问答题

问答题西塘是一个具有一千多年历史的水乡古镇，保存完好的明清时期建筑群是其他旅游景点所无法相比的。倘佯古镇街头，游人们仿佛置身于一幅美丽的水墨画之中。河两岸高耸的粉墙和水中清晰的瓦房倒影，还有那在微风里婆娑摇曳的杨柳，似乎都在为这个古镇增添着异彩和生机。 在这个宁静的水镇里，生活的脚步似乎完全听命于那淌着潺潺流水的河流。西塘可以说是水的同义词。这里的河流是那样的蜿蜒曲折、波光粼粼，映射出一派宁静祥和的街景。夜幕降临，河岸边数千盏灯笼与晚霞一并点燃，把整个小镇映衬得灯火通明，为镇民们照亮了回家的路。

问答题 America: the Land and the People The United States is a varied land—of forests, deserts, mountains, high flat lands and fertile plains. Almost every kind of climate may be found, but the country lies mostly in the temperate zone. Including the states of Alaska and Hawaii, the United States covers an area of 9 million square kilometers. The continental United States stretches 4,500 kilometers from the Atlantic ocean on the east to the Pacific ocean on the west. It borders Canada on the north, and reaches south to Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. A jet plane crosses the continental United States from east to west in about five hours. Taking off from an Atlantic coast airport, the plane is soon flying over the gentle slopes of the Appalachian Mountains. Then, for hundreds of kilometers it crosses the fertile fields of the farm belt of the great Middle West. To the north, on clear days passengers may see the five Great Lakes located between the United States and Canada. Continuing into the West, the plane flies over vast prairies and rough cattle-grazing country. Soon the snow-topped Rocky Mountains appear in the distance. After crossing these high ranges, the plane can almost glide down into the rich valleys of California and, finally, to a landing not far from the beaches of the Pacific ocean. The United States has long been known as a "melting pot", because many of its people are descended from settlers who came from all over the world to make their homes in the new land. The first immigrants in American history came from England and the Netherlands. Attracted by reports of great economic opportunities and religious and political freedom, immigrants from many other countries flocked to the United States in increasing numbers, reaching a peak In the years 1880-1914. Between 1820 and 1980 the United States admitted almost 50 million immigrants. Some 1,360,000 American Indians, descendants of North America's first inhabitants, now reside in the United States. Most live in the West, but many are in the south and north central areas. Of the more than 300 separate tribes, the largest is the Navaho in the Southwest. Black people were first brought to America from Africa as slaves. Their descendants now make up nearly 12 percent of the population. They once lived mainly in the agricultural South but now are scattered throughout the nation. Hispanics are the largest minority in the US. Today, nearly 15 percent of the US population is Hispanic. Hispanic Americans have diverse roots; they come from 22 different countries of origin, including Mexico, Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries and Spain. They share certain historical backgrounds and cultural traditions—in particular, the Spanish language. In Hawaii, more than a third of the residents are of Japanese descent, a third are Caucasians, about 15 percent are of Polynesian background, and the others are mainly of Pilipino, Korean and Chinese descent. The American people are always on the move—from one part of the country to another, from one city to another, from farm to city. from the city to the suburbs. One in five Americans moves to a new home every year seeking new job opportunities, a better climate, or for other reasons.

问答题The Welfare State Every British citizen who is employed (or self-employed) is obliged to pay a weekly contribution to the national insurance and health schemes. An employer also makes a contribution for each of his employees, and the Government too pays a certain amount. This plan was brought into being in 1948. Its aim is to prevent anyone from going without medical services, if he needs them, however poor he may be; to ensure that a person who is out of work shall receive a weekly sum of money to subsist on; and to provide a small pension for those who have reached the age of retirement. Everyone can register with a doctor of his choice and if he is ill he can consult the doctor without having to pay for the doctor"s service, although he has to pay a small charge for medicines. The doctor may, if necessary, send a patient to a specialist. or to hospital; in both cases treatment will be given without any fees being payable. Those who wish may become private patients, paying for their treatment, but they must still pay their contributions to the national insurance and health schemes. During illness the patient can draw a small amount every week, to make up for his wages. Everyone who needs to have his eyes seen to may go to a state-registered oculist and if his sight is weak he can get spectacles from an optician at a much reduced price. For a small payment he may go to a dentist; if he needs false teeth, he can obtain dentures for less than they would cost from a private dentist. When a man is out of work, he may draw unemployment benefit until he finds work again; this he will probably do by going to a Job Centre (an office run by the State to help people find jobs). If he is married, the allowance he receives will be larger. Obviously the amount paid is comparatively small, for the State does not want people to stop working in order to draw a handsome sum of money for doing nothing! When a man reaches the age of sixty-five, he may retire from work and then he has the right to draw a State pension. For women, the age of retirement is sixty. Mothers-to-be and children receive special benefits such as free milk or certain foodstuffs for which only a minimum charge is made. The State pays to the mother a small weekly sum for each child in a family. There is also an allowance for funeral, for the State boasts that it looks after people "from cradle to grave"! There are special benefits for certain people, such as the blind and the handicapped. The amount of money needed to operate these schemes is enormous and a large part of the money comes not from the contributions but from taxation. It is this social insurance scheme, together with the Government"s determination to see that there is full employment (or as near as can be), that constitutes what we can call the "Welfare State".

问答题Yao Ming, a basketball player now playing for the Houston Rockets in the NBA of the U. S., was selected as one of China"s "National Model Workers", though he doesn"t even work in China. Some people think he deserves the honor, while some have doubts. Topic: Who can be a model worker? Questions for Reference: 1. Some people think that Yao Ming doesn"t work in our country, so he can"t be selected as a "model worker". Do you think Yao Ming deserves the title "model worker"? 2. The whole society is developing rapidly, therefore the standards to evaluate a model worker should be adjusted accordingly. Do you agree? Why or why not? 3. What are your standards of selecting a model worker?

问答题For kids who are exposed to books at home, the loss of a library is sad. But for kids who come from environments where people don't read, the loss of a library is a tragedy that might keep them from ever discovering the joys of reading—or from gathering the kind of information that will decide their lot in life. Jonathan Kozol, for decades an advocate for disadvantaged children, has observed that school libraries "remain the clearest window to a world of pure satisfactions and enticements that most children in poor neighborhoods will never know." Kids deprived of access to good libraries are also being kept from developing the information skills they need to keep up in workplaces that are increasingly dependent on rapidly changing information. The ability to conduct research is probably the most essential skill today's students can have. The knowledge students acquire in school is not going to serve them throughout their lifetimes. Many of them will have four to five careers in a lifetime. It will be their ability to navigate information that will matter.

问答题The popular view when discussing urban transportation in American cities today is to decry its sorry state. Newspaper and journals are filled with talk of "urban transportation crisis," of the "difficulties of getting from here to there, " and so on at great length. 　　Everyone has his own favorite traumatic experience to report: of the occasion when many of the switches froze on New York’s commuter railroads; of the sneak snowstorm in Boston that converted thirty-minute commuter trips into seven hour ordeals; of the extreme difficulties in Chicago and other Midwestern cities when some particularly heavy and successive snowstorms were endured./ 　　One reason for the talk of an urban transportation crisis in the United States today perhaps lies in a failure to meet anticipations. Many commuters expected to reduce their commuting times as systems improved, but instead found themselves barely able to maintain the status quo in terms of time requirements./ Another reason for talk of crisis, almost certainly, is the rate of improvement in the performance of urban transportation systems during rush hours has been markedly inferior to that expected during off-peak hours. Specifically, the ability to move quickly about American cities during non-rush hours has improved in a truly phenomenal fashion.

问答题In an ideal world, there would be no barriers to immigration, just as there are increasingly few to the free movement of goods and capital. It is intrinsically repugnant, as well as inefficient, that some people can travel freely almost anywhere while others cannot. Migrants are usually enterprising people, who enrich their new countries as well as themselves. That is the philosophy on which the United States, in particular, has been built. "Understand what made America," George Bush reminded the Senate this week, as it considered proposals to reform or restrict immigration. In the real world, rich democracies try to manage the flow of immigrants. That is because people, unlike widgets or dollars, bring their own culture and complications with them. The United States, with its long border with Mexico where wages are barely a fifth as high, faces a particular challenge. More than 11m migrants are reckoned to be in the country, illegally, with another 500, 000 entering each year. Four-fifths of them were born in Mexico or elsewhere in Latin America, reckons the Pew Hispanic Centre. This flow has become an increasingly charged political issue, and not just along the border. It has set House against Senate and divides both Republicans and Democrats. To his credit, Mr. Bush has long supported rational reform of immigration law. But in this, he does not command his own party. Opponents claim that migrants get more back in services than they pay in taxes. Most are unskilled and, it is argued, have depressed wages at the bottom of the pile. Some Americans feel threatened by an "invasion" of Spanish-speakers from next door. Most sensitively of all, since the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001, Americans are alarmed that their territory can be penetrated with relative ease. Such thinking has energised the nativists in the Republican Party, who sense the issue is a vote-winner in the mid-term election. In December, the House passed the Sensenbrenner bill. This would make illegal immigration a felony, make it a crime for anyone (including their own families) to help illegal migrants, and vote money to build a wall along much of the border. This bill would be not just divisive but even less enforceable than current laws. Its harshness has prompted a reaction, and not just in Mexico. On March 25th, some 500,000 took to the streets of Los Angeles while smaller protests took place in other cities. Note that the demonstrations were bigger than any so far mustered against the war in Iraq. Opponents of the Sensenbrenner bill include an unlikely alliance of business groups, the Catholic church and Latinos. They make several points. One is that it makes no sense to criminalise hard-working families. Another is that immigrants have helped to make American businesses, farms and factories more competitive by doing jobs that natives are increasingly reluctant to do. The Congressional Budget Office reports that migrants have cut the wages of the shrinking number of native high-school dropouts by anywhere between zero and 10%, but that any fall may not be permanent. Latinos do assimilate, albeit more slowly than some other migrant groups. Lastly, el norte is no soft touch: more than 400 Mexicans died last year trying to cross the border. Many senior figures in both parties, ranging from John McCain on the right to Ted Kennedy on the left, favour the kind of compromise espoused by Mr. Bush. In the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 27th, they prevailed. By 12 votes to six, they approved a bill that would combine tougher border enforcement with a scheme under which existing illegals could obtain a visa and, eventually, citizenship. A further 4011,000 visas would be issued each year for new arrivals. This is probably about the best compromise that could be reached, although its passage by the full Senate, let alone a conference of both houses, is far from certain. To make such a scheme work, Mexico"s co-operation would be important. Hitherto, Mexican governments have been unwilling as much as unable to prevent the flow of their own people across their northern border, or of Central and South Americans across their southern frontier. The visa scheme gives Mexico more of an incentive to do so. So Mr. Bush had something to show when he flew to Cane n for a meeting on March 30th and 31st with Mexico"s Vicente Fox and Stephen Harper, the new Canadian prime minister. But the leaders should recognise that faster economic growth in Mexico would do more than any legislative fix to take the heat out of America"s immigration argument. When the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into force in 1994, it was hoped that Mexico"s economy would quickly converge with the United States. That hasn"t happened. In the late 1990s, Mexico"s GDP grew half as fast again as America"s. No longer. China has partly displaced Mexico as a supplier of low-wage manufacturing. Nowadays, Mexico creates decent jobs for only around a quarter of the 800,000 who join its workforce each year.

问答题Just as human history has been shaped by the rise and fall of successive empires, so the computer industry has, in the few decades of its existence, been dominated by one large company after another. Now, at the dawn of the new era of internet services, Google is widely seen as the heir to the kingdom. As the upstart has matured into a powerful industry giant, the suggestion that "Google is the new Microsoft" has become commonplace in computing circles. Yet there are some crucial ways in which Google differs from Microsoft. For a start, it is a far more innovative company, and its use of small, flexible teams has so far allowed it to remain innovative even as it has grown. Microsoft, in contrast, has stagnated as a result of its size and dominance. It is least innovative in the markets in which it faces the least competition—operating systems, office software and web browsers. More important, however, are the differences that suggest that Google will not be able to establish an IBM or Microsoft-style lock on the industry. In the PC eras hardware became a commodity and Microsoft established a lucrative monopoly centered on its proprietary operating system, Windows. But in the new era of internet services, open standards predominate, rivals are always just a click away, and there is far less scope for companies to establish a proprietary lick-in.

问答题Innovation can come from without as well as within. Apple is widely assumed to be an innovator, locking its engineers away to cook up new ideas and basing products on their moments of inspiration. In fact, its real skill lies in stitching together its own ideas with technologies from outside and then wrapping the results in elegant software and stylish design. Apple is, in short, an orchestrator and integrator of technologies, unafraid to bring in ideas from outside but always adding its own twists. This approach, known as "network innovation", is not limited to electronics. It has also been embraced by companies such as Procter ＆ Gamble, BT and several drugs giants, all of which have realized the power of admitting that not all good ideas start at home. Making network innovation work involves cultivating contacts with start-ups and academic researchers, constantly scouting for new ideas and ensuring that engineers do not fall prey to "not invented here" syndrome, which always values in-house ideas over those from outside.

问答题What does the author want to tell us from the example of Jeffrey Brewer, the philanthropist?

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问答题On Feb. 17, 2009, it could snow all across America. Not outside, but in living rooms, on TV sets. That's the date when broadcasters will switch to digital transmission, rendering millions of standard analog TVs useless. Consumers can avoid this whiteout, but only if they're prepared. And there's the challenge: How to inform the roughly 20 million households relying exclusively on analog sets that pull in their reception for free, through rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna. Analog TVs that receive cable or satellite will not be affected. Consumers who own these sets don't necessarily need to know why the federal government is mandating the change (to free up the airwaves for other purposes, such as wireless and public safety communications-though added benefits are better pictures and more channels). But they do need consistent and unbiased information on what to do and they need to be able to act on it. With fewer than 18 months to go, though, 56 percent of viewers with analog sets have never even heard of the switch. The General Accountability Office, the government watchdog, is concerned that with two government agencies involved, "no one is in charge." The Federal Communications Commission is worried, too. "If we don't do a better job of planning, we'll have one of the biggest outrages Congress has ever seen," FCC commissioner Jonathan Adelstein told US senators last month. The options for consumers are fairly straightforward. Starting with the least expensive one, they are:a) buying a converter box using government coupons’b) subscribing to cable or satellite TV services, which will make the transition on their end, orc) buying a digital TV. But sharing this information is anything but simple. Because it has only $ 5 million to get the message out, the government is turning to the private sector for help with public-service announcements and educating consumers in stores. This partnership makes sense, if done right. Certainly, the broadcasting industry wants viewers to keep on watching, However, there's a danger in their self-interest. Naturally, retailers also want people to buy new digital televisions instead of opting for low-cost converters, and cable and satellite providers want new subscribers. And industry may not have enough of a financial incentive to reach out to certain analog viewing groups, such as the poor or elderly (seniors make up 40 percent of analog households). Other serious issues remain. One is whether the converter boxes will be uniformly available in stores. Beginning in January, households should be able to apply to the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration for up to two $ 40 coupons to offset the costs of converter boxes expected to be priced from $ 50 to $70. But some retailers may not stock the boxes if they don't have much demand for them. And what about recycling analog televisions, of which there are an estimated 70 million? More than anything, what's needed is oversight and coordination of the conversion. Congress should designate one of the two government agencies involved in this project to take the lead, or empower an independent group to oversee the transition.

问答题在改革开放的伟大实践中，我们深刻认识到。在当今世界日趋激烈的竞争中，一个国家、一个民族要发展起来，就必须与时俱进、改革开放、着力发展、以人为本、促进和谐。 世界上没有放之四海而皆准的发展道路和发展模式，也没有一成不变的发展道路和发展模式，必须适应国内外形势的新变化、顺应人民过上更好生活的新期待，结合自身实际、结合时代条 件变化不断探索和完善适合本国情况的发展道路和发展模式，不断增加全社会的生机活力，真正做到与时代发展同步伐、与人民群众共命运。 历史是继续前进的基础，也是开创未来的启示。中国仍然是世界上最大的发展中国家，中国基本实现现代化，实现全体中国人民共同富裕，还有很长的路要走。

问答题中国已经明确了本世纪头20年的奋斗目标，这就是紧紧抓住重要战略机遇期，全面建设惠及十几亿人口的更高水平的小康社会，到2020年实现国内生产总值比2000年翻两番，达到4万亿美元左右，人均国内生产总值达到3000美元左右，使经济更加发展、民主更加健全、科教更加进步、文化更加繁荣、社会更加和谐、人民生活更加殷实。我们深知，中国在相当长时期内仍然是发展中国家，从中国有13亿人口的国情出发，实现这个奋斗目标是很不容易的，需要我们继续进行长期的艰苦奋斗。

问答题The British public"s vote to leave the EU has set off political and scientific shock waves that could roll Europe and the world for years to come. The decision has dismayed scientists in the UK and across Europe, as it stands to disrupt scientific funding and the UK"s stature in the European and international research communities. The UK could spend two years or more negotiating the terms of its divorce from the 28-member economic and political bloc. In that time, the country will have to work through many difficult questions about what the separation means for scientists and for global science policy. The breakup engenders concerns that the UK could suffer a brain drain, either because their funding suffers or because the loss of the EU guarantee of free movement across member stales causes scientists to lose their status in the UK, or to not feel welcome. The Brexit might possibly cause potential damage to the UK"s reputation as a destination for top-flight researchers. Also at stake is European funding for the UK"s research universities, which totals more than a billion pounds per year. The UK"s departure from the EU may also diminish the country"s role in influencing the union"s research plans. "In almost every area of science now, you can"t be a lone wolf and do it on your own," says Philip Jones, research director of the University of East Anglia. "You have to work with others. And the EU provides that potential."

问答题Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear 2 passages in English. After you have heard each sentence or paragraph, interpret it into Chinese. Start interpreting at the signal...and stop it at the signal... You may take notes while you are listening. Remember you will hear the passages only once. Now, let us begin Part A with the first passage.

问答题中美经贸发展与中美关系 经贸关系历来是中美关系的重要组成部分，也是两国交往中最为活跃的一个方面。自1979年中美建交以来，两国经贸合作虽受两国总体关系影响，经历了一些波折，但一直保持较快发展速度。中美两国经济上的相互依存在不断加强，经贸合作已成为中美关系的稳定器。随着中国深入改革和扩大开放进程的发展，经贸合作在中美关系发展中将发挥更大的作用。 中美经贸联系十分密切，两国已经互为重要贸易伙伴。两国经贸领域的互补性很强，双方可以彼此分享巨大的市场。中美的发展水平、资源结构存在很大差异，在劳动力、资本、技术等方面具有各自的比较优势，因而加强中美经贸合作有助于各自的优势互补。 在中美经贸合作快速发展的进程中，难免出现新的问题，解决这些问题是中美双方共同的长期任务。把经贸问题政治化或采取贸易保护主义的措施，只能损害双方的利益。中美两国应以发展的眼光拓展利益交汇面，实现互利共赢。 中美经贸关系与中美关系整体的发展是一种互动的关系，这就是说，经贸关系的迅速发展可促进整体关系的发展；同时，中美关系正常发展，也可为中美经贸发展创造良好的政治氛围。发展互利共赢的中美经贸关系，对增强中美两国人民的福祉，对推动新世纪中美关系全面健康发展具有重要意义。中美建交以来三十多年的历史证明，在中美关系正常发展时期，中美经贸关系就快速发展，反之，双边经贸发展就出现缓慢、停滞甚至倒退的局面。