Study on the decrease of renal DAAO activity in the rat after renal ischemia

每年考研人数逐渐上涨英语作文Postgrad exam-takers on rise in tougher job marketA record 3.77 million people are expected to take part in China's 2021 national entrance exam for postgraduate studies from Saturday to Monday, 360,000 more than last year, according to the Ministry of Education. The number has increased steadily over the past several years from 2.01 million in 2017 to 2.38 million in 2018, 2.9 million in 2019 and 3.41 million this year, ministry said.While there has been significant increase in applicants, the increase in enrollment has been slower. Last year, 811,000 examinees were enrolled in postgraduate studies, up from 762,000 in 2018 and 722,000 in 2017, according to the ministry.The mismatch in growth rates of applicants and enrollees has made the exam increasingly competitive. The overall student enrollment rate has dropped from 36 percent in 2017 to 32 percent in 2018 and 28 percent last year.With a record 9.09 million university students expected to graduate next year, a survey by education website publishedrecently found that growing competition in the job market was among the top reasons for the increase in applicants.When asked about the reasons they wanted to pursue a master's degree, 52 percent of respondents said it would improve their overall capability, 51.3 percent said it would boost their competitiveness in the job market and 50 percent said they wanted to study at a better university.Less than 20 percent said they wanted to pursue postgraduate studies for academic research and 2 percent said they had given up plans to study overseas in favor of domestic universities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey said.The survey also found that an increasing number of students who take the exam have started working but are unsatisfactory with their jobs. They want to obtain a higher degree as a way to better employment options, it said.A total of 15,410 people who applied to Yunnan University this year had graduated in previous years, accounting for 63 percent of the total applicants, up by 7 percentage points from last year.Ma Kanghui, a senior from North China Institute of AerospaceEngineering in Langfang, Hebei province, said he had decided to take the exam two years ago because he considered a bachelor's degree inadequate for finding a good job.More than 70 percent of his classmates have signed up for the exam because a master's degree has become the entry requirement for many good jobs, the 21-year-old said.Wu Dongcheng, 20, a senior from Henan Agricultural University, said preparation for the postgraduate entrance exam has been more difficult than the notoriously competitive national college entrance exam, or gaokao."For the gaokao, you have the teachers' guidance all the way and the entire class beside you, but for postgraduate exam, you are fighting your own battle as different people take different exams based on the university and major chosen," he said.Both Ma and Wu said they are prepared to take the exam again if the results are not satisfactory because they consider it an opportunity for a better future.。

2021年12月四级考试预测押题卷（一）Part I Writing(30minutes)Directions:For this part,you are allowed30minutes to write a letter to offer your suggestions to your cousin who sought your advice on how to make his resume distinctive.You should write at least120words but no more than 180words.Part II Listening Comprehension(25minutes)Section ADirections:In this section,you will hear three news reports.At the end of each conversation,you will hear four questions.Both the news report and the questions will be spoken only once.After you hear a question,you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B),C)and D).Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet1with a single line through the centre.Questions1and2are based on the news report you have just heard.1.A)Two.B)Three.C)Four.D)Five.2.A)He called the police after the accident.B)He broke his arm in the accident.C)He was caught taking drugs.D)He was arrested by the police.Questions3and4are based on the news report you have just heard.3.A)A cure to brain cancer.B)A new surgical instrument.C)A pen that can identify cancerous tissue.D)A new drug that can eliminate cancerous tissue.4.A)Finding the border between the cancerous and normal tissue.B)Identifying the accuracy rate of the new device.C)Improving their speed of removing a tumour.D)Using the new device in brain surgery.Questions5to7are based on the news report you have just heard.5.A)To collect scientific data on it.C)To take photos of the storm on it.B)To monitor the storm on it.D)To investigate its environment.6.A)It has lasted for nearly350years.B)It has lasted for more that350months.C)It seems to be getting smaller.D)It seems to be getting larger.7.A)What initially caused the storm.C)What is the impact of the storm.B)What is underneath the storm.D)What makes the storm last for so long.Section BDirections：In this section,you will hear two long conversations.At the end of each conversation,you will hear four questions.Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.After you hear a question,you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B),C),and D).Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet1with a single line through the centre.Questions8to11are based on the conversation you have just heard.8.A)It’s for disabled adults.B)It’s in a sports centre.C)It’s rewarding and challenging.D)It’s compulsive in her community.9.A)The skills they need.B)The products they have.C)The market they target.D)The language they require.10.A)Diversify markets and sales strategies.B)Reduce costs and jobs.C)Learn from other companies.D)Listen to the opinions of experts.11.A)The salary and the workload.B)The office hour and the penalty system.C)The welfare and the holiday system.D)The ethical policy and the carbon footprint.Questions12to15are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A)Double-decker buses.B)The traffic in London.C)Bus routes.D)Travels in Britain.13.A)It has no windows.B)People get onto it at the front.C)It has two carriages.D)It is open at the back.14.A)Uncomfortable.B)Noisy.C)Dangerous.D)Shabby.15.A)Bendy buses can help reduce the traffic jam.B)Bendy buses are more environmentally friendly.C)Bendy buses are convenient for people in wheelchairs.D)Bendy buses are more popular among tourists.Section CDirections:In this section,you will hear three passages.At the end of each passage,you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.After you hear a question,you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B),C)and D).Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet1 with a single line through the centre.Questions16to18are based on the passage you have just heard.16.A)They had four toes.B)They were not as big as dogs.C)They lived in South America.D)They lived in thick forests.17.A)They had long legs and a long tail.B)They were smaller and had front eyes.C)They began to eat grass as well as fruit.D)They were bigger and had long legs.18.A)They evolved into donkeys in Asia and Africa.B)They used their long legs to run south to South Africa.C)They began to eat apples on the North American plains.D)They preferred grass to fruit and vegetables.Questions19to21are based on the passage you have just heard.19.A)Being rejected by friends and teachers.B)Staying away from his native land.C)Adapting to new study expectations.D)Keeping a balance between study and job.20.A)Talking with older brothers or sisters.C)Starting a conversation with close friends.B)Having a casual talk with a college student.D)Playing with friends on the same sports team.21.A)Follow traditions of with a college student.C)Respect the customs of different colleges.B)Take part in as many activities as possible.D)Take others’advice as reference only.Questions22to25are based on the passage you have just heard.22.A)They tend to harm wildlife.C)They are thrown away everywhere.B)They are hardly recyclable.D)They are made from useless materials.23.A)It is fatal.B)It is weird.C)It is very serious.D)It is complicated.24.A)The sea creatures that have taken in then are consumed by humans.B)The ocean’s ecology has been polluted and affected humans.C)Humans eat the seabirds that have swallowed plastic particles.D)Humans consume the fish that have eaten sea creatures with them.25.A)Its use has been drastically reduced.C)Most products use natural materials.B)It is still an indispensable material.D)The use of plastic items will be charged.PartⅢReading Comprehension(40minutes)Section ADirections:In this section,there is a passage with ten blanks.You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage.Read the passage through carefully before making your choices.Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet2with a single line through the centre.You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Questions26to35are based on the following passage.A third of the planet’s land is severely degraded and fertile soil is being lost at the rate of24bn tonnes a year, according to a new United Nations-backed study that calls for a shift away from destructively intensive agriculture, The alarming____26____,which is forecast to continue as demand for food and productive land increases,will ass to the risks of conflicts unless____27____actions are implemented,warns the institution behind the report.“As the ready supply of healthy and productive land dries up and the population grows,competition is ___28___for land within countries and globally,”said executive secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification(UNCCD)at the launch of the Global Land Outlook.“To___29____the losses,the outlook suggests it is in all our interests to step back and rethink how we are managing the pressures and the competition.”The Global Land Outlook is____30____as the most comprehensive study of its type,mapping the interlinked impacts of urbanization,climate change,erosion and forest loss.But the biggest factor is the___31___of industrial farming.Heavy tilling,multiple harvests ans___32____use of agrochemicals have increased yields at the____33____of long-term sustainability.If the past20years,agricultural production has increased threefold and the amount of irrigated land has doubled,notes a paper in the outlook by the Joint Research Centre(JRC)of the European commission.Over time,however,this___34___fertility and can lead to abandonment of land and ___35___desertification.A)absorb I)limitedB)abundant J)minimizeC)billed K)occasionallyD)decline L)optimizesE)diminishes M)rateF)expansion N)remedialG)expense O)ultimatelyH)intensifyingSection BDirections:In this section,you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it.Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs.Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter.Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet2.Take Naps at Work.Apologize to No One[A]In the past two weeks I’ve taken three naps at work,a total of an hour or so of shut-eye while on the clock.And I have no shame or uncertainty about doing it.I couldn’t feel better about it,and my productivity reflects it,too.[B]Sleeping on the job is one of those workplace taboos-like leaving your desk for lunch or taking an afternoon walk-that we’re taught to look down on.If someone naps at2p.m.while the rest of us furiously write memos and respond to emails,surely it must mean they’re slacking off(偷懒).Or so the assumption goes.[C]Restfulness and recharging can take a back seat to the perception and appearance of productivity.It’s easier to stay on a virtual hamster(仓鼠)wheel of activity by immediately responding to every email than it is to measure aggregate productivity over a greater period of time.But a growing field of occupational and psychological research is building the case for restfulness in pursuit of greater productivity.[D]Companies are suffering from tremendous productivity problems because people are stressed out and not recovering from the workday,said Josh Bersin,Principal and Founder of Bersin by Deloitte.“They’re beginning to realize that this is their problem,and they can’t just say to people,‘Here’s a work-life balance course,go teach yourself how to manage your inbox,’”Mr.Bersin said.“It’s way more complicated than that.”[E]To be sure,the ability to nap at work is far from widespread,experts said.Few among us have the luxury of being able to step away for a half-hour snoozefest.But lunch hours and coffee breaks can be great times to duck out,and your increased productivity and alertness will be all the evidence you need to make your case to inquiring bosses.[F]In an ideal world,we’d all solve this problem by unplugging early and getting a good night’s sleep. Here’s our guide on how to do just that.But the next best thing is stealing away for a quick power nap when you’re dragging after lunch.[G]In a study published in Nature Neuroscience,researchers tested subjects on their perceptual performance four times throughout the day.Performance deteriorated with each test,but subjects who took a30-minute nap between tests stopped the deterioration in performance,and those who took a60-minute nap even reversed it.[H]“Naps had the same magnitude of benefits as full nights of sleep if they had a quality of nap.”said Sara Mednick,a co-author of the study and associate professor of psychology at the University of California,Riverside.[I]Dr.Mednick,a sleep researcher and the author of Take a Nap!Change Your Life,said daytime napping can have many of the benefits of overnight sleep,and different types of naps offer specific benefits.[J]For example,Dr.Mednick said a20-to60-minute nap might help with memorization and learning specific bits of information.It’s just long enough to enter stage-two sleep,or non-rapid eye movement(R.E.M.)sleep.[K]After60minutes,you start getting into R.E.M.sleep,most often associated with that deep,dreaming state we all enjoy at night R.E.M.sleep can improve creativity,perceptual processing and highly associativethinking,which allows you to make connections between disparate ideas,Dr.Mednick said.Beyond that,your best bet is a90-minute nap,which will give you a full sleep cycle.[L]Any nap,however,can help with alertness and perception and cut through the general fog that creeps in during the day,experts said.[M]So how did we even arrive at this point where aptitude is inextricably tied(紧密相连)to working long, concentrated hours?Blame technology,but think broader than smartphones and laptops;the real issue is that tech has enabled us to be available at all times.[N]“We went through a period where people were in denial and business leaders were ignoring it,”Mr. Bersin said.“They were assuming that if we give people more tools,more emails,more Slack,more chatter,and we’ll just assume they can figure out how to deal with it all.And I think they’ve woken up to the fact that this is a big problem,and it is affecting productivity,engagement,health,safety,wellness and all sorts of things.”[O]It isn’t just office workers who can benefit from an afternoon siesta(午睡).A2015study published in Current Biology looked at the at the sleeping habits of three hunter-gatherer preindustrial societies in Tanzania, Namibia and Bolivia.[P]“They’re active in the morning,then they get in the shade under the trees and have a sort of quiet time, but they’re not generally napping,”said Jerome Siegel,professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences,and director of the U.C.L.A.Center for Sleep Research,a co-author of the study.“Then they do some work and go to sleep,and they sleep through the night.”[Q]Still,Mr.Siegel said,“the only genuine way to solve daytime sleepiness and fatigue starts the night before with a solid night’s sleep.”The real Holy Grail of restfulness is a regular sleep schedule with ideally seven or eight hours of sleep each night,which experts say is optimal.[R]“Daytime napping certainly does increase alertness,”Mr.Siegel said.“But it’s not as simple as going to the gas station and filling the tank.”[S]He also advises avoiding caffeine late in the day and waking around the same time every morning,even if you can’t get to sleep at the same time every night,This helps acclimate(使适应)your body to your regular wake-up time,regardless of how much sleep you got the night before.[T]So if you’ve made it this far and you’re interested in giving workday naps a try(or just starting to nod off),here’s a quick guide to the perfect nap;Find a quiet,unoccupied space where you won’t be disturbed.Try to make your area as dim as possible(or invest in a sleep mask you can keep in the office).Earplugs might help.too.Aim for around20minutes.Any longer than that and you’re likely to wake up with sleep inertia(睡眠惰性)，which will leave you even groggier(头脑昏沉的)than before.36.Participants’perceptual performance became better after sleeping one hour between tests in an article inNature Neuroscience.37.Jerome Siegel found that only by sleeping soundly through the previous night could people tackle theirweariness during the day.38.Our talent is closely bound to working with concentration for long periods of time because technologymakes us accessible24/7.39.Taking a nap at work is normally regarded as laziness that should be held in contempt and avoided inworkplace.40.Between20to60minutes,people can get into non-REM sleep which may improve memory and learningability according to Dr.Mednick.41.People can doze off at lunch and coffee breaks and defended themselves by saying their improvedproductivity and alertness when bosses investigated their whereabouts.42.The author’s tips on taking a perfect nap involve sleeping place,environment and duration.43.The author believes business leaders are aware that availability at any time due to technology has negativeeffects on every aspect of people’s life.44.The optimal length of a nap was an hour and a half so that people could go through a complete sleep cycle.45.Josh Bersin mentioned the cause of companies’big productivity problems and the solution which needsmore that just employees’efforts.Section CDirections:There are2passages in this section.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices marked A),B),C)and D).You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet2with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions46to50are based on the following passage.Every office worker hates meetings.But it’s a strange sort of hate,similar to the hatred of Londoners for the Northern Line,or New Yorkers for tourists who walk too slowly:the dislike is real,yet if the despised thing were to vanish,it’d be like surrendering a piece of your soul.When researchers probed into why people put up with the strain that meetings place on their time and sanity, they found something-those who resent and dread meetings the moat also defend them as a“necessary evil”, sometimes with great passion.True,research suggests that meetings take up vastly more of the average manager’s time than they used to.True,done badly,they’re associated with lower levels of innovation and employee wellbeing(幸福).But that’s just office life,right?It’s not supposed to be fun.That’s why they call it work.Underlying(引起)this attitude is an assumption that’s drummed into us not just as workers but as children, parents and romantic partners;that more communication is always a good thing.So suggestions abound for(大量存在)communicating better in meetings-for example,hold them standing up,so speakers will come to the point more quickly.But even when some companies consider abolishing meetings entirely,the principle that more communication is better isn’t questioned.If anything,it’s reinforced when such firms introduce“flat”management structures,with bosses always available to everyone,plus plenty of electronic distraction.In fact,constant connectivity is disastrous for both job satisfaction and the bottom line.And anyway,once you give it three seconds’thought,isn’t it cleat that more communication frequently isn’t a good thing?Often,the difference between a successful marriage and a second-rate one consists of leaving about three or four things a day unsaid.At work,it’s surely many more than four,though for a different reason;office communication comes at the cost of precisely the kind of focus that’s essential to good work.Yet we’re so accustomed to seeing talking as a source of solutions-for resolving conflicts or finding new ideas-that it’s hard to see when it is the problem.46.What does the author say about meetings?A)Londoners hate them as well as the Northern Line.B)They can help to keep workers’physical and spiritual health.C)Workers might be reluctant to give up them completely.D)New Yorkers dislike meetings more than Londoners.47.What did researchers find about people’s attitude towards meeting?A.Their attitude and behavior are paradoxical.B)People who hate meetings the most are senior insane.C)Those who like meetings might be considered insane.D)More meetings are regarded as a sign of less innovation.48.Why do people think that more communication is always a good thing?A)Because the concept is firmly believed by workers.B)Because everyone loves to communicate with others.C)Because the idea has been instilled into people’s mind.D)Because communication is vital for building relationships.49.What does the author think of the“flat”management structure?A)It forces bosses to frequently contact their employees.B)It helps to soften employees’bottom line of work.C)It is definitely a disaster to employees’job satisfaction.D)It strengthens people’s deeply-rooted notion of communication.50.What is the author’s argument about office communication?A)It is an effective way to solve office conflicts.B)It affects work efficiency in a negative way.C)It should come to a halt at intervals.D)It is useful for workers to find new ideas.Passage TwoQuestions51to55are based on the following passage.The Internet has enabled the spread of information at lightning speed.This information revolution has created tremendous business opportunities for online publishers,but not all of them maintain proper quality-control mechanisms to ensure that only good information is being shared.Instead,many publishers aim simply to make money by whatever means possible,with no regard for the implications for society at large.When selfish publishers set up shops online,the primary goal is to publish as much as possible,often at the cost of quality.In this respect,many publishers start numerous online journals focused on overlapping(重叠的)disciplines—to increase their total number of published papers—and hire young business managers who do not have any experience in either science or publishing.In some cases,online publishers even give up peer review, while still presenting themselves as scientific journals—deception designed to take advantage of scientists who simply want to share their research.If publishers structure their business to make more revenue,it often does harm to their products.When publishers start journals with overlapping domains,in combination with the pressure to publish more studies,this could promote the publication of marginal or even questionable articles.Moreover,publishers with multiple overlapping journals and journals with very narrow specialties(专业)increase the demands on the time and efforts of willing reviewers.With the fact that reviewers are generally not compensated for their time and effort,journal editors are often unable to find enough reviewers to keep up with the increased publication rate.To improve the situation and increase the trust in scientific community,the pressure to publish must be reduced.Funding and promotion decisions should not be based on the number of publications,but on the quality of those publications and a researcher’s long-term productivity and instructions.And that’s just the start.We need additional mechanisms,such as Beall’s list of predatory(掠夺的)publishers, to alert scientists to fake journals and fake articles.In addition,the price for online publication must be controlled and a mechanism must be put in place to honor and reward hard-working reviewers.51.What does the author think of online publishers?A)A small proportion of them can guarantee their publishing quality.B)They have lots of opportunities to renovate their business models.C)Many of them tend to try every means to make a buck.D)Social impact is their first priority when publishing books.52.It can be inferred from the second paragraph that______.A)peer review generally is a criterion to identify academic journalsB)researchers focus their research on the combination of disciplinesC)scientists care about their publications rather than researchD)young business managers are willing to face new challenges53.Why can’t publishers find enough reviewers to review papers?A)Reviewers are pressed for time when reviewing articles.B)Reviewers’gains can’t make up for what they have done.C)Publishers may compel reviewers to accept marginal articles.D)Publishers urge reviewers to increase publication rate rapidly.54.What is the author’s suggestion for online publication?A)More weight should be put on the quantity of publications.B)It is worthwhile to reward diligent reviewers for their effort.C)Fake journals should be reported to a regulatory organization.D)The price of online publication should be lowered greatly.55.What is the main idea of this passage?A)Online publishers should take measures to fight against fake scientific journals.B)Online publishers are pursuing their work efficiency at the cost of quality.C)Online publishers business models are quite likely to harm their publications.D)Online publishers are sacrificing the quality of research articles to make money.PartⅣTranslation(30minutes)Directions:For this part,you are allowed30minutes to translate a passage from Chinese intoEnglish.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet2.春节是中国的传统节日，相当于美国的圣诞节。

学英语试卷第十九期作文Title: The Transformative Power of Learning EnglishIn the grand tapestry of life, where each thread represents a different skill or knowledge, learning English acts as a vibrant, resilient strand that intertwines with all others, enhancing their beauty and strength. This essay explores the profound impacts that learning English has on personal development, career prospects, and cultural exchanges, unraveling how this linguistic ability transcends mere communication to become a cornerstone of global interaction and individual growth.Mastering English is not merely about achieving fluency in speaking or writing; it is acquiring a key that unlocks doors to diverse worlds—worlds of knowledge, opportunity, and understanding. English, as the lingua franca of the modern era, bridges gaps between nations, facilitates international collaborations, and empowers individuals to voice their thoughts in a forum as vast as the internet. It is a vessel that carries the ideas of the past into the future, ensuring the legacy of knowledge and culture.For the individual, learning English is akin to opening a Pandora's box of personal development opportunities. It sharpens the mind, challenging it with the complexities of anew language. This challenge, far from being a burden, is a catalyst for cognitive enhancement. Studies reveal that bilingualism or multilingualism improves brain functions, boosting memory, problem-solving capabilities, and multitasking skills. Mastery of English also fosters confidence and cultural empathy, as learners immerse themselves in the nuances of another tongue, thereby gaining insights into different ways of thinking and living.In the realm of career progression, English proficiency is a potent differentiator. In an increasingly competitive job market, fluency in English is often a prerequisite for many positions, especially in international companies or organizations with a global outreach. It is not just about meeting qualification criteria; it’s about being able to communicate effectively with peers, clients, and partners from around the globe. The ability to articulate ideas clearly in English can lead to leadership roles, client-facing positions, or opportunities to work abroad. English opens doors not because it is a mandatory requirement but because it is a facilitator of success in an interlinked world.Learning English is akin to stepping into a cross-cultural corridor, where the exchange of ideas and values enriches allparties involved. It allows for advocacy and understanding on a global scale, whether it pertains to environmental conservation, human rights, or educational initiatives. English becomes a medium through which voices that would otherwise be muted are amplified, reaching the ears of those who need to listen the most. This power of unification and promotion of shared values is perhaps one of the most profound impacts of learning English, transcending personal gains to influence communal and global benefits.The journey of learning English is filled with twists and turns, much like the path of learning any new skill. Yet, the rewards are manifold—from personal growth to career advancements, from cultural insights to global impact. English is not just a subject to be mastered but a vehicle for personal and societal transformation. Its study is an investment into oneself, a commitment to engaging with the world in a meaningful, impactful way. As we navigate through the landscape of endless possibilities that English affords, we uncover not just words but worlds, not just grammar but gateways to a boundless exploration of humanity.。

Part Ⅰ Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Who Has the Most Important Influence on the Young. You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below.1. 有些人认为家人对青少年的影响最大。

2.有些人认为朋友对青少年的影响最大。

3.我的看法。

Who Has the Most Important Influence on the YoungPart ⅡReading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Will Electronic Medical Records Improve Health Care?Electronic health records (EHRs) have received a lot of attention since the Obama administration committed $19 billion in stimulus funds earlier this year to encourage hospitals and health care facilities to digitize patient data and make better use of information technology. The healthcare industry as a whole, however, has been slow to adopt information technology and integrate computer systems, raising the question of whether the push to digitize will result in information that empowers doctors to make better-informed decisions or a morass of disconnected data.The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) knows firsthand how difficult it is to achieve the former, and how easily an EHR plan can fall into the latter. UPMC has spent five years and more than $1 billion on information technology systems to get ahead of the EHR issue. While that is more than five times as much as recent estimates say it should cost a hospital system, UPMC is a mammoth network consisting of 20 hospitals as well as 400 doctors’ offices, outpatient sites and long-term care facilities employing about 50,000 people.UPMC’s early attempts to create a universal EHR system, such as its ambulatory electronic medical records rolled out between 2000 and 2005, were met with resistance as doctors, staff and other users either avoided using the new technology altogether or c lung to individual, disconnected software and systems that UPMC’s IT department had implemented over the years.On the mendAlthough UPMC began digitizing some of its records in 1996, the turning point in its efforts came in 2004 with the rollout of its eRecord system across the entire health care network. eRecord now contains more than 3.6 million electronic patient records, including images and CT scans, clinical laboratory information, radiology data, and a picture archival and communication system that digitizes images and makes them available on PCs. The EHR system has 29,000 users, including more than 5,000 physicians employed by or affiliated with UPMC.If UPMC makes EHR systems look easy, don’t be fooled, cautions UPMC chief medical information officer Dan Martich, who says the health care network’s IT systems require a "huge, ongoing effort" to ensure that those systems can communicate with one another. One of the main reasons is that UPMC, like many other health care organizations, uses a number of different vendors for its medical and IT systems, leaving the integration largely up to the IT staff.Since doctors typically do not want to change the way they work for the sake of a computer system, the success of an EHR program is dictated not only by the presence of the technology but also by how well the doctors are trained on, and use, the technology. Physicians need to see the benefits of using EHR systems both persistently and consistently, says Louis Baverso, chief information officer at UPMC’s Magee-Women’s Hospital. But these benefits might not be obvious at first, he says, adding, "What doctors see in the beginning is that they’re losing their ability to work with paper documents, which has been so valuable to them up until now."Opportunities and costsGiven the lack of EHR adoption throughout the health care world, there are a lot of opportunities to get this right (or wrong). Less than 10 percent of U.S. hospitals have adopted electronic medical records even in the most basic way, according to a study authored by Ashish Jha, associate professor of health policy and management at Harvard School of Public Health. Only 1.5 percent have adopted a comprehensive system of electronic records that includes physicians’ notes and orders and decision support systems that alert doctors of potential drug interactions or other problems that might result from their intended orders.Cost is the primary factor stalling EHR systems, followed by resistance from physicians unwilling to adopt new technologies and a lack of staff with adequate IT expertise, according to Jha. He indicated that a hospital could spend from $20 million to $200 million to implement an electronic record system over several years, depending on the size of the hospital. A typical doctor’s office would cost anestimated $50,000 to outfit with an EHR system.The upside of EHR systems is more difficult to quantify. Although some estimates say that hospitals and doctor’s offices could save as much as $100 million annually by moving to EHRs, the mere act of implementing the technology guarantees neither cost savings nor improvements in care, Jha said during a Harvard School of Public Health community forum on September 17. Another Harvard study of hospital computerization likewise determined that cutting costs and improving care through health IT as it exists today is "wishful thinking". This study was led by David Himmelstein, associate professor at Harvard Medical School.The cost of getting it wrongThe difference between the projected cost savings and the reality of the situation stems from the fact that the EHR technologies implemented to date have not been designed to save money or improve patient care, says Leonard D’Avolio, associate center director of Biomedical Informatics at the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC). Instead, EHRs are used to document individual p atients’ conditions, pass this information among clinicians treating those patients, justify financial reimbursement and serve as the legal records of events.This is because, if a health care facility has $1 million to spend, its managers are more likely to spend it on an expensive piece of lab equipment than on information technology, D’Avolio says, adding that the investment on lab equipment can be made up by charging patients access to it as a billable service. This is not the case for IT. Also, computers and networks used throughout hospitals and health care facilities are disconnected and often manufactured by different vendors without a standardized way of communicating. "Medical data is difficult to standardize because caring for patients is a complex process," he says. "We need to find some way of reaching across not just departments but entire hospitals. If you can’t measure something, you can’t improve it, and without access to this data, you can’t measure it."To qualify for a piece of the $19 billion being offered through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), healthcare facilities will have to justify the significance of their IT investments to ensure they are "meaningful users" of EHRs. The Department of Health and Human Services has yet to define what it considers meaningful useAggregating info to create knowledgeIdeally, in addition to providing doctors with basic information about their patients, databases of vital signs, images, laboratory values, medications,diseases, interventions, and patient demographic information could be mined for new knowledge, D’Avolio says. "With just a few of these databases networked together, the power to improve health care increases exponentially," D’Avolio suggested. "All that is missing is the collective realization that better health care requires access to better information—not automation of the status quo." Down the road, the addition of genomic information, environmental factors and family history to these databases will enable clinicians to begin to realize the potential of personalized medicine, he added.1. In America, it is slow to adopt information technology because .A) the funds invested by the government is not enough in the pastB) EHRs have received less attention of the public in the pastC) whether it will be useful to doctors or not is doubtfulD) UPMC knows how difficult it is to digitize the hospital2. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) .A) is the first medical center to adopt information technologyB) satisfy the requirement of the government on information technologyC) spent less money on information technology than it was estimatedD) attempted to created a universal EHR system, but met some difficulties3. The health care network’s IT systems require a lot of effort to ensure it can communicate with one another mainly because .A) the integration among different system is largely up to the IT staffB) UPMC is like many other health care organizations in the United StatesC) UPMC makes EHR systems look easyD) UMPC began digitizing some of its records in 19964. The success of the EHR program is decided by .A) the fact whether the information technology is available or notB) the fact how well the doctors are trained to use the information technologyC) not only the presence of the technology but the doctor’s training on technologyD) the fact whether physicians can see the benefits of using EHR systems5. The most important reason of most hospitals being reluctant to adopt EHR system is that .A) the cost is too high for the hospital to affordB) physicians are unwilling to adopt itC) there is a lack of staff with adequate IT expertiseD) doctor worry about its negative influence on patients6. According to the study led by David Himmelstein through health IT .A) it is possible to cut the costs of the hospitalB) it is possible to improve the health careC) it ensure neither cost saving nor improvement in careD) it could save as much as $100 million annually7. The hospital’s managers prefer to .A) spend money on an expensive piece of equipment than on information technologyB) charge patients access to the information technology as a billable serviceC) purchase the information technology to improve the health care of the hospitalD) invest more money on the training of the physicians to charge patients more money8. Jha said the mere act of implementing the technology guarantees ______________________.9. D’Avolio says the investment on lab equipment can be made up by_____________________.10. Databases of vital signs, images, laboratory values, medications, diseases, interventions, and patient demographic information could be ____________________.Part Ⅲ Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.11. A) He doesn’t know the way to the theater.B) He doesn’t usually get up at 7:30.C) He wants to leave the theater before the drama is over.D) He wants to go early to avoid a traffic jam.12. A) She got a weekend job at the beach.B) She often goes to the beach.C) She misses the trips to the beach she used to take.D) Her home is near the beach.13. A) He will make a reservation at the restaurant.B) The woman should ask her parents for a suggestion.C) The woman should decide where to eat Saturday.D) He already has plans for Saturday night.14. A) He doubts the woman will like the novel.B) He’ll lend the woman the novel after he has read it.C) He enjoyed reading the novel.D) He hasn’t started reading the novel yet.15. A) The doctor’s office will be closed tomorrow.B) The doctor’s schedule is filled tomorrow.C) The doctor has stopped seeing new patients.D) The doctor can see the man tomorrow.16. A) She was sorry the man couldn’t finish his laundry.B) She saw the man run out.C) She thought the man’s laundry was done badly.D) She thought the man’s lawn was too dry.17. A) His coach didn’t help him enough.B) He had no chance of winning.C) His coach didn’t listen to him.D) He didn’t follow his coach’s advice.18. A) She grades papers very quickly.B) She isn’t teaching this semester.C) She didn’t require any papers last semester.D) She was more flexible last semester.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A) Father and daughter.B) Colleagues.C) Friends.D) Husband and wife.20. A) They are discussing whether they should go for a holiday.B) They are discussing where they should go for the holiday.C) They are discussing how they could save enough money for the holiday.D) They are discussing how they could pay for their house and the furniture.21. A) Sheffield.B) Hawaii.C) Wales or Scotland.D) Florida.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.22. A) In a skating rink.B) On a bike path.C) On the campus sidewalks.D) In the street.23. A) He has trouble stopping.B) There are too many rocks.C) Going uphill is difficult.D) There are too many curves.24. A) Pull him up the hills.B) Catch him if he starts to fail.C) Find some skates for him.D) Teach him how to stop on skates.25. A) Look for the man’s skates.B) Have a meal.C) Look for something to drink.D) Start skating on the path.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. A) The beef is lost.B) Something is not as good as described.C) The beef is not as good as it is said to be.D) The food has turned bad.27. A) Because they are made from beef.B) Because they are cheaper than any other kind of food.C) Because they are served quickly and at a low price.D) Because hamburger is the only fast food in America.28. A) Because hamburgers are good to eat.B) Because they are easy to make.C) Because they could sell hamburgers throughout the country.D) Because they thought they could make large profit.Passage TwoQuestions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.29. A) They often take place in her major industries.B) British trade unions are more powerful.C) There are more trade union members in Britain.D) Britain loses more working days through strikes every year.30. A) Such strikes are against the British law.B) Such strikes are unpredictable.C) Such strikes involve workers from different trades.D) Such strikes occur frequently these days.31. A) Trade unions in Britain are becoming more popular.B) Most strikes in Britain are against the British law.C) Unofficial strikes in Britain are easier to deal with now.D) Employer-worker relations in Britain have become tenser. Passage ThreeQuestions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.32. A) Education.B) Wealth.C) Diligence.D) Political status.33. A) The change of the nature of occupations.B) The decrease of social wealth.C) The change of educational degree.D) The increase of job opportunities.34. A) Farmers.B) Politicians.C) Manual workers..D) Clerks.35. A) White-collar workers.B) Farm workers.C) Blue-collar workers.D) Not mentioned.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.Daily newspaper has an editorial page. Here opinion is expressed on events and 36 in the news. But editorial judgment is so persuasively 37 that many people accept these opinions as facts. Good journalists 38 a code of ethics which 39 between news and editorial opinion. This code holds that in an editorial 40 the publisher is entitled to 41 any cause he chooses. It is understood that there he is speaking as a partisan and may express any view he 42 . Because a modern newspaper is so expensive to produce and so 43 to establish, newspapers have increasingly become big business organizations. Although there are exceptions, 44 _________________.In the news columns, however, the complete and unbiased facts should be reported. The better metropolitan newspapers and 45 _____________. But the less ethical publications 46 _______________.Part Ⅳ Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words. Please write your answers on Answer Sheet 2.Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.Currently, there are an increasing number of new types of small advertisement becoming increasingly common in newspaper classified columns. It is sometimes placed among "situations vacant", although it does not offer anyone a job, and sometimes it appears among "situations wanted", although it is not placed by someone looking for a job, either. What it does is to offer help in applying for a job."Contact us before writing your application", or "Make use of our long experience in preparing your curriculum vitae or job history", is how it is usually expressed. The growth and apparent success of such a specialized service is, of course, a reflection on the current high levels of unemployment. It is also an indication of the growing importance of the curriculum vitae (or job history), with the suggestion that it may now qualify as an art form in its own right.There was a time when job seekers simply wrote letters of application. "Just put down your name, address, age and whether you have passed any exams", was about the average level of advice offered to young people applying for their first jobs when I left school. The letter was really just for openers, it was explained, everything else could and should be saved for the interview. And in those days of full employment the technique worked. The letter proved that you could write and were available for work. Your eager face and intelligent replies did the rest.Later, as you moved up the ladder, something slightly more sophisticated was called for. The advice then was to put something in the letter which would distinguish you from the rest. It might be the aggressive approach. "Your search is over. I am the person you are looking for", was a widely used trick that occasionally succeeded. Or it might be some special feature specially designed for the job interview.There is no doubt, however, that it is the increasing number of applicants with university education at all points in the process of engaging staff that has led to the greater importance of the curriculum vitae.47. There are an increasing number of new types of small advertisement in newspaper columns ______.48. Nowadays a demand for this specialized type of service has been created because ______.49. In the past it was expected that first job hunters would ______.50. Later, as one went on to apply for more important jobs, one was advised to include ______ in the letter.51. The curriculum vitae has become such an important document because ______.Section BDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.Computers are now employed in an increasing number of fields in our daily life. Computers have been taught to play not only checkers, but also championship chess, which is a fairly accurate yardstick for measuring the computer’s progress in the ability to learn from experience.Because the game requires logical reasoning, chess would seem to be perfectly suited to the computer. All a programmer has to do is to give the computer a program evaluating the consequences of every possible response to every possible move, and the computer will win every time. In theory this is a sensible approach; in practice it is impossible. Today, a powerful computer can analyze 40,000 moves a second. That is an impressive speed. But there are an astronomical number of possible moves in chess—literally trillions. Even if such a program were written (and in theory it could be, given enough people and enough time), there is no computer capable of holding that much data.Therefore, if the computer is to compete at championship levels, it must be programmed to function with less than complete data. It must be able to learn from experience, to modify its own program, to deal with a relatively unstructured situation—in a word, to "think" for itself. In fact, this can be done. Chess-playing computers have yet to defeat world champion chess players, but several have beaten human players of only slightly lower ranks. The computers have had programs to carrythem through the early, mechanical stages of their chess games. But they have gone on from there to reason and learn, and sometimes to win the game.There are other proofs that computers can be programmed to learn, but this example is sufficient to demonstrate the point. Granted, winning a game of chess is not an earthshaking event even when a computer does it. But there are many serious human problems, which can be fruitfully approached as games. The Defense Department uses computers to play war games and work out strategies for dealing with international tensions. Other problems—international and interpersonal relations, ecology and economics, and the ever-increasing threat of world famine can perhaps be solved by the joint efforts of human beings and truly intelligent computers.52. According to the passage, computers cannot be used to ______.A) solve the threat of world famineB) ease international tensionC) defeat world champion chess playerD) work out solutions to the industrial problems53. In the author’s opinion, ______.A) playing chess shows computer’s program has been developed into a new stageB) it is practically possible now that computer can win every chess game nowC) computers even with less than complete data can be programmed to defeat the world champion chess playerD) computers can be programmed to play and reason but not learn54. The author’s attitude toward the future use of computer is ______.A) negativeB) positiveC) indifferentD) critical55. In order to "think", computer should ______.A) be programmed to have more than enough dataB) learn from the experience and to reasonC) deal with all the unstructured situationD) predicate every move in the chess56. Today, the chess-playing computer can be programmed to ______.A) have trillions of responses in a second to each possible move and win the gameB) store complete data and beat the best playersC) learn from chess-playing in the early stage and go on to win the gameD) predicate every possible move but may fail to give the right response each timePassage TwoQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.Large animals that inhabit the desert have evolved a number of adaptations for reducing the effects of extreme heat. One adaptation is to be light in color, and to reflect rather than absorb the sun’s rays. Desert mammals also depart from the normal mammalian practice of maintaining a constant body temperature. Instead of trying to keep down the body temperature deep inside the body, which would involve the expenditure of water and energy, desert mammals allow their temperatures to rise to what would normally be fever height, and temperatures as high as 46 degrees Celsius have been measured in Grant’s gazelles. The overheated body then cools down during the cold desert night, and indeed the temperature may fall unusually low by dawn, as low as 34 degrees Celsius in the camel. This is an advantage since the heat of the first few hours of daylight is absorbed in warming up the body, and an excessive buildup of heat does not begin until well into the day.Another strategy of large desert animals is to tolerate the loss of body water to a point that would be fatal for non-adapted animals. The camel can lose up to 30 percent of its body weight as water without harm to itself, whereas human beings die after losing only 12 to 13 percent of their body weight. An equally important adaptation is the ability to replenish this water loss at one drink. Desertanimals can drink huge volumes in a short time, and camels have been known to imbibe (吸收) over 100 liters in a few minutes. A very dehydrated person, on the other hand, cannot drink enough water to rehydrate at one session, because the human stomach is not sufficiently big and because a too rapid dilution of the body fluids causes death from water intoxication. The tolerance of water loss is of obvious advantage in the desert, as animals do not have to remain near a water hole but can obtain food from grazing sparse pastures. Desert-adapted mammals have the further ability to feed normally when extremely dehydrated. It is a common experience in people that appetite is lost even under conditions of moderate thirst.57. What is the passage mainly about?A) Animals developed different strategies to survive.B) Large animals can take strategies to reduce the effect of extreme heat.C) Animals can tolerate the loss of body water.D) A very dehydrated person can drink enough water to rehydrate.58. Why light in color is important to large animals in deserts?A) It helped them maintain a constant normal body temperature.B) It reflects rather than absorbs the sun-light.C) It helps them see their peers at night.D) It helps them keep cool during the night.59. What will be fatal to non-adapted animals?A) Keeping a normal body temperature.B) Drinking polluted water.C) Drinking huge volumes of water in a short time.D) Feeding when dehydrated.60. What does the author imply about desert-adapted mammals?A) They do not need to eat much food.。