Ques:Article: From bankers to factory staff, employees in the West face a cold _ of losing their jobs as a global recession starts to bite. For colleagues in the East, the pain is more likely to come through a pay cut. Human resource experts say cultural differences explain why Asian companies try harder to preserve jobs in difficult times, which will prevent unemployment and may help Asian economies survive at a time of slowing exports. The East Asian attitude may also make it easier for companies to recover quickly from the economic downturn since they will not need to rehire or train new staff, but build up a more loyal and devoted group. "In the Confucian mindset, the right thing to do is to share the burden, which is the sense of collective responsibility. While in the West, it's more about individual survival," said Michael Benoliel, associate professor of organizational behavior at Singapore Management University (SMU). In contrast, local Western companies from General Motors to Goldman Sachs plan to lay off workers by the thousand, but at the Asian units of Western multinationals or western units of Asian groups, job cuts will probably be less severe. Japan's jobless rate was 4 percent in September, up from 3.8 percent in January, while Hong Kong's was flat at 3.4 percent. But US unemployment is expected to have jumped to 6.3 percent last month from below 5 percent in January. Experts say that while there are noticeable differences in labor practices in East and West, the gap will narrow as more firms become more multinational and competition forces firms to adopt the best practices of rivals from abroad. Question: In which company can we infer the job cuts will be probably the most severe? Yes or no, is the answer "A local American group."?

Ans:No
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Ques:Article: Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish gather by the thousands off an Alabama pirer. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes , never to be seen again. Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster are seeing some strange phenomena. Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign. The animals' presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted, and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen. Also, the animals could easily be captured by their enemies. The nearly two-month-old spill has created an environmental disaster in US history as tens of millions of gallons have flown into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Scientists are seeing some unusual things as they try to understand the effects on thousands of species of marine life. For nearly four hours Monday, a three-person crew with Greenpeace cruised past delicate islands and mangrove-dotted inlets in Barataria Bay off southern Louisiana. They saw dolphins by the dozen frolicking in the oily sheen and oil-tinged pelicans feeding their young. But they spotted no dead animals. "I think part of the reason why we're not seeing more yet is that the impacts of this crisis are really just beginning," Greenpeace marine biologist John Hocevar said. The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise; the deaths will help determine how much BP pays in damages. Question: The environmental disaster was caused by _ . Yes or no, is the answer "the nearly two-month-old oil spill"?

Ans:No
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Ques:Article: Every object tells a story. Even the most ordinary objects can present to us powerful images. Sometimes it is the ordinary nature of these objects that actually makes them so extraordinary. Such is the case with an old leather shoe in a museum in Alaska. At first glance it does not look like much. It is a woman's shoe of a style popular in the 1890s. But what is unique about this shoe is where it was found. It was discovered on the Checkout Pass, the famous trail used by the people seeking gold in Alaska. Who it belonged to or why it was left there is not known. Was it perhaps dropped by accident as the woman climbed up the 1500 stairs carved outface? Or did she throw away goods that she didn't need in order to travel lighter? Over 100, 000 people with "gold fever" made this trip hoping to become millionaires. Few of them understood that on their way they would have to cross a harsh wildness. Unprepared for such a dangerous journey, many died of starvation and exposure to the cold weather. The Canadian government finally started requiring the gold seekers to bring one ton of supplies with them. This was thought to be enough for a person to survive for one year. They would carry their supplies in backpacks each weighing up to fifty pounds; it usually took at least 40 trips to get everything to the top and over the pass. Whoever dropped the shoe must have been a brave and determined woman. Perhaps she was successful and made it to Alaska. Perhaps she had to turn back in defeat. No one will ever know for sure, but what we do know is that she took part in one of the greatest adventures in the 19th century. Question: The ordinary woman's leather shoe is considered unusual because _ . Yes or no, is the answer "it was found on a famous trail"?

Ans:Yes
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Ques:Article: Even if you are saying and doing the right things at your job and in your personal life, you could be making a bad impression on everyone with what you don't say. That's because much of our reactions to others are based on body language. If your body language is communicating a negative message, that's the message you could be sending, regardless of what actual words come out of your mouth. What are negative messages sent via body language? Things like having arms folded across your chest can show hostility . Lack of eye contact can indicate shiftiness . An unsmiling face could communicate a variety of things, like anger, disappointment, or sadness, depending upon what other facial expressions are included. Want to know what body language communicates? Watch a TV show or a movie with the sound off, and see how much you can figure out of the plot, or at least you can get a sense of what is going on. However, many of the clues that indicate negativity could also be the result of nervousness or other issues. For example, somebody who doesn't make eye contact could simply be nervous. The same goes with a not-so-warm hand-shake. Or, someone folding his arms could simply be more comfortable with the arms that way, not realizing what the arms' position sends. Someone who doesn't smile could be self-conscious about her teeth. At any rate, the person who sends off bad body language may not even realize that they're doing it. Unfortunately, some people who do recognize what body language communicates are scam artists. They may have the firmest handshake, the shiniest smile, and make the greatest eye contact to convince others of their sincerity, because they know how much this nonverbal communications plays a part in communicating sincerity. Yet people _ it, because their body language seems sincere. But what if you're in the opposite situation? If you're not sure what your body language is communicating, ask a trusted friend for help. You can also concentrate on standing up straight and sitting up straight, if... Question: A not-so-warm handshake may represent _ . Yes or no, is the answer "nervousness"?

Ans:
Yes
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