2022-2023年安徽省铜陵市公共英语五级(笔试)真题(含答案)

2022-2023年安徽省铜陵市公共英语五级(笔试)真题(含答案)学校:________班级:________姓名:________考号:________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15题)1.Ifaconsumerwantsaquicksettlementoftheproblem,whomisitbettertocomplainto?

A.Ashopassistant.

B.Thestoremanager.

C.Themanufacturer.

D.Apublicorganization.

2.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

听力原文：ForthoseofyouwhoareeitheralreadystudyingintheUnitedStatesorplanningtooneday,itmightbeinterestingtoknowsomethingabouttheforeignstudentpopulationintheUnitedStates.Fortheacademicyear1995/96therewasasumofapproximately344,000foreignstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStates.Thisfigureof344000mayseemlikeaverylargenumberuntilyoucompareitwiththetotalpopulationof241,000,000.Theforeignstudentpopulationhasbeengrowingforanumberofyearsandisstillgrowing,buttherateofincreasehasdroppedsharplyduringthe1990s.Duringthe1980s,thepopulationgrewquiterapidly.Forexample,between1985and1990.theaverageyearlyincreasewas12.5%.However,thepictureinthe1990sisquitedifferent.Therateofincreasehasdeclinedquitenoticeably.Infact,therateofincreasebetween1994/95and1995/96wasonly0.5%,orone-halfofonepercent.Althoughtheoverallrateofincreasehasdroppedtoonly0.5%.thenumberofstudentsfromsomepartsoftheworldisincreasingwhilethenumberofstudentsfromotherareasisdecreasing.Forexample,duringthissameperiod,thatisbetweentheacademicyears1994/95and1995/96,therewasadecreaseinthenumberofstudentsfromtheMiddleEast,whilethenumberofstudentsfromSouthandEastAsiaincreased.Thesechangesinthenumberofstudentscomingfromdifferentpartsoftheworldnodoubtreflectedchangingeconomicandpoliticalsituations.I'msureyouareawareofmanyofthesechanges,andperhapswecandiscussthematournextmeeting.Fortodaylet'sconfineourtalktofirst,adiscussionoftheoriginofthesestudents,or,inotherwords,wheretheycamefrom;second,thekindsofstudiestheypursue;and,finally,theacademiclevelstheyarefoundin.Ifwehavealittletimeleft,wemightquicklytalkaboutinwhichgeographicareasmostofthemgotoschool.

Let'sdiscusstheoriginsoftheforeignstudentpopulationintheUnitedStatesfortheacademicyear1995/96.Let'sdiscussitinorderfromthoseareassendingthemoststudentstothoseareassendingthefeweststudents.IfwelookatthefiguresprovidedbytheannualcensusofforeignstudentsintheUnitedStatesfortheyear1995/96,weseethatmostoftheforeignstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStatesduringthisyearwerefromSouthandEastAsia.ThisisaratherlargegeographicalareawhichincludessuchconutriesasChina,Korea,Pakistan,India,Malaysia,andIndonesia.Thetotalnumberofstudentsfromthisarea,SouthandEastAsiawas156,830.Inotherwords,roughly2outofevery5foreignstudentscomefromSouthandEastAsia.Almost24000ofthistotalwerefromChina.Malaysiawasclosebehindwithjustalittleover23000students.ThenextlargestnumberofstudentscamefromtheMiddleEast.ThenumberofstudentsfromtheMiddleEastcametoaboutone-thirdthenumberfromSouthandEastAsia.ThefourthlargestnumbercamefromSouthAmerica.NextcanleEurope,Africa,NorthAmerica,andOceania.Let'srecapitulatewhatwe'vesaid.ThelargestnumberofstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStatesduringtheacademicyear1995/96werefromSouthandEastAsia,followedbytheMiddleEast,SouthAmerica,Europe,Africa,NorthAmerica,andOceania.

Whatfieldsaretheselargenumbersofforeignstudentsstudyingin?Itprobablywon'tsurpriseyouthatthelargestnumberareinthefieldofengineering.Infact,21.7%ofthetotalnumberarestudyingengineering.Businessandmanagementisclosebehind,however,withatotalof18.9%.Thethirdmostpopularfieldwasmathematicsand

3.Besidestheproblemofspeakingtoofast,whatelsewillmakelisteningmoredifficult?

4.Whichsubjectdoesthestudentsayshewasgoodat?

A.Computerprogramming.

B.Artanddesign.

C.Electronics.

D.Mathematics.

5.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

听力原文：Whenyoucloseyoureyesandtrytothinkoftheshapeofyourownbody,whatyouimagine(or,rather,whatyoufeel)isquitedifferentfromwhatyouseewhenyouopenyoureyesandlookinthemirror.Theimageyoufeelismuchvaguerthantheoneyousee.Andifyouliestill,itisquitehardtoimagineyourselfashavinganyparticularsizeorshape.

Whenyoumove,whenyoufeeltheweightofyourarmsandlegsandthenaturalresistanceoftheobjectsaroundyou,the"feltimage"ofyourselfstartstobecomeclearer.Itisalmostasifitwerecreatedbyyourownactionsandthesensationstheycause.Theimageyoumakeforyourselfhasratherstrangeproportions:certainpartsfeelmuchlargerthantheylook.Ifyoupokeyourtongueintoaholeinoneofyourteeth,itfeelsenormous;youareoftensurprisedbyhowsmallitlookswhenyouinspectitinthemirror.

Butalthoughthe"feltimage"maynothavetheexactshapeyouseeinthemirror,itismuchmoreimportant.Itistheimagethroughwhichyourecognizeyourphysicalexistenceintheworld.Inspiteofitsstrangeproportions,itisallonepiece,andsinceithasaconsistentrightandleftandtopandbottom,itallowsyoutolocatenewsensationswhentheyoccur.Itallowsyoutofindyournoseinthedark,scratchitchesandpointtoapain.

Ifthefeltimageisdamagedforanyreason—ifitiscutinhalforlost,asitoftenisaftercertainstrokeswhichwipeoutrecognitionofoneentireside—thesetasksbecomealmostimpossible.Whatismore,itbecomeshardtomakesenseofone'sownvisualappearance.Ifonehalfofthefeltimageiswipedoutorinjured,thepatientstopsrecognizingtheaffectedpartofhisbody.Itishardforhimtofindthelocationofsensationonthatside,and,althoughhefeels:thedoctor'stouch,helocatesitasbeingontheundamagedside.

Heloseshisabilitytoaccepttheaffectedsideaspartofhisbodyevenwhenhecanseeit.Ifyouthrowhimapairofglovesandaskhimtoputthemon,hewillonlygloveonehandandleavetheotherbare.Andyethehadtousethelefthandinordertoglovetheright.Thefactthathecanseetheunglovedhanddoesn'tseemtohelphim,andthereisnoreasonwhyitshould.Hecannolongerreconcilewhatheseeswithwhathefeels:theunglovedobjectlyingontheleftmaylooklikeahand,but,sincethereisnofeltimagecorrespondingtoit,whyshouldheclaimtheobjectasthis?

Mirrorimagesisoftendifferentfromthe"feltimages".

A.TrueB.Fasle

6."Totravelbybook"meanstotakeimaginaryjourneystotheplacesmentionedinthebook.

A.TrueB.Fasle

7.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

听力原文：W：Jim，thankgoodnessyou'vearrived．Theclasspresentationstartedhalfanhourago，andIwasjustbeginningtopanic．

M：I'msorryforbeinglate，Alice.Thismorninghasbeenarealmess．Ididn'tthinkIwasgoingtomakeithereatall．

W：Whyareyoulate?Ourpresentationdependsonthosegraphsyouareholding．

M：Yes，Iknow．I'lltellyouaboutitlater．First，let'sseehowwearedoingfortime．Twogroupsarestillaheadofus，aren'tthey?Thepresentationsonthefightsoftheconsumerandtheanalysisofthestockmarket．ThatmeansI'vegottwentyminutestosortout．

W：Youlookcold．Whathappened?

M：I'vebeenstandingoutsideinarctictemperaturesforoveranhourwaitingforabus．

W：Overanhour?ButIthoughtyourapartmentwasonlyatenminutebusridetocampus．

M：Innormalconditions，butthebuswasdelayedbecauseoftheweather，andwhenIstoppedinadrugstoretocallhomeforaride，thebuswentby．Asluckwouldhaveittherewasnooneathome，soIhadtowaitanotherforty-fiveminutesforthenextbus．

W：That'sMurphy'sLaw，isn'tit?Whatdiditsay?Ifanythingcangowrong，itwill．Well，we'vestillgottwentyminutestogetourwitstogether．

Whatisthewoman'stoneofvoicewhenshefirstseestheman?

A.Frustrated.B.Relieved.C.Sarcastic.D.Apologetic.

8.Whatdoesthetalkmainlyconcern?

9.Whichareaoftheworldcontributedtoanincreasebetween94/95and95/96?

10.WhatkindofgraindidmostEuropeanseat500yearsago?

11.Chainschoolsoftenchangetheirlocations.

A.RightB.Wrong

12.Howcanthemosteffectivecomplaintbemade?

A.Showingthefaultitemtothemanager.

B.Explainingexactlywhatiswrongwiththeitem.

C.Sayingfirmlythattheitemisofpoorquality.

D.Askingpolitelytochangetheitem.

13.Whatisthecharacteristicofspecialtygoods?

A.Theyaregoodsthatcanbeboughtataspecialprice．

B.Theyarespecialkindsofproducts．

C.Theyarecharacterizedintheirbrands．

D.Theyneedspecialeffortstoget．

14.Whatwasthenamegiventothegenerationthatcameofageduringthe1960s?

15.WhatwasthereunderarockonceatthesoutherntripofAfrica?

二、2.UseofEnglish(10题)16.(39)

17.(36)

18.(43)

19.Pollutionisa"dirty"word.Topollutemeanstocontaminate—topsoilorsomethingbyintroducingimpuritieswhichmake【31】______unfitoruncleantouse.Pollutioncomesinmanyforms.Weseeit,smellit,【32】______it,drinkit,andstumblethroughit.Weliterallylivedinandbreathepollution,and【33】______surprisingly,itisbeginningto【34】______ourhealth,ourhappiness,andourcivilization.

Oncewethoughtofpollution【35】______meaningsimplythesmog—thechoking,stinging,dirty【36】______thathoversovercities.Butairpollution,whileitis【37】______themostdangerous,isonlyonetypeofcontaminationamongseveral【38】______attackthemostbasiclifefunctions.

Throughtheuncontrolleduseofinsecticides,manhaspollutedtheland,【39】______thewildlife.By【40】______sewageandchemicalsintoriversandlakes,wehavecontaminatedour【41】______water.Wearepollutingtheoceans,too,killingthefishand【42】______deprivingourselves【43】______aninvaluablefoodsupply.

Partoftheproblemisourexploding【44】______.Moreandmorepeopleareproducingmorewastes.Butthisproblemisintensifiedbyour"throw-away"technology.EachyearAmericans【45】______of7millionautos,20milliontonsofwastepaper,25millionpoundsoftoothpastetubesand48millioncans.Wethrowawaygumwrappers,newspapers,andpaperplates.Itisnolongerwiseto【46】______anything.Todayalmosteverythingisdisposable.【47】______ofrepairingatoasteroraradio,itiseasierandcheapertobuyanotheroneanddiscardtheold,even【48】______95percentofitspartsmaystillbefunctioning.Babydiapers,whichusedtobemadeofreusablecloth,arenowpaperthrowaway.Soonwewillwearclothingmadeof【49】______:"Wearitonceandthrowitaway"willbethesloganofthefashionableconsciousness.

Whereisthisalltoend?Areweturningtheworldintoagiganticdump,oristherehopethatwecansolvethepollutionproblem?【50】______,solutionsareinsight.Afewofthemarepositivelyingenious.

(31)

20.

【C8】

21.(37)

22.

【C18】

23.(38)

24.(50)

25.

【C2】

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15题)26.(67)

27.PartB

Directions:Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66-70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA-Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

AccordingtotheAmericanAcademyofDermatology,anestimated10to50millionpeopleinthiscountryhaveanallergicreactiontopoisonivyeachyear.Poisonivyisoftenverydifficulttospot.Itcloselyresemblesseveralothercommongardenplants,andcanalsoblendinwithotherplantsandweeds.Butifyoucomeintocontactwithit,you'llsoonknowbytheitchy,blisteryrashthatformsonyourskin.Poisonivyisared,itchyrashcausedbytheplantthatbearsitsname.Manypeoplegetitwhentheyarehikingorworkingintheirgardenandaccidentallycomeintodirectcontactwiththeplant'sleaves,roots,orstems.Thepoisonivyrashoftenlookslikeredlines,andsometimesitformsblisters.

66.______

About85percentofpeopleareallergictotheurushiolinpoisonivy,accordingtotheAmericanAcademyofDermatology.Onlyatinyamountofthischemical—1billionthofagram—isenoughtocausearashinmanypeople.Somepeoplemayboastthatthey'vebeenexposedtopoisonivymanytimesandhavenevergottentherash,butthatdoesn'tnecessarilymeanthey'renotallergic.Sometimestheallergydoesn'temergeuntilyou'vebeenex-posedseveraltimes,andsomepeopledeveloparashaftertheirveryfirstexposure.Itmaytakeuptotendaysfortherashtoemergethefirsttime.

67.______

Herearesomeotherwaystoidentifythepoisonivyplant.Itgenerallygrowsinaclusteroflow,weed-likeplantsorawoodyvinewhichcanclimbtreesorfences.Itismostoftenfoundinmoistareas,suchasriverbanks,woods,andpastures.Theedgesoftheleavesaregenerallysmoothorhavetiny"teeth".Theircolorchangesbasedontheseason—reddishinthespring;greeninthesummer;andyellow,orange,orredinthefall.Itsberriesaretypicallywhite.

68.______

Thebody'simmunesystemisnormallyinthebusinessofprotectingusfrombacteria,viruses,andtheirforeigninvadersthatcanmakeussick.Butwhenurushiolfromthepoisonivyplanttouchestheskin,itinstigatesanimmuneresponse,calleddermatitis,towhatwouldotherwisebeaharmlesssubstance.Hayfeverisanotherexampleofthistypeofresponse;inthecaseofhayfever,theimmunesystemoverreactstopollen,oranotherplant-producedsubstance.

69.______

Theallergicreactiontopoisonivyisknownasdelayedhypersensitivity.Unlikeimmediatehypersensitivity,whichcausesanallergicreactionwithinminutesofexposuretoanantigen,delayedhypersensitivityreactionsdon'temergeforseveralhoursorevendaysaftertheexposure.

70.______

Intheplaceswhereyourskinhascomeintocontactwithpoisonivyleavesorurushiol,withinonetotwodaysyou'lldeveloparash,whichwillusuallyitch,redden,bum,swell,andform.blisters.Therashshouldgoawaywithinaweek,butitcanlastlonger.Theseverityofthereactionoftenhastodowithhowmuchurushiolyou'vetouched.Therashmayappearsoonerinsomepartsofthebodythaninothers,butitdoesn'tspread—theurushiolsimplyabsorbsintotheskinatdifferentratesindifferentpartsofthebody.Thickerskinsuchastheskinontheonsolesofyourfeet,ishardertopenetratethanthinnerskinonyourarmsandlegs.

A.Becauseurushiolisfoundinallpartsofthepoisonivyplant—theleaves,stems,androots—it'sbesttoa-voidtheplantentirelytopreventarash.Thetroubleis,poisonivygrowsalmosteverywhereintheUnitedStates(withtheexceptionoftheSouthwest,Alaska,andHawaii),sogeographywon'thelpyou.Thegeneralrotetoidentifypoisonivy,"lea

28.

Thephrase"talkingshop"(Line4,Para.6)probablymeans______.

A.talkingaboutshopping

B.discussingone'sworkwithcolleagues

C.exchangingpersonalnews

D.talkingwithfriendsinagroup

29.ShortagesoffluvaccinearenothingnewinAmerica,butthisyear'sisawhopper.Untillastweek,itappearedthat100millionAmericanswouldhaveaccesstoflushotsthisfall.ThenBritishauthorities,concernedaboutquality-controlproblemsataproductionplantinLiverpool,barredallfurthershipmentsbytheChironCorp.Overnight,theU.S.vaccinesupplydwindledbynearlyhalfandfederalhealthofficialsfoundthemselvesmakinganunusualplea.Insteadofbeseechingusalltogetvaccinated,they'renowurgingmosthealthypeoplebetweentheagesof2and64notto."Thisreemphasizesthefragilityofourvaccinesupply,"saysDr.MartinMyersoftheNationalNetworkforImmunizationInformation,"andthelackofredundancyinoursystem."

Whyissuchabasichealthservicesoeasilyknockedout?Mainlybecauseprivatecompanieshavehadlittleincentivetopursueit.Tocreateasingledoseoffluvaccine,amanufacturerhastogrowlivevirusina2-week-oldfertilizedchickenegg,thencracktheegg,harvestthevirusandextracttheproteinsusedtoprovokeanimmunere-sponse.Profitmarginsarenarrow,demandisfickleand,becauseeachyear'sfluvirusisdifferent,anyleftovervaccinegoestowaste.Asaresult,theUnitedStatesnowhasonlytwomajorsuppliers(ChironandAventisPasteur)—andwhenoneofthemrunsintotrouble,thereisn'tmuchtheothercandoaboutit."Avaccinemakercan'tjustcallupandorder40millionmorefertilizedeggs,"saysManonCox,ofConnecticut-basedProteinSciencesCorp."There'sawholeindustrythat'sscheduledtoproduceacertainnumberofeggsatacertaintime."

Sleekertechnologiesarenowintheworks,andexpertsarehopingthatthisyear'sfiascowillspeedthepaceofinnovation.Themainchallengeistoshiftproductionfromeggsintocellcultures—amediumalreadyusedtomakemostothervaccines.Fluvaccinesareharderthanmosttoproducethisway,butseveralbiotechcompaniesarenowpursuingthisstrategy,andoneculture-basedproduct(SolvayPharmaceuticals'Invivac)hasbeenclearedformarketinginEurope.

ForAmericans,theimmediatechallengeistomakethemostofalimitedsupply.Thegovernmentestimatesthat95millionpeoplestillqualifyforshotsunderthevoluntaryrestrictionsannouncedlastweek.That'snearlytwicethenumberofdosesthatclinicswillhaveonhand,butonly60millionAmericansseekoutshotsinanormalyear.Infact,manyexpertsarehopingtheshortagewillserveasanawarenesscampaign—encouragingthepeoplewhoreallyneedaflushottogetone.

Shortagesoffluevaccineshowthat______.

A.Americareliestoomuchonforeignsuppliers

B.thedemandoffluevaccinesishighthisyear

C.qualityproblemisaseriousprobleminfluvaccineproduction

D.thesupplyoffluvaccinesisratherweakandAmericahasnoback-upmeasurestomakeitup

30.(75)

31.(80)

32.PartB

Directions:Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66-70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA-Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Fromhervantagepointshewatchedthemaindoorsswingopenandthefirstarrivalspourin.Thosewhohadbeenattheheadofthelinepausedmomentarilyonentry,lookedaroundcuriously,thenquicklymovedforwardasothersbehindpressedin.Withinmomentsthecentralpublicareaofthebigbranchbankwasfilledwithachattering,noisycrowd.Thebuilding,relativelyquietlessthanaminuteearlier,hadbecomeaBabel.Edwinasawatallheavysetblackmanwavesomedollarbillsandannounceloudly,"Iwanttoputmymoneyinthebank."

66.______!

Itseemedasifthereportabouteveryonehavingcometoopenanaccounthadbeenaccurateafterall.

Edwinacouldseethebigmanleaningbackexpansively,stillholdinghisdollarbills.Hisvoicecutacrossthenoiseofotherconversationsandsheheardhimproclaim,"I'minnohurry.There'ssomethingI'dlikeyoutoexplain."

Twootherdeskswerequicklymannedbyotherclerks.Withequalspeed,longwidelinesofpeopleformedinfrontofthem.

Normally,threemembersofstaffwereampletohandlenewaccountbusiness,butobviouslyinadequatenow.EdwinacouldseeTottenhoeonthefarsideofthebankandcalledhimontheintercom.Sheinstructed,"Usemoredesksfornewaccountsandtakeallthestaffyoucansparetomanthem."

67.______

Tottenhoegrumbledinreply,"Yourealizewecan'tpossiblyprocessallthesepeopletoday,andhowevermanywedowilltieusupcompletely."

"I'vegotanidea,"Edwinasaid,"that'swhatsomeonehasinmind.Justhurrytheprocessingallyoucan."

68.______

First,anapplicationform.calledfordetailsofresidence,employment,socialsecurity,andfamilymatters.Aspecimensignaturewasobtained.Thenproofofidentitywasneeded.Afterthat,thenewaccountsclerkwouldtakealldocumentstoanofficerofthebankforapprovalandinitialing.Finally,asavingspassbookwasmadeoutoratemporarycheckbookissued.

Thereforethemostnewaccountsthatanybankemployeecouldopeninanhourwerefive,sothethreeclerkspresentlyworkingmighthandleasumofninetyinonebusinessday,iftheykeptgoingattopspeed,whichwasunlikely.

69.______

Stillthenoisewithinthebankincreased.Ithadbecomeanuproar.

Afurtherproblemwasthatthegrowingmassofarrivalsinthecentralpublicareaofthebankwaspreventingaccesstotellers'countersbyothercustomers.Edwinacouldseeafewofthemoutside,regardingthemillingscenewithconsternation.Whileshewatched,severalgaveupandwalkedaway.

Insidethebanksomeofthenewcomerswereengagingtellersinconversationandthetellers,havingnothingelsetodobecauseofthemelee,chattedback.Twoassistantmanagershadgonetothecentralfloorareaandweretryingtoconductthefloodofpeoplesoastoclearsomespaceatcounters.Theywerehavingsmallsuccess.

70.______

Shedecideditwastimeforherownintervention.

Edwinalefttheplatform.andafailed-offstaffareaand,withdifficulty,madeherwaythroughthemillingcrowdtothemainfrontdoor.

A.Yetsheknewhowevermuchtheyhurrieditwouldstilltaketentofifteenminutestoopenanysinglenewaccount.Italwaysdid.Thepaperworkrequiredthattime.

B.Butstillnohostilitywasevident.Everyoneinthenowjam-packedbankwhowasspokentobymembersofthestaffansweredpolitelyandwithasmile.Itseemed,Edwinathought,asifallwhowereherehadbeenbriefedtobe

33.PartA

Directions:ReadthefollowingtextsandanswerthequestionswhichaccompanythembychoosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

TheStoneage,theIronage.Entireepochshavebeennamedformaterials.Sowhattonamethedecadesahead?Thechoicewillbetough.Welcometotheageofsuperstuff.Materialscience--oncetheleastsexytechnology—isburstingwithnew,practicaldiscoveriesledbysuperconductingceramicsthatmayrevolutionizeelectronics.Butsuperconductorsarejustpartofthepicture:fromhousesandcarstocookpotsandartificialteeth,theworldwillsometimebemadeofdifferentstuff.Exoticplastics,glassandceramicswillshapethefuturejustassurelyashavegeneticengineeringandcomputerscience.

Thekeytothenewmaterialsisresearchers'increasingabilitytomanipulatesubstancesatthemolecularlevel.Ceramics,forinstance,havelongbeenlimitedbytheirbrittleness.Butbyminimizingthemicroscopicimperfectionsthatcauseit,scientistsaremakingfarstrongerceramicsthatstillretainsuchqualifiesashardnessandheatresistance.FordMotorCo.nowusesceramictoolstocutsteel.AfirmcalledKyocerahascreatedalineofceramicscissorsandknivesthatstaysharpforyearsandneverrustorcorrode.

Asimilartransformationhasovertakenplastics.High-strengthpolymersnowform.bridges,iceskatingrinksandhelicopterrotors.Andonenewplasticthatgenerateselectricitywhenvibratedorpushedisusedinelectricguitars,touchsensorsforrobothandsandkaratejacketsthatautomaticallyrecordeachpunchandchop.Evenplasticlitter,whichoncethreatenedtopermanentlyblotthelandscape,hasprovedamenabletomoleculartinkering.Severalmanufacturersnowmakebiodegradableforms;someplasticsix-packringsforexample,graduallydecomposewhenexposedtosunlight.Researchersaredevelopingwaystomakeplasticsasrecyclableasmetalorglass.What'smore,composites—plasticreinforcedwithfibresofgraphiteorothercompounds--madetheround-the-worldflightofthevoyagerpossibleandhaveevenbeenprovedincombat:ahelmetsavedaninfantryman'slifebydeflectingtwobulletsintheGrenadainvasion.

Someadvancedmaterialsareoldstandardwithanewtwist.Thenewestfiberopticcablesthatcarrytelephonecallscross-countryaremadeofglasssotransparentthatapieceof100milesthickisclearerthanastandardwindowpane.

Butnewmaterialshavenoimpactuntiltheyaremadeintoproducts.Andthattransitioncouldprovedifficult,forswitchingrequireslengthyresearchandinvestment.Itcanbesaidafirmerhandleonhowtomovetocommercializationwilldeterminethesuccessorfailureofacountryinthecomingfuture.

Howmanynewmaterialsarementionedinthispassage?

A.Two.B.Three.C.Four.D.Five.

34.Insuranceissupposedtoprovideprotectionagainstfinancialrisks,andwhiledyingtoosoonisonemajorriskweface,anotherriskmoreandmorepeoplefearisoutlivingtheirmoney.Asaresult,agrowingarrayoflifeinsuranceproductsmakeitpossibletoprotectagainstbothofthoserisks.

Inmanyoftoday'slifeinsuranceproducts,MacDonaldnotes,"Thedeathbenefitportionreallyhasbecomeacommoditytypeproduct,soifsomeoneisreallyconcernedaboutthefinancialimpactofdyingyoung,thentheycangetaprettygooddealbybuyingterminsuranceonacommoditybasis--findthecheapestpolicyandbuyit."But,hesays,"Theothersideofthecoinisthatinsurancecompanieshavedevelopedproductsthatcanbeverycreative,andverycompetitivetootheralternatives,includinginvestments.Theycanfillaveryimportantroleinanyoverallinvestmentplan."

Diverseanduniversalpoliciesofferpeoplechoicesinhowmuchtheywanttoputintotheirpoliciesandhowtheywanttheirfundsinvested.Thesefundscanthenbetappedlaterontoprovidealumpsumforpurchasingaretirementhomeorastreamofretirementincome.Lifeinsuranceisanattractiveinvestmentvehicle,becausethe"insidebuildup",theaccumulationoffundsinsideapolicystructure,isnotsubjecttotaxes,incontrasttootherpersonalinvestments.

However,MacDonaldandotherswarnagainstusinginsurancepoliciespurelyas