单选题{{B}}第二篇{{/B}} {{B}} Ford's Assembly Line{{/B}} When it comes to singling out those who have made a difference in all our lives, you cannot overlook Henry Ford. A historian a century from now might well conclude that it was Ford who most influenced all manufacturing, everywhere, even to this day, by introducing a new way to make cars—one, strange to say, that originated in slaughterhouses (屠宰场). Back in the early 1900%, slaughterhouses used what could have been called a "disassembly line". Ford reversed this process to see if it would speed up production of a part of an automobile engine called a magneto. Rather than have each worker completely assemble a magneto, one of its elements was placed on a conveyer, and each worker, as it passed, added another component to it, the same one each time. Professor David Hounshell of the University of Delaware, an expert on industrial development, tells what happened: "The previous day, workers carrying out the entire process had averaged one assembly every 20 minutes. But on that day, on the line, the assembly team averaged one every 13 minutes and 10 seconds per person." Within a year, the time had been reduced to five minutes. In 1913, Ford went all the way. Hooked together by ropes, partially assembled vehicles were towed (拖，拉) past workers who completed them' one piece at a time. It wasn't long before Ford was turning out several hundred thousand cars a year, a remarkable achievement then. And so efficient and economical was this new system that he cut the price of his cars in half, to $260, putting them within reach of all those who, up until that time, could not afford them. Soon, auto makers over the world copied him. In fact, he encouraged them to do so by writing a book about all of his innovations, entitled Today and Tomorrow. The Age of the Automobile has arrived. Today, aided by robots and other forms of automation (自动化), everything from toasters to perfumes is made on assembly lines.

单选题Moderate Earthquake Strikes England! A moderate earthquake struck parts of southeast England on 28 April 2007, toppling chimneys from houses and rousing residents from their beds. Several thousand people were left without power in Kent County. One women suffered minor head and neck injuries. "It felt as if the whole house was being slid across like a fun-fair ride," said the woman. The British Geological Survey said the 4.3-magnitude quake struck at 8 ~ 19 a.m. and was centered under the English Channel, about 8.5 miles south of Dover and near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel. Witnesses said cracks appeared in wails and chimneys collapsed across the county. Residents said the tremor had lasted for about 10 to 15 seconds. "I was lying in bed and it felt as if someone had just got up from bed next to me. " Said Hendrick van Eck, 27, of Canterbury about 60 miles southeast of London. "I then heard the sound of cracking, and it was getting heavier and heavier. It felt as if someone was at the end of my bed hopping up and down. " There are thousands of moderate quakes on this scale around the world each year, but they are rare in Britain. The April 28 quake was the strongest in Britain since 2002 when a 4.8-magnitude quake struck the central England city of Birmingham. The country's strongest earthquake took place in the North Sea in 1931 ,measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale. British Geological Survey scientist Roger Musson said the quake took place on 28 April in an area that had seen several of the biggest earthquakes ever to strike Britain, including one in 1580 that caused damage in London and was felt in France. Musson predicted that it was only a matter of time before another earthquake struck this part of England. However. people should not be scared too much by this prediction, Musson said, as the modern earthquake warning system of Britain should be able to detect a forthcoming quake and announce it several hours before it takes place. This would allow time for people to evacuate and reduce damage to the minimum.

单选题All African countries followed the IMF formula.

单选题A notably short man, he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.A. tacticallyB. considerablyC. remarkablyD. completely

单选题The wild animals are {{U}}enclosed{{/U}} in small cages in the zoo.

单选题A crowd gathered to see what had happened. A. collected B. fixed C. divided D. assist

单选题The committee comprises five persons.A. absorbsB. concernsC. excludesD. involves

单选题Basic Research Vs. Applied Research Why does the Foundation concentrate its support on basic rather than applied research? Basic research is the very heart of science, and its cumulative product is the capital of scientific progress, a capital that must be constantly increased as the demands upon its rise. The goal of basic research is understanding for its own sake. Understanding of the structure of the atom or the nerve cell, the explosion of a spiral nebula (螺旋星) or the distribution of cosmic dust, the causes of earthquakes and droughts, or of man as a behaving creature and of the social forces that are created whenever two of more human beings come into contact with one another—the scope is staggering, but the commitment to truth is the same. If the commitment were to a particular result, conflicting evidence might be overlooked or, with the best will in the world, simply not appreciated. Moreover, the practical applications of basic research frequently cannot be anticipated. When Roentgen, the physicist, discovered X-rays, he had no idea of their usefulness to medicine. Applied research, undertaken to solve specific practical problems, has an immediate attractiveness because the results can be seen and enjoyed. For practical reasons, the sums spent on applied research in any country always far exceed those for basic research, and the proportions are more unequal in the less developed countries. Leaving aside the funds devoted to research by industry—which is naturally far more concerned with applied aspects because these profits quickly—the funds the U.S. Government allots to basic research currently amount to about seven percent of its overall research and developments funds. Unless adequate safeguards are provided, applied research invariably tends to drive out basic. Then, so Dr. Waterman has pointed out, development will inevitably be undertaken prematurely(过早的), career incentives will gravitate strongly toward applied science, and the opportunities for making major scientific discoveries will be lost. Unfortunately, pressures to emphasize new developments, without corresponding emphasis upon pure science. Tend to degrade the quality of the nation's technology in the long run, rather than to improve it.

单选题 Teaching and Learning Many teachers believe that the responsibilities for learning lie with the student. If a long reading assignment is given, instructors expect students to be {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}with the information in the reading even if they do not discuss it in class or {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}an examination. The ideal student is {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}to be one who is motivated to learn for the sake of learning, not the one interested only in getting high {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}. Sometimes homework is returned with brief written {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}but without a grade. Even if a grade is not given, the student is {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}for learning the material assigned. When research is {{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}, the professor expects the student to take it actively and to complete it with minimum {{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}}. It is the student's responsibility to find books, magazines, and articles in the library. Professors do not have the time to {{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}} {{/U}}how a university library works; they expect students to exhaust the {{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}resources in the library. Professors will help students who need it, {{U}} {{U}} 11 {{/U}} {{/U}}prefer that their students should not be too {{U}} {{U}} 12 {{/U}} {{/U}}on them. In the United States professors have many other {{U}} {{U}} 13 {{/U}} {{/U}}besides teaching, such as administrative or research work. Therefore, the time that a professor can spend {{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}} {{/U}}a student outside of class is limited. If a student has problems with classroom work, the student should either {{U}} {{U}} 15 {{/U}} {{/U}}a professor during office hours or make an appointment.

单选题This law becomes operative immediately.

单选题I"ll draft a letter for you. ______

单选题Would you mind {{U}}keeping an eye on{{/U}} our house for us while we're away?

单选题It is Uabsurd/U to predict that the sun will not rise tomorrow.

单选题Sophonisba P. Breckinridge, the first woman admitted to the bar in Kentucky,eventually abandoned her legal career and became a social worker.

单选题 {{B}}Languages which to be extinct{{/B}} Ever hear someone speak Udihe, Eyak or Arikapu? Odds are you never will. Among the world's 6,800 languages, half to 90 percent could be extinct by the end of the century. One reason is that half of all languages are spoken by fewer than 2,500 people each, according to the Worldwatch Institute, a private organization that monitors global trends. Languages need at least 100,000 speakers to pass from generation to generation, says UNESCO. War and genocide, fatal natural disasters, the adoption of more dominant languages such as Chinese and Russian, and government bans on language also contribute to their extinction. The outlook for Udihe, Eyak and Arikapu, spoken in Siberia, Alaska and the Amazon jungle, respectively, is particularly depressing. About lif0 people speak Udihe, six speak Arikapu, and Eyak is down to one, Worldwatch says. Marie Smith, 83, of Alaska, says she's the last speaker of Eyak, a claim verified by linguists. "It's horrible to be alone," Smith said. It's becoming a struggle, too, to find many who can say "thank you" in the Navajo language of the American Indian tribe (ahehee), or "hello" in the Maori language of New Zealand(kiaora). The losses ripple foar beyond the affected communities. When a language dies, inguists, anthropologists and others lose rich sources of material for their work documenting a people's history, finding out what they knew and tracking their movements from region to region. And the world, linguistically speaking, becomes less diverse. Eight countries account for more than half of all languages. They are, in order, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Nigeria, India, Mexico, Cameroon, Australia and Brazil. That languages die isn't new; thousands are believed to have disappeared already. The distinguishing thing is it's happening at such an alarming rate right now. Linguists believe 3,400 to 6,120 Languages could become extinct by 2100. While a few languages including Chinese, Greek and Hebrew, are more than 2,00 years old, others are coming back from the dead, so to speak. In 1983, Hawaiians created the Aha Punana Leo organization to reintroduce their native language throughout the state, including its public schools. The language nearly became extinct when the United States banned schools from teaching in Hawaiian after incorporating the then independent country in 1898. Some 7,000 to 10,000 Hawaiians currently speak their native tongue, up from fewer than 1,000 in 1983, said Luahiwa Namahoe, the organization's spokeswoman.

单选题All of the tenants in the building complained about the lack of hot water.

单选题The president proposed that we should bring the meeting to a close.A. statedB. saidC. suggestedD. announced

单选题Career With a Uniform Want to be the next Xu Sanduo? The TV drama Soldiers' Sortie (Shibing Tuji) might have caused millions of young people to dream idly of putting on an army uniform and going off to boot camp. In fact, a large number of students graduating might consider doing just that. Last month, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) announced that there will be 120,000 job openings this year for college grads. So, one out of every 50 grads has a chance if he or she would like to march down to the local recruiting office. Anyone enlisting will get preferential treatment in tuition compensation and in job opportunities. This decision comes against a backdrop of bad employment news and a cooling economy. This year's recruitment quota outnumbers last year's 39,000 by about three-fold. "It's important to pull in fresh, talented people who can deal with the new equipment and a high-tech military to modernize the nation's defense," said Bai Zixing, a senior officer in the PLA General Staff Department4. The age limit for college recruits has been raised to 24, and there's one more important policy change: Grads who have already volunteered to sign up can quit if they change their minds after finding another job before November, the deadline for enlistment. This gives grads an extra choice in starting a career. The following is a list of preferential things that college grads qualify for if they join the army: A one-time recruitment payment of up to 24,000 yuan, to cover four years of college tuition and loans (this has to be returned if the person is forced to leave the army before completing the service contract). Priority in promotions and in getting admitted to military academies. Anyone with a bachelor's degree or above and a good performance record can be promoted to the rank of officer directly, if they meet certain other criteria. An ordinary soldier may need a couple of years longer to get there. Anyone with a junior college5 degree can go on for a bachelor's degree without having to take the entrance exams. Anyone wanting to take the grad school entrance exam after completing their service can add 10 points to the exam results. Anyone getting a merit citation second class can enter grad school without taking the exam after completion of the service obligation. There are no restrictions on things like going abroad after the service period, unless one deals with confidential work in the army.

单选题Thank you for applying for a position with our firm. We do not have any openings at this time, but we shall keep your application on archive for two months.

单选题The President made a Ubrief/U visit to Beijing.