雨课堂: Within the context of tax treaties, a source country refers to a country that provides investment for another country.

Throughout the United States, insurance laws follow a general pattern although______ are different from state to state. A: provisions B: contracts C: treaties D: regulations

The first stated aim of the U.N. was______. A: to supervise peace and treaties B: to revise international laws C: to prevent a third world war D: to assist the "third world" countries

Presidents cannot . A: serves as commander in chief of the country’s military forces B: pass laws C: appoint most of the country’s judges D: negotiate and sign treaties

Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.What is the news report mainly about？ A: International treaties regarding space travel programs. B: Legal issues involved in commercial space exploration. C: U.S. government's approval of private space missions. D: Competition among public and private space companies.

Countries Rush for Upper Hand in Antarctica A) On a glacier-filled island with fjords（峡湾）and elephant seals, Russia has built Antarctica’s first Orthodox church on a bill overlooking its research base. Less than an hour away by snowmobile. Chinese laborers have updated the Great Wall Station, a vital part of China’s plan to operate five basses on Antarctica, complete with an indoor badminton court and sleeping quarters for 150 people. Not to be outdone, India’s futuristic new Bharathi base, built on stills（桩子）using 134 interlocking shipping containers, resembles a spaceship. Turkey and Iran have announced plans to build bases, too. B) More than a century has passed since explorers raced to plant their flags at the bottom of the world, and for decades to come this continent is supposed to be protected as a scientific preserve, shielded from intrusions like military activities and mining . But an array of countries are rushing to assert greater influence here, with an eye not just towards the day those protective treaties expire, but also for the strategic and commercial that already exist. C) The newer players are stepping into what they view as a treasure house of resources. Some of the ventures focus on the Antarctic resources that are already up for grabs, like abundant sea life. South Korea, which operates state-of–the-art bases here, is increasing its fishing of krill（磷虾），found in abundance in the Southern Ocean, while Russia recently frustrated efforts to create one of the world’s largest ocean sanctuaries here. D) Some scientists are examining the potential for harvesting icebergs form Antarctica, which is estimated to have the biggest reserves of fresh water on the planet. Nations are also pressing ahead with space research and satellite projects to expand their global navigation abilities. E) Building on a Soviet-era foothold, Russia is expanding its monitoring stations for Glonass, its version of the Global Positioning System(GPS). At least three Russian stations are already operating in Antarctica, part of its effort to challenge the dominance of the American GPS, and new stations are planned for sites like the Russian base, in the shadow of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity. F) Elsewhere in Antarctica, Russian researchers boast of their recent discovery of a freshwater reserve the size of Lake Ontario after drilling through miles of solid ice. “You can see that we’re here to stay,” said Vladimir Cheberdak, 57, chief of the Bellingshausen Station, as he sipped tea under a portrait of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Russian Navy who explored the Antarctic coast in 1820. G) Antarctica’s mineral, oil and gas wealth are a longer-term prize. The treaty banning mining here, shielding coveted(令人垂诞的)reserves of iron ore, coal and chromium, comes up for review in 2048. Researchers recently found kimberlite(金伯利岩) deposits hinting at the existence of diamonds. And while assessments vary widely, geologists estimate that Antarctica holds at least 36 billion barrels of oil and natural gas. H) Beyond the Antarctic treaties, huge obstacles persist to tapping these resources, like drifting icebergs that could jeopardize offshore platforms. Then there is Antarctic’s remoteness, with some mineral deposits found in windswept locations on a continent that is larger the Europe and where winter temperatures hover around minus 55 degrees Celsius. I) But advances in technology might make Antarctica a lot more accessible three decades from now. And even before then, scholars warn, the demand for resources in an energy-hungry world could raise pressure to renegotiate Antarctica’s treaties, possibly allowing more commercial endeavours here well before the prohibitions against them expire. The research stations on King George lsland offer a glimpse into the long game on this ice-blanketed continent as nations assert themselves, eroding the sway long held by countries like the United States, Britain. Australia and New Zealand. J) Being stationed in Antarctica involves adapting to life on the planet’s driest, windiest and coldest continent, yet each nation manages to make itself at home. Bearded Russian priests offer regular services at the Orthodox church for the 16 or so Russian speakers who spend the winter at the base, largely polar scientists in fields like glaciology and meteorology. Their number climbs to about 40 in the warmer summer months. China has arguably the fastest growing operations in Antarctica. It opened its fourth station last year and is pressing ahead with plans to build a fifth. It is building its second ice-breaking ship and setting up research drilling operations on an ice dome 13,422 feet above sea level that is one the planet’s coldest places. Chinese officials say the expansion in Antarctica prioritises scientific research. But they also acknowledge that concerns about “resource security” influence their moves. K) China’s newly renovated Great Wall Station on King George lsland makes the Russian and Chilean bases here seem outdated. ”We do weather monitoring here and other research.” Ning Xu, 53, the chief of the Chinese base, said over tea during a fierce blizzard(暴风雪) in late November. The large base he leads resembles a snowed-in college campus on holiday break, with the capacity to sleep more than 10 times the 13 people who were staying on through the Antarctic winter. Yong Yu, a Chinese microbiologist, showed off the spacious building, with empty desks under an illustrated timeline detailing the rapid growth of China’s Antarctic operations since the 1980s “We now feel equipped to grow,” he said. L) As some countries expand operations in Antarctica, the United States maintains three year-round stations on the continent with more than 1,000 people during the southern hemisphere’s summer, including those at the Amundsen Scott station, built in 1956 at an elevation of 9,301 feet on a plateau at the South Pole. But US researchers quietly complain about budget restraints and having far fewer icebreakers the Russia, limiting the reach of the United States in Antarctica. M) Scholars warn that Antarctica’s political drift could blur the distinction between military and civilian activities long before the continent’s treaties come up for renegotiation, especially in parts of Antarctica that are ideal for intercepting(拦截) signals from satellites or retasking satellite systems, potentially enhancing global electronic intelligence operations. N) Some countries have had a hard time here, Brazil opened a research station in 1984, but it was largely destroyed by a fire that killed two members of the navy in 2012, the same year that a diesel-laden Brazilian barge sank near the base. As if that were not enough. a Brazilian C-130 Hercules military transport plane has remained stranded near the runway of Chile’s air base here since it crash-landed in 2014. O) However, Brazil’s stretch of misfortune has created opportunities for China, with a Chinese company winning the $100 million contract in 2015 to rebuild the Brazilian station. P) Amid all the changes, Antarctica maintains its allure. South Korea opened its second Antarctic research base in 2014, describing it as a way to test robots developed by Korean researchers for use in extreme conditions. With Russia’s help, Belarus is preparing to build this first Antarctic base. Colombia said this year that it planned to join other South American nations with bases in Antarctica. Q) “The old days of the Antarctic being dominated by the interests and wishes of white men from European. Australasian and North American states are over.” Said Klaus Dodds, a politics scholar at the University of London who specialises in Antarctica. “The reality is that Antarctica is geopolitically contested.” 1. According to Chinese officials, their activities in Antarctica lay greater emphasis on scientific research. 2. Efforts to create one of the world’s largest ocean sanctuaries failed because of Russia’s obstruction. 3. With several monitoring stations operating in Antarctica, Russia is trying hard to counter America’s dominance in the field of worldwide navigational facilities. 4. According to geologists’ estimates. Antarctica has enormous reserves of oil and natural gas. 5. It is estimated that Antarctica boasts of the richest reserves of fresh water on earth. 6. The demand for energy resources may compel renegotiation of Antarctica’s treaties before their expiration. 7. Many countries are racing against each other to increase their business and strategic influence on Antarctica. 8. Antarctica’s harsh natural conditions constitute huge obstacles to the exploitation of its resources. 9. With competition from many countries, Antarctica is no longer dominated by the traditional white nations. 10. American scientists complain about lack of sufficient money and equipment for their expansion in Antarctica.

Traditional Chinese medicine 1 Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is built on a foundation of more than 2,500 years of Chinese medical practice. It includes various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, exercises, and dietary therapy, and is recently also informed by modern Western medicine. TCM is widely used in China, and is becoming increasingly available in other countries around the world. Doctrines 2 The doctrines of traditional Chinese medicine are rooted in books such as Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon [1]and Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases[2], as well as in cosmological notions such as yin and yang[3] and the five phases[4]. In recent decades, attempts have been made to integrate these doctrines with modern notions of anatomy and pathology and a systematized form of TCM has been developed and promoted by the Chinese government. 3 TCM holds that the body’s vital energy (qi) circulates through channels and collaterals (jingluo) which have branches connected to bodily organs and functions. TCM’s view of the human body is only marginally concerned with anatomical structures, but focuses primarily on the body's functions, such as digestion, breathing, temperature maintenance, aging etc. While health is perceived as the harmonious interaction of different functional entities and the outside world, disease is interpreted as disharmony in the interaction. Diagnosis in TCM aims to trace symptoms to underlying disharmony, by measuring the pulse, inspecting the tongue, skin, and eyes, and looking at the eating and sleeping habits of a person, and the like. Chinese medication 4 The major prescription in Chinese medicine is one batch of “herbal medicine” prepared as a decoction. In fact, “herbal medicine” is somewhat misleading in that, while plant elements are by far the most commonly used substances in TCM, many non-botanic substances are also utilized, including mineral substances and animal and human body parts. Thus, the term “medicinal” is usually preferred. Roughly 13,000 medicinals are being used in China and over 100,000 recipes are recorded in the ancient books of TCM. As is mentioned before, botanic elements play a major role of medicinals. Traditional Chinese therapies 5 Besides drug therapies, many other kinds of medical therapies are used in TCM. Acupuncture is used in traditional Chinese treatment to influence the flow of qi, which is believed to be a vital force that flows through our body. It is often accompanied by moxibustion which involves burning dried mugwort leaves on or near the skin at an acupuncture point. Another type of therapy used in Chinese medicine is cupping, in which several glass "cups" are placed on the body. A match is lit and placed inside the cup and then removed before placing the cup against the skin. As the air in the cup is heated, it expands and then cools, creating lower pressure inside the cup that allows the cup to stick to the skin via suction. Still another Chinese therapy is guasha, in which the skin is abraded with pieces of smooth jade, animal tusks or homs or smooth stones until red spots occur. 6 Food therapy, also called nutrition therapy or dietary therapy, is a mode of dieting rooted in traditional Chinese medicine and beliefs concerning the effects of food on the human organism. Its basic concepts are a mix of Chinese folk views of eating in moderation and some viewpoints drawn from traditional Chinese medicine. Different foods are classified into two categories-yin and yang, and they are recommended to be consumed in a balanced fashion. Food therapy has long been a common approach to maintaining health among Chinese people, and has been popularized overseas in recent years. Spread of TCM 7 Traditional physicians, who also receive some Western medical training, are still primary caregivers in some parts of rural China. Various traditional preventative and self-healing techniques such as qigong, which combines gentle exercise and meditation, are widely practised as an adjunct to professional health care in China. 8 There are some efforts around the world to incorporate TCM into public health systems. The US National Institute of Health (NIH) noted that, “Acupuncture has the largest body of evidence and is considered safe if practiced correctly.” In the academic field, however, most scientific publications require that studies of traditional Chinese medicine follow the same methodological framework as studies of Western medicine. This rule gives primacy to Western approaches to medicine. Consequently, TCM is no longer independent, but is viewed within the context of Western medicine. TCM has come to be viewed by the mainstream medic community as complementary rather than the primary paradigm. This role negates the concept of TCM, which is holistic in nature and takes account of more signs and symptoms, both somatic and psychic than Western medicine. 9 Recently, however, Yale researchers brought some good news to TCM. They found that huangqin tang, a Chinese herb mixture, is effective at reducing chemotherapy's side effects, including diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. Phase II clinical trials for the herb mixture are being funded by the NIH's National Cancer Institute. It exemplifies that TOM has the potential to go mainstream. [1] Yellow Emperor's inner Canon(《黄帝内经》 s the earliest written work about traditional chi medicine It was compiled during the Warring States Period and is regarded as the fundame doctnnal source of traditional Chinese medicine [2] Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases《伤寒杂病论》) s a Chinese medical treaties by Zhang Zhongjing at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. [3] Yin and yang (阴阳), in Chinese philosophy, describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and they interrelate to one another. [4] Five phases（五行），sometimes also translated as the five elements theory, presumes that the five elements-- wood (木), fire (火), earth (土), metal (金),and water (水)---are the foundation of everything in the universe.