Air pollution is a leading cause of cancer and classified among Group 1,or top, human carcinogens , said the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer agency, on Oct 17,2013. The most widely used system for classifying carcinogens comes from the IARC, which places them into five groups. Group 1 carcinogens definitely cause cancer in humans. Group 2A is probably carcinogenic to humans, Group 2B is possibly carcinogenic, the carcinogenicity of Group 3 in humans is unclassifiable, and Group 4 is probably not carcinogenic to humans. Only a little more than 100 are classified as Group 1 cancer-causing substances, including ultraviolet radiation and tobacco smoke. "Our task was to evaluate the air everyone breathes rather than focus on specific air pollutants," the lARC's Dana Loomis said in a statement. "The results from the reviewed studies point in the same direction: the risk of developing lung cancer is significantly increased in people exposed to air pollution." In 2010, lung cancer resulting from air pollution killed 223,000 people worldwide, and there was also convincing evidence that it increases the risk of bladder cancer, according to the IARC. Air pollution is already known to raise risks for a wide range of illnesses, including respiratory and heart diseases. Air pollution is global, although the levels of it vary over space and time. Loomis said people in Asia, eastern North America, some places in Central America and Mexico, as well as North Africa have relatively high exposure. Developing countries with large populations and booming manufacturing sectors, such as China, are particularly at risk. Many cities in China, such as Beijing, frequently see smog. This week, Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang province, became the first Chinese city to officially suspend classes due to serious smog Many developed countries face similar problems, although to a lesser degree than most developing nations. In Europe, levels of many pollutants... What's the main task of IARC? A) To focus on cancer-causing substances. B) To evaluate the air quality. C) To study the developing risk of cancer. D) To send signals to the international community.
B
In communities north of prefix = st1 /Denver, residents are pitching in to help teachers and administrators as the Vrain school District tries to solve a $13.8 million budget shortage blamed on mismanagement . " We're worried about out teachers and principals, and we really don't want to lose them because of this," one parent said," If we can help ease their financial burden, we will." Teachers are grateful, but know it may be years before the district is solvent . They feel really good about the parent support, but they realize it's impossible for them to solve this problem. The 22,000-student district discovered the shortage last month. " It's extraordinary. Nobody would have imagined something happening like this at this level," said State Treasurer Mike Coffman. Coffman and district officials last week agreed on a state emergency plan freeing up a $ 9.8 million loan that enabled the payroll to be met for 2,700 teachers and staff in time for the holidays. District officials also took $ 1.7 million from student -activity accounts of its 38 schools. At Coffman's request, the District Attorney has begun investigating the district's finances. Coffman says he wants to know whether district officials hid the budget shortage until after the November election, when voters approved a $ 212 million bond issue for schools. In Frederick, students' parents are buying classroom supplies and offering to pay for groceries and utilities to keep first-year teachers and principals in their jobs. Some $ 36,000 has been raised in donations from Safeway. A Chevrolet dealership donated $ 10,000 and forgave the district's $ 10,750 bill for renting the driver educating cars. IBM contributed 4,500 packs of paper. " We employ thousands of people in this community," said Mitch Carson, a hospital chief executive, who helped raise funds." We have children in the school, and we see how they could be affected." At Creek High School, three students started a website that displays newspaper articles, district information... Why did Coffman request an investigation? A) To see if there was a deliberate cover-up of the problem. B) To find out the extent of the consequences of the case. C) To make sure that the school principals were innocent. D) To stop the voters approving the $ 212 million bong issue.
A
Q: Thinking is something you choose to do as a fish chooses to live in water. To be human is to think. But thinking may come naturally without your knowing how you do it. Thinking about thinking is the key to critical thinking. When you think critically, you take control of your thinking processes . Otherwise, you might be controlled by the ideas of others. Indeed, critical thinking is at the heart of education. The word "critical" here has a special meaning. It does not mean taking one view against another view, as when someone criticizes another person for doing something wrong. The nature of critical thinking is thinking beyond the easily seen--beyond the pictures on TV, the untrue reports in the newspapers, and the faulty reasoning . Critical thinking is an attitude as much as an activity. If you are curious about life and desire to dig deeper into it, you are a critical thinker; if you find pleasure in deep thinking about different ideas, characters, and facts, you are a critical thinker. Activities of the mind and higher-order reasoning are processes of deep and careful consideration. They take time, and do not go hand in hand with the fast speed in today's world, fast foods, instant coffee, and self-developing film. If you are among the people who believe that speed is a measure of intelligence, you may learn _ from a story about Albert Einstein. The first time Banish Hoffman, a scientist, was to discuss his work with Albert Einstein, Hoffman was too nervous to speak. But Einstein immediately put Hoffman at ease by saying, "Please go slowly, I don't understand things quickly." What would be the best title for the passage? A) Understanding Critical Thinking B) Thinking and Critical Thinking C) Thinking Natural and Human D) Thinking Fast Means Intelligence
A: A
(Q).
Marjorie Gestring Marjorie Gestring was a springboard diver from the United States who won the gold medal in 3-meter springboard diving at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany at the age of 13 years. With the cancellation of the Olympics in 1940 and 1944 because of World War II, Gestring did not get a chance to defend her title, and her comeback attempt for the 1948 Summer Olympics failed. Bob Mathias 17-year-old American Bob Mathias won the decathlon only four months after taking up the sport. He is the youngest athlete in Olympic history to win a men's track and field event. By the time Mathias retired from decathlon competition in 1952, he had nine victories in nine competitions. He had won two gold medals separately in 1948 and 1952. In 1954 a film about his early life called The Bob Mathias Story was made, in which he and his wife played themselves. Fu Mingxia Fu Mingxia was born on August 16, 1978 in Wuhan, Hubei Province. At an early age, her father taught her to swim at a nearby river. She started exercising gymnastics at age 5, soon turning to diving. Fu Mingxia left home at age 9 to train in Beijing. In the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Fu Mingxia became China's youngest Olympic champion ever when she won the 10-meter platform gold at the age of 13. Ian Thorpe Ian Thorpe was born on 13 October, 1982. He is a former Australian freestyle swimmer. At the age of 14, he became the youngest male ever to represent Australia. Ian Thorpe, 17 years old, won the gold medal in the 400m freestyle by breaking his own world record in Sydney 2000. He has won five Olympic gold medals. What is the passage mainly about ? A) Some young Olympic champions. B) The history of the Olympic Games. C) How to train young Olympic athletes. D) How to prepare for the Olympic Games.
(A).
A