总量指标是最基本的统计指标,是计算()指标的基础。
A Pay Rise or Not
"Unless I get a rise, I'll have a talk with the boss, Henry Manley," George Strong said to himself. George liked his job and he liked the town he lived in, but his wife kept telling him that his pay was not enough to meet the needs of the family. That was why he was thinking of taking a job in Birmingham, a nearby city about 50 miles away. He had been offered a job in a factory there, and the pay was far better.
George lived in Wyeford, a medium-sized town. He really liked the place and didn't like the idea of moving somewhere else, but if he took the job in Birmingham, he would have to move his family there.
Henry Manley was the manager of a small company manufacturing electric motors.The company was in deep trouble because, among other reasons, the Japanese were selling such things at very low prices. As a result, Manley had to cut his own prices and profits as well. Otherwise he would not get any orders at all. Even then, orders were still not coming in fast. enough, so that there was no money for raises (加工资) for his workers.Somehow, he had to struggle along and keep his best workers as well. He sighed. Just then the phone rang.
His secretary told him that George Strong wanted to see him as soon as possible. Manley sighed again. He could guess what it was about. George Strong was a very young engineer. The company had no future unless it could attract and keep men like him. Manley rubbed his forehead (前额); his problems seemed endless.
第 16 题 Henry Manley was already deeply in debt.
A. Right
B. Wrong
C. Not mentioned
Sleepless at Night
It was a normal summer night. Humidity (湿气) hung in the thick air.
I couldn't go to sleep, partly because of my cold and partly because of my expectations for the next day. My mum had said that tomorrow was going to be a surprise.
Sweat stuck to my aching body. Finally, I gathered enough strength to sit up. Ilooked out of my small window into the night. There was a big bright moon hanging in the sky, giving off a magic glow.
I couldn't stand the pressure anymore, so I did what I always do to make myself feel better. I went to the bathroom and picked up my toothbrush and toothpaste. I cleaned my teeth as if there was no tomorrow. Back and forth, up and down.
Then I walked downstairs to look for some signs of movement some life. Gladiator,my cat, frightened me as he meowed (喵喵地唱出) his sad song. He was on the old orange couch (长沙发), sitting up on his front legs, waiting for something to happen. He looked at me as if to say, "I'm lonely, pet me. I need a good hug (紧抱)." Even the couch begged me to sit on it.
In one movement I settled down onto the soft couch. This couch represented my parents' marriage, my birth, and hundreds of other little events.
As I held Gladiator, my heart started beating heavily.My mind was flooded with questions: What's life Am I really alive Are you listening to me Every time I moved my hand down Gladiator's body, I had a new thought; each touch sang a different song.
I forgot all about the heat and the next day's surprise. The atmosphere was so full of warmth and silence that I sank into its arms. Falling asleep with the big cat in my arms, I felt all my worries slowly move away.
第 31 题 The author of the passage could not go to sleep partly because.
A. it was too cold.
B. it was too dry.
C. he had a cold.
D. he had a fever.
"Salty" Rice Plant Boosts Harvests
British scientists are breeding a new generation of rice plants that will be able to grow in soil containing salt water. Their work may enable abandoned farms to become productive once more.
Tim Flowers and Tony Yeo, from Sussex University's School of Biological Sciences,have spent several years researching how crops, such as rice, could be made to grow in,water that has become salty.
The pair have recently begun a three-year programme, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological sciences Research Council, to establish which genes enable some plants to survive salty conditions. The aim is to breed this capability into crops, starting with rice.
It is estimated that each year more than 10m hectares (公顷) of agricultural land are lost because salt gets into the soil and stunts (妨碍生长) plants. The problem is caused by several factors. In the tropics, mangroves (红树林) that create swamps (沼泽) and traditionally formed barriers to sea water have been cut down. In the Mediterranean, a series of droughts have caused the water table to drop, allowing sea water to seep (渗透) in. In Latin America, irrigation often causes problems when water is evaporated (蒸发) by the neat, leaving salt deposits behind.
Excess salt then enters the plants and prevents them functioning normally. Heavy concentrations of minerals in the plants stop them drawing up .the water they need to survive.
To overcome these problems, Flowers and Yeo decided to breed rice plants that take in very little salt and store what they do absorb in cells that do not affect the plants,growth. They have started to breed these characteristics into a new rice crop, but it will take about eight harvests before the resulting seeds are ready to be considered for commercial use.
Once the characteristics for surviving salty soil are known, Flowers and Yeo will try to breed the appropriate genes into all manners of crops and plants. Land that has been abandoned to nature will then be able to bloom again, providing much needed food in the poorer countries of the world.
第 41 题 Which of the following statements about Flowers and Yeo is true.
A. They are students at Sussex University.
B. They are rice breeders.
C. They'are husband and wife.
D. They are colleagues at an institution of higher learning.