单选题What contributes to random failures in automatic control systems?

单选题The American Industry A history of long and effortless success can be a dreadful handicap (阻碍), but, if properly handled, it may become a driving force. When the United States entered just such a glowing period after the end of the Second World War, it had a market eight times larger than any competitor, giving its industries unparalleled economies of scale. Its scientists were the world"s best, its workers the most skilled. America and Americans were prosperous beyond the dreams of the Europeans and Asians whose economies the war had destroyed. It was inevitable that this primacy should have narrowed as other countries grew richer. Just as inevitably, the retreat from predominance proved painful. By the mid-1980s Americans had found themselves at a loss over their fading industrial competitiveness. Some huge American industries, such as consumer electronics, had shrunk or vanished in the face of foreign competition. By 1987 there was only one American television maker left, Zenith. (Now there is none: Zenith was bought by South Korea"s LG Electronics in July.) Foreign-made cars and textiles were sweeping into the domestic market. America"s machine-tool industry was on the ropes. For a while it looked as though the making of semiconductors, which America had sat at the heart of the new computer age, was going to be the next casualty. All of this caused a crisis of confidence. Americans stopped taking prosperity for granted. They began to believe that their way of doing business was failing, and that their incomes would therefore shortly begin to fall as well. The mid-1980s brought one inquiry after another into the causes of America"s industrial decline. Their sometimes sensational findings were filled with warnings about the growing competition from overseas. How things have changed! In 1995 the United States can look back on five years of solid growth while Japan has been struggling. Few Americans attribute this solely to such obvious causes as a devalued dollar or the turning of the business cycle. Self-doubt has yielded to blind pride. "American industry has changed its structure, has gone on a diet, and has learnt to be more quick-witted," according to Richard Cavanagh, executive dean of Harvard"s Kennedy School of Government. "It makes me proud to be an American just to see how our businesses are improving their productivity," says Stephen Moore of the Cato Institute, a think-tank in Washington, D.C. And William Sahlman of the Harvard Business School believes that people will look back on this period as "a golden age of business management in the United States".

单选题The word "malady" in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to

单选题Americans Get Touchy The New York Times recently reported that American teens are hugging practically everyone they see. Say goodbye to the greetings of the past, from the hands-off "What's up!" to the handshake or high-five. For young people across the country, hugging is the new "Hello". Girls are hugging girls. Boys are hugging boys. Girls and boys are hugging each other. And, like every major trend, there are lots of variations on the form. There's the classic, full-body, arms-around-the-person bear hug, the casual one-armed side hug, the group hug and the hug from behind. There's the handshake that turns into a hug and the hug that turns into a pat on the back. As trends go, this one seems pretty innocent. But some parents, teachers and school administrators are worried nonetheless. Will young people who aren't as comfortable with physical contact feel peer pressured into hugging? Will kids who don't receive hugs feel left out? Could an extra-long hug slide into the more ominous territory of sexual harassment? In response to some of these concerns, some schools have set up new rules to limit or eliminate hugging. One school head has created a three-second limitation for hugs at her school. A few schools have taken even more drastic measures, placing a ban on all forms of touching between students. A few important points are being left out of the discussion. While the US has traditionally been reserved about touching saving hugs and kisses for relatives, romantic partners and very close friends--people in many other parts of the world have been greeting each other this way for ages. In Latin America or Western Europe, in countries like Spain, France, and Italy, a kiss on the cheek is common among women, as well as among women and men who are not romantically involved. The cheek-kiss varies by region. Sometimes it is just an air kiss blown past the face. In other places, the proper way of greeting is to deliver a kiss upon both cheeks, or sometimes even a triplet of kisses performed by kissing one cheek, then the other, then back to the first. Latin American men are more likely to shake hands when greeting other men, but in some countries like Turkey, it's not unusual for men who know each other well to exchange kisses on the cheek. Meanwhile, for the Maori people of New Zealand, a traditional greeting called the "hongi" involves pressing noses together. So, from a global perspective, the new trend of teen hugging in America is not so "new" after all. People all around the world move in close to say hello, and Americans are just now joining in.

单选题I'd very much like to know what your Uaim/U in life is；

单选题Renewable Energy Sources Today petroleum provides around 40% of the world"s energy needs, mostly fuelling automobiles. Coal is still used, mostly in power stations, to cover one-quarter of our energy needs, but it is the least efficient, unhealthiest and most environmentally damaging fossil fuel. Natural gas reserves could plug (填补) some of the gap from oil, but reserves of that will not last into the 22nd century either. Most experts predict we will exhaust easily accessible reserves within 50 years. We could fast reach an energy crisis. We need to rapidly develop sustainable solutions to fuel our future. Less-polluting renewable energy sources offer a more practical long-term energy solution. They may benefit the world"s poor too. "Renewable" refers to the fact that these resources are not used faster than they can be replaced. The Chinese and Romans used watermills over 2,000 years ago. But the first hydroelectric dam was built in England in 1870. Hydroelectric power is now the most common form of renewable energy, supplying around 20% of world electricity. China"s Three Gorges Dam, which has just been completed, is the largest ever. At five times the size of the US"s Hoover Dam, its 26 turbines (涡轮机) will generate the equivalent energy of 18 coal-fired power stations. It will satisfy 3% of China"s entire electricity demand. In 2003, the first commercial power station to harness tidal currents in the open sea opened in Norway. It is designed like windmill, but others take the form of turbines. As prices fall, wind power has become the fastest growing type of electricity generation—quadrupling worldwide between 1999 and 2005. Modem wind farms consist of turbines that generate electricity. Though it will be more expensive, there is more than enough wind to provide the world"s entire energy needs. Wind farms come in onshore and offshore forms. They can often end up at spots of natural beauty, and are often unpopular with residents. And turbines are not totally benign—they can interfere with radar and leave a significant ecological footprint, altering climate and killing sea birds. Migrating birds may have more luck avoiding them. Scotland is building Europe"s largest wind farm, which will power 200,000 homes. The UK"s goal is to generate one-fifth of power from renewable sources, mainly wind, by 2020. But this may cause problems, because wind is unreliable.

单选题The ship left New York on her {{U}}maiden{{/U}} voyage.

单选题Eta Carinae As possibly the galaxy's (银河) most massive star, Eta Carinae is now engaging in some very unusual behaviour. Australian astronomers, being in the Southern Hemisphere (半球), are able to observe it clearly. In the 19th century, Eta Carinae was for a time the third brightest star in the sky. It has now become less bright so that binoculars (双筒望远镜) are needed to see it. "It seems to be brightening and becoming less bright over a period of many years", said Dr Bob Duncan from the Australia Telescope National Facility. While it is not unusual for stars to vary in brightness, the period is usually much shorter. "Since 1992 it has become four times brighter, and then last year it began to drop dramatically," he said. The problem in observing Eta Carinae is that it has been surrounded by a cloud of gas and dust, making it hard to see the star directly. However, radio waves and infrared light (红外线) can pass through this cloud, so telescopes that receive these wavelengths can observe what is occurring. Eta Carinae is of particular interest to astronomers because it seems to be in its death throes (剧痛). Being so large it will end up as a supernova (超新星). There has not been a supernova in our galaxy since the invention of the telescope. While a 1987 explosion in a nearby galaxy gave astronomers plenty of valuable data, they are hungry for an even closer look. Eta Carinae has other unique features, and is the only star known to produce an ultraviolet (紫外线) laser that is brighter than that produced by the Sun. Lasers have been observed in other frequencies from a few stars.

单选题The Vatican is famous for its magnificent church towers.

单选题During their winter hibernation period, bears doze .

单选题3. Ford Abandons Electric Vehicles General Motors and Honda ceased production of battery-powered cars in 1999, to focus on fuel cell (燃料电池) and hybrid electric gasoline engines, which are more attractive to the consumer. Ford has now announced it will do the same. Three years ago, the company introduced the Think City two-seater car and a golf cart(高尔夫车) called the THINK, or Think neighbor. It hoped to sell 5,000 cars each year and 10,000 carts. But a lack of demand means only about 1,000 of the cars have been produced, and less than 1,700 carts have been sold so far in 2002. "The bottom line is we don't believe that this is the future of environment transport for the mass market, "Tim Holmes of Ford Europe said on Friday." We feel we have given electric our best shot. " The Think City has a range of only about 53 miles and up to a six-hour battery recharge time General Motor's EVI electric vehicle also had a limited range, of about 100 miles. The very expensive batteries also mean electric cars cost much more than petrol-powered alternatives. An electric Toyota RAV4 EV vehicle costs over $ 42,000 in the US, compared with just $17,000 for the petrol version. Toyota and Nissan are now the only major auto manufacturers to produce electric vehicles. There is a feeling that battery electric has been given its chance. Ford now has to move on with its hybrid program. Hybrid cars introduced by Toyota and Honda in the past few years have sold well. Hybrid engines offer greater mileage than petrol-only engines, and the batteries recharge themselves. Ford says it thinks such vehicles will help it meet planned new guidelines on vehicle emissions in theUS. However, it is not yet clear exactly what those guidelines will permit. In June, General Motors and Daimler Chrysler won a court injunction(禁令), delaying by two years Californian legislation requiring car-makers to offer 100,000 zero-emission and other low—emission vehicles in the state by 2003. Car manufactures hope the legislation will be rewritten to allow for morelow-emission, rather than zero-emission, vehicles.

单选题Italian ice cream is imitated all over the world. A. copied B. ignored C. organized D. provided

单选题There are only five minutes left，but the outcome of the match is still in doubt．

单选题 Laughter There is an old saying in English: "Laughter is the best medicine." Until recently, few people took the saying very seriously. Now, however, doctors have begun to investigate laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found evidence that laughter really can improve people's health. Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films, while doctors checked their heart rate blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart rate and the rate of breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial. Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be capable of reducing the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group which tolerated the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce endorphins(内啡肽) in the brain. These are natural chemicals which diminish both stress and pain. There is also some evidence to suggest that laughter helps the body's immune system, that is the system which fights infection. In an experiment, one group of students watched a funny video while another group served as the control group—in other words, a group with which to compare the first group. Doctors checked the blood of the students in both groups and found that the people in the group that watched the video had an increase in the activity of their white blood cells, that is the cells which fight infection. As a result of these discoveries, some doctors and psychiatrists(精神病学) in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they try to improve their patients' condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.

单选题As a matter of fact, I love soft music more than popular music. A. Basically B. Probably C. Actually D. Accurately

单选题Importance of the Public Image Public image refers to how a company is viewed by its customers, suppliers, and stockholders, by the financial community, by the communities in which it operates, and by federal and local governments. Public image is controllable 16 , just as the product, price, place, and promotional efforts are. A firm"s public image 17 a vital role in the attractiveness of the firm and its products to employees, customers, 18 to such outsiders as stockholders, suppliers, creditors, government officials, as well as diverse special groups. With some things it is 19 to satisfy all the diverse publics, for example, a new highly automated plant may meet the approval of creditors and stockholders, but 20 will undoubtedly find resistance from employees who see their 21 threatened. On the other hand, high-quality products and service standards should bring almost complete approval, 22 low quality products and false claims would be widely looked down upon. A firm"s public image, 23 it is good, should be treasured and protected. It is a valuable asset 24 usually is built up over a long and satisfying relationship of a firm with its publics. If a firm has 25 a quality image, this is not easily countered or imitated by competitors. 26 an image may enable a firm to charge higher prices, to woo the best distributors and dealers, to attract the best employees, to expect 27 favorable creditor relationships and lowest borrowing costs. It should also allow the firm"s stock to command a higher price-earnings ratio than other firms in the same industry 28 such a good reputation and public image. A number of factors affect the public image of a corporation. 29 include physical facilities, contacts of outsiders with company employees, product quality and dependability, prices 30 competitors, customer service, the kind of advertising and the media and programs used, and the use of public relations and publicity.

单选题Which type of robot is NOI mentioned in the last paragraph?

单选题Spindler's team fed three mice a normal diet for their whole lives, and fed another three on half-rations. Three more mice were switched from the normal diet to half-feed for a month when they were 34 months old-equivalent to about 70 human years. The researchers checked the activity of 11,000 genes from the mouse livers,and found that 46 changed with age in the normally fed mice. The changes were associated with things like inflammation and free production-probably bad news for mouse health. In the mice that had dieted all their lives, 27 of those 46 genes continued to behave like young genes. But the most surprising finding was that the mice that only started dieting in old age also benefited from 70 per cent of these gene changes. The researchers found that ______ genes changed with age in the mice that had dieted all their lives.A. 46B. 27C. 19D. 32

单选题下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题，每题后面有4个选项。请仔细阅读短文并根据短文回答其后面的问题。{{B}}第一篇{{/B}} {{B}}The Now Rich and the Old Rich{{/B}} Though it is mere 1 to 3 percent of the population, the upper class possesses at least 25 percent of the nation’s wealth. This class has two segments: upper-upper and lower-upper. Basically, the upper-upper class is the “old rich”—families that have been wealthy for several generations and aristocracy of birth and wealth. Their names are in the Social Register, a listing of acceptable members of high society. A few are known across the nation, such as the Rockfellers, Roosevelts, and Vanderbilts. Most are not visible to the general public. They live in grand seclusion (深居简出), drawing their income from the investment of their inherited wealth. In contrast, the lower upper class is the “new rich”. Although they may he wealthier than some of the old rich, the new rich have hustled(急于做)to make their money like everybody else beneath their class. Thus their prestige is generally lower than that of the old rich, who have not found it necessary to lift a finger to make their money, and who tend to look down upon the new rich. However its wealth is acquired, the upper class is very, very rich. They have enough money and leisure time to cultivate an interest in the arts and to collect rare books, painting, and sculpture. They generally live in exclusive areas, belong to exclusive social clubs, communicate with each other, and marry their own kind — all of which keeps them so distant from the masses that they have been called the out-of-sight class. They also command an enormous amount of power and influence here and abroad, as they hold many top government positions, run the Council on foreign relations, and control multinational corporations. Their actions affect the lives of millions.

单选题Loud noises can be annoying.A. hatefulB. painfulC. horrifyingD. disturbing