单选题The phrase "the world" in the first line of the passage refers to

单选题American Firms The annual review of American company board practices by Korn/Ferry, a firm of headhunters, is a useful indicator of the health of corporate governance. This year's review, published on November 12th, shows that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, passed in 2002 to try to prevent a repeat of corporate collapses such as Enron's and WorldCom's, has had an impact on the boardroom—albeit at an average implementation cost that Korn/Ferry estimates at $5.1 m per firm. Two years ago, only 41% of American firms said they regularly held meetings of directors without their chief executive present; this year the figure was 93%. But some things have been surprisingly unaffected by the backlash against corporate scandals. For example, despite a growing feeling that former chief executives should not sit on their company's board, the percentage of American firms where they do has actually edged up, from 23% in 2003 to 25% in 2004. Also, disappointingly few firms have split the jobs of chairman and chief executive. Another survey of American boards published this week, by A.T. Kearney, a firm of consultants, found that in 2002 14% of the boards of S&P 500 firms had separated the roles, and a further 16% said they planned to do so. But by 2004 only 23% overall had taken the plunge. A survey earlier in the year by consultants at McKinsey found that 70% of American directors and investors supported the idea of splitting the jobs, which is standard practice in Europe. Another disappointment is the slow progress in abolishing "staggered" boards—ones where only one-third of the directors are up for re-election each year, to three-year terms. Invented as a defence against takeover, such boards, according to a new Harvard Law School study by Lucian Bebchuk and Alma Cohen, are unambiguously "associated with an economically significant reduction in firm value". Despite this, the percentage of S&P 500 firms with staggered boards has fallen only slightly—from 63% in 2001 to 60% in 2003, according to the Investor Responsibility Research Centre. And many of those firms that have been forced by shareholders to abolish the system are doing so only slowly. Merck, a pharmaceutical company in trouble over the possible side-effects of its arthritis drug Vioxx, is allowing its directors to run their full term before introducing a system in which they are all re-elected (or otherwise) annually. Other companies' staggered boards are entrenched in their corporate charters, which cannot be amended by a shareholders' vote. Anyone who expected the scandals of 2001 to bring about rapid change in the balance of power between managers and owners was, at best, naive.

单选题{{B}}第二篇{{/B}} Good Table Manners Manners play an important part in making a favorable impression at the dinner table. Here are some general rules: Napkin (餐巾) use The meal begins when the host unfolds his or her napkin. This is your signal to do the same, so place your napkin on your lap. Unfold it completely if it is a small napkin, or in half, lengthwise (纵向地), if it is a large dinner napkin. If you need to leave the table during the meal, place your napkin on your chair as a signal to your server that you will be returning. Once the meal is over, place your napkin neatly on the table to the right of your dinner plate. Do not refold it. Use a napkin only for your mouth. Never use it for your nose, face or forehead. Use of utensils (餐具) Start with the knife, fork or spoon furthest from your plate, and work your way in, using one utensil for each course. If soup is served, remember to spoon away from yourself. This helps stop the drips. Do not put the entire soup spoon in your mouth. Instead, fill a soup spoon about 75 per cent with soup, and sip (啜饮) it from the side noiselessly. After finishing dinner, place the knife and fork parallel to one another across the Plate with the knife alade facing inward toward the plate. Using your f'ingers Here's a list of finger foods: sandwiches, cookies, small fruits or berries with stems, French fries and potato chips, hamburgers. Chew(咀嚼) with your mouth closed and don't make noise; don't talk with your mouth full. Bread must be broken with your hands. It is never cut with a knife. Don't pick something out of your teeth. Instead, excuse yourself to the bathroom. If possible, try not to cough at the table. Do not put your elbows(肘) on the table. In France, it is essential to have both hands above the table at the same time. Do not put bones or anything else on the table. Things that are not eaten should be put on your plate.

单选题Don't put the box of books on that table; it's not very Urobust/U.

单选题What element enables the ceramic tape to lower its temperature?

单选题The police have conducted the extensive investigation for this murdering.

单选题This poem Udepicts/U the beautiful scenery of a town in the South.

单选题The weather is a constant subject of conversation in Britain.

单选题Patricia stared at the other girls with resentment． A．anger B．doubt C．love D．surprise

单选题The megaphone makes the voice sound louder because it points sound waves in one direction and keeps them from spreading out in all directions.

单选题The reporter was accused of unprofessional conduct .

单选题What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

单选题Competitors must abide by the judge"s decision.

单选题Which of the following can replace the title of this passage?

单选题Joe came to the window as the crowd chanted “Joe,Joe,Joe”　　A. repeated　　B. jumped　　C. maintained　　D. approached

单选题He is (certain) that the dictionary is just what 1 want．

单选题下面的短文有15处空白，请根据短文内容为每处空白确定1个最佳选项。 Robots May Allow Surgery in Space Small robots designed by University of Nebraska researchers may allow doctors on Earth to help perform surgery on patients in space. The tiny, wheeled robots, {{U}}(51) {{/U}} are about 3 inches tall and as wide as a lipstick case, can be slipped into small incisions (切口) and computer-controlled by surgeons in different locations. Some robots are equipped {{U}}(52) {{/U}} cameras and lights and can send images back to surgeons and others have surgical tools attached that can be {{U}} (53) {{/U}} remotely. "We think this is going to {{U}}(54) {{/U}} open surgery," Dr. Dmitry Oleynikov said at a news conference. Oleynikov is a {{U}}(55) {{/U}} in computer-assisted surgery at the Universities of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Officials hope that NASA will teach {{U}}(56) {{/U}} to use the robots soon enough so that surgeries could one day be performed in space. On earth, the surgeons could control the robots themselves {{U}}(57) {{/U}} other locations. For example, the robots could enable surgeons in other places to {{U}}(58) {{/U}} on injured soldiers on the front line. Researchers plan to seek federal regulatory {{U}}(59) {{/U}} early next year. Tests on animals have been successful, and tests on humans in England will begin very soon. The camera-carrying robots can provide {{U}}(60) {{/U}} of affected areas and the ones with surgical tools will be able to maneuver (操控) inside the body in ways surgeons' hands can't. The views from the camera-carrying robots are {{U}}(61) {{/U}} than the naked eye, because they {{U}}(62) {{/U}} back color images that are magnified(放大). Because several robots can be inserted through one incision, they could reduce the amount and {{U}}(63) {{/U}} of cuts needed for surgery, which would decrease recovery time. This is particularly {{U}}(64) {{/U}} to those patients who have been debilitated (使虚弱) by long illness. Eventually, Oleynikov said, the tiny robots may enable surgeons to work without ever {{U}}(65) {{/U}} their hands in patients' bodies. "That's the goal ," Oleynikov said. "It's getting easier and easier. We can do even more with these devices. "

单选题Hair Detectives Scientists have found a way to use hair to figure out where a person is from and where that person has been. The finding could help solve crimes, among other useful applications. Water is central to the new technique. Our bodies break water down into its parts: hydrogen and oxygen. Atoms of these two elements end up in our tissues and hair. But not all water is the same. Hydrogen and oxygen atoms can vary in how much they weigh. Different forms of a single element are called isotopes. And depending on where you live, tap water contains unique proportions of the heavier and lighter isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen. Might hair record these watery quirks? That's what James R. Ehleringer, an environmental scientist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, wondered to find out he and his colleagues collected hair from barbers and hair stylists in 65 cities in 18 states across the United States. The researchers assumed that the hair they collected came from people who lived in the area. Even though people drink a lot of bottled water these days, the scientists found that hair overwhelmingly reflected the concentrations of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in local tap water. That's probably because people usually cook their food in the local water. What's more, most of the other liquids people drink including milk and soft drinks contain large amounts of water that also come from sources within their region. Scientists already knew how the composition of water varies throughout the country. Ehlernger and colleagues combined that information with their results to predict the composition of hair in people from different regions. One hair sample used in Ehleringer's study came from a man who had recently moved from Beijing, China, to Salt Lake City. As his hair grew, it reflected his change in location. The new technique can't point to exactly where a person is from, because similar types of water appear in different regions that span a broad area but authorities can now use the information to analyze hair samples from criminals or crime victims and narrow their search for clues.

单选题{{B}}第三篇{{/B}} {{B}}Hair Detectives{{/B}} Scientists have found a way to use hair to figure out where a person is from and where that person has been. The finding could help solve crimes, among other useful applications. Water is central to the new technique. Our bodies break water down into its parts: hydrogen and oxygen. Atoms of these two elements end up in our tissues and hair. But not all water is the same. Hydrogen and oxygen atoms can vary in how much they weigh. Different forms of a single element are called isotopes. And depending on where you live, tap water contains unique proportions of the heavier and lighter isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen. Might hair record these watery quirks? That's what James R. Ehleringer, an environmental scientist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, wondered. To find out, he and his colleagues collected hair from barbers and hair stylists in 65 cities in 18 states across the United States. The researchers assumed that the hair they collected came from people who lived in the area. Even though people drink a lot of bottled water these days, the scientists found that hair overwhelmingly reflected the concentrations of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in local tap water. That's probably because people usually cook their food in the local water. What's more, most of the other liquids people drink including milk and soft drinks contain large amounts of water that also come from sources within their region. Scientists already knew how the composition of water varies throughout the country. Ehleringer and colleagues combined that information with their results to predict the composition of hair in people from different regions. One hair sample used in Ehleringer's study came from a man who had recently moved from Beijing, China, to Salt Lake City, As his hair grew, it reflected his change in location. The new technique can't point to exactly where a person is from, because similar types of water appear in different regions that span a broad area. But authorities can now use the information to analyze hair samples from criminals or crime victims and narrow their search for clues.

单选题At the meeting both sides exchanged their views on a wide scope of topics they were interested in.