单选题Passer-by:______? Local resident: Yes, there% one near the end of the street. It's behind the church.

单选题As a young bond trader, Buttonwood was given two pieces of advice, trading rules of thumb, if you will: that bad economic news is good news for bond markets and that every utterance dropping from the lips of Paul Volcker, the then chairman of the Federal Reserve, and the man who restored the central bank's credibility by stomping on runaway inflation, should be respected than Pope's orders. Today's traders are, of course, a more sophisticated bunch. But the advice still seems good, apart from two slight drawbacks. The first is that the well-chosen utterances from the present chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, is of more than passing difficulty. The second is that, of late, good news for the economy has not seemed to upset bond investors all that much. For all the cheer that has crackled down the wires, the yield on ten-year bonds—which you would expect to rise on good economic news—is now, at 4.2% , only two-fifths of a percentage point higher than it was at the start of the year. Pretty much unmoved, in other words. Yet the news from the economic front has been better by far than anyone could have expected. On Tuesday November 25th, revised numbers showed that America's economy grew by an annual 8.2% in the third quarter, a full percentage point more than originally thought, driven by the ever-spendthrift American consumer and, for once, corporate investment. Just about every other piece of information coming out from special sources shows the same strength. New houses are stilt being built at a fair clip. Exports are rising, for all the protectionist crying. Even employment, in what had been mocked as a jobless recovery, increased by 125000 or thereabouts in September and October. Rising corporate profits, low credit spreads and the biggest-ever rally in the junk-bond market do not, on the face of it, suggest anything other than a deep and long-lasting recovery. Yet Treasury-bond yields have fallen. If the rosy economic backdrop makes this odd, making it doubly odd is an apparent absence of foreign demand. Foreign buyers of Treasuries, especially Asian central banks, who had been swallowing American government debt like there was no tomorrow, seem to have had second thoughts lately. In September, according to the latest available figures, foreigners bought only $5.6 billion of Treasuries, compared with $25.1 billion the previous month and an average of $38.7 billion in the preceding four months. In an effort to keep a lid on the yen's rise, the Japanese central bank is still busy buying dollars and parking the money in government debt. Just about everyboby else seems to have been selling. [A] fairly well-chosen [B] rising rather slowly [C] setting a limit on yen's rise [D] buying American government debt bravely [E] spending more and more cautiously [F] carelessly selected [G] domestic consumers

单选题There are examples of what can be done by the retailer within his store, but perhaps the biggest opportunity for cost-reduction stems from cooperation between manufacturer and distributor in analyzing the total costs involved in moving the product from the factory to the shopper's basket. A helpful technique in this connection is the concept of "direct product profit" which is widely used in the United States. This is a technique for analyzing very precisely the costs and profits associated with each product line, with a view to isolating opportunities for cost reduction. For example, the in-store handling costs for particular item may be reduced if the manufacturer puts it in a large case or reduces the number of layers in the case. With the growing importance of prepackaging both for perishable items like meat and for non-food products, it is essential that the container should facilitate quick unloading and easy display. More obvious is the case for cooperation in reducing the costs of delivery and unloading; the night delivery experiment in Central London is an example of this. Many shops lack proper unloading facilities, often because the local authorities or private developers who built them were not aware of what was needed. Many retailers do not employ modern handling techniques. Some consumer goods manufacturers, such as Unilever, are playing a big part in streamlining the distribution system, simply because they are "market-oriented" companies which recognize the importance of low distribution costs. Even in Unilever, Lord Cole recalled the bad old days when distribution was looked upon as the least important of costs. The process of distribution will gradually be made less labor-intensive; the difficulty of finding additional labor, apart from its cost, is the major factor behind.

单选题If the work______by the end of this month is delayed, the construction company will be heavily fined.

单选题______, we must remain cheerful. A. What may come B. May what come C. Come what may D. Come whatever may

单选题I like watching TV ______ to the cinema. A. more than to go B. than going C. rather than to go D. more than going

单选题Bankers have been blaming themselves for their troubles in public. Behind the scenes, they have been taking aim at someone else: the accounting standard-setters. Their rules, moan the banks, have forced them to report enormous losses, and it's just not fair. These rules say they must value some assets at the price a third party would pay, not the price managers and regulators would like them to fetch. Unfortunately, banks' lobbying now seems to be working. The details may be unknowable, but the independence of standard-setters, essential to the proper functioning of capital markets, is being compromised. And, unless banks carry toxic assets at prices that attract buyers, reviving the banking system will be difficult. After a bruising encounter with Congress, America's Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) rushed through rule changes. These gave banks more freedom to use models to value illiquid assets and more flexibility in recognizing losses on long-term assets in their income statement. Bob Herz, the FASB's chairman, cried out against those who "question our motives. "Yet bank shares rose and the changes enhance what one lobby group politely calls "the use of judgment by management." European ministers instantly demanded that the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) do likewise. The IASB says it does not want to act without overall planning, but the pressure to fold when it completes it reconstruction of rules later this year is strong. Charlie McCreevy, a European commissioner, warned the IASB that it did "not live in a political vacuum" but "in the real word" and that Europe could yet develop different rules. It was banks that were on the wrong planet, with accounts that vastly overvalued assets. Today they argue that market prices overstate losses, because they largely reflect the temporary illiquidity of markets, not the likely extent of bad debts. The truth will not be known for years. But bank's shares trade below their book value, suggesting that investors are skeptical. And dead markets partly reflect the paralysis of banks which will not sell assets for fear of booking losses, yet are reluctant to buy all those supposed bargains. To get the system working again, losses must be recognized and dealt with. America's new plan to buy up toxic assets will not work unless banks mark assets to levels which buyers find attractive. Successful markets require independent and even combative standard-setters. The FASB and IASB have been exactly that, cleaning up rules on stock options and pensions, for example, against hostility from special interests. But by giving in to critics now they are inviting pressure to make more concessions.

单选题We'll all take a vacation in the mountains as soon as I finish working ______ my project.

单选题Who will be interested in this passage? ______.

单选题In (the early) grades, the academic performance of girls (are) equal to (that) of boys in math and (almost) equal to boys in science.A. the earlyB. areC. thatD. almost

单选题Peter: Haven't seen you for weeks. ______ Pat: Can't complain. A. I'm very happy to see you again. B. How are things? C. Fancy meeting you here. D. Have you been very busy?

单选题Even plants can run a fever, especially when they're under attack by insects or disease. But unlike humans, plants can have their temperature taken from 3,000 feet away — straight up. A decade ago, adapting the infrared scanning technology developed for military purposes and other satellites, physicist Stephen Paley came up with a quick way to take the temperature of crops to determine which ones are under stress. The goal was to let farmers precisely target pesticide (杀虫剂) spraying rather than rain poison on a whole field, which invariably includes plants that don't have pest (害虫) problems. Even better, Paley's Remote Scanning Services Company could detect crop problems before they became visible to the eye. Mounted on a plane flown at 3,000 feet at night, an infrared scanner measured the heat emitted by crops. The data were transformed into a color-coded map showing where plants were running "fevers". Farmers could then spot-spray, using 40 to 70 percent less pesticide than they otherwise would. The bad news is that Paley's company closed down in 1984, after only three years. Farmers resisted the new technology and long-term backers were hard to find. But with the renewed concern about pesticides on produce, and refinements in infrared scanning, Paley hopes to get back into operation. Agriculture experts have no doubt the technology works. "This technique can be used on 75 percent of agricultural land in the United States." says George Oerther of Texas A&M. Ray Jackson, who recently retired from the Department of Agriculture, thinks remote infrared crop scanning could be adopted by the end of the decade. But only if Pale3i finds the financial backing which he failed to obtain 10 years ago.

单选题 Many people wrongly believe that when people reach old age, their families place them in nursing homes. They are left in the hands of strangers for the rest of their lives. Their{{U}} (31) {{/U}}children visit them only occasionally, but more often, they do not have any{{U}} (32) {{/U}}visitors. The truth is that this idea is an unfortunate myth imaginary story. In fact, family members provide over 80 percent of the care{{U}} (33) {{/U}}elderly people need. Samuel Preston, a sociologist, studied{{U}} (34) {{/U}}the American family is changing. He reported that by the time the{{U}} (35) {{/U}}American couple reaches 40 years of age, they have more parents than children. {{U}}(36) {{/U}}because people today live longer after an illness than people did years ago, family members must provide long term care. More psychologists have found that all caregivers share a common characteristic: All caregivers believe that they are the best people for the job. In other words, they all felt that they{{U}} (37) {{/U}}do the job better than anyone else. Social workers interviewed caregivers to find out why they took on the responsibility of caring for an elderly relative. Many caregivers believed they had{{U}} (38) {{/U}}to help their relative. Some stated that helping others would{{U}} (39) {{/U}}them feel more useful. Others hoped that by helping{{U}} (40) {{/U}}now, they would deserve care when they became old and dependent. Caring for the elderly and being taken care of can be a mutually satisfying experience for everyone who might be involved.

单选题Directions: For each blank in the following passage, choose the best answer from the choices giv- en below. Mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET by drawing with a pencil a short bar across the corresponding letter in the brackets. If a farmer wishes to succeed, he must try to keep a wide gap between his consump- tion and his production. He must store a large quantity of grain {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}consuming all his grain immediately. He can continue to support himself and his family {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}he produces a surplus. He must use this surplus in three ways. as seed for sowing, as an insurance {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}the unpredictable effects of bad weather and as a commodity which he must sell in order to {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}old agricultural implements and obtain chemical fertilizers to {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}the soil. He may also need money to construct irrigation {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}and improve his farm in other ways. If no surplus is available, a farmer cannot be {{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}He must either sell some of his property or {{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}}extra funds in the form of loans. Naturally he will try to borrow money at a low {{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}} {{/U}}of interest, but loans of this kind are not {{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}obtainable.

单选题One minute Rosemary was by my side, the next she had vanished into the crowd.

单选题Athletic activities are designed ______.

单选题Jim passed the driving test, ______ surprised everybody in the office. A. which B. that C. this D. it

单选题It is about time he ______ strong action against them. A. is taking B. takes C. took D. will take

单选题It's not just the Usheer/U accumulation of technology that makes their development so fast; but the cooperation among the members.

单选题What is worth noting from the example of Athens County is that______.