翻译题What is artificial intelligence today? Roughly speaking, its technology that takes in huge amount of information from a specific domain (say, loan repayment histories) and uses it to make a decision in a specific case (whether to give an individual a loan) in the service of a specified goal (maximizing profits for the lender)

翻译题With the popularity of the Internet, more and more people do shopping online

翻译题It is easy to underestimate English writer James Heriot

In the 1920s demand for American farm products fell, as European countries began to recover from World War I and instituted austerity (紧缩) programs to reduce their imports. The result was a sharp drop in farm prices. This period was more disastrous for farmers than earlier times had been, because farmers were no longer self-sufficient. They were paying for machinery, seed, and fertilizer, and they were also buying consumer goods. The prices of the items farmers bought remained constant, while prices they received for their products fell. These developments were made worse by the Great Depression, which began in 1929 and extended throughout the 1939s. In 1929, under President Herbert Hoover, the Federal Farm Board was organized. It established the principle of direct interference with supply and demand, and it represented the first national commitment to provide greater economic stability for farmers. President Hoover"s successor attached even more importance to this problem. One of the first measures proposed by President Franklin Roosevelt when he took office in 1933 was the Agricultural Adjustment Act , which was subsequently passed by Congress. This law gave the Secretary of Agriculture the power to reduce production through voluntary agreements with farmers who were paid to take their land out of use. A deliberate scarcity of farm products was planned in an effort to raise prices. This law was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court on the grounds that general taxes were being collected to pay one special group of people. However, new laws were passed immediately that achieved the same result of resting soil and providing flood-control measures, but which were based on the principle of soil conservation. The Roosevelt Administration believed that rebuilding the nation"s soil was in the national interest and was not simply a plan to help farmers at the expense of other citizens. Later the government guaranteed loans to farmers so that they could buy farm machinery, hybrid (杂交) grain, and fertilizers.

判断题Because speech is the most convenient form of communication, in the future we want essentially natural conversations with computers. The primary point of contact will be a simple device that will act as our window into the world. It will have to be small enough to slip into our pocket, so there will be a screen but no keyboard: you will simply talk to it. The device will be permanently connected to the Internet and will beep relevant information up to you as it comes in. Such devices will evolve naturally in the next five to ten years. Just how quickly people will adapt to a voice-based Internet world is uncertain. Many believe that, initially at least, we will need similar conventions for the voice to those we use at present on screen: click, back, forward, and so on. But soon you will undoubtedly be able to interact by voice with all those IT-based services you currently connect with over the Internet by means of a keyboard. This will help the Internet serve the entire population. Changes like this will encompass the whole world. Because English is the language of science, it will probably remain the language in which the technology is most advanced, but most speech, recognition techniques are transferable to other languages provided there is sufficient motivation to undertake the work. Of course, in any language there are still huge problems for us to solve. Carefully dictated, clear speech can now be understood by computers with only a 4～5 percent error rate, but even the most advanced technology still records 30～40 percent errors with spontaneous speech. Within ten years we will have computers that respond to goal-directed conversation, but for a computer to have a conversation that takes into account human social behaviors is probably 50 years off. We are not going to be chatting to the big screen in the living room just yet. In the past insufficient speed and memory have held us back, but these days they are less of an issue. However, there are those in the IT community who believe that current techniques will eventually hit a brick wall. Personally, I believe that incremental developments in performance are more likely. But it is true that by about 2040 or so, computer architectures will need to become highly parallel if performance is to keep increasing. Perhaps that will inspire some radically new approaches to speech understanding that will replace the methods we are developing now.

判断题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 brought about a revolution in promoting products and services. Between 1949 and 1951, advertising on television grew 960 percent. Today the Internet is once again transforming promotion. By going online, companies can communicate instantly and directly with prospective customers. Promotion on the World Wide Web includes advertising, sponsorships and sales promotions like contests and coupons. In 1996, World Wide Web advertising revenues reached $300 million. Effective online marketers do not merely transfer hard-copy ads to cyberspace. Successful sites blend promotional and non-promotional information, indirectly delivering the advertising messages. To encourage visitors to their sites and to create and cultivate customers" loyalty, companies change information frequently and provide many opportunities for interaction. One of the best online promotion web sites is the Ragu Web site. Here visitors can find thirty six pasta recipes, take Italian lessons, and view an Italian film festival. But they will find no traditional ads. So subtle is the mix of product and promotion that visitors hardly know an advertising message has been delivered. Sega of America, maker of computer games and hardware, uses its Web site for a variety of different promotions, such as introducing new game characters to the public and supplying Web surfers the opportunity to download games. Sega"s home page averages 250,000 visitors a day. To heighten interest in the site, Sega bought an advertising banner on Netscape, thereby increasing site visits by 15 percent. Online participants 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 loyalty and helped the company know its customers better. Now, to target specific Internet users, an increasing number of companies are using "push" technology which automatically delivers customized news and other information to users" computers when they log onto the Internet. Although organizations like Nielsen Media Research are developing technologies to enhance audience measurement and tracking, it remains difficult to assess how many times the same person looks at an ad and who that person is. Although online promotions can be glamorous and sophisticated, they are not perfect. For a well-designed marketing mix, industry experts advise companies to use the Internet as a supplement to other advertising media.

填空题A．Leave them behind B．Change the subject C．Limit the time you spend with them D．Don"t make their problems your problems E．Don"t pretend that their behavior is "OK". F．Talk about solutions, not problems G．Speak up for yourself Some people will have a rain cloud hanging over them, no matter what the weather is outside. Their negative attitude is toxic to your own moods, and you probably feel like there is little you can do about it. But that couldn"t be farther from the truth. If you want to effectively deal with negative people and be a champion of positivity, then your best route is to take definite action through some of the steps below. 1 First, let"s get this out of the way. You can be more positive than a cartoon sponge, but even your enthusiasm has a chance of being afflicted by the constant negativity of a friend. In fact, negativity has been proven to damage your health physically, making you vulnerable to high levels of stress and even cardiac disease. There"s no reason to get hurt because of someone else"s bad mood. Though this may be a little tricky depending on your situation, working to spend slightly less time around negative people will keep your own spirits from slipping as well. 2 This is an easy trap to fall into. Point out to the person that their constant negativity isn"t a good thing. We don"t want to do this because it"s far easier to let someone sit in their woes, and we"d rather just stay out of it. But if you want the best for this person, avoid giving the false impression that their negativity is normal. 3 Though I consider empathy a gift, it can be a dangerous thing. When we hear the complaints of a friend or family member, we typically start to take on their burdens with them. This is a bad habit to get into, especially if this is a person who is almost exclusively negative. These types of people are prone to embellishing and altering a story in order to gain sympathy. Why else would they be sharing this with you? 4 When you suspect that a conversation is starting to take a turn for the negative, be a champion of positivity by changing the subject. Of course, you have to do this without ignoring what the other person said. Acknowledge their comment, but move the conversation forward before the pleasure gained from complaining takes hold of either of you. 5 Sometimes, changing the subject isn"t an option if you want to deal with negative people, but that doesn"t mean you can"t still be positive. I know that when someone begins dumping complaints on me, I have a hard time knowing exactly what to say. The key is to measure your responses as solution-based. You can do this by asking questions like, "Well, how could this be resolved?" or, "How do you think they feel about it?" Use discernment to find an appropriate response that will help your friend manage their perspectives.

填空题Examples and rumours abound of companies being burgled by cyberfrauds, cyberspooks or cyber-mischief-makers. On June 26th America"s Federal Trade Commission sued Wyndham Worldwide, a hotel group, alleging that security failures at the company in 2008 and 2009 had led to the export of hundreds of thousands of guests" payment-card account numbers to a domain registered in Russia. The FTC says "millions of dollars" were lost to fraud. Wyndham says it knows of no customers who lost money and that the FTC"s claims are "without merit". Working out the cost of cybercrime is a devil of a job. The FTC and Wyndham are poles apart on their estimates of the effect of the credit-card thefts. Companies say they are under constant cyber-attack in ever more ingenious forms, but they are loth to say in public how often the raiders get through and how much damage they do—assuming that the breach is spotted. That suggests the damage is underreported. When they are speaking to the security services they may be more forthcoming, but will they be accurate? Companies might anyway have lost some of the business written off to cybercrime. In that case, Mr. Evans"s ￡800 million would be on the high side. In a report by Britain"s Cabinet Office last year, Detica, the software arm of BAE Systems, a defence company, put the cost of cybercrime to the country at a staggering ￡27 billion, or 1.8% of GDP. Businesses bore ￡21 billion, mostly because of the theft of secrets and industrial espionage. Lots of people doubted these numbers—including, it seems, the Ministry of Defence, which commissioned a study from a team led by Ross Anderson, a computer-security expert at Cambridge University. The team"s report, published this month, shies away from adding up totals, preferring to assess the costs of different types of crime in turn, but comes up with much lower figures—partly because it discounts Detica"s numbers for intellectual-property theft and espionage entirely, saying they have "no obvious foundation". Most of the cost of cybercrime, it concludes, is indirect, such as spending on antivirus software or other corporate defences. In other words, a lot goes on payments by one lot of businesses to another: the computer-security industry. That may be inevitable. Cyber-attacks are happening more often and are becoming more precisely targeted. Greg Day, the chief technology officer for security in the European business of Symantec, a computer-security firm, says that for years cybercrime was more or less "random", as crooks looked for any holes they could find anywhere. In the past couple of years, however, they have chosen their corporate targets more precisely. Symantec observed virtually no targeted attacks before Stuxnet, a worm that attacked industrial-control systems, appeared in 2010. Last December it spotted an average of 154 a day. The bad guys are increasingly using social media to try to find a way in, either by gathering intelligence or by befriending employees who may be tricked into opening an e-mail with nasty code within. People, a security-industry adage runs, are the weakest link. Training them to be careful may still be the best defence. A. acquired by the computer-security industry. B. speaking in public how much damage the cybercrime does. C. estimation of the effect of the credit-card thefts. D. letting out the clients" payment-card account numbers. E. Britain has invested a lot of money to prevent cybercrime. F. spent on antivirus software or other corporate defences diretly. G. cybercrime is more purposeful than before.

填空题A. For example, the Moche lords of Sipán in coastal Peru were buried in about AD 400 in fine cotton dress and with exquisite ornaments of bead, gold, and silver. Few burials rival their lavish sepulchres. Being able to trace the development of such rituals over thousands of years has added to our understanding of the development of human intellect and spirit. B. By 40,000 years ago people could be found hunting and gathering food across most of the regions of Africa. Populations in different regions employed various technological developments in adapting to their different environments and climates. C. Archaeological studies have also provided much information about the people who first arrived in the America over 12,000 years ago. D. The first fossil records of vascular plants—that is, land plants with tissue that carries food—appeared in the Silurian period. They were simple plants that had not developed separate stems and leaves. E. Laetoli even reveals footprints of humans from 3.6 million years ago. Some sites also contain evidence of the earliest use of simple tools. Archaeologists have also recorded how primitive forms of humans spread out of Africa into Asia about 1.8 million years ago, then into Europe about 900,000 years ago. F. One research project involves the study of garbage in present-day cities across the United States. This garbage is the modern equivalent of the remains found in the archaeological record. In the future, archaeologists will continue to move into new realms of study. G. Other sites that represent great human achievement are as varied as the cliff dwellings of the ancient Anasazi (a group of early Native Americans of North America) at Mesa Verde, Colorado; the Inca city of Machu Picchu high in the Andes Mountains of Peru; and the mysterious, massive stone portrait heads of remote Easter Island in the Pacific. Archaeological study covers an extremely long span of time and a great variety of subjects. The earliest subjects of archaeological study date from the origins of humanity. These include fossil remains believed to be of human ancestors who lived 3.5 million to 4.5 million years ago. The earliest archaeological sites include those at Hadar, Ethiopia; Laetoli, Tanzania; East Turkana, Kenya; and elsewhere in East Africa. These sites contain evidence of the first appearance of bipedal (upright- walking, apelike early humans). (41) The first physically modern humans, Homo sapiens, appeared in tropical Africa between 200,000 and 150,000 years ago- dates determined by molecular biologists and archaeologists working together. Dozens of archaeological sites throughout Asia and Europe show how people migrated from Africa and settled in these two continents during the last Ice Age (100,000 to 15,000 years ago). (42) Archaeologists have documented that the development of agriculture took place about 10,000 years ago. Early domestication—the planting and harvesting of plants and the breeding and herding of animals— is evident in such places as the ancient settlement of Jericho in Jordan and in Tehuacán Valley in Mexico. Archaeology plays a major role in the study of early civilizations, such as those of the Sumerians of Mesopotamia, who built the city of Ur, and the ancient Egyptians, who are famous for the pyramids near the city of Giza and the royal sepulchres (tombs) of the Valley of the Kings at Thebes. (43) Archaeological research spans the entire development of phenomena that are unique to humans. For instance, archaeology tells the story of when people learned to bury their dead and developed beliefs in an afterlife. Sites containing signs of the first simple but purposeful burials in graves date to as early as 40,000 years ago in Europe and Southwest Asia. By the time people lived in civilizations, burials and funeral ceremonies had become extremely important and elaborate rituals. (44) Archaeology also examines more recent historical periods. Some archaeologists work with historians to study American colonial life, for example. They have learned such diverse information as how the earliest colonial settlers in Jamestown, Virginia, traded glass beads for food with native Algonquian peoples; how the lives of slaves on plantations reflected their roots in Africa; and how the first major cities in the United States developed. (45)

填空题A hospital is an institution that provides medical services for a community. The doctors, nurses, and other personnel of a hospital work to restore health to sick and injured people. They also try to prevent disease and maintain health in the community. Some hospitals serve as centers for medical education and research. Most hospitals are short-term hospitals in which the majority of patients stay less than 30 days. Patients spend an average of 4 to 8 days in a short-term hospital. In long-term hospitals, most patients stay more than 30 days. People having their tonsils removed would go to a short-term hospital. Those with severe mental illnesses may stay in a long-term institution because of the time needed to treat their condition. A general hospital provides services for most people and illnesses. A special hospital cares for certain people or certain illnesses. For example, pediatric hospitals treat only children. Rehabilitation hospitals provide services to help people adjust to mental and physical disabilities. A hospital may perform other services besides treating the sick. Research hospitals conduct medical research. Teaching hospitals educate future physicians, nurses, and laboratory specialists. A teaching hospital may form part of a university medical center, or it may be a general hospital associated with a medical school. In the professional services department, physicians play an important role and lead a large medical team working for the hospital. The medical team also includes physicians in training. These interns come from medical schools and work in a hospital for practical experience. The nursing staff forms the largest group in the patient care team. Professional nurses, generally called registered nurses, have graduated from a nursing school. They carry out much of the patients" care under the guidance of physicians. They also direct other members of the nursing staff, including practical nurses, nurse"s aides, and nurse attendants. These men and women do many tasks to train the registered nurses for work requiring the special skills. There are many other important departments in a hospital besides the professional services department. The hospital pharmacy provides medicines that physicians order for patients. The central service department maintains medical supplies. The food service department prepares meals for patients and staff members. The hospital laboratories conduct tests that help doctors diagnose and treat illnesses. The radiology department makes X rays to help physicians diagnose diseases and injuries. The medical records department keeps a record on every patient. If former patients return to the hospital, their medical record helps the physician diagnose and treat their illness. The admitting office schedules patients for admission at the request of their physician and assigns them to a room. And the business office lists each patient"s charges, prepares a bill, and records payments received. A. his graduation from a medical school 1 The function of a hospital is to ______. B. provide medical education and conduct research in medicine 2 The doctors,nurses,and other personnel of a hospital treat and cure disease and ______. C. provide medical services for a community 3 An intern is a doctor serving as an assistant physician in a hospital,generally just after ______. D. restore health from a chronic disease 4 The departments of hospital laboratories,radiology department and medical records department help physicians ______. E. diagnose diseases and injuries 5 Registered nurses are another name for ______. F. have the appendix removed G. professional nurses

填空题This week some top scientists, including Nobel Prize winners, gave their vision of how the world will look in 2056, from gas-powered cars to extraordinary health advances, John Ingham reports on what the world"s greatest minds believe our futures will be. For those of us lucky enough to live that long, 2056 will be a world of almost perpetual youth. The prediction is that we will have found a source of inexhaustible, safe, green energy, and that science will have killed off religion. If they are right we will have removed two of the main causes of war—our dependence on oil and religious prejudice. Bruce Lahn, professor of human genetics at the University of Chicago, anticipates the ability to produce "unlimited supplies" of transplantable human organs without a needed new organ, such as kidney. The surgeon would contact a commercial organ producer, give him the patient"s immune-logical profile and would then be sent a kidney with the correct tissue type. These organs would be entirely composed of human cells, grown by introducing them into animal hosts, and allowing them to develop into an organ in place of the animal"s own. But Prof. Lahn believes that farmed brains would be "off limits". He says: "Very few people would want to have their brains replaced by someone else"s and we probably don"t want to put a human brain into an animal body. " Conlin Pillinger, professor of planetary sciences at the Open University fancies that we will be able to show that life did start to evolve on Mars well as Earth. Within 50 years he hopes scientists will prove that alien life came here in Martian meteorites. Meanwhile, we may find evidence of alien life in ancient permanent forest of Mars or on other planets. There is even a chance we will find alien life forms here on Earth. It might be as different as English is to Chinese. Such discoveries are likely to have revolutionary consequences for biology, astronomy and philosophy. They may change the way we look at ourselves and our place in the universe. As soon as the first evidence is found, we will know what to look for and additional discoveries are likely to follow quickly. Man hopes to set up a self-sufficient colony on Mars, which would be a "life insurance policy" against whatever catastrophes, natural or otherwise, might occur on Earth. The real space race is whether we will colonize off the Earth on to other worlds before money for the space program runs out. Ellen Heber-Katz, a professor at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, foresees cures for injuries causing paralysis such as the one that affricated Superman star Christopher Reeve. She says: "I believe that the day is not far off when we will be able to prescribe drugs that cause severe spinal cords to heal, hearts to regenerate and lost limbs to regrow." People will come to expect that injured or diseased organs are meant to be repaired from within, in much the same way that we fix an appliance or automobile: by replacing the damaged part with a manufacturer-certified new part. Repairs to the nervous system will start with optic nerves and, in time, the whole body replacement will be routine. Sydney Brenner, senior distinguished fellow of the Crick-Jacobs Center in California, won the 2002 Nobel Prize for Medicine and says that if there is a global disaster, some humans will survive and evolutions will favor small people with bodies large enough to support the required amount of brain power. "Obesity," he says, "will have been solved." A. human organs can be repaired like fixing appliances B. come true with the collaborative efforts C. scientists" vision of the world in half a century D. survive all catastrophes on earth E. humans won"t have to donate organs for transplantation F. live to 100 and more with vitality G. alien life will likely be discovered

填空题A. Suggest a pre-interview. B. How do you know your contact? C. Leave enough time to your referrer. D. Understand your contact"s position in the company. E. Put your request in writing. F. Is your contact willing to provide a referral? G. Say "thank you". Whether you"re unemployed or supported by a regular paycheck, job hunting and blindly sending out résumé s can be a tiring and frustrating experience. So when the career gods smile in your direction and provide your dream position at a company where you know an employee, it can feel as though your professional traffic jam just opened onto the six-lane new-job freeway. But before you fire off that "Will you refer me?" email, consider some of these important factors that can make or break your chances at an interview. 1 If your intended referrer is your best college pal or Aunt Winnie, proceed with caution. While it"s great to have friends or family who can vouch for you on a personal level, many hiring managers are more interested in your professional abilities. And getting a referral from someone who can"t even repeat what you do for a living may come across as a weak attempt at getting your foot in the door, not a strong recommendation. The best contact is one who knows your career progression and accomplishments. 2 Your dream job resides in sales and marketing, but your contact at the company works in tech support. At small companies, this link may be sufficient enough to secure you an interview, but you can"t always count on it. The best referral will come from someone who is knowledgeable about the open position and the kind of requirements and experience it entails. 3 If you decide that your contact is a strong one, then make your request in writing. Your potential referrer can then take the time to thoughtfully consider whether or not she is comfortable making an introduction before responding to you with her answer. And you give her a chance to quickly research any pertinent information regarding the hiring manager and job qualifications. 4 When making your referral request, ask your contact whether she is comfortable providing a referral. While you might be eager to cut to the chase by asking directly for an endorsement, a wishy-washy or noncommittal referral can be worse than no referral at all, so don"t take it personally if she refuses. But hopefully you"ve carefully considered your relationship with this person so that the answer is a confident "Yes!" 5 Even if your contact agrees to put you in touch with the hiring manager, offer to take her to lunch so you can provide her with the information she needs to deliver a strong referral. Describe your major professional accomplishments, and relate them to why you think you would be an ideal candidate for the listed position. By offering up the information she needs, you not only increase your chances of obtaining an interview, but you also make her look good to her coworkers by contributing an informed recommendation. Before you even know if you"ve obtained the interview, send your referrer a thank-you note. You"ll let her know that regardless of the outcome, you appreciate her time and effort. And even if this position doesn"t pan out for you, your graciousness will keep you top-of-mind if similar positions arise in the future!

填空题A. Becoming a Naturalist. B. Seeing Wonder in the Ordinary. C. A Changing Role. D. Disgusting and Embarrassing Moments. E. What does a Park Naturalist Do? F. What does It Take to Be a Park Naturalist? G. Management Decisions Invloved. I have the best job in the Wisconsin State Park System. As a park naturalist at Peninsula State Park, I am busy writing reports, creating brochures about trees or flowers, and sometimes visiting schools. And, of course, I make sure Peninsula's feathered friends are well fed. (41) As a park naturalist I am a writer, a teacher, a historian and, if not a social worker, at least an instructor for young people interested in the environment. I love the diversity of my job. Every day is different. Most tasks require creativity. Now that I am an experienced naturalist, I have the freedom to plan my own day and make decisions about the types of programs that we offer at Peninsula. (42) In my first naturalist job, I spent four out of five days leading school field trips and visiting classrooms. As a state park naturalist I still work with students, but more often lead programs like bird walks, nature crafts, outdoor skills, and trail hikes. I also find myself increasingly involved in management decisions. For example, sometimes the park naturalist is the person who knows where rare orchids grow or where ravens nest. When decisions are made about cutting trees, building trails, or creating more campsites, naturalists are asked to give the "ecological perspective" (43) Perhaps the grossest thing I've done as a naturalist is to boil animal skulls. Visitors like seeing bones and skins-at least after they have been cleaned up! Once, our nature needed more skulls. A trapper gave me muskrat, raccoon and fox skulls but I had to clean them. First, I boiled the skin and meat off. Boy, did that smell! Then I used dissecting tools and old toothbrushes to clean out the eyeballs. Finally, I soaked the skulls in a bleach solution I've had some embarrassing experiences, too. On my first hike as Peninsula's new naturalist, I was so excited that I identified a white pine tree as a red pine tree! That's quite a mistake since the trees are so easy to tell apart. White pine needles are in bundles of five and red pine needles are in bundles of two. (44) Not all State parks are as busy or as big as Peninsula. Not all park naturalists spend the seasons as I do. Nevertheless, Park naturalists share certain common interests and responsibilities: A park naturalist might notice that branches of a red maple growing in a field reach out to the side while those of a red maple in a thick forest reach up, and wonder why the trees look different. A naturalist makes things happen. It might be working with workers to clean up part of a river. Park naturalists share knowledge in different ways, but all of them communicate with people. A love of learning from other People, from plants and animals, from books, and more is an essential quality. Most naturalists don't work in places of rare beauty. Many work in city parks or in places that show "wear and tear", if you can wonder about an a pine bush, or a robin and cause others to wonder, too, then you are ready to become a park naturalist. (45) If you think you want to become a park naturalist, do the following: Explore your home landscape. Knowing how people have shaped the land where you live and how the land has shaped them will lend a comparison that will serve you well. Start a field sketch book Sketch what you see, where and when. The reason is not to practice art skills (though you may discover you have a talent) but, rather, to practice observation skills. Go to college. You will need a 4- year degree. There are several academic routes that lead to the naturalist's road. I have found ornithology, plant classification and human growth and development to be among my most helpful courses. Listen and learn. A college degree is like a ticket. It lets you board the plane but is only the beginning of the journey. Look and listen to those who have already traveled the road for ideas, knowledge and inspiration.

填空题{{B}}Directions:{{/B}} You are going to read a list of headings and a text about the law-making process of the united States. Choose a heading from the list A-G that best fits the meaning of each numbered part of the text. The first and last paragraphs of the text are not numbered. There are two extra headings which you do not need to use.A. Congressional Debate and Vote. B. Veto over Legislation of Bills. C. Committee Consideration. D. Counteracting a Presidential Veto. E. Passage in Both Chambers. F. Introduction of Bills. G. Functions of the Joint Committee. The U. S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation. The process by which a proposed bill becomes a law can be very complex and take years. {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}Bills may originate in either the House of Representatives or the Senate, except that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives. Only Senators and Representatives (also known as Members of Congress) can introduce a bill in their respective chamber. When bills are introduced, they are given a bill number. The numbering system starts over with each session of Congress, and bill numbers run in chronological order according to when the bill is introduced. Bills in the House of Representatives are given the initial H. R. and Senate Bills are given the initial S. Thus, H. R. 1, would be the first bill introduced in a new session of Congress or the House of Representatives (a session of Congress lasts for two years). {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}After a bill is introduced, it is assigned to one or more committees in the chamber where it was introduced. A committee can amend, rewrite, recommend, or ignore the bill or report back to the full chamber with no recommendation. Committees typically also submit a report explaining their views of the bill when sending a bill to the full House or Senate. {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}Once the bill moves to the "floor" of either the House of Representatives or the Senate (again depending on where the bill was introduced), the entire chamber debates and may amend the bill. It then takes an open vote on the bill. For noncontroversial votes, the chamber will take a voice vote, but if any legislator asks for a roll call, then each member's vote is made separately and publicly. {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}If the bill passes the first chamber, it is sent to the other chamber where the process described above is repeated. If the bill is amended in the second chamber, it must be sent back to the first Chamber because both chambers must agree on the amendments. If the two chambers cannot immediately agree on how to pass identical legislation, the bill will be sent to a joint committee (comprised of both House of Representatives and Senate members), which will attempt to work out a compromise among the different versions of the bill. If the joint committee is successful, the bill will be returned to both chambersfor a vote. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}Once an identical bill passes both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President who can do the following: (1) sign it and thus make it a law; (2) do nothing and after 10 days, if Congress stays in session, it becomes law; (3) do nothing and if Congress adjourns within 10 days, it does not become law; or (4) reject the bill by vetoing it and the bill will not become law unless the veto is overturned by Congress. Congress may overturn the President's veto by approving the bill again with at least a two thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate. The bill then becomes a law despite the President's veto. The state legislatures act in much the same way, although the process for enacting a bill within the legislatures is often more streamlined. Every state legislature, except Nebraska's, has two chambers. Most governors have vetor Power over state legislation, analogous to the veto power of the President.

填空题Most people can identify their top priority at work. Generally, it will be the part of the job that is most productive for their employer: for a merger and acquisitions banker, it could be landing a big deal for a client; for a lorry driver, the punctual delivery of an important consignment; for a hospital doctor or nurse, giving vital treatment to a patient. But every job is ringed with secondary tasks—the routine but critical stuff covered by codes and guidelines. If such chores are neglected, the consequences may undermine overall success. New research suggests tired workers in demanding jobs start giving up doing those small, but vital, tasks remarkably quickly. Peter Thiel, the entrepreneur, wrote in the FT last week that computers "excel at efficient data processing but struggle to make basic judgments". In other words, humans are not redundant. But the flesh-and-blood workers who remain now have greater responsibility for more important tasks. If companies pile more work on to them, these weary employees could inadvertently plunge them into disaster. It is a truism that a tired worker is less productive than a fresh one. But researchers at Wharton business schools have shown that compliance with routine tasks can fall away within one heavy shift. Their study"s focus was hand hygiene, healthcare"s mundane but powerful weapon against cross-infection. Such is the importance of sanitisation—when done thoroughly, it can reduce infection by the MRSA "superbug" by 95 percent—that hospitals have started to monitor compliance, using electronic tags in sanitisers and workers" badges. Each time a member of staff skips the sanitiser, the omission is logged. The extraordinarily rich anonymised information from such a system is a treasure trove for big data researchers such as Wharton"s Katherine Milkman. Analysing 13.8 million "unique hand hygiene opportunities" for more than 4,000 staff at 35 hospitals, she and her co-authors found that over a 12-hour shift compliance by an average staff member fell by 8.5 percentage points. Lax handwashing, they suggest, could be costing $25 billion annually in treatment of unnecessary infection in the US—and leading to 70,000 needless deaths. As Prof. Milkman explained to me last week, the fact that intense work makes it harder to do less important tasks could have profound implications in other walks of life. The study points out that "these deviations pose a threat to the wellbeing of organizations, employees and clients, because such violations can reduce the quality of products produced and services provided as well as creating an unsafe work environment". Suddenly, it is a little clearer why the exhausted M&A banker skips parts of the ethical code her bank insists on, or why the tired lorry driver jumps the lights to make it to the depot on time. The work could offer clues about how to make sure the steeplejack always checks his harness, even on the final ascent of the skyscraper, and the weary journalist reads through her story for possible errors on deadline. A．humans are not needed any more in computer age. B．the abundant anonymised information from the system. C．weary workers are likely to stop doing small but important things. D．intense work makes it harder to do some important work. E．how to make people reduce mistakes in routine work. F．the efficiency of workers will fall away in a heavy shift. G．tired workers could inadvertently plunge their company into disaster.

填空题A. Pick up the local paper B. Save from the first place C. Use a guidebook—your own D. Pick up the phone E. Choose cheap countries F. Download magazines from web G. Splurge when it matters You"ve mastered the art of modern-travel savings: Your airfare alerts are set up on Kayak; you flit around Europe on cheap carriers like EasyJet. You stay in apartments rented through Airbnb. You could probably shave a few more cents off travel costs by downloading five new apps and bookmarking 10 new sites. But real savings will come to those who go retro by stepping away from the screen, or using it differently, to find old-fashioned tactics that can save you big. Here are some old-school tips for getting the most out of your travel buck. 1 We think we can get everything done online these days, but sometimes a simple phone call is your best bet for saving money. Speak with an innkeeper and learn of potential discounts on extended stays or information on how to get there from the airport by public transit. Contact the specific location where you"ll pick up your rental car and reserve a compact to avoid getting "upgraded" to a bigger vehicle that will increase (sometimes even double) your gas costs. Call travel agencies that strike special deals with airlines to get your prices below anything you"ll find online. 2 Goodbye Norway, hello Bolivia. Or as a blogger put it, "Cheapest dorm bed in Zurich-nice room in Bangkok." Extrapolate that to tour guides, museum entries, food and more, and the savings start to add up. Of course, keep in mind how much it will cost you to get there in the first place. Luckily, a lot of the cheaper countries are also cheap to fly to; another blogger put together a list of 10 "Cheap Places to Travel on the U.S. Dollar," which includes Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru, Hungary and Romania. 3 Most travelers will never be across-the-board cheapskates. Street food, nosebleed-theater seats and bunk beds are not for everyone. But you don"t have to be a purist. For each trip, decide on a themed "waste" or two—transportation, food, arts, lodging—and save on the rest. 4 No listings are more up-to-the-minute than Friday arts supplements, alternative weeklies or the local editions of Time Out magazine. Get them on actual paper while they last. You"ll not only find the nontouristy scene laid out for you in one handy package, but often come across coupons or specials you certainly won" t find on Yelp. 5 I still carry a travel guide around when I travel—as backup, if nothing else. But those books are pricey, and there"s so much free information online that, with a little copying and pasting (and printing out), you can come pretty close to matching them with your own bespoke travel guide. So, in a retro twist, no Wi-Fi needed.

填空题The Atmosphere The atmosphere is a mixture of several gases. There are about ten chemical elements which remain permanently in gaseous form in the atmosphere under all natural conditions. Of these permanent gases, oxygen makes up about 21 percent and nitrogen about 78 percent. Several other gases, such as argon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, neon, krypton and xenon, comprise the remaining one percent of the volume of the dry air. The amount of water vapor and its variations in amount and distribution is of extraordinary importance in weather changes. Atmospheric gases hold in suspension great quantities of dust, pollen, smoke and other impurities which are always present in considerable, but variable amounts. The atmosphere has no definite upper limits but gradually thins until it becomes imperceptible. Until recently it was assumed that the air above the first few miles gradually grew thinner and colder at a constant rate. It was also assumed that upper air had little influenceon weather changes. Recently studies of the upper atmosphere, currently being conducted by earth satellites and missile probing, have shown these assumptions to be incorrect. The atmosphere has three well-defined strata. The layer of the air next to the earth, which extends upward for about ten miles, is known as the troposphere (对流层). On the whole, it makes up about 75 percent of all the weight of the atmosphere. It is the warmest part of the atmosphere because most of the solar radiation is absorbed by the earth"s surface which warms the air immediately surrounding it. A steady decrease of temperature with the increasing elevation is a most striking characteristic. The upper layers are colder because of their greater distance from the earth"s surface and rapid radiation of heat into space. The temperatures within the troposphere decrease about 3.5 degrees per 1,000 feet increase in altitude. Within the troposphere, winds and air currents distribute heat and moisture. Strong winds, called jet streams are located at the upper levels of the troposphere. These jet streams are both complex and widespread in occurrence. They normally show a wave shaped pattern and move from west to east at velocities of 150 mph, but velocities as 400 mph have been noted. The influences of changing locations and strengths of jet streams upon weather conditions and patterns are no doubt considerable. Current intensive research may eventually reveal their true significance. Above the troposphere to a height of about 50 miles is a zone called the stratosphere. The stratosphere is separated from the troposphere by a zone of uniform temperatures called the tropopause. Within the lower portions of the stratosphere is a layer of ozone gases which filter out most of the ultraviolet rays from the sun. The ozone layer varies with air pressure. If this zone were not there, the full blast of the sun"s ultraviolet light would burn our skins, blind our eyes and eventually result in our destruction. Within the stratosphere, the temperature and atmospheric composition are relatively uniform. The layer upward of about 50 miles is the most fascinating but the least known of the three strata. It is called the ionosphere because it consists of electrically charges particles called ions, thrown from the sun. The northern lights (aurora borealis) originate within this highly charged portion of the atmosphere. Its effect upon weather conditions, if any, is as yet unknown. A. a layer of ozone gases. B. about 42 degrees colder than on the ground. C. earth satellites. D. less than 1% of xenon by volume. E. jet planes. F. is warmed by the earth"s heat. G. 50 miles above the troposphere.

填空题A. Be silly B. Have fun C. Ask for help D. Express your emotions E. Don"t overthink it F. Be easily pleased G. Notice things Act Your Shoe Size, Not Your Age As adults, it seems that we are constantly pursuing happiness, often with mixed results. Yet children appear to have it down to an art—and for the most part they don"t need self-help books or therapy. Instead, they look after their wellbeing instinctively, and usually more effectively than we do as grownups. Perhaps it"s time to learn a few lessons from them. 1 What does a child do when he"s sad? He cries. When he"s angry? He shouts. Scared? Probably a bit of both. As we grow up, we learn to control our emotions so they are manageable and don"t dictate our behaviours, which is in many ways a good thing. But too often we take this process too far and end up suppressing emotions, especially negative ones. That"s about as effective as brushing dirt under a carpet and can even make us ill. What we need to do is find a way to acknowledge and express what we feel appropriately, and then—again, like children—move on. 2 A couple of Christmases ago, my youngest stepdaughter, who was nine years old at the time, got a Superman T-shirt for Christmas. It cost less than a fiver but she was overjoyed, and couldn"t stop talking about it. Too often we believe that a new job, bigger house or better car will be the magic silver bullet that will allow us to finally be content, but the reality is these things have very little lasting impact on our happiness levels. Instead, being grateful for small things every day is a much better way to improve wellbeing. 3 Have you ever noticed how much children laugh? If we adults could indulge in a bit of silliness and giggling, we would reduce the stress hormones in our bodies, increase good hormones like endorphins, improve blood flow to our hearts and even have a greater chance of fighting off infection. All of which would, of course, have a positive effect on our happiness levels. 4 The problem with being a grownup is that there"s an awful lot of serious stuff to deal with—work, mortgage payments, figuring out what to cook for dinner. But as adults we also have the luxury of being able to control our own diaries and it"s important that we schedule in time to enjoy the things we love. Those things might be social, sporting, creative or completely random (dancing around the living room, anyone?)—it doesn"t matter, so long as they"re enjoyable, and not likely to have negative side effects, such as drinking too much alcohol or going on a wild spending spree if you"re on a tight budget. 5 Having said all of the above, it"s important to add that we shouldn"t try too hard to be happy. Scientists tell us this can backfire and actually have a negative impact on our wellbeing. As the Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu is reported to have said : "Happiness is the absence of striving for happiness." And in that, once more, we need to look to the example of our children, to whom happiness is not a goal but a natural byproduct of the way they live.

填空题Directions: You are going to read a list of headings and a text. Choose a heading from the list A-F that best fits the meaning of each numbered part of the text. The first and last paragraphs of the text are not numbered. There is one extra heading which you do not need to use.A. Analyzing your own taste B. Being cautious when experimenting C. Finding a model to follow D. Getting the final look absolutely right E. Learning to be realistic F. Making regular conscious choices When we meet people for the first time, we often make decisions about them based entirely on how they look. And, of course it's something that works both ways, for we too are being judged on our appearance. When we look good, we feel good, which in turn leads to a more confident and self-assured manner. People then pick up on this confidence and respond positively towards us. Undoubtedly, it's what's inside that's important, but sometimes we can send out the wrong signals simply by wearing inappropriate clothing or not spending enough time thinking about how others see us. {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}For example, people often make the mistake of trying to look like someone else they've seen in a magazine, but this is usually a disaster as we all have our own characteristics. Stand in front of a full-length mirror and be honest with yourself about what you see. There is no need to dwell on your faults—we all have good points and bad points—but think instead about the best way to emphasize the good ones. {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}When selecting your clothes each day, think about who you're likely to meet, where you're going to be spending most of your time and what tasks you are likely to perform. Clearly, some outfits will be more appropriate to different sorts of activity and this will dictate your choice to an extent. However, there's no need to abandon your individual taste completely. After all, if you dress to please somebody else's idea of what looks good, you may end up feeling uncomfortable and not quite yourself. {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}But to know your own mind, you have to get to know yourself. What do you truly feel good in? There are probably a few favourite items that you wear a lot—most people wear 20 per cent of their wardrobe 80 per cent of the time. Look at these clothes and ask yourself what they have in common. Are they neat and tidy, loose and flowing? Then look at the things hanging in your wardrobe that you don't wear and ask yourself why. Go through a few magazines and catalogues and mark the things that catch your eye. Is there a common theme? {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}Some colors bring your natural colouring to life and others can give us a washed-out appearance. Try out new colours by all means, but remember that dressing in bright colours when you really like subtle neutral tones, or vice versa, will make you feel self-conscious and uncomfortable. You know deep down where your own taste boundaries lie. And although it's good to challenge those sometimes with new combinations or shades, take care not to go too far all at once. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}So, you've chosen an outfit that matches your style, your personality, your shape you're your colouring. But does it fit? If something is too tight or too loose, you won't achieve the desired effect, and no matter what other qualities it has, it won't improve your appearance or your confidence. Sometimes, we buy things without thinking. Some people who dislike shopping grab the first thing they see, or prefer to use mail-order or the Internet. In all cases, if it doesn't fit perfectly, don't buy it, because the finer details are just as important as the overall style. Reappraising your image isn't selfish because everyone who comes into contact with you will benefit. You'll look better and you'll feel a better person all round. And if in doubt, you only need to read Professor Albert Mehrabian's book Silent Messages to remind yourself how important outward appearances are. His research showed that the impact we make on each other depend 55 per cent on how we look and behave, 38 per cent on how we speak and only 7 per cent on what we actually say. So, whatever stage you are at in your life, whatever role you play, isn't it time you made the most of yourseff?

填空题A. Time sometimes stops B. Moving in slow motion C. We" re tricked by tech D. Speeding up with age E. Time doesn"t fly F. Time follows mood G. Lost in music Ever felt like time stands still while you"re waiting for something, or that as you get older, the years slip through your fingertips with much more ease? With swaths of tech around us and virtually everything being available on demand, it"s a very real possibility that our body clocks and perception of time have changed. 1 As an old saying goes, "Time flies when we"re having fun." In reality, though, we know fully well that it does not. Nevertheless, psychologist James Kellaris conducted his own experiment to find out whether there"s any math to the saying. He had people listen to a piece of music they liked, and when he later asked them how much time they thought had passed, the listeners" estimates were usually longer. Kellaris suggested that when we"re enjoying ourselves, we pay more attention to the event and our minds perceive that as extra time. 2 A recent study has suggested that technology, too, is capable of altering our perception of time. Researchers found that 60% of 18-30 year-olds check their smartphones compulsively for updates, with each glance taking with it bits and pieces of the day. Having so much information readily available at out fingertips speeds up our internal clock. Likewise, each time we check Facebook or log in to Twitter, we subconsciously note the time, making us more aware of how much of it has passed in our day-to-day habits. 3 It"s commonly said that as we get older, time passes in the "blink of an eye". When young and fresh-faced, we"re constantly discovering new and exciting things that we"ve not experienced before, and we naturally pay a lot more attention to them. As we get older, though, those "new" experiences grow pale. By extension, time seems to pass more quickly. 4 If it felt like time was standing still, that might be because your brain genuinely thought it was. The "optical" illusion of time standing still is something that happens when our eyes move quickly from one point to another. According to Kielan Yarrow and a whole host of other psychologists, when our gaze fixes suddenly on the second hand of a clock, our perception of time stretches slightly backwards to compensate for that movement. As a result, your mind tells you that you"ve been looking at the second hand for longer, and thus fills in the blank with what it thinks should be there. 5 Many like to think that they"re not ruled by their emotions, but they do affect our bodies more than you think—at least in terms of how we perceive time. For a few years now, psychologists have carried out studies on the subject and have concluded that individuals experiencing negative emotions concentrate more on the passing of time than those who are in a good mood, which makes a particularly anxiety-filled moment seem longer. That might explain why after we argue, the room"s tension-ridden atmosphere makes time seem to drag on and on.