A reporter who has visited plants throughout Europe has an impression that the pace of work is much slower here. Nobody tries too hard. Tea breaks do matter and are frequent. It is hard to measure intensity of work, but Britons give a distinct impression of going at their tasks in a more leisurely way.
But is all this so terrible? It certainly does not improve the gross national product or output per worker. Those observant visitors, however, have noticed something about Britain. It is a pleasant place.
Street crowds in Stockholm. Paris and New York move quickly and silently heads down, all in a hurry. London crowds tend to walk at an easy pace (except in the profitable, efficient city, the financial district).
Every stranger is struck by the patient and orderly way in which Britons queue for a bus. If the saleswoman is slow and out of stock, she will likely say, "Oh dear, what a pity The rubbish collectors stop to chat and call the housewives "Luv". Crime rises here as in every city but there still remains a gentle tone and temper that is unmatched in Berlin, Milan or Detroit.
In short, what is wrong with Britain may also be what is right. Having reached a tolerable standard, Britons appear to be choosing leisure over goods.
What happens when quarrels over job opportunities arise among British unions?
A. More jobs will be provided by the union.
B. Thirty three percent of the workers can’t be employed.
C. More people will be employed than necessary.
D. The unions will try to increase productivity.
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According to the writer of this article, how many people sign up as new mobile phone subscribers in China every month?
A. 10 million.
B. million.
C. 5 million.
D. 22 million.
The fact is that the typical English pub is changing, partly 【24】______ the licensing laws not being so strict as they 【25】______ ,but also because publicans are trying to 【26】______ away with the old Victorian 【27】______ of the pub and 【28】______ provide couples with an atmosphere where they can both feel happy. Pub used not to open 【29】______ at certain times. The result was that they were usually 【30】______ with men who seemed to be drinking as much as possible in the time 【31】______ . But that kind of pub is quickly becoming a thing of the past.
Curiously enough, the old British licensing laws, which foreigners found so objectionable and absurd, were 【32】______ introduced as a 【33】______ measure to stop workers drinking in the World War I. 【34】______ , the strong Puritanical 【35】______ in Parliament took 【36】______ of the law and 【37】______ it.
Opening hours are 【38】______ limited to eight hours a day, but the publican can now choose which hours 【39】______ him best. And nowadays you can even get a cup of coffee if you prefer 【40】______ beer. But in spite of this the Puritans would never dream of admitting that a pub could become a repeatable place.
【21】
A. and
B. though
C. when
D. as
听力原文: For the past few weeks we have been discussing national energy conservation alternatives for the future. Today I am going to talk about what one community is presently doing to conserve energy. The people of Davis California have succeeded in cutting their energy consumption by one third since 1973. The first energy saving action that was taken in the early 70’s was the legislation of strict building codes; all new houses in Davis must have the proper insulation so that heat will not escape unnecessarily in the winter. New houses also face north or south so that they will not be overheated by the sun in summer. The laws have had a definite effect, Since 1976, there has been a 50% saving in the amount of natural gas and electricity used in heating and air conditioning. There are other energy saving features about Davis. Buses, partially supported by the city, transplant university students throughout the area. There are twenty-four miles of bicycle paths and today there are twice as many bicycles as cars in the city. By reducing the available parking space the city council has succeeded in reducing the number of cars in the city every day. Another benefit of the reduced parking space is the greater number of small cars. People are saving gas because they are choosing not drive or because they are driving fuel economic cars. Davis California has become an energy saving model for other cities. Time is up for today. Next week we will return to our regular topic of national energy alternatives.
What is the main topic of the lecture?
A. Bicycles and cars.
Building codes.
C. New housing construction.
D. Energy conservation.
When-did Ali announce that he had become a Black Muslim?
A. He announced that he had become a Black Muslim after defeating Liston in a championship fight.
B. He announced that he had become a Black Muslim while he was still an amateur boxer.
C. He announced that he had become a Black Muslim after the Vietnam War.
D. He announced that he had become a Black Muslim when he retired form. boxing in 1980.