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　　Plants can't communicate by moving or making sounds, as most animals do．Instead, plants produce volatile compounds(挥发性化合物)——chemicals that easily change from a liquid to a gas．A flower's sweet smell, for example, comes from such volatile compounds to attract insects such as bugs and bees．

　　Plants can also discover volatile compounds produced by other plants．A tree under attack by hungry insets, for instance, may give off these chemicals in order to let other trees know about the attack．In response, the other trees may send off their chemicals to keep the bugs away——or even chemicals that will attract the bugs’ natural enemies．

　　Now scientists have created a quick way to understand what plants are saying： a chemical sensor(传感器)called an “electronic nose”．The “e-nose” can tell such compounds as plants make．When plants are attacked, scientists say, the e-nose could help quickly decide whether plants are being eaten by insects．But today, the only way to spot such insects is to inspect individual plants by observing them．This is a challenging task for managers of greenhouses, including those that can house thousands of plants．The research team is working with an e-nose that can recognize volatile compounds．Inside the device, 13 sensors chemically react with volatile compounds based on the interactions(相互作用), and then the e-nose will give off electronic signals that the scientists can analyze by using computer software．

　　To test the e-nose, the team presented it with healthy leaves from cucumber, pepper and tomato plants, all being common greenhouse crops．Then scientists collected samples of the air around damaged leaves from each type of crop．These plants had been damaged either by insects or by scientists who made holes in the leaves with a hole punch(打孔器)．

　　The e-nose, it turns out, can identify healthy cucumber, pepper and tomato plants based on the volatile compounds they produce．It could also identify tomato leaves that had been damaged．But even more impressive, the device could tell which type of damage——by insects or with a hole punch——had been done to the tomato leaves．

　　With some fine-tuning(微调), a device like the e-nose can one day be used in greenhouses to quickly spot harmful bugs, the researchers say．A device like this can also be used to identify fruits that are perfectly ripe and ready to pick and eat, says Natalia Dudareva, a biochemist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, India, who studies smells of flowers and plants．Hopefully, scientists believe, the device can bring large benefits to greenhouse managers in the near future．

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　　When Iwas seven, my father gave me a Timex, my first watch I loved it, wore it for years, and haven't had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago．Why? Because I don't need one I have a mobile phone and I'm always near someone with an iPod or something like that．All these devices(装置)tell the time-which is why, if you look around, you'll see lots of emty wrists(手腕); sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007．

　　But while these wise people have realized that they don't need them, others-including some distinguished ones of our time-are sending total fortunes on them．Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to 250.000 for a piece．

　　This is ridiculous．Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars．Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes．But these days, all watches tell the time as well as all other watches．Yes, you may say expensive watches will come with some extra functions-but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea to test its function of waterproof, or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole by using its compass? So why pay that much of five years’ school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?

　　If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note．Instead, the Swiss re-invented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds’ worth of advertising, as a message about the man——usually a famous star, wearing it．Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world．

　　Watches are classified as “investment items”(投资项目)now．A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly ￡ 350, 000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from 15, 000 to 30, 000 plus in a year．But, to some wealthy people, a watch is more than an investment．It's a valuable toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion．Prices may keep going up-they’ve been rising for fifteen years．But when fashion moves on, the owner of that ￡ 350, 000 treasured object will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Times．

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　　Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard．

　　“I'll be the first millionaire in Coleford! ” Richard used to boast．

　　“And you'll be sorry that you knew me, ” George would reply “because I'll surely be the best lawyer in our town! ”

　　After graduation, George never became a lawyer and Richard was anybody but a millionaire …．Instead, it happened that both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street, while it was hard to make much money from books then, which made the competition between them worse．Eventually, Richard closed down his, dreaming of making a fortune elsewhere．

　　Now, with only one bookshop in the town, business was better for George．But sometimes he sat in his narrow old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his former rival(竞争对手)。Perhaps he missed him? zxxk

　　George was very interested in old dictionaries, and he had recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition．When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was quite delighted．But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in．He was astonished-the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading： “Bookends Company has bought ten bookstores from its competitors．The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in this country．”

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　　Abuse can be defined as “to treat wrongfully or harmfully”．There are different categories of abuse that have been recognized and within our case study there appear to be two distinct forms of abuse, family abuse and child abuse．These can be subdivided into terms of physical abuse and psychological abuse．Physical abuse is the intentional physical injury or harm or deliberately not preventing harm occurring．The minimum physical signs seen in our study of James are bruises but they might feel more painful to his heart than the more serious invisible injuries．Emotional abuse is the continual failure to meet basic emotional needs．Emotional development is prevented and well-being harmed．The emotional signs in our case study can be seen in James by his actions of being withdrawn and non-communicative．The behavioural sign to abuse taking place to James is his aggressive behaviour．

　　The short term effect of physical abuse on James is physical pain．In the long term, injuries that often happen can result in secondary illness and complications, permanent scars or even disabilities．His emotional effects in the short term are a fear of people, withdrawal, and poor relationship with others．The long term emotional effects could be low self-respect, depression, inability to form relationships．

　　Abuse can arise for many reasons and there are a number of theoretical views which may be useful in clarifying why the abuse has taken place．The female view believes that sex and family roles give approval to a culture of abuse．Considering the historical and fixed ideas, men have power and control．In James' case he lives in a re-constructed family with the father being rude and a heavy drinker．From a psychological angle, alcohol misuse can bring mental health problems which may increase aggression in the person and so James is more at risk from abuse by his stepfather．The relationship between the mother and James involves a dependency of James on his mother．With other problems in James' mother's life, this leads to increasing stress and the inability of his mother to cope with and manage a family with four children borne by two mothers．The attachment theory states that significant separations of a child from the carer in the early years can have an effect on their emotional development and can lead to psychological and social difficulties in later life．The loss of both his father and his half sister's father with whom he lives may have contributed to his behaviour．

　　Abusive behaviour can sometimes be the result of mental health problems, brain damage or being abused themselves．By becoming the abuser they believe they are taking control; some even believe that they are not doing anything wrong and cannot stop themselves．When working with individuals who have abused, it is important to be aware that they may go on to abuse again and there is a need to protect the community from the abuser．

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　　A chocolate printer that allows sweet lovers to create 3D desserts by themselves is to go on sale at a cost of 2,500 pounds．

　　The machine squirts (喷射) out chocolate and, via computer instructions, allows the user to build any shape they like out of the food．But makers Choc Edge have missed the Easter rush．Even so, they hope the printer will be snapped up by retailers (零售商) immediately they come to the market．Britain's biggest chocolatiers Thornton's have already said they are interested．Because of the high cost, however, few individuals are likely to buy one．But the device could one day allow people to design their own 3D objects after submitting their designs on a website．Dr Hao, founder of Choc Edge came up with a prototype (原型) last year and has only just perfected it so that it can now go on sale．“We've improved and simplified the machine, so now it is really easy to use,” he told the BBC．“You just need to melt some chocolate, fill a syringe (注射器) that is stored in the printer, and get creative printing of your chocolate．”

　　3D printing is a technology where a three dimensional object is created by building up successive layers of material．The technology is already used in industry to produce plastic and metal products, but this is the first time the principles have been applied to chocolate．The research has presented many challenges．Chocolate is not an easy material to work with because it requires accurate heating and cooling cycles．Dr Hao said, “What makes this technology special is that users will be able to design and make their own products．From reproducing the shape of a child's favourite toy to a friend's face, the possibilities are endless．It could be developed to help consumers design many products from different materials, but we've started with chocolate as it is easily available, low cost and harmless．” “There is also no wastage as any spoilage (损坏物) can be eaten．” Dr Hao added, “Eventually we may see many mass-produced products replaced by unique designs created by the customer．”

　　EPSRC chief executive Professor Dave Delpy said, “This is a good example of how creative research can be applied to create new manufacturing and retail ideas．By combining developments in engineering with the commercial potential of the digital eco nomy，We can see the new market prospect (前景)－creating new jobs and, in this case, the chocolate printer is called sweet business opportunities．”

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Nicknames for Los Angeles

　　A nickname is a shortened form of a person's name．A nickname can also be a descriptive name for a person, place or thing．Many American cities have nicknames．These can help establish an identity, spread pride among citizens and build unity．Nicknames can also be funny．

　　Los Angeles, California is the second largest city in population, after New York City．Los Angeles has several nicknames．One is simply the city's initials, L．A．It is also called the City of Angels because Los Angeles means “the angels” in Spanish．

　　Los Angeles often has warm, sunny weather．So another nickname is City of Flowers and Sunshine．New York is called The Big Apple．So Los Angeles is sometimes called The Big Orange because of the fruit that grows in that city's warm climate．

　　The American motion picture and television industries are based in Los Angeles．So it is not surprising that it is called The Entertainment Capital of the World．Many films are made in the area of Los Angeles called Hollywood．Millions of people visit the area．No trip to Los Angeles is complete without seeing the word Hollywood" spelled out in huge letters on a hillside．

　　Many movie stars live in Los Angeles．The city is sometimes called Tinseltown．This nickname comes from the shiny, bright and often unreal nature of Hollywood and the movie industry．

　　Another nickname for Los Angeles is La-La Land, using the first letters of Los and Angeles．This means a place that is fun and not serious, and maybe even out of touch with reality．

　　The city of Los Angeles is part of Los Angeles County．There are many smaller cities in the county．Beverly Hills, with its rich people, is one of them．So is Pasadena, with its Rose Parade each New Year's Day．So are the coastal cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, where people like to ride surfboards on the Pacific Ocean waves

　　A good place for watching unusual-looking people is Venice, an area on the west side of Los Angeles．A system of waterways designed after the Italian city of Venice has been built there．

　　Many people love Los Angeles for its warm sunny weather, beautiful mountains and beaches, and movie stars．That includes Randy Newman, who sings about his hometown．

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　　I was feeling a little blue because my mother had been laid off from her job and she had lots of bills to pay．It left me wondering what was going to happen to us now．But it reassured me some when my mother told me she was relieved to be leaving since her boss wasn't the nicest person to be around．

　　I got off the college shuttle bus and started walking．That's when I heard piano music and singing rising above the noise of the people and the traffic．I walked a little slower so I could find out where it was coming from．Through the crowd I saw a young lady sitting at a piano with a carriage next to her．

　　She was singing songs about love, keeping on trying, and not underestimating the power within yourself．The way she was singing comforted me a bit．I stood there watching her play for about fifteen minutes, thinking that it must take courage to perform on your own in the middle of a crowded New York ferry terminal．

　　So I stood there listening．

　　She must have felt my presence because she would occasionally look in my direction．By now I was telling myself that if she could perform in front of hundreds of people she didn't know then I could at least tell her how good she sounded．I walked over and put some money in her carriage and she said, "Thank you．" Instead of continuing my way home, I said to her, "I have been going through a rough time lately, but you've made me hopeful again．"

　　"I'm happy that I could help," she replied．"Why are you so sad?"

　　"Well, my mum told me she had got fired from her job, and that made me sad．I'm not so sure what to do．．．"

　　"You see, here's the problem," she explained．"The way you were walking, your head was down．Don't look defeated, because opportunity comes in different ways and if your head is down you might never see it．You should smile more．．．lift your head up．"

　　I smiled faintly, amazed by how she was encouraging me．So, I asked her, "Why are you playing the piano in the middle of a crowded place? I've seen you do this more than once．"

　　She explained to me that she sees a lot of negative people in the world and she tries to alleviate the pain and bring more positivity by sharing motivational music．She told me that when she wasn't making music she studied psychology．So, that was how she knew some of the things she was telling me．

　　I smiled a little wider because I knew that she was doing a good thing．So, after that we parted, my heart touched and lightened by a musical soul!

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阅读理解，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。

　　Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling．They find out that the new baby is going to be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sings to his sister in Mommy's tummy．

　　The pregnancy progresses normally for Karen, an active member of the Panther Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee．Then the labor pains come．Every five minutes…every minute．But Complications arise during delivery．Hours of labor．Would a C-section be required? Finally, Michael's little sister is born．But she is in serious condition．With siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushes the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St．Mary's Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee．

　　The days inch by．The little girl gets worse．The pediatric specialist tells the parents, “There is very little hope．Be prepared for the worst．” Karen and her husband contact a local cemetery about a burial plot．They have fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby-now they plan a funeral．

　　Michael, keeps begging his parents to let him see his sister, “I want to sing to her, ” he says．Week two in intensive care．It looks as if a funeral will come before the week is over．Michael keeps nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never allowed in Intensive Care．But Karen makes up her mind．She will take Michael whether they like it or not．

　　If he doesn't see his sister now, he may never see her alive．She dresses him in an oversized scrub suit and marches him into ICU．He looks like a walking laundry basket, but the head nurse recognizes him as a child and bellows, “Get that kid out of here now! No children are allowed．” The mother rises up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glares steel-eyed into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line．“He is not leaving until he sings to his sister! ” Karen tows Michael to his sister's bedside．He gazes at the tiny infant losing the battle to live．And he begins to sing．In the pure hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sings：

　　“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray-”

　　Instantly the baby girl responds．The pulse rate becomes calm and steady．

　　Keep on singing, Michael．“You never know, dear, how much I love you．Please don't take my sunshine away-“ The ragged, strained breathing becomes as smooth as a kitten's purr．

　　Keep on singing, Michael．“The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms…” Michael's little sister relaxes as rest, healing rest, seems to sweep over her．

　　Keep on singing, Michael．Tears conquer the face of the bossy head nurse．Karen glows．“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine．Please don't, take my sunshine away．”

　　Funeral plans are scrapped．The next, day-the very next day-the little girl is well enough to go home!

　　The medical staff just called it a miracle．Karen called it a miracle of God's love!

　　Never give up on the people you love．Love is so incredibly powerful．

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阅读理解，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。

　　Across the world, 1.1 billion people have no access to clean drinking water．More than 2.5 billion people lack basic sanitation．(卫生设备)

　　The combination proves deadly．Each year, diseases related to inadequate water and sanitation kill between 2 and 5 million people and cause an estimated 80 percent of all sicknesses in the developing world．Safe drinking water is a precondition for health and the fight against child death rate, inequality between men and women, and poverty．

　　Consider these facts：

　　●The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is 6 kilometers．

　　●Only 58 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa are drinking safe water and only 37 percent of children in South Asia have access to even a basic toilet．

　　●Each year in India alone, 73 million working days are lost to water-borne diseases．

　　Here are three ways you can help：

　　Current U．S．foreign aid for drinking water and sanitation budgets only one dollar per year per American citizen．Few members of Congress have ever received a letter from voters about clean drinking water abroad．

　　2)Sponsor a project with a faith-based organization

　　Many U．S．religious groups already sponsor water and sanitation projects, working with partner organizations abroad．Simply put a single project by a U．S．organization can make safe water a reality for thousands of people．

　　3)Support nonprofit water organizations

　　Numerous U．S．-based nonprofits work skillfully abroad in community-led projects related to drinking water and sanitation．Like the sample of non-profits noted as follows, some organizations are large, other small-scale, some operate worldwide, others are devoted to certain areas in Africa, Asia, or Latin America．Support them generously．

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阅读理解，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。

　　Ramon was very proud of his dog Blackie．Whenever he got a chance, he would ask his dog to amuse his friends with some tricks．

　　One day Ramon went to visit his friend Frank who was sick at home with a bad cold．“How are you feeling? ” asked Ramon．“Worse than yesterday, ” replied Frank．“I have a terrible cough, and there's not a drop of medicine in the house．”

　　“Cheer up, Frank．I'll send Blackie to the local drugstore for some cough syrup(糖浆)．He'll be back in a minute, before you know it．” Ramon put a five-dollar bill in Blackie's mouth and the dog ran down the street．“And keep the change, ” Ramon shouted after him．

　　“Oh, Ramon, don't be silly．You know that dog won't be back with any medicine．” “Oh yes, he will, ” replied Ramon．Half an hour later, however, Blackie had not returned．Ramon was feeling embarrassed, and felt angry at his friend's little smile．

　　“Something has happened to him, I'm sure, ” said Ramon．“He obeys me as a rule．” Just then Frank saw Blackie at a distance．He hurried to open the door and let him in．Frank was shocked to see a bottle of medicine in the dog's mouth．

　　“Good boy, ” said Ramon, “but what took you so long? ” Blackie ran over to the window, barking and wagging(摆动)his tail．Ramon glanced out and saw a bone outside．

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