题目内容
The economy started 2006 extremely strong in spite of record oil prices and rising interest rates. An unusually mild winter across much of the country is part of the story, but the lack of worry by consumers and business about oil prices is an even bigger part. The question remains, will we continue to glide down the economic highway or slip on oil？
Oil prices have raised overall consumer prices and cut into household purchasing power. So far the higher costs haven't deterred(阻止) buying, even buying of cars and other energy-sensitive items. The major reason for the lack of reaction is that oil is less important to the economy than it once was. Oil, which produced 45% of world energy in 1971, accounted for only 35% in 2003, with increases in nuclear and natural gas use making up the difference.
GM, Ford, and Chrysler suffered as buyers shifted to more fuel-efficient vehicles from Toyota and Honda, but the shift was hot pronounced. Admittedly, light truck sales are holding up in part because manufacturers are offering large discounts to "move the metal", but the fact that buyers are responding to those incentives shows they aren't too scared of gas prices.
Americans continue to spend more than they earn, but gasoline prices will have an effect. Although the April chain store results suggest gasoline prices aren't hurting much yet, eventually Americans will be forced to realize that they have to slow down. We expect the economy to slow in the second half of the year as the impact of higher oil prices sinks in. How much the economy slows will depend on how high oil prices remain. We expect some drop in oil prices by yearend, but I have been saying that for so long even I am starting not to believe it.
The anger against the oil companies is clearly misplaced. Exxon and friends control only a small share of world oil reserves. Most are now in the hands of state-owned oil companies. The recent move by Bolivia to nationalize its industry is only the latest in a long line of similar actions. The history of these enterprises is one of severe underinvestment and mismanagement, which tends to reduce supply and keep prices high. The risk on oil prices is primarily on the high side of our forecast.
Although I think oil prices will drop back in the medium term, to address my serious worries, I'm buying my wife a bike for Mothers' Day.
The economy at the beginning of 2006 is not affected by the high oil price mainly because ______.
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Section B
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.
The first innovation in the design of combat binoculars(双筒望远镜)in over 200 years is on the horizon. The device, called "talking binoculars", is derived from the strategic satellite-to-satellite communications program. The idea is to use one pair of binoculars to project a laser beam to carry a scout's' observations to a second pair as the receiver.
Military scouts today cannot use radios during radio silent scouting missions inside enemy territory because the enemy can detect and locate their transmissions. With the new "talking" binoculars, when a forward military scout sees the enemy through transmitting laser binoculars and depresses the target locate and store button, global positioning system technology will measure the enemy's target position. Then, the binoculars store the information and use its invisible laser beam to transmit the enemy's position to a receiving set of binoculars. The receiving scout can then immediately transmit target data back to the lines. The military scout will no longer need maps, have to depend on written notes, or leave a position to report back to the commander.
The innovative binoculars also solve the aged-data problem by relaying the military scout's observations in near-real time to the commander in the tactical(战术的) operations center. The scout does not need to personally return to lines to make a report which is aged by the time the commander receives it.
"Enemy detection of the binoculars is near impossible because the weak laser beam is projected from point to point," Strickland said. "An enemy searching for a weak' laser source requires sensitive optical detectors and must be near the receiver to detect the weak laser. It will be much easier for the scout to see the enemy than for the enemy to detect the laser beam. By comparison, radio broadcast is transmitted in all directions, allowing easy detection by a prepared enemy from all angles." he said.
Digital laser communications is a valuable technology. Its advantage stems from providing high data rate communications capability when the mission prevents scouts from using their radios. A weak laser beam can carry digitized voice messages, targeting data and high-quality video images at extremely high data rates.
Military planners are already envisioning a day when all communications on a battlefield, between tanks or between tanks and helicopters, to name only two examples, are transmitted by laser. Theoretically, a laser-based communications system could handle 200,000 voice channels. Currently, even the most powerful high-capacity lasers, capable of transmitting 100 TV channels, weigh only 29 pounds, so they are easily deployed on vehicles or aircraft. In the future, lasers may also transmit information directly from orbiting satellites.
Without the talking binoculars, a scout during radio silent scouting missions ______.
The fact that blind people can "see" things using other parts of their bodies apart from their eyes may help us to understand our feeling about color. If they can【B1】differences, then perhaps we, too, are affected by【B2】unconsciously.
Manufacturers have discovered by【B3】that sugar sells badly in green wrap pings,【B4】blue foods are considered unpleasant, and the cosmetics should never be packaged【B5】brown. These discoveries have grown【B6】a whole discipline of color psychology that now finds【B7】in everything from fashion to interior decoration. Some of our【B8】are clearly psychological. Dark blue is the color of the night sky and【B9】associated with passivity and calm, while yellow is a day color with【B10】of energy and incentive. For primitive man, activity during the day【B11】hunting and attacking, while he soon saw as red, the color of blood and rage and the heat that came【B12】effort. And green is associated with passive【B13】and self preservation. Experiments have【B14】that green, partly because of its【B15】associations, also has a direct psychological【B16】, it is a calming color. Because of its exciting connotations, red was chosen as the signal for danger.【B17】closer analysis shows that a vivid yellow can produce a【B18】basic state of alertness and【B19】, so fire engines and ambulances in some advanced communities are now【B20】around in bright yellow color.
【B1】
A．The food was pretty good there.B．The food there was not as good as Korean food.C．She
A．To persuade Mary to spend more time on her lessons.B．To help Mary to prepare for the
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