单选题Cabinet meetings outside London are rare and reluctant things. Harold Wilson held one in Brighton in 1966, but only because the Labour Party was already there for its annual conference. In 1921 David Lloyd George summoned the Liberals to Inverness because he didn't want to cut short his holiday. Gordon Brown's decision to hold his first cabinet meeting after the summer break in Birmingham, on September 8th, was born of a nobler desire to show the almost nine tenths of Britons who live outside London that they are not ignored. He will have to do better: constitutionally, they are more sidelined now than ever. Many legislatures use their second chamber to strengthen the representation of sparsely populated areas (every American state, from Wyoming to California, gets two votes in the Senate, for example). Britain's House of Lords, most of whose members are appointed supposedly on merit, has the opposite bias. A survey by the New Local Government Network (NLGN), a think-tank, finds that London and two of its neighbouring regions are home to more peers than the rest of Britain combined; even Birmingham, the country's second-largest city, has just one. Oddly, this distortion is partly thanks to reforms that were supposed to make the Lords more representative. By throwing out most of the hereditary peers in 1999, Labour paved the way for a second chamber that was less posh, less white and less male than before. But in booting out the landed gentry, it also ditched many of those who came from the provinces. The Duke of Northumberland (270th in the Sunday Times's " Rich List") may not be a member of a downtrodden minority. But Alnwick Castle, his family pile, is in the North-east region, home to just 2% of the Lords' members now. Geographically speaking, the duke and his fellow toffs were champions of diversity. The government now wants to reintroduce some geographical fairness, but minus dukes. Long-incubated plans to reform the Lords would see it converted during the next parliament into a body that is mainly or entirely elected. A white paper in July outlined various electoral systems, all based on regional or sub-regional constituencies. Some would like to see the seat of government prised out of the capital altogether, though in the past this has normally required a civil war or a plague. Southerners whisper that no one would show up if Parliament were based in a backwater such as Manchester. But many don't now. The NLGN found that peers resident in Northern Ireland vote least often. But next from the bottom are the London-dwellers, who show up for less than a third of the votes on their doorstep. Even the eight who live abroad are more assiduous. The north may seem an awfully long way away, but apparently so is Westminster.

单选题Armstrong's quote is utilized in the last paragraph because______.

单选题Microsoft company in the software world

单选题Directions: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1. It has been almost half a decade since Norman Mailer described leas Vegas in his novel The American Dream. But it {{U}}(1) {{/U}} to be one of the most {{U}}(2) {{/U}} and exhilarating (使人愉快的) holiday destinations in the world. An end-less {{U}}(3) {{/U}} of colorful sights and activities are surrounded by skyscrapers and the magnificent Nevada desert. With {{U}}(4) {{/U}} shopping, luxury spas, five-star dining and some of the most extravagant entertainment, you will {{U}}(5) {{/U}} see, this is a city {{U}}(6) {{/U}} offers an experience like no other. Perhaps the enduring appeal of this " {{U}}(7) {{/U}} capital of the world", though, is that it always has something {{U}}(8) {{/U}} to offer. Recently the Hard Rock Café has been {{U}}(9) {{/U}} up its act, completing with a new 42 000 sq ft venue, 1 000-seater cinema and an "interactive rock wall"-allowing customers the chance to {{U}}(10) {{/U}} images of Hard Rock's collection. City Center is an $ 8.5 billion (￡5.3 billion) complex on the Strip; a place that, in a city already {{U}}(11) {{/U}} with extraordinary casinos (娱乐场) and hotels, stands out from the {{U}}(12) {{/U}} It was the largest privately {{U}}(13) {{/U}} construction project in the US and has three stand-alone hotels, a sprawling shopping and entertainment district and two 37-storey glass towers of {{U}}(14) {{/U}} flats, designed by the likes of Norman Foster. Another Las Vegas {{U}}(15) {{/U}}, Planet Hollywood, has {{U}}(16) {{/U}} with luxury developers to create Westgate Towers--where you could own a piece of the action and a chance to come back to Las Vegas every year. {{U}}(17) {{/U}}, the only thing you'll {{U}}(18) {{/U}} of in Vegas is not knowing which club, restaurant or spa to choose from. But then you can always ask a(n) {{U}}(19) {{/U}} or the concierge--the fantastic thing about this city is that its residents {{U}}(20) {{/U}} it as much as you will.

单选题The divorce rate in Britain has levelled off—to roughly one marriage in three—and shows no sign of reaching the much higher American rate, according to the demographers(人口统计学者) assembled in Bath last week for a conference on the family. There has been no increase in the rate in the last three years and although many expected it to rise a few more percentage points in the next decade, none believed it would reach the 50 percent that exists in America. One reason for the stabilizations of divorce is the reduction in the risk factors—fewer teenagers marrying, fewer early births in marriage, fewer pre-marital(婚前的)conceptions. Another reason which was aired at the annual conference of the British Society for Population Studies, was the increase in cohabitation. Some speakers argued that the increase in cohabitation has meant that marital couples are now much more familiar with each other before marriage and therefore less likely to separate. One out of four couples who marry today have lived together and in the older age groups the proportion is much higher. Some 34 percent of women aged over 25 who marry have cohabited, and over 50 percent of women who are marrying a divorced man or who have been divorced themselves, cohabit before marriage. Cohabitation in Britain, however, is still considerably lower than in many European states and was described by the demographers as "essentially a part of contemporary courtship". Only a small proportion of people who cohabited had children whereas in Sweden some 40 percent of births were now outside formal marriage. The British rate was 13 percent. Kath Kiernan of the Centre for Population Studies noted that the present statistics suggested that there was a marginally higher risk of separation for couples who had cohabited, but this could possibly be explained by the fact that the statistics covered a period when cohabiting had not become as socially acceptable as it was today. A third reason why the demographers thought the divorce rate could stabilize was the economic squeeze(利润等的缩减) and the recession(暴跌), which would mean there was less opportunity to separate because of the lack of housing and employment.

单选题{{B}}Text 4{{/B}} By 1,800 about half the population of Brazil had come from Africa. So had about half the population of Venezuela. So had a smaller but still large part of all the population of Trans-Atlantic republics, whether in North, Central or South Africa, or in the Caribbean islands. It was these men and women of African descent conquered the wilderness of the Americas, clearing and working in countless farms and plantations, founding and opening innumerable mines of iron or precious metals. Harsh and painful as it was, the overseas slave trade (like the not much less painful movement of millions of hungry and jobless men and women from Europe) laid the foundations of American republics. These Africans beyond the seas have their place in the story of Africa (the story of West Africa), for what they attempted and achieved was also a reflection of the strong and independent civilization from which they came. Consider, for example, the heroic and successful struggle for independence conducted by the slaves of the Caribbean land of St. Domingue. In 1789, at the moment of the French Revolution, this French colony in the Caribbean was probably the wealthiest colony in the world. Its tens of thousands of African slave-workers produced enormous quantities of sugar, whole European communities lived off the profits. When news of the Revolution in France reached St. Domingue, these slaves claimed their share in its ideals and benefits. They demanded their freedom. When denied this, they rose in revolt against their masters. In years of hard fighting against large armies sent by France, and afterwards against large armies sent by Britain, these men of St. Domingue won their freedom and founded the Republic of Haiti. Yet more than half these soldiers of freedom had made the "middle passage" across the Atlantic. More than half, in other words, had been born in Africa, had spent their childhood in Africa, and had learned in Africa their respect for freedom; while nearly all the rest were the children of parents or grandparents born in Africa. And they were led by Africans: by men of genius and courage such as Boukman, the unforgettable Toussaint Louverture, and Dessalines. Raised by Toussaint and his Africans, the banner of freedom across the Atlantic was carried from people to people. Many threw off their bondage. Large numbers of men of African origin fought in the armies that made the United States what they are today. It was a general of African descent, Antonio Maceo, who led the military struggle for Cuban independence against Spain in 1868. Like other men of vision, Maceo had no time for racism, for the false idea that one race of men is better or worse than any other. Some of the whites of Cuba disagreed with him. They were Spanish settlers who thought that white was going to be better than black even in an independent Cuba. One day Maceo was approached by a Spanish Cuban who suggested that the regiments of independence army should be divided into whites and non-whites. Maceo made him a reply which became famous in Cuba. "If you were not white," Maceo said to this man, "I would have you shot on the spot. But I do not wish to be accused of being racialist as you are, and so I let you go, but with the warning that I shall not be so patient another time. The revolution has no color."

单选题{{B}}Directions:{{/B}} Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C, and D on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points) Generally speaking, a British is widely regarded as a quiet, shy and conservative person who is{{U}} (1) {{/U}}only among those with whom he is acquainted. When a stranger is at present, he often seems nervous, {{U}}(2) {{/U}}embarrassed. You have to take a commuter train any morning or evening to{{U}} (3) {{/U}}the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or dozing in a corner; hardly anybody talks, since to do so would be considered quite offensive. {{U}}(4) {{/U}}, there is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, {{U}}(5) {{/U}}broken, makes the offender immediately the object of{{U}} (6) {{/U}}. It has been known as a fact that a British has a{{U}} (7) {{/U}}for the discussion of their weather and that, if given a chance, he will talk about it{{U}} (8) {{/U}}. Some people argue that it is because the British weather seldom{{U}} (9) {{/U}}forecast and hence becomes a source of interest and{{U}} (10) {{/U}}to everyone. This may be so. {{U}}(11) {{/U}}a British cannot have much{{U}} (12) {{/U}}in the weathermen, who, after promising fine, sunny weather for the following day, are often proved wrong{{U}} (13) {{/U}}a cloud over the Atlantic brings rainy weather to all districts! The man in the street seems to be as accurate — or as inaccurate — as the weathermen in his{{U}} (14) {{/U}}. Foreigners may be surprised at the number of references{{U}} (15) {{/U}}weather that the British make to each other in the course of a single day. Very often conversational greetings are{{U}} (16) {{/U}}by comments on the weather. "Nice day, isn't it?" "Beautiful!" may well be heard instead of "Good morning, how are you?" {{U}}(17) {{/U}}the foreigner may consider this exaggerated and comic, it is worthwhile pointing out that it could be used to his advantage. {{U}}(18) {{/U}}he wants to start a conversation with a British but is{{U}} (19) {{/U}}to know where to begin, he could do well to mention the state of the weather. It is a safe subject which will{{U}} (20) {{/U}}an answer from even the most reserved of the British.

单选题{{B}}Text 3{{/B}} Research is commonly divided into "applied" and "pure". This classification is arbitrary and loose, but what is usually meant is that applied research is a deliberate investigation of a problem of practical importance, in contradistinction to pure research done to gain knowledge for its own sake. The pure scientist may be said to accept as an act of faith that any scientific knowledge is worth pursuing for its own sake, and, if pressed, he usually claims that in most instances it is eventually found to be useful. Most of the greatest discoveries, such as the discovery of electricity, X-rays, radium and atomic energy, originated from pure research, which allows the worker to follow unexpected, interesting clues without the intention of achieving results of practical value. In applied research it is the project which is given support, whereas in pure research it is the man. However, often the distinction between pure and applied research is a superficial one as it may merely depend on whether or not the subject investigated is one of practical importance, For example, the investigation of the life cycle of a protozoon in a pond is pure research, but if the protozoon studied is a parasite of man or domestic animal the research would be termed applied. A more fundamental differentiation, which corresponds only very roughly with the applied and pure classification is (a) that in which the objective is given and the means of obtaining it are sought, and (b) that in which the discovery is first made and then a use for it is sought. There exists in some circles a certain amount of intellectual snobbery and tendency to look contemptuously, on applied investigation. This attitude is based on the following two false ideas: that new knowledge is only discovered by pure research while applied research merely seeks to apply knowledge already available, and that pure research is a higher intellectual activity because it requires greater scientific ability and is more difficult. Both these ideas are quite wrong. Important new knowledge has frequently arisen from applied investigation; for instance, the science of bacteriology originated largely from Pasteur's investigations of practical problem in the beer, wine and silkworm industries. Usually it is more difficult to get results in applied research than in pure research, because the worker has to stick to and solve a given problem instead of following any promising clue that may turn up. Also in applied research most fields have already been well worked over and many of the easy and obvious things have been done. Applied research should not be confused with the routine practice of some branch of science where only the application of existing knowledge is attempted. There is need for both pure and applied research for they tend to be complementary.

单选题The author provides information concerning newly farmed lands in the United States in paragraph 1 to support

单选题The author implies that a minority-owned concern that does the greater part of its business with one large corporate customer should

单选题A narrowing of your work interests is implied in almost any transition from a study environment to managerial or professional work. In the humanities and social sciences you will at best reuse only a fraction of the material 1 in three or four years" study. In most career paths academic knowledge only 2 a background to much more applied decision-making. Even with a "training" form of degree, 3 a few of the procedures or methods 4 in your studies are likely to be continuously relevant in your work. Partly 5 reflects the greater specialization of most work tasks compared 6 studying. Many graduates are not 7 with the variety involved in 8 from degree study in at least four or five subjects a year 9 very standardized job demands. Academic work values 10 inventiveness, originality, and the cultivation of self-realization and self-development. Emphasis is placed 11 generating new ideas and knowledge, assembling 12 information to make a "rational" decision, appreciating basic 13 and theories, and getting involved in fundamental controversies and debates. The humanistic values of higher 14 encourages the feeling of being 15 in a process with a self-developmental rhythm. 16 , even if your employers pursue enlightened personnel development 17 and invest heavily in "human capital"—for example, by rotating graduate trainees to 18 their work experiences—you are still likely to notice and feel 19 about some major restrictions of your 20 and activities compared with a study environment.