Increased demand for a country's exports causes its currency to depreciate.

Country X uses the dollar as its currency and country Y uses the dinar.

Country X’s expected inflation rate is 5% per year, compared to 2% per year in country Y. Country Y’s nominal interest rate is 4% per year and the current spot exchange rate between the two countries is 1·5000 dinar per $1.

According to the four-way equivalence model, which of the following statements is/are true?

(1) Country X’s nominal interest rate should be 7·06% per year

(2) The future (expected) spot rate after one year should be 1·4571 dinar per $1

(3) Country X’s real interest rate should be higher than that of country Y

A.1 only

B.1 and 2 only

C.2 and 3 only

D.1, 2 and 3

To parents who take the responsibility for children' s expenses, the cost of living increases because children are better dressed.

A．对那些给孩子们花钱的父母而言，生活费的提高是因为孩子们穿着越来越好。

B．对那些负担孩子花费的父母而言，因为孩子们穿着越来越好，所以生活开支增加。

C．对那些负担孩子花费的父母而言，因为孩子们穿着越来越好，所以生活水平提高。

D．对那些给孩子们零花钱的父母而言，生活水平的提高体现在孩子们穿着越来越好。

The cunning Internet entrepreneurs who Constantly try to manipulate Google’s Search engine results for a competitive edge were trying their best to match wits face-to-face with the company's top engineers. Google's experts, despite putting on a show of being helpful, weren't about to reveal their "secret sauce"--Google's tightly guarded formula for ranking Web sites.

For the millions of Web sites without a well-known domain name, those rankings can mean the difference between success or failure because Google's search engine drives so much of the Internet's traffic, With so much at stake, low-ranked Web sites spend' much time and money trying to elevate their standing, even if they must resort to deception. The tactics include "keyword stuffing"--filling a Web page with phrases associated with a specific topic such as "laptop computers" in hopes of duping the search engine;

It's a risky strategy because Google and other search engines penalize Web sites that get caught unnecessarily repeating the same word. In the worst cases, the offending Web sites are deleted from the index so they don't show up in search results at all.

Sometimes webmasters act secretly to populated their sites with a large number of incoming links from other sites. This approach makes a site appear more authoritative and popular than it really is and thus rise in rankings.

Such dirty tricks pollute the search results with Web sites that have little to do with a user's request, frustrating consumers, diminishing Google's credibility and threatening to undermine the company's profits by driving users to its rivals.

Not surprisingly, Google works hard to prevent the mischief makers, who sometimes are branded as "Black Hats" because of their dishonest practice, from filling the websites with useless contents. However, Google knows it can't entirely avoid Black Hats. So, webmasters searching for secrets are better off looking elsewhere. Everything you ever wanted to know from Google is right there on the forums that the webmasters run. There is a lot of truth in there, but there's also a lot of crazy stuff. You just can't tell them which is which.

The word "dupe" in the last sentence of the second paragraph is the closest in meaning to

A．copy

B．cheat

C．develop

D．decide

Valet Co is a car valeting (cleaning) company. It operates in the country of Strappia, which has been badly affected by the global financial crisis. Petrol and food prices have increased substantially in the last year and the average disposable household income has decreased by 30%. Recent studies have shown that the average car owner keeps their car for five years before replacing it, rather than three years as was previously the case. Figures over recent years also show that car sales in Strappia are declining whilst business for car repairs is on the increase.

Valet Co offers two types of valet – a full valet and a mini valet. A full valet is an extensive clean of the vehicle, inside and out; a mini valet is a more basic clean of the vehicle. Until recently, four similar businesses operated in Valet Co’s local area, but one of these closed down three months ago after a serious fire on its premises. Valet Co charges customers $50 for each full valet and $30 for each mini valet and this price never changes. Their budget and actual figures for the last year were as follows:

The budgeted contribution to sales ratios for the two types of valet are 44·6% for full valets and 55% for mini valets.

Required:

(a) Using the data provided for full valets and mini valets, calculate:

(i) The total sales mix contribution variance; (4 marks)

(ii) The total sales quantity contribution variance. (4 marks)

(b) Briefly describe the sales mix contribution variance and the sales quantity contribution variance. (2 marks)

(c) Discuss the SALES performance of the business for the period, taking into account your calculations from part (a) AND the information provided in the scenario. (10 marks)

After a cold front passes the barometric pressure usually ______.

A.fluctuates

B.remains the same

C.remains the same, with clouds forming rapidly

D.rises, often quite rapidly, with clearing skies

For years, the U. S. has experienced a shortage of registered nurses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that while the number of nurses will increase by 19 percent by 2022, demand will grow faster than supply, and that there will be over one million unfilled nursing jobs by then.

So what's the solution? Robots.

Japan is ahead of the curve when it comes to this trend. Toyohashi University of Technology has developed Terapio, a robotic medical cart that can make hospital rounds, deliver medications and other items, and retrieve records. It follows a specific individual, such as a doctor or nurse, who can use it to record and access patient data. This type of robot will likely be one of the first to be implemented in hospitals because it has fairly minimal patient contact.

Robots capable of social engagement help with loneliness as well as cognitive functioning, but the robot itself doesn't have to engage directly—it can serve as an intermediary for human communication. Telepresence robots such as MantaroBot, Vgo, and Giraff can be controlled through a computer, smartphone, or tablet, allowing family members or doctors to remotely monitor patients or Skype them, often via a screen where the robot's ' face' would be. If you can't get to the nursing home to visit grandma, you can use a telepresence robot to hang out with her. A 2016 study found that users had a "consistently positive attitude" about the Giraff robot's ability to enhance communication and decrease feelings of loneliness.

A robot's appearance affects its ability to successfully interact with humans, which is why the RIKEN-TRI Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research decided to develop a robotic nurse that looks like a huge teddy bear. RIBA (Robot for Interactive Body Assistance), also known as ‘Robear', can help patients into and out of wheelchairs and beds with its strong arms.

On the less cute and more scary side there is Actroid F, which is so human-like that some patients may not know the difference. This conversational robot companion has cameras in its eyes, which allow it to track patients and use appropriate facial expressions and body language in its interactions. During a month- long hospital trial, researchers asked 70 patients how they felt being around the robot and "only three or four said they didn't like having it around."

It's important to note that robotic nurses don't decide courses of treatment or make diagnoses (though robot doctors and surgeons may not be far off). Instead, they perform. routine and laborious tasks, freeing nurses up to attend to patients with immediate needs. This is one industry where it seems the integration of robots will lead to collaboration, not replacement.

51. What does the author say about Japan?

A) It delivers the best medications for the elderly.

B) It takes the lead in providing robotic care.

C) It provides retraining for registered nurses.

D) It sets the trend in future robotics technology.

52. What do we learn about the robot Terapio?

A) It has been put to use in many Japanese hospitals.

B) It provides specific individualized care to patients.

C) It does not have much direct contact with patients.

D) It has not revolutionized medical service in Japan.

53. What are telepresence robots designed to do?

A) Directly interact with patients to prevent them from feeling lonely.

B) Cater to the needs of patients for recovering their cognitive capacity.

C) Closely monitor the patients' movements and conditions around the clock.

D) Facilitate communication between patients and doctors or family members.

54. What is one special feature of the robot Actroid F?

A) It interacts with patients just like a human companion.

B) It operates quietly without patients realizing its presence.

C) It likes to engage in everyday conversations with patients.

D) It uses body language even more effectively than words.

55. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A) Doctors and surgeons will soon be laid off.

B) The robotics industry will soon take off.

C) Robots will not make nurses redundant.

D) Collaboration will not replace competition.