After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: The damage and death toll could have been much worse.More than 60 people died in this earthquake. (26) comparison, an earthquake of similar intensity that shook America in 1988 (27) 25,000 victims. (28) and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, (29) traffic was light on the city’s highways. In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have (30) the city’s buildings and highways, making them more (31) to quakes.Despite the good news, civil engineers aren’t (32) on their successes. (33) to their drawing boards are blueprints for improved quake-resistant buildings. The new designs should (34) even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.In the past, making structures quake-resistant meant final yet (35) materials, such as steel and wood, which (36) without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and (37) rubber and steel between the building and (38) foundation to reduce the (39) of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings (40) as well as concrete and steel supports. Called smart buildings, the structures (41) like living organisms to an earthquake’s vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building (42) forward, the computer would force the building to (43) in the opposite direction.The new smart structures could be very (44) to build. However, they would (45) many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes. 28()
A. Mortalities
B. Wounds
C. Injuries
D. Morality
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Like fine food, good writing is something we approach with pleasure and enjoy from the first taste to the last. And good writers, like good cooks, do not suddenly appear full-blown. Quite the contrary, just as the cook has to undergo an intensive training, mastering the skills of his trade, the writer must sit at his desk and devote long hours to achieving a style in his writing, whatever its purpose-schoolwork, matters of business, or purely social communication. You may be sure that the more painstaking the effort, the more effective the writing, and the more rewarding.There are still some remote places in the world where you might find a public scribe to do your business or social writing for you, for a fee. There are a few managers who are lucky enough to have the service of that rare kind of secretary who can take care of all sorts of letter writing with no more than a quick note to work from. But for most of us, if there is any writing to be done, we have to do it ourselves.We have to write school papers, business papers or home papers. We are constantly called on to put words to paper. It would be difficult to count the number of such words, messages, letters, and re- ports put into the mails or delivered by hand, but the daily figure must be enormous. What is more, everyone who writes expects, or at least hopes, that his writing will be read. We want to arouse (引起) and hold the interest of the readers. We want whatever we write to be read, from first word to last, not just thrown into some "letters-to-be-read" file (档案) or into a wastepaper basket. This is the reason we bend our efforts toward learning and practicing the skills of interesting, effective writing. A public "scribe" ( Para. 2) is()
A. a secretary who does your business or social writing
B. a machine that does writing for you
C. a public school where writing is taught
D. a person who earns a living by writing for others
Passage TwoQuestions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.
A. The beginning of the United States.
B. The American Civil War.
C. The 19th century.
D. It’s unclear.
Questions 1 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
At a newsstand.
B. At a car dealer’s.
C. At a publishing house.
D. At a shopping mall.
According to the passage, a job applicant should take care of his or her ______.