听力原文： Former Chilean leader Augusto Pinochet is living in a gilded cage as he waits under house arrest in a luxury villa for Britain's highest court to rule on his fate for a second time.
The Conservative British paper The Daily Telegraph, granted an exclusive opportunity to photograph the 83-year-old former general, counted up to nine armed policemen in and around the property in Surrey, to the southwest of London.
Three inspectors from Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist unit are permanently posted in one of the building's nine rooms, close to the main door which is guarded by two porters.
Other officers patrol with police dogs, searching visitors and their vehicles.
Members of the Surrey police force also maintain surveillance on the property in the exclusive suburb of Wentworth. Home Secretary Jack Straw allocated an additional 200,000 pounds in early March to cover policing costs.
That sum is trifling, however, compared to the millions of pounds already spent on legal costs.
Police keep bystanders, including journalists, at a distance, as well as the protesters who each Saturday beat drums and chant "murderer" in Pinochet's direction.
Authorities are also alert to the possibility of a commando operation aimed at freeing the former general, though this is considered improbable given the good relations between Britain and Chile.
In permitting Pinochet to stay in the villa, British officials relaxed his conditions of detention. Pinochet is also allowed to step out onto the patio once the yard has been combed by inspectors with sniffer dogs.
"The police follow him everywhere, even when he goes to the toilet. It's an intolerable situation, 'an unidentified person close to Pinochet complained to The Daily Telegraph.
Until now, the former leader has only left Wentworth once, to hear Spain's formal request for extradition, while a request to attend Christmas Mass was refused.
He receives visitors--Chilean political allies, diplomats, officials or supporters of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who are indignant at how a man they call a "friend of Great Britain" is being treated.
Thatcher has spoken out in Pinochet's defense and cited support he gave Britain during its 1982 war with Argentina over the Malvinas Islands.
Pinochet starts his day scouring the newspapers and surfing the Internet in search of items concerning himself.
How many armed policemen were stationed to protect Augusto Pinochet？
A．9.
B．12.
C．14
D．11.
For one brief moment in April, Larry Ellison came within a few dollars of being the richest man in the world. The computer tycoon was holding a global conference call on a Wednesday morning, when the value of his company surged.
It was the moment he almost overtook Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, as the wealthiest on the planet. For a few seconds, as share of traders marked Microsoft down and Oracle up, Ellison came within US $ 200,000 of Gates. The self-proclaimed "bad boy" of Silicon Valley found himself worth more than US $ 52 billion, up from a mere US $10 billion this time last year. Then Microsoft's share price, which had plunged in recent weeks, recovered and the moment passed.
Once, Ellison, founder of the software company Oracle, would have danced around his desk cursing like a pirate at failing to bring down Gates, a rival he had constantly made fun of in public. But Silicon Valley insiders said he remained calm, and muttered: "One day, one day very, very soon." He knew his moment was close.
Unlike Gates, he is not big on charity, preferring to spend his money his way. He has his own private air force, a military-style. crew based at San Jose airport near Redwood City, to help him fly his Gulfstream V jet (with two marbled bathrooms), a Marchetti fighter plane imported from Italy, and a handful of other aircraft, including a trainer for his son. He also plans to import a Russian Mig-29 fighter (capable of 1,500 mph). Why does he want one？ So that, he joked, he can blast Gates' home near Seattle. Cars are cheap and cheerful by comparison. He has a relatively modest Porsche Boxster, two specially altered Mercedes and a US $ 900,000 silver McLaren.
In San Francisco he owns a magnificent house in Pacific Heights, one of Western America's most expensive stretches of real estate. The house is a technical marvel. When he inserts his key, the opaque glass door turns transparent, revealing a Japanese garden in the middle of the house. For reasons he knows best, Ellison is obsessed with Japanese culture. Though he says he once briefly dated the actress Sharon Stone, Ellison is better known for the number than the fame of his wives. It is said he introduced himself with: "Can I buy you a car？" In one year he gave at least four US $ 50,000 cars to young ladies.
While Gates comes from a strong family, Ellison still does not know who his father was. He was born to an unmarried mother and adopted by his Russian uncle and aunt. A brilliant but unpredictable self-promoter, he dropped out of college, drove to California in a battered Thunderbird car and ended up working with computer technicians at a bank. "He always had a champagne lifestyle. on beer money," his first wife said.
He set up Oracle in 1977 as a super-salesman with 3 programmers, creating software for businesses. It almost collapsed when it promised more than it could deliver, but since then its fortunes have soared. Now it employs 43,000 people and has designed data-processing systems used by Britain's M15 spy service as well as big western companies. Oracle's software is more Internet- friendly than Gates' Windows, one factor behind the company's recent share price rise.
Since his company got big, Ellison has promised shareholders that he will spend more time in the office. But can he escape being the thrill-seeker he is at heart？ As summer approaches, he may find it hard to resist the lure of his yachts, Sakura, one of the longest in the world, and Sayonara (Japanese for "see you later"), which he races furiously. It is dangerous sport, even for guests. Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch once nearly lost a finger when he grabbed a rope during a race onboard the Sayonara. Ellison joked at least he could "still wrote checks".
Regardless of distractions, Ellison will not give up in his battle against Gates. He hates to lose. Ellison declares that any
A．Ellison is as rich as Bill Gates
B．Ellison has US $ 200,000 less than Bill Gates
C．Ellison is richer than Bill Gates
D．Oracle has more money than Microsoft
When James Watt built his big steam-engines for industry, he invented a feedback device, a system which now plays a vital part in automation.
Feedback【B1】that a machine can control its own【B2】. Watt's invention was the "governor",【B3】task was to keep the engine speed【B4】, detect an unnecessary or dangerous【B5】of engine power, and reduce it【B6】closing the steam valve.
No one would suggest that a machine with such a【B7】device can "think". Let's look at some modem electronic【B8】which is not as easily understandable【B9】that of Watt's "governor". The British scientist, Dr. Gray Walter, built two【B10】"tortoises" in the 50's. It was really difficult to believe that these animals were【B11】but assemblies of electronic components and batteries. They could "see" an electric light trod approach it; they could negotiate obstacles【B12】their path such as a book by going【B13】it; they were able to【B14】bumping into each other; and they ran back to their【B15】place when they felt "hungry", in other words, when their batteries were getting low.
They would even have "nervous break-down"; two lamps【B16】of one made them uncertain—which they should approach, and one could almost feel their agony of being unable to decide what to do,【B17】the little things move here and there【B18】their batteries needed recharging. The artificial tortoises or any other electronic devices have of course no brain with which to think. All they did is to【B19】the instructions we give them; this, however, they can do very well, under the【B20】of man.
【B1】
A．gives
B．means
C．allows
D．forbids
