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  1. Question Pool

Discourse Structure

篇章結構相關題目


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A ~ D:C(AB)EAB / DECBA / CEB(AB)D / C(AB)AED E ~ H:EDCAB / DBEAC / (AB)DBEC / ECAD(AB) I ~ L:DA(AB)CE / EC(AB)DB / CEB(AB)D / ADBE M ~ P:DAEB / DBEC / DCAB / CBDA Q ~ T:EBADC / CBAD / CADB / DCBA U ~ X:DEAB / CADB / EADB / DBAE Y ~ AB:CEAB / BDAC / CBDA / DBAC AC ~ AF:BDCA / BDAC / DBCA / CFAED AG ~ AJ:BADC / BADC / FBDEC / DBAC AK ~ AN:


題目

A.

The central theme of Lord of the Flies is human nature: are we naturally good, naturally evil, or something else entirely?

When the boys gather on the beach for the first time, summoned by the sound of the conch, they have not yet internalized the fact that they are now outside the normal bounds of civilization. ___1___ They build shelters and show concern for the youngest among them. ___2___

Golding seems to suggest that the democratic society they create is simply another game. ___3___ It is notable that at the beginning of the novel, all the boys assume rescue is imminent, and thus that the rules they're accustomed to following will soon be reimposed. ___4___

Golding's question is perhaps not whether humans are inherently good or evil, but rather whether these concepts have any true meaning. While it is tempting to see Ralph and Piggy as "good" and Jack and his hunters as "evil," the truth is more complex. ___5___

Although only vaguely described, it is clear that the adults outside the island are engaged in a conflict, inviting comparisons and forcing us to consider whether the difference is merely a matter of scale.

(A) As they come to believe that they will not be returned to civilization anytime soon, the boys' behavior becomes increasingly fearful, savage, superstitious, and violent. (B) This question runs through the entire novel from beginning to end. (C) The boys decide to set up a democratic society in order to maintain order. (D) Without Jack's hunters, the boys would have suffered hunger and deprivation. (E) The rules are only as effective as their enthusiasm for the game itself. (AB) They also play make believe and other games, exulting in their freedom from chores and rules.

B.

Two seriously ill men shared the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour every afternoon. His bed was next to the room's only window. ___1___ The two men talked for hours about everything every day. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened by all the colors of the world outside.

___2___ Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. The gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. ___3___

One morning, the day nurse arrived to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. ___4___

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He turned to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a black wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his roommate to describe such wonderful things outside this window. ___5___ She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

(A) The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. (B) The nurse was happy to make the switch. (C) Although the other man couldn't see the band, he could see it in his mind's eye. (D) However, the other had to lie flat all the time. (E) The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. (AB) Despite the illness, these two men tried their best to make their life less miserable.

C.

Email spam is also termed as junk email with suspicious messages sent in bulk. Most of the email spam messages are commercial in nature. ___1___ However, those only lead to phishing websites that host malware.

It was first in the early 1990's that the concept of spam emails started. Reports reveal that malware infected network of computers or the botnets are used to send spam emails. ___2___ Luckily, though the spammer sends mails to millions of email addresses, only a small number respond or communicate with the message.

Email spam come in different types. The most common of all is the spam mail disguised as marketing campaigns for business promotions. ___3___ Spammers use spam mails to perform email frauds, too. Fraudulent spams come in the form of phishing emails mostly like a formal communication from banks or any other online payment processors. ___4___

___5___ This is where the Comodo Dome Antispam solution comes into play. Before the spam email even enters your system, the Comodo Dome Antispam solution can detect whether or not it is coming from a legitimate configured mail server.

(A) Another common form of spam protection is by setting up the filter directly in the mail server. (B) It can be promotion of weight loss programs, job offers and even any clothing brand with unbelievable offers. (C) They contain links that look genuine and convincingly familiar. (D) There should be a faster, more reliable solution for email spam. (E) Spambots are used by spammers to obtain email addresses of the target victims and send malicious emails to the obtained email list. (AB) They are crafted to direct victims to a fake organization's website that is malicious while the user ends up sharing all the personal information from login credentials to financial details.

D.

Covering an area of about 7 percent of the earth's surface, tropical rainforests are found mainly near the Equator. ___1___ These are areas that are warm and wet year around. Average rainfall in rainforest areas ranges from about 80 inches to an almost incredible 400 inches a year and the average temperature hovers around 24 to 27 degrees Celsius.

Rainforests contribute to the planet's well-being in many ways. They recycle the world's oxygen, nitrogen and carbon; in doing so they help influence the temperature of the planet. ___2___ in fact, fifty percent of the planet and animal species on the planet live in the rainforests. ___3___ Rainforests also provide us with food, wicker latex, turpentine, cork, gums, dyes, oils, foods, medicines and resins.

Unfortunately, increasing demand for these treasures is the cause of a major problem: the rainforests are shrinking fast. ___4___ An amazing twenty-seven acres of rainforest are destroyed every minute and one hundred thirty-seven species of its plants and animals become extinct every day. ___5___ If this is true, shouldn't we, as caretakers of the future, do everything possible to make sure it won't happen?

(A) Some of these species could not survive anyplace else. (B) When these forests are cut down, the plants and animals that live in the forests are destroyed, and some species are at risk of being made extinct. (C) They cover a large portion of the northern part of south America and are also found in Central America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. (D) Experts say that a large portion of the world's rainforests will be gone in less than 50 years. (E) Other causes include the widespread clearing of the rainforest for farming use. (AB) They provide shelter for many humans and animals.

E.

Fiction is the name we use for stories that are make-believe, such as Harry Potter or Alice in the Wonderland. ___1___ It can be so close to the truth that it seems as real as something that happened to you this morning. Or, fiction can be as fantastic as the most unbelievable fairy tale.

Not everything in a fictional story has to be made up. ___2___ You, of course, are real, and the moon is real, and many of the things that you could describe, such as the stars, the wind, and the pull of gravity, would be real. ___3___ It would be a trip you took in your imagination.

Nonfiction, on the other hand, is all about true things. ___4___ Someone's biography is nonfiction; so is your autobiography. So are articles in your local newspaper, and school reports on science. ___5___ Imagine writing history about the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, or a report about a high school sports team. An old proverb says, "Truth is stranger than fiction." Do you think that's true?

(A) Nothing is made up. (B) History is nonfiction, too. (C) But your trip through space would be fiction. (D) You could write a story in which you fly to the moon. (E) But fiction isn't always different from the way things usually are.

F.

Starting around 4,000 B.C., traditional Chinese brush painting has developed continuously over a period of more than six thousand years. ___1___

During the 1st century A.D., the art of painting religious murals gradually gained in prominence, with the introduction of Buddhism to China and the consequent building of temples. ___2___ For example, paintings of historical characters and stories of everyday life became extremely popular. Besides historical figures, landscape painting was also common in Chinese brush painting. By the 4th century, this particular type of painting had already established itself as an independent form of expression. ___3___ The blue-and-green landscape used bright blue, green and red pigments derived from minerals to create a richly decorative style; the ink-and-wash landscape relied on vivid brushwork and various intensity of ink to express the artist's conception of nature as well as his own emotions. ___4___ A great many artists in the 9th century painted in this genre and their subject matters included a rich variety of flowers, fruits, birds, insects, and fish.

Since the turn of the 20th century, painters have often mixed several colors on one brush or mixed their colors with black inks. ___5___ Such techniques have been widely adopted and further developed in the contemporary period.

(A) Another genre commonly found in Chinese brush painting was flower-and-bird painting. (B) However, the subject matters later expanded beyond religious themes. (C) As a result, they have obtained more natural and richly varied colors. (D) Its growth has inevitably reflected the changes of time. (E) It then gradually developed into two separate styles.

G.

Bitcoin wins its publicity as an experimental, decentralized digital currency that enables instant payments to anyone, anywhere in the world. Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority. ___1___

___2___ It can only be refunded by the person receiving the funds. That means you should do business with people and organizations you know and trust, or who have an established reputation. Bitcoin can detect typos and usually won't let you send money to an invalid address by mistake.

All Bitcoin transactions are stored publicly and permanently on the network, which means anyone can see the balance and transactions of any Bitcoin address. ___3___ So, brace yourself for each and every Bitcoin transaction.

Plus, the price of a bitcoin can unpredictably increase or decrease over a short period due to its young economy, novel nature and sometimes illiquid market. ___4___ Bitcoin should be seen as a high risk asset, ad you should never store money that you cannot afford to lose with Bitcoin. Chances are that you may end up losing all your personal belongings. Actually, if you receive payments with Bitcoin, many service providers can convert them to your local currency.

Bitcoin is an experimental new currency that is in active development. Although it becomes less experimental as usage grows, you should keep in mind that Bitcoin is a new invention that is exploring ideas that have never been attempted before. ___5___

(A) It goes without saying that before long it will be refuted. (B) However, the identity of the user behind an address remains unknown until information is revealed during a purchase or in other circumstances. (C) As such, its future cannot be predicted by anyone. (D) Any transaction issued with Bitcoin cannot be reversed. (E) Consequently, keeping your savings with Bitcoin is not recommended at this point. (AB) That is, managing transactions and issuing money are carried out collectively through the network.

H.

Our glaciers are disappearing. Glaciers worldwide that have existed for centuries are disappearing in human timescales - our lifetimes. ___1___

Today, we have over 400,000 glaciers and ice caps scattered across Earth, over 5.8 million square miles of ice. ___2___ It fluctuates in multitudes of ways to local, regional and global environmental dynamics.

___3___ Actually, the unhappy marriage between immense ice loss and climate change has led glaciers to be increasingly recognized as one of the most visible icons of global environmental changes. And, by virtue of glaciers' relationship with climatic changes, what I've observed is that more and more, the line between the two blurs.

Glaciers act as veritable proxies or stand-ins for climate change - to measure, assess or explain glaciers is to also measure, assess or explain climate change. ___4___

As geophysicist Henry Pollack says, "Nature's best thermometer, perhaps its most sensitive and unambiguous indicator of climate change, is ice... Ice asks no questions, presents no arguments, reads no newspapers, listens to no debates. ___5___ It just melts."

(A) Substantial evidence tells us that human-made climatic changes are to blame. (B) Where there are glaciers, there are people, and the two have been interacting for the entirety of human history. (C) Each glacier is exceptionally diverse. (D) So when I say a glacier has melted X amount, I'm also saying climate change has altered something X amount. (E) This vanishing ice holds staggering consequences. (AB) It is not burdened by ideology and carries no political baggage as it crosses the threshold from solid to liquid.

I.

Badminton could be traced back to more than 2000 years ago to the ancient game called battledore (bat or paddle) and shuttlecock (also called "bird" or "birdie"). ___1___

From the 1600s, battledore and shuttlecock was just a game involving 2 persons hitting a shuttlecock towards each other as many times as possible before it hit the ground and it used to be an upper-class game in Europe, including England. ___2___ It's a very popular new year's game involving a wooden paddle called hagoita and a shuttle called hane. According to "A Brief History of Badminton from 1870 to 1949" written by Betty Uber, modern badminton was created by British military officers by around 1850s in British India. ___3___

During that period, when the weather is windy and wet, instead of a shuttlecock, a woolen ball was preferred by the upper class and hence invented "Ball badminton". ___4___ in 1873 the Duke of Beaufort introduced the sport at his country estate, "Badminton House" in Gloucestershire, since then this sport was called Badminton. ___5___ These countries have won the gold medals at the Olympics since 1992 to 2020: Indonesia, Denmark, China, South Korea, Japan, and Spain.

(A) Nowadays, you can still find a similar game in Japan which is called Hanetsuki. (B) By 1889, they started the first badminton competition in the world, "All England Open Badminton Championships". (C) By around 1870s, retired British army officers brought the game back to England from India and it became a very popular sport. (D) Similar games were played for centuries across Eurasia countries such as Greece, Egypt, China, India, and Japan. (E) By 1972, Badminton became a demo sport at the Munich Olympics and became an official Olympic Sport at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. (AB) At that time, a net was added to the game and because it was very popular in the garrison town of Poona, the game was known as Poona.

J.

A reusable shopping bag, sometimes called bag-for-life in the UK, is a type of shopping bad which can be reused many times. It is an alternative to single-use paper or plastic shopping bag. ___1___

___2___ They are sold for a nominal sum, usually 10 pence, and are replaced for free. ___3___ The bags are more durable than standard bags, meaning that they can be reused many times over. And in contrast to most spartan carrier bags, bags for life tend to be colorful and sometimes show some aspect of the supermarket's advertising. ___4___ The increasing use of the reusable shopping bags has found their way into various fields as well. ___5___ Even at end of life, they can be used as planters for growing garden vegetables.

(A) Reusable bags require much more energy to produce than common plastic shopping bags. (B) In fact, these bags have even become a crossover product from an alternative to plastics to a fashion/ shopper accessory. (C) Reusable shopping bags are offered in most British supermarkets. (D) Some supermarkets, for example, maintain the same design for years at a time, whereas some, like Waitrose, rotate the designs to tie in with either the season or the most recent advertising campaign. (E) It is often a tote bag made from fabric such as canvas. (AB) The main purpose of this is to ensure that packaging waste legislation was met and to encourage the bags to be recycled.

K.

Fred Hill was a tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1969, when doctors informed him and his wife Fran that their three-year-old daughter Kim had been diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia. Kim was only given six months to live, yet she fought through an abnormal childhood. She spent three and a half years undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments in an attempt to defeat the cancer. ___1___

In attempts to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer treatment, Hill and other members of the Eagles put on a fashion show in 1971, raising $10,000 for the Leukemia Society of America. The next year the Eagles raised $125,000. ___2___ As Hill's story spread, he came into contact with Dr. Audrey Evans at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Hill asked Evans how his organization could help her. Dr. Evans saw a need for short-term lodging near the hospital for young cancer patients and their families. ___3___ The next year, Eagles general manager Jim Murray arranged for quarterback Roman Gabriel to promote Shamrock Shakes with their local McDonald's in exchange for all the profit. ___4___ The first house was opened on October 15, 1974, on Spruce Street in Philadelphia. Today there are six houses in Pennsylvania, but Hill's idea became something not even he himself could have imagined.

Throughout the United States and other countries there are now hundreds of Ronald McDonald houses that offer families great comfort while their children are undergoing treatments at nearby hospitals. Ronald McDonald Houses provide families home-cooked meals, private bedrooms, playrooms for recreational activities, and the chance to enroll in educational programs. ___5___ The Houses seek to decrease stress for worried families regarding payment for motels and meals. Because of the toll taken on the family both physically and financially, the Ronald McDonald House doesn't ask for any more than $25 a day.

(A) As long as there is room available, anyone who lives more than 25 miles from the hospital will be accepted. (B) To create this dream, Hill and Lane realized they needed more money. (C) By Kim's second year of treatment, Hill came to feel the strain of having a child with leukemia. (D) The goal of the entire organization is to produce a "home away from home" for families who are struggling to care for their sick children. (E) With the help of his neighbor Stan Lane, Hill created his own charity, Eagles Fly for Leukemia, to raise money for the cause. (AB) The McDonald's Corporation agreed as long as the house being built for these families would be named the "Ronald McDonald House."

L.

The Fushimi Inari Taisha is a famous tourist destination in Kyoto, Japan. It is a religious site for Japan's Shinto religion, and it is known around the world for the hundreds of red gateways (called torii) and paths that surround it on the mountainside. The torii gates number around one thousand, and each was given by Japanese businesses or families over time. Each gate has its giver's name marked on it. ___1___ The shrine was created to worship fox spirits, and from the second one enters the shrine site, one begins to see countless statues of foxes (known as Inari in Japanese). ___2___ The main shrine building itself has a gateway with two fox statues on either side, each with red cloths fastened around its neck. ___3___ The key is traditionally meant to open granaries, or grain storage buildings. Therefore, the foxes are seen as spirits responsible for agriculture and rice. ___4___

(A) It is said that when one gives a torii gate to a shrine, he or she will receive his or her wish in return. (B) The foxes are unique spirits in the Shinto religion because they are seen as messengers, and they often carry a key in their mouths. (C) It was built in the 7th century, and it is very beautiful in the evening when all its lanterns are lit up. (D) The foxes can be as small as water bottle, or as large as a person, and they are located all around the entire shrine on the mountain. (E) However, over time, many business people began to worship the fox in order for their companies to have good fortune.

M.

Have you ever wondered how body language came about? Is it something we are born with or is it learned through social interaction? Actually, the answer to this question is more complicated than we think.

First, we must understood body language is a result of evolution and can actually be divided into two groups. ___1___ Others are often learned by observation and polished over age and time. For example, we were never taught that scowling means anger; yet as children, it has been programmed into our brain as a natural response. ___2___

Also, in terms of human evolution, speech is actually a newer form of communication. When and how humans began to use words for communication is still unclear, but it is likely it only goes back hundreds of years. ___3___ This can especially be seen when we talk on the phone. ___4___ Without body language in face-to-face interactions, communication ceases to exist.

(A) Conversely, learning to stand straight and smiling we know, as adults, gives us a positive image. (B) Although we cannot actually see the other person, we still fling our arms around. (C) Therefore, in reality, the verbal and non-verbal interact together as a whole. (D) There are some gestures that we are born with and that are considered the same across the world. (E) Before that, most of our communication relied on non-verbal cues such as a grunt or scream.

N.

Food trucks have grown in popularity since the 2008 recession and are as much a restaurant concept as family-style dining or fast food. ___1___ Today, food trucks offer menu options from cupcakes or grilled cheese to hybrid taco-waffles, and pretty much anything imaginable. ___2___

___3___ Vendors sold food from small carts or street kitchens, and the practice has continued throughout the world, especially in urban areas. Roy Choi became one of the leaders in the food truck industry when he opened Kogi in Los Angeles in 2008.

While some food trucks began as less expensive alternatives to brick-and-mortar restaurants, others are operated as extensions of established restaurants. ___4___ It's also a marketing tool that can draw attention to a brand. For example, some customers might learn about a restaurant by ordering from its food truck at an outdoor event.

(A) In cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, the number of food truck permits available is limited. (B) Going beyond street food cuisine, food trucks now cater to all tastes, offering gourmet, locally sourced, artisan menu items. (C) Popular eateries sometimes add a food truck to their operation so they can take their dishes to the people at large events or for other special occasions. (D) Given the low cost, many would-be restaurateurs opt to open food truck businesses, which now are regarded as respectable venues for starting a career in the food business. (E) Selling food street-side dates back to the late 17th century when living conditions were cramped and many people did not have the resources to cook their own meals.

O.

Airbrushing, by definition, means retouching photos to remove flaws or enhance images. For example, it can eliminate unwanted shadows and distracting background images or add a scenic background to a car advertisement to make the car appear to cruise down a mountain road. ___1___ In the days before digital media, airbrushing involved painting with an airbrush. Today, the development of new technologies and image editing software allows for almost endless manipulation of images.

Almost every advertisement employs some airbrushing. ___2___ Some assert that advertising is a fantasy created to convince consumers to buy a product to inch themselves closer to ideals. Some advertisers claim that it's their job to make a product look as attractive as possible. However, the catch is that the images you see don't reflect reality or only remotely resemble the actual photographs. Some argue that airbrushing is deceitful. Some even accuse it of harming consumers' well-being since exposure to overly perfected beauty images can lead to body dissatisfaction, depression, and anxiety. ___3___

With a wealth of evidence suggesting serious body image problems resulting from these misleading images, some companies have come under fire for applying the technique in their advertisements. Dove was probably the first company to respond to this ethical issue. In 2004, it pledged to ditch digital manipulation and present people of all sizes, ages, and ethnicities the way they really are. In 2009, the Advertising Standard Authority in the UK changed or withdrew 2,397 advertisements for being misleading. From then on, more and more leading brands have joined in the anti-airbrushing campaign.

___4___ That's why authoritative organizations still accept a limited amount of airbrushing in ads. What we need is probably a healthy balance between advertisers and retouchers.

(A) It then opens the debate of whether airbrushing is ethical or not. (B) However, if customers were to see advertisements without any retouching, it would be highly doubtful whether they would want to buy the products. (C) From smoothing skin to enlarging muscles, airbrushing men and women to "perfection" has become the norm in the advertising media. (D) It can also add to models, enlarging eyes, lengthening legs, or increasing the size of breasts.

P.

Since mosquitoes are attracted to skin odors and carbon dioxide, conventional insect repellents keep away mosquitoes by masking their smell and taste. Nonetheless, most people still get bitten when the repellent wears off. Kao, a cosmetics and chemical company, developed a unique mosquito repellent technology by creating a hydrophobic oil surface, which prevents mosquitoes from staying long enough to feed. Mosquitoes use their forelegs to stabilize their posture once they land on the skin. ___1___ However, Kao's research revealed that when their legs came into contact with silicone oil, they would rub their legs together in an attempt to wipe the oil sticking to them. ___2___ Human trials demonstrated that 85% of female mosquitoes that landed on non-coated skin displayed blood-feeding behavior while only 4% displayed such behavior when they landed on skin where silicone oil had been applied.

According to a leader at Kao's research lab, Dr. Takao Nakagawa, Kao hopes to apply this technology into future products and thus help people. He revealed that Kao's lab had developed a new technology with a different mechanism of action from conventional insect repellents. ___3___ Mosquitoes are carriers of infectious diseases such as dengue, malaria and Zika. According to a survey conducted by Kao in 2020, in places like Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, mosquito-borne infections occur year-round and 80% of the population is bitten by mosquitoes on a daily basis. ___4___ Hopefully, Kao's new technology can effectively control the spread of dengue and other infectious diseases in many affected areas.

(A) Similarly, mosquitoes are active in the summer season in Taiwan, and dengue cases arise every few years. (B) Therefore, mosquitoes were shown to remain no longer than three seconds, which is insufficient time to blood feed. (C) Their legs are highly water-repellent, which means they are able to land on water or glycerol surfaces. (D) It is expected to help develop products to protect people from mosquito bites.

Q.

Plastic trash is washing off from land to sea. Unlike some other kinds of waste, plastic doesn’t decompose over time. ___1___ They pose a major threat to marine creatures, including coral reefs.

Coral reefs are the most biologically diverse habitats in the ocean. They provide food as well as shelters for thousands of species of animals, big and small alike. ___2___ Coral reefs are built by and made up of thousands of tiny animals — coral polyps. By day, they get much needed nourishment from the zooxanthellae living within. At night, they stretch their tentacles to catch food, usually plankton, from the water. Plankton is truly tiny — mere 400 micrometers in diameter or less. ___3___

In 2019, Boston University coral biologist Randi Rotjan and her team collected several specimens of wild Astrangia poculata off the coast of Rhode Island. They cut open the individual coral polyp and discovered that every single polyp contained at least 100 bits of microplastic. Next, the team provided lab-raised coral polyps with microbeads and their normal food, brine shrimp eggs. When they later cut the polyps open, twice as many microplastics were found. ___4___

Another research even indicates that corals eat microplastics because of their good taste. When plastics come from the factory, they have hundreds of chemical additives on them. ___5___ However, because plastics are largely indigestible, they can create a false sense of fullness and interfere with corals’ ability to consume real food.

With these studies, scientists hope to raise concerns about the survival of certain coral species along with the complex ecosystems that depend on them.

(A) Since most microplastics are as tiny as plankton, this makes them just the right size for polyps to eat. (B) If corals die, lots of other species will have trouble surviving. (C) Any of these chemicals can be a stimulant that makes plastics appealing to corals. (D) The result suggests that these polyps prefer microplastics to natural food. (E) Instead, it breaks into microplastics, tiny pieces less than 5 millimeters in diameter.

R.

For those having bad reactions to milk yet still craving for the taste of it, they may have a sound reason to celebrate. A team in Israel has been committed to developing a kind of milk made from yeast, which looks, smells and tastes quite similar to regular milk but will not cause discomfort to people with lactose intolerance.

Dr. Tuller from Tel Aviv University has been driven by the public’s growing awareness of the environmental impact of the dairy industry to launch their experimental project. ___1___ In fact, methane is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Raising healthy cows is also impossible without feeding them with plenty of proteins, the production of which is yet another significant contributor to global warming. ___2___ Still another equally strong motivator behind Dr. Tuller’s work is the often-reported inhumane or cruel practices at animal ranches far and wide. ___3___ Also, to boost production, cows are often injected with growth hormones that leave the animals with greater pains and physical suffering.

While Dr. Tuller and his team have been devoted to manipulating gene expressions in the production of vaccines or antibodies for the past decade, they are now well on their way to producing a cow-milk substitute. ___4___ Hopefully, this technology can come to fruition in the near future, and can be employed in the production of other dairy products as well.

(A) Farm animals are force-fed in crowded and poorly maintained spaces that often go unnoticed by the authorities. (B) Both afore-mentioned concerns make for sound reasons to seek a more environmentally-friendly alternative to regular dairy products. (C) That is, dairy cows consume green pastures and emit methane as they digest, not to mention using up a huge amount of valuable water supply. (D) They aim to take a gene from a living organism to plant it in another organism to make it a “factory” producing the target protein or milk affordably.

S.

Generous billionaires are not hard to come by, but it is definitely a challenge to find a billionaire who spends all his fortune on charity just to end up broke. ___1___

Feeney, who grew up in a poor neighborhood of New Jersey, is a genius at finding business opportunities. Since childhood, he would take any job to make a few cents for his family—jobs like distributing umbrellas in summer and selling Christmas cards in winter. In his college years at Cornell University, he sold home-made sandwiches to other students and is still remembered there as the Sandwich Man. Then, in the 1960s, Feeney established airport retailer Duty Free Shoppers (DFS), which helped him reach his billionaire status by the 1980s. ___2___ He lived modestly, and often pondered what to do with all the money he made.

Influenced by his upbringing, Feeney decided to give away all his money to those in need in his lifetime. In 1984, the then 53-year-old Feeney signed over everything—his DFS shares and the various businesses and properties he had acquired worldwide—to Atlantic Philanthropies, a charity foundation he established. In the following decades, Feeney donated through the organization more than $8 billion anonymously, to charities, universities, human rights campaigns, and foundations worldwide. ___3___

Pioneering the idea of “Giving while Living,” Feeney is a role model for many famous billionaires today, including Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. ___4___ In September 2020, Feeney’s go-for-broke mission was completed, and he now lives happily with his wife on a pension in a modest apartment in San Francisco.

(A) However, Feeney never felt at ease with the lifestyle of the wealthy. (B) He encourages people to donate at least half their fortunes before death. (C) This is exactly what happened to “former” American billionaire Charles Feeney. (D) Such incredible secret generosity won him the title “James Bond of Philanthropy” from Forbes magazine.

T.

With commercial flights to outer space capturing public imagination, how astronauts or space travelers carry out their daily routine in space has become a focus of attention lately. ___1___ Up until now, it has been a standard practice for astronauts to store and carry their feces and urine with them, on top of their sweat-stained underwear, gym clothes, and else. ___2___ While being far from ideal and environmentally-friendly, it seems to be the best compromise as yet.

A much-awaited change is on the horizon, though. It is a joint effort spearheaded by NASA and a multinational consumer goods corporation, Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G). ___3___ Other possibilities, such as bacteria-resistant clothing materials and stain removal tools, have also been in various stages of development as well. All these are to make what space travelers wear clean and reusable. Feasible as the project sounds now, all designs are required to pass the test of weightlessness. ___4___ As urine and sweat are recycled for drinkable water, so is the wastewater from laundry. Well, humans have always been pushing the limits in exploring outer space. Hopefully, such innovations will benefit not only astronauts but also people living in some arid regions in the near future.

(A) An even greater challenge lies in reclaiming the laundry water for drinking and cooking, given the lack of access to water in outer space. (B) Aiming to solve the hygiene problems astronauts are faced with, the company is developing detergents and washer-driers specifically for space. (C) Only when the filth and stink are past the point of being bearable will the load be dumped along with the entire set of clothing. (D) One issue of interest is personal hygiene, namely, how they stay clean and dispose of human waste in a less embarrassing manner.

U.

Foods go extinct for all sorts of reasons, most related to human activity, such as overhunting, habitat destruction, and an agricultural production system that often favors a limited range of crops for profitability. ___1___ Transportation and the ability to ship food have made it unnecessary for some species to exist in certain regions when they are easier grown someplace else, but this reliance on a few crops puts not only our food system at risk from disruptions, but it also puts our health at risk.

The food system we've created over the past half-century is a marvel when you stop and think about it. We've efficiently created a system that allows us to have blueberries, lettuce, you name it, year-round no matter where we live. For a price, that is. "There was a concerted effort to change the global food system to produce more calories," says Saladino. “___2___"

___3___ That's because eating different kinds of foods helps us consume a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals, promotes good gut bacteria, protects against chronic disease and more. And when you consider the numbers, more than 5,000 foods are at risk of extinction - yes, it feels overwhelming, but there are also lots of reasons to be hopeful. ___4___ Public institutions and governments are doing some of that work through, for instance, procurement for school foods that factor in diversity and feeding students with produce from local farms.

(A) From a health standpoint, most dietary guidelines recommend variety in the diet. (B) We are beginning to bring back some lost varieties. (C) Today, Saladino says we're learning that complexity in the food system and diversity is vital that it can't be ignored. (D) And the loss of some species isn't always bad. (E) Post World War II, people were worried about starvation, hunger, all of those things, but the price paid for that was a world in which more of our food became greater in uniformity.

V.

Even if you have never been to Paris, you must have heard of the avenue Champs-Élysées on which an array of boutiques and coffee shops are giving the visitors a taste of fashion.

The name Champs-Élysées is French for the mythical Greek paradise, the Elysian Fields. Though the Champs-Élysées has been the heavenly kingdom for fashion lovers for decades, few people know that it was a swamp before André Le Nôtre, Louis XIV the Sun King's gardener, decided to extend the existing gardens at the Tuileries Palace. Since the royal emphasized order, elm trees there were planted on each side at intervals of 5 meters. ___1___

The Champs-Élysées is one of the most important historical landmarks in Paris. When Nazi Germany admitted defeat in 1944, the crowd celebrated the victory on this avenue. When France won the World Cup, the football fans flocked there to beat the drum for days. ___2___ However, with around 700,000 tourists per day and 3,000 vehicles passing through per hour, the street is gradually losing its charm because of pollution and consumerism.

___3___ Since it was an eight-lane highway, the architects' framework intended to solve the heavy traffic by reducing space for vehicles and turning the roads into tunnels of trees to make it a greenery public space. The city bureau agreed to support the plan. ___4___ However, it's still a necessary move to turn the city into a desirable and sustainable one. Hope the Champs-Élysées will regain its splendor and become the role model for other cities faced with similar problems.

(A) The Champs-Élysées is the equivalent of the glory of modern France. (B) The budget was believed to reach €250m and now it is hard to stay on this figure. (C) This arrangement also reflected the French royal family's desire to keep everything under control. (D) In response to the pressing need, the committee of the Champs-Élysées announced the renovation project in 2019.

W.

Yep, there's an official term for the way that your auntie used to pinch your chubby little cheeks just that bit too hard. It's called 'cute aggression' and it's defined as the urge to squeeze, crush, or bite cute things without any desire to cause harm. Most of us look at babies and instinctively find them cute, and experts say this is because certain infant characteristics (like a large head and a cuddly body) literally change our behavior. Animal behavior expert Konrad Lorenz dubbed these infantile traits 'baby schema', and said that they motivate us to take care of the child, serving an important evolutionary function by keeping vulnerable babies safe, and increasing the likelihood of survival. ___1___ Just think about how many brands adopt a baby animal as their mascot, such as the Andrex puppy, for example.

___2___ Well, although it might feel unnatural to think about squeezing, pinching, or grabbing a vulnerable pet or small child, it's really nothing to worry about. According to psychoanalytic psychotherapist Smita Rajput Kamble, cute aggression invites play and has a useful function. She says: "___3___ For example, soft-boxing someone without making real contact."

Interest in cute aggression arose as the result of research published in 2014 by Oriana Aragón and Rebecca Dyer. ___4___ The babies who had the cutest features - round faces, big eyes - elicited cute aggressive responses.

(A) So, an affection for cute features is in our biological blueprint, but what about this unprovoked urge to crush every little doggo that comes our way? (B) Participants were shown a series of photographs of babies, and their expressions recorded. (C) Alongside the aggression (fist-clenching, gritted teeth) participants simultaneously displayed caregiving emotions, and reported they had the urge to look after the baby. (D) It is a playful way of disposing of aggression, which could have otherwise been potentially uncomfortable. (E) In modern times, the concept has even been used by some marketers to make products more appealing.

X.

When getting to know someone in South Korea, there is a good chance that at one point or another, you will be asked, “What's your blood type?" ___1___ But in Korea, a person's blood type - either A, B, O, or AB - is widely believed to be predictive of personality and temperament, similar to horoscopes in the West.

Under the blood type personality theory, a person with Type A blood is diligent and caring toward others. ___2___ Those with Type B blood are optimistic and passionate, but can be forgetful and self-centered. ___3___ The best romantic match is between a Type A woman and a Type O man. ___4___ According to a 2017 poll by Gallup Korea, around half of the population (58 percent) said they believed the blood type personality theory to some degree, while the remaining 42 percent said they did not.

(A) The worst match, for example, is said to be a couple in which the woman is Type A and the man is Type B. (B) But he may come across as overly anxious and perfectionistic at some point. (C) Scientifically, blood type differs according to the type of proteins in the blood. (D) To outsiders, blood type may mean nothing more than information needed to find a match for a blood transfusion. (E) Despite a lack of scientific basis, the blood type personality theory has grown to become a cultural norm here since the concept emerged in the late 1990s.

Y.

Mickey Mouse became popular for many reasons. He has appeared in TV shows, movies, video games and merchandise. In addition to him starring in the first cartoon with synchronized sound, he also came into the world just before the Great Depression of 1929. During the Depression, people often turned to entertainment to momentarily escape from life's difficulties. ___1___

For the rest of the twentieth century, Mickey Mouse would star in dozens of animated cartoons. ___2___ One of the most famous being the very first Mickey Mouse wristwatch in 1932. Mickey would continue to appear on a variety of products, in community parades, and as the star of Disney's theme parks.

Since 1928, Mickey Mouse became so much more than just a character. Over the years he has become a symbol and a brand. ___3___ He has had fashion crossovers with Supreme, Vans and UniQlo. He has appeared on Herschel bags and Moleskine sketchbooks.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and when Walt Disney was at his lowest career point and near financial ruin, he boarded that train with his wife and got to work. So next time, you feel defeated, remember to be like Disney on that train - and have hope that sometimes the greatest things can be born during the worst situations. Mickey Mouse was a symbol of hope for Disney when times were tough. ___4___ As Disney once said "I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse."

(A) Nowadays we can find Mickey Mouse in high-end brands. (B) Starting in Walt Disney's mind on a humble train journey, and with the help of UB Iwerks and many others, Mickey Mouse has become one of the most recognizable symbols on the planet. (C) Mickey Mouse's fun, mischievous and carefree persona resonated with people at a time when the world needed a little bit of magic. (D) The First Mickey Mouse cartoon in color was The Band Concert and was released in 1936. (E) The entrepreneurial Disney would expand Mickey into merchandising.

Z.

Roughly thirty kilometers off the southeast coast of Taiwan lies the island known as Green Island. This island has an area of around fifteen square kilometers, and is home to just 26,000 permanent residents. ___1___ Its many wonderful snorkeling and diving spots, as well as its beautiful scenery, actually make it a very popular holiday destination. It is, in addition, one of just three places in the world where people can enjoy a soak in a completely natural saltwater hot spring!

Taiwan's Green Island, though, is not the only Green Island on the planet. The UK alone, in fact, has no fewer than five islands that go by this name. ___2___ Just a stone's throw from the mainland, this Green Island can be reached by either boat or helicopter. ___3___ The first is a two-bedroom summer house, while the other is a small wooden cabin. Both belong to Edward Iliffe, an English multi-millionaire who actually owns the entire island.

Dorset's Green Island which is not open to the public, doesn't offer attractions like water sports or seawater springs. ___4___ What they would think of their island's Asian namesake, who can tell?

(A) Much smaller than its Taiwanese counterpart, it is only 0.18 square kilometers in size and has just two buildings, with a third having been destroyed by a fire in 2012. (B) This population, however, is easily exceeded by the number of tourists who visit Green Island every year. (C) It is, however, officially listed as an "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" and is home to some very rare red squirrels. (D) One of these is situated off the southwest coast of Britain and forms part of Dorset County.

AA.

Famous poet and short story writer Peter Meinke was born in New York in 1932. He has published a total of eighteen literary works and has won numerous awards for his poetry and short fiction.

___1___ This poem consists of three stanzas, the first containing ten lines, the second eleven, and the third just two. In addition to this unconventional structure, the poem follows no particular rhyme scheme. In the first stanza, for example, Lines 1 and 4 rhyme, as do Lines 3, 6, and 8. So do Lines 7 and 10. In the second stanza, however, it is the first two lines that rhyme, followed by Lines 6 and 11 and then Lines 8 and 10. ___2___

As the title of this unusual work suggests, Meinke's aim in these 23 lines of free verse is to give some useful life advice to a child. ___3___ He also, however, advises caution, advising the young man to "plan long range" and to "go slow" rather than to live life in the fast lane.

This intense but careful approach is echoed at the start of the second verse, where the poet reminds his son that in addition to seeking brief but blissful beauty in life - "the peony and the rose" - he should also be practical. He should thus "plant ... turnips and tomatoes" among these beautiful flowers and develop habits and relationships that are sustainable. ___4___

Finally, in the short but sweet final stanza, Meinke urges young men to "always serve wine," meaning to always be welcoming, humble, sharing, and generous. This, in full, is the poet's advice to a son.

(A) To nurture lasting relationships, the father recommends honesty and cooperation. (B) Finally, the third stanza, also being the last two lines of the poem, does not contain any rhymes at all. (C) One of the poems he is perhaps best known for is a short but moving piece entitled "Advice to My Son." (D) He thus starts off, in the first stanza, by suggesting that his son treat each day as if it were his last.

AB.

One tragic day in 1994, a mangrove forest on Union Island came under attack. The countless creatures living within the roots of these unique trees were forced to flee as a construction company ripped apart Ashton Lagoon. ___1___ For years, locals had objected to the resort and told the corporation that uprooting the mangroves would destroy the marine environment. To make matters worse, the resort project was abandoned less than a year after it began. ___2___ In 1998, two researchers from Canada announced that Ashton Lagoon was "ecologically dead."

Islanders asked another scientists for his assessment and were thrilled when his report was more optimistic. Unfortunately, implementing his suggestions for restoration would be a long, slow process. ___3___ In 2014, both permission and funding were obtained, but it would be another three years before construction crews could return to Ashton Lagoon, this time to resurrect it. After the removal of walls and pillars left there in 1994, the natural tidal flow could resume. ___4___ Residents rejoiced, especially those who had experienced firsthand the protection mangroves offer.

(A) Without sufficient money and permission from the government, the islanders could not proceed. (B) In the wake of the initial destruction, the lagoon began to stagnate as parts of the construction collapsed and blocked tidal flow. (C) As the lagoon's stagnant waters were flushed by the movement of the tides, the mangroves that remained were revived, and new mangroves could be planted. (D) The international investor behind the project had plans for a resort that did not take into account the residents' protest.

AC.

In March 2022, Kevin Berling won a US$450,000 lawsuit against his former company for throwing him a birthday party. It seems silly when phrased this way, but the events leading to the lawsuit deeply distressed Berling. In August 2019, he asked his company not to throw a party for his birthday. ___1___ However, the party occurred anyway, and Berling suffered a panic attack and had to leave. Later, his managers called him into a meeting and criticized him. ___2___ Berling was fired not long after, and he later sued for discrimination and emotional distress. Though mental illnesses are often made light of, anxiety disorders like Berling's are no joke. Anxiety can leave people in "fight-or-flight" mode constantly, making any stressor a potential trigger for a panic attack. ___3___ Feelings of danger, fear of dying, and even detachment from reality are all possible mental symptoms. Panic attacks can be terrifying to experience and concerning for outside observes. ___4___ It is important for others to listen to and respect those with mental illness, and to learn what we can do to help and not hinder their recovery.

(A) However, they don't mean the person is violent, and those who suffer from panic attacks often have strategies to prevent and cope with them. (B) Berling has an anxiety disorder and knew the party could trigger his symptoms. (C) These may include physical symptoms like a rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, trembling, and muscle tension. (D) Berling spiraled into another panic attack, and his coworkers walked out after perceiving his behavior as "enraged" and "possibly about to get violent."

AD.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is the 22nd FIFA World Cup, an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. ___1___ At an estimated cost of over $220 billion, it is the most expensive World Cup ever held. ___2___ This tournament is set to be the last with 32 participating teams, with the field to increase to 48 teams for the 2026 edition. To avoid the extremes of Qatar's hot climate, this World Cup is being held during November and December. ___3___ In the first round of the tournament finals, the teams competed in eight round-robin groups of four teams for points, with the top two teams in each group proceeding. ___4___ The choice to host the World Cup in Qatar has been a source of controversy due to Qatar's treatment of migrant workers, women, and its position on LGBT rights as well as Qatar's climate, lack of a strong football culture, scheduling changes, and allegations of bribery for hosting rights and wider FIFA corruption.

(A) It is being played in a reduced timeframe of 29 days with 64 matches to be played in eight venues across five cities. (B) It is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, making it the first World Cup to be held in the Arab world and Muslim world. (C) These 16 teams advanced to the knockout stage, where three rounds of play to decide which teams would participate in the final, which will be held on 18 December 2022 at Lusail Stadium, coinciding with Qatar's National Day. (D) This figure is disputed by Qatari officials, who said the true cost is $8 billion, and other figures relate to overall infrastructure development since the World Cup was awarded to Qatar in 2010.

AE.

Amber Bourke, the Australian women's pool and free diving champion, is on her way to setting a new world record. Scientists once thought humans could swim to a maximum depth of 30 meters on a single breath. ___1___

Free diving is one of the most dangerous sports. Divers descend vertically in deep water on a single breath, using only muscle strength to propel them downwards. ___2___ By 30 meters down, the pressure exerted on the body is four times greater than on the surface and the volume of air inside the body has shrunk to one quarter. When the pressure exerted by water on the body is greater than the force the diver is exerting on the water, the diver begins to free fall.

The ability to survive a prolonged stay deep under the water is a learned skill. When a person's face comes into contact with water, a reflex will be triggered. The reflex prompts a number of physiological responses that promote survival. ___3___ Bourke doesn't know if she has any innate physiological differences. She, however, knows that over a decade of training she has learned how to better use the space in her lungs. Even at 70 meters down, she can still bring in more air from her lungs. ___4___ It was like she was being crushed. But now, she does not feel that pressure at all. She didn't even know this was humanly possible, but it is just amazing what humans can do.

(A) Bourke said that when she first dove to 30 meters deep, she felt a lot of pressure on her body, especially on her chest. (B) With every meter of descent, the compressive pressure on the body increases, shrinking the spaces that contain air. (C) They include the slowing of the heart rate, and a redirection of blood to lungs to bolster them against the pressure. (D) Amber Bourke has gone deeper than 70 meters and this is what physiology alone can't explain.

AF.

One of the most difficult things for a human to face is the loss of a limb. If a person loses an arm or a leg, he/she must be fitted with an artificial limb.

The situation is very different for a starfish. If a starfish loses an arm, it can grow a new one. ___1___ Snails can even regrow their heads - imagine what the world would be like if humans could do that. But we cant. Nor can we grow new limbs or even fingers. That's why scientists are studying animals that can regrow body parts, that is, regenerate. ___2___

Many different kinds of animals show some form of regeneration. Most of them are, however, limited to the sort a lizard is capable of, like regrowing a lost tail. A cockroach can grow back a missing limb, but the limb itself can't generate a new cockroach. ___3___ Bidirectional regeneration, on the other hand, refers to a situation in which splitting of an animal will result in separate fully functional animals. ___4___ Cut a hydra in half, and you'll get two hydras. Cut it into four pieces, and you'll get four.

___5___ A single one can be cut into hundreds of pieces and each will grow back into a whole in a week or so. Because of this remarkable ability, one planarian can be created over and over, giving it a sort of immortality. Whether this phenomenon can be achieved in humans will likely require years of research.

(A) Scientists call this unidirectional regeneration. (B) Humans aren't completely without regenerative talents. (C) The same thing happens for lobsters, salamanders, and many other animals. (D) When it comes to regeneration, few animals can equal the magic of the planarian. (E) This type of regeneration is demonstrated in a few animals, such as hydras and sea stars. (F) They hope that this line of research will make regeneration possible in humans someday.

AG.

Louis Braille lost his sight at the age of three. He was sent to the National Institute for Blind Children in Paris, where he became hungry for knowledge. At the age of just 15, frustrated by the lack of material he could "read," Louis invented a new writing system that changed everything for blind people. ___1___ It allows people with no sight to read with their hands, no matter what language they speak.

___2___ Combinations of raised dots represent 64 letters, numbers, and mathematical symbols. However, this is only the basic "alphabet" of Braille; the characters can be combined in various ways to create words without taking up extra space. This is important when printing long texts such as novels. The long form of Braille, in which every character is shown individually, is described as "uncontracted"; the short form in "contracted."

Although the invention must be credited to Louis Braille, the system did not come from nothing. ___3___ This was a tactile system designed by an army captain, so that soldiers could pass messages in the dark. Louis realized he could simplify night writing so that each cell contained six dots instead of twelve.

Today, Braille is either produced on a Braillewriter - which works like a typewriter, but with fewer keys - or by computer. ___4___ They can then have it read back by a digital voice. Children with sight problems learn to do this as soon as they start school. Never again will a blind child be frustrated by a lack of reading material!

(A) Braille uses rectangular cells that have two dots across and three down. (B) The so-called Braille alphabet is still used today, two centuries later. (C) Software has been developed so that blind people can type and edit text. (D) At the Institute in Paris, Louis had been given some books printed in "night writing."

AH.

Martha Graham was born in Pennsylvania in the United States in 1894. When she was 15, her family moved to California, where she first became interested in dancing. In 1916, she joined the experimental Denishawn dance school and company in Los Angeles, and soon distinguished herself through her forceful and dramatic performances.

Graham left Denishawn in 1923 and moved to New York, where she worked as a dancer and later a dance teacher. Her debut with her own company in 1926 was well received, but from the following year through the late 1930s her highly unusual dance performances were dismissed by most viewers as ugly and strange. Often performing in a plain dress with minimal stage decor, Graham sought to "reveal the inner man" through her dancing. ___1___

An important influence on Graham during this period was her musical director and sometimes composer Louis Horst. ___2___ This solo dance also marked the start of Graham's partnership with the sculptor Isamu Noguchi. Noguchi's three-dimensional staging was a considerable change from the traditional use of flat backdrops in dance.

___3___ Erick Hawkins joined the company in 1938, and a decade later her and Graham were married. Their personal relationship proved less successful than their professional one, however, and they divorced in 1954.

Drawing on themes ranging from Greek mythology to the Bible to American pioneer life, Martha Graham created probably the most significant dance technique of the twentieth century. ___4___ Abandoning ballet's focus on aesthetics and grace, Graham's work featured distorted and angular movements reflecting the intense emotions of her characters. Though not always appreciated in her own time, she is now recognized as the most important figure in modern American dance and choreography.

(A) Their most significant collaboration may have been 1935's Frontier. (B) Audiences, however, were largely unimpressed. (C) Her seven-decade career has influenced countless dancers and dance instructors throughout the world. (D) Another change Graham made around this time was allowing men into her previously all-female dance troupe.

AI.

Copernicus, founder of modern astronomy, was born in 1473 to a well-to-do merchant family in Torun, Poland. He was sent off to attend university in Italy, studying mathematics and optics, and canon law. Returning from his studies abroad, Copernicus was appointed to an administrative position in the cathedral of Frauenburg. There he spent a sheltered and academic life for the rest of his days.

___1___ He made his observations from a tower situated on the protective wall around the cathedral. His observations were made with the "bare eyeball," so to speak, as a hundred years were to pass before the invention of the telescope. In 1530, Copernicus completed his famous work De Revolutionibus, which later played a major role in changing the philosophical view of humankind's place in the universe. ___2___

Copernicus died in 1543 and was never to know what a stir his work would cause. In his book, he asserted that the Earth rotated on its axis once daily and traveled around the Sun once yearly. ___3___ People then regarded the Earth as stationary, situated at the center of the universe, with the Sun and all the planets revolving around it. Copernicus's theory challenged the long-held belief that God created the Heavens and the Earth, and could overturn the core values of the Catholic world. ___4___ Other ministers quickly followed suit, saying of Copernicus, "This fool wants to turn the whole art of astronomy upside down."

Ironically, Copernicus had dedicated his work to Pope Paul III. ___5___ The Church ultimately banned De Revolutionibus, and the book remained on the list of forbidden reading material for nearly three centuries thereafter.

(A) Meanwhile, Copernicus was a lifelong member of the Catholic Church. (B) The book, however, wasn't published until two months before his death. (C) If this act was an attempt to seek the Catholic Church's approval, it was of no use. (D) This went against the philosophical and religious beliefs held during medieval times. (E) Religious leader Martin Luther voiced his opposition to the sun-centered system model. (F) In his spare time, Copernicus studied the stars and the planets, applying his math knowledge to the mysteries of the night sky.

AJ.

As Parkinson's disease attacks the central nervous system (CNS), nerve cells in the brain stop functioning normally. ___1___ The severe shaking, especially in the hands, may prevent individuals from performing daily tasks like using a computer, shaving, and even eating.

Besides this constant shaking, decreased dopamine levels can also cause other serious problems for people suffering from Parkinson's. They are often unable to sleep well and are less mobile. ___2___

Parkinson's is a genetic disease, meaning it is passed between generations within families. It usually occurs when people are in their fifties and sixties. There is no cure, at present.

___3___ One found that performing an operation on the spine of a person with symptoms similar to Parkinson's improved the person's ability to walk. An implant made this possible. The other discovered an automatic pump could maintain a steady supply of a drug that performs the same function as dopamine. ___4___

The authors of both studies say more research is needed on larger samples to confirm the results. Even so, Parkinson's patients have reason to be optimistic.

(A) There is new hope for a better life, however, offered by two new medical studies. (B) Some lose the ability to walk even short distances and are instead limited to using wheelchairs or staying in bed all the time. (C) This allowed test subjects with Parkinson's to sleep through the night without being interrupted by their uncontrolled shaking. (D) When the cells that control production of a chemical messenger called dopamine no longer do their job, a person may shake uncontrollably.

AK.


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