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It's a rough world out there. Step outside and you could break a leg slipping on your doormat. Light up the stove and you could burn down the house. Luckily, if the doormat or stove failed to warn of coming disaster, a successful lawsuit might compensate you for your troubles. Or so the thinking has gone since the early 1980s, when juries began holding more companies liable for their customer's misfortunes.Feeling threatened, companies responded by writing ever-longer warning labels, trying to anticipate every possible accident. Today, stepladders carry labels several inches long that warn, among other things, that you might---surprise! ----fall off. The label on a child's Batman cape cautions that the toy "does not enable user to fly".While warnings are often appropriate and necessary ----the dangers of drug interactions, for example---and many are required by state or federal regulations, it isn't clear that they actually protect the manufacturers and sellers from liability if a customer is injured. About 50 percent of the companies lose when injured customers take them to court.Now the tide appears to be turning. As personal injury claims continue as before, some courts are beginning to side with defendants, especially in cases where a warning label probably wouldn't have changed anything. In May, Julie Niminons, president of Schutt Sports in Illinois, successfully fought a lawsuit involving a football player who was paralyzed in a game while wearing a Schutt helmet. "We're really sorry he has become paralyzed, but helmets aren't designed to prevent those kinds of injuries." says Nimmons. The jury agreed that the nature of the game, not the helmet, was the reason for the athlete's injury.At the same time, the American Law Institute---a group of judges, lawyers, and academics whose recommendations carry substantial weight--issued new guidelines for tort law slating that companies need not warn customers of obvious dangers or bombard them with a lengthy list of possible ones." Important information can get buried in a sea of trivialities. " says a law professor at Comell Law School who helped draft the new guidelines. If the moderate end of the legal community has its way, the information on products might actually be provided for the benefit of customers and not as protection against legal liability41. What were things like in the 1980s when accidents happened?[A] Customers might be relieved of their disasters through lawsuits.[B] Injured customers could expect protection from the legal system.[C] Companies would avoid being sued by providing new warnings.[D] Juries tended to find fault with the compensations companies promised.42. Manufacturers as mentioned in the passage tend to ______.[A] satisfy customers by writing long warnings on products[B] become honest in describing the inadequacies of their products[C] make the best use of labels to avoid legal liability[D] feel obliged to view customers' safety as their first concern43. The case of Schutt helmet demonstrated that ______.[A] some injury claims were no longer supported by law[B] helmets were not designed to prevent injuries[C] product labels would eventually be discarded[D] some sports games might lose popularity with athletes44. The author's attitude towards the issue seems to be ______.[A] biased [B] indifferent [C] puzzling [D] objective答案：41B 42C 43A 44DTight-lipped elders used to say, "It's not what you want in this world, but what you get.Psychology teaches that you do get what you want if you know what you want and want the light things.You can make a mental blueprint of a desire as you would make a blueprint of a house, and each of us is continually making these blueprints in the general routine of everyday living. If we intend to have friends to dinner, we plan the menu, make a shopping list, decide which food to cook first, and such planning is an essential for any type of meal to be served.Likewise, if you want lo find a job, take a sheet of paper, and write a brief account of yourself. In making a blueprint for a job, begin with yourself, for when you know exactly what you have to offer, you can intelligently plan where to sell your services.This account of yourself is actually a sketch of your working life and should include education, experience and references. Such an account is valuable. It can be referred to in filling out standard application blanks and is extremely helpful in personal interviews. While talking to you, your could-be employer is deciding whether your education, your experience, and other qualifications, will pay him to employ you and your "wares" and abilities must be displayed in an orderly and reasonably connected manner.When you have carefully prepared a blueprint of your abilities and desires, you have something tangible to sell. Then you are ready to hunt for a job. Get all the possible information about your could-be job. Make inquiries as to the details regarding the job and the firm. Keep your eyes and ears open, and use your own judgment. Spend a certain amount of time each day seeking the employment you wish for, and keep in mind: Securing a job is your job now.45. What do the elders mean when they say "It's not what you want in this world, but what you get"?[A] You'll certainly get what you want.[B] It's no use dreaming.[C] You should be dissatisfied with what you have.[D] It's essential to set a goal for yourself.46. A blueprint made before inviting a friend to dinner is used in this passage as _________.[A] an illustration of how to write an application for a job[B] an indication of how to secure a good job[C] guideline for job description[D] a principle for job evaluation47. According to the passage, one must write an account of himself before starting tofind a job because_____________[A] that is the first step to please the employer[B] that is the requirement of the employer[C] it enables him to know when to sell his services[D] it forces him to become clearly aware of himself48. When you have carefully prepared a blueprint of your abilities and desires, youhave something________.[A] definite to offer [B] imaginary to provide[C] practical to supply [D] desirable to present答案：45B 46A 47D 48A汉译英：汉译英：Before every New Year or major celebration, there would be a general cleaning. The room could usually be kept tidy for a couple of months, but often it was a matter of only a few days before the room was a mess again, and that was mainly due to those books, piles of books, everywhere. Whenever I was out on business, I couldn't help going to bookstores, and once I was there, I could never resist the temptation of buying more. New books, books that I had a thought of reading, books of which I only finished half, books needed for my writing, and books that had values to keep took up most of the space in my room，and they were ever expanding, eating up all the time the remaining part of my room that provided the minimum space for me as the dweller there. Isn't this an invasion? But I accepted invasion of such kind with comfort and pleasure.。