单选题They converted the spare bedroom into an office.

单选题The Slowing Economy When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn"t biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn"t cutting, filing or polishing as many nails as she"d like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. "I"m a good economic indicator," she says. "I provide a service that people can do without when they"re concerned about saving some dollars." So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillard"s department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. "I don"t know if other clients are going to abandon me, too," she says. Even before Alan Greenspan"s admission that America"s red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year"s pace. But don"t sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only mildly concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy"s long-term prospects, even as they do some modest belt-tightening. Consumers say they"re not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, "there"s a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses," says broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. "Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three," says John Tealdi, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job. Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldn"t mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might see an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattan"s hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant used to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.

单选题He has a very outgoing Upersonality/U and makes friends very easily.

单选题Fortunately, I no longer need to go under the knife to retain my youthful allure - Advances in nonsurgical techniques have created a whole realm of possibilities for those seeking a new and improved look without plastic surgery. Indeed, the growing demand for less expensive, less aggressive beauty procedures - from radio - wave face - lifts to biodegradable breast - fillers - isreshaping the lucrative plastic - surgery industry. In the U. K. , the number of nonsurgical procedures more than doubled from 2006 to 2007, accounting for more than 80 percent of the total number of cosmetic operations. Even during the global recession, nonsurgical procedures in the U. K. have risen, albeit (尽管) more modestly, as people seek the more affordable option. What is the main idea of the paragraph?A. Nonsurgical techniques are available for people seeking improved look.B. I will be able to improve my look without undergoing plastic - surgery.C. Nonsurgical procedures have risen despite the global economic recession.D. More and more people are seeking a new and improved look.

单选题U. S. to Start $3.2 Billion Child Health Study in January A. study that will cost $3.2 billion and last more than two decades to track the health of 100,000 U. S. children from before birth to age 21 will be launched in January, U. S. health officials said on Friday. Officials from the U. S. government's National Institutes of Health said they hope the study, to be conducted at 105 locations throughout the United States, can help identify early-life influences that affect later development, with the goal of learning new ways to treat or prevent illness. The study will examine hereditary and environmental factors such as exposure to certain chemicals that affect health. Researchers will collect genetic and biological samples from people in the study as well as samples from the homes of the women and their babies including air, water, dust and materials used to construct their residences, the NIH said. Officials said more than $200 million has been spent already and the study is projected to cost $3.2 billion. "We anticipate that in the long term, what we learn from the study will result in a significant savings in the nation's health care costs, " Dr. Duane Alexander, who heads the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, told reporters. The study will begin in January when the University of North Carolina and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York start signing up pregnant women whose babies will then be followed to age 21. Some of the early findings will be about factors behind pre-term birth, which has become more common in recent years, according to Dr. Peter Scheidt of the NIH, who heads the study. The people taking part will be from rural, urban and suburban areas, from all income and educational levels and from all racial groups, the NIH said.

单选题The document was {{U}}compiled{{/U}} by the Department of Health.

单选题Prolonging Human Life Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion. Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, whereas if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often "go on welfare" if they have a serious illness. When older people become senile or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have been built. These are often profit-making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply "dumping grounds" for the dying in which "care" is given by poorly paid, overworked, and underskilled personnel.

单选题 On British Newspapers Besides the daily newspapers, there are a number of Sunday newspapers in Britain. Many of them are connected with the "dailies", though not run by the same editor and his members. The Sunday papers are larger than the daily papers and usually contain more articles concerned with comment (评论) and general information rather than news. The national daily and Sun day papers have the largest circulation(发行) in the world. Of the Sunday papers, the Observer and the Sunday Times are the best known. It is a regrettable fact that the number of magazines of a literary or political nature has dropped down since the war. This has probably been caused by the ever-wider use of radio and television. The most successful magazines are those published for women. Their covers are designed to catch the eye, and they certainly succeed in doing so! They offer their readers articles on cookery (烹饪法), fashion, needlework, and many other matters of women interest. They also provide advice to those in love, and adventures with handsome heroes. Some women's magazines also include serious articles of more general interest. The visitor who looks at the magazines displayed in a large bookstall (书摊) which may be found in an important railway station will notice that there is a wide variety of technical or semitechnical(半专业的) books and magazines. There are magazines for the motorist, the farmer, the gardener, the nurse, and many others. There are many local and regional newspapers. It is common in Britain for a news agent(报刊经售人) to deliver (投递) the morning papers to his customers for a small extra payment, this service is usually performed by boys and girls who want to earn some pocket-money.

单选题Tom found damnably difficult, for three reasons.A. veryB. undeniableC. lessD. unchangeable

单选题In that last sentence. Davies set forth the national ethic of health care in his country: medicine is not a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder, but a right that must be distributed equitably (公平合理的) to one and all. In short, the Canadians have built a health - care system that neatly fits the Canadian character: ferociously egalitarian (平等主义的), but thrifty at the same time. According to the author, Canadians are.A. extremely egalitarian and thriftyB. extremely egalitarian but not thriftyC. not egalitarian at all but thriftyD. neither egalitarian nor thrifry

单选题Poor health and lack of money may both be to educational progress roadblocks. A. restraints B. stains C. scarcities D. barriers

单选题The Ebola virus transmits by contact with _______.

单选题Her father was a quiet man with graceful manners.

单选题This vaccine is egg - based. What if I'm allergic to eggs? You should avoid the vaccine. If you're in a high - risk group and you come down with the flu, see your doctor immediately. Antiviral medications, given within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, can dramatically improve one's outcome. The vaccine should avoid application to a person whoA. is allergic to eggs.B. is in a high - risk group.C. has come down with the flu.D. has symptoms of the flu.

单选题There is been {{U}}competition{{/U}} between the two Motor car firms.

单选题The once barren hillsides are now good farmland.

单选题She was really frightfully {{U}}ugly{{/U}}.

单选题 Diseases of Agricultural Plants Plants, like animals, are subject to diseases of various kinds. It has been estimated that some 30,000 different diseases attack our economic plants; forty are known to attack com, and about as many attack wheat. The results of unchecked plant disease are all too obvious in countries which have marginal food supplies. The problem will soon be more widespread as the population of the world increases at its frightening rate. Even in countries which are now amply fed by their agricultural products there could soon be critical food shortages. It is easy to imagine the consequences of some disastrous attack on one of the major crops; the resulting famines could kill millions of people, and the resulting hardship on other millions could cause political upheavals disastrous to the order of the world. Some plants have relative immunity to a great many diseases, while others have a susceptibility to them. The tolerance of a particular plant changes as the growing conditions change. A blight may be but a local infection easily controlled; on the other hand it can attack particular plants in a whole region or nation. An example is the blight which killed virtually every chestnut tree in North America. Another is the famous potato blight in Ireland in the last century. As a result of that, it was estimated that one million people died of starvation and related ailments. Plant pathologists have made remarkable strides in identifying the pathogens of the various diseases. Bacteria may invade a plant through an infestation of insect parasites carrying the pathogen. A plant can also be inoculated by man. Other diseases might be caused by fungus which attacks the plant in the form of a mold or smut or rust. Frequently such a primary infection8 will weaken the plant so that a secondary infection may result from9 its lack of tolerance. The symptoms shown may cause an error in diagnosis, so that treatment may be directed toward bacteria which could be the result of a susceptibility caused by a primary virus infection.

单选题After his military defeat in 1865, Robert E. Lee entreated the people of the South to work for national harmony.

单选题Most Adults in US Have Low Risk of Heart Disease More than 80 percent of US adults have a less than 10-percent risk of developing heart disease in the next 10 years, according to a report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Just 3 percent have a risk that exceeds 20 percent. "I hope that these numbers will give physicians, researchers, health policy analysts, and others a better idea of how coronary heart disease is distributed in the US population, " lead author Dr. Earl S. Ford, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said in a statement. The findings are based on analysis of data from 13,769 subjects, between 20 and 79 years of age, who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1988 to 1994. Overall, 82 percent of adults had a risk of less than 10 percent, 15 percent had a risk that fell between 10 to 20 percent, and 3 percent had a risk above 20 percent. The proportion of subjects in the highest risk group increased with advancing age, and men were more likely than women to be in this group. By contrast, race or ethnicity had little effect on risk distributions. Although the report suggests that most adults have a low 10-year risk of heart disease, a large proportion have a high or immediate risk, Dr. Daniel S. Berman, from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and Dr. Nathan D. Wong, from the University of California at Irvine, note in a related editorial. Aggressive treatment measures and public health strategies are needed to shift the overall population risk downward, they add.