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Do you remember all those years when scientists argued that smoking would kill us but the doubters insisted that we didn’t know for sure That the evidence was inconclusive, the science uncertain That the antismoking lobby was out to destroy our way of life and the government should stay out of the way Lots of Americans bought that nonsense, and over three decades, some 10 million smokers went to caily graves.There are upsetting parallels today, as scientists in one wave after another try to awaken us to the growing threat of global warming. The latest was a panel from the National Academy of Sciences, enlisted by the White House, to tell us that the Earth’s atmosphere is definitely warming and that the problem is largely man-made, The clear message is that we should get moving to protect ourselves. The president of the Nation- al Academy, Bruce Alberts, added this key point in the preface to the panel’s report "Science never has all the answers but science does provide us with the best available guide to the future, and it is critical that out nation and the world base important policies on the best judgments that science can provide concerning the future consequences of present actions.Just as on smoking voices now come from many quarters insisting that the science about global warming is incomplete, that it’s OK to keep pouring fumes into the air until we know for sure. This is a dangerous game: by the 100 percent of the evidence is in, it may be too late. With the risks obvious and growing, a prudent people would take out an insurance policy now.Fortunately, the White House is starting to pay attention. But it’s obvious that a majority of the president’s advisers still don’t take global warming seriously. Instead of a plan of action, they continue to press for more research—a classic ease of "paralysis by analysis".To serve as responsible stewards of the planet, we must press forward on deeper atmospheric and oceanic research. But research alone is inadequate. If the Administration won’t take the legislative initiative, Congress should help to begin fashioning conservation measures A bill by Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, which would offer financial incentives for private industry is a promising start. Many see that the country is getting ready to build lots of new power plants to meet our energy needs. If we are ever going to protect the atmosphere, it is crucial that those new plants be environmentally sound. According to the author, what should the Administration do about ().

A. Offer aid to build cleaner power plants.
B. Raise public awareness of conservation.
C. Press for further scientific research.
D. Take some legislative measures.

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It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional Small wonder. Americans’ life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a 30-minutes surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population a quality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. But not even a great health-care system can cure death—and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of OURS.Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solveD. Shielded by third-party payers from the cost of our care, we demand everything that can possibly be done for us, even if it’s useless. The most obvious example is late-stage cancer care. Physicians-frustrated by their in- ability to cure the disease and fearing loss of hope in the patien—too often offer aggressive treatment far be- yond what is scientifically justified.In 1950, the U..S. spent $12. 7 billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be $1540 billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age—say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and in- firm "have a duty todie and get out of the way" , so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential.I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is in her 70s, and former surgeon general C. Everett Koop chairs an Internet start-up in his 80s. These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68-year-old, I wish to age as productively as they have.Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. Ask a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikelycures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people’s lives. What is implied in the first sentence ?()

Americans are better prepared for death than other people.
B. Americans enjoy a higher life quality than ever before.
C. Americans are over-confident of their medical technology.
D. Americans take a vain pride in their long life expectancy.

Ireland is the best place in the world to live for 2005, (31) a life quality ranking that appeared in Britain’s Economist magazine last .week.The ambitious (32) to compare happiness levels around the world is based on the principle that wealth is not the only (33) of human satisfaction and well-being. The index of 111 countries uses (34) on incomes, health, unemployment, climate, political stability, job security equality between men and women as well as what the magazine calls "freedom, family and community life".Despite the bad weather troubled health service, traffic problems, and the high cost of living, Ireland scored an impressive 8.33 points (35) 10. That put it well ahead of second-place Switzerland, which man- aged 8,07. Zimbabwe (津巴布韦), troubled by political insecurity and hunger, is’rated the lowest, (36) only 3.89 points."Although rising incomes and increased individual choices in developed countries are (37) valued," the report said, "some of the factors associated with (38) such as the breakdown in traditional institutions and family values in part take away from a positive impact."Ireland wins because it successfully combines the most desirable elements of the new—the fourth high- est gross domestic product per head in the world in 2005, low unemployment, political (39) —with the preservation of certain warm elements of the old, such as (40) family and community life.\ 33()

A. reason
B. volume
C. measure
D. monitor

If you intend using humor in your talk to make people smile, you must know how to identify shared experiences and problems. Your humor must be relevant to the audience and should help to show them that you are one of them or that you understand their situation and are in sympathy with their point of view. Depending on whom you are addressing, the problems will be different. If you are talking to a group of managers, you may refer to the disorganized methods of their secretaries; alternatively if you are addressing secretaries, you may want to comment on their disorganized bosses.Here is an example, which I heard at a nurses’ convention, of a story which works well because the au- dience all shared the same view of doctors. A man arrives in heaven and is being shown around by SL Peter. He sees wonderful accommodations, beautiful gardens, sunny weather, and so on. Everyone is very peaceful, polite and friendly until, waiting in a line for lunch, the new arrival is suddenly pushed aside by a man in a white coat, who rushes to the head of the line, grabs his food and stomps over to a table by himself. "Who is that" the new arrival asked St. Peter. "On, that’s God," came the reply, "but sometimes he thinks he’s a doctor."If you are part of the group which you are addressing, you will be in a position to know the experiences and problems which are common to all of you and it’ll be appropriate for you to make a passing remark about the inedible canteen food or the chairman’s notorious bad taste in ties. With other audiences you musm’t at- tempt to cut in with humor as they will resent an outsider making disparaging remarks about their canteen or their chairman. You will be on safer ground if you stick to scapegoats like the Post Office or the telephone system.If you feel awkward being humorous, you must practice so that it becomes more natural. Include a few casual and apparently off-the-cuff remarks which you can deliver in a relaxed and unforced manner. ten it’s the delivery which causes the audience to smile, so speak slowly and remember that a raised eyebrow oran unbelieving look may help to show that you are making a light-hearted remark.’Look for the humor. It often comes from the unexpected D. A twist on a familiar quote "If at first you don’t succeed, give up" or a play on words or on a situation. Search for exaggeration and understatements. Look at your talk and pick out a few words or sentences which you can turn about and inject with humor. To make your humor work, you should ().

A. take advantage of different kinds of audience.
B. make fun of the disorganized people.
C. address different problems to different people.
D. show sympathy for your listeners.

in spite of "endless talk of, difference," American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people. This is "the democratizing uniformity of dress and discourse, and the casualness and absence of consumption" launched by the 19th century department stores that offered vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere. Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite, "these were stores, anyone could enter, regardless of class or background D. This turned shopping into a public and democratic act. The mass media, advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization.Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous. Writing for the National Immigration Forum, Gregory Rodriguez reports that today% im- migration is neither at unprecedented level nor resistant to assimilation. In 1998 immigrants were 9.8 percent of population; in 1900, 13.6 percent. In the 10 years prior to 1990, 3. 1 hnmigrants arrived for every 1,000 residents; in the 10 years prior to 1890, 9.2 for every 1,000. Now, consider three indices of assimilation—language, home ownership and intermarriage.The 1990 Census revealed that "a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English "well "or" very well "after ten years of residence. ’ The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient in English. "By the third generation, the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families." Hence the description of America as a graveyard" for language". By 1996 foreign-born immigrants who had arrive before 1970 had a home ownership rate of 75. 6 percent, higher than the 69. 8 per- cent rate among native-born Americans.Foreign-born Asians and Hispanics "have higher rates of intermarriage than do U. S born whites and blacks." By the third generation, one third of Hispanic women are married to non-Hispanics, and 41 percent of Asian-American women are married to non-Asians.Rodriguez not that children in remote villages around world are fans of superstars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet "some Americans fear that immigrant living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nation% assimilative power. ’Are there divisive issues and pockets of seething in America Indee D. It is big enough to have a bit of everything. But particularly when viewed against America’s turbulent past, today’s social induces suggest a dark and deteriorating social environment. The word "homogenizing" (Line 1, Paragraph 1) most probably means ().

A. identifying
B. associating
C. assimilating
D. monopolizing

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