单选题 This is an approach to quality improvement based on the statistical work of Joseph Juran, one of two American pioneers of quality management in Japan. Sigma is a Greek letter used in mathematics to denote standard deviation, a statistical measure of the extent to which a series of numbers or readings deviates from its mean. One Sigma indicates a wide scattering of the readings. If the mean is the required quality standard of a particular process or product, then One Sigma quality is not very good. The higher the number, the closer the readings come to total perfection. At the Six Sigma level, there are only 3.4 defects per million. This may sound complicated, but in practice it has proved a popular way for managers to put quality management into effect. One of its great advantages is that it avoids the idea of aiming for "zero defects", or total perfection-a frighteningly inaccessible goal for most. It presents a system for improving quality gradually. Companies or operational groups move step-by-step up the Sigma ladder, the ultimate goal being to reach the Six Sigma state-still just short of perfection. Reasonably unsophisticated computer programs do the necessary calculations when fed with data on the goals (the specifications of the perfect product or process) and the organization's actual achievements. Six Sigma sounds like some sort of secret coven. Its advocates insist that it is no such thing. But it has certain attributes of the exclusive society. Anyone in an organization who goes on a basic training course for a Six Sigma program is called a Green Belt. Anyone who is given the full-time job of leading a team that is embarking on a Six Sigma exercise is given further training and is called a Black Belt. Beyond this there are a special few who are trained even more, and they are called Master Black Belts. Their role is to champion the exercise throughout the organization and to watch over the Black Belts and ensure that {{U}}they{{/U}} are consistently improving the quality of their team's output. Pioneered in the United States by Motorola in the 1980s, Six Sigma became hugely popular in the 1990s after Jack Welch adopted it at General Electric. To achieve Six Sigma quality at GE, a process must produce no more than 3.4 defects per million "opportunities". An opportunity is defined as "a chance for non-conformance, or not meeting the required specifications". The company says: "Six Sigma has changed the DNA of GE. It is now the way we work-in everything we do and in every product we design".

单选题The major factor that leads Japanese women to postpone their marriage is

单选题The businessman found that his postal code was difficult______.

单选题About thirty years ago, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned employment decisions that discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. To avoid legal penalties, companies created affirmative action programs. These programs became highly controversial, for they were seen by some as a form of reverse discrimination. Both praised and condemned, affirmative action programs remain in effect. Since the passage of Title VII, the United States has undergone a major demographic shift. California will soon have a population of 50 percent Hispanic American and nonwhite. More than half of the nation's work force now consists of minorities, immigrants, and women; white, native-born males, though still dominant, has become a statistical minority. In addition, about 80 percent of new workers are not white males. Affirmative action relied heavily on assimilation, the process by which minorities are absorbed into the dominant culture. Generally, assimilation involves abandoning distinctive cultural patterns of behavior in favor of those of the dominant culture. Two, three, four generations ago, people who immigrated to this country routinely changed their names to help them enter the mainstream as soon and as completely as possible. In contrast, the huge successes of the women's movement and civil rights activism have helped Americans to appreciate their differences, even to celebrate them. This change is transforming the workplace, for people who are comfortable and proud of being different are much less amenable to assimilation. "You don't have to aspire to be a white male or a member of the dominant group," says Thomas, "People are willing to be part of each, but they won't jump into the melting pot anymore. " Diversity in the workplace is much more than skin color. Diversity also refers to gender, age, religion, social class, sexual orientation, and even to military experience. Realizing that assimilation is probably not the way of the future, companies as diverse as IBM, Ford, and 3M have begun programs called "Managing Diversity" or "Valuing Diversity. " The goals of these programs are threefold. (1) to uncover and root out biases and prejudices about people's differences, (2) to increase awareness and appreciation of people's differences, and (3) to teach people "skills," especially communication and negotiation skills, for working with diverse groups. From a functionalist perspective, we would say that programs in managing diversity are an adjustment in the economic system. They will help meet needs caused by changing demographics within the nation and new international relations that require American corporations to be more competitive. From a symbolic interaction perspective, we would say that these programs reflect a change in symbols—that they illustrate how being different from the dominant group now has a different meaning than it used to. These programs not only reflect that change, they also foster further change in the meaning of diversity. From a conflict perspective, we would say that the key term in managing diversity programs is not diversity, but managing. No matter what they are called, these programs are merely another way to exploit labor.

单选题From the first paragraph, we can see that Verizon's announcement of price cuts ______.

单选题All the following are cited as examples of the importance of exercising foresight EXCEPT

单选题{{B}}Text 3{{/B}} A pair of dice, rolled again and again, will eventually produce two sixes. Similarly, the virus that causes influenza is constantly changing at random and, one day, will mutate in a way that will enable it to infect billions of people, and to kill millions. Many experts now believe a global outbreak of pandemic flu is overdue, and that the next one could be as bad as the one in 1918, which killed somewhere between 25m and 50m peo-pie. Today however, advances in medicine offer real hope that another such outbreak can be contained—if governments start preparing now. New research published this week suggests that a relatively small stockpile of an anti-viral drug—as little as 3m doses—could be enough to limit sharply a flu pandemic if the drugs were deployed quickly to people in the area surrounding the initial outbreak. The drug's manufacturer, Roche, is talking to the World Health Organisation about donating such a stockpile. This is good news. But much more needs to be done, especially with a nasty strain of avian flu spreading in Asia which could mutate into a threat to humans. Since the SARS outbreak in 2003 a few countries have developed plans in preparation for similar episodes. But progress has been shamefully patchy, and there is still far too little international co-ordination. A global stockpile of drugs alone would not be much use without an adequate system of surveillance to identify early cases and a way of delivering treatment quickly. If an out- break occurred in a border region, for example, a swift response would most likely depend on prior agreements between different countries about quarantine and containment. Reaching such agreements is rarely easy, but that makes the task all the more urgent. Rich countries tend to be better prepared than poor ones, but this should be no consolation to them. Flu does not respect borders. It is in everyone's interest to make sure that developing countries, especially in Asia, are also well prepared. Many may bridle at interference from outside. But if richer nation's were willing to donate anti-viral drugs and guarantee a supply of any vaccine that becomes available, poorer nations might be willing to reach agreements over surveillance and preparedness. Simply sorting out a few details now will have lives ( and recriminations) later. Will there be enough ventilators, makes and drugs? Where will people be treated if the hospitals overflow7 Will food be delivered as normal? Too many countries have no answers to these questions.

单选题In the last paragraph, "play down their visibility" refers to ______.

单选题The word "intriguing" in paragraph 3 refers to ______.

单选题What is the reason for the demonstrations in the streets of big Chinese cities?

单选题By calling these early computers "high-speed idiots", people were really implying that computers ______

单选题{{B}}Directions:{{/B}} Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSER SHEET 1. Until the late 1940s, when television began finding its way into American homes, companies relied mainly on print and radio to promote their products and services. The advent of television {{U}}(1) {{/U}} a revolution in product and service. Between 1949 and 1951, advertising on television grew 960 percent. Today the Internet is once again {{U}}(2) {{/U}} promotion. By going online, companies can communicate instantly and directly with prospective customers. {{U}}(3) {{/U}} on the World Wide Web includes advertising, sponsorships, and sales promotions {{U}}(4) {{/U}} sweepstakes, contests, coupons, and rebates. In 1996 World Wide Web advertising revenues {{U}}(5) {{/U}}＄ 300 million. Effective online marketers don't {{U}}(6) {{/U}} transfer hard-copy ads to cyberspace. {{U}}(7) {{/U}} sites blend promotional and non-promotional information indirectly delivering the advertising messages. To {{U}}(8) {{/U}} visits to their sites and to create and {{U}}(9) {{/U}} customer loyalty, companies change information frequently and provide many opportunities for {{U}}(10) {{/U}} . A prototype for excellent {{U}}(11) {{/U}} promotion is the Ragu Web site. Here visitors can find thirty-six pasta recipes, take Italian lessons, and view an Italian film festival, {{U}}(12) {{/U}} they will find no traditional ads. {{U}}(13) {{/U}}subtle is the mix of product and promotion that visitors hardly know an advertising message has been {{U}}(14) {{/U}} Sega of America, maker of computer games and hardware, uses its Web site for a {{U}}(15) {{/U}} of different promotions, such as {{U}}(16) {{/U}} new game characters to the public and supplying Web surfers the opportunity to {{U}}(17) {{/U}} games. Sega's home page averages 250,000 visits a day. To heighten interest in the site, Sega bought an advertising banner on Netscape {{U}}(18) {{/U}} increasing site visits by 15 percent. Online {{U}}(19) {{/U}} in Quaker Oats' Gatorade promotion received a free T-shirt in exchange for answering a few questions. Quaker Oats reports that the online promotion created product {{U}}(20) {{/U}} and helped the company know its customers better.

单选题According to the passage, what helps to explain why the population problem has come on "all of a sudden"?

单选题There are many reasons why food fads have continued to flourish. Garlic has long been touted (兜售) as an essential ingredient of physical prowess (能力) and as a flu (1) , squash has been thought by some to cure digestive disorders, and red pepper has been (2) to promote endurance. The natural human desire for a simple solution to a difficult problem (3) the stage for promoting miraculous potions (饮剂), pills and combination of chemicals. The (4) individuals who eagerly embrace any second-hand information with scientific overtones (暗示) provide the foundation for healthy business enterprises. A person who has never crossed the (5) of a health food store may be astonished, (6) or overjoyed. Countless elixirs (万应灵), herbs, powders and other fascinating extracts are only a (7) of the high-profit selection. The available literature includes pamphlets extolling (赞扬) the amazing return of youth one can (8) while drinking a potion filled with tropical weeds, as well as volumes (9) the reader of an almost (10) longevity. The store is directly keyed to arouse visitors' (11) over their health and to (12) on real and imagined problems by offering solutions that, (13) , cost more than the customers may be able to (14) Health food store patrons are often cajoled (劝诱) into buying tonics (补药) that promise to make the functioning of healthy organs even better, (15) whether an improvement is (16) for. Promotion of expensive products that consumers do not actually need takes (17) initiative and insight. (18) occasion, there may even be some slight (19) for truth in an entrepreneur's (20) to cure customer of ills—for a price.