New research has shown that loneliness may affect ants to a greater extent than many other living creatures. It has long been known that loneliness can lead to a shorter life. In humans, it has even been found to be a driver of high blood pressure, sleep disorder, and depression that's independent of factors like age, race, gender, weight and economic status. However, loneliness has never been identified as a factor that can cut human lifespan by more than a small part of the average. Ants, on the other hand, appear to be far more sensitive to this stress, with loneliness leading to a surprising 91 percent reduction in lifespan. That's at least according to a study that details how "lonely" ants only live up to six days on average. Ants living in a community, on the other hand, were found to live up to about 66 days. In a series of experiments where ants were picked from their colonies and separated, they were found to continuously walk without rest,consuming far more energy than they could ever. The reason for the behavior is that an isolated ant is simple trying to get back to its colony at all costs, and doesn't know what to do without its nest mates. After all, many entomologists would argue that an ant colony is far more a single living entity than its members. If you were to take a single part from a clock, it would simply move aimlessly as well, running without a purpose. However, while there is a difference between aimlessness and loneliness, the researchers found that the latter affects lonely ants more directly. The study indicated that ants can't even eat alone, as they normally collect some of the food they gather in the field in a specialized organ called a crop.This crop is normally shared with other ants back at a nest,but as for a single ant, it simply just sits there, undigested and useless. The author mentioned a clock in the passage _ . A) to show ants have a biological clock in the head. B) to prove ants are a well-regulated community. C) to stress ants are really highly social animals. D) to compare aimlessness with loneliness.
C
(Question)
If sustainable competitive advantage depends on workforce skills, American firms have a problem. Human-resource management is not traditionally seen as central to the competitive survival of the firm in the United States. Skill acquisition is considered an individual responsibility. Labour is simply another factor of production to be hired--rented at the lowest possible cost--much as one buys materials or equipment. The lack of importance attached to human-resource management can be seen in the corporate management. In an American firm the chief financial officer is almost always second in command. The post of head of human-resource management is usually a specialized job, off at the edge of the corporate hierarchy. The executive who holds it is never consulted on major strategic decisions and has no chance to move up to Chief Executive Officer(CEO). By way of contrast, in Japan the head of human-resource management is central--usually the second most important executive, after the CEO, in the firm's hierarchy. While American firms often talk about the vast amounts spent on training their work force, in fact they invest less in the skills of their employees than do either Japanese or German firms. The money they do invest is also more highly concentrated on professional and managerial employees. And the limited investments that are made in training workers are also much more narrowly focused on the specific skills necessary to do the next job rather than on the basic background skills that make it possible to absorb new technologies. As a result, problems arise when new breakthrough technologies arrive. If American workers, for example, take much longer to learn how to operate new flexible manufacturing stations than workers on Germany (as they do), the effective cost of those stations is lower in Germany than it is in the United States. More time is required before equipment is up and running in production, and the need for extensive retraining generates costs and creates bottlenecks that limit the speed... What is the main idea of the passage ? A) American firms are different from Japanese and German firms in human-resource management. B) Extensive retraining is necessary to effective human-resource management. C) The head of human-resource management must be in the central position in a firm' s hierarchy. D) The human-resource management strategies of American firms affect their competitive capacity.
(Answer)
D
Ques: Earlier, in the old days, women used to sit at home separated from the outside world. They used to manage the home and look after children. They were free of the responsibility of earning money to support the family, which was left to men. With the coming of industrialization and technological development, the lifestyles of human beings started to change. The needs of human beings started to grow. In this process, women slowly started to move outside the home. Women received the same education as men. Gradually, women slowly started to think independently and participated equally with men in all fields of life, including politics, sports and even military. With changing environments, the role of women has become more important in society. To match today's standard of living, it is necessary for both men and women to support the family. Today, women have been given bigger roles to play in society. They are even taking more responsibility than men. At first, men disagreed with women pursuing their careers outside the home. However, with growing needs and a shortage of money, they had no other way but to accept the reality. The financial contributions from women to their families have increased, but in some places, the home is still managed only by women as in the past. It is a challenging task for women to manage both. Women are bearing the stress and suffering mental difficulties with both managing the home and pursuing their careers. The best title for the passage would be _ . A) Women's Responsibility in Society B) The Changing Social Environments C) The Changing Role of Women in Society D) Women's Financial Contributions
Ans: C
Ques:Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was a good and tireless writer, and he wrote The Declaration of Independence. There is much we can learn from him. Here are some of the things he said and wrote: Go and see. Jefferson believed that a free man obtains knowledge from many sources besides books, and personal investigation is important as well. Judge for yourself. Jefferson refused to accept other people's opinions without careful thought. "Neither believe nor reject anything," he wrote to his nephew. Learn from everyone. Jefferson once visited the French nobleman, Lafayette, and said to him, "You must go into the people's home as I have done ,look into their cooking pots and eat their bread. If you will only do this, you may find out why people are dissatisfied. " Do what you believe is right. In a free country, there will always be conflicting ideas, and this is a source of strength. It is not unquestioning agreement but conflict that keeps freedom alive. Though Jefferson was for many years the object of strong criticism, he never answered his critics. He expressed his philosophy, "There are two sides to every question. If you take one side with decision and act on it with effect, those who take the other side will of course resent your actions. " Trust the future and trust the young. Jefferson felt that the present should never be chained to customs which have lost their usefulness. "The earth belongs to the living generation. " He didn't fear new ideas, nor did he fear the future. "How much pain has been caused by evils which have never happened?" he remarked,"I expect the best, not the worst. " Jefferson was determined never to answer his critics because _ . A) he believed silence was a source of strength B) he thought it useless to defend obviously correct ideas C) he believed in conflict rather than in unquestioning agreement D) he knew the more he said ,the more people would resent him

Ans:
C