That the Leaning Tower of Pisa no longer leans quite so much after a £20 million project to save it has proved to be a great success.The tower, which was on the edge of collapse, has been straightened by 18 inches, returning it to its 1838 position.
“It has straightened a little bit more than we expected, but very little helps, ”said Prof.John Burland, the only British member of the rescue committee.“The tower is still very slightly moving towards being upright. ”
The tower, which has been leaning almost since building work first began in 1173, was closed to the public in 1990 because of safety fears.The 183?foot tower was nearly 15 feet off vertical and its structure was found to have been weakened by centuries of strain(作用力).
Prof.Burland said it could have collapsed “at any moment”.However, it took nine years of quarreling before any work was done.The last attempt at straightening the tower was carried out. Concrete was poured into the foundations, but the result was that the tower sank further into the soil.
The straightening work involved digging out around 70 tonnes of earth from the northern side of the tower, causing it to sink on that side.Before the digging started, the tower was fixed with steel ropes and 600 tonnes of lead weights.
However, halfway through the project, concerns at the ugliness of the weights led to their removal and the tower leaned greatly.The weights were hurriedly reattached. In one night, the tower moved more than it had averaged in an entire year.The tower's stonework has also been restored.
The Italian government stepped in after a tower collapsed in Pavia in 1989, killing four people.Experts suddenly realized that the tower at Pisa, which was similarly built and on the same sort of earth, could do the same.
【小题1】What would be the best title for the passage?
A.The Building of the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
B.Saving the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
C.The Collapse of the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
D.The History of the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
A.closed for the straightening work in 1990 |
B.began to lean more than 800 years ago |
C.has a history of more than 1, 000 years |
D.has become vertical |
A.The development of new technology. |
B.The advice of Prof. John Burland. |
C.The expectation of the rescue committee. |
D.The collapse of a tower in Pavia. |
A.The lead weights fixed to the tower. |
B.Restoring the stonework. |
C.Pouring concrete into the foundations. |
D.Digging earth from the southern side of the tower. |
【小题1】C
【小题2】A
【小题3】D
【小题4】A
解析【小题1】答案 B [标题归纳题。文章第一段就提到“...has proved to be a great success”,而下文是围绕拯救比萨斜塔进行阐述的。]
【小题2】答案 B [细节理解题。第三段第一句提到比萨斜塔自1173年建立(至今已有800多年的历史)时就开始倾斜。]
【小题3】答案 D [细节理解题。文章最后一段提到“The Italian government stepped in after a tower collapsed in Pavia in 1989”,说明正是另一个地方的塔的倒塌才使政府意识到拯救比萨斜塔的迫切性,故答案为D。]
【小题4】答案 A [推理判断题。文章第六段提到把“lead weights”移走后,导致塔又有很大倾斜,这正说明lead weights的重量所起的作用。]
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Fun is, in fact , a word heard far more frequently in families today than in the past , when “duty”and “responsibility ”were often the words used.Parents today are more youthful in appearance and attitudes. Their clothes and hair-styles are more casual, helping to bridge the divide. Those who are athletically inclined also enjoy Rollerblading, snowboarding, and rock-climbing with their children.
For the past three years, Kathy and Phil Dalby have spent at least one evening a week at a climbing gym with their three children. "It's great to be able to work together," Mrs Dalby says. "We discuss various climbs and where the hard parts are. Sometimes that leads to other Conversations. We're definitely closer."
A popular movement of parent effectiveness training in the 1970s has helped to reshape generational roles. The philosophy encourages children to describe their feelings about various situations. As a result, says Robert Billingham, a family-studies professor at Indiana University, "Parents and children began talking to each other in ways they had not before."
On the plus side, he adds, these conversations made parents realize that children may have important thoughts or feelings that adults need to be aware of.
But Professor Billingham also sees a downside: Many parents started making decisions based on what their child wanted. "The power shifted to children. Parents said, 'I have to focus on making my child happy', as opposed to 'I have to act as a parent most appropriately'."
Other changes are occurring as the ranks of working mothers grow. Time-short parents encourage children's independence, making them more responsible for themselves. "They'll say, 'We trust you to make the right decisions' (whether they're ready to assume the responsibility or not) ,"says Billingham.
The self-esteem movement of the past quarter-century has also affected the family dynamics (原动力). Some parents worry that if they tell their child no, it will hurt the child's self-esteem.
【小题1】What's the trend in parent-child relationship mentioned in the passage?
A.Parents are chasing after fashion and ignoring the feelings of their children. |
B.More parents and children are sharing the same enthusiasm for a certain sport. |
C.Parents are taking more responsibility and setting more limits for their children. |
D.The generation gap is narrowing and parents are respecting their children's thoughts more. |
A.Younger parents. | B.Parent effectiveness training. |
C.More working mothers. | D.The self-esteem movement. |
A.Parents and Children as Friends. |
B.Parents and Professors as Debaters. |
C.Growing Mutual Understanding. |
D.Disappearing Responsibility. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
My mind went blank when I saw the gun pointing against the car window as we pulled out of the garage. This can’t be happening to me. Then I felt the gun, cold, against my head, and I heard my friend Jeremy saying, “What do you want? Take my wallet,” but at the time I thought of nothing.
I remember being a little annoyed when the gunman pulled me from the car by the hair. I remember the walk to the house --- Jeremy, me, the two men with two guns. I remember the fear and anger in the gunmen’s voices because Jeremy was being slow, and I remember wondering why he was being slow. I did not realize that Jeremy had thrown the keys into the bush. But I remember that sound of the gun hitting Jeremy’s head and the feeling as the man who had hold of my hair released me. And I remember the split second when I realized he was looking at Jeremy, and I remember wondering how far I could run before he pulled the trigger. But I was already running, and upon reaching the car across the street, I didn’t crouch(蹲伏) behind it but screamed instead.
I remember thinking there was something ridiculous and illogical about screaming “Help, help!” at eight o’clock on a Tuesday evening in December and changing my plea(恳求) to the more specific “Help, let me in, please let me in!” But the houses were cold, closed, unfriendly, and I ran on until I heard Jeremy’s screams behind me announcing that our attackers had fled.
The neighbors who had not opened their doors to us came out with baseball bats and helped Jeremy find his glasses and keys. In a group they were very brave. We waited for the police to come until someone said to someone else that the noodles were getting cold, and I said politely, “Please go and eat. We’re O.K.”
I was happy to see them go. They had been talking of stricter sentences for criminals, of bringing back the death penalty(处罚) and how the President is going to clean up the country. I was thinking, they could be saying all of this over my dead body, and I still feel that stiffer sentences wouldn’t change a thing. In a rush all the anger I should have felt for my attackers was directed against these contented people standing in front of their warm, comfortable homes talking about all the guns they were going to buy. What good would guns have been to Jeremy and me?
People all over the neighborhood had called to report our screams, and the police turned out in force twenty minutes later. They were ill-tempered about what was, to them, much trouble about nothing. After all, Jeremy was hardly hurt, and we were hopeless when it came to describing the gunmen. “Typical,” said one policeman when we couldn’t even agree on how tall the men were. Both of us were able to describe the guns in horrifying detail, but the two policemen who stayed to make the report didn’t think that would be much help.
The policemen were matter-of-fact about the whole thing. The thin one said, “That was a stupid thing to do, throwing away the keys. When a man has a gun against your head you do what you’re told.” Jeremy looked properly embarrassed.
Then the fat policeman came up and the thin one went to look around the outside of the house. “That was the best thing you could have done, throwing away the keys,” he said. “If you had gone into the house with them…” His voice became weaker. “They would have hurt her” --- he twisted his head toward me – “and killed you both.” Jeremy looked happier. “Look,” said the fat policeman kindly, “there’s no right or wrong in the situation. There’s just luck.”
All that sleepless night I replayed the moment those black gloves came up to the car window. How long did the whole thing last? Three minutes, five, eight? No matter how many hours of my life I may spend reliving it, I know there is no way to prepare for the next time --- no intelligent response to a gun. The fat cop was right. There’s only luck. The next time I might end up dead.
And I’m sure there will be a next time. It can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone. Security is an illusion(幻觉); there is no safety in locks or in guns. Guns make some people feel safe and some people feel strong, but they’re fooling themselves.
【小题1】When the writer saw the gun pointing against the car window, ______.
A.she felt very annoyed | B.she lost consciousness |
C.she felt very much nervous | D.she lost the power of thinking |
A.Jeremy’s fighting | B.The author’s screaming |
C.Their neighbour’s brave action | D.The police’s arrival |
A.they were much too frightened |
B.they were busy preparing dinners |
C.they needed time to find baseball bats |
D.they thought someone was playing a trick |
A.she hated to listen to their empty talk |
B.she did not want to become an object of pity |
C.she was angered by their being late to come to her help |
D.she wanted to be left alone with Jeremy to get over the shock |
A.the author was not hurt and gave a false alarm |
B.they thought it was a case of little importance |
C.the author and Jeremy could not tell the police anything |
D.the gunmen had already fled when they arrived on the scene |
A.neighbors are not helpful in moments of difficulty |
B.the police are not reliable when one is in trouble |
C.security is impossible as long as people can have guns |
D.preventing robbers entering your house is the best choice |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Owning a smart phone may not be as smart as you think. They may let you surf the Internet, listen to music and snap photos wherever you are… but they also turn you into a workaholic, it seems.
A study suggests that, by giving you access to emails at all times, the all-singing, all-dancing mobile phone adds as much as two hours to your working day. Researchers found that Britons work an additional 460 hours a year on average as they are able to respond to emails on their mobiles.
The study by technology retailer Pixmania reveals the average UK working day is between 9 and 10 hours, but a further two hours is spent responding to or sending work emails, or making work calls. More than 90 percent of office workers have an email-enabled phone, with a third accessing them more than 20 times a day. Almost one in ten admits spending up to three hours outside their normal working day checking work emails. Some workers confess they are on call almost 24 hours a day, with nine out of ten saying they take work emails and calls outside their normal working hours. The average time for first checking emails is between 6 am and 7 am, with more than a third checking their first email in this period, and a quarter checking them between 11 pm and midnight.
Ghadi Hobeika, marketing director of Pixmania, said, “The ability to access literally millions of apps, keep in contact via social networks and take photos and video as well as text and call has made smart phones invaluable for many people. However, there are drawbacks. Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and smart phones mean that people literally cannot get away from work. The more constantly in contact we become, the more is expected of us in a work capacity.”
【小题1】What can we conclude from the text?
A.All that glitters is not gold. |
B.Every coin has two sides. |
C.It never rains but pours. |
D.It’s no good crying over spilt milk. |
A.calling | B.reaching |
C.getting | D.using |
A.The average UK working day is between nine and twelve hours. |
B.Nine-tenths spend over three hours checking work emails. |
C.One fourth check their first mails between 11 pm and midnight. |
D.The average time for first checking emails is between 6 am and 8 am. |
A.Workaholics like smart phones. |
B.Smart phones bring about extra work. |
C.Smart phones make our live easier. |
D.Employers don’t like smart phones. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
As has been all too apparent in recent days at Balcombe, few issues cause greater concern than energy policy. Many village communities feel their countryside is being ruined by the power-producing machines of wind farms; yet they never take "direct action", even though the planning laws put them at a severe disadvantage. And the generous subsidies (财政补贴) , which encourage the expansion of wind power, are not favorable to the village communities and set landowners in conflict with other residents (居民) .
Those who disagree with the rapid expansion of wind farms state that the damage they cause is out of proportion(比例) to the benefits they bring, because their energy output cannot match that of the carbon-based power stations they are supposed to replace. Supporters insist that wind must be part of a mix of renewables, nuclear and carbon, and that the country is committed to meeting EU ( European Union) targets for non-carbon energy generation. ZXXK
Against this background, the fact that there is an argument within the Government over whether to publish an official report on wind farms' impact on the countryside becomes even more extraordinary. The two parties in the coalition (联合) government are in disagreement over what it should say.
We have some advice for the two parties: publish the report, and let the country be the judge. Even if it contains evidence that wind farms are harmful, it will hardly be a pleasant surprise to people who do not like them. Equally, supporters must argue their case by acknowledging the concerns and explaining why they are either misplaced or worthy of much attention.
The suggestion that further negotiations are to take place to produce an "acceptable" report suggests that the politics of coalition government are doing the country harm in a certain way. Given the sensitivities involved, all the information should be available so that people can reach their own conclusions, rather than being left with the suspicion(猜疑)that facts are being replaced by political beliefs.
【小题1】We can learn from the first paragraph that__________.
A.energy policy catches much attention of the public |
B.the residents are in favor of the expansion of wind farms |
C.many village communities are satisfied with the subsidies |
D.the planning laws offer great benefits to the residents |
A.is more rapid than that of carbon-based power |
B.guarantees an increase in energy output |
C.is expected to be much better than that of nuclear power |
D.agrees with EU targets for non-carbon energy generation |
A.an official report will settle the energy problem |
B.the two parties are divided over the issue of wind farms |
C.the two parties have agreed on a further negotiation |
D.political beliefs concerning energy issue go against facts |
A.Increase political impact on energy policy. |
B.Release a statement of supporters on wind farms. |
C.Let the nation judge the facts about wind power. |
D.Leave the two parties to reach their own conclusions. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
The slavery drama “12 Years a Slave” won the Academy Award for best picture on Sunday, making history as the first movie from a black director to win the film industry’s highest honor in 86 years of the Oscars. British director Steve McQueen’s brave portrayal of pre-Civil War American slavery won two other Oscars, including best supporting actress for newcomer Lupita Nyong’o and best adapted screenplay based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free man tricked and sold into slavery in Louisiana. “Everyone deserves not just to survive but to live. This is the most important legacy of Solomon Northup,” said McQueen in his acceptance speech.
“12 Years a Slave” was better over space thriller “Gravity” from Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, which nevertheless got the most Oscars of the night with seven, including the best director honor for Cuaron, a first for a Latin American director.The film starring Sandra Bullock as an astronaut lost in space swept the technical awards like visual effects and cinematography, a reward for its groundbreaking work on conveying space and weightlessness. Referring to the “transformative” experience he and others undertook in the four-plus years spent making “Gravity”, Cuaron, whose hair is graying, said, “For a lot of these people, that transformation was wisdom. For me, it was just the color of my hair.”
In one of the strongest years for film in recent memory, the 6,000-plus voters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences scattered golden Oscar statuettes among the many acclaimed movies in contention.
It was a good night for the scrappy, low-budget film “Dallas Buyers Club”, directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, a biopic of an early AIDS activist two decades in the making that won three Oscars, including the two male acting awards.
Matthew McConaughey, in a validation of a remarkable career turnaround, won best actor for his portrayal of the homophobe who turned AIDS victim and then turned treatment crusader Ron Woodroof, a role for which he lost 50 pounds (23 kg). His co-star, Jared Leto, won best supporting actor for his role as Woodroof’s unlikely business partner, the transgender woman Rayon, for which he also slimmed down drastically.
Australia’s Cate Blanchett won the best actress Oscar for her acclaimed role as the socialite unhinged by her husband’s financial crimes in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine.” “As random and subjective as this award is, it means a great deal in a year of, yet again, extraordinary performances by women,” said Blanchett, who beat out previous Oscar winners Bullock, Amy Adams, Judi Dench and Meryl Streep.
【小题1】The film which won the largest number of Oscar awards this year is ______.
A.12 Years a Slave | B.Gravity |
C.Dallas Buyers Club | D.Blue Jasmine |
A.Steve McQueen. | B.Alfonso Cuaron. |
C.Jean-Marc Vallee. | D.Woody Allen. |
A.One. | B.Three. | C.Five. | D.Six. |
A.“12 Years a Slave” won two Oscar awards altogether. |
B.The director of “Gravity” is from Latin America. |
C.The character Rayon is played by Jared Leto. |
D.The woman film star Cate Blanchett comes from Oceania. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
University of Maryland student Ben Simon and his friends couldn’t stand to see good food thrown out on their campus.“We basically noticed that some of the extra food from the dining hall was going to waste at the end of the day.And we met with the dining services and asked them whether it would be okay if instead of throwing out the food we would donate it.And they were on board,” he said.
So 18 months ago,the students began what they call the Food Recovery Network.Each night,volunteers would show up at a campus dining hall to pick up leftovers and deliver them to area shelters and food banks.So far,they have donated more than 23 000 kilos of food that would otherwise have been thrown out.
Nationwide,$165 billion worth of food is wasted each year,according to the National Resources Defense Council.Spokesman Bob Keefe says that is about 40% of the country’s entire food production.“If we can reduce our waste in this country by 15%,we can feed 25 million hungry Americans.That is a huge benefit.That is what programs like this Food Recovery Network are doing,” he said.
Christian Life Center is one of the beneficiaries (受益者) of the students’ efforts.Ben Slye,the senior pastor (牧师),said,“It has been just amazing to see these students take their own time,their own vehicles and own gas money and be able to make an effort like this.Each week we are able with this food probably to feed over hundred people.”
The University of Maryland’s Food Recovery Network now has 200 volunteers and the program has expanded to 18 schools across the country.“I want to grow 18 chapters to a thousand chapters within five years.And once we get to the Food Recovery Nation being at every college campus in America,we want to expand to restaurants and farms.” said Simon.
The volunteers are committed to making that happen.
【小题1】The dining services in University of Maryland________.
A.threw out good food on the campus |
B.supported the volunteers’ job |
C.enjoyed the talk with the students |
D.donated their leftovers to the poor |
A.started the Food Recovery Network two years ago |
B.delivered leftovers as well as money to shelters |
C.helped to solve the hunger issues in America |
D.donated leftovers to avoid food waste |
A.unconcern | B.doubt |
C.appreciation | D.opposition |
A.over 40% of the country’s entire food is wasted each year |
B.altogether 25 million Americans suffer from hunger nowadays |
C.Simon aims to expand the program to restaurants and farms |
D.every college has started the Food Recovery Network |
A.College Students Rescue Leftover Food |
B.Battles Against the Problem of Hunger |
C.How to Pick up Leftovers on College Campuses |
D.Waste Problems in University of Maryland |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
LONDON, Feb. 18,2014 (Xinhua News agency) —Britain will send experts to East China's Shanghai to learn from the city's experience in maths teaching in an attempt to raise the teaching standards.
British Education Minister Elizabeth Truss is to lead a delegation of experts on a fact-finding mission to Shanghai's schools next week to see how children there have become the best in the world at maths, to get a first-hand look at maths classes and teaching methods there, and particularly to investigate why the performance of almost all children in Shanghai is high, regardless of gender or income.
Britain was last year placed 50th out of 148 countries and regions in the World Economic Forum's competitiveness ranking in quality of maths and science education. Two years ago, Shanghai topped the 2012 international PISA tables for maths, while England was ranked in 26th place. The top five were all in Southeast Asia, with 15-year-olds in Shanghai judged to be three years ahead of their peers in maths.
The education department said: "England's performance in maths has lagged behind while other countries have improved and overtaken us, including Poland and Germany." Actually, it is the latest step in the government's drive to raise standards in maths, looking at what has made schools in the far East the most successful in the world in teaching the subject.
"Shanghai is the top-performing part of the world for maths—their children are streets ahead. Shanghai and Singapore have teaching practices and a positive mind that make the difference. They have a belief that diligence makes up for lack of ability," Truss said. "Our new curriculum has borrowed from theirs because we know it works—early learning of key arithmetic, and a focus on times tables and long division(长除法), for instance."
She was determined to change the situation as performance in maths is weakening the country's skills base and threatening the productivity and growth. The government is emphasizing maths because of the importance of good grades in the subject to young people competing for good jobs in a global labor market and to the economy more generally.
An education and skills survey released by the Confederation of British Industry last year showed that 30 percent of employers reported dissatisfaction with the standard of school and college leavers' numeracy. More than two-thirds of employers said they wanted both maths and science promoted more in schools.
【小题1】Why does the British government send a delegation of experts to Shanghai?
A.To see how children from rich families have become the best at maths. |
B.To investigate why the performance of almost all children in China is high. |
C.To get a first-hand look at science classes and teaching methods there. |
D.To raise the teaching standards in maths in Britain. |
A.British students performed better in 2013 than in 2012. |
B.British students did better than the students from Poland in 2013. |
C.The students from Singapore did better than the students from Germany. |
D.The students from Germany did better than the students from Poland. |
A.Curriculum and teaching methods. |
B.Teaching practices and a positive mind. |
C.Early learning of key arithmetic and times tables. |
D.A focus on times tables and long division. |
A.By threatening the country's competitiveness of economy. |
B.By weakening the country's political system. |
C.By losing international competitions in education. |
D.By failing to find jobs in a global labor market. |
A.The students in Britain don’t work hard at Maths. |
B.The students in shanghai are the smartest in the world. |
C.The education of science in Britain is no better than that of maths. |
D.Most British citizens are dissatisfied with teachers’ work. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is likely to visit China at an “appropriate” time this year, a senior Chinese military official said on Monday. Colonel Tu Qiming, director of the American and Oceania Affairs Bureau of the Foreign Affairs Office at the National Defense Ministry, made the remark during Sino-US defense talks this week. This is the first ever “special defense policy ?dialogue” between the two defense ministries, according to the Chinese military.
●●●
FRANCES Agriculture Ministry has confirmed(证实)the first case of mad cow disease detected in a goat last Friday. The goat killed in 2002 tested positive for mad cow disease. It is the first case in the world of the fatal disease being found in an animal other than a bovine. The human form of mad cow disease causes brain-wasting, personality change, loss of body function, and ends in death. The European Commission has not advised any change in farming and consuming goats, said the French Ministry in a statement published last Friday.
●●●
MOBILE phone sales hit a new record in 2010, with some 684 million units sold around the world, the US research institute Strategy Analytics said on Thursday. The number represents an increase of 32 per cent over 2003, when 571 million units were sold. Strategy Analytics predicts a more modest rise of 8 per cent for this year, to 735 million. Finnish cell phone provider Nokia stayed out in front in 2010, with sales of 207.6 million units, giving it a market share of 30.4 per cent. Motorola moved to No 2, just ahead of the South Korean company Samsung.
●●●
SIX male penguins(雄企鹅)at a German zoo are proving stubbornly resistant to females brought in from Sweden to make them into breeding(繁殖).Of the ten male penguins at the zoo, six have formed into “homosexual” couples and have shown no interest in the females, making breeding an impossibility. So the zoo imported the four female penguins from Sweden last month, full of hope that the new arrivals could “turn” the males. But so far, the boys are remaining strictly with the boys.
【小题1】 How many countries are mentioned in the pieces of news?
A.Six. | B.Five. | C.Three. | D.Seven. |
A.Nokia. | B.Motorola. | C.Samsung. | D.Cell phones. |
A.the scientists haven’t succeeded in doing their experiment |
B.the scientists have successfully got six female penguins into breeding. |
C.the Sweden girls made the boys show interest in them |
D.German boys don’t like Sweden boys |
A.a. US Defense Secretary Visit Likely b. France Confirms “Mad Goat Case” c. Mobile Phone Sales d. Male Penguins and Female Penguins |
B.a. US Defense Secretary Visit Likely b. France Confirms “Mad Goat Case” c. Nokia Stays on Top d. Birds of a Feather |
C.a. Defense Policy Dialogue b. Mad Goat Disease c. Mobile Phone Sales d. Importing Female Penguins |
D.a. Sino-US Talks b. Mad Goat Case |
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