单选题In most people's mind, growth is associated with prosperity. We judge how well the economy is doing by the size of the Gross National Product (GNP), a measure, supposedly, of growth. Equally axiomatic, however, is the notion that increased pressure on declining natural resources must inevitably lead to a decline in prosperity, especially when accompanied by a growth in population. So, which is correct? What growth advocates mean, primarily, when they say growth is necessary for prosperity is that growth is necessary for the smooth functioning of the economic system. In one field the argument in favor of growth is particularly compelling and that is with regard to the Third World. To argue against growth in light of Third World poverty and degradation seems unsympathetic. But is it? Could it be that growth, especially the growth of the wealthier countries, has contributed to the impoverishment, not the advancement, of Third World countries? If not, how do we account for the desperate straits these countries find themselves in today after a century of dedication to growth? To see how this might be the case we must look at the impact of growth on Third World countries—the reality, not the abstract stages-of-economic-growth theory advocated through rose colored glasses by academicians of the developed world. What good is growth to the people of the Third World if it means the conversion of peasant farms into mechanized agri-businesses producing commodities not for local consumption but for export, if it means the stripping of their land of its mineral and other natural treasures to the benefit of foreign investors and a handful of their local collaborators, if it means the assumption of a crushing foreign indebtedness? Admittedly, this is an oversimplification. But the point, I believe, remains valid: that growth in underdeveloped countries cannot simply be judged in the abstract; it must be judged based on the true nature of growth in these societies, on who benefits and who is harmed, on where growth is leading these people and where it has left them. When considered in this way, it just might be that in the present context growth is more detrimental to the well-being of the wretched of the earth than beneficial. So, do we need growth for prosperity? Only the adoption of zero growth can provide the answer. But that is a test not easily undertaken. Modem economies are incredibly complex phenomena, a tribute to man's ability to organize and a challenge to his ability to understand. Anything that affects their functioning, such as a policy of zero growth, should not be proposed without a wary carefulness and self-doubting humility. But if the prospect of leaping into the economic unknown is fear-inspiring, equally so is the prospect of letting that fear prevent us from acting when the failure to act could mean untold misery for future generations and perhaps environmental disaster which threaten our very existence.

单选题In paragraph 2, the underlined word "stint" is most similar in use to______.

单选题At first, the new lightweight drill has been invented to

单选题Until the late 1940s, when television began finding its way into American homes, companies relied mainly on print and radio to promote their products and services. The advent of television (1) a revolution in product and service. Between 1949 and 1951, advertising on television grew 960 percent. Today the Internet is once again (2) promotion. By going online, companies can communicate instantly and directly with prospective customers. (3) on the World Wide Web includes advertising, sponsorships, and sales promotions (4) sweepstakes, contests, coupons, and rebates. In 1996 World Wide Web advertising revenues (5) ＄ 300 million. Effective online marketers don't (6) transfer hard-copy ads to cyberspace. (7) sites blend promotional and non-promotional information indirectly delivering the advertising messages. To (8) visits to their sites and to create and (9) customer loyalty, companies change information frequently and provide many opportunities for (10) . A prototype for excellent (11) promotion is the Ragu Web site. Here visitors can find thirty-six pasta recipes, take Italian lessons, and view an Italian film festival, (12) they will find no traditional ads. (13) subtle is the mix of product and promotion that visitors hardly know an advertising message has been (14) Sega of America, maker of computer games and hardware, uses its Web site for a (15) of different promotions, such as (16) new game characters to the public and supplying Web surfers the opportunity to (17) games. Sega's home page averages 250,000 visits a day. To heighten interest in the site, Sega bought an advertising banner on Netscape (18) increasing site visits by 15 percent. Online (19) in Quaker Oats' Gatorade promotion received a free T-shirt in exchange for answering a few questions. Quaker Oats reports that the online promotion created product (20) and helped the company know its customers better.

单选题{{B}}Text 3{{/B}} For me, scientific knowledge is divided into mathematical sciences, natural sciences or sciences dealing with the natural world (physical and biological sciences), and sciences dealing with mankind (psychology, sociology, all the sciences of cultural achievements. every kind of historical knowledge). Apart from these sciences is philosophy, about which we will talk later. In the first place, all this is pure or theoretical knowledge, sought only for the purpose of understanding, in order to fulfill the need to understand that is intrinsic and con-substantial to man. What distinguishes man from animals is that he knows and needs to know. If man did not know that the world existed, and that the world was of a certain kind, that he was in the world and that he himself was of a certain kind, he wouldn't be man. The technical aspects or applications of knowledge are equally necessary for man and are of the greatest importance, because they also contribute to defining him as man and permit him to pursue a life increasingly more truly human. But even while enjoying the results of technical progress, man must defend the primacy and autonomy of pure knowledge. Knowledge sought directly for its practical applications will have immediate and foreseeable success, but not the kind of important result whose revolutionary scope is for the most part unforeseen, except by the imagination of the Utopians. Let me recall a well-known example. If the Greek mathematicians had not applied themselves to the investigation of conic section zealously and without the least suspicion that it might someday be useful, it would not have been possible centuries later to navigate far from shore. The first men to study the nature of electricity could not imagine that their experiments, carried on because of mere intellectual curiosity, would eventually lead to modern electrical technology, without which we can scarcely conceive of contemporary life. Pure knowledge is valuable for its own sake, because the human spirit cannot resign itself to ignorance. Butt in addition, it is the foundation for practical results that would not have been reached if this knowledge had not been sought disinterestedly. {{B}}Notes:{{/B}} intrinsic 固有的。con-substantial 同体的。autonomy 自主性。zealously and without the least suspicion热情地并丝毫也没有想到。for the most part 大部分，主要地。Utopian乌托邦，理想主义。disinterestedly 不偏不倚地。resign oneself to 听任，顺从。

单选题Which of the following proposals best responds to the issues raised by the author?

单选题According to the author, "political fanatics" (Para. 2) more often than not fall victim to [A political realities. [B] wild illusions. [C] adverse comments. [D] noble qualities.

单选题It was a ruling that had consumers seething with anger and many a free trader crying foul. On November 20th the European Court of Justice decided that Tesco, a British supermarket chain, should not be allowed to import jeans made by America's Levi Strauss from outside the European Union and sell them at cut-rate prices without getting permission first from the jeans maker. Ironically, the ruling is based on an EU trademark directive that was designed to protect local, not American, manufacturers from price dumping. The idea is that any brand-owning firm should be allowed to position its goods and segment its markets as it sees fit: Levi's jeans, just like Gucci handbags, must be allowed to be expensive. Levi Strauss persuaded the court that, by selling its jeans cheaply alongside soap powder and bananas, Tesco was destroying the image and so the value of its brands—which could only lead to less innovation and, in the long run, would reduce consumer choice. Consumer groups and Tesco say that Levi's case is specious. The supermarket argues that it was just arbitraging the price differential between Levi's jeans sold in America and Europe—a service performed a million times a day in financial markets, and one that has led to real benefits for consumers. Tesco has been selling some 15,000 pairs of Levi's jeans a week, for about half the price they command in specialist stores approved by Levi Strauss. Christine Cross, Tesco's head of global non-food sourcing, says the ruling risks "creating a Fortress Europe with a vengeance". The debate will rage on, and has implications well beyond casual clothes (Levi Strauss was joined in its lawsuit by Zino Davidoff, a perfume maker). The question at its heart is not whether brands need to control how they are sold to protect their image, but whether it is the job of the courts to help them do this. Gucci, an Italian clothes label whose image was being destroyed by loose licensing and over-exposure in discount stores, saved itself not by resorting to the courts but by ending contracts with third-party suppliers, controlling its distribution better and opening its own stores. It is now hard to find cut-price Gucci anywhere. Brand experts argue that Levi Strauss, which has been losing market share to hipper rivals such as Diesel, is no longer strong enough to command premium prices. Left to market forces, so-so brands such as Levi's might well fade away and be replaced by fresher labels. With the courts protecting its prices, Levi Strauss may hang on for longer. But no court can help to make it a great brand again.

单选题 Back in the .16th century, political plays were all about men. Not now. For some time, American female playwrights have followed the{{U}} (1) {{/U}}of Wendy Wasserstein, a 50-year-old Brooklyn-born dramatist, whose work has focused{{U}} (2) {{/U}}family drama and personal{{U}} (3) {{/U}}. Overtly political plays were considered{{U}} (4) {{/U}}and unfashionable. But this is no longer so often the{{U}} (5) {{/U}}. A new generation of female playwrights{{U}} (6) {{/U}}tackling such subjects{{U}} (7) {{/U}}racism, rape and apartheid. The quality of these plays has varied{{U}} (8) {{/U}}. The best{{U}} (9) {{/U}}their subjects with nuance and subtlety, while it is the more controversial pr6ductions{{U}} (10) {{/U}}fall flat. With topical issues now the stuff 0fshallow, made-for-television movies, audiences are looking to the theatre for something more{{U}} (11) {{/U}}. Rebecca Gilman's previous play, "Spinning into Butter", dealt with white racism in academia; her current drama, "Boy Gets Girl", gives a feminist take on male searching and objeetificati6n of women. Kia Corthron has three plays, including "Force Continuum",{{U}} (12) {{/U}}with racial issues{{U}} (13) {{/U}}or coming to the New York stage this year. But perhaps the most{{U}} (14) {{/U}}recent play on political themes to{{U}} (15) {{/U}}is "The Syringa Tree", a one-woman show about segregation in South Africa in the 1960s, written and{{U}} (16) {{/U}}by Pamela Glen.{{U}} (17) {{/U}}the play had trouble{{U}} (18) {{/U}}an audience when it{{U}} (19) {{/U}}in September last year, critical acclaim and persistent word-of-mouth followed, gradually{{U}} (20) {{/U}}to make "The Syringa Tree" one of the city's most popular offerings.

单选题For health insurance, the United States has taken the road less traveled. The United States is the only rich country without universal health insurance. People in the United States spend the most, rely heavily on the private sector, and obtain care from the world's most complicated delivery system. While some supporters have expressed satisfaction, if not pride, in these remarkable qualities, others contend that the United States faces unique limitations in reforming health care. In her exceptional book,Parting at the Crossroads, Antonia Maioni compares the formation of the U.S. and Canadian health-care systems for the years 1930—1960. The United States and Canada are often considered the most similar of Western democracies. They share a common border, are wealthy, and have federal government. Their trade unions are only moderately powerful, and their populations are diverse and young. Nevertheless, their heath-insurance systems are nearly opposite. The United States relies on a mix of government plans. Targeted to the elderly and indigent, and employment based plans, which the government indirectly supports, Canada offers public health insurance to all qualified resident, with the private sector providing supplementary services in some provinces. Labor organizations became strong advocates for health-insurance reform in both countries. Their impact partially depended on political institutions and how other actors, particularly organized medicine, wielded them. Canada's governmental and electoral systems allowed labor to cooperate with a social democratic party in the Saskatchewan province, which established a universal program. The Saskatchewan program demonstrated universal insurance feasibility, spurring the dominant Liberals to introduce a national universal program. In contrast, the U. S. electoral system effectively precluded third-party formation, forcing organized labor to dilute its health-insurance goals because it was one of many interests represented by the Democratic Party. Maioni suggests that economic vitality is important for the future of both countries' systems, but the prognosis is uncertain. Despite recent concerns about the Canadian government's budgetary health, Maioni contends that widespread support protects universal insurance. Conversely, Maioni seems pessimistic about options for U.S. universal health insurance. Despite economic buoyancy, dissension will likely prevent reforms. Although a devastating econmnic downturn would make health finance difficult in either country, the U.S. system seems especially vulnerable. Employment-based insurance and Medicare both rely on labor market attachment. High, chronic unemployment could result in coverage loss and financial difficulties for employer insurance and Medicare, swelling the uninsured pool. Such a crisis could provide an opening for universal health insurance. In any case, whether the United States relies on the public or private sector, escalating health expenditures figure into budget of government, corporations, and families, the U. S. health care system's future may depend on Americans" willingness to devote more of their national income to health care.