单选题In many places water is becoming scarcer. Treating it as a right makes the scarcity worse. Ideally, efficient water use would be encouraged by charging for it, but attempts to do so have mostly proved politically impossible. A more practicable alternative is a system of tradable waterusage rights. As our explains, many water problems have global causes: population growth, climate change, urbanization and, especially, changing diets. It takes 2,000 liters of water to grow a kilo of vegetables but 15,000 liters to produce a kilo of beef—and people are eating more meat. The problems also have global implications. Without a new green revolution, farmers will need 60% more water to feed the 2 billion extra people who will be born between now and 2025. Yet there is, globally, no shortage of water. Unlike other natural resources (such as oil), water cannot be used up. It is recycled endlessly, as rain, snow or evaporation. On average, people are extracting for their own uses less than a tenth of what falls as rain and snow each year. The central problem is that so much water is wasted, mainly by farmers. Agri-culture uses three-quarters of the world's water. Because water is usually free, thirsty crops like alfalfa (苜蓿) are grown in arid California. Wheat in India and Brazil uses twice as much water as wheat in America. Dry countries like Pakistan export textiles though a 1 kg bolt of cloth requires 11,000 liters of water. Any economist knows what to do: price water to reflect its value. But decades of trying to do that for agriculture have run into powerful resistance from farmers. They reject scarcity pricing for the reason that water falls from the skies. No government owns it, so no government should charge for it. There is a way out. Australian farmers have the right to use a certain amount of water free. They can sell that right to others. But if they want more water themselves, they must buy it from a neighbor. The result of this trading is a market that has done what markets do: allocate resources to more productive use. Australia has endured its worst drought in modern history in the past ten years. Water supplies in some farming areas have fallen by half. Yet farmers have responded to the new market signals by switching to less thirsty crops and kept the value of farm output stable. Water productivity has doubled. Australia's system overcomes the usual objections because it confirms farmers' rights to water and lets them have much of it for nothing.

单选题What do gentlemen now do when a lady gets on a crowded bus or train?

单选题If Alaska ______ to the United States, perhaps Russian ______ there now. A. were not to be sold; is spoken B. were not sold; is spoken C. had not been sold; would be spoken D. had not been sold; was spoken

单选题The ______ over there is an Australian. [A] standing man [B] man stood [C] man standing

单选题What message does the author try to convey in this passage?

单选题Three fundamental aspects of (forest conversation) are the protection of immature trees, the use (of proper) harvesting methods, and (provide) for an environment (that supports) reproduction.

单选题The banknotes which had fooled many bank tellers were discovered to be ______. A. artificial B. genuine C. counterfeit D. faulty

单选题 Many people think there is no need to take special care over home security. "I'm all right, I'm insured." Maybe--if you're fully insured. Even then you can never recover the real value you place upon your possessions. But you can't insure against the upset and unhappiness that we all feel if our homes are seriously damaged by some stranger, our windows and doors smashed, our precious possessions ruined. "It won't happen to me." Won't it? A home is broken into almost every minute of the day. Thefts of all kinds, including cars and property stolen, happen twice as frequently. "I've nothing worth stealing." You may think not. But in fact every one has something worth a thief's attention. And we all have things of special value to us even if they're worth little or nothing in cash terms. "I'm only a tenant here." The thief doesn't care whether you're a tenant or an owner-occupier. You're just as likely to be robbed. Have a word with the owner of the house ff you think extra locks and fastenings are necessary. "They'll get in any way." Most thieves are always looking for easy jobs. They are soon discouraged by houses they can't get into quickly and easily. So it's worth taking care. This booklet will help you. It's based on the practical experience of police forces throughout the country. Most of the suggestions will cost you only a few minutes extra time and thought. A few may involve some expense, but this is small compared with the loss and unhappiness you might otherwise suffer. If you are in doubt, ask for free advice from the Crime Prevention Officer at your local police station.

单选题______ the English examination I would have gone to the concert last Sunday. A．In spite of B．But for C．Because of D．As for

单选题The world has never been more closely and intricately connected. Our behavior (51) the environment we all share, and we are tied into a global economy and global communication system. (52) choosing to buy one garment rather than another we help determine whether someone on the other side of the world retains or (53) their job; emissions from one part of the world contribute to a hole in the ozone layer somewhere else; we can (54) with others anywhere via satellites, the Internet and the mobile phone. This interdependency, (55) "connexity", is the defining characteristic of the world today. However, despite connexity, human beings have also (56) been, more separate. Belief in individual rights and freedoms is at the heart of the West's world view. People nowadays insist their freedom to (57) how to live, who to love, what to consume and what to believe. In economics, the sovereignty of the consumer and the shareholder is paramount. In politics, the sovereignty of nations remains a (58) concern. In this inspiring and important book Mulgan argues that our freedom and our connectedness are set or collision course and argues that the (59) way out of our current impasse (僵局) is to go beyond our sense of ourselves as (60) unit, and recognize the webs of mutual responsibility in which we live.

单选题The Watergate incident is mentioned to show ______.

单选题 Can you imagine how different your life would be if you did not know how to read and write? Many of the things you{{U}} (41) {{/U}}for granted during an ordinary day{{U}} (42) {{/U}}no longer be possible if you could not read. You would miss the basic{{U}} (43) {{/U}}you depend on for simple activities --{{U}} (44) {{/U}}from following instructions on a medicine bottle to{{U}} (45) {{/U}}traffic signs. If you could not read{{U}} (46) {{/U}}, newspapers, and magazines, you would be out of{{U}} (47) {{/U}}with the world around you. Your understanding of that world would be limited even further{{U}} (48) {{/U}}the insight(见识) provided by stories, poems, and novels. If you{{U}} (49) {{/U}}not write, you would be unable to record information and ideas for other people.{{U}} (50) {{/U}}, you would lose the personal pleasure of keeping a{{U}} (51) {{/U}}to explore your private thoughts, creating an{{U}} (52) {{/U}}world in a story, or capturing your feelings{{U}} (53) {{/U}}the words of a poem or song. Try to imagine how different life would be if{{U}} (54) {{/U}}could read and write. The shape of our entire{{U}} (55) {{/U}}would change. Obviously the printing and{{U}} (56) {{/U}}industry would not exist. The absence of reading and writing would{{U}} (57) {{/U}}a surprising number of other organizations,{{U}} (58) {{/U}}the automotive industry, the business machines and computer industries, and electronic communication companies. The reason,{{U}} (59) {{/U}}, is that the printing and publishing industry is a very important part of every one of these organizations. Modem life depends on communication,{{U}} (60) {{/U}}written communication.

单选题It was absurd that women ______ be paid less than men for doing the same work.

单选题When a country is under-populated, newcomers are not competitors, but assistants. If more come they may produce not only new quotas, but a 1 as well. In such a state of things land is 2 and cheap. The possession of it 3 no power or privilege. No one will work for another for wages 4 he can take up new land and be his own master. Hence it will pay no one to own more land than he can 5 by his own labor, or with such aid as his own family 6 . Hence, again, land 7 little or no rent; there will be no landlords living on rent and no laborers living on 8 , but only a middle class of yeoman farmers (自耕农). All are 9 on an equality, and democracy becomes the political form, because this is the only state of society in which equality, on which democracy is 10 , is realized as a fact. The same effects are powerfully 11 by other facts. In a new and under-populated country the industries which are most profitable are the extractive industries. The 12 of these, with the exception of some kinds of mining, is that they call 13 only a low organization of labor and small amount of capital. Hence they allow the workman to become 14 his own master, and they educate him to freedom, independence, and self 15 . At the same time, the social groups being only 16 marked off from each other, it is easy to 17 from one class of occupations, and consequently from one social grade, to another. Finally, under the same circumstances, education, skill, and superior training have but inferior value compared with what they have in 18 populated countries. The 19 lie in an under-populated country, with the 20 , unskilled, manual occupations, and not with the highest developments of science, literature, and art.

单选题I strongly believe that understanding is more important than love, especially when it comes to parenting and intimate relationships. As a psychologist for more than twenty years I can tell you that I have never had an adult looking back at her childhood and complaining that her parents were too understanding. And similarly, I have met many divorced people who still love each other but yet they never really understood each other. The painful reality is love is just not enough. I"ll admit that there are people who I love and who I still need to better understand. I hope I"ll continue my work to understand them. The willingness to understand is very important. It is not always easy, but healthy love is strengthened by the willingness to understand. Love without understanding will wilt like flowers without water. Our egos are what seem to get in the way of understanding those who we love and care about. Often it is our need to be right that makes what others think and feel so wrong for us. I have certainly been quite guilty of this in some of my relationships. As I have written repeatedly in my books, empathy, is truly the emotional glue that holds all close relationships together. Empathy allows us to slow down and try to walk in the shoes of those we love. The deeper our empathy, the deeper—and healthier—our love. Not all relationships are meant to be. Yet all relationships that are meant to flourish in a healthy way, must stress understanding just as much, if not more, than love.

单选题“Doyouthinkhewillmakeagoodpresident?”“Heisjust______Bill.”