新东方大学英语六级讲义与笔记:阅读(十一)

      There's simple premise behind what Larry Myers does for a living: If you can smell it, you can find it.
      Myers is the founder of Aubum University's Institute for Biological Detection Systems, the main task of which is to chase the ultimate in detection devices - an artificial nose.
      For now, the subject of their research is little more than a stack of gleaming chips tucked away in a laboratory drawer. But soon, such a tool could be hanging from the belts of police, arson(纵火)investigators and food - safety inspectors.
      The technology that they are working in would suggest quite reasonably that, within three to five years, we'll have some workable sensors ready to use. Such devices might find wide use in places that attract terrorists. Police could detect drugs, bodies and bombs hidden in cars, while food inspectors could easily test food and water for contamination.
      The implications for revolutionary advances in public safety and the food industry are astonishing. But so, too ,are the possibilities for abuse; Such machines could determine whether a woman is ovulating(排卵),without a physical exam - or even her knowledge.
      One of the traditional protectors of American liberty is that is has been impossible to search everyone. That's getting not to be the case.
       Artificial biosensors created at Auburn work totally differently from anything ever seen before. Aroma Scan, for example, is a desktop machine based on a bank of chips sensitive to specific chemicals that evaporate into the air. As air is sucked into the machine, chemicals pass over the sensor surfaces and produce changes in the electrical current flowing through them. Those current changes are logged into a computer that sorts out odors based on their electrical signatures.
      Myers says they expect to load a single fingernail - size chip with thousands of odor receptors(感受器), enough to create a sensor that's nearly as sensitive as a dog's nose.

 

31.In the eyes of the author, conventional opinion on conflict is________.
   A) wrong                          
   B) oversimplified
   C) misleading                      
   D) unclear
注：文章第一句

 

32.Professor Charles R. Schwenk's research shows________.
   A) the advantages and disadvantages of conflict
   B) the real value of conflict
   C) the difficulty in determining the optimal level of conflict
   D) the complexity of defining the roles of conflict
注：文章第二段

 

33.We can learn from Schwenk's research that________.
   A) a person’s view of conflict is influenced by the purpose of his organization
   B) conflict is necessary for managers of for-profit organizations
   C) different people resolve conflicts in different ways
   D) it is impossible for people to avoid conflict
注：文章第三段

 

34.The passage suggests that in for - profit organizations_______.
   A) there is no end of conflict
   B) expression of different opinions is encouraged
   C) decisions must be justifiable
   D) success lies in general agreement
注：文章第四段，justifiable合法化

 

35.People working in a not - for - profit organization________.
   A) seem to be difficult to satisfy
   B) are free to express diverse opinions
   C) are less effective in making decisions
   D) find it easier to reach agreement
注：C和D出现比较级，不选

    

Conventional wisdom about conflict seems pretty much cut and dried. Too little conflict breeds apathy (冷漠) and stagnation (呆滞). Too much conflict leads to divisiveness (分裂) and hostility. Moderate levels of conflict, however, can spark creativity and motivate people in a healthy and competitive way.
     Recent research by Professor Charles R. Schwenk, however, suggests that the optimal level of conflict may be more complex to determine than these simple generalizations. He studied perceptions of conflict among a sample of executives. Some of the executives worked for profit-seeking organizations and others for not-for-profit organizations.
     Somewhat surprisingly, Schwenk found that opinions about conflict varied systematically as a function of the type of organization. Specifically, managers in not-for-profit organizations strongly believed that conflict was beneficial to their organizations and that it promoted higher quality decision making than might be achieved in the absence of conflict.
     Managers of for-profit organizations saw a different picture. They believed that conflict generally was damaging and usually led to poor-quality decision making in their organizations. Schwenk interpreted these results in terms of the criteria for effective decision making suggested by the executives. In the profit-seeking organizations, decision-making effectiveness was most often assessed in financial terms. The executives believed that consensus rather than conflict enhanced financial indicators.
     In the not-for-profit organizations, decision-making effectiveness was defined from the perspective of satisfying constituents. Given the complexities and ambiguities associated with satisfying many diverse constituents executives perceived that conflict led to more considered and acceptable decisions.

 

36. We learn from the passage that olestra is a substance that_______.
   A) contains plenty of nutrients
   B) renders foods calorie-free while retaining their vitamins
   C) makes foods easily digestible
   D) makes foods fat-free while keeping them delicious

37.The result of the search for an easily digestible fat turned out to be_______.
   A) commercially useless             
   B) just as anticipated
   C) somewhat controversial           
   D) quite unexpected

38.Olestra is different from ordinary fats in that_______.
   A) it passes through the intestines without being absorbed
   B) it facilitates the absorption of vitamins by the body
   C) it helps reduce the incidence of heart disease
   D) it prevents excessive intake of vitamins

39.What is a possible negative effect of olesira according to some critics?
   A) It may impair the digestive system. 
   B) It may affect the overall fat intake.  
   C) It may increase the risk of cancer.
   D) It may spoil the consumers' appetite.

40.Why are nutritionists concerned about adding vitamins to olesira?
   A) It may lead to the over-consumption of vitamins.
   B) People may be induced to eat more than is necessary.
   C) The function of the intestines may be weakened. 跨段
   D) It may trigger a new wave of fake food production.