单选题According to the passage, "painting your house" in the first sentence refers to______.

单选题The highest flood referred to in the passage was about ______.

单选题People's attitude toward drugs has become to resemble an emotional roller coaster, careening wildly from dizzy heights of pharmacologic faith to gloomy terror over drug hazards. A host of dreaded killers that had tyrannized the world for centuries can now be cured. That is a cause for some to regard drugs as "miraculous". On the other hand, there are hundreds of pitifully deformed babies born of mothers who had taken thalidomide — the very thought of them causes terror. What is the sensible attitude toward drugs? I think the first thing to think about is the differences between drugs and wonder drugs. The antibiotics, such as penicillin, can really cure certain bacterial diseases. On the other hand, the major diseases threatening Americans today are cancer, stroke, hypertension, coronary disease, arthritis and psychoses. Against them, the doctor's bag of tricks is limited. He has no wonder drug. Of course, many patients suffering from these illnesses can be improved by taking drugs and a few can be dramatically helped. But no drug has cured a single case of schizophrenia or rheumatoid arthritis, in the way that penicillin can cure pneumonia or meningococcal meningitis. So the first important lesson is not to expect too much from drugs. Too many patients exert unholy pressures on doctors to prescribe for every symptom, even when such treatment is unwarranted or dangerous. Unfortunately, the medical profession is guilty of some complicity here. The patient who demands a shot of penicillin for every sniffle and sneeze may be given the injection by a reluctant physician because he is certain that if he does not, the patient will search until he or she finds a doctor who will. More important, the physician is apt to be a willing collaborator in over-medication because he, too, has been oversold on drugs. He is rarely at a loss for a remedy that might be just what the patient needs. Doctors want their patients to get well. They also derive feelings of power and ego-satisfaction from the ability to prescribe the latest drugs. At the other extreme is the patient who is suspicious of all medications. In the category are the patients who never take an aspirin tablet because they believe that "every aspirin you take leaves a scar on the lining of your stomach". Without doubt, such ill-advised behavior is at times traceable to lurid accounts of drug dangers. Not long ago, when one antidepressant drug was temporarily withdrawn from the market by the Food and Drug Administration, radio and television stations in New York carried stories about that. Patients were advised by commentators not to take any medication at all. The resulting hysteria in hundreds of patients was as real as it was predictable.

单选题Opinion polls are now beginning to show a reluctant consensus that, whoever is to blame and whatever happens from now on, high unemployment is probably here to stay. This means we shall have to find ways of sharing the available employment more widely. But we need to go further. We must ask some fundamental questions about the future of work. Should we continue to treat employment as the norm? Should we not rather encourage many other ways for self-respecting people to work? Should we not create conditions in which many of us can work for ourselves, rather than for an employer? Should we not aim to revive the household and the neighbourhood, as well as the factory and the office, as centres of production and work? The industrial age has been the only period of human history in which most people's work has taken the form of jobs. The industrial age may now be coming to an end, and some of the changes in work patterns which it brought may have to be reversed. This seems a daunting thought. But, in fact, it could offer the prospect of a better future for work. Universal employment, as its history shows, has not meant economic freedom. Employment became widespread when the enclosures of the 17th and 18th centuries made many people dependent on paid work by depriving them of the use of the land, and thus of the means to provide a living for themselves. Then the factory system destroyed the cottage industries and removed work from people's homes. Later, as transport improved, first by rail and then by road, people commuted longer distances to their places of employment until, eventually, many people's work lost all connection with their home lives and the places in which they lived. Meanwhile, employment put women at a disadvantage. In pre-industrial times, men and women had shared the productive work of the household and village community. Now it became customary for the husband to go out to paid employment, leaving the unpaid work of the home and family to his wife. Tax and benefit regulations still assume this norm today, and restrict more flexible sharing of work roles between the sexes. It was not only women whose work status suffered. As employment became the dominant form of work, young people and old people were excluded—a problem now, as more teenagers become frustrated at school and more retired people want to live active lives. All this may now have to change. The time has certainly come to switch some effort and resources away from the utopian goal of creating jobs for all, to the urgent practical task of helping many people to manage without full-time jobs.

单选题Whatisthemainproblemcausedbytheusualwayofplowing?A.Thecrop'sbloomingperiodisdelayed.B.Therootsofcropsarecutoff.C.Thetopsoilisseriouslydamaged.D.Thegrowthofweedsisaccelerated.

单选题Whereispopulationgrowthhappening?A．Inallcountriesintheworld.B．Inonlyafewcountries.C．Inmostcountries.D．Mainlyindevelopedcountries.

单选题What were Helen's feelings about the move from London to Stretton?

单选题The function of legal systems, according to the passage, is ______.

单选题 {{I}}Questions 11～13 are based on the following conversation between Professor Williams and his student on Japanese art. You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 11～13.{{/I}}

单选题The word "acquiesce" in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.

单选题Washington D.C. is named ______. A. after the U.S. President George Washington B. after Christopher Columbus C. after both George Washington and Christopher Columbus D. after the U.S. scientist George Washington

单选题Conventional wisdom about conflict seems pretty much cut and dried. Too little conflict breeds apahty and stagnation. Too much conflict leads to divisiveness and hostility. Moderate levels of conflict, however, can spark creativity and motivate people in a healthy and competitive way. Recent research by Professor Charles R. Schwenk, however, suggests that the optimal level of conflict may be more complex to determine than these simple generalizations. He studied perceptions of conflict among a sample of executives. Some of the executives worked for profit seeking organizations and other for not-for-profit organizations. Somewhat surprisingly, Schwenk found that opinions about conflict varied systematically as a function of the type of organization. Specifically, managers in not-for-profit organizations strongly believed that conflict was beneficial to their organizations and that it promoted higher quality decision-making than might be achieved in the absence of conflict. Managers of for-profit organizations saw a different picture. They believed that conflict generally was damaging and usually led to poor-quality decision-making in their organizations. Schwenk interpreted these results in terms of the criteria for effective decision-making suggested by the executives. In the profit-seeking organizations, decision-making effectiveness was most often assessed in financial terms. The executives believed that consensus rather than conflict enhanced financial indicators. In the not-for-profit organizations, decision-making effectiveness was defined from the perspective of satisfying constituents. Given the complexities and ambiguities associated with satisfying many diverse constituents, the executives perceived that conflict led to more considered and acceptable decisions.

单选题The world seems increasingly divided into those who favor genetically modified (GM) foods and those who fear them. Advocates assert that growing genetically altered crops can be kinder to the environment and that eating foods from those plants is perfectly safe. And, they say, genetic engineering—which can induce plants to grow in poor soils or to produce more nutritious foods—will soon become an essential tool for helping to feed the world's burgeoning population. Skeptics contend that GM crops could pose unique risks to the environment and to health—risks too troubling to accept placidly. Taking that view, many European countries are restricting the planting and importation of GM agricultural products. Much of the debate hinges on perceptions of safety. But what exactly does recent scientific research say about the hazards? Advocates of GM, or transgenic, crops say the plants will benefit the environment by requiring fewer toxic pesticides than conventional crops. But critics fear the potential risks and wonder how big the benefits really are. "We have so many questions about these plants," remarks Guenther Stotzky, a soil microbiologist at New York University. "There's a lot we don't know and need to find out. " As GM crops multiply in the landscape, unprecedented numbers of researchers have started fanning into the fields to get the missing information. Some of their recent findings are reassuring; others suggest a need for vigilance. Every year U.S. growers shower crops with an estimated 971 million pounds of pesticides, mostly to kill insects, weeds and fungi. But pesticide residues linger on crops and the surrounding soil, leaching into groundwater, running into streams and getting gobbled up by wildlife. The constant chemical trickle is an old worry for environmentalists. In the mid-1990s agribusinesses began advertising GM seeds that promised to reduce a farmer's use of toxic pesticides. Today most GM crops—mainly soybean, corn, cotton and canola—contain genes enabling them to either resist insect pests or tolerate weed-killing herbicides. The insect-resistant varieties make their own insecticide, a property meant to reduce the need for chemical sprays. The herbicidetolerant types survive when exposed to broad-spectrum weed killers, potentially allowing farmers to forgo more poisonous chemicals that target specific weed species. Farmers like to limit the use of more hazardous pesticides when they can, but GM crops also hold appeal because they simplify operations (reducing the frequency and complexity of pesticide applications) and, in some cases, increase yields. But confirming environmental benefit is tricky. Virtually no peer-reviewed papers have addressed such advantages, which would be expected to vary from plant to plant and place to place. Some information is available, however. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmers who plant herbicidetolerant crops do not necessarily use fewer sprays, but they do apply a more benign mix of chemicals. For instance, those who grow herbicide-tolerant soybeans typically avoid the most noxious weed killer, turning instead to glyphosate herbicides, which are less toxic and degrade more quickly. Insect-resistant crops also bring mixed benefits. To date, insect resistance has been provided by a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This gene directs cells to manufacture a crystalline protein that is toxic to certain insects—especially caterpillars and beetles that gnaw on crops—but does not harm other organisms. The toxin gene in different strains of Bacillus. thuringiensis can affect different mixes of insects, so seed makers can select the version that seems best suited to a particular crop. Defining the environmental risks of GM crops seems even harder than calculating their benefits. At the moment, public attention is most trained on Bt crops, thanks to several negative studies. Regulators, too, are surveying the risks intensely. This spring or summer the EPA is expected to issue major new guidelines for Bt crops, ordering seed producers to show more thoroughly that the crops can be planted safely and monitored in farm fields. In the face of mounting consumer concern, scientists are stepping up research into the consequences of Bt and other GM crops. Among their questions: How do Bt crops affect "nontarget" organisms—the innocent bugs, birds, worms and other creatures that happen to pass by the modified plants? Will GM crops pollinate nearby plants, casting their genes into the wild to create superweeds that grow unchecked? What are the odds that the genetically engineered traits will lose their ability to protect against insects and invasive weeds, leaving GM plants suddenly vulnerable?

单选题While sleeping, some water mammals tend to keep half awake in order to ______.

单选题PaulStraussmann,retiredvicepresidentofXerox,indicatesinhisbookinformationPayoffthat"almosthalfoftheU.S.informationworkersareinexecutive,managerial,administrativeandprofessionalpositions."Hefurtherstatesthat"managersandprofessionalsspendmorethanhalfoftheirtimeincommunicatingwitheachother."Inotherwords,peopleareacorporation'smostexpensiveresource.Foratypicaloffice,over90percentoftheoperatingbudgetisforsalaries,benefitsandoverhead.Withthisinvestment,isitanywonderthatmanagersarefocusingmoreandmoreattentiononemployeeproductivity?Theyrealizethatthepaperjunglecannotbetamedsimplybyhiringmorepeople.Toreceiveareturnontheirinvestment,wisecorporateexecutiveofficersarerealizingwhatindustrialistsandagriculturistslearnedlongago—efficienttoolsareessentialforincreasedproductivity.Adirectrelationshipexistsbetweenefficientflowofinformationandthequalityandspeedoftheoutputoftheendproduct.Forthosecompaniesusingtechnology,theperdocumentcostofinformationprocessingonlyafractionofwhatitwasafewyearsago.Thedecreasingcostofcomputersandperipherals(equipmenttiedtothecomputer)willcontinuetomaketechnologyacost-effectivetoolinthefuture.AnexampleofthistypeofsavingsisillustratedinthecaseoftheWesternDivisionofGeneralTelephoneandElectronicsCompany(GTE).Bymakingaonetimeinvestmentof10milliontoautomateitsfacilities,managementestimatesanannualsavingof8.5millionforthecompany.Thissavingsisgainedmainlythroughtheeliminationofsupportpeopleonceneededforproposalprojects.Throughatelecommunicationsnetworkthatsupports150computerterminalswithgoodgraphicscapabilities,theengineerswhoconceptualizetheprojectsarenowdirectparticipants.Theyusethegraphicscapacitiesofthecomputerratherthanrelyondrafterstopreparedrawings,theyentertheirowntextratherthanemploytypists,andtheyusethenetworktotrackprojectprogressratherthanconductingmeetings.

单选题 Questions 14 to 16 are based on a talk introducing American adult education programs. You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 14 to 16.

单选题Because Johnson was very strong physically he could ______.

单选题What is "count'(paragraph 5, sentence 6) most likely to mean?

单选题Many difficulties have ______ as a result of the change over to a new type of fuel.