单选题Some people ought to defend the workaholic. These people are unjustly accused, abused, and defamed -- often termed sick or morbid or on the border of pathology. About 30% of American business and commerce is carried on the shoulders of workaholics. The ratio might exist in art and science too. Workaholics are the achievers, the excelers. There is a national conspiracy against excellence and undue admiration of commonness and mediocrity. It is as if we are against those who make uncommon sacrifices because they enjoy doing something. Some famous psychologists say that the workaholic has an inferiority complex which leads to overcompensation. This is certainly not the case. Inferiority, or low esteem, describes laziness more accurately than it describes dedication. We do not seem to realize that very little excellence is achieved by living a well-balanced life. Edison, Ford, Einstein, Freud all had single-minded devotion to work whereby they sacrificed many things, including family and friendship. The accusation is made that workaholics bear guilt by not being good parents or spouses. But guilt can exist in the balanced life also. Think how many "normal" people and middle-ages who have never done anything well -- they are going to settle for less than what they could have become.

单选题A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous and helpful most Americans were to them. To be fair, this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians, and should best be considered North American. There are, of course, exceptions. Small-minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US. Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment. For a long period of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence. Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another. Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world. The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality. Someone traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement. It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers. It reflected the harshness of daily life: if you didn"t take in the stranger and take care of him, there was no one else who would. And someday, remember, you might be in the same situation. Today there are many charitable organizations which specialize in helping the weary traveler. Yet, the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US, especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails. "I was just traveling through, got talking with this American, and pretty soon he invited me home for dinner—amazing." Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but are not always understood properly. The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition. As is true of any developed society, in America a complex set of cultural signals, assumptions, and conventions underlies all social interrelationships. And, of course, speaking a language does not necessarily mean that someone understands social and cultural patterns. Visitors who fail to "translate" cultural meanings properly often draw wrong conclusions. For example, when an American uses the word "friend", the cultural implications of the word may be quite different from those it has in the visitor"s language and culture. It takes more than a brief encounter on a bus to distinguish between courteous convention and individual interest. Yet, being friendly is a virtue that many Americans value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers.

单选题The word "concrete" in the second sentence of the passage means

单选题Questions 11--13 are based on the passage about ice phrases. You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 11--13.

单选题 Questions 14-16 are based on the following monologue. You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 14-16.

单选题According to the passage, which of the following contribute most to the growth of the weight of the people on the earth?

单选题When the Dow rockets 300 points or the stocks of retailers, say, get decimated, I devour the news. Here's my admission: I'm a buy-and-hold investor, and a lazy one at that. My employer prohibits us news folks to trade equities on a short-term basis, but even if it didn't, I'd still buy and hold. The bulk of my portfolio is in, two retirement accounts, and neither stock-market gyrations nor major financial earthquakes prompt me to tweak my allocations. I simply hold a fairly routine mix of low-cost U. S. and international-stock mutual funds, plus a bond fund, and I stick to it. Sure, the markets get volatile but I figure that, eventually, average historical returns will work in my favor. And, to my mind, stock-market trading, if you're not spending many hours a week working on it, is little more than a guessing game. The fact is, a buy-and-hold investor with a decently diversified portfolio should celebrate her ability to remain firm in the face of financial-news tidal waves which prompt many, less staunch, to jump in and out of investments, often at the worst possible time. Some might say the staunch investor is akin to a passenger on the Titanic, refusing a lifeboat to safety due to misguided loyalty to the idea of "buy and hold." But as long as three prerequisites are satisfied, that investor is among the most prudent savers around: a well-diversified investment plan, invested in low-cost index funds, with a long-term outlook. In fact, if you're not going to be an active, pay-attention-every-day investor, setting up a simple plan and then forgetting about it may be the best retirement-savings decision you make. "What is often problematic is the middle ground. People will set something up and then follow it intermittently and on a whim make changes," says John Nofsinger, associate professor of finance at Washington State University and author of "The Psychology of Investing." Those who follow the markets tangentially but don't take time for deeper analysis tend to buy high and sell low. If, like me, you're not going to spend time daily on your plan, then set it and forget it. Note that, unless you have a rock-solid pension plan from your employer and significant other assets, you're going to need to invest, Interest rates on cash simply won't get most savers to a well-funded retirement. What to do? 1. Create a plan. That means investing in low-cost index funds covering the U.S. stock market, perhaps 10% to 25% of your portfolio in international stock funds, plus exposure to bonds (a typical scenario is 70% or 80% in stocks and 30% or 20% in bonds), and perhaps some portion in a money-market or cash-type account. Keep in mind that your focus is not to beat the market. 2. Once your plan is in place, ignore it. "I do virtually nothing. I do less than I do for my car. There's not even a need to change the oil," Mr. Statman says. If rebalancing worries you, don't even do that except perhaps once every few years. And make sure you focus on getting back to your investment plan, rather than chasing the winners of the moment. "If the stock market went up that year and maybe bonds didn't, so you take a little out of the stock market and put it in bonds to reallocate to where your targets originally were, I think that's a good strategy," Mr. Nofsinger says. 3. Accept risk. Yes, stock-market investing is risky. But over the long haul, investors are rewarded—if they adopt a long-term outlook and diversified investment plan. "Risk is not something you want, but oftentimes risk does go hand in hand with return," says Peng Chen, chief investment officer of Ibbotson Associates, an investment research and consulting firm owned by Morningstar in Chicago. Keep in mind: Avoid this risk with money you need soon, say, in the next year or two. And remember that the more you invest in one company, sector or country, the more risk you're taking on. 4. Stay in for the long haul. We have no idea what's coming tomorrow, and past stock-market performance does not predict future results. But what is your alternative? Stick all your cash in a money-market account, a CD or, slightly riskier, bonds? You are not avoiding risk with this plan, simply shifting to the risk inflation will trump your return. 5. Do what you can. The investment options available through your retirement plan may not be ideal. Invest there for the employer match, but ensure diversification through an account outside your employer plan, perhaps an individual retirement account or Roth IRA.

单选题Theinterviewerbelievesthat______.A.advertisingcan'tbeakindoflyingB.advertisingmustbeakindoflyingC.advertisingismostlikelytobeakindoflyingD.advertisingmaybeakindoflying

单选题 Questions 14～16 are based on the talk. You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 14～16.

单选题We often hear advice from the dermatologists, "You should keep using sunscreen cream—just to be safe". More and more people are questioning about sunscream. Can sunscreen cream help protect me against melanomas? How safe are we in applying these chemical cocktails? Does it actually stop melanomas, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, from forming? As is known to all, sunscreen cream can protect the skin from the harmful effects of sun. The most important function of it is the prevention of skin cancer. A great number of American people like to use it. Surprisingly, this kind of cancer is increasing in incidence faster than any other cancer in the United States. It seems that sunscreen actually increases the risk of skin cancer. More and more health experts are taking a discommendable attitude to the application of sunscreen. Researchers show that the earlier finding has many flaws and is unable to prove the exact function because they fail to take into account many exceptional cases. For instance, some people prefer to use sunscreen cream while going out. However, sunscreen cream users suffer from cancer more often. In fact, sunscreen cream allows people to remain exposed in the sun longer. People are likely to get skin problem under the sunshine for a long time. Besides, many people use the sunscreen cream in an inappropriate way. The sunscreen cream should be applied about half an hour before going outside, so the time is enough for the sunscreen to soak in and take effect. In fact, the protection of sunscreen will not last indefinitely. It should be reapplied at least every two hours when people stay outdoors for a prolonged period. After swimming, bathing, perspiring heavily, or drying off with a towel or handkerchief, you had better reapply it, too. Millions of gallons of sunscreen cream are consumed each year. Only 5% of products overall met the criteria for safety and sunscreen effectiveness. Three of five brand name products can not protect the skin from sun damage sufficiently or they contain hazardous chemicals, according to a report by Environmental Working Group (EWG). It is time to change our misunderstanding now. In fact, besides the sunshine-preventing function, it also has the function of protecting our skin. We all know that the sun impacts collagen production in the skin, and without collagen, skin won"t naturally maintain that plump, moist, youthful, wrinkle-free look. Without the protection of sunscreen cream, just a few minutes of daily sun exposure over the years can cause noticeable changes in skin. Sunscreen cream can protect our skin from these damaging rays, so that even if we do spend time outdoors, our face is less likely to give away our age.

单选题If anyone knew how to get the best medical treatment, it was Betsy Lehman. A health columnist who had worked at the Boston Globe since 1982, she had covered everything from leading-edge research to the finer points of a physician's bedside manner. When she learned she had an advanced case of breast cancer, she carefully studied her options and chose to undergo an experimental treatment offered at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a prestigious hospital affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Tragically, the 39- year-old mother of two died in December. Her death was not the result of her disease but of a huge overdose of a powerful anticancer drug accidentally administered by the hospital's staff. Lehman's case is just one of a spate of medical foul-ups that have made headlines in the U.S. in recent weeks. Though no statistical evidence shows that malpractice is on the rise, state licensing boards have stepped up their investigations of doctors. The number of physicians who have had their licenses revoked, suspended or restricted rose from 1,974 in 1992 to 2,190 in 1993, an 11% increase. Unfortunately, as long as doctors are human, treatment blunders can never be eliminated entirely. "With 4 million patients a day visiting physicians, it's inevitable, if inexcusable, that mistakes will be made," says Dr. James Todd of the American Medical Association. Three large studies over the past 30 years have documented a distressingly consistent rate of medical mishaps in the U.S.. By one measure, such negligence in American hospitals may result in 80,000 deaths each year. That toll is a sign to some critics that improvement is needed in the systems that American hospitals use to catch errors and review doctor's performance. Perhaps the only benefit of highly publicized cases like Betsy Lehman's is that they will spur hospitals to strengthen the safeguards needed to keep such tragedies as uncommon as possible.

单选题It is stated in astrology that ______.

单选题Nobody can be really free from the sound. Whether we live in the middle of a modem city or a faraway village, we are surrounded by sound every day such as the sounds from television and radio, household appliances, and traffic. Sound makes up a part of our life. In fact, most of us can not bear total silence. Sound gives us a sense of safety and brings us joy. Scientific tests have also proved that total silence is a very frightening experience for human beings. A recent report shows that people feel quite lonely without background sound while they are working. The background sound which doesn't change too much may even help people to concentrate. However, sometimes, sound is not helpful and joyful in people's life. Normally, we hear these sounds at safe levels that do not affect our hearing. However, when we are exposed to harmful noise--the sounds that are too loud or loud sounds that last a long time, sensitive structures in our inner ear can be damaged, causing hearing loss. Besides, unpleasant sounds, particularly sudden and uneven ones, may cause fear and anger. Noise is a source of stress, which can lead to tiredness, irritability and headaches. Noise can also raise blood pressure, putting strain on the heart. People living in homes exposed to high levels of road-traffic noise were more likely to report having hypertension, according to a study in Environmental Health. The researchers estimate the noise levels for the addresses of more than 24,000 Swedish. They found that people exposed to an average traffic-noise level above 64 decibels ( slightly louder than a normal conversation) were 52 % more likely than people exposed to 45 decibels of road noise to report having high blood pressure, a key risk factor for heart disease, after removing age, socioeconomic status, and other variables. Noise exposure could cause hypertension by persistently elevating the body's level of stress" hormones. Now we know that noise is harmful to our health, but can we get used to the excessive noise? The answer is NO. If, after long exposure to excessive noise, we stop hearing it -- because we have become deaf!

单选题How do Software companies make business?