Dust on furniture may be bad news for waistlines  . But it's far too early to add dusting to a weight-loss plan. Dietary fats and other materials that make up indoor dust can send a signal to human fat cells, telling them to grow. That process, in turn, might slow the body's rate of burning energy. Such changes could add to any weight problems a person might have. "We don't know what that means to long-term health and certain diseases yet," says Heather Stapleton, one of the study's authors. But she notes that her team's findings also raise a question of whether pollutants in dust might play some role in the growing, global problem of obesity  . Stapleton and her colleagues collected dust from homes and offices. Studies found that some materials in the dust could turn on a protein   called PPAR-gamma 1. It's found in many human tissues. Turning this protein on can cause fat cells to grow. Researchers think this protein may be involved in obesity. But a second study now finds evidence that certain fats are mostly to blame. Cooking oils may send out some of these fats into the air, where they eventually find their way into house dust. Or, the authors say, the fats might enter house dust as part of the hair or skin cells shed   by people or pets. "While the findings are amazing," says Mitchell Lazar, another study author, "these findings need to be taken as very limited." Indeed, he adds several cautions about how the findings should be understood. "For one thing, people eat these fats in foods all of the time. That is likely to be a lot more than would be consumed from indoor dust," he said. What do we know about PPAR-gamma 1?   _ A) It comes from dust. B) It leads to weight gain. C) It can help get rid of dust. D) It only appears in human bodies.
B


The forces that make Japan one of the world's most earthquake-prone  countries could become part of its long-term energy solution. Water from deep below the ground at Japan's tens of thousands of hot springs could be used to produce electricity. Although Japanese high-tech companies are leaders in geothermal  technology and export it, its use is limited in the nation. "Japan should no doubt make use of its resources of geothermal energy," said Yoshiyasu Takefuji, a leading researcher of thermal-electric power production. The disastrous earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 caused a reaction against atomic power, which previously made up 30 percent of Japan's energy needs, and increased interest in alternative energies, which account for only 8 percent. Artist Yoko Ono has called on Japan to explore its natural energy, following the example of Iceland which uses renewable energy for more than 80 percent of its needs. For now, geothermal energy makes up less than 1 percent of the energy needs in Japan, which has for decades relied heavily on fossil fuels and atomic power. The biggest problem to geothermal energy is the high initial cost of the exploration and constructing the factories.Another problem is that Japan's potentially best sites are already being developed for tourism or are located within national parks where construction is forbidden. "We can't even dig 10cm inside national parks." said Shigeto Yamada of Fuji Electric, adding that regulations protecting nature would need to be relaxed for geothermal energy to grow. Researcher Hideaki Matsui said, "Producing electricity using hot springs is a decades-long project.We also have to think about what to do for now as energy supplies will decline in the short term." The Earth Policy Institute in Washington, US, believed Japan could produce 80,000 megawatts and meet more than half its electricity needs with geothermal technology. Japanese giants such as Toshiba are already global leaders in geothermal technology, with a 70 percent market share.In 2010,... Geothermal energy is considered as a long-term program by   _  . A) Yoshiyasu Takefuji B) Hideaki Matsui C) Shigeto Yamada D) Yoko Ono
B


Q: The Rockford police chief and some city officials want to install video cameras in all 100 police cars. They think this will reduce the number of lawsuits  against the city. In the last five years, Rockford has paid out more than five million dollars to settle about 40 lawsuits. The chief said, "If cameras had been in those cars, we wouldn't have had to pay one penny. We're always pulling over drunks or drug users who try to fight the policemen or shoot them. Then they always say that the police started beating them first or started shooting at them first. What nonsense!" The cost of installing cameras will be about $500 per car. The city council  will vote on the plan next Monday. Ten of the 13 council members, when asked about the plan, said that they liked the idea. One member said that it made good financial sense and common sense. If the cameras are supported, they can be installed in all the cars within six weeks. The police officers gladly support camera use. One officer said that too many people thought the police were _ ; cameras would show citizens that the police told the truth. Citizen reaction to the idea of police car cameras is mixed. One person said that the police should have started doing this years ago when video cameras were invented. But an elderly man said that cameras were against privacy. "These police are trying to stick their nose into everything," he said. He was going to attend the council meeting to fight the plan. He hoped that other citizens would join him. Rockford should pay about $  _  dollars for the plan. A) 5,000,000 B) 50,000 C) 40,000 D) 1,300
A: B


In 1977, Jack, an Italian-American who lived in San Francisco, flew from America to Italy to visit his  s. On the way, the plane made a one-hour stop to refuel at the New York Airport. Thinking that he had arrived, Jack got out and spent three days in New York, believing he was in Rome. When his  s were not there to meet him, Jack thought they had been caught in the heavy Roman traffic mentioned in their letters. While looking for their address, Jack could not help noticing that modernization had changed most, if not all, of the ancient city's landmarks. He also noticed that many people spoke English with strong American accent. However, he just thought that Americans got everywhere. He also believed that so many street signs were written in English especially for the Americans. Jack spoke very little English himself so he asked a policeman in Italian the way to the bus station. As chance would have it, the policeman came from Italy and replied in the same language. After twelve hours traveling round on a bus, the driver handed him over to a second policeman. After brief argument with the policeman, Jack was very surprised to find that the Rome police had employed someone who did not speak his mother tongue. Jack did not believe he was told that he was in New York. In order to get on a plane to San Francisco, the policeman raced him to the airport in a police car with sirens screaming. "See," he said to his interpreter. "I know I'm in Italy. That's how they drive." Which of the following is Not true? A) The first policeman could speak Italian fluently B) The second policeman could not speak Italian at all C) Jack had a brief argument with the second policeman D) Jack could speak much English

D