In the face of rising gas costs, many consumers are beginning to consider the choice of a hybrid vehicle--one which operates on both gas and electricity. All of the models of hybrid car will save money, but are they really effective when all of the costs of maintenance and other considerations are included in? First of all, consider the cost of buying a hybrid vehicle. Depending on the model, hybrid vehicles can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 more than the traditional models. However, some say that as the hybrid cars become increasingly more available as a reflection of demand, the prices can be expected to drop, making them more cost effective when it comes to the initial investment. Also important to keep in mind is the fact that the hybrid cars have a much more specialized system than the standard vehicle, and will therefore require more specialized workers to repair them when they break down. It seems as though, at least for the time being, the purchase of a hybrid vehicle for the average consumer may not be the best choice when it comes to saving money. It is important to keep several things in mind, however, when considering purchasing a hybrid model. Many consumers are choosing to purchase these cars because they represent a significant development in terms of environmental concerns over standard models. They also mean that as a whole, Western nations will become less dependent on oil as the only means of power. Finally, it is necessary to remember that the hybrid car is a very new technology. Developed only within the last few years, the technology is still in the starting stage, where costs will continue to be high. As time passes, the development of the hybrid technology will begin to push prices down to the point where hybrids are more competitive with the traditionally fueled models of the past. What do we know from the passage? A) The hybrid technology is very new and mature as well. B) It's not easy to repair a hybrid car due to its special system. C) Many average consumers can not afford to buy hybrid cars. D) The traditional vehicles are much safer to drive than hybrid cars.
B

A new study has found that it may be possible to train people to be more intelligent, increasing the brainpower they had at birth. Until now,it has been widely assumed that the kind of mental ability that allows us to solve new problems without having any relevant previous experience--what psychologists call fluid intelligence--is innate and cannot be taught(though people can raise their grades on tests of it by practicing). But in the new study,researchers describe a method for improving this skill,along with experiments to prove it works. The key, researchers found, was carefully structured training in working memory--the kind that allows memorization of a telephone number just long enough to dial it.This type of memory is closely related to fluid intelligence,so the researchers reasoned that improving it might lead to improvements in fluid intelligence. First they measured fluid intelligence of volunteers using standard tests.Then they trained each in a complicated memory task--the child's card game,in which they had to recall a card they saw and heard.During the course, they needed to ignore irrelevant items, monitor ongoing performance,manage two tasks at the same time and connect related items to one another in space and time. The four groups experienced a half-hour of training daily for 8, 12, 17 and 19 days, respectively.To make sure they were not just improving their test-taking skills,the researchers compared them with control groups that took the tests without the training. The results, published Monday in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,were striking.Improvement in the trained groups was a lot greater.Moreover,the longer they trained, the higher their scores were.All performers,from the weakest to the strongest,showed significant improvement. "Our results show you can increase your intelligence with proper training." said Dr Jaeggi, a co-author of the paper."No one knows how long the gains will last after training stops," he added, "and the experiment's design did not allow the... .The following aspects of the training help increase intelligence EXCEPT  _  . A) ignoring irrelevant items B) monitoring ongoing performance C) managing two tasks at the same time D) using previous experience
D

Death is natural, but do you have any idea of the process of dying? Modern scientists divide the process of dying into two phases --- clinical or temporary death and biological death. Clinical death occurs when the vital organs, such as the heart or lungs, have ceased to function, but have not suffered permanent damage. The organism can still be revived . Biological death occurs when changes in the organism lead to the "breaking up" of vital cells and tissues. Death is then unchangeable and final. Scientists have been seeking a way to prolong the period of clinical death so that the organism can remain alive before biological death occurs. The best method developed so far involves cooling of the organism, combined with narcotic sleep. By slowing down the body's metabolism , cooling delays the processes leading to biological death. To illustrate how this works, scientists performed an experiment on a six-year-old female monkey called Keta. The scientist put Keta to sleep with a narcotic. Then they surrounded her body with ice-bags and began checking her body temperature. When it had dropped to 28 degrees the scientists began draining blood from an artery. The monkey's blood pressure decreased and an hour later both the heart and breathing stopped: clinical death set in. For twenty minutes Keta remained in this state. Her temperature dropped to 22 degrees. At this point the scientists pumped blood into an artery in the direction of the heart and started artificial breathing. After two minutes Keta's heart became active once more. After fifteen minutes, spontaneous breathing began, and after four hours Keta opened her eyes and lifted her head. After six hours, when the scientists tried to give her a penicillin injection, Keta seized the syringe and ran with it around the room. Her behavior differed little from that of a healthy animal. Scientists try to make the time of clinical death longer in order to A) slow down the body's metabolism. B) bring vital cells and tissues back to active life. C) cool the organism. D) delay the coming of biological death.
D

The Greenbelt, a wide belt of open land around the cities and towns of the San Francisco Bay Area, includes about 3.75 million of the Bay Area's 4.5 million acres. The Bay Area Greenbelt is one of the largest areas of open land in any U.S. urban area. Open land is land that has few buildings and lots of natural areas. The Greenbelt's open land includes parks, forests, beaches, and more than 8,500 farms. What are the advantages of the Greenbelt? The Greenbelt has many advantages for people in the Bay Area, which include: l walking and biking areas close to the cities and towns; l places for wild plants and animals; l cleaner air and water; l income from farms. Is the Greenbelt in danger? Five hundred seventy thousand acres of the Greenbelt are in danger. There are builders who want to build suburbs on them. If those acres become suburbs, many things will change: l the urban and suburban area will almost double; l many farms will disappear; l traffic will become worse; l the air will become dirtier. What is Greenbelt Alliance  ? Greenbelt Alliance, an organization that saves land in the San Francisco Bay Area, works alone and with other groups to save the Greenbelt in four ways: 1.Try to persuade people to build new buildings on land that is already urban, not on open land. 2.Make sure that the city and town governments are all making plans to save the Greenbelt. 3.Help Bay Area towns and cities to buy pieces of open land to make into natural areas. 4.Teach people in the Bay Area why the Greenbelt is important and what they can do to help save it. The Greenbelt is in danger because   _  . A) traffic is getting worse B) some plans to build suburbs on it C) the suburban area has doubled D) pollution is becoming serious

B