阅读理解How Should You Build up Your Vocabulary Exactly what do you do during a normal day? How do you spend your time? Paul T. Rankin very much wanted an answer to that question. To get it, he asked sixty-eight individuals to keep an accurate, detailed record of what they did every minute of their waking hours. When he consolidated (巩固) his findings, he discovered that the average individual spent 70 percent of his waking time doing one thing only--communication. That meant either reading, writing, speaking or listening. Put that evidence alongside of the research findings uncovered by the Human Engineering Laboratories. In exploring aptitudes and careers involving, among other things, data from 30,000 vocabulary tests given yearly, they discovered that big incomes and big vocabularies go together. Vocabulary, more than any other factor yet known, predicts financial success. And it all fits. Each word you add to your vocabulary makes you a better reader, writer, speaker and listener. Furthermore, linguistic scientists are quick to point out that we actually think with words. If that is so, new words make us better thinkers as well as communicators. No wonder more words are likely to mean more money. What better reason for beginning right now to extend your vocabulary? Take reading. What exactly do you read? Common sense says you read words. Research confirms that fact. "Vocabulary in context" contributes 39 percent to comprehension. That'' s more than any other factor isolated and studied--even more than intelligence. And "word discrimination" contributes more to speed of reading than any other factor--28 percent. In short, your efforts to improve vocabulary will pay off in both comprehension and speed. Suppose, as you'' re reading along, you lumtebs across a strange word. Did you find your self stopping for a closer look at lumtebs? Pardon the spelling slip. That'' s actually the word stumble (偶然发现). The letter just got mixed around. Obviously you now know that strange words do slow you down--or even stop you completely. Furthermore, strange words hinder (妨碍) comprehension. Which is easier to understand, "eschew garrulity" or "avoiding talking too much"? What you need is a vital ,dynamic approach to vocabulary building. Hybrid (混合种) corn combines the best qualities of several varieties to ensure maximum productivity. A hybrid approach to vocabulary should, in the same way, ensure maximum results. That'' s why you should use the CPD formula. Through Context When students in a college class were asked what should be done when they came across an unknown word in their reading, 84 percent said, "Look it up in file dictionary." If you do, however, you short-circuit the very mental processes needed to make your efforts most productive. But there'' s another reason. Suppose someone asks you what the word fast means. You answer, "speedy or swift". But does it mean that in such contexts as "fast color", "fast woman", or "fast friend"? And if a horse is fast, is it securely tied or galloping (飞驰) at top speed? It could be either. It all depends. On the dictionary? No, on context--on how the word is actually used. After all, there are over twenty different meanings for fast in the dictionary. But the dictionary doesn''t tell you which meaning is intended. That'' s why it makes such good sense to begin with context. Through Word Parts Now for the next step. Often unfamiliar words contain one or more parts, which, if recognized, provide definite help with meaning. Suppose you read that someone "had a predilection for reading mysteries". The context certainly isn''t too helpful. But do you see a prefix, suffix or root that you know? Well, there'' s the familiar prefix pre-, meaning "before''. Look back at the context and try inserting "before". Reading mysteries apparently comes "before" other kinds of reading. Yes, a predilection--or preference is something put "before" something else. Or take the word monolithic. Try to isolate the parts. There is the prefix mono-, meaning "one", and the root lith, meaning "stone". Finally, there'' s the suffix -ic, meaning "consisting of". Those three parts add up to this definition: "consisting of one stone". To speed up your use of word parts, you will be introduced to the fourteen most important words in the English language. The prefix and root elements in those few words are found in over 14,000 words of desk dictionary size. With those amazingly useful shortcuts, you can build vocabulary, not a snail'' s pace, one word at a time, but in giant strides, up to a thou sand words at a time. Your second step, then, is to look for familiar word parts. If they do not give you exact meanings, they should at least bring you much closer. Through the Dictionary Now you can see why you should consult the dictionary last, not first. You''ve looked carefully at the context. You''ve looked for familiar word parts. Now you play Sherlock Holmes an exciting role. You hypothesize. In light of context or word parts, you try to solve a mystery. What exactly does that strange word mean? Only after you go through the mental gymnastics to come up with a tentative definition should you open the dictionary to see if you'' re right. After all, those first two steps or approaches spark a stronger than usual interest in that dictionary definition. You'' re now personally involved. Did you figure out the word meaning? Your heightened interest will lead to a better memory of both word and meaning. It also encourages your development of the habits needed to accelerate your progress. And when you see in black and white the definition you had expected, what a feeling of accomplishment is yours. In that way, the CPD Formula provides the exact dynamic interplay of approaches for maximum effectiveness. Well, there it is, your new formula Context, Parts, Dictionary. Use it! The exercises that follow will give you specific, step-by-step help in sharpening your awareness of contextual clues, learning the most useful word parts, and using the dictionary with increased accuracy and ease. The results will be like the money in the bank.

阅读理解Common sense tells us that there are obvious differences between females and males: after all, biology, not culture, determines whether or not you''re able to bear children. But culture and cultural myths do shape the roles men and women play in our public and private relationships: we are born female and male, but we are made women and men. Sociologist distinguishes between sex and gender — between one''s biological identity and the conventional patterns of behavior we learn to associate with each sex. While biological sex remains a constant, the definition of "appropriate" gender behavior varies dramatically from one cultural group or historical period to the next. The variations show up markedly in the way we dress. For example, among many American Indian tribes, men who lived and dressed as women were respected as people who possessed special powers, whereas in contemporary Anglo-American culture, cross-dressers are usually seen as deviant or ridiculous. Male clothing in late seventeenth-century England would also have failed our current "masculinity" test: in that period, elaborate laces, brocades (织锦), wigs (假发), and even makeup signaled wealth, status, and sexual attractiveness for men and women alike. History shows us how completely our gender derives from cultural myths about what is proper for men and women to think, enjoy, and do. And history is replete with examples of how the apparent "naturalness" of gender has been used to regulate political, economic and personal relations between the sexes. In his classic 1832 treatise (论述) on American democracy, for instance, James Fenimore Cooper remarked that women''s domestic role and "necessary" subordination to men made them unsuitable for participation in the nation''s public life. Thus, he argued, denying women the right to vote was perfectly consistent with the principles of American democracy. Such beliefs have been remarkably persistent in the United States. It took over seventy years of hard political work by both black and white women''s organizations to win the right to vote. But while feminists gained the vote for women in 1920 and the legal right to equal educational and employment opportunities in the 1970s, attitudes change even more slowly than laws. Contemporary antifeminist campaigns voice some of the same anxieties as their nineteenth-century counterparts over the "loss" of femininity and domesticity. Women continue to suffer economic inequities based on cultural assumptions about gender. What''s defined as "women work" — nurturing, feeding, caring for family and home — is devalued and largely uncompensated; a 1980 study by the World Labor Organization showed that while women do two-thirds of the world''s work, they receive only 10 percent of its income. But men, too, pay a high price for their culturally imposed roles. Studies of men''s mental and physical health suggest that social pressure to "be a man" (that is, to be emotionally controlled, powerful, and successful) can contribute to isolation, anxiety, stress, and illness, and may be partially responsible for men''s shorter life span.

阅读理解Passage Three What is terrorism? In a growing number of conflicts around the world, one or both sides　attempt to label the other as terrorist in an effort to win support for their own causes

阅读理解Automation refers to the introduction of electronic control and automatic operation of productive machinery. It reduces the human factors, mental and physical? in production, and is designed to make possible the manufacture of more goods with fewer workers. The development of automation in American industry has been called the "Second Industrial Revolution". Labor''s concern over automation arises from uncertainty about its effects on employment, and fears of major changes in jobs. In the main, labor has taken the view that resistance to technological change is futile. In the long run, the result of automation may well be an increase in employment, since it is expected that vast industries will grow up around manufacturing, maintaining and repairing automation equipment. Unquestionably, however, there will be major shifts in jobs within plants, and displacement of labor from one industry to another. The interest of labor lies in bringing about this transition with a minimum of inconvenience and distress to workers involved. Also, union spokesmen emphasize that the benefit of the increased production and lower costs made possible by automation should be shared by workers in the form of higher wages, more leisure, and improved living standards. To protect the interests of their members in the era of automation, unions have adopted a number of new policies. One of these is the promotion of supplementary unemployment benefits plans. It is emphasized that since the employer involved in a SUB plan has a direct financial stake in preventing unemployment, he will have a strong incentive for planning new installations so as to cause the least possible disruption in jobs and job assignments. Some unions are working for dismissal pay agreements, requiring that permanently laid off workers be paid a sum of money based on length of service. Another approach is the idea of the "improvement factor", which calls for wage increases based on increases in productivity. It is probable, however, that labor will rely mainly on reduction in working hours in order to gain a full share in the fruits of automation.

阅读理解I was at a gas station the other day, filling up my tank with gas. The owner of the little establishment was hovering nearby, and someone handed him some bills, remarking, "You probably prefer getting paid in cash, eh?" Being a nosy sort, I turned around to hear his response. He surprised me by saying that he greatly prefers that customers use credit cards. Huh? My understanding is that merchants who accept credit cards have to fork over to their hosting bank a fee and/or percentage of the sale for each transaction. Why wouldn''t good old cash be preferable? The answer took me aback, but upon a little reflection, it made a lot of sense: robberies. Gas stations, convenience stores, and other businesses are frequent targets of bandits. Many who work in these places have been shot and sometimes killed on the job. It''s a serious problem. A 2002 article from the Christian Science Monitor cited "... an uptick in store-clerk murders in the past three years, jumping from 78 to 111 between 1999 and 2000 alone. A quarter century since convenience stores first started staying open round the clock, late-night clerking has become one of the most dangerous jobs in the country — especially relative to the wages of roughly $7.33 per hour." A more recent Palm Beach Times article stated that, "Based on past numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it''s estimated that over 700 convenience store workers, particularly cashiers, will be murdered during robberies this year in the United States. A convenience-store cashier job is the 10th-most dangerous occupation in the United States according to the U.S. Labor Department, which classifies being a convenience-store cashier job as more dangerous than being a firefighter. What can we do about this sorry state of affairs? Well, legislation has been proposed to require more safety training for these workers at risk. But taking a perhaps unusual approach, we may be able to help these workers if, the next time we find ourselves at our local 7-Eleven or Chevron station, we whip out our American Express or nifty Fool credit card and pay with that. If over time the stores become perceived as places that are not full of cash, they''ll likely attract fewer bandits. There''s reason for at-risk workers to be hopeful. According to Credit Cards Magazine "The National Association of Convenience Stores says that since Hurricane Katrina, gasoline purchases paid for by credit cards have risen from 70% to 80%."

阅读理解Millions of U. S. college students will have to shoulder more of the cost of their education under federal rules imposed late last month through a bureaucratic adjustment requiring neither congressional approval nor public comment of any kind. The changes, only a slight alteration in the formula governing financial aid, are expected to diminish the government''s contribution to higher education by hundreds of millions of dollars, starting in the autumn of 2004. But they will also have a ripple effect across almost every level of financial aid, shrinking the pool of students who qualify for federal awards, tightening access to billions of dollars in state and institutional grants, and heightening the reliance on loans to pay for college. How much more money this may require of students and their parents will vary widely, changing with each family''s set of circumstances. Some families may be expected to pay an extra $100 or less each year, while others may owe well over $ 1,000 more. While many college administrators characterized the change as a backdoor way to cut education spending, without public discussion, the Department of Education said it was simply executing its responsibilities under federal law. Whether furnished by colleges, states or the federal government, the vast majority of the nation''s $ 90 billion in financial aid is dictated by a single, intricate equation known as the federal need analysis, Its purpose is to decipher how much of a family''s income is truly discretionary, and therefore fair game for covering college expenses. Much like the federal income tax, the formula allows families to deduct some of what they pay in state and local taxes. But, this year, the department significantly reduced that amount, in some cases cutting it in half. On paper, at least, that leaves families with more money left over to pay for college, even though state and local taxes have gone up over the last year, not down. In the 20042005 academic year, when the changes first take effect, parents who earn $50,000 a year may be expected to contribute $700 or so beyond what they are already paying, according to an independent analysis conducted by a consulting firm that helps universities set enrollment and aid. Those earning about $ 25,000 may owe only an extra $165 or less, while families earning $ 80,000 could be expected to pay an additional $1,100 or more.

阅读理解The vast majority of children in Britain (87%) attend state (local authority) schools which provide (47) education from the age of 5 to 16 years. These schools can be (48) according to the age (49) of the pupils and the type of education provided. (50) , there are two types of school, primary and secondary, although in some areas there are also middle schools. Primary schools (51) for children aged 5-11, and secondary schools for ages 11-16 (and in some areas up to 18 years). Primary schools earl be sub-divided into infant schools (for ages 5-7) and junior schools (for ages 7-11). Secondary schools are normally of one (52) for all abilities, that is to say, comprehensive schools. More than 90% of children in state schools attend this kind of school. In some areas middle schools exist as an (53) level after primary school for children aged 8 or 9 to 12 or 13. Pupils then move to comprehensive schools. In a very small number of areas, pupils may be grouped according to their ability and (54) by means of an examination at the age of 11. In these areas, grammar schools are ones for those who pass the exam. Those who fail go to another secondary school. When pupils reach the age of 16 there may be three choices (55) to them. Firstly, they may leave school. Secondly, they may stay on at school for two more years if it has a Sixth Form. Thirdly, they may (56) to a Sixth Form College, a Tertiary College or a Further Education College. WORD BANK [A] extra [F] type [K] optional [B] open [G] transfer [L] form [C] compulsory [H] cater [M] scope [D] selected [I] basically [N] defined [E] range [J] classified [O] finally

阅读理解Is Breakfast Really the Most Important Meal of the Day? A) Along with old classics like carrots give you night vision and Santa doesnt bring toys to misbehaving children, one of the most well-worn phrases of tired parents everywhere is that breakfast is the most important meal of the day

阅读理解Christmas Day What is Christmas The word Christmas comes from the words Cristes maesse, or "''Christ''s Mass". Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the Christian religion. Most historians peg the first celebration of Christmas to Rome in 336 AD. Christmas is both a holiday and a Holy Day. In America it is the biggest event of the year (especially for kids) , and for members of the Christian religions. It is an important day on the religious calendar. The federal government, all state governments, all schools/colleges/universities and the vast majority of businesses in America give employees one or two days off at Christmas, making it an important holiday ( other federal holidays are: New Year''s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Washington''s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day). In the Roman Catholic calendar, Christmas is one of 6 holy feast days celebrated in America, the others being: Circumcision (New Year''s Day) , Ascension, Assumption ( Mary''s Assumption into heaven, August 15), All Saints (November 1) , and the Immaculate Conception (December 8 ) . Why does everyone give each other presents on Christmas day? The tradition of gifts seems to have started with the gifts that the wise men (the Magi) brought to Jesus. As recounted in the Bible''s book of Matthew, " On coming to the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh(没药). " As mentioned in the previous question, however, no one was really in the habit of exchanging elaborate gifts until late in the 1800''s. The Santa Claus story combined with an amazing retailing phenomena that has grown since the turn of the century has made gift giving a central focus of the Christmas tradition. Why is there a small evergreen tree in your living room? This is a German tradition, started as early as 700AD. In the 1800''s the tradition of a Christmas Tree was widespread in Germany, then moved to England and then America through Pennsylvanian German immigrants. Why have you decorated this evergreen with ornaments, lights, fake snow and plastic tinsel? In Victorian times, people had already started decorating trees with candies and cakes hung with ribbon. In 1880 Woolworths first sold manufactured Christmas Tree ornaments, and they caught on very quickly. Martin Luther, in the 16th century, is credited as being the first person to put candles on a tree, and the first electrically lighted Christmas tree appeared in 1882. Calvin Coolidge in 1923 ceremoniously lit the first outdoor tree at the White House, starting that long tradition. Fake snow and tinsel… Who knows? It''s probably related to the song "White Christmas". Why do you have holly drape over the mantel and staircase? Mistletoe (槲寄生) has apparently been used as a decoration in houses for thousands of years and is also associated with many pagan rituals. According to the book Extraordinary Origins of Ordinary Things by Charles Panati, " the church forbade the use of mistletoe in any form, mindful of its idolatrous associations. As a substitute, it suggested holly(冬青属植物). The sharply pointed leaves were to symbolize the thorns in Christ''s crown and the red berries drops of his blood. Holly became a nativity tradition. The Christian ban on mistletoe was in effect throughout the middle ages. Surprisingly, as late as the 20th century, there were churches in England that forbade the wearing of mistletoe sprigs and corsages during services. " Why is there a big log in the fireplace? According to the book The Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins by William and Mary Morris, " Yuletide for Christmastime is a term derived from the yule log, which in olden days was a huge log used as the foundation of the holiday fires. Bringing the yule log in was, as recently as the nineteenth century, as much a part of the pre-Christmas festivities as putting up an evergreen tree today. Yule can be traced back to the Middle English Yollen (cry aloud) and is thought to date from early Anglo-Saxon revels in celebration of the discovery (after the Winter Solstice, December 22) that nights were becoming shorter. According to this page, "Up until the 19 th century, the custom of burning the Yule Log flourished in England, France, Germany and among the South Slavs. Out of oak, families carved a heavy, wood block. They placed it into the floor of their hearth. It glowed throughout the year under the flames of household fires. Gradually it became ash. " Why are there poinsettias on the hearth? Poinsettias were attached to Christmas starting in 1828. Joel Roberts Poinsett, then the first Mexican ambassador from the United States, imported the plant from Mexico. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, " In warm climates the poinsettia grows outdoors as a winter-flowering leggy shrub about 3 metres (10 feet) high; as a potted plant in northern areas it rarely grows beyond 1 metre. What appear to be petals are actually colored leaflike bracts (苞片) that surround a central cluster of tiny yellow flowers. A milky latex in the stems and leaves can be irritating to persons or animals sensitive to it, but the claim that poinsettias are deadly poisonous is greatly exaggerated. " And what about these fruit cakes? According to The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauere and Marion Becker, ""Many people feel that these cakes improve greatly with age. When they are well saturated with alcoholic liquors, which raise the spirits and keep down mold, and are buried in powdered sugar in tightly closed tins, they have been enjoyed as long as 25 years after baking. " Why are there oversized socks hanging on your mantel? According to a very old tradition, the original Saint Nicholas left his very first gifts of gold coins in the stockings of three poor girls who needed the money for their wedding dowries. The girls had hung their stockings by the fire to dry. Up until lately it was traditional to receive small items like fruit, nuts and candy in your stocking, but these have been replaced in the last half-century by more expensive gifts in many homes. According to this page, the tradition of a lump of coal in the stockings of naughty children comes from Italy. Why are Christmas cards scattered all over the coffee table? Christmas cards started in London in 1843 and in America in 1846. Today about 2 billion Christmas cards are exchanged every year in the United States. Why do I keep hearing the same songs over and over again? There is a set of songs that are played continuously during the Christmas Season. Here''s a pretty complete list; Away In A Manger Carol of the Bells Deck The Halls God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Jingle Bells Joy To The World Hark, The Herald Angels Sing Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas I''ll Be Home For Christmas It Came Upon A Midnight Clear Little Drummer Boy O, Come All Ye Faithful O, Holy Night O, Little Town of Bethlehem O, Tannenbaum Rudolf, the Red Nose Reindeer Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Silent Night Silver Bells The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) The First Noel The Twelve Days of Christmas We Wish You A Merry Christmas What Child Is This? White Christmas Winter Wonderland Since this list is so short, you tend to hear each song 700 times over the course of the few weeks leading up to Christmas.

阅读理解Why does cream go bad faster than butter? Some researchers think they have the answer, and it comes down to the structure of the food, not its chemical composition — a finding that could help rid some processed foods of chemical preservatives. Cream and butter contain pretty much the same substances, so why cream should sour much faster has been a mystery. Both are emulsions — tiny globules (小球) of one liquid evenly distributed throughout another. The difference lies in what''s in the globules and what''s in the surrounding liquid, says Brocklehurst, who led the investigation. In cream, fatty globules drift about in a sea of water. In butter, globules of a watery solution are locked away in a sea of fat. The bacteria which make the food go bad prefer to live in the watery regions of the mixture. "This means that in cream, the bacteria are free to grow throughout the mixture," he says. When the situation is reversed, the bacteria are locked away in compartments (密封仓) buried deep in the sea of fat. Trapped in this way, individual colonies cannot spread and rapidly run out of nutrients. They also slowly poison themselves with their waste products. "In butter, you get a serf-limiting system which stops the bacteria growing," says Brocklehurst. The researchers are already working with food companies keen to see ff their products can be made resistant to bacterial attack through alterations to the food''s structure. Brocklehurst believes it will be possible to make the emulsions used in salad cream, for instance, more like that in butter. The key will be to do this while keeping the salad cream liquid and not turning it into a solid lump.

阅读理解What is the general guideline the Rand researchers suggest about junk food control?

阅读理解The Internet In November 2005, thousands of government representatives and information experts met in Tunis, Tunisia to discuss the future of the Internet. The United Nations organized the World Summit on the Information Society to discuss Internet growth in developing nations. But the three-day meetings also developed into a struggle over who controls the Internet. The Internet grew out of research paid for by the United States Defense Department in the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, the United States government still has .some control over it. In 1998, the Commerce Department set up a non-profit organization to supervise the domain name system of the Internet''s World Wide Web. The Web is a major service on the Internet. The group, based in California, is called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN. A domain name is a series of words separated by dots. It identifies an Internet Web site. ICANN operates a list of Web site owners and approves new endings for Web addresses, such as dot.com, dot.net or dot.gov. The group guarantees that Internet users around the world do not visit different Websites using the same Web address. For example, thanks to ICANN, a person in Cuba will see the same www. unsv. com Website as someone in Belarus. ICANN also has some Internet policy powers. It can remove Web sites from the Internet. It also decides who can sell and list domain names. The European Onion, China, Brazil, India and other countries want the United States to release at least some control over the World Wide Web. They believe that the Internet is an international resource that should be supervised by the United Nations or some other independent organization. The Bush Administration disagrees. It says that ICANN is the best way to guarantee an open, secure and dependable online environment. Heavy governmental controls, it says, would suppress Internet growth and development. Hours before the start of the Tunis conference, negotiators agreed to leave day-to-day supervision of the Internet with ICANN. The compromise proposal from the European Union calls for the creation next year of an international governance committee. Governments, businesses and organizations will be able to discuss public policy issues, including Internet crime, junk mail and viruses. The committee, however, will not have powers to make rules. The World Future Society estimated last year, the year of 2004, that about 950 million people around the world were using the Internet. That number is expected to rise to more than 1,000 million people within the next two years. Most Internet communication is business-to-business, instead of personal electronic mail. Buying and selling goods and services over the Internet is growing around the world. The World Future Society estimates that 2.7 million dollars was earned through Internet commerce in 2004.But, there are risks involved with this e-commerce. For example, the Federal Trade Commission estimates that more than 52,000 million dollars in goods and services were purchased last year through identity theft. Identity thieves steal personal information from Americans. They collect Social Security numbers, banking records and telephone numbers. They use this information to request loans, or to get credit cards in the name of the victim. Identity thieves often use computer viruses to collect a victim''s personal information. They may also use spyware. These are programs that are loaded onto a computer without the owner''s knowledge. Spyware follows the computer user''s online activities. Identity thieves also use another method called Internet "phishing." These e-mail messages attempt to collect an Internet user''s personal information, such as credit card numbers, by acting like a real business. People can protect themselves from identity theft in several ways. Anti-virus and anti-spyware computer programs can help. So can firewalls. These are programs or devices that limit information coming through an Internet connection. Banks and individuals can ''also use Fob technology. A fob is a small device connected to a computer. Every sixty seconds it creates a special series of numbers, or a code. A computer user must type the code created at the exact minute that the user wants to see his or her online financial information or bank records. Advertisers interested in selling products over the Internet may use adware to identify possible buyers. Adware is a software program sent with free files or programs to a computer. Once loaded onto a computer, adware can collect information about a person''s interests. Adware can use this information to provide targeted sales messages to the computer user. These unwanted sales messages are sent through a person''s e-mail. They can also be a problem for people using an Internet browser to find information. In this case, pop-up blockers can help. A pop-up blocker is a computer program that prevents unwanted sales messages from opening. One of the most popular kinds of communication on the Internet is through personal Web sites called blogs. Blog is a shortened name for a Web log. Anyone can create his or her own blog. A blog may contain stories, pictures, links to other Web sites and comments from visitors. Some people add information to their blogs every day. Blogs offer a way to present news and political or personal information. Blogs have become a place for public expression on many subjects. The Blog Herald estimates that there are more than 60 million blogs around the world. People who have blogs are called bloggers. In the United States, many well known people have blogs. So do many other Americans, including teenagers and college students. Even United States soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are blogging. Troops are using their mailblogs to share opinions, emotions and memories of lost soldiers. The United States military restricts troops from writing personal information about other soldiers. It also restricts operational security information from being published in a biog. You can find blogs about a subject by using a special search engine created by Google. The Web address is blogsearch, google, com. Google is one of the most popular "search engines" for the Internet. People use a search engine to find information about almost any subject on the Web. There are many ways to link computers with other forms of communication. For example, mobile telephones can send voice messages, color photographs and written information called text messages. They can even receive electronic mail. Small hand-held computer devices can store and read electronic books. Starting in 2006, the world'' s largest software company -- Microsoft -- will offer one hundred thousand books from the British Library''s collection. People will be able to search and read the literature on the Internet for free. Google has started its own project. The company has put thousands of library books and documents on the Internet. In October, 2005'', Google gave three million dollars to help the United States Library of Congress create a World Digital Library on the Web. This will be a collection of rare books, documents, maps and other materials from America''s library and other national libraries. The head of the Library of Congress says people will be able to learn about other cultures without traveling farther than the nearest computer.

阅读理解Video conferencing is nothing more than a television set or PC monitor with a camera

阅读理解I am often called in on consulting assignments to help companies improve their new product development practices, to make their development cycles shorter and more responsive to marketplace needs. I frequently find that they do not have a strategic approach to their new product development activities. As a result, they suffer from reactive, opportunistic and slow product development. Under these circumstances, a company is unlikely to develop products that address their needs or those of their customers. A strategic approach to product development consists of a number of interrelated elements: Situation Analysis, Strategic Plan, and a Product Development Plan. A situation analysis is a detailed analysis of the company''s products and operations, and engineering capabilities, overall cost structures, marketing and distribution, actual vs. perceived quality, trade relationships, pricing and product mix, corporate philosophy, willingness to take risks, financial resources, quick response capabilities, sourcing, product development practices, competitive advantages, human resources, and proprietary technology. The analysis also examines the current market and products, marketplace trends, the competition, the customers and the end-users. A strategic plan for the business consists of Mission, Objectives and Goals, Strategies and Tactics. A mission statement is a broad, conceptual statement of the purpose of the company. It may include statements about what its products are, what its business is, who its customers are, what its market niche is, where and how it distributes its products, its relationships with its employees and its financial goals. The mission''s purpose is to express the company''s operative philosophy and corporate identity. Hopefully, it will distinguish the company from its competitors. The mission is neither quantifiable nor measurable. Objectives and goals build on the mission. They provide explicit targets for the company''s growth. Strategies are clear, concise statements about exactly how the company will achieve its objectives and goals. In their simplest form, they are a list of steps that need to be taken, a road map that provides corporate and functional direction for the future. Tactics tend to be relatively short-term activities while strategies take on a longer view. Tactics are the detailed steps that must be taken to achieve each strategy. They delineate what will be done, who will do it, when it will be started and when it will be finished, and, when appropriate, how much it will cost. After the strategic plan for the business has been developed, it is then appropriate to prepare a new product plan, i.e., a listing of what new products will be developed over the next two years in support of the company''s strategic plan.

阅读理解Passage two Female applicants to postdoctoral positions in geosciences were nearly half as likely to receive excellent letters of recor ompared with their male counterparts

阅读理解What does the author think is critical to kids' education?

阅读理解Passage Four On line courses (also called distance learning) are a hot new trend in American education

阅读理解What does Grace Kao say about interracial lodging?

阅读理解How to Prevent Insomnia Do you have trouble falling asleep? Do you fall asleep easily, then wake up 5 hours later and can''t fall back asleep? Do you wake up several times during the night and have trouble staying asleep? If so, you are one of over 100 million Americans who experience some form of insomnia (失眠) and your sleep may be improved by better sleep habits. Tips for better daytime habits Do not nap during the day. If you are having trouble sleeping at night, try not to nap during the day because you will throw off your body clock and make it even more difficult to sleep at night. If you are feeling especially tired, and feel as if you absolutely must nap, be sure to sleep for less than 30 minutes, early in the day. Limit caffeine and alcohol. Avoid drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages for several hours before bedtime. Although alcohol may initially act as a sedative (镇定剂), it can interrupt normal sleep patterns. Don''t smoke. Nicotine is a stimulant and can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Many over-the-counter and prescription drugs disrupt sleep. Expose yourself to bright light/sunlight soon after awakening. This will help to regulate your body''s natural biological clock. Likewise, try to keep your bedroom dark while you are sleeping so that the light will not interfere with your rest. Exercise early in the day. Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise every day can help you sleep, but be sure to exercise in the morning or afternoon. Exercise stimulates the body and aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult. Check your iron level. Iron deficient women tend to have more problems sleeping. So if your blood is iron poor, a supplement might help your health and your ability to sleep. Tips for a better sleep environment Make sure your bed is large enough and comfortable. If you are disturbed by a restless bedmate, switch to a queen- or king-size bed. Test different types of mattresses. Try therapeutic (治疗的) shaped foam pillows that cradle your neck or extra pillows that help you sleep on your side. Get comfortable cotton sheets. Make your bedroom primarily a place for sleeping. It is not a good idea to use your bed for paying bills, doing work, etc. Help your body recognize that this is a place for rest. Keep your bedroom peaceful and comfortable. Make sure your room is well ventilated and the temperature consistent. And try to keep it quiet. You could use a fan or a "white noise" machine to help block outside noises. Hide your clock. A big, illuminated digital clock may cause you to focus on the time and make you feel stressed and anxious. Place your clock so you can''t see the time when you are in bed. Tips for a better pre-sleep ritual Keep a regular schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday, even on the weekends. Keeping a regular schedule will help your body expect sleep at the same time each day. Don''t oversleep to make up for a poor night''s sleep — doing that for even a couple of days can reset your body clock and make it hard for you to get to sleep at night. Incorporate bedtime rituals. Listening to soft music, sipping a cup of herbal tea, etc., cues your body that it''s time to slow down and begin to prepare for sleep. Relax for a while before going to bed. Spending quiet time can make falling asleep easier. This may include meditation, relaxation and/or breathing exercises, or taking a warm bam. Try listening to recorded relaxation or guided imagery programs. Don''t eat a large, heavy meal before bed. This can cause indigestion and interfere with your normal sleep cycle. Drinking too much fluid before bed can cause you to get up to urinate. Try to eat your dinner at least two hours before bedtime. Bedtime snacks can help. An amino acid called tryptophan, found in milk, turkey, and peanuts, helps the brain produce serotonin, a chemical that helps you relax. Try drinking warm milk or eat a slice of toast with peanut butter or a bowl of cereal before bedtime. Plus, the warmth may temporarily increase your body temperature and the subsequent drop may hasten sleep. Jot down all of your concerns and worries. Anxiety excites the nervous system, so your brain sends messages to the adrenal glands, making you more alert. Write down your worries and possible solutions before you go to bed, so you don''t need to ruminate in the middle of the night. A journal or "to do" list may be very helpful in letting you put away these concerns until the next day when you are fresh. Go to sleep when you are sleepy. When you feel tired, go to bed. Avoid "over-the-counter" sleep aids, and make sure that your prescribed medications do not cause insomnia. There is little evidence that supplements and other over-the-counter "sleep aids" are effective. In some cases, there are safety concerns. Antihistamine (抗组胺剂) sleep aids, in particular, have a long duration of action and can cause daytime drowsiness. Always talk to your doctor or healthcare practitioner about your concerns! Tips for getting back to sleep Do visualization. Focus all your attention on your toes or visualize walking down an endless stairwell. Thinking about repetitive or mindless things will help your brain to shut down and adjust to sleep. Get out of bed if unable to sleep. Don''t lie in bed awake. Go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy. Worrying about falling asleep actually keeps many people awake. Don''t do anything stimulating. Don''t read anything job-related or watch a stimulating TV program (commercials and news shows tend to be alerting). Don''t expose yourself to bright light. The light gives cues to your brain that it is time to wake up. Consider changing your bedtime. If you are experiencing sleeplessness or insomnia consistently, think about going to bed later so that the time you spend in bed is spent sleeping. If you are only getting five hours of sleep at night, figure out what time you need to get up and subtract five hours (for example, if you want to get up at 6:00 am, go to bed at 1:00 am). This may seem counterproductive (反效果的) and, at first, you may be depriving yourself of some sleep, but it can help train your body to sleep consistently while in bed. When you are spending all of your time in bed sleeping, you can gradually sleep more, by adding 15 minutes at a time.

阅读理解Is the goal to make all of our paper from waste? It''s a (47)______ question. If we collect enough waste, could companies stop using wood altogether? The answer is no—but, (48)______ to popular belief, this is not a bad thing. Although (49)______ rates are higher than ever before, there isn''t enough to meet the growing demand—not even close. In addition to the fact that people still throw away a lot of (50)______ good paper, there''s also some that''s (51)______ and can''t be recycled (think pizza boxes) , and lots that''s never thrown away at all (such as books, magazines and filed documents). Another issue is quality. Wood (52)______ can be recycled between five and seven times before they become too weak and fall apart—so companies have to keep (53)______ new fiber into the system. If you talk to designers and printers, they''ll also tell you that certain design applications can''t be met using paper with high recycled (54)______ . Recently, some environmentalists have also expressed their belief that using wood is the best way to (55)______ widespread forest abundance, because it sends a signal to the marketplace to plant more trees. Thanks to market demand, landowners have a clear incentive to keep lands (56)______ instead of converting them for other uses such as agriculture. A) contrary I) profession B) soiled J) forested C) perfectly K) ensure D) apply L) continually E) common M) analyzing F) planting N) introducing G) recovery O) fibers H) content