托业考试阅读模拟文六篇.docx

1、托业考试阅读模拟文六篇Iraqi constitution may be postponedThe announcement came hours before the 71-member drafting committee was to say whether it would need an extension to finish the document. The committee chairman, Humam Hammoudi, said there was an 80 percent chance his group would ask for a one-month exte

2、nsion.The United States has been pushing the Iraqis to meet the deadline to maintain political momentum seen as crucial to defeating the insurgency and enabling U.S. and other foreign troops to begin leaving Iraq next year. Main points in dispute include such issues as federalism, dual nationality a

3、nd the role of Islam.I believe, according to what I heard from the head of the drafting committee and other members, that there is big chance that what has been agreed upon will be drafted while points of disagreement will be postponed to a future date, spokesman Laith Kubba told reporters.A Sunni m

4、ember of the committee, Saleh al-Mutlaq, suggested postponing a decision on the most troublesome issues until after the Dec. 15 general elections.We will wait for drafting points of disagreement until there is a better atmosphere, Kubba said. The constitution should be approved by parliament by Aug.

5、 15 and submitted to the voters in a referendum two months later.Framers of Iraqs new constitution expect to submit a draft in time for parliament to meet an Aug. 15 deadline for approval, but decisions on some key points may be deferred until later, the government spokesman said Sunday.Astronauts t

6、ake out the trashAstronauts on Sunday exchanged supplies for trash that has accumulated on the international space station since shuttles were grounded after the 2003 Columbia tragedy. They also prepared for a second spacewalk set for Monday.Space shuttle Discovery, which docked at the orbiting outp

7、ost Thursday, became the first shuttle to return to orbit last week. Among the missions goals: Resupply the station and remove the mounds of trash that have accumulated in recent years.It is kind of just like working in your closets and your garage, station flight director Mark Ferring said. Its a l

8、ot of work.The astronauts are unloading 15 tons of cargo. They expect to return to Earth with 13 tons of trash and other items that are no longer needed on the station.When the stations two-man crew awoke Sunday, they were told that their seven Discovery guests would remain at the station for an add

9、itional day.Hopefully it is not going to be like the relatives who miss their flight and have to stay another day, Charles Hobaugh, who works in the stations mission control, told crew members by radio.A ninth day at the station was approved late Saturday, days after NASA decided to ground future sh

10、uttle missions because an almost one-pound piece of foam broke free of Discoverys external fuel tank. The piece of foam missed Discovery, but was a haunting reminder of Columbia.A 1.67 pound chunk of foam shed from Columbias external tank hit the shuttles left wing and caused a hole that allowed the

11、 searing gases of re-entry to melt the wing from the inside out. The shuttle disintegrated over Texas as it returned to Florida. All seven astronauts died.NASA spent hundreds of millions of dollars over 2 years redesigning the external tank, but said last week it did not solve the problem and more w

12、ork is needed.Bill Gerstenmaier, the stations program manager, said Discovery will leave the station in much better shape than when it arrived. Water will be left behind, as well as laptops, wash cloths, a printer, dry wipes, floppy disks, food and nitrogen.We are going to be in very good shape thro

13、ugh the end of the year, Gerstenmaier said.Shuttles are needed for the supplying and continued construction of the station.When NASAs shuttles were grounded in 2003, the agency began relying on Russian vehicles to deliver supplies to the station. However, the Russian cargo ship Progress cannot haul

14、the weighty items the shuttle can. The next delivery by Progress is scheduled for September.Gerstenmaier said station managers prepared for a scenario in which there would be no shuttle flights this year. Despite that, he said the grounding of future shuttle missions opens the station to risk.We are

15、 still susceptible to some large failure of some component that can only be delivered by the shuttle that we dont have a like spare on station, he said.Among the tasks Discoverys astronauts performed for the station was the reconfiguring of a gyroscope, which failed in March. Four gyroscopes, each w

16、eighing 660 pounds, are intended to steer the station, but only two have been working in recent months.On Monday, during their second spacewalk, Discovery astronauts Stephen Robinson and Soichi Noguchi, planned to replace the other failed gyroscope, which has not worked since 2002.The pair planned t

17、o go over procedures for installing the gyroscope on Sunday with astronaut Andrew Thomas, who was set to direct Mondays replacement.As they began spacewalk preparations Sunday, Robinson informed Mission Controls Stephen Frick that things might proceed slower than anticipated.If you saw what our mid-

18、deck looks like right now, youd see why, Robinson said as his colleagues transferred items between the shuttle and station. Its a high traffic zone.Im afraid it would be a little too frightening, Frick responded with a chuckle.NHLs Crosby era begins as Penguins draft phenom firstOTTAWA It was Sidney

19、 Crosbys draft, and yet it was clearly the Americans day when the NHL officially relaunched competition with a scaled-down version of its annual amateur draft.The celebration of Crosby, picked first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, was the main storyline of a league trying to recover from a seaso

20、n lost to a lockout. Crosby, 17, is considered the most marketable prospect since Penguins owner/player Mario Lemieux was drafted in 1984.This is amazing, Crosby told the AP. Im just really relieved. Its unbelievable. Im so happy right now.Crosby, who turns 18 next week, is a 5-foot-11, 193-pound fo

21、rward with surprising strength and masterful vision on the ice. A prolific scorer, Crosby won nearly every trophy the last two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.He had 66 goals and 102 assists in 62 games, after a rookie campaign that featured 54 goals and 81 assists in 59 games, and

22、was the Canadian major junior player of the year both seasons.He creates a lot of excitement, said Lemieux, Crosbys new boss and possible linemate with the Penguins. He has all the tools to be a great player. He sees the ice well, hes a great skater. He says he needs to work on his shot, but it look

23、s pretty good to me.Crosby will share the spotlight in Pittsburgh with Lemieux, the No. 1 pick in 1984, and will be looked upon to rescue the franchise that hasnt made the playoffs since 2001 and desperately needs a new arena in which to play.Pittsburghs luck already seems to be changing as the Peng

24、uins won last weeks draft lottery that determined the picking order of the first round.Im not really thinking about it right now, Crosby said of the expectations. I want to come and play in the NHL next year. Thats my goal, thats my focus right now. Im going to put everything into that and try to mo

25、ve on from there.Aside from the Crosby focus, the U.S. hockey program grabbed a share of the spotlight when a record eight Americans were chosen in the first round, including two of the first three picks. After Crosby was chosen, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim chose power forward Bobby Ryan (Camden, N.

26、J.) and hard-hitting defenseman Jack Johnson (Indianapolis) was taken by the Carolina Hurricanes with the third pick. Johnson, who played prep-school hockey in Minnesota with Crosby, plans to enroll at the University of Michigan. Speedy Jack Skille (Madison, Wis.) went seventh to the Chicago Blackha

27、wks and defenseman Brian Lee (Fargo, N.D.) was grabbed ninth by the Ottawa Senators.The development program has worked very, very well and you are seeing some signs of that, said Carolina general manager Jimmy Rutherford. And people questioned it at the time (it was introduced in 1996). But guys are

28、 going through that program and getting drafted higher and higher.Rutherford was referring to the U.S. National Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. In theory, the program was designed to bring the countrys best teenage players to play together on the Under-17 and Under-18 National Teams. Players

29、 from around the country all live and train in Ann Arbor. Johnson and Skille both came directly out of the Under-18 program. The Americans won the Under-18 World Championship this past winter.This says a lot, said Johnson whose prickly playing style has drawn comparisons to Chris Chelios. Were tryin

30、g to build up with other countries, like Canada.Skille came into the U.S. National Development Program as a 185-pound player and has grown into a 205-pound, hard-driving winger. The weightlifting program there was awesome, Skille said.The program hasnt always been an easy sell because it is expensiv

31、e to operate, but USA Hockey President Ron DeGregorio says this is an indication that USA Hockeys development programs are working.The four Americans in the first nine picks represented the best U.S. top-end showing since 1983 when high school sensation Brian Lawton was chosen first overall by the M

32、innesota North Stars, Pat LaFontaine went third to the New York Islanders and Tom Barrasso was chosen fifth by the Buffalo Sabres.St. Louis Blues general manager Larry Pleau was one of the few Americans in the NHL during the 1960s, and he certainly had some pride helping the Americans set a new record. With the 24th pick, Pleau chose playmaking center T.J. Oshie of Warroad (Minn.) High School. Oshie produced 99 points in 31 games this season. Some scouts say he possessed the best hockey sense in the draft. Hes ver