2012年职称英语理工类阅读理解新增文章(含练习解析及译文)

第六篇Eat to LiveA meager diet may give you health and long life, but it, s not much fun-and it might not even be necessary. We may be able to hang on to1most of that youthful vigor even if we don't start to diet until old age.Stephen Spindler and his colleagues from the University of California at Riverside have found that some of an elderly mouse's liver genes can be made to behave as they did when the mouse was young simply by limiting its food for four weeks. The genetic rejuvenation won't reverse other damage caused by time for the mouse, but could help its liver metabolize drugs or get rid of toxins2.Spindler's team fed three mice a normal diet for their whole lives, and fed another three on half-rations3. Three more mice were switched from the normal diet to half-feed3, for a month when they were 34 months old -- equivalent to about 70 human years.The researchers checked the activity of 11,000 genes from the mouse livers, and found that 46 changed with age in the normally fed mice. The changes were associated with things like inflammation and free radical production4- probably bad news for mouse health. In the mice that had dieted all their lives,27 of those 46 genes continued to behave like young genes. But the most surprising finding was that the mice that only started dieting in old age also benefited from 70 per cent of these gene changes."This is the first indication that these effects kick in5 pretty quickly," says Huber Warner from the National Institute on Aging near Washington, D.C.No one yet knows if calorie restriction works in people as it does in mice, but Spindler is hopeful. "There's attracting and tempting evidence out there that it will work," he says.If it does work in people, there might be good reasons for rejuvenating the liver. As we get older, our bodies are less efficient at metabolizing drugs, for example. A brief period of time of dieting, says Spindler, could be enough to make sure a drug is effective.But Spindler isn't sure the trade-off is worth it6"The mice get less disease, they live longer,but they're hungry," he says. "Even seeing what a diet does, it's still hard to go to a restaurant and say: 'I can only eat half of that'."Spindler hopes we' soon won't need to diet at all. His company, Life Span Genetics in California, is looking for drugs that have the effects of calorie restriction.词汇：meager／♊mi:♈☯/adj.不足的vigor／♊v✋♈☯/n.精力，活力genetic/d✞☯♊net✋k/adj.基因的rejuvenation/❒✋♊d✞u:v☯♊ne✋☞☯n/n.恢复活力，返老还童toxin/♊t ks✋⏹/n.毒素inflammation/ ✋⏹fl☯♊me✋☞☯n/n.炎症，发炎rejuvenate/r✋♊d✞u v☯ne✋t/vt.使恢复活力youthful／♊ju f☯l/adj.有青春活力的metabolize/m☯♊t✌b☯la✋z/vt.使（一种物质）进入新陈代谢过程liver/♊●✋☯/n.肝脏ration/♊r✌☞☯n/n.定量calorie/♊k✌l☯ri/n.卡（热量的单位）trade-off／♊tre✋d f/n.交换，交易注释：1． hang on to:继续保留。

第十九篇Graphene's SuperstrengthBig technology comes in tiny packages. New cell phones and personal computers get smallerevery year，which means these electronics require even smaller components on the inside.Engineers are looking for creative ways to build these components，and they've turned their eyes to graphene，a superthin2 material，made of carbon，that could change the future of electronics.This year's Nobel Prize for Physics3 has been awarded to Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselovfrom the University of Manchester4，UK. for the discovery of graphene. Graphene isn't just small,it's“the thinnest possible material in this world，” says Novoselov. He calls it a“wondermaterial. ”It's so thin that you would need to stack about 25,000 sheets just to make a pile as thick as a piece of ordinary white paper. If you were to hold a sheet of graphene in your fingers5，you'd have no idea because you wouldn't be able to see it. Carbon is one of the most abundant elements in the universe. Every known kind of lifecontains carbon. Graphene is a sheet of carbon，but only one atom thick. You don't have to lookfar to find grapheme —it's all around you.If you want this high-tech wonderstuff6，all you need is a pencil，paper and a little adhesivetape. Use the pencil to shade a small area on the paper, and then apply a small piece of adhesivetape over the area7. When you pull up the tape，you'll see that it pulls up a thin layer of some ofthe shading from your pencil. That layer is called graphite，one of the softest minerals in the world.Now stick the same piece of tape on another sheet of paper and pull the tape up —there should be an even thinner layer，this time left on the paper. Now imagine that you do this over and over，until you get the thinnest possible layer of material on the paper. This layer would be only one atom thick，and you wouldn't be able to see it. Graphite is made of layers of graphene，so when you get to the thinnest possible layer，you've found graphene.词汇：graphene/ 'græfi:n/ n．石墨烯abundant/ə’bʌndənt / adj．丰富的，充裕的atom/ 'ætəm/n．原子adhesive/ əd'hi:siv/ n．胶粘剂；adj. 黏着的stack/stæk/ v．使成堆，堆放graphite / 'græfait / n．石墨注释：1. superstrength：超强的力量。

2012理工类完形填空新增文章（含练习解析及译文）*第十一篇 Climate Change Poses Major Risks for Unprepared CitiesA new examination of urban policies has been 1 recently by Patricia Romero Lankao．She is a sociologist specializing in climate changeand 2 development．She warns that many o f the world’s fast-growing urban areas，especially in developing countries．will likely suffer from the impacts of changing climate．Her work also concludes that most cities are failing to 3 emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse 4 ．These gases are known to affect the atmosphere．”Climate change is a deeply local issue and poses profound threats to the growing cities of the world,” says Romero Lankao. ”But too few cities are developing effective strategies to 5 their residents."Cities are 6 sources of greenhouse gases．And urban populations are likely to be among those most severely affected by future climate change. Lankao’s findings highlight ways in which city-residents are particularly vulnerable, and suggest policy interventions that could offer immediate and longer-term 7 ． The locations and dense construction patterns of cities often place their populations at greater risk for natural disasters. Potential 8 associated with climate include storm surges and prolonged hot weather. Storm surges can flood coastal areas and prolonged hot weather can heat 9 paved cities more than surrounding areas．The impacts of such natural events can be more serious in an urban environment．For example，a prolonged heat wave can increase existing levels of air pollution，causing widespread health problems．Poorer neighborhoodsthat may 10 basic facilities such as drinking water or a dependable network of roads，are especially vulnerable to natural disasters．Many residents in poorer countries live in substandard housing 11 access to reliable drinking water，roads and basic services.Local governments, 12 ,should take measures to protect their residents.”Unfortunately，they tend to move towards rhetoric 13 meaningful responses, Romero Lankao writes, ” They don’t impose construction standards that could reduce heating and air conditioning needs. They don't emphasize mass transit and reduce 14 use. In fact, many local governments are taking a hands—of f approach.” Thus, she urges them to change their 15 policies and to take strong steps to prevent the harmful effects of climate change on cities.词汇：vulnerable / 'v?ln?r?bl / adj ．易受伤害的infrastructure / 'infr?,str?kt?? / n ．基础设施sociologist /,s?usi'?l?d?ist /n．社会学家substandard / ,s?b'st?nd?d / adj．标准以下的dioxide / dai'?ksaid / ．二氧化物floodplain /'fl?dplein / n ．泛滥平原注释：1. likely：很可能，或许。

第四部阅读理解第一篇 Ford Abandons Electric Vehicles第二篇 World Crude Oil Production May Peak a Decade Earlier Than Some Predict第三篇 Citizen Scientists第四篇 Motoring Technology第五篇 Late-Night Drinking第六篇 Making Light of Sleep第七篇 Sugar Power for Cell Phones第八篇 Eiffel Is an Eyeful第九篇 Egypt Felled by Famine第十篇 Young Female Chimps Outlearn Their Brothers第十一篇 The Net Cost of Making a Name for Yourself第十二篇 Florida Hit by Cold Air Mass第十三篇 Invisibility Ring第十四篇 Japanese Car Keeps Watch for Drunk Drivers第十五篇 Winged Robot Learns to Fly第十六篇 Japanese Drilling into Core of Earth第十七篇 A Sunshade for the Planet第十八篇 Thirst for Oil第十九篇 Graphene's Superstrength第二十篇 Explorer of the Extreme Deep第二十一篇 Plant Gas第二十二篇 Snowflakes第二十三篇 Powering a City? It's a Breeze.第二十四篇 Underground Coal Fires -- a Looming Catastrophe第二十五篇 Eat to Live第二十六篇 Male and Female Pilots Cause Accidents Differently第二十七篇 Driven to Distraction第二十八篇 Sleep Lets Brain File Memories第二十九篇 Food Fright第三十篇 Digital Realm*第三十一篇 Hurricane Katrina*第三十二篇 Mind-reading Machine*第三十三篇 Experts Call for Local and Regional Control of Sites for Radioactive *第三十四篇Batteries Built by Viruses*第三十五篇 Putting Plants to work*第三十六篇 Listening Device Provides Landslide Early Warning*第三十七篇 "Don't Drink Alone" Gets New Meaning*第三十八篇 "Life Form Found" on Saturn's Titan*第三十九篇 Clone Farm*第四十篇 Teaching Math, Teaching Anxiety第一篇至第三十篇为C级，第三十一篇至第四十篇为B级第四部分阅读理解第一篇福特放弃电动汽车分析人士评论，福特汽车公司放弃电动汽年的举动有力地证明了这种技术是行不通的。

2012职称英语理工参考译文第二部分阅读判断第一篇LED的发明者当Nick Holonyak着手用半导体含金创造一种新的可视照明设备的时候，同事们都认为他不现实。

今天，他发现的发光二极管，或叫LED，使用范围覆盖从DVD到机场警钟的一切东西。

他的许多学生继续着他的工作，发明了交通灯中使用的照明设备和其他的日用技术。

2004年4月23号，Holoyak在华盛顿的一次典礼上被授予Lemelson-MIT项目的50万美元的奖金。

这是麻省理工的Lemelson-MIT项目第十年颁奖给杰出的发明人。

“任何时候你得了奖，不论是大是小，总是一分惊喜。

”Holonyad说。

Holonyak，75岁，是20世纪50年代初期晶体管的发明者John Bardeen的学生。

从研究生院毕业之后，Holonyak 在Bell实验室工作。

之后去了通用电器公司，在那里他发明了一种开关，现在家用减光开关中普遍使用。

后来，Holonyak开始研究如何应用半导体发电。

当他的同事们正在研究如何发出看不见的光时，他却想要看得见的光。

1962年他发明的LED，现在的使用寿命可以比白炽灯泡长十倍，而且更环保、更经济。

Holonyak现在是伊利诺斯大学电子、计算机工程和物理专业的教授，他说他预料到LED的使用有可能像今天这样普遍，但没有意识到它会有多少用途。

“开始的时候你并不知道，你认为你在做一件很重要的事情，你认为它值得做，但是你不能说出要付出多大的代价，什么时候付出，怎样付出。

你并不知道。

”他说。

Lemelson-MIT项目同样授予75岁的Edith Flanigen 10万美元的终身成就奖，她的成就是创造新一代的“分子筛”，也就是可以通过大小来分离分子。

第二篇厄尔尼诺当某些预报方法不能提前几个月成功预测1997年厄尔尼诺现象的时候，哥伦比亚大学的研究人员说他们的方法可以提前两年预测厄尔尼诺现象。

这对全世界各地的政府、农民和其他寻求为厄尔尼诺带来的干旱和大雨做准备的人来说是一条好消息。

*第三＋八篇"Life Form Found" on Saturn's Titan Scientists say they have discovered hints of alien life1 on the Saturn's moon2. The discovery of a sort of life was announced after researchers at the US space agency,NASA3,analyzed data from spacecraft Cassini4,which pointed to,the existence of methane-based form of life on Saturn's biggest moon.Scientists have reportedly discovered clues showing primitive alien beings are"breathing" inTitan's dense atmosphere filled with hydrogen.They argue that hydrogen gets absorbed before hitting Titan's planet-like surface covered with methane lakes and rivers. This,they say,points to the existence of some"bugs"5 consuming the hydrogen at the surface of the moon less than half the size of the Earth."We suggested hydrogen consumption because it's the obvious gas for life to consume on Titan,similar to the way we consume oxygen on Earth,"says NASA scientist Chris McKay."If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life,it would be doubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth."To date,scientists have not yet detected this form of life anywhere,though there are liquid-water-based microorganisms on Earth that grow well on methane or produce it as a waste product. On Titan, where temperatures are around 90 Kelvin6(minus 290 degrees Farenheit),a methanebased organism would have to use a substance that is liquid as its medium for living processes, but not water itself. Water is frozen solid on Titan's surface and much too cold to support life as we know it.Scientists had expected the Sun's interactions with chemicals in the atmosphere to produce a coating of acetylene on Titan's surface. But Cassini detected no acetylene on the surface.The absence of detectable acetylene on the Titan's surface can very well have a non-biological explanation,said Mark Allen,a principal investigator7of the NASA Titan team."Scientific conservatism suggests that a biological explanation should be the last choice after all non-biological explanations are addressed,"Allen said. "We have a lot of work to do to rule out8possible non-biological explanations. It is more likely that a chemical process,without biology,can explain these results."词汇：Saturn /'sætən/ n．土星methane/'mi:θein/ n．甲烷，沼气Titan/'taitən/ n．土卫六acetylene/ə'setili:n/ n．乙炔alien/'eiljən/ n．外星人；adj．外星球的；相异的conservatism/kən'sʒ:vətizəm/ n．保守主义,守旧注释：1.hints of alien life：外星生命迹象。

阅读理解+第四＋五篇 Small But WiseOn December 14,NASA1 blasted a small but mighty telescope into space. The telescope is called WISE and is about as wide around as a trashcan. Don't let its small size fool you:WISE has a powerful digital camera, and it will be taking pictures of some the wildest objects2in the known universe,including asteroids,faint stars,blazing galaxies3 and giant clouds of dust where planets and stars are born."I'm very excited because we're going to be seeing parts of the universe that we haven't seen before,"said Ned Wright, a scientist who directs the WISE project.Since arriving in space,the WISE telescope has been circling the Earth,held by gravity in a polar orbit4(this means it crosses close to the north and south poles with each lap5).Its camera is pointed outward,away from the Earth,and WISE will snap a picture of a different part of the sky every 11 minutes. After six months it will have taken pictures across the entire sky.The pictures taken by WISE won't be like everyday digital photographs,however. WISE stands for"Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer."As its name suggests,the WISE camera takespictures of features that give off infrared radiation6.Radiation is energy that travels as a wave. Visible light, including the familiar spectrum of light7that becomes visible in a rainbow,is an example of radiation. When an ordinary digital camera takes a picture of a tree,for example,it receives the waves of visible light that are reflected off the tree. When these waves enter the camera through the lens,they're processed by the camera,which then puts the image together.小而聪明12月14日，美国国家航空航天局发射了一个体积小而威力大的望远镜，它的名字叫“WISE”（聪明），大约只有一个垃圾盒子那么宽。

Telling Tales about PeopleOne of the most common types of nonfiction, and one that many people enjoy reading, is stories about people's lives. These stories fall into three general categories: autobiography, memoir, and biography.An autobiography is the story of a person's life written by himself or herself. Often it begins with the person's earliest recollections and ends in the present. Autobiography writers may not be entirely objective in the way they present themselves. However, they offer the reader a good look at the way they are and what makes them that way. People as diverse as Benjarmin Franklin and Helen Keller have written autobiographies. 1Other writers, such as James Joyce，have written thinly fictionalized accounts of their lives. These are not autobiographies，but they are very close to it.Memoirs, strictly speaking, are autobiographical accounts that focus as much on the events of the times as on the life of the author. 2Memoir writers typically use these events as backdrops for their lives. They describe them in detail and discuss their importance. Recently，though，the term memoir seems to be becoming interchangeab1e with autobiography. A memoir nowadays may or may not deal with the outside world.Biographies are factual accounts of someone else's life. In many senses，these may be the hardest of the three types to write. Autobiography writers know the events they write about because they lived them. But biography writers have to gather information from as many different sources as possible. Then they have to decide which facts to include. Their goal is to present a balanced picture of a person，not one that is overly positive or too critical. A fair well-presented biography may take years to research and write.词汇：backdrop n. 背景interchangeable adj. 可转换的注释：1. People as diverse as Benjamin Franklin and Helen Keller have written autobiographies. 就像本杰明?富兰克林和海伦?凯勒一样，各种各样的人们已经写了自传。

2012年职称英语理工类新增文章篇目（小抄整理版）阅读理解（6篇）第六篇Making Light of1 Sleep-1页第十九篇Graphene's Superstrength1*第三＋八篇"Life Form Found" on Saturn's Titan*第四十篇Teaching Math, Teaching Anxiety+第四＋五篇Small But Wise+第四十六篇Ants Have Big Impact on Environment as "Ecosystem Engineers"完形填空（6篇）第三篇Germs on Banknotes第十篇Chicken Soup for the Soul：Comfort Food Fights Loneliness*第十一篇Climate Change Poses Major Risks for Unprepared Cities*第十二篇Free Statins With Fast Food Could Neutralize Heart Risk+第十三篇Solar Power without Solar Cells+第十五篇“Liquefaction” Key to Muc h of Japanese Earthquake Damage注：1、+表示A级文章；*表示B即文章；其他为C级文章；第六篇Making Light of1 SleepAll we have a clock located inside our brains. Similar to your bedside alarm clock，your internal clock2 runs on a 24-hour cycle. This cycle，called a circadian rhythm，helps control whenyou wake，when you eat and when you sleep. ……………………………………………………………段落省洛But recent discoveries show that the human eye has two separate light-sensing systems. One system allows us to see. The second system tells our body whether it's day or night.练习：1 .The clock located inside our brains is similar to our bedside alarm clock becauseB、it has a cycle of 24 hours.2. What is implied in the second paragraph?C、Children before puberty tend to fall asleep earlier at night than adolescents.3. In the third paragraph the author wants to tell the reader thatB 、staying up late has a bad effect on teenagers' ability to think and learn.4. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the fourth and fifth paragraphs?C、Our internal clock as well as the alarm clock can be reset automatically.5. According to the last two paragraphs，what did the previous researchers think about the human eye's light-sensing system? B、The human eye had one light-sensing system.第十九篇Graphene's Superstrength1Big technology comes in tiny packages. New cell phones and personal computers get smaller …………………………………………………………………段落省洛Now stick the same piece of tape on another sheet of paper and pull the tape up —there should be an even thinner layer，this time left on the paper. Now imagine that you do this over and over，until you get the thinnest possible layer of material on the paper. This layer would be only one atom thick，and you wouldn't be able to see it. Graphite is made of layers of graphene，so when you get to the thinnest possible layer，you've found graphene.练习：1 .What would change the future of electronics according to engineers?C 、Graphene.2. According to the second and third paragraphs，what is true of graphene?C 、It is easy to find graphene.3. Which of the following can be used to replace the word “apply”in paragraph 4?D、put.4. Which of the following is NOT meant in the last two paragraphs?A 、Graphene is made of graphite，one of the softest materials in the world.5. Graphene's superstrength lies in the fact thatC 、It can help to make electronic components smaller.*第三＋八篇"Life Form Found" on Saturn's Titan（理工B级阅读理解）Scientists say they have discovered hints of alien life1 on the Saturn's moon2. The discovery of a sort of life was announced after researchers at the US space agency,NASA3,analyzed data from spacecraft Cassini4,which pointed to,the existence of methane-based form of life on Saturn's biggest moon.…………………………段落省洛"Scientific conservatism suggests that a biological explanation should be the last choice after all non-biological explanations are addressed,"Allen said. "We have a lot of work to do to rule out8possible non-biological explanations. It is more likely that a chemical process,without biology,can explain these results."练习：1 .What have scientists found about Saturn?C、They have found methane-based life on Titan.2. What do scientists say about Titan?A 、There are life clues there.3. To date,scientists have not yet detected this form of life.(paragraph 5)What does"this formof life" refer to?B 、Methane-based life.4. What can be inferred from what Allen said?A、Scientists have different arguments over whether there is life on Titan.5. Which of the following can replace the title of this passage?D、A different Life Form, a Possibility.*第四十篇Teaching Math, Teaching Anxiety（理工B级阅读理解）In a new study about the way kids learn math in elementary school, the psychologists at the………………………………………………段落省洛"This is an interesting study,but the results need to be interpreted as preliminary and in needof replication with a larger sample6," said David Geary,a psychologist at the University of Missouri7 in Columbia.练习：1. What is the result of the research at the University of Chicago,according to the first paragraph?D 、Female teachers' confidence in their math skills is related to girl's math skills.2. What is implied in the third paragraph?B 、A difficult subject like math may affect teachers' confidence in teaching the subject.3. According to the experiment,those teachers were probably anxious about math when they feltC uneasy reading the numbers of a sales receipt.4. The sixth paragraph tells us that the research findingsA 、prove a strong link between female teachers' math anxiety and their female students' mathachievements.5. David Geary thinks thatB、the research results need to be retested based on a larger sample.+第四＋五篇Small But Wise（理工A级阅读理解）On December 14,NASA1 blasted a small but mighty telescope into space. The telescope is^^…………………………………………………段落省洛cool down. They're so dim that they're almost impossible to see with visible light, but in theinfrared spectrum they glow.练习：1 .What is so special about WISE?C Its digital camera can help astronomers to see the unknown space.2. Which is NOT the synonym for the word "snap" in the third paragraph?A make.3. The camera on WISEC catches the infrared radiation while the ordinary camera does not.4. Which of the following is NOT correct about"asteroids" according to paragraph 7? A Asteroids float through space giving off visible light.5.What is implied in the last paragraph?B 、Brown dwarfs give off infrared radiation.+第四十六篇Ants Have Big Impact on Environment as "Ecosystem Engineers" （理工A级阅读理解）Research by the University of Exeter1 has revealed that ants have a big impact on their local environment as a result of their activity as "ecosystem engineers" and predators. The study, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, found that ants have two distinct effects on their local environment.……………………………………段落省洛Ants are important components of ecosystems not only because they constitute a great part of the animal biomass5 but also because they act as ecosystem engineers. Ant biodiversity6is incredibly high and these organisms are highly responsive to human impact, which obviously reduces its richness. However, it is not clear how such disturbance damages the maintenance of ant services to the ecosystem．Ants are important in below ground processes8through the alteration of the physical and chemical environment and through their effects on plants, microorganisms, and other soil organisms.练习：1 .Why are ants compared to ecosystem engineers?C 、Because their activity affects the environment.2. As predators, antsA 、prey on small as well as large animals.3. Dir Sanders' study centered on how antsD produce such a big impact on the environment.4. What does paragraph 6 tell us?B 、Ants bring about a positive influence to an area when their population is small.5. What still remains unclear about ants, according to the last paragraph?C How do human activities affect ants' influence on a given ecosystem?完形填空第三篇Germs on BanknotesPeople in different countries use different types of 1、money yuan in China, pesos in Mexico, pounds in the United Kingdom, dollars in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. They may use 2、different currencies, but these countries, and probably all countries, still have one thing in common1: Germs on the banknotes.Scientists have been studying the germs on money for well over2 100 years. At the turn of the 20th 3、century , some researchers began to suspect that germs living on money could spread disease.Most studies of germy money have looked at the germs on the currency 4、within one country. In a new study, Frank Vriesekoop3 and other researchers compared the germ populations found on bills of different 5、countries .Vriesekoop3 is a microbiologist at the University of Ballarat in Australia4. He led the study, which compared the germ populations found on money 6、gathered from 10 nations. The scientists studied 1,280 banknotes in total; all came from places where people buy food, like supermarkets street vendors and cafes, 7、because those businesses often rely on cash.Overall, the Australian dollars hosted the fewest live bacteria ---- no more than 10 per square centimeter. Chinese yuan had the most ---- about 100 per square centimeter. Most of the germs on money probably would not cause harm.What we call “paper” money usually isn't made from paper. The U. S. dollar, for example, is printed on fabric that is mostly 8、cotton .Different countries may use different 9、materials to print their money. Some of the currencies studied by Vriesekoop and his 10、team such as the American dollar were made from cotton. Others were made from polymers.The three 11、currencies with the lowest numbers of bacteria were all printed on polymers. They included the Australian dollar, the New Zealand dollar and some Mexican pesos.The other currencies were printed on fabric made 12、mostly of cotton. Fewer germs lived on the polymer notes. This connection suggests that 13、germs have a harder time staying alive on polymer surfaces. Scientists need to do more studies to understand how germs live on money-----and whether or not we need to be concerned. Vnesekoop is now starting a study that will 14、compare the amounts of time bacteria can stay alive on different types of bills.Whatever Vriesekoop finds, the fact remains: Paper money harbors germs We should wash our 15、hands after touching it; after all5, you never know where your money 's been. Or what's living on it注释：第十篇 Chicken Soup for the Soul：Comfort Food Fights Loneliness Mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, may be bad for your arteries．1、 but according to a study in Psychological Science, they’re good for your heart and2、emotions The study focuses on “comfort food” and how it makes people feel．"For me 3、personally ,food has always played a big role in my family,” says Jordan Troisi, a graduate student at the University of Buffalo, and lead author on the study．The study came out of the research program of his co—author Shira Gabriel．It has 4、looked at non-human things that may affect human emotions．Some people reduce loneliness by bonding with their 5、 favorite TV show, building virtual relationships with a pop song singer or looking at pictures of loved ones．Troisi and Gabriel wondered if comfort food could have the same effect 6、by making peoplethink of their nearest and dearest. In one experiment, in order to make 7、participants feel lonely, the researchers had them write for six minutes about a fight with someone close to them．Others were given an emotionally neutral writing assignment. Then, some people in each 8、 group wrote about the experience of eating a comfort food and others wrote about eating a new food．9、Finally ,the researchers had participants 10、 complete questions about their levels of loneliness．Writing about a fight with a close person made people feel lonely．But people who were generally 11、secure in their relationships would feel less lonely by writing about a comfort food．"We have found that comfort foods are consistently associated with those close to us．"says Troisi．"Thinking about or consuming these foods later then serves as a reminder of those close others．"In 12、their essays on comfort food, many people wrote about the 13、experience of eating food with family and friends. In another experiment, 14、 eating chicken soup in the lab made people think more about relationships, but only if they considered chicken soup to be a comfort food．This was a question they had been asked long before the experiment, along with many other questions, so they wouldn’t remember it. Throughout everyone’s daily lives they experience stress, often associated with our 15、connections with others," Troisi says．"Comfort food Can be an easy remedy for loneliness．*第十一篇 Climate Change Poses Major Risks for Unprepared Cities （B级完型）A new examination of urban policies has been 1、carriedout recently by Patricia Romero Lankao．She is a sociologist specializing in climate change and 2 、urban development．She warns that many of the world’s fast-growing urban areas，especially in developing countries．will likely suffer from the impacts of changing climate．Her work also concludes that most cities are failing to 3、reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse 4、gases．These gases are known to affect the atmosphere．”Climate change is a deeply local issue and poses profound threats to the growing cities of the world,” says Romer o Lankao. ”But too few cities are developing effective strategies to 5、protect their residents."Cities are 6、major sources of greenhouse gases．And urban populations are likely to be among those most severely affected by future climate ch ange. Lankao’s findings highlight ways in which city-residents are particularly vulnerable, and suggest policy interventions that could offer immediate and longer-term 7 、benefits．The locations and dense construction patterns of cities often place their populations at greater risk for natural disasters. Potential 8、threats associated with climate include storm surges and prolonged hot weather. Storm surges can flood coastal areas and prolonged hot weather can heat 9、heavily paved cities more than surrounding areas．The impacts of such natural events can be more serious in an urban environment．For example，a prolonged heat wave can increaseexisting levels of air pollution，causing widespread health problems．Poorer neighborhoods that may 10、lack basic facilities such as drinking water or a dependable network of roads，are especially vulnerable to natural disasters．Many residents in poorer countries live in substandardhousing 11、without access to reliable drinking water，roads and basic services.Local governments, 12、therefore ,should take measures toprotect their residents.”Unfortunately，they tend to move towards rhetoric 13、rather than meaningful responses, Romero Lankao writes, ” They don’t impose const ruction standards that could reduce heating and air conditioning needs. They don't emphasize mass transit and reduce 14 、 automobile use. In fact, many local governments are taking a hands—off approach.” Thus, she urges themto change their 15 、idle policies and to take strong steps to prevent the harmful effects of climate change on cities.*第十二篇 Free Statins With Fast Food Could Neutralize Heart Risk（B 级完型）Fast food outlets could provide statin drugs free of 1、charge so that customers can reduce the heart disease dangers of fatty food, researchers at Imperial College London 2、suggest in a newstudy．Statins reduce the 3 、 amount of unhealthy ”LDL” cholesterol in the blood. A wealth of trial data has proven them to be highly effective at lowering a person’s heart attack 4 、risk .In a paper published in the American Journal of Cardiology，Dr Darrel Francis and colleagues calculate that the reduction in heart attack risk offered by a statin is 5、enough to offset the increase in heart attack risk from 6、eating a cheeseburger and drinking a milkshake．Dr Francis，from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London，who is the senior author of the study, said:”Statins don’t cut out a11 of the 7、unhealthy effects of cheeseburgers and French fries．It’s better to avoid fatty food altogether．But we’ve worked out that in terms of your 8、possibility of having a heart attack. Taking a statin can reduce your risk to more or less the same 9、degree as a fast food meal increases it.”“It’s ironic that people are free to take as many unhealthv condiments in fast food outlets as they 10、like , but statins, which are beneficial to heart health, have to be prescribed. It makes sense to make risk-reducing statins available just as easily as the unhealthy condiments that are 11、provided free of charge．It would cost less than 5 pence per 1 2、 customer 一not much different to a sachet of sugar.” Dr Francis s aid．When people engage in risky behaviours like driving or smoking, they’re encouraged to take 13、measures that lower their risk, 1ike 14 wearing a seatbelt or choosing cigarettes with filters. Taking a statin is a rational way of 1 5、lowering some of the risks of eating a fatty meal．+第十三篇Solar Power without Solar Cells（A级完型）A dramatic and surprising magnetic effect of light discovered by University of Michigan1researchers could lead to solar power without traditional semiconductor-based solar cells.The researchers found a way to make an "optical 1、battery ," said Stephen Rand, a professor in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Physics and Applied Physics.Light has electric and magnetic components. Until now, scientists thought the2、effects of the magnetic field were so weak that they could be ignored. What Rand and his colleagues found is that at the right intensity, when light is traveling through a material that does not conduct electricity, the light field can generate magnetic effects that are 100 million times stronger than 3、previously expected. 4、Under these circumstances, the magnetic effects develop strength equivalent to a strong electric effect."This could lead to a new kind of solar cell without semiconductors and without absorption to produce charge separation," Rand said. "In solar cells, the 5、light goes into a material, gets absorbed and creates heat. Here, we expect to have a very low heat load2. Instead of the light being absorbed, energy is stored in the magnetic moment3. Intense magnetization can be induced by intense light and then it is ultimately capable of providing a capacitive power6、source."What makes this possible is a previously undetected brand of "optical rectification4," says William Fisher, a doctoral student5 in applied physics. In traditional optical rectification, light's electric field causes a charge separation, or a pulling7、apart of the positive and negative charges6 in a material. This sets up a voltage, similar to 8、that in a battery.Rand and Fisher found that under the right circumstances and in right types of materials, the light's magnetic field can also create optical rectification. The light must be shone through7 a 9、material that does not 10、conduct electricity, such as glass. And it must be focused to an intensity of 10 million watts per square centimeter8. Sunlight isn't this intense on its own, but new materials are being sought that would work at lower intensities, Fisher said."In our most recent paper, we show that incoherent light9 like sunlight is theoretically almost as. 11、effective in producing charge separation as laser light is," Fisher said.This new 12、technique could make solar power cheaper, the researchers say. They predict that with improved materials they could achieve 10 percent efficiency in 13、converting solar power to useable energy. That's equivalent to today's commercial-grade solar cells."To manufacture 14 、modern solar cells, you have to do extensive semiconductor processing," Fisher said. "All we would need are lenses to focus the light and a fiber to guide it. Glass works for 15、both . It's already made in bulk10, and it doesn't require as much processing. Transparent ceramics might be even better."+第十五篇“Liquefaction” Key to Much of Japanese Earthquake Damage（A级完型）The massive subduction zone1earthquake in Japan caused a significant level of soil"liquefaction"2 that has surprised researchers with its 1、widespread severity, a new analysis shows."We've seen localized3 examples of soil liquefaction as extreme as this before, but the distance and 2、extent of damage in Japan were unusually severe," said Scott Ashford, a professor of geotechnical engineering4 at Oregon State University5. "Entire structures were tilted andsinking into the sediments," Ashford said. "The shifts in soil destroyed water, drain and gas pipelines6, crippling the utilities and infrastructure these communities need to 3、function . We saw some places that sank as much as four feet."Some degree of soil liquefaction7is common in almost any major earthquake. It's a phenomenon in which soils soaked with water, particularly recent sediments or sand, can lose much of their 4 、strength and flow during an earthquake. This can allow structures to shift or sink or 5、collapse .But most earthquakes are much 6、shorter than the recent event in Japan, Ashford said. The length of the Japanese earthquake, as much as five minutes, may force researchers to reconsider the extent of liquefaction damage possibly occurring in situations such as this8."With such a long-lasting earthquake, we saw 7、how structures that might have been okay after 30 seconds just continued to sink and tilt as the shaking continued for several more minutes," he said. "And it was clear that younger sediments, and especially areas built on 8、recently f illed ground, are much more vulnerable."The data provided by analyzing the Japanese earthquake, researchers said, should make it possible to improve the understanding of this soil 9、phenomenon and better prepare for it in the future. Ashford said it was critical for the team to collect the information quickly, 10、before damage was removed in the recovery efforts9."There's no doubt that we'll learn things from what happened in Japan10 that11will help us to reduce risks in other similar 11、events ," Ashford said. "Future construction in some places may make more use of techniques known to reduce liquefaction, such as better compaction to make soils dense, or use of reinforcing stone columns."Ashford pointed out that northern California have younger soils vulnerable to liquefaction ---on the coast, near river deposits or in areas with filled ground. The "young" sediments, in geologic terms, may be those 12、deposited within the past 10,000 years or more. In Oregon, for instance, that describes much of downtown Portland, the Portland International Airport and other cities.Anything 13、near a river and old flood plains is a suspect12, and the Oregon Department of Transportation has already concluded that 1,100 bridges in the state are at risk from an earthquake. Fewer than 15 percent of them have been reinforced to 14、prevent collapse. Japan has suffered tremendous losses in the March 11 earthquake, but Japanese construction 15、standards helped prevent many buildings from collapse ---even as they tilted and sank into the ground.轻松词汇通轻轻松松词汇通，稳拿满分在其中一、解释版：（一）必记：10大词汇选项要求掌握的单词：（03年8对8分，04年8对8分，05年8对两半10分）（斜体部分为近两年已考）1\account for=explain 理解minute=slight 细小disorder=confusion混乱Accused of=charged with 指控investigate=look into 调查numerous=many 许多obvious=clear 显而易见Odd=strange 奇怪participate in=take part in 参加preserve=keep 保存previously=before以前pull up=stop 停止perceive=notice 注意到possess=own占有substantial=significant 实质的2\spur=encourage 激励coverage=reportage报道dimly=faintly 昏暗(048)，模糊mildly=gently 温和地inevitable=certain 不可避免isolate=solitary 孤立的call of=cancel取消make up one’s mind=decide决定Now and then=occasionally=sometimes 有时find fault with=criticize 批评grasp=take hold of抓住Consideration=account 考虑tolerate=put up with 忍受abandon=give up 放弃lately=recently最近3\Manual=physical 人工harness=utilise(utilize) 利用resident=occupant 居民steadily=continuously不断地Remedy=cure治疗(055)draft==formulate起草practically=almost 几乎endeavor=try=test尝试seldom=rarely 很少而精Readily=willingly 乐意shine=polish 擦亮Extract=take out 取出(045)decent=honest正派Lethal=Deadly=fatal 致命的4\insist on=demand 坚持speed=velocity快过Physician=doctor 医生particularly=especially特别safe=secure安全的branch=division分支机构Abnormal=unusual 不正常的accelerate=step up 加快abundant=plentiful 丰富的accumulate=collect积累Allocate=distribute=assign 分配childish=immature 幼稚barren=bare贫瘠5\appalling=dreadful讨厌的Anyhow=anyway 不管achieve=attain 通过努力达到capability=ability 能力in conjunction=together共同Credible=convincing 可信的diligent=hardworking 勤奋diverse=varied多种多样faulty=wrong有错的Gorgeous=lovely 极美的persist=continue 持续regulate=control 控制scatter=separate分开Stand point=point of view 观点touching=moving 感人的6\vanish=disappear消失phase=stage阶段Deter=inhibit=prevent 阻止porcelain=china 陶瓷prior to=before在。

2012年职称英语理工新增完形天空完形填空（6篇）第三篇Germs on Banknotes第十篇Chicken Soup for the Soul：Comfort Food Fights Loneliness*第十一篇Climate Change Poses Major Risks for Unprepared Cities*第十二篇Free Statins With Fast Food Could Neutralize Heart Risk+第十三篇Solar Power without Solar Cells+第十五篇“Liquefaction” Key to Much of Japanese Earthquake Damage注：1、+表示A级文章；*表示B即文章；其他为C级文章2、阅读理解3、2012年词汇部分与2011年教材相比未作任何变化第三篇Germs on BanknotesPeople in different countries use different types of 1 yuan in China, pesos in Mexico, pounds in the United Kingdom, dollars in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. They may use 2 currencies, but these countries, and probably all countries, still have one thing in common1: Germs on the banknotes.Scientists have been studying the germs on money for well over2 100 years. At the turn of the 20th 3 , some researchers began to suspect that germs living on money could spread disease.Most studies of germy money have looked at the germs on the currency 4 one country. In a new study, Frank Vriesekoop3 and other researchers compared the germ populations found on bills of different 5 .Vriesekoop3 is a microbiologist at the University of Ballarat in Australia4. He led the study, which compared the germ populations found on money 6 from 10 nations. The scientists studied 1,280 banknotes in total; all came from places where people buy food, like supermarkets street vendors and cafes, 7 those businesses often rely on cash.Overall, the Australian dollars hosted the fewest live bacteria ---- no more than 10 per square centimeter. Chinese yuan had the most ---- about 100 per square centimeter. Most of the germs on money probably would not cause harm.What we call “paper” money usually isn't made from paper. The U. S. dollar, for example, is printed on fabric that is mostly 8 .Different countries may use different 9 to print their money. Some of the currencies studied by Vriesekoop and his 10 such as the American dollar were made from cotton. Others were made from polymers.The three 11 with the lowest numbers of bacteria were all printed on polymers. They included the Australian dollar, the New Zealand dollar and someMexican pesos.The other currencies were printed on fabric made 12 of cotton. Fewer germs lived on the polymer notes. This connection suggests that 13 have a harder time staying alive on polymer surfaces. Scientists need to do more studies to understand how germs live on money-----and whether or not we need to be concerned. Vnesekoop is now starting a study that will 14 the amounts of time bacteria can stay alive on different types of bills.Whatever Vriesekoop finds, the fact remains: Paper money harbors germs We should wash our 15 after touching it; after all5, you never know where your money 's been. Or what's living on it词汇：pesos/pi:səvs/ n ．比索bacterium /kæk'tiəriəm/ n ．细菌（单数）germ/dʒə:m/ n．病菌bacteria /bæktiəriə／细菌（复数）banknote/bæŋknəvt/ n．纸币centimeter/senti,mi:tə。