The sound of the snakehead is soft and tempting an...
The sound of the snakehead is soft and tempting and perfectly pitched to the ears of young Chinese who dream of a better life. 46. "One need never go wanting for anything in America," the snakehead says. "Color televisions. Shiny cars, Dollars by the millions. All is there, just waiting to be claimed."If the countless numbers of young Chinese who this moment are plotting their escape to America knew that the Land of Milk and Honey has proved sour for thousands of their people, they would not be so eager to make the risky journey. Since the first boatload of illegal Chinese aliens was seized by U. S. officials in 1991, some 50 Chinese crime groups have smuggled tens of thousands of Chinese into the U.S. each year. The routes vary, some by sea, others by air or by steady. In the southern coastal province of Fnjian, home goes up to about 80% of these immigrants. 47. Families band together to raise the funds, thinking they are making a down payment not only on a loved one's future but their own as well. For their effort they often bankrupt their savings only to sell the loved one into slavery.
Those who wish to try their tuck abroad are encouraged by the snakeheads who then link them with underground networks. 48. Most of the arrangements are done by international crime Syndicates, which cut deals with desperate families, then draw up the escape plan, obtain the forged documents and furnish the transportation. Some observers say as many as 20 human smuggling Syndicates may operatein Fujian. These organized rings influence officials unfairly, change stolen passports, forge visas, keep safe houses and charter boats to pull off their daring operations.
But falling into the hands of the gangs is a terrifying thing. Immigrants may face severe punishment if they fail to satisfy the demands of their contracts. 49. That, perhaps, explains the desperation of the Chinese illegals who sweat it out in restaurants, garment factories and dry-cleaning establishments for as little as $ 2 an hour. One garment clothes making district employee, for ex- ample, who worked 36 hours straight, was deprived of pay for taking a one hour nap. Non-payment of wages is widespread. "They are slaves, pure and simple," says a U. S. immigration official. "Many end up in bondage like slaves, forced to become gang enforcers or drug carriers."
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AI搜题
NEW
搜题
第1题
A．creaking
B．surging
C．sucking
D．lapping
第2题
A．articulatory phonetics
B．acoustic phonetics
C．auditory phonetics
D．phonology
第3题
A．psycholinguistics.
B．historical linguistics.
C．morphology.
D．semantics.
第4题
A．Oklahoma !
B．The Sound of Music.
C．Moulin Rouge !
D．Singin'in the Rain.
第5题
A. John Steinbeck．
B. Ernest Hemingway．
C. Scott Fitzgerald．
D. William Faulkner．
第6题
A．articulatory phonetics
B．acoustic phonetics
C．auditory phonetics
第7题
Boeing Plans to make this scenario possible with its broadband telecommunications initiative, Connexion by Boeing. This service will allow fliers to surf the Web, send and receive email, access the company internet, book dinner reservations trade the honest stock, shop-online and watch live TV from any seat in an aircraft.
Connexion is already available on private jets, and Boeing says that the two-way broadband service will be installed on domestic flights in late 2001. Global coverage is slated to arrive by 2005. Subscribers will be able to access Connexion from their seats using laptops or personal digital assistants, plus a network card and a cable provided by the airline. The cost? Comparable to ground-floor cellular phone service; between $ 6 and $ 25 an hour.
One key enabler for this technology is a phased-array antenna, originally developed by Boeing in 1986. Located on the aircraft's upper fuselage, the antenna electronically transmits beams to a satellite at 1.5 Mb per second and receives them at 5 Mb per second. Thus, every passenger can access Connexion concurrently, securing connection speeds of no less than 56 Kb per second each. The actual bandwidth will be continually upgraded.
Boeing ultimately wants to bring the service to markets like cruise ships and oil exploration plat- forms. Until then, the sky' s the limit.
What is the main idea of this article?
A．In the near future people will be able to watch live soccer matches on a plane.
B．The future holds many exciting developments.
C．Boeing is currently introducing Internet access on its planes.
D．There is a strong demand for web access by Boeing passengers.
第8题
A．The loudness of the sound waves.
B．The fear of sea animals.
C．The fear of the confusion and harm caused by sound waves.
D．The noise of the experiment.
第9题
A．A couple's whisper behind you in the cinema.
B．The snore of your roommate.
C．The loud motor- horn in the street.
D．The sound of airplanes taking off and landing when you are waiting to board a plane.
