One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the “cashless society” is not on the horizon---it’s already here.
While computer offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records, including who sold what, when and to whom. This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how far they are moving. Decisions to reorder or return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customer for promotional campaigns. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons. Computer analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future and which to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on hand, and even of the production process itself.
Numerous other commercial enterprises, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers. From the last sentence of the first paragraph we learn that ___________.
| A．in the future all the Americans will use credit cads |
| B．credit cards are mainly used in the United States today |
| C．nowadays many Americans do not pay in cash |
| D．it is now more convenient to use credit cards than before |
If computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, what will businessmen do?
| A．They will fire some employees and raise the work efficiency. |
| B．They will arrange for different employees to do different jobs according to their abilities and performance. |
| C．They will assign more work for the employees to do. |
| D．They will allow the personnel to do whatever work they want to do. |
What does the underlined phrase “ring up sales” in paragraph two mean?
| A．make an order of goods. |
| B．record sales on a cash register. |
| C．call the sales manager. |
| D．keep track of the goods in stock. |
What does the passage mainly discuss?
| A．Approaches to the commercial use of computers. |
| B．Advantages of credit cards in business. |
| C．Significance of automation in commercial enterprises. |
| D．Conveniences brought about by computers in business. |
“The price of books for our students is just getting higher and higher and，combined with the rising cost of tuition，it’s killing these students，”said Peter Jason，a college professor．“Remember，students are one of the poorest groups of people in America．Almost half of them have at least one part-time job．In fact，one of my students has three jobs．And she still manages to have high scores and go to school full-time.”
Textbook prices are traditionally high．Adding to that problem，many college teachers change textbooks year after year；they either upgrade to a new edition or switch to an entirely different textbook．This further hurts students because if an instructor no longer uses a particular textbook，that book has no resale value．
Dr．Jason decided to make lire a little easier and a lot cheaper for his students by writing his own book on public speaking．“Many books have an increased price because of CD-ROMs，lots of color photographs and pictures．I talked to my students，and many of them，like me，prefer to keep things simple! So，a few years ago，I wrote my own textbook．Compared to most other public speaking books，mine is half the number of pages，and one-third the price．That is，$30 instead of $90．When I wrote a second edition last year，students only had to buy the 35 new pages, For only $7．00，they had almost a new book. Now my loose-leaf textbook enjoys great popularity among the students．Maybe in the future more writers and publishers will try it．” What did Dr. Jason say about students at college?
| A．They are short of money． | B．They need better textbooks |
| C．They should do part-time jobs． | D．They are trying to get high scores． |
What did Dr．Jason decide to do to help the students?
| A．To choose cheaper textbooks． | B．To write a textbook himself． |
| C．To speak to his students. | D．To use old textbooks． |
How much does a public speaking textbook usually cost?
| A．About 7 dollars. | B．About 30 dollars. |
| C．About 37 dollars． | D．About 90 dollars． |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Dr Jason's textbook has CD-ROMs and nice pictures. |
| B．More writers and publishers will write simpler textbooks． |
| C．Dr．Jason teaches public speaking at a college． |
| D．Dr-Jason’s textbook is not well received． |
My father never wanted his children to know what he did for a living．Dad worked in Plant C．Lying beside lake Erie, it saw him in at sunrise and out at nightfall．Sometimes my mother would take my siblings （兄弟姐妹） and me to the public beach in our hometown of Ashtabula． she'd gather us round and point to the smokestacks, coughing clouds into the sky．
"Wave to daddy!" she'd shout. Four little hands would shoot into the air．I never knew what Dad did in Plant C, but during 34 years of hard work, he had surgery （手术） on his shoulder and hand．At 48, he had his first heart attack．He retired in 1993, right after the last kid graduated from college．But the damage was done．A few years later, the next heart attack killed him．
I saw my dad in Plant C only once, when I took dinner to him．That night, I looked at my father, covered in sweat and coal, and for the first time I knew why he was so often angry for no reason．
Recently my father' s friend, Toby Workman, walked me there．I knew my father never wanted me to see it．At every station, he described the job and the danger．It was like listening to a foreign language．I walked past many DANGER signs．Toby put his hand on my shoulder．"look," he said, "you need to understand something．Your dad was a maintenance mechanic．He worked the most dangerous job．If something broke, he fixed it．"
A few days later, my daughter graduated from college．I gave her the hard hat Toby handed to me as I left, and this notes: " Whenever you feel something difficult, put this on, look in the mirror, and remember your roots．"How many siblings does the author most probably have? ____．
A．Three siblings B．Two siblings C．One sibling D: Four siblingsWhich of the following is TRUE of the facts about the author's father? ____
A．He didn't suffer a heart attack until he retired．
B．He worked in Plant C for 48 years in all．
C．He was hardly angry in his daily life．
D．He did physical work in Plant C. When Toby Workman described the author' s father' s job, the author ____．
| A．felt familiar with the job | B．didn’t quite understand |
| C．wanted to learn a foreign language | D．decided to do the same work |
The author gave her daughter the hat, hoping that her daughter could ____．
| A．remember her grandfather | B．overcome all difficulties by wearing it |
| C．get encouraged by her grandfather | D．follow her grandfather' s work |
EAT YOUR VEGETABLES. Wash your hands. Always say "please" and "thank you ".We are full of advice for our children, but when it comes to money, we often have little to say. As a result, our children may grow up with clean hands and good manners, but without any idea how to manage their money.Here are some basics that will help guide them their entire lives：
Show them the future. If your 13-year-old girl were to save $1.000,invest(投资)it at 8% and add $100 every month, by the time she's 65,she would have $980,983!
Be careful of credit(信用).Credit cards can help you buy necessary things and build a credit history, but they must be used responsibly, which means paying off your debt in time. Explain to your children that when you buy something using a credit card, you can easily end up paying two or three times what you would have paid if you used cash.
Teach patience. Suppose your child wants a new bicycle that costs $150.Rather than paying the cash, give him some regular pocket money and explain that by putting aside,say,$15 each week, he will be able to buy it for himself in only ten weeks.
Provide incentive. Tell your children the importance of saving. "For every dollar he or she agrees to save and invest rather than spend, you agree to add another dollar to the pot, "says Cathy Pareto, expert in money planning.
Explain your values. Values and money are deeply intertwined(缠结在一起), says Eilleen Gallo, co-author of The Financially Intelligent Parent. When your child demands that you buy something, explain why you really don't want to buy it. "You might say, 'I'd rather save that money for your education,'" advises Gallo. Every time you spend or don't spend money, you have a chance to share your values.The writer gives some basics to help ____ in a proper way.
| A．parents teach their children how to deal with money |
| B．children follow their parents 'instructions |
| C．children manage their money |
| D．parents save their money |
The underlined word "incentive" in paragraph 6 means ____.
| A．honor | B．praise | C．excitement | D．encouragement |
What leads the writer to write this article?
A. Parents want to know how to educate their children.
B. He wants to share his good ideas about money matters.
C .He thinks money management the most important for children.
D. Parents care little about their children's management of money.
NOTICE
DO NOT FISH FOR FOOD, FISHERMAN!
FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH
FISH FROM THESE WATERS SHOULD NOT BE EATEN
BECAUSE OF MERCURY (水银) POLLUTION
Office of Land and ForestsWhere would people see the notice?
| A．On a fish farm | B．At a local office |
| C．In a fish market | D．On the office walls |
The notice tells people___________.
| A．not to fish from these waters |
| B．not to put mercury into these waters |
| C．not to cook the fish they catch here |
| D．not to go near these waters |
The notice is given because ___________.
| A．the land and forest are polluted by mercury |
| B．it is right to catch fish from these waters |
| C．people may be ill by eating the fish they catch |
| D．these waters are full of dirty things |
After the fisherman read the notice, they will feel____________.
| A．happy | B．excited | C．interested | D．disappointed |
Old Computers Make for Unhappy Workers --- Survey
LONDON (Reuters) ----- Dealing with the dissatisfaction of aging and unreliable office computers leads to workers' unhappiness and more sick leave, a survey showed on Wednesday.
A survey carried out by caro4free.net of over 2,700 European office workers from the UK, France and Germany found that workplace dissatisfaction increased greatly with the age of the computer equipment.
"We do know that job satisfaction is falling in Britain and most advanced nations," said Stephen White, a researcher from the Work Foundation. "The actual reasons for this are the subject of very heated discussion. It's certainly one interesting theory that technology may be the cause of this in some way," White added.
A quarter of these using outdated computers in Britain said they were "quite" or "very dissatisfied" with their everyday job compared to the percent of those who had enjoyed an advantage from up-to-date technology.
The survey also said that among workers dealing with outdated equipment, there was a 35 percent greater probability they would take six or more days of sick leave per year compared with the average worker. In France, where more workers use old computers, the probability jumped to 55 percent.
Results also showed that women in the three countries were more likely to be using outdated equipment. In the UK, where more workers have up-to-date computers than in the other countries surveyed, the number of women using old equipment doubled that of men.
White pointed out that there were two sides to this problem, saying that continuously having to deal with new technology and equipment can also be a source of worry. "Old and faulty equipment is a major cause of office dissatisfaction. There is no question about it; but you also have to say that the frequent change of equipment is also, or could be, a main cause of dissatisfaction."The underlined word "this" (paragraph 3) refers to ______.
| A．workplace dissatisfaction | B．computer use in most jobs |
| C．the aging off office computers | D．the survey by care4@ free. net |
How many office workers use old computers in Britain expressed their dissatisfaction?
| A．16% | B．25% | C． 35% | D．55% |
According to White, why were the women surveyed more likely to use old computers?
| A．Most office workers use old computers. |
| B．They do some of their work with computers. |
| C．Dealing with new equipment can cause anxiety. |
| D．They are easier to be satisfied with new technology. |
What is the subject of the news story?
| A．Poor working conditions in offices |
| B．Research work of the Work Foundation |
| C．Influence of technology in the workplace. |
| D．Different attitudes to old computers. |
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