Imagine putting some bacteria in the freezer and taking them out millions of years later to find that they are still alive. That would be similar to what happened recently, when scientists brought eight-million-year-old bacteria back to life -- simply by thawing them out. The ancient bacteria were found frozen in the world's oldest known tracts of ice, the glaciers of Antarctica. Professor Bidle and his colleagues found and revived two samples of bacteria from the glacial ice. The first was a hundred thousand years old, and the second was around eight million years old. The eight-million-year-old bacteria were alive. But their genes were seriously damaged from long exposure to cosmic ( ) radiation, which is higher at the earth's poles. Most of the bacteria in the samples probably blew over from African deserts, said Paul Falkowski, a scientist at prefix = st1 /RutgersUniversity. Once the bacteria landed on the glacier's snowy surface, they combined with the snow to form ice. "These ices are actually gene banks," he added. As glaciers and ice caps melt as a result of increasing global warming, large amounts of bacterial genetic material might be washed into the ocean. These bacteria might get incorporated into today's bacteria in the ocean, or living bacteria from the ice might also grow and have an important effect on the ecosystem. "How that's going to play out, we don't know," Bidle said. He and Falkowski plan to focus their future work on how current ice melting influences modem bacteria's genetic diversity. Professor Bidle and Paul Falkowski will probably do research into the influences of _ . A) global warming B) bacteria's genetic diversity C) glacier melting D) biological diversity
C
(Question)
In colleges around the country, most students are also workers. The reality of college can be pretty different from the images presented in movies and television. Instead of the students who wake up late, party all the time, and study only before exams, many colleges are full of students with pressing schedules of not just classes and activities, but real jobs, too. This isn't a temporary phenomenon.The share of working students has been on the rise since the 1970s, and one-fifth of students work yearround. About one-quarter of those who work while attending school have both a full-courseload and a full-time job. The arrangement can help pay for tuition and living costs, obviously. And there's value in it beyond the direct cause: such jobs can also be critical for developing important professional and social skills that make it easier to land a job after graduation. With many employers looking for students with already-developed skill sets, on-the-job training while in college can be the best way to ensure a job later on. But it's not all upside. Even full-time work may not completely cover the cost of tuition and living expenses. The study notes that if a student worked a full-time job at the federal minimum wage, they would earn just over $15,000 each year, certainly not enough to pay for tuition, room, and board at many colleges without some serious financial aid. That means that though they're sacrificing time away from the classroom, many working students will still graduate with at least some debt. And working fulltime can reduce the chance that students will graduate at all, by cutting into the time available for studying and attending classes. There is little reward for attending but not finishing college. Students who wind up leaving school because of difficulty in managing work and class are likely to find themselves stuck in some of the same jobs they might have gotten if they hadn't gone at all. The difficulty of working too much while in school can create a cycle that pushes students further... According to the passage, the reality of college students is that _ . A) they throw parties a lot B) they stay up late every night C) they pay no attention to exams D) they work besides attending classes
(Answer)
D
Ques: Many adults enjoy a cup of coffee to have extra energy on a sleepy morning, and astronauts are no exception. But having a drink in space isn't as easy as it is on the earth. You have to come up with a whole new way to drink, and that' s what scientists are trying to do. "The coffee would be very hard to control in a normal cup," said physics professor Mark Weislogel. "You' d have to shake the cup toward your face and hope that some of the hot liquid floats toward your mouth. When it comes to guessing what liquids will do in new systems, we are often in the dark. " Weislogel believes that creating a big zero - gravity cup would help improve the lives of astronauts in space, so he and other researchers per formed a series of experiments with liquids on the International Space Station (ISS) to see how they move upwards on surfaces in zero gravity. In one of the tests, they placed two surfaces very close together to create a very narrow tunnel. They wanted to see if liquid would easily flow up the tunnel. In another test , the researchers tried to figure out the best angle to place the narrow tunnel at so that the liquids would travel along the corners. The end result is a cup that doesn't look like a normal coffee cup at all. One side of the cup has a very sharp angle and, in zero gravity, the liquid naturally "flows" up that angled side of the cup, right up to the drinker' s lips. The zero-gravity coffee cup is currently being tested on the ISS by astronaut Don Pettit, who worked with the researchers and helped them invent it. " As you sip , more liquid keeps coming , and you can enjoy your coffee in a weightless environment - clear down to the last drop, " said Pettit, who thinks that future humans on Mars will be using this kind of cup to drink during celebrations ! What is the main idea of the passage? A) When humans will drink coffee on Mars. B) How humans will drink coffee in zero gravity. C) How experiments lead to unexpected patents. D) When a normal cup can be used in space.
Ans: B
Ques: When you are at odds with someone close to you, the One-Minute Drill can show you how to express your feelings effectively - and how to listen more skillfully. All it requires is two individuals who are committed to improving their relationship. Set aside at least ten minutes, and then sit facing each other. Decide who will be the Talker and who will be the Listener. It makes no difference, because later you will change roles. How to perform the One-Minute Drill For approximately 30 seconds, the Talker can say anything he or she wants. Your job will be to express your thoughts and feelings. You can discuss problems you've had a hard time talking about. Remember to limit yourself to about 30 seconds. When the Talker finishes, the Listener will summarize what the Talker just said, as well as how the Talker was feeling inside, as accurately as possible. The Talker now gives the Listener a grade between 0 and 100 per cent to indicate how accurate the summary was. If the rating is 95 per cent or more, you can change roles; the new Talker can continue with the same topic or move on to something entirely new. However, if the grade is below 95 per cent, the Talker should point out what the Listener missed or got wrong, and repeat the process until the overall rating is 95 per cent or more. Then you can change roles and repeat the exercise for as long as you both like. How it works Thirty seconds of emotionally charged information is sufficiently challenging for anyone. Express your feelings in strong, clear, direct language, but as your partner will be listening attentively, you won't need to shout, exaggerate or put your partner down. The Listener should sit and listen respectfully without interrupting. Look into your partner's eyes, but avoid using negative body language. If you like, take a few notes. So the Talker might say: "When I come home from work, I feel tired and I need some quiet time. But you tell me I'm supposed to spend time with the kids. This makes me feel frustrated. I work hard and I'm exhausted at... From the example given in "How it works," we can guess that the talk might be between _ . A) husband and wife B) father and son C) mother and daughter D) sister and brother
Ans:
A