Between 1977 and 1981, three groups of American woman, ___(1)___, between the age of 35 and 65, were given month-long tests to determine how they would respond to conditions resembling those aboard the space shuttle.
Though ___(2)___, the women were volunteers and the pay was barely above the minimum wage. They were not allowed ___(3)____ during the tests, and they were expected to tolerate each other's company at close quarters for the entire period. Among other things they had to stand pressure three times the force of gravity and carry out both physical and mental tasks __(4)__. At the end of ten days, they had to spend a further twenty days absolutely confined to bed, during which time they suffered backaches and other discomforts, and when they were finally allowed up, the more physically active women were especially subject to pains due to a slight calcium loss.
Results of the tests suggest that women will have significant advantages over men in space. They need less food and les oxygen and they stand up to radiation better. Men's advantages __(5)__, meanwhile, are virtually wiped out by the zero-gravity condition in space.
PASSAGE 4
The Importance of Agriculture in China
The development of agriculture and the balance between food and population are China's fundamental economic problems. The classical histories praise emperors for devotion to agriculture and much of China's modern history is ____(1)____, which has been growing steadily.
Today, although agriculture accounts for only a quarter of the Gross National Product, it is still the main determinant...[
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