The first flights of the new airlines that will take tourists into space are ready to take off in 2012, and getting a seat on one is not all that different from booking a trip someplace on Earth. You can sign up on the website of, say, Virgin Galactic,the most wellknown of the new space tourism companies, or go to an approved travel agency and put down a large deposit. Soon you will be able to buy travel insurance,just as you can for any other vacation. Until now,space tourism has been limited to the ultrawealthy. Just seven people have paid tens of millions of dollars each for a trip to the International Space Station aboard a Russian rocket. But that could change this year, when Virgin Galactic intends to start offering flights just beyond the space barrier on a rocket ship it has built, featuring five minutes of weightlessness during a twoandahalfhour tour. At $ 200,000 a seat, this will open the final frontier to far more people. At least two other specialty airlines have jumped in as well, taking reservations and deposits for future space flights.Allianz, the big insurer, will introduce an insurance product in 2012, lending space tourism the _ of the regular travel industry. "Just to be able to sell space travel as a regular part of your business, really, just how cool is that?" said Lynda Turley Garrett, president of Alpine Travel of Saratoga, Calif.,who is one of 58 accredited space agents for Virgin Galactic in the United States. In five years,Ms.Garrett has sold three seats. But she expects that to change once passengers start going up and coming down to tell their friends. "By 2017,it'll be just like scheduling a flight to L.A.," Ms.Garrett predicted. If you want to book a flight to space in 2012, you can _ . A) go to any travel agency B) telephone Virgin Galactic C) pay a visit to Allianz D) sign up on the website of Virgin Galactic
D
Being less than perfectly well-dressed in a business setting can result in a feeling of discomfort. And the sad truth is that "clothing mismatches" on the job can ruin the day of the person who is wearing the inappropriateattire --and the people with whom he or she works. Offices vary when it comes to dress codes. Some businesses have very strict standards for office attire, while others maintain a more relaxed attitude. However, it is always important to remember that no matter what your company's attitude is, you are working in a business environment and you should dress properly. Certain items may be more appropriate for evening wear than for a business meeting, just as shorts and a T-shirt are better suited for the beach than for an office environment. Your attire should reflect both your environment and your position. A senior president has a different image to maintain than that of a secretary. Like it or not, you will be judged by your appearance. This is never more apparent than on "dress-down days", when what you wear can say more about you than any business suit ever could. In fact, people will pay more attention to what you wear on dress-down days than on "business professional " days. Thus, when dressing in "business casual" clothes, try to put some good taste into your choices, recognize that the "real" definition of business casual is to dress just onenotch down from what you would normally wear on business-professional attire days. Remember, there are borders between your career and our social life. You should dress one way for play and another way when you mean business. Always ask yourself where you are going and how other people will be dressed when you get there. Is the final destination the opera, the beach, or the office? Dress properly and you will discover the truth in the principle that clothes make the man--and the woman. When you're in doubt, it's safe to be on the side of dressing slightly more traditionally than the situation demands. Which statement best describes "dress-down days"? A) You can wear whatever you like. B) People are usually more careful about dressing. C) We can't judge a person's taste by his clothes. D) People's clothes don't receive much attention.
B
Q: Once Dr. Mellinkoff invited me to join him at the hospital to discuss interesting cases(, ) with his students.The case at hand was a Guatemalan man, aged 34, who had a fever and many other medical problems.His condition was not improving, and there was not much hope he would live. Dr.: Mellinkoff asked to see the patient.He introduced himself in Spanish and, in a very gentle voice, asked how he felt.The patient smiled and said everything was all right.Then the doctor asked if he was able to eat.The patient said that he had no desire to eat. "Are you getting food you like?" The patient said nothing. "Do you get the kind of food you have at home?" The answer was no. The doctor put his hand on the man's shoulder and his voice was very soft. "If you had food that you liked, would you eat it?" "Yes, yes," the patient said. The change in the patient's appearance couldn't have been more obvious.Nothing was said, but it was easy to tell that a message had been sent and had also been received. Later, the doctor asked why the Guatemalan man wasn't getting food he could eat.One of the students said, "We all know how difficult it is to get the kitchen to make special meals." "Suppose," the doctor replied, "you felt a certain medicine was absolutely necessary but that our hospital didn't carry it, would you accept defeat or would you insist the hospital meet your request?" "I would probably insist," the student said. "Very well," the doctor said."You might want to try the same method in the kitchen.It won't be-easy, but I can help you.Meanwhile, let's get some food inside this man as fast as possible, and stay with it.Or he'll be killed by hunger.By the way, there must be someone among you who can speak Spanish.If we want to make real progress, we need to be able to talk with him." Three weeks later.Doctor Mellinkoff told me that the Guatemalan man had left the hospital under his own power.It takes more than medicine to help sick people; you also have to talk to them and make them comfortable. Which of the following words can be used to describe Dr. Mellinkoff? A) Cold. B) Considerate. C) Curious. D) Careless.
A: B