电大英语II(2)短文.doc

第三部分 完形填空
Genetic Engineering
Many people are unaware that a lot of the foods they eat every day， such as bread ham and cheese， have been altered by using new technology。 Food can be changed。 It can be made to taste different or to look different - carrots can be made to taste of chocolate and apples can be made redder。 Some food that appears the same has been scientifically improved, for example， fish can be made to grow faster。 Should we be pleased or worried? Will new technology bring benefits, or is it about to go out of control?
Genetically engineered foods are produced by taking genetic material from one species and transferring it to another。 For example， an ‘antifreeze’ gene which appears naturally in Arctic fish has been introduced into tomatoes and strawberries so that they don't freeze in cold weather; a human gene has been introduced into pigs to make them grow more quickly。
Some claim great advantages. They point out that crops can be made stronger and more disease resistant， so pesticides can be reduced. They also maintain that food can be made more nutritious or that the fat content can be reduced to make it healthier。
Scientists are working hard to develop better aerials for mobile phones, a spokesman for Phikia Phones said today。 ‘It really irritates users when they lose the signal in the middle of a call， so we are developing new aerials that will enable users
to receive stronger signals。 Many users reported that when they were travelling, the signal was often lost'， said the spokesman. The new aerals are designed to avoid losing the signal by receiving the message on a wider range of radio frequencies。 ‘We have learnt that this is a major concern for phone users’ said the spokesman。 The new phones have a flexible external aerial， which users will have to get used to touching their ear or head。 The aerials —- make the phones able to pick up a wider range of signals。 The company spokesman insisted that _ this was not a potential danger – “Every _ safety regulation has been followed”, he told our reporter. “If I’d had one of these phones this morning, I wouldn’t have missed my train coming here”, joked the spokesman。
The biggest adventure I’ ve ever had was trekking in Thailand. We hired a guide （16) to take us to a village in the jungle. We didn't know that he (17) had never been there before。 (18) Unless we reached the village， we wouldn’t be able to find somewhere to sleep， (19) so we wanted to get there in about 8 hours。 After two hours we all realized we were lost. The (20） further we walked， the more confused we became. Luckily after a further 4 hours we met some hunters. They didn't speak the same language as our guide, but we were able to （21） get across that we were lost。 They （22) redirected us towards the village. It was after dark when we arrived there. We had been walking (23) for over 14 hours and we were (24） absolutely exhausted。 We had been very lucky; if we （25) hadn’t met the hunters, we would have had to sleep in the jungle。
I was travelling alone in Western Australia last year, and one day i set off to climb a high peak in that area。 Although in the summer there are many tourists, 1 was there out of season because there weren't any tour groups。 Soon after I reached the top, it began to drizzle and the fog came down 。 Very soon， it was so thick that path. 1 take my phone with me everywhere because you never know when you will need it.
Eventually I called my dad, who was 9,000 miles away in the UK. He told me to phone the local emergency services, but I felt so stupid that I didn't want to。 Luckily , my dad realised this and made up his mind to call them himself。 The rescuers called me on mobile to find out exactly where I was， but unfortunately the battery ran out after five seconds。 I lay down under a rock and waited——it was nearly night time and I was cold and wet。 Just as they were about to call off the search for the night， they found me. Fortunately one rescuer had said 'Let’s try for just five more minutes。 ' If they had given up， I would have died。
Genetic Engineering
Many people are unaware that a lot of the foods they eat every day, such as bread， ham and cheese, have been altered by using new technology. Food can be changed. It can be made to taste different or to look different — carrots can be made to taste of chocolate and apples can be made redder 。 Some food that appears the same has been scientifically improved， for example， fish can be made to grow faster. Should we be pleased or worried？ Will new technology bring benefits， or is it about to go out of control?
Genetically engineered foods are produced by taking generic material from one species and transferring it to another。 For example, an ‘antifreeze’ gene which appears naturally in Arctic fish has been introduced into tomatoes and strawberries _ so that _ they don’ t freeze in cold weather, a human gene has been introduced into pigs to make them
grow more quickly。
Some claim great advantages。 They point out that crops can be made stronger and more disease resistant， so pesticides can be reduced。 They also maintain that food can be made more nutritious or that the fat content can be reduced to make it healthier。
E-tiquette！
Emails --—do you love them or hate them? Whatever you feel, they are here to stay. Here are some tips and ideas (16） _ for __ improving your email writing。 First ， starting with a greeting and ending with a closure may seem old—fashioned ， but it avoids (17） _ upsetting _ people by appearing rude。 It needn’t be Dear Sir or Madam , and Yours faithfully , but just say Hi or Hello or Dear (and a first name) ， then close （18) with _ Regards （for more formal contacts) and Cheers or Bye for friends. In offices and with people you know well and email frequently , you can just begin （19) _ with _ their first name。
Getting emails that are not directly relevant （20） _ to _ you is very irritating. Having wide mailing group lists doesn't necessarily keep people （21）_ informed _。 It is estimated （22)_ that _40% of all emailsaredeletedimmediatelybecausetheyhaveanirrelevantot.frivolous subject—line。 Try to organise your mailing groups accurately and keep (23) _ updating __ your mailing lists regularly. If you don' t do this , your messages may not （24） get through _to the people you want to send them to because they delete them automatically without reading them. If your contact (25) is used to deleting _ irrelevant emails from you , they may also delete e any relevant ones automatically. 。 .
Scientists are working hard to develop better aerials for mobile phones, a spokesman for Phikia Phones said today。 ' It really irritates users when they lose the signal in the middle of a call, so we are developing new aerials that will enable users to receive stronger signals. Many users reported that when they were travelling ， the signal was often lost', said the spokesman. The new aerials are designed to avoid losing the signal by receiving the message on a wider range of radio frequencies. ’ We have learnt that this is a major concern for phone users' said the spokesman。 The new phones have a flexible external aerial， which users will have to get used to touching their ear or head。 The aerials — make the phones able to pick up a wider range of signals。 The company spokesman insisted that this was not a potential danger — " Every safety regulation has been followed", he told our reporter. "If I'd had one of these phones this morning， I wouldn't have missed my train coming here"， joked the spokesman。
Net becomes a British Way of Life
The Internet has become a part of everyday life for most Britons, says a report published this week by _market research company Netinfo.
Just over 70% of people questioned _ for the survey said the net had become essential. The survey reveals that emailing friends and others is the nation' s favourite Internet activity。 It also found that people spend an average of seven hours a week online, visiting 13 different websites in seven days。 But 10% of all those who _surf the net are doing it for more than 20 hours a week.
Just over 2， 000 adults in Britain were interviewed for the report. The study found almost 19 million people in the UK — four in ___ ten adults — regularly went online。 But the number of new users has slowed down。 Numbers online grew by just 11% over the past 12 months compared with __33％ the previous year。
The report also reveals the increasing __ importance of the silver surfer. According to the report the number of older people online grew by more than 40％ over the past year. People aged over 55 now make of _17％ of the UK Internet population。
The survey also discovered that many workers surf the net for personal reasons while at work. Almost three-quarters ____of workers with Internet access admitted using it for pleasure， usually to email friends and family. According to Bill Wills， author of the survey， many employees expect some flexibility, and most employers are willing to accept this。 ’However， employers are less likely ____ to be understanding， if you’re downloading movies or introducing an unfriendly virus to your company network, ’ he said.
第四部分 阅读理解
短文理解2
Dear Uncle Ric,
We were very sorry to hear that you are in hospital again， but I feel sure you'll be out soon。 It doesn’t sound very serious this time according to Auntie Ivy and in any case you have already recovered from the operation so quickly。
Malcolm has been working very hard all this year。 because he is sitting some examinations This month and he is determined to study History at the University of Oxford. Although the sun has been shining all day today， he has been sitting at home reading about the history of the French Revolution。 Fortunately he loves books, especially history books。 He spends all his time and money on books.
James is totally different from his brother。 He might be too young to know better。 He gets bored with school and studying. But he is very keen on games. He never stays indoors when the weather is reasonably fine， and today he has been playing tennis for hours with his friends. He is fond of football, but tennis is his favorite. He said that be wanted to become a professional player。 His mother doesn't really approve.
Robin sends you her love. We are looking forward to hearing from you and seeing you soon. 1 am sending this letter through the e—mail to Auntie Ivy and she will bring it to the hospital with our best wishes to you for a speedy recovery。
Lots of love，
Trevor。
亲爱的叔叔里克，
      我们很抱歉，你是在医院了，但我肯定你会很快出来。这听起来并不很严重的这个时候根据常春藤阿姨和你已经从操作恢复的这么快任何情况下。
      马尔科姆一直在今年都非常辛苦。因为他正坐在一些考试这个月，他决心学习历史的牛津大学。虽然太阳已经照耀今天一整天,他一直坐在家里读书关于法国大革命的历史。幸运的是，他喜欢的书，特别是历史书籍。他把所有的时间和金钱上的书籍。
     詹姆斯是他的弟弟完全不同的。他可能是太年轻,不懂得更好。他厌倦了学校和学习.但他非常热衷于游戏。他从来没有停留在室内时，天气是相当精致，而今天他一直打网球的时间与他的朋友。他很喜欢足球，但网球是他的最爱。他说，要想成为一名职业球员.他的母亲并没有真正认同。
     罗宾送你她的爱.我们期待着您的来信，您的再次光临.上午01时发出此信通过电子邮件阿姨常春藤,她会带它去医院,我们祝愿你早日康复.
      满满的爱，
      特雷弗。
31。 It is certain that Uncle Ric is in hospital _______
A. again after having fully recovered from an operation
32。 It is _______ who wants to study history.
C。 James’s elder brother
33。 In the second paragraph, the sentence "he is sitting some examinations" means that Malcolm is _______
D. going to take some examinations
34。 From the letter, we know that James wants to become a professional player, _______
B. but Robin， his mother, does not like the idea
35。 This is a _______
B。 private letter
      31。可以肯定的是里克大叔在医院_______
          A.后再次具有操作完全恢复

      32._______是谁愿意学习历史。
          C。詹姆斯的哥哥
 33.在第二个段落，句子“他正坐在一些考试”是指马尔科姆是_______
         D。要采取一些考试
      34。从信中，我们知道，詹姆斯想成为一名职业球员，_______
        B.但罗宾,他的母亲,不喜欢这个主意
35.这是一个_______
        B.私信
短文理解l
Some office procedures may be unfamiliar if you are a new comer in America.
Again, matters of time and pace crop up。 Work days officially start at 9:00 A.M。 This should really mean 9 o’clock—not ten past or half past nine。 You will find some people feel free with starting time, but employers notice this even though they do not necessarily blame it officially。
Employees in many nations have an idea that one works when the boss is present, but any time he is not there, if there is nothing specific or pressing to do， one can relax by reading the newspaper, doing one’s fingernails, or otherwise "passing the time” in a personal way. In America one is being paid for one’s time. Employees are expected to find other work if their own desks are dear, to finish anything left from previous days, or to help someone else with his work-—but never sit without doing their duty. The employer expects value for the money he is spending. He ”owns" your time while he is paying for it。 The phrase "time is money," means exactly that. The boss is not asking more of you than he is doing himself; he will quite probably work through lunch hour and even take work home late at night。
Employee's lunch hours should be kept within the given time （unless one is officially discussing company business。 ） Long lunch-time absence may be overlooked now and then， but not habitually. Also， although others may start getting ready to leave the office a few minutes earlier， new employees should be careful not to cut the day short. Work until the day officially ends at five o'clock if you are in an office where flexible work time is the accepted procedure。 Flexible work hours--starting or ending work earlier or later--are fairly common in Europe but relatively new in the U。 S. A。
Some half million Americans are on the system； some people estimate that ten million will have that option sooner or later。 The system is designed to ease traffic problems at first. But it adds family time to women workers as a result, for it enables them to choose their time working in an office, thus allowing them more chances to work and take care of their children at the same time. Besides it gives people a greater sense of control over their lives. A by-product appears to be greater worker productivity， less absenteeism and a higher sense of work ethic。
如果你是在美国一个新来的一些办公程序可能比较陌生。
再次，时间和速度突然出现问题。工作日正式开始在上午09时这应该真的是9点而不是10过去或九时半.你会发现一些人感到自由与起始时间,但雇主注意到这一点，即使他们不一定怪正式。
在许多国家的员工有一个作品的时候,老板是存在的想法，但任何时候他是不存在的，如果没有什么特殊或榨尽，人们可以通过阅读报纸，做一个人的指甲放松身心，或以其他方式“传递以个人的方式的时候。“在美国,一个是被支付一个人的时间.员工们希望能够找到其他的工作，如果自己的办公桌，亲爱的，完成任何东西,从以前的日子离开，或帮助别人对他的工作 - 但决不会坐视而不做他们的职责。雇主预期值。因为他花的钱。他“拥有”你的时间，而他是为它付出。那句“时间就是金钱”，意味着正是这么做的.老板并没有要求更多的你比他正在做自己;他很有可能通过午餐时间工作，甚至把工作带回家深夜。
员工的午餐时间应保持在规定时间内（除非是正式讨论公司的业务.）长的午餐时间没有可现在再被忽视，但不是习惯。此外,虽然别人可能开始准备离开办公室几分钟前,新员工要注意不要剪的日子很短。工作，直到有一天在五点钟正式结束,如果你是在办公室，灵活的工作时间是接受的过程。灵活的工作时间 — 启动或提前或推后结束工作 — 在欧洲相当普遍，但在美国相对较新
一些五十万美国人在系统上;一些人估计，千万迟早有该选项。该系统旨在缓解交通问题在第一。但它增加了家庭时间来女工的结果，因为它使他们能够选择自己的时间在