Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The 1950s and 60s brought many new things to American offices, including the Xerox machine , word processing and -- perhaps less famously -- the first National Secretaries Day, in 1952. Secretaries of that era expected a bright future, and many saw their job as a ticket to a better life. But nearly 60 years later, on the date now promoted as Administrative Professionals Day, we 're living through the end of a recession in which around two million secretaries lost their jobs after bosses discovered they could handle their calendars and travel arrangements online, and found their assistants unnecessary. Clearly, technological advances haven't made things turn out quite the way those mid-century futurists imagined. 'New technologies did make the lives of 20th-century secretaries easier. But even from the start, the relationship between secretaries and technology was fraught. As early as 1966, with the introduction of the first computerized word-processing system, secretaries were worrying that machines could, replace them. Coffee has long been a flash point for emotions about the differences between service and servility in offices . In the 1970s, when the second wave of feminism began to change the traditional relationship of male boss and female secretary , more than one secretary was fired for refusing to make , fetch or serve coffee .In Los Angeles, in 1973, one secretary , Leona Pendleton, was fired for being "unqualified , and failing to obey instructions " after refusing to make coffee . This sort of thing still happens today . It's interesting to note that strengthening their positions as being important indicators of social status has often been one way secretaries have tried to keep themselves from being dismissed.. After all these years , a human being still needs to plug in Mr. Coffee and deliver his output . But that won't save an assistant's job from the stomach of computerization . Secretaries can only hope that bosses won't take the human in question for granted , a sign that not... Question: Why were so many secretaries fired during this recession? ? , Options: A: Many companies were closed down. ? B: Bosses have become less dependent on assistance. C: Secretaries no longer make coffee for their bosses. D: The social distance between secretaries and bosses has changed.
B

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: While the history of technology can be traced along many lines, one of the most amazing development is that of photo technology, the technology of light.From the prehistoric invention of fire to laser beams and fiber optics , light has "continually occupied the minds of inventors".Their inventions fall into two groups: the use of light to help us see better and more interestingly, the use of light for purposes of communication. The use of light for communicating is one of the major directions that technology has taken ever since the middle of the nineteenth century.From still photography to motion pictures to television (with a development from black - and - white to color1 imagery in each), photo technology has had a great effect upon mass communication and mass education.Unlike the printed words, visual images have more impact because they are more immediate.They copy reality in a way that the printed words cannot.Unlike letter shapes, they are not abstract; unlike words, they require no symbolic interpretation by the mind.Combined with the widespread and uniform spreading of such images, photo technology affects the thinking of vast audiences and shapes their view of reality. Millions of Americans are affected by the commercially - inspired electronic manipulation of artificial images.We call it "entertainment" and can't wait to get more. As the number of commercially available television channels grows, the viewer's freedom of choice increases, but so does the burden of that choice.Increasingly he is faced with a sea of in formation and is asked to make quick choices. More significantly, the ease and rapidity of mass communication has created a supply of information greater than it can readily be absorbed.Flooded in the sea of information, the individual struggles to swim through it. Question: The passage is mainly about _ . Options: A: the history of technology B: the speed of mass communication C: the influence of light on communication D: the great number of television channels
C

(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The amazing image shows the world's largest ever cruise ship, complete with beach pool, shopping mall, rock-climbing walls, outdoor amphitheater and New York-style loft suites .The "traveling city" is being built on dry-docks in Finland by Royal Caribbean International, and she is named Oasis of the Seas. Almost 1,200 feet long, 154 feet wide and rising 213 feet above the water line, the Oasis of the Seas will be able to host 3,000 crew to service every passenger's need.In addition to the size, the Oasis of the Seas will also be the first ship that attracts people by the cruise line's new neighborhood concept: 7 distinct themed areas, including Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone.Of all these areas, the excellent zone will be "Central Park". Protected from the weather by a clear screen to let in the light, the Central Park area will be themed on Caribbean plants and leaves reflecting the area which the ship will eventually cruise in.And the park zone will have different restaurants, bars and boutique shops, bringing the idea of "floating city" to reality. In addition, Oasis of the Seas will also include a rock wall, over 15 restaurants and bars, a casino , a theatre, two night-clubs and the largest freshwater pool on any cruise liner. "Royal Caribbean is proud to introduce a number of 'firsts' that the world has never seen before," said Adam Goldstein, "Oasis of the Seas is the ultimate expression of the creativity and imagination found on all of our ships, providing guests with a collection of experiences that will offer an incredible cruise vacation." Question: It can be inferred from the passage that _ . Options: A: the Oasis of the Seas hasn't been built well so far B: 7 distinct themed areas are being built on dry-docks C: the "traveling city" can hold 3,000 passengers D: the "traveling city" is a beauty spot
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A