A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It has changed the way we work. Already we're partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth of the economic transformation can't be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to a basic new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held concepts about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers -- all these are being challenged. We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip , would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrow's achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more important, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant . It will be the way you do your job. One of the great changes caused by the knowledge society is that _ . A) most people have to take part-time jobs B) people have to change their jobs from time to time C) people's traditional concepts about work are no longer completely true D) the difference between the employee and the employer has become unimportant
C
The Chinese word"Shanzhai" means a small mountain village, but now it becomes an accepted name for fakes after" Shanzhai cell phones " produced by small workshops in southern China ,became popular in the mainland market over the past few years. Besides" Shanzhai" electronic products, there are "Shanzhai" movies, "Shanzhai" stars and even a "Shanzhai" Spring Festival Gala, a copy of the 25-year-old traditional show presented by CCTV on Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve. " Shanzhai" has become a culture of its own,symbolizing anything that _ something famous. The phenomenon has caused a public debate over whether it is healthy or sick being a copycat. In southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality,a "Shanzhai" -version"Bird's Nest" woven by farmers with bamboo attracts wide attention and the"Shanzhai"-version "Water Cube"is popular with tourists too. Both are copies of the famous Olympics buildings in Beijing. Xie Xizhang,a literature critic,said that taking the "Shanzhai" Gala as an example, when the traditional CCTV program becomes less and less attractive to the audience, the "Shanzhai" version appears naturally to attract people. "In spite of its poor techniques and operation, 'Shanzhai' culture meets the psychological demands of common people and could be a comfort to their minds," Xie said. Tian Huiqun,a professor at Beijing Normal University,said that "Shanzhai" culture never copies classic things,only trendy products. In that sense,it's like a computer virus, multiplying without meaning. Though controversial,"Shanzhai" culture is becoming a widely accepted phenomenon. "To the mainstream culture, the rise of 'Shanzhai' culture is a challenge as well as a motivation," said Xie. Tian said different kinds of cultures developing together is an ideal situation and it is for the public to choose. The Chinese word "Shanzhai" may have its origin in _ . A) fake cell phones B) electronic products C) Spring Festival Gala D) Olympics buildings
A
Q: I have been very lucky to have won the Nobel Prize twice. It is, of course, very exciting to have such an important recognition of my work, but the real pleasure was in the work itself. Scientific research is like an exploration of a voyage of discovery. You are continually trying out new things that have not been done before. Many of them will lead nowhere and you have to try something different, but sometimes an experiment does work and tells you something new and that is really exciting. However small the new finding may be, it is great to think " I am the only person who knows this" and then you will have the fun of thinking what this finding will lead to and deciding what will be the next experiment. One of the best things about scientific research is that you are always doing something different and it is never boring. There are good times when things go well and bad times when they don't. Some people get discouraged at the difficult times but when I have a failure, my policy has always been not to worry but to start planning the next experiment, which is always fun. It is very exciting to make a new discovery. Some people will do the strangest things for this excitement, such as going round the world in a balloon or walking to the North Pole. There are not many new places to explore but there is a lot of new information to be discovered in science and a journey into this unknown area can be much more worthwhile and just as exciting. I am sometimes asked, "What do you have to do to win a Nobel Prize?" My answer is: "I don't know. I have never tried." But I know of one way not to win one. There are some people whose main reason for doing science is to win prizes and they are always thinking about how to do it. Such people don't succeed. To do good science you must be interested in it and enjoy doing experiments and thinking out problems. And, of course, you must be prepared to work hard and not to be too discouraged by failure. What would the writer do when he had a failure? A) He would forget this failure and start the next experiment. B) He used to be worried about it for several days and never forget it. C) He always gave up his study as the result of the failure. D) He used to think out the reasons and then continue to do it again.
A: A
Q: A young man from a village called Nawalapitiya married a young woman from Maliyuwa, a nearby village. They lived with the man's big family--his parents, his brothers, their wives and children. The family kept an elephant, in which the young woman soon took a great interest. Every day she fed it with fruit and sugar. Three months later the woman went back to her parents' home, having quarreled with her husband. Soon the elephant refused to eat and work. It appeared to be ill and heart-broken. One morning after several weeks the animal disappeared from the house. It went to the woman's home. On seeing her, the elephant waved its trunk and touched her with it. The young woman was so moved by the act of the animal that she returned to her husband's home. After the young woman left her husband's home, the elephant _ . A) returned to the forest B) was sad because it missed her C) went to look for a new home D) was sick because nobody fed it
A: B