【正文】 he language. [D] warring factions in the field of linguistics. 35. The author points out that linguists produce dictionaries which [A] prove that there are no roles guiding the use of a language. [B] contradict their argument that languages are equally good. [C] show that authorities do not pay enough attention to usage. [D] convince the reader that the author is right. Passage 4 A university professor has built a virtual laboratory on the World Wide Web to give engineering students a taste of the challenge they may someday face on the job. With a few clicks of a mouse, students drill for a hidden supply of oil, program a robotic arm and design digital logic circuits. Putting such experiments on the Inter introduces students to engineering without the high costs, time constraints and space limitations imposed by a realworld laboratory, says the inventor of the online tab who is a researcher professor in the Department, of Chemical Engineering You might argue that students are not going to get the full experience when they use virtual equipment. But suppose you get, 80% of the effect, yet the cost is only 10~ pared to a real laboratory. It might be worth it. And any student with a puter and access to the Web would be able to use the virtual equipment, said the inventor. The professor also sees the online lab experiments as a way to let freshmen sample the type of reallife puzzle that working engineers confront. This early exposure is important, he says, because most engineering students, spend their first two years at colleges mastering chemistry, physics and mathematics. By the time they take their first engineering courses, they are often in their junior year, or third yearrather late date to find out whether they indeed possess the interest and aptitude for this field. To give freshmen a clear idea of what the profession involves, the, professor used the Java programming language to create interactive lab problems on a given web site. I wanted these experiments to concentrate on reallife problems, as opposed to textbook problems where you can thumb through the chapter and find a formula to solve them, he explains. I wanted to present problems that did not necessarily have a single solution. In some cases, you are forced to approximate a solution. That39。s education, the professor cautions that they do not eliminate the need for lab time in the real world. In spite of the fact that they can offer highly interactive experiments, virtual laboratories cannot duplicate the experiences obtained in handling real apparatus, he says, But when laboratories focus on design or problem solving, and when lessons are not dependent on physical equipment, the educational differences between real and simulated world narrow to the point where virtual experiments bees very viable options. 36. Which of the following advantages is true about the virtual lab? [A] It can free the students from textbooks. [B] It is costefficient. [C] It is better than the real ones. [D] It can reduce the students stress in learning. 37. It can be inferred that engineering student inpetence may be caused by the fact that they [A] do not see the plexity of their jobs until it is too late. [B] have been concentrated on some other subjects. [C] do not have the advantage of regular lab training. [D] have not learned enough about engineering in the first two years. 38. The professor claims that the virtual lab can enhance students39。s training earlier than normally. [C] deal with problems they may encounter in practical work. [D] Use the puter programming language in designing. 39. Despite the merits of the online lab experiments, it [A] still needs a mouse to work with. [B] cannot replace lab experiments in the real world. [C] must work under many types of restriction. [D] acmodates the need of junior students only. 40. We may conclude that this lab on the Intemet is most likely to [A] eliminate the use of physical equipment in engineering training. [B] increase the learners39。s designs are individually created and tailored to the specific requirements of his customers. That way I can produce a unique personalized item, he explains, A lot of my customers are women buying presents for their husbands. They want a distinctive gift that represents the man39。s all a far cry from the traditional cock, the most mon design for weathervanes. It was not a cock but a witch on a broomstick that featured on the first weathervane Graham ever made. Friends admired his surprise present for his wife and began asking him to make vanes for them. I realized that when it came to subjects that could be made into them, the possibilities were limitless, he says. (41) . That was five years ago and he has no regrets about his new direction. My previous work didn39。 minor variations will bee tempting targets。s continued existence and wellbeing. Section III Writing 51. Directions: You learned that Ms. Wang was helping you dealing with office matters during your sick leave. Write a letter of appreciation to her to express your thanks. Your letter should include: 1) what you heard of what Wang did, 2) the reason for your thanks, 3) the favor y