Once upon a time there was a wise man that used to go to the sea to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.One day he was walking along the shore.As he looked down at the beach,he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.He smiled to himself at the thought that someone would dance on the beach.So he began to walk faster to catch up.As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore,picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.As he got closer, he called out,"Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused,looked up and replied,"Throwing starfishes in the ocean." "I guess I should have asked,why are you throwing starfishes in the ocean?" "The sun is up and the tide is going out,And if I don't throw them in,they'll die." "But, young man,don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfishes all along it.You can't possibly make a difference!" The young man listened politely.Then he bent down,picked another starfish and threw it into the sea,and said,"It made a difference to that one."There is something very special in each and every one of us.We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference.And if we can know that gift,we will gain through the strength of our vision the power to shape the future. We must each find our starfish.And if we throw our starfish wisely and well,the world will be better. The writer told this story to show us_. A) how and where we can write a good article B) everyone can do something for the future C) wise men ore sometimes stupid D) young men are in fact wiser than old people
B
(Question)
Scientists in UK have grown a living human "brain". The team at Aston University created tiny bunch of cells which act like a mini nervous system. They believe it could help find a cure for worse mental conditions like Parkinson's disease. Professor Michael Coleman is leading the research program. He explained, "We are aiming to be able to study the human brain at the most basic level, using an actual living human cell system. Cells have to be alive and operating efficiently to enable us to really understand how the brain works. "The experiment involves changing cells from a cancer tumour and making them behave like brain cells. Although far from finished, researchers hope the false brain cells will give them a greater understanding of how real brains work. This, in turn, could significantly further research into conditions which affect the brain. Neil Hunt, chief leader of the research group, said, "It is still very early days, but in the future the research could lead to a useful tool for looking into dementia ." The technique could also provide a way to carry on animal test and is being supported by the Humane Research Trust (HRT). The scientists predict that over the next ten years a million people will develop dementia. Professor Coleman believes their findings could change this. He said,"We hope our research will provide scientists with a new and highly relational human experimental model to help them understand the brain better and develop new drugs to control the related disease. However, the biggest challenge at present is that we are greatly short of fund, which will slow our research." UK scientists grow a living human "brain" in order to _ . A) study the structure of human brain B) make use of living human cell system C) discover how human brain really works D) separate cells from a cancer tumour
(Answer)
C
Ques: WASHINGTON: An analysis of global temperatures by independent statisticians shows the Earth is still warming and not cooling as some global warming skeptics are claiming. The analysis was conducted at the request of The Associated Press to investigate the legitimacy of talk of a cooling trend that has been spreading on the Internet, fueled by some news reports, a new book and temperatures that have been cooler in a few recent years. In short, it is not true, according to the statisticians who contributed to the analysis. The statisticians, reviewing two sets of temperature data, found no trend of falling temperatures over time.US government data show the decade that ends in December will be the warmest in 130 years of record-keeping, and 2005 was the hottest year recorded. The case that the Earth might be cooling partly stems from recent weather. Last year was cooler than previous years. It has been a while since the superhot years of 1998 and 2005. So is this a longer climate trend or just weather's normal ups and downs? In a blind test, the AP gave temperature data to four independent statisticians and asked them to look for trends, without telling them what the numbers represented. The experts found no true temperature declines over time. "If you look at the data and sort of cherry-pick a microtrend within a bigger trend, that technique is particularly suspect," said John Grego, a professor of statistics at the University of South Carolina. Yet the idea that things are cooling has been repeated in opinion columns, a BBC news story posted on the Drudge Report and in a new book by the authors of the best-seller Freakonomics. Last week, a poll by the Pew Research Center found that only 57 percent of Americans now believe there is strong scientific evidence for global warming, down from 77 percent in 2006. We can learn from the passage that _ . A) five independent statisticians were given temperature data to look for trends B) more and more Americans now believe there is strong scientific evidence for global warming C) The analysis of global temperatures was required by the independent statisticians D) The earth is not becoming cooler as some people are claiming on the internet
Ans: D
Ques:Colleges taking another look at value of merit-based aid Good grades and high tests scores still matter--a lot--to many colleges as they award financial aid. But with low-income students projected to make up an ever-larger share of the college-bound population in coming years, some schools are re-examining whether that aid, typically known as "merit aid", is the most effective use of precious institutional dollars. George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for example, said last week that it would cut the value of its average merit scholarships by about one-third and reduce the number of recipients , pouring the savings, about $2.5 million, into need-based aid. Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., made a similar decision three years ago. Now, Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., says it will phase out merit scholarships altogether. No current merit-aid recipients will lose their scholarships, but need-based aid alone will be awarded beginning with students entering in fall 2008. Not all colleges offer merit aid; generally, the more selective a school, the less likely it is to do so. Harvard and Princeton, for example, offer generous need-based packages, but many families who don't meet need eligibility have been willing to pay whatever they must for a big-name school. For small regional colleges that struggle just to fill seats, merit aid can be an important revenue-builder because many recipients still pay enough tuition dollars over and above the scholarship amount to keep the institution running. But for rankings-conscious schools in between, merit aid has served primarily as a tool to recruit top students and to improve their academic profits. "They're trying to buy students," says Skidmore College economist Sandy Baum. Studies show merit aid also tends to benefit disproportionately students who could afford to enroll without it. "As we look to the future, we see a more pressing need to invest in need-based aid," says Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton, which has offered... In recent years, merit-based aid has increased much faster than need-based aid due to _ . A) more government funding to colleges B) fierce competition among institutions C) the increasing number of top students D) schools' improved financial situations

Ans:
B