Have you ever asked yourself why you have two eyes instead of one, three, or even hundreds as some insects have? Have you wondered why your eyes are set close together on the front of your face rather than on the sides of your head, as on animals like rabbits, antelopes, and horses? The reasons are simple -- and important to the way you see the rest of your world. Your eyes are like two small cameras. A camera catches an image of an object and records this image in miniature on a small piece of film. Similarly, when you look at something, each eye takes in what it sees and sends this image to the back of the eyeball. From each eye, an optic nerve then sends the image to the brain. Because your eyes are set close together, they view the world from about the same height but from slightly different angles. While your right eye sees an object a little to the right, your left eye sees the same object slightly to the left. Working as a team, the eyes send the images to the part of your brain called the cerebral cortex, which combines them into a single, centered image. Seeing with two eyes working together is called stereoscopic vision. This allows you to view the world in three dimensions, or 3-D. These dimensions are height, width, and depth. Sensing depth allows you to judge the distance between you and the objects you see. It also helps you to adjust to the changing angle at which you see something as you move closer to or farther away from it. As you walk along a sidewalk, for example, seeing in stereo helps you to know how close you are to the street, how far you need to walk to arrive at a certain building, and how close you are to stepping on a rock or a piece of glass. As your body moves, your eyes give you a continual flow of information about where things are in relation to where you are. If images are coming from only one eye, however, only two of these dimensions - height and width - can be sensed. A world seen with one eye is thus two-dimensional, as in a photograph. The... The author of this passage concludes that "seeing in stereo" _ . A) is an ability humans are fortunate to have B) helps people to have better vision than animals have C) would be better if it allowed for a wider field of vision D) is similar to the way cameras work
A
(Question)
The space shuttle Columbia flared and broke up in the skies over Texas on Saturday, February 1,2003, killing the seven astronauts on board in what NASA and President Bush called a tragedy for the entire nation. NASA launched an investigation into the disaster and began searching for the astronauts' remains. It said that although there had been some data failures it was too early to nail down a precise cause. The break-up, 16 minutes before the shuttle was due to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spread possibly toxic debris over a wide swath of Texas and neighboring states. Dramatic television images of the shuttle's _ clearly showed several white trails streaking through blue skies after the shuttle suddenly fell apart. It was almost 17 years to the day that the Challenger shuttle exploded on Jan. 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board. Take-off and re-entry into Earth's atmosphere are the most dangerous parts of a space mission. In 42 years of US' human space flight, there had never been an accident in the descent to Earth or landing. Challenger exploded just after take-off. Rescue teams scrambled to search for the remains of the crew, which included the first Israeli to fly on the shuttle, former combat pilot Col. Ilan Ramon. There were warnings that parts of a vast 120-mile-long corridor of debris could be toxic because of poisonous rocket propellant . "We are not ready to confirm that we have found any human remains," Nacogdoches County Sheriff Thomas Kerrs said. He added that among the roughly 1,000 calls reporting debris, some people said they found remains of crew members. "The Columbia is lost. There are no survivors, Their mission was almost complete and we lost them so close to home. ... America's space program will go on," said a grim-faced Bush in a message broadcast on television, which included condolences to the families of the dead astronauts. Which is true of the Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon? A) He was the first Israeli astronaut to fly on the shuttle. B) He was the first foreign astronaut to fly on the American shuttle. C) He used to be a passenger plane pilot. D) He was the only survivor in the Columbia disaster.
(Answer)
A
Ques: Drink drivers could be prohibited from driving under the influence if new technology from Nissan is introduced. The Japanese car maker has developed a new odor detection system designed to prevent drivers from operating a car if they are over the legal limit. The system works by using a series of sensors to detect the level of alcohol the driver has consumed. A high-sensitivity alcohol odor sensor is built into the gear stick , which is able to detect the presence of the driver's palm as he or she attempts to start driving. If the alcohol level detected is above a pre-determined limit, the system automatically locks the transmission , immobilizing the car. A voice alert is also issued via the car navigation system telling the driver that he or she is over the limit. Extra sensors are also placed in the driver and passenger seats and a warning is issued if these sensors detect the presence of alcohol in the air inside the vehicle cabin. While still in the developmental stage the concept of drink driving detectors being built into cars has generally been welcomed by many drivers. Nissan said the technology is part of a project aimed at halving the number of fatalities and serious injuries in Nissan cars by 2015 compared to 2005 levels. The detection system works _ . A) by detecting the smell of alcohol in the vehicle cabin B) by measuring the volume of the alcohol in vehicle cabin C) by detecting the weight of the school in the vehicle cabin D) by using a car navigation system
Ans: A
"Please read this," my three-year-old Claire said one day, pointing to a page with an old children's song: "Do you know how to plant cabbages". In blue ink, someone had crossed out cabbages and written "Watermelons!" "Daddy! Did you do that?" Claire asked, looking up with an expression of shock. We had only recently asked her not to write in books, and suddenly here was proof that her parents weren't practicing what they asked. I told her it was written by my grandfather and sat down to tell the story. I grew up on Granddad's farm in Nebraska, America. One afternoon, I decided to plant some watermelons. "Hmm, there's a crop I haven't tried!" Granddad smiled. "Let's do it now!" With Granddad's help I planted the seeds. The next morning, I found a big watermelon there. I knew it was Granddad that put a watermelon there and I thought he had played a joke on me. Later that month, Granddad gave me a book. "For school," he said seriously. I opened it to where he'd written "Watermelons!" and laughed at another of his jokes. Claire listened quietly to the story and asked to plant seeds too, so I took her to buy some seeds. On the walk home, I realized for the first time that Granddad could have met my childish enthusiasm with some disappointing facts such as that watermelons don't grow well in Nebraska or that it was too late to plant them anyway. But instead of doing that, he had stolen back into town that afternoon and bought the biggest melon on the market. That night, after I was asleep, he had awkwardly unloaded it and, with a painful bend, placed it exactly above my seeds. He made sure I experienced the "wow." I had always thought the midnight miracle was just one of Granddad's jokes. Now I realized he had planted hope that day. As Claire planted the seeds happily, I watched my grandfather's joy take fresh root in her life. And that was the biggest miracle of all. What's the best title for the text? A) Grandfather's great love B) Set children a good example C) The day we planted hope D) Happy memories of childhood
C