Today, there's hardly an aspect of our life that isn't being upended by the tons of information available on the hundreds of millions of sites crowding the Internet, not to mention its ability to keep us in constant touch with each other via electronic mail. "If the automobile and aerospace technology had exploded at the same pace as computer and information technology," says Microsoft, "a new car would cost about $ 2 and go 600 miles on a small quantity of gas. And you could buy a Boeing 747 for the cost of a pizza." Probably the biggest payoff, however, is the billions of dollars the Internet is saving companies in producing goods and serving for the needs of their customers. Nothing like it has been seen since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when power-driven machines began producing more in a day than men could turn out in nearly a year. "We view the growth of the Internet and e-commerce as a global trend," says Merrill Lynch, "along the lines of printing press, the telephone, the computer, and electricity." You would be hard pressed to name something that isn't available on the Internet. Consider: books, health care, movie tickets, construction materials, baby clothes, stocks, cattle feed, music, electronics, antiques, tools, real estate, toys, autographs of famous people, wine and airline tickets. And even after you've moved on to your final resting place, there's no reason those you love can't keep in touch. A company called FinalThoughts.com offers a place for you to store "afterlife e-mails" you can send to Heaven with the help of a "guardian angel". Kids today are so computer literate that it in fact ensures the United States will remain the unchallenged leader in cyberspace for the foreseeable future. Nearly all children in families with incomes of more than $75,000 a year have home computers, according to a study by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Youngsters from ages 2 to 17 at all income levels have computers, with 52% of those connected to the Internet. Most kids use... According to the author, the biggest benefit of the Internet is that _ . A) it speeds up profit making B) it saves companies huge amounts of money C) it brings people incredible convenience D) it provides easy access to information
B
(Question)
Seven years of careful design and planning all came together on Monday, when James Cameron became the first human to make a solo trip to the deepest known point on earth - the Challenger Deep! More importantly though, he appeared safely seven hours later, completing with exciting-photos and videos from this dark mysterious world that has been visited by only two humans before! Seated inside a specially built 12-ton green submersible called the Deep Sea Challenger, the brilliant filmmaker caught every moment of his 2-hour-36-minute journey down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench on video -- given that it is 120 times larger than the Grand Canyon and a mile deeper than Mount Everest. Absolutely nothing! There were no large alien creatures or mysterious footprints -- just a flat desolate landscape, 50 times larger than the Grand Canyon. Mr. Cameron describes it as "devoid of sunlight, any heat, any warmth". The only things swimming around, were some tiny shrimp-like creatures no bigger than an inch. While the 57-year-old had expected to spend six hours at the bottom, he was forced to return in three hours, because the robotic arm that was supposed to help him collect samples went wrong and began leaking oil. He also lost some thrusters and a whole starboard side, causing the submersible to spin around in circles. However, these small setbacks did not make the whole trip any less exciting for Mr. Cameron. The director, who returned to the surface in a speedy seventy minutes, believes this is just one of many trips he and other adventurers will be taking. In fact, Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, is currently in the midst of planning a similar trip to the Puerto Rico Trench that lies five miles below the surface of the water. Though Mr. Cameron's is promising to move his historic trip into an exciting 3-D National Geographic documentary, he is tight-lipped about how the experience will be used in his next movie! We cannot wait to see! On the bottom of Challenger Deep, _ . A) there are some mysterious footprints B) the landscape is not very large C) there are many fish D) it is dark and cold
(Answer)
D
Question: Ad. 1 April fool's party On Friday, April 1, Inner Affair goes back to the days of funk! Classic Tunes from the 70's and 80's by DJs Den & Sion. 9pm till late. Tickets: Free entrance for those in costume, otherwise 50 Yuan (US$6) Time/date: 9 pm, April 1 Place: Inner Affair, 1/F Qiankun Dasha, 6 Sanlitun Xiliujie, Chaoyang District Tel: 8454 0321 Ad. 2 Language in use Enjoy free in house coffee, tea and beer as well as music and dancing. Practice your Chinese, make friends and have fun. Time/date: 7 to 9 pm, March 25 Place: Language In Use Club, 2/F, Science Fortune Center, 8 Xueqing Lu, north of Xueyuan Lu, Haidian District Ad. 3 The "worst" party Organized by Ozone Productions, the party is set to be "the worst ever", with the lamest music from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Special prizes will be awarded to the worst dressed or for bad fashion sense. Tickets: Free entrance Time/date: 9 pm, April 1 Place: Pula Pula, Tianze Lu, Oriental Seven Colours Plaza, Chaoyang District Tel: 64668575 Ad. 4 La Nuit Francaise Again on the 2nd Thursday of the month La Nuit Francaise will be held at Le Rendezvous. The monthly event is an opportunity for all French people and everyone interested in France or speaking French to gather together. The evening features three glasses of wine and canapes for participants and a special exhibition. Time/date: 7 to 10 pm, April 14 Place: Le Rendezvous, 3 Gongti Beilu, across from the Pacific Century Plaza, Chaoyang District Tel: 64629110 Ad. 5 Marco V Dutch DJ Marco V drops by Banana for a gig which is supported by Hong Kong's DJ Spark. Marco V has been around for many years, as an inventive, style blending deejay and a successful and devoted producer. His spinning is energetic, crowd pleasing and never sees an empty dance floor. He was ranked No. 15 in this year's international DJ MAG DJ Top100. Tickets: 40 yuan (US$4.80) in advance, 50 yuan (US$6) at the door, both include a free drink Time/date: 10 pm to 4 am, March 31, April 1 Place: Banana, in the lobby of the Scitech Hotel, 22 Jianwai... Which of the following is NOT true of Ad. 1 and Ad. 3? A) The two parties will be held on the same day. B) The two parties will be held at the same time. C) The entrance fees of the two parties will not be charged. D) Some old music will be played at the parties.
Answer:
C