The basics of infrastructure design
It is rightly pointed out various intellectuals that the lifestyle of today is vastly different from that of the earlier times especially in terms of its pace. Lifestyle of today is remarkablyfast paced and so in order to catch up with such a pace of life, the adoption of smart and time saving methods is of real significance. Well, the highways have certainly contributed in this direction and have made our lives a lot easier. Thanks to the modern flyovers and expressways, a single route can be accessed by twice the number of vehicles at the same time.
These facilities and supplies have made our lives double free but it needs to be realized that designing and constructing it is a very complex and a long process. You have to hold fast to the various rules of designing, government standards and most importantly, their safety and usability for the people. In the end it is a joint effort of a number of skilled engineers, scientists and statisticians. The material that is used in the construction is finalized after it undergoes certain tests for evaluating their qualities like hardness, roughness, thickness and all that is required.
Some of the points you have to take care of while laying an infrastructure design are as follows:
The basic layout (布局) of the road — At this level of planning, various civil engineers have meetings to figure out the basic requirements of the road like thickness of the asphalt (沥青), the size of lanes, distance to be covered, degree of curves and much more. These fundamental points help them decide the further line of action.
The prior steps — Before any work is stated over the basic plan layout, there are various preparations to be made like placing road signs, the removal of trees that may prove to be dangerous in the event of a storm or other natural causes, the positioning of fire hydrants (消防栓) based on special designs to be useful when required, etc.
Inclusion of safety barriers — The safety barriers are placed on almost all roads and highways that are made over or near to rivers and cliffs. These barriers keep the vehicles from moving into the traffic in instances of accidents. These should also be designed in advance of placing them on a road and the design should be such that it makes minimum impact upon the people sitting in the car. These include supplies like side rails and light poles.
Asphalt pavement marking — It is the process of using a reflective material to indicate various important points on the road like lanes, turns, passing areas, two way and one way roads.
Though the smooth and wide highways constructed in big cities seem to be very attractive for the drivers, the ease of use is also the cause of accidents. Cars rushing at extremely high speeds and insecure change of lanes are a common sight on the highways. With the help of novel infrastructure design engineers, we can make the best possible use of highways. If these are designed properly and sign boards are placed at the required points, a number of road accidents can be avoided.
The basics of infrastructure design |
|
Reason for construction of infrastructure |
Infrastructure must_________ the demands of today’s fast-paced lifestyle. |
Challenges of design and _________ |
Various rules, standards, safety and usability should be taken into careful consideration. |
Skilled engineers, scientists and statisticians have to work hard _________. |
|
Materials must be_________ to ensure their qualities. |
|
Points to follow |
Various engineers meet to make sure about fundamental _________ of the road. |
Things like __________ trees that are potentially dangerous must be done before construction. |
|
Safety barriers should be carefully_________ before being placed to prevent accidents. |
|
Material that can _________ light should be used to marks on the pavement. |
|
Possible problems and solutions |
Smooth and wide highways may _________accidents. |
Highways should be designed properly and sign boards _________ at the required points. |
It was a winter morning, just before Christmas, while most people were warming up their cars, my husband, Trevor, had to ride his bike 4 kilometers away from home to work. On his (arrive), he parked his bike outside the back door usual. After 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, and also the bike was used (get) groceries, saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live. I was so sad I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, and then called my husband to fetch . Once again my husband had a way to get to and his job. It really is honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before. People say that a smile can (pass) from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect on our lives because it (strong) our faith in humanity. And it has influenced us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others.
In the days when an ice cream cost much less, Tom, ___ __8-year-old boy, entered a hotel coffee shop __ sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream?” “Fifty-cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled ___ right hand out of the pocket and studied a number of in it. “How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he asked. Some people were now waiting for her service and the waitress grew a bit __ _ (patience). “Thirty-five cents.” she said ___ (rude). The little boy carefully counted the coins _____.“I will have a plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress walked _ __ __. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. It was not long __ the waitress came back and then she began to wipe down the table and suddenly was surprised at what she saw. There, _ __ (place) neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies — her tip!
Paul Lucas can often be seen walking around the city of San Francisco. Sometimes people are surprised to see him walking any shoes or socks, Lucas doesn’t mind at all. likes to walk barefoot, and so do 640 other members of Dirty Sole Society, the club that Lucas (start) years ago. Lucas’ idea for this is to encourage others to live (free) --- free of shoes.
According to Lucas, the barefoot life has many advantages. most important is simply that it feels good. He also says walking barefoot allows you to experience the world directly by touching it with your feet. addition, the feet do not smell so much because they stay dry, (make) it hard for bacteria to grow. And, of course, walking barefoot keeps your feet in good shape, so it’s actually (healthy) than wearing shoes.
请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格填入最恰当的单词。
注意:每空格一个单词。
Eat more, Play more—Weight Less
In the United States, 20 to 40 percent of the adult population have a “weight problem”. To many people, the cause seems obvious: we eat too much. But scientific evidence does little to support this idea.
Several modern studies have shown that fatter people do not eat more on average than thinner people and that slim people are more active than fat people.
I believe that this shows overweight people can become relatively slim gradually via a progressive program of regular exercise. The key is regular, enjoyable activity.
Use of energy(calories) by the body falls into two categories. The first is energy used for essential bodily functions—digestion, heart beat, breathing—and BMR(新陈代谢). In an average-sized adult, BMR requires about 1400 calories per day.
The second category is energy used for physical activity—standing, walking and all other movements. Together with the BMR, it makes up total calorie use, which should be balanced by food intake for weight to remain stable.
For years now, we have known that dieting—especially severe dieting(400 calories per day, for instance)—decreases BMR. This is the body's defense system to keep energy when food supply is reduced. Unfortunately, it tends to weaken the diet's effects by enabling the body to “get by” on fewer calories. For this reason, I believe that severe dieting is not a good way to lose weight, and all dieting should be seen as a temporary measure.
In addition to helping weight loss and continued weight control, regular exercise has many other features to recommend it. While weight loss by dieting alone results in some loss of muscle as well as fat, weight loss by exercise and moderate dieting leads to an increased proportion(均衡)of muscle mass. The regular exerciser has good heart function too.
Regular exercise helps to raise blood levels of high-density lipoprotein(HDL) and increased exercise leads to increased food intake and thus to increased intake of critical nutrients (营养).
The benefits of eating more because of an increase in physical activity are not widely appreciated. Many people in this country, by actual measurement, have remarkably low calorie intake. Often the amount is so low (1 200 to 1 800 calories a day) that nutritionists worry about the adequacy(足够的)of their vitamin and mineral intake. And too little food, with inadequate fiber content, leads in the old population to chronic constipation(长期便秘).
To sum up, most Americans still get too little regular exercise, and it is within this group that almost all obesity is found. Severe dieting should not be used as it is unpleasant and tends to be self-defeating. Moderate dieting combined with regular exercise is much more effective and enjoyable. The choice is yours: life on the sofa, nibbling celery or the active, healthy-eating, healthful way.
Title |
Eat more, Play more—Weight Less |
Causes of weight problems |
●It's commonly believed that adults' weight problems are due to ______ too much, but little scientific evidence ______ this idea. ●Studies show that fat people eat less and are ______ active than slim people. |
______of eating enough |
●Energy used for essential bodily functions, BMR, and ______ activity should be balanced by food intake for weight to remain stable ●Food intake offers ______ vitamin and mineral intake and prevents the old from chronic constipation. |
Ways of weight loss |
●Dieting alone—a temporary measure ●Tending to weaken the diet's effects ●______in some loss of muscle as well as fat ●Exercising ______ — a recommended way ●Having good heart function ●Helping to raise blood levels of HDL ●Attaining critical nutrients |
______ |
●Doing little exercise has much to do with obesity. ●Severe dieting should be ______. ●Moderate dieting as well as regular exercise is much more effective and enjoyable. |
In ancient times, the most important examination was spoken, not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome, testing usually consisted saying poetry aloud or giving speeches.
Generally, however, modern examinations are written. The written examination, where all students are tested on the same questions, was probably not known _________ the nineteenth century. Perhaps it came into (exist) with the great increase in population and the development of modern industry.
Two types of tests are (common) used in modern schools. The first type is sometimes called an “objective” test. It ___________ (intend) to deal with facts, not personal opinions. On objective tests, the student has just one task: he must recognize the correct answer and then he must copy its letter or number onto his examination paper. Sometimes there is answer sheet on which the four letters or numbers are printed. Then the student only has to circle the one go with the correct answer.
For testing some kinds of learning, however , such a test is not very satisfactory. A lively student guess the correct answer without really knowing the material.
For a clearer picture of the student knows, most teachers use another kind of examination in addition to objective tests. They use “essay” tests, and the tests require students to write long answers to broad, general questions. When some essay questions are used along with some objective questions, , a fairly clear picture of the students’ knowledge and ability can usually be obtained.
How do you usually buy what you need, shopping on line or going out to shop in person? With the help of the Internet, shopping is ______(easy) than before. We can just click our mouse to choose the items we like, pay for them online, and the shopping ______(finish). It is easy and quick. It helps save money, too. We can save thousands a year if we compare the prices of similar items before deciding ______ to buy.
However, there are always traps in shopping online. If we are ______(care), we may get into trouble. For example, we may find the color of the item different from ______ in the picture online. Sometimes, the size of the item we receive can be too big ______ too small. ______(avoid) such troubles, we should compare similar items on different online stores and pay more attention to what other customers say. From their comments, we can know better ______ an item’s color, size as well as ______ shortcomings. In this way we increase our chance of buying ______ more satisfactory item.
阅读填空
[1]Global difference in intelligence is a sensitive topic, long filled with a large number of different opinions. But recent data has indeed shown cognitive (认知的) ability to be higher in some countries than in others. What's more, IQ scores have risen as nations develop—a phenomenon known as the "Flynn effect". Many causes have been put forward for both the intelligence difference and the Flynn effect, including education, income, and even non-agricultural labor. Now, a new study from researchers at the University of New Mexico offers another interesting theory: intelligence may be linked to infectious-disease rates.
[2]The brain, say author Christopher Eppig and his colleagues, is the "most costly organ in the human body". Brainpower consumes almost up to 90 percent of a newborn's energy. It's clear that if something affects energy intake while the brain is growing, the impact could be long and serious. And for vast parts of the globe, the biggest threat to a child's body—and therefore brain—is parasitic (由寄生虫引起的) infection. These illnesses threaten brain development________________. They can directly attack live tissue, which the body must then try every means to replace. They can invade the digestive pipe and block nutritional intake. They can rob the body's cells for their own reproduction. And then there's the energy channeled (输送) to the immune system to fight the infection.
[3]Using data on national "disease burdens" (life years lost due to infectious diseases) and average intelligence scores, the authors found they are closely associated. The countries with the lowest average IQ scores have the highest disease burdens without exception. On the contrary, nations with low disease burdens top the IQ list.
[4]If the study holds water, it could be revolutionary for our understanding of the still-confusing variation in national intelligence scores.
What is the main idea of the text?(no more than 10 words)
________________________________________________________________________
Complete the following statement with proper words.(no more than 4 words)
Those countries that have the ________________ are always at the bottom of the IQ list.
Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words.(no more than 5 words)
___________
What can cause intelligence difference?(no more than 8 words)
______________________________________________________________________
What does the word “they” (Line2, paragraph3)probably refer to? (no more than 8 words)
______________________________________________________________________
阅读填空
London - Police are monitoring social networking sites popular with teenagers such as Bebo, Facebook and MySpace after claims that they are being used to organize mass brawls (对骂).
Kent Police believe that teenagers have been using the Internet to arrange “fight club” contests watched by up to 100 spectators in a public park.
At least six organized fights have taken place in Brenchley Gardens in Maidstone, Kent, according to one teenage blogger. (4) During one of the fights a 14-year-old boy was arrested for carrying a hunting knife. Kent Police have now ordered specialist officers to monitor sites such as Bebo.
Chief Inspector Ian Hall said: “(5) We are aware of attempts to organize fights using technology such as websites and mobile phones. Pupils from some schools in the area may be involved in this type of anti-social behavior and we are working with schools to eradicate (根除) the problem.”
According to one blogger the fights usually take place on Saturday nights. The contests are named after the Hollywood film Fight Club starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. The central characters fight for the adrenaline rush but the film has an ironic twist (歪曲) apparently lost on some of its audience.
This week police in Macclesfield, Cheshire, arrested six teenagers on suspicion of public order offences after an investigation into a series of assaults (袭击). The youths, aged 16 and 17, were released on police bail (保释). The officers discovered that attacks had been discussed and possibly even prearranged using the Bebo websites.
In Collumpton, Devon, last weekend police intercepted (阻止) 30 pupils going to a mass brawl carrying metal bars, pieces of wood and chain.
Questions 1—3: Answer the following questions briefly.
What is the main idea of the passage?
What does the underlined word “monitoring” mean?
Please find a sentence in the passage which can replace the following one.
It is likely that the teenagers had used the Bebo websites to discuss and even plan the attack.
Questions 4—5: Translate the underlined sentences in the passage into Chinese.
阅读填空
Bassanio fell in love Portia, but he couldn’t ask her to marry him he was poor. He had to borrow some money ______ his friend Antonio, a merchant of Venice. Antonio had no money then. He went to Shylock, a cruel and______ (greed) money-lender. Shylock agreed to lend him the money on condition that he would cut a pound of his flesh______ he couldn’t repay him within three months.
Unfortunately Antonio’s ships were lost sea. ______ (know) that Antonio probably had to die, Portia asked Bassanio to go to see his friend at once. She dressed herself as a lawyer and turned up at the court. She let Shylock cut just______ one pound of flesh off Antonio, no more, no less, no drop of blood, otherwise he ______ lose all his money. Her clever idea saved Antonio and made Shylock give half of his money to Venice.
阅读填空
阅读下列短文,根据所读内容在文章后的表格中填入恰当得单词。注意:表格中每个空格中只填入一个单词。
A conflict at work is common. If you can avoid conflict, it means you will win what you want regardless of what the other person wants. Since the potential issue has not been removed, it will simply reappear later. Let’s see what you can do.
★Be aware of the fact that some conflicts are unavoidable at work. On numerous occasions, conflict and disagreement are likely to happen. But when a conflict happens it's not the end of the world. On the contrary, it can be the beginning of an interesting learning process. Conflicts mean that people care enough to disagree strongly. The trick is not to allow the conflict to go on forever.
★ Deal with conflicts sooner rather than later. Solve a conflict when it starts, as it only gets worse with time going by. Conflicts at work arise not from something that was said, but from something that wasn't said! Everyone's waiting for the other to admit he's wrong and gets more unpleasant after the conflict has lasted a while. It's essential to interrupt the "waiting game" before it gets to that point.
★Ask nicely. If somebody has done something that made you angry, or if you don't understand their viewpoint or actions, simply asking nicely about it can make a world of difference. Never assume that people do what they do to annoy or hurt you. Sometimes there's a good reason why that person does what he or she does, and a potential conflict disappear right there. Do remember to make an inquiry, not an accusation of any sort.
★ Appreciate. Praise the other part in the conflict. Tell them why it's worth it to you to solve the conflict. This can be difficult as few people find it easy to praise and appreciate a person they disagree strongly with, but it's a great way to move forward.
Topic |
How to______ conflicts at work |
Reason |
Conflicts won't ______ if not dealt with |
_____ on handling conflicts |
● Don't be afraid of conflicts which are usually _____. ● Interrupt the "waiting game", try to admit your ______ actively and solve it soon or it will get______ ● Don’t imagine people do something to make you______ on purpose. Remember not to ______ others, but ask them nicely about what they do, which may make a difference. ● Try to appreciate the other part in the conflict although it is ______ to do so. |
|
If you learn to do with conflicts, you'll work in joy. |
Most Americans have a city they like best. Over the years, American songwriters have described these feelings in music. More songs have been written about America's biggest city, New York, than about any other city. Many others dream about leaving their small towns to go there. They want to become rich and famous. Frank Sinatra sings about this dream in the most popular song written about New York.
Almost three-million people live in the middle western city of Chicago, Illinois. It is now America's third largest city. It used to be the second largest city. So, of course, it needed its own song. Judy Garland sings the song, "Chicago, Chicago. "
One of America's most exciting cities is Las Vegas, Nevada. In nineteen-sixty-four, Elvis Presley starred in a movie called "Viva Las Vegas." Here is the song from that movie. It is sung by the group Z-Z Top.
As we all know, one of the most beautiful cities in America is San Francisco, California. The most popular song about the city is called "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Tony Bennett recorded it in nineteen-sixty-two. It sold more than three-million records.
Many people love Los Angeles, California. It is now America's second largest city. Los Angeles is popular because the weather is warm and the sun shines almost all the time. Randy Newman sings about his feelings for the city in the song, "I Love L.A." Not everyone, however, loves Los Angeles. Some people do not like all the big roads around the city. They like living in a smaller place. A place like San Jose, California. Dionne Warwick sings about going back to this city. The song is, "Do You Know The Way To San Jose."
Songs about American Cities
States |
__________ |
Features |
Songs |
Songwriters/ Band |
|
New York |
America's biggest city |
A song about New York |
____________ |
Illinois |
Chicago, |
America's ____________ city |
"Chicago, Chicago" |
Judy Garland |
________ |
_________ |
America's second largest city |
_________ |
Randy Newman |
San Francisco |
___________ |
"I Left My Heart in San Francisco." |
____________ |
|
________ |
small |
"Do You Know The Way To San Jose |
Dionne Warwick |
|
Nevada |
Las Vegas |
exciting |
A song from "Viva Las Vegas." |
the group ___________ |
阅读填空
Alice always wanted to be a singer. Music was the important thing in her life but, to tell you the (true), she took lesson for years, practised every day, in spite of all this, her voice didn't improve. Honestly, it didn’t get better, it just got (loud).
Her teacher finally gave and stopped the lessons, but Alice refused to quit, and one day she decided to give a concert and invited her former teacher to attend.
The teacher was very worried about to say after the performance. She knew it be terrible and it was. She didn't want to tell a lie, but she didn’t want to hurt Alice’s feelings . Finally, she got an idea and went backstage to greet her former pupil.
“Well”, said Alice, “what did you think of performance?”
“My dear,” said the teacher, “you’ll be better than you were tonight.”
Section C (12 marks)
Directions: Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one word that best fits the context.
When kids in parts of the world want to play, they often make soccer balls out of trash tied together with string. “ the areas used for playing fields are often rough and rocky, millions of real balls go flat (变瘪) 24 hours,” says Tim Jahnigen, a California businessman. Determined to solve this problem, created an indestructible ball called the One World Futbol.
The ball is made of special material, ethylene-vinyl acetate foam. It’s lightweight, it’s flexible, and— important—it holds its shape.
The One World Futbol needs no pump won’t wear out, even on rough surfaces. When tested, withstood (经受住) being crushed by a car, and even being chewed on by a lion.
Although it costs more to produce a typical soccer ball, Jahnigen estimates the One World Futbol can last 30 years. So far, it’s been given to kids in 143 countries. (154 words)
Quiet Virtue: The Conscientious
The everyday signs of conscientiousness (认真尽责)—being punctual, careful in doing work, self-disciplined, and scrupulous (一丝不苟的) in attending to responsibilities—are typical characteristics of the model organizational citizen, the people who keep things running as they should. They follow the rules, help out, and are concerned about the people they work with. It’s the conscientious worker who helps newcomers or updates people who return after an absence, who gets to work on time and never abuses sick leaves, who always gets things done on deadline.
Conscientiousness is a key to success in any field. In studies of job performance, outstanding effectiveness for almost all jobs, from semi-skilled labor to sales and management, depends on conscientiousness. It is particularly important for outstanding performance in jobs at the lower levels of an organization: the secretary whose message taking is perfect, the delivery truck driver who is always on time.
Among sales representatives for a large American car manufacturer, those who were most conscientious had the largest volume of sales. Conscientiousness also offers a buffer (缓冲) against the threat of job loss in today’s constantly changing market, because employees with this quality are among the most valued. For the sales representatives, their level of conscientiousness mattered almost as much as their sales in determining who stayed on.
There is an air around highly conscientious people that makes them seem even better than they actually are. Their reputation for dependability influences managers’ evaluations of their work, giving them higher evaluations than objective measures of their performance would predict.
But conscientiousness in the absence of social skills can lead to problems. Since conscientious people demand so much of themselves, they can hold other people to their own standards, and so be overly judgmental when others don’t show the same high levels of model behavior. Factory workers in Great Britain and the United States who were extremely conscientious, for example, tended to criticize co-workers even about failures that seemed unimportant to those they criticized, which damaged their relationships.
When conscientiousness takes the form of living up to expectations, it can discourage creativity. In creative professions like art or advertising, openness to wild ideas and spontaneity (自发性) are scarce and in demand. Success in such occupations calls for a balance, however; without enough conscientiousness to follow through, people become mere dreamers, with nothing to show for their imaginativeness.
试题篮
()