Mr. Samson was a newspaper editor in Boston, America. On the night of August 28, 1988, when he was on night duty, he dreamed that a volcano near the Island of Java erupted , and that the local people were buried under lava . When he woke up from the bad dream with a start, he thought it was very interesting material, so he wrote it down on a piece of paper, left it on the desk and went home. Early in the morning, the editor-in-chief came to work and saw the paper. He took it for the latest news that something important had happened last night and published it immediately. Only later did he find out it was just about what Mr. Samson had seen in his dream. But it was all too late because the newspaper had already been delivered .And it caused a great panic. In no time the editors met to discuss the serious problem. They finally decided to make an apology in the newspaper. Just at that time word came that a volcano on a small Island between Java and Sumatra did erupt. The eruption made the small island lose two thirds of its area, and the seismic sea waves caused tragedy in human. The volcano on a small island between Java and Sumatra erupted _ . A) on the night of August 28, 1988. B) on the morning of August 28,1988. C) on the night of August 29, 1988. D) on the morning of August 29,1988
D
Nowadays, the increase in the prices of agricultural products is one of the greatest concerns of the people and the government. The government has announced a series of policies to prevent the prices from rising further. Rising housing prices is still a big concern for the people, but since farm products are needed every day, the increase in their prices has made life very difficult for them. Many people may think the increase will help farmers. But have higher prices of farm products really benefited the farmers? Take the increase in vegetable prices in the first half of this year for example. Though natural disasters such as droughts and spring frost did not cause the prices of farm products to increase greatly--in fact, prices of some products did not increase at all--vegetables have become dearer by as much as 20 percent compared to that of last year. This means only a small part (or even none) of the extra money that city people have paid to buy farm products has gone to the farmers. The extra cost actually has gone to middlemen. As the fact shows, just increasing prices of farm products will have negative influence on the entire economy. On one hand, the price increase has created some abnormal phenomena, which hurts farmers' interests. On the other hand, resources will enter the agriculture because of the high price of farm products, which would finally create negative effect on the whole economy. In such a case, it would be better to leave the market to decide the prices instead of raising farm products' prices to protect the interests of farmers. Actually, such a way will be better for farmers in the long run. What is probably the author's attitude to raising the farm products' prices? A) Negative. B) Indifferent. C) Enthusiastic. D) Positive.
A
Q: There is a place where Christmas lives all year long. It is called Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The family-owned business calls itself the world's largest Christmas store. The late Wally Bronner started the business in 1945. Wayne Bronner, Wally's son, is president and CEO of what is now a multi-million dollar corporation. He learned the business from an early age. Some of his best memories are traveling to other countries with his father to find new products for the store. Bronner's sells more than 50,000 holiday products from 70 nations. Half of the products cost less than ten dollars. Wayne Bronner says the demand for small objects to hang on Christmas trees has expanded over the years. People spend more time, effort and money into decorating their homes with these ornaments, lights and religious scenes. Bronner's is famous for its nativity scenes which show the birth of Jesus Christ. Michigan has the nation's highest unemployment rate. Bronner's has been affected by the recession, too. But not in reduced sales. Wayne Bronner said: "Even though people are spending less, we're having more people visit here. And as a result we've actually had a sales increase." Bronner's success is also linked to community cooperation and investment. Frankenmuth is a town of 5,000 people in eastern Michigan's farm country. The town was settled by Bavarian Germans in the 1800s. It has kept its traditions alive in buildings and restaurants. Bavarian cultural themes and Bronner's huge store bring 3,000,000 visitors a year. The town is the most popular place for tourists in the state. Bronner's business is aimed at a single day of the year. But that is not too different from other businesses. "About half of our business is done in the last quarter of the year, in the last three months. And actually when you compare that with most retailers, that follows the same pattern." Wayne Bronner says the family's long-term planning and willingness to reinvest profits has developed the company into what it is... We can learn from the passage that _ . A) most of Bronner's products are expensive B) Wally Bronner, founder of Bronner's, has passed away C) people are spending less money on small objects D) Frankenmuth is a modern town popular with tourists
A: B
(Question)
It is often said that politeness costs nothing.In fact,it seems that a little more courtesy could save businessesPS5 billion every year. Frequently hearing the phrase "thank you" or "well done" means the same to staff as a modest pay rise,researchers say. Praise and encouragement also makes employees more likely to work hard and stay in their jobs,saving on the cost of finding replacements. A third of 1,000 workers surveyed by consulting firm White Water Strategies said they did not get thanked at all when they did well--and a further third said they were not thanked enough. In both cases,staff said they felt undervalued,meaning they were less likely to exert themselves and were more likely to look for employment elsewhere. The net result is around PS5.2 billion in lost productivity from employees who would raise their game if they felt more appreciated,White Water claimed According to the company,praising staff has the same motivational kick as a 1 per cent pay rise--and works out much cheaper for bosses. Three out of four employees said that regular acknowledgement by their boss was important to them,but only a quarter said they were actually given as much praise as they felt they needed. The survey found that those in blue-collar and manual jobs were less likely to be given any recognition for doing well. In regional terms,Scottish staff felt most undervalued.Four out of ten workers said they were never thanked and eight out of ten said they would like more praise.However,workers in the North-East are less impressed by being buttered up by the boss,as only 69 per cent said they felt the need to be told "well done"regularly. Older employees and women need the most reassurance,according to psychologist Averil Leimon,a director of White Water Strategies.She said that words of praise did more than create a pleasant place to work--they could even boost profits. The main idea of the passage is that _ . A) praise and encouragement may help employees work better B) workers are always demanding more praise and encouragement C) bosses in prefix = st1 /Scotlandusually praise and encourage their staff enough D) if undervalued employees will certainly look for employment elsewhere
(Answer)
A