单选题Why is it possible to send large amounts of information at great speed?

单选题Americans had always been preoccupied with reforming their society; "with making it over", and between the l890s and the First World War, the reform spirit intensified. More and more people tried to address the problem of their time directly, to impose order on a confusing world, and, especially, to create a conflict-free society. Their efforts helped what can be called the progressive era. The urge for reform had many sources. Industrialization had brought unprecedented productivity, awesome technology, and plenty of consumer goods. But it had also included labor struggle, waste of natural resources, and abuse of corporate power. Rapidly growing cities facilitated the accumulation and distribution of goods, services, and cultural amenities (礼节) but also magnified problems of poverty, disease, crime, and political corruption. Massive inflows of immigrants and the rise of a new class of managers and professionals shook the foundations of old social classes. And the depression that crippled the nation in the l890s made many leading citizens realize what working people had known for some time; the central promise of American life was not being kept; equality of opportunity — whether economic, political, or social — was a myth. Progressives tried to resolve these problems by organizing ideas and actions around three basic themes. First, they sought to end abuses of power. Second, Progressives aimed to replace corrupt power with the power of reformed institutions such as schools, charities, medical clinics, and the family. Third, Progressives wanted to apply principles of science and efficiency on a nationwide scale to all economic, social, and political institutions, to minimize social and economic disorder and to establish cooperation, especially between business and government, that would end wasteful competition and labor conflict. Befitting their name, Progressives had strong faith in the ability of humankind to create a better world. More than ever before, Americans looked to government as an agent of the people that could and should intervene m social and economic relations to protect the common good and substitute public interest for self-interest.

单选题The hotel forbids visitors ______ overnight.

单选题 {{I}} Questions 14 to 17 are based on the following passage. At the end of the passage, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the passage.{{/I}}

单选题Great as Newton was, many of his ideas ______ today and are being modified by the work of scientists of our time.[A] are to challenge[B] may be challenged[C] have been challenged[D] are challenging

单选题A study has been conducted on public opinion on the use of animals in research. Most—7 in 10—Swedes indicate that the use of animals in research is acceptable for medical research aimed at finding cures for diseases. Young people are most negative. The findings indicate that although most people spontaneously think of medical research when they hear the term "animal experiments", many respondents also associate it with makeup and hygiene products. 3 in 10 respondents believe that cosmetics are tested on animals in Sweden, even though this has been banned since 2004. Among the 30% of respondents who find animal experiments to be unacceptable in medical research aimed at finding cures for disease, nearly one third respond that some animal experiments could, nevertheless, be acceptable in certain situations. The survey shows that 7 in 10 Swedes can accept the use of animals in medical research if its aim is to acquire more knowledge about diseases and how they can be prevented and cured. This ratio is the same as that reported in a 1992 study, when attitudes of Swedes towards laboratory animals were last measured. Vetenskap & Allmainhet (Public and Science) has conducted the study on behalf of the Swedish Research Council. The opinion survey describes how the public views the use of laboratory animals, both in general and relation to medical objectives. A sample including just over 1000 individuals representing the national Swedish population aged 16 years and older was surveyed in January 2008. Some of the questions were given only to part of the group.

单选题The policemen went into action ______ they heard the alarm.

单选题The President followed historical ______ in forming the Cabinet.

单选题According to the author, why Odyssey has always been more popular than the Iliad?

单选题"Did the audience participate in the play?" "Yes, those actors ______ to involve the audience. " A. whom it was the function B. of whom the function was C. whose function it was D. whose were the function

单选题{{B}}TEXT D{{/B}} We might marvel at the progress made in every field of study, but the methods of testing a person's knowledge and ability remain as primitive as ever they were. It really is extraordinary that after all these years, educationists have still failed to device anything more efficient and reliable than examinations. For all the pious claim that examinations text what you know, it is common knowledge that they more often do the exact opposite. They may be a good means of testing memory, or the knack of working rapidly under extreme pressure, but they can tell you nothing about a person's true ability and aptitude. As anxiety-makers, examinations are second to none. That is because so much depends on them. They are the mark of success of failure in our society. Your whole future may be decided in one fateful day. It doesn't matter that you weren't feeling very well, or that your mother died. Little things like that don't count: the exam goes on. No one can give of his best when he is in mortal terror, or after a sleepless night, yet this is precisely what the examination system expects him to do. The moment a child begins school, he enters a world of vicious competition where success and failure are clearly defined and measured. Can we wonder at the increasing number of "drop-outs": young people who are written off as utter failures before they have even embarked on a career? Can we be surprised at the suicide rate among students? A good education should, among other things, train you to think for yourself. The examination system does anything but that. What has to be learnt is rigidly laid down by a syllabus, so the student is encouraged to memorize. Examinations do not motivate a student to read widely; but to restrict his reading; they do not enable him to seek more and more knowledge, but induce cramming. They lower the standards of teaching, for they deprive the teacher of all freedoms. Teachers themselves are often judged by examination results and instead of teaching their subjects, they are reduced to training their students in exam techniques which they despise. The most successful candidates are not always the best educated; they are the best trained in the technique of working under duress. The results on which so much depends are often nothing more than a subjective assessment by some anonymous examiner. Examiners are only human. They get tired and hungry; they make mistakes. Yet they have to mark stacks of hastily scrawled scripts in a limited amount of time. They work under the same sort of pressure as the candidates. And their word carries weight. After a judge's decision you have the right of appeal, but not after an examiner's. There must surely be many simpler and more effective ways of assessing a person's true abilities. Is it cynical to suggest that examinations are merely a profitable business for the institutions that run them? This is what it boils ~down to in the last analysis. The best comment on the system is this illiterate message recently scrawled on a wall: I were a teenage drop-out and now I are a teenage millionaire.

单选题It's late; I think I must ______ now.

单选题That the author mentions the old Romans is ______.

单选题Every government reform concerning taxes or fees in recent years has given rise to fierce debate in the media and on the Internet. The latest proposed reform of vehicle tax is no exception. The National People's Congress reviewed proposals on vehicle tax late October. Tax would be based on emissions, or engine size, according to the bill. It suggested raising tax on all vehicles with engines bigger than 1.6 liters. This would mean most car owners would have to pay more once the bill becomes law. Xinhua News Agency has led criticism of the bill. It has published three articles quoting experts questioning the motives and effectiveness of the proposed tax hike. Officials from the Ministry of Finance have said that the tax rise is aimed at encouraging the use of smaller, less-polluting automobiles. They also say that it aims to redistribute wealth. Some support the proposals for they believe by collecting more tax from rich people, the reform could redistribute wealth to some degree. Firstly, if taxes-for large, luxury vehicles increase dramatically but remain the same or lower for smaller vehicles, then naturally people would start buying smaller cars. This helps reduce automobile emissions and leads to a cleaner environment. Secondly, the additional tax revenue could be used to improve benefits for people on lower incomes, to create more jobs and to provide .better education for children from poorer families. This would help them have a better future and would redistribute wealth in society. Finally, automobile consumption in China, especially in large cities, is getting out of hand. Too many cars create serious problems such as pollution, traffic congestion and accidents. Something has to be done to control the number of cars. Heavier taxes would be very effective. Other people disagree with the proposals, for they think that it seems as though the only aim to the tax reform is to increase income for the government. For the first place, compared with the serious wealth gap in Chinese society today, the amount of tax collected on vehicles will make almost no difference in terms of distribution of wealth. Billionaires can buy as many luxury cars as they want but poor people still can't afford the smallest of cars. Secondly, the majority of privately-owned vehicles in China are in the 1.6 to 2 liter range. This is the most common and economical size for a family car, and is much less polluting than luxury vehicles. However, the new law would almost double the tax levied on these cars. This would not encourage people to buy smaller cars. Finally, the new law does not state where and how the additional tax income from vehicle taxes would be used. We don't know if the funds will be used to improve benefits for lower-income people, or for other social causes.

单选题AIDS and cancers are maladies that ______humanity.[A] inflict[B] addict[C] afflict[D] reflect

单选题The girl agreed to marry the young man ______ that he bought a car for her.

单选题{{B}}TEXT A{{/B}} The American baby boom after the war made unconvincing U.S. advice to poor countries that they restrain their births. However, there has hardly been a year since 1957 in which birth rates have not fallen in the United States and other rich countries, and in 1976 the fall was especially sharp. Both former East Germany and former West Germany have fewer births than they have deaths, and the United States is only temporarily able to avoid this condition because the children of the baby boom are now an exceptionally large group of married couples. It is true that Americans do not typically plan their births to set an example for developing nations. We are more affected by women's liberation: once women see interesting and well-paid jobs and careers available, they are less willing to provide free labor for child raising. From costing nothing, children suddenly come to seem impossibly expensive. And to the high cost of children are added the uncertainties introduced by divorce, couples are increasingly unwilling to subject children to the terrible experience of marital breakdown and themselves to the difficulty of raising a child alone. These circumstances—women working outside the home and the instability of marriage—tend to spread with industrial society and they will affect more and more countries during the remainder of this century. Along with them goes social mobility, ambition to rise in the urban world, a main factor in bringing down the births in Europe in the nineteenth century. Food shortage will happen again when the reserves resulting from the good harvests of 1976 and 1977 have been consumed. Urbanization is likely to continue with the cities of the developing nations struggling under the weight of twice their present populations by the year 2000. The presently rich countries are approaching a stable population largely because of the changed place of women? and they incidentally are setting an example of restraint to the rest of the world. Industrial society will spread to the poor countries and aspirations will exceed resources. All this leads to a population in the twenty-first century that is smaller than was feared a few years ago. For those anxious to see world population brought under control the news is encouraging.