There is a joke among flu researchers: “If you've seen one flu season, you've seen one flu season.” The joke is about the unpredictable nature of the flu virus.Every year it looks different, and every strain (类型) follows its own pattern — it's the reason why new strains like H1N1 are extremely difficult to predict.
Dr.Michael Osterholm is a former adviser to the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services.“I know less about influenza today than I did 10 years ago,” he says in a joking way.“Every stone we've turned over, we get more questions.”
The flu rectums every season and the world experiences terrible pandemics (全国或全世界范围流行的疾病), but researchers still do not understand why some strains infect people and others do not; they are not entirely sure about how the flu is transmitted; nor do they understand why some patients become seriously ill while others develop mild symptoms (症状).As a result, when a new strain shows up — like H1N1 — they often have little information to fall back on, and the lessons of previous pandemics are only somewhat helpful.While researchers are still putting together a complete picture of H1N1, for example, its most striking difference with the seasonal flu is that the elder1y are not the most vulnerable (易受攻击的) population.
Influenza's unpredictable nature makes it a moving target for researchers, says researcher Allison Aiello at the University of Michigan.“Even if we had complete seasonal flu data from the past, it wouldn't be much helpful for a new strain of influenza,” she explains.
Whi1e researchers are frustrated by the holes in their knowledge, they say, however, that the pub1ic--health community is generally doing a very good job responding to H1N1 with seasonal flu data that do exist.Studying influenza, says Osterholm, is “like looking through the windows of a house you can't get into because the door is locked.” Gathering the data researchers do have is like “looking through the windows to get a pretty good picture of what the inside looks like.”
One thing researchers do know for sure: the best way for people to protect against H1N1 is to get the vaccine once it becomes available to them.What do we learn about H1N1 from the passage?
A.In fact it is not a kind of influenza virus. |
B.It is quite possible to predict it in theory. |
C.Old people are more likely to contract it than kids. |
D.Receiving vaccines will be effective to protect against it. |
The underlined phrase
“fall back on” in Para.3 probably means .
A.rely on | B.pass on | C.col1ect | D.exchange |
What do we know about p
revious seasonal flu data?
A.It is useless to study them. |
B.It is still necessary to study them. |
C.They are misleading most of the time. |
D.They are much more helpful than expected. |
Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?
A.Outbreaks of the flu | B.Symptoms of the flu |
C.Mysteries of the flu | D.Risks of the flu |
Kate Anderson became an accidental car thief when she went to pick up her daughter’s car near an Ohio University building last week.Anderson saw the nickelgray Toyota Camry and used her daughter’s key to unlock the car,start the engine and drive home.
When Charlie Vansant left class a short time later,he found only an empty parking spot.He first assumed the car had been towed,but when the police couldn’t find a record of it,they took a theft report.
The morning after Anderson took back the car,her daughter discovered the Camry in the driveway wasn’t hers.She found Vansant’s name on paperwork in the glove compartment and looked up his phone number on the Website for the university.
When she told Vansant the car was in her driveway,“It sounded real fishy at first,like maybe she wanted to hold the thing for ransom,”Vansant said!
He eventually went to the house with a police officer,where he was reunited with his car.According to a police report,the case was closed “because of the mistaken car identity.”Anderson wasn’t charged.
Vansant seemed to blame the car company more than the “thief”.“Her key fit not only my lock,but my ignition as well—so highfive for Toyota,I guess,”he said.
Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong said key technology wasn’t as sophisticated as two decades ago,and there were so many ways to cut a key,making it possible for such a mixup to occur.He said the company now has a microchip embedded(嵌入)in the keys for 90 percent of its vehicles that allows them to start only with the correct key.We can learn from the story that Kate Anderson____。
A.was an experienced but unlucky thief |
B.took Vansant’s car away by chance |
C.fould unlock any car with her special key |
D.was accused of theft and put into prison |
When Charlie Vansant received the phone call,he___。
A.ran as fast as he could to the police station |
B.felt someone was playing a joke on him |
C.suspected he would be forced to pay for the car |
D.went directly to Anderson and collected his car |
Who should be responsible for the accident?——
A.Toyota Camry. | B.Charlie Vansant. |
C.Toyota Company. | D.The police. |
According to the passage,it can be learned that____
A.the daughter is more honest than her mother |
B.many thefts occurred because the same keys were used |
C.Toyota Camry is a kind of car,which is easier to unlock |
D.the car producers should pay more attention to car identity |
Do you want to watch a hot movie while chatting with your friend on the phone, or shop with mobile while on a train? 54
It is reported that China is to issue its first licence for the commercial use of the third generation telecommunication technology early next year.
The so-called 3G technology will enable mobile phone users to enjoy highspeed Internet-based services. 55
Nowadays, many mobile phones also allow you to send e-mails or read the latest stories on the Internet, but their services are limited by their transporting speed, which is only 10 kilobytes per second. 56
If recently mobile technology is like riding a bike on a country road, then 3G will make you fly on the information highway. For example, a mobile phone with 3G technology will enable you to download a three minutes’ MP3 song within two minutes. 57
In the near future, we’ll expect high-speed access to the Internet, entertainment, information and electronic commerce services wherever we are—not just at our computers or television sets.
In the UK and many other European countries where 3G services have been around since 2003, 3G has already become a part of modern business life. Nowadays, employees are able to spend some of their working hours at home. 58
A.The ongoing construction of a new telecommunication service will make these things reality very soon. |
B.But 3G will enable you to connect to the Internet with a speed of up to 2 megabytes per second, a thousand times faster than what you use now. |
C.3G technology will offer you high-speed access to the Internet wherever there is a computer. |
D.It will help increase mobility in many areas of our life. |
E. The new technology allows a doctor to examine a patient through a video link.
F. But at the moment, it will take you up to an hour to do this with your mobile phone
G. The new technology allows the emergency services to provide a video link with a hospital or doctor for patients who need special care.
Handshaking, though a European practise is often seen in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice started in Europe. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met, they showed their unarmed (无武器的) hands to each other as a sign of goodwill. As time went on and trade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other’s hands to make a deal or to reach an agreement. This practice was later changed into shaking hands among friends on meeting or leaving each other. “Let’s shake (hands) on it” sometimes means agreement reached.
Do the Europeans shake hands wherever they go and with whomever they meet? No. Sometimes the Chinese abroad reach out their hands too often to be polite. It is really very impolite to give your hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman, shows little interest in shaking hands with you and when the meeting does not mean anything to him or-her. Even if, for politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand in answer to your uninvited hand, just touch it slightly- There is generally a misunderstanding (误解) among the Chinese that westerners are usually open
and straighforward, while the Chinese are rather reserved (保守的) in manner. But in fact some people in western countries more reserved than some Chinese today. So it is a good idea to shake hands with a westerner only when he shows interest in further relations with you.In the old days in Europe, people put out their unarmed hands to each other ______.
A.to make a deal | B.to greet each other |
C.to show friendliness | D.to reach an agreement |
The first paragraph mainly tells us ______.
A.where handshaking was first practised |
B.how handshaking came about |
C.about the relationship between handshaking and trade |
D.about the practice of handshaking both in Europe and in China |
According to the text. which of the following statements is true?
A.Westerners are more reserved than the Chinese. |
B.Westerners are unwilling to shake hands. |
C.We should make a judgment before shaking hands. |
D.We shouldn’t shake hands with European women. |
The main purpose of the text is ______.
A.to tell us some differences between the East and the West |
B.to offer us some important facts about handshaking |
C.to introduce us to some different customs in the West |
D.to give us some advice before we travel abroad |
Collections were the inspiration(灵感) for a project at Thomas Tallis School, which formed part of the Imagine Children's Literature Festival last autumn. Each child (aged 12-13) beatified a box and wrote a story on the subject of collections to throw inside it. The boxes were spread within the Royal Festival Hall's Ballroom. Some were left empty to encourage
The subject chosen by Luren was an imaginative one. "It's a sort o f Cinderella (灰姑娘) story," she told me, inspired by a collection of letters from her cousin, ha the story these become love letters, burned by a creel stepmother. Lauren's best friend Charlotte is the stepmother. "I'm in Charlotte's story too," says Lauren, "and I get run over." Charlotte's tale was inspired by the girls' coin collection. "We've collected foreign coins for years - since our families went on holiday to Tenerife." she explains. "That was before the Euro, so we put pesetas in." Lauren continues: "I fred a coin in the road, go to get it and get run over. I'm in hospital and then I die." Charlotte adds: "Or she might not die. I haven't decided yet."
Millie Murray, who is a tea-novel author, thinks that setting the subject of collections was a useful inspiration to their creativity rather than a restriction(限制)。 "In the beginning I thought, 'Will the children be able to do it?'" she says. "But it's been fruitful. Some have their own collection, some have parents who do, and some have wlstten complete stories. It's made them think about something they wouldn't have otherwise, winch can only be a good thing."What were the children asked to do in the project?
A.To meet friends at Thomas Tallis School |
B.To write stories on the subject of collections. |
C.To encourage visitors to write their own stories. |
D.To have their friends for characters in the stories. |
The underlined word "pesetas" in Paragraph 2 is a kind of _____.
A.story | B.collection | C.inspiration | D.foreign coin |
From the stories by Lauren and Charlotte, we know that _____ .
A.Charlotte hurt herself when getting a coin |
B.both of them developed their imagination |
C.both of tram will die in each other's stories |
D.Latwen's cousin posted her some love letters |
Millie Murray thinks ________.
A.collections could inspire writing creativity |
B.it was good for parents to have collections |
C.inspirations were very useful in writing stories |
D.setting collection subjects restricted inspirations |
A Frenchman went to a small Italian town and was staying with his wife at the best hotel there. One night, he went out for a walk alone. It was late and the small street was dark and quiet. Suddenly he felt someone behind him. He turned his head and saw an Italian young man who quickly walked past him. The man was nearly out of sight when the Frenchman suddenly found that his watch was gone. He thought that it must be the Italian who had taken his watch. He decided to follow him and get back the watch.
Soon the Frenchman caught up with the Italian. Neither of them understood the other’s language. The Frenchman frightened the Italian with his fist(拳头) and pointed at the Italian’s watch. In the end the Italian gave up his watch to the Frenchman.
When he returned to the hotel, the Frenchman told his wife what had happened. He was greatly surprised when his wife pointed to the watch on the table. Now he realized that by mistake he had robbed the watch and it was the Italian’s.The Frenchman went to a small Italian town _______.
A.alone | B.with his wife | C.with his friend | D.with an Italian |
The Italian gave up his watch to him at last because ________.
A.he had stolen the watch from the Frenchman |
B.he understood what the Frenchman wanted |
C.he had picked up the watch on his way from work |
D.he was afraid of the Frenchman |
Who was robbed of the watch in fact?
A.The Frenchman was. | B.The Italian was. |
C.Both of them were. | D.Neither of them was. |