All over the world, libraries have begun the Herculean task of making faithful digital copies of the books, images and recordings that preserve the intellectual effort of mankind. For armchair scholars, the work promises to bring such a wealth of information to desktop that the present Internet may not match. Librarians see three clear benefits to going digital. First, it helps them preserve rare and fragile objects without refusing the demands of those who wish to study them. The British Library, for example, holds the only medieval manuscript of Beowulf in London. Only qualified scholars were allowed to see it until Kevin S. Kiernan of the University of Kentucky scanned the Manuscript with three different light sources and put the images up on the Internet for anyone to use. A second benefit is convenience. Once books are changed to digital form, readers can find them in seconds rather than minutes. Several people can read the same book or view the same picture at the same time. Clerks are spared the chore of reshelving. And libraries could use the Internet to lend their collections to those who are unable to visit in person. The third advantage of electronic copies is that they occupy millimeters of space on a magnetic disk rather than meters on a shelf. The cost of library buildings is increasingly high. The University of California at Berkeley recently spent $ 46 million on an underground addition to house 1.5 million books----an average cost of $30 per volume. The price of disk storage, on the contrary, has fallen to about $ 2 per 300-page publication and continues to drop. Which of the following is mentioned in the text as benefits of going digital? A) Fewer staff will be required in libraries. B) Libraries will be able to move underground. C) Borrowers need not go to the library building. D) Old manuscripts can be moved more easily.
C
*New labels to show calories The US government ruled that all food establishments should put the calorie information of their foods on their menus. Within a year chain restaurants, like fast food KFC, will have to say clearly on their menus how many calories their fried chicken wings, fries, and other items contain. Amusement parks, movie theaters and supermarkets will also have to follow the rules. The move is designed to fight against the problem of obesity in the US. * _ leading to world problem The entire world is facing this problem: antibiotic resistance. And the resistance will lead to the deaths of 10 million people across the world by 2025, predicted a new report released by the UK government. Antibiotics are used to destroy or slow the growth of harmful bacteria in our bodies. But overuse and misuse of them can encourage bacteria to develop new ways of overcoming antibiotics, which makes it increasingly difficult for humans to fight diseases. * _ Australia is the world's most expensive destination for international students, according to a study done by Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC). They have to spend an average of $ 42,000 ( about 258 ,000 yuan) a year to study at Australian universities. Singapore is not far behind, with an average yearly cost of $ 39,229, followed by the US at $ 36,564 and the UK at 35,045. However, Australia's education quality only ranks joint fourth with Canada, well below the US, the UK, and Germany. In addition, international students studying in Germany only have to pay about one-sixth the cost of studying in Australia. * New Games sports may be added The International Olympic Committee has canceled the 28-sportcap for future summer Olympics But each summer Games will still only be allowed 10, 500 athletes and 310 events. Countries that could host the games will discuss plans with the committee during a new invitation stage before bidding. They are also allowed to hold events outside their own countries and get financial support from the committee.... Which of the following statements is best supported by the news brief? A) Some events may be held outside the host country in future summer Olympics B) It is Australia's best education quality that will cause students to make a wise choice. C) It is necessary for the UK government to try hard to encourage using lots of antibiotics. D) Popcorn sold in cinemas in the world will soon have calorie information labels.
A
Q: Plants, like animals, are subject to diseases of various kinds.It has been estimated that some 30,000 different diseases attack our economic plants; forty are known to attack corn, and about as many attack wheat.The results of unchecked plant disease are all too obvious in countries which have marginal food supplies.The problem will soon be more widespread as the population of the world increases at its frightening rate.Even in countries which are now amply fed by their agricultural products there could soon be the major crops; the resulting famines could kill millions of people, and the resulting hardship on other millions could cause political upheavals disastrous to the order of the world. Some plants have relative immunity to a great many diseases, while others have a susceptibility to them.A blight may be but a local infection easily controlled; on the other hand it can attack particular plants in a whole region or nation.An example is the blight which killed virtually every chestnut tree in North America.Another is the famous potato blight in Ireland in the last century.As a result of that, it was estimated that one million people died of starvation and related ailments. Plant pathologists have made remarkable strides in identifying the pathogens of the various diseases.Bacteria may invade a plant through an infestation of insect parasites carrying the pathogen.A plant can also be inoculated by man.Other diseases might be caused by fungus which attacks the plant in the form of a model or smut or rust.Frequently such a primary infection will weaken the plant so that a secondary infection may result form its lack of tolerance.The symptoms shown may cause an error in diagnosis, so that treatment may be directed toward bacteria which could be the result of a susceptibility caused by a primary virus infection. According to the passage, some plant diseases can _ . A) infect people B) be prevented by inoculation C) be prevented by killing insects D) be prevented by improving the growing conditions
A: B
(Q).
One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations showing how it was used. This was a huge task. So Murrary had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American Surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as "Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire," 50 miles from Oxford. Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next years, he became one of the staff's most valued contributors. But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally insane. Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds. In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend. Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient. Which of the following best describe Dr. Minor? A) Brave and determined B) Cautious and friendly C) Considerate and optimistic D) Unusual and scholarly
(A).
D