阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　BEIJING-Eye doctors in the capital are expressing confidence in laser(激光)eye surgery, or LASIK, despite the safety concerns that a Taiwan specialist raised this week．Ray Tsai, an ophthalmologist and LASIK pioneer, told Taiwan media on Tuesday that he plans to stop performing the surgeries after learning that some patients who had undergone it had experienced sudden losses of vision and had developed other complications(并发症)．

　　Industry analysts estimate that 1.5 million LASIK eye operations are performed on the mainland a year, each costing at least 6, 000 yuan(＄953)．Wang Enpu, dean of the ophthalmology department of the Air Force General Hospital in Beijing, said no countries or regions in the world have stopped LASIK treatments, the effectiveness of which has been proved．“As long as surgeons follow the correct procedures, I’ve never seen a single patient come back because of complications caused by the surgery, ” said Wang．He said LASIK is known to lead to fewer complications than other types of eye surgery．He also said the technology used in the procedure has improved during the past 10 years．Even so, he said patients who undergo the surgery may have to wait a fairly long time afterward for their corneas to heal．He also said that those parts of their eyes will forever be weaker and more susceptible to damage．“Anyone has to be more careful for the rest of his life with a part of the body that has undergone surgery, ” he said．“Most hospitals offer free eye checkups for a year after the surgery．”

　　The US Food and Drug Administration says LASIK, like most operations, involves risks．It also said patients should be made aware of the complications that can arise from a treatment before they undergo it．At the same time, the administration said most US patients who had undergone LASIK express satisfaction with the surgery's results．

　　Chen Bang, board director of Air Eye Hospital Group, a leading ophthalmological institution in China, said in his micro blog that his hospital had performed the surgery on about 550, 000 eyes and the incidence(发病率)of post-operation adverse reactions was only 0.6 percent．“Doctors in China must also pass special exams to be qualified to operate laser machines．Despite that precaution, there have been irregularities, ” he said．“Some unqualified doctors also practice the surgery and some perform it on unsuitable patients to make a profit．” “And the devices’ accuracy can greatly affect the outcome of the procedure, ” said Yu Jing, an ophthalmologist with No 10 People's Hospital of Tongji University in Shanghai．“The new devices are expensive, ” she said．“Before 2004, there were many private and small hospitals competing in the market．It's much better now．”

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　The unique way someone walks can betray who they are with almost as much accuracy(准确性)as fingerprints, scientists have found．

　　Researchers have developed a method that can identify a unique “pressure signature” in their footsteps．By analyzing more than 100, 000 pressure points created by people's feet as they walk, the scientists were able to pinpoint 70 key patterns that are unique to an individual．They hope the system could provide a new form of “biometric” identification that could work alongside retinal(视网膜的)scanning and fingerprints at airports．The only trouble is that the system can only identify people if they are not wearing shoes．

　　Dr John Goulermas, an electrical engineer at the University of Liverpool, said they were hoping to develop the system so it will work when people are wearing shoes too．He said： “This is more complicated as the stiffness of the sole and the treads(脚底的硬度和踩踏的强度)can change things, but it should still be possible．” The researchers asked 104 volunteers to walk across boards with thousands of highly sensitive pressure sensors．They recorded ten steps per person and then analyzed how each person's step changed to produce a unique profile for each person．When asked to then identify individuals from their footsteps, the system was correct 99.6 per cent of the time．

　　Researchers have been investigating the unique aspects of gait(步态)for some time and many attempts have been made to use computer recognition software to detect individuals．Dr Todd Pataky, who led the research at Liverpool University but has since moved to Shinshu University in Tokida, Japan, added, “If we see a family member or a friend from a distance we can identify that person based on their walk．Our feet are the only parts ofour body that interact with the environment during walking so it is logical that an individual's unique movement patterns are transmitted via the feet to the ground．We are currently working on other checking whether other information can be unraveled(分解)from foot pressures, including things like gender, age, and exercise levels, but we expect that these characteristics will not be as well classified．”

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Did you ever hear of “marriage by capture”? Marriage by capture, also called bride kidnapping(绑架), has been practiced throughout history and around the world and goes back to primitive culture when tribal groups were hostile(敌视的)to each other．While trying to conquer a hostile tribe, the groom kidnapped the woman he wished to marry．The groom usually brought along a fellow-warrior as his “best man” to help kidnap the bride-to-be．

　　The bridesmaid, or the maid of honor, and the honeymoon are also relics(遗产)of bride kidnapping．In the old days, the bridesmaids were the women who helped the bride to get captured by the groom she wanted．Today a bridesmaid is one of the women who attend to the bride at a wedding and is usually a sister or close friend of the bride．The practice of having a honeymoon goes back to the time when the groom had to go into hiding with his kidnapped bride to avoid being discovered by her relatives．Today many newlyweds still keep their honeymoon plans a secret from their relatives．

　　The custom of marriage by capture may have gradually led to marriage by purchase．In order to avoid tribal warfare, the groom offered to pay a bride price to the bride's parents as compensation for their loss．The bride price is not the same as the dowry, which is the property a bride brings to her husband upon the marriage to help establish the new household．Giving a bride price is still practiced in many Asian countries．

　　The practice of “giving the bride away” in the modern wedding ceremony originated from the time when the bride's parents arranged her marriage and gave or sold her to the groom．Today at some wedding ceremonies, the minister may ask, “Who gives this woman to this man in marriage? ” To show his approval, the father will reply, “I do” and then give his daughter away to the groom by putting her hand into the groom's hand．

　　In the modern world, marriage by capture is widely considered a sex crime, though it is still practiced in some cultures, and marriage by purchase has almost died away．The modern version of marriage is marriage by mutual love．In most countries today, marriage is governed by civil law．Although most couples celebrate their wedding in the presence of a priest, rabbi, or minister, depending on their religious beliefs, they must have the official marriage license to make their marriage valid．

　　The modern marriage makes good use of many old traditions as symbols, making it colorful and romantic．In the United States and many other countries, the new bonds between a married couple are frequently represented by some old practices, such as the white wedding grown, the bride being carried across the threshold(门槛)of the new home, the flower girls, the exchange of wedding rings, the joining of hands, the throwing of rice, grain, or nuts, the wedding cake, and the bridal kiss．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　The Vienna-based researchers showed that dogs will stop doing a simple task when not rewarded if another dog, which continues to be rewarded, is present．

　　The experiment consisted of taking pairs of dogs and getting them to present a paw for a reward．On giving this “handshake” the dogs received a piece of food．One of the dogs was then asked to shake hands, but received no food．The other dog continued to get the food when it was asked to perform the task．

　　The dog without the reward quickly stopped doing the task, and showed signs of anger or stress when its partner was rewarded．

　　To make sure that the experiment was really showing the interaction between the dogs rather than just the frustration of not being rewarded, a similar experiment was conducted where the dogs performed the task without the partner．Here they continued to present the paw for much longer．

　　Dr Frederike Range from the University of Vienna says this shows that it was the presence of the rewarded partner that was the greater influence on their behaviour．

　　“The only difference is one gets food and the other doesn't, they are responding to being unequally rewarded．” she said．

　　The researchers say this kind of behaviour, where one animal gets frustrated with what is happening with another, has only been observed in primates(灵长类)before．

　　Studies with various types of monkeys and chimpanzees show they react not only to seeing their partners receiving rewards when they are not, but also to the type of reward．

　　The dog study also looked at whether the type of reward made a difference．Dogs were given either bread or sausage, but seemed to react equally to either．Dr Range says this may be because they have been trained．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Since weeks ago, China has been involved in a worldwide A/H1N1 flu that has already killed more than 80 people in the middle of May, 2009, in Mexico and has turned into a global pandemic．

　　The central government has asked people entering China from the virus-hit countries to report flu-like symptoms(症状)to the authorities．In an emergency notice issued on Saturday night, the country's top quality watchdog ordered the Customs to check passengers’ temperature, too．

　　A Beijing airport official Li said Customs officers are on a high alert(警戒)level．

　　“Three temperature detectors are now in operation．We’re ready with protection garments and equipment, too．Passengers flying in from Mexico and other A/H1N1 flu-hit countries are being monitored closely, ” he said．

　　The Ministry of Health, however, said yesterday there was no evidence to suggest that a person would contract the disease by eating pork．

　　Hong Kong, too, has raised its alert level against the flu to “serious”．Secretary for Food＆Health, Mr．York Chow urged people to avoid visiting places from where A/H1N1 flu cases have been reported, and said the virus would be added to Hong Kong's list of the diseases which have been noticed．

　　The terrible A/H1N1 flu has been contracted by about 4000 people in Mexico, and most of the killed were aged between 25 and 45．

　　The virus has also infected about 5, 000 people in the US．The US Center for Disease Control said this kind of virus is spreading from human to human, raising fears of a global pandemic．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Most of us think that when we step under a shower we’re getting clean．We are, but we're also giving a home to lots of tiny little creatures we didn't even know about．

　　A showerhead carries thousands of bacteria(细菌)called Mycobacterium．These can cause problems like coughs and tiredness, and a general feeling of poorliness(身体不舒服)．When you turn on the water, the bacteria go from the showerhead onto and into your body．

　　This is a finding of Norman R．Pace and his team at the University of Colorado, in the US．The scientists investigated bacteria in all kinds of human environment, including showers．

　　Pace's team looked at 45 showerheads in nine American cities．They discovered that 30 percent of them had large amounts of flying Mycobacterium．

　　But Pace said that they pose few threats to the health．Only those with a frail(脆弱的)immune(免疫的)system might need to worry．

　　He told the New York Times that the bactertia are not as unpleasant as might be thought．He said that having a shower is no more dangerous than anything else we do in the morning．

　　But for those who feel sick about the idea of all those microorganisms(微生物), he had some advice．

　　Let the water run for 30 seconds before getting into the shower．Why? The number of bacteria is smaller than when the water is just turned on．If that seems like a waste of water, he added that you could also change your showerhead every few months．

　　But Pace had good news too．He has also been testing the air in US subways．Apart from iron particles(粒子), which are ground off the track by the wheels of trains, subway air is fresh．The reason is that a train's movement pumps fresh outdoor air into the tunnels(隧道)．

　　Pace explained that he wanted to understand the natural microbial(微生物的)environments of public places．This kind of knowledge might help detect the microbes to be used in a bioterrorist(生物恐怖分子)attack．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　At the end of my senior year of high school, I got a job working at a local coffee shop．I thought the job would be easy and stress-free．I pictured myself pouring the best coffees, making delicious doughnuts(炸面包圈), and becoming friends with regular customers．

　　I wasn't expecting the people with enormous orders, the women who complained that the coffee was much too creamy(含乳脂的), or the men who wanted their iced coffees remade again and again until they reached perfection．I couldn't seem to please anyone．

　　One rainy day, one of my regular customers came in looking upset．He said he felt like getting in bed, pulling the sheets up over his head, and staying there for a few years．I knew exactly how he felt．

　　Before he left, I handed him a bag along with his iced coffee．He was surprised, since he hadn't ordered anything but coffee．I had given him his favorite type of doughnut．

　　“It's on me, ” I told him．“Have a nice day．”

　　He smiled and thanked me before heading back out into the rain．

　　The next day, it was still raining．I spent my afternoon hanging out the window handing people their orders．I was completely wet and freezing cold．Worse, no one was tipping that day．Every time I looked into our empty tip jar, I grew more depressed．

　　In the evening, the customer from the day before drove up to the window．He handed me a pink rose and a note．He said that not many people took time to care about others and he was glad there were still people like me in the world．With a friendly wave, he drove away．

　　I ran to the back of the shop and read the note．It read：

　　Christine,

　　Thanks for being so sweet, kind and thoughtful yesterday．It is so nice to meet someone who's indeed nice．Please don't change your ways! Have a great day! –Hank

　　After that, whenever I felt depressed or sick of coffee, I thought of Hank and his kindness．Then I would smile, hold my head up high, clear my throat and ask politely, “How can I help you?”

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it “was too crowded．” “I can't go to Sunday School, ” she sobbed to the pastor(牧师)as he walked by．Seeing her shabby appearance, the pastor guessed the reason, and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class．The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus．

　　Some years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor buildings and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements．As her poor little body was being moved, a worn purse was found which seemed to have been picked up from some trash dump．Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, “This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School．”

　　For two years she had saved for this offering of love．When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do．Carrying this note, he told people the story of her unselfish love and devotion．

　　A newspaper learned of the story and published it．It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands．When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents．

　　Church members made large donations．Checks came from far and wide．Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to ＄250, 000, a huge sum for that time．

　　When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3, 300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained．Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday scholars, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　I learned about life from an ant farm．When I was seven years old, my family created one．First, we put clean sand in a thin glass box, and then we waited for the live ants to arrive．Shortly after the chilly ants were dropped into the glass structure, they got to work making tunnels．I was amazed that each one knew exactly what to do．After hours of staring, I realized that the ants had assigned jobs．With my mom ' s help, I kept a diary of what happened each day and named the ants．

　　One day a tragedy struck the ant farm．The pages of the diary, still wrinkled where tear drops fell, indicate the depth of the tragedy．' I had put my face so close to the structure that I accidentally tipped it over, caving in all the tunnels．Although the ants survived their earthquake, one by one they began to die．I was terrified as I watched them give up their tunnel-building to carry the bodies to a comer of the farm．My mother reported that the ants were dying of "frustration．" They simply could not stand the reality that their tunnels had been destroyed．

　　Although much time has passed, I still think of that ant farm．Mom had hoped it would teach me about the natural world, but it taught me much more．Over the years, I came to realize the ants were a study in the benefits of teamwork．Working together, they were able to create an amazing world for themselves．I also learned that they should be admired for their hard work．Day in and day out, each labored at their task．The ant farm showed that teamwork and perseverance are indeed two key ingredients to success．But there was an even larger lesson that I did not realize until recently：Adversity(不幸、灾祸)is a natural part of life,

　　and must be accepted．Unlike the ants, humans cannot give up when they face disappointment．Unlike the ants, we have to realize that if a tunnel caves in, we just have to build another．Giving up, I say, is not a choice．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

Cool snowflakes

　　You have seen snow, but have you ever studied a snowflake? Have you looked hard at falling snowflake and seen its design up close?

　　It' s not easy to look at something so tiny．The flake often melts or blows away as soon t it lands．If looking at one seems difficult, imagine trying to photograph one．

　　But that' s what Ken Libbrecht has spent much of the past four years doing：catching snowflakes, putting them under a microscope and taking pictures of them．

　　Libbrecht is an American scientist who has written four books about snowflakes．Four of his snow photos will be put on US postage stamps this holiday season．

　　It' s the structure

　　In his latest book "Ken Libbrecht' s Field Guide to Snowflakes", he answers lots of questions about snowflakes in a way that' s easy to understand．

　　The beautiful structure of snowflakes is mainly the result of two things：conditions in the sky and the structure of water molecules(分子)．

　　A snowflake starts as a very small spot of dust．Water molecules in the air get attached to the dust, then freeze．These molecules are triangular．When enough of them become attached, a six-sided shape is formed．

　　Some snowflakes become flat and stay that way．Sometimes more water molecules freeze at the six corners and make the snowflake look like flowers．Other snowflakes turn into six-sided columns．

　　But if the changes in temperature and the amount of water in the air are just right, thin branches may grow on a baby snowflake as the snowflake travels in the air．The six-pointed starbursts(星放射状)are usually the prettiest．They are most likely to form when the weather is either just below freezing or around 5 degrees．

　　Be a snowflake watcher

　　1．A gentle snowfall is best．

　　2．Take a magnifying glass(放大镜)and a piece of black paper outside and wait a few minutes for the paper to get cold．

　　3．Hold the paper out flat until a few flakes have landed on it．Quickly examine them with the magnifying glass．Look for the best ones, or see how many types you can find．

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