填空题Farm-raised pigs are dirty, smelly animals that get no respect. They’re also an environmental hazard. Their manure contains phosphorus, which, when it rains, runs off into lakes and estuaries, depleting oxygen, killing fish, stimulating algae overgrowth and emitting greenhouse gases. 41. ______. Pigs provide more dietary protein, more cheaply, to more people than any other animal. Northern Europe still maintains the highest pig-to-human ratio in the world (2-1 in Den- mark), but East Asia is catching up. During the 1990s, pork production doubled in Vietnam and grew by 70 percent in China— along densely populated coastlines, pig density exceeds 100 animals per square kilometer. The resulting pollution is “threatening fragile coastal marine habitats including mangroves, coral reefs and sea grasses,” according to a report released in February by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. As it turns out, there is a solution to the pig problem, but it requires a change of mind-set among environmentalists and the public. 42. ______. The Enviropig is one of many new technologies that are putting environmentalists and organic-food proponents in a quandary: should they remain categorically opposed to genetically modified (GM) foods even at the expense of the environment? 43. ______. The most significant GM applications will be ones that help alleviate the problem of agriculture, which accounts for 38 percent of the world’s landmass and is crowding out natural ecosystems and species habitats. GM crops that can be produced more efficiently would allow us to return land to nature. 44. ______. U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist Eliot Herman has already created a less-allergenic soybean — an important crop for baby foods. Through genetic surgery, Herman turned off the soy gene responsible for 65 percent of allergic reactions. Not only was the modified soy less allergenic in tests but, as Herman explained, “the yield looks perfectly normal, plants develop and grow at a normal rate and they seem to have the same kinds of protein, oil and other good stuff in them.” Other scientists have reported promising results in shutting off allergy-causing genes in peanuts and shrimp. Should these advances be turned into products, organic soy or peanut products will be certifiably more dangerous to human health than comparable nonorganic products.45. ______. In this climate, much of the needed research isn’t being pursued. Chances are, farmers will continue to grow their polluting organic pork, their allergenic organic soy and their neurotoxin-sprayed organic apples. Worse still, they will make sure that no one else gets a choice in the matter of improving the conditions of life on earth — unless, that is, others rise up and demand an alternative.[A] Two Canadian scientists have created a pig whose manure doesn’t contain very much phosphorus at all. If this variety of pig were adopted widely, it could greatly reduce a major source of pollution. But the Enviropig, as they call it, is the product of genetic modification — which is anathema to many Westerners.[B] In fact, although all commonly used pesticides dissipate so quickly that they pose a miniscule health risk to consumers, allergic food reactions to natural products kill hundreds of children each year. Genetically modified foods could greatly reduce this risk.[C] Canadian biologists Cecil Forsberg and John Phillips, for instance, have constructed a novel DNA molecule that, when planted in a pig embryo, imbues the Enviropig with the ability to secrete a phosphorus extracting enzyme in its saliva. The results so far are dramatic — the new pigs can extract all the phosphorus they need from grain alone, without the phosphorus supplements that farmers now use. This reduces the phosphorus content of their manure by up to 75 percent.[D] Doing away with the pig is not an option.[E] Pigs can also be modified to digest grasses and hay (as cows and sheep do), reducing the energy-intensive use of corn as pig feed. Elsewhere, trees grown for paper could be made amenable to much more efficient processing, reducing both energy usage and toxic chemical bleach in effluents from paper mills.[F] Of course, stringent testing is needed to show that a genetic modification works and that the product is not harmful to humans. Scientists can do both of these things with techniques that allow them to examine and compare the structure and activity of every one of an animal’s genes.[G] Unfortunately, this won’t happen any time soon. Because no society has ever banned allergenic foods, conventional farmers have no incentive to plant reduced-allergy seeds. And many members of the public have been led to believe that all genetic modifications create health risks.

填空题There are many differences .between communicating in written and spoken words—one to one or one to many. Because speaking is face to face and personal, it is much more direct than writing.. Hand and body gestures, facial expressions, and vocal variety help greatly to support face-to-face communication. It is also reinforced by instant feedback from listeners in the form of smiles, frowns, applause, catcalls, clenched fists, and so on. An alert speaker who is sensitive to feedback can "shift gears" and adapt to changing circumstances. 41. The differences between talking and writing Writing, however, depends solely on words and punctuation to deliver the message. There are no gestures and no voice, and if there is any feedback, it takes time to reach the writer.42. Why long sentences can be used in writing? Effective talking is aimed at people's minds and hearts through their ears, and ears prefer short, direct, conversational sentences. There are three standards that apply equally to talking and writing—clarity, accuracy, and appropriateness.43. Clarity. If the audience doesn't understand the message instantly, then the speaker has, to some extent, failed. Thus, every possible measure must be taken to ensure that all your words and thoughts are perfectly clear to the audience.44. Accuracy. As a conscientious speaker, you must see to it that your information is as current and as accurate as research can make it.45. Appropriateness. In addition to being precise, your language should also be suitable to the subject, audience, and occasion.[A] For instance, a speaker can vary his/her pitch or tone to change the meaning expressed. A writer, on the other hand, has to rely solely on the words and context or even explanations in braces to achieve that.[B] Good talking is wordy, repetitive, and far less structured than efficient writing. A good speech, reproduced word for word on paper, usually does not read well because it rambles and repeats words and thoughts. It is not nearly as disciplined and organized as good writing.[C] Throughout your talk, words are your prime means for helping your audience understand your message. And to harness the profound power of words, you should develop a lifelong habit of using a dictionary and a thesaurus. If you do not exploit these resources, you will fail to achieve your full potential as a speaker and conversationalist. Another device that will help you achieve clarity in your talk is a summary. If your talk consists of three willresearched major points, lit those points in your introduction so your audience will know at once what ground you will cover. Discuss them in depth, summarize them at the end of your talk, and emphasize any conclusions hat they lead to.[D] For example, a speaker who's addressing a Parent-Teacher Association should avoid the statistical and psychological jargon of advanced educational researchers. By the same token, she should not indulge in teenage slang. Any speaker worth her salt will analyze her audience first and adapt her language accordingly.[E] The surest way for you to damage your credibility is to spew forth misinformation or outdated information. How many times have you seen a story, a name, an important fact, or a charge against someone retracted in newspapers? Unfortunately, the damage was done when the misinformation first appeared in print. Such unwarranted embarrassment and mental anguish could have been avoided ff someone had taken the time to recheck the information. If your talk is on a current or crucial topic, do your homework and arm yourself with quotations and sources to fortify your facts.[F] Long, involved sentences are acceptable in writing for two reasons: (1) The eye can absorb many more words in an instant than the ear can hear. (2) If a reader stumbles on a marathon sentence, she can read it again. Not so with spoken words— once uttered they're gone, especially in speech. If a listener misses a sentence, both she and the speaker have lost part of the message; there is no going back, except perhaps during the question-and-answer period. In a conversation, of course, the listener can ask the speaker to repeat.

填空题[A]TheriseofatycoonwhoisfondofAmericaandSouthAfrica,andwhoprintsEnglishslogansonhisbottlesofmilkandmineralwater,isasnubtoMr.Ratsiraka.Thepresident,whohasdominatedpoliticssince1975—withafewyears'absenceinthemid-1990s—steersclosetoFrance,theformercolonialpower.Hehasbeenunwell,andspendsmuchofhistimehavingmedicaltreatmentinParis.Hisgovernment,predictably,isaccusedofwidespreadcorruption.Butheoffersstability—anddeclaresthat"anyotherpresident"wouldusherinyearsofuncertainty.[B]Mr.Ratsirakamightindeedfeelaggrievedffhedidlosepowerjustastheeconomyiscomingright.Afteratwo-decadespellasasocialist,thenafewyearsofexile,hebouncedbackintothepresidencyin1996toimposeaustereneo-liberalreforms.Thesearenowpayingoff.Manypeoplearestilldesperatelybadlyoff,livinginvillageswithoutroads,electricityordoctors.But,accordingtoanoptimisticIMFreportonDecember13th,theeconomymaymmouttohaveenjoyed6.7%growththisyearandinflationislow.[C]Inahighturnout,hetooknearly80%ofthevotesinthecapital,andwelloverhalfinothercities.Resultsfromthelesssusceptiblecountrysideareslowlycomingin.Theynarrowthegap,buthestillseemstohaveachanceofeitherbeatingtheincumbent,DidierRatsiraka,outrghtorfacinghiminarun-offnextyear.[D]Aswellingflowoftouristscomestotheislandtoseeitsrainforests,lemursandtropicalbeaches.SalesoftextilestoAmericaaredoingwell,thankstotariffreductionsthere.And.inthepastfewyears.Asianinvestorshaveopeneddozensoffactoriesinspecialexportzonesaroundthecapital.Mr.Ratsirakahasmanagedtonegotiatedebtreliefthatalmosthalvestheamountthecountryspendsonservicingitsdebts.Risthusabletospendabitmoreonschoolsandhospitals.Incomesinthecitiesareclearlyup.Agoodriceharvestthisyear.andtheabsenceofcyclones,haseasedhangerinthecountryside.[E]Asmayor,Mr.Ravalomananawonmanycitizens'heartsbycleaningupthecapital,andseeingtonewroadsandstreetlighting.Heoversawabuildingboom.theriseofadozen'flashynewsupermarkets,morepolicemenonthestreetsandacutincrime.Heis.knowninthecountryatlarge,too.thankstohisTikofoodempire,whichdeliversyoghurtandothergoodthingstoMadagascar'semergingmiddleclass.HisfaceiseverywhereonT-shirts.baseballcapsandbagsallpartsofaslickcampaignthatwashelpedalongbyhisownradioandtelevisionstations.HisChristianfervour,andhisjobonacouncilofProtestantchurches,havealsohelpedhim,especiallyamongtheruralpoor.[F]AllthisisraregoodnewsforAfrica.Mightitberiskediftherewereachangeofpresident?Somepointtopossibleethnictension:Mr.RavalomananaisfromthehighlandImerinapeople,whohaveamixofAsian-settlerandAfricanblood,whohaveneverbeforeheldpoliticalofficeovertheblackercoastalcommunities.Othersworrythathewillhavelittlesupportinparliament,andthathisbusinesscareerhasnotpreparedhimforpoliticalcompromises.Abiggerconcern,perhaps,isthathemightnotseriouslyundertaketospreadthegoodtimesenjoyedinthecapitalintotheimpoverishedcountryside.[G]ExcitementisintheairinMadagascar,avastislandof15mpeopleofftheeastcoastofAfrica.OnDecember16th,itsvoterstrudgedtothe.pollsfromtheirhomesinhighlandtownsandremoteforestvillagestopickapresident.ManyfavouredMareRavalomanana,atycoonwhoisalsothehandsomeyoungmayorofthecapitalAntananarivo.Order:

填空题Nonverbal communication is hugely important in any interaction with others; its importance is multiplied across cultures. This is because we tend to look for nonverbal cues when verbal messages are unclear or ambiguous, as they are more likely to be across cultures. (1) . Low-context cultures like the United States and Canada tend to give relatively less emphasis to nonverbal communication. This does not mean that nonverbal communication does not happen, or that it is unimportant, but that people in these settings tend to place less importance on it than on the literal meanings of words themselves. In high-context settings such as Japan or Colombia, understanding the nonverbal components of communication is relatively more important to receiving the intended meaning of the communication as a whole. (2) . For instance, it may be more socially acceptable in some settings in the United States for women to show fear, but not anger, and for men to display anger, but not fear. At the same time, interpretation of facial expressions across cultures is difficult. In China and Japan, for example, a facial expression that would be recognized around the world as conveying happiness may actually express anger or mask sadness, both of which are unacceptable to show overtly. (3) . For a Westerner who understands smiles to mean friendliness and happiness, this smile may seem out of place and even cold, under the circumstances. Even though some facial expressions may be similar across cultures, their interpretations remain culture-specific. It is important to understand something about cultural starting-points and values in order to interpret emotions expressed in cross-cultural interactions. (4) . In a comparison of North American and French children on a beach, a researcher noticed that the French children tended to stay in a relatively small space near their parents, while US children ranged up and down a large area of the beach. (5) . These examples of differences related to nonverbal communication are only the tip of the iceberg. Careful observation, ongoing study from a variety of sources, and cultivating relationships across cultures will all help develop the cultural fluency to work effectively with nonverbal communication differences. A. These differences of interpretation may lead to conflict. Suppose a Japanese person is explaining her absence from negotiations due to a death in her family. She may do so with a smile, based on her cultural belief that it is not appropriate to inflict the pain of grief on others. B. Another variable across cultures has to do with ways of relating to space. Crossing cultures, we encounter very different ideas about polite space for conversations and negotiations. North Americans tend to prefer a large amount of space, perhaps because they are surrounded by it in their homes and countryside. Europeans tend to stand more closely with each other when talking, and are accustomed to smaller personal spaces. C. Americans are serious about standing in lines, in accordance with their beliefs in democracy and the principle of "first come, first served" The French, on the other hand, have a practice of line jumping, that irritates many British and US Americans. D. Since nonverbal behavior arises from our cultural common sense, we use different systems of understanding gestures, posture, silence, spatial relations, emotional expression, touch, physical appearance, and other nonverbal cues. Cultures also attribute different degrees of importance to verbal and nonverbal behavior. E. The difficulty with space preferences is not that they exist, but the judgments that get attached to them. If someone is accustomed to standing or sitting very close when they are talking with another, they may see the other's attempt to create more space as evidence of coldness, or a lack of interest. F. It is said that a German executive working in the United States became so upset with visitors to his office moving the guest chair to suit themselves that he had it bolted to the floor. G. Some elements of nonverbal communication are consistent across cultures. For example, research has shown that the emotions of enjoyment, anger, fear, sadness, disgust, and surprise are expressed in similar ways by people around the world. Differences surface with respect to which emotions are acceptable to display in various cultural settings, and by whom.

填空题{{B}}Directions:{{/B}} You are going to read a text about the topic of nuclear fusion, followed by a list of explanations (or examples). Choose the best explanation/example from the list A--F for each numbered subheading/generalization( 41--45). There is one extra explanation/example which you do not need to use. Mark your answers on Answer Sheet 1. Scientists say they have achieved small-scale nuclear fusion in a tabletop experiment, using tried and true techniques that are expected to generate far less controversy than past such claims. This latest experiment relied on a tiny crystal to generate a strong electric field. While the energy created was too small to harness cheap fusion power, the technique could have potential uses in medicine, spacecraft propulsion, the oil drilling industry and homeland security, said Seth Putterman, a physicist at the University of California at Los Angeles. Putterman and his colleagues at UCLA, Brian Naranjo and Jim Gimzewski, report their results in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.{{B}}41. Held up to ridicule{{/B}} Previous claims of tabletop fusion have been met with skepticism and even derision by physicists. ( ){{B}}42. Sound theoretical basis{{/B}} Fusion experts said the UCLA experiment will face far less skepticism because it conforms to well-known principles of physics. ( ){{B}}43. Energy in waiting{{/B}} Fusion power has been touted as the ultimate energy source and a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels like coal and oil. Fossil fuels are expected to run short in about 50 years. ( ){{B}}44. Process of fusion{{/B}} In the UCL'A experiment, scientists placed a tiny crystal that can generate a strong electric field into a vacuum chamber filled with deuterium gas, a form of hydrogen capable of fusion. Then the researchers activated the crystal by heating it. ( ){{B}}45. Commercial uses{{/B}} UCLA's Putterman said future experiments will focus on refining the technique for potential commercial uses, including designing portable neutron generators that could be used for oil well drilling or scanning luggage and cargo at airports. ( ) In the Nature report, Putterman and his colleagues said the crystal-based method could be used in "microthrusters for miniature spacecraft." In such an application, the method would not rely on nuclear fusion for power generation, But rather on ion propulsion, Putterman said. "As wild as it is, that's a conservative application," he said. A. In fusion, light atoms are joined in a high-temperature process that frees large amounts of energy. It is considered environmentally friendly Because it produces virtually no air pollution and does not pose the safety and long-term radioactive waste concerns associated with modern nuclear power plants, where heavy uranium atoms are split to create energy in a process known as fission. B. The resulting electric field created a Beam of charged deuterium atoms that struck a nearby target, which was embedded with yet more deuterium. When some of the deuterium atoms in the beam collided with their counterparts in the target, they fused. The reaction gave off an isotope of helium along with subatomic particles known as neutrons, a characteristic of fusion. The experiment did not, however, produce more energy than the amount put in-- an achievement that would be a huge breakthrough. C. Another technique, known as sonoluminescence, generates heat through the collapse of tiny bubbles in a liquid. Some scientists claim that nuclear fusion occurs during the reaction, but those claims have sparked sharp debate. D. In a Nature commentary, Michael Saltmarsh of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory said the process was in some ways "remarkably low-tech,' drawing upon principles that were first recorded by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus in 314 B. C.. "This doesn't have any controversy in it because they're using a tried and true method," David Ruzic, professor of nuclear and plasma engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbane-Champaign, told The Associated Press. "There's no mystery in terms of the physics. ' E. In one of the most notable cases, Dr. B. Stanley Pons of the University of Utah and Martin Fleischmann of Southampton University in England shocked the world in 1989 when they announced that they had achieved so-called cold fusion at room temperature. Their work was discredited after repeated attempts to reproduce it failed. F. The technology also could conceivably give rise to implantable radiation sources, which could target cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. "You could bring a tiny crystal into the body, place it next to a tumor, turn on the radiation and blast the tumor," Putterman told MSNBC. com.

填空题{{B}}Directions:{{/B}}Thefollowingparagraphsaregiveninawrongorder.ForQuestions41-45,youarerequiredtoreorganizetheseparagraphsintoacoherenttextbychoosingfromthelistA-Gtofilleachnumberedbox.ThefirstandthelastparagraphshavebeenplacedforyouinBoxes.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.[A]In1849goldwasdiscoveredinCaliforniainthemountainsnearSanFrancisco.SostartedthefamousGoldRushofthe49ersacrossthevast,unexploredwildernessthatlaywestoftheMississippi.Wholefamiliesperished.Onesmallgroupof49ers,lookingforashortcutacrosstheSierraNevadaMountains,happenedtoentertheinfamousDeathValley.Itwasluckyforthemitwaswinter,forinsummerDeathValleyisaboutthehottestandmostdesolateplaceonearth.Asitwas,oneofthegroupdiedofthirst,anditwasthe49erswhogavethevalleyitsgrimname.[B]ThecompletionoftherailroadnotonlyjoinedthecitiesoftheeastwithCalifornia,italsobroughtprosperitytotheisolatedfarmersoftheplains,andtotherancherswhowerenowabletosendtheircattletotheslaughterhousesinfreightears.Infact,thenewrailroadbecameanessentiallife-lineforanationwhichnowstretched3000milesfromtheAtlantictothePacificOceans.[C]Aslateasthe1880samanintheFarwestcouldbehangedforstealingahorse,yetgetnomorethanfiveyearsinjailforrobbingabank.Eversincethepioneerswentwestintotheunknown,theydependedabsolutelyontheirhorsesandtheirguns.Ifamanlosthishorseorhisguninthedeserts,mountainsorforestsofNevada,ArizonaandeasternCalifornia,hestoodnochance.Hunger,thirst,agrizzlybear,amountainlion,orhostileIndianswouldfinishhimoffsoonerorlater.Afrontiersmanhadtobetough,braveandresourcefulinthosedays.[D]ThecolonizationoftheWestwasgivenatremendousimpetusbythebuildingoftheTranscontinentalrailroad,oneofthegreatengineeringfeatsofalltime.CongressdecidedthatthelayingofthetracksshouldbeginfromtheEastandtheWestatthesametime.Sothebuildingofthisrailroadlinedwithpolesforthefirsteast-westtelegraphsystem,developedintoarace.TheEasterners,movingacrosstheplains,progressedfaster,fortheydidnothavetotunnelthroughgiantmountainsorbridgegapingcanyons.ThetworailroadslinkedupinUtahonJuly10th,1867.Therewasgreatexcitement,andaspecialceremonytomarktheoccasion.[E]Deserts,mountainsandforestsarestillthefrontierbetweenteemingCaliforniancitiesandthesparselypopulatedwildernessofNevadaandeasternCalifornia.Eventoday,Nevadahashardlymorethan500thousandinhabitants,mostofwhomliveinthecitiesofLasVegasandReno.[F]Later,in1865,aftertheCivilWar,disillusionedsoldiers,unabletofrndwork,followedinthefootstepsofthe49ers.Theydidnotfindmuchgold,buttheyfoundrichpasturesforcattle.ItwastheywhofoundedtheUSA'sgreatfoodindustry,andtheyworkedwiththevigorandcourageoftheearlypioneersandwithafaithfortifiedbytheBible.[G]SomeAmericansfeelthatthefrontierspiritnolongerexistsintheUSA.Butitexpresseditselfinanumberofways.Americansdonotlikebeingwithoutwork,andtheywilltravelhundredsofmilesinsearchofajob,showingacourageandanenterprisewhichisunusualinmostoftheolderEuropeancountries.Thenthereistheexplorationofouterspace.PresidentJohnKennedyinaspeechtothenation,spokeofthis"NewFrontier."Thefrontierspiritcertainlyplayedapartinputtingthefirstmenonthenoon,themostrecentofallfrontierstobecrossed.

填空题Tourism, holidaymaking and travel are these days more significant social phenomena than most commentators have considered. On the face of it there could not be a more trivial subject for a book. And indeed since social scientists have had considerable difficulty explaining weightier topics, such as work or politics, it might be thought that they would have great difficulties in accounting for more trivial phenomena such as holidaymaking. 1 However, there are interesting parallels with the study of deviance. This involves the investigation of bizarre and idiosyncratic social practices which happen to be defined as deviant in some societies but not necessarily in others. The assumption is that the investigation of deviance can reveal interesting and significant aspects of "normal" societies. It could be said that a similar analysis can be applied to tourism. 2 Tourism is a leisure activity which presupposes its opposite, namely regulated and organised work. It is one manifestation of how work and leisure are organised as separate and regulated spheres of social practice in "modern" societies. Indeed acting as a tourist is one of the defining characteristics of being "modern" and the popular concept of tourism is that it is organized within particular places and occurs for regularised periods of time. Tourist relationships arise from a movement of people to, and their stay in, various destinations. This necessarily involves some movement, that is the journey, and a period of stay in a new place or places. The journey and the stay are by definition outside the normal places of residence and work and are of a short-term and temporary nature and there is a clear intention to return "home" within a relatively short period of time. 3 A substantial proportion of the population of modern societies engages in such tourist practices; new socialised forms of provision have developed in order to cope with the mass character of the gazes of tourists, as opposed to the individual character of travel. Places are chosen to be visited and be gazed upon because there is an anticipation, especially through daydreaming and fantasy, of intense pleasures, either on a different scale or involving different senses from those customarily encountered. Such anticipation is constructed and sustained through a variety of non-tourist practices, such as films, TV, literature, magazines, records and videos which construct and reinforce this daydreaming. 4 Tourists tend to visit features of landscape and townscape, which separate them off from everyday experience. Such aspects are viewed because they are taken to be in some sense out of the ordinary. The viewing of these tourist sights often involves different forms of social patterning, with a much greater sensitivity to visual elements of landscape or townscape than is normally found in everyday life. People linger over these sights in a way that they would not normally do in their home environment and the vision is objectified or captured through photographs, postcards, films and so on which enable the memory to be endlessly reproduced and recaptured. 5 To service the burgeoning tourist industry, an array of professionals has developed who attempt to reproduce ever-new objects for the tourist to look at. These objects or places are located in a complex and changing hierarchy. This depends upon the interplay between, on the one hand, competition between interests involved in the provision of such objects and, on the other hand, changing class, gender, and generational distinctions of taste within the potential population of visitors. It has been said that to be a tourist is one of the characteristics of the "modern experience". Not to "go away" is like not possessing a car or a nice house. Travel is a marker of status in modern societies and is also thought to be necessary for good health. The role of the professional, therefore, is to cater for the needs and tastes of the tourists in accordance with their class and overall expectations. A. Good reason for the study of tourism B. Developing new forms of provision C. Essence of modern tourism D. Tourism vs. leisure E. Extraordinariness of modern tourism F. Exploring role of tourist professionals

填空题Last year's economy should have won the Oscar for best picture. Growth in gross domestic product was 4.1 percent; profits soared; exports flourished; and inflation stayed around 3 percent for the third year. 41.________________________________. Jobs insecurity was rampant. Even as they announced higher sales and profits, corporations acted as if they were in a tailspin, cutting 516, 069 jobs in 2003 alone, almost as many as in the recession year of 1991. Yes, unemployment went down. But over one million workers were so discouraged they left the labor force. More than 6 million who wanted full-time work were only partially employed; and another large group was either overqualified or sheltered behind the euphemism of self-employment. We lost a million good manufacturing jobs between 1998 and 2002, continuing the trend that has reduced the blue-collar work force from about 30 percent in the 1950s to about half of that today. 42.________________________________. All this happened in a country where people meet for the first time saying, "What do you do?" Then there is the matter of remuneration. The Labor Department recently reported that real wages fell 2.3 percent in the 12-month period ending this March. Since 1973, wages adjusted for inflation have declined by about a quarter for high school dropouts, by a sixth for high school graduates and by about 7 percent for those with some college education. Only the wages of college graduates are up, by 5 percent, and recently starting salaries, even for this group, have not kept up with inflation. While the top 5 percent of the population was setting new income records almost every year, poverty rates rose from 11 percent to 15 percent. 43.________________________________. In previous business cycles, companies with rising productivity raised wages to keep labor. Is the historical link between productivity improvements and income growth served?44.________________________________. Just think that in 1976, 78 percent of auto workers and steel-workers in good mass production jobs were high school dropouts. But these jobs are disappearing fast. Education and job training are what count. These days college graduates can expect to earn 1.9 times the likely earnings of high school graduates, up from 1.45 times in the 1970s. 45.________________________________. American males now toil about a week and a half longer than they did in 1973, the first time working hours have increased over an extended period of time. Women, particularly in poorer families, are working harder, too. Two- worker families rose by more than 20 percent in the 1990s. Seven million workers hold at least two jobs, the highest proportion in half a century. America is simply not growing fast enough to tighten the labor market and push up real wages.[A] Otherwise, an angry, disillusioned and frustrated population -- whose rage today is focused on big government, excess taxes, immigration, welfare and affirmative action -- may someday be brought together by its sense of diminished hopes. Then we will all be in for a very difficult time.[B] No wonder this is beginning to be called the Silent Depression. What is going on here?[C] The danger of the information age is that while in the short run it may be cheaper to replace workers with technology, in the long run it is potentially self-destructive because there will not be enough purchasing power to grow the economy.[D] So why did so many Americans give the picture a lousy B rating? The answer is jobs. The macroeconomic situation was good, but the microeconomic numbers were not. Yes, 3 million new jobs were there, but not enough of them were permanent, good jobs paying enough to sup- port a family.[E] The earning squeeze on middle-class and working-class people and the scarcity of "good, high-paying" jobs will be the big political issue. Americans have so far responded to their falling fortunes by working harder.[F] White-collar workers found out they were no longer immune. For the fist time, they were let go in numbers virtually equal to those for blue-collar workers. Many resorted to temporary work- with lower pay, fewer benefits and less status.[G] Of all the reasons given for the wage squeeze -- international competition, technology, deregulation, the decline of unions and defense cuts -- technology is probable the most crucial. It has favored the educated and skilled.