单选题When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn't biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn't cutting, filing or polishing as many nails as she'd like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $ 50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. "I'm a good economic indicator," she says. "I provide a service that people can do without when they're concerned about saving some dollars. " So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillard's department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. "I don't know if other clients are going to abandon me, too," she says. Even before Alan Greenspan's admission that America's red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year's pace. But don't sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only mildly concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy's long-term prospects even as they do some modest belt-tightening. Consumers say they're not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, "There's a new gold rush happening in the $ 4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses," says broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. "Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three," says John Tealdi, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job. Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldn't mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might see an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattan's hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant used to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.
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单选题According to the author, one will become obsessive-compulsive ______.
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Why does the Foundation concentrate its
support on basic rather than applied research? Basic research is the very heart
of science, and its cumulative product is the capital of scientific progress, a
capital that must be constantly increased as the demands upon it rise. The goal
of basic research is understanding, for its own sake. Understanding of the
structure of the atom or the nerve cell, the explosion of a spiral nebula or the
distribution of cosmic dust, the causes of earthquakes and droughts, or of man
as a behaving creature and of the social forces that are created whenever two or
more human beings come into contact with one another--the scope is staggering,
but the commitment to truth is the same. If the commitment were to a particular
result, conflicting evidence might be overlooked or, with the best will in the
world, simply not appreciated. Moreover, the practical applications of basic
research frequently cannot be anticipated. When Roentgen, the physicist,
discovered X-rays, he had no idea of their usefulness to medicine.
Applied research, undertaken to solve specific practical problems, has an
immediate attractiveness because the results can be seen and enjoyed. For
practical reasons, the sums spent on applied research in any country always far
exceed those for basic research, and the proportions are more unequal in the
less developed countries. Leaving aside the funds devoted to research by
industry--which is naturally far more concerned with applied aspects because
these increase profits quickly--the funds the U.S. Government allots to basic
research currently amount to about 7 percent of its overall research and
development funds. Unless adequate safeguards are provided, applied research
invariably tends to drive out basic. Then, as Dr. Waterman has pointed out,
"Developments will inevitably be undertaken prematurely, career incentives will
gravitate strongly toward applied science, and the opportunities for making
major scientific discoveries will be lost. Unfortunately, pressures to emphasize
new developments, without corresponding emphasis upon pure science tend to
degrade the quality of the nation's technology in the long run, rather than to
improve it."
单选题Mr. Johnson had a terrible cold and could not stop______.
单选题As an on-line narrative, Grammatron is anything but stable because it ______.
单选题The two fanatic Puerto Rican nationalists who tried to assassinate Harry Truman in 1950 attacked him when he was living across the street in Blair House while the White House was being
renovated
.
单选题Glass (1) Since the Bronze Age, about 3000 B. C., glass has been used for making various kinds of objects. It was first made from a mixture of silica, lime, and an alkali such as soda or potash, and these remained the basic ingredients of glass until the development of lead glass in the seventeenth century. (2) When heated the mixture becomes soft and moldable and can be formed by various techniques into a vast array of shapes and sizes. The homogeneous mass thus formed by melting then cools to create glass, but in contrast to most materials formed in this way (metals, for instance), glass lacks the crystalline structure normally associated with solids, and instead retains the random molecular structure of a liquid. In effect, as molten glass cools, it progressively stiffens until rigid, but does so without setting up a network of interlocking crystals customarily associated with that process. This is why glass shatters so easily when dealt a blow. (3) Another unusual feature of glass is the manner in which its viscosity changes as it turns from a cold substance into a hot, ductile liquid. Unlike metals that flow or "freeze" at specific temperatures, glass progressively softens as the temperature rises, going through varying moldable stages until it flows like a thick syrup. Each of these stages allows the glass to be manipulated into various forms, by different techniques, and if suddenly cooled the object retains the shape achieved at that point. Glass is thus open to a greater number of heat-forming techniques than most other materials.
单选题Hydrogeology is the study of water and its properties, including its
______and movement in and through land areas.
A.flow
B.absorption
C.distribution
D.evaporation
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单选题Most banks offer ______ facilities to students, to help them when they run short of money. A. oversight B. overseeing C. overdose D. overdraft
单选题These technological advances in communication have ______ the way people do business. A. revolted B. adopted C. represented D. transformed
单选题The author has ______ out all references to his own family.
单选题Assuming that a constant travel-time budget, geographic constraints and short-term infrastructure constraints persist as fundamental features of global mobility, what long-term results can one expect? In high-income regions, (21) North America, our picture suggests that the share of traffic (22) supplied by buses and automobiles will decline as high-speed transport rises sharply. In developing countries, we (23) the strongest increase to be in the shares first for buses and later for automobiles. Globally, these (24) in bus and automobile transport are partially offsetting. In all regions, the share of low-speed rail transport will probably continue its strongly (25) decline. We expect that throughout the period 1990~2050, the (26) North American will continue to devote most of his or her 1.1-hour travel-time (27) to automobile travel. The very large demand (28) air travel (or high-speed rail travel) that will be manifest in 2050 (29) to only 12 minutes per person a day; a little time goes a long way in the air. In several developing regions, most travel (30) in 2050 will still be devoted to nonmotorized modes. Buses will persist (31) the primary form of motorized transportation in developing countries for decades. (32) important air travel becomes, buses, automobiles and (33) low-speed trains will surely go on serving vital functions. (34) of the super-rich already commute and shop in aircraft, but average people will continue to spend most of their travel time on the (35) .
单选题Brushing removes larger particles, but dentists suggest brushing the back of the tongue as well, where food residues and bacteria ______ .
A. flourish B. collaborate C embark D. congregate
单选题But many in the commission are well aware of such needs, and are {{U}}seeking{{/U}} to address them.
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单选题He fears this month's increased violence may harm Kenya's vital tourist industry, much of which centers on ______ to see its exotic animals. A. sahib B. shamble C. severity D safaris
单选题This teaching method is a______ of many methods which have been used for decades in the country.(2002年厦门大学考博试题)
