International Studies(BA)

　　Key features

　　Recognizes the “global community”(国际社会)

　　Has close connections with practical research

　　Much of the teaching is done in small discussion groups

　　About the course

　　The course gives you chances to know great power polities between nation states．It will provide more space to study particular issues such as relationship among countries in the European Union, third world debt, local and international disagreement, and the work of such international bodies as the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, and the World Bank．

　　The course puts theories into the working of the international system with close attention to particular countries．You will also have a better knowledge of methods of solving the international problems．

　　Related(相关的)courses

　　BA(Hons)Community Management

　　BA(Hons)Public Policy and Management

　　Employment possibilities

　　International organizations

　　International business

　　Earth Science(BSc)

　　Key features

　　Based on key courses and the latest research findings

　　Pays much attention to practical skills

　　Offers chances for fieldwork(实地考察)

　　About the course

　　The demand for natural resources is becoming an increasingly serious problem for the future of mankind．Graduates in Earth Science will play an important role in meeting this demand, and in knowing the meaning of using the natural resources．

　　The course covers geography and geology．You will carry out fieldwork in the UK and possibly overseas, and a research in an area of interest to you in the final year．

　　Related courses

　　BSc(Hons)Geograhpy

　　BSc(Hons)Geology

　　Employment possibilities

　　Mineral, oil, water or other related engineering industries

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阅读理解

　　A study of a university in Shanghai had found that many of the students there are using a quote(引语)from the Italian poet Dante as a kind of motto．The study of Fudan University, one of China’s top universities, of 489 students, found that 82 had chosen Dante’s “Follow your own path and don’t worry about what others say” as their motto, out of 278 people who said they had a motto．This was followed by “Believe yourself” and “Self-improvement without stop．”

　　Students also expressed a common hope for greater understanding and care and said they were always ready to give a hand to those in need．

　　Some researchers think that mottoes can play an important part in children’s growth and they say that a good motto can help children develop a better character．

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　　More Shanghai people are renting cars to travel over the coming Spring Festival, eastday．com reported today．

　　Most cars in large local car-rental companies such as Yongda, Anji and Dazhong are leased(＝rented)so far with the Buick Sport Utility Vehicle(SUV)in high demand．

　　Santana and Jetta used to be the most popular car models rented by Shanghai people for travel, while the high-end Buick models have generated(＝caused)great interest among locals renting cars this year．However, the rent on a Buick GL or GS model is between 650 yuan and 750 yuan a day, nearly double those of the Santana and Jetta cars．

　　Compared with Santana, Buick looks better, has greater capabilities and is safer and more comfortable, said a car leaser．“I'don’t mind paying a higher cost for a Buick to enjoy the traditional holiday,” he said．

　　SUV cars are very popular in the car renting market, according to some car-rental firms．

　　“All the 31 Buick GL8 SUV cars were leased out several days ago,” said an employee with the Shanghai Yongda Car Rental Company．

　　Local people prefer to go traveling with a group of friends, so SUV cars are a better choice, said an industry analyst(分析家)．Moreover, SUV cars are safer on rugged and rough roads, the analyst said．

　　According to the data(数据), most people rented cars of seven days, a lesser number rented them for two or three days．

(Wendy Zhang)

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　　Millions of people die of hunger in southern Africa every year, but when Zambia was offered thousands of tons of free maize by the US, the government politely paid no．

　　“We don’t know whether the food is safe,” said Zambia’s commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Dipak Patel．

　　His worries are shared by countries around the world that are in two minds about America’s genetically modified(GM，转基因的)crops．Just last week, EU(欧盟)member nations were discussing whether or not to import GM sweet corn from the US．

　　Ever since people started farming, they have tried to crossbreed(杂交)plants to make them stronger or better tasting．At one time, only related plants could be crossed with each other．

　　But when GM techniques were developed in the 1970s, scientists were able to put a single gene from a living creature into an unrelated creature．

　　This means they can make crops more productive and resistant to disease by adding genes from other species．They can also create food with special characteristics, such as “golden rice”, which is enriched with vitamin A．But many people believe GM foods are a health risk．

　　“If left to me, I would certainly not eat GM foods,” said Scottish scientist Arpad Pusztai．“We are putting new things into food which haven’t been eaten before．The effects on the immune system(免疫系统)are not easy to predict．”

　　At the moment, the official argument is that GM foods “are not likely to present risks for human health”．But there are still many questions to be answered as the foods are produced in different ways．

　　Some experts believe the genetic material added to plants can transfer to humans and give damage to our bodies．Further harm could be caused by the genes from GM plants crossbreeding with naturally produced crops．

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Adult Basic Education(ABE)and GED Preparation

　　Task

　　The Adult Basic Education Department serves a huge population of learners．Our task is to teach basic skills and help learners to get more knowledge to function effectively as a family member, citizen, worker, and lifelong learner in a changing world．

　　Description

　　ABE is a non-credit program of self-improvement designed to improve basic skills for students who are of different educational levels．Development of reading, writing, and math skills are paid special attention to, as well as life skills, employability, and technology．Students without a high school diploma(文凭)also have the opportunity to prepare for the GED exams in the five subject areas：writing, social studies, science, literature, and math．

　　Prerequisites(条件)

　　ABE classes are open to anyone 18or over who desires to improve basic reading, writing, and math skills at the pre-college level．Students who are 16 or 17 must first obtain an official release(证书)from high school before attending class．

　　To be accepted, students must attend an Educational Planning Session．During the Educational Planning Session students will be given an overview of the ABE programs as well as PCC policies, fees, etc, Students will also have their reading, writing, and math abilities assessed(评估)during the Educational Planning Session．The results of their assessments will help the teachers develop individual programs of study for students to guide them toward their personal goals．Students needing special help must get in touch with the Office for Students with Disabilities(503-977-4341)at least two weeks before the session is held．

　　Courses

　　ABE 0741：Beginning Literacy

　　ABE 0742：Beginning

　　ABE 0743：Intermediate I

　　ABE 0744：Intermediate II

　　ABE 0745：Secondary I

　　ABE 0746：Secondary II(Includes preparation for the GED Test．)

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　　Technically the domain name system consists of three parts．First is the addressing system of Internet Protocol(IP)numbers, the 32-bit numbers that are the true addresses of computers connected to the Internet．Next is the naming system, the by-now familiar names that include.com.org.edu.etc., which are collectively known as top level domains, or TLDs．The naming system was devised to find a computer or send email．Finally, there is the routing system, which “maps” domain names to IP numbers．Computers called “root servers” contain a kind of giant directory that links specific names to specific addresses on the Internet．

　　There are several political headaches about domain names that have no clear solutions．Because domain names have to be unique, they are inevitably linked to trademark disputes when two or more businesses, or people, want the same name．

　　Domain names also raise issues of privacy．Using a search tool such as the Whonami Global Internet Name Search site, anyone can look up the name and address of whoever is registered as the owner of a domain name．

　　In 1998, the U．S．government handed over management of the entire domain name system to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, based in Marina Del Rey．ICANN’s board of directors held one of its periodic general meetings recently in Stockholm, an event that featured an outpouring of frustration and controversy about how the group is managing its new responsibilities．

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阅读理解

　　Advertising is as old as story-telling itself．For as long as people have wanted to persuade others to buy their goods, give them their vote or lay down their lives, they have used the methods of advertising．Of course, methods have changed over the years．At first, word of mouth was the only means of communicating, but after the invention of the first printing press and the arrival of the first newspaper, the camera, the television, and the home video recorder, the persuasive methods of the advertising industry have become much more sophisticated．

　　Advertising appeals more to our emotions than to our minds and therefore uses persuasive techniques which, though not misleading, are certainly biased towards its products．Advertisements have some basic features．

　　·They are fast and short．They deliver their message in minimum time and space．

　　·They are concentrated．Their language and images are extremely dense．

　　·They appeal to consumers'emotions rather than to their logic．

　　·They entertain．That entertainment may be in the form of a jazzy melody or a photograph or a clever joke, but it always draws attention to itself because advertisements have to compete against every other competitor for consumers'attention．

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　　Venice hoteliers(旅馆经营者)are urging tourists to enjoy the tourist mecca(圣地)despite constant flooding, offering free rubber boots for guests to wander around the Renaissance city．

　　“Venetian hoteliers and Mayor Massimo Cacciari reassure tourists who want to come in Venice：Don't worry, there is no danger：high water is a phenomenon that quickly disappears,” says an industry website, www.veneziasi.it．A special 190 euros(250 dollar)a night package includes “free use of rubber boots to walk during the high water,” along with a map showing where special platforms are erected along the canal city’s streets during the flooding．

　　Venice has been under water for nearly two weeks, reaching a 22-year high on December 1 at 1.56 meters(5 feet, 2 inches)．Thursday and Friday are expected to see highs of up to 1.30 meters．The lagoon city(水城)was flooded 50 times between 1993 and 2002, but by far the worst incident was on November 4, 1966, when it remained under water by 1.94 metres of water amid catastrophic flooding throughout Italy．

　　Every new flood brings disputes over a complicated project to place hinged panels(活动闸门)at the entrance leading into the lagoon．Mayor Cacciari is among critics of the so-called Moses Project, which was launched in 2003 and is not expected to reach completion until 2012．Under the scheme, 78 steel panels will lie on the seabed．When high tide is more than 1.1 metres above normal, compressed air will then force the panels to rise up on their hinges, forming a slanting(倾斜的)barrier to the incoming tide from the Adriatic Sea．Another approach under consideration is to raise the city's buildings．Under Operation”Rialto”, piston-supported poles(活塞柱)would be placed beneath each structure and gradually lift buildings by up to a metre．

　　Experts say the severity and frequency of floods is becoming worse due to silt deposits raising the floor of the lagoon and a rise in sea levels caused by global warming．

　　Bad weather has affected much of Italy in recent days, with snow storms in the north, heavy rain in Umbria and Tuscany and thunder storms over Rome and as far south as Sicily．

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　　Scotland is a unique place, laden with history, where you can find aristocratic(贵族的)palaces and castles, as well as the traditional parades in national costumes．

　　In order to see and discover the true soul of Scotland today, what forged the character of this splendid region, we have to go towards the northern regions, to the Grampian Mountains(格兰扁山区), beautiful and unspoiled．The Scots overpowered the environment with simple spades and strong arms, for it was difficult to farm．

　　The history of this ancient struggle, and its people’s ancient love affair with the hard land, is enclosed within the walls of the Angus Folk Museum．You are able to get a feel of the typical rural atmosphere of times past from the everyday artifacts displayed here．

　　From coastal Aberdeen in towards the interior of the Grampian Mountains there runs the Castle Trail, a road that touches on many fortresses(堡垒), which are witnesses of continual fights against the control of neighboring England in Scottish history．

　　Perhaps the most exciting moment for Scottish autonomy(自治)is the one experienced inside this ancient abbey of Arbroath, where, in 1320, the Declaration of Independence was celebrated, at the instigation of King Robert the Bruce．He carried out the plan for autonomy drawn up by the great popular hero William Wallace, for whom cinema has designed the wonderful film Braveheart, the winner of the five Oscars．

　　This is Glamis Castle．It is often remembered for being the residence of King Macbeth and Queen Elizabeth in her childhood．Among the most frequent guests here are the predictable ghosts, if not actually created, by ancient popular beliefs．These have been handed down over the centuries by a people tended to live with mystery, with the forces of the supernatural．

　　Another attraction here is a legendary monster：the Loch Ness Monster．Is it real or imaginary that this monster, which has been nicknamed Nessie, has collected a good 3000 sightings over the last 50 years．

　　The true flag of Scotland, tartan, is recognizable from the brightly colored plaid patterns which are used to distinguish the various social groups．

　　Bagpipes and dancing open the competitions of local sporting events, which are called Highland Gatherings．

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　　Sure enough, at that very moment as they looked back, they saw the man bend down to examine something on the pavement．Then he looked all around for some moments．They held their breath．The man bent down again, and prodded(以尖物推或刺)the pavement with his shoe．

　　Toad, who at the best of times would not have been fast enough escape pursuit, was so tired that he could hardly move at all．As he felt the toe of the man’s shoe touch him, he shuffled(慢吞吞地走)a mere couple of inches towards the road．His friends were all on the safe side of the road and he felt completely abandoned．The man’s shoe started to move towards him again．The next thing he knew, there was a flurry(阵风)of wings above him, followed by a sharp cry of pain．

　　Then Fox was by his side, “Fast as you can, up my tail,” he whispered．Toad grasped Fox’s thick brush and grasped tightly with his front feet, pulled himself slowly up．Fox did not stop more than a moment．Once he was sure Toad was off the ground, he raced back across the road again, with Toad hanging grimly on behind．

　　Tawny Owl(]猫头鹰)had stretched out his claws and skimmed(掠过)the man’s head, raking through his hair．The man’s arms flailed(用力挥动)wildly upwards and caught the bird a glancing blow on the back, but Tawny Owl, seeing that Fox and Toad were out of danger, flew steadily upwards in a wide arc(弧)until the man could no longer see him．Then he flew back over the road, and over the railings, landing by the gorse([植]　金雀花)patch．The moment of danger had passed．

　　Tawny Owl looking through, most of the animals seemed to be silent, and in the dimness(朦胧)he could make out various shapes crowded together around the gorse．

　　“Thanks, Owl”, he heard Fox whisper．”All safe now．Everyone’s exhausted——no wish to talk at the moment…”he broke off to yawn．”We’re well hidden here…oh, I’m so tired…I think I’m the only one still awake．Toad’s asleep already．”

　　“Good night, Fox．”

　　“Good night, Owl．”He whispered．”See you in the evening．”

　　Tawny Owl flew slowly away to join the other birds before it grew light．The first stage of the journey was complete．

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