2021年甘肃省定西市公共英语五级(笔试)真题(含答案)

2021年甘肃省定西市公共英语五级(笔试)真题(含答案)学校:________班级:________姓名:________考号:________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15题)1.PaulcouldreachalltheswitchesbecausetheyWereoriginallyinstalledattherightheightofhim.

A.RightB.Wrong

2.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

听力原文：Fromgoodreadingwecanobtainpleasure,companionship,experience,andinstruction.Agoodbookmayabsorbourattentionsocompletelythatforthetimebeingweforgetoursurroundingsandevenouridentity.Readinggoodbooksisoneofthegreatestpleasuresinlife.Itincreasesourcontentmentwhenwearecheerful,andlessensourtroubleswhenwearesad.Whatevermaybeourmainpurposeinreading,ourcontactwithgoodbooksshouldneverfailtogiveusenjoymentandsatisfaction.

Withagoodbookinourhandsweneedneverbelonely.Whetherthecharactersportrayedaretakenfromreallifeoraretotallyimaginarytheymaybecomeourcompanionsandfriends.Inthepagesofbookswecanwalkwiththewiseandthegoodofalllandsandalltimes.Thepeoplewemeetinbooksmaydelightuseitherbecausetheyresemblehumanfriendswhomweholddearorbecausetheypresentunfamiliartypeswhomwearegladtowelcomeasnewacquaintances.Ourhumanfriendssometimesmayboreus,butthefriendswemakeinbooksneedneverwearyuswiththeircompany.Byturningthepageswecandismissthemwithoutanyfearofhurtingtheirfeelings.Whenhumanfriendsdesertus,goodbooksarealwaysreadytogiveusfriendship,sympathy,andencouragement.

Oneofthemostvaluablegiftsbestowedbybooksisexperience.Fewofuscantravelfarfromhomeorhaveawiderangeofexperiences,butallofuscanleadvariedlivesthroughthepagesofbooks.Whetherwewishtoescapefromtheseeminglydullrealitiesofeverydaylifeorwhetherweexpecttovisitsomefar-offplace,abookwillhelpuswhennothingelsecan.Totravelbybookweneednobankaccounttopayourway;noairshiporoceanlinerorstream-linedtraintotransportus;nopassporttoenterthelandofourheart'sdesire.Throughbookswemaygetthethrillofhazardousadventurewithoutdanger.Wecanclimbloftymountains,bravetheperilsofanantarcticwinter,orcrossthescorchingsandsofthedesert,allwithouthardship.InbookswemayvisitthestudiosofHollywood;wemayminglewiththegaythrongsofmeParisboulevards;wemayjointhepicturesquepeasantsinanAlpinevillageorthekindlynativesonaSouthSeaisland.Indeed,throughbooksthewholeworldisoursfortheasking.Thepossibilitiesofourliteraryexperiencesarealmostunlimited.Thebeautiesofnature,theenjoymentofmusic,thetreasuresofart,thetriumphsofarchitecture,themarvelsofengineeringareallopentothewonderandenjoymentofthosewhoread.

Agoodbookmaydrawourattentionsocompletelythatweforgetoursurroundingsandevenouridentityforthetimebeing.

A.TrueB.Fasle

3.Whatsuggestiondoesthemanthinkitisgood?

A.Trytogiveupsmoking.

B.Eatsweetseverydayinsteadofsmoking.

C.Trytogiveuponecigaretteeveryday.

D.Gotoahypnotist.

4.Dr.WilsonasksWangtodoalittlemoreresearchbeforedecidingonhisproject.

A.RightB.Wrong

5.Thepossibilitiesofourliteraryexperiencesarealmostunlimited.

A.RightB.Wrong

6.Thedietsofthepeopleinthethreeregionsaretotallydifferent.

A.RightB.Wrong

7.Ifaconsumerwantsaquicksettlementoftheproblem,whomisitbettertocomplainto?

A.Ashopassistant.

B.Thestoremanager.

C.Themanufacturer.

D.Apublicorganization.

8.InwhichyeardidColumbustakechilipeppertoSpain?

9.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

听力原文：DoItYourselfMagazineorganizesacompetitioneverysummertoelectthe"Handymanoftheyear".ThewinnerofthisyearisMr.RoyMiller,aSheffieldpostman.Ajournalistandaphotographerhavecometohishouse.ThejournalistisinterviewingMr.Millerforanarticleinthemagazine.

W:Well,I'mveryimpressedbyalltheworkyou'vedoneonyourhouse,Mr.Miller.Howlonghaveyoubeenworkingonit?

M:IfirstbecameinterestedinDo-it-Yourselfseveralyearsago.Yousee,mysonPaulisdisabled.He'sinawheel-chairandIjusthadtomakealterationstothehouse.Icouldn'taffordtopayworkmentodoit.Ihadtolearntodoitmyself.

W:Hadyouhadanyexperienceinthiskindofwork?Didyouhaveanypracticalskills?

M:No.Igotafewbooksfromthelibrarybuttheydidn'thelpverymuch.SoIdecidedtogotoeveningclassessothatIcouldlearnbasiccarpentryandelectricalwiring.

W:Whatsortofchangesdidyoumaketothehouse?

M:Firstofall,practicalthingstohelpPaul.Youneverreallyrealizetheproblemshandicappedpeoplehaveuntilitattacksyourownfamily.Mostgovernmentbuildings,forexample,havestepsuptothedoor.Theydon'tplanbuildingssothatdisabledpeoplecangetinandout.Weusedtoliveinaflat,andofcourse,itwastotallyunsuitable.Justimaginetheproblemsadisabledpersonwouldhaveinyourhouse.WeneededalargernoisewithwidecorridorssothatPaulcouldgetfromoneroomtoanother.Wedidn'thavemuchmoneyandwehadtobuythisone.It'soverninetyyearsoldanditwasinaverybadstateofrepair.

W:Wheredidyoubegin?

M:Theelectrical.IcompletelyrewiredthehousesothatPaulcouldreachalltheswitches.Ihadtolowerthelightswitchesandraisethepower-points.IwentontodothewholehousesothatPaulcouldreachthingsandgowhereheneeded.

W:Whatelsedidyoudo?

M:BythetimeI'dalteredeverythingforPaul,do-it-yourselfhadbecomeahobby.Ireallyenjoyeddoingthingswithmyhands.Look,Ieveninstalledsmoke-alarms.

W:Whatwasthepurposeofthat?

M:Iwasveryworriedaboutfire.Yousee,Paulcan'tmoveveryfast.Ifittedthemsothatwewouldhaveplentyofwarningiftherewereafire.Iputinacompleteburglar-alarmsystem.Ittookweeks.Thefrontdooropensautomatically,andI'mgoingtoputadeviceonPaul'swheelchairsothathe'llbeabletoopenandcloseitwhenhewants.

W:Whatareyouworkingonnow?

M:I'vejustfinishedthekitchen.I'vedesigneditsothathecanreacheverything.NowI'mbuildinganextensionsothatPaulwillhavealargeroomonthegroundfloorwherehecanwork.

W:There'sa$10,000prize.Howareyougoingtospendit?

M:IamgoingtostartmyownbusinesssothatIcanconvertordinaryhousesfordisabledpeople.IthinkI'vebecomeanexpertondiesubject.

ThoughPaulisdisabled,hemanagedtomovearoundinthehouse.

A.TrueB.Fasle

10.Oneoftheadvantagesofchainschoolsisthattheyarefamousallovertheworld.

A.RightB.Wrong

11.听力原文：DuringtheChristmasshoppingrushinLondon,theintriguingstorywasreportedofatrampwho,apparentlythroughnofaultofhisown,foundhimselflockedinawell-knownchainstorelateonChristmasEve.Nodoubtthestorewasfilledwithlast-minuteChristmasshoppersandthestaffweredeadbeatingandlongingtogethome.Presumablyallthepropersecuritychecksweremadebeforethestorewaslockedandtheylefttoenjoythethree-dayholidayuntroubledbycustomersdesperatetogetlast-minuteChristmaspresents.

Howeverthatmaybe,ourtrampfoundhimselfaloneinthestoreanddecidedtomakethebestofit.Therewasfood,drink,beddingandcampingequipment,ofwhichhemadegooduse.Theremustalsohavebeentelevisionsetsandradios.Thoughitwasnotreportedifhetookadvantageofthesefacilities,whentheshopre-opened,hewasdiscoveredinbedwithalargenumberofemptybottlesbesidehim.Heseemstohavebeenamanofgoodhumourandphilosophictemperament—asindeedvagrantsverycommonlyare.EveryoneelsewasenjoyingChristmas,sohesawnogoodreasonwhyheshouldnotdothesame.Hesubmitted,cheerfullyenough,tobeingtakenawaybythepolice.PerhapshehadabetterChristmasthanusual.Hewasputintoprisonforsevendays.Thejudgeawardednocompensationtothechainstoreforthefoodanddrinkourtramphadconsumed.Theyhad,inhisopinion,alreadyreceivedvaluablefreepublicityfromthecoveragethestoryreceivedinthenewspapersandontelevision.PerhapsthejudgehadagoodChristmastoo.

Thetrampwaslockedinthestore______

A.forhisownmistakes

B.duetoamisunderstanding

C.byaccident

D.throughanerrorofjudgment

12.Peoplelikethechangesintheorganizationofthecompany.

A.TrueB.Fasle

13.What/Whoshouldstudentscontactiftheywanttogetasummerjob?

A.TheStudentUnion.

B.TheStudentEmploymentOffice.

C.TheWorkers'Union.

D.TheStudentPart-timeJobOffice.

14.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

听力原文：Doyoufindgettingupinthemorningdifficultandpainful?Thismightbecalledlaziness,butDr.Kleimanhasanewexplanation.Hehasprovedthateveryonehasadailyenergycycle.

Duringmehourswhenyoulaborthroughyourworkyoumaysaythatyou're"hot".That'strue.Thetimeofdaywhenyoufeelmostenergeticiswhenyourcycleofbodytemperatureisatitspeak.Forsomepeoplethepeakcomesduringtheforenoon.Forothersitcomesintheafternoonorevening.Noonehasdiscoveredwhythisisso.Thepossibleexplanationisthatoneisathistemperature-and-energypeakintheevening.Muchfamilyquarrelingendswhenhusbandsandwivesrealizewhattheseenergycyclesmean,andwhichcycleeachmemberofthefamilyhas.

Youcan'tchangeyourenergycycle,butyoucanlearntomakeyourlifefititbetter.Habitcanhelp,Dr.Kleimanbelieves.Maybeyou'resleepyintheeveningbutfeelyoumuststayuplateanyway.Counteractyourcycletosomeextentbyhabituallystayinguplaterthanyouwantto.Ifyourenergyislowinthemorningbutyouhaveanimportantjobtodoearlyintheday,risebeforeyourusualhour.Thiswon'tchangeyourcycle,butyou'llgetupandworkbetteratyourlowpoint.

Getofftoaslowstartwhichsavesyourenergy.Getupwithaleisurelyyawnandstretch.Sitontheedgeofthebedaminutebeforeputtingyourfeetonthefloor.Avoidthetroubleforcleanclothesbylayingthemoutthenightbefore.Wheneverpossible,doroutineworkintheafternoonandsavetasksrequiringmoreenergyorconcentrationforyoursharperhours.

Whatshouldonedoifhewantstoworkmoreefficientlyathislowpointinthemorning?

A.Changehisenergycycle.

B.Overcomehislaziness.

C.Getupearlierthanusual.

D.Gotobedearlier.

15.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

听力原文：W：Jim，thankgoodnessyou'vearrived．Theclasspresentationstartedhalfanhourago，andIwasjustbeginningtopanic．

M：I'msorryforbeinglate，Alice.Thismorninghasbeenarealmess．Ididn'tthinkIwasgoingtomakeithereatall．

W：Whyareyoulate?Ourpresentationdependsonthosegraphsyouareholding．

M：Yes，Iknow．I'lltellyouaboutitlater．First，let'sseehowwearedoingfortime．Twogroupsarestillaheadofus，aren'tthey?Thepresentationsonthefightsoftheconsumerandtheanalysisofthestockmarket．ThatmeansI'vegottwentyminutestosortout．

W：Youlookcold．Whathappened?

M：I'vebeenstandingoutsideinarctictemperaturesforoveranhourwaitingforabus．

W：Overanhour?ButIthoughtyourapartmentwasonlyatenminutebusridetocampus．

M：Innormalconditions，butthebuswasdelayedbecauseoftheweather，andwhenIstoppedinadrugstoretocallhomeforaride，thebuswentby．Asluckwouldhaveittherewasnooneathome，soIhadtowaitanotherforty-fiveminutesforthenextbus．

W：That'sMurphy'sLaw，isn'tit?Whatdiditsay?Ifanythingcangowrong，itwill．Well，we'vestillgottwentyminutestogetourwitstogether．

Whatisthewoman'stoneofvoicewhenshefirstseestheman?

A.Frustrated.B.Relieved.C.Sarcastic.D.Apologetic.

二、2.UseofEnglish(10题)16.

【C17】

17.

【C10】

18.

【C13】

19.(48)

20.(38)

21.(37)

22.

【C18】

23.(46)

24.(35)

25.(41)

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15题)26.PartB

Directions:Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66-70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA-Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66～70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA～Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

DoesthepublisherofDouglasStarr'sexcellentBlood--AnEpicHistoryofMedicineandCommerceactuallyexpecttosellmanycopies?Whoeverchosethetitleiscertaintoscareoffthesqueamish,andthesubtitle,whichmakestheeffortsoundlikeadry,densesurveytext,hasreallydonethisbookadisservice.Infact,thebraveandcuriouswillenjoyabrightlywritten,intriguing,anddisquietingbook,withsomeimportantlessonsforpublichealth.

66.______

Thebookbeginswithahistoricalviewoncenturiesofloreaboutblood--inparticular,thebeliefthatbloodcarriedtheevilhumorsofdiseaseandrequiredoccasionaldraining.AsrecentlyastheRevolutionaryWar,bloodlettingwaswidelyappliedtotreatfevers.Theideaofusingoneperson'sbloodtohealanotherisonlyabout75yearsold—althoughroguescientistshadexperimentedwithtransfusinganimalbloodatleastasearlyasthe1600s.Thefirsttransfusionexperimentsinvolvedstitchingadonor'svein(inearlycasesthephysician's)toapatient'svein.

67.______

Sabotagedbynotionsaboutthe"purity"oftheirgroups'blood,JapanandGermanylaggedwellbehindtheAlliesintransfusionscience.OncetheyrealizedtheywerelosinginjuredtroopstheAllieshadlearnedtosave,theytriedtocatchup,conductinghorribleandunproductiveexperimentssuchasdrainingbloodfromPOWsandinjectingthemwithhorsebloodorpolymers.

68.______

Duringtheearlytomid-1980s,Startsays,10,000Americanhemophiliacsand12,000otherscontractedHIVfromtransfusionsandreceiptofbloodproducts.Bloodbanksbothhereandabroadmovedslowlytoacknowledgethethreatofthevirusandinsomecasesevenactedwithcriminalnegligence,allowingthedistributionofbloodtheyknewwastainted.Thisisnotnewmaterial.ButStarr'sinsightsaddadimensiontoastoryfirstexploredinthelateRandyShilts'sAndtheBondPlayedOn.

69.______

Isthebloodsupplysafenow?Screeningproceduresandtechnologyhavegottenmuchmoreadvanced.Yetit'sdisturbingtoreadStarr'scontentionthatapersonreceivingmultipletransfusionstodayhasaboutalin90,000chanceofcontractingHIV--farhigherthanthe"oneinamillion"figurethatbloodbankersonceblithelyandfalselyquoted.Moreover,newpathogensthreatentoemergeandspreadthroughtheincreasinglyhigh-speed,globalblood-productnetworkfasterthansciencecanstopthem.ThispromptsStarttoarguethattoday'sbloodstoresare"simultaneouslysaferandmorethreatening"thanwhendistributionwaslesssophisticated.

70.______

A.Themassivewartimeblooddriveslaidthegroundworkformodernblood-banking,whichhassavedcountlesslives.Unfortunately,thesedevelopmentsalsosetthestageforagreatmoderntragedy--thespreadofAIDSthroughtheinternationalbloodsupply.

B.Thereissomuchdrama,power,resonance,andimportantinformationinthisbookthatitwouldbeashameifthesqueamishwerescaredoff.Perhapsthekeylessonisthis:Thepublichealthmustalwaysbeguardedagainstthepressuresandpitfallsofcompetitivemarketsandhumanfallibility.

C.Inhischronicleofaresource,Startcoversanenormousamountofground.Hegivesusanaccountofmankind'sattitudesovera400-yearperiodtowards

27.(69)

28.(68)

29.TheVillageGreeninNewMilford,Connecticut,isasnapshotofNewEnglandcharm：acarefullymanicuredlawnflandedbyscrupulouslymaintainedcolonialhomes.Babysittersdandlekidsinthewoodengazebo,waitingforcommuterparentstoreturnfromNewYork.OnalazyafternoonlastweekCarolineNicholas,16,hadnothingmorepressingtodothandrinkintheearly-summersunshineanddiscusstherecenteventsintown.“Idon'tthinkalotofolderpeopleknewtherewereunhappykidsinNewMilford,”shesaid,“Icouldseeitcoming.”

Inafive-dayperiodinearlyJuneeightgirlswerebroughttoNewMilfordHospitalafterwhathospitalofficialscallsuicidalgestures.Thegirls,allbetween12and17,triedavarietyofmeasures,includingheavydosesofalcohol.over-the-countermedicinesandcutsorscratchestotheirwrists.Nonewassuccessful,andmostdidn'trequirehospitalization；butatleasttwoattempts,accordingtothehospital,couldhavebeenvital.Theirreasonsseemedasmundaneastheotherhappen-stancesofsuburbanlife.“Iwasjustsickofitall,”onetoldareporter,“Everythinginlife.”Mostalarming,emergency-roomdoctorFrederickLohsetoldalocalreporterthatseveralgirlssaidtheywerepartofasuicidepact.Thehospitallaterbackedawayfromthisremark.Butcominginthewakeofatleastsixteensuicideattemptsoverthepreviousfewmonths．thissuddencluster—alongwiththeinfluxofmedia—hassetthiswell-groomedsuburbof23,000onedge.AtatownmeetinglastWednesdaynight,DrSimonSobo,chiefofpsychiatryatthehospital,toldmorethan200parentsandkids,“We'retalkingaboutacrisisthathasreallygottenoutofhand.”Laterheadded,“TherehavebeenmoresuicideattemptsthisspringthanIhaveseeninthe13yearsIhavebeenhere.”

Sobosaidthatthegirlshetreateddidn'thaveseriousproblemsathomeorschool.“Manyofthesewerepopularkids,”hesaid,“Theygotplentyoflove,butbeneaththereassuringsigns,aswathofteensherearenotmakingit.”Somesaythatdrugs,bothpotand‘realdrugs’,arecommonplace.KidshaveshownupwithLIFESUCKSandLONGLIVEDEATHpennedontheirarms.Afewgirlscasuallydisplayscarsontheirarmswheretheycutthemselves.“You'dbesurprisedhowmanykidstrysuicide,”saidonegirl,17.“Youdon'twanttoputpainonotherpeople;youputitonyourself.”Shesaidsheusedtocutherself“justtoreleasethepain”.

Emily,15,afriendofthreeofthegirlstreatedin,June,saidonewashavingfamilyproblems,onewas“upsetthatday”andthethirdwas“justupsetwitheverythingelsegoingon”.Shesaidtheyweren'treallytryingtokillthemselves—theyjustneededconcern.AsSobonoted,“What'sgoingoninNewMilfordisnotuniquetoNewMilford.”Thesameunderlyingcultureofdespaircouldbefoundinanytown.Butteensuicide,headded,canbea“contagion”.RightnowNewMilfordhasthebug-andhasitbad.

Whatisthemainsubjectofthepassage?

A.EightgirlscommittedsuicideinNewMilford.

B.ThevillageGreenisnotacharmingplace.

C.Teenagersuicide.

D.Dr.SimonSobo'sachievements.

30.

Whichofthefollowingstatementsistrueaboutinsuranceproducts?

A.Peoplehavenochoicewhenbuyinginsuranceproducts.

B.Thereweresomanychoicesininsuranceproductsinthepastthatpeoplefounditdifficulttomakeadecision.

C.Therearenobetterandcheaperinsuranceproducts.

D.Itisbetterforpeopletohavesomanyinsuranceproductstochoose.

31.

______mayaffectthedownstreamwaterqualityandhaveanimpactonplantlife?

32.(70)

33.(73)

34.PartB

Directions:Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66-70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA-Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Periodicallyinhistory,therecomeperiodsofgreattransitioninwhichworkchangesitsmeaning.Therewasatime,perhaps10,000yearsago,whenhumanbeingsstoppedfeedingthemselvesbyhuntinggameandgatheringplants,andincreasinglyturnedtoagriculture.Inaway,thatrepresentedtheinventionof"work".

Then,inthelatterdecadesofthe18thcentury,astheIndustrialRevolutionbeganinGreatBritain,therewasanothertransitioninwhichthesymbolsofworkwerenolongerthehoeandtheplow;theywerereplacedbythemillandtheassemblyline.

66.______

WiththeIndustrialRevolution,machinery—poweredfirstbysteam,thenbyelectricityandinternalcombustionengines—tookoverthehardphysicaltasksandrelievedthestrainonhumanandanimalmuscles.

67.______

Andyet,suchjobshavebeencharacteristicofthehumanconditioninthefirstthree-quartersofthe20thcentury.They'vemadetoolittledemandonthehumanmindandspirittokeepthemfreshandalive,madetoomuchdemandforanymachinetoservethepurposeuntilnow.

Theelectroniccomputer,inventedinthe1940'sandimprovedatbreakneckspeed,wasamachinethat,forthefirsttime,seemedcapableofdoingworkthathaduntilmenbeenthepreserveofthehumanmind.Withthecomingofthemicrochipinthe1970's,computersbecamecompactenough,versatileenoughand(mostimportantofall)cheapenoughtoserveasthebrainsofaffordablemachinesthatcouldtaketheirplaceontheassemblylineandintheoffice.

68.______

First,whatwillhappentothehumanbeingswhohavebeenworkingatthesedisappearingjobs?Second,wherewillwegetthehumanbeingsthatwilldothenewjobsthatwillappear—jobsthataredemanding,interestingandmind-exercising,butthatrequiresahigh-techlevelofthoughtandeducation?

69.______

Thefirstproblem,thatoftechnologicalunemployment,willbetemporary,foritwillariseoutofthefactthatthereisnowagenerationofemployeeswhohavenotbeeneducatedtofitthecomputerage.However,(inadvancednations,atleast)theywillbethelastgenerationtobesolacking,sothatwiththemthisproblemwilldisappearor,atleast,diminishtothepointofnon-crisisproportions.

Thesecondproblem—thatofdevelopingalargeenoughnumberofhigh-techmindstorunahigh-techworld—willbenoproblematall,onceweadjustourthinking.

70.______

Rightnow,creativityseemstobeconfinedtoaveryfew,anditiseasytosupposethatthatisthewayitmustbe.However,withtheproperavailabilityofcomputerizededucation,humanitywillsurprisetheelitefewonceagain.

A.Thereremained,however,the"easier"labor—thelaborthatrequiredthehumaneyes,ears,judgmentandmindbutnosweating.Itneverthelesshaditsmiseries,forittendedtobedull,repetitious,andboring.Andthereisalwaysthesoursenseofendlesslydoingsomethingunpleasantundercompulsion.

B.Foronething,muchofhumaneffortthatistodayputinto"runningtheworld"willbeunnecessary.Withcomputers,robotsandautomation,agreatdealofthedailygrindwillappeartoberunningitself.Thisisnothingstartling.ItisatrendthathasbeenrapidlyonitswayeversinceWorldWarII.

C.Andnowwestandatthebrinkofachangethatwillbethegreatestofall,forworkinitsoldsensewilldisappearaltogether.Tomostpeople,workhasalwaysbeenaneffortfulexercisingofmindorbody—compelledbythebitternecessityofearningthenecessitiesoflife—plusanoc

35.Theideaofafishbeingabletoproduceelectricitystrongenoughtolightlampbulbs-oreventorunasmallelectricmotor—isalmostunbelievable,butseveralkindsoffishareabletodothis.Evenmorestrangely,thiscuriouspowerhasbeenacquiredindifferentwaysbyfishbelongingtoverydifferentfamilies.

Perhapsthemostknownaretheelectricrays,ortorpedoes,ofwhichseveralkindsliveinwarmseas.Theypossessoneachsideofthehead,behindtheeyes,alargeorganconsistingofanumberofhexagonal-shapedcellsratherlikeahoneycomb.Theceilsarefilledwithajelly-likesubstance,andcontainaseriesofflatelectricplates.Oneside,thenegativeside,ofeachplate,issuppliedwithveryfinenerves,connectedwithamainnervecomingfromaspecialpartofthebrain.Currentgetsthroughfromtheupper,positivesideoftheorgandownwardtothenegative,lowerside.Generallyitisnecessarytotouchthefishintwoplaces,completingthecircuit,inordertoreceiveashock.

Thestrengthofthisshockdependsonthesizeoffish,butnewly-bornonesonlyabout5centimetersacrosscanbemadetolightthebulbofapocketflashlightforafewmoments,whileafullygrowntorpedogivesashockcapableofknockingamandown,and,ifsuitablewiresareconnected,willoperateasmallelectricmotorforseveralminutes.

Anotherfamousexampleistheelectriceel.Thisfishgivesanevenmorepowerfulshock.Thesystemisdifferentfromthatofthetorpedointhattheelectricplatesrunlongitudinallyandaresuppliedwithnervesfromthespinalcord.Consequently,thecurrentpassesalongthefishfromheadtotail.Theelectricorgansofthesefisharereallyalteredmusclesandlikeallmusclesareapttotire,sotheyarenotabletogenerateelectricityforverylong.PeopleinsomepartsofSouthAmericawhovaluetheelectriceelasfood,takeadvantageofthisfactbydrivinghorsesintothewateragainstwhichthefishdischargetheirelectricity.Thehorsesarelessaffectedthanamanwouldbe,andwhentheelectriceelshaveexhaustedthemselves,theycanbecaughtwithoutdanger.

TheelectriccatfishoftheNileandofotherAfricanfreshwatershasadifferentsystemagainbywhichcurrentpassesoverthewholebodyfromthetailtothehead.Theshockgivenbythisarrangementisnotsostrongastheothertwo,butisnonethelessunpleasant.Theelectriccatfishisaslow,lazyfish,fondofgloomyplacesandgrowstoabout1metrelong;itiseatenbytheArabsinsomeareas.

Thepowerofproducingelectricitymayservethesefishbothfordefenceandattack.Ifalargeenemyattacks,theshockwilldriveitaway;butitappearsthatthecatfishandtheelectriceelusetheircurrentmostoftenagainstsmallerfish,stunningthemsothattheycaneasilybeoverpowered.

Whichofthefollowingcanproducethestrongestshock?

A.The