If a competitive firm faces a competitive labor market, it will hire labor until（)

A、produces a good with no close substitutes.

B、faces high barriers to entry.

C、coordinates their output decisions with other firms.

D、faces a downward-sloping demand curve.

Even as the economy improves, a jobless executive may face up to a year or more of unemployment. This is a lot of time, especially for hard charging high-performers who are not used to having any free time. While some job seekers spend hundreds —even thousands --of hours discovering daytime television, others seem to thrive on activities that boost their professional careers or resolve family issues when they aren't working.

Having an extended period of free time in the prime of one's life can in fact be a unique opportunity to focus on volunteer service, professional education or personal growth.

Community Involvement

For Lisa Perez, the wakeup call was burned pork chops. An executive who previously hadn't been particularly interested in home and health had become obsessed with homemaking during a stint of unemployment.

She realized that cleaning and organizing her home wasn't helping her job search. Nevertheless, "I made lists of 50 things to do every day," says Ms. Perez, a political and public-relations consultant in Scottsdale, Ariz. "My house was spotless, just so I'd have something to do."

One day, her boyfriend didn't arrive on time for dinner because he had to work late, and her pork chops were ruined. She threw a fit. "I'd never been a person like that," she says. "So I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself, and go out and do something productive."

Ms. Perez, 35, resolved to become an active volunteer for the duration of her search. She gave her time to a health-care concern, a housing program and a political campaign.

The work bolstered her self-confidence. "Volunteering takes the focus off of you. One thing you have that's still valuable is your time. And, of course, you learn that there are thousands of people with a life that's much worse than yours," she says.

Volunteer assignments are also great ways to meet powerful and well-connected people. Over a six-month period, her volunteering evolved into working as a paid consultant and then as a full-time employee, a job she still holds today. In all, she was unemployed for eight months.

Before her job loss, she thought she didn't have time to volunteer while working. "Now, even though I have a demanding job, I still volunteer, because of what I got out of it," says Ms. Perez.

Continuing Education

Gene Bellavance, a 36 year old information-technology project manager, took another route during his unemployment. When he was laid off from a steel company near Cleveland, he knew his immediate prospects were bleak. He expected his search to take a year. He faced a decision: take a job that would set back his career or hold out for an offer he really wanted.

Mr. Bellavanee, single and virtually debt free, shifted his finances into survival mode. He cashed out his pension, sold his house, unloaded things he didn't need at gar age sales, and rented an apartment with a roommate. Then, he says, "I signed up for every benefit I could find."

But he wasn't just waiting out the year. He spent the rest of his search updating his skills, including becoming certified in new database and project management software. "You have to invest in yourself," Mr. Bellavance says. "I estimated what technology was going to be the most beneficial and chose applications that were going to be pervasive, that were right for my market, and that were going to ensure top pay."

In addition to income from the occasional IT-consulting assignment, he relied on a combination of displaced-worker-retraining grants and unemployment benefits. "I went out and found the classes, submitted the paperwork, and dealt with the bureaucracy. You have to stay after them, keeping your benefits moving forward. It's up to you to make it work with your overall transition plan," he says.

His job search was one month shy of the

A．Y

B．N

C．NG

Even as the economy improves, a jobless executive may face up to a year or more of unemployment. This is a lot of time, especially for hard-charging high-performers who are not used to having any free time. While some job seekers spend hundreds -- even thousands -- of hours discovering daytime television, others seen to thrive on activities that boost their professional careers or resolve family issues when they aren't working.

Having an extended period of free time in the prime of one's life can in fact be a unique opportunity to focus on volunteer service, professional education or personal growth.

Community Involvement

For Lisa Perez, the wakeup call was burned pork chops. An executive who previously hadn't been particularly interested in home and health had become obsessed with homemaking during a stint of unemployment.

She realized that cleaning and organizing her home wasn't helping her job search. Nevertheless, "I made lists of' 50 things to do every day," says Ms. Perez, a political and public-relations consultant in Scottsdale, Aliz. "My house was spotless, just so I'd have something to do."

One day, her boyfriend didn't arrive on time for dinner because he had to work late, and her pork chops were mined. She threw a fit. "I'd never been a person like that," she says. "So I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself, and go out and do something productive."

Ms. Perez, 35, resolved to become an active volunteer for the duration of her search. She gave her time to a health-care concern, a housing program and a political campaign.

The work bolstered her self-confidence. "Volunteering takes the focus off of you. One thing you have that's still valuable is your time. And, of course, you learn that there are thousands of people with a life that's much worse than yours, "she says.

Volunteer assignments are also great ways to meet powerful and well-connected people. Over a six-month period, her volunteering evolved into working as a paid consultant and then as a full-time employee, a job she still holds today. In all, she was unemployed for eight months.

Before her job loss, she thought she didn't have time to volunteer while working. "Now, even though I have a demanding job, I still volunteer, because of what I got out of it", says Ms. Perez.

Confirming Education

Gene Bellavance, a 36-year old information-technology project manager, took another route during his unemployment. When he was laid off from a steel company near Cleveland, he knew his immediate prospects were bleak. He expected his search to take a year. He faced a decision: take a job that would set back his career or hold out for an offer he really wanted. Mr. Bellavance cashed out his pension, sold his house, unloaded things he didn't need at garage sales, and rented an apartment with a roommate. Then he says, "I signed up for every benefit I could find."

But he wasn't just waiting out the year. He spent file rest of his search updating his skills, including becoming certified in new database and project-management software. "You have to invest in yourself," Mr. Bellavance says. "I estimated what technology was going to be the most beneficial and chose applications that were going to be pervasive, that were right for my market, and that were going to ensure top pay."

In addition to income from the occasional IT--consulting assignment, he relied on a combination of displaced-worker-retraining grants and unemployment benefits. "I went out and found the classes, submitted the paperwork, and dealt with the bureaucracy. You have to stay after them, keeping your benefits moving forward. It's up to you to make it work with your overall transition plan, "he says.

His job search was one month shy of the full year he'd expected. He looked for work 'during his training and says he would have

A．Y

B．N

C．NG

Even as the economy improves, a jobless executive may face up to a year or more of unemployment. This is a lot of time, especially for hard-charging high-performers who are not used to having any free time. While some job seekers spend hundreds—even thousands—of hours discovering daytime television, others seem to thrive on activities that boost their professional careers or resolve family issues when they aren't working.

Having an extended period of free time in the prime of one's life can in fact be a unique opportunity to focus on volunteer service, professional education or personal growth.

Community Involvement

For Lisa Perez, the wakeup call was burned pork chops. An executive who previously hadn't been particularly interested in home and health had become obsessed with homemaking during a stint of unemployment.

She realized that cleaning and organizing her home wasn't helping her job search. Nevertheless, "I made lists of 50 things to do every day," says Ms. Perez, a political and public-relations consultant in Scottsdale, Ariz. "My house was spotless, just so I'd have something to do."

One day, her boyfriend didn't arrive on time for dinner because he had to work late, and her pork chops were mined. She threw a fit. "I'd never been a person like that," she says. "So I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself, and go out and do something productive."

Ms. Perez, 35, resolved to become an active volunteer for the duration of her search. She gave her time to a health-care concern, a housing program and a political campaign.

The work bolstered her self-confidence. "Volunteering takes the focus off of yon. One thing you have that's still valuable is your time. And, of course, you learn that there are thousands of people with a life that's much worse than yours," she says.

Volunteer assignments are also great ways to meet powerful and well-connected people. Over a six-month period, her volunteering evolved into working as a paid consultant and then as a full-time employee, a job she still holds today. In all, she was unemployed for eight months.

Before her job loss, she thought she didn't have time to volunteer while working. "Now, even though I have a demanding job, I still volunteer, because of what I got out of it, says Ms. Perez.

Continuing Education

Gene Bellavance, a 36-year-old information-technology project manager, took another route during his unemployment. When he was laid off from a steel company near Cleveland, he knew his immediate prospects were bleak. He expected his search to take a year. He faced a decision: take a job that would set back his career or hold out for an offer he really wanted.

Mr. Bellavance, single and virtually debt free, shifted his finances into survival mode. He cashed out his pension, sold his house, unloaded things he didn't need at garage sales, and rented an apartment with a roommate. Then, he says, "I signed up for every benefit 1 could find."

But be wasn't just waiting out the year. He spent the rest of his search updating his skills, including becoming certified in new database and project-management software. "You have to invest in yourself," Mr. Bellavance says. "I estimated what technology was going to be the most beneficial and chose applications that were going to be pervasive, that were right for my market, and that were going to ensure top pay."

In addition to income from the occasional IT-consulting assignment, he relied on a combination of displaced-worker-retraining grants and unemployment benefits. "I went out and found the classes, submitted the paperwork, and dealt with the bureaucracy. You have to stay after them, keeping your benefits moving forwa

A．Y

B．N

C．NG

1 Most earthquakes occur within the upper 15 miles of the earth's surface. But earthquakes can and do occur at all depths to about 460 miles. Their number decreases as the depth increases. At about 460 miles one earthquake occurs only every few years. Near the surface earthquakes may run as high as 100 in a month, but the yearly average does not vary much. In comparison with the total number of earthquakes each year, the number of disastrous earthquakes is very small.

2 The extent of the disaster in an earthquake depends on many factors. If you carefully build a toy house with an Erector set, it will still stand no matter how much you shake the table. But if you build a toy house with a pack of cards, a slight shake of the table will make it fall. An earthquake in Agadir, Morocco, was not strong enough to be recorded on distant instruments, but it completely destroyed the city. Many stronger earthquakes have done comparatively little damage. If a building is well constructed and built on solid ground, it will resist an earthquake. Most deaths in earthquakes have been due to faulty building construction or poor building sites. A third and very serious factor is panic. When people rush out into narrow streets, more deaths will result.

3 The United Nations has played an important part in reducing the damage done by earthquakes. It has sent a team of experts to all countries known to be affected by earthquakes. Working with local geologists and engineers, the experts have studied the nature of the ground and the type of most practical building code for the local area. If followed, these suggestions will make disastrous earthquakes almost a thing of the past.

4 There is one type of earthquake disaster that little can be done about. This is the disaster caused by seismic sea waves, or tsunamis. (These are often called tidal waves, but the name is incorrect. They have nothing to do with tides. ) In certain areas, earthquakes take place beneath the sea. These submarine earthquakes sometimes give rise to seismic sea waves. The waves are not noticeable out at sea because of their long wave length. But when they roll into harbours, they pile up into walls of water 6 to 60 feet high. The Japanese call them "tsunamis", meaning "harbour waves", because they reach a sizable height only in harbours.

5 Tsunamis travel fairly slowly, at speeds up to 500 miles an hour. An adequate warning system is in use to warn all shores likely to be reached by the waves. But this only enables people to leave the threatened shores for higher ground. There is no way to stop the oncoming wave.

Which of the following CANNOT be concluded from the passage?

A．The number of earthquakes is closely related to depth.

B．Roughly the same number of earthquakes occur each year.

C．Earthquakes are impossible at depths over 460 miles.

D．Earthquakes are most likely to occur near the surfaces.

1 Most earthquakes occur within the upper 15 miles of the earth's surface. But earthquakes can and do occur at all depths to about 460 miles. Their number decreases as the depth increases. At about 460 miles one earthquake occurs only every few years. Near the surface earthquakes may run as high as 100 in a month, but the yearly average does not vary much. In comparison with the total number of earthquakes each year, the number of disastrous earthquakes is very small.

2 The extent of the disaster in an earthquake depends on many factors. If you carefully build a toy house with an Erector set, it will still stand no matter how much you shake the table. But if you build a toy house with a pack of cards, a slight shake of the table will make it fall. An earthquake in Agadir, Morocco, was not strong enough to be recorded on distant instruments, but it completely destroyed the city. Many stronger earthquakes have done comparatively little damage. If a building is well constructed and built on solid ground, it will resist an earthquake. Most deaths in earthquakes have been due to faulty building construction or poor building sites. A third and very serious factor is panic. When people rush out into narrow streets, more deaths will result.

3 The United Nations has played an important part in reducing the damage done by earthquakes. It has sent a team of experts to all countries known to be affected by earthquakes. Working with local geologists and engineers, the experts have studied the nature of the ground and the type of most practical building code for the local area. If followed, these suggestions will make disastrous earthquakes almost a thing of the past.

4 There is one type of earthquake disaster that little can be done about. This is the disaster caused by seismic sea waves, or tsunamis. (These are often called tidal waves, but the name is incorrect. They have nothing to do with tides. ) In certain areas, earthquakes take place beneath the sea. These submarine earthquakes sometimes give rise to seismic sea waves. The waves are not noticeable out at sea because of their long wave length. But when they roll into harbours, they pile up into walls of water 6 to 60 feet high. The Japanese call them "tsunamis", meaning "harbour waves", because they reach a sizable height only in harbours.

5 Tsunamis travel fairly slowly, at speeds up to 500 miles an hour. An adequate warning system is in use to warn all shores likely to be reached by the waves. But this only enables people to leave the threatened shores for higher ground. There is no way to stop the oncoming wave.

Which of the following CANNOT be concluded from the passage?

A．The number of earthquakes is closely related to depth.

B．Roughly the same number of earthquakes occur each year.

C．Earthquakes are impossible at depths over 460 miles.

D．Earthquakes are most likely to occur near the surfaces.

A、Government deregulation in an industry results in significant reduction in competition.

B、Government regulation is not a major entry barrier for any industries.

C、Falling entry barriers due to government deregulation results in higher competition and lower industry profit rates.

D、The threat of new entrants reduces when the government deregulates an industry.

E、Companies that enjoy brand loyalty and have significant scale economies are the ones who face major threat of competition due to government deregulation.

The planned deregulation has ______ concern 1;hat Peter will face stiffer competition and an erosion of its 42 percent market share.

A．multiplied

B．bred

C．magnified

D．generated

If found guilty, what would Wal-Mart face?

A．It would have to withhold taxes or make required workers' compensation contributions.

B．It would face civil and criminal penalties.

C．It would have to make public its role as a joint employer.

D．Its stock price would be falling sharply.