问答题In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary below by choosing a maximum of three words from the passage to fill in the spaces 76 - 80. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage. The British political scene is dominated by two major parties that have quite different political agendas. However, the ideological distance between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party has become less marked, and their policies more difficult to tell apart in recent years. In fact, it would be true to say that both parties consist of conservative, moderate and radical elements, and therefore the general public is often perplexed about which party to vote for. Nonetheless, it is usual to find that a British voter will lean towards supporting one of these two parties and remain faithful to that party for life. The Labour Party’s manifest objective is to safeguard the interests of the common working man and woman, and, in effect, give them political representation in Parliament. The Party has always had strong connections with the trade unions, and, before coming to power, was passionately committed to the concept of a welfare society in which people who are less fortunate than others are politically and financially assisted in their quest for a more equitable slice of the economic pie. The main problem is that such socialist agendas are extremely expensive to implement and maintain, even in a comparatively wealthy country with a large working and, hence, taxpaying population base. Welfare societies tend towards bankruptcy unless government spending is kept in check. Fortunately, the present government recognizes this, and has resisted reckless spending. The Conservative Party, on the other hand, argues that the best way to ensure a fair division of wealth in the country is to allow more freedom to create it. This, in turn, means more job opportunities created, and therefore more wealth available to all. Just how the poor are to share in the distribution of this wealth (beyond being given, at least in theory, the opportunity to create it)is, however, less well understood. Practice, of course, may make nonsense of even the best theoretical intensions, and often the less practically powerful are badly catered for under governments implementing “free-for-all” policies. It is surprising, given the current homogeneity of the two major parties, that less attention than elsewhere in Europe is paid to the smaller political parties such as the Greens and the Liberal Democrats. This may be because British voters distrust parties with platforms based around one or two major current issues alone; the Green Party, for example, is almost solely concerned with the environment. Moreover, when it comes to casting a vote, history shows that the British public tends to resist change and, thus, the status quo is maintained. Summary: Two parties control the British political scene: the Labour Party and the Conservative Party. Although recently there are many similarities to be seen in their 1 British voters tend to stay loyal for life to the party of their choice. The Labour Party, encouraged by the 2 ,supports a welfare-based society, whereas the Conservative Party believes that 3 to pursue the creation of wealth ensures that all will eventually benefit from the 4 created. Oddly, Britons do not follow Europeans by paying much attention to smaller political parties, perhaps because their policies are based on just a few 5 political issues.
问答题
In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary below by choosing a maximum of three words from the passage to fill in the spaces 76 - 80. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage. The British political scene is dominated by two major parties that have quite different political agendas. However, the ideological distance between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party has become less marked, and their policies more difficult to tell apart in recent years. In fact, it would be true to say that both parties consist of conservative, moderate and radical elements, and therefore the general public is often perplexed about which party to vote for. Nonetheless, it is usual to find that a British voter will lean towards supporting one of these two parties and remain faithful to that party for life. The Labour Party’s manifest objective is to safeguard the interests of the common working man and woman, and, in effect, give them political representation in Parliament. The Party has always had strong connections with the trade unions, and, before coming to power, was passionately committed to the concept of a welfare society in which people who are less fortunate than others are politically and financially assisted in their quest for a more equitable slice of the economic pie. The main problem is that such socialist agendas are extremely expensive to implement and maintain, even in a comparatively wealthy country with a large working and, hence, taxpaying population base. Welfare societies tend towards bankruptcy unless government spending is kept in check. Fortunately, the present government recognizes this, and has resisted reckless spending. The Conservative Party, on the other hand, argues that the best way to ensure a fair division of wealth in the country is to allow more freedom to create it. This, in turn, means more job opportunities created, and therefore more wealth available to all. Just how the poor are to share in the distribution of this wealth (beyond being given, at least in theory, the opportunity to create it)is, however, less well understood. Practice, of course, may make nonsense of even the best theoretical intensions, and often the less practically powerful are badly catered for under governments implementing “free-for-all” policies. It is surprising, given the current homogeneity of the two major parties, that less attention than elsewhere in Europe is paid to the smaller political parties such as the Greens and the Liberal Democrats. This may be because British voters distrust parties with platforms based around one or two major current issues alone; the Green Party, for example, is almost solely concerned with the environment. Moreover, when it comes to casting a vote, history shows that the British public tends to resist change and, thus, the status quo is maintained. Summary: Two parties control the British political scene: the Labour Party and the Conservative Party. Although recently there are many similarities to be seen in their 1 British voters tend to stay loyal for life to the party of their choice. The Labour Party, encouraged by the 2 ,supports a welfare-based society, whereas the Conservative Party believes that 3 to pursue the creation of wealth ensures that all will eventually benefit from the 4 created. Oddly, Britons do not follow Europeans by paying much attention to smaller political parties, perhaps because their policies are based on just a few 5 political issues.
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Find the word in the passage which means “ the movement from one place to another of a large group of animals” and write it down here: __________.
Directions: In this section, you are required to write a passage of no less than 100 words based on the following situation. 你听说你的朋友获得了奖学金(scholarship),你给他发封邮件表示祝贺。
高中英语?阅读一、考题回顾二、考题解析【教案】Teaching aims:Knowledge aim:Students can know the basic meaning of passage and are able to master the different greeting for the strangers.Ability aims:Students can practice guessing content of next paragraph according to the clues which is given in the passage.Emotional aim:Students are able to love learning English and like to read different English passage after this lesson.Key and difficult point:Key Point: guess the content of next paragraph according to the clues and know the “learned” body language, especially different greetingsDifficult Point: improve students’ reading interest.Teaching procedures:Step 1: Warming-up1. Greetings.2. Play a video about Chaplin’s mime and ask students several questions:What kind of body language can you see from this video?Do you know the meaning of these body language?Step 2: Pre-readingPresent the passage on the screen and read it for all the students. Before reading, ask students one question: What’s the main ideas of these two paragraphs? And guess the main to topic of this lesson?Then invite several students to share their ideas.Step 3: While-reading1.Lead the students to think one question: Is this a whole passage? And ask students to scan the whole passage and give the teacher answer.2.Ask students to discuss in group and after 10 minutes to invite several students to share their ideas with all the students.3.And different students may be just guess the content of several paragraphs. So give students a chart, ask them to finish discussing in 5 minutes. Then invite two representatives to state the whole passage.Step4: Post-readingGuessing game: Present another passage on the screen. And give students 10 minutes to read and discuss.Then make a chart and tell your own stories according to chart in your own group .Then invite the representatives to make a report for the whole class.Step5: Summary and HomeworkSummary: ask a student to conclude the content of the lesson and summarize with the whole class.Homework: Present a passage and ask students to read and write a short passsage,which will be put behind of last paragraph.Blackboard design:1.Do you have the experience in teaching?2. What will you do if you pass this exam?
问答题Practice 3 Listen to the following passage. Write in English a short summary of around l50-200 words of what you have heard. You will hear the passage only once and then you will have 25 minutes to finish your summary. This part of the test carries 20 points. You may need to scribble a few notes to write your summary. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
问答题Directions:In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary below by choosing no more than three words from the passage. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. Questions 1 - 5 are based on the following passage.The United Kingdom Britain (or Great Britain) is an island that lies off the north-west coast of Europe. The nearest country is France, which is 20 miles away and from which Britain is separated by the English Channel. The island is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the North Sea to the east. It comprises the mainlands of England, Wales and Scotland, that is, three countries. Scotland is in the north, while Wales is in the west. Ireland, which is also an island, lies off the west coast of Britain. It consists of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Britain together with Northern Ireland constitute the United Kingdom (UK). Thus, the United Kingdom is composed of four countries, the largest of which is England. The capital city is London, which is situated in south-east England. The UK has a total area of about 244,100 square kilometres (94,248 square miles). About 70% of the land area is devoted to agriculture, about 7% is wasteland, moorland and mountains, about 13% is devoted to urban development, and 10% is forest and woodland. The northern and western regions of Britain, that is Scotland and Wales, are mainly mountainous and hilly. Parts of the north-west and centre of England also consist of mountains and hills. Britain has a generally mild and temperate climate. It is, however, subject to frequent changes. It has an average annual rainfall of about 120 centimetres (47 inches). In 1998 the population of the United Kingdom was nearly 59 million. The density of population was approximately 240 people per square kilometre. However, in England, where 83% of the population live, the density was much higher, about 363 per square kilometre. In the UK, English is the first language of the vast majority of people. However, in western Wales, Welsh is the first language for many of the people. In Scotland only a small number of people speak Gaelic. In Britain about 66% of the population say that they are Christian, while fewer than 5% say that they belong to other religions. Summary: Britain is an island that 1 the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. It comprises the mainlands of England, Wales and Scotland. Ireland 2 the west coast of Britain. I 3 Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. The United Kingdom consists of Britain together with Northern Ireland. The capital city is London which 4 outh-east England.In 1998 the population of the UK was nearly 59 million. The density of population was 240 people per square kilometre. In the UK English is the first language of most people. In western Wales, Welsh 5 many of the people, but few people in Scotland speak Gaelic.
问答题Directions:In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary below by choosing a maximum of three words from the passage to fill in the spaces 76 - 80. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. Questions 1- 5 are based on the following passage. Lack of culture, or rather an excess of the wrong sort of culture, is often considered to be synonymous with disadvantage. Most commonly associated with low cultural standards are low levels of reading, and some thirteen per cent of all twenty-three-year-olds feel they have trouble with reading and writing. One way of compensating such disadvantaged young people is thought to be to provide them with the culture they lack: in particular, high quality reading material. Whereas forty to fifty per cent of young people aged sixteen to twenty rarely read a book, the majority appear to read comics. In 1991 sales of Viz, a UK comic exceeded one million copies per issue, making it the fourth best-selling periodical in Britain. The reading of comics, however, is not restricted to young people: by 1992 it was estimated that two out of three men aged eighteen to fifty-three read Viz. The number of imitators of this comic has spawned, including Zit, Gas, BrainDamageand Swiz,indicates the extent of the influence it wields. The reading of comics was traditionally regarded by the educational establishment with considerable suspicion. Whereas the received arts were always assumed to exert an improving or civilizing influence, comics were thought to “rot children’s brains”, to lower educational standards and to threaten morality. They were, and are, assumed to be an inferior cultural form; their readers assumed to come from the lower social classes, to be low educational attainers and to be easily led astray. Over the past decade, perceptions of comics have shifted. Since the 1970s, the comic format has been commonly used to represent the interests of various disenfranchises groups—community groups, the unemployed, welfare recipients of—who became more conscious of a climate conditioned by other contemporary movements such as civil rights, consumerism, self-help and de-institutionalization. As cultural signifiers, comics have become the subject matter of academic courses in cultural and media studies. Indeed, young people’s cultural activities, grounded in the commercial rather than the subsidized sector, are beginning to merit the attention of the arts establishment. Summary: Low cultural standards，such as 1 of reading，a difficulty experienced by many young adults, are often associated with disadvantage. While around half of sixteen to twenty-year-olds rarely read books，most will read comics. Although many comics in Britain are 2 and have lots of readers，the educational establishment sill considers them to be an 3 appealing only to the lower levels of society. However, attitudes are beginning to change as the format has been adopted to 4 of disenfranchised groups. Certain comics have been included in the courses of 5 studies. Young people’s cultural activities are beginning to attract the attention of the arts establishment.
单选题We learn from the passage that the author ______.Arevises someone else’s opinionBexplains an opinion of his ownCfavors one of the three opinionsDcomments on three different opinions
问答题This section consists of one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary below by choosing no more than three words from the passage for each blank. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet. Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.Management in Cyberspace Virtual reality is often used to mimic hazardous environments—cockpits of combat aircraft, burning oil rigs, the treasure-strewn caves of irritable dragons and so on. Until now, though, it has rarely been deployed to simulate that most hazardous environment of all—the office. But if Sandra Testani of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia has her way, it will soon be possible to hone the black arts of office politics and corporate survival on a computer before you employ them against your colleagues in the real world. Or, from the boss's point of view, you will be able to practise your skills at “co-operating” in virtual “team-building” exercises. Dr. Testani's virtual world is called CIMBLE. The acronym stands for CADETT which in turn stands for Consortium for Advanced Education and Training Technologies Interactive Multi-user Business Learning Environment. The idea behind CIMBLE is to let people who are unable or unwilling to meet face to face practise collaborating with each other over a computer network. To do this, CIMBLE's software creates a virtual world for up to six participants. Each acts via an electronic representative known as an avatar. A participant sees the world (including the other players' avatars, which appear on screen as cartoon-like images of men and women) from his own avatar's point of view. Any other characters that the avatars might interact with are played by a moderator, who also acts as Big Brother, overseeing and monitoring the activities of the group and steering things in a suitable direction. The CIMBLE software allows the avatars to walk around and manipulate objects in the virtual world (opening doors, for example) at the click of a mouse. It also lets avatars (and hence the participants) talk to one another. Most conversations are assumed to be in the open, and can be heard by everybody. But true office Machiavellis will be pleased to learn that private chats are also possible, since the software can work out who is within earshot of whom, and will transmit sound only to those who should be able to hear it. So far, Dr. Testani and her colleagues have devised two exercises in their new electronic world. One simply brings the participants together around a virtual conference table and lets them chew over an agenda provided by the moderator. The second, however, is more sophisticated. The participants are deemed to be working for a civil-engineering firm, and are sent off to the proposed site of a new bridge to settle a dispute with local residents and officials. After a long car ride and a night in a hotel (all depicted in loving detail by CIMBLE's software), they meet the irate local and try to mollify them. A successful outcome, allowing the bridge to go ahead, is greeted by an on-screen display of virtual fireworks. Summary: Dr. Testani of Franklin Institute designed a software called CIMBLE which 1 CADETT Interactive Multi-user Business Learning Environment. This virtual world is used to mimic the office and has made it possible for 2 people to practise collaborating with others over a computer network. 3 is represented by an avatar, and their activities are monitored by a moderator. With this software, participants can talk to each other—as well as have 4 in the virtual world because the software will transmit sound only to people who should be able to hear it. Two exercises have been devised up till now. One allows the participants to think over an agenda, while the other requires them to 5 over the construction of a new bridge.
问答题Directions:In this part, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary with the appropriate words from the passage. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage. Cosmetics have been used throughout history. The ancient Greeks, the Egyptians, and the Romans all used various kinds of makeup. Some of these cosmetics were used to improve their appearance. Others were used to protect their skin. But in some cases, things used for makeup were dangerous, or even deadly! Some of the first skin care treatments started in Egypt. In fact, Cleopatra was known to use them. She thought a bath in milk and honey left her skin silky smooth. Egyptians also developed some of the earliest sunscreens. They used oils and creams for protection against the sun and dry winds. Egyptian and other ancient cultures also used various powders on their skin for beauty. Egyptians used black kohl around their eyes. Romans put white chalk on their faces. And Indians painted red henna on their bodies. Most of the ancient cosmetic powders, oils, and creams were harmless. But in the name of beauty, some people applied dangerous chemicals and poisons to their skin. During the Italian Renaissance, women wore white powder made of lead on their faces. Of course, doctors now know lead is like a poison for our bodies. Also around the time of the Renaissance, women in Italy put drops of belladonna in their eyes. Belladonna is a very poisonous plant. The poison in the plant affects the nerves in the body. By putting belladonna drops in her eyes, a woman’s pupils would become very large. People thought this made her more beautiful. Actually, this is why the plant is called belladonna. In Italian, belladonna means “beautiful woman.” When Elizabeth I was queen of England in the late 1500s, some rather dangerous cosmetics were also used by women there. Women were using rouge made with mercury. They were also using special hair dye made with lead and sulphur. The dye was designed to give people red hair, the same color as the queen’s hair. Over time, the dye made people’s hair fall out. Finally, women using this dye ended up bald, like the queen, and had to wear wigs. Summary: Although people have used cosmetics throughout history, not all of them have been safe. In fact, some of them have been quite 1 to people. For example, long ago in Italian 2 , people thought women with big pupils were beautiful. Therefore, in the 3 of beauty, women began to put 4 of belladonna in their eyes to make their pupils larger. Today we know belladonna is poisonous, and it can affect the 5 in the body.
问答题Task II (20 marks) Write an essay of no less than 160 words discussing the following passage and express your personal views on the subject. Write the essay on the answer sheet. Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.—Bertrand Russell in What I Have Lived For
问答题Read the passage carefully to find the answers for Questions 1 to 5. Answer each question in a maximum of 10 words. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. Questions 1to 5are based on the following passage. In many businesses, computers have largely replaced paperwork, because they are fast, flexible, and do not make mistakes. As one banker said, “Unlike humans, computers never have a bad day.” And they are honest. Many banks advertise that their transactions are “untouched by human hands” and therefore safe from human temptation (诱惑). Obviously, computers have no reason to steal money. But they also have no conscience (良知), and the growing number of computer crimes shows they can be used to steal. Computer criminals don’t use guns. And even if they are caught, it is hard to punish them because there are no witness and often no evidence. A computer cannot remember who used it: it simply does what it is told. The head teller at a New York bank used a computer to steal more than one and a half billion dollars in just four years. No one noticed this theft because he moved the money from one account to another. Each time a customer he had robbed questioned the balance in his account, the teller claimed a computer error, then replaced the missing money from someone else’s account. This man was caught only because he was a gambler. When the police broke up an illegal gambling operation, his name was in the records. Some employees use the computer’s power to get revenge (报复) on their employers they consider unfair. Recently, a large insurance company fired its computer-tape librarian for reasons that involved her personal rather than her professional life. She was given thirty days notice. In those thirty days, she erased all the firm’s computerized records. Most computer criminals have been minor employees. Now police wonder if this is “the tip of the iceberg”. As one official says, “I have the feeling that there is more crime out there than we are catching. What we are seeing now is all so poorly done. I wonder what the real experts are doing—the ones who know how a computer works.” Questions:1．What is the passage mainly about? 2．Why did many banks claim the transactions to be safe? 3．How did the bank teller cover up his crime? 4．What must the librarian do thirty days after she received the notice? 5．What is the difference between computer criminals and ordinary criminals?
单选题Which of the following activities can be used to get the main idea of a passage? _____.Areading the passage in detailBreading to sequence the eventsCreading to fill in the chartsDreading the first and last sentences of the passage and the paragraphs
问答题This section consists of one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary below by choosing no more than three words from the passage for each blank. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet. Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage. The giant panda, the creature that has become a symbol of conservation, is facing extinction. The major reason is loss of habitat, which has continued despite the establishment, since 1963, of 14 panda reserves. Deforestation, mainly carried out by farmers clearing land to make way for fields as they move higher into the mountains, has drastically contracted the mammal’s range. The panda has disappeared from much of central and eastern China, and is now restricted to the eastern flank of the Himalayas in Sichuan and Gansu provinces, and the Qinling Mountains in Shanxi province. Fewer than 1, 400 of the animals are believed to remain in the wild. Satellite imagery has shown the seriousness of the situation; almost half of the panda’s habitat has been destroyed or degraded since 1975. Worse, the surviving panda population has also become fragmented; a combination of satellite imagery and ground surveys reveals panda “islands” in patches of forest separated by cleared land. The population of these islands, ranging from fewer than ten to more than 50 pandas, has become isolated because the animals are unwilling to cross open areas. Just putting a road through a panda habitat may be enough to split a population in two. The minuscule size of the panda populations worries conservationists. The smallest groups have too few animals to be viable, and will inevitably die out. The larger populations may be viable in the short term, but will be susceptible to genetic defects as a result of inbreeding.In these circumstances, a more traditional threat to pandas—the cycle of flowering and subsequent withering of the bamboo that is their staple food—can become literally species—threatening. The flowerings prompt pandas to move from one area to another, thus preventing inbreeding in what would otherwise be sedentary populations. In panda islands, however, bamboo flowering could prove catastrophic because the pandas are unable to emigrate. The latest conservation management plan for the panda, prepared by China’s Ministry of Forestry and the World Wide Fund for Nature, aims primarily to maintain panda habitats and to ensure that populations are linked wherever possible. The plan will change some existing reserve boundaries, establish 14 new reserves and protect or replant corridors of forest between panda islands. Other measures include：better control of poaching, which remains a problem despite strict laws, as panda skins fetch high prices; reducing the degradation of habitats outside reserves; and reforestation. The plan is ambitious. Implementation will be expensive—56.6 million yuan(US $12.5 million)will be needed for the development of the panda reserves—and will require participation by individuals ranging from villagers to government officials.Summary The survival of the giant panda is being seriously threatened. Panda numbers have already seriously decreased. This is largely because the overall size of their 1 has been reduced, and habitable areas are now disconnected from each other. Two results are that pandas are more prone to 2 problems and are unable to move around freely to follow the growth cycles of the bamboo that they eat. A new plan aims to 3 existing panda habitats and to join many of them together. This plan also includes reforestation and the creation of 4 To succeed ,everyone ,including both the government and 5 will have to cooperate.
问答题Directions:In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary below by choosing no more than three words from the passage. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage.The City of the Future What will city life be like in the future? Some people think that life in the cities is going to be horrible. They predict that cities will become more and more crowded. As the number of people increases, there will be less space for each person. This overcrowding will cause other problems—more crime, dirtier streets, and worse problems with traffic than we have now. How will people find enough drinking water, energy (such as gas and electricity), and housing? Because life will be hard, people who live in cities will worry more, and they may become sick. For these reasons, some say that nobody will want to live in urban areas. How can we solve such problems as overcrowding, crime, and traffic? In some cities, thousands of people are already sleeping in the streets because there is so little suitable housing—and because rents are so high. The crime rate isn’t going down. Instead, it is increasing so fast that many people are afraid to go out at night. Traffic is also getting worse. More and more often, traffic jams are so bad that cars don’t move at all for several blocks. These urban problems have been getting worse, not better, so many people see no hope for the future of the city. Los Angeles, California, for instance, has no subway system and the buses are slow. Instead, most commuters drive many miles from their homes to work. Many of these drivers spend several hours each day on busy freeways. New York, by contrast, has a mass transit system—buses, commuter trains, and subways. Because the public transportation is crowded and dirty, however, many people drive private cars, and the traffic jams are worse than in Los Angeles. On the other hand, some cities have clean, fast, and pleasant public transportation systems. In Paris, France, and Toronto, Canada, for example, anyone can use mass transit to move quickly from one part of the city to another. The disadvantages of any modern city are not unique to that city—that is, cities all over the world have to solve the problems of traffic jams, crime, housing, energy, drinking water, and overcrowding. Yet many cities have found answers to one or more of these difficulties. Some European cities, such as Stockholm, Sweden, or London, England, have planned communities that provide people with apartments, jobs, shopping centers, green space, entertainment, and transportation. Many U.S. cities are rebuilding their downtown areas. Urban planners can learn from one another. They can try solutions that have been successful in other parts of the world. Summary: Some people think that life in the cities is going to be horrible. They say that cities will become more and more crowded and many other problems will be caused by this 1 Due to the hard life, people do not want to live in 2 These urban problems such as overcrowding, crime and traffic have been getting worse, so many people 3 for the future of the city. However, these disadvantages of any modern city are not unique to that city. All the cities all over the world must solve the problems and fortunately, many of them have found answers to one or more of these difficulties. For example, 4 or London has planned communities providing people with apartments, jobs and so on. Besides, many U. S. cities 5 In a word, solutions that have been successful in a place should be adopted and tried in another place.
问答题Directions:In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary below by choosing a maximum of three words from the passage to fill in the spaces 76-80. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage. Headaches are a big problem. But they are not just a problem for the person suffering from the headache. They are a problem for society as well. Each year, millions of people suffer from severe headaches that keep them from doing their jobs. In fact, according to one estimate, headaches cost individuals and businesses more than $50 billion each year! This is one of the reasons research into headaches has become a worldwide effort. Although he did not know much about how headaches work, Hippocrates was the first doctor to find a way to treat them. Before 400 B.C., Hippocrates discovered that the bark from willow trees was useful in treating pain. He made a white powder from the tree’s bark and gave it to his patients. Hippocrates did not know it, but he was actually prescribing a natural chemical in willow bark called salicin. When a person eats salicin, the chemical is changed inside her or his body into salicylic acid. It turns out that salicylic acid is good for stopping pain, including headache, but it is bad for a person’s stomach. In the 1800s, a chemist in Germany changed the acid’s form a little to make it easier for people to take. This new form of the chemical was called acetylsalicylic acid, commonly known as aspirin today. Aspirin was used throughout most of the 1900s to treat headaches, but doctors had little idea about what really caused headaches. When doctors know the cause of a disease, they can find better ways to treat it. Therefore, as medical technology developed, doctors began to use the technology to learn more about the human brain and about headaches. Currently, doctors classify headaches into two general types: primary and secondary. A primary headache is a condition suffered as only the headache itself. On the other hand, a secondary headache is one caused by another condition. For example, someone who catches the flu may suffer from headaches along with other symptoms of the illness. Flu headaches are thus secondary headaches. For primary headaches, doctors have determined three possible causes. One kind of primary headache is caused by stress. Doctors usually call these tension headaches. Such headaches are characteristically felt on both sides of the head as a dull, steady pain.Another kind of primary headache is the migraine headache. Doctors believe these headaches are caused by reduced flow of blood to certain parts of the brain. A migraine sufferer usually feels intense pain on one side of the head. The sufferer also becomes sensitive to light and noise. If the migraine is severe, the sufferer may vomit repeatedly. The third kind of primary headache is known as the cluster headache. Cluster headaches typically occur around the same time each day for weeks or months at a time. The person suffering from this kind of headache usually feels pain on one side of her or his head, and the pain is centered around one of the person’s eyes. Doctors do not know much at present about cluster headaches, but they seem more common among men and could be related to alcohol or other things that affect a person’s blood flow. Using computers and more advanced medical equipment, doctors continue to learn more about what happens in the brain before and during headaches. Especially in the case of migraines, some doctors believe they have found the part of the brain that sets off the reaction for severe attacks. With this new insight into brain processes, doctors hope new ways will be discovered for stopping disabling headaches before they begin. Summary: Doctors knew a long time ago that the 1 from the willow trees could help people who felt pain. Hippocrates was the first doctor to change organic material into a powder and give it to his patients. But it was not until the 1800s that this natural drug was altered and became known as 2 . With the help of technology, doctors have now gained detailed insight into how the brain works and what happens when a person suffers from a headache. Through this research, headaches have been 3 primary and secondary headaches. There are three types of primary headaches: tension, migraine, and cluster headaches. Although not much is known about cluster headaches, doctors have been able to determine some of the things that 4 During a migraine attack, the sufferer may become 5 and noise.
问答题Directions: In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary with the appropriate words from the passage. Remember to write your answers on the Answer Sheet. Questions 1—5 are based on the following passage. The most crucial way, however, of improving the labour cost structure at SAH (Sydney Airport Hotel) was to find better, more productive ways of providing customer service. SAH management concluded this would first require a process of “benchmarking”. The prime objective of the benchmarking process was to compare a range of service delivery processes across a range of criteria using teams made up of employees from different departments within the hotel which interacted with each other. This process resulted in performance measures that greatly enhanced SAH’s ability to improve productivity and quality. The front office team discovered through this project that a high proportion of AHI (Australian Hotels Inc) Club member reservations were incomplete. As a result, the service provided to these guests was below the standard promised to them as part of their membership agreement. Reducing the number of incomplete reservations greatly improved guest perceptions of service. In addition, a program modelled on an earlier project called “Take Charge” was implemented. Essentially, Take Charge provides an effective feedback loop from both customers and employees. Customer comments, both positive and negative, are recorded by staff. These are collated regularly to identify opportunities for improvement. Just as importantly, employees are requested to note down their own suggestions for improvement. (AHI has set an expectation that employees will submit at least three suggestions for every one they receive from a customer.) Employee feedback is reviewed daily and suggestions are implemented within 48 hours, if possible, or a valid reason is given for non-implementation. If suggestions require analysis or data collection, the Take Charge team has 30 days in which to address the issue and come up with recommendations. Although quantitative evidence of AHI’s initiatives at SAH are limited at present, anecdotal evidence clearly suggests that these practices are working. Indeed AHI is progressively rolling out these initiatives in other hotels in Australia, whilst numerous overseas visitors have come to see how the program works. Summary:What They Did at SAH Teams of employees were selected from different hotel departments to participate in a benchmarking exercise. The information collected was used to compare a range of 1 which, in turn, led to the development of 2 that would be used to increase the hotel’s capacity to improve 3 as well as quality. Also, an older program known as 4 was introduced at SAH. In this program, feedback is sought from customers and staff. If possible, their suggestions are implemented within 48 hours. Some of these suggestions may be investigated for their feasibility for a period of up to 5 .
问答题In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summery below by choosing a maximum of three words from the passage to fill in each of the blanks 51-5.Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet. Malnutrition during weaning age—when breast milk is being replaced by semi-solid foods—is highly prevalent in children of poor households in many developing countries. While the etiology is complex and multifactorial, the immediate causes are recognized as feeding at less than adequate levels for child growth and development, and recurrent infections, including diarrhoea, resulting mainly from ingestion of contaminated foods. As a result, many young children, particularly between six months to two years of age, experience weight loss and impaired growth and development. Two such answers have arisen. Firstly, cereal fermentation is used for reducing the risk of contamination under the existing inappropriate conditions for food preparation and storage in many households. Secondly, a tiny amount of sprouted grains flour is used in preparation of weaning foods as a magic way to lessen the viscosity without decreasing energy density. A method to eliminate pathogenic bacteria and inhibit their growth during storage of weaning preparations can benefit nutrition and health in young children considerably. Use of fermented foods for feeding children of weaning age appears to be an effective solution. Fermented foods have lower levels of diarrhoeal germ contamination, they are suitable for child feeding, and can be safely stored for much longer periods of time than fresh foods. The practice has been a traditional way of food preservation in many parts of the world. The antimicrobial properties of fermented foods and their relative higher safety-documented since the early 1900’s—have been indicated in a number of studies. What are the underlying mechanisms by which fermentation processes help to prevent or reduce contamination? A possible answer suggests that during the fermentation process foods become more acid. This explains why diarrhoea-causing bacteria are not able to grow in fermented foods as rapidly as in unfermented ones. It is also hypothesized that some of the germs present in the foods are killed or inhibited from growing through the action of antimicrobial substances produced during fermentation (Dialogue on Diarrhoea, 1990). The fermented foods can, therefore, be kept for a longer time compared to fresh ones. It has been shown that while contamination levels in cooked unfermented foods increase with storage time, fermented foods remain less contaminated. Whatever the underlying mechanisms, the fact is that the exercise reduces contamination without adding to the household cost both in terms of time and money. Its preparation is easy. The cereal flour is mixed with water to form a dough which is left to be fermented; addition of yeast, or mixing with a small portion of previously fermented dough is sometimes needed. The dough can then be cooked into porridge for feeding to the child. Summary: Malnutrition and the resulting impaired growth and development in children of weaning age in developing countries results not only from (1) but also from infections caused by contaminated food. Studies have addressed the problem of inadequate intake by using sprouted grains in food preparation. Contamination has been tackled with (2) Both of these methods are, or were, used traditionally and are practical and inexpensive.Fermented foods have higher (3) , and also have antimicrobial qualities. This means that contamination is decreased and that their (4) is increased. Fermentation occurs when (5) is left to stand, occasionally with simple additives.
问答题In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary below by choosing no more than four words from the passage. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. As a result of all these factors, when the recession eases and people find more confidence, there will be an explosion of employees seeking new opportunities to escape their current jobs. This will be led by younger, less-experienced employees and the hard - headed young graduates. ‘Headhunters’ confirm that older staff are still cautious, having seen so many good companies ‘go to the wall’, and are reluctant to jeopardize their redundancy entitlements. Past experience, however, suggests that, once triggered, the expansion in recruitment will be very rapid. The problem which faces many organizations is one of strategic planning; of not knowing who will leave and who will stay. Often it is the best personnel who move on whilst the worst cling to the little security they have. This is clearly a problem for companies, who need a stable core on which to build strategies for future growth. Whilst this expansion in the recruitment market is likely to happen soon in Britain, most employers are simply not prepared. With the loss of middle management, in a static marketplace, personnel management and recruitment are often conducted by junior personnel. They have only known recession and lack the experience to plan ahead and to implement strategies for growth. This is true of many other functions, leaving companies without the skills, ability or vision to structure themselves for long-term growth. Without this ability to recruit competitively for strategic planning, and given the speed at which these changes are likely to occur, a real crisis seems imminent. SUMMARY: Taking all of these various factors into consideration, when the economy picks up and people 1 there will be a very rapid expansion in recruitment. Younger employees and graduates will lead the search for new jobs, older staff being more 2 Not knowing who will leave creates a problem for companies; they need a 3 of personnel to plan and build future strategies. This is a serious matter, as 4 are often conducted by inexperienced staff, owing to the loss of many middle management positions. This inability to recruit strategically will leave many companies without the skills and vision to plan ahead and 5 to achieve long-term growth.
问答题In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summery below by choosing a maximum of three words from the passage to fill in each of the blanks 51-5.Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet. For many years after he formed his Theory of Relativity, Albert Einstein visited many universities in different cities where he gave talks about it. He had his own chauffeur who drove him to where he was to give the talk. The chauffeur sat at the back of the room while he was giving his lecture, and then drove him home. One day, the chauffeur said to Einstein, “Professor, I have heard you give your talk so many times that I know every word of it.” “Do you?” Einstein said with a smile. “Let’s find out, shall we? You give my next talk for me. Nobody knows what I look like where we’re going. I’m just a name to them.” Just before they reached the university where Einstein was to give his talk, he changed places with his chauffeur. The chauffeur’s memory was excellent and he was able to give Einstein’s talk exactly as Einstein gave it. He did not understand a word he was saying, but this did not seem to matter. Then, as he was leaving the university, one of the teachers who had been at the talk came up to him. “Professor Einstein,” he said. “That was a most interesting talk. I’d be grateful if you would answer a question.” The chauffeur hurried on. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but I’m late for my next meeting.” “I’ll walk with you,” the teacher said. “I want to talk to you about the problem.” The teacher walked along beside the chauffeur and asked him to solve a very difficult mathematical problem. The poor chauffeur couldn’t understand the problem, let alone attempt an answer. He did not know what to say. Then he had an idea. “It’s so simple,” he said. “Even my chauffeur could answer it.” He pointed to his car, where Einstein was standing, still wearing the chauffeur’s cap. “This man has a maths question,” he said to Einstein. “It’s so easy I’m sure even you can answer it.” Summary: Albert Einstein was a famous scientist who worked out the Theory of Relativity. He used to travel around the country with his chauffeur giving (1) on mathematics. His chauffeur knew his talk very well so Einstein asked him to give the talk at the next (2) where they did not know him. The chauffeur did well, but afterwards a teacher came up to him and asked him a difficult (3) .The chauffeur did not know the answer but he said, “This problem is so simple I’m sure my chauffeur knows (4) it.” Then he pointed to Einstein still standing (5) beside the car.
问答题In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary below by choosing a maximum of three words from the passage to fill in the spaces 76-80. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.(10 points) Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage. Paper is different from other waste produce because it comes from a sustainable resource: trees. Unlike the minerals and oil used to make plastics and metals, trees are replaceable. Paper is also biodegradable, so it does not pose as much threat to the environment when it is discarded. While 45 out of every 100 tonnes of wood fibre used to make paper in Australia comes from waste paper, the rest comes directly from virgin fibre from forests and plantations. By world standards this is a good performance since the worldwide average is 33 per cent waste paper. Governments have encouraged waste paper collection and sorting schemes and, at the same time, the paper industry has responded by developing new recycling technologies that have paved the way for even greater utilization of used fibre. As a result, industry’s use of recycled fibres is expected to increase at twice the rate of virgin fibre over the coming years. Already, waste paper constitutes 70% of paper used for packaging, and advances in the technology required to remove ink from the paper have allowed a higher recycled content in newsprint and writing paper. To achieve the benefits of recycling, the community must also contribute. We need to accept a change in the quality of paper products; for example stationery may be less white and of a rougher texture. There also needs to be support from the community for waste paper collection programs. Not only do we need to make the paper available to collectors but it also needs to be separated into different types and sorted from contaminants such as staples, paperclips, string and other miscellaneous items. There are technical limitations to the amount of paper which can be recycled and some paper products cannot be collected for re-use. These include paper in the form of books and permanent records, photographic paper and paper which is badly contaminated. The four most common sources of paper for recycling are factories and retail stores which gather large amounts of packaging material in which goods are delivered, also offices which have unwanted business documents and computer output, paper converters and printers and lastly households which discard newspapers and packaging material. The paper manufacturer pays a price for the paper and may also incur the collection cost. Once collected, the paper has to be sorted by hand by people trained to recognize various types of paper. This is necessary because some types of paper can only be made from particular kinds of recycled fibre. The sorted paper then has to be repulped or mixed with water and broken down into its individual fibres. This mixture is called stock and may contain a wide variety of contaminating materials, particularly if it is made from mixed waste paper which has had little sorting. Various machinery is used to remove other materials from the stock. After passing through the repulping process, the fibres from printed waste paper are grey in colour because the printing ink has soaked into the individual fibres. This recycled material can only be used in products where the grey colour does not matter, such as cardboard boxes but if the grey colour is not acceptable, the fibres must be de-inked. This involves adding chemicals such as caustic soda or other alkalis, soaps and detergents, water-hardening agents such as calcium chloride, frothing agents and bleaching agents. Before the recycled fibres can be made into paper they must be refined or treated in such a way that they bond together. Most paper products must contain some virgin fibre as well as recycled fibres and unlike glass, paper cannot be recycled indefinitely. Most paper is down-cycled which means that a product made from recycled paper is of an inferior quality to the original paper. Recycling paper is beneficial in that it saves some of the energy, labour and capital that goes into producing virgin pulp. However, recycling requires the use of fossil fuel, a nonrenewable energy source, to collect the waste paper from the community and to process it to produce new paper. And the recycling process still creates emissions which require treatment before they can be disposed of safely. Nevertheless, paper recycling is an important economical and environmental practice but one which must be carried out in a rational and viable manner for it to be useful to both industry and the community. Summary: From the point of view of recycling, paper has two advantages over minerals and oil in that firstly it comes from a resource which is 1 and secondly it is less threatening to our environment when we throw it away because it is 2 Although Australia’s record in the re-use of waste paper is good, it is still necessary to use a combination of recycled fibre and 3 to make new paper. The paper industry has contributed positively and people have also been encouraged by the government to collect their waste on a regular basis. One major difficulty is the removal of 4 from used paper but advances are being made in this area. However, we need to learn to accept paper which is generally of a lower quality than before and to sort our waste paper by removing 5 before discarding it for collection.
问答题In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. For Answers 1 to 5, please read the passage carefully and complete each space in the summary, using a maximum of three words from the passage. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. Answers 1 to 5 are based on the following passage. Around the world, music therapy is being used to treat different medical conditions and illnesses. Some of the ways people use music therapy are to reduce pain, such as childbirth or during cancer treatments, or to stimulate brain activity after an injury or memory loss. Music therapy has also been successful in aiding children to overcome disabilities. Classical music is most typically used for therapies due to its complex sounds and patterns. Although rap or pop might be fun to listen to, it’s unlikely that such styles of music would produce the same kind of therapeutic effect. Playing a musical instrument rather than simply listening to music can also be therapeutic for some people, helping relieve stress and anxiety. Have scientists been able to prove that music can heal diseases? Music has been shown to reduce pain in cancer patients by increasing the release of endorphins. Endor-plains are the body’s natural painkillers, and when we listen to music, our brains respond by releasing these natural painkillers. It has also been known to contribute to the brain development of new born babies and even babies still in the mother’s womb. Currently, music therapy is used in a variety of settings such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, day care centers, and schools.Summary: There appears to be some evidence that music is helpful 1 some medical conditions. Therefore, doctors and patients are turning to music to treat various 2 and disabilities. Doctors believe that music with 3 and patterns is more effective. This kind of music seems to 4 more activity in the brain. Although it may be fun to listen to rap or pop or dance music, doctors prefer to use 5 to treat patients.
问答题In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully, and then complete the summary below by choosing a maximum of three words from the passage to fill in each of the blanks. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet. Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage. Everyone knows about pollution in the environment. Water, air, and land are all polluted. This means that pollution is everywhere. Now, scientists are looking inside our bodies to find out about internal pollution. In 2003, the Environmental Working Group studied nine people to measure the chemicals in their bodies. These nine people had an average of 53 cancer-causing chemicals in their bodies. They also had an average of 62 chemicals that can damage the brain, and 55 that can harm babies in pregnant women. Even though a lot of chemicals were found in human bodies, the chemicals were found in small amounts. The amounts were small enough that they were probably not hurting the people. However, scientists are worried because most of these chemicals were created by humans. Most of these chemicals did not exist 75 years ago. This proves that we have not only polluted the world—we have polluted our own bodies! How does this pollution get into our bodies? We come into contact with many chemicals every day. For example, everyone uses soap, skin lotion, and shampoo. However, few people know that these products contain harmful chemicals, some of which may cause memory loss. Chemicals known as DEA (diethanolamine) and TEA (triethanolamine) may seep into the skin and stop us from absorbing a helpful nutrient called “choline”. Choline is a nutrient that plays a crucial role in the memory cell making process in the developing brain. Some people worry that every time we wash our hair, we are decreasing our memories. Everyone knows they should brush their teeth regularly, but recent research has shown that some toothpastes can cause cancer. Fluoride is a key ingredient in many toothpastes. However, studies show that fluoride does not really protect our teeth. In fact, fluoride has been connected with bone cancer and other diseases. While we are trying to save our smiles, we could be damaging our health. Women are probably exposed to more chemicals than men because they use more beauty products. Recently, harmful chemicals have been found in nail polish, hair spray, deodorant, and perfume. The chemicals are called “phthalates”. Studies on animals have shown that phthalates can damage the liver, the kidneys, and the lungs. Cosmetic companies say the amounts of phthalates in their products are safe, but consumer protection groups disagree. They say some women use so many products that the levels are actually high. So, the more women try to look beautiful, the more they could be harming their health. In a futuristic story by Ray Bradbury, a man found a pristine stream on a new planet. When he drank from the stream, he died! Why? His body was so polluted that pure water was a poison to him! Perhaps that is only science fiction, but it reminds us to take care of our bodies. We must find ways to reduce the pollution we absorb. Summary: Like our polluted environment, our bodies are no longer pollution-free. Scientists now know that there is pollution in our bodies. On 1 , we have 53 cancer-causing chemicals in our bodies. Even fluoride 2 with bone cancer and other diseases. Some common cosmetics contain small amounts of chemicals, which seep into our 3 when we use these products. They prevent us from absorbing the 4 our bodies need. So, it is 5 that we find ways to reduce the amount of chemicals in our bodies. We should remind our friends and families to take care of their bodies.
问答题Directions:In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary by choosing no more than three words from the passage. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage.Developing Environmental Management Strategies Strong and sustainable economic activity depends on healthy environmental management. It is being increasingly recognized by the public, government and industry that there is no need to shift smoothly from a “react and cure” approach to an “anticipate and prevent” approach. The mechanism governing this change started to appear three to four years ago and the momentum for change has been gathering steadily ever since. Whilst the need to embrace these changes is almost universally accepted, the mechanisms for change and the priorities for action have been far from clear. The public and the media point to anecdotal evidence of lack of progress, or setbacks, over a bewildering range of topics. These incidents are catalogued by local and national pressure groups to enhance their own campaigns for change. The Government, under pressure from the European Community, has introduced legislation which, although progressive, often appears to industry to be fragmented and difficult to digest. There is, therefore, a clear and often expressed need on the part of British and European management for techniques to identify and prioritize the key environmental issues for allocation of resources and action. The technique emerging as the most effective is a strategy which involves the formulation of a policy statement setting out the organization’s philosophy on the environment and the aims to be achieved. A detailed assessment of the environmental status and performance of the operation is then undertaken, key issues identified and targets set. The performance of the operation or unit is regularly audited to measure progress towards the targets set. This environmental strategy is often called an Environmental Management System or simply referred to as an Environmental Audit. Summary: There has been a steady movement towards more efficient, proactive environmental management. Whilst the 1 s generally accepted, the means have yet to be agreed upon. Attempts at introducing 2 have, so far, been unsatisfactory. Techniques are currently being defined for allocating 3 or action on key environmental issues. The most useful approach is to draw up a 4 which clarifies the environmental attitudes and aims of the organization. Performance and progress towards these targets can then be measured. A detailed evaluation or 5 s regularly carried out.
问答题In this section, there is one passage followed by a summary. For Questions 1 to 5, please read the passage carefully and complete each space in the summary using a maximum of three words from the passage. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.Acupuncture—it worked for me Pam, 25, woke up one Monday morning with an incredibly painful arm and shoulder. “I hadn’t done anything to it, I just must have slept awkwardly,” she says. “I couldn’t move it more than four inches up or to the side.” Her doctor suggested it might be fluid on the bone and gave her anti-inflammatory tablets and pain-killers. He said if the pain did not go away she would probably need injections into the joint and physiotherapy. Pam says, “The pain-killers were so strong that they made me dozy and sick, so I stopped taking them. By Friday morning I had a severe headache, the shoulder pain and a feeling like a really bad hangover. A neighbour happened to be anacupuncturist and I went to ask advice. I wasn’t happy with the idea of injections when my doctor wasn’t even sure what the problem was.” The acupuncturist treated Pam immediately. “She put a needle in my shin. I didn’t look—I was afraid. I felt a small prick. She asked me to move my arm and I couldn’t. She twisted the needle and I felt a dull ache, and suddenly I could move my arm. The pain just completely went away,” says Pam. The acupuncturist then inserted needles between Pam’s thumb and forefinger and in the bend of her elbow, and connected them to an electrical box to provide pulsating stimulation. Pam has had no problems since “I would recommend it to anyone,” she says.Summary： One Monday morning, Pam 1 in her arm and shoulder because she had slept awkwardly. Although her doctor 2 what the problem was, he suggested that she would need 3 if the pain didn’t go away. However, Pam was not happy because the pain-killers the doctor gave her made her 4 . Then, she went to an acupuncturist 5 . The acupuncturist treated her differently from the doctor. Pam hasn’t had any pain in her arm and shoulder since the treatment.
问答题Directions:In this part, there is one passage followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary with the appropriate words from the passage. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage. Wine can be made with red grapes or white grapes, and, especially in the case of red wines, a number of medical researchers have reported that a moderate amount of wine has certain health benefits. This may be one of the reasons why the number of people drinking wine has risen over the past years. As new wine shoppers browse the shelves of their local markets, they face a tough decision. Should they buy a wine with a cork or a screw top? And shoppers are not alone in their dilemma. Wineries are also facing tough choices in the best way to seal their products. The root of the problem lies in “cork taint.” Cork taint refers to a problem with wine that has been sealed with a bad cork. Traditionally, all corks are made from a special oak tree that grows around the Mediterranean. In the process of making the corks and sealing wine bottles, a certain type of mold may start to grow on some corks. Over time, this mold can produce a chemical that makes the wine inside the bottle taste musty. In fact, the human tongue is so sensitive to this particular compound that people can taste it even diluted up to six parts per trillion! How big is the problem of cork taint? Some experts from the wine industry claim cork taint affects one out of every ten bottles of wine. And as one spokesperson for an American winery says, “No other packaging industry in the world would put up with that kind of failure rate.” Some wine makers see a possible solution to the problem of cork taint through adopting the tried and true method of sealing bottles with screw tops. However, many wineries are still playing it safe and sticking to corks for two reasons. First, there is the old belief among cork users that small amounts of oxygen are able to penetrate corks. This oxygen, they say, is necessary for the proper aging of fine wines, especially those aged 10 years or more. Screw tops do not allow for any oxygen to get into the bottles after they are sealed. Another problem arises from the image screw tops have with the public. In most people’s minds, screw tops are only found on cheap, low-quality wines. It will take a lot of effort from wineries to re-educate the public if they want to change the image of screw tops. In addition, there is the problem of losing the romantic, elegant mood produced by the ceremonial popping of the cork. Consumers don’t seem to feel the same thrill when unscrewing a top. Summary: The wine industry is facing a dilemma. What is the best way to 1 wine bottles? Many people think that it is only 2 for wine bottles to be sealed with corks. They think that oxygen needs to be able to penetrate the cork. Other experts, however, suggest that wineries change to 3 . Using corks can lead to cork taint, a bad taste in the wine caused by 4 . However, it is unlikely that the public will accept this solution. They will most likely 5 buying wine with corks for the romantic image.