单选题While typing, Helen has a habit of stopping ______ to stroke her long and flowing hair.

单选题Lowbrows are quite ______ for highbrows to have their symphonies and their Russian novels.

单选题Criticism and self-criticism are necessary______they help us to find and correct our mistakes.

单选题The negotiations which ______ the signing of the treaty took place over a number of years. A) preceded B) prescribed C) proceeded D) processed

单选题Joe Coyne slides into the driver's seat, starts up the car and heads to town. The empty stretch of interstate gives way to urban congestion, and Coyne hits the brakes as a pedestrian suddenly crosses the street in front of him. But even if he hadn't stopped in time, the woman would have been safe. She isn't real. Neither is the town. And Coyne isn't really driving. Coyne is demonstrating a computerized driving simulator that is helping researchers at Old Dominion University (ODU) examine how in-vehicle guidance systems affect the person behind the wheel. The researchers want to know if such systems, which give audible or written directions, are too distracting—or whether any distractions are offset by the benefits drivers get from having help finding their way in unfamiliar locations. "We're looking at the performance and mental workload of drivers," said Caryl Baldwin, the assistant psychology professor leading the research, which involves measuring drivers' reaction time and brain activity as they respond to auditory and visual cues. The researchers just completed a study of the mental workload involved in driving through different kinds of environments and heavy versus, light traffic. Preliminary results show that as people "get into more challenging driving situations, they don't have any extra mental energy to respond to something else in the environment, "Baldwin said. But the tradeoffs could be worth it, she said. This next step is to test different ways of giving drivers navigational information and how those methods change the drivers' mental workload. "Is it best if they see a picture…that shows their position, a map kind of display?" Baldwin questioned. "Is it best if they hear it?" Navigational systems now on the market give point-by-point directions that follow a prescribed mute. "They're very unforgiving," Baldwin said. "If you miss a turn, they can almost seem to get angry." That style of directions also can be frustrating for people who prefer more general instructions. But such broad directions can confuse drivers who prefer route directions, Baldwin said. Perhaps manufacturers should allow drivers to choose the style of directions they want, or modify systems to present some information in a way that makes sense for people who prefer the survey style, she said. Interestingly, other research has shown that about 60 percent of men prefer the survey style, while 60 percent women prefer the route style, Baldwin said. This explains the stereotype that men don't like to stop and ask for directions and women do, Baldwin added.

单选题Resale Price Maintenance is the name used when a retailer is compelled to sell at a price fixed by the manufacturer instead of choosing for himself how much to add on to the wholesale price he pays for his supplies. This practice is associated with the sale of "branded" goods, which now form a very considerable proportion of consumers'purchases and it has led to a great deal of controversy. Generally such articles are packed and advertised by the manufacturers, who try to create a special image in the minds of possible purchasers—an image made up of the look of the article, its use, its price, and everything else which might lead purchasers to ask for that brand rather than any other. If a retailer is allowed to charge any price he likes he may find it worthwhile to sell one brand at "cut" prices even though this involves a loss, because he hopes to attract customers to the shop, where they may be persuaded to buy many other types of goods at higher prices. The manufacturer of the brand that has been cut fears that the retailer may be tempted to reduce the services on this article, but even if he does not there is a danger that the customer becomes unsettled and is unwilling to pay the standard price of the article because he feels that he is being "done" . This may, and indeed often does, affect the reputation of the manufacturer and lose him his markel in the long run. It is sometimes said also that the housewife—who is the principal buyer of most of these goods—prefers a fixed price because she knows where she is and is saved the bother of going from shop to shop in search of lower prices. If one shop cut all the prices of its branded goods she would undoubtedly have an advantage in shopping there. But this does not happen. A store usually lowers the price of one or two of its articles which act as a decoy and makes up its losses on others, and changes the cut-price articles from week to week so as to attract different groups of customers. And so the housewife may feel rather guilty if she does not spend time tracking down the cheaper goods. How far this is true is a matter of temperament and it is impossible to estimate what proportion of purchasers prefer a price that they can rely on wherever they choose to buy and what proportion enjoy the challenge involved in finding the store that offers them a bargain. Those who oppose Resale Price Maintenance on the other hand, point out that there are now a great many different channels of distribution—chain stores, department stores, co-operative stores, independent or unit shops, supermarkets, mail-order houses, and so on. It would be absurd to assume that all of them have exactly the same costs to meet in stocking and selling their goods, so why should they all sell at the same price? If they were allowed to choose for themselves, the more efficient retailers would sell at lower prices and consumers would benefit. As it is, the retail price must be sufficient to cover the costs of the less efficient avenues of distribution and this means the others make a bigger profit than necessary at the expense of the public. The supporters of the fixed price argue that this is only half the story. The efficient trader can still compete without lowering his prices. He can offer better service—long credit, or quick delivery or a pleasant shop decor or helpful assistants—and can do this without imperiling the long term interests of the manufacturer.

单选题The process of respiration consists of two independent actions: inhaling and exhaling. A. speaking B. reciting C. smelling D. breathing

单选题Because of her dual nationality in the United States and Mexico, Maria was almost required to pay taxes in both countries until her accountant ______ with a satisfactory solution for both countries.

单选题The epic is possible because America is an idea as much as it is a country. America has nothing to do with allegiance to a dynasty and very little to do with allegiance to a particular place, but everything to do with allegiance to a set of principles.

单选题 Passage 3 Of late, there have been several posts suggesting that America has no culture or that what culture it has is somehow inferior to that of other societies. Of course, it cannot be both. To suggest that America has, in some sense, an inferior culture is to grant that it has a culture. America most definitely has culture and the culture of America is easily the most dominant of the world. Whether it is McDonald's in the heart of what was once the center of the Evil Empire, or Arnold Schwarzenagger storming across German theatres, or Disneyland sending the French snobs into hysteria, American culture dominates Europe as never before. And it is not just Europe. Enter any shopping center in Asia and the odds are that the music blasting over the sound system is American pop music. Madonna look-alikes speak Mandarin Chinese. Often, American culture is derided by the so-called "intellectuals". (And by that, I do not mean the traditional definition of those who use their intellect to make a living as, in a increasingly service economy, there are few people today who would not fit into that category but, rather, people who fancy themselves as in some way gifted to impose their views upon the rest of us, to save us from ourselves.) What is it about American culture that annoys the "intellectuals" so much? It is precisely that which differentiates it from other cultures, particularly the cultures of Europe ("intellectuals" tending to be europhiles). Whereas European culture (and, indeed, most pre-industrial cultures) sprang from their traditions of aristocracy and the subservience of society to the ruling class, American culture serves the middle-class, the vulgar, if you will. Whereas European culture is concerned with what is exclusive and aloof, American culture is concerned with what is common and accessible. You don't need classes in school in rock music appreciation or the finer aspects of eating pizza. Some have suggested that America is doomed because it has no culture. But the contrary is more likely the case. In spite of the best efforts of the multi-cultural fascists, America has yet to fulfill its manifest destiny primarily because its culture is not only dominating and assimilating immigrants from every corner of the world, it is, indeed reaching out to every corner of the world and creating a world community, a community centered on the individual, every individual not just those gifted with expensive tastes.

单选题A series of border incidents inevitably led the two countries to war.

单选题In the United States, 36 states currently allow capital punishment for serious crimes such as murder. Americans have always argued about the death penalty. Today, there is a serious question about this issue: Should there be a minimum age limit for executing criminals? In other words, is it right for convicted murderers who kill when they are minors--i, e. , under the age of 18--to receive the death penalty? In most other countries of the world, there is no capital punishment for minors. In the United States, though, each state makes its own decision. Of the 36 states that allow the death penalty, 30 permit the execution of minors. In the state of South Carolina, a convicted murderer was given the death penalty for a crime he committed while he was a minor. In 1977, when he was 17 years old, James Terry Roach and two friends brutally murdered three people. Roach's lawyer fought the decision to execute him. The young murderer remained on Death Row (a separate part of prison for convicted criminals who are sentenced to death) for ten years while his lawyer appealed to the governor. The lawyer argued that it is wrong to execute a person for a crime he committed while he was a minor. In the United States, the governor of a state has the power to change a sentence from the death penalty to life in prison. Nonetheless, the governor of South Carolina refused to stop the execution. Roach was finally executed by electrocution in 1986. This is not the first time a criminal was executed in South Carolina for a crime he committed when he was a minor. In 1944, a 14-year-old boy died in that state's electric chair. In Indiana, a 16-year-old girl was on Death Row for a crime she committed when she was 15. Paula Cooper and three friends stabbed an elderly woman to death in 1986. They robbed the old woman to get money to play video games. At the time of the murder, the minimum age limit for executions in that state was 10. Cooper's lawyer appealed to the governor of Indiana to stop the execution because the convicted killer was very young and because she was abused in childhood. The Indiana governor, who favors the death penalty, said that he had to let the courts do their job.

单选题Born of the same parents, he beam no ______ his brothers.

单选题The lease is ______ in saying that the rent must be paid in dollars by the 20th of every month. A.explicit B.implicit C.conspicuous D.distinctive

单选题Discoveries in science and technology are thought by "untaught minds" to come in blinding flashes or as the result of dramatic accidents. Sir Alexander Fleming did not, as legend would have it, look at the mold on a piece of cheese and get the idea for penicillin there and then. He experimented with antibacterial substances for nine years before he made his discovery. Inventions and innovations almost always come out of laborious trial and error. Innovation is like soccer; even the best players miss the goal and have their shots blocked much more frequently than they score. The point is that the players who score most are the ones who take most shots at the goal and so it goes with innovation in any field of activity. The prime difference between innovators and others is one of approach. Everybody gets ideas, but innovators work consciously on theirs, and they follow them through until they prove practicable or otherwise. What ordinary people see as fanciful abstractions, professional innovators see as solid possibilities. "Creative thinking may mean simply the realization that there's no particular virtue in doing things the way they have always been done," wrote Rudolph Flesch, a language authority, this accounts for our reaction to seemingly simple innovations like plastic garbage bags and suitcases on wheels that make life more convenient: "How come nobody thought of that before?" The creative approach begins with the proposition that nothing is as it appears. Innovators will not accept that there is only one way to do anything. Faced with getting from A to B, the average person will automatically set out on the best-known and apparently simplest route. The innovators will search for alternate courses, which may prove easier in the long run and are bound to be more interesting and challenging even if they lead to dead ends. Highly creative individuals really do march to a different drummer.

单选题In protest, blacks and______whites sat at the counters of these restaurants and refused to move until they were served.(上海交通大学2008年试题)

单选题The nation-wide economic slowdown worsened the ______ between employer and employee. [A] connection [B] relationship [C] association [D] acquaintance