Geoff Hoon is one of prefix = st1 /Britain's most experienced politicians. Mr Hoon joined the Foreign and Commonwealth office in May 1999 as Minister of State with responsibility for Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa; he was then made Minister for Europe. Later, in 1999, Mr Hoon joined Tony Blair's Cabinet as Secretary of State for Defence, where he oversaw four major deployments of British troops, including to Iraq. After the 2005 general election he became leader of the House of Commons and earlier this year (2006) he was appointed as Minister for Europe again. On Friday 24thNovember Mr Horn is visiting Nottingham to address Forum. He will speak about his experience in the public spotlight, and explain what life as a Cabinet Minister is really like. There will be an opportunity for questions after the talk, which is open to all students and staff at NottinghamUniversity. Please arrive early as there are limited spaces and nobody will be admitted once the event had begun. FRIDAY 24THNOVEMBER 4 O'LOCK A48 SIR CLIVE GRANGER (GEOGRAPHY & ECONOMICS) FREE ENTRY www.nottingham.forum.org By "A48 SIR CLIVE GRANGER", the writer gives information about _ . A) who was organizing the event B) where the event was to take place C) how one could get admitted D) how old the lecturer was
B
(Question)
Zero gravity looks cool. But what about the thing no one likes to talk about? Yes, that is right: going to bathroom. Zero gravity makes this everyday task quite a challenge. Astronauts have to be toilet-trained all over again. The Apollo astronauts raised themselves off the seat of their chairs and stuck a clear plastic bag to their back sides with sticky strips. A second astronaut watched closely to be sure no waste matter escaped the seal. (You would not want that stuff floating around the cabin!) When the deed was done, the astronaut cleaned up with a piece of plastic attached to the inside of the bag, removed the bag, dropped a disinfectant pill in with the waste matter, and put the whole thing, sealed, into a special container. Donald W. Rethke, an engineer for Hamilton Standard Space Systems, developed a more private way to answer nature's call: the space toilet. It is somewhat like the kind of toilet one would find on commercial airplanes --- with unique adaptations for zero gravity, of course. For instance, it has thigh bars that keep the astronaut from floating off the seat. The astronaut (male or female) defecates in a bag and urinates in a hose. Solid and liquid wastes are kept separated because at least 85% of the urine is recycled and, yes, after careful filtration, used for drinking and other purposes. (Water is always in demand in space.) A vacuum sucks the waste materials into the toilet, where the waste is compacted into hamburger-like patties for easy storage. Although not exactly like an earthbound visit to the toilet, it is at the very least much more private than in the early days of space travel. To ensure the user remains seated, the toilet comes equipped with _ A) a plastic bag B) a sticky strip C) a wide hose D) a thigh bar
(Answer)
D
Ques: Scientists would like to place a huge mirror in space above the earth. It might be sixty miles wide. It would be used to catch the rays of the sun. It would direct the sun's rays upon the earth as a child might do to make sunlight dance on the wall with a hand mirror. Why do they want to do this? The sun's rays could be helpful in many ways. They could light up cities by night. The warm rays could stop frosts which might come at night and hurt fruit crops. They could melt dangerous icebergs in the ocean. Perhaps they could change cloud movements and bring rain where it is needed. The huge mirror is _ . A) something in a story B) already made C) just an idea D) to be made soon
Ans: C
(Q).
From my earlier memory of Mother it somehow seemed quite natural to think of her as different, nor of everyday things as Father was. In those days he was a young-looking man. He did not hesitate to make friends with children as soon as they were able to talk to him and laugh at his stories. Mother was older than he was. She must have been a woman of nearly forty, but she seemed even older. She changed little for a long time, showing no indication of growing old at all until, towards the end of her life, she suddenly became an old lady. I was always _ about Mother's age. She never had birthdays like other people, nor did anyone else in our family. No candles were ever lit or cakes made or presents given in our house. To my friends in the street who talked delightfully about their birthday parties, I would repeat my mother's words that such celebrations were only foolish. "Nothing but deception," she would say. "As though life can be marked by birthdays. It's deeds, not years, that matter." Although I often repeated her words and even prided myself on not having birthdays, I once could not help asking Mother when she was born. "I was born. I'm alive as you can see, so what more do you want to know?" she replied, so sharply that I never asked her about her age again. In so many other ways Mother was different. Whereas all the rest of the women I knew in the neighboring hoses took pride in their housewifely abilities, their new furniture, the neat appearance of their homes, Mother regarded all those things as of little importance. Our house always looked as if we had just moved in or were about to move out. What do we learn about Mother? A) She was lazy. B) She was strict. C) She was proud. D) She was special
(A).
D
Question: International experts meeting in Australia say global carbon emissions can be reduced by more than 50 percent through simple energy saving measures. People at a conference in Australia, which increasingly relies on coal for power, say that reducing power consumption is an affordable way to both cut energy costs and reduce pollution. While many nations turn to cheap and dirty energy sources, such as coal, to meet their increasing energy needs, analysts in Australia say the best way to meet those needs is to improve energy efficiency. A range of simple solutions include using energy-efficient homes, household appliances and lighting, and driving electric cars. Encouraging homeowners and office workers to switch off their televisions and computers at the end of the day is also seen as an effective way to save electricity. Grayson Heffner, from the Paris-based International Energy Agency, says reducing consumption could greatly cut global carbon emissions. He calls efficiency strategies the "soft giant" of clean energy. "We forecast that energy efficiency will deliver something like three-quarters of the greenhouse gas emissions reductions over the next 20 years. So in the short term energy efficiency is the main way that we reduce greenhouse gas emissions but oftentimes it is not so importantly stressed in the discussions," said Heffner. Energy experts working in China say the government is making significant cuts in power usage. Wan Xingwang, a Beijing-based representative of the Energy Foundation, a U.S. non-government organization, says the results have been impressive. "In the past five years China achieved about 19.1 percent of energy reduction of its GDP. That translates to something like more than 600 million tons of coal savings," said Wan Xingwang. While most nations have some sort of government-sponsored energy efficiency programs, energy analysts say initiatives by individuals and companies can also help cut demand. Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy Efficient... What can we learn from what Grayson Heffner said? A) 75% of the greenhouse gas emissions can easily be cut in the next 20 years. B) Ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should be discussed. C) Using clean energy is the strategy to cut global carbon emissions. D) The key to reducing greenhouse gases in the short term is to improve energy efficiency.
Answer:
D