This lighting has also been used to treat patients （7） from jet-lag, to improve learning in school-children in Russia and America,

Much has been said about the iPod and its amazing popularity with people of all ages and groups. The iPod phenomenon has also taken many by surprise as industry-watchers thought that the greatly designed but expensive iPod would be beaten by cheaper knockoffs like those from Dell. Strangely enough the iPod phenomenon shows no signs of abating (减少). In classical Apple style, the iPod mania is set to become another chapter in business studies.

Looking back on the transition of individualized music listening from the LPs to current digital files, we see that the technology of today has made music listening not only easy but also a more personalized affair.

Today's music-buying public is a different breed. A survey of the U.K.'s music-buying public has revealed that "sound quality" is our biggest priority when it comes to choosing how we listen to our favorite artists. Seventy-five percent of 800 people questioned said that sound quality was most important to them, whilst a third enjoy high quality music in the home but are less fussy when on the move. Commissioned by Sony, Philips and Universal Music, the survey focuses on people's music listening habits and tastes.

Whilst one out of every five consumers questioned admitted they found it difficult to tell the difference between sound qualities, an overwhelming 80% of those said that sound quality is important to them. They like their music "to be crystal-clear, free from noise and interference". The iPod has epitomized sound quality in the adoption of the next generation music compression format called AAC that provides small enough files for portability but also provides crystal-clear playback properties. "Crystal-clear music, free from noise and interference" is as much a property of the player as that of the format, and this is where the iPod scores above the rest, in providing a great form. factor with pristine engineering at a cost that most people would not dare put their players to rough use.

Another major factor for the popularity of the iPod is that it perfectly complements the behavior. of people as far as music Consumption is concerned. Until the advent of the iPod, listening to music on the go was a cumbersome (不方便的) experience, one that entailed carrying around expensive CDs or audio cassettes, the use of which did not give people a music experience that was "crystal-clear, free from noise and interference". The iPod changed all that. Anyone can transport their entire music library with them and envelop themselves in a very personalized music experience and more importantly make an instant selection that matches their mood.

This explains how the iPod has become a "cultural phenomenon" and hopefully will remain one for a long time. It has essentially changed the way we experience music in our everyday lives.

What can be learned about today's music-buying public?

A．They are less fussy when listening to music on the go.

B．They are the first individualized music listeners.

C．They give first priority to sound quality.

D．They specialize in distinguishing sound quality.

Scientists have been taking a closer look at the lighting in our homes, offices and vehicles, and they're seeing a possible way to improve health.

Engineer E. Fred Schubert is talking about a new era of "smart" light sources. "We are looking at lighting systems that provide more than lighting," he says.

He's talking about light-emitting diodes(二极管),or LEDs. Most people know them as being quite small, like the lights that form. numbers on digital clocks. But recent technological advances have made them much more powerful, able to illuminate swimming pools and serve as traffic signals, for example.

Meanwhile, the lighting in offices and schools could be improved to help people stay healthy and productive, by acting on their internal body clocks. The 24-hour internal body clock is best known for governing cycles of alertness and sleep, and for producing jet lag( 飞行时差) when people travel across time zones. Lights cues, especially blue light, help keep the clock on its daily cycle. We're pretty much blue-sky detectors. Our clocks count on bright days and dark nights.

But that's not necessarily what modern life delivers. During the winter in the northeast of America, for example, a person can commute roundtrip in the dark and sit all day in electric light that's fine for vision, but may be too dim to stimulate the body clock. That's called biological darkness.

How that affects people has been hard to document in the general population, but studies suggest such possibilities as seasonal depression, fatigue, sleep disturbances and maybe even cancer, especially breast cancer. Some studies suggest reduced productivity on the job. To counter that, architects and lighting engineers might someday take body clocks into account when they design lighting schemes. They may be encouraged to take steps like providing plenty of natural Night through windows and skylights, and installing bright blue LEDs near computer screens to give a dose of clock-adjusting light.

In the following places, where can we not find the LEDs?

A．Digital clock.

B．Traffic lights.

C．Swimming pools.

D．Cassette players' speakers.

Microchip Research Center Created

A research center has been set up in this Far Eastern country to develop advanced micro-chip production technology. The center, which will start out with about US ＄14 million, will help the country develop its chip industry without always depending on imported technology.

The center will make use of its research skills and facilities to develop new technology for domestic chip plants. The advent of the center will possibly free the country from the situation that it is always buying almost-outdated technologies from other countries, said the country's flagship chipmaker. Currently, chip plants in this country are in a passive situation because many foreign governments don't allow them to import the most advanced technologies, fearing they will be used for military purposes. Moreover, the high licensing fees they have to pay to technology providers are also an important reason for their decision of self-reliance.

As mainstream chip production technology shifts from one generation to the next every three to five years, plants with new technology can make more powerful chips at lower costs, while plants with outdated equipment, which often cost billions of dollars to build, will be marginalized by the maker.

More than 10 chip plants are being built, each costing millions of US dollars. The majority of that money goes to overseas equipment vendors and technology owners -- mainly from Japan and Singapore.

Should the new center play a major role in improving the situation in the industry, the country admits the US ＄14 million investment is still rather small. This country is developing comprehensive technologies. Most of the investment will be spent on setting alliances with technology and intellectual property owners.

The country says that the investment of US ＄14 million is big enough for developing that country's chip industry.

A．Right

B．Wrong

C．Not mentioned

Micro-chip Research Center Created

A research center has been set up in this Far-East country to develop advanced microchip production technology．The center, which will start out with about US $14 million, will help the country develop its chip industry without always depending on imported technology.

The center will make use of its research skills and facilities to develop new technologyfor domestic chip plants．The advent of the center will possibly free the country from the situation that it is always buying almost-outdated technologies from other countries, said the country's flagship (旗舰，首位) chipmaker．Currently, chip plants in this country are in a passive situation because many foreign governments don't allow them to import the most advanced technologies, fearing they will be used for military purposes． Moreover．the high licensing fees they have to pay to technology providers are also an important reason for their decision of self-reliance.

As mainstream (主流) chip production technology shifts from one generation to the next every three to five years, plants with new technology can make more powerful chipsat lower costs, while plants with outdated equipment, which often cost billions of dollars to build, will be marginalized(边缘化)by the market.

More than 10 chip plants are being built, each costing millions of US dollars．The maiority of that money goes to overseas equipment vendors (卖主) and technology ownersmainly from Japan and Singapore.

Should the new center play a major role in improving the situation in the industry, the country admits the US $14 million investment is still rather small This country is developing comprehensive technologies．Most of the investment will be spent on setting alliances with technology and intellectual property owners.

第 16 题 The country says that the investment of US $14 million is big enough for developing that country’s industry.

A．Right

B．Wrong

C．Not mentioned

Micro-chip Research Center Created

A research center has been set up in this Far. East country to develop advanced microchip production technology. The center, which will start out with about US $14 million, will help the country develop its chip industry without always depending on imported technology.

The center will make use of its research skills and facilities to develop new technology for domestic chip plants. The advent of the center will possibly free the country from the situation that it is always buying almost-outdated technologies from other countries, said the country' s flagship(旗舰, 首位的) chipmaker. Currently, chip plants in this country are in a passive situation because many foreign governments don't allow them to import the most advanced technologies, fearing they will be used for military purposes. Moreover the high licensing fees they have to pay to technology providers are also an important reason for their decision of self-reliance.

As mainstream(主流) chip production technology shifts from one generation to the next every three to five years, plants with new technology can make more powerful chips at lower costs, while plants with outdated equipment, which often cost billions of dollars to build, will be marginalized (边缘化) by the market.

More than 10 chip plants are being built, each costing millions of dollars. The majority of the money goes to overseas equipment vendors (卖主)and technology owners mainly from Japan and Singapore.

Should the new center play a major role in improving the situation in the industry, the country admits the US $14 million investment is still rather small. This country is developing comprehensive technologies, most of the investment will be spent on setting alliances with technology and intellectual property owners.

The country says that the investment of US $14 million is big enough for developing the country's industry.

A．Right

B．Wrong

C．Not mentioned

听力原文： A significant effort will be waged this year to bring more state-owned land used for non-agricultural purposes into paid land-use contract which will boost land available for agriculture. These lease or contracts agreements will regulate land use while bringing the State income that went uncollected previously.

To avert the misuse or loss of State land during the transformation, the State Land Administration (SLA) and its local agencies will appraise land use rights before contracting leases, share purchases or other usage agreements. This effort will not only add to the State revenue and improve the management of the land, but will ensure the best use of land resources and control its redistribution.

Over the past year, some 714,000 hectares of cultivated land have been taken over by industrial and residential development, 14% more than in the previous year. The figure matched the 1992 total, the worst year of China's farmland shrinkage in the last five years.

(23)

A．How to increase farm land.

B．What is the biggest problem in agriculture.

C．How to satisfy the needs of the farmers.

D．A solution to problems in land use.