Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
Keep Your Eyes Open for Weight Loss Ads
“In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.”
“Two full inches in the first three days!”
These are the kinds of statements (use) in magazine, newspaper, radio and television ads, (promise) new shapes and new looks to those who buy the medicine or the device. The promoters of products say they shape the legs, slim the face and smooth wrinkles. Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoters. The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.
To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA(Food and Drug Administration) can require proof that it is safe and effective before it (put) on the market. But if the product is a device, FDA has no authority (require) premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. a product already on the market is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily, or it can take legal action, including seizure(查封) of the product.
One notable case a few years ago (involve) an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads. FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device on the grounds it was dangerous to health and life.
Direction: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
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A. transfoming B. affected C. construct D. attack E. range F. academic G. prohibit H. communitie I. remove J. forcing K. commercial |
Red grouper(石斑鱼) are known for a few key characteristics — their color, which can from pink to bright orange; their tastiness, whether they're grilled or fried; and their predation (掠夺行为) method, in which they sea creatures and swallow them whole.
But their least-known characteristic might be the most valuable of all: They operate as underwater architects, the seascape for numerous other forms of underwater life. That surprising discovery is scientists and policymakers to readjust their approach to preserving the ocean's natural order — and heightening tensions with those who fish for a living or as a hobby.
A team of scientists, led by Florida State University's Felicia Coleman, recently found that the red grouper off Florida's east and west coasts have created entire ocean by digging large holes in the sea's sandy bottom. In the same way beavers dams, red grouper dig and maintain distinct holes whose rocky surfaces provide a place for coral, sponges and other marine life to gather.
This new understanding is changing the way federal and state authorities manage ocean habitats and is creating a completely new crack with fishermen. “The people who are in control want to fishing as much as possible,” said Bob Jones, executive director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association. He added that the recent discoveries about red grouper amount to an “excuse they can use to restrict fishing, or recreational.”
But to many researchers, fishery officials and even some fishermen, the fact that fish act as environmental engineers provides a compelling reason to protect them from exploitation.
“If you that fish, it puts into motion a whole chain of events,” said Don deMaria, who used to fish for red grouper near Key Largo, Fla., but no longer does. “There's a whole lot of other animals that are . I'm not saying you can't catch them. But you can't do it to the extent we've been doing for the last 20 years.”
Direction: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
The concept of solitude(独处) in the digital world is almost non-existent. In the world of digital technology, e-mail, social networking and online video games, information is meant to be 1. Solitude can be hard to discover once it has been given up. In this respect, new technologies have 2 our culture.
The desire to be connected has brought solitude to a(n) 3 as we've known it. People have become so 4 in the world of networks and connections that one can often be contacted even if they'd rather not be. Today we can talk, text, e-mail, chat and blog, not only from our5, but from our mobile phones as well.
Most developed nations have become 6 on digital technology simply because they've grown accustomed to it, and at this point not 7 it would make them an outsider. 8, many jobs and careers require people to be 9. From this point of view, technology has changed the culture of work. Being reachable might feel like a 10 to those who may not want to be able to be contacted at all times. I suppose the positive side is that solitude is still possible for anyone who really wants it. Computers can be 11 and mobile phones can be turned off. The ability to be “connected” and “on” has many 12. Travelers have ended up 13 on mountains, and mobile phones have saved countless lives. However, they can also make people feel 14 and forced to answer unwanted calls or turn to unwanted texts.
Attitudes towards our connectedness as a society 15 across generations. Some find today's technology a gift. Others consider it a curse. Regardless of anyone's view on the subject, it's hard to imagine what life would be like without daily advancements in technology.
Looking back on the first twenty years of my life, I feel grateful to have been so healthy and happy. For my happiness, I am grateful to so many people and lucky events, but what have guided me and supported me in my life are my physical health, healthy finances, and my family's happiness.
Health comes first for me, because without health everything else is meaningless. Imagine starting a career without good health. Imagine starting a family without good health. Imagine achieving anything without good health. Clearly, good health is the first necessary for other part of one's life.
Good health is not enough to be happy. We still need to have money in today's society. Money obviously pays for basic needs of life — food, housing, clothing — but it is also necessary for other reason like the quality of our education and medical care.
Next comes the most important thing in having a happy life — our family. It provides the love, joy and support that everybody needs. I love my family with all my heart. I get pleasure from their pleasure. I suffer when they suffer. My family helped me get through the hard times of entrance exams. They comforted and advised me when I had misunderstanding with my friends. More importantly, they have been there to share in my successes in the past twenty years. In summary, all these are what I need and want in this world. As long as I stay healthy, earn enough money, and share both good times and bad times with my family, I will always be the happiest girl in the world.
Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. When connected electronically, they are away from physical reality.
People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One survey reported that “addicted” was the word most commonly used by people to describe their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time resisting the allure of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes and alcohol.
The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve our quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. Consumers willingly give up their freedom, money and time to catch up on the latest information, to keep pace with their peers or to appear modern.
I see people trapped in a pathological(病态的) relationship with time-sucking technology, where they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude. I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence because of uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money.
What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what people need to ask themselves if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about their use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for proclaiming the wisdom that “too much of a good thing is wonderful.” But it's time to discover that it does not work for technology.
Richard Fernandez, an executive coach at Google acknowledged that “we can be swept away by our technologies.” To break the grand digital connection people must consider how life long ago could be fantastic without today's overused technology.
Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box.
Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.
Are Your Clothes Causing Pollution?
Very small pieces of plastic, called microfibers, are polluting rivers and oceans. Clothes worn for outdoor activities and exercise are often made of artificial material, which is useful in keeping warm. But they contain very small plastic fibers, which may also be harming the environment when you wash them. When people wash these clothes, very small pieces go down the drain with the wash water.
Studies on microfibers in the environment
Pollution caused by plastic is not new, but recent studies have shown the effect of microfibers in the environment. Studies show very small microfibers are ending up in our waters, which may come from waste water treatment factories. A 2015 study found them in fish from California.
Microfibers, effect on food supplies
Beyond the waterways, the researchers say microfibers may end up in soil and agricultural lands. This means there is much to be learned about microfibers and the environment. Some studies have shown that microfibers end up inside sea animals, like oysters. Researchers say that the fibers tend not to move into the tissue of the fish, but it needs more study.
Steps to save or keep microfibers from the environment
Until more information becomes known, there are steps to take to reduce the amount of microfibers in the environment. People should use less of the artificial materials. If we already have those in our lives and we're using them, an important step would be washing them less. A bag is being designed in which to wash these clothes. It traps the microfibers in the bag and it may be available for purchase soon.
A. New technology may also help.
B. So if these microfiber s have been found in fish and seafood, are they safe to eat?
C. They can also move around the atmosphere.
D. Studies are conducted on how much of the microfibers is released
E. The source of these microfibers may surprise you: your clothes.
F. Washing machines keep microfibers from escaping with w ash water.
Sales Strategies
How can a company improve its sales? One of the keys to more effective selling is for a company to first decide on its “sales strategy”. In other words, what is the role of the salesperson? Is the salesperson's job narrative, suggestive, or consultive?
The “narrative” sales strategy depends on the salesperson moving quickly into a standard sales presentation. His or her pitch highlights the benefit for the customer of a particular product or service. This approach is most effective for customers whose buying motives are basically the same and is also well suited to companies who have a large number of prospects on which to call.
The “suggestive” approach is tailored more for the individual customer. The salesperson must be in a position to offer alternative recommendations that meet a particular customer's needs. One key aspect of the suggestive approach is the need for the salesperson to engage the buyer in some sort of discussion. The salesperson can then use the information from the customer to suggest an appropriate product or service.
The final strategy demands that a company's sales staff act as “consultants” for the buyer. In this role, the salesperson must acquire a great deal of information about the customer. They do this through market research, surveys, and face-to-face discussions. Using this information, the salesperson makes a detailed presentation tailored specifically to a consumer's needs.
More and more sales teams are switching from a narrative or a suggestive approach to a more consultative strategy. As a result, corporations are looking more at intangibles (无形资产) such as creativity and analytical skills and less at educational background and technical skills.
