The three biggest lies in American are: (1)" The check is in the mail." (2)" Of course I' 11 respect you in the morning." (3)" It was a computer error."
Of these three little white lies, the worst of the lot by far is the third. It' s the only one that can never be true. Today, if a bank statement cheats you out of $900 that way, you know what the clerk is sure to say:" It was a computer error." Nonsense. The computer is reporting nothing more than what the clerk typed into it.
The most irritating case of all is when the computerized cash register in the grocery store shows that an item costs more than it actually does. If the innocent buyer points out the mistake, the checker, bagger, and manger all come together and offer the familiar explanation:" It was a computer error."
It wasn' t, of course. That high-tech cash register is really nothing more than an electric eye. The eye reads the Universal Product Code-that ribbon of black and white lines in a comer of the package-and then checks the code against a price list stored in memory. If the price list is right, you' I1 be charged accurately.
Grocery stores update the price list each day-that is, somebody sits at a keyboard and types in the prices. If the price typed in is too high, there are only two explanations: carelessness or dishonesty. But somehow" a computer error" is supposed to excuse everything.
One reason we let people hide behind a computer is the common misperception that huge, modem computers are" electric brains" with" artificial intelligence." At some point there might be a machine with intelligence, but none exists today. The smartest computer on Earth right now is no more" intelligent" than your average screwdriver. At this point in the development of computers, the only thing any machine can do is what a human has instructed it to do.
We are told that a high-tech cash register is really just______.
A. an electric instrument of sight.
B. a simple adding machine.
C. a way to keep employees honest.
D. an expensive piece of window dressing.
房地产金融就是发生在房地产领域中的货币资金和()的融通。
A. 货币信用
B. 货币对换
C. 货币流向
D. 资金筹集
SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
Directions: In this section, you will hear several news items. Listen to them carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
听力原文: Police in Spain say that they have seized nearly three tons of illegal ivory in a raid on a workshop in the capital Madrid. They say it's the biggest single haul of carved ivory ever found. Investigators estimate that it would have come from around four hundred African elephants. The police say the owner of the workshop could only prove that five hundred kilos of the ivory in his possession had been legally bought.
What can be inferred from the news?
A. Ivory trading is prohibited in Spain.
B. Most of the seized ivory is not legally bought.
C. The ivory came from 400 African elephants.
D. The workshop owner was caught smuggling.
听力原文:F: Good morning, Professor Zhang. Welcome to our program. Would you like to say hello to the audience?
M: Hello, everyone! And good morning, Miss Zhou. I'm glad to be here to attend your program.
F: It's our honor to have you here, Professor. In the past Labor's Day, we enjoyed a seven-day break. Many people spent their holidays traveling. Yet, instead of relaxing themselves, they found themselves having suffered a lot. They were trapped in hotels, railway stations, and airports because they couldn't get the tickets back; they were unable to appreciate the scenery because there were huge crowds all the time. They complained to the travel agencies for their terrible service. They believed the government is only interested in making money and care about nothing else. What's your comment on it?
M: Well, the so-called "holiday economy" should have been a good thing. To the government, tourism contributes significantly to GNP, it boosts the local commerce, it provides seasonal jobs for many people thus solve or ease the problem of unemployment, and helps them to understand different customs, widen their horizons, gives them a chance to enjoy the beautiful scenery and the wonders of mankind.
F: Then how come the holiday turned out to be a big headache?
M: Well, the reasons are rather complicated. To put it briefly, the government had underestimated the number of the tourists. They were not fully prepared. This is indeed a lesson for us and worth thinking carefully. There is a huge potential market for developing tourism, but you have to invest a lot of things like better facilities, better service before you make good money.
Where did this dialogue take place?
A. In a TV studio.
B. In an auditorium.
C. In a laboratory.
D. In a classroom.