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Somedrugmakerspaykeyleadersinafieldofmedicinesuchaschairsofdepartmentsinmedicalschoolstensofthousandsofdollarsiftheyaresayingtherightthingsabouttheirproduct.Theymanipulatemedicaleducationsessionslecturesarticlesinmedicaljournalsresearchstudiesevenpersonalconversationsbetweenphysicianstogettheirproductmessageacross.Nowahugecollectionofdrugcompanyinternaldocuments--revealedaspartofalawsuit--offersawealthofdetail.In1996Dr.DavidFranklinanemployeeofthedrugcompanyParke-DavisfiledthelawsuitunderfederalwhistleblowerstatutesallegingthatthecompanywasillegallypromotingadrugcalledNeurontinforsocalledoff-labeluses.UnderfederallawoncetheFDAapprovesadrugadoctorcanprescribeitforanything.Butthelawspecificallyprohibitsthedrugcompanyfrompromotingthedrugforanyunapproveduses.In2004thecompanybythenadivisionofPfizeradmittedguiltandagreedtopay$430millionincriminalandcivilliabilityrelatedtopromotingthedrugforoff-labeluse.SpokespeopleforPfizersaythatanywrongdoingoccurredbeforePfizeracquiredthecompany.ButPfizerfoughthardtokeepallthepapersrelatedtothesuitunderseal.AjudgedeniedtherequestandtheyarenowpartoftheDrugIndustryDocumentArchiveattheUniversityofCaliforniaSanFrancisco.Whatismostinterestingisnottheillegalactionstheyrevealbutthedetailsofactivitiesthatareperfectlylegal.Andaccordingtopeoplefamiliarwiththeindustrythemethodsdetailedinthesecompanymemosareroutine.Onetacticidentifiescertaindoctorsasthoughtleaders--thosewhoseopinionsinfluencetheprescribingpatternofotherdoctors.Thosewhoseviewsconvergewiththecompanygoalsarethenshoweredwithrewardsresearchandeducationalgrants.IntheParke-Daviscase14suchbigshotsgotbetween$10250and$158250between1993and1997.MedicaleducationdrivesthismarketwrotetheauthorofoneParke-Davisbusinessplaninthefiles.ManystatelicensingboardsrequirephysicianstoattendsessionsinwhatiscalledcontinuingmedicaleducationCMEtokeepcurrentintheirfield.AtonetimemedicalschoolsranmostCMEcourses.NowanindustryofmedicaleducationandcommunicationscommitteesMECCsrunmostofthecourses.ThesecompanieswithinnocentsoundingnameslikeMedicalEducationSystemssetupcoursessometimesinconjunctionwithmedicalmeetingsatothertimesofteninfancyrestaurantsandresorts.Thedrugcompaniesfootthebillwiththeprogramusuallynotingitwasfinancedbyanunrestrictededucationalgrantfromthecompany.UsingMECCsParke-Davissetupconferencecallssothatdoctorscouldtalktooneanotheraboutthedrugs.Themoderatorsofthecallsoftenthoughtleadersortheiryoungerassistantsreceived$250to$500acall.Drugcompanyrepswereonthelineinstructedtostayinalistenonlymodebutmonitoringtobesurethepitchmettheirexpectations.Clearlymanyofthephysiciansintheseschemesarenotinnocentbystanders.WhetheritisghostwritingmakingtelephonecallstocolleaguesorleadingaCMEsessionmanyofthedoctorsgotpaidwell.Othersreceivedafreemealortransportationtoaresorttolistentoaneducationalsession.Physiciansoftenclaimtheyarenotinfluencedbypaymentsfromthepharmaceuticalindustry.Butwiththemethodssothoroughlydetailedinthesepapersdrugcompaniesclearlybelievetheyaregettingtheirmoney’sworth.Thedrugcompaniesarewillingtopayleadingdoctorsto
Advancesincomputersanddatanetworksinspirevisionsofafuture"informationeconomy"inwhicheveryonewillhave1togigabytesofallkindsofinformationanywhereandanytime.2informationhasalwaysbeena3difficultcommoditytodealwithandinsomewayscomputersandhigh-speednetworksmaketheproblemsofbuying4anddistributinginformationgoodsworse5better.TheevolutionoftheInternetitself6seriousproblems.7theInternethasbeenprivatizedseveralcompaniesare8toprovidethebackbonesthatwillcarrytraffic9localnetworksbut10businessmodelsforinterconnection--whopayshowmuchforeachpacket11forexample--have12tobedeveloped.13interconnectionstandardsaredevelopedthatmake14cheapandeasytotransmitinformationacrossindependentnetworkscompetitionwill15.Iftechnicaloreconomic16makeinterconnectiondifficult17transmittingdataacrossmultiplenetworksisexpensiveortooslowthe18supplierscanofferasignificantperformance19;theymaybeabletousethisedgetodriveoutcompetitorsand20themarket. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorDonANSWERSHEET1.3
AlthoughnolongerslaversaftertheCivilWarAmericanblackstooknosignificantpartinthelifeofwhiteAmericaexceptasservantsorlaborers.Manythousandsofthememigratedfromthewar-ravagedSouthtotheNorthfrom1865to1915inthehopeoffindingworkinthebigindustrialcities.WholecommunitiesofblackscrowdedtogetherintoghettosinNewYorkCityChicagoandDetroitwhereoncethepoorwhiteimmigrantshadlived.Theseghettosneglectedbythecityauthoritiesbecameslums.Theschoolstowhichblackchildrenwentwerehopelesslyinadequate.Unemploymentinblackghettosremainedconsistentlyhigherthaninwhitecommunities. 41.Seriousproblemswithblackghettos.______ Stablefamilylifewasdifficulttomaintain. 42.Theextremepovertyoftheblacks.______ Inthelate1970snearlyathirdofallblacksstillbelongedtotheso-called"underclass"theyareso"under-privileged"andpoorthattheycannotseizetheopportunityforadvancement. 43.Effortstoputanendtoracialdiscrimination.______ RacerelationsintheUSAcontinuetobeathornyproblem. 44.Improvementsinlivesoftheblacks.______ Despitesomesetbacksracerelationsareimproving. 45.Prevailingviolenceinsolvingracialproblems.______ Itissaidthattelevisionhadanenormousinfluenceonfrustratedandbitterblacksforitshowedthembowmuchbetterwhitesonthewholelivedthanblacks.Attheendofthe1960stherewereseriousriotsinmanycities. Theviolencequicklydieddown.Blacksbegantousetheirvotestoexertpoliticalpressure.CitieslikeAtlantaGeorgiaGaryIndianaandLosAngelesCaliforniaelectedblackmayors.IntegrationofschoolsdespiteresistancefromwhitegroupsgoesonandtheproportionofblacksinAmericancollegeshasincreaseddramaticallyinthelast20years.Therearereasonstomaintainacautiousoptimismthatprogressinracerelationswillcontinue. [A]Ithasbeenestimatedthattherearemorethan20millionAmericansinthiscategory10%ofthepopulationincludingmanymillionsofwhites. [B]Blacksaregaininginself-confidence.Inmoreandmoreareastheyarewinningcontroloftheircommunitiesandtheirstandardoflivingisgoingupfasterthanthatofthepoorwhites.Itisstillahardstruggle.ThereisstillprejudiceandevensomehatredbutinmostwalksofAmericanlifetherearenowmoreblacksthaneverbefore. [C]Theeraofblatantdiscriminationendedinthe1960sthroughthecourageousactionsofthousandsofblacksparticipatinginpeacefulmarchesandsitinstoforceSouthernstatestoimplementtheFederaldesegregationlawsinschoolsandpublicaccommodations.Downcamethe"whitesonly"noticesinbusedhotelstrainsrestaurantssportingeventsrestroomsandonparkbenchesthatoncecouldbefoundeverywherethroughouttheSouth.Goneweretherestrictionsthatpreventedblacksvoting.GonetoowerethehideouslynchingswhichsincetheCivilWarhadcausedthedeathofthousandsofinnocentblacks--hangedwithouttrialbywhitemobs.Howevereventodaypooruneducatedlacksdonotalwaysreceivethesamedegreeofjusticethatthemoreaffluentandbettereducatedcanexpect. [D]Manyblackschosetokeepsilentabouttheirunfairnessinsteadofresortingtoviolence.Buttheirsilencewasalsoproblemprovoking:ontheonehandsilencewouldbuildupalotofcomplaintsandhatredintheirmindsthusresultinginanegativeapproachtolifeandeverything;ontheotherhandsilencewouldgivethewhitesanimpressionthattheblackstaketherealityforgrantedandputmoreracialdiscriminationonthem. [E]Unemployedfatherswouldonoccasionwalkoutoftheirhomesandneverreturn.Childrenneglectedbytheirparentsturnedinsomeinstancestodrugsandcrimes.Therearemorethan700murdersayearincitieslikeNewYorkDetroitLosAngelesandHoustonandmostofthesedeathsareofblackskilledbyblacks.Theblackghettosaredangerousbothforblacksandnon-blacks. [F]RadicalblacksliketheBlackPanthersdemandedafreeblackstatewithintheUnionandadvocatedviolencetoachievethatendandtoprotectthemselvesagainstwhattheyfeltwaspolicebrutalitytowardblacks.ForawhileviolenceovershadowedtheinfluenceofthegreatlyrespectedpacifistblackMartinLutherKingJr.whohadprovidedtheinspirationandleadershipforthosedevotedtoapeacefulchangeandwhosemurderin1968stunnedAmerica. 43
Directions:Youareplanningtostudyinaforeignuniversity.Writealetterofapplicationtoaskforsomematerials.Writetotellthem1youreducationalbackgroundand2whatmajoryouwanttostudy.Youshouldwriteabout100wordsonANSWERSHEET2.Donotsignyourownnameattheendoftheletter.UseLiMinginstead.Youdon’thavetowritetheaddress.
AlthoughnolongerslaversaftertheCivilWarAmericanblackstooknosignificantpartinthelifeofwhiteAmericaexceptasservantsorlaborers.Manythousandsofthememigratedfromthewar-ravagedSouthtotheNorthfrom1865to1915inthehopeoffindingworkinthebigindustrialcities.WholecommunitiesofblackscrowdedtogetherintoghettosinNewYorkCityChicagoandDetroitwhereoncethepoorwhiteimmigrantshadlived.Theseghettosneglectedbythecityauthoritiesbecameslums.Theschoolstowhichblackchildrenwentwerehopelesslyinadequate.Unemploymentinblackghettosremainedconsistentlyhigherthaninwhitecommunities. 41.Seriousproblemswithblackghettos.______ Stablefamilylifewasdifficulttomaintain. 42.Theextremepovertyoftheblacks.______ Inthelate1970snearlyathirdofallblacksstillbelongedtotheso-called"underclass"theyareso"under-privileged"andpoorthattheycannotseizetheopportunityforadvancement. 43.Effortstoputanendtoracialdiscrimination.______ RacerelationsintheUSAcontinuetobeathornyproblem. 44.Improvementsinlivesoftheblacks.______ Despitesomesetbacksracerelationsareimproving. 45.Prevailingviolenceinsolvingracialproblems.______ Itissaidthattelevisionhadanenormousinfluenceonfrustratedandbitterblacksforitshowedthembowmuchbetterwhitesonthewholelivedthanblacks.Attheendofthe1960stherewereseriousriotsinmanycities. Theviolencequicklydieddown.Blacksbegantousetheirvotestoexertpoliticalpressure.CitieslikeAtlantaGeorgiaGaryIndianaandLosAngelesCaliforniaelectedblackmayors.IntegrationofschoolsdespiteresistancefromwhitegroupsgoesonandtheproportionofblacksinAmericancollegeshasincreaseddramaticallyinthelast20years.Therearereasonstomaintainacautiousoptimismthatprogressinracerelationswillcontinue. [A]Ithasbeenestimatedthattherearemorethan20millionAmericansinthiscategory10%ofthepopulationincludingmanymillionsofwhites. [B]Blacksaregaininginself-confidence.Inmoreandmoreareastheyarewinningcontroloftheircommunitiesandtheirstandardoflivingisgoingupfasterthanthatofthepoorwhites.Itisstillahardstruggle.ThereisstillprejudiceandevensomehatredbutinmostwalksofAmericanlifetherearenowmoreblacksthaneverbefore. [C]Theeraofblatantdiscriminationendedinthe1960sthroughthecourageousactionsofthousandsofblacksparticipatinginpeacefulmarchesandsitinstoforceSouthernstatestoimplementtheFederaldesegregationlawsinschoolsandpublicaccommodations.Downcamethe"whitesonly"noticesinbusedhotelstrainsrestaurantssportingeventsrestroomsandonparkbenchesthatoncecouldbefoundeverywherethroughouttheSouth.Goneweretherestrictionsthatpreventedblacksvoting.GonetoowerethehideouslynchingswhichsincetheCivilWarhadcausedthedeathofthousandsofinnocentblacks--hangedwithouttrialbywhitemobs.Howevereventodaypooruneducatedlacksdonotalwaysreceivethesamedegreeofjusticethatthemoreaffluentandbettereducatedcanexpect. [D]Manyblackschosetokeepsilentabouttheirunfairnessinsteadofresortingtoviolence.Buttheirsilencewasalsoproblemprovoking:ontheonehandsilencewouldbuildupalotofcomplaintsandhatredintheirmindsthusresultinginanegativeapproachtolifeandeverything;ontheotherhandsilencewouldgivethewhitesanimpressionthattheblackstaketherealityforgrantedandputmoreracialdiscriminationonthem. [E]Unemployedfatherswouldonoccasionwalkoutoftheirhomesandneverreturn.Childrenneglectedbytheirparentsturnedinsomeinstancestodrugsandcrimes.Therearemorethan700murdersayearincitieslikeNewYorkDetroitLosAngelesandHoustonandmostofthesedeathsareofblackskilledbyblacks.Theblackghettosaredangerousbothforblacksandnon-blacks. [F]RadicalblacksliketheBlackPanthersdemandedafreeblackstatewithintheUnionandadvocatedviolencetoachievethatendandtoprotectthemselvesagainstwhattheyfeltwaspolicebrutalitytowardblacks.ForawhileviolenceovershadowedtheinfluenceofthegreatlyrespectedpacifistblackMartinLutherKingJr.whohadprovidedtheinspirationandleadershipforthosedevotedtoapeacefulchangeandwhosemurderin1968stunnedAmerica. 45
PrinceKlemensVonMetternichforeignministeroftheAustrianEmpireduringtheNapoleoniceraanditsaftermathwouldhavenotroublerecognizingGoogle.Tohimtheworld’smostpopularweb-searchenginewouldcloselyresembletheNapoleonicFrancethatinhisyouthhumiliatedAustriaandEurope’sotherpowers.Itsrivals--Yahoo!thelargestofthetraditionalwebgatewayseBaythebiggestonlineauctionandtradingsiteandMicrosoftasoftwareempirethatownsMSNastrugglingwebportal--wouldlookalotlikeRussiaPrussiaandAustria.MetternichrespondedbyforginganallianceamongthosethreemonarchiestocreateabalanceofpoweragainstFrance.Google’senemieshemightsayoughtnowtodothesamething.GoogleannouncedtwonewconquestsonAugust7th.ItstruckadealwithViacomanoldmediafirmunderwhichitwillsyndicatevideoclipsfromViacombrandssuchasMTVandNickelodeontootherwebsitesandintegrateadvertisementsintothem.ThismakesGoogletheclearleaderinthefledglingbutpromisingmarketforweb-videoadvertising.ItalsoannouncedadealwithNewsCorporationanothermediagiantunderwhichitwillprovideallthesearchandtext-advertisingtechnologyonNewsCorporation’swebsitesincludingMySpaceanenormouslypopularsocial-networkingsite.ThesearehardblowsforYahoo!andMSNwhichhadalsobeennegotiatingwithNewsCorporation.BothfirmshavebeenlosingmarketshareinwebsearchtoGoogleoverthepastyear--Googlenowhashalfthemarket.TheyhavealsofallenfurtherbehindintheiradvertisingtechnologiesandnetworkssothatbothmakelessmoneythanGoogledoesfromthesamenumberofsearches.SaraRashtchyananalystatPiperJaffrayasecuritiesfirmestimatesthatforeveryadvertisingdollarthatGooglemakesonasearchqueryYahoo!makesonly60-70cents.LastmonthYahoo!saidthatanewadvertisingalgorithmthatithaddesignedtoclosethegapinprofitabilitywillbedelayedanditssharepricefellby22%itsbiggest-everone-daydrop.MSNisfurtherbehindGooglethanYahoo!insearchanditsparentMicrosoftfacesanevenmorefundamentalthreatfromtheexpansionistnewpower.ManyofGoogle’snewventuresbeyondwebsearchenableuserstodothingsfreeofchargethroughtheirwebbrowsersthattheynowdousingMicrosoftsoftwareontheirpersonalcomputers.Googleoffersarudimentarybutfreeonlinewordprocessorandspreadsheetforinstance.ThesmallereBayontheotherhandmightinonesenseclaimGoogleasanally.Google’ssearchresultssendalotoftraffictoeBay’sauctionsiteandeBayisoneofthebiggestadvertisersonGoogle’snetwork.Buttherelationshipisimbalanced.AninfluentialrecentstudyfromBerkeley’sHaasSchoolofBusinessestimatedthatabout12%ofeBay’srevenuescomeindirectlyfromGooglewhereasGooglegetsonly3%ofitsrevenuesfromeBay.WorstofallforeBayGoogleisstartingtoundercutitscorebusiness.SellersaresettinguptheirownwebsitesandbuyingtextadvertisementsfromGoogleandbuyersareusingitssearchratherthaneBaytoconnectwithsellersdirectly.AsaresulteBaywouldbewisetostrikeadeeppartnershipwithYahoo!orMicrosoftinordertoregainabalanceofpowerintheindustrysaidthestudy’sauthorsJulienDecorandSteveLeesoundinglikediplomatsattheCongressofViennain1814.Yahoo!andMSNaremakinglessmoneyforthesamenumberofsearcheschieflybecause
PrinceKlemensVonMetternichforeignministeroftheAustrianEmpireduringtheNapoleoniceraanditsaftermathwouldhavenotroublerecognizingGoogle.Tohimtheworld’smostpopularweb-searchenginewouldcloselyresembletheNapoleonicFrancethatinhisyouthhumiliatedAustriaandEurope’sotherpowers.Itsrivals--Yahoo!thelargestofthetraditionalwebgatewayseBaythebiggestonlineauctionandtradingsiteandMicrosoftasoftwareempirethatownsMSNastrugglingwebportal--wouldlookalotlikeRussiaPrussiaandAustria.MetternichrespondedbyforginganallianceamongthosethreemonarchiestocreateabalanceofpoweragainstFrance.Google’senemieshemightsayoughtnowtodothesamething.GoogleannouncedtwonewconquestsonAugust7th.ItstruckadealwithViacomanoldmediafirmunderwhichitwillsyndicatevideoclipsfromViacombrandssuchasMTVandNickelodeontootherwebsitesandintegrateadvertisementsintothem.ThismakesGoogletheclearleaderinthefledglingbutpromisingmarketforweb-videoadvertising.ItalsoannouncedadealwithNewsCorporationanothermediagiantunderwhichitwillprovideallthesearchandtext-advertisingtechnologyonNewsCorporation’swebsitesincludingMySpaceanenormouslypopularsocial-networkingsite.ThesearehardblowsforYahoo!andMSNwhichhadalsobeennegotiatingwithNewsCorporation.BothfirmshavebeenlosingmarketshareinwebsearchtoGoogleoverthepastyear--Googlenowhashalfthemarket.TheyhavealsofallenfurtherbehindintheiradvertisingtechnologiesandnetworkssothatbothmakelessmoneythanGoogledoesfromthesamenumberofsearches.SaraRashtchyananalystatPiperJaffrayasecuritiesfirmestimatesthatforeveryadvertisingdollarthatGooglemakesonasearchqueryYahoo!makesonly60-70cents.LastmonthYahoo!saidthatanewadvertisingalgorithmthatithaddesignedtoclosethegapinprofitabilitywillbedelayedanditssharepricefellby22%itsbiggest-everone-daydrop.MSNisfurtherbehindGooglethanYahoo!insearchanditsparentMicrosoftfacesanevenmorefundamentalthreatfromtheexpansionistnewpower.ManyofGoogle’snewventuresbeyondwebsearchenableuserstodothingsfreeofchargethroughtheirwebbrowsersthattheynowdousingMicrosoftsoftwareontheirpersonalcomputers.Googleoffersarudimentarybutfreeonlinewordprocessorandspreadsheetforinstance.ThesmallereBayontheotherhandmightinonesenseclaimGoogleasanally.Google’ssearchresultssendalotoftraffictoeBay’sauctionsiteandeBayisoneofthebiggestadvertisersonGoogle’snetwork.Buttherelationshipisimbalanced.AninfluentialrecentstudyfromBerkeley’sHaasSchoolofBusinessestimatedthatabout12%ofeBay’srevenuescomeindirectlyfromGooglewhereasGooglegetsonly3%ofitsrevenuesfromeBay.WorstofallforeBayGoogleisstartingtoundercutitscorebusiness.SellersaresettinguptheirownwebsitesandbuyingtextadvertisementsfromGoogleandbuyersareusingitssearchratherthaneBaytoconnectwithsellersdirectly.AsaresulteBaywouldbewisetostrikeadeeppartnershipwithYahoo!orMicrosoftinordertoregainabalanceofpowerintheindustrysaidthestudy’sauthorsJulienDecorandSteveLeesoundinglikediplomatsattheCongressofViennain1814.JulienandSteveseemtosuggestthat
Advancesincomputersanddatanetworksinspirevisionsofafuture"informationeconomy"inwhicheveryonewillhave1togigabytesofallkindsofinformationanywhereandanytime.2informationhasalwaysbeena3difficultcommoditytodealwithandinsomewayscomputersandhigh-speednetworksmaketheproblemsofbuying4anddistributinginformationgoodsworse5better.TheevolutionoftheInternetitself6seriousproblems.7theInternethasbeenprivatizedseveralcompaniesare8toprovidethebackbonesthatwillcarrytraffic9localnetworksbut10businessmodelsforinterconnection--whopayshowmuchforeachpacket11forexample--have12tobedeveloped.13interconnectionstandardsaredevelopedthatmake14cheapandeasytotransmitinformationacrossindependentnetworkscompetitionwill15.Iftechnicaloreconomic16makeinterconnectiondifficult17transmittingdataacrossmultiplenetworksisexpensiveortooslowthe18supplierscanofferasignificantperformance19;theymaybeabletousethisedgetodriveoutcompetitorsand20themarket. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorDonANSWERSHEET1.1
Advancesincomputersanddatanetworksinspirevisionsofafuture"informationeconomy"inwhicheveryonewillhave1togigabytesofallkindsofinformationanywhereandanytime.2informationhasalwaysbeena3difficultcommoditytodealwithandinsomewayscomputersandhigh-speednetworksmaketheproblemsofbuying4anddistributinginformationgoodsworse5better.TheevolutionoftheInternetitself6seriousproblems.7theInternethasbeenprivatizedseveralcompaniesare8toprovidethebackbonesthatwillcarrytraffic9localnetworksbut10businessmodelsforinterconnection--whopayshowmuchforeachpacket11forexample--have12tobedeveloped.13interconnectionstandardsaredevelopedthatmake14cheapandeasytotransmitinformationacrossindependentnetworkscompetitionwill15.Iftechnicaloreconomic16makeinterconnectiondifficult17transmittingdataacrossmultiplenetworksisexpensiveortooslowthe18supplierscanofferasignificantperformance19;theymaybeabletousethisedgetodriveoutcompetitorsand20themarket. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorDonANSWERSHEET1.9
Advancesincomputersanddatanetworksinspirevisionsofafuture"informationeconomy"inwhicheveryonewillhave1togigabytesofallkindsofinformationanywhereandanytime.2informationhasalwaysbeena3difficultcommoditytodealwithandinsomewayscomputersandhigh-speednetworksmaketheproblemsofbuying4anddistributinginformationgoodsworse5better.TheevolutionoftheInternetitself6seriousproblems.7theInternethasbeenprivatizedseveralcompaniesare8toprovidethebackbonesthatwillcarrytraffic9localnetworksbut10businessmodelsforinterconnection--whopayshowmuchforeachpacket11forexample--have12tobedeveloped.13interconnectionstandardsaredevelopedthatmake14cheapandeasytotransmitinformationacrossindependentnetworkscompetitionwill15.Iftechnicaloreconomic16makeinterconnectiondifficult17transmittingdataacrossmultiplenetworksisexpensiveortooslowthe18supplierscanofferasignificantperformance19;theymaybeabletousethisedgetodriveoutcompetitorsand20themarket. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorDonANSWERSHEET1.15
Advancesincomputersanddatanetworksinspirevisionsofafuture"informationeconomy"inwhicheveryonewillhave1togigabytesofallkindsofinformationanywhereandanytime.2informationhasalwaysbeena3difficultcommoditytodealwithandinsomewayscomputersandhigh-speednetworksmaketheproblemsofbuying4anddistributinginformationgoodsworse5better.TheevolutionoftheInternetitself6seriousproblems.7theInternethasbeenprivatizedseveralcompaniesare8toprovidethebackbonesthatwillcarrytraffic9localnetworksbut10businessmodelsforinterconnection--whopayshowmuchforeachpacket11forexample--have12tobedeveloped.13interconnectionstandardsaredevelopedthatmake14cheapandeasytotransmitinformationacrossindependentnetworkscompetitionwill15.Iftechnicaloreconomic16makeinterconnectiondifficult17transmittingdataacrossmultiplenetworksisexpensiveortooslowthe18supplierscanofferasignificantperformance19;theymaybeabletousethisedgetodriveoutcompetitorsand20themarket. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorDonANSWERSHEET1.13
Advancesincomputersanddatanetworksinspirevisionsofafuture"informationeconomy"inwhicheveryonewillhave1togigabytesofallkindsofinformationanywhereandanytime.2informationhasalwaysbeena3difficultcommoditytodealwithandinsomewayscomputersandhigh-speednetworksmaketheproblemsofbuying4anddistributinginformationgoodsworse5better.TheevolutionoftheInternetitself6seriousproblems.7theInternethasbeenprivatizedseveralcompaniesare8toprovidethebackbonesthatwillcarrytraffic9localnetworksbut10businessmodelsforinterconnection--whopayshowmuchforeachpacket11forexample--have12tobedeveloped.13interconnectionstandardsaredevelopedthatmake14cheapandeasytotransmitinformationacrossindependentnetworkscompetitionwill15.Iftechnicaloreconomic16makeinterconnectiondifficult17transmittingdataacrossmultiplenetworksisexpensiveortooslowthe18supplierscanofferasignificantperformance19;theymaybeabletousethisedgetodriveoutcompetitorsand20themarket. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorDonANSWERSHEET1.7
WhenTedKennedygazesfromthewindowsofhisofficeinBostonhecanseetheharbor’sGoldenStairswherealleightofhisgreat-grandparentsfirstsetfootinAmerica.ItremindshimhetoldhisSenatecolleaguesthisweekthatreformingAmerica’simmigrationlawsisanawesomeresponsibilityMr.KennedyistheDemocratmostprominentlypushingabipartisanbilltosecurethebordereasethenationalskillsshortageandofferapathtocitizenshipfortheestimated12millegalaliensalreadyinthecountry.Hehasasteepclimbaheadofhim.AsdraftedthebillseekstomendAmerica’sbrokenimmigrationsysteminseveralways.Firstandbeforeitsothermainprovisionscomeintoeffectitwouldtightenbordersecurity.Itprovidesfor200miles320kmofvehiclebarriers370milesoffencingand18000newborderpatrolagents.Itcallsforanelectronicidentificationsystemtoensureemployersverifythatalltheiremployeesarelegallyallowedtowork.Anditstiffenspunishmentsforthosewhoknowinglyhireillegals.Assoonasthebillwasunveileditwasstonedfromallsides.ChristansmostlyRepublicansdenounceditasanamnestythatwouldencouragefurtherwavesofillegalimmigration.TomTancredoaRepublicancongressmanrunningforpresidentwithouthopeofsuccessonananti-illegal-immigrationplatformdemandedthatallbuttheborder-securityclausesbescrapped.Eventhesehederidedassolimitedit’salmostajoke.Conservativetalk-radioechoedhiscall.NooneisseriouslyproposingmassdeportationbutMr.Tancredosaystheillegalswillallgohomeifthelawsagainsthiringthemarevigorouslyenforced.Mostlaborunionsareskepticaltoo.TheAFL-CIOdenouncedtheguest-workerprogramwhichitsaidwouldgiveemployersareadypooloflaborthattheycanexploittodrivedownwagesbenefitshealthandsafetyprotectionsforeveryoneelse.TwoDemocraticsenatorstriedtoguttheprogram.Onefailedtoabolishitentirely;anothersucceededinslashingitfrom400000to200000peopleayear.Employersliketheideaofmorelegalmigrantsbutworrythatthenewsystemwillbecumbersome.Manyobjecttotheideathattheywillhavetochecktheimmigrationstatusofalltheiremployees.Theproposedfederalcomputersystemtosortlegalfromillegalworkersisboundtomakemistakes.Evenifonlyoneemployeeinahundredisfalselylabelledillegalthatwillcausealotofheadaches.Andthepointssystemhasdrawbackstoo.Employersarebetterplacedthanbureaucratstojudgewhichskillsareinshortsupply.Thatiswhythecurrentmesshasadvantages--illegalimmigrantsnearlyalwaysgowheretheirlaborisindemand.Othergroupshavecomplaintstoo.Immigrant-rightsgroupssaythatthepathtocitizenshipwouldbetoolongandarduousandtoofewHispanicswouldqualify.NancyPelositheDemocraticspeakeroftheHousefrettedthatthenewstressonskillswouldhurtfamiliesaddingthatherpartyisaboutfamiliesandfamilyvalues.SomepeopleworrythatHouseDemocratswillkillittopreventMr.Bushfromenjoyingadomesticsuccess.Despitetheindignationpublicopinionfavorstheunderlyingprinciples.Atleast60%ofAmericanswanttogiveillegalsachancetobecomecitizensiftheyworkhardandbehave.Itcaninferredfromthepassagethat
Advancesincomputersanddatanetworksinspirevisionsofafuture"informationeconomy"inwhicheveryonewillhave1togigabytesofallkindsofinformationanywhereandanytime.2informationhasalwaysbeena3difficultcommoditytodealwithandinsomewayscomputersandhigh-speednetworksmaketheproblemsofbuying4anddistributinginformationgoodsworse5better.TheevolutionoftheInternetitself6seriousproblems.7theInternethasbeenprivatizedseveralcompaniesare8toprovidethebackbonesthatwillcarrytraffic9localnetworksbut10businessmodelsforinterconnection--whopayshowmuchforeachpacket11forexample--have12tobedeveloped.13interconnectionstandardsaredevelopedthatmake14cheapandeasytotransmitinformationacrossindependentnetworkscompetitionwill15.Iftechnicaloreconomic16makeinterconnectiondifficult17transmittingdataacrossmultiplenetworksisexpensiveortooslowthe18supplierscanofferasignificantperformance19;theymaybeabletousethisedgetodriveoutcompetitorsand20themarket. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorDonANSWERSHEET1.5
EarlierthissummerArnoldSchwarzeneggerCalifornia’sgovernorsaidthatthestate’spenalsystemwasfailingapartinfrontofourveryeyes.Indeedso.Some172000inmatesarecrowdedintoinstitutions--fromthestate’s33prisonstoits12communitycorrectionalfacilities--thataremeanttohousefewerthan90000.Drugabuseisrampant;sotooarediseasessuchasHIVandhepatitisC.Race-basedgangsposetheconstantthreatofviolenceriotandevenmurder.Andwithmorethan16000prisonerssleepinginprisongymnasiumsandclassroomsrehabilitationprogramsarevirtuallynon-existent--whichhelpstoexplainwhytwo-thirdsofCalifornia’sconvictsthehighestrateinthecountryarebackinprisonwithinthreeyearsofbeingreleased.Willthegovernor’ssummonsofaspecialsessionofthestatelegislaturebeginningthisweekbringaremedyThereasonforthesessionistodiscussMrSchwarzenegger’srequestforalmost$5.8billionofpublicmoneytobepumpedintotheprisonsystem.Bondsfor$2billionwouldfinanceten500-bedre-entryfacilitiesforprisonersnearingtheendoftheirsentences;another$2billionwouldexpandexistingprisons;$1.2billionwouldbeearmarkedfortwonewprisons;and$500mwouldgofornewprisonhospitals.Moneyalonewillprovideneitheranimmediatesolutionnoralastingone.ThefirstproblemisthatCaliforniasimplyputstoomanyoffendersinprison.Theimprisonmentratewhichhasrisenalmosteight-foldsince1970andiswayaheadofanyEuropeancountryhasconsistentlymeantovercrowdingdespitetheconstructionof22newprisonsinthepast20years.The1994three-strikeslawapprovedbyvotersinareferendummeanshandingout25-years-to-lifesentencesforoftentrivialthirdoffences--andresultsinthegrowingpresenceinprisonofelderlyinmateswhocostthetaxpayerfarmorethantheaverageof$34000aprisoner.Meanwhilethepracticeofreturningparoleviolatorstoprisonevenforrelativelytrivialmisstepssuchasmissingadrugstestalsostrainsthesystem;some11%ofinmatesareparoleviolators.Addedtoallthesearemorethan5000illegalimmigrantsbeingheldonbehalfofthefederalgovernment.ThesecondproblemisthatanyattempttoreformCalifornia’spenalpolicybecomeshostagetopolitics.Twoyearsagothegovernorwasexpressingoptimism.HeaddedthewordrehabilitationtoCalifornia’sdepartmentofcorrectionsappointedRodHickmanareform-mindedformerprisonguardtooverseethesystemandpromisedtolessenthepowerofthe31000-strongprisonguards’unionnotleastbybreakingthecodeofsilencethatprotectscorruptorviolentguards.Butthatwasthen.TherealitynowisthatMrHickmanresignedinMarch.Evidenceindicatesthatthegovernor’sofficemayhavegiventhecodeofsilenceinCalifornia’sprisonsanewleaseonlife.Manyexpertssaythatwithnomoderationinsentencingpoliciesonthehorizontheprisonpopulationisexpectedtogrowbyanother21000overthenextfiveyears--enoughtooutpaceanyprison-buildingprogram.Thusthedreamofprisonreformswillnevertouchtheground.Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethat
Advancesincomputersanddatanetworksinspirevisionsofafuture"informationeconomy"inwhicheveryonewillhave1togigabytesofallkindsofinformationanywhereandanytime.2informationhasalwaysbeena3difficultcommoditytodealwithandinsomewayscomputersandhigh-speednetworksmaketheproblemsofbuying4anddistributinginformationgoodsworse5better.TheevolutionoftheInternetitself6seriousproblems.7theInternethasbeenprivatizedseveralcompaniesare8toprovidethebackbonesthatwillcarrytraffic9localnetworksbut10businessmodelsforinterconnection--whopayshowmuchforeachpacket11forexample--have12tobedeveloped.13interconnectionstandardsaredevelopedthatmake14cheapandeasytotransmitinformationacrossindependentnetworkscompetitionwill15.Iftechnicaloreconomic16makeinterconnectiondifficult17transmittingdataacrossmultiplenetworksisexpensiveortooslowthe18supplierscanofferasignificantperformance19;theymaybeabletousethisedgetodriveoutcompetitorsand20themarket. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorDonANSWERSHEET1.17
Ragtimeisamusicalformthatsynthesizesfolkmelodiesandmusicaltechniquesintoabriefquadrille-likestructuredesignedtobeplayed--exactlyaswritten--onthepiano.46AstronganalogyexistsbetweenEuropeancomposerslikeRalphVaughanWilliamsandEdwardGriegwhocombinedfolktunesandtheirownoriginalmaterialsinlargercompositionsandthepioneercomposersintheUnitedStates.ComposerslikeScottJoplinandJamesScottwereinasensecollectorsormusicologistscollectingdanceandfolkmusicinBlackcommunitiesandconsciouslyshapingitintobriefsuitesoranthologiescalledpianorags. Ithassometimesbeenchargedthatragtimeismechanical.ForinstanceWilfredMellerscomments"ragsweretransferredtothepianolarollandevenifnotplayedbyamachineshouldbeplayedlikeamachinewithmeticulousprecision."47Howeverthereisnoreasontoassumethatragtimeisinherentlymechanicalsimplybecausecommercialmanufacturersappliedamechanicalrecordingmethodtoittheonlywaytorecordpianosatthatdate.Ragtime’sisnotamechanicalprecisionanditisnotprecisionlimitedtothestyleofperformance.Itarisesfromragtime’sfollowingawell-definedformandobeyingsimpleruleswithinthatform. Theclassicformulaforthepianoragdisposesthreetofivethemesinsixteen-barstrainsoftenorganizedwithrepeats.48Theragopenswithabrightmemorablestrainorthemefollowedbyasimilarthemeleadingtoamelodyofmarkedlyricalcharacterwiththestructureconcludedbyalyricalstrainthatparallelstherhythmicdevelopmentsoftheearlierthemes.Theaimofthestructureistorisefromonethemetoanotherinastair-stepmannerendingonanoteoftriumphorexhilaration.Typicallyeachstrainisdividedintotwo8-barsegmentsthatareessentiallyalikesotherhythmic-melodicunitofragtimeisonlyeightbarsof2/4measure.49Thereforenotconcernedwithdevelopmentofmusicalthemestheragtimecomposerinsteadsetsathemedownintactinfinishedformandlinksittovariousrelatedthemesthatarebriefwithclearmelodicfigures.Tensioninragtimecompositionsarisesfromapolaritybetweentwobasicingredients:acontinuousbass--calledbyjazzmusiciansaboom-chickbass--inthepianist’slefthandanditsmelodicsyncopatedcounterpartintherighthand.Ragtimeremainsdistinctfromjazzbothasaninstrumentalstyleandasagenre.Ragtimestylestressesapatternofrepeatedrhythmsnottheconstantinventionsandvariationsofjazz.50Asagenreragtimerequiresstrictattentiontostructurenotinventivenessorexceptionalskillsexistingasatraditionasetofconventionsabodyofwrittenscoresseparatefromtheindividualplayersassociatedwithit.Inthissenseragtimeismoreakintofolkmusicofthenineteenthcenturythantojazz. Howeverthereisnoreasontoassumethatragtimeisinherentlymechanicalsimplybecausecommercialmanufacturersappliedamechanicalrecordingmethodtoittheonlywaytorecordpianosatthatdate.
In1880SirJoshuaWaddiloveaVictorianphilanthropistfoundedProvidentFinancialtoprovideaffordableloanstoworking-classfamiliesinandaroundBradfordinnorthernEngland.ThismonthhiscompanynowoneofBritain’sleadingprovidersofhomecredit-smallshort-termunsecuredloans--beganthenationwiderolloutofVanquisacreditcardaimedatpeoplethatmainstreamlendersshun.Thecardoffersupto￡200$380ofcreditataprice:fortheriskiestcustomerstheannualinterestratewillbe69%.Providentsaysthatthetypicalinterestrateiscloserto50%andthatitchargesnofeesforlatepaymentsorbreachingcreditlimits.Stillthatistripletherateonregularcreditcardsandfarabovethe30%chargedbystorecards.AndtheVanquiscardisbeinglaunchedjustwhenBritain’spoliticiansandmediaarefullofworryaboutsoaringconsumerdebt.Lastmonthamantookhisownlifeafterrunningupdebtsof￡130000on22differentcreditcards.Creditcardsforsub-primeborrowersastheindustrydelicatelycallsthosewithpoorcreditrecordsarenewinBritainbuthavebeencommoninAmericaforawhile.Lendersbeganissuingthemwhentheprimemarketbecamesaturatedpromptingthemtolookfornewsourcesofprofit.EveninAmericathesub-primemarkethasplentyofroomforgrowth.DavidRobertsonoftheNilsonReportatrademagazinereckonsthatoutstandingsub-primecredit-carddebtaccountsforonly3%ofthe$597billionthatAmericansoweonplastic.Thesub-primesectorgrewby7.9%lastyearcomparedwithonly2.6%fortheindustryasawhole.Youmightwonderthoughhowcompaniescanmakemoneyfromlendingtocustomerstheyknowtobebadrisks--oratanyratehowtheycandoitlegitimately.Whereasdelinquenciesinthecredit-cardindustryasawholearearound4%--5%thoseinthesub-primemarketarealmosttwiceashighandcanreach15%inhardtimes.Obviouslyissuerschargehigherinterestratestocompensatethemforthehigherriskofnotbeingrepaid.Andallacrossthecredit-cardindustrytheassessmentandpricingofriskshasbeengettingmoreandmorerefinedthankslargelytoadvancesintechnologyanddataprocessing.Companiesalsousesophisticatedcomputerprogramstotrackslowerpaymentorothersignsofincreasedrisk.Sub-primeissuerspayasmuchattentiontocollectingdebtastomanagingrisk;theyimposeextrachargessuchasapplicationfees;andtheycaptheirpotentiallossesbylendingonlysmallamounts$500isatypicalcreditlimit.Allthisiseasiertodescribethantodoespeciallywhentheeconomyslows.Aftertheburstingofthetechnologybubblein2000severalsub-primecredit-cardprovidersfailed.Nowthereareonlyaround100ofwhichnineissuecreditcards.SurvivorssuchasMetrisandProvidiantwoofthebiggersub-primecardcompanieshavebecomechoosierabouttheircustomers’credithistories.Astheeconomyrecoveredsodidlenders’fortunes.Fitcharatingagencysaysthattheproportionofsub-primecredit-cardborrowerswhoaremorethan60daysinarrearsagoodpredictorofeventualdefaultisthelowestsinceNovember2001.ButwithAmericaninterestratesrisingagainsomeworryaboutanothersqueeze.AsFitch’sMichaelDeanpointsoutsub-primeborrowerstendtohavenotjusthigher-ratecreditcardsbutdearerautoloansandvariable-ratemortgagesaswell.Thatmakesariskybusinessevenriskier.Vanquisisdifferentfromregularcardsinthat
AlthoughnolongerslaversaftertheCivilWarAmericanblackstooknosignificantpartinthelifeofwhiteAmericaexceptasservantsorlaborers.Manythousandsofthememigratedfromthewar-ravagedSouthtotheNorthfrom1865to1915inthehopeoffindingworkinthebigindustrialcities.WholecommunitiesofblackscrowdedtogetherintoghettosinNewYorkCityChicagoandDetroitwhereoncethepoorwhiteimmigrantshadlived.Theseghettosneglectedbythecityauthoritiesbecameslums.Theschoolstowhichblackchildrenwentwerehopelesslyinadequate.Unemploymentinblackghettosremainedconsistentlyhigherthaninwhitecommunities. 41.Seriousproblemswithblackghettos.______ Stablefamilylifewasdifficulttomaintain. 42.Theextremepovertyoftheblacks.______ Inthelate1970snearlyathirdofallblacksstillbelongedtotheso-called"underclass"theyareso"under-privileged"andpoorthattheycannotseizetheopportunityforadvancement. 43.Effortstoputanendtoracialdiscrimination.______ RacerelationsintheUSAcontinuetobeathornyproblem. 44.Improvementsinlivesoftheblacks.______ Despitesomesetbacksracerelationsareimproving. 45.Prevailingviolenceinsolvingracialproblems.______ Itissaidthattelevisionhadanenormousinfluenceonfrustratedandbitterblacksforitshowedthembowmuchbetterwhitesonthewholelivedthanblacks.Attheendofthe1960stherewereseriousriotsinmanycities. Theviolencequicklydieddown.Blacksbegantousetheirvotestoexertpoliticalpressure.CitieslikeAtlantaGeorgiaGaryIndianaandLosAngelesCaliforniaelectedblackmayors.IntegrationofschoolsdespiteresistancefromwhitegroupsgoesonandtheproportionofblacksinAmericancollegeshasincreaseddramaticallyinthelast20years.Therearereasonstomaintainacautiousoptimismthatprogressinracerelationswillcontinue. [A]Ithasbeenestimatedthattherearemorethan20millionAmericansinthiscategory10%ofthepopulationincludingmanymillionsofwhites. [B]Blacksaregaininginself-confidence.Inmoreandmoreareastheyarewinningcontroloftheircommunitiesandtheirstandardoflivingisgoingupfasterthanthatofthepoorwhites.Itisstillahardstruggle.ThereisstillprejudiceandevensomehatredbutinmostwalksofAmericanlifetherearenowmoreblacksthaneverbefore. [C]Theeraofblatantdiscriminationendedinthe1960sthroughthecourageousactionsofthousandsofblacksparticipatinginpeacefulmarchesandsitinstoforceSouthernstatestoimplementtheFederaldesegregationlawsinschoolsandpublicaccommodations.Downcamethe"whitesonly"noticesinbusedhotelstrainsrestaurantssportingeventsrestroomsandonparkbenchesthatoncecouldbefoundeverywherethroughouttheSouth.Goneweretherestrictionsthatpreventedblacksvoting.GonetoowerethehideouslynchingswhichsincetheCivilWarhadcausedthedeathofthousandsofinnocentblacks--hangedwithouttrialbywhitemobs.Howevereventodaypooruneducatedlacksdonotalwaysreceivethesamedegreeofjusticethatthemoreaffluentandbettereducatedcanexpect. [D]Manyblackschosetokeepsilentabouttheirunfairnessinsteadofresortingtoviolence.Buttheirsilencewasalsoproblemprovoking:ontheonehandsilencewouldbuildupalotofcomplaintsandhatredintheirmindsthusresultinginanegativeapproachtolifeandeverything;ontheotherhandsilencewouldgivethewhitesanimpressionthattheblackstaketherealityforgrantedandputmoreracialdiscriminationonthem. [E]Unemployedfatherswouldonoccasionwalkoutoftheirhomesandneverreturn.Childrenneglectedbytheirparentsturnedinsomeinstancestodrugsandcrimes.Therearemorethan700murdersayearincitieslikeNewYorkDetroitLosAngelesandHoustonandmostofthesedeathsareofblackskilledbyblacks.Theblackghettosaredangerousbothforblacksandnon-blacks. [F]RadicalblacksliketheBlackPanthersdemandedafreeblackstatewithintheUnionandadvocatedviolencetoachievethatendandtoprotectthemselvesagainstwhattheyfeltwaspolicebrutalitytowardblacks.ForawhileviolenceovershadowedtheinfluenceofthegreatlyrespectedpacifistblackMartinLutherKingJr.whohadprovidedtheinspirationandleadershipforthosedevotedtoapeacefulchangeandwhosemurderin1968stunnedAmerica. 41
ForyearsInternetmerchantshavepouredmillionsofdollarsintonewtechnologiestomaketheirsiteseasiertouse.Sowhyaren’tonlinecustomershappierCustomersatisfactionlevelshaveremainedalmostflatthroughthelastseveralyears.TheproblemaccordingtoLarryFreedchiefexecutiveofaconsultingandresearchfirmcalledForeSeeResultsisnotsomuchthatconsumershaveignoredthemanyimprovementsmadeinrecentyears.RatherhesaidtheystillexpectmorefromInternetshoppingthanithasdelivered.Ifwewalkintoalocalstorewedon’texpectthatexperiencetobebetterthanitwasacoupleyearsagoMr.Freedsaid.Butweexpectsitestobebetter.Thebargoesupeveryyear.InForeSee’slatestsurveyreleasedlastmonthjustfivee-commercesitesregisteredscoreshigherthan80outof100andnositescoredhigherthan85.Itwasmuchthesamestoryayearagowhenjustfivescoredhigherthan80withnositesurpassing85.Scoreshaveinchedupovertimeforthebeste-commercecompaniesbuttheoverallnumbershaven’tmoveddrasticallyMr.Freedsaid.Atthesametimethoughifyoudon’tdoanythingyouseeyourscoresdropsteadily.ThatdynamichasbeenachallengeforonlinemerchantsandinvestorswhoadecadeagoenvisionedInternetstoresasrelativelyinexpensiveandthereforeextremelyprofitableoperations.NowsomeobserverspredictafuturewhereonlineretailerswillessentiallyadoptsomethingliketheQVCmodelwithsalesstaffpitchingthesite’smerchandisewithpolishedvideopresentationsproducedinahigh-techtelevisionstudio.QVC.comisevolvinginthatdirection.TheWebsitewhichsoldmorethan$1billioninmerchandisein2006hasforthelastfiveyearsletvisitorswatchalivefeedofthenetwork’sbroadcast.ButinrecentmonthsQVC.comhasalsogivenvisitorsthechancetowatcharchivesofentireshowsandinthecomingmonthsvisitorswillbeabletofindmorevideosegmentsfromrecentshowsfeaturingindividualproductsthatremaininstock.BobMyersseniorvicepresidentofQVC.comsaidtheWebsite’svideosalesmanshipisespeciallyeffectivewhencombinedwithdetailedproductinformationcustomerreviewsandmultiplephotographs.Abouteightmonthsagoforinstanceacustomersaidthatshecouldnotdeterminethesizeofahandbagfromthephotographsonthesitebecauseshecouldnottelltheheightofthemodelwhowasholdingit.Withintwoweeksthesitetestedandintroducedanewsystemshowingthebagswithwomenofthreedifferentheights.Theresultswereimmediate:womenwhosawthenewphotographsboughtthebagsatleast10percentmorefrequentlythanthosewhohadnot.StillMr.Myerssaidvideoisacriticallyimportantelementtosales.E-commercestartedwithtelevisioncommercehesaid.Thesiteswhoengageandentertaincustomerswillbewinninghereinthenearfuture.Suchaprospectisnotnecessarilydauntingtoothere-commerceexecutives.GordonMageeheadofInternetmarketingforDrs.Foster&SmithbasedinaRhinelanderWis.saidatransitiontovideowillbeseamlessforus.ThecompanyMr.Mageesaidhasinrecentweeksdiscussedputtingsomeofitsproductonvideosocustomerscouldseea360-degreeviewtheydon’thavetomanipulatethemselves./Mr.Magee’sattitudetowardsusingvideosinE-commerceseemstobe
Ragtimeisamusicalformthatsynthesizesfolkmelodiesandmusicaltechniquesintoabriefquadrille-likestructuredesignedtobeplayed--exactlyaswritten--onthepiano.46AstronganalogyexistsbetweenEuropeancomposerslikeRalphVaughanWilliamsandEdwardGriegwhocombinedfolktunesandtheirownoriginalmaterialsinlargercompositionsandthepioneercomposersintheUnitedStates.ComposerslikeScottJoplinandJamesScottwereinasensecollectorsormusicologistscollectingdanceandfolkmusicinBlackcommunitiesandconsciouslyshapingitintobriefsuitesoranthologiescalledpianorags. Ithassometimesbeenchargedthatragtimeismechanical.ForinstanceWilfredMellerscomments"ragsweretransferredtothepianolarollandevenifnotplayedbyamachineshouldbeplayedlikeamachinewithmeticulousprecision."47Howeverthereisnoreasontoassumethatragtimeisinherentlymechanicalsimplybecausecommercialmanufacturersappliedamechanicalrecordingmethodtoittheonlywaytorecordpianosatthatdate.Ragtime’sisnotamechanicalprecisionanditisnotprecisionlimitedtothestyleofperformance.Itarisesfromragtime’sfollowingawell-definedformandobeyingsimpleruleswithinthatform. Theclassicformulaforthepianoragdisposesthreetofivethemesinsixteen-barstrainsoftenorganizedwithrepeats.48Theragopenswithabrightmemorablestrainorthemefollowedbyasimilarthemeleadingtoamelodyofmarkedlyricalcharacterwiththestructureconcludedbyalyricalstrainthatparallelstherhythmicdevelopmentsoftheearlierthemes.Theaimofthestructureistorisefromonethemetoanotherinastair-stepmannerendingonanoteoftriumphorexhilaration.Typicallyeachstrainisdividedintotwo8-barsegmentsthatareessentiallyalikesotherhythmic-melodicunitofragtimeisonlyeightbarsof2/4measure.49Thereforenotconcernedwithdevelopmentofmusicalthemestheragtimecomposerinsteadsetsathemedownintactinfinishedformandlinksittovariousrelatedthemesthatarebriefwithclearmelodicfigures.Tensioninragtimecompositionsarisesfromapolaritybetweentwobasicingredients:acontinuousbass--calledbyjazzmusiciansaboom-chickbass--inthepianist’slefthandanditsmelodicsyncopatedcounterpartintherighthand.Ragtimeremainsdistinctfromjazzbothasaninstrumentalstyleandasagenre.Ragtimestylestressesapatternofrepeatedrhythmsnottheconstantinventionsandvariationsofjazz.50Asagenreragtimerequiresstrictattentiontostructurenotinventivenessorexceptionalskillsexistingasatraditionasetofconventionsabodyofwrittenscoresseparatefromtheindividualplayersassociatedwithit.Inthissenseragtimeismoreakintofolkmusicofthenineteenthcenturythantojazz. Thereforenotconcernedwithdevelopmentofmusicalthemestheragtimecomposerinsteadsetsathemedownintactinfinishedformandlinksittovariousrelatedthemesthatarebriefwithclearmelodicfigures.
Advancesincomputersanddatanetworksinspirevisionsofafuture"informationeconomy"inwhicheveryonewillhave1togigabytesofallkindsofinformationanywhereandanytime.2informationhasalwaysbeena3difficultcommoditytodealwithandinsomewayscomputersandhigh-speednetworksmaketheproblemsofbuying4anddistributinginformationgoodsworse5better.TheevolutionoftheInternetitself6seriousproblems.7theInternethasbeenprivatizedseveralcompaniesare8toprovidethebackbonesthatwillcarrytraffic9localnetworksbut10businessmodelsforinterconnection--whopayshowmuchforeachpacket11forexample--have12tobedeveloped.13interconnectionstandardsaredevelopedthatmake14cheapandeasytotransmitinformationacrossindependentnetworkscompetitionwill15.Iftechnicaloreconomic16makeinterconnectiondifficult17transmittingdataacrossmultiplenetworksisexpensiveortooslowthe18supplierscanofferasignificantperformance19;theymaybeabletousethisedgetodriveoutcompetitorsand20themarket. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorDonANSWERSHEET1.19
ForyearsInternetmerchantshavepouredmillionsofdollarsintonewtechnologiestomaketheirsiteseasiertouse.Sowhyaren’tonlinecustomershappierCustomersatisfactionlevelshaveremainedalmostflatthroughthelastseveralyears.TheproblemaccordingtoLarryFreedchiefexecutiveofaconsultingandresearchfirmcalledForeSeeResultsisnotsomuchthatconsumershaveignoredthemanyimprovementsmadeinrecentyears.RatherhesaidtheystillexpectmorefromInternetshoppingthanithasdelivered.Ifwewalkintoalocalstorewedon’texpectthatexperiencetobebetterthanitwasacoupleyearsagoMr.Freedsaid.Butweexpectsitestobebetter.Thebargoesupeveryyear.InForeSee’slatestsurveyreleasedlastmonthjustfivee-commercesitesregisteredscoreshigherthan80outof100andnositescoredhigherthan85.Itwasmuchthesamestoryayearagowhenjustfivescoredhigherthan80withnositesurpassing85.Scoreshaveinchedupovertimeforthebeste-commercecompaniesbuttheoverallnumbershaven’tmoveddrasticallyMr.Freedsaid.Atthesametimethoughifyoudon’tdoanythingyouseeyourscoresdropsteadily.ThatdynamichasbeenachallengeforonlinemerchantsandinvestorswhoadecadeagoenvisionedInternetstoresasrelativelyinexpensiveandthereforeextremelyprofitableoperations.NowsomeobserverspredictafuturewhereonlineretailerswillessentiallyadoptsomethingliketheQVCmodelwithsalesstaffpitchingthesite’smerchandisewithpolishedvideopresentationsproducedinahigh-techtelevisionstudio.QVC.comisevolvinginthatdirection.TheWebsitewhichsoldmorethan$1billioninmerchandisein2006hasforthelastfiveyearsletvisitorswatchalivefeedofthenetwork’sbroadcast.ButinrecentmonthsQVC.comhasalsogivenvisitorsthechancetowatcharchivesofentireshowsandinthecomingmonthsvisitorswillbeabletofindmorevideosegmentsfromrecentshowsfeaturingindividualproductsthatremaininstock.BobMyersseniorvicepresidentofQVC.comsaidtheWebsite’svideosalesmanshipisespeciallyeffectivewhencombinedwithdetailedproductinformationcustomerreviewsandmultiplephotographs.Abouteightmonthsagoforinstanceacustomersaidthatshecouldnotdeterminethesizeofahandbagfromthephotographsonthesitebecauseshecouldnottelltheheightofthemodelwhowasholdingit.Withintwoweeksthesitetestedandintroducedanewsystemshowingthebagswithwomenofthreedifferentheights.Theresultswereimmediate:womenwhosawthenewphotographsboughtthebagsatleast10percentmorefrequentlythanthosewhohadnot.StillMr.Myerssaidvideoisacriticallyimportantelementtosales.E-commercestartedwithtelevisioncommercehesaid.Thesiteswhoengageandentertaincustomerswillbewinninghereinthenearfuture.Suchaprospectisnotnecessarilydauntingtoothere-commerceexecutives.GordonMageeheadofInternetmarketingforDrs.Foster&SmithbasedinaRhinelanderWis.saidatransitiontovideowillbeseamlessforus.ThecompanyMr.Mageesaidhasinrecentweeksdiscussedputtingsomeofitsproductonvideosocustomerscouldseea360-degreeviewtheydon’thavetomanipulatethemselves./LarryFreedattributedlowcustomersatisfactiontothefactthat
In1880SirJoshuaWaddiloveaVictorianphilanthropistfoundedProvidentFinancialtoprovideaffordableloanstoworking-classfamiliesinandaroundBradfordinnorthernEngland.ThismonthhiscompanynowoneofBritain’sleadingprovidersofhomecredit-smallshort-termunsecuredloans--beganthenationwiderolloutofVanquisacreditcardaimedatpeoplethatmainstreamlendersshun.Thecardoffersupto￡200$380ofcreditataprice:fortheriskiestcustomerstheannualinterestratewillbe69%.Providentsaysthatthetypicalinterestrateiscloserto50%andthatitchargesnofeesforlatepaymentsorbreachingcreditlimits.Stillthatistripletherateonregularcreditcardsandfarabovethe30%chargedbystorecards.AndtheVanquiscardisbeinglaunchedjustwhenBritain’spoliticiansandmediaarefullofworryaboutsoaringconsumerdebt.Lastmonthamantookhisownlifeafterrunningupdebtsof￡130000on22differentcreditcards.Creditcardsforsub-primeborrowersastheindustrydelicatelycallsthosewithpoorcreditrecordsarenewinBritainbuthavebeencommoninAmericaforawhile.Lendersbeganissuingthemwhentheprimemarketbecamesaturatedpromptingthemtolookfornewsourcesofprofit.EveninAmericathesub-primemarkethasplentyofroomforgrowth.DavidRobertsonoftheNilsonReportatrademagazinereckonsthatoutstandingsub-primecredit-carddebtaccountsforonly3%ofthe$597billionthatAmericansoweonplastic.Thesub-primesectorgrewby7.9%lastyearcomparedwithonly2.6%fortheindustryasawhole.Youmightwonderthoughhowcompaniescanmakemoneyfromlendingtocustomerstheyknowtobebadrisks--oratanyratehowtheycandoitlegitimately.Whereasdelinquenciesinthecredit-cardindustryasawholearearound4%--5%thoseinthesub-primemarketarealmosttwiceashighandcanreach15%inhardtimes.Obviouslyissuerschargehigherinterestratestocompensatethemforthehigherriskofnotbeingrepaid.Andallacrossthecredit-cardindustrytheassessmentandpricingofriskshasbeengettingmoreandmorerefinedthankslargelytoadvancesintechnologyanddataprocessing.Companiesalsousesophisticatedcomputerprogramstotrackslowerpaymentorothersignsofincreasedrisk.Sub-primeissuerspayasmuchattentiontocollectingdebtastomanagingrisk;theyimposeextrachargessuchasapplicationfees;andtheycaptheirpotentiallossesbylendingonlysmallamounts$500isatypicalcreditlimit.Allthisiseasiertodescribethantodoespeciallywhentheeconomyslows.Aftertheburstingofthetechnologybubblein2000severalsub-primecredit-cardprovidersfailed.Nowthereareonlyaround100ofwhichnineissuecreditcards.SurvivorssuchasMetrisandProvidiantwoofthebiggersub-primecardcompanieshavebecomechoosierabouttheircustomers’credithistories.Astheeconomyrecoveredsodidlenders’fortunes.Fitcharatingagencysaysthattheproportionofsub-primecredit-cardborrowerswhoaremorethan60daysinarrearsagoodpredictorofeventualdefaultisthelowestsinceNovember2001.ButwithAmericaninterestratesrisingagainsomeworryaboutanothersqueeze.AsFitch’sMichaelDeanpointsoutsub-primeborrowerstendtohavenotjusthigher-ratecreditcardsbutdearerautoloansandvariable-ratemortgagesaswell.Thatmakesariskybusinessevenriskier.WhichofthefollowingisNOTmentionedasawaytoreducerisksofcreditcardindustry
WhenTedKennedygazesfromthewindowsofhisofficeinBostonhecanseetheharbor’sGoldenStairswherealleightofhisgreat-grandparentsfirstsetfootinAmerica.ItremindshimhetoldhisSenatecolleaguesthisweekthatreformingAmerica’simmigrationlawsisanawesomeresponsibilityMr.KennedyistheDemocratmostprominentlypushingabipartisanbilltosecurethebordereasethenationalskillsshortageandofferapathtocitizenshipfortheestimated12millegalaliensalreadyinthecountry.Hehasasteepclimbaheadofhim.AsdraftedthebillseekstomendAmerica’sbrokenimmigrationsysteminseveralways.Firstandbeforeitsothermainprovisionscomeintoeffectitwouldtightenbordersecurity.Itprovidesfor200miles320kmofvehiclebarriers370milesoffencingand18000newborderpatrolagents.Itcallsforanelectronicidentificationsystemtoensureemployersverifythatalltheiremployeesarelegallyallowedtowork.Anditstiffenspunishmentsforthosewhoknowinglyhireillegals.Assoonasthebillwasunveileditwasstonedfromallsides.ChristansmostlyRepublicansdenounceditasanamnestythatwouldencouragefurtherwavesofillegalimmigration.TomTancredoaRepublicancongressmanrunningforpresidentwithouthopeofsuccessonananti-illegal-immigrationplatformdemandedthatallbuttheborder-securityclausesbescrapped.Eventhesehederidedassolimitedit’salmostajoke.Conservativetalk-radioechoedhiscall.NooneisseriouslyproposingmassdeportationbutMr.Tancredosaystheillegalswillallgohomeifthelawsagainsthiringthemarevigorouslyenforced.Mostlaborunionsareskepticaltoo.TheAFL-CIOdenouncedtheguest-workerprogramwhichitsaidwouldgiveemployersareadypooloflaborthattheycanexploittodrivedownwagesbenefitshealthandsafetyprotectionsforeveryoneelse.TwoDemocraticsenatorstriedtoguttheprogram.Onefailedtoabolishitentirely;anothersucceededinslashingitfrom400000to200000peopleayear.Employersliketheideaofmorelegalmigrantsbutworrythatthenewsystemwillbecumbersome.Manyobjecttotheideathattheywillhavetochecktheimmigrationstatusofalltheiremployees.Theproposedfederalcomputersystemtosortlegalfromillegalworkersisboundtomakemistakes.Evenifonlyoneemployeeinahundredisfalselylabelledillegalthatwillcausealotofheadaches.Andthepointssystemhasdrawbackstoo.Employersarebetterplacedthanbureaucratstojudgewhichskillsareinshortsupply.Thatiswhythecurrentmesshasadvantages--illegalimmigrantsnearlyalwaysgowheretheirlaborisindemand.Othergroupshavecomplaintstoo.Immigrant-rightsgroupssaythatthepathtocitizenshipwouldbetoolongandarduousandtoofewHispanicswouldqualify.NancyPelositheDemocraticspeakeroftheHousefrettedthatthenewstressonskillswouldhurtfamiliesaddingthatherpartyisaboutfamiliesandfamilyvalues.SomepeopleworrythatHouseDemocratswillkillittopreventMr.Bushfromenjoyingadomesticsuccess.Despitetheindignationpublicopinionfavorstheunderlyingprinciples.Atleast60%ofAmericanswanttogiveillegalsachancetobecomecitizensiftheyworkhardandbehave.Whichofthefollowingistrueaboutthepresentbill
Everysecond1hectareoftheworld’srainforestisdestroyed.That’sequivalenttotwofootballfields.AnareathesizeofNewYorkCityislosteveryday.Inayearthataddsupto31millionhectares--morethanthelandareaofPoland.Thisalarmingrateofdestructionhasseriousconsequencesfortheenvironment;scientistsestimateforexamplethat137speciesofplantinsectoranimalbecomeextincteverydayduetologging.InBritishColumbiawheresince1990thirteenrainforestvalleyshavebeenclearcut142speciesofsalmonhavealreadybecomeextinctandthehabitatsofgrizzlybearswolvesandmanyothercreaturesarethreatened.Logginghoweverprovidesjobsprofitstaxesforthegovernmentandcheapproductsofallkindsforconsumerssothegovernmentisreluctanttorestrictorcontrolit.MuchofCanada’sforestryproductiongoestowardsmakingpulpandpaper.AccordingtotheCanadianPulpandPaperAssociationCanadasupplies34%oftheworld’swoodpulpand49%ofitsnewsprintpaper.IfthesepaperproductscouldbeproducedinsomeotherwayCanadianforestscouldbepreserved.Recentlyapossiblealternativewayofproducingpaperhasbeensuggestedbyagriculturalistsandenvironmentalists:aplantcalledhemp.Hemphasbeencultivatedbymanyculturesforthousandsofyears.Itproducesfiberwhichcanbemadeintopaperfueloilstextilesfoodandrope.Formanycenturiesitwasessentialtotheeconomiesofmanycountriesbecauseitwasusedtomaketheropesandcablesusedonsailingships;colonialexpansionandtheestablishmentofaworldwidetradingnetworkwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouthemp.Nowadaysships’cablesareusuallymadefromwireorsyntheticfibresbutscientistsarenowsuggestingthatthecultivationofhempshouldberevivedfortheproductionofpaperandpulp.Accordingtoitsproponentsfourtimesasmuchpapercanbeproducedfromlandusinghempratherthantreesandmanyenvironmentalistsbelievethatthelarge-scalecultivationofhempcouldreducethepressureonCanada’sforests.Howeverthereisaproblem:hempisillegalinmanycountriesoftheworld.Thisplantsousefulforfiberropeoilfuelandtextilesisaspeciesofcannabisrelatedtotheplantfromwhichmarijuanaisproduced.Inthelate1930samovementtobanthedrugmarijuanabegantogatherforceresultingintheeventualbanningofthecultivationnotonlyoftheplantusedtoproducethedrugbutalsoofthecommercialfiber-producinghempplant.AlthoughbothGeorgeWashingtonandThomasJeffersongrewhempinlargequantitiesontheirownlandanyAmericangrowingtheplanttodaywouldsoonfindhimselfinprison--despitethefactthatmarijuanacannotbeproducedfromthehempplantsinceitcontainsalmostnoTHCtheactiveingredientinthedrug.Inrecentyearstwomajormovementsforlegalizationhavebeengatheringstrength.OnegroupofactivistsbelievesthatALLcannabisshouldbelegal--boththehempplantandthemarijuanaplant--andthattheuseofthedrugmarijuanashouldnotbeanoffense.Theyarguethatmarijuanaisnotdangerousoraddictiveandthatitisusedbylargenumbersofpeoplewhoarenotcriminalsbutproductivemembersofsociety.Theyalsopointoutthatmarijuanaislesstoxicthanalcoholortobacco.Theotherlegalizationmovementisconcernedonlywiththehempplantusedtoproducefiber;thisgroupwantstomakeitlegaltocultivatetheplantandsellthefiberforpaperandpulpproduction.Thissecondgrouphashadamajortriumphrecently:in1997Canadalegalizedthefarmingofhempforfiber.Forthefirsttimesince1938hundredsoffarmersareplantingthiscropandsoonwecanexpecttoseepulpandpaperproducedfromthisnewsource.Theauthorseemstoimplyinthepassagethat
Advancesincomputersanddatanetworksinspirevisionsofafuture"informationeconomy"inwhicheveryonewillhave1togigabytesofallkindsofinformationanywhereandanytime.2informationhasalwaysbeena3difficultcommoditytodealwithandinsomewayscomputersandhigh-speednetworksmaketheproblemsofbuying4anddistributinginformationgoodsworse5better.TheevolutionoftheInternetitself6seriousproblems.7theInternethasbeenprivatizedseveralcompaniesare8toprovidethebackbonesthatwillcarrytraffic9localnetworksbut10businessmodelsforinterconnection--whopayshowmuchforeachpacket11forexample--have12tobedeveloped.13interconnectionstandardsaredevelopedthatmake14cheapandeasytotransmitinformationacrossindependentnetworkscompetitionwill15.Iftechnicaloreconomic16makeinterconnectiondifficult17transmittingdataacrossmultiplenetworksisexpensiveortooslowthe18supplierscanofferasignificantperformance19;theymaybeabletousethisedgetodriveoutcompetitorsand20themarket. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorDonANSWERSHEET1.11
PrinceKlemensVonMetternichforeignministeroftheAustrianEmpireduringtheNapoleoniceraanditsaftermathwouldhavenotroublerecognizingGoogle.Tohimtheworld’smostpopularweb-searchenginewouldcloselyresembletheNapoleonicFrancethatinhisyouthhumiliatedAustriaandEurope’sotherpowers.Itsrivals--Yahoo!thelargestofthetraditionalwebgatewayseBaythebiggestonlineauctionandtradingsiteandMicrosoftasoftwareempirethatownsMSNastrugglingwebportal--wouldlookalotlikeRussiaPrussiaandAustria.MetternichrespondedbyforginganallianceamongthosethreemonarchiestocreateabalanceofpoweragainstFrance.Google’senemieshemightsayoughtnowtodothesamething.GoogleannouncedtwonewconquestsonAugust7th.ItstruckadealwithViacomanoldmediafirmunderwhichitwillsyndicatevideoclipsfromViacombrandssuchasMTVandNickelodeontootherwebsitesandintegrateadvertisementsintothem.ThismakesGoogletheclearleaderinthefledglingbutpromisingmarketforweb-videoadvertising.ItalsoannouncedadealwithNewsCorporationanothermediagiantunderwhichitwillprovideallthesearchandtext-advertisingtechnologyonNewsCorporation’swebsitesincludingMySpaceanenormouslypopularsocial-networkingsite.ThesearehardblowsforYahoo!andMSNwhichhadalsobeennegotiatingwithNewsCorporation.BothfirmshavebeenlosingmarketshareinwebsearchtoGoogleoverthepastyear--Googlenowhashalfthemarket.TheyhavealsofallenfurtherbehindintheiradvertisingtechnologiesandnetworkssothatbothmakelessmoneythanGoogledoesfromthesamenumberofsearches.SaraRashtchyananalystatPiperJaffrayasecuritiesfirmestimatesthatforeveryadvertisingdollarthatGooglemakesonasearchqueryYahoo!makesonly60-70cents.LastmonthYahoo!saidthatanewadvertisingalgorithmthatithaddesignedtoclosethegapinprofitabilitywillbedelayedanditssharepricefellby22%itsbiggest-everone-daydrop.MSNisfurtherbehindGooglethanYahoo!insearchanditsparentMicrosoftfacesanevenmorefundamentalthreatfromtheexpansionistnewpower.ManyofGoogle’snewventuresbeyondwebsearchenableuserstodothingsfreeofchargethroughtheirwebbrowsersthattheynowdousingMicrosoftsoftwareontheirpersonalcomputers.Googleoffersarudimentarybutfreeonlinewordprocessorandspreadsheetforinstance.ThesmallereBayontheotherhandmightinonesenseclaimGoogleasanally.Google’ssearchresultssendalotoftraffictoeBay’sauctionsiteandeBayisoneofthebiggestadvertisersonGoogle’snetwork.Buttherelationshipisimbalanced.AninfluentialrecentstudyfromBerkeley’sHaasSchoolofBusinessestimatedthatabout12%ofeBay’srevenuescomeindirectlyfromGooglewhereasGooglegetsonly3%ofitsrevenuesfromeBay.WorstofallforeBayGoogleisstartingtoundercutitscorebusiness.SellersaresettinguptheirownwebsitesandbuyingtextadvertisementsfromGoogleandbuyersareusingitssearchratherthaneBaytoconnectwithsellersdirectly.AsaresulteBaywouldbewisetostrikeadeeppartnershipwithYahoo!orMicrosoftinordertoregainabalanceofpowerintheindustrysaidthestudy’sauthorsJulienDecorandSteveLeesoundinglikediplomatsattheCongressofViennain1814.PrinceKlemensismentionedinthefirstparagraphto
Everysecond1hectareoftheworld’srainforestisdestroyed.That’sequivalenttotwofootballfields.AnareathesizeofNewYorkCityislosteveryday.Inayearthataddsupto31millionhectares--morethanthelandareaofPoland.Thisalarmingrateofdestructionhasseriousconsequencesfortheenvironment;scientistsestimateforexamplethat137speciesofplantinsectoranimalbecomeextincteverydayduetologging.InBritishColumbiawheresince1990thirteenrainforestvalleyshavebeenclearcut142speciesofsalmonhavealreadybecomeextinctandthehabitatsofgrizzlybearswolvesandmanyothercreaturesarethreatened.Logginghoweverprovidesjobsprofitstaxesforthegovernmentandcheapproductsofallkindsforconsumerssothegovernmentisreluctanttorestrictorcontrolit.MuchofCanada’sforestryproductiongoestowardsmakingpulpandpaper.AccordingtotheCanadianPulpandPaperAssociationCanadasupplies34%oftheworld’swoodpulpand49%ofitsnewsprintpaper.IfthesepaperproductscouldbeproducedinsomeotherwayCanadianforestscouldbepreserved.Recentlyapossiblealternativewayofproducingpaperhasbeensuggestedbyagriculturalistsandenvironmentalists:aplantcalledhemp.Hemphasbeencultivatedbymanyculturesforthousandsofyears.Itproducesfiberwhichcanbemadeintopaperfueloilstextilesfoodandrope.Formanycenturiesitwasessentialtotheeconomiesofmanycountriesbecauseitwasusedtomaketheropesandcablesusedonsailingships;colonialexpansionandtheestablishmentofaworldwidetradingnetworkwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouthemp.Nowadaysships’cablesareusuallymadefromwireorsyntheticfibresbutscientistsarenowsuggestingthatthecultivationofhempshouldberevivedfortheproductionofpaperandpulp.Accordingtoitsproponentsfourtimesasmuchpapercanbeproducedfromlandusinghempratherthantreesandmanyenvironmentalistsbelievethatthelarge-scalecultivationofhempcouldreducethepressureonCanada’sforests.Howeverthereisaproblem:hempisillegalinmanycountriesoftheworld.Thisplantsousefulforfiberropeoilfuelandtextilesisaspeciesofcannabisrelatedtotheplantfromwhichmarijuanaisproduced.Inthelate1930samovementtobanthedrugmarijuanabegantogatherforceresultingintheeventualbanningofthecultivationnotonlyoftheplantusedtoproducethedrugbutalsoofthecommercialfiber-producinghempplant.AlthoughbothGeorgeWashingtonandThomasJeffersongrewhempinlargequantitiesontheirownlandanyAmericangrowingtheplanttodaywouldsoonfindhimselfinprison--despitethefactthatmarijuanacannotbeproducedfromthehempplantsinceitcontainsalmostnoTHCtheactiveingredientinthedrug.Inrecentyearstwomajormovementsforlegalizationhavebeengatheringstrength.OnegroupofactivistsbelievesthatALLcannabisshouldbelegal--boththehempplantandthemarijuanaplant--andthattheuseofthedrugmarijuanashouldnotbeanoffense.Theyarguethatmarijuanaisnotdangerousoraddictiveandthatitisusedbylargenumbersofpeoplewhoarenotcriminalsbutproductivemembersofsociety.Theyalsopointoutthatmarijuanaislesstoxicthanalcoholortobacco.Theotherlegalizationmovementisconcernedonlywiththehempplantusedtoproducefiber;thisgroupwantstomakeitlegaltocultivatetheplantandsellthefiberforpaperandpulpproduction.Thissecondgrouphashadamajortriumphrecently:in1997Canadalegalizedthefarmingofhempforfiber.Forthefirsttimesince1938hundredsoffarmersareplantingthiscropandsoonwecanexpecttoseepulpandpaperproducedfromthisnewsource.Canadianforestswillnotfacedestructionif
ForyearsInternetmerchantshavepouredmillionsofdollarsintonewtechnologiestomaketheirsiteseasiertouse.Sowhyaren’tonlinecustomershappierCustomersatisfactionlevelshaveremainedalmostflatthroughthelastseveralyears.TheproblemaccordingtoLarryFreedchiefexecutiveofaconsultingandresearchfirmcalledForeSeeResultsisnotsomuchthatconsumershaveignoredthemanyimprovementsmadeinrecentyears.RatherhesaidtheystillexpectmorefromInternetshoppingthanithasdelivered.Ifwewalkintoalocalstorewedon’texpectthatexperiencetobebetterthanitwasacoupleyearsagoMr.Freedsaid.Butweexpectsitestobebetter.Thebargoesupeveryyear.InForeSee’slatestsurveyreleasedlastmonthjustfivee-commercesitesregisteredscoreshigherthan80outof100andnositescoredhigherthan85.Itwasmuchthesamestoryayearagowhenjustfivescoredhigherthan80withnositesurpassing85.Scoreshaveinchedupovertimeforthebeste-commercecompaniesbuttheoverallnumbershaven’tmoveddrasticallyMr.Freedsaid.Atthesametimethoughifyoudon’tdoanythingyouseeyourscoresdropsteadily.ThatdynamichasbeenachallengeforonlinemerchantsandinvestorswhoadecadeagoenvisionedInternetstoresasrelativelyinexpensiveandthereforeextremelyprofitableoperations.NowsomeobserverspredictafuturewhereonlineretailerswillessentiallyadoptsomethingliketheQVCmodelwithsalesstaffpitchingthesite’smerchandisewithpolishedvideopresentationsproducedinahigh-techtelevisionstudio.QVC.comisevolvinginthatdirection.TheWebsitewhichsoldmorethan$1billioninmerchandisein2006hasforthelastfiveyearsletvisitorswatchalivefeedofthenetwork’sbroadcast.ButinrecentmonthsQVC.comhasalsogivenvisitorsthechancetowatcharchivesofentireshowsandinthecomingmonthsvisitorswillbeabletofindmorevideosegmentsfromrecentshowsfeaturingindividualproductsthatremaininstock.BobMyersseniorvicepresidentofQVC.comsaidtheWebsite’svideosalesmanshipisespeciallyeffectivewhencombinedwithdetailedproductinformationcustomerreviewsandmultiplephotographs.Abouteightmonthsagoforinstanceacustomersaidthatshecouldnotdeterminethesizeofahandbagfromthephotographsonthesitebecauseshecouldnottelltheheightofthemodelwhowasholdingit.Withintwoweeksthesitetestedandintroducedanewsystemshowingthebagswithwomenofthreedifferentheights.Theresultswereimmediate:womenwhosawthenewphotographsboughtthebagsatleast10percentmorefrequentlythanthosewhohadnot.StillMr.Myerssaidvideoisacriticallyimportantelementtosales.E-commercestartedwithtelevisioncommercehesaid.Thesiteswhoengageandentertaincustomerswillbewinninghereinthenearfuture.Suchaprospectisnotnecessarilydauntingtoothere-commerceexecutives.GordonMageeheadofInternetmarketingforDrs.Foster&SmithbasedinaRhinelanderWis.saidatransitiontovideowillbeseamlessforus.ThecompanyMr.Mageesaidhasinrecentweeksdiscussedputtingsomeofitsproductonvideosocustomerscouldseea360-degreeviewtheydon’thavetomanipulatethemselves./Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethat
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