2022-2023年甘肃省庆阳市公共英语五级(笔试)模拟考试(含答案)

2022-2023年甘肃省庆阳市公共英语五级(笔试)模拟考试(含答案)学校:________班级:________姓名:________考号:________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15题)1.Intermsofacademic1evels，inwhichleveldowefindthesmallestnumber?

2.Inwhatpartoftheworldispotatoespeciallyafavoritefood?

3.PartC

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

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

听力原文：Asyouknow,manybigchangeshappenedafterChristopherColumbusandotherEuropeanscametotheAmericas500yearsago.TodayI'mgoingtotalkaboutachangeintheworlddietthewaypeoplecookedandate.Fivehundredyearsago,therewasabigchangeinthedietofpeopleallovertheworld.

Let'stalkaboutthedietinEurope500yearsago.Oneimportantfoodwasmeat.Europeansatemanykindsofmeat,includingbeef,lamb,goat,andpork.Ekandcheesemadefromthemilkofcowsandgoats.TheEuropeansateseveraldifferentgrains：Mostpeopleatewheat,andsomepeopleaterice,whichcamefirstfromAsia.

Now,let'slookatthedietintheAmericasabout500yearsago.ThedietofthenativeAmericanwasquitedifferentfromthedietoftheEuropeans.ThisisbecausetheEuropeanmeats,dairyproducts,andgrainsdidn'texistintheAmericas.However,thenativeAmericansatesomefoodthatdidn'texistinEurope.ThenativeAmericansatedifferentvegetables,suchaspotatoesandtomatoes.Theyatedifferentgrains,suchascorn.Theyatedifferentmeat,suchasturkeyandotherwildbirds.Theyalsousedspicessuchaschocolateandhotchilipeppers.NoneofthesefoodsexistedinEurope500yearsago.

Nowlet'stalkaboutthebigchangeintheworlddiet500yearsago,afterColumbusandtheEuropeanswenttotheAmericas.

AfterEuropeanswenttotheAmericas,thedietofthenativeAmericanschangedalot.WhentheEuropeanswenttotheAmericas,theytookmanynewkindsoffoodwiththem.TheEuropeansgavesomeofthefood,themeat,dairyproducts,andgrainstothenativeAmericansandthenthenativeAmericansstartedtousetheEuropeanfoodintheircooking.Asaresult,thedietintheAmerica'stodayisverydifferentfromtheirdiet500yearsago.Forexample,ifyougotoacountrylikeMexico,youcanseethatthetraditionalMexicanfoodusesalotofbeef,pork,cheese,wheat,andrice,allfoodsthatcamefromEuropewithColumbus.

AftertheEuropeansreturnedtoEuropefromtheAmericas,therewasalsoabigchangeinthedietofpeopleinEuropeandtherestoftheworld.WhentheEuropeansreturnedtoEurope,theytookmanynewkindsoffoodbackfromtheAmericas.Theytookbackthevegetables,grains,andspicesthattheyfoundintheAmericas.Littlebylittle,peoplealloverEuropestartedusingthenewfoodsintheircooking,andthenthefoodsspreadaroundtheworldtoAfrica,theMiddleEastandAsia.

Someofthenewfoodspreadveryquicklyaroundtheworld.Oneexampleisthechilipepper.Youmaybesurprisedtoknowthat500yearsago,thechilipepperdidn'texistinmanycountriesthat.arefamoustodayfortheirhotandspicyfoodmadewithchilies.Actually．weminkthatthefirstchilipepperwastakentoSpainbyColumbusin1493,whenhereturnedfromtheAmericas.Afteronly100years,chilipeppershadspreadallaroundtheworld.Theygroweasilyinwarmweather.TheonlyplacethatthechilipepperdidnotbecomepopularwasNorthernEurope,probablybecauseitistoocoldtogrowchilipepperseasily.

Althoughchilipeppersspreadquickly,otherfoodsfromtheAmericasspreadveryslowly.Potatoesareagoodexample.Ittookabout250yearsforthepotatoestospreadaroundtheworld.ThereasonittooksolongisthatEuropeansthoughtthatpotatoeswerepoisonous.ThepotatolookedalotlikeaverypoisonousplantthatgrewinEurope.Peoplewereafraidtoeatpotatoes!Foralongtime,peopleonlyusedpotatoestofeedtheirpigs.Butslowly,peoplestartedusingpotatoesasfoodforthemselves.Today,ofcourse

4.Wanghaslittleknowledgeofthephoneticprocessingsystem.

A.RightB.Wrong

5.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

6.Ourhumanfriendssometimesmaymakeusbored,butthefriendsinbooksmayalsobehurtbyus.

A.TrueB.Fasle

7.Whatproblemdoesthemanthinkcanbesolvedifthegovernmentputupsmallunitstobuildsolarpanels?

A.Theheatsupply.

B.Theelectricsupply.

C.Thewatersupply.

D.Theunemploymentsituation.

8.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

听力原文：Whenaconsumerfindsthatanitemsheorheboughtisbrokenorinsomeotherwaydoesnotreachthestandardofthemanufacturer'sclaimforit,thefirststepistopresentthewarranty,oranyotherrecordswhichmighthelp,atthestoreofpurchase.Inmostcases,thisactionwillproduceresults.However,ifitdoesnot,therearevariousmeanstheconsumersmayusetogainsatisfaction.

Asimpleandcommonmethodusedbymanyconsumersistocomplaindirectlytothestoremanager.Ingeneral,the"higherup"theconsumertakeshisor"hercomplaint,thefasterheorshecanexpectittobetackled.Insuchacase,itisusuallysettledintheconsumer'sfavor,assumingheorshehasajustclaim.

Consumersshouldcomplaininpersonwheneverpossible,butiftheycannotgettotheplaceofpurchase,itisacceptabletophoneorwritethecomplaintinaletter.

Complainingisusuallymosteffectivewhenitisdonepolitelybutfirmly,andespeciallywhentheconsumercandemonstratewhatiswrongwiththeiteminquestion.Ifthiscannotbedone,theconsumerwillsucceedbestbypresentingspecificinformationastowhatiswrong,ratherthanbymakinggeneralstatements.Forexample,"Theleftspeakerdoesnotworkatallandthesoundcomingoutoftherightoneisunclear"isbetterthan"thisstereodoesnotwork".

Thestoremanagermayadvisetheconsumertowritetothemanufacturer.Ifso,theconsumershoulddothis,statingthecomplaintaspolitelyandasfirmlyaspossible.Butifapolitecomplaintdoesnotachievethedesiredresult,theconsumercangoastepfurther.Sheorhecanthreatentotakethesellertocourtorreportthesellertoaprivateorpublicorganizationresponsibleforprotectingconsumers'rights.

Whenaconsumerfindsthathispurchasehasafaultinit,whatisthefirstthingheshoulddo?

A.Complainpersonallytothemanager.

B.Threatentotakethemattertocourt.

C.Writeafirmletterofcomplainttothestoreofpurchase.

D.Showsomewrittenproofofthepurchasetothestore.

9.WhatdoesDr.Hubercomparetheuniverseto?

10.Calories,naturalfood,mountainsandthedistancefrommoderncitiesaretheonlycommonthingsinthethreeregions.

A.TrueB.Fasle

11.Whenwillthespeakertalkabouttheeconomicandpoliticalchanges?

12.Beforedeliveringthenewinformation,whatshouldthespeakergivehisaudience?

13.Thepast-orientedpeopletendtolookattheworldina______．

14.Thefrontdoortohishomedoesnotopenautomatically.

A.TrueB.Fasle

15.Howmuchtimedothemanandthewomanhavebeforetheyaddresstheclass?

A.Lessthantenminutes.

B.Abouttwentyminutes.

C.Forty-fiveminutes.

D.Overanhour.

二、2.UseofEnglish(10题)16.

【C5】

17.(38)

18.(46)

19.

【C12】

20.(41)

21.

【C20】

22.(37)

23.(45)

24.Pollutionisa"dirty"word.Topollutemeanstocontaminate--topsoilorsomethingbyintroducingimpuritieswhichmake【C1】______unfitoruncleantouse.Pollutioncomesinmanyforms.Weseeit,smellit,【C2】______it,drinkit,andstumblethroughit.Weliterallylivedinandbreathepollution,and【C3】______surprisingly,itisbeginningto【C4】______ourhealth,ourhappiness,andourcivilization.

Oncewethoughtofpollution【C5】______meaningsimplythesmog—thechoking,stinging,dirty【C6】______thathoversovercities.Butairpollution,whileitis【C7】______themostdangerous,isonlyonetypeofcontaminationamongseveral【C8】______attackthemostbasiclifefunctions.

Throughtheuncontrolleduseofinsecticides,manhaspollutedtheland,【C9】______thewildlife.By【C10】______sewageandchemicalsintoriversandlakes,wehavecontaminatedour【C11】______water.Wearepollutingtheoceans,too,kiltingthefishand【C12】______deprivingourselves【C13】______aninvaluablefoodsupply.

Partoftheproblemisourexploding【C14】______.Moreandmorepeopleareproducingmorewastes.Butthisproblemisintensifiedbyour"throw-away"technology.EachyearAmericans【C15】______of7millionautos,20milliontonsofwastepaper,25millionpoundsoftoothpastetubesand48millioncans.Wethrowawaygumwrappers,newspapers,andpaperplates.Itisnolongerwiseto【C16】______anything.Todayalmosteverythingisdisposable.【C17】______ofrepairingatoasteroraradio,itiseasierandcheapertobuyanotheroneanddiscardtheold,even【C18】______95percentofitspartsmaystillbefunctioning.Babydiapers,whichusedtobemadeofreusablecloth,arenowpaperthrow-aways.Soonwewillwearclothingmadeof【C19】______:"Wearitonceandthrowitaway"willbethesloganofthefashionableconsciousness.

Whereisthisalltoend?Areweturningtheworldintoagiganticdump,oristherehopethatwecansolvethepollutionproblem?【C20】______,solutionsareinsight.Afewofthemarepositivelyingenious.

【C1】

25.

【C6】

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15题)26.PartA

Directions:ReadthefollowingtextsandanswerthequestionswhichaccompanythembychoosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Inrecentyears,therehasbeenasteadyassaultonsaltfromthedoctors:Saltisbadforyou—regardlessofyourhealth.Politiciansalsogotonboard."Thereisadirectrelationship,"UScongressmanNealSmithnoted,"betweentheamountofsodiumapersonconsumesandheartdisease,circulatorydisorders,strokeandevenearlydeath."

Frightening,iftrue!Butmanydoctorsandmedicalresearchersarenowbeginningtofeelthesaltscarehasgonetoofar."Allthishueandcryabouteatingsaltisunnecessary,"Dr.Dustaninsists."Formostofusitprobablydoesn'tmakemuchdifferencehowmuchsaltweeat."Dustan'smostrecentshort-termstudyof150peopleshowedthatthosewithnormalbloodpressureunderwentnochangeatallwhenplacedonanextremelylow-saltdiet,orlaterwhensaltwasreintroduced.Ofthehypertensivesubjects,however,halfofthoseonthelow-saltdietdidexperienceadropinbloodpressure,whichreturnedtoitspreviouslevelwhensaltwasreintroduced.

"Anadequatetosomewhatexcessivesaltintakehasprobablysavedmanymorelivesthanithascostinthegeneralpopulation,"notesDr.JohnH.Laragh."Soarecommendationthatthewholepopulationshouldavoidsaltmakesnosense."

Medicalexpertsagreethateveryoneshouldpracticereasonable"moderation"insaltconsumption.Foranaverageperson,amoderateamountmightrunfromfourtotengramsaday,orroughly1/2to1/3ofateaspoon.Thee-quivalentofonetotwogramsofthissaltallowancewouldcomefromthenaturalsodiuminfood.Therestwouldbeaddedinprocessing,preparationoratthetable.

Thosewithkidney,liverorheartproblemsmayhavetolimitdietarysalt,iftheirdoctoradvises.Buteventheveryvocal"lowsalt"exponent,Dr.ArthurHullHayes,Jr.admitsthat"Wedonotknowwhetherincreasedsodiumconsumptioncauseshypertension."Infact,thereisincreasingscientificevidencethatotherfactorsmaybeinvolved:deficienciesincalcium,potassium,perhapsmagnesium;obesity(muchmoredangerousthansodium);geneticpredis-potition;stress.

"Itisnotyourenemy,"saysDr.Laragh,"SaltistheNo.1naturalcomponentofallhumantissue,andtheideathatyoudon'tneeditiswrong.Unlessyourdoctorhasproventhatyouhaveasalt-relatedhealthproblem,thereisnoreasontogiveitup."

Accordingtosomedoctorsandpoliticians,theamountofsaltconsumed______.

A.exhibitsasanaggravatingfactortopeopleinpoorhealth

B.curesdiseasessuchasstrokeandcirculatorydisorders

C.correlateshighlywithsomediseases

D.isirrelevanttopeoplesufferingfromheartdisease

27.(79)

28.(68)

29.

Whichofthefollowingstatementsistrueaboutinsuranceproducts?

A.Peoplehavenochoicewhenbuyinginsuranceproducts.

B.Thereweresomanychoicesininsuranceproductsinthepastthatpeoplefounditdifficulttomakeadecision.

C.Therearenobetterandcheaperinsuranceproducts.

D.Itisbetterforpeopletohavesomanyinsuranceproductstochoose.

30.PartB

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

Withunfamiliarhumanbeings,whenweacknowledgetheirhumanness,wemustavoidstaringatthem,andyetwemustalsoavoidignoringthem.Tomakethemintopeopleratherthanobjects,weuseadeliberateandpoliteinattention.Welookatthemlongenoughto,makeitquiteclearthatweseethem,andthenweimmediatelylookaway.

66.______

Theimportantthinginsuchanexchangeisthatwedonotcatchtheeyeofonewhomwearerecognizingasaperson.Welookathimwithoutlockingglances,andthenweimmediatelylookaway.Recognitionisnotpermitted.

67.______

Ifyoupasssomeoneinthestreet,youmayeyetheoncomingpersonuntilyouareabouteightfeetapart,thenyoumustlookawayasyoupass.Beforetheeight-footdistanceisreached,eachwillsignalinwhichdirectionhewillpass.Thisisdonewithabrieflookinthatdirection.Eachwillveerslightlyandthepassingisdonesmoothly.

68.______

Tostrengthenthissignal,youlookdirectlyattheother'sfacebeforelookingaway.69.______

Itbecomesimpossibletodiscoverjustwhattheyaredoing.Aretheylookingatyoutoolong,toointently?Aretheylookingatyouatall?Thepersonwearingtheglassesfeelsprotectedandassumesthathecanstarewithoutbeingnoticedinhisstaring.However,thisisaself-deception.Totheotherperson,darkglassesseemtoindicatethatthewearerisalwaysstaringathim.

Weoftenusethislook-awaytechniquewhenwemeetfamouspeople.Wewanttoassurethemwearerespectingtheirprivacyandthatwewouldnotdreamofstaringatthem.Thesameistrueofthecrippledorphysicallyhandicapped.Welookbriefandthenlookawaybeforethestarecanbesaidtobeastare.

70.______

Ofcourse,theoppositeisalsotrue.Ifwewishtoputapersondown,wemaydosobystaringlongerthanisacceptablypolite.Insteadofdroppingourgazeswhenwelockglances,wecontinuetostare.Thepersonwhodisapprovesofinterracialmarriagesordatingwillstarerudelyattheinterracialcouple.Ifhedislikeslonghair,shortdresses,orbeards,hemayshowitwithalonger-than-acceptablestare.

A.Therearedifferentformulasfortheexchangeofglancesdependingonwherethemeetingtakesplace.

B.Inthesubwayorbuswherelongridesinveryclosecircumstancesareanecessity,wemaybehardputtofindsomewayofnotstaring.Wesneakglances,butlookawaybeforeoureyescanlock.Ifwelookwithanunfocusedglancethatmissestheeyesandsettlesonthehead,themouth,thebodyforanyplacebuttheeyesisanacceptablelookingspotfortheunfocusedglance.

C.Actuallyinthiswaywearesaying,inbodylanguage,"Iknowyouarethere,"andamomentlaterweadd,"ButIwouldnotdreamofintrudingonyourprivacy."

D.Itisthetechniqueweuseforanyunusualsituationwheretoolongastarewouldbeembarrassing.Whenweseeaninterracialcouple,wealsousethistechnique.Wemightuseitwhenweseeamanwithanunusualbeard,withextralonghair,withoutlandishclothes,oragirlwithaminimalminiskirtmayattractthislook-and-away.

E.ForthispassingencounterDr.ErvingGoffmaninbehavior.inpublicplacessaysthatthequicklookandtheloweringoftheeyesisbodylanguagefor,"Itrustyou.Iamnotafraidofyou."

F.Sometimestherulesarehardtofollow,particularlyifoneofthetwopeoplewearsdarkglasses.

(66)

31.

TheNationalAssociationtoAdvanceFatAcceptanceholdsthat______.

A.fatpeopleshouldtrytoloseweight

B.eatinglessisharmfultopeople'shealth

C.fatpeoplewerebornthatway

D.obesityisgoodforpeople

32.

InNewYork______.

A.violentcrimedroppedby23%inoneyear

B.policedepartmentpayasmuchas$50,000forJackMaple

C.thecrimerateishigh

D.Comstat'sstatisticalmapsareanalyzedeveryweek

33.

Whatadvantagewilltherebeifonebuyslifeinsuranceinsteadofmakingotherinvestments?

A.Hewillhavemoneyforaretirementhome.

B.Itwillcosthimnothingifhebuysanlifeinsurance.

C.Profitheearnsfrominsuranceistax-free.

D.Itischeaptobuyalifeinsurance.

34.

Whichofthefollowingistheauthor'sopinionaboutthewomanattheGlobalSupportCentre?

A.Shesoundedhelpfulandknowledgeable.

B.Shewastheretomakecallersfrustrated.

C.Shewasabletosolvehercomputerproblem.

D.Shewasquicktopassheralongtoatechnician.

35.(72)

36.(80)

37.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.

38.Women'smindsworkdifferentlyfrommen's.Atleast,thatiswhatmostmenareconvincedof.Psychologistsviewthesubjecteitherasamatterorfrustrationorajoke.Nowthebiologistshavemovedintothisminefield,andsomeofthemhavefoundthattherearerealdifferencesbetweenthebrainsofmenandwomen.Butbeingdifferent,theypointouthurriedly,isnotthesameasbeingbetterorworse.

Thereis,however,adefinitestructuralvariationbetweenthemaleandfemalebrain.Thedifferenceisinapartofthebrainthatisusedinthemostcomplexintellectualprocesses—thelinkbetweenthetwohalvesofthebrain.

Thetwohalvesarelinkedbyatrunklineofbetween200and300millionnerves,thecorpuscallosum.Scientistshavefoundquiterecentlythatthecorpuscallosuminwomenisalwayslargerandprobablyricherinnervefibersthanitisinmen.Thisisthefirsttimethatastructuraldifferencehasbeenfoundbetweenthebrainsofwomenandmenanditmusthavesomesignificance.Thequestionis"What?",and,ifthisdifferenceexists,arethereothers?Re-searchshowsthatpresent-daywomenthinkdifferentlyandbehavedifferentlyfrommen.Aresomeofthesedifferencesbiologicalandinborn,aresultofevolution?Wetendtothinkthatistheinfluenceofsocietythatproducesthesedifferences.Butcouldwebewrong?

Researchshowedthatthesetwohalvesofthebrainhaddifferentfunctions,andthatthecorpuscallosumenabledthemtoworktogether.Formostpeople,thelefthalfisusedforwordhanding,analyticalandlogicalactivities;therighthalfworksonpictures,patternsandforms.Weneedbothhalvesworkingtogether.Andthebettertheconnections,themoreharmoniouslythetwohalveswork.And,accordingtoresearchfindings,womenhavethebetterconnections.

Butitisn'tallthateasytoexplaintheactualdifferencesbetweenskillsofmenandwomenonthisbasis.Inschoolsthroughouttheworldgirlstendtobebetterthanboysat"languagesubjects"andboysbetteratmathsandphysics.Ifthesedifferencescorrespondwiththedifferencesinthehemispherictrunkline,thereisanunalterabledistinctionbetweenthesexes.

Weshan'tknowforawhile,partlybecausewedon'tknowofanypreciserelationshipbetweenabilitiesinschoolsubjectandthefunctioningofthetwohalvesofthebrain,andwecannotunderstandhowthetwohalvesinter-actviathecorpuscallosum