If US software(软件) companies don’t pay more attention to quality, they could kiss their business good-bye. Both India and Brazil are developing a world-class software industry. Their weapon is quality and one of their jobs is to attract the top US quality specialists whose voices are not listened to in their country.
Already, of the world’s 12 software houses that have earned the highest position in the world, seven are in India. That’s largely because they have used new methods American software specialists refused to use. For example, for years, quality specialists, W. Edwards Deming and J.M. Juran had tried to persuade US software companies to change their attitudes to quality. But their quality call mainly fell on deaf ears in the US--but not in Japan. By the 1970s and 1980s, Japan was taking its market share with better, cheaper products. They used Deming’s and Juran’s ideas to bring down the cost of good quality to as little as 5% of total production costs. In US factories, the cost of quality then was 10 times as high: 50%. In software, it still is.
Watts S. Humphrey spent 27 years at IBM heading up software production and then quality assurance(保证). But his advice was seldom paid attention to. He retired from IBM in 1986. In 1987, he worked out a system for assessing(评估) and improving software quality. It has proved its value time and again. For example, in 1990 the cost of quality at Raytheon Electronics Systems was almost 60 % of total software production costs. It fell to 15% in 1996 and has since further dropped to below 10 %.
Like Deming and Juran, Humphrey seems to be winning more praises overseas than at home. The Indian government and several companies have just founded the Watts Humphrey Software Quality Institute at the Software Technology Park in Chennai, India. Let’s hope that US lead in software will not be eaten up by its quality problems.
64. Which country has the most first-class software companies in the world?
A. Germany. B. The USA. C. Brazil. D. India.
65. Which of the following statements about Humphrey is true?
A. He is now still an IBM employer.
B. He has worked for IBM for 37 years.
C. The US pays much attention to his quality advice.
D. India honors him highly.
66. By what means did Japan take its large market share by the 1970s and the 1980s?
A. Its products were cheaper in price and better in quality.
B. Its advertising was most successful.
C. The US hardware industry was falling behind.
D. Japan hired a lot of Indian software specialists.
67. What is the writer worrying about?
A. Many US software specialists are working for Japan.
B. The quality problem has become a worldwide problem.
C. The US will lose its lead in software in the world.
D. India and Japan are joining hands to compete with the US.
Guide to Stockholm University Library
Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment.
Zones
The library is divided into different zones. The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading, and places where you can sit and work with your own computer. The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs. The ground floor is the zone where you can talk. Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work.
Computers
You can use your own computer to connect to the Wi-Fi specially prepared for notebook computers, you can also use library computers, which contain the most commonly used applications, such as Microsoft Office. They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor.
Group-study Places
If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others, you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor. Some study rooms are for 2-3 people and others can hold up to 6-8 people. All rooms are marked on the library maps.
There are 40 group-study rooms that must be booked via the website. To book, you need an active University account and a valid University card. You can use a room three hours per day, nine hours at most per week.
Storage of Study Material
The library has lockers for students to store course literature, When you have gained at least 40 credits(学分), you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental period.
Rules to be Followed
Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library. Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls.
Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library, but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you.The library’s upper floor is mainly for students to______.
| A．have group discussions | B．read in a quiet place |
| C．take comfortable seats | D．get their computers fixed |
Library computers on the ground floor_______.
| A．contain software necessary for schoolwork |
| B．help students with their field experiments |
| C．are for those who want to access the Wi-Fi |
| D．are mostly used for filling out application forms |
What condition should be met to book a group-study room?
| A．A group must consist of 8 people |
| B．Three-hour use per day is the minimum |
| C．Applicants must mark the room on the map |
| D．One should first register (注册) at the university |
A student can rent a locker in the library if he______.
| A．can afford the rental fee |
| B．attends certain courses |
| C．has nowhere to put his books |
| D．has earned the required credits |
What should NOT be brought into the library?
| A．Mobile phones | B．Orange juice | C．Sandwiches | D．Candy |
Americans are buying more products and services than ever before through the Internet, and the popularity of online sales is likely to spread to other countries. Online sales now represent as much as one-tenth of all retail(零售) sales in the United States，which has led traditional stores to seek new ways to keep their customers loyal.
Lynne Shaner used the Internet to buy everything she needed for her wedding and holiday gifts for her husband. Other than food, 90 percent of her purchases(购买的东西) were made on her home computer. “I find that, by being able to go online and opt for the things that I need to select and have them delivered to me right at my doorstep, I’m free from all the driving, all the crowds, all the noise, and I usually get a better selection.”
There are a lot of people like her. Experts say American online shopping hit records in both November and December. Fifty-seven percent of Americans have bought something electronically. Store owners worry that this growing amount of online sales will hurt their business. Cornell University marketing professor Ed McLaughlin says, “They should be worried. Anything that can move online will be sold online. And it's just a matter of time. However, traditional stores can keep their customers by selling goods like clothing, which buyers may want to see and try on before purchasing. The stores could also offer things that are difficult to ship. ”
Bill Martin, whose business helps stores learn about their customers, says, “Traditional stores offer a social experience that some people enjoy. There is still a lot of emotion in the buying decision that takes place, and you can't always get that on-line. It's a rather cold process. Traditional stores can provide goods for buyers more quickly than online stores. And some retailers are using websites to persuade people to visit their stores. ”
While online shopping worries some business owners, the only worry for delivery services like FedEx and UPS is keeping up with the number of packages. UPS Manager Dana Kline says her company is very busy at this time of year. UPS is so busy that it has filled 55,000 temporary worker positions during the holiday season.According to Lynne Shaner, shopping online ________.
| A．helps choose things she needs most |
| B．will replace traditional shopping soon |
| C．offer many benefits to customers |
| D．seldom provides a better selection |
What does the underlined phrase “opt for” in the second paragraph mean?
| A．choose | B．sell | C．design | D．purchase |
Professor Ed McLaughlin thinks that _________.
| A．online shopping has little effect on traditional stores |
| B．it is time for store owners to be anxious about their business |
| C．traditional stores can do nothing to stop challenges from online shopping |
| D．traditional stores should sell more things that are difficult to ship |
What can we know from the fourth paragraph?
| A．Online sales fail to offer customers sense of emotion. |
| B．Customers enjoy social experience when shopping online. |
| C．Traditional stores can help customers decide what to buy. |
| D．Customers can buy goods more quickly after visiting websites. |
From the passage we can infer _______.
| A．UPS has filled more worker positions than FedEx |
| B．business owners are concerned about delivery services |
| C．FedEx is keeping up with UPS on the number of packages |
| D．delivery services are facing more and more pressure from online sales |
According to a study by SallieMae, 84 percent of undergraduate students have credit cards, and by the time they are seniors, they have accumulated US＄4,100 in debt, on top of whatever student loans they may have taken out.
Credit cards are the most convenient form of payment, and they are aggressively marketed to college students. Reportedly, a typical college student carries 4.6 credit cards and US＄3,173 in credit card debt.
Credit cards seem to be a fact of life, not just student life. In the long term, using a credit card properly and paying off the balance can help establish a card history and increase your credit score, which will come in handy when you need an important loan, for a house or car, for example. Your credit score can affect even unrelated things like insurance rates. Credit cards also offer more protection for users than debit cards （借记卡）.Under federal law, the credit card holder is only responsible for the first US＄50 in fraudulent(欺诈的)purchases in cases of theft or loss. However, debit card users are responsible for the first US＄500.
SallieMae found some good news in the fact that two thirds of students had discussed credit issues with their parents, but 84 percent said they needed more information. Those who didn’t get any guidance were more likely to be surprised when they found out how much they owed.
While credit cards offer the easiest access to money, they make it easy to live outside your means. Less than a fifth of students surveyed paid off their balance every month, and carrying a balance brings finance charges, sometimes at a very high interest rates.
SallieMae found that almost 40 percent of students chose their first credit card based on direct mail, which is probably why students get credit card offers in the mail. But when the credit card offers flow in, be sure that you read the fine print. Offers of low or no interest rates can disappear, leaving you a debt that climbs beyond your ability to pay it off. What does the first paragraph imply?
| A．Most of the senior students are shocked to see how much they owed. |
| B．Students can only take out loans from credit cards. |
| C．Most of students’ loans come from credit cards. |
| D．Credit cards have a bad effect on college students. |
The underlined part “come in handy” in the third paragraph probably means “_______”.
| A．bring trouble | B．make mistakes | C．be important | D．be useful |
According to SallieMae, what is the possible reason why students get so many credit card offers in the mail?
| A．Many students’ first credit card is based on direct mail. |
| B．It costs the banks little to mail out credit cards. |
| C．Students don’t like to go to the bank to open a credit card account. |
| D．Banks have no other way to let students use their credit cards. |
What is the theme of the third paragraph?
| A．The advantages of using debit cards. |
| B．The similarities between credit cards and debit cards. |
| C．The advantages of using credit cards. |
| D．Credit cards are the most convenient form of payment. |
The largest campaign of killing rats in history is set to poison millions of rats on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. Scientists say the campaign planned for 2013 and 2014 will restore beautiful South Georgia to the position it once held as the world’s most important nesting sites for seabirds.
It was sailors in the late 18th century who unintentionally introduced rats to what had been a fresh environment. “If we can destroy the rats, at least 100 million birds will return to their home on South Georgia,” says Tony Martin, a biology professor at the University of Dundee who was invited to lead the project.
South Georgia is by far the largest island to get rid of animals that destroy native wildlife after being introduced deliberately or accidentally by people. Though rats and mice have done the most damage, cats, foxes, goats, deer, rabbits and other species have been targeted in the campaigns around the world.
South Georgia is seven times the size of New Zealand’s Campbell Island, currently the largest area ever killing rats. The successful war against Campbell Island rats was carried our in 2001 with 132 tons of poison dropped from five helicopters.
“New Zealand pioneered the techniques for ridding islands of rats and in fact our operation on South Georgia is based on New Zealand’s technology.” Says Martin. “Some New Zealanders will be helping our campaign, including our chief pilot, Peter Garden, who was also chief pilot for the projects at Campbell Island and Rat Island, in the Aleutian chain of the north Pacific.”
The second and third stages in 2013 and 2014 will involve dropping as much as 300 tons of poison from the air onto every part of the island where rats might live. It is a huge operation, carried out during the stormy southern autumn when the rats are hungry and the risks of poisoning native wildlife are less than in the spring and summer months. “Ideally we’d do in winter but the weather makes that too risky,” Martin says.
The ecological payback will be priceless. But Martin says, “The full benefits will take decades to arrive, because some of these birds are slow to hatch.”According to the passage, how did the rats appear on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia ?
| A．They were attracted there by wildlife. |
| B．They escaped there from Campbell Island. |
| C．They were introduced there by sailors accidently. |
| D．They were brought in by people deliberately. |
Which of the following is True about Peter Garden ?
| A．He is in charge of the campaign on the sub-Antarctic island. |
| B．He will be the only pilot for the project on the sub-Antarctic island. |
| C．He will benefit a lot from the campaign on the sub-Antarctic island. |
| D．He made great contributions to the project at Campbell Island and Rat Island. |
The operation of ridding South Georgia of rats is to carried out in autumn because _________.
| A．the war against Campbell Island rats failed in all seasons except autumn. |
| B．only then do the New Zealanders to help the operation have the spare time. |
| C．rats then need more food and the operation does less harm to native wildlife. |
| D．the poison kills rats more effectively than it does in any other season. |
What can we infer from the passage?.
| A．The campaign of killing rats will benefit the native wildlife in a short time. |
| B．Rats aren’t the only species to be blamed for the disappearance of wildlife. |
| C．The first stage of killing rats on the sub-Antarctic island didn’t make great achievements. |
| D．The campaign in South Georgia will fully follow in the footsteps of that on Campbell Island. |
I opened my new patient's chart and headed for her room. My son, Eric, had just brought home a disappointing report card, and my daughter, Shannon, and I had argued again about her getting a driver's license. For the next eight hours I wanted to throw myself into helping people who I knew had much more to worry about than I did. Rebekah, mother of three lovely little girls, was only 32, admitted for chemotherapy after breast-cancer surgery, When I gave her an injection, Rebekah shut her eyes tightly and murmured a prayer until it was over. Then she smiled and squeezed my hand. “Before you go, could you get my Bible from the table?" I handed her the worn book. "Do you have a favorite Bible verse?" she asked. "Jesus wept. John 11: 35." "Such a sad one," she said. "Why?""It makes me feel closer to Jesus, knowing he also experienced human sorrow." Rebekah nodded thoughtfully and started flipping through her Bible as I shut the door quietly behind me.
During the following months, her hospital stays became frequent and she worried about her children. One day when I entered her room, I found her talking into a tape recorder. She picked up a notebook and held it out to me. "I'm making a tape for my daughters, " she said. I read the list on her pad: starting school, confirmation, turning 16, first date, graduation. While I worried how to help her deal with death, she was planning for her children's future. She usually waited until the early hours of the morning to record the tapes so she could be free from interruptions. She filled them with family stories and advice，trying to cram a lifetime of love into a few precious hours. Finally, every item in her notes had been checked off and she entrusted the tapes to her husband.
I often wondered what I would say in her place. My kids joked that I was like an FBI agent, with my constant questions about where they’d been and who they’d been with. Where, I thought, are my words of encouragement and love?
It was three o'clock one afternoon when I got an urgent call from the hospital. Rebekah wanted me to come immediately with a blank tape. She was breathing hard when I entered her room. I slipped the tape into the recorder and held the microphone to her lips. "Ruthie, Hannah, Molly, this is the most important tape." She held my hand and closed her eyes. "Someday your daddy will bring home a new mommy. Please make her feel special. Show her how to take care of you. Ruthie, honey, help her get your Brownie uniform ready each Tuesday. Hannah, tell her you don't want meat sauce on your spaghetti. Molly, don't get mad if there's no apple juice. Drink something else. It's okay to be sad, sweeties. Jesus cried too. He knows about sadness and will help you to be happy again. Remember, I'll always love you. I shut off the recorder and Rebekah sighed deeply. "Thank you, Nan, "You'll give this one to them, won't you?" she murmured as she slid into sleep.
A time would come when the tape would be played for Rebekah's children, but right then, after I smoothed Rebekah's blanket, I got in my car and hurried home. I thought of how my Shannon also liked her sauce on the side and suddenly that quirk, which had annoyed me so many times, seemed to make her so much more precious. That night the kids didn't go out; they sat with me long after the spaghetti sauce had dried onto the dishes. And we talked, without interrogations, without complaints，late into the night.From the first paragraph we can learn that ____________ .
| A．Nan was in a bad state and wept a lot in her daily life. |
| B．Nan was not on good terms with her children. |
| C．Nan was worried about how to help Rebeka deal with her death. |
| D．Nan laid more stress on attending on her patients than her children. |
Which of the following scenes was most likely to be seen at Nan’s home before she met Rebekah?
| A．The family sat down in a circle and shared an interesting story. |
| B．After dinner, the children either went out or shut themselves up in their rooms. |
| C．The son was the headache of the parents while the daughter their comfort. |
| D．When Eric did poorly at school, the parents comforted him and cheered him up. |
Which was the most vital message Rebekah left to her children?
| A．Bringing home satisfying school report cards |
| B．Landing a job after graduation |
| C．Growing up healthily and happily |
| D．Accepting their step-mother into their lives. |
The writer learnt from Rebekah that a parent’s real concern should be_______. .
| A．protecting the children from the dangers they may be trapped in. |
| B．having encouraging and loving talks with children. |
| C．making tape records to guide the children in their future lives. |
| D．tolerating the children’s annoying quirks. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号