阅读理解How does the author view the argument of the Food and Agriculture Organisation?

阅读理解By channelling the magic of computing into products, Steve Jobs had succeeded in ______ .

阅读理解What do we learn from the passage about people in pre-industrial Europe?

阅读理解Suffering from an acute lack of heroes after losing two world wars, Germany has reclaimed Albert Einstein as one of its greatest national figures even though the Jewish physicist fled the Nazis hating his native country. A century after the German-born scientist formulated his famous theory of relativity in Switzerland, and 50 years after his death on April 18, 1955, Einstein is being reclaimed by the country he rejected. Celebrations of the so-called "Einstein Year" of 2005 are taking place around the world, but nowhere are the tributes to the man with the droopy (下垂的) eyes and bushy grey hair so laden with historical baggage as in Germany. Germany''s rediscovery of Einstein began in 2003 when he was picked by millions of television viewers in a survey as one of the "best Germans" of all time. The German government has gone all out to understand Einstein better, who became one of the world''s first popular scientist after his theories about space, time and relativity revolutionized science in the early 20th century. "It is a bit strange," said Juergen Neffe, author of a German biography on Einstein that has been near the top of best-seller lists here since it was published in January. In his book, he wrote, "Einstein hated the Nazis and extended his hatred to all Germans for letting it happen. It''s certainly true that he hated Germany, but he would nevertheless be pleased about Germany''s development in the last 30 years." Born in the Bavarian city of Ulm in 1879, Einstein moved to Switzerland at 17 to evade military service. After graduating from the Polytechnic School in Zurich he wrote scientific papers in his spare time while working as a Swiss patent officer. In 1905, Einstein''s "miracle year", he formulated his theory of relativity, an explanation of the relationship between time and space that challenged a view of the universe that had stood since the days of Sir Isaac Newton 200 years before. Einstein''s fame soared in 1919 after his theory was proven. He won a Nobel Prize in 1921, after which Germany and Switzerland both claimed him as theirs. But Einstein didn''t stop. His special theory also provided the basis for his most famous discovery, E=mc2, an equation that opened the door to the atomic age. The formula is known around the world even if few understand it Einstein returned to Germany in 1914 and lived in Berlin for 19 years before fleeing Hitler''s Nazis in 1933. He took a post at Princeton University, and spent the rest of his life there. His house in Berlin was ransacked by the Nazis. Einstein gave up his German citizenship in 1932 and became a naturalized American citizen in 1940.

阅读理解Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true: that international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred. There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourage international brotherhood. Not only was there the tragic incident involving the murder of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by lesser incidents caused principally by minor national contests. One country received its second—place medals with visible indignation after the hockey final. There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match as, the losers objecting to the final decisions. They were convinced that one of their go als should not have been disallowed and that their opponents'' victory was unfair . Their manager was in a rage when he said: "This wasn''t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished. " The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension of the team for at least three years. The American basketball team announced that they would not yield first place to Russia, after a disputable end to their contest. The game had ended in disturbance. It was thought at first that the United States had won, by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play. A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another player popped it into the basket. It was the first time the U. S. A. had ever lost an Olympic basketball match. An appeal jury debated the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand. The American players then voted not to receive the silver medals. Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals, or in non-national terms, might be too much to hope for. But in the present organization of the Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive patriotism.

阅读理解The U. S. Congress Composition of the U. S. Congress The U. S. Congress is the legislative branch of the Federal Government. It is a bicameral (两院制的 ) law-making body of more than 500 members. Its two chambers are respectively called the House of Representatives and the Senate. The American two-house legislature, a product of the compromise between big states and small ones, embodies the American principle of balances and checks. All bills must carry both houses before becoming law. The Membership and Election of Both Chambers The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Congress. The membership of the House is distributed among the states according to their different populations. Since 1910, the House has had a permanent membership of 435, with each representative representing about half a million Americans. Under the principle that each state is guaranteed at least one representative, Nevada, a state with a small population, sends only one representative to the House. California has more than 40 Representatives in the House because of its large population. The election of Representatives is organized by the state legislature which divides the state into a number of districts known as Congressional districts. Each district, with a population of nearly half a million, elects one Representative to the House. A Representative''s term of office is set at two years, but there is no limit to the number of his terms. A new Representative can hardly feel easy about his position. Hardly has he begun his work in the Congress when he finds it''s time for him to seek re-election. The Senate is the upper house of the US Congress. Representation in the Senate is based on the principle of state equality. The Senate is comprised of 100 Senators, two from each of the fifty states. Senators have been directly elected by voters of their respective states since 1913. Their term of office is six years. A Senator must be at least thirty years of age and a citizen for nine years. Senators with Greater Prestige Generally speaking, Senators are accorded greater prestige than their colleagues in the lower house. Many Representatives aspire to win the election to the Senate. Senators derive their prestige from the following facts. They are less numerous, for there are fewer than one-fourth as many Senators as Representatives, or Congressmen. Elected by the whole state instead of a single congressional district, most Senators represent more constituents than do House members. They are less worried by the problem of seeking re-electives. What''s more, the Senate is vested with special powers which it does not share with the House. It has the power to ratify or deny proposed treaties, nominations proposed by the President. In line with the tradition of "senatorial courtesy," the Senate always rejects a nominee who is objected to by a Senator of the state from which he comes. It won''t do to neglect the importance of the Senate in foreign affairs. Without its cooperation and support, the President can hardly take any significant action in foreign relations. A Secretary of State on good terms with the Senators is always important for the President. Foreign countries must try to establish good relations with the US Senate if they intend to make a bargain with the United States. The Work of the Two Chambers The presiding officer of the Senate is the Vice President who functions as a kind of chairman when the Senate is in session. The chief spokesman of the House is known as the speaker who is the leader of the majority party in the House. The Speaker is the most influential figure in the House because he directs his party''s forces in legislative battles. Leaders of Both Parties Both parties have their leaders in the Congress, who are known as floor leaders. Floor leaders are elected by their respective party meetings, the meeting of party members in one of the two houses. Because floor leaders, both majority and minority, hold critical positions in the Congress, they are sometimes invited to the White House for conference with the President. The Operation of the Congress The Congress is a legislative body, but it relies on its various committees to do preparatory work. The Senate and the House have several dozen standing or special committees to deal with problems of different natures. The seats of the committees are divided between the two parties in proportion to their respective membership in the Congress. But the committee chairman is always a member of the majority party who has been in the Senate or the House without interruption for longer than anybody else on the committee. The custom is known as "seniority rule." Most proposed laws in the Congress are known as bills. All bills introduced during a two-year congressional term are designated "HR" in the House and "S" in the Senate, with consecutive (连续的) numbers assigned in order in which they are introduced in each house. After this, the bills are referred to the relevant committees for further study. To assess the bill at its true worth, the relevant committee usually organizes its sub-committee to conduct detailed study. There is no doubt that the sub-committee will study the literal sense of the bill. But it also holds meetings with the citizens who want to state their opinions about the bill. These meetings are commonly known as hearings. The purpose of the sub-committee in holding these hearings is to obtain information on the bill before it. The sub-committee may summon people to appear at the hearings and to testify. After finishing study of the bill, the sub-committee will report the result to the full committee. The committee chairman then has a choice between two things. He can send the bill to the house for further consideration. He can also pigeonhole (搁置), or kill it by putting it aside and not reporting it. For this reason, a committee chairman is regarded as an important person in the Congress. It won''t do to neglect him. Some Important Committees in the Two Chambers There are some important committees in the Senate and the House. The Budget Committee are to recommend policy guidelines each fiscal (财政的) year to aid Congress in considering the annual Federal budget. The Appropriation Committee in both houses of the Congress study the demand for money from the President and aid Congress in appropriating a sum of money to finance a program suggested by the President. The Foreign Relations Committees study American foreign policies and examine American foreign treaties before giving their opinions to Congress for reference. The Ways and Means Committee is a standing committee of the House of Representatives. It has the exclusive power to study bills for raising revenue. It also considers the problems concerning taxes and tariffs. In simple language, its work is to explore the sources of money for the expenditures of the Federal Government. The Investigating Committee is to exercise a fact-finding role as an aid to the law-making process. Anyone who refuses to testify before it may be punished by law. The Investigating Committee is something like an information agency of the Congress. It is also a Watchdog Committee, for it oversees the work of the Administration. Its investigations reach every level and department of the government. The last but most important committee is the Rules Committee. It is a committee of the House. It picks out only those bills it likes and sends them to Congressmen for their consideration.

阅读理解In the United States during 1992, any family of four with an annual cash income of less than $14,335 (before taxes) was considered poor. The dollar amount was called the poverty line, an economic measuring rod devised in 1964. The line was set at three times the amount needed to provide the cheapest nutritionally balanced diet. The poverty line is adjusted annually for inflation. While the poverty line in the United States was more than $14,000, the average annual per-person income in Bangladesh was $200, in Ethiopia $130, in Haiti $340, and in Mali $265. Anyone in those nations with an income of $14,000 would be considered wealthy. During the Great Depression in the United States, when half the population was considered poor, a family with an income at the 1992 poverty line could afford to buy a house, a car, clothing and food. The reality of poverty varies with location and social and political conditions. Poverty basically means a lack of, or an insufficient amount of, the three primary physical needs — food, clothing and shelter. But for poverty to be recognized, it must exist alongside prosperity. Before the discovery of the New World, the American Indians would not have considered themselves poor, though they lived with only bare necessities and a few handmade artifacts (人工制品) . The severity of poverty varies, depending on the economic vitality of the nation in which it occurs. In the modern industrialized societies of Western Europe, North America, and Japan, there are many government services provided to ease poverty — including free medical care and subsidized housing. The homeless of New York City and Los Angeles can usually find some shelter and a mission offering free meals.

阅读理解Is the customer always right? The answer, it seems, depends on which country you are in. Shopping is very much a part of a country''s culture, and attitudes to shopping and consumers vary from country to country just as much as climate or taste in food. From the air-conditioned order of American malls to the anarchy(混乱,无秩序) of African bazaars(集市) , the way we shop shows the way we see ourselves and our relationships with other people. Recent economic hardship has given the consumer increased power in Europe as retailers(零售商) fight to win their share of reduced disposable (可任意使用的) income. This has meant falling prices, plenty of special offers and a re-examination of what customer service really means. People often point to America as an example of sophisticated customer service. In restaurants in the south of the USA, for example, waiters compliment(称赞) you on your clothes, ask about your day, compliment you on the wisdom of your order and then return every ten minutes to refill your glass and make sure that everything is to your satisfaction. Anyone who has waited 30 minutes to be served in a restaurant might well dream of such attention, but do Europeans really want US style service? As a friend of mine once told me, "By the end of the evening I had spent as much time talking to the waiter as to my wife. " It is a question of expectations. Different nationalities expect different types of service. Attitudes to service are, of course, affected by employers'' attitudes to their workers. As American sales and service personnel are heavily reliant(依赖) on commission and tips, they have more incentive(动机) to provide more service. But is this fair? Do we think it is fair to ask shop assistants to work late evenings, Sundays and 12 hour shifts? Does it fit in with our picture of society? It might not be a case of "Is the customer always right?" but a case of "How much service is it fair to expect?"

阅读理解What is Peter Carmel's advice to doctors?

阅读理解Copernicus took away our claim as humans to a special position at the centre of the Universe. Darwin forced us to take our place among the animals. Now the last refuges of mystery are being invaded as science begins to take apart human nature itself. Psychologists of every hue have been joined by neuroscientists, artificial intelligence experts, philosophers and economists in the rush to solve this last great problem. The scale and scope of activity is unprecedented. Never before have there been so many best-selling books on mind and brain from so many different thinkers. And no sooner has one proclaimed that a profound mystery of consciousness has been discovered than half a dozen others will counterclaim that the mystery has merely grown deeper. As the science of human nature advances, two old debates remain. The first comes in many shapes. Is our nature inbuilt or is it acquired? Are genes or environment more important in shaping us? Philosophers characterize the difference as being between nativists and empiricists. The second great debate has a profound religious dimension. Does free will re ally exist or are minds merely a reflection of the mechanical workings of the brain? Hippocrates, who died in 377 BC, was one of the earliest to write that thoughts, feelings and perceptions were simply activities of the brain. But his appears to have been a lone voice in the Western world over the past 2,500 years, which placed the existence of free will, and its consequent choices between right and wrong, heaven and hell, at the heart of its dogma. The questions underlying these two great debates have more than merely academic appeal for the study of human nature is not only scientifically challenging, false insights from it can be extraordinarily dangerous and lead to immense suffering and death. While Hitler had no deep knowledge of genetic theory, he did operate under a belief of human nature, justifying unspeakable crimes. It is true that unscrupulous politicians will always take what they want from science to further their own ends and ideologies, but in the area of human nature, scientists have had a more direct responsibility for acts for which we should now feel collectively ashamed.

阅读理解"Tear''em apart! .... Kill the fool! .... Murder the referee (裁判) !" These are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made, they may seem innocent enough. But let''s not kid ourselves. They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real bloodshed. Volumes have been written about the way words affect us. It has been shown that words having certain connotations (含义) may cause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual humanistic behavior. I see the term "opponent" as one of those words. Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms. The dictionary meaning of the term "opponent" is "adversary"; "enemy"; "one who opposes your interests." Thus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to treat that opponent as an enemy. At such times, winning may dominate one''s intellect, and every action, no matter how gross, may be considered justifiable. 1 recall an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player''s request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough. The player proceeded to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then exclaimed, "Are they wet enough now?" In the heat of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the consequences that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have also witnessed a player reacting to his opponent''s intentional and illegal blocking by deliberately hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play. Off the court, they are good friends. Does that make any sense? It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which departs from normal behavior. Therefore, I believe it is time we elevated (提升) the game to the level where it belongs, thereby setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term "opponent" with "associate" could be an ideal way to start. The dictionary meaning of the term "associate" is "colleague"; "friend"; "companion." Reflect a moment! You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term "associate" rather than "opponent."

阅读理解Professional women have a (47)______ challenge. Like their male (48)______, they must cope with the pressures of responsibilities, the problems of subordinates, and duty to corporate management. But if they are married and/or have children, they must also cope with the demands of another career while caring for their rise within the corporate structure. Women are entering the workforce in numbers that are making headlines. There are 36 million of them in business today, according to the American Business Women''s Association, and they share a common worry: not enough time. The combination of what seems to be never-ending household responsibilities and on-the-job duties makes time a precious (49)______ . Culture has (50)______ everyone, despite the growing ability of men and women to relate to one another as business equals, to believe that the home is the woman''s responsibility. Unless she has a husband who shares equally in family responsibilities, she has two jobs to a male peer''s one. Who ever asks a man how he manages to (51)______ marriage and family with a career? Studies show that employed women (52)______ get little help with the housework from their husbands. A study in the Chicago area, followed later by a national survey, found that women who work full time typically do more than 80 percent of the household chores. To combine two (53)______ careers, a woman has to become an expert manager of her time. If she wants to compete successfully with her male counterparts, she must seek more (54)______ ways to perform her office and home (55)______ . Actually, a woman has to be a better manager of her time both on and off the job than most of her male peers. In fact, she needs to be a master time planner to (56)______ her two jobs. Most women cannot take a filled briefcase home. A full-time job awaits them there. Word Bank A) efficient I) routines B) coordinate J) digital C) unique K) reputation D) combine L) counterparts E) commodity M) publicity F) adapted N) restore G) retired O) time-consuming H) generally

阅读理解Passage One Textbooks represent an 11 billion dollar industry, up from $8 billion in 2014

阅读理解What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

阅读理解In this day and age of high-tech crime-solving methods, especially DNA typing, the lowly art of fingerprint identification sometimes seems lost. In fact, fingerprint evidence is highly reliable and particularly accessible to juries: You don''t need a Ph.D. or a scientific lecture on genetics to understand that your own fingers contain a contour map of ridges and whorls that is completely unique. Matching Fingerprints Fingerprint evidence rests on two basic principles: A person''s "friction ridge patterns" (the swirled skin on their fingertips) don''t change. No two people have the same pattern of friction ridges. Police officers can use fingerprints to identify defendants and crime victims if a print matches one already on file. (Today, the FBI has a collection of prints that numbers in the millions.) People''s fingerprints can be on file for a variety of reasons. For example, people may be fingerprinted when they are arrested, or when they begin certain occupations. And it is increasingly popular for parents to ask local police departments or schools to fingerprint their young children, a grim reminder that children who are abducted or are the victims of other crimes often cannot be identified otherwise. How Fingerprints Are Found Friction ridges contain rows of sweat pores, and sweat mixed with other body oils and dirt produces fingerprints on smooth surfaces. Fingerprint experts use powders and chemicals to make such prints visible. The visibility of a set of prints depends on the surface from which they''re lifted; however, with the help of computer enhancement techniques that can conclude a complete pattern from mere fragments, and laser technology that can read otherwise invisible markings, fingerprint experts increasingly can retrieve identifiable prints from most surfaces. The age of a set of fingerprints is almost impossible to determine. Therefore, defendants often try to explain away evidence that their fingerprints were found at crime scenes by testifying that they were at the scene and left the prints at a time other than the time of a crime.

阅读理解Labor Force The labor force is the part of a nation''s population that works for pay or that is looking for a paying job. In 1800, the United States had about 2 million people in its labor force. Most of them worked on farms, most of whom were men. In 1993, about 130 million Americans were in the labor force. 96 million workers were found in large cities, 46 percent of whom were women. New Kinds of Jobs In the twentieth century, the U. S. labor force has undergone many changes. One of the most significant of these changes is in the decline in the number of blue collar jobs and the rise in the number of white-collar jobs. A blue-collar job involves manual or outdoor labor. Blue-collar workers include factory assemblers and welders; carpenters, plumbers(水暖工), mechanics, and painters; construction workers, and truck drivers. Although the number of blue-collar workers increased in the twentieth century, the future will see a declining need for such workers. Some of their jobs will be taken over by advanced automated and computerized machinery that can do certain blue-collar jobs more quickly and efficiently than people can. In contrast, a white-collar job involves work that is not chiefly manual. For example, white collar workers include accountants, engineers, teachers, lawyers, and sales personnel. In 1900, white collar workers made up about 20 percent of the labor force; today, 67 percent of all American wage earners hold white collar jobs. Advances in computer technology have created many new white-collar jobs, such as those in programming and information processing. These changes will continue to dramatically change the nature of existing jobs. The Rise of Women in the Labor Force Until 1940, the opportunities for women to hold jobs were limited. Prejudice and discrimination(歧视)against women forced many of them to find employment as teachers, nurses, and secretaries. In 1940, women held only 25 percent of the jobs. World War Ⅱ-1941 through 1945-brought about many changes in the labor force. Men were drafted to serve in the armed forces of the United States. At the same time, the country needed labor to keep factories running at full production to support the war effort. As a result, women were suddenly needed and hired even though they had been previously excluded from such jobs. Women not only repaired airplanes and land vehicles, but they also drove trucks, operated radios and ma chinery, and did clerical work. During the war years, the percentage of women in the labor force rose from 25 percent to 35 percent. Married women, many of whose husbands were in the armed forces, made up the greatest number of new women workers. In 1940, fewer than half of working women were single, but by 1945 a majority of women workers were married. By the end of the war, one out of every three workers in industry and business was a woman. The Postwar Years After the war, the men who returned from the armed forces went back to the same jobs they had held prior to the war. As a result, many women lost their wartime jobs. However, not all the women who had held jobs for the first time returned to their former roles as homemakers. Women had proved they could do these jobs well. As a result, the traditional barriers against the employment of women in such industries as steel and shipbuilding started to disappear. As the postwar prosperity continued, new positions became available for the returning men and for the many women workers now in the labor force. Many women found that they enjoyed not only employment outside their homes but also the benefits of paying jobs. Many women were beginning to see work as a permanent part of their lives. By earning their own income, they became less dependent and more self-sufficient. Their independence gave them new choices and made them aware of a wider range of roles available to them. The economic prosperity that followed the war also enabled many young couples to purchase houses. Many began raising families. Some women chose to stay at home to raise their children, while their husbands went to work. As a result, the percentage of women workers declined after the war, but it never went as low as it was in 1940. The 1960s to the 1990s The 1960s saw the beginning of many social changes in the United States, some of which were brought about by the women''s liberation movement. Many women became keenly aware that they were often paid less than men for doing the same kind of work and that they were not promoted as easily or quickly as men. They also found that discrimination in jobs and in education still existed. As a result of women''s protests, equal opportunity laws were passed that made discrimination against women in jobs and education illegal. This legislation opened up to women many business and professional positions that had previously been closed to them. The 1970s were troubled by ongoing inflation. For many couples, the high standard of living combined with the high cost of living, made it necessary for both the husband and wife to hold paying jobs. The two-income family became a way of life that continues today. Many divorced, separated, or widowed women also entered the labor force in the 1970s. The 1980s brought more changes. Many businesses were not able to survive the recession of that period. Many manufacturing industries, such as the auto, steel, textile, and clothing industries, suffered at the hands of increased competition from foreign countries. As a result, many plants and factories closed; the number of available jobs sharply declined. Because of the recession more mothers of young children entered the labor force. In general, families in the 1970s,’80s, and’90s have had fewer children than families of earlier generations. There has therefore been less need for women to stay at home for many years to care for young children, and more married women have been free to join the job market. Coupled with the trend toward two-income families, the labor force participation of married women with young children has risen dramatically since the 1970s. About 19 percent of mothers with children below age 6 were employed in 1970. In 1993, About 60 percent were employed. A Changing Labor Force Shifts from blue-collar to white-collar jobs and the increase in the number of working women continue to affect the labor force. These trends are altering the relationship between workers and their work, and people require new skills and training in all fields of employment. Nevertheless, today''s (1990s) workers-whether blue-collar or white-collar, male or female-earn higher wages, work shorter hours, and receive more extra benefits than workers prior to the 1940s.

阅读理解What suggestion does the author offer to parents?

阅读理解Please Hold the Line Nearly all of us know what it''s like to be put on "musical hold". Call almost any customer service number, and you can expect to hear at least a few bars of boring elevator music before an operator picks up. The question is: do you hang up or do you keep holding? That may depend on your gender and what type of music is playing, according to research reported by University of Cincinnati Associate Professor of Marketing, James Kellaris. Kellaris, who has studied the effects of music on consumers for more than 12 years, teamed with Sigma Research Management Group to evaluate the effects of "hold music" for a company that operates a customer service line. The researchers tested four types of "on-hold" music with 71 of the company''s clients, 30 of them women. Light jazz, classical, rock and the company''s current format of adult alternative (a mix of contemporary styles) were all tested. The sample included individual consumers, small business and large business segments. Participants were asked to imagine calling a customer assistance line and being placed on hold. They were then exposed to "on-hold" music via headsets and asked to estimate how long it played. Their reactions and comments were also solicited and quantified by the researchers. Service providers, of course don''t want you to have to wait on hold, but if you do, they want it to be a pleasant experience for you. But Kellaris'' conclusions may hold some distressing news for companies. No matter what music was played, the time spent "on hold" was generally overestimated. The actual wait in the study was 6 minutes, but the average estimate was 7 minutes and 6 seconds. He did find some good news for the client who hired him. The kind of music they''re playing now, alternative, is probably their best choice. Two things made it a good choice. First, it did not produce significantly more positive or negative reactions in people. Second, males and females were less polarized in their reactions to this type of music. Kellaris'' other findings, however, make the state of musical hold a little less firm: time spent "on hold" seemed slightly shorter when light jazz was played, but the effect of music format differed for men and woman. Among the males, the wait seemed shortest when classical music was played. Among the females, the wait seemed longest when classical music was played. This may be related to differences in attention levels and musical preferences. In general, classical music evoked the most positive reactions among males; light jazz evoked the most positive reactions (and shortest waiting time estimates) among females. Rock was the least preferred across both gender groups and produced the longest waiting time estimates. "The rock music''s driving beat kind of aggravates people calling customer assistance with a problem." said Kellaris. "The more positive the reaction to the music, the shorter the waiting time seemed to be. So maybe time does tend to fly when you''re having fun, even if you''re on musical hold." Kellaris joked. But unfortunately for companies operating on-hold lines, men and women have different ideas about what music is "fun". "The possible solution", Kellaris joked, "might be for the recorded message to say: if you''re a male, please press one; if you''re a female, please press two. If you are in a bad mood, please hang up and try later."

阅读理解In some (47) centers, workaholism is so common that people do not (48) it unusual. They accept the lifestyle as normal. Government workers in Washington, D. C. , for example, frequently work sixty to seventy hours a week. They don''t do this because they have to; they do it because they want to. Workaholism can be a serious (49) . Because true workaholics would rather work than do anything else, they probably don''t know how to (50) ; that is, they might not enjoy movies, sports, or other types of entertainment. Most of all, they (51) to sit and do nothing. The lives of workaholics are usually stressful, and this tension and worry can cause health problems such as heart attacks or stomach ulcers. In addition typical workaholics don''t pay much (52) to their families. They spend little time with their children, and their marriages may end in divorce. Is workaholism always dangerous? Perhaps riot. There are, certainly, people who work well under stress. Some studies show that many workaholics have great energy arid interest in life. Their work is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy. For most workaholics, work and entertainment are the same thing. Their jobs (53) them with a challenge; this keeps them busy and creative. Why do workaholics enjoy their jobs so much? There are several advantages to work. Of course, it provides people with paychecks, and this is important. But in offers more than financial security. It provides people with self-confidence; they have a feeling of (54) when they''ve produced a (55) piece of work and are able to say, "I made that." Psychologists claim that work gives people an identity; through participation in work, they get a sense of self-satisfaction and individualism. In addition, most jobs provide people with a socially acceptable way to meet others. Perhaps some people are (56) about their work, but their addiction seems to be a safe--even an advantageous--one. WORD BANK A) provide I) relax B) plates J) current C) urban K) hate D) spinal L) problem E) attention M) muscles F) consider N) altered G) challenging O) satisfaction H) compulsive

阅读理解In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the inadequacies of the judicial system in the United States. Costs are staggering both for the taxpayers and the litigants——and the litigants, or parties, concerning methods of ameliorating the situation, but as in most branches of government, changes come slowly. One suggestion that has been made in order to maximize the efficiency of the system is to allow districts that have an overabundance of pending cases to borrow judges from other districts that do not have such a backlog. Another suggestion is to use pretrial conferences, in which the judge meets in his chambers with the litigants and their attorneys in order to narrow the issues, limit the witnesses, and provide for a more orderly trial. The theory behind pretrial conferences is that judges will spend less time on each case and parties will more readily settle before trial when they realize the adequacy of their claims and their opponents'' evidence. Unfortunately, at least one study has shown that pretrial conferences actually use more judicial time than they save, rarely result in pretrial settlements, and actually result in higher damage settlements. Many states have now established another method, small-claims, in which cases over small sums of money can be disposed of with considerable dispatch. Such proceedings cost the litigants almost nothing. In California, for example, the parties must appear before the judge without the assistance of counsel. The proceedings are quite informal and there is no pleading-the litigants need to make only a one-sentence statement of their claim. By going to this type of court, the plaintiff waives any right to a jury trial and the right to appeal the decision. In coming years, we can expect to see more and more innovations in the continuing effort to remedy a situation which must be remedied if the citizens who have valid claims are going to be able to see their day in court.