单选题In a perfectly free and open market economy, the type of employer—government or private-should have little or no impact on the earnings differentials between women and men. However, if there is discrimination against one sex, it is unlikely that the degree of discrimination by government and private employers will be the same. Differences in the degree of discrimination would result in earnings differentials associated with the type of employer. Given the nature of government and private employers, it seems most likely that discrimination by private employers would be greater. Thus, one would expect that, if women are being discriminated against, government employment would have a positive effect on women' s earnings as compared with their earnings from private employment. The results of a study by Fuchs support this assumption. Fuchs's results suggest that the earnings of women in an industry composed entirely of government employees would be 14.6 percent greater than the earnings of women in an industry composed exclusively of private employees. Other things being equal. In addition, both Fuchs and Sanborn have suggested that the effect of discrimination by consumers on the earnings of self-employed women may be greater than the effect of either government or private employer discrimination on the earnings of women employees. To test this hypothesis, Brown selected a large sample of white male and female workers from the 1970 Census and divided them into three categories: private employees, government employees, and self-employed. (Black workers were excluded from the sample to avoid picking up earnings differentials that were the result of racial disparities. ) Brown's research design controlled for education, labor force participation, mobility, motivation, and age in order to eliminate these factors as explanations of the study's results. Brown's results suggest that men and women are not treated the same by employers and consumers. For men, self-employment is the highest earnings category, with private employment next, and government lowest. For women, this order is reversed. One can infer from Brown's results that consumers discriminate against self-employed women. In addition, self-employed women may have more difficulty than men in getting good employees and may encounter discrimination from suppliers and from financial institutions. Brown's results are clearly consistent with Fuchs's argument that discrimination by consumers has a greater impact on the earnings of women than does discrimination by either government or private employers. Also, the fact that women do better working for government than for private employers implies that private employers axe discriminating against women. The results do not prove that government does not discriminate against women. They do, however, demonstrate that if government is discriminating against women, its discrimination is not having as much effect on women's earnings as is discrimination in the private sector.

单选题 The celebration of the New Year is the oldest one of all holidays. It was first {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}in{{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}Babylon about 4,000 years ago. New Year's Day is an{{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}national holiday, and banks and offices will be closed. Many families have New year's Day{{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}. Traditionally, it was thought that it could{{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}the luck they would have {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}the coming year by{{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}they did or ate on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become common for{{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}}to celebrate the first few minutes of a{{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}} {{/U}}new year in the{{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}with the family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night after the ringing of a new year. It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring{{U}} {{U}} 11 {{/U}} {{/U}}good luck or bad luck to the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor{{U}} {{U}} 12 {{/U}} {{/U}}to be a tall dark-haired man. Traditional New Year's{{U}} {{U}} 13 {{/U}} {{/U}}are also thought to bring luck. People in many parts of the US celebrate the New Year by{{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}} {{/U}}black-eyed peas and cabbage. Black-eyed peas have been considered good luck in many cultures. Cabbage leaves are considered a{{U}} {{U}} 15 {{/U}} {{/U}}of prosperity, being{{U}} {{U}} 16 {{/U}} {{/U}}of paper currency. Other traditions of the season include the making of New Year's resolutions. That tradition also{{U}} {{U}} 17 {{/U}} {{/U}}back to the early Babylonians. Popular modern resolutions might include the{{U}} {{U}} 18 {{/U}} {{/U}}to lose weight or quit smoking. The song, "Auld Lang Syne", is sung at the{{U}} {{U}} 19 {{/U}} {{/U}}of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the New Year. "Auld Lang Syne" literally{{U}} {{U}} 20 {{/U}} {{/U}}"yearning for the old days."

单选题Few people, except conspiracy theorists, would have expected so public a spat as the one this week between the two ringmasters of Formula One (F1) motor racing. Bernie Ecclestone. a very wealthy British motor sport entrepreneur, is at odds. it would seem. with his longstanding associate. Max Mosley, president of Fl's governing body, the Federation International de l'Automobile (FIA). On the surface, the dispute has broken out over what looked like a done deal. Last June. the FIA voted unanimously to extend Mr. Ecclestone's exclusive fights to stage and broadcast Fl racing, which expire in 2010, by t00 years. For these favourable rights, Mr. Ecelestone was to pay the FIA a mere $360 million in total, and only $60 million immediately. The FIA claims that Mr. Ecclestone has not made the payment of $60 million, a claim denied by Mr. Ecclestone. who insists the money has been placed in an escrow account. Mr. Mosley has asked Mr. Ecclestone to pay up or risk losing the deal for the Fl rights after 2010. perhaps m a group of car makers that own Fl teams. For his part. Mr. Ecclestone has, rather theatrically, accused Mr. Mosley of "trying to do some extortion". What is going on? Only three things can be stated with confidence. First. the idea that Mr. Ecclestone cannot find the 560 million is ridiculous: his family trust is not exactly short of cash. having raised around $2 billion in the past two years. Second. it would not be in Mr. Ecclestone's long-term financial interest to discard a deal which could only enhance the value of his family's remaining 50% stake in SLEC. the holding company for the group of companies that runs the commercial side of F1. Third. the timing of the dispute is very interesting. Why? Because the other.50% stake in SLEC. owned by EM. TV. a debt-ridden German media company, is up for sale. EM. TV badly needs to sell this stake in the near future to keep its bankers at dead end. The uncertainty created by the dispute between Mr. Ecclestone and Mr. Mosley might depress the value of EM. TV's holding. Could that work to Mr. Ecctestone's advantage? Quite possibly. The lower the value of EM. TV's stake, the higher the relative value of an option Mr. Ecclestone holds to sell a further 25% of SLEC m EM. TV for around $1 billion--and the better the deal Mr. Ecclestone might be able to extract for surrendering the option. Whoever buys EM. TV's stake in SLEC will have to negotiate with Mr. Ecclestone over this instrument. The Economist understands that Mr. Ecclestone has the fight to veto a plan proposed last December by Kireh, a privately owned German media group, to buy half of EM. TV's holding for $550 million. In the coming weeks, Mr. Ecclestone will doubtless be deploying his formidable negotiating skills to best advantage. It would be hasty to bet against his securing a good deal out of EM. TV's difficulties. His dispute with the F1A may then be easily resolved. As usual, he holds all the cards.

单选题The attitudes of FBI and Burke towards the reliability of the no-fly list are

单选题 Niagara is an Indian word which means "roaring water". Indeed, the roar of the falling water of Niagara can be heard {{U}}(1) {{/U}} a distance of 5 kms. Imagine {{U}}(2) {{/U}} of water flowing over a cliff 90 feet high and you will get an idea of that terrible noise. And {{U}}(3) {{/U}} tremendous power the Niagara River has! It moves big rocks about and throws them into the boiling water below. {{U}}(4) {{/U}} ago an old ship without single person on board was put in mid-stream. It sailed down the river {{U}}(5) {{/U}} a toy boat with great speed. Having reached the fall, the ship dropped into the boiling water, never {{U}}(6) {{/U}} again. There were some people who wanted to become famous {{U}}(7) {{/U}} swimming across the most dangerous part of the Niagara River. One of them was Captain Webb who said that he would try to swim cross the Niagara, which {{U}}(8) {{/U}} crowds of people. On the evening of July 1st, 1893, Captain Webb came up to the river and {{U}}(9) {{/U}} a plunge. His having jumped into the water {{U}}(10) {{/U}} many people with horror. Soon, he appeared in the middle of the river. A loud shout went up from the crowd, but a moment later there was {{U}}(11) {{/U}} silence. The man had disappeared under the water. Thousands of eyes {{U}}(12) {{/U}} on the river, but the man was drowned. In 1902, a certain Miss Taylor decided to go over the falls in a barrel. There were different kinds of pillows inside the barrel to prevent her from {{U}}(13) {{/U}}. Having examined the barrel carefully, Miss Taylor got in. The barrel was closed and then {{U}}(14) {{/U}} into the water. Having reached the falls, it overturned and was shot down by the terrible {{U}}(15) {{/U}} of the water. When the barrel was finally caught and opened, Miss Taylor came out alive {{U}}(16) {{/U}} with a frightened look in her eyes. Once a crowd of visitors saw a rope {{U}}(17) {{/U}} over from one bank of the river to the other. Then they saw a man {{U}}(18) {{/U}} the rope. The man was an actor, Blondin {{U}}(19) {{/U}}. He managed to cross Niagara Falls on a tight rope. The people on the bank were surprised at his {{U}}(20) {{/U}} it so well.

单选题Finding the perfect pair of jeans usually requires patience, luck and several frustrating hours behind a changing room curtain. (1) the process could soon become much simpler (2) to a revolutionary machine which helps women choose the right size, shape and cut. Previously (3) only in high-end shops, a 3D body scanner is being trialed on the high street—and promises to (4) shoppers to denim that fits and flatters. The ￡35,000 machine could be the (5) for women who want to follow Carol Vorderman's lead with jeans that suit their shape and flatter their curves, but who don't have time to try on dozens of pairs. Using digital white light, the scanner takes (6) from 16 angles and creates a (7) of the customer's body shape in seconds. (8) the help of shop (9) , the image can then be used to identify jeans that are the (10) size and style. The scanner, which is around 10ft tall and 5ft wide, is already in use at the Manchester Arndale shopping centre and is being (11) by fashion chain Peacocks, with other high street stores (12) to follow suit. Debs Hatfield, style adviser at Manchester Arndale, said, " (13) you can find the best fitting jeans for your body shape, you must have a clear understanding of what your body type (14) is. That in itself is no easy task since a lot of us aren't a clear-cut type, but often a (15) of two or more. " News of the device comes as research by Peacocks found 60 million pairs of jeans are stashed away in wardrobes (16) the country and never worn. The (17) of 2,000 shoppers found that one in five women owns six pairs of jeans they no longer wear (18) to weight loss or gain. Jane Hotz, director of ladieswear for Peacocks, added, " (19) the perfect pair of jeans is one of the most stressful shopping trips a woman has to (20) , but it's also one of life's great highs when you find jeans that fit great and look fantastic. /

单选题Say the word bacteria, and most folks conjure up images of a nasty germ like staphylococcus or salmonella that can make you really sick. But most bacteria aren't bad for you. In fact, consuming extra amounts of some bacteria can actually promote good health. These beneficial bacteria are available without a prescription in drug and health-food stores and in foods like yogurt. So far, the best results have been seen in the treatment of diarrhea, particularly in children. But re searchers are also looking into the possibility that beneficial bacteria may thwart vaginal infections in women, prevent some food allergies in children and lessen symptoms of Crohn's disease, a relatively rare but painful gastrointestinal disorder. So where have these good germs been lurking all your life? In your intestines, especially the lower section called the colon, which harbors at least 400 species of bacteria. Which ones you have depends largely on your environment and diet. An abundance of good bacteria in the colon generally crowds out stray bad bacteria in your food. But if the bad outnumber the good—for example, after antibiotic treatment for a sinus or an ear infection, which kills normal intestinal germs as well—the result can be diarrhea. For generations, people have restored the balance by eating yogurt, buttermilk or other products made from fermented milk. But nowadays, you can also down a few pills that contain freeze-dried germs. These preparations are called probiotics to distinguish them from antibiotics. Unfortunately, you can't always be sure that the bacteria in the products you buy are the same strains as those listed on the label or even that they're still alive. Probiotics are usually sensitive to both heat and moisture. Among the most promising and most thoroughly researched probiotics is the GG strain of Laetobacillus, discovered by Dr. Sherwood Gorbach and biochemist Barry Goldin, both at Tufts University School of Medicine. L-GG, as it's called, has been used to treat traveler's diarrhea and intestinal upsets caused by antibiotics. Even more intriguing, L- GG also seems to work against some viruses, including rotavirus, one of the most common causes of diarrhea in children in the U. S. and around the world. Here the effect is indirect. Somehow L-GG jump-starts the immune system into recognizing the threat posed by the virus. Pediatricians at Johns Hopkins are studying a different bug, the Bb-12 strain of Bifidobacterium, which was discovered by researchers at CHR Hansen Biosystems. Like L-GG, Bb-12 stimulates the immune system. For reasons that are not dear, infants who are breast-fed have large amounts of bifidobacteria in their intestines. They also have fewer intestinal upsets. Dr. Jose Saavedra and colleagues at Hopkins have shown that Bb-12 prevents several types of diarrhea, including that caused by r0tavirus, in hospitalized infants as young as four months. It has also been used to cure diarrhea in children of all ages.

单选题 General Wesley Clark recently discovered a hole in his personal security—his cell phone. A resourceful blogger, hoping to call attention to the black market in phone records, made his privacy-rights experiment on the general in January. For $ 89.95, he purchased, no questions asked, the records of 100 cell-phone calls that Clark had made. (He revealed the trick to Clark soon after.) "It's like someone taking your wallet or knowing who paid you money", Clark says. "It's no great discovery, but it just doesn't feel right." Since then, Clark has become a vocal supporter of the movement to outlaw the sale of cell-phone records to third parties. The U.S.'s embrace of mobile phones—about 65% of the population are subscribers—has far outpaced efforts to keep what we do with them private. That has cleared the way for a cottage industry devoted to exploiting phone numbers, calling records and even the locations of unsuspecting subscribers for profit. A second business segment is developing applications like anonymous traffic monitoring and employee tracking. Most mobile phones are powerful tracking devices, with global-positioning systems (GPS) inside. Companies like Xora combine GPS data with information about users to create practical applications. One similar technology allows rental-car companies to track their cars with GPS. California imposed restrictions on the practice last year after a company fined a customer $ 3,000 for crossing into Nevada, violating the rental contract. Other applications have not yet been challenged. For about $ 26 a month per employee, a boss can set up a "geofence" to track how workers use company-issued cell phones or even if they go home early. About 1,000 employers use the service, developed by Xora with Sprint-Nextel. The companies selling those services insist that they care about privacy. AirSage, for example, gets data from wireless carriers to monitor drivers' cell-phone signals and map them over road grids. That lets it see exactly where gridlock is forming and quickly alert drivers to delays and alternative routes. The data it gets from wireless carrier companies are aggregated from many users and scrambled, so no one can track an individual phone. "No official can use the data to give someone a speeding ticket", says Cy Smith, CEO of AirSage. Privacy advocates say that even with those safeguards, consumers should have a choice about how their information is used. Some responsibility, of course, rests with the individual. Since his data were revealed, Clark took his mobile number off his business cards. Wireless carriers also recommend that customers avoid giving out their mobile numbers online. But Clark insists that the law should change to protect our privacy, no matter how much technology allows us to connect." One thing we value in this country", he says, "is the freedom to be left alone."

单选题The sentence "good looks cut both ways for women" ( Line 1, Paragraph 5 ) means that

单选题Soon after his appointment as secretary-general of the United Nations in 1997, Kofi Annan lamented that he was being accused of failing to reform the world body in six weeks. "But what are you complaining about.9" asked the Russian ambassador. "You've had more time than God." Ah, Mr. Annan quipped hack, "but God had one big advantage. He worked alone without a General Assembly, a Security Council and [all] the committees. " Recounting that anecdote to journalists in New York this week, Mr. Annan sought to explain why a draft declaration on UN reform and tackling world poverty, clue to be endorsed by some 150 heads of state and government at a world summit in the city on September 14th - 16th, had turned into such a pale shadow of the proposals that he himself had put forward in March. "With 191 member states", he sighed, "it's not easy to get an agreement." Most countries put the blame on the United States, in the form of its abrasive new ambassador, John Bolton, for insisting at the end of August on hundreds of last-minute amendments and a line-by-line renegotiation of a text most others had thought was almost settled. But a group of middle-income developing nations, including Pakistan, Cuba, Iran, Egypt, Syria and Venezuela, also came up with plenty of last-minute changes of their own. The risk of having no document at all, and thus nothing for the world's leaders to come to New York for, was averted only by marathon all-night and aii-weekend talks. The35-page final document is not wholly devoid of substance. It calls for the creation of a Peacebuilding Commission to supervise the reconstruction of countries after wars; the replacement of the discredited UN Commission on Human Rights by a supposedly tougher Human Rights Council; the recognition of a new "responsibility to protect" people from genocide and other atrocities when national authorities fail to take action, including, if necessary, by force; and an "early" reform of the Security Council. Although much pared down, all these proposals have at least survived. Others have not. Either they proved so contentious that they were omitted altogether, such as the sections on disarmament and non-proliferation and the International Criminal Court, or they were watered down to little more than empty platitudes. The important section on collective security and the use of force no longer even mentions the vexed issue of pre-emptive strikes; meanwhile the section on terrorism condemns it "in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes", but fails to provide the clear definition the Americans wanted. Both Mr. Annan and, more surprisingly, George Bush have nevertheless sought to put a good face on things, with Mr. Annan describing the summit document as "an important step forward" and Mr. Bush saying the UN had taken "the first steps" towards reform. Mr. Annan and Mr. Bolton are determined to go a lot further. It is now up to the General Assembly to flesh out the document's skeleton proposals and propose new ones. But its chances of success appear slim.

单选题Work life extension might be caused by