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Though we have spent two nights in _______ the problem, we still can't find a so
A.working in
B.working out
C.working up
D.working on
![](https://static.youtibao.com/asksite/comm/h5/images/solist_ts.png)
A.working in
B.working out
C.working up
D.working on
A. had walked
B. were walking
C. would have walked
D. must have walked
We have to work even harder though we feel quite () our success.
A.secure of
B.nervous about
C.worried about
D.competent for
A.In that
B.Now that
C.Since that
D.Even though
()you wish to know why we have placed no further orders with you recently, we are willing to raise a matter that caused us some trouble .
A. since
B. though
C. as
D. although
Snap decisions can be important defense mechanisms; if we are judging whether someone is dangerous, our brains and bodies are hard-wired to react very quickly, within milliseconds. But we need more time to assess other factors. To accurately tell whether someone is sociable, studies show, we need at least a minute, preferably five. It takes a while to judge complex aspects of personality, like neuroticism or open-mindedness.
But snap decisions in reaction to rapid stimuli aren’t exclusive to the interpersonal realm. Psychologists at the University of Toronto found that viewing a fast-food logo for just a few milliseconds primes us to read 20 percent faster, even though reading has little to do with eating. We unconsciously associate fast food with speed and impatience and carry those impulses into whatever else we’re doing, Subjects exposed to fast-food flashes also tend to think a musical piece lasts too long.
Yet we can reverse such influences. If we know we will overreact to consumer products or housing options when we see a happy face (one reason good sales representatives and real estate agents are always smiling), we can take a moment before buying. If we know female job screeners are more likely to reject attractive female applicants, we can help screeners understand their biases-or hire outside screeners.
John Gottman, the marriage expert, explains that we quickly “thin slice” information reliably only after we ground such snap reactions in “thick sliced” long-term study. When Dr. Gottman really wants to assess whether a couple will stay together, he invites them to his island retreat for a muck longer evaluation; two days, not two seconds.
Our ability to mute our hard-wired reactions by pausing is what differentiates us from animals: doge can think about the future only intermittently or for a few minutes. But historically we have spent about 12 percent of our days contemplating the longer term. Although technology might change the way we react, it hasn’t changed our nature. We still have the imaginative capacity to rise above temptation and reverse the high-speed trend.
The time needed in making decisions may____ .
A.vary according to the urgency of the situation
B.prove the complexity of our brain reaction
C.depend on the importance of the assessment
D.predetermine the accuracy of our judgment
John Gottman says that reliable snap reaction are based on____ .
A.critical assessment
B.“thin sliced”study
C.sensible explanation
D.adequate information
The author’s attitude toward reversing the high-speed trend is____ .A.tolerant
B.uncertain
C.optimistic
D.doubtful
Our reaction to a fast-food logo shows that snao decisions____ .A.can be associative
B.are not unconscious
C.can be dangerous
D.are not impulsive
To reverse the negative influences of snap decisions,we should____ .A.trust our first impression
B.do as people usually do
C.think before we act
D.ask for expert advice
In 2015, the US Forest Service for the first time spent more than half of its $5.5 billion annualbudget fighting fires-nearly double the percentage it spent on such efforts 20 years ago. In effect,fewer federal funds today are going towards the agency&39;s other work-such as forest conservation,watershed and cultural resources management, and infrastructure upkeep -that affect the lives of all Americans. Another nationwide concern is whether public funds from other agencies are going into constructionin fire-prone districts. As Moritz puts it, how often are federal dollars building homes that are likelyto be lost to a wildfire?
“It’s already a huge problem from a public expenditure perspective for the whole country, We need to take a magnifying glass to that. Like, “Wait a minute, is this OK ?”“Do we want insteadto redirect those funds to concentrate on lower-hazard parts of the landscape? ” Such a view would require a corresponding shift in the way US society today views fire, researcherssay.
For one thing, conversations about wildfires need to be more inclusive. Over the past decade, thefocus has been on climate change-how the warming of the Earth from greenhouse gases is leadingto conditions that worsen fires. While climate is a key element, Moritz says, it shouldn’t come at the expense of the rest of theequation.
“The human systems and the landscapes we live on are linked, and the interactions go both ways,"he says. Failing to recognize that, he notes, leads to "an overly simplified view of what the solutionsmight be. Our perception of the problem and of what the solution is becomes very limited. At the same time, people continue to treat fire as an event that needs to be wholly controlled andunleashed only out of necessity, says Professor Balch at the University of Colorado. But macknowledging fire&39;s inevitable presence in human life is an attitude crucial to developing the laws,policies, and practices that make it as safe as possible, she says.
“We’ve disconnected ourselves from living with fire, ” Balch says. “It is really important tounderstand and try and tease out what is the human connection with fire today. ”
36.More frequent wildfires have become a national concern because in 2015 they_____.
A.exhausted unprecedented management efforts
B.consumed a record-high percentage of budget
C.severely damaged the ecology of western states
D.caused a huge rise of infrastructure expenditure
While admitting that climate is a key element, Moritz notes that _____.A.public debates have not settled yet
B.fire-fighting conditions are improving
C.other factors should not be overlooked
D.a shift in the view of fire has taken place
The overly simplified view Moritz mentions is a result of failing to _____.A.discover the fundamental makeup of nature
B.explore the mechanism of the human systems
C.maximize the role of landscape in human life
D.understand the interrelations of man and nature
Moritz calls for the use of "a magnifying glass" to _____.A.raise more funds for fire-prone areas
B.avoid the redirection of federal money
C.find wildfire-free parts of the landscape
D.guarantee safer spending of public funds
Professor Balch points out that fire is something man should _____.A.do away with
B.come to terms with
C.pay a price for
D.keep away from
请帮忙给出每个问题的正确答案和分析,谢谢!
It was almost midnight, yet the streets were bathed in a soft, shimmering light. The sun had just gone down and twilight would soon give way to night. We were strolling along the Nevsky Prospekt, a wide avenue stretching four kilometres and filled with people, music and street entertainers. This was St. Petersburg in August and it seemed the city was out to celebrate the long summer nights. We had just left the home of newly found Russian friends and after a wonderful traditional dinner decided to have some exercise before going to bed.
It has always been my dream to visit St. Petersburg. Absorbed by Russian history since childhood, I wanted to see it all for myself. Now, thanks to Perestroika, tourists are welcomed into Russia and St. Petersburg with its rich, cultural history is a popular choice.
We flew in from Stockholm and from the air immediately noticed a well-planned city with apartment blocks built in semi-circles with central courtyards and gardens. Not only did this seem practical, but the idea behind the design was to shelter residents from the fierce winter winds. The city was built by European architects in the 18th and 19th centuries and remains one of Europe's most beautiful cities. Straddling the wide River Neva, the city is made up of almost 5o islands connected by some 31o bridges. No wonder the sight of elegant buildings along the canals reminded me of Paris, Amsterdam and Venice.
I hadn't met many Russian people but I had an intense love for their country and traditions and was passionate about art and literature. Russian writers such as Pushkin, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky reach the very soul of ordinary Russians, and this I find intriguing. It was no different when I finally found myself in Russia. People were openly friendly and eager to discuss any aspect of their lives in their beloved Motherland. No matter how bad the economy, somehow these people have the ability to see the positive aspects of their lives, whatever their circumstances. We met an attractive woman from Moscow, and we fast became friends and it was she who invited us into the home of some dear friends of hers.
The apartment block was in an elegant area of St. Petersburg and was probably a palace in the past but now converted into apartments of four floors. The entrance through a narrow hallway was dark and dull and there was an old fashioned lift on the ground floor with steel folding gates that clanged shut, after which the lift moved very slowly upwards. It was quicker to walk up the staircase.
Our host, Yuri Petrochenkov, himself an artist, warmly greeted us at the door. He was tall with gray hair pulled into a tail. His open, friendly manner and twinkling eyes showed a sense of humor and his English with a thick accent made him an entertaining host. Nelly, his wife, spoke little English but understood a great deal more.
We were ushered into their main room, which served as a living-room, dining room and TV area. There was an air of intimacy in the room, as though it was the core part of this family. Many parties, social and political discussions and family gatherings take place here. We were honored to be there and I felt ashamed that I had absolutely no Russian language to attempt to communicate in. Why is it that people of the English-speaking world take for granted that the rest of the world should speak English? I had always meant to learn Russian and had enrolled for courses in the past but they never started because of lack of numbers.
Our meal was a feast in itself. We weren't offered wine, just vodka in little shot glasses and before drinking there is always a toast. Some nine vodkas later, Yuri was in fine form and had found a drinking partner in my husband!
Wandering along the river, we agreed that not only had we found new friends, but we had just spent probably the most enjoyable experience of our trip to Russia. This is what travel is all about to get to the heart and soul of the people and to try to understand and experience a little of what makes others tick.
Section B – TWO questions ONLY to be attempted
iCompute was founded twenty years ago by the technology entrepreneur, Ron Yeates. It initially specialised in building bespoke computer software for the financial services industry. However, it has expanded into other specialised areas and it is currently the third largest software house in the country, employing 400 people. It still specialises in bespoke software, although 20% of its income now comes from the sales of a software package designed specifically for car insurance.
The company has grown based on a ‘work hard, play hard work ethic’ and this still remains. Employees are expected to work long hours and to take part in social activities after work. Revenues have continued to increase over the last few years, but the firm has had difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff. Approximately one-third of all employees leave within their first year of employment at the company. The company appears to experience particular difficulty in recruiting and retaining female staff, with 50% of female staff leaving within 12 months of joining the company. Only about 20% of the employees are female and they work mainly in marketing and human resources.
The company is currently in dispute with two of its customers who claim that its bespoke software did not fit the agreed requirements. iCompute currently outsources all its legal advice problems to a law firm that specialises in computer contracts and legislation. However, the importance of legal advice has led to iCompute considering the establishment of an internal legal team, responsible for advising on contracts, disputes and employment legislation.
The support of bespoke solutions and the car insurance software package was also outsourced a year ago to a third party. Although support had been traditionally handled in-house, it was unpopular with staff. One of the senior managers responsible for the outsourcing decision claimed that support calls were ‘increasingly varied and complex, reflecting incompetent end users, too lazy to read user guides.’ However, the outsourcing of support has not proved popular with iCompute’s customers and a number of significant complaints have been made about the service given to end users. The company is currently reviewing whether the software support process should be brought back in-house.
The company is still regarded as a technology leader in the market place, although the presence of so many technically gifted employees within the company often creates uncertainty about the most appropriate technology to adopt for a solution. One manager commented that ‘we have often adopted, or are about to adopt, a technology or solution when one of our software developers will ask if we have considered some newly released technology. We usually admit we haven’t and so we re-open the adoption process. We seem to be in a state of constant technical paralysis.’
Although Ron Yeates retired five years ago, many of the software developers recruited by him are still with the company. Some of these have become operational managers, employed to manage teams of software developers on internal and external projects. Subba Kendo is one of the managers who originally joined the company as a trainee programmer. ‘I moved into management because I needed to earn more money. There is a limit to what you can earn here as a software developer. However, I still keep up to date with programming though, and I am a goalkeeper for one of the company’s five-a-side football teams. I am still one of the boys.’
However, many of the software developers are sceptical about their managers. One commented that ‘they are technologically years out of date. Some will insist on writing programs and producing code, but we take it out again as soon as we can and replace it with something we have written. Not only are they poor programmers, they are poor managers and don’t really know how to motivate us.’ Although revenues have increased, profits have fallen. This is also blamed on the managers. ‘There is always an element of ambiguity in specifying customers’ requirements. In the past, Ron Yeates would debate responsibility for requirements changes with the customer. However, we now seem to do all amendments for free. The customer is right even when we know he isn’t. No wonder margins are falling. The managers are not firm enough with customers.’
The software developers are also angry that an in-house project has been initiated to produce a system for recording time spent on tasks and projects. Some of the justification for this is that a few of the projects are on a ‘time and materials’ basis and a time recording system would permit accurate and prompt invoicing. However, the other justification for the project is that it will improve the estimation of ‘fixed-price’ contracts. It will provide statistical information derived from previous projects to assist account managers preparing estimates to produce quotes for bidding for new bespoke development contracts.
Vikram Soleski, one of the current software developers, commented that ‘managers do not even have up-to-date mobile phones, probably because they don’t know how to use them. We (software developers) always have the latest gadgets long before they are acquired by managers. But I like working here, we have a good social scene and after working long hours we socialise together, often playing computer games well into the early hours of the morning. It’s a great life if you don’t weaken!’
Required:
(a) Analyse the culture of iCompute, and assess the implications of your analysis for the company’s future performance. (13 marks)
(b) iCompute is currently re-considering three high level processes:
(i) Advice on legal issues (currently outsourced)
(ii) Software support (currently outsourced)
(iii) Time recording (in-house, bespoke software development)
Evaluate, using an appropriate framework or model, the suitability of iCompute’s current approach to EACH of these high level processes. (12 marks)
Our boat floated on (漂流) ,between walls of forest too thick to allow us a view of the land we were passing【21】though we knew from the map that our river must from time to time be passing through chains of hills.【22】did we find a place where we could have landed. So we stayed in the boat hoping that we【23】the sea, a friendly fisherman would pick us up and take us to the civilization.
We lived【24】fish, any fruit and nuts we could pick up out of the water. As we had no fire, we had to eat everything,【25】the raw fish. I had never tasted raw fish before, and I must say I did not much enjoy the【26】: perhaps sea-fish which do not live in the mud are less tasteless. As for water, there was a choice: we could drink muddy river water,【27】die of thirst. We drank the water. Men who have just escaped what had appeared to be certain death lose all worries about such small things as diseases caused by dirty water. In fact, none of us suffered from any illness【28】.
One day we passed another village, but fortunately nobody saw us. We did not wish to risk【29】prisoners a second time; we might not be so lucky【30】escape in a stolen boat again.
(56)
A.in
B.down
C.along
D.through
听力原文: On June 17, 1744, the officials from Maryland and Virginia held a talk with the Indians of the Six Nations. The Indians were invited to send boys to William and Mary College. In a letter the next day they refused the offer as follows:
We know that you have a high opinion of the kind of learning taught in your colleges, and that the costs of living of our young men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are convinced that you mean to do us good by your proposal; and we thank you heartily. But you must know that different nations have different ways of looking at things, and you will therefore not be offended if our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same as yours. We have had some experience of it. Several of our young people were formerly brought up at the colleges of the northern provinces; they were taught all your sciences; but when they came back to us they were bad runners, ignorant of every means of living in the woods, they were totally good for nothing.
We are, however, not the less obliged by your kind offer, though we refuse to accept it, and to show our grateful sense of it. If the gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their sons, we will take care of their education, teach them in all we know and make men of them.
(33)
A.The educational values of the Indians.
B.The colleges of the northern provinces.
C.The talk between the Indians and the officials.
D.The problems of the Americans in the mid-eighteenth century.
Her love and devotion for my brother and me made our lack of material possessions seem insignificant. Even today, if I were given a choice between having love at home and wealth, I would want it just the way I had it. I grew up poor in material things but rich in love.
Since my father was never around long enough to teach me physical things or to play games with me, I didn't succeed in any competitive sport. My mother did her best as a substitute, throwing a ball with me in the lot(空地) behind our house, but it wasn't the same. She was too protective of me, and I didn't have enough confidence in my own abilities to really try anything physically demanding.
The story suggests that the author is______his mother.
A.proud of
B.worried about
C.pitiful for
D.concerned about