B.He was ready to count numbers. |
| C.He was going downstairs. |
| D.He was in the basement. |
Donald didn’t call for help mainly because.
| A.his mobile didn’t work. |
| B.he could put out the fire himself. |
| C.his house was far from the main road. |
| D.the flames made him too weak to shout. |
From the text, we can infer that.
| A.it was the firemen who saved Donald that night |
| B.Jeremie helped Donald build a new wood house |
| C.Donald had fallen off the second floor before Jeremie found him |
| D.whatever difficulties Donald meets, Jeremie will help him |
John Coltrane was born in North Carolina in 1926 and raised in the small farm town of High Point. As a young boy, he spent a great deal of time listening to the music of the black Southern church. Coltrane’s father sewed clothes and could also play several musical instruments for his own enjoyment. The young Coltrane grew up in such a musical environment. And he discovered jazz by listening to the recordings of such jazz greats as Count Basie and Lester Young.
When John was thirteen, he asked his mother to buy him a saxophone. People realized almost immediately that the young man could play the instrument very well. John learned by listening to the recordings of the great jazz saxophone players, Johnny Hodges and Charlie Parker.
In 1943 John and his family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He studied music for a short time at the Granoff Studios and at the Ornstein School of Music. He served for a year in a Navy band in Hawaii. When he returned, he began playing the saxophone in several small bands.
In 1948, Coltrane joined trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie’s band. Seven years later, Coltrane joined the jazz group of another trumpet player, Miles Davis.Then he began experimenting with new ways to write and perform jazz music, and explored many new ways of playing the saxophone.Some people did not like this new sound, while others said it was an expression of modern soul and represented an important change. By 1965, Coltrane became one of the most famous jazz musicians in the world. He was famous in Europe and Japan, as well as in the United States. He was always trying to produce a sound that no one had produced before. Some of the sounds he made were beautiful. Others were like loud screams. Miles Davis said Coltrane was the loudest, fastest saxophone player that ever rived.
Many people could not understand his music. But they listened anyway. Coltrane never made his music simpler to become more popular. He continued to perform and record even as he suffered from liver cancer. He died in 1967 at the age of forty in Long Island, New York._______ play(s) the most important role in John Coltrane’s love of music.
| A.The musical environment in which he was brought up |
| B.His father’s musical instruments |
| C.The church music he listened to |
| D.The recordings of jazz greats |
John’s success in music is largely due to his______.
| A.hard work | B.creativity |
| C.family | D.performing style |
We can learn from the passage EXCEPT that______.
| A.John performed several musical instruments for fun when he was young |
| B.his mother bought him a saxophone in 1939 |
| C.in his early twenties John joined Gillespie’s band |
| D.John went on to perform in spite of his illness |
The correct order of the following events is______.
a. John moved to Philadelphia
b. John joined the group of Miles Davis.
c. John served in a Navy band
d. John became a famous jazz musician
e. John got his first saxophone
| A.d—a—e—b—c | B.e—d—a—b—c |
| C.a—d—e—c—b | D.e—a—c—b—d |
Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family's last vacation. It was my six-year-old son's winter break from school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a week long trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York, so I had to get back. But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.
The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged—okay, ordered—them to wait it out at the airport to “earn” more Delta Dollars. Our total take:$1,600.Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I've made a living looking for the best deals and exposing(揭露) the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in.
I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money's worth. I'm also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its shape longer, and it's the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.Why did Delta give the author's family credits?
| A.They took a later flight. |
| B.They had early bookings. |
| C.Their flight had been delayed. |
| D.Their flight had been cancelled. |
What can we learn about the author?
| A.She rarely misses a good deal. |
| B.She seldom makes a compromise. |
| C.She is very strict with her children. |
| D.She is interested in cheap products. |
What does the author do?
| A.She's a teacher. | B.She's a housewife. |
| C.She's a media person. | D.She's a businesswoman. |
What does the author want to tell us?
| A.How to expose bad tricks. |
| B.How to reserve airline seats. |
| C.How to spend money wisely. |
| D.How to make a business deal. |