英语职称考试资料

完形填空10篇1、A Health ProfileA health profile is a portrait of all of the factors that influence your health. To draw your health profile, you will need to know what diseases run in your family, what health hazards you may be exposed to at work, how your daily diet compares to the recommended standards1, how much time per week you spend exercising and what type of exercise you engage in, how stressful your work and family environments are, what kinds of illnesses you get regularly, and whether or not you have any one of a number of addictions.To complete this portrait you(r) should have a checkup to determine how your blood, heart, and lungs are functioning. This checkup will serve as a baseline, to which you can then compare later tests. Once this profile is thoroughly drawn, you can begin to think about setting health priorities based on your particular portrait. For example, if you drink. Two martinis every evening, have a high-stress job, are overweight, smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, and use marijuana occasionally on weekends, you should quit smoking first, followed by losing the excess weight, reducing the stress of your job, giving up your marihuana habit, and then finally giving some thought to those martinis if you want to prevent first cancer, and then heart disease. Even for the youthful working person who has never been sick a day in his life, who is in excellent health, a good look at all health habits and at work and home environments may suggest changes that will benefit him in the future.2、Making Yourself a Good RecordIf you are an American and you think you might need to borrow money someday, the best thing to do is start early.//That‟s because just at many employers want to hire only people with experience, banks and other creditors are usually reluctant to lend to those without a proven track record1 paying back, on time, the money they have borrowed.//But if you need experience just to get a start, how do you get that stat in the first place?//With a little help from your parents usually, while you are still financially dependent on them. It is easy to get a credit card or student loan when you are in college, because banks figure your parents will bail you out if you fail to pay.So just as students take on interships to build up their re sumes, one‟s university time can be a good time to work on another important personal record: the credit report. Credit reports are a summary of one‟s personal credit history, gathered by a credit reporting agency, or CRA.//Banks and companies—including hospitals, landlords and insurance companies—regularly report to the three main CRAs in the US on how their customers are doing at paying back the money they owe.Anyone with a “legitimate business need” has the right to order individuals‟ reports from the C RAs. Potential creditors usually compile the information in the reports into a credit “score”, ranking the level of creditworthiness. Lack of experience in borrowing in addition to a bad record of doing so, can result in a low score2.//Even if you are not considering taking out a loan for such a large purchase as a home or car, your credit report can be important to getting through life. Landlords often ask for the reports to judge whether a person can be trusted to pay the rent. Creditchecks are necessary for getting a credit card, even forpurchasing a mobile phone calling plan.People can obtain a copy of their own credit report,usually at a cost of around US$8-9. Some consumerorganizations recommend doing this once a year to allow oneto catch any mistakes that have slipped into the record or,even worse, to find out whether any fraud has taken place.Though the system is controlled by laws meant to protectpeople‟s privacy, it isn‟t fool-proof: Sometimes people takeout bad loans in others‟ names, ruining their records.//In asociety addicted to credit, that can be a disaster.3、Pretty GoodWhen Spanish football club Barcelona paid US$35 millionfor Ronaldinho last summer they weren‟t buying a pretty face.“I am ugly admits the Brazilian superstar. “But everyonehas got a different kind of beauty. What I do have ischarm.”//Inde ed he has. His buck teeth1 flowing hair2 bigsmile and of course his amazing skills are alwayseye-catching3 on the pitch. The 23-year-old striker scoredtwo goals in a 3-2 win over Deportivo La Coruna on March 1.It was Barcelona‟s sixth win in a row and thanks to theirBrazilian‟s 10-goal contribution what looked like a poorseason could now end a success.Ronaldinho—full name Ronaldo De Assis Moreira—is one ofmany South Americans who learned their skills playing in thebackstreets before showing them off4 on the world stage.Great things were expected when Gremio signedhim as aseven-year-old5 and he soon became friends with Ronaldowho was then the other young star of Brazilian football. Itwas Ronaldo who first called him Ronaldinho whichmeans Little Ronaldo and the name stuck6.He first played for his country in 1999 but it was at the2002 World Cup where he showed his real worth scoring anunbelievable free-kick in Brazil‟s quarter-final victory overEngland.//“I have never failed to deliver in big matches”Ronaldinho says. “My game is based on improvisation.Often a forward does not have the time to decide whether toshoot or pass. It is instinct that gives out the orders.”While he may not have David Beckham‟s good looksRonaldinho has a playboy reputation off the pitch. Atformer club Paris Saint Germain which sold him to Barcelonahe broke club rules by going out and enjoying the city‟snightlife.7“Without doubt Ronaldinho is the most difficult player Ihave ever come across” says former PSG co ach LuisFerdandez. “The main problem for any coach is that oneplayer without discipline can hurt the whole team.”//ButRonaldinho doesn‟t think he has done anything wrong. “I amjust a young person who enjoys life” he says.4、Where Have All Our Visitors Gone？Sixty years ago，a man named Kenneth Arnold saw somethingthat people are still seeing today -something that changedpopular culture for ever.//Flying his plane over mountains inthe US state of Washington，he saw a line of strange objects，either crescent -shaped or disc-like，flying with the motionof a saucer skimming on water.The media soon picked up on the story-the Flying Saucerswere here1！Was the earth being visited by creatures fromanother planet？Soon，so many sightings were made that theUS military began to investigate. It called these strangeobjects UFOs -Unidentified Flying Objects，and that is howthey are known today.Military investigations found no evidence of visitors fromouter space. But that did not stop the true believers. Themilitary were covering up，they said. Or maybe it wasbecause the travelers from space were of such superiorintelligence that they could hide from the most sophisticatedmilitary analysts.People have always seen strange lights in the sky. In the pastthese were explained in religious ways. In a world wherereligion was less influential and science fiction was popular，signs from god were replaced by visitors from otherplanets.The date of the first UFO signings was also significant. In1947，World War II had just ended and the cold war was justbeginning. Humanity seemed locked in endless conflicts. Likegenerations before them，people looked to the skies for help.But instead of seeking God，they looked for help fromsuper-intelligent aliens with advanced technology. Beliefin UFOs became the first religion of science.//However，evenpeople who believe in UFOs are not quite sure why they visitthe earth. The universe is a big place and it is reasonableto assume that there is life somewhere out there. It is possiblethat aliens have worked out how to travel through space. Yetsome people report that they have been taken by aliens andhave had experiments performed on them. Why wouldanyone travel across half the universe to conduct medicalexperiments on people living in small towns in the UnitedStates？）5：Why People Use PseudonymsYou can‟t choose the name you are given at birth，but inmany countries you can change itlegally when you reachadulthood．Of course，most people never change their nameseven they feel unhappy about them．However, some peopledo take this course of action—particularly artists! Whatmakes an artist want to change their name? Sometimes it‟s forpurely personal reasons，such as the Nobel Prize winningpoet from Chile，Neftali Reyes．He didn‟t want his father to_know he was writing poetry, so he changed his name toPablo Neruda when he was a young man．At other times thereason may appear eccentric；take the case of the Portuguesepoet Fernando Pessoa，who wrote under 75 differentnames．The reason? “When I use a different name，I alwayswri te in a different way,”he explained．In moqqqqqst cases，however, the reason is for social，historical，political，or cultural reasons．Here are some of the most common:The person's real name is just too long and difficult toremember．Let's be honest，Madonna Louise Ciccone is notas easy to remember as just plain “Madonna”．And shortnames are much easier to remember: William Bradleybecame Brad Pitt and Edson Arantes do Nascimento becamePele.Sometimes names are changed for marketingpurposes．For example，if a name sounds too “foreign”，it may be changed to something that is more recognizable in amarket ．So in the film world，Ramdn Estevez adoptedthe name Martin Sheen Or maybe the artist‟s real namedoesn‟t sound very attractive—Chad Everett does sound_ alot better than Raymond Cramton.Artists sometimes choose the name of someone theyadmire. Robert Zimmerman changed his name to Boo Dylanbecause of his admiration for the Welsh poet，Dylan Thomas．Another reason may be practicality：in the past，womenfound it very difficult to get published．To avoid thissituation they sometimes gave themselves men‟s names，so theEnglish author Mary Ann Evans became George Eliot，and shedid get her books published!10、The Ideal HusbandScience now might be able to e xplain women‟s fascinationwith Brad Pitt‟s face and George Clooney‟s eyes. Womenseem to judge potential mates by how masculine theirfeatures are, new research shows. Men with square jaws andwell-defined brow ridges1 are seen as good short-termpartners, while those with more feminine traits such as arounder face and fuller lips are perceived as better long-termmates.//In the study by Daniel Kruger at the US‟s Universityof Michigan, 854 subjects viewed a series of male headshots that had been digitally changed to exaggerate orminimize masculine traits2 They then answered questionsabout how they expected the men in the photos to behave.//Most participants said that those with more masculine featureswere likely to be risky, competitive, and more apt to fight,challenge bosses, cheat on spouses and put less effort intoparenting. Those with more feminine faces were seen asgood parents and husbands, hard workers and emotionallysupportive mates.//But, despite all the negative characteristics,when asked who they would choose for a short-termrelationship, women selected the more masculine lookingmen. Brad and George, both chiseled jaws and well-definedbrows, then would be good for a brief romance, not forsomething longer.//The study was published in the Decemberissue of the US journal Personal Relationships.//Kruger saidthat from an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense.The key is testosterone, the hormone responsible for thedevelopment of masculine facial features and other sexualcharacter istics. It has been found to affect the body‟s ability tofight disease: men with high levels of the hormone aretypically strong and healthy- traits women want to pass onto their children.However, increased testosterone has also been linked tocheating and violence in relationships．So，these menmight produce high quality offspring，but they don‟t alwaysmake great parents or faithful mates，Kruger says．//Thescientific community have shown skepticism towardphysiognomy, which links facial characteristics to certainbehavioral traits．But Kruger argues that the research is avaluable tool for understanding mating strategies．And，ofcourse，for explaining why Tony Leung and TakeshiKanesshiro have millions of female fans．It might have to dowith their genes．Or something to do with ours．9、Freezing to Death for BeautyPeople in Beijing wear a lot of clothing during winter tofend off the cold. In the United States, however, people wearless, partly because the car is the primary mode oftransportation. Cars take them straight to their workplaces,which are heated well. The American diet is full of calories, sotheir bodies can afford to burn heat more quickly.//Fewer layers of clothing give people the opportunity to stay fashionable.Lots of Yale girls wear skirts even when it's 10 degrees Centigrade outside. Some of them at least wear boots, tights, and leg-warmers1. Some, however, really just go for the look at the risk of health2. These girls have nothing to prevent their legs against the wind, and no socks to protect their feet. A mini skirt and a pair of stilettos are all that they wear.Typically, the ones pursuing fashion are skinny, with little body fat. Just by the nature of their bodies, they are already at a disadvantage compared with normal people in cold weather. I have always wondered, whenever I pass these girls, how they manage to refrain from shivering and just smile like spring had arrived3.And then there are the guys. The girls can be said to sacrifice health for beauty. But why do guys wear so little? It is not like, once they shed some layers, theyOf course, people have the freedom to look whatever way hey want. I am just surprised that, given the vast difference between winter and summer temperatures in Connecticut, they can still look like they are partying on the beach in the middle of February.8、An Early Form of Jazz MusicMusic comes in many forms; most countries have a style of their own. At the turn of the last century, when jazz was born, America had no prominent music of its own. No one knows exactly when was invented or by whom. But it began to be heard in the early 1890s. Jazz is America‟s contribution to popular music. In contrast to classical music, which follows formal European traditions, jazz is spontaneous and free in form. It bubbles with energy, expressing the moods, interests, and emotions of the people. In the 1920s jazz sounded like America. And so it does today. The origins of the music are as interesting as the music itself. American Negroes, or blacks, as they are called today, were the jazz pioneers. They were brought to the Southern states as slaves. They were sold to plantation owners and forced to work long hours. When a Negro died his friends and relatives formed a procession to carry to body to the cemetery. In New Orleans, a band often accompanied the procession. On the way to the cemetery the band played slow, solemn music suited to the occasion. But on the way home the mood changed. Spirits lifted. Death had removed one of their number, but the living were glad to be alive. The band played happy music, improvising on both the harmony and the melody of the tunes played at the funeral. This music made everyone want to dance. It was an early form of jazz.6、Reform on the RoadWill the reform on the use of government cars really reduce office expenditure on this count? There are no reports indicating such an outcome although some local governments have moved in that direction.Hangzhou government launched its reform last month. Officials below the level of deputy bureau chief cannot use official trips for business trips. Instead they get subsidies between 300 and 2,600 yuan a month according to theiradministrative rank. This reform is supposed to save thegovernment the money involving in maintaining a largenumber of cars.// Hangzhou in east China Zhejiang provinceis not the first to attempt such a reform. Nanjing, capitalof the neighboring Jiangsu province, did so five years ago, yetthere is no report available of how much money the Nanjinggovernment has saved by these measures. All that we knowabout is the fact that government officials get monthlysubsidies for businessThe public have a fight to asking 8for transparency onthe results of such reform because it is taxpayers' moneythat is being spent. Transparency is needed because peopleare skeptical about policy-makers making policy againsttheir own interests.Obviously, the subsidies are not based on work needs. Lowerlevel officials usually travel more than high-rankingofficials. Therefore, the impact of reform appears to bediluted.//Transparency alone can tell us whether thereform measures have indeed reduced government transportexpenditure. If there is no disclosure of amounts saved by thereform, the public may have reason to suspect that the reformis actually a poly to increase the income of officials inthe form of a transport subsidy.The way government cars are used needs to bereformed. The government spending on purchase of cars was80 billion yuan in 2008, and use and maintenance amounts toaround 300 billion yuan a year.// A study of ancient Chinesedynasties shows that the more reforms of the tax system, theheavier the taxes eventually levied on subjects.//The onlyway to prevent this vicious cycles from happening withgovernment car reform today is for the higher authorities tohave a strict and transparent audit of local finance.7、WaterForm the beginning, water has furnished man with a source offood and a highway to travel upon. The first civilizationsarose where water was a dominant element in theenvironment, a challenge to man‟s ingenuity. The egyptiansinvented the 365-day calendar in response to the Nile‟sannual flooding. The Babylonians,who were among themost famous law-makers in ancient times, invented lawsregulating water usage. Water inspired the Chinese tobuild a 1000-mile canal, a comples system which,afternearly 2500 years, remains still practically in use and stillcommands the astonishment of engineers. But theancients never found complete solutions to their waterproblems. The Yellow River is also know as “China‟sSorrow”,it is so unpredictable and dangerous that in asingle flood it has caused a million deaths. Floods slowedthe great civilization of the Indus River Valley,andinadequate drainage ruined much of its land.Today waterdominates man as it always has done.Its presence continuesto govern the location of his homes and cities; its violentvariability can kill man or his herds or his crops; its routeslinks him to his fellows; its immense valus may add toalready dangerous political conflicts. There are manyexamples of this in our own time.补全短文10篇1、What We Take from And Give to the SeaAs long as we have been on earth，we have used thesea around us. We take from the ocean，and we give to it.//Wetake fishes from the ocean-millions of kilograms of fish，every year，to feed millions of people. We even usetheir bones for fertilizer We take minerals fromthe ocean.One way to get salt is to place seawater in a shallowbasin and leave it until it evaporates.Along with salt，other minerals are left after evaporation.Much gold and silver drift dissolved in the waters of the sea，too1.But the sea does not give them up by simple evaporation.Other gifts from the sea are pearls，sponges and seaweed.Pearls become jewelry. Natural sponges becomecleaning aids Seaweed becomes food of manykinds-even candy，and ice cream-as well as medicine. Believeit or not，fresh water is another girl from the sea. We cannotdrink ocean water. Some of its contents maycause illness But ocean water becomes fresh water whenthe salts are removed. In the future，we will find ourselvesdepending more and more on fresh water from the sea.The sea gives us food，fertilizer，minerals，water，and other gifts. What do we give the sea? Garbage.Wepollute the ocean when we use it as agarbage dump.Huge as it is，the ocean cannot hold allthe water that we pour into it. Dumping garbage into theocean is killing off sea life2.Yet as the world populationgrows，we may need the sea and its gifts more than ever.//Weare finally learning that if we destroy our seas，we might alsodestroy ourselves. Hopefully，it is not too late.2、Teamwork in TourismGrowing cooperation among branches of tourism hasproved valuable to all concerned. Government bureaus, tradeand travel associations, carriers and properties are all workingtogether to bring about optimum conditions for travelers.Travel operators, specialists in the field ofplanning, sponsor extensive researchprograms. They have knowledge of all areas and allcarrier services, and they are experts in organizing differenttypes of tours and in preparing effective advertisingcampaigns. They distribute materials to agencies, such asjournals, brochures and advertising projects. They offerfamiliarization and workshop tours sothat in a short time agents can obtainfirst-hand knowledge of the toues.Tourist counselors give valuable seminars to acquaintagents with new programs and techniques in selling. Inthis way agents learn to explaindestinations and to suggest differentmodes and combinations of travel - planes;ships, trains, motorcoaches, car-rentals,and even car purchases.Properties and agencies work closely together to makethe most suitable contracts, considering both the comfort ofthe clients and their own profitable financial arrangement.Agencies rely upon the good services ofhotels, and, conversely, hotels rely uponagencies, to fulfill their contracts and tosend them clients.The same confidence exists betweenagencies and carriers, includingcar-rental and sight-seeing services. Carriersare dependent upon agencies to supply passengers, andagencies are dependent upon carriers to present them withmarketable tours. All services must work together for greaterefficiency, fair pricing and contented customers.3、Happy Birthday to YouThe main problem in discussing American popular culture isalso one of its main characteristics: it won‟t stay American.No matter what it is, whether it is films, food and fashion,music, casual sports or slang, it‟s soon at home e lsewhere inthe world. There are several theories why American popularculture has had this appeal.// One theory is that it has been“advertised” and marketed through American films, popularmusic, and more recently, television. But this theoryfails to explain why American films, music,and television programs are so popular inthemselves. They are, after all, in competition with thoseproduced by other countries.Another theory, probably a more common one, is thatAmerican popular culture is internationally associated withsomething called “the spirit of America.” This spirit isvariously described as being young andfree, optimistic and confident, informaland disrespectful.The final theory is less complex: American popular culture ispopular because a lot of people in the world likeit.//Regardless of why it spread, American popular culture isusually quite rapidly adopted and then adapted in many othercountries. As a result, its American originsand roots are often quickly forgotten.“Happy Birthday to You,” for instance, is such an everydaysong that its source, its American copyright, so to speak, is notremembered. Black leather jackets worn by many heroes inAmerican movies could be found, a generation later, on allthose young men who wanted to make this manly-look theirown.// Two areas where this continuing process is most clearlyseen are clothing 和music. Some people can still remembera time when T-shirts, jogging clothes, tennis shoes, denimjackets, 和blue jeans were not common daily weareverywhere. Only twenty years ago, it was possible to spot anAmerican in Paris by his or her clothes. No longer so: thosebring colors, checkered jackets 和trousers, hats 和sockswhich were once made fun of in cartoons are back again inParis as the latest fashion. American in origin,in formal clothing has become the world’sfirst truly universal style.//The situation with Americanpopular music is more complex because in the beginning,when it was still clearly American, it was often stronglyresisted. Jazz was once thought to be a great danger to youth和their morals, 和was actually outlawed in severalcountries. Today, while stills blowing its rather Americanroots, it has become so well established. Rock …n‟ roll 和itsvariations, country & western music, all have more or lesssimilar histories. They were first resisted, often in America aswell, as being “low-class,” 和then as “a danger to ournation‟s youth.” The BBC, for example, bannedrock 和roll until 1962._and then the musicbecame accepted 和was extended 和developed, 和exported back to the US.4、The first four minutesWhen do people decide whether or not they want tobecome friends? During their first four minutes together,according to a book by Dr. Leonard Zunin. In his book, "Contact: The first four minutes," he offers this advice to anyone interested in starting new friendships: Every time you meet someone in a socialsituation, give him your undivided attention for four minutes. A lot of people's whole lives would change if they did just that.You may have noticed that average person does not give his undivided attention to someone he as just met. He keeps looking over the other person's shoulder, as if hoping to find someone more interesting in another part of the room. If anyone has ever done this to you, you probably did not like him very much.When we are introduced to new people, the author suggests, we should try to appear friendly and self-confident. In general, he says, "People like people who like themselves."On the other hand, we should not make the other person think we are too sure of ourselves. It is important to appear interested and sympathetic, realizing that the other person has his won needs, fears, and hopes.Hearing such advice, one might say, "But I'm not a friendly, self-confident person. That's not my nature. It would be dishonest for me to at that way."In reply, Dr. Zunin would claim that a little practice can help us feel comfortable about changing our social habits. We can become accustomed to any changes we choose to make in our personality. "It is like getting used to a new car. It may be unfamiliar at first, but it goes much better than the old one."But isn't it dishonest to give the appearance of friendly self-confidence when we don't actually feel that way? Perhaps, but according to Dr. Zunin, "total honest" is not always good for social relationships, especially during the first few minutes of contact. There is a time for everything, and a certain amount of play-acting may be best for the first few minutes of contact with a stranger. That is not the time to complain about one's health or to mention faults one finds in other people. It is not the time to tell the whole truth about one's opinions and impressions.Much of what has been said about strangers also applies to relationships with family members and friends. For a husband and wife or a parent and child, problems often arise during their first four minutes together after they have been apart. Dr. Zunin suggests that these first few minutes together be treated with care. If there are unpleasant matters to be discussed, they should be dealt with later.The author says that interpersonal relations should be taught as a required course in every school, along with reading, writing, and mathematics. In his opinion, success in life depends mainly on how we get along with other people. that is at least as important as how much we know.5、Financial RisksSeveral types of financial risk are encountered in international marketing; the major problems include commercial, political, and foreign exchange risk.Commercial risks are handledessentially as normal credit risksencountered in day-to-day business. Theyinclude solvency, default, or refusal to pay bills. The majorrisk, however, is competition which can only be dealt withthrough consistently effective management and marketing.One unique risk encountered by theinternational marketer involves financialadjustments. Such risk is encountered when acontroversy arises about the quality of goods delivered, adispute over contract terms, or any other disagreement overwhich payment is withheld. One company, for example,shipped several hundred tons of dehydrated potatoes to adistributor in Germany. The distributor tested theshipment and declared it to be belowacceptable taste and texture standards.The alternatives for the exporter were reducing the price,reselling the potatoes, or shipping them home again, eachinvolving considerable cost.Political risk relates to the problems of war or revolution,currency inconvertibility, expropriation or expulsion, andrestriction or cancellation of import licenses. Politicalrisk is an environmental concern for allbusinesses. Management information systems andeffective decision-making processes are the best defensesagainst political risk. As many companies have discovered,sometimes there is no way to avoid political risk, somarketers must be prepared to assume them or give up doingbusiness in particular market.Exchange-rate fluctuations inevitably cause problems,but for many years, most firms could take protective action tominimize their unfavorable effects. Floatingexchange rates of the world’s majorcurrencies have forced all marketers to beespecially aware of exchange-ratefluctuations and the need to compensatefor them in their financial planning.International Business Machine Corporation, for example,reported that exchange losses resulted in a dramatic 21. 6percent drop in their earnings in the third quarter of 1981.Before rates were permitted to float, devaluations of majorcurrencies were infrequent and usually could be anticipated,but exchange-rate fluctuations in the float system are dailyaffairs.6、Mobile PhonesMobile phones should carry a label if they proved to be adangerous source of radiation, according to Robert Bell, ascientist. And no more mobile phone transmitter towersshould be built until the long-term health effects of theradiation they emit is scientifically evaluated, he said."Nobody's going to drop dead overnight but we should beasking for more scientific information," Robert Bell said at aconference on the health effects of low-level radiation. "Ifmobile phones are found to be dangerous,they should carry a warning label untilproper shields can be devised," he said.A report widely circulated among the public says that up tonow scientists do not really know enough to guarantee thereare no ill effects on humans from radiation. According toRobert Bell, there are 3.3 million mobile phones in Australiaalone and they are increasing by 2,000 a day. By theyear 2000 it is estimated that Australiawill have 8 million mobile phones: nearlyone for every two people.As well, there are 2,000 transmitter towers around Australia,many in high density residential areas. For example,Telstra, Optus and Vodaphone build theirtowers where it is geographically suitableto them and disregard the need of thecommunity. The radiation emitted from these towersmay have already produced some harmful effects on thehealth of the residents nearby.//Robert Bell suggests that untilmore research is completed the government should banconstruction of phone towers from within a 500 meter radiusof school grounds, child care centers, hospitals, sports playingfields and residential areas with a high percentage of children.He says there is emerging evidence thatchildren absorb low-level radiation at arate more than three times that of adults.He adds that there is also evidence that if cancer sufferers aresubjected to radiation the growth rate of the diseaseaccelerates .Then who finances the research? According toRobert Bell, it is reasonable for the major telephonecompanies to fund it. Besides, he also urges the Governmentto set up a wide ranging inquiry into possible health effects.7、The World’s Longest BridgeRumor has it that a legendary six-headed monster lurks inthe deep waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea between Italy 和theisland of Sicily.If true, one day you might spythe beast while zipping(呼啸而过)acrossthe Messina Strait Bridge. When completed in2010. the world‟s longest bridge will weight nearly 300,000tons—equivalent to the iceberg that sank the Titanic—和stretch 5 kilmeters long. “That‟s nearly 50 percent longer thanany other bridge ever built,” says structural engineer Sh aneRixon.What do the world’s longest bridges havein common?They‟re suspension bridges, massivestructures built to span vast water channels or gorges. Asuspension bridge needs just two towers to shoulder thestructure‟s mammoth weight, thanks to heft y supportingcables slung between the towers 和anchored firmly in deeppools of cement at each end of the bridge. The Messina StraitBridge will have two 54,100-ton towers, which will supportmost of the bridge‟s load. The beefy cables of the bridge,each 1.2 meter in diameter, will hold up the longest 和widest bridge deck ever built.When construction begins on the Messina Strait Bridge in2005, the first job will be to erect two 370 meter-tall steeltowers,The second job will be to pull twosets of steel cables across the strait, eachset being a bundle of 44,352 individualsteel wires.Getting these cables up will be something.It‟s not just their length—totally 5.3 kilometers—but theirweight. They will tip up the scales at 166,500tons—more than half the bridge’s totalmass.After lowering vertical “suspender” cables from the maincables, builders will erect a 60 meter-wide 54,630-ton steelroadway, or deck—wide enough to accommodate 12 lanes oftraffic. The deck‟s weight will pull down on the cables with aforce of 70,500 tons. In return, the cables yank up against theirfirmly rooted anchors with a force of 139,000tons—equivalent to the weight of about 100,000 cars. Thoseanchors are essential. They’re what will keep thebridge from going anywhere.8、Public RelationsPublic relations is a broad set of planned communicationsabout the company, including publicity releases, designed topromote goodwill and a favorable image.Publicity then is part of public relationswhen it is initiated by the firm, usually inthe form of press releases or pressconferences.Since public relations involvescommunications with stockholders, financial analysts,government officials, and other non customer groups, it isusually placed outside the marketing department, perhaps as astaff department or outside consulting firm reporting to topmanagement. This organizational placement can be alimitation because the public relations department orconsultant will likely not be in tune with marketing efforts.Poor communication and no coordinationmay be the consequences.Although the basicpurpose of public relations is to provide positive influence onthe public image, this influence generally may be less than thatprovided by the other components of the public image mix.Publicity may be in the form of newsreleases that have favorable overtones forthe company initiated by the publicrelations department. Publicity on the other handshould not be divorced from the marketing department, as itcan provide a useful adjunct to the regular advertising.Furthermore, not all publicity is initiatedby the firm; some can result form anunfavorable press as a reaction to certainactions or lack of actions that arecontroversial or even downrightill-advised.The point we wish to emphasize is that a firm is deludingitself if it thinks its public relations function, whether withinthe company or an outside firm, can take care of public imageproblems and opportunities. Many factors impacton the public image. Many of these have to dowith the way the firm does business, such as its productquality, the servicing and handling of complaints, and thetenor of the advertising. Public relations and directed publicitymay help highlight favorable newsworthy events, and mayeven succeed in toning down the worst of unfavorablepublicity, but the other components of the public image mixcreate more lasting impressions.9、The Dollar in World MarketsAccording to a leading German banker, the U. S. dollar is“the most frequently disc ussed economic phenomenon of ourtimes.” He adds, “. . . the dollar‟s exchange rate is at presentthe most important price in the world economy. . .”Because the dollar acts as a worldcurrency, its value affects manynations.The central banks of many countries hold hugereserves of dollars, 和over half of all world trade is priced in。