【单选题】I____the operation unless it is absolutely necessary.

In early June, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)—the club of the world's wealthy and almost wealthy nations released a 208-page document perversely titled "Pensions at a Glance". Inside is a rundown of how generous OECD members are to their burgeoning ranks of retirees.

The US is near the bottom, with the average wage earner able to count on a government-mandated pension for just 52.4% of what he got (after taxes) in his working days—and higher-income workers even less. But the picture at the other end of the scale (dominated by Continental Europe) is misleading. Most of these governments haven't put aside money for pensions. As the ranks of retirees grow and workforces do not, countries will have to either renege on commitments or tax the hides off future workers.

What the OECD data seem to suggest is that you can run a retirement plan that's fiscally sound but stingy, or you can make big promises that will eventually go sour. The US fits mostly in the former category—for all the gnashing of teeth about Social Security, its funding problems are modest by global standards.

But is that really the choice? Actually, no. At least one country appears to have found a better way. In the Netherlands—"the globe's No.1 pensions country," says influential retirement-plan consultant Keith Ambachtsheer—the average retiree can count on a pension equal to 96.8% of his working income. Ample money is set aside to fund pensions, and it is invested prudently but not timidly. Companies contribute to employees' accounts but aren't stuck with profit-killing obligations if their business shrinks or the stock market tanks.

The Dutch have steered a middle way between irresponsible Continental generosity and practical Anglo-American stinginess. They have also, to lapse into pension jargon, split the difference between DB and DC plans. In a defined-benefit (DB) plan, workers are promised a retirement income, and the sponsor—usually a corporation or government—is on the hook to provide it. In a defined-contribution (DC) plan, the worker and sometimes the employer set aside money and hope it will be enough.

The big problem with DB is that sponsors are prone to lowball or ignore the true cost. In the U. S. , where corporate pensions provide a key supplement to Social Security, Congress has felt the need to pass multiple laws aimed at preventing companies from underfunding them. In response, some companies spent billions shoring up their funds; many others simply stopped offering pensions. Just since 2004, at least 66 big companies have frozen or terminated their DB plans, estimates Barclays Global Investors. Corporate DB has given way to individual DC plans like the 401(k) and IRA, but these put too much responsibility on the shoulders of individual workers. Many don't save enough money, and those who do set aside enough earn returns that are on average much lower than those of pension funds.

The Netherlands, like the US, has long relied on workplace pensions to supplement its government plan. The crucial difference is that these pensions were mandatory. Smaller employers had to band together to make a go of it, and industry-wide funds became standard. Run more as independent cooperatives than as captive corporate divisions, the Dutch funds were less prone to underfunding than their US counterparts. When they nonetheless ran into financial trouble in 2002 after the stock market crashed and interest rates sank, the country came up with a unique response. The Dutch funds are now no longer on the hook for providing a set income in retirement no matter what happens to financial markets that is, they've gone DC—but they didn't shunt everything to individual workers. Risks are shared by all the members of a pension fund, and the money is managed by professionals.

Pension consultant Ambachtsheer argues that thi

A．the US does not have big pension problems in comparison with other countries

B．continental Europe is in fact not doing that well with retirement-related issues

C．governments are generally reneging on their promises with pension problems

D．countries are all doing pretty well with retirement issues

A wise man once said that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. So, as a police officer, I have some urgent things to say to good people.

Something has gone terribly 【C1】______ with our once proud American way of life. It has happened in the area of values. A key 【C2】______ is disappearing, and I think I know what it is: accountability

Accountability isn't hard to 【C3】______ It means that every person is responsible for his or her actions and 【C4】______ for their consequences. Of the many 【C5】______ that hold civilization together-honesty, kindness, and so on-accountability may be the most important.

My job as a police officer is to impose accountability on people who 【C6】______ , or have never learned, to impose it on themselves. 【C7】______ as every policeman knows, external controls on people's behavior. are far less effective than internal 【C8】______ such as guilt, shame and embarrassment.

【C9】______ , there are still communities-smaller towns, usually-where schools maintain 【C10】______ and where parents hold up standards that proclaim: "In this family certain things are not 【C11】______ -they simply are not done! "

Yet more and more, especially in our larger cities and suburbs, these 【C12】______ restraints are loosening. The main cause of this breakdown is a radical shift in 【C13】______ Thirty years ago, if a crime was 【C14】______ , society was considered the victim. Now, in a shocking 【C15】______ , it's the criminal who is considered victimized: by his underprivileged upbringing, by the school that didn't teach him to read, by the church that 【C16】______ to reach him with moral guidance, by the parents who didn't provide a 【C17】______ home.

I don't believe it. Many others in equally disadvantaged circumstances choose not to 【C18】______ in criminal activities. If we free the criminal, even partly, 【C19】______ accountability, we become a society of endless excuses 【C20】______ no one accepts responsibility for anything.

We in America desperately need more people who believe that the person who commits a crime is the one responsible for it.

【C1】

A．faulty

B．defective

C．mistaken

D．wrong

听力原文： A wise man once said that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. So, as a police officer, I have some urgent things to say to good people.

Something has gone wrong with our once-proud American way of life. A key ingredient is disappearing: responsibility, which means that every person is responsible for his actions. Without it, there can be no respect, no law, and ultimately, no society. My job as a police officer is to impose responsibility on people who refuse to impose it on themselves. But as every policeman knows, controls on people's behavior. are far less effective than internal restrictions such as guilt, shame and embarrassment. Yet gradually, especially in our larger cities and suburbs, these inner restrictions are loosening. Your typical robber has none. He considers your property his property; he takes what he wants, including your life.

The main cause of this break-down is a radical shift in attitudes. Thirty years ago, if a crime was committed, society was considered the victim. Now it's the criminal who is considered victimized: by the school that didn't teach him to read, by the church that failed to reach him with moral guidance, by the parents who didn't provide a stable home. I don't believe it. Many others in equally disadvantaged circumstances choose not to engage in criminal activities. If we free the criminal from responsibility, we become a society of endless excuses. We desperately need more people who believe that the person who commits a crime is the one responsible for it.

(30)

A．Because good men are not as smart as the police.

B．Because good people have no sense of guilt.

C．Because good people have hardly done anything to prevent crimes.

D．Because good people commit more criminal activities recently.

Water is the oldest form. of transport. The original sailing vessels were replaced by steamboats in the early 1800s and by diesel power in the 1920s. A distinction is generally made between deepwater and navigable inland water transport. Domestic commerce centers on tile Great Lakes, canals, and navigable rivers.

In 1975 water transport accounted for 22.6 percent of total intercity tonnage. Its relative share of intercity tonnage was 31.3 percent in 1947 and 31.7 percent in 1958. Tonnage declined to 27.9 percent in 1965 but increased by 1970 to 28.4 percent. This short-term increase did not stabilize. Market share dropped by 5.8 percent by 1975. Forecasted market share by 1985 is 18.4 percent of total intercity tonnage. The water transport share of revenue has been less than 2 percent of intercity freight revenue since 1955.

The exact miles of improved waterways in operation depend in part on whether coastwise and intercostal shipping are included. Approximately 26,000 miles of improved inland waterways were operated in 1975. Fewer miles of improved inland waterways exist than of any other transportation mode.

The main advantage of water transport is the capacity to move extremely large shipments. Deepwater vessels are restricted in operation, but diesel-towed barges have a fair degree of flexibility. In comparison to rail and highway, water transport ranks in the middle with respect to fixed cost. The fixed cost of operation is greater than that of motor carriers but less than that of railroads. The main disadvantage of water is the limited degree of flexibility and the low speeds of transport. Unless the source and destination of the movement are adjacent to a waterway, supplemental haul by rail or truck is required. The capability of water to transport large tonnage at low variable cost places this mode of transport in demand when low freight rates are desired and speed of transit is a secondary consideration.

Freight transported by inland water leans heavily to mining and basic bulk commodities, such as chemicals, cement, and selected agricultural products. In addition to the restrictions of navigable waterways, terminal facilities for bulk arid dry cargo storage and load-unload devices limit the flexibility of water transport. Labor restrictions on loading and unloading at dock level create operational problems and tend to reduce the potential range of available traffic. Finally, a highly competitive situation has developed between railroads and inland water carriers in areas where parallel routings exist.

Inland and Great Lakes water transport will continue to be a viable alternative for future logistical system design. The full potential of the St. Lawrence Seaway has not yet been realized with respect to domestic freight. The slow passage of inland river transport can provide a form. of warehousing in transit if fully integrated into overall system design. Improvements in ice-breaking equipment appear on the verge of eliminating the seasonal limitations of water transport.

Which of the following statements is true according to the article?

A．Steamboats are the original sailing vessels.

B．Steam power followed diesel power.

C．Deepwater and navigable inland water transport are equivalents.

D．There is domestic commerce in the Atlantic Ocean.

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy

cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of will, a qualification of the i-【M1】______

magination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the fresh of the deep springs of life. 【M2】______

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of

the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists a man of 60 【M3】______

more than a boy of 20. Nobody grow old merely by the number of years. We 【M4】______

grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but give in enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. 【M5】______

Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart or turns the spirit back to dust. 【M6】______

Whether 60 or 16, there is every human being's heart the lure of wonder,

the unfailing childlike appetite of what' s next and the joy of the game of living. 【M7】______

In the center of your heart and my heart where there is a wireless station: so 【M8】______

long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from

men and from the infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered by snows of cynicism 【M9】______

and the ice of pessimism, then you are growing old, even at 20, however as 【M10】______

long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there is hope you may

die young at 80.

【M1】

根据以下资料，回答下列各题： In 1910．Henry Van Dyke wrote a book called The Spimt of America，which opened with this sentenee：“The Spirit of America is best known in Europe by one of its qualities—energy．”This has always been true．Americans have always been known for thelr mamc dvnamism．Some condemned this ambition as a scrambling after money.Others saw it in loftier terms．But energy has always been the country’s saving feature. So Americans should be especially alert to signs that the country is becoming less vital and assiduous．One of those signs comes to us from the labor market. According to figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development，the United States has a smailer share of prime age men in the work force than any other G-7 nation. Part of the problem has to do with human capital．More American men lack the emotional and professional skills they would need to contribute．According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics，35 percent of those without a high school diploma are out of the labor force．compared with less than lo percent of those with a college degree．Part of the Droblem has to do with structural changes in the economy．Sectors like government，health care and high．tech have been growing，generating jobs for collegegrads. Sectors like manufacturing，agriculture and energy have been getting more productive，but they have not been generating more jobs．Instead，companies are using machines or foreign workers. The resuIt is this：There are probably more idle men now than at any time slnce the Great Depression. and this time the problem is mostly structural，not cyclical．This is a big Droblem．It can’t be addressed through the sort of short—term Keynesian stimulus some on the left are still fantasizing about．It can’t be solved by simply reducing the size of government，as some on the right imagine． It will．probably require a broad menu of policies attacking the problem all at once： expanding community colleges and online learning；changing the corporate tax code and labor market rules to stimulate investment；adopting German-style. labor market practices like apprenticeship programs，wage subsidies and programs that extend benefits to the unemployed for six months as they start small businesses． Reinvigorating the missing fifth--bringing them back into the labor market and using their capabilities-will certainly require money．If this were a smart country．we’d be having a debate about how to shift money from programs that provide comfort and toward programs that spark reinvigoration． But，of course，that’S not what is happening．Discretionary spending，which might be used to instigate dynamism，is declining．Health care spending，which mostly provides comfort to those beyond working years，is expanding．Attempts to take money from health care to open it up for other uses are being crushed．We’re locking in the nation’S wealth into the Medicare program and closing off any possibility that we might do something significant to reinvigorate the missing fifth．Next time you see a politician demagoguing Medicare，ask this：Should we be using our resources in the manner of a nation in decline or one still committed to stoking the energy of its people and continuing its rise? The loss of American dynamism concerned by the author is mainly manifested in the fact that_______．

A.American young are more indolent than their counterparts in other countries

B.America suffered from a higher rate of unemployment than other countries

C.More American young are out of work than their counterparts in other countries

D.American young are obssessed with the incessant quest for material comforts

根据以下资料，回答下列各题： In 1910．Henry Van Dyke wrote a book called The Spimt of America，which opened with this sentenee：“The Spirit of America is best known in Europe by one of its qualities—energy．”This has always been true．Americans have always been known for thelr mamc dvnamism．Some condemned this ambition as a scrambling after money.Others saw it in loftier terms．But energy has always been the country’s saving feature. So Americans should be especially alert to signs that the country is becoming less vital and assiduous．One of those signs comes to us from the labor market. According to figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development，the United States has a smailer share of prime age men in the work force than any other G-7 nation. Part of the problem has to do with human capital．More American men lack the emotional and professional skills they would need to contribute．According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics，35 percent of those without a high school diploma are out of the labor force．compared with less than lo percent of those with a college degree．Part of the Droblem has to do with structural changes in the economy．Sectors like government，health care and high．tech have been growing，generating jobs for collegegrads. Sectors like manufacturing，agriculture and energy have been getting more productive，but they have not been generating more jobs．Instead，companies are using machines or foreign workers. The resuIt is this：There are probably more idle men now than at any time slnce the Great Depression. and this time the problem is mostly structural，not cyclical．This is a big Droblem．It can’t be addressed through the sort of short—term Keynesian stimulus some on the left are still fantasizing about．It can’t be solved by simply reducing the size of government，as some on the right imagine． It will．probably require a broad menu of policies attacking the problem all at once： expanding community colleges and online learning；changing the corporate tax code and labor market rules to stimulate investment；adopting German-style. labor market practices like apprenticeship programs，wage subsidies and programs that extend benefits to the unemployed for six months as they start small businesses． Reinvigorating the missing fifth--bringing them back into the labor market and using their capabilities-will certainly require money．If this were a smart country．we’d be having a debate about how to shift money from programs that provide comfort and toward programs that spark reinvigoration． But，of course，that’S not what is happening．Discretionary spending，which might be used to instigate dynamism，is declining．Health care spending，which mostly provides comfort to those beyond working years，is expanding．Attempts to take money from health care to open it up for other uses are being crushed．We’re locking in the nation’S wealth into the Medicare program and closing off any possibility that we might do something significant to reinvigorate the missing fifth．Next time you see a politician demagoguing Medicare，ask this：Should we be using our resources in the manner of a nation in decline or one still committed to stoking the energy of its people and continuing its rise? The loss of American dynamism concerned by the author is mainly manifested in the fact that_______．

A.American young are more indolent than their counterparts in other countries

B.America suffered from a higher rate of unemployment than other countries

C.More American young are out of work than their counterparts in other countries

D.American young are obssessed with the incessant quest for material comforts

It is easier to negotiate initial salary requirement because once you are inside, the organizational constraints(约束)influence wage increases. One thing, however, is certain: your chances of getting the raise you feel you deserve are less if you don't at least ask for it. Men tend to ask for more, and they get more, and this holds true with other resources, not just pay increases. Consider Beth's story:

I did not get what I wanted when I did not ask for it. We had cubicle(小隔间)offices and window offices. I sat in the cubicles with several male colleagues. One by one they were moved into window offices, while I remained in the cubicles, several males who were hired after me also went to offices. One in particular told me he was next in line for an office and that it had been part of his negotiations for the job. I guess they thought me content to stay in the cubicles since I did not voice my opinion either way.

It would be nice if we all received automatic pay increases equal to our merit, but "nice" isn't a quality attributed to most organizations. If you feel you deserve a significant raise in pay, you'll probably have to ask for it.

Performance is your best bargaining chip(筹码)when you are seeking a raise. You must be able to demonstrate that you deserve a raise. Timing is also a good bargaining chip. If you can give your boss something he or she needs( a new client or a sizable contract, for example )just before merit pay decisions are being made, you are more likely to get the raise you want.

Use information as a bargaining chip too. Find out what you are worth on the open market. What will someone else pay for your services?

Go into the negotiations prepared to place your chips on the table at the appropriate time and prepared to use communication style. to guide the direction of the interaction.

According to the passage, before taking a job, a person should ______.

A．demonstrate his capability

B．give his boss a good impression

C．ask for as much money as he can

D．ask for the salary he hopes to get