States are considering major changes in prepaid college tuition programs - raising prices, restricting participation of canceling them - as they grapple with financial woes. Nationwide, families will likely have to pay more to participate, or accept that they might not cover tuition when children go to college.
Colorado has closed its prepaid plan to new investors and told existing ones that it may not cover future tuition increases. Wisconsin stopped selling its plan Dec. 20. Maryland and Illinois are among states hiking prices by 20% or more.
Prepaid plans let parents lock in tuition by paying for it now, protecting them against rising costs. But the hear market has hurt investment returns, leaving the plans unable to keep up with big increases in tuition. So far, Colorado is the only state that has told participants their investments may not cover tuition, and no plan has missed a payment.
Other states have said they will fulfill obligations, even if it requires a legislative bailout. Still, the financial problems have forced thousands to grapple with uncertainty - something prepaid plans were designed to avoid. More than 1 million families have an estimated $ 8 billion invested in the plans, says ＜ Saving for College. com ＞.
Some states, including Colorado, may replace the prepaid plan with a guaranteed investment contract, a CD-like investment that"s backed by an insurance company. Investors get a minimum rate of return, but no guarantee that it will cover tuition.
Wisconsin"s EdVest program is encouraging investment in a stable value fund, which is similar to a guaranteed investment contract, in its investment plan. Wisconsin"s prepaid plan never guaranteed to cover tuition inflation. It also never got a lot of investors, possibly because it lacked that guarantee.
In Florida, a task force is considering limiting the state"s prepaid program to low-income families. Ohio officials are also looking at limiting participation, but it"s a measure they hope to avoid. "Program administrators are looking for alternatives," says Andrea Feirstein, a state-plan consultant.
Maryland recently boosted its prices by up to 30%; Illinois by up to 23%. The increases have made some prepaid plans uneconomical for parents of older children. In Ohio, the price of one year"s tuition for a child over 12 months old is $ 8, 000, more than 40% above current tuition at Ohio State. SO it may not be a good deal for children starting college in three or four years because tuition may not jump that much that fast.

1. 
Prepaid college tuition is generally designed on the principle that ______.

A it is easy to pay at the present time

B it is economical in the long run

C it saves pains to pass the entrance exam

D it ensures the admission to the college

2. 
Many states plan to modify their prepaid college tuition programs ______.

A under the mounting financial pressures

B because of deficient college facilities

C to ease overcrowding problems in college

D to limit the participation of low-income families

3. 
The word "investors" (in boldface in Paragraph 2) most exactly refers to those who ______.

A serve as the main source of finance to the state

B invest money in developing local colleges

C sponsor colleges and their educational programs

D join the plan and pay the tuition in advance

4. 
Colorado now has told participants in the prepaid tuition plan that ______.

A they would not have to make any other payment later

B they would not be guaranteed against further payment

C the plan would cover further tuition increases

D the plan would be replaced by a guaranteed investment contract

5. 
The expression "a CD-like investment" (in boldface in Paragraph 5) most probably refers to an investment ______.

A to support civil defense

B put in producing compact disc

C to promote show industry

D like certificate deposit

6. 
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that in Ohio ______.

A prepaid plans require a participation at most 3 or 4 years before starting college

B children may start college 3 or 4 years earlier than at a normal age if they prepay tuition

C college tuition 3 or 4 years later may not be so high as today"s price of prepaid tuition

D the younger a child to join the plan, the greater loss he/she will suffer at the age for college

Potentially offering a powerful new tool against terrorism, researchers have found a novel way to detect deception: in the liar"s blushing face.
The technique, described in the journal, Nature, uses a thermal camera to detect sudden, involuntary shifts of blood flow in the face. The system performed as accurately as a traditional polygraph, the scientists report.
Yet the camera can provide answers instantly, and does not require a highly trained specialist to operate it or interpret its results. This makes it far better suited than the polygraph for a new, high-tech approach to security that is already raising the hackles of civil libertarians: the screening of large numbers of citizens, at airports and other sensitive areas, who have done nothing wrong.
"The next decade is going to see the development of truly accurate lie detectors," said Stephen M. Kosslyn, an expert on detecting lies and a professor of psychology at Harvard University.
The prototype, built by researchers at the Mayo Clinic and Honeywell Laboratories in Minnesota, is at least 2 years from being ready for general use. But other scientists said the discovery of previously unknown physiological changes in the face was itself an important step forward.
"This is potentially very important work, which may open a new window on the mind," said Kosslyn.
Pushed by technological advances, and with fresh interest, since Sept. 11, the discovery is part of a boom in the scientific study of deceit and its detection. Although the lie remains a mysterious phenomenon, researchers in recent years have found a number of new approaches that might replace the polygraph, from brain scans, to subtle changes in eye movement, to sparks of electrical activity that signal a person has seen a victim or a crime scene before.
The new finding, though, is remarkable for its simplicity. When a person tells a lie, the team found, there is a sudden rush of blood to the area around the eyes, according to the Mayo Clinic"s Dr. James A. Levine. Although the change is not: ordinarily visible, the blood warms the skin, causing hands of color to appear through a camera sensitive to heat.
The team devised a computer program that can identify the telltale changes based on the camera images. In testing at the US Department of Defense Polygraph Institute, which trains federal polygraph examiners, the device performed better than polygraphs, with 85 percent accuracy compared with 70 percent for the polygraph.

1. 
Compared with a traditional polygraph a thermal camera ______.

A can show accurate results

B can easily be handled by anybody

C is a high-tech approach to security

D is used to fight against terrorism

2. 
The phrase "raising the hackles of…" (in boldface in Paragraph 3) most probably means ______.

A arousing someone"s interest

B giving someone high priority

C drawing someone"s attention

D making someone feel very angry

3. 
A thermal camera is expected to detect deception by ______.

A showing the physiological changes in the liar"s face

B scanning the liar"s brain and his/her whole body

C catching the sudden movements of the liar"s eyes

D screening the sudden rush of the bar"s blood pressure

4. 
With respect to the advances in studying lie detection scientists think highest of ______.

A simplifying the entire process of detection

B the mechanic design of thermal cameras

C substituting new approaches for polygraph

D the discovery that one blushes while telling lies

5. 
It can safely be inferred that Sept. 11 ______.

A confirmed the failure of polygraph in detecting deception

B made Americans begin to know about lie detection

C gave a spur to the study of lie detection in the United States

D triggered America"s development of lie detectors

6. 
According to the passage thermal cameras ______.

A have yet to be put to general use

B have proved successful since 2 years ago

C have to undergo tests at least half a year

D have been playing a dominant role in lie detection

On the outside, Betsy Lueth"s school looks like any other in this arty neighborhood of Minneapolis: a sprawling, boxy red brick building with plain steel doors. Yet inside, the blond, friendly Minnesotan presides over an institution unique in the heartland: Yinghua Academy, a chartered public school where elementary students of every ethnicity study subjects ranging from math to American history in Mandarin.
The idea behind Yinghua, as with many immersion programs, is to introduce kids to the language and culture as early as possible—ideally, before age 12, while they"re still absorbing information like sponges. Kindergartners and first-graders are taught exclusively in Mandarin, and a single period of English is introduced in the second grade. By the sixth grade, kids are learning half in English and half in Mandarin, with the expectation of proficiency in both.
The challenges at Yinghua are numerous. Most teachers come from Taiwan or mainland of China, and cultural misunderstandings prevail. Lueth"s instructors are learning to be tolerant of local norms like nontraditional families and boys who cry—as well as a lot more parental input than they"re used to. "In China, teachers are revered. They are not questioned," says Luyi Lien, Yinghua"s Taiwan-born academic director. "In America, parents are more expressive of their opinions. "
Yinghua"s student body, once 70% Asian, is now 50% white, black or Hispanic. The school has more than tripled its enrollment, to 300 kids, many of whom commute an hour each day. Research has shown that in the long run, immersion programs can provide cognitive benefits, including more flexible, creative thinking. Though students from the programs lag for a few years in English, by the fifth grade they perform as well as or better than their monolingual peers on standardized reading and math tests. For multicultural families, the psychological boost can also be important. Lueth"s adopted daughter, Lucy, used to squirm when cousins asked why her skin color was different from theirs. Now, Lucy proudly answers them, "Yeah, I was born in China. "
Lueth recently won an $800,000 grant from the Department of Education to develop a teaching model for immersion middle schools, and she advises educators around the country who are starting their own programs. If Yinghua can make Mandarin a success in Minnesota, so can they. "This is a glorious culture and an increasingly important language that we are meaningfully teaching to our children. And we"re in the middle of nowhere. "

1. 
According to the passage, Yinghua Academy is ______.

A an English language school for immigrants

B a high rise sticking out in the neighborhood

C a grade school with students of different races

D a unique institution with an Asian owner

2. 
In comparison with their counterparts in other schools around, Yinghua"s twelve-year-old Asian children would most probably be ______.

A better at Western culture

B more proficient in English

C better at acquiring knowledge

D more bilingually competent

3. 
Most instructors at Yinghua are trying to adapt themselves to the local parents who are ______.

A soft with their children

B unafraid to be critical

C as stubborn as mule

D respectful of nobody

4. 
According to the research, students from Yinghua will be more creative in thinking because ______.

A they are taught there not only in English

B they are not only learning languages there

C they were not only born to White parents

D they were raised not only nearby the school

5. 
Which word can best describe Lucy?

A Self-conscious

B Self-assertive

C Self-confident

D Self-important

6. 
In regard to the teaching of Mandarin, Lueth believes that Yinghua ______.

A has still a long way to go

B deserves financial rewards

C plays a leading role in the US

D shows what can be done anywhere

Advertising is paid, nonpersonal communication that is designed to communicate in a creative manner, through the use of mass or information-directed media, the nature of products, services, and ideas. It is a form of persuasive communication that offers information about products, ideas, and services that serves the objectives determined by the advertiser. 1 Thus, the ultimate objective of advertising is to sell things persuasively and creatively. Advertising is used by commercial firms trying to sell products and services; by politicians and political interest groups to sell ideas or persuade voters; by not-for-profit organizations to raise funds, solicit volunteers, or influence the actions of viewers; and by governments seeking to encourage or discourage particular activities, such a wearing seatbelts, participating in the census, or ceasing to smoke. 2
The visual and verbal commercial messages that are a part of advertising are intended to attract attention and produce some response by the viewer. Advertising is pervasive and virtually impossible to escape. Newspapers and magazines often have more advertisements than copy; radio and television provide entertainment but are also laden with advertisements; advertisements pop up on Internet sites; and the mail brings a variety of advertisements. 3 In shopping malls, there are prominent logos on designer clothes, moviegoers regularly view advertisements for local restaurants, hair salons, and so on, and live sporting and cultural events often include signage, logos, products, and related information about the event sponsors. 4
Although the primary objective of advertising is to persuade, it may achieve this objective in many different ways. An important function of advertising is the identification function , that is, to identify a product and differentiate it from others; this creates an awareness of the product and provides a basis for consumers to choose the advertised product over other products. 5 The third function of advertising is to induce consumers to try new products and to suggest reuse of the product as well as new uses; this is the persuasion function.
A. Another function of advertising is to communicate information about the product, its attributes, and its location of sale, this is the information function.
B. The forms that advertising takes and the media in which advertisements appear are as varied as the advertisers themselves and the messages that they wish to deliver.
C. An especially important issue in the creation of advertising is related to understanding how much information consumers want about a given product.
D. Advertising may influence consumers in many different ways, but the primary goal of advertising is to increase the probability that consumers exposed to an advertisement will behave or believe as the advertiser wishes.
E. Advertising also exists on billboards along the freeway, in subway and train stations, on benches at bus stops, and on the frames around car license plates.
F. The pervasiveness of advertising and its creative elements are designed to cause viewers to take note.

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

No single element has tantalized and tormented the human imagination more than the shimmering metal known by the chemical symbol Au. For thousands of years the desire to possess gold has driven people to extremes, fueling wars and conquests, girding empires and currencies, leveling mountains and forests. 1 Yet its chief virtues—its unusual density and malleability along with its imperishable shine—have made it one of the world"s most coveted commodities, a transcendent symbol of beauty, wealth, and immortality. From pharaohs (who insisted on being buried in what they called the "flesh of the golds") to the forty-niners (whose mad rush for the mother lode built the American West) to the financiers (who, following Sir Isaac Newton"s advice, made it the bedrock of the global economy); 2
Humankind"s feverish attachment to gold shouldn"t have survived the modern world. Few cultures still believe that gold can give eternal life, and every country in the world—the United States was last, in 1971—has done away with the gold standard. 3 The price of gold, which stood at $ 271 an ounce on September 10, 2001, hit $1,023in March 2008, and it may surpass that threshold again. Aside from extravagance, gold is still continuing to play its role as a safe haven in perilous times. 4 In 2007 demand outstripped mine production by 59 percent. "Gold has always had this kind of magic," says Peter L. Bernstein, author of The Power of Gold. "But it"s never been clear if we have gold or gold has us. "
While investors flock to new gold-backed funds, jewelry still accounts for two-thirds of the demand, generating a record $53.5 billion in worldwide sales in 2007. 5 However, such concerns don"t ruffle the biggest consumer nations, namely India, where a gold obsession is woven into the culture, and China, which leaped past the U.S. in 2007 to become the world"s second largest buyer of gold jewelry.
A. But gold"s luster (光泽) not only endures; fueled by global uncertainty, it grows stronger.
B. Gold is not vital to human existence; it has, in fact, relatively few practical uses.
C. In the U. S. an activist-driven "No Dirty Gold" campaign has persuaded many top jewelry retailers to stop selling gold from mines that cause severe social or environmental damage.
D. Nearly every society through the ages has invested gold with an almost mythological power.
E. For all of its allure, gold"s human and environmental toll has never been so steep. Part of the challenge, as well as the fascination, is that there is so little of it.
F. Gold"s recent surge, sparked in part by the terrorist attack on 9/11, has been amplified by the slide of the U. S. dollar and jitters over a looming global recession.

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Acid rain leads to fish mortality. Many species of fish cannot survive in aquatic environments where the pH is below 5.0. If the water is too acid, the gill systems of many kinds of fish can be damaged. 1 , the acid alters the blood chemistry of all fish. As a result, the fish population in an acidic environment decreases 2 becomes extinct.
Approximately 20 percent of the lakes in Scandinavia are without fish. Moreover, in Nova Scotia the 3 salmon industry may be threatened by the decrease of salmon in rivers and streams. The impact is also 4 in the waters of Ontario and Quebec, where fish populations are (25) the decline.
What potential remedies exist for the acid rain 5 ? The experts disagree. Some say new environmental laws should be 6 to control the emission of pollutants in the atmosphere. Some say that if we had known how serious acid rain was, we would have planned 7 to prevent it. 8 , all agree that if the consumption of fossil fuel were reduced, we would have less of a problem. Another 9 is that special scrubbers could be installed in smokestacks to remove a good 10 of the pollutants before they get into the atmosphere. Other ideas even include breeding more 11 fish. And research suggests that spreading lime into lakes may be effective in 12 acidity. In conclusion, it is clear that if we truly want to reduce the impact of acid rain, a 13 of remedies and international cooperation must be explored. It is a sad fact that acid rain probably could have been avoided if we 14 what we know now.

1. 

A Likewise

B Besides

C Thus

D Otherwise

2. 

A and

B then

C hence

D or

3. 

A entire

B complete

C total

D all

4. 

A imaginable

B understandable

C considerable

D unaccountable

5. 

A on

B to

C with

D at

6. 

A matter

B issue

C affair

D question

7. 

A announced

B ordered

C imposed

D enacted

8. 

A faster

B more

C better

D harder

9. 

A Furthermore

B Conversely

C Accordingly

D Nevertheless

10. 

A possibility

B perspective

C occurrence

D opportunity

11. 

A piece

B portion

C section

D segment

12. 

A tolerated

B tolerant

C tolerable

D intolerant

13. 

A descending

B declining

C reducing

D relieving

14. 

A combination

B alliance

C mixture

D union

15. 

A know

B knew

C had known

D have known

One of the most difficult situations that a researcher can encounter is to see or suspect that a colleague has violated the ethical standards of the research community. It is easy to find excuses to do nothing, but someone who has witnessed misconduct has an unmistakable obligation to act. At the most immediate level, misconduct can seriously obstruct or damage one"s own research or the research of colleagues. 1) More broadly, even a single case of misconduct can malign scientists and their institutions, which in turn can result in the imposition of counterproductive regulations, and shake public confidence in the integrity of science.
To be sure, raising a concern about unethical conduct is rarely an easy thing to do. In some cases, anonymity is possible--but not always. Reprisals by the accused person and by skeptical colleagues have occurred in the past and have had serious consequences. 2) Any allegation of misconduct is a very important charge that needs to be taken seriously. If mishandled, an allegation can gravely damage the person charged, the one who makes the charge, the institutions involved, and science in general.
Someone who is confronting a problem involving research ethics usually has more options than are immediately apparent. In most cases the best thing to do is to discuss the situation with a trusted friend or advisor. 3) In universities, faculty advisors, department chairs, and other senior faculty call be invaluable sources of advice in deciding whether to go forward with a complaint.
An important consideration is deciding when to put a complaint in writing. Once in writing, universities are obligated to deal with a complaint in a mole formal manner than if it is made verbally. 4) Putting a complaint in writing can have serious consequences for the career of a scientist and should be undertaken only after thorough consideration.
The National Science Foundation and Public Health Service require all research institutions that receive public funds to have procedures in place to deal with allegations of unethical practice. 5) These procedures take into account fairness for the accused, protection for the accuser, coordination with funding agencies, and requirements for confidentiality_ and disclosure.
In addition, many universities and other research institutions have designated an ombudsman, ethics Officer, or other official who is available to discuss situations involving research ethics. Such discussions are carried out in the strictest confidence whenever possible. Some institutions provide multiple entry points, so that complainants can go to a person with whom they feel comfortable.

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Describe the picture and interpret its meaning
2. Give some countermeasures