Never（）the lifeboat or lifecraft disengaging locks or hydrostatic release gears because it can cause them to fail to function.

A . surfaced with a nonskid texture B . roped off to prevent unnecessary access C . kept clear of any obstructions that would interfere with launching D . posted with a list of persons assigned to the lifeboat

A . the specifications B . the facts C . the descriptions D . the detail

A . home address B . duties C . home phone number D . nearest relative's addre

A . the specifications B . the facts C . the descriptions D . the detail

A . provided B . supplied C . complied D . divided

A . tie up to the rescue vessel B . transfer only those personnel who are not seasick C . wait for calmer weather before transferring personnel D . transfer all personnel immediately

A . Frapping line B . Tricing line C . Rottmer release D . Winch remote control wire

A . placed in a fixed bracket when being used B . clamped to any position convenient for the coxswain to see it C . permanently mounted on the lifeboat's centerline D . mounted in the center of the boat to eliminate deviatio

I felt sorry for him, far from home in the service of his country. Writing to him seemed almost a patriotic duty. But as we got better acquainted, our letter-writing pace increased—to as many as three a day. I started driving home at lunch to collect the mail. Then Ken came back in leave, and we surprised ourselves by getting mantled and going overseas together. Romantic？ Not really, because then he left on a three-week mission, making our honeymoon a by-mail event too. We didn't set out to defy romantic customs; it just turned out that way, and stayed that way. We had been married seven years before we remembered our anniversary—and then only because my mother phoned to wish us a happy one. It took another ten years for us to notice Valentine's Day. To celebrate our alertness that year, we decided to have a conventionally romantic evening; a quiet, just-the-two-of-us dinner at a nice restaurant. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were told there would be a 40-minute wait, and so we headed for another nice, but not so romantic place. About halfway to our second choice, Ken realized that the restaurant would not honor our credit card and we were low on cash. I sighed and said, "I do have enough for a fast-food place." Clearly, we were veering far off the conventional coupe. While Ken placed the order, I gathered napkins and straws and went to select a romantic spot in the nonsmoking area. There I found a woman methodically turning chairs up onto tables. "This section's closed," she said. "But it's the only nonsmoking section," I protested. She pointed across the room. "You can sit over there." "That's the smoking section," I argued. "I know," she said. "But you don't have to smoke." I started to protest but stopped to choke back a laugh. Maybe because she thought I was going to cry, she removed the opened chairs from a table and said, "This okay？" I thanked her and, after she had gone, sat giggling until Ken arrived with the hamburgers. Surrounded by a forest of upside-down chair legs, we had our Valentine dinner. It wasn't exactly quiet, with grill workers yelling at each other in the kitchen past the swing door near our table. But it was just the two of us, if you didn't count the person with the mop who kept humping our chairs. According to the context, "flowers or candy, moonlight walks, lingering good-byes" are to indicate ______. A．some examples of conventional customs B．an intimate friendship C．a special relationship D．an ordinary acquaintance

A．cuts B．shortages C．weaknesses D．imports

A．auction-type B．everyday low C．high-low D．going-rate

A．auction-type B．everyday low C．high-low D．going-rate

A．． assure B．confirm C．believe D．imagine

Two kinds of systems generate solar energy: passive and active. A passive solar energy system generates energy from fixed glass plates built into the structure, without the use of mechanical devices. A greenhouse is a good example of a building heated by passive solar energy. The sun's rays penetrate the glass panels to heat the interior of the greenhouse, and the heat is retained through tight construction. The same principle can be applied to heating homes and other buildings on sunny days. An active solar energy system makes use of mechanical devices and moving parts to maximize the amount of energy collected. For example, solar energy can be generated with photovoltaic cells, which are made from silicon, an abundant element. A bank of photovoltaic cells can be encased in glass and wired together to produce electricity. The bank of cells can be mounted on the roof at an angle that maximizes exposure to direct sunlight. Another device to generate solar energy is a flatplate collector, which is an insulated glass box, typically placed on the sun-facing roof. Inside the box are pipes filled with air or water. The heat that builds up in the pipes can be used for home heating and hot-water supplies. Two questions persist about solar energy: How can solar energy be used in colder climates？ How can solar energy be used on cloudy days？ Scientists have the technological means to overcome both problems, but the solutions may make solar energy more expensive for many people than other alternatives. The energy released from the sun is about 10,000 degrees F, but by the time the rays reach the earth the temperature is considerably lower, because the sun's energy has diffused over a large area during its long journey. To be useful energy in colder climates, the sun's diffused rays must be concentrated. The process of concentrating the sun's rays is not difficult. Scouts learn that sunlight focused with a lens at the proper angle can burn a piece of paper. In warmer climates, the sun's rays can provide heat and hot water with little concentration. In colder climates, compensation is made simply by collecting more of the sun's rays by building a larger collecting device and rotating the lenses as the sun's position in the sky changes. In cloudy weather, another system can store the energy generated from the sun. For example, water heated by the sun can be retained in protected storage containers. Because of high installation coasts, solar energy is more expensive than other sources of energy for most consumers. At this time, electricity provided by a solar power plant costs two or three times the amount of a coal-fired plant. But solar equipment is generally installed on the consumer's roof rather than at a central power plant, as is the case with other energy sources. A family must pay several thousand dollars to construct a solar energy system capable of providing virtually all household heat and electricity. The family is also responsible for maintenance and repair of the system. While initial construction costs are much higher, monthly heating and electricity bills are much lower once the system begins operation. Users of solar energy do not face rising monthly electricity bills from a power company, which passes to its consumers the increasing costs of purchasing fossil fuels and constructing new facilities. Solar energy is economical for consumers who remain in the same house for many years and can benefit from low monthly operating costs. For most families, solar energy will become more attractive when other energy sources become more expensive. One indication of solar energy's bright future is that petroleum companies have bought the m A．The technical problem of providing heat on cloudy days are not yet solved. B．It costs much to have a solar energy system installed at home. C．There are basically two types of solar energy. D．Solar energy is clean, inexhaustible and free of risk.

Businessmen can travel from London to New York in three hours and lots of people exceed the seventy-mile-per-hour speed limit on motorways. A person of 75 is not old these days. A serious illness does not mean certain death because there have been so many advances in medical science. We no longer need to be afraid of contracting diseases like polio or smallpox. I can speak to my son in Australia from my own sitting room here in Manchester, watch athletes running a race on the other side of the world without moving from my own home and I can even do my shopping while I sit here in an armchair. I never need to worry about food going bad in the warm weather and, at the flick of a switch, I can have a hot meal in a couple of minutes. So, it seems, the quality of life has greatly improved since my own childhood. I'm not convinced, however, that people are happier today than they were 50 years ago. We are certainly materially better off than we were but most people still seem to be weighed down by problems. My daughter and her family are a good illustration. They have a spacious, comfortable home with every labor-saving device you can think of. There's a washing machine, a clothes dryer, a food processor, a vacuum cleaner and all sorts of other household items which are designed to save time but it seems to me that my daughter and her husband just spend all that "saved" time working! They never relax and are always complaining of being tired and "stressed". What is the passage mainly about？ A．How life has improved. B．How life has become worse. C．A comparison of life now and that in the past. D．Memory of life in the past.

A. upon…without B. to…for C. for…with D. at…by