2. The specialist is _______.

Plastic is the panacea of the ages. Nearly every man-made object (1)_____ (2)_____ of, or at least (3)_____ its very structure, to this wonder compound. Rain slickers, computer terminals, automobile engine parts, coffee cups (and the sugar stirrers too), breast implants, toy soldiers—they are all made up of plastic, or one of its many (4)_____ Since the (5)_____ of civilization, humankind bas been experimenting (6)_____ a multifunctional material—one that had to be equally strong and lightweight—to carry, contain and protect valuables. (7)_____ it could carry, contain and protect humans too, even better. Generations of tinkerers and scientists set off (8)_____ the challenge, striking gold some 170 years ago. By mixing natural rubber with sulphur they created the world's most utilized material ever. In developing a (9)_____, malleable and durable substance, the most important inventions of the industrial age were to follow shortly thereafter. The automobile and airplane industries, to (10)_____ just two, owe their very existence to plastic. And, (11)_____ celluloid plastic strips, the Lumiere Brothers would never have brought moving pictures to the big screen. The development of plastic is a story of human (12)_____, ingenuity and luck. (13)_____ the legend now goes, in 1839, the American inventor Charles Goodyear (the famous tyre company would later use his name) was experimenting with the sulphur treatment of natural rubber when he dropped a piece of sulphur-treated rubber on a stove. The heat seemed to give rubber (14)_____ properties. It was stronger, more (15)_____ to abrasions more elastic, much less (16)_____ to temperature, (17)_____ to gases, and highly resistant to chemicals and electric (18)_____ Eyeing this as a cheaply and easily reproduced construction material, a whirlwind of work (19)_____ and the birth of (20)_____ plastic and plastic-derivatives were born from camphor to celluloid to rayon; cellophane, polyvinyl chloride (or PVC); styrofoam and nylon were soon to follow. A．consists B．comprises C．constitutes D．composes

A．preventing us from using instinct B．encouraging us to form. distinctive tastes C．causing us to follow others blindly D．assisting us to form. strong beliefs

A．herbivorous B．insectivorous C．flesh-eating D．ferocious

A．broke up B．broke out C．broke down D．broke off

Speech is (12)_____ to be affected by reductions in the (13)_____ of the vocal organs. The muscles of the chest (14), the lungs become less elastic, the ribs (15)_____ mobile: as a result, respiratory efficiency at age 75 is only about half (16)_____ at age 30, and this has (17)_____ for the ability to speak loudly, rhythmically, and with good tone In addition, speech is affected by poorer movement of the soft palate and changes in the facial skeleton, especially around the mouth and jaw. There are other, more general signs of age. Speech rate slows, and fluency may be more erratic. Hearing (18)_____, especially after the early fifties. Weakening (19)_____ of memory and attention may affect the ability to comprehend complex speech patterns. But it is (20)_____ all had news: vocabulary awareness may continue to grow, as may stylistic ability—skills in narration, for example. And grammatical ability seems to be little affected. A．speech B．terms C．ways D．cases

A．to underwrite the securities of corporations B．to specialize in the trading of securities within markets C．to maintain orderly trading for the securities he is in charge of D．to arbitrage away the price discrepancies of securities traded in more than one market

A．described B．advantaged C．identified D．bothered

A．the rise in oil price doesn"t squeeze Americans as hard as they have claimed B．the oil expenditure only accounts for a small percentage of Americans" overall spending C．the role played by oil price in correcting consumption habits is less than trivial D．despite oil price rise, there is no sign that Americans will shift from cars to less fuel-consuming transportation means

A．appraise B．moderate C．predict D．mimic

A．数字电视技术 Digital Television Technology; B．卫星定位技术 Satellite Positioning Technology; C．可视电话技术 Videophone Technology; D．通信技术 Communications Technology;

A. should not be the sole representation of girlhood B. should not be associated with girls’ innocence C. cannot explain girls’ lack of imagination D. cannot influence girls’ lives and interests