Researchers in over 80 nations are taking part in a project to conduct a decade-long census of sea life. Scientists presented some of their findings at a recent conference as the project neared its completion. In deep icy waters under Antarctica, scientists found bulbous tunicates, an underground animal, and many newly-discovered creatures believed to be related to starfish and other marine creatures. Elsewhere in the world's oceans, they have recently discovered many kinds of underwater life forms new to science. It is all part of a research effort called the Census of Marine Life. "There are about 2,000 scientists worldwide involved," said Bob Gagosian, President, CEO of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. Gagosian helps manage the project. "Everywhere they've gone they've found new things," he says. "The ocean basically is unexplored from the point of view of marine living things." Researchers have placed small markers on hundreds of fish and marine animals to track by satellite their migration routes and to discover places where sea life gathers. According to Ron O'Dor, a senior scientist with the Census of Marine Life, knowledge of life on the ocean floor is especially limited. "90% of all the information we have is from the top hundred meters of the ocean," O'Dor states. And he says the sea floor is, on average, at a depth of 4, 000 meters. And so, as some machines dive far below what people have previously seen, scientists are discovering new species of plants, animals and living things. Since the census project began, more than 5,300 new marine animals have been found. Ocean researchers say they hope to catalogue 230,000 species during the census --which some say is only a small part of all the creatures living in the sea. What can we learn from the passage? A) About 2,000 scientists from America are involved in the project. B) The census of sea life will last for ten years. C) 230,000 new marine animals have been found. D) The sea floor is at a depth of 400 meters.
B
(Question)
Everyone knows that regular bedtimes are important, especially for children. But a research by Yvonne Kelly of University College, London, shows that daughters, it seems, do benefit from regular bedtimes. Sons do not. Dr Kelly and a team of colleagues examined the bedtimes and cognitive abilities of 11,178 children born in Britain between September 2000 and January 2002, who took part in a research project called the Millennium Cohort Study. The bedtime information they used was collected during four visits interviewers made to the homes of those participating in the study. These happened when the children were nine months, three years, five years and seven years of age. Besides asking whether the children had set bedtimes on weekdays and if they always, usually, sometimes or never made them, interviewers collected information about family routines, economic circumstances and other matters--including whether children were read to before they went to sleep and whether they had a television in their bedroom. The children in question were also asked, at the ages of three, five and seven, to take standardised reading, mathematical tests, from which their IQs could be tested. Dr Kelly's report shows that by the time children had reached the age of seven, not having had a regular bedtime did seem to affect their cognition. But that was true only if they were female. On the IQ scale, whose average value is 100 points, girls who had had regular bedtimes scored between eight and nine points more than those who did not. Boys were not completely unaffected. Irregular bedtimes left their IQs about six points below those of their contemporaries at the age of three. But the distinction disappeared by the time they were seven. This difference between the sexes is puzzling. "I did not expect it, and more research is necessary." said Dr Kelly. Where does this text probably come from? A) A science fiction. B) Children's literature. C) An advertisement. D) A science report.
(Answer)
D
Ques: A traveler hurried down to the hall of an American hotel and went to the cash-desk. He had just 15 minutes to pay his bill and get to the station. Suddenly he remembered that he had left something in his room. "Look here, boy," he said to the bellboy, "run up to my room and see if I have left a parcel on the table there. Be quick about it." The boy ran upstairs. Five minutes passed. The traveler was walking up and down the hall, looking very angry. At last the boy appeared. "Yes, sir," he reported to the traveler," you have left the parcel there, it's right on the table in your room." The traveler asked the boy _ . A) to go upstairs B) to look for his parcel C) to fetch the parcel he had left in his room D) only to see if the parcel was on the table in his room
Ans: C
(Q).
Women turn to online shopping Women have jumped ahead of men for the first time in using the Internet to do their holiday shopping, according to a study published last week in the US. For years men have been more likely to shop on the Internet than women, but during the 2004 holiday season, 58 percent of those making online purchases were women. "It shows how mainstream the Internet is becoming," said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project group, which carried out the study. Rainie said it was only a matter of time before women shoppers caught up with men. This is because women traditionally make decisions about spending. Users were more likely to shop online to save time. Internet users between the ages 18 and 29 were responsible for some of the most dramatic increase in the online gift-buying population this time around. However, three- quarters of the US Internet users did not buy holiday gifts online in 2004. They worried about credit card security, or just compared online prices with off-line prices, then dashed off to the shops to get the best deals. " But even if shoppers don't buy online , websites are becoming promotion tools for stores," said Dan Hess, vice president of ComScore Networks Inc. Hess said that actually most stores' websites can make customers fully believe the security of their credit card numbers. And most are able to ensure that gifts arrive on time. " It's all about making the shopping experience more efficient, more reliable and more comfortable." Hess said. From the passage we can infer that _ . A) Men usually decide how to spend money in the family B) Women usually decide what to buy in the family C) The Internet is used in all the shops D) More and more shops will sell their goods online
(A).
B
Mozilla has shown off a prototype for a $25 (PS15) smart phone that is aimed at the developing world. The company, which is famed mostly for its Firefox browser , has partnered with the Chinese low-cost chip maker Spreadtrum. While not as powerful as more expensive models, the phone will run apps and make use of mobile internet. It would appeal to the sorts of people who currently buy cheap "feature" phones, analysts said. Feature phones are highly popular in the developing world as a halfway point between "dumb" phones --- just voice calls and other basic functions --- and fully-developed smart phones. Mozilla hopes that it will take an early lead in a market that is now being targeted by mobile phone producers who see the developing world as the remaining area for massive growth. It will face fierce competition from bigger, more popular brands, however --- with more announcements of this kind expected over the course of the next couple of days at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. "These solutions expand the global accessibility of open web smart phones to first-time and entry-level smart phone buyers by reducing the time and cost required for handset makers to bring these phones to market," said Spreadtrum in a press statement. Mozilla said the phone "redefines" the entry-level phone market. The concept of a cheap smart phone may seem likely to appeal to consumers in developed countries, particularly those who locked into long contracts in order to pay part of the cost of the likes of the Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy range. But analyst Carolina Milanesi, from Kantar World panel, said it should not be seen as a competitor. What is the feature of a "feature" phone? A) Though cheap, it can completely replace the iPhone. B) It is just used for voice calls and other basic functions. C) It has nearly all the functions of a fully-developed smart phone. D) Its functions are between those of a "dumb" phone and a fully-developed smart phone.
D