单选题They have ______ their names upon the pages of" history.
单选题A few species of mushrooms cause death or serious illness______.
单选题The housewives would usually ______ the fruit before making their minds up which to buy.
单选题Although economic ties between most Asia-Pacific economies have not yet suffered any fundamental damage.
单选题Several decades ago, wealthy people liked hunting wild animals for fun ______ sightseeing.
单选题At the time of Columbus" voyages, Native Americans used an astounding diversity of languages, ______ the diversity used by Europeans.
单选题The majority of nurses are women, but in the higher ranks of the
medical profession women are in a ______.
A. minority
B. scarcity
C. rarity
D. minimum
单选题Passage Three The premise with which the multiculturalists begin is unexceptional: that it is important to recognize and to celebrate the wide range of cultures that exist in the United States. In what sounds like a reflection of traditional American pluralism, the multiculturalists argue that we must recognize difference, that difference is legitimate; in its kindlier Versions, multiculturalism represents the discovery on the part of minority groups that they can play a part in molding the larger culture even as they are molded by it. And on the campus multiculturalism, defined more locally as the need to recognize cultural variations among students, has tried with some success to talk about how a racially and ethnically diverse student body can enrich everyone's education. Phillip Green, a political scientist at Smith and a thoughtful proponent of multiculturalism, notes that for a significant portion of the students the politics of identity is all-consuming. Students, he says, "are unhappy with the thin gruel of rationalism. They require a therapeutic curriculum to overcome not straightforward racism but ignorant stereotyping. " But multiculturalism's hard-liners, who seem to make up the majority of the movement, damn as racism any attempt to draw the myriad of American groups into a common American culture. For these multiculturalists, differences are absolute, irreducible, and intractable-occasions not for understanding but for separation. The multiculturalists, it turns out, is not especially interested in the great American hyphen, in the syncretistic (and therefore naturally tolerant) identities that allow Americans to belong to more than a single culture, to be both particularizes and universalisms. The time-honored American mixture of assimilation and traditional allegiance is denounced as a danger to racial and gender authenticity. This is an extraordinary reversal of the traditional liberal commitment to a "truth" that transcends parochialisms. In the new race/class/gender formation, universality is replaced by, among other things, feminist science Nubian numerals (as part of an A, fro-centric science), and what Marilyn Frankenstein of the University of Massachusetts-Boston describes as "ethno-mathematics," in which the cultural basis of counting comes to the fore. The multiculturalists insist on seeing all perspectives as tainted by the perceiver's particular point of view. Impartial knowledge, they argue, is not possible, because ideas are simply the expression of individual identity, or of the unspoken but inescapable assumptions that are inscribed in a culture or a language. The problem, however, with this warmed-over Nietzscheanism is that it threatens to leave no ground for anybody to stand on, so the multiculturalists make a leap, necessary for their own intellectual survival, and proceed to argue that there are some categories, such as race and gender, that do in fact embody an unmistakable knowledge of oppression. Victims are at least epistemologically lucky. Objectivity is a mask for oppression. And so an appalled former 1960s radical complained to me that self-proclaimed witches were teaching classes on witchcraft. "They're not teaching students how to think," she said, "they're telling them what to believe./
单选题He is a diligent and______teacher, well liked by his students.
单选题Noting the murder victim's flaccid musculature and pear-like
figure, she deduced that the unfortunate follow had earned his living in some
______ occupation.
A. treacherous
B. ill-paying
C. illegitimate
D. sedentary
单选题Beene"s new novel proves he isn"t just a______in the pan.
单选题His reputation in his profession was______he grew rich, and retired to an estate.
单选题He was concerned only with the
mundane
matters, especially the daily stock market quotations.
单选题Writing a resume of your achievements that will make a ______ employer want to meet you requires practice.
单选题University is not just a place to______knowledge passed on to us from the past. It should be a place to explore new ideas.
单选题Passage A This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers from all over the world will spend about ten months in U. S. homes. They will attend U. S. schools, meet U. S. teenagers, and form lifelong impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go abroad to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of world problems. On returning home they, like others who have participated in the exchange program, will pass along their fresh impression to the youth groups in which they are active. What have the visiting students discovered? A German boy says, "We often think of America only in terms of skyscrapers. Cadillacs, and gangsters. Americans think of Germany only in terms of Hitler and concentration camps. You can't realize how wrong you are until you see for yourself." A Los Angeles girl says, "It's the leaders of the countries who are unable to get along. The people get along just fine. " Observe a two-way student exchange in action. Fred Herschbach, nineteen, spent last year in Germany at the home of George Pfafflin. In turn, Mr. Pfafflin's son Michael spent a year in the Herschbach home in Texas. Fred, lanky and lively, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months' study the language began to come to him. School was totally different from what he had expected—much more formal, much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities. Family life, too, was different. The father's word was law, and all activities revolved around the closely knit family unit rather than the individual. Fred found the food—mostly starches—monotonous at first. Also, he missed having a car. "At home, you pick up some kids in a car and go out and haven good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon get used to it." A warm-natured boy, Fred began to make friends as soon as he had mastered enough German to communicate. "I didn't feel as if I were with foreigners. I felt as I did at home with my own people." Eventually he was invited to stay at the homes of friends in many of Germany's major cities. "One's viewpoint is broadened," he says, "by living with people who have different habits and backgrounds. You come to appreciate their points of view and realize that it is possible for all people in the world to come closer together. I wouldn't trade this year for anything." Meanwhile, in Texas, Mike Pfafflin, a friendly German boy, was also forming independent opinions. "I suppose I should criticize the schools," he says. "It was far too easy by our standards. But I have to admit that I liked it enormously. In Germany we do nothing but study. I think that maybe your schools are better training for citizenship. There ought to be some middle ground between the two." He took part in many outside activities, including the dramatic group. Mike picked up a favorite adjective of American youth; southern fried chicken was "fabulous," When expressing a regional point of view, he used the phrase "we Texans." Summing up his year, he says with feeling, "America is a second home for me from now on. I will love it the rest of my life." This exciting exchange program was government sponsored at first; now it is in the hands of private agencies, including the American Field Service and the International Christian Youth Exchange. Screening committees make a careful check on exchange students and host homes. To qualify, students must be intelligent, adaptable, outgoing, potential leaders. Each student is matched, as closely as possible, with a young person in another country whose family has the same economic, cultural, and religious background. After their years abroad, all students gather to discuss who, they observed. For visiting students to accept and approve of all they saw would be a defeat for the exchange program. They are supposed to observe, evaluate, and come to fair conclusions. Nearly all who visited the United States agreed that they had gained faith in American ideals and deep respect for the U. S brand of democracy. All had made friendship that they were sure would last a life-time. Almost all were struck by the freedom demitted American youth. Many were critical, though, of the indifference to study in American schools, and of Americans' lack of knowledge about other countries. The opinions of Americans abroad were just as vigorous. A U. S. girl in Vienna: "At home, all we talk about is dating, movies, and clothes. Here we talk about religion, philosophy, and political problems. I am going to miss that." A U. S boy in Sweden: "I learned to sit at home, read a good book, and gain some knowledge. If I told them this back home, they would think I was a square." An American girl in Stuttgart, however, was very critical of the German school. "Over here the teacher is king, and you are somewhere far below. Instead of being friend and counselor, as in America the teacher is regarded as a foe and behaves like it too!" It costs a sponsoring group about a thousand dollars to give an exchange student a year in the United States. Transportation is the major expense, for bed, board, and pocket money are provided by volunteer families. There is also a small amount of federal support for the program. For some time now, attempts have been made to include students from iron curtain countries. But so far the Communists have not allowed their young people to take part in this program which could open their eyes to a different world. In Europe, however, about ten students apply for every place available. In Japan, the ratio is fifty to one. The student exchange program is helping these eager younger citizens of tomorrow learn a lot about the world today.
单选题In its own right, the royal highland show is the largest trade exhibition of agricultural ______ in the UK.
单选题I remember meeting him one evening with his pushcart. I had managed to sell all my papers and was coming home in the snow. It was that strange hour in downtown New York when the workers were pouring homeward in the twilight. I marched among thousands of tired men and women whom the factory whistles had
unyoked
. They flowed in rivers through the clothing factory districts, then down along the avenues to the East Side.
I met my father near Cooper Union. I recognized him, a hunched, frozen figure in an old overcoat standing by a banana cart. He looked so lonely; the tears came to my eyes. Then he saw me, and his face lit with his sad, beautiful smile—Charlie Chaplin s smile.
"Arch, it"s Mikey," he said. "So you have sold your papers! Come and eat a banana."
He offered me one. I refused it. I felt it crucial that my father sell his bananas, not give them away. He thought I was shy, and coaxed and joked with me, and made me eat the banana. It smelled of wet straw and snow.
"You haven"t sold many bananas today, pop," I said anxiously.
He shrugged his shoulders.
"What can I do? No one seems to want them."
It was true. The work crowds pushed home morosely over the pavements. The rusty sky darkened over New York building, the tall street lamps were lit, innumerable trucks, street cars and elevated trains clattered by. Nobody and nothing in the great city stopped for my father"s bananas.
"I ought to yell," said my father dolefully "I ought to make a big noise like other peddlers, but it makes my throat sore. Anyway, I"m ashamed of yelling, it makes me feel like a fool."
I had eaten one of his bananas. My sick conscience told me that I ought to pay for it somehow. I must remain here and help my father.
"I"ll yell for you, pop" I volunteered.
"Arch, no" he said, "go home; you have worked enough today. Just tell momma I"ll be late."
But I yelled and yelled. My father, standing by, spoke occasional words of praise, and said I was a wonderful yeller. Nobody else paid attention. The workers drifted past us wearily, endlessly; a defeated army wrapped in dreams of home. Elevated trains crashed ; the Cooper Union clock burned above us; the sky grew black, the wind poured, the slush burned through our shoes. There were thousands of strange, silent figures pouring over the sidewalks in snow. None of them stopped to buy bananas. I yelled and yelled. Nobody listened.
My father tried to stop me at last. "Nu," he said smiling to console me, "that was wonderful yelling, Mikey. But it"s plain we are unlucky today! Let"s go home."
I was frantic, and almost in tears. I insisted on keeping up my desperate yells. But at last my father persuaded me to leave with him.
单选题Recycling at work — handy hints to employer It is estimated that avoidable waste costs UK businesses up to 4. 5% of their annual revenue. Reducing waste in the workplace is about being efficient. By becoming more efficient, businesses not only increase profits but they also save natural resources. On the island of Jersey, for example, the amount of waste produced each year has doubled since 1980. In 2004 it topped 100, 000 tonnes — and 60% is generated by local businesses. A lot of waste for a small island! Setting up a company scheme Waste audit Before starting a recycling scheme, perform an audit. This will make you aware of how much waste you are producing in the company. Company policy Consider switching your office waste contractor to one that provides a recycling service. Buy recycled paper. Although this is sometimes more expensive, costs can be reduced by lowering consumption and using duplex printers. Get everyone involved Raise awareness internally within the company, perhaps by putting up educational posters. Allocate a person to be the point of contact for anyone with queries. There are also a couple of ways to increase motivation: Hold internal competitions between different departments. For example, see which can reduce their waste the most within a specific time period. Send out regular newsletters reporting on all waste improvements. Staff will then see the impact their actions are having. What to recycle and how Paper According to a recent survey, 65% of waste produced is paper waste. Waste paper will inevitably be produced in the workplace, but it is not necessary to discard it. It can serve a variety of purposes before it is recycled, such as writing notes. Envelopes too can be re-used for internal mail. Plastic cups Rather than supplying disposable plastic cups in your workplace, get ceramic mugs that can be reused. Not only do they make your tea taste better, but they can reduce your office waste by up to 1% ! Electrical equipment Rather than giving up on any old electrical equipment and just throwing it away, why not try upgrading it? This reduces waste, as well as avoiding the need to manufacture a new machine — a process which creates a large amount of waste. You could also consider donating your old computers to charities when it comes to replacing them.
单选题Imagine waking up and finding the value of your assets has been halved. No, you're not an investor in one of those hedge funds that failed completely. With the dollar slumping to a 26-year low against the pound, already-expensive London has become quite unaffordable. A coffee at Starbucks, just as unavoidable in England as it is in the United States, runs about $ 8. The once all-powerful dollar isn't doing a Titanic against just the pound. It is sitting at a record low against the euro and at a 30-year low against the Canadian dollar. Even the Argentine peso and Brazilian real are thriving against the dollar. The weak dollar is a source of humiliation, for a nation's self-esteem rests in part on the strength of its currency. It's also a potential economic problem, since a declining dollar makes imported food more expensive and exerts upward pressure on interest rates. And yet there are substantial sectors of the vast U. S. economy — from giant companies like Coca-Cola to mom-and-pop restaurant operators in Miami — for which the weak dollar is most excellent news. Many Europeans may view the U. S. as an arrogant superpower that has become hostile to foreigners. But nothing makes people think more warmly of the U. S. than a weak dollar. Through April, the total number of visitors from abroad was up 6. 8 percent from last year. Should the trend continue, the number of tourists this year will finally top the 2, 000 peak? Many Europeans now apparently view the U. S. the way many Americans view Mexico — as a cheap place to vacation, shop and party, all while ignoring the fact that the poorer locals can't afford to join the merrymaking. The money tourists spend helps decrease our chronic trade deficit. So do exports, which thanks in part to the weak dollar, soared 11 percent between May 2006 and May 2007. For the first five months of 2007, the trade deficit actually fell 7 percent from 2006. If you own shares in large American corporations, you're a winner in the weak-dollar gamble. Last week Coca-Cola's stick bubbled to a five-year high after it reported a fantastic quarter. Foreign sales accounted for 65 percent of Coke's beverage business. Other American companies profiting from this trend include McDonald's and IBM. American tourists, however, shouldn't expect any relief soon. The dollar lost strength the way many marriages break up — slowly, and then all at once. And currencies don't turn on a dime. So if you want to avoid the pain inflicted by the increasingly pathetic dollar, cancel that summer vacation to England and look to New England. There, the dollar is still treated with a little respect.
