If US software(软件) companies don’t pay more attention to quality, they could kiss their business good-bye. Both India and Brazil are developing a world-class software industry. Their weapon is quality and one of their jobs is to attract the top US quality specialists whose voices are not listened to in their country.
Already, of the world’s 12 software houses that have earned the highest position in the world, seven are in India. That’s largely because they have used new methods American software specialists refused to use. For example, for years, quality specialists, W. Edwards Deming and J.M. Juran had tried to persuade US software companies to change their attitudes to quality. But their quality call mainly fell on deaf ears in the US--but not in Japan. By the 1970s and 1980s, Japan was taking its market share with better, cheaper products. They used Deming’s and Juran’s ideas to bring down the cost of good quality to as little as 5% of total production costs. In US factories, the cost of quality then was 10 times as high: 50%. In software, it still is.
Watts S. Humphrey spent 27 years at IBM heading up software production and then quality assurance(保证). But his advice was seldom paid attention to. He retired from IBM in 1986. In 1987, he worked out a system for assessing(评估) and improving software quality. It has proved its value time and again. For example, in 1990 the cost of quality at Raytheon Electronics Systems was almost 60 % of total software production costs. It fell to 15% in 1996 and has since further dropped to below 10 %.
Like Deming and Juran, Humphrey seems to be winning more praises overseas than at home. The Indian government and several companies have just founded the Watts Humphrey Software Quality Institute at the Software Technology Park in Chennai, India. Let’s hope that US lead in software will not be eaten up by its quality problems.
64. Which country has the most first-class software companies in the world?
A. Germany. B. The USA. C. Brazil. D. India.
65. Which of the following statements about Humphrey is true?
A. He is now still an IBM employer.
B. He has worked for IBM for 37 years.
C. The US pays much attention to his quality advice.
D. India honors him highly.
66. By what means did Japan take its large market share by the 1970s and the 1980s?
A. Its products were cheaper in price and better in quality.
B. Its advertising was most successful.
C. The US hardware industry was falling behind.
D. Japan hired a lot of Indian software specialists.
67. What is the writer worrying about?
A. Many US software specialists are working for Japan.
B. The quality problem has become a worldwide problem.
C. The US will lose its lead in software in the world.
D. India and Japan are joining hands to compete with the US.
It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole. And it has influenced（影响）us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
56. Why was the bike so important to the couple?
A. The man’s job was bike racing. B. It was their only possession.
C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed. D. They used it for work and daily life.
57. We can infer from the text that ____________.
A. the couple worked 60 hours a week. B. people were busy before Christmas
C. the stranger brought over the bike D. life was hard for the young family.
58. How did people get to know the couple’s problem?
A. From radio broadcasts. B. From a newspaper.
C. From TV news. D. From a stranger.
59. What do the couple learn from their experience?
A. Strangers are usually of little help. B. One should take care of their bike.
C. News reports make people famous. D. An act of kindness can mean a lot.
A press report stating that Microsoft has restarted talks to buy Yahoo's search business for 20 billion U. S. dollars. "It has no basis in fact," the San Francisco Chronicle said on Monday.
The Times of London reported on Sunday that the deal under discussion would put former AOL CEO Jonathan Miller and Ross Levinsohn, a former president of Fox Interactive Media, in charge of Yahoo. The report also said executives (管理人员) at both companies had agreed to the broad terms of a deal.
In fact, there are no current talks between the two companies. The Chronicle quoted an executive at one of the firms who requested his name to be kept secret as saying. Furthermore, the 20-billion-dollar price mentioned in the Times of London article for Yahoo's search business appears questionable given that the market capitalization (资本总额) for all of Yahoo is 16 billion dollars, said The Chronicle.
Yahoo and Microsoft had had on-again, off-again talks over several months earlier this year about a 47. 5-billion-dollar takeover, and later a proposal focused only on Yahoo's search business. Discussions regarding both plans collapsed without an agreement.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has said repeatedly that he is no longer interested in buying all of Yahoo, but that he is open to some sort of partnership involving their respective search businesses.
Brad Williams, a Yahoo spokesman, said Sunday "We don't comment on rumors." Frank Shaw, a Microsoft spokesman, declined to comment.
Yahoo's shares have plummeted since Microsoft withdrew its 33-dollar-a-share acquisition offer earlier this year, leaving people to think that discussions would eventually be restarted. Yahoo's shares closed Friday at 11. 51 dollars, nearly one-third of the original offer.
1. From this passage, we can know that ______.
| A．Microsoft has given up buying all of Yahoo but its search business |
| B．Microsoft has already taken over the whole company of Yahoo |
| C．the market capitalization for all of Yahoo is over $ 20 billion |
| D．the market capitalization for all of Microsoft is only $ 6 billion |
2. What is the author trying to convince readers of in the third paragraph?
| A．Yahoo and Microsoft are talking about takeover. |
| B．Microsoft is buying Yahoo’s search businesses for $ 20 billion. |
| C．Yahoo would like to sell its search businesses to another company. |
| D．There are no current talks between Yahoo and Microsoft. |
3. What does the underlined word “plummet” in the passage most probably mean?
| A．develop rapidly | B．increase quickly | C．fall quickly | D．keep balanced |
4. You can find this passage most probably in ______ .
| A．an entertainment website | B．an economical newspaper |
| C．a sports magazine | D．a biological dictionary |
（A）根据短文内容, 从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Competition is great for kids, but it does have its dark side. 71 When this happens it takes the fun out of the activities they participate in. Kids need to keep a healthy attitude toward competitive activities and as parents it is our responsibility to let them know that it's not all about winning. 72
Kids under the age of ten usually lose interest if an activity is too competitive. A good idea for kids in this age group is to allow them to participate in competitive activities but without keeping score. Emphasize that the importance of the activity I to make new friends, have fun and learn about sportsmanship. 73
When kids enter middle school, competitive activities take on new meaning. Kids like to be recognized for their efforts and winning places them in the spotlight. 74. The unfortunate thing is that kids who lose constantly get discouraged and quit participating. They feel they can't accomplish their goals or meet the expectations of teachers and parents. This can lead to low self-esteem and discourage kids from trying their best. It's best to keep them participating in competitive activities even if they only do so in the backyard with a group of their friends.
As a parent, never put the emphasis on winning. 75. Give kids praise for doing their best whether they win or lose. This sends a positive message about putting forth their best effort.
A．Winning becomes more appealing.
B．Encourage young kids to win when he participates in a competition.
C．Getting angry or depressed when he loses.
D．The importance of participating in competitive activities is to have fun.
E．Some children become over-competitive and focus only on recognition and winning.
F．Rather, encourage kids to always give their best effort.
G．Encourage young kids to give their best effort and gain self-confidence.
For Lee Ann Laraway, polio(脑灰质炎) has made almost everything in life just out of reach. But what her hands can't retrieve, her assistant can. Meet Jeannie, a three-year-old help, has become Lee Ann's arms and legs.
Jeannie understands no fewer than 72 commands. To get a feel for what that means, Lee Ann takes us on a shopping trip in San Jose. First stop: The bank, where she got cash from the teller. From the bank, it's on to the drug store, where Jeannie got a candy bar for Lee Ann. Then Jeannie helped pay the cashier, and got change hack.
"When you have a really good working animal, they come and interact with you all the time," Lee Ann said. While there's no argument that Jeannie is an ordinary animal, she wasn't born that way. She was tutored and trained here at a facility that has become the final legacy of one of the Bay Area's most beloved figures.
Canine Companions for Independence sits on twelve acres of land in Santa Rosa donated by late Peanuts cartoonist Charles Shultz, Here, handlers work with specially selected labs for hours a day— but not every dog will make the cut.
The work is serious Business. In the case of hearing dogs, the animals alert their disabled owners to everything from ringing telephones to doorbells.
Other dogs will work with severely disabled patients like eight-year-old Noah Habib of Mountain View who communicates with a special computer. "I like it when new people come up to ask me about my dog," he says. "People are really interested in the dog and will come over and ask to pet her and ask to play with her, and ask about what she does, and these are people that normally might not approach us and want to talk to Noah," says his Dad.
And back in San Jose Lee Ann is arriving home with Jeannie and her groceries. With just one chore left—opening her own door. "You can train a dog to do a lot of things," said Lee Ann. "You cannot give them the heart to do the job, and that is what a good working dog has."Lee Ann's dog Jeannie cannot ______.
| A．get cash at the bank | B．pay a cashier for her |
| C．take on a telephone for her | D．open the door |
Canine Companions for Independence is a place for ______.
| A．severely disabled children to have practice |
| B．people to donate money or legacy |
| C．ordinary dogs to be coached |
| D．people to learn business |
Which of the following can replace the phrase "make the cut" (Line 3, Para 4)?
| A．become a good working dog | B．hurt the coach |
| C．become a helpful star | D．hurt itself |
According to Lee Ann, you cannot train an ordinary dog ______.
| A．to put things on people's laps | B．to always interact with its owner |
| C．to alert deaf people | D．to love working |
A mobile phone is no longer just a phone -- it is also a music player, video camera and personal organizer. And mobile phones with television programming are just around the corner. But the more functions cell phone manufacturers add, the greater the amount of power the phones use and the less practical running them on lithium (锂) batteries becomes -- so the race to find a viable alternative is on.
Two of the world's biggest electronics makers, Hitachi and Toshiba, are currently competing against each other to come up with an alternative, most likely to be micro fuel cells. The task has been set by Japan's second largest mobile phone provider, KDDI, which wants its customers to soon be able to use special television programming on their handsets, and has asked the two electronics companies to come up with a better power source. Hitomi Murakami, of KDDI, says battery-operated mobile phones cannot keep up with the new applications. "We're looking at various ways to expand content and services that we can provide to the people. And we don't want to have battery issues delaying us from doing that," he says.
Hitachi's Atsushi Morihara says it is a critical race for both of the companies as the resulting product will have a major impact on the mobile market in the future. "We are in competition and it's up to both of us to come up with a good product. A product that will satisfy KDDI's needs. I think I can go as far to say that the winner will take all."
Miniaturized direct methanol (甲醇) fuel cells are different batteries in that they create power instead of simply storing it. That power is made by new technology utilizing cheap methanol. If all gees to plan, come 2007, Japanese phone users will not use an electric charger to power their mobiles, they will instead carry a small bottle of methanol and with just a few squirts, they will have power for their phones. But the method has its downsides, including how passengers will be able to take small mounts of flammable methanol on airliners. Fumio Ueno of Toshiba says that once developed, the uses of miniaturized direct methanol fuel cells have endless possibilities.The lithium batteries are becoming improper for the cell phone because ______.
| A．there is a television in the phone | B．it is inconvenient to use |
| C．it can't provide enough power | D．people have found substitutes |
According to the passage, Toshiba ______.
| A．is in critical competition with KDDI |
| B．will probably beat its rival |
| C．attaches great importance to methanol fuel |
| D．is one of the largest battery provider |
Which of the following is NOT the characteristic of methanol fuel?
| A．Easy to catch fire. | B．Portable. |
| C．Inexpensive. | D．Available everywhere. |
The best title for the passage is ______.
| A．Search for better phone power. |
| B．Development of cell phone battery. |
| C．Competition between two electronic firms. |
| D．Advantage and disadvantage of methanol fuel. |