Car Thieves Could Be Stopped Remotely

Speeding off1 in a stolen car, the thief thinks he has got a great catch2. But he is in a nasty surprise3. The car is fitted with a remote immobilizer, and a radio signal from a control center miles away will ensure that once the thief switches the engine   1  , he will not be able to start it again.

For now, such devices    2   only available for fleets of trucks4 and specialist vehicles used on construction sites. But remote immobilization technology could soon start to trickle down to ordinary cars5, and    3   be available to ordinary cars in the UK    4    two months.

The idea goes like this. A control box fitted to the car incorporates6    5    miniature cellphone, a microprocessor and memory, and a GPS7 satellite positioning receiver.    6   the car is stolen, a coded cellphone signal will tell the unit to block the vehicle’s engine management system and prevent the engine    7    restarted.

There are even plans for immobilizers    8   shut down vehicles on the moves8, though there are fears over the safety implications of such a system.

In the UK, an array of9 technical fixes10 is already making    9   harder for car thieves. “The pattern of vehicles crime has changed.” says Martyn Randall of Thatcham, a security research organization based in Berkshire11 that is funded in part    10   the motor insurance industry.

He says it would only take him a few minutes to    11   a novice how to steal a car, using a bare minimum of tools12. But only if the car is more than 10 years old.

Modern cars are a far tougher proposition13, as their engine management computer will not

  12   them to start unless they receive a unique ID code beamed out14 by the ignition key. In the UK, technologies like this    13   achieve a 31 per cent drop in vehicle-related crime15 since 1997.

But determined criminals are still managing to find other ways to steal cars. Often by getting hold of the owner’s keys in a burglary. In 2000, 12 per cent of vehicles stolen in the UK were taken by using the owner’s keys, which doubles the previous year’s figure.

Remote-controlled immobilization system would   14   a major new obstacle in the criminal’s way by making such thefts pointless. A group that includes Thatcham, the police, insurance companies and security technology firms have developed standards for a system that could go on the market sooner than the   15   expects.

 

词汇:    

immobilizer n.使车辆不能调动的装置
cellphone n
.移动电话,手机
ignition / ɪɡˈnɪʃən / n
.点火
trickle / "trɪkl / v
.慢慢移动
immobilization / ɪˌməʊbəlaɪ"zeɪʃn / n
.使车辆不能调动
burglary / "bɜ:ɡlərɪ / n
.夜窃行为;盗窃

 

注释:

1. speed off:超速驾驶

2. catch:捕获物,猎获物

3. nastyvery unpleasant or annoying使人不愉快的;烦人的

4. fleets of trucks:卡车队。 Fleeta group of vessels or vehicles owned or operated as a unit车队

5. trickle down to ordinary cars:慢慢地用到普通汽车上。 trickleto move or proceed slowly or bit by bit慢慢地或一点一点地移动或前进

6. incorporateto cause to merge or combine together into a united whole混合,合并到某一整体中

7. GPSGlobal Positioning System全球定位系统

8. vehicles on the move:在行驶中的车辆

9. an array of:一群;一批

10. technical fixes:技术装置

11. Berkshirea county of south-central England贝克郡,位于英格兰中南部

12. a bare minimum of tools:极少的工具。 barejust sufficientmere刚刚充足的;仅仅

13. Modern cars are a far tougher proposition:现代车远没有这么简单(偷盗现代车要困难得多 )Propositiona matter to be dealt witha task任务,要处理的事务。

14. beam outto emit or transmit发送,传送

15. drop in vehicle-related crime:涉及车辆犯罪案的下降。 dropdecrease下降

空14

A:speak B:have C:link D:put

Wonder Webs

Spider webs are more than homes, and they are ingenious traps. And the world’s best web spinner may be the Golden Orb Weaver spider. The female Orb Weaver spins a web of fibers thin enough to be invisible to insect prey, yet    1   enough to snare a flying bird without breaking.

The secret of the web’s strength? A type of super-resilient    2   called dragline. When the female spider is ready to   3   the web’s spokes and frame, she uses her legs to draw the airy thread out through a hollow nozzle in her belly. Dragline is not sticky, so the spider can race back and forth along    4   to spin the web’s trademark spiral.

Unlike some spiders that weave a new web every day, a Golden Orb Weaver    5   her handiwork until it falls apart, sometimes not for two years1. The silky thread is five times stronger than steel by weight and absorbs the force of an impact three times better than Kevlar, a high-strength human-made    6   used in bullet-proof vests. And thanks to its high tensile strength, or the ability to resist breaking under the pulling force called tension, a single strand can stretch up to 40 percent longer than its original    7    and snap back as well as new. No human-made fiber even comes

   8   .

It is no    9   manufacturers are clamoring for spider silk. In the consumer pipeline: high-performance fabrics for athletes and stockings that never run2. Think parachute cords and suspension bridge cables. A steady    10   of spider silk would be worth billions of dollars — but how to produce it Harvesting silk on spider farms does not   11   because the territorial arthropods have a tendency to devour their neighhors.

Now, scientists at the biotechnology company Nexia are spinning artificial silk modeled after Golden Orb dragline. The   12   step: extract silk-making genes from the spiders. Next, implant the genes into goat egg cells. The nanny goats that grow from the eggs secrete dragline silk proteins in their   13   . “The young goats pass on the silk-making gene without   14   help from us,” says Nexia president Jeffry Turner. Nexia is still perfecting the spinning process, but they hope artificial spider silk will soon be snagging customers   15   the real thing snags bugs.

 

词汇:

orb/ ɔ:b/n. 圆状物  

snare / sneə(r)/ v.诱捕
snap/ snæp/v. (网)戳破,迅速弹回 

resilient / rɪ"zɪlɪənt/ adj.弹回的
dragline n.(蜘蛛的)避敌丝  

spoke/ spəʊk/ n.辐条
nozzle / ˈnɔzəl/n. 喷嘴 

trademark / "treɪdmɑ:k/n. 标记,特征
spiral / "spaɪrəl/n. 螺旋形 

handiwork/ ˈhændiwɜ:k /n.手工制品
bullet-proof/ "bʊlɪtˌpru:f /adj.防弹的 

tensile / ˈtensəl /adj.可拉长的,张力的
strand / strænd /n.绳,线之一股 

clamor/ "klæmə(r)/ v. 大嚷,强烈要求
pipeline/ "paɪplaɪn /n.管道,渠道 

stocking / "stɒkɪŋ /n.长袜
parachute / "pærəʃu:t /n.降落伞 

territorial / ˌterəˈtɔ:riəl/ adj.领土的,领地的
arthropod / "ɑ:θrəpɒd /n.节肢动物 

devour / dɪ"vaʊə(r)/ v.吞吃
nanny goat 雌山羊

secrete / sɪ"kri:t/ v.分泌 

snag / snæɡ/v.抓住

 

注释:

1. sometimes not for two years:相当于 sometimes it does not fall apart for two years

2. run(编织物 )抽丝

空14

A:no B:any C:some D:many

Men Too May Suffer from Domestic Violence

  Nearly three in 10 men have experienced violence at the hands of1 an intimate partner during their lifetimes, according to one of the few studies to look   1    domestic violence and health among men.
  “Many men actually do experience domestic violence, although we don’t hear about it   2    ,” Dr. Robert J. Reid of the University of Washington in Seattle , one of  the study"s authors told Reuters Health. “ They often don"t tell    3    we don"t ask. We want to get the message out2 to men who    4    experience domestic violence that they are not alone and there are resources available to    5    .”
  The researchers asked study participants about physical abuse and non-physical    6   , such as threats that made them    7    for3 their safety, controlling behavior (for example, being told who they could associate with and where they could go)and constant name-calling.
  Among men 18 to 54 years old, 14.2 percent said they had experienced intimate partner    8    in the past five years, while 6.1 percent reported domestic violence in the previous year.
  Rates were lower for men 55 and    9    with 5.3 percent reporting violence in the past five years and 2.4 percent having experienced it in the past 12 months.
  Overall, 30.5 percent of men younger than 55 and 26.5 percent of older men said they had been victims of    10    violence at some point in their lives. About half of the violence the men    11    was physical.
  However, the physical violence men reported wasn’t as harsh as    12    suffered by women in a previous study20 percent to 40 percent of the men rated it as severe, compared to 61 percent of    13   
  Men who reported experiencing domestic violence had more emotional and mental health problems   14   those who had not, especially older men, the    15    found.

 

词汇:

intimate /"ɪntɪmət/ adj.亲密的

name-calling  n.辱骂

abuse /ə"bjuːz/ n.伤害


注释:
1. at the hands of:出自某人之手,从某人那里
2. get the message out:传达这样一个信息
3. fear for:为……担忧

空14

A:from B:than C:except D:despite

Hospital Mistreatment

 According to a study, most medical interns report experiencing mistreatment, including humiliation by senior doctors,   1    threatened, or physical abuse in their first year out of medical school.

The findings come from analysis of the    2    a 13-page survey mailed in January 1991 to 1, 733 second-year residents. The survey and   3    appear in the April 15th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Overall, out of the 1,277 residents   4    completed surveys, 1,185 said that they had experienced at least one incident of mistreatment in their intern year.   5     reporting incidents where they were abused, more than 45% of the residents said they had witnessed at least one incident where other persons    6     false medical records. Moreover, nearly three quarters of the residents said they had witnessed mistreatment of patients by other residents, attending physicians1, or nurses. Almost 40% said patient mistreatment was a frequent   7    .

More than 10% of the residents said they were   8    to have enough sleep, and the average number of hours   9    sleep was 37.6. The average on-call hours during a    10     week was 56.9 hours, but about 25% of the residents said their on-call assignments were more than 80 hours some weeks.

   11     30% of the residents said they experienced some type of sexual harassment or discrimination, verbal abuse was the most common problem cited. When abusive incidents were limited to events occurring three or more times, 53% of the respondents reported that they    12    belittled or humiliated by more senior residents, while just over 21% reported someone taking credit for their work. Being “   13     tasks for2 punishment,” “being pushed, kicked or hit,” and

   14     someone “threatening your reputation or career,” were reported as a more    15    occurrence by over 10% of the responding residents.

 

词汇:

mistreatment  /mɪs"tritmənt/ n. 虐待

verbal  /"vɜːb(ə)l/ adj. 言语()

intern  /"ɪntɜːn/  n. 实习医师

respondent  /rɪ"spɒnd(ə)nt/  n.回答者

assignment  /ə"saɪnm(ə)nt/  n. 分配任务

belittle  /bɪ"lɪt(ə)l/  vt. 轻视;贬低

sexual  /"sekʃʊəl; -sjʊəl/  adj. 性的

humiliate  /hjʊ"mɪlɪeɪt/  vt.使蒙羞,使丢脸

harassment  /"hærəsm(ə)nt/ n. 骚扰

humiliation  /,hjuːmɪlɪ"eɪʃən/  n. 羞辱

discrimination  /dɪ,skrɪmɪ"neɪʃ(ə)n/  n. 歧视

resident  /"rezɪd(ə)nt/  adj.住院医生

abuse  /ə"bjuːz/  n.&vt. 虐待,凌辱

incident  /"ɪnsɪd(ə)nt/  n. 偶发事件,小事件

abusive  /ə"bjuːsɪv/  adj. 侮辱人的,说人坏话

witness  /"wɪtnɪs/  vt. 亲眼看见

 

注释:
1.attending physician:
主治医师

2.take/get credit for…:….而出名

 

空14

A:had B:have C:having D:has

Hospital Mistreatment

 According to a study, most medical interns report experiencing mistreatment, including humiliation by senior doctors,   1    threatened, or physical abuse in their first year out of medical school.

The findings come from analysis of the    2    a 13-page survey mailed in January 1991 to 1, 733 second-year residents. The survey and   3    appear in the April 15th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Overall, out of the 1,277 residents   4    completed surveys, 1,185 said that they had experienced at least one incident of mistreatment in their intern year.   5     reporting incidents where they were abused, more than 45% of the residents said they had witnessed at least one incident where other persons    6     false medical records. Moreover, nearly three quarters of the residents said they had witnessed mistreatment of patients by other residents, attending physicians1, or nurses. Almost 40% said patient mistreatment was a frequent   7    .

More than 10% of the residents said they were   8    to have enough sleep, and the average number of hours   9    sleep was 37.6. The average on-call hours during a    10     week was 56.9 hours, but about 25% of the residents said their on-call assignments were more than 80 hours some weeks.

   11     30% of the residents said they experienced some type of sexual harassment or discrimination, verbal abuse was the most common problem cited. When abusive incidents were limited to events occurring three or more times, 53% of the respondents reported that they    12    belittled or humiliated by more senior residents, while just over 21% reported someone taking credit for their work. Being “   13     tasks for2 punishment,” “being pushed, kicked or hit,” and

   14     someone “threatening your reputation or career,” were reported as a more    15    occurrence by over 10% of the responding residents.

 

词汇:

mistreatment  /mɪs"tritmənt/ n. 虐待

verbal  /"vɜːb(ə)l/ adj. 言语()

intern  /"ɪntɜːn/  n. 实习医师

respondent  /rɪ"spɒnd(ə)nt/  n.回答者

assignment  /ə"saɪnm(ə)nt/  n. 分配任务

belittle  /bɪ"lɪt(ə)l/  vt. 轻视;贬低

sexual  /"sekʃʊəl; -sjʊəl/  adj. 性的

humiliate  /hjʊ"mɪlɪeɪt/  vt.使蒙羞,使丢脸

harassment  /"hærəsm(ə)nt/ n. 骚扰

humiliation  /,hjuːmɪlɪ"eɪʃən/  n. 羞辱

discrimination  /dɪ,skrɪmɪ"neɪʃ(ə)n/  n. 歧视

resident  /"rezɪd(ə)nt/  adj.住院医生

abuse  /ə"bjuːz/  n.&vt. 虐待,凌辱

incident  /"ɪnsɪd(ə)nt/  n. 偶发事件,小事件

abusive  /ə"bjuːsɪv/  adj. 侮辱人的,说人坏话

witness  /"wɪtnɪs/  vt. 亲眼看见

 

注释:
1.attending physician:
主治医师

2.take/get credit for…:….而出名

 

空14

A:had B:have C:having D:has

Men Too May Suffer from Domestic Violence

  Nearly three in 10 men have experienced violence at the hands of1 an intimate partner during their lifetimes, according to one of the few studies to look   1    domestic violence and health among men.
  “Many men actually do experience domestic violence, although we don’t hear about it   2    ,” Dr. Robert J. Reid of the University of Washington in Seattle , one of  the study"s authors told Reuters Health. “ They often don"t tell    3    we don"t ask. We want to get the message out2 to men who    4    experience domestic violence that they are not alone and there are resources available to    5    .”
  The researchers asked study participants about physical abuse and non-physical    6   , such as threats that made them    7    for3 their safety, controlling behavior (for example, being told who they could associate with and where they could go)and constant name-calling.
  Among men 18 to 54 years old, 14.2 percent said they had experienced intimate partner    8    in the past five years, while 6.1 percent reported domestic violence in the previous year.
  Rates were lower for men 55 and    9    with 5.3 percent reporting violence in the past five years and 2.4 percent having experienced it in the past 12 months.
  Overall, 30.5 percent of men younger than 55 and 26.5 percent of older men said they had been victims of    10    violence at some point in their lives. About half of the violence the men    11    was physical.
  However, the physical violence men reported wasn’t as harsh as    12    suffered by women in a previous study20 percent to 40 percent of the men rated it as severe, compared to 61 percent of    13   
  Men who reported experiencing domestic violence had more emotional and mental health problems   14   those who had not, especially older men, the    15    found.

 

词汇:

intimate /"ɪntɪmət/ adj.亲密的

name-calling  n.辱骂

abuse /ə"bjuːz/ n.伤害


注释:
1. at the hands of:出自某人之手,从某人那里
2. get the message out:传达这样一个信息
3. fear for:为……担忧

空14

A:from B:than C:except D:despite

Traffic in Our Cities

     The volume of traffic in many cities in the world today continues to expand. This causes many problems, including serious air pollution, lengthy delays, and the greater risk (1) ______ accidents. Clearly, something must be done, but it is often difficult to persuade people to (2) ______ their habits and leave their cars at home.

     One possible (3) ______ is to make it more expensive for people to use their cars by (4)______ charges for parking and (5) ______ tougher fines for anyone who (6) ______ the law. In addition, drivers could be required to pay for using particular routes at different times of the day. This system, (7) ______ as “road pricing”, is already being introduced in a (8) ______ of cities, using a special electronic card ______ (59) to the windscreen of the car.

    Another way of (10) ______ with the problem is to provide cheap parking on the (11)______ of the city, and strictly control the number of vehicles allowed into the centre1. Drivers and their passengers then use a special bus (12) ______ for the final stage of their journey.

Of course, the most important (13) ______ is to provide good public transport. However, to get people to (14) ______ the comfort of their cars, public transport must be felt to be2 reliable, convenient and comfortable, with fares (15) ______ at an acceptable level.

 

词汇:

lengthy /"leŋθi:/ a.漫长的,冗长的

persuade /pə"sweid/v.说服,劝服

approach /ə"prəutʃ/ n.方法,途径

windscreen /"windskri:n /n.汽车挡风玻璃

outskirt /"aut,skə:t/ n.郊区,市郊

reliable /ri"laiəbl/ a.可靠的,可信赖的

 

注释:

1.    ... strictly control the number of vehicles allowed into the centre: ……严格控制进人城市中心的车辆数量

2.    …public transport must be felt to be………公共交通必须要让人感觉到……

空14

A:pass on B:throw away C:give up D:leave out

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