【thatll】iBT备考日志

刘蒙UID: 2516257

真的是经验之谈，谢谢你

thatllUID: 2538832

Whistle While You Wing
A study in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B finds that pigeon wing-flapping produces distinct whistles, which can warn flock-mates, when merely taking off or when actively escaping predators.

When crested（ : to reach the crest of  *crested the hill and looked around*就是指到达顶峰的） pigeons spot a predator, they give a little whistle. But the sound doesn’t come from their beaks. And according to a study published by The Royal Society, that whistle warns the rest of the flock to flee.

There’s safety in numbers（言行随众，不担风险）, and a flock offers protection in part because it has so many eyes watching for danger. But it’s not clear how an individual sounds the alarm when it spots a predator. Maybe anytime one or two birds fly off, they all do. Just in case（这只是以防万一）. Of course that kind of knee-jerk reaction（下意识的，自动的反应） could produce a lot of false alarms. So how can birds tell when their flockmates are seriously headed for the hills?

Safety in numbers is the hypothesis that, by being part of a large physical group or mass, an individual is proportionally less likely to be the victim of a mishap, accident, attack, or other bad event. Some related theories also argue (and can show statistically) that mass behaviour (by becoming more predictable and "known" to other people) can reduce accident risks, such as in traffic safety - in this case, the safety effect creates an actual reduction of danger, rather than just a redistribution over a larger group.

Scientists recorded the sounds made by the wings of crested pigeons during a routine liftoff (wing sound 1). And the noise their wings make during an emergency takeoff (wing sound 2). And they found that the sound make by wings flapped in terror includes a distinctive sort of whistle.

That noise alone will scatter a flock of feeding pigeons just as quick as the shadow of a passing hawk. And gives a whole new meaning to the expression, “on a wing and a prayer（自求多福）.”

Freeing the Mind to Forget
Young brains can forget painful memories, but old ones tend not to. An animal study in the journal Science finds that it may be possible to restore the old brain to its younger, more pliable state.

Some things are hard to remember. Others are hard to forget—especially things that are traumatic（<医>外伤的，外伤用的；（经历）痛苦难忘的，造成精神创伤的）. But kids, it turns out, are better than adults at forgetting the bad stuff. Now scientists think they know why. According to an animal study in the September 4th issue of the journal Science, the brains of adults erect physical barriers that keep painful memories intact.

trauma：
1 a : an injury (as a wound) to living tissue caused by an extrinsic agent b : a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury c : an emotional upset *the personal trauma of an executive who is not living up to his own expectations ?Karen W. Arenson*
2 : an agent, force, or mechanism that causes trauma

As adults, events that emotionally disturb us tend to get seared into our brains. And those memories can resurface, causing anxiety, fear and even post-traumatic stress disorder. But young brains are much more resilient—and can even erase unpleasant memories.

To get a better handle on（更够更好的理解） this youthful forgetting, scientists studied the brains of young and old rats. They found that in adult brains, a physical net forms around certain cells in the amygdala, a structure associated with emotional memories. Adults that had been trained to associate a mild foot shock with a specific sound would flinch when they just heard the sound. But using a drug to dissolve this barrier restored the older rats’ ability to extinguish fearful memories. So rats that got the net-busting treatment stayed calm when they heard the sound.

One of the few instances where a net loss is a real gain.

Tuning In to the Insect Philharmonic
Allison Beall of the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, N.Y., led a twilight（就是指黄昏） walk on September 5th to tune in to the insect sounds of the evening. Become more aware of the nocturnal symphony and, in the New York metropolitan area, help scientists count the insects during the "Cricket Crawl" on September 11th.

twilight：
1 : the light from the sky between full night and sunrise or between sunset and full night produced by diffusion of sunlight through the atmosphere and its dust;  also   : a time of twilight
2 a : an intermediate state that is not clearly defined  *lived in the twilight of neutrality---Newsweek*  b : a period of decline  *the twilight of a great career*

“Can you hear the end of the daytime insect? That’s the cicada. But I’m hearing crickets in the background, too. And just listen for a second, listen to how many different sounds you can hear.” That’s Allison Beall of the Marshlands Conservancy, a wildlife sanctuary in Rye, New York. She led a twilight walk through the preserve on September 5th.
“There’s a wonderful event that’s about to take place, on September 11th. There’s going to be a 'Cricket Crawl,' where people are going to go out and listen for the sounds of seven crickets and katydids, angle-winged katydids, and coneheads and various other night insects that are singing. And you can go to a Web site, and you can go out into your own backyard and listen for the sounds and actually be part of this scientific count. So all of the sounds are on theInternet, you can listen, you can see the insect close-up, and you can hear the sounds, and then you can send in the data from your own backyard.”
The Web site is [url=http://www.discoverlife.org/cricket or]www.discoverlife.org/cricket or[/url] just google “Cricket Crawl.” The official count is taking place in the New York City metropolitan area, but anyone can get a new appreciation for the tiny wildlife producing nature’s nocturne（: a work of art dealing with evening or night;  especially   : a dreamy pensive composition for the piano）.
“Okay, so we are just about at the end of this walk, and I want to tell you something. It has not anything to do with this walk, this is called a crepuscular walk. It was just a trick, it was a trick to get you to go outside in your own habitat and to listen for the same things that have been in your backyard or in your neighborhood all along and you just haven’t paid any attention to them. So here’s what I recommend. You go out and you get a flashlight（手电筒）, and at eight o’clock go out and follow the sounds that you’ve heard here tonight. Do you realize how many different species of crickets and katydids and grasshoppers there are? And your job is to find them.”

crepuscular：
1 : of, relating to, or resembling twilight : DIM *crepuscular light*
2 : occurring or active during twilight *crepuscular insects* *crepuscular activity*

thatllUID: 2538832

Lie Detection with Handwriting
A study in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology shows that handwriting tests could give polygraphs a challenge for lie detection.

When we lie, our brains work hard to make sure we get the story right and come off as truthful. Law enforcement officials try to tap into that effort, for example with polygraphs, to find out if a suspect is telling the truth. But such stress tests are beatable（susceptible to be defeated） and not admissible in court. Now comes a report that handwriting tests could be a competitor to the familiar, but unreliable lie detector. The study appears in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology.

tap into

To establish a connection with; have access to: tapped into a new market for their products.
To take advantage of: tapped into their enthusiasm to improve the school.

Researchers at Israel’s Haifa University worked with 34 volunteers, who wrote truthful and false paragraphs on paper using a wireless electronic pen and a pressure sensitive tip. A computerized system measured pressure and stroke duration, both on the paper and in the air. Spatial measures, such as stroke length, height and width were also tracked. And the scientists found significant differences in pressure and spatial measures in deceptive statements compared with the truth.

The investigators say they need to validate this initial result and compare the technique with polygraphs and other lie detection tools. But perhaps in the future even a written claim of innocence could turn out to be a de facto（实际上的） confession.

On-the-Job（在职的） Chimps Use Multiple Tools
A study in the American Journal of Primatology found that chimps（非洲黑猩猩） wield different tools, each with a specific purpose, when attempting to catch tasty ants.

wield：
1 chiefly dialect   : to deal successfully with  : MANAGE
2 : to handle (as a tool) especially effectively  *wield a broom*
3 a : to exert one's authority by means of  *wield influence*  b : have at one's command or disposal  *did not wield appropriate credentials ?G. W. Bonham*

To do a job right, you need the right tools. Even a chimp knows that. According to a study in the American Journal of Primatology, chimps in the Congo use multiple tools to capture army ants.

You’ve probably seen footage（电影片段） of chimps using sticks to harvest honey or trap termites. But when it comes to collecting ants, the apes are all over the place—sometimes using tools, other times going in barehanded. To investigate these different techniques, a research team spent almost 10 years in the Congo, filming chimpanzees and collecting more than 1000 ant-fishing tools. And they found that the nastier the ant, the more likely the ape is to pick up a stick.

footage: length or quantity expressed in feet: as a : BOARD FEET b : the total number of running feet of motion-picture film used (as for a scene or subject); also : the material contained on such footage

Chimps that tear open a nest with their hands risk getting bitten, and driving the insects away. Instead, many chimps use a series of tools: one to poke a hole in the nest, and another to dip in to gather a few tasty specimens. They even pick up tools left behind by other chimps.

Now, would an infinite number of chimpanzees using an infinite number of tools produce a Louis-the-Fourteenth-style table and chairs? It’s doubtful. But they’d probably catch an infinite number of ants.

Expedition Finds World War II Navy Wreck
A National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration expedition has located a naval vessel lost off North Carolina during World War II's Battle of the Atlantic.

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], spends most of its time trying to understand and predict changes in the environment, along with（除...之外，还；和...一道） conserving and managing coastal and marine resources. But its scientific expertise also just made it possible to locate the remains of a U.S. Navy patrol boat sunk by a German submarine in World War II.
The ship is the YP-389, which went down about 20 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on June 19, 1942. Six sailors were killed in the attack. The wreck was found in 300 feet of water, in an area called the Graveyard of the Atlantic. That region is the final resting place for more than 80 American, British and German vessels lost in the Battle of the Atlantic.
The discovery was made during a summer archaeological expedition to research and document historically significant World War II shipwrecks. The remains will be surveyed, photographed and documented non-invasively（非侵犯的）, as the lost boats and ships are considered war graves（战争的坟墓）. The researchers will also survey the marine life that has found a home among the ruins.

thatllUID: 2538832

Prehistoric Human-Fashioned Fibers Found
A report in the journal Science announces the finding of the oldest known human-fashioned threads, left in a cave by the Caucasus mountains about 34,000 years ago.

We humans love to decorate things. We wear flashy clothes, tie ribbons（丝带） to suitcases and personalize the cases for our iPhones. And apparently we’ve had this tendency for a long, long time. More than thirty-four thousand years, to be exact.

personalize：
1 : PERSONIFY
2 : to make personal or individual;  specifically   : to mark as the property of a particular person  *personalized stationery*

Harvard researchers, together with Israeli and Georgian scientists, recently discovered the oldest known fibers used by humans, in a cave by the foothills（山麓丘陵） of Georgia’s Caucasus Mountains. The researchers weren’t searching for thread. They were looking for tree pollen samples that would reveal how environmental and temperature fluctuations influenced people’s lives. But they knew they’d found something historic when they saw the colored thread.
The fibers were made from wild flax. Some were twisted, indicating rope, while others were knotted. They might have been used to sew pieces of clothing to keep these ancient people warm. Or maybe they tied together packs that would allow the group to be more mobile. The strings could also have served as handles for stone tools.
The fibers were colored black, grey, turquoise and pink. So in addition to cave paintings, we now have evidence of cave fashion, the first tentative steps on the way to the cover of Vogue.

Tree Electricity Runs Nano-Gadget
A report in the journal IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology shows that maple trees generate a small, but measurable amount of electricity, which can power tiny devices.

If scientists have their way（have one's way表示随心所欲，想怎样就怎样，注意和have one's way with的区别，这个是指have sex with someone）, we may someday（副词，表示将来有一天） be tapping（开发，利用） maples—not for pancake fixin’s, but for power. Because researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle have found there’s enough electricity flowing in trees to run an electronic circuit.

If you’ve ever made a potato battery（马铃薯电池）, you know that plant material can generate current. But the energy in trees is something else entirely. The potato experiment uses electrodes（电极） of two different metals to set up a charge difference that gets local electrons flowing.（这里的名词charge difference包含有一个足够多的意思，以至于that，能够得到局部的电流）

But in the current study, researchers use electrodes made of the same material. Sticking one electrode into a tree and another in the soil, they found that big leaf maples generate a steady voltage（电压，伏特数） of up to a few hundred millivolts. That’s way less than the volt-and-a-half provided by a standard AA battery. So the scientists designed a gadget（小器械） so small, with parts just 130 nanometers in size, that it can run on tree power alone. Their results appear in the journalIEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology.

If you’re nuts for（be nuts about意指热恋，迷恋） renewable energy, you probably can’t get much greener than a forest full of electrici-tree.

Hairdressers Hear Health Secrets
A report in the Journal of Applied Gerontology shows that elderly people often discuss health issues with hairdressers, who could encourage clients to seek medical attention.

If you’ve ever been to a hairdresser（理发师）, chances are you’ve found yourself scrambling for（scramble for表示勉强拼凑，争夺） things to talk about as your locks are expertly（熟练地，巧妙地） coiffed. One common topic of discussion, at least for older Americans, is their health. Which leads social scientists to conclude that hairstylists may be in a unique position to encourage their clients to seek medical attention（看医生）.

coif：
1 : to cover or dress with or as if with a coif
2 : to arrange (hair) by brushing, combing, or curling

Keith Anderson, a professor of social work at The Ohio State University, started to study seniors’ relationships with their stylists after hearing such sessions referred to as “salon therapy.” He conducted a survey of hairdressers near the campus and found that clients often unburden（吐露心事） themselves to stylists who offer a sympathetic ear along with a trim and highlights（条染）. More than 80 percent of salon workers surveyed said that their older clients share their problems during appointments, results published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology.

unburden：
1 : to free or relieve from a burden
2 : to relieve oneself of (as cares, fears, or worries) : cast off

The problem, of course, is that hairdressers aren’t equipped to offer medical advice, although two thirds say they’d be willing to refer clients to someone who can help. Given that medieval barbers were also surgeons, getting stylists back into primary care should be pretty cut-and-dried（事先准备的，俗套的）.

thatllUID: 2538832

[size=1.1em]September 14, 2009, 9:30 PM

Does Curiosity Kill More Than the Cat?

[size=1.4em]Last Thursday, the new Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities James A. Leach gave an address at the University of Virginia with the catchy title, “Is There an Inalienable Right（不可剥夺的权利） to Curiosity?”

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catchy：
1 a : tending to catch the interest or attention *a catchy title* b : easily retained in the memory *a catchy melody*
2 : FITFUL, IRREGULAR *catchy breathing*
3 : TRICKY *a catchy question*

[size=1.4em]inalienable[size=1.4em]: incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred  *inalienable rights*

[size=1.4em]Taking his cue from Thomas Jefferson’s “trinity（表三件） of inalienable rights: ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,’” Leach reasoned that even though Jefferson never wrote about curiosity, “a right to be curious would have been a natural reflection of his own personality.” He was, after all, the “living embodiment（真实写照） of an inquisitive mind” and was reputed to（被誉为） have known “all the science that was known at the time.” Surely he would have prized curiosity, especially since it is the quality “oppressive states fear.” Given that “the cornerstone of democracy is access to knowledge,” it is not too much to say, Leach concluded, that “the curious pursuing their curiosity may be mankind’s greatest if not only hope.”

[size=1.4em]This sounds right, even patriotic（爱国的）, but there is another tradition in which, far from being the guarantor of a better future, curiosity is a vice and even a sin. Indeed, it has often been considered the original sin.

[size=1.4em]When God told Adam he could eat of all the fruits of the Garden of Eden, but not of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, he placed what has been called a “provoking object” in Adam’s eyes. The provocation was to go beyond the boundaries God had established and thereby set himself up a rival deity, a being with no limits on what he can conceive, a being whose intellect could, in time, comprehend anything and everything. Such a being would imagine himself, God-like, standing to the side of the universe and, armed only with the power of his mind, mastering its intricacies. Those who engage in this fantasy, says Thomas Aquinas, think “they are doing something great, if with surpassing curiosity and keenness they explore the whole mass of this body which we call the world; so great a pride is thus begotten, that one would think they dwelt in the very heavens about which they argue.”

[size=1.4em]Another churchman, Lorenzo Scupoli, put it this way in 1589: “They make an idol of their own understanding” (“Knowledge puffeth up,” I Corinthians 8:1). Pascal said it succinctly: “Curiosity is only vanity.” Jonathan Robinson, writing in this century, makes the same point: “What we are talking about is the desire to satisfy our curiosity on any and every conceivable subject that takes our fancy” (“Spiritual Combat Revisited”).

[size=1.4em]Give this indictment of men in love with their own capacities a positive twist and it becomes a description of the scientific project, which includes among its many achievements space travel, a split atom, cloning and the information revolution. It is a project that celebrates the expansion of knowledge’s boundaries as an undoubted good, and it is a project that Chairman Leach salutes when he proudly lists the joint efforts by the University of Virginia and the N.E.H. to digitalize just about everything. “The computer revolution,” he announces, “holds out the prospect that the digital library could be become an international citadel（城堡） for the pursuit of curiosity.”

[size=1.4em]That’s exactly what Paul Griffiths, professor of divinity at Duke University, is afraid of. Where Leach welcomes the enlargement of curiosity’s empire, Griffiths, who is writing a book on the vice of curiosity, sees it as a sign of moral and spiritual danger: “Late modern societies that are fundamentally shaped by the overwhelming presence of electronic media and the obscene inundation of every aspect of human life by pictures and sounds have turned the vice of curiosity into a prescribed way of life” (“Reason and the Reasons of Faith”). The prescriptions come in the form of familiar injunctions: follow the inquiry as far as it goes, leave no stone unturned, there is always more to know, the more information the better. “In a world where curiosity rules,” Griffiths declares, “unmasking curiosity as a destructive and offensive device . . . amounts to nothing less than a . . . radical critique of superficiality and constant distraction.”

[size=1.4em]Griffiths builds on the religious tradition in which curiosity is condemned because it distracts men from the study and worship of God, shackling them, says Augustine, “to an inferior love.” But curiosity can also distract men from secular obligations by so occupying their minds that there is no room left for other considerations. These men (and women) fail to register the pain of animals subjected to experiments in the name of knowledge, pay no heed to the social consequences of their investigations, and take no heed of the warnings issued in Marlowe’s “Dr. Faustus,” Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” H.G. Wells’ “The Island of Dr. Moreau” and Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (not to mention the myth of Pandora and the Incredible Hulk).

[size=1.4em]They are obsessive and obsessed and exhibit, says John Henry Newman, something akin to a mental disorder. “In such persons reason acts almost as feebly and as impotently as in the madman: once fairly started on a subject, they have no power of self-control” (“The Idea of a University”). They have no power of self-control because they have no allegiance — to a deity, to human flourishing, to community — that might serve as a check on their insatiable curiosity. (Curiosity is inherently insatiable; its satisfactions are only momentary; there is always another horizon.)

[size=1.4em]In short, curiosity — sometimes called research, sometimes called unfettered inquiry, sometimes called progress, sometimes called academic freedom — is their God. The question, posed by thinkers from Aquinas to Augustine to Newman to Griffiths, is whether this is the God — the God, ultimately, of self — we want to worship. Given the evidence, including Chairman Leach’s address, the answer would seem to be yes.

好奇心杀死猫其实是源于西方谚语：Curiosity killed the cat. 西方传说猫有九条命，怎么都不会死去，而最后恰恰是死于自己的好奇心，可见好奇心有时是多么的可怕！

在很多西方人眼里，猫 (cat) 是好奇心 (curiosity) 和神秘 (mystery) 的象征。 当人们讲?Curiosity killed the cat. 时，其实不是真的讲好奇心把猫杀死了，而是说好奇心可能使自己丧命的喔！ 自然啦，在实际的用法中也并没有丧命那么严重，但起码是告诫人们好奇心要有一定的限度，否则危险。

来源：1973年，出生于英格兰的Devonshire的阿嘉莎·克莉丝蒂(Agatha Christie，1890-1976)的侦探小说《命运之门》（ Postern of Fate ）里的："好奇心杀了猫"(Curiosity killed the cat)

thatllUID: 2538832

【听力---SSS---September 16, 2009】

Gene Therapy Cures Color-Blind Monkeys
In a study in the journal Nature, researchers report that they have used gene therapy to cure a form of color-blindess in adult squirrel monkeys that lack a visual pigment（视色素）.

pigment：
1 : a substance that imparts black or white or a color to other materials;  especially   : a powdered substance that is mixed with a liquid in which it is relatively insoluble and used especially to impart color to coating materials (as paints) or to inks, plastics, and rubber
2 : a coloring matter in animals and plants especially in a cell or tissue;  also   : any of various related colorless substances

Now, here’s something you don’t see every day: scientists cure color-blind monkeys. According to a report published online in the journal Nature, researchers have used gene therapy to allow color-blind squirrel monkeys to look at their fruit in a whole new light. [Scientific American is part of the Nature Publishing Group.]

In one type of squirrel monkey（松鼠猴）, the males lack a visual pigment called L-opsin. Its absence renders the monkeys color-blind, unable to distinguish reds and green. Most of the females, on the other hand, see in full color. So the scientists got to wondering: what would happen if they gave a boy squirrel monkey the same opsin that girls have.

lack（重要词汇用法回顾）：
intransitive verb
1 : to be deficient or missing *time is lacking for a full explanation*
2 : to be short or have need of something *he will not lack for advisers*
transitive verb : to stand in need of : suffer from the absence or deficiency of *lack the necessities of life*

Using a harmless virus, the scientists introduced the pigment gene into the eyes of color-blind adults. Lo and behold（你瞧，表示惊叹的感叹词）, about a month later, the monkeys with the new L-opsin gene were able to see hues（色调色彩） they’d never seen before.

The research doesn’t mean we’ll soon be trying the same thing in humans. Because we’re not yet ready to monkey with our own selves that way. But the fact that a fellow primate was able to make and use the new pigments, even though they received the genes as adults, was a real eye-opener（是一个真正令人开眼界的事物）.

thatllUID: 2538832

[size=0.8em]America, China and protectionism
Wearing thin（wear thin:逐渐消失，在这里也就是渐行渐远的意思，My patience is wearing thin.我快没耐心了）
[size=0.7em]Sep 14th 2009
From Economist.com
How strong is Barack Obama's belief in free trade?


[size=0.8em]ALTHOUGH Barack Obama alarmed free traders last year with protectionist-sounding pronouncements（这里的alarm sb. with sth.表示用什么警告某人） on the campaign trail, such as one about the need to renegotiate NAFTA, optimists among them dismissed this as mere posturing designed to placate restive trade unions.（dismiss sth. as mere posturing designed to do sth.把某事不当回事，仅仅认为他是故作姿态意在干什么） Yet a decision by the White House to impose punitive tariffs (35% for the first year, falling by five percentage points a year, to 25% in the third year) on Chinese-made pneumatic tyres now raises serious doubts about（对什么产生严重的怀疑） Mr Obama’s commitment to free trade.
[size=0.8em]
[size=0.8em]The duties are to be imposed on September 26th under a part of American trade law known as “Section 421”. The American government argues that these tyres are being imported into America from China in “such increased quantities and under such conditions as to cause or threaten to cause market disruption to domestic producers” of competing tyres.

[size=0.8em]America imported tyres worth $1.3 billion from China between January and the end of July this year. Under the terms of China’s accession to the WTO in 2001, countries have the right to impose tariffs in response to（impose sth in response to sth） a “surge in imports” from China. But there is always scope for dispute about(关于什么总是有争论的空间) what constitutes enough of an export surge to justify the use of tariffs（constitute enough of sth to justify sth表示什么东西足够去使得什么东西是有理有据的）, and China has already notified the WTO of its intention to file a case against America（notify sb. of one's intention to do sth against sb.告知某人其针对某人意欲干某事）. It has also said that it is considering the imposition of retaliatory tariffs on（imposition of sth.表示施加什么，retaliatory报复性） American exports of car parts and chicken meat.

[size=0.8em]Poultry（家禽） and tyres sound like small change in the context of the economic relationship between the two big economies. But Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University and a former head of the IMF’s China desk, argues that the American action and Chinese retaliation（retaliate就是报复反击的意思） may presage（预示，预兆） “more protectionist measures to come from both sides”. He notes that China could retaliate much more broadly than by raising a few tariffs: it could, for example, supplement its implicit export subsidies, including an undervalued exchange rate, with more explicit measures to support its export industries and block imports. This could “easily ratchet up（略微调高） into a broader trade war and inflict economic damage on（inflict sth on sb） both countries”.

[size=0.8em]The decision to use Section 421 is a disturbing one. John Veroneau, a lawyer and a former deputy trade representative, points out that this particular rule “doesn't require any finding of unfair trade practice by China…Chinese tyre exporters were not found to be doing anything wrong or illegal.” This means that it is hard for the administration to pass off（执行） the decision as being about tougher enforcement of existing trade agreements, which has been the focus of Ron Kirk, the new American trade representative, since his appointment.

pass off：
1. Misrepresent something or someone, as in They tried to pass off that piece of glass as a gemstone, or Bill passed her off as his sister. [Late 1700s] Also see palm off.
2. Be completed or carried out, take place, as in The meeting passed off without incident. [Late 1700s]

[size=0.8em]Mr Obama’s decision also marks a clear break with（很明显和什么象决裂） recent American policy. His predecessor, George Bush, had four opportunities to take such a step against China, but in each case chose not to do so. Mr Veroneau, who worked on those cases, argues that “based on their negotiations with the Clinton Administration on Section 421, China expected this tool to be used, if ever, only in the rarest and most exceptional of cases”. So China’s pique（愤怒） is understandable, as are worries that this could lead to a slew of（大量的） other American industries demanding protection against competition from Chinese imports.

[size=0.8em]Simon Evenett, a trade economist at the University of St Gallen in Switzerland, argues that Mr Obama’s decision is a clear affirmation of the power of American labour unions in shaping its trade policy. It appears that Mr Obama is desperate to shore-up support（活得支持） from unions and the left of the Democratic Party for health-care reform—his most pressing domestic concern—and is prepared to risk repercussions on trade.

repercussion：
1 : REFLECTION, REVERBERATION
2 a : an action or effect given or exerted in return : a reciprocal action or effect b : a widespread, indirect, or unforeseen effect of an act, action, or event---usually used in plural

[size=0.8em]If so, heightened economic tensions（升级后的经济紧张局势） between America and China are a heavy price to pay（代价惨重）. Mr Prasad says that “an escalating trade war between these two large economies has the potential to disrupt the world trading system”. The China-America spat（ : a brief petty quarrel or angry outburst就是角力） also comes soon before the leaders of the G20, the group of big rich and emerging economies, meet in Pittsburgh on September 24th. Global co-operation has been crucial amid efforts to encourage economic recovery. It would be a tragedy if it that were derailed by posturing over tyres and chicken.

heighten：
transitive verb
1 a : to increase the amount or degree of : AUGMENT b : to make brighter or more intense : DEEPEN c : to bring out more strongly : point up d : to make more acute : SHARPEN
2 a : to raise high or higher : ELEVATE b : to raise above the ordinary or trite
3 obsolete : ELATE
intransitive verb
1 archaic : GROW, RISE
2 a : to become great or greater in amount, degree, or extent b : to become brighter or more intense

derail：
transitive verb
1 : to cause to run off the rails
2 a : to obstruct the progress of : FRUSTRATE *security problems derailed the tour* b : to upset the stability or composure of *divorceTcan seriously derail an employee---Joanne Gordon*
intransitive verb : to leave the rails

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[size=1.1em]增强自己的意志力
[size=1.1em]简介
我们都知道，改掉坏习惯，或是生成一个全新的、健康的新习惯，非常难，但是坚持好的习惯是值得的。


Sometimes willpower is a lot like the television remote control — hard to find just when you want it most. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, stop smoking, get to the gym regularly, win a promotion or pay off some debts, developing your sense of willpower is an important part of changing any behavior.
有时候，意志力像极了电视遥控器——正当你最需要的时候却很难找到。可能你正在努力减肥、戒烟、定期去健身、争取升职、又或是支付一些债务，增强你对意志力的理解，是改变所有行为中非常重要的一部分。

We all know that breaking a bad habit or establishing a new, healthy one can be difficult, but persistence pays off. Researchers at the University of Washington found that 63 percent of those who made New Year’s resolutions were still keeping their resolution two months later. It’s not going to be easy, but there are ways to increase your willpower, stay resolved and achieve your goals.
我们都知道，改掉坏习惯，或是生成一个全新的、健康的新习惯，非常难，但是坚持好的习惯是值得的。华盛顿大学的研究人员发现，制订新年计划的人，其中只有63%能坚持两个月的。坚持并不会是一件容易的事，但是还是有些方法可以增强你的意志力，坚定你完成计划的决心，并达到你的目的。


First Things First
Don’t try to restructure your finances, win a promotion and lose weight all on the same morning. Establish one clear, specific goal and formulate a realistic strategy for achieving it. Extra willpower sometimes requires extra energy, so don’t stretch yourself too thin. Focus on one goal at a time.
首先第一项
不要企图在同一个早上重组你的财务，获得升职，并减肥。要完成上述这些，你树立一个清晰、详细的目标，并制定一个实际可行的策略。绝佳的意志力有时候要求额外的精力，所以，不要对自己施加太多压力。在一段时间内只专注一个目标。


Start Slow
Momentum builds gradually, and whatever your goal, don’t expect to achieve it overnight. Real success takes time. If you are trying to kick a caffeine habit, start by replacing your morning cup of coffee with a glass of water, instead of vowing never to drink coffee again. Congratulate yourself on the small achievements that will pave the way toward a larger one. These successes help your will power grow.
慢慢着手进行
罗马不是一天建成的，无论你的目标是什么，不要指望一蹴而就。真正的成功需要时间的锤炼。如果你想戒除依赖咖啡因，你首先要做的是将清晨的一杯咖啡换成一杯水，而不是发誓从此以后再也不喝咖啡。为每一个小小的成就而喝彩，正是这每一次小小的成就，使你一步步地走向更大的成就。这些一步步的成功能助你培养意志力。


Support Network
Bolster your willpower by tapping into a support network. Ask friends, family or colleagues for assistance and tell them exactly how they can help. If your credit card bills have skyrocketed, for instance, let friends know that you are cutting back on expenses. Suggest having a potluck dinner instead of meeting at an expensive restaurant. Find a support group or organization related to your goal and attend their meetings. You can get valuable advice, understanding and information — all of which increase commitment and willpower.
支持群落
通过一个支持群落鼓励你增强意志力。请你的朋友、家人或者同事来帮忙,清楚地告诉他们能帮你做什么。例如，如果你的信用卡消费暴增，让朋友知道你在节省开支。建议你吃个家常便饭而不是在花费昂贵的饭店聚会。找一个与你目标相关的支持群落或组织，参加他们的集会，告诉他们你想达成的目标。你能得到颇有价值的建议、谅解和信息——所有这些都将坚定你的承诺，并增强你的意志力。


Changing Your Environment
If possible, alter your environment to reduce temptation or encourage positive behavior. Want to get in shape? Keep an extra set of workout clothes in your office as a reminder to stop by the gym on the way home. Quitting smoking? Avoid bars or restaurants where you might be tempted to light up.
改变你所处的环境
如果可能，转换一下环境，减轻受到的诱惑，或是鼓励积极的行为。想要形成习惯？在你的办公室内放一套健身服，用来提醒自己在回家路上去健身。想要戒烟？避免去酒吧或饭店之类会燃起你吸烟欲望的场合。


More Than Willpower
Sometimes changing your behavior requires more than willpower. If you are struggling with an addiction or want to make a significant lifestyle change, seek the guidance and support of a professional. An expert may be able to provide intensive support and follow-up or prescribe medication to reduce physical symptoms. For example, without help only 5 percent of smokers can quit but that number rises to 30 percent when people seek both drug therapy and counseling.
不只是意志力
有时候，改变你的行为需要的不只是意志力。如果你正在戒除你上瘾的东西，或想改变为一个有意义的生活方式，你应该去寻求专业的建议和帮助。专家可能会向你提供针对性的支持和跟进帮助，或者可以给你开个处方以减轻病症。例如，如果没有帮助的话，只有5%的烟民能成功戒烟，但是当人们同时寻求药物治疗和心理咨询时，该比例上升至30%。

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【听力---SSS---April 2, 2009---April 6, 2009】

Mussel and Printer in Time Saves 9
A study in the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research B talks about the possibility of replacing sutures in surgery with bioadhesives produced by mussels（这是一种蚌类） and applied using inkjet（喷墨的） technology.

The common method of closing a surgical incision is simply to stitch the patient up. There are some issues, though. Good stitching can be challenging, and a poor job can lead to tissue warping（变型，变歪）. Synthetic adhesives have been tried instead of sutures, but they also have problems. So researchers at North Carolina State University have turned to two totally unrelated objects—mussels and inkjet printers. They published their research in the April edition of the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research B.

warp：
v.tr.
To turn or twist (wood, for example) out of shape.
To turn from a correct or proper course; deflect.
To affect unfavorably, unfairly, or wrongly; bias. See synonyms at bias.
To arrange (strands of yarn or thread) so that they run lengthwise in weaving.
Nautical. To move (a vessel) by hauling on a line that is fastened to or around a piling, anchor, or pier.
v.intr.
To become bent or twisted out of shape: The wooden frame warped in the humidity.
To turn aside from a true, correct, or natural course; go astray. See synonyms at distort.
Nautical. To move a vessel by hauling on a line that is fastened to or around a piling, anchor, or pier.
n.
The state of being twisted or bent out of shape.
A distortion or twist, especially in a piece of wood.
A mental or moral twist, aberration, or deviation.
The threads that run lengthwise in a woven fabric, crossed at right angles to the woof.
Warp and woof.
Nautical. A towline used in warping a vessel.

Mussels attach themselves to rocks in the ocean with a biodegradable（能进行生物降解的） glue. Scientists extracted the sticky proteins and made them even stickier by adding iron. Then the scientists thought, we need a precise way to add iron and then apply the glue. The answer: piezoelectric（压电的） inkjet printers. They spit out（吐出） droplets at a time in a precise fashion without heating up. So researchers used inkjet technology to carefully mix the mussel solution and iron together and then deposit the glue in a chosen design. They say they still have work to do to make the solution even stickier. But they imagine a future small hand-held printer-like system that will stitch you up with biodegradable glue deposited in a perfect line.


Cell Phones Relatively Safe from Viruses... For Now
A study in the journal Science notes that viruses remain a small threat to cell phones--but only because not enough users are on the same operating system.

We can get viruses from the Internet. But can we catch viruses on our cell phones? A new study in the journal Science says yes, but the spread of such malicious mobile software won’t reach epidemic proportions until more cell phones are on the same operating system.

Computers are vulnerable to viruses because they share data, especially over the Internet. Of course, nowadays, more people are using their cell phones for email, text messaging and downloading annoying ring tones. So it stands to reason that cell phone viruses are a threat, as well.

Scientists used anonymous call data from more than six million cell phone users to help model a potential outbreak. And they concluded that viruses that spread from phone to phone by Bluetooth are not much concern, because users have to be in close physical proximity for their phones to “see” one another. However, viruses that spread through multimedia messaging services—so they’d come disguised as, say, a cool tune sent by a friend—can move much faster. The good news is that to be effective, these viruses need their victims to all use the same operating system. Which not enough of us do. Because there is no Microsoft Vista for mobile phones, yet. Thank goodness.


Viruses Make a Battery
A study in the journal Science illustrates how genetically engineered viruses can be used to assemble an anode（阳极） and cathode（阴极） to make a new kind of battery.

Batteries of the future need to deliver more energy, and they need to be smaller. Researchers at M.I.T. think they have developed a technology that can, as they say, pave the way for these batteries of the future—using viruses. The development was peer-reviewed in the April 3 issue of the journal Science.

Scientists genetically engineered a bacteriophage（噬菌体）—a virus（病毒） that infects bacteria（细菌） but is harmless to humans. A few years ago the team created a virus that coated itself in cobalt oxide（氧化钴） and gold and self-assembled into a nanowire（纳米线） for the battery’s anode. The cathode’s a little more complicated. In the most recent publication, the team created viruses that coat themselves in iron phosphate（磷酸铁） and then grab onto carbon nanotubes（碳纳米管）. This creates a powerful cathode.

The working cathode and anode make the virus-battery comparable to more expensive existing battery technologies. The team is now preparing to look into using other materials such as manganese phosphate（磷酸锰） that could lead to higher voltage. They say this could hold the promise of relatively inexpensive, nonpolluting, lightweight powerful batteries—a holy grail（圣杯） for an energy revolution.

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【听力---SSS---September 17, 2009】

Salty Origins for Early Earth Biomolecules
In a study presented at the European Planetary Science Conference in Potsdam, researchers proposed that salt deposits on the early Earth's volcanic coasts enabled the conversion of amino acids into other important molecules for the start of life.

The early Earth’s oceans were home to a lot of interesting chemistry. Now scientists have found that amino acids（氨基酸类） thought to be present way back（很久以前，老早就） when（way back when表示当还是什么的时候就） could have been cooked into other compounds vital for life—an idea you should take with a grain of salt（有所保留，不全信）.
Four billion years ago, the planet was probably covered by a salty ocean, dotted with volcanic islands and short lived（短暂的） continents. German researchers recently mimicked some of the chemistry taking place along the coasts of the volcanic islands. They created an approximation of primordial（原始的，初生的） seawater. Then they evaporated it, to simulate what went on at those volcanic coasts. They baked the residue, creating salt crusts.
At those high temperatures, amino acids interacted with metal ions in the salt crusts and were converted into other important biological molecules, such as pyrroles—which are part of the structures of chlorophyll in plants and hemoglobin in animals. The scientists presented their findings September 17th at the European Planetary Science Conference in Potsdam.
Over hundreds of thousands of years, these novel compounds could have built up along the volcanic coasts, creating materials for the first living cells. Which were really worth their salt（称职，胜任be worth one's salt）.

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[size=1.15em]【听力---SSS---April 7, 2009】
[size=1.15em]Heart Keeps Pumping Out New Cells
A study in the journal Science used changing carbon 14 levels--from nuclear bomb testing--to show that the adult human heart does continue to produce new muscle cells, albeit in small numbers.

The heart-stopping news from Stockholm is that the heart never stops—growing, that is. Because researchers have shown that the human heart continues to produce muscle cells, even in adults.

Scientists have long debated whether the heart was capable of regeneration. They could make heart cells divide in a culture dish（培养皿）. But no one knew whether the cells could do the same in a living organism.

To find out, the Swedish scientists literally took advantage of fallout from the Cold War. The testing of nuclear weapons in the 1950s spewed a lot of radioactive carbon 14 into the air. That C-14 then got incorporated into the cells of every plant and animal on earth. When testing was banned in the ‘60s, C-14 levels dropped.

fallout：
1 a : the often radioactive particles stirred up by or resulting from a nuclear explosion and descending through the atmosphere; also : other polluting particles (as volcanic ash) descending likewise b : descent (as of fallout) through the atmosphere
2 : a secondary and often lingering effect, result, or set of consequences *have to take a position and accept the political fallout---Andy Logan*

Those changing levels of radioactive carbon could be used to estimate when individual cells in the body, and in the heart, arose. Using this C-14 dating（碳-14测定）, the scientists found that a 25-year-old replaces about 1 percent of his heart cells a year, and a 75-year-old about half that, data published in the journal Science. The turnover（周转率） is a tad slow but it does offer hope that damaged hearts might someday be made to mend themselves.

a tad : SOMEWHAT, RATHER  *looked a tad bigger than me---Larry Hodgson*

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【听力---SSS---April 8, 2009】

Chimps Barter Burgers for Bonks
A study published online in the journal Public Library of Science finds that male chimps who provide meat for females double their chances of mating over the long term.

Male chimpanzees often compete aggressively for mates. Now researchers have observed a friendlier behavior that males use to woo potential partners: they exchange meat for sex. The findings appeared online in the Public Library of Science.

woo：
transitive verb  
1 : to sue for the affection of and usually marriage with  : COURT
2 : to solicit or entreat especially with importunity  *woo new customers*
3 : to seek to gain or bring about
intransitive verb   : to court a woman

The “sex for food” hypothesis suggests that a male ups his reproductive odds and a female gets calories and the genes of a good provider, without the risks involved with hunting. But previous studies found little correlation between sharing and mating success.

up：
intransitive verb  
1 a : to rise from a lying or sitting position  b : to move upward  : ASCEND
2 ---used with and and another verb to indicate that the action of the following verb was either surprisingly or abruptly initiated  *he up and quit his job*
transitive verb  
1 : RAISE, LIFT
2 a : to advance to a higher level:  (1) : INCREASE  (2) : PROMOTE 1a  b : RAISE 8d, e

One explanation, the researchers say, is that such studies focused on males looking for a quick payoff by giving only to females actively in estrous（雌性发情的） and ready to mate. This new study followed males that shared food with their lady friends long before things got physical. And this long-term generosity doubled a male’s chances of taking his relationship to the next level. It’s more proof, the researchers say, that our closest relatives act with consideration to both past occurrences and future plans. And maybe that tall, hairy and handsome can’t compete with a free lunch.

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LZ 太强了。考完了还是这样的认真的努力，佩服佩服，学习学习阿！

corrUID: 2406665

膜拜个，向LZ学习~

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【听力---SSS---September 18, 2009】

Mini T. Rex Recovered
In a study in the journal Science, researchers announce the discovery of a dinosaur 125 million years older and one-nintieth the size of T. Rex, but having virtually the same body plan（构制） as the giant dino.

Ask any young dinosaur fanatic about the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex and you’ll probably get a fairly accurate description: huge reptile, big head, powerful jaws, tiny little arms. Scientists had thought that the animal evolved its bizarre proportions as it grew to its gargantuan stature. But in this week’s issue of the journal Science, paleontologist（古生物学者） Paul Sereno describes a newly discovered miniature tyrannosaurid that evolved millions of years earlier—and has all the attributes of the larger one.

fanatic: marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion  *they're fanatic about politics*

The tiny dino had been excavated in Mongolia illegally and sold to a private collector. He contacted（to get in communication with  *contact your local dealer*） Sereno to evaluate the preserved tyrannosaurid. Sereno agreed to do so if the dinosaur was donated to science, and eventually returned to China.


The dinosaur is about nine feet long and had an estimated weight of only 150 pounds. But it’s all there—the tiny arms, the huge head, the large teeth and muscular jaw. A hundred-twenty-five million years later, that animal’s descendants had ballooned into an almost exact replica more than 90 times larger. Sereno and his colleagues say the body plan must have been a successful structure for hunting prey—and ultimately thrilling（振奋） dinosaur lovers everywhere.

balloon：
intransitive verb
1 : to swell or puff out : EXPAND *ballooned to 200 pounds*
2 : to ascend or travel in or as if in a balloon
3 : to increase rapidly *ballooning prices*
transitive verb : INFLATE, INCREASE