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(46) We’re all too familiar with the concept of technology as a double-edged sword, and wire less...
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Maryismybestfriend.We’reallfromHenan46butnowIlivei
—I’dliketohaveapicnictomorrow.—We’retoobusytheseda
So what?
It’s a pleasurE.
That’s all right.
Forget it.
46We’realltoofamiliarwiththeconceptoftechnology
PartCDirections:Readthefollowingtextcarefullyan
We'retiredbecausewehave________yin.
too many
too much
many too
much too
—I’dliketohaveapicnictomorrow.—We’retoobusytheseda
Forget it.
It’s a pleasurE.
That’s all right.
So what?
We’reallreadytoputitintooperation.________we’regoi
on the whole
in general
all in all
in other words
Wefindithardtobreakfreefromideasconnectedwithlivin
it demands too great an effort for us to do so.
we are too familiar with the way things are to question the ideas.
we have proved that those ideas are correct.
we are so sure of ourselves that we never doubt anything on the earth.
—ManagerI’dliketotakeaweek’sholiday.—________.We’r
Don’t worry
Forget it
That’s all right
Pardon me
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Whencompetitionisfierceandelbowsareflyingnothingismorenaturalthanthedesiretoclimbatoptheheap.Thebiggestfirmsinmostindustrieshaveanedge.Theyprobablybecamethebiggestbybeingthebest.46Theytendtobecomemoreefficientastheygrowreapingeconomiesofscalethusincreasingtheirmarginsandtheiradvantageoversmallerrivals.Beinglargeenoughtoshapeanindustrycanhelp.Andwhenthenationalchampionisfalteringthereisafairchancepoliticianswillconsiderittoobigtofail. 47Soyoumightthinkthatit’stimetocrackopenafewcansofthestuffatPepsiCowhichthisweeksurpassedCoca-Colainmarketvalueforthefirsttimein112yearsofcrazycompetition.AndyetwithoutwishingtospoilPepsi’spartythecaseforcelebrationisnotsoclear-cut.AsAmericahasdiscoveredinthegeopoliticsbusinessbeingnumberoneisnotmuchfun. Assoonasafirmclimbsabovethesharpelbowsofitsrivalsitstartsgettingpeltedwiththeeggsofanti-businessactivists.Peoplewhohatebigbusinessaimhigh.48SowhilebigbadWal-MartismockedTargethasinthepastcoupleofyearseasilycutthebenefitsofitsnon-unionworkers.Andwhenwasthelasttimeyousawananti-globalizationmobdestroyaBurgerKingoutlet 49UnlikeMicrosoftwhichisloathedbymanyforitsmonopolypowerApplehasnothadtocontendwiththousandsofyounghackersfightingtopokeholesinthesecurityofitsoperatingsystems.WhileNikewasinundatedwithcomplaintsaboutits"sweatshops"inpoorcountriesAdidassteadilyimproveditsbrandandhasrecentlyacquiredReeboktoemergeasastrongnumbertwo.IfonlyEbenezerScroogehadlivedacrosstownfromabiggerrivaltheghostsofChristmasmighthavepickedontheotherguyandleftthepoorcurmudgeontoagoodnight’ssleep. Asprotestersgetbetteratrunningmediacampaignsthesecond-bestadvantagemayevenbegrowing.50FirmssuchasFordBurgerKingandTargetdonothavedocumentary-makersqueuinguptoattacktheminsuchfilmsas"RogerandMe"GeneralMotors"SuperSizeMe"McDonald’sor"Wal-Mart:TheHighCostofLowPrice".Eveniftherunner-updoesgetcaughtdoingsomethingunpopularitcanpintheblameonmercilesscompetitionfromtheevilnumberone. SowhilebigbadWal-MartismockedTargethasinthepastcoupleofyearseasilycutthebenefitsofitsnon-unionworkers
[A]Stickingtolong-termplanning. [B]Striveformoreprofit [C]Decentralizedmanagement. [D]Maintaininganemployee-centricculture. [E]OfficialDo-Gooding. [F]Apubliccompanyownedbythepublic. WallStreetpredictorsnowestimatethatwhenGooglestocksareissuedsomeweeksfromnowthecompanywillbevaluedatasmuchas$30billionmakingBrinandPagewhoeachownabout15percentworthmorethan$4billioneach.ButpersonalwealthisclearlynottheobsessionofthecofounderswhoshareaclutteredofficeinthecampusdubbedtheGoogleplex.Asevidencedbytheir"ownersmanual"theyhavebeenstrugglingwithadeepquestion:howcantheypreservetheircompanyapproachcultureandvisionifitistobepubliclytradedandbeholdentoshareholders7Andtheyhavecomeupwithsomeanswers. 41.____________________ Googleisobsessedwithdemocracy.ThebasisofallitswealthspringsfromtheGooglesearchalgorithmswhichsearchthroughandindextheWebinsuchawayastocapturethecollectiveintelligenceofitsusers.It’skindofademocraticprocessandapparentlythisideacarriesovertowhoshouldownshares.Googleisrepellingtobeassociatedwiththego-goandultimatelygone-gonesuperheroesofthedot-comeraandtodiscouragespeculationPageandBrinoutline"afairprocessforourIPOthatisinclusiveofbothsmallandlargeinvestors."Theyproposeanauctionthatwillbypassthedaytradersandfatcatsandhopefullyreachtheiridealinvestor---awisesoulwillingtohanginforthelonghaul. WhenitcomestocontrolthoughGoogle’sleadersbelievethatitshouldrestwiththem.Thecompanywillhavetwoclassesofstockoneofwhichhasgreatervotingrightsownedbythem. 42.____________________ Soundingdangerouslylikeafortunecookiethecofounderswrite"Amanagementteamdistractedbyaseriesofshort-termtargetsisaspointlessasadietersteppingonascaleeveryhalfhour."Googlewon’tfallforthattheyinsist.TherewillbenoattempttomassagequarterlyresultstopleaseWallStreet.Andifyouaskthemhowthingswillgointhenextcoupleofmonths"wewillrespectfullydecline"toofferguidance. 43.____________________ BrinandPageknewthatdoubterspredictedthatgoingpublicwouldbetheendofGoogle’semployeeamenitieslikefreelunchescookedbyJerryGarcia’sformerchefandmassagesoncall.But"whenyoulookatthefinancialsthatcostsnothing"saidBrinrecently."It’slessthanaroundingerror."HeandPagearetellingshareholdersto"expectustoaddbenefitsratherthanreducethemovertime." 44.____________________ BrinPageandCEOEricSchmidtrunthecompanyasamessytriumvirate.Howevertheydoincludespatsbetweenthemasapossibleriskfactor.Andthechainofcommandwillbefurthercomplicatedbytheirrequirementthattheboardchairmanshouldnotbeaninsider. 45.____________________ IncasetherewasanydoubtaboutGoogle’sprioritiesPageandBrinputitinblackandwhite:"WeaspiretomakeGoogleaninstitutionthatmakestheworldabetterplace."Thecompanymottois"Don’tbeevil"andshareholdersshouldbeawarethatthiscouldimpactstockprice.Googleisputting1percentofitswealthinafoundationthatsomeday"mayeclipseGiggleitselfintermsofoverallworldimpact." Allfascinatingbutnotreallyananswertothatbigquestion:shouldyougetinonthis.’ThatwilldependonhowGooglecanmaintainitsamazingmomentuminthefaceofsomeverytoughcompetitivechallenges. 42
Text4 Judgingbythe$23billionitearnedlastyeartheseshouldbethebestoftimesforShelltheAnglo-DutchenergygiantthatranksthirdamongthetopfiveWesternoilcompanies.ButWallStreetisn’tcelebrating.Insteadanalystsareworriedthatburiedbeneaththerecordprofitfiguresareworryingsignsofabusinessindecline. That’sbecauseShellhasn’tbeenabletofindnearlyasmuchoilandgasasit’snowpumpingoutoftheground.Infactithasn’tevencomeclose--replacingonly60%to70%ofwhatitproducedin2005andonly19%in2004.Shellhashadreserveproblemsforyears--acontroversyoverimproperlybookedassetsforcedittoreduceestimatedreservesbyroughly30%andledtotheresiguationofitsCEOPhilWattsin2004.Butwhat’stroublingnowisthatShellisfallingwaybehindrivalslikeExxonandBPdespitespendingbillionsmoreeachyearonexploringanddrillingnewwells.LastyearExxonreplaced112%ofproduction;BPcameupwith95%."Ihaveneverseenanythinglikethis"saysFadelGheitaveteranenergyanalystwithOppenheimer&Co."Shellusedtorepresentthegoldstandardinthisindustrybutlatelytheycan’tgettheiracttogether." TobesureShellstillhashugeassets--nearly12billionbarrels.Butintheoilandgasindustryreservereplacementisthebestguidetowhetheracompanywillbeabletomaintain-orgrow-productioninthefuture.SonotreplacingwhatyoupumpsayslongtimeindustryobserverMatthewSimmons"islikeeatingyourseedcorn.Ifyou’renotfindingnewoilyou’rejustliquidatingwhatyou’vegot."IndeedShell’sdailyproductionfigureshavebeenweaklatelyfalling6.7%in2005to3.52millionbarrelsaday. PrivatelyShellexecssaythecompany’sdecisiontocutspendingforexplorationwhenoilpricesbottomedoutinthelate1990sispartlytoblamefortheanemicnumbersnow.ShellCEOJeroenvanderVeerinsiststhatprojectslikethoseonSakhalinIslandoffSiberiaandinNigeriaandtheGulfofMexicowillenablethecompanytostartcatchingupwithpeersintheyearsahead.Itwon’tbeeasy."Ifyou’renotaddingtoreservesyouhaveaproblem"saysSanfordBernsteinanalystOswaldClint."Shellwillhavetoruntwiceashardjusttostayinplace." AccordingtoOswaldClintShell'schanceofcatchingupis
Portabledevicesarebecominglighterandmoreappealing.Booksarebeing1intodigitalformbythethousands.Themostimportant2forwardmaybein"digitalink"thetechnologyusedfor3lettersonascreen.AsmallcompanycalledEInkhascreatedamethodfor4tinyblackandwhitecapsulesintowordsand5withanelectroniccharge.Becausenopowerisused6thereaderchangesthepagedeviceswiththetechnologycouldgo720booksbetweenbatterycharges.Thetextalsolooksjustas8asinkonaprintedpage. Sonyisthefirstmajorplayertotake9ofthetechnology.Thisyear.itwillmarkettheSonyReaderwhichusesEInkandclosely10thesizeweightand11ofabook.TheReaderwillsell12about$400.Sonyalsowillofferroughly10000book13fordownloadfromitsonlinestore14newsstones. Otherplayerstrytocatchtheopportunitytoo.Atleasttwo15companiesareintroducingdigitalreadersthisyear.AndscoresofcompaniesfromGoogletoRandomHouseInc.areplanningotherwaysto16fromdigitalbooks.Allthis17totheinfluenceofAppleComputerInc..WithitsiPodApplehas18thatmillionsofpeoplearewillingtocarryarounddigitaldeviceswiththeirfavoritecontent19musicwhynotnovelsandnonfictionAccordingtooneCEOwithalargepublishingcompanytheiPodledthewayingettingpeoplecomfortablewithasimilardeviceforbooks.Suchthingsarenotonly20butagoodidea. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCandDonANSWERSHEET1.18
Portabledevicesarebecominglighterandmoreappealing.Booksarebeing1intodigitalformbythethousands.Themostimportant2forwardmaybein"digitalink"thetechnologyusedfor3lettersonascreen.AsmallcompanycalledEInkhascreatedamethodfor4tinyblackandwhitecapsulesintowordsand5withanelectroniccharge.Becausenopowerisused6thereaderchangesthepagedeviceswiththetechnologycouldgo720booksbetweenbatterycharges.Thetextalsolooksjustas8asinkonaprintedpage. Sonyisthefirstmajorplayertotake9ofthetechnology.Thisyear.itwillmarkettheSonyReaderwhichusesEInkandclosely10thesizeweightand11ofabook.TheReaderwillsell12about$400.Sonyalsowillofferroughly10000book13fordownloadfromitsonlinestore14newsstones. Otherplayerstrytocatchtheopportunitytoo.Atleasttwo15companiesareintroducingdigitalreadersthisyear.AndscoresofcompaniesfromGoogletoRandomHouseInc.areplanningotherwaysto16fromdigitalbooks.Allthis17totheinfluenceofAppleComputerInc..WithitsiPodApplehas18thatmillionsofpeoplearewillingtocarryarounddigitaldeviceswiththeirfavoritecontent19musicwhynotnovelsandnonfictionAccordingtooneCEOwithalargepublishingcompanytheiPodledthewayingettingpeoplecomfortablewithasimilardeviceforbooks.Suchthingsarenotonly20butagoodidea. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCandDonANSWERSHEET1.20
Portabledevicesarebecominglighterandmoreappealing.Booksarebeing1intodigitalformbythethousands.Themostimportant2forwardmaybein"digitalink"thetechnologyusedfor3lettersonascreen.AsmallcompanycalledEInkhascreatedamethodfor4tinyblackandwhitecapsulesintowordsand5withanelectroniccharge.Becausenopowerisused6thereaderchangesthepagedeviceswiththetechnologycouldgo720booksbetweenbatterycharges.Thetextalsolooksjustas8asinkonaprintedpage. Sonyisthefirstmajorplayertotake9ofthetechnology.Thisyear.itwillmarkettheSonyReaderwhichusesEInkandclosely10thesizeweightand11ofabook.TheReaderwillsell12about$400.Sonyalsowillofferroughly10000book13fordownloadfromitsonlinestore14newsstones. Otherplayerstrytocatchtheopportunitytoo.Atleasttwo15companiesareintroducingdigitalreadersthisyear.AndscoresofcompaniesfromGoogletoRandomHouseInc.areplanningotherwaysto16fromdigitalbooks.Allthis17totheinfluenceofAppleComputerInc..WithitsiPodApplehas18thatmillionsofpeoplearewillingtocarryarounddigitaldeviceswiththeirfavoritecontent19musicwhynotnovelsandnonfictionAccordingtooneCEOwithalargepublishingcompanytheiPodledthewayingettingpeoplecomfortablewithasimilardeviceforbooks.Suchthingsarenotonly20butagoodidea. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCandDonANSWERSHEET1.8
Text4 Judgingbythe$23billionitearnedlastyeartheseshouldbethebestoftimesforShelltheAnglo-DutchenergygiantthatranksthirdamongthetopfiveWesternoilcompanies.ButWallStreetisn’tcelebrating.Insteadanalystsareworriedthatburiedbeneaththerecordprofitfiguresareworryingsignsofabusinessindecline. That’sbecauseShellhasn’tbeenabletofindnearlyasmuchoilandgasasit’snowpumpingoutoftheground.Infactithasn’tevencomeclose--replacingonly60%to70%ofwhatitproducedin2005andonly19%in2004.Shellhashadreserveproblemsforyears--acontroversyoverimproperlybookedassetsforcedittoreduceestimatedreservesbyroughly30%andledtotheresiguationofitsCEOPhilWattsin2004.Butwhat’stroublingnowisthatShellisfallingwaybehindrivalslikeExxonandBPdespitespendingbillionsmoreeachyearonexploringanddrillingnewwells.LastyearExxonreplaced112%ofproduction;BPcameupwith95%."Ihaveneverseenanythinglikethis"saysFadelGheitaveteranenergyanalystwithOppenheimer&Co."Shellusedtorepresentthegoldstandardinthisindustrybutlatelytheycan’tgettheiracttogether." TobesureShellstillhashugeassets--nearly12billionbarrels.Butintheoilandgasindustryreservereplacementisthebestguidetowhetheracompanywillbeabletomaintain-orgrow-productioninthefuture.SonotreplacingwhatyoupumpsayslongtimeindustryobserverMatthewSimmons"islikeeatingyourseedcorn.Ifyou’renotfindingnewoilyou’rejustliquidatingwhatyou’vegot."IndeedShell’sdailyproductionfigureshavebeenweaklatelyfalling6.7%in2005to3.52millionbarrelsaday. PrivatelyShellexecssaythecompany’sdecisiontocutspendingforexplorationwhenoilpricesbottomedoutinthelate1990sispartlytoblamefortheanemicnumbersnow.ShellCEOJeroenvanderVeerinsiststhatprojectslikethoseonSakhalinIslandoffSiberiaandinNigeriaandtheGulfofMexicowillenablethecompanytostartcatchingupwithpeersintheyearsahead.Itwon’tbeeasy."Ifyou’renotaddingtoreservesyouhaveaproblem"saysSanfordBernsteinanalystOswaldClint."Shellwillhavetoruntwiceashardjusttostayinplace." Shellcan'tgettheiracttogetherLine10Paragraph2because
Thewinnertakesallitiswidelysupposedincomputingcircles.Indeedgeekshavecoinedaword"Googlearchy"forthewayinwhichsearchenginesencouragewebtraffictowardsthemostpopularsites.46Thebeliefthatsearchenginesmakepopularwebsitesevermorepopularattheexpenseofotherpagesisnowbeingchallengedbyresearch. 47TheapparentlymagicalabilityofsearchenginessuchasGoogletoreturnrelevantwebsitesevenwhengiventhesketchiestofcluesbythepersonenteringaqueryreliesontheuseofmathematicalrecipesoralgorithms.Googleworksbyanalysingthestructureofthewebitself.Eachofitsbillionsofpagescanlinktootherpagesandcanalsointurnbelinkedtobyothers.Furthermoreifthepagesthatlinktothispageamalsoimportantthenthatpageisevenmorelikelytobeimportant.48ThealgorithmhasbeenmadeincreasinglycomplexovertheyearstodeterthosewhowouldmanipulatetheirpagestoappearhigherintherankingsbutitremainsattheheartofGoogle’ssuccess. Googleisnotaloneinthis.Manysearchenginestakeaccountofthenumberoflinkstoawebsitewhentheyreturntheresultsofasearch.49Becauseofthisthereisawidespreadbeliefamongcomputersocialandpoliticalscientiststhatsearchenginescreateaviciouscirclethatamplifiesthedominanceofestablishedandalreadypopularwebsites.Pagesreturnedbysearchenginesaremorelikelytobediscoveredandconsequentlylinkedtobyothers. NotsoaccordingtoacontroversialnewpaperthathasrecentlyappearedonarXivanonlinecollectionofphysicsandrelatedpapers.InitSantoFortunatoandhiscolleaguesatIndianaUniversityinAmericaandBielefeldUniversityinGermanyclaimthatsearchenginesactuallyhaveanegalitarianeffectthatincreasestraffictolesspopularsites. Theresearchersdevelopedamodelthatdescribedtwoextremecases.Inthefirstpeoplebrowsedthewebonlybysurfingrandomlinks.Inthesecondpeopleonlyvisitedpagesthatwerereturnedbysearchengines.Theresearchersthenturnedtotherealworld.Theyplottedthetraffictoawebsite--measuredasthefractionofallpageviewsmadeinathree-monthperiod--againstthenumberofincominglinksmadetothatwebsite.50Totheirsurprisetheyfoundthattherelationshipbetweenthetwodidnotliebetweentheextremessuggestedbytheirmodelbutsomewherecompletelydifferent.Itappearstoshowthatthesupposedbiasinfavourofpopularpagesisactuallymitigatedbythecombinationofsearchenginesandpeoplefollowingrandomlinks. ThealgorithmhasbeenmadeincreasinglycomplexovertheyearstodeterthosewhowouldmanipulatetheirpagestoappearhigherintherankingsbutitremainsattheheartofGoogle’ssuccess.
Text3 Thenextbigworkoutcrazeisoneevenacouchpotatocouldlove.Itstartswithawarm-up:atriptothesupermarket.Thenthere’salargedinnerfollowedbysomeleisurelyhoursspentdoingcrosswordpuzzles.Finallythere’sthecool-downalongbubblebath.Keepthisupandyou’llbebuffinnotime. Mentallybuffatanyrate.Thisisaworkoutforyourbrain--anexampleof"neurobics"amovementthat’sgainingmomentumamongthoselookingtostaysharpastheyage.Somepsychologistsclaimthatbyadjustingyourroutineinsmallwaysliketakingadifferentroutetothegrocerystoreorstimulatingyoursenseswithanewfragrancedbathproductyoucanencourageneuronstobuildmoreconnectionstoeachother.ThoughscientistsknowlittleabouttheearlystagesofAlzheimer’sclinicalevidenceisstartingtoshowthatmental"exercises"likethesemaywarditoff. Neurobicsgotstartedwiththe1999bookKeepYourBrainAlivebyDukeUniversityneurobiologistLarryKatzandwriterManningRubin.Sincethenthetermhasenteredcommonusageit’sdefinedinatleastoneslangdictionaryandinspirednumerousimitators.Entrepreneursnowoffercoursesthatteachneurobicexercisesalongsidemoretraditionalseminarsonhandlingstressandexpressingemotions.CorporatetrainerslikeMindGymrunemployeesthrough90minute"workouts"designedtoincreaseproductivity.There’salsotheMyBrainTrainer.comsiteapaidservicethatprovidesaccesstogameslikethoseusedinpsychologicalexperimentstotestcognitiveability.There’snoevidencethatthesegamesareanybetterforyouthansayscrabble.ButMyBrainTrainercreatorBruceFriedmansayshegetsa"neuralbuzz"fromthem--andhe’stakeneachmorethan1600times. Stillit’sagoodbetthatasimplechangeinroutinewillbejustaseffective.Ifthatdoesn’tseemmentallywearingconsiderhowyougoaboutmostneurobicactivitiesinordinarylife.Mostlikelyyou’regoingthroughthemotions--drivingonroadsyouknowbyheartswallowingdowndinnerwithoutsavoringitstasteortexture.Changingthingswillforceyoutopayattentiontowhatyou’redoing.Eventhosewhoareskepticalaboutneurobics’potentialforpreventingAlzheimer’shavetoadmitthatisn’tabadthing. ItcanbeinferredfromthepassagethatthebookKeepYourBrainAlive
Portabledevicesarebecominglighterandmoreappealing.Booksarebeing1intodigitalformbythethousands.Themostimportant2forwardmaybein"digitalink"thetechnologyusedfor3lettersonascreen.AsmallcompanycalledEInkhascreatedamethodfor4tinyblackandwhitecapsulesintowordsand5withanelectroniccharge.Becausenopowerisused6thereaderchangesthepagedeviceswiththetechnologycouldgo720booksbetweenbatterycharges.Thetextalsolooksjustas8asinkonaprintedpage. Sonyisthefirstmajorplayertotake9ofthetechnology.Thisyear.itwillmarkettheSonyReaderwhichusesEInkandclosely10thesizeweightand11ofabook.TheReaderwillsell12about$400.Sonyalsowillofferroughly10000book13fordownloadfromitsonlinestore14newsstones. Otherplayerstrytocatchtheopportunitytoo.Atleasttwo15companiesareintroducingdigitalreadersthisyear.AndscoresofcompaniesfromGoogletoRandomHouseInc.areplanningotherwaysto16fromdigitalbooks.Allthis17totheinfluenceofAppleComputerInc..WithitsiPodApplehas18thatmillionsofpeoplearewillingtocarryarounddigitaldeviceswiththeirfavoritecontent19musicwhynotnovelsandnonfictionAccordingtooneCEOwithalargepublishingcompanytheiPodledthewayingettingpeoplecomfortablewithasimilardeviceforbooks.Suchthingsarenotonly20butagoodidea. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCandDonANSWERSHEET1.6
Text2 Bigmacs.Nacho-CheeseChalupas.Subwaysubs.RobBoruckiadoresthemall.The37-yearoldindulgesinfast-foodfareatleastfivetimesaweek.AreallygooddayforBoruckiWhenWienerschnitzelaWestCoasthot-dogchainhegrewupwithrecentlyopenedjustafewblocksfromhisTempeArizonaofficeandhegottoenjoywithhisfellowsausageenthusiasts."Iwassoexcited"saystheInternetprojectmanagerwhorunsafast-foodfanWebsite."Andsowaseveryonethere." Infast-foodtermsBoruckiiscalleda"heavyuser"eventhoughheisquiteslender.Looselydefinedasthe20percentoffast-foodeaterswhoaccountfor60percentofallfast-foodsalesatypicalheavyuserismaleinhis20sor30sandextremelyloyaltotheburgersandfriesheloveslatelyheaviesarefeelingundersiegeasfast-foodchainshavecomeunderattack.ObesedinersaresuingcompanieslikeMcDonald’sforallegedlycontributingtotheirweightproblemsAndtheendlessfloodofstudiesdetailingthehorrorsofobesityprovideplentyofammoforthechattertypeswhowantheavyuserstochangetheirways. HeavyuserslikeBoruckiinsisttheydon’tneedsavingprotestingthattheyarefarfromtheuselessfattiesanti-fast-foodactivistsmakethemouttobe.ForhispartBoruckiisamoderateexerciser.Andhe’lloccasionallysubstituteasidesaladforhisregularfries.Indeedinarecentstudyofrestaurant-goersbytheresearchfirmTechnomic90percentsaidtheyhadconcernsaboutobesityand50percentsaidthey’dchangedtheireatinghabitsinthepastyearasaresult.Fast-foodcompanieshavenoticed.YoucangiveyourwaistlineabreaktodaywithaMcDonald’sfruit-and-walnutsaladorskiptheflame-broiledmeatandhaveaBurgerKingFire-Grilledsaladwithshrimpinstead.Thehealthyapproachisworking:salesareexpectedtoincreasebyasmuchas4percentthisyear. Heavyusersareadapting--intheirownway.They’reeatingChickenWhoppersaswellastherealthingandcuttingbackonanythingthathastheword"fried"initsname.McDonald’sdroppeditsSuperSizeportionsapparentlybecausecustomersstoppedorderingthegiganticservings."[But]theOuarterPounderwithCheeseortheBigMac--thoseitemswillnotbetouched"saysTechnomic’sDennisLombardi. JeremyHagemancantakesomecomfortinthat.The26-year-oldWebdesignerhitsthegymthreetimesaweeksothathecanindulgeinasmuchfastfoodashelikes."Ilikethingsthattastegood"Hagemansays.Hecameupwithaplan:eatmoreTacoBell."Forsomereason"hesays"itdoesn’tseemasbad." Thispassageiswrittenmainlyfor
Portabledevicesarebecominglighterandmoreappealing.Booksarebeing1intodigitalformbythethousands.Themostimportant2forwardmaybein"digitalink"thetechnologyusedfor3lettersonascreen.AsmallcompanycalledEInkhascreatedamethodfor4tinyblackandwhitecapsulesintowordsand5withanelectroniccharge.Becausenopowerisused6thereaderchangesthepagedeviceswiththetechnologycouldgo720booksbetweenbatterycharges.Thetextalsolooksjustas8asinkonaprintedpage. Sonyisthefirstmajorplayertotake9ofthetechnology.Thisyear.itwillmarkettheSonyReaderwhichusesEInkandclosely10thesizeweightand11ofabook.TheReaderwillsell12about$400.Sonyalsowillofferroughly10000book13fordownloadfromitsonlinestore14newsstones. Otherplayerstrytocatchtheopportunitytoo.Atleasttwo15companiesareintroducingdigitalreadersthisyear.AndscoresofcompaniesfromGoogletoRandomHouseInc.areplanningotherwaysto16fromdigitalbooks.Allthis17totheinfluenceofAppleComputerInc..WithitsiPodApplehas18thatmillionsofpeoplearewillingtocarryarounddigitaldeviceswiththeirfavoritecontent19musicwhynotnovelsandnonfictionAccordingtooneCEOwithalargepublishingcompanytheiPodledthewayingettingpeoplecomfortablewithasimilardeviceforbooks.Suchthingsarenotonly20butagoodidea. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCandDonANSWERSHEET1.10
Portabledevicesarebecominglighterandmoreappealing.Booksarebeing1intodigitalformbythethousands.Themostimportant2forwardmaybein"digitalink"thetechnologyusedfor3lettersonascreen.AsmallcompanycalledEInkhascreatedamethodfor4tinyblackandwhitecapsulesintowordsand5withanelectroniccharge.Becausenopowerisused6thereaderchangesthepagedeviceswiththetechnologycouldgo720booksbetweenbatterycharges.Thetextalsolooksjustas8asinkonaprintedpage. Sonyisthefirstmajorplayertotake9ofthetechnology.Thisyear.itwillmarkettheSonyReaderwhichusesEInkandclosely10thesizeweightand11ofabook.TheReaderwillsell12about$400.Sonyalsowillofferroughly10000book13fordownloadfromitsonlinestore14newsstones. Otherplayerstrytocatchtheopportunitytoo.Atleasttwo15companiesareintroducingdigitalreadersthisyear.AndscoresofcompaniesfromGoogletoRandomHouseInc.areplanningotherwaysto16fromdigitalbooks.Allthis17totheinfluenceofAppleComputerInc..WithitsiPodApplehas18thatmillionsofpeoplearewillingtocarryarounddigitaldeviceswiththeirfavoritecontent19musicwhynotnovelsandnonfictionAccordingtooneCEOwithalargepublishingcompanytheiPodledthewayingettingpeoplecomfortablewithasimilardeviceforbooks.Suchthingsarenotonly20butagoodidea. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCandDonANSWERSHEET1.14
Weofferheresomeprinciplesforteachingextensivereadingasatoolforprofessionaldevelopment.Thesearewhatwebelievethebasicingredientsofextensivereading.Weencourageteacherstousethemasawaytoexaminetheirbeliefsaboutreadingingeneralandextensivereadinginparticularandthewaystheyteachforeignlanguagereading.Weposittheseprinciplesinthehopesthatotherswillconsiderthemandreacttothem. 41Thereadingmaterialiseasy. Thisclearlyseparatesextensivereadingfromotherapproachestoteachingforeignlanguagereading.Forextensivereadingtobepossibleandforittohavethedesiredresultstextsmustbewellwithinthelearners’readingcompetenceintheforeignlanguage. 42Avarietyofreadingmaterialonawiderangeoftopicsmustbeavailable. Thesuccessofextensivereadingdependslargelyonenticingstudentstoread.Toawakenorencourageadesiretoreadthetextsmadeavailableshouldideallybeasvariedasthelearnerswhoreadthemandthepurposesforwhichtheywanttoread. 43Learnerschoosewhattheywanttoread. Theprincipleoffreedomofchoicemeansthatlearnerscanselecttextsastheydointheirownlanguagethatistheycanchoosetextstheyexpecttounderstandtoenjoyortolearnfrom.Correlativetothisprinciplelearnersarealsofreeindeedencouragedtostopreadinganythingtheyfindtobetoodifficultorthatturnsoutnottobeofinterest. 44Learnersreadasmuchaspossible. Thisisthe"extensive"ofextensivereadingmadepossiblebythepreviousprinciples.Themostcriticalelementinlearningtoreadistheamountoftimespentactuallyreading. Thepurposeofreadingisusuallyrelatedtopleasureinformationandgeneralunderstanding. Inanextensivereadingapproachlearnersareencouragedtoreadforthesamekindsofreasonsandinthesamewaysasthegeneralpopulationoffirst-languagereaders.Thissetsextensivereadingapartfromusualclassroompracticeontheonehandandreadingforacademicpurposesontheother.Onehundredpercentcomprehensionindeedanyparticularobjectivelevelofcomprehensionisnotagoal.Intermsofreadingoutcomesthefocusshiftsawayfromcomprehensionachievedorknowledgegainedandtowardsthereader’spersonalexperience. 45Readingspeedisusuallyfasterratherthanslower. Whenlearnersarereadingmaterialthatiswellwithintheirlinguisticabilityforpersonalinterestandforgeneralratherthanacademicpurposesitisanincentivetoreadingfluency. Wehopethattheseprincipleswillgiveteachersfoodforthoughtandreflectionastheyconsidertheirbeliefsabouthowbesttohelptheirstudentsbecomeproficientforeign-languagereaders. [A]Thelearners’experienceofreadingthetextisatthecenteroftheextensivereadingexperiencejustasitisinreadingineverydaylife.Forthisreasonextensivereadingisnotusuallyfollowedbycomprehensionquestions.Itisanexperiencecompleteinitself.Atthesametimeteachersmayaskstudentstocompletefollow-upactivitiesbasedontheirreading.Suchactivitieswhilerespectingtheintegrityofstudents’readingexperiencesextendthemininterestingandusefulways. [B]Booksmagazinesnewspapersfictionnon-fictiontextsthatinformtextsthatentertaingeneralspecializedlightserious. [C]Inhelpingbeginningreadersselecttextsthatarewellwithintheirreadingcomfortzonemorethanoneortwounknownwordsperpagemightmakethetexttoodifficultforoverallunderstanding.Intermediatelearnersmightusetheruleofhand--nomorethanfivedifficultwordsperpage. [D]Nuttallnotesthat"speedenjoymentandcomprehensionarecloselylinkedwithoneanother".Shedescribes"Theviciouscircleoftheweakreader:Readsslowly;Doesn’tenjoyreading;Doesn’treadmuch;Doesn’tunderstand;Readsslowly..."andsoon.Extensivereadingcanhelpreaders"enterinsteadthecycleofgrowth...Thevirtuouscircleofthegoodreader:Readsfaster;Readsmore;Understandsbetter;Enjoysreading;Readsfaster...". [E]Thereisnoupperlimittotheamountofreadingthatcanbedonebutabookaweekisprobablytheminimumamountofreadingnecessarytoachievethebenefitsofextensivereadingandtoestablishareadinghabit. [F]WhatHenrynoticedaboutherkevel-1non-readingundergraduatesisnolesstrueinforeignlanguagereading:"Mystudentsneededtoreadforthemselvesnotforme."Forstudentsusedtoworkingwithtextbooksandteacher-selectedtextsthefreedomtochoosereadingmaterialandfreedomtostopreadingmaybeacrucialstepinexperiencingforeignlanguagereadingassomethingpersonal. 44
Portabledevicesarebecominglighterandmoreappealing.Booksarebeing1intodigitalformbythethousands.Themostimportant2forwardmaybein"digitalink"thetechnologyusedfor3lettersonascreen.AsmallcompanycalledEInkhascreatedamethodfor4tinyblackandwhitecapsulesintowordsand5withanelectroniccharge.Becausenopowerisused6thereaderchangesthepagedeviceswiththetechnologycouldgo720booksbetweenbatterycharges.Thetextalsolooksjustas8asinkonaprintedpage. Sonyisthefirstmajorplayertotake9ofthetechnology.Thisyear.itwillmarkettheSonyReaderwhichusesEInkandclosely10thesizeweightand11ofabook.TheReaderwillsell12about$400.Sonyalsowillofferroughly10000book13fordownloadfromitsonlinestore14newsstones. Otherplayerstrytocatchtheopportunitytoo.Atleasttwo15companiesareintroducingdigitalreadersthisyear.AndscoresofcompaniesfromGoogletoRandomHouseInc.areplanningotherwaysto16fromdigitalbooks.Allthis17totheinfluenceofAppleComputerInc..WithitsiPodApplehas18thatmillionsofpeoplearewillingtocarryarounddigitaldeviceswiththeirfavoritecontent19musicwhynotnovelsandnonfictionAccordingtooneCEOwithalargepublishingcompanytheiPodledthewayingettingpeoplecomfortablewithasimilardeviceforbooks.Suchthingsarenotonly20butagoodidea. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCandDonANSWERSHEET1.2
Text4 Judgingbythe$23billionitearnedlastyeartheseshouldbethebestoftimesforShelltheAnglo-DutchenergygiantthatranksthirdamongthetopfiveWesternoilcompanies.ButWallStreetisn’tcelebrating.Insteadanalystsareworriedthatburiedbeneaththerecordprofitfiguresareworryingsignsofabusinessindecline. That’sbecauseShellhasn’tbeenabletofindnearlyasmuchoilandgasasit’snowpumpingoutoftheground.Infactithasn’tevencomeclose--replacingonly60%to70%ofwhatitproducedin2005andonly19%in2004.Shellhashadreserveproblemsforyears--acontroversyoverimproperlybookedassetsforcedittoreduceestimatedreservesbyroughly30%andledtotheresiguationofitsCEOPhilWattsin2004.Butwhat’stroublingnowisthatShellisfallingwaybehindrivalslikeExxonandBPdespitespendingbillionsmoreeachyearonexploringanddrillingnewwells.LastyearExxonreplaced112%ofproduction;BPcameupwith95%."Ihaveneverseenanythinglikethis"saysFadelGheitaveteranenergyanalystwithOppenheimer&Co."Shellusedtorepresentthegoldstandardinthisindustrybutlatelytheycan’tgettheiracttogether." TobesureShellstillhashugeassets--nearly12billionbarrels.Butintheoilandgasindustryreservereplacementisthebestguidetowhetheracompanywillbeabletomaintain-orgrow-productioninthefuture.SonotreplacingwhatyoupumpsayslongtimeindustryobserverMatthewSimmons"islikeeatingyourseedcorn.Ifyou’renotfindingnewoilyou’rejustliquidatingwhatyou’vegot."IndeedShell’sdailyproductionfigureshavebeenweaklatelyfalling6.7%in2005to3.52millionbarrelsaday. PrivatelyShellexecssaythecompany’sdecisiontocutspendingforexplorationwhenoilpricesbottomedoutinthelate1990sispartlytoblamefortheanemicnumbersnow.ShellCEOJeroenvanderVeerinsiststhatprojectslikethoseonSakhalinIslandoffSiberiaandinNigeriaandtheGulfofMexicowillenablethecompanytostartcatchingupwithpeersintheyearsahead.Itwon’tbeeasy."Ifyou’renotaddingtoreservesyouhaveaproblem"saysSanfordBernsteinanalystOswaldClint."Shellwillhavetoruntwiceashardjusttostayinplace." AccordingtothepassagethedeclineofShell
Whencompetitionisfierceandelbowsareflyingnothingismorenaturalthanthedesiretoclimbatoptheheap.Thebiggestfirmsinmostindustrieshaveanedge.Theyprobablybecamethebiggestbybeingthebest.46Theytendtobecomemoreefficientastheygrowreapingeconomiesofscalethusincreasingtheirmarginsandtheiradvantageoversmallerrivals.Beinglargeenoughtoshapeanindustrycanhelp.Andwhenthenationalchampionisfalteringthereisafairchancepoliticianswillconsiderittoobigtofail. 47Soyoumightthinkthatit’stimetocrackopenafewcansofthestuffatPepsiCowhichthisweeksurpassedCoca-Colainmarketvalueforthefirsttimein112yearsofcrazycompetition.AndyetwithoutwishingtospoilPepsi’spartythecaseforcelebrationisnotsoclear-cut.AsAmericahasdiscoveredinthegeopoliticsbusinessbeingnumberoneisnotmuchfun. Assoonasafirmclimbsabovethesharpelbowsofitsrivalsitstartsgettingpeltedwiththeeggsofanti-businessactivists.Peoplewhohatebigbusinessaimhigh.48SowhilebigbadWal-MartismockedTargethasinthepastcoupleofyearseasilycutthebenefitsofitsnon-unionworkers.Andwhenwasthelasttimeyousawananti-globalizationmobdestroyaBurgerKingoutlet 49UnlikeMicrosoftwhichisloathedbymanyforitsmonopolypowerApplehasnothadtocontendwiththousandsofyounghackersfightingtopokeholesinthesecurityofitsoperatingsystems.WhileNikewasinundatedwithcomplaintsaboutits"sweatshops"inpoorcountriesAdidassteadilyimproveditsbrandandhasrecentlyacquiredReeboktoemergeasastrongnumbertwo.IfonlyEbenezerScroogehadlivedacrosstownfromabiggerrivaltheghostsofChristmasmighthavepickedontheotherguyandleftthepoorcurmudgeontoagoodnight’ssleep. Asprotestersgetbetteratrunningmediacampaignsthesecond-bestadvantagemayevenbegrowing.50FirmssuchasFordBurgerKingandTargetdonothavedocumentary-makersqueuinguptoattacktheminsuchfilmsas"RogerandMe"GeneralMotors"SuperSizeMe"McDonald’sor"Wal-Mart:TheHighCostofLowPrice".Eveniftherunner-updoesgetcaughtdoingsomethingunpopularitcanpintheblameonmercilesscompetitionfromtheevilnumberone. Theytendtobecomemoreefficientastheygrowreapingeconomiesofscalethusincreasingtheirmarginsandtheiradvantageoversmallerrivals.
[A]Stickingtolong-termplanning. [B]Striveformoreprofit [C]Decentralizedmanagement. [D]Maintaininganemployee-centricculture. [E]OfficialDo-Gooding. [F]Apubliccompanyownedbythepublic. WallStreetpredictorsnowestimatethatwhenGooglestocksareissuedsomeweeksfromnowthecompanywillbevaluedatasmuchas$30billionmakingBrinandPagewhoeachownabout15percentworthmorethan$4billioneach.ButpersonalwealthisclearlynottheobsessionofthecofounderswhoshareaclutteredofficeinthecampusdubbedtheGoogleplex.Asevidencedbytheir"ownersmanual"theyhavebeenstrugglingwithadeepquestion:howcantheypreservetheircompanyapproachcultureandvisionifitistobepubliclytradedandbeholdentoshareholders7Andtheyhavecomeupwithsomeanswers. 41.____________________ Googleisobsessedwithdemocracy.ThebasisofallitswealthspringsfromtheGooglesearchalgorithmswhichsearchthroughandindextheWebinsuchawayastocapturethecollectiveintelligenceofitsusers.It’skindofademocraticprocessandapparentlythisideacarriesovertowhoshouldownshares.Googleisrepellingtobeassociatedwiththego-goandultimatelygone-gonesuperheroesofthedot-comeraandtodiscouragespeculationPageandBrinoutline"afairprocessforourIPOthatisinclusiveofbothsmallandlargeinvestors."Theyproposeanauctionthatwillbypassthedaytradersandfatcatsandhopefullyreachtheiridealinvestor---awisesoulwillingtohanginforthelonghaul. WhenitcomestocontrolthoughGoogle’sleadersbelievethatitshouldrestwiththem.Thecompanywillhavetwoclassesofstockoneofwhichhasgreatervotingrightsownedbythem. 42.____________________ Soundingdangerouslylikeafortunecookiethecofounderswrite"Amanagementteamdistractedbyaseriesofshort-termtargetsisaspointlessasadietersteppingonascaleeveryhalfhour."Googlewon’tfallforthattheyinsist.TherewillbenoattempttomassagequarterlyresultstopleaseWallStreet.Andifyouaskthemhowthingswillgointhenextcoupleofmonths"wewillrespectfullydecline"toofferguidance. 43.____________________ BrinandPageknewthatdoubterspredictedthatgoingpublicwouldbetheendofGoogle’semployeeamenitieslikefreelunchescookedbyJerryGarcia’sformerchefandmassagesoncall.But"whenyoulookatthefinancialsthatcostsnothing"saidBrinrecently."It’slessthanaroundingerror."HeandPagearetellingshareholdersto"expectustoaddbenefitsratherthanreducethemovertime." 44.____________________ BrinPageandCEOEricSchmidtrunthecompanyasamessytriumvirate.Howevertheydoincludespatsbetweenthemasapossibleriskfactor.Andthechainofcommandwillbefurthercomplicatedbytheirrequirementthattheboardchairmanshouldnotbeaninsider. 45.____________________ IncasetherewasanydoubtaboutGoogle’sprioritiesPageandBrinputitinblackandwhite:"WeaspiretomakeGoogleaninstitutionthatmakestheworldabetterplace."Thecompanymottois"Don’tbeevil"andshareholdersshouldbeawarethatthiscouldimpactstockprice.Googleisputting1percentofitswealthinafoundationthatsomeday"mayeclipseGiggleitselfintermsofoverallworldimpact." Allfascinatingbutnotreallyananswertothatbigquestion:shouldyougetinonthis.’ThatwilldependonhowGooglecanmaintainitsamazingmomentuminthefaceofsomeverytoughcompetitivechallenges. 44
Thewinnertakesallitiswidelysupposedincomputingcircles.Indeedgeekshavecoinedaword"Googlearchy"forthewayinwhichsearchenginesencouragewebtraffictowardsthemostpopularsites.46Thebeliefthatsearchenginesmakepopularwebsitesevermorepopularattheexpenseofotherpagesisnowbeingchallengedbyresearch. 47TheapparentlymagicalabilityofsearchenginessuchasGoogletoreturnrelevantwebsitesevenwhengiventhesketchiestofcluesbythepersonenteringaqueryreliesontheuseofmathematicalrecipesoralgorithms.Googleworksbyanalysingthestructureofthewebitself.Eachofitsbillionsofpagescanlinktootherpagesandcanalsointurnbelinkedtobyothers.Furthermoreifthepagesthatlinktothispageamalsoimportantthenthatpageisevenmorelikelytobeimportant.48ThealgorithmhasbeenmadeincreasinglycomplexovertheyearstodeterthosewhowouldmanipulatetheirpagestoappearhigherintherankingsbutitremainsattheheartofGoogle’ssuccess. Googleisnotaloneinthis.Manysearchenginestakeaccountofthenumberoflinkstoawebsitewhentheyreturntheresultsofasearch.49Becauseofthisthereisawidespreadbeliefamongcomputersocialandpoliticalscientiststhatsearchenginescreateaviciouscirclethatamplifiesthedominanceofestablishedandalreadypopularwebsites.Pagesreturnedbysearchenginesaremorelikelytobediscoveredandconsequentlylinkedtobyothers. NotsoaccordingtoacontroversialnewpaperthathasrecentlyappearedonarXivanonlinecollectionofphysicsandrelatedpapers.InitSantoFortunatoandhiscolleaguesatIndianaUniversityinAmericaandBielefeldUniversityinGermanyclaimthatsearchenginesactuallyhaveanegalitarianeffectthatincreasestraffictolesspopularsites. Theresearchersdevelopedamodelthatdescribedtwoextremecases.Inthefirstpeoplebrowsedthewebonlybysurfingrandomlinks.Inthesecondpeopleonlyvisitedpagesthatwerereturnedbysearchengines.Theresearchersthenturnedtotherealworld.Theyplottedthetraffictoawebsite--measuredasthefractionofallpageviewsmadeinathree-monthperiod--againstthenumberofincominglinksmadetothatwebsite.50Totheirsurprisetheyfoundthattherelationshipbetweenthetwodidnotliebetweentheextremessuggestedbytheirmodelbutsomewherecompletelydifferent.Itappearstoshowthatthesupposedbiasinfavourofpopularpagesisactuallymitigatedbythecombinationofsearchenginesandpeoplefollowingrandomlinks. Totheirsurprisetheyfoundthattherelationshipbetweenthetwodidnotliebetweentheextremessuggestedbytheirmodelbutsomewherecompletelydifferent.
Portabledevicesarebecominglighterandmoreappealing.Booksarebeing1intodigitalformbythethousands.Themostimportant2forwardmaybein"digitalink"thetechnologyusedfor3lettersonascreen.AsmallcompanycalledEInkhascreatedamethodfor4tinyblackandwhitecapsulesintowordsand5withanelectroniccharge.Becausenopowerisused6thereaderchangesthepagedeviceswiththetechnologycouldgo720booksbetweenbatterycharges.Thetextalsolooksjustas8asinkonaprintedpage. Sonyisthefirstmajorplayertotake9ofthetechnology.Thisyear.itwillmarkettheSonyReaderwhichusesEInkandclosely10thesizeweightand11ofabook.TheReaderwillsell12about$400.Sonyalsowillofferroughly10000book13fordownloadfromitsonlinestore14newsstones. Otherplayerstrytocatchtheopportunitytoo.Atleasttwo15companiesareintroducingdigitalreadersthisyear.AndscoresofcompaniesfromGoogletoRandomHouseInc.areplanningotherwaysto16fromdigitalbooks.Allthis17totheinfluenceofAppleComputerInc..WithitsiPodApplehas18thatmillionsofpeoplearewillingtocarryarounddigitaldeviceswiththeirfavoritecontent19musicwhynotnovelsandnonfictionAccordingtooneCEOwithalargepublishingcompanytheiPodledthewayingettingpeoplecomfortablewithasimilardeviceforbooks.Suchthingsarenotonly20butagoodidea. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCandDonANSWERSHEET1.4
Portabledevicesarebecominglighterandmoreappealing.Booksarebeing1intodigitalformbythethousands.Themostimportant2forwardmaybein"digitalink"thetechnologyusedfor3lettersonascreen.AsmallcompanycalledEInkhascreatedamethodfor4tinyblackandwhitecapsulesintowordsand5withanelectroniccharge.Becausenopowerisused6thereaderchangesthepagedeviceswiththetechnologycouldgo720booksbetweenbatterycharges.Thetextalsolooksjustas8asinkonaprintedpage. Sonyisthefirstmajorplayertotake9ofthetechnology.Thisyear.itwillmarkettheSonyReaderwhichusesEInkandclosely10thesizeweightand11ofabook.TheReaderwillsell12about$400.Sonyalsowillofferroughly10000book13fordownloadfromitsonlinestore14newsstones. Otherplayerstrytocatchtheopportunitytoo.Atleasttwo15companiesareintroducingdigitalreadersthisyear.AndscoresofcompaniesfromGoogletoRandomHouseInc.areplanningotherwaysto16fromdigitalbooks.Allthis17totheinfluenceofAppleComputerInc..WithitsiPodApplehas18thatmillionsofpeoplearewillingtocarryarounddigitaldeviceswiththeirfavoritecontent19musicwhynotnovelsandnonfictionAccordingtooneCEOwithalargepublishingcompanytheiPodledthewayingettingpeoplecomfortablewithasimilardeviceforbooks.Suchthingsarenotonly20butagoodidea. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCandDonANSWERSHEET1.12
Text2 Bigmacs.Nacho-CheeseChalupas.Subwaysubs.RobBoruckiadoresthemall.The37-yearoldindulgesinfast-foodfareatleastfivetimesaweek.AreallygooddayforBoruckiWhenWienerschnitzelaWestCoasthot-dogchainhegrewupwithrecentlyopenedjustafewblocksfromhisTempeArizonaofficeandhegottoenjoywithhisfellowsausageenthusiasts."Iwassoexcited"saystheInternetprojectmanagerwhorunsafast-foodfanWebsite."Andsowaseveryonethere." Infast-foodtermsBoruckiiscalleda"heavyuser"eventhoughheisquiteslender.Looselydefinedasthe20percentoffast-foodeaterswhoaccountfor60percentofallfast-foodsalesatypicalheavyuserismaleinhis20sor30sandextremelyloyaltotheburgersandfriesheloveslatelyheaviesarefeelingundersiegeasfast-foodchainshavecomeunderattack.ObesedinersaresuingcompanieslikeMcDonald’sforallegedlycontributingtotheirweightproblemsAndtheendlessfloodofstudiesdetailingthehorrorsofobesityprovideplentyofammoforthechattertypeswhowantheavyuserstochangetheirways. HeavyuserslikeBoruckiinsisttheydon’tneedsavingprotestingthattheyarefarfromtheuselessfattiesanti-fast-foodactivistsmakethemouttobe.ForhispartBoruckiisamoderateexerciser.Andhe’lloccasionallysubstituteasidesaladforhisregularfries.Indeedinarecentstudyofrestaurant-goersbytheresearchfirmTechnomic90percentsaidtheyhadconcernsaboutobesityand50percentsaidthey’dchangedtheireatinghabitsinthepastyearasaresult.Fast-foodcompanieshavenoticed.YoucangiveyourwaistlineabreaktodaywithaMcDonald’sfruit-and-walnutsaladorskiptheflame-broiledmeatandhaveaBurgerKingFire-Grilledsaladwithshrimpinstead.Thehealthyapproachisworking:salesareexpectedtoincreasebyasmuchas4percentthisyear. Heavyusersareadapting--intheirownway.They’reeatingChickenWhoppersaswellastherealthingandcuttingbackonanythingthathastheword"fried"initsname.McDonald’sdroppeditsSuperSizeportionsapparentlybecausecustomersstoppedorderingthegiganticservings."[But]theOuarterPounderwithCheeseortheBigMac--thoseitemswillnotbetouched"saysTechnomic’sDennisLombardi. JeremyHagemancantakesomecomfortinthat.The26-year-oldWebdesignerhitsthegymthreetimesaweeksothathecanindulgeinasmuchfastfoodashelikes."Ilikethingsthattastegood"Hagemansays.Hecameupwithaplan:eatmoreTacoBell."Forsomereason"hesays"itdoesn’tseemasbad." PeoplemayfindinMcDonald'sthat
Text2 Bigmacs.Nacho-CheeseChalupas.Subwaysubs.RobBoruckiadoresthemall.The37-yearoldindulgesinfast-foodfareatleastfivetimesaweek.AreallygooddayforBoruckiWhenWienerschnitzelaWestCoasthot-dogchainhegrewupwithrecentlyopenedjustafewblocksfromhisTempeArizonaofficeandhegottoenjoywithhisfellowsausageenthusiasts."Iwassoexcited"saystheInternetprojectmanagerwhorunsafast-foodfanWebsite."Andsowaseveryonethere." Infast-foodtermsBoruckiiscalleda"heavyuser"eventhoughheisquiteslender.Looselydefinedasthe20percentoffast-foodeaterswhoaccountfor60percentofallfast-foodsalesatypicalheavyuserismaleinhis20sor30sandextremelyloyaltotheburgersandfriesheloveslatelyheaviesarefeelingundersiegeasfast-foodchainshavecomeunderattack.ObesedinersaresuingcompanieslikeMcDonald’sforallegedlycontributingtotheirweightproblemsAndtheendlessfloodofstudiesdetailingthehorrorsofobesityprovideplentyofammoforthechattertypeswhowantheavyuserstochangetheirways. HeavyuserslikeBoruckiinsisttheydon’tneedsavingprotestingthattheyarefarfromtheuselessfattiesanti-fast-foodactivistsmakethemouttobe.ForhispartBoruckiisamoderateexerciser.Andhe’lloccasionallysubstituteasidesaladforhisregularfries.Indeedinarecentstudyofrestaurant-goersbytheresearchfirmTechnomic90percentsaidtheyhadconcernsaboutobesityand50percentsaidthey’dchangedtheireatinghabitsinthepastyearasaresult.Fast-foodcompanieshavenoticed.YoucangiveyourwaistlineabreaktodaywithaMcDonald’sfruit-and-walnutsaladorskiptheflame-broiledmeatandhaveaBurgerKingFire-Grilledsaladwithshrimpinstead.Thehealthyapproachisworking:salesareexpectedtoincreasebyasmuchas4percentthisyear. Heavyusersareadapting--intheirownway.They’reeatingChickenWhoppersaswellastherealthingandcuttingbackonanythingthathastheword"fried"initsname.McDonald’sdroppeditsSuperSizeportionsapparentlybecausecustomersstoppedorderingthegiganticservings."[But]theOuarterPounderwithCheeseortheBigMac--thoseitemswillnotbetouched"saysTechnomic’sDennisLombardi. JeremyHagemancantakesomecomfortinthat.The26-year-oldWebdesignerhitsthegymthreetimesaweeksothathecanindulgeinasmuchfastfoodashelikes."Ilikethingsthattastegood"Hagemansays.Hecameupwithaplan:eatmoreTacoBell."Forsomereason"hesays"itdoesn’tseemasbad." ThewordammoLine7Paragraph2mostprobablymeans
Whencompetitionisfierceandelbowsareflyingnothingismorenaturalthanthedesiretoclimbatoptheheap.Thebiggestfirmsinmostindustrieshaveanedge.Theyprobablybecamethebiggestbybeingthebest.46Theytendtobecomemoreefficientastheygrowreapingeconomiesofscalethusincreasingtheirmarginsandtheiradvantageoversmallerrivals.Beinglargeenoughtoshapeanindustrycanhelp.Andwhenthenationalchampionisfalteringthereisafairchancepoliticianswillconsiderittoobigtofail. 47Soyoumightthinkthatit’stimetocrackopenafewcansofthestuffatPepsiCowhichthisweeksurpassedCoca-Colainmarketvalueforthefirsttimein112yearsofcrazycompetition.AndyetwithoutwishingtospoilPepsi’spartythecaseforcelebrationisnotsoclear-cut.AsAmericahasdiscoveredinthegeopoliticsbusinessbeingnumberoneisnotmuchfun. Assoonasafirmclimbsabovethesharpelbowsofitsrivalsitstartsgettingpeltedwiththeeggsofanti-businessactivists.Peoplewhohatebigbusinessaimhigh.48SowhilebigbadWal-MartismockedTargethasinthepastcoupleofyearseasilycutthebenefitsofitsnon-unionworkers.Andwhenwasthelasttimeyousawananti-globalizationmobdestroyaBurgerKingoutlet 49UnlikeMicrosoftwhichisloathedbymanyforitsmonopolypowerApplehasnothadtocontendwiththousandsofyounghackersfightingtopokeholesinthesecurityofitsoperatingsystems.WhileNikewasinundatedwithcomplaintsaboutits"sweatshops"inpoorcountriesAdidassteadilyimproveditsbrandandhasrecentlyacquiredReeboktoemergeasastrongnumbertwo.IfonlyEbenezerScroogehadlivedacrosstownfromabiggerrivaltheghostsofChristmasmighthavepickedontheotherguyandleftthepoorcurmudgeontoagoodnight’ssleep. Asprotestersgetbetteratrunningmediacampaignsthesecond-bestadvantagemayevenbegrowing.50FirmssuchasFordBurgerKingandTargetdonothavedocumentary-makersqueuinguptoattacktheminsuchfilmsas"RogerandMe"GeneralMotors"SuperSizeMe"McDonald’sor"Wal-Mart:TheHighCostofLowPrice".Eveniftherunner-updoesgetcaughtdoingsomethingunpopularitcanpintheblameonmercilesscompetitionfromtheevilnumberone. FirmssuchasFordBurgerKingandTargetdonothavedocumentary-makersqueuinguptoattacktheminsuchfilmsasRogerandMeGeneralMotorsSuperSizeMeMcDonald’sorWal-Mart:TheHighCostofLowPrice.
Thewinnertakesallitiswidelysupposedincomputingcircles.Indeedgeekshavecoinedaword"Googlearchy"forthewayinwhichsearchenginesencouragewebtraffictowardsthemostpopularsites.46Thebeliefthatsearchenginesmakepopularwebsitesevermorepopularattheexpenseofotherpagesisnowbeingchallengedbyresearch. 47TheapparentlymagicalabilityofsearchenginessuchasGoogletoreturnrelevantwebsitesevenwhengiventhesketchiestofcluesbythepersonenteringaqueryreliesontheuseofmathematicalrecipesoralgorithms.Googleworksbyanalysingthestructureofthewebitself.Eachofitsbillionsofpagescanlinktootherpagesandcanalsointurnbelinkedtobyothers.Furthermoreifthepagesthatlinktothispageamalsoimportantthenthatpageisevenmorelikelytobeimportant.48ThealgorithmhasbeenmadeincreasinglycomplexovertheyearstodeterthosewhowouldmanipulatetheirpagestoappearhigherintherankingsbutitremainsattheheartofGoogle’ssuccess. Googleisnotaloneinthis.Manysearchenginestakeaccountofthenumberoflinkstoawebsitewhentheyreturntheresultsofasearch.49Becauseofthisthereisawidespreadbeliefamongcomputersocialandpoliticalscientiststhatsearchenginescreateaviciouscirclethatamplifiesthedominanceofestablishedandalreadypopularwebsites.Pagesreturnedbysearchenginesaremorelikelytobediscoveredandconsequentlylinkedtobyothers. NotsoaccordingtoacontroversialnewpaperthathasrecentlyappearedonarXivanonlinecollectionofphysicsandrelatedpapers.InitSantoFortunatoandhiscolleaguesatIndianaUniversityinAmericaandBielefeldUniversityinGermanyclaimthatsearchenginesactuallyhaveanegalitarianeffectthatincreasestraffictolesspopularsites. Theresearchersdevelopedamodelthatdescribedtwoextremecases.Inthefirstpeoplebrowsedthewebonlybysurfingrandomlinks.Inthesecondpeopleonlyvisitedpagesthatwerereturnedbysearchengines.Theresearchersthenturnedtotherealworld.Theyplottedthetraffictoawebsite--measuredasthefractionofallpageviewsmadeinathree-monthperiod--againstthenumberofincominglinksmadetothatwebsite.50Totheirsurprisetheyfoundthattherelationshipbetweenthetwodidnotliebetweentheextremessuggestedbytheirmodelbutsomewherecompletelydifferent.Itappearstoshowthatthesupposedbiasinfavourofpopularpagesisactuallymitigatedbythecombinationofsearchenginesandpeoplefollowingrandomlinks. Thebeliefthatsearchenginesmakepopularwebsitesevermorepopularattheexpenseofotherpagesisnowbeingchallengedbyresearch.
Text3 Thenextbigworkoutcrazeisoneevenacouchpotatocouldlove.Itstartswithawarm-up:atriptothesupermarket.Thenthere’salargedinnerfollowedbysomeleisurelyhoursspentdoingcrosswordpuzzles.Finallythere’sthecool-downalongbubblebath.Keepthisupandyou’llbebuffinnotime. Mentallybuffatanyrate.Thisisaworkoutforyourbrain--anexampleof"neurobics"amovementthat’sgainingmomentumamongthoselookingtostaysharpastheyage.Somepsychologistsclaimthatbyadjustingyourroutineinsmallwaysliketakingadifferentroutetothegrocerystoreorstimulatingyoursenseswithanewfragrancedbathproductyoucanencourageneuronstobuildmoreconnectionstoeachother.ThoughscientistsknowlittleabouttheearlystagesofAlzheimer’sclinicalevidenceisstartingtoshowthatmental"exercises"likethesemaywarditoff. Neurobicsgotstartedwiththe1999bookKeepYourBrainAlivebyDukeUniversityneurobiologistLarryKatzandwriterManningRubin.Sincethenthetermhasenteredcommonusageit’sdefinedinatleastoneslangdictionaryandinspirednumerousimitators.Entrepreneursnowoffercoursesthatteachneurobicexercisesalongsidemoretraditionalseminarsonhandlingstressandexpressingemotions.CorporatetrainerslikeMindGymrunemployeesthrough90minute"workouts"designedtoincreaseproductivity.There’salsotheMyBrainTrainer.comsiteapaidservicethatprovidesaccesstogameslikethoseusedinpsychologicalexperimentstotestcognitiveability.There’snoevidencethatthesegamesareanybetterforyouthansayscrabble.ButMyBrainTrainercreatorBruceFriedmansayshegetsa"neuralbuzz"fromthem--andhe’stakeneachmorethan1600times. Stillit’sagoodbetthatasimplechangeinroutinewillbejustaseffective.Ifthatdoesn’tseemmentallywearingconsiderhowyougoaboutmostneurobicactivitiesinordinarylife.Mostlikelyyou’regoingthroughthemotions--drivingonroadsyouknowbyheartswallowingdowndinnerwithoutsavoringitstasteortexture.Changingthingswillforceyoutopayattentiontowhatyou’redoing.Eventhosewhoareskepticalaboutneurobics’potentialforpreventingAlzheimer’shavetoadmitthatisn’tabadthing. BruceFriedmanseemstosuggestthat
Text1 Extrapolatingfromtheadage"twoheadsarebetterthanone"agroupofeconomistsattheUniversityofIowahaslearnedhowtoturntheinstinctsofindividualsintousefulpredictionsofthefuture.SofartheresearchershavetestedtheirmethodbypredictingtheoutcomeofsucheventsastheAmericanpresidentialelectionandthenumberofbookssoldonthefirstdayofaHarryPotterrelease.Nowtheyhaveturnedtheirsightstoinfluenza. Theinfluenzainquestionisnotthepandemicbird-flu-relatedsortthatiscurrentlyacauseforconcernbutthequotidianbugthatlayspeoplelowparticularlyinwinter.Eventhisdiseaseisnottrivialitkillsforinstanceabout36000peopleinAmericaandpossiblyasmanyas12000peopleinBritaineveryyear.Ifoutbreakscouldbepredictedpatientsatparticularriskcouldbevaccinatedandmedicalpersonnelredeployedinanticipation.$oPhilipPolgreenandhiscolleagueswonderediftheycouldsucceedwheremedicalsciencehadfailedandgiveadequatewarningofinfluenzaoutbreaks. America’sCentresforDiseaseControlCDCtrackinfluenzacasesinthecountryastheyhappen.Aweeklatertheyreleasethedatainpartbyusingacolour-codedmap.Thecoloursreflectthelevelofinfluenzaactivityineachstateonafive-pointscalewithyellowrepresenting"noactivity"andredrepresenting"widespreadactivity". IntheirstudyDrPolgreenandhiscolleaguesgave60doctorsandnursesbasedinIowa100"fludollars"each.TheparticipantsusedthesetobuyandsellsharescodedaccordingtotheCDC’scoloursforaparticularweekinthefuturebasedonhowmanycasestheythoughtwouldoccurinthestateduringthatweek.Forexampleifaphysiciansawthreeyoungchildrenwithflusymptomsinhisofficehemightsellanyyellowshareshehadforthefollowingweekandbuyredones.Converselyifnoonehesawseemedtohavetroublewithinfluenzahemightbuymoreyelloworgreensporadicactivitysharesforeachofthenextfewweeks. OverthecourseofthefluseasonfromOctober2004toApril200552participantsloggedintothemarketastraders.Theywereabletobuyandselluptosevenweeksinadvance.Attheendoftheexperimenteachfludollarwasconvertedintoarealoneandgiventotheparticipantsintheformofaneducationalgrant. Ifmostparticipantsendupwithgreensharesitmeans
Text1 Extrapolatingfromtheadage"twoheadsarebetterthanone"agroupofeconomistsattheUniversityofIowahaslearnedhowtoturntheinstinctsofindividualsintousefulpredictionsofthefuture.SofartheresearchershavetestedtheirmethodbypredictingtheoutcomeofsucheventsastheAmericanpresidentialelectionandthenumberofbookssoldonthefirstdayofaHarryPotterrelease.Nowtheyhaveturnedtheirsightstoinfluenza. Theinfluenzainquestionisnotthepandemicbird-flu-relatedsortthatiscurrentlyacauseforconcernbutthequotidianbugthatlayspeoplelowparticularlyinwinter.Eventhisdiseaseisnottrivialitkillsforinstanceabout36000peopleinAmericaandpossiblyasmanyas12000peopleinBritaineveryyear.Ifoutbreakscouldbepredictedpatientsatparticularriskcouldbevaccinatedandmedicalpersonnelredeployedinanticipation.$oPhilipPolgreenandhiscolleagueswonderediftheycouldsucceedwheremedicalsciencehadfailedandgiveadequatewarningofinfluenzaoutbreaks. America’sCentresforDiseaseControlCDCtrackinfluenzacasesinthecountryastheyhappen.Aweeklatertheyreleasethedatainpartbyusingacolour-codedmap.Thecoloursreflectthelevelofinfluenzaactivityineachstateonafive-pointscalewithyellowrepresenting"noactivity"andredrepresenting"widespreadactivity". IntheirstudyDrPolgreenandhiscolleaguesgave60doctorsandnursesbasedinIowa100"fludollars"each.TheparticipantsusedthesetobuyandsellsharescodedaccordingtotheCDC’scoloursforaparticularweekinthefuturebasedonhowmanycasestheythoughtwouldoccurinthestateduringthatweek.Forexampleifaphysiciansawthreeyoungchildrenwithflusymptomsinhisofficehemightsellanyyellowshareshehadforthefollowingweekandbuyredones.Converselyifnoonehesawseemedtohavetroublewithinfluenzahemightbuymoreyelloworgreensporadicactivitysharesforeachofthenextfewweeks. OverthecourseofthefluseasonfromOctober2004toApril200552participantsloggedintothemarketastraders.Theywereabletobuyandselluptosevenweeksinadvance.Attheendoftheexperimenteachfludollarwasconvertedintoarealoneandgiventotheparticipantsintheformofaneducationalgrant. IftheCDC'smapturnsallreditmeans
Portabledevicesarebecominglighterandmoreappealing.Booksarebeing1intodigitalformbythethousands.Themostimportant2forwardmaybein"digitalink"thetechnologyusedfor3lettersonascreen.AsmallcompanycalledEInkhascreatedamethodfor4tinyblackandwhitecapsulesintowordsand5withanelectroniccharge.Becausenopowerisused6thereaderchangesthepagedeviceswiththetechnologycouldgo720booksbetweenbatterycharges.Thetextalsolooksjustas8asinkonaprintedpage. Sonyisthefirstmajorplayertotake9ofthetechnology.Thisyear.itwillmarkettheSonyReaderwhichusesEInkandclosely10thesizeweightand11ofabook.TheReaderwillsell12about$400.Sonyalsowillofferroughly10000book13fordownloadfromitsonlinestore14newsstones. Otherplayerstrytocatchtheopportunitytoo.Atleasttwo15companiesareintroducingdigitalreadersthisyear.AndscoresofcompaniesfromGoogletoRandomHouseInc.areplanningotherwaysto16fromdigitalbooks.Allthis17totheinfluenceofAppleComputerInc..WithitsiPodApplehas18thatmillionsofpeoplearewillingtocarryarounddigitaldeviceswiththeirfavoritecontent19musicwhynotnovelsandnonfictionAccordingtooneCEOwithalargepublishingcompanytheiPodledthewayingettingpeoplecomfortablewithasimilardeviceforbooks.Suchthingsarenotonly20butagoodidea. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCandDonANSWERSHEET1.16
PartB Directions: Studythefollowingdrawingcarefullyandwriteanessayinwhichyoushould 1describethedrawing 2interpretitsmeaningand 3giveyourcommentonit.
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