The United States is already one year into a depression That was the news this week from the Na-tional Bureau of Economic Research. The downturn is the longest since a depression that began in 1981and lasted sixteen months. Economists generally wait for production to shrink for six months in a row before they declare a re-cession. But the bureau, a private group, uses a wider set of information to measure the economy. Thenews only confirmed what many people already knew: that the world's largest economy is weak and maynot recover soon. Worsening conclitions have led to a big drop in spending, especially on costly products like new cars. Even Japanese automaker Toyota saw its sales fall thirty - four percent in the United States in November from a year ago. The heads of Chrysler, Ford and General Motors retumed to Congress this week to again ask for federal aid. Congressional leaders denounced them two weeks ago after they came in private jets with no clear plans for saving their industry. This time, the chiefs drove to Washington in fuel- saving hybrid vehicles. And their companies presented detailed restructuring plans. The reguest for aid has risen from twenty-five billion dollars two weeks ago to thirty-four billion in loans and credit lines. G.M. wants almost half of that, and says it needs four billion dollars this month. It warned that without support it cannot continue to operate. Ford is in a better position, But the sharing of suppliers means it could be affected if G.M. or Chrysler fails. Ford is asking for a nine billion dollar credit line in case it needs it. Chrysler is the smallest and most trouble of America's Big Three. It says it needs a seven billion dollar loan by the end of the month. Two days of congressional hearings began Thursday in the Senate Banking Committee. The chairman, Democrat Chris Dodd, said he would support helping the automakers for the good of the economy. But the committee's top Republican, Richard Shelby, continued to express opposition to a bailout . A main root of... Which of the following is asking for the largest federal aide A) G.M. B) Toyota. C) Chrysler. D) Ford.
A
(Question)
What would make it to your list of top 10 country songs? This article talks about the classic songs that make the cut... Ring of fire Sung by Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire remains as powerful a song today as it was when it was written and sung in the 1960's. Johnny Cash's singing, together with June Carter's lyrics , makes it on any list of top 10 country songs. Sweet Dreams Sweet Dreams was released after Patsy Cline's death in a plane crash. It reflects her emotional style. The song is a good sample of one of the most successful and talented musicians of the 20th century. Written by Don Gibson, this country song is an all-time classic, and one of the most popular country songs around. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry Sung by Hand Williams, this soul stirring country song is still loved by millions of fans worldwide, because of the spirit its lyrics convey and Williams' beautiful voice. Many artists have recorded their own versions, but nothing comes close to the magical original . Coat of Many Colors Dolly Parton's single from the album of the same name, describing the poverty of her youth, is widely regarded as one of her best works, and also one of the best country songs ever. Coat of Many Colors made it to Time Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. Calypso Although John Denver's Country Roads, Annie's Song and Rocky Mountain High are perhaps more famous. Calypso with its powerful notes and lyrics remains my favorite John Denver country song of all time. The kiss Faith Hill's foot tapper make it to the number one slot on the Country Charts in both the US and Canada. Although her single Breathe is also amazing, This Kiss may well be one of the top 10 country songs of all time. By listening to the song Coat of Many Colors, we can know _ . A) the happy life of Dolly Parton B) something about Time Magazine C) something about Dolly Parton's youth. D) the life of most Americans from Dolly Parton's time
(Answer)
C
Question: A ground-based system that uses much stronger signals than GPS can find your location in cities and indoors. It is a new positioning system that could compete with GPS to make sure you never lose your directions again. Instead of satellites, Locata uses ground-based equipment to send a radio signal over a localized area that is a million times stronger on arrival than GPS. It can work indoors as well as outdoors, and the makers claim that the receivers can be shrunk to fit inside a regular cell phone. Even the US armies, which invented GPS technology, signed a file last month agreeing to a test of Locata at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. "This is one of the most important technology developments for the future of the positioning industry," says Nunzio Gambale, CEO and co-founder of the firm Locata, based in Griffith, Australia. As for the Locata's correctness, Christopher Morin of the US Air Force tested it recently at White Sands, and it worked to within 18cm along any axis . Morin said it should be possible to get the _ down to 5cm. The tests were performed in an open desert where GPS also worked beautifully, but its signal was weak--like a car headlight from 20,000 kilometers away--and easily cut off by solid objects . Locata's signal was far stronger, though not guaranteed to work in a complex urban environment, said David, speaker of the UK' s General Lighthouse Authorities. Locata's technology will face competition in the race to transform indoor navigation. But it could shine in specific areas, Gambale said. Robots with Locata could easily navigate inside buildings without the complex optical systems they need at the moment. And the process that handles correct location data could not only guide you around a mall, railway station or airport, but also take you to the exact shelf in a shop for the product you want. It would be small and cheap enough for smart phones and it should be available within five years--a similar path to the one GPS took on its way towards the world, he said. According to the passage, Gambale _ . A) did the experiment at White Sands last month B) believed the Locata would help to develop smart robots' creation C) doubted whether Locata can work in a complex environment or not D) was worried about the competition the Locata faced
Answer:
B