阅读理解The "standard of living" of any country means the average person''s share of the goods and services which the country produces. A country''s standard of living, therefore, depends first and foremost on its capacity to produce wealth. "Wealth" in this sense is not money, for we do not live on money but on things that money can buy: "goods" such as food and clothing, and "services" such as transport and entertainment. A country''s capacity to produce wealth depends upon many factors, most of which have an effect on one another. Wealth depends to a great extent upon a country''s natural resources, such as coal, gold, and other minerals, water supply and so on. Some regions of the world are well supplied with coal and minerals, and have a fertile soil and a favorable climate; other regions possess none of them. Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn them to use. Some countries are perhaps well off in natural resources, but suffered for many years from civil and external wars, and for this and other reasons have been unable to develop their resources. Sound and stable political conditions, and freedom from foreign invasion, enable a country to develop its natural resources peacefully and steadily, and to produce more wealth than another country equally well served by nature but less well ordered. Another important factor is the technical efficiency of a country''s people. Industrialized countries that have trained numerous skilled workers and technicians are better placed to produce wealth than countries whose workers are largely unskilled. A country''s standard of living does not only depend upon the wealth that is produced and consumed within its own borders, but also upon what is indirectly produced through international trade. For example, Britain''s wealth in foodstuffs and other agricultural products would be much less if she had to depend only on those grown at home. Trade makes it possible for her surplus manufactured goods to be traded abroad for the agricultural products that would otherwise be lacking. A country''s wealth is, therefore, much influenced by its manufacturing capacity, provided that other countries can be found ready to accept its manufactures.

阅读理解The importance and focus of the interview in the work of the print and broadcast journalist is reflected in several books that have been written on the topic. Most of these books, as well as several chapters, mainly in, but not limited to, journalism and broadcasting handbooks and reporting texts, stress the "how to" aspects of journalistic interviewing rather than the conceptual aspects of the interview, its context, and implications. Much of the" how to" material is based on personal experiences and general impressions. As we know, in journalism as in other fields, much can be learned from the systematic study of professional practice. Such study brings together evidence from which broad generalized principles can be developed. There is, as has been suggested, a growing body of research literature in journalism and broadcasting, but very little significant attention has been devoted to the study of the interview itself. On the other hand, many general texts as well as numerous research articles on interviewing in fields other than journalism have been written. Many of these books and articles present the theoretical and empirical aspects of the interview as well as the training of the interviewers. Unhappily, this plentiful general literature on interviewing pays little attention to the journalistic interview. The fact that the general literature on interviewing does not deal with the journalistic interview seems to be surprising for two reasons. First, it seems likely that most people in modern Western societies are more familiar, at least in a positive manner, with journalistic interviewing than with any other form of interviewing. Most of us are probably somewhat familiar with the clinical interview, such as that conducted by physicians and psychologists. In these situations the professional person or interviewer is interested in getting information necessary for the diagnosis(诊断) and treatment of the person seeking help. Another familiar situation is the job interview. However, very few of us have actually been interviewed personally by the mass media, particularly by television. And yet, we have a vivid acquaintance with the journalistic interview by virtue of our roles as readers, listeners, and viewers. Even so, true understanding of the journalistic interview, especially television interviews, requires thoughtful analyses and even study, as this book indicates.

阅读理解Naturally the young are more inclined to novelty than their elders and it is in their speech, as it always was, that most of the verbal changes originate. But listening critically to their talk I hear hardly any new words. It is all a matter of using old words in a new way and then copying each other, for much as they wish to speak differently from their parents, they want even more to speak like people of their own age. A new usage once took time to spread, but now a pop star can falsify it across the world in hours. Of course it is not only the young who like to use the latest in-word. While they are describing their idols as smashing, great or cosmic, their parents and the more discriminating of the younger set are also groping for words of praise that are at once apt and fashionable. However, their choice of splendid, brilliant, fantastic and so on will in turn be slightly dimmed by over-use and need replacement. Magic is a theme that has regularly supplied words of phrase (and the choice must betray something in our nature). Charming, entrancing and enchanting are all based on it. So also is marvelous, which has been used so much that some of its magic has faded while among teenagers wizard had a great run. Another of this group, though you might not think it, is glamorous, which was all the rage in the great days of Hollywood. Glamour was a Scottish dialect form of "grammar" or "grammarye", which itself was an old word for enchantment. (Grammar means the study of words, and words have always been at the heart of magic.) The change from "r" to "i" may have come about through the association with words like gleaming and glittering. On the whole, when a new word takes over the old ones remain, weakened but still in use, so that the total stock increases all the time. But some that start only as slang and never rise above the class can disappear completely. "Did you really say ripping when you were young?" my granddaughter asked me, rather like asking if I ever wore a suit of armor. Of course I did and it was no sillier than smashing, which some of her contemporaries are still saying.

阅读理解Migration is usually defined as "permanent of sempermanent change of residence." This broad definition, of course, would include a move across the street or across a city. Our concern is with movement between nations, not with internal migration within nations, although such movements often exceed international movements in volume. Today, the motives of people who move short distances are very similar to those of international migrants. Students of human migration speak of" push" and" pull" factors, which influence all individual'' s decision to move from one place to another. Push factors are associated with the place of origin. A push factor can be as simple and mild a matter as difficulty in finding a suitable job, or as traumatic as war, or severe famine. Obviously, refugees who leave their homes with guns pointed at their heads are motivated almost entirely by push factors (although pull factors do influence their choice of destination). Pull factors are those associated with the place of destination. Most of these are economic, such as better job opportunities or the availability of good land to farm, The latter was an important factor in attracting settlers to the United States during the 19th century. In general, pull factors add up to an apparently better chance between several attractive potential destinations, the deciding factor might be a non-economic consideration such as the presence of relative, friends, or at least fellow countrymen already established in the new place who are willing to help the newcomers settle in. Considerations of this sort lead to the development of migration flow. Besides push and pull factors, there are what the sociologists call" intervening obstacles". Even if push and/or pull factors are very strong they still may be outweighed by intervening obstacles, such as the distance of the move, the trouble and cost of moving, the difficulty of entering the new country, and the problems likely to be encountered on arrival. The decision to move is also influenced by" personal factors" of the potential migrant. The same push-pull factors and obstacles operate differently on different people, sometimes because they are at different stages of their lives, or just because of their varying abilities and personalities. The prospect of packing up everything and moving to a new and perhaps very strange environment may appear interesting and challenging to an unmarried young man and appallingly difficult to a slightly older man with a wife and small kids. Similarly, the need to learn a new language and customs may excite one person and frighten another. Regardless of why people move, migration of large numbers of people causes conflict. The United States and other western countries have experienced adjustment problems with each new wave of immigrants. The newest arrivals are usually given the lowest-paid jobs and are resented by native people who may have to compete with them for those jobs. It has usually taken several decades for each group to be accepted into the mainstream of society in the host country.

阅读理解The Competition among producers of personal computers is essentially a race to get the best, most innovative products to the marketplace. Marketers in this environment frequently have to make a judgment as to their competitor''s role when making marketing strategy decisions. If major competitor''s are changing their products, then a marketer may want to follow suit to remain competitive. Apple Computer, Inc, has introduced two new, faster personal computers, the Mackintosh Ⅱ and Mackintosh SE, in anticipation of the introduction of a new PC by IBM, one of Apple. major competitors. Apple''s new computers are much faster and more powerful than its earlier models. The improved Mackintosh is able to run programs that previously were impossible to run on an Apple PC, including IBM-compatible programs. This compatibility feature illustrates computer manufacture''s new attitude of giving customers the features they want. Making Apple computers capable of running IBM software is Apple''s effort at making Mackintosh compatible with IBM computers and thus more popular in the office, where Apple hopes to increase sales. Users of the new Apple can also add accessories to make their machines specialize in specific uses, such as engineering and writing. The new computers represent a big improvement over past models but they also cost much more. Company officials do not think the higher price will slow down buyers who want to step up to a more powerful computer. Apple wants to stay in the high-price end of the personal computer market to finance research for even faster, more sophisticated computers. Even though Apple and IBM are major competitors, both companies realize that their competitor''s computers have certain features that their own models do not. The Apple line has always been popular for its sophisticated color graphics, whereas the IBM machines have always been favored in offices. In the future, there will probably be more compatibility between the two companies'' products, which no doubt will require that both Apple and IBM change marketing strategies.

阅读理解Passage One Imagine you are a citizen of Athens, enjoying a warm Mediterranean night in the Theater of Herodes Atticus. You are wearing jeans and a T-shirt, listening to a great concert. 　　Now rewind this picture 1,839 years. You are in the same seat, only you are watching classical Greek entertainment and wearing a simple chiton, or tunic. 　　The city of Athens is a fun mix of the old and the new, the classic and the modem. Often a little shop is located next to the rains of a temple, which is only a block from a large, air-conditioned hotel. The great city of 2,500 years ago is still visible today. 　　Ruins are the most obvious sign of ancient Athens, and the most famous of these is the Acropolis. The Acropolis is a large hill that was the center of life in Athens. On its slopes were temples, monuments, and theaters. From the top, you can see how the urban sprawl (扩展,延伸) of Athens stretches out in every direction. 　　On the top of the Acropolis is the Parthenon. This was once a huge temple to Athena, the city's patron. It was first completed in 432 B.C., but has been damaged and destroyed several times. However, visitors can still see the "tricks" used in building the Parthenon. The columns along the outside lean inward, and are slightly fatter in the middle. The temple is also higher in the middle than on the sides. All these effects make the Parthenon look perfectly straight from a distance. 　　Only a block away from the Acropolis is the neighborhood of Plaka. The area, with its little shops and restaurants, is very popular with both tourists and locals, and is an important part of modem Athenian culture. 　　Many great thinkers, writers, and political leaders lived in ancient Athens. The ruins of their homes and favorite spots are scattered throughout the busy port city. The hill where St. Paul addressed early Christian Athenians is located near the Acropolis. Great thinkers such as Perikles and Demosthenes spoke to the civil assemblies held at the Pnyx Hill. Today the Pnyx is an open-air theater for light and sound shows. 　　Greeks still use some ancient sites, such as the Pnyx and the Theater of Herodes Atticus. During Roman times, in 76 A.D., gladiators (角斗士) used the Panathenaic Stadium for contests. The Olympics were held there in 1896, and today people still jog and exercise in the stadium. 　　Tourism is very important to people who live in modem-day Athens. Thousands of people come every year to see these ruins and to tour the many museums that house artifacts from ancient times. This provides many jobs and brings money into Athens, which helps the city pay for improvements. Athenians take pride in the accomplishments of their ancestors, and people from all around the world come to admire them. By looking around the city today, we can imagine what life was like in ancient Athens.

阅读理解The Olympic Games originated in 776 B.C. in Olympia, a small town in Greece. Participants in the first Olympiad are said to have run a 200-yard race, but as the Games were held every four years, they expanded in scope. Only Greek amateurs were allowed to participate in this festival in honor of the god Zeus. The event became a religious, patriotic, and athletic occasion where winners were honored with wreaths and special privileges. They were banned in 394 A.D. by Emperor Theodosius, after they became professional circuses and carnivals. The modern Olympic Games began in Athens in 1896 as a result of the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator whose desire was to promote international understanding through athletics. Nine nations participated in the first Games; over 100 nations currently compete. The taint of politics and racial controversy, however, has impinged upon the Olympic Games in our epoch. In 1936 Hitler, whose country hosted the Games, affronted Jesse Owens, a black American runner, by refusing to congratulate Owens for the feat of having won four gold medals. In the 1972 Munich Games, the world was appalled by the deplorable murder of eleven Israeli athletes by Arab terrorists, The next Olympic Games in Montreal were boycotted by African nations; in addition, Taiwan Province withdrew. In 1980, following the former Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, sixty-two nations caused great dismay to their athletes by refusing to participate in the Games. The consensus among those nations was that their refusal would admonish the Soviets.

阅读理解What is the passage mainly about?

阅读理解The passage mentions the advantages of fashion EXCEPT that

阅读理解Stopping personal and institutional racism will benefit racial minorities and the white majority. Racism and its consequences ultimately harm everyone. Attacks against racism must take place on two levels. First, racist ideas must be attacked as incorrect. Ideas implying the inferiority of nonwhites, no matter how subtly they are stated, are inevitably used to justify the incorrect attitude towards minorities. Second, attacks must also be made on practices that-- whether intended to do so or not-- contribute to the subordinate status of nonwhites. This means fighting discrimination and exploitation wherever they appear and calling for positive institutional practices that will upgrade and provide opportunities for minority group members. Movements to end school and housing segregation and to put an end to discrimination in employment must once again become as important as the 1960s civil rights movement. More people must join or create collective efforts against racism. We must not lose sight of the fact that many of the problems facing minority group members are matters affecting tens of millions of white people as well. Poverty, substandard schooling, unemployment, and poor housing are not only, or not even primarily, minority problems. By calling for social changes, such as a reduction in economic inequality and the expansion of free or low-cost services, the difficult situation of many whites as well as minorities can be measurably improved. At present, improvement in the economic and political position of minorities is often seen as a threat to whites. The assumption is that whites will suffer losses if nonwhites make gains in employment, education, and politics. This will continue to be a problem so long as we believe that competition for existing resources and opportunities is part of the "natural order". We need to begin strategies for change through which all can gain. The only losers should be those whose power and privilege depend on maintaining racial segregation.

阅读理解Passage One Parents are often upset when their children praise the homes of their friends and regard it as a slur (诋毁) on their own cooking, or cleaning, or furniture, and often are foolish enough to let the adolescents see that they are annoyed. They may even accuse them of disloyalty, or make some spiteful remark about the friends' parents. Such a loss of dignity and descent into childish behavior on the part of the adults deeply shocks the adolescents, and makes them resolve that in future they will not talk to their parents about the place or people they visit. Before very long the parents will be complaining that the child is so secretive and never tells them anything, but they seldom realize that they have brought this on themselves. 　　Disillusionment with the parents, however good and adequate they may be both as parents and as individuals, is to some degree inevitable. Most children have such a high ideal of their parents, unless the parents themselves have been unsatisfactory, that it can, hardly hope to stand up to a realistic evaluation. Parents would be greatly surprised and deeply touched if they realized how much belief their children usually have in their character and infallibility, and how much this faith means to a child. If parents were prepared for this adolescent reaction, and realized that it was a sign that the child was growing up and developing valuable powers of observation and independent judgment they would not be so hurt, and therefore would not drive the child into opposition by resenting and resisting it. 　　The adolescent, with his passion for sincerity, always respects a parent who admits that he is wrong, or ignorant, or even that he has been unfair or unjust. What the child cannot forgive is the parent's refusal to admit these charges if the child knows them to be true. 　　Victorian parents believed that they kept their dignity by retreating behind an unreasoning authoritarian attitude; in fact they did nothing of the kind, but children were then too cowed to let them know how they really felt. Today we tend to go to the other extreme, but on the whole this is a healthier attitude both for the child and the parent. It is always wiser and safer to face up to reality, however painful it may be at the moment.

阅读理解The Internet began in the 1960s as a small network of academic and government computers primarily involved in research for the U. S. military. Originally limited to researchers at a handful of universities and government facilities, the Internet has quickly become a worldwide network providing users with information on a range of subjects and allowing them to purchase goods directly from companies via computer. By 1999, 84 mil lion U. S. citizens had access to the Internet at home or work. More and more Americans are paying bills, shop ping, ordering airline tickets, and purchasing stocks via computer over the Internet. Internet banking is also becoming increasingly popular. With lower overhead costs in terms of staffing and office space, Internet banks are able to offer higher interest rates on deposits and charge lower rates on loans than traditional banks. "Brick and mortar" banks are increasingly offering online banking services via transactional websites to complement their traditional services. At present, 14 percent of Internet households conduct their banking by means of the Internet, and the figure is expected to double or triple during the next two or three years. Increasing commercial use of the Internet has heightened security and privacy concerns. With a credit or debit card, an Internet user can order almost anything from an Internet site and have it delivered to his home or office. Companies doing business over the Internet need sophisticated security measures to protect credit card, bank account, and social security numbers from unauthorized access as they pass across the Internet. Any organization that connects its networks to the global Internet must carefully control the access point to ensure that outsiders cannot disrupt the organization''s internal networks or gain unauthorized access to the organization''s computer systems and data.

阅读理解Like other forms of life on this planet, human beings face a basic task: to deal satisfactorily with theft conflicts and thereby secure the advantages of community and cooperation. Unlike other forms of life, human beings are born with a capacity to reflect on this task and to search for better solutions by conscious thought and careful choices. The task of overcoming conflicts and achieving community life and cooperation arises because human beings are unable and unwilling to live in complete isolation. The advantages of cooperation and community life are so numerous and so obvious that they must have been evident to man from earliest times. By now, our ancestors have closed off the choice; for most of us the choice of total isolation from a community is, realistically speaking, no longer open. Nevertheless, however strongly human beings are driven to seek the company of one another, and despite thousands of years'' practice, they have never discovered a way in which they can live together without conflict. Conflict exists when one individual wishes to follow a line of action that would make it difficult or impossible for someone else to pursue his own desired. Conflict seems to be an incapable aspect of the community and consequently of human beings. Why conflict seems inescapable is a question that has troubled many people: philosophers, historians, social scientists, doubtless a great many ordinary propel." Conflict is built into the very nature of men and women," said James Madison," Human beings have diverse abilities, and these in turn produce diverse interests."

阅读理解It is commonly believed in the United States that school is where people go to get an education. Nevertheless, it has been said that today children interrupt their education to go to school. The distinction between schooling and education implied by this remark is important. Education is much more open-ended and all-inclusive than schooling. Education knows no bounds. It can take place anywhere, whether in the school or on the job, whether in a kitchen or on a tractor. It includes both the formal learning that takes place in schools and the whole universe of informal learning. The agents of education can range from a revered grandparent to the people debating politics on the radio, from a child to a distinguished scientist. Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, education quite often produces surprises. A chance conversation with a stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known about a religion. People are engaged in education from infancy on. Education, then, is a very broad, inclusive term. It is a lifelong process, a process that starts long before the start of school, and one that should be an integral part of one'' s entire life. Schooling, on the other hand, is a specific, formalized process, whose general pattern varies little from one setting to the next. Throughout a country, children arrive at school at approximately the same time, take assigned seats, are taught by an adult, use similar textbooks, do homework, take exams, and so on. The slices of reality that are to be learned, whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the workings of government, have usually been limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught. For example, high school students know that they are not likely to find out in their classes the truth about political problems in their communities or what the newest filmmakers are experimenting with. There are definite conditions surrounding the formalized process of schooling.

阅读理解In the 1950s, the pioneers of artificial intelligence (Al) predicted that, by the end of this century, computers would be conversing with us at work and robots would be performing our housework. But as useful as computers are, they''re nowhere close to achieving anything remotely resembling these early aspirations for human like behavior. Never mind something as complex as conversation: the most powerful computers struggle to reliably recognize the shape of an object, the most elementary of tasks for a ten-month-old kid. A growing group of Al researchers think they know where the field went wrong. The problem, the scientists say, is that AI has been trying to separate the highest, most abstract levels of thought, like language and mathematics, and to duplicate them with logical, step-by-step programs. A new movement in AI, on the other hand, takes a closer look at the more roundabout way in which nature came up with intelligence. Many of these researchers study evolution and natural adaptation instead of formal logic and conventional computer programs, Rather than digital computers and transistors, some want to work with brain cells and proteins. The results of these early efforts are as promising as they are peculiar, and the new nature-based: AI movement is slowly but surely moving to the forefront of the field. Imitating the brain''s neural (神经的)network is a huge step in the right direction, says computer scientist and biophysicist Michael Conrad, but it still misses an important aspect of natural intelligence. "People tend to treat the brain as if it were made up of color-coded transistors", he explains, "but it''s not simply a clever network of switches. There are lots of important things going on inside the brain cells themselves." Specifically, Conrad believes that many of the brain''s capabilities stem from the pattern recognition proficiency of the individual molecules that makeup each brain cell. The best way to build an artificially intelligent device, he claims, would be to build it around the same sort of molecular skills. Right now, the option that conventional computers and software are fundamentally incapable of matching the processes that take place in the brain remains controversial. But if it proves true, then the efforts of Conrad and his fellow A1 rebels could turn out to be the only game in town.

阅读理解What is the author’s attitude towards Cairo？

阅读理解According to a survey, which was based on the responses of over 188,000 students, today''s traditional - age college freshmen are "more materialistic and less altruistic'' than at any time in the 17 years of the poll. Not surprising in these hard times, the student''s major objective "is to be financially well off. Less important than ever is developing a meaningful philosophy of life." It follows then that today the most popular course is not literature or history but accounting. Interest in teaching, social service and the "altruistic" fields is at a low. On the other hand, enrollment in business programs, engineering and computer science is way up. That''s no surprise either. A friend of mine (a sales representative for a chemical company) was making twice the salary of her college instructors her first year on the job--even before she completed her two-year associate degree. While it''s true that we all need a career, it is equally tree that our civilization has accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge in fields far removed from our own and that we are better for our understanding of these other contributions--be they scientific or artistic. It is equally tree that, in studying the diverse wisdom of others, we learn how to think. More important, perhaps, education teaches us to see the connections between things, as well as to see beyond our immediate needs. Weekly we read of unions who went on strike for higher wages, only to drive their employer out of business. No con-q)any: no job. How shortsighted in the long run! But the most important argument for a broad education is that in studying the accumulated wisdom of the ages, we improve our moral sense. I saw a cartoon recently which shows a group of businessmen looking puzzled as they sit around a conference table; one of them is talking on the intercom: "Miss Baxter," he says, "could you please send in someone who can distinguish fight from wrong?" From the long-term point of view, that''s what education molly ought to be about.

阅读理解What is the message of the passage?

阅读理解TEXT C The war on smoking, now five decades old and counting, is one of the nation's greatest public health success stories - but not for everyone. As a whole, the country has made amazing progress. In 1964, four in ten adults in the US smoked; today fewer than two in ten do. But some states - Kentucky, South Dakota and Alabama to name just a few - seem to have missed the message that smoking is deadly. Their failure is the greatest disappointment in an effort to save lives that was started on Jan. 11, 1964, by the first Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health. Its finding that smoking is a cause of lung cancer and other diseases was major news then. The hazards of smoking were just starting to emerge. The report led to cigarette warning labels, a ban on TV ads and eventually an anti-smoking movement that shifted the nation's attitude on smoking. Then, smokers were cool. Today, many are outcasts, rejected by restaurants, bars, public buildings and even their own workplaces. Millions of lives have been saved. The formula for success is no longer guesswork: Adopt tough warning labels, air public service ads, fund smoking cessation programs and impose smoke-free laws. But the surest way to prevent smoking, particularly among price-sensitive teens, is to raise taxes. If you can stop them from smoking, you've won the war. Few people start smoking after turning 19. The real-life evidence of taxing power is powerful. The 10 states with the lowest adult smoking rates slap an average tax of $2.42 on every pack -- three times the average tax in the states with the highest smoking rates. New York has the highest cigarette tax in the country, at $4.35 per pack, and just 12 percent of teens smoke, far below the national average of 18 percent. Compare that with Kentucky, where taxes are low (60 cents), smoking restrictions are weak and the teen smoking rate is double New York's. Other low-tax states have similarly dismal records. Enemies of high tobacco taxes cling to the tired argument that they fall disproportionately on the poor. True, but so do the deadly effects of smoking, far worse than a tax. The effect of the taxes is amplified further when the revenue is used to fund initiatives that help smokers quit or persuade teens not to start. Anti-smoking forces have plenty to celebrate this week, having helped avoid 8 million premature deaths in the past 50 years. But as long as 3,000 adolescents and teens take their first puff each day, the war is not won.

阅读理解According to the passage, silversmiths and coppersmiths in colonial America were similar inwhich of the following ways