The miracle bridge The Brooklyn Bridge that crosses the river between Manhattan and Brooklyn is simply an engineering miracle. In 1883, a creative engineer, John Roebling, was inspired by an idea for this spectacular bridge project. However, bridge-building experts told him to forget it. It just was not possible. Roebling convinced (persuade sb. to do sth. ) his son, Washington, an up-and-coming engineer, that the bridge could be built. The two of them formed an idea of how it could be finished successfully and how to overcome the difficulties. Somehow, they persuaded bankers to provide money for the project. Then, with great excitement and energy, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge. The project was only a few months _ when a tragic on-site accident killed John Roebling and severely injured his son. Washington was severely brain-damaged, unable to talk or walk. Everyone thought the project would have to be thrown away, since the Roeblings were the only ones who understood how the bridge could be built. Though Washington Roebling was unable to move or talk, his mind was as sharp as ever. One day as he lay in his hospital bed, an idea flashed in his mind as to how to develop a communication code. All he could move was one finger, so he touched the arm of his wife with that finger. He tapped out the code to communicate to her what she was to tell the engineers who continued building the bridge. For 13 years, Washington tapped out his instructions with one finger until the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge was finally completed. What's the meaning of " under way" in the passage? A) A way being repaired B) Under construction C) Under design D) A good method being discussed
B
On Web sites across the Internet, people can access a variety of information about you. It's in your interest to be aware of your online reputation and to take the necessary actions to make it what you want it to be. The first step in protecting or improving your online reputation is to find out what information is already posted on the Internet and to assess the impression it leaves on people. Follow these tips to monitor and evaluate your online reputation: Play the name game. Begin by typing your first and last name into several popular search engines to see where you are mentioned and in what context. Example: Robin Counts Focus your search. To get moreprecise results, put quotation marks around your name, so that the search engine reads your name as a phrase and not as two or more unrelated words that just happen to appear in the text. Example: "Robin Counts" Search all of your names. If you have ever used a different name, if you use your middle name or initial, if you use a nickname, or if your name is frequently misspelled, search all variations to make sure you don't miss anything important. Example: "Robin Counts" "Robin J. Counts" "Robin Counts Jensen" Be strategic. If your search turns up information about other people who share your name, you caneliminate many false hits by using keywords. You can add keywords that apply only to you; for example your city, your employer, or a hobby. Example: "Robin Counts" "Woodgrove Bank" "Robin counts"----skydiving Go blogging. If any of your friends, family members or coworkers have blogs or personal Web pages on social networking sites, check them out from time to time to see if they are writing about you or posting pictures of you. Be alert. Use the feature provided by some search engines that enables you to receive automatic notification of any new mention of your name or other personal information. The passage mainly gives us advice on _ . A) how to google ourselves B) how to monitor our online reputation C) how to use different search engines D) how to protect our online reputation
B
Q: A patient on the brink of death has received the world's first self--contained artificial heart--a battery--powered device about the size of a softball that runs without the need for wires,tubes sticking out of the chest.It is powered by a small battery pack worn outside the body that transmits current through the skin. Two surgeons from the University of Louisville implanted the titanium and plastic pump during a seven-hour operation at Jewish Hospital Monday.The hospital said the patient was''awake and responsive''Tuesday and resting comibrtably.It refused to eve personal details. The patient had been expected to die within a month without the operation, and doctors said they expected the artificial heart to extend the person's life by only a month.But the device is considered a major step toward inlproving the patient's quality of life. The new pump,called AbioCor,is also a technological leap from the mechanical hearts used in the l980s, which were attached by wires and tubes to large machinery outside the body.The most famous of those, the Jarvic-7,used air as a pumping device and was attached to an apparatus about the size of a washing machine. ''I think it's potentially a major step forward in the artificial heart development,''said Dr.David Faxon,president of the American heart Association.However,he said the dream of an implantable,permanent artificial heart is not yet a reality:''This is obviously an experimental device whose long--term success has to be demonstrated."Only about half of the 4,200 Americans on a waiting list for donor hearts received them last year,and most of the rest died. Some doctors,including Robert Higgins,chairman of cardiology at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond,said artificial hearts are unlikely to replace donor hearts."A donor heart in a good transplant can last l5 to 30 years.''he said.''It's going be hard replace that with a machine.'' What can we learn about the Jarvic-7? A) It is a technological leap today. B) It could be used most widely in the l 980s. C) It is as advanced as AbioCor. D) It must be attached to a washing machine.
A: B
*Question*
Can trees talk? Yes, but not in words. Scientists have reasons to believe that trees do communicate with each other. Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things. First a willow tree attacked in the woods by caterpillars changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them taste so terrible that they got tired of the leaves and stopped eating them. Then even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special smell---a signal causing its neighbors to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make them less tasty. Communication, of course, doesn't need to be in words. We can talk to each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands. We know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, sounds, and movements. Bees dance their signals, flying in certain patterns that tell other bees where to find nectar for honey. So why shouldn't trees have ways of sending messages? The author believes that the incident described in the passage _ . A) cannot be taken seriously B) should no longer be permitted C) must be checked more thoroughly D) seems completely reasonable
**Answer**
D