I try not to be biased but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His social worker assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy. But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee. He was short, a little fat, with the smooth facial features and thick-togued speech of Down's Syndrome . I thought most of my customers would be uncomfortable around Stevie, so I closely watched him for the first few weeks. I shouldn't have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my regular trucker customers had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot. After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him. He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the table. Our only problem was persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished. Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled. Money was tight, and _ . That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work. He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a heart surgery. His social worker said that people with Downs Syndrome often had heart problems at an early age and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months. A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine. Frannie, my head waitress, did a little dance when she heard the good news. Belle Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at her and asked, "Okay, Frannie, what was that all about?" "We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay." "I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him.... Why did the author ask Stevie to clean up the mess on the table? A) Stevie could pick up the money that was given to him. B) The table was so dirty that it needed cleaning. C) It was Stevie's duty to clean the table. D) She wanted to congratulate Stevie on his coming back.
A
The average college student in America spent an estimated seven hundred dollars on textbooks last year. The National Association of College Stores reported more than five billion dollars in sales of textbooks and course materials. Association spokesman Charles Schmidt says electronic textbooks now represent just two to three percent of sales. But he says that is expected to reach ten to fifteen percent by 2012. Online versions are now available for many of the most popular college textbooks. E-textbooks can cost half the price of a new print textbook. But students usually lose access after the end of the term. And the books cannot be placed on more than one device so they are not easy to share. So what do students think of e-textbooks? Administrators at Northwest Missouri State University wanted to find out. Earlier this year they tested them with five hundred students in twenty classes. The university is unusual. It not only provides laptop computers to all seven thousand of its full-time students. It does not require students to buy their textbooks either. They rent them to save money. The school aims to save even more by moving to e-textbooks. The students in the survey reported that downloading the books from the Internet was easy. They liked the idea of carrying lighter backpacks. And fifty-six percent said they were better able to find information. But most found that using e-textbooks did not change their study habits. And sixty percent felt they read more when they were reading on paper. In all, almost half the students said they still liked physical textbooks better. But the survey found that cost could be a big influence. Fifty-five percent said they would choose e-textbooks if using them meant their textbook rental fee would not increase. Roger Von Holzen heads the Center for Information Technology in Education at Northwest Missouri State. He tells us that administrators are disappointed with the e-textbooks now available because the majority are not interactive. He thinks growth will come when... According to the survey, over half of the students think e-textbooks _ . A) can be rented for less money B) help in finding more information C) are convenient to carry around D) help them do better in their lessons
B
(Q).
Thirdgeneration mobile phones, known as 3G, are the next big step for the telecom industry. Data speed in 3G networks is much quicker than present technology. This means users can have highspeed Internet access and enjoy video and CDquality music on their phones. "Mobile data is not a dream; it's not an option but a requirement." said Len Lauer, head of a US communications company,Sprint PCS,at a 3G conference in Bangkok earlier this month. With 3G, you can forget about text messages telling you yesterday's news; a 3G phone can receive video news programs, updated four times a day. Internet access will also be much quicker, making it easier to surf the Web on your phone than on your computer at home. Facetoface video calls And don't worry about getting lost. 3G phones offer map services so you can find a new restaurant just by pressing a few keys on your handset. However, the most impressive part of 3G technology is video calling. With live twoday video communication, you can have facetoface talks with friends and family on your mobile phone. Many European countries have already launched the service. In May 2000 the US Government issued five licenses to run 3G wireless services, while the first 3G phones arrived in Italy in March this year. International telecom companies can't wait to sell 3G in China, the world's largest mobile telecommunications market. But they will have to be patient. At the moment, China is busy testing its 3Gbased technologies, networks and services. This will be followed by a trial period before the phones can finally hit the shops. "We need to create a pool of 3G customers before the largescale commercial launch of the service." said Fan Yunjun, marketing manager for Beijing Mobile. "We expect that the 3G licenses will be issued late next year. " Which of the following is true according to the passage? A) 3G mobile phones were first used in America. B) Foreign telecom companies won't enter China. C) 3G technology is now at the commercial stage in China. D) Users in China won't probably use 3G mobile phones until late next year.
(A).
D