| 1. 阅读理解 | 详细信息 |
阅读理解The environmental practices of big businesses are shaped by a fundamental fact that offends our sense of justice. A business may maximize the amount of money it makes by damaging the environment and hurting people. When government regulation is effective, and the public is environmentally aware, environmentally clean big businesses may out-compete dirty ones, but the reverse is likely to be true if government regulation is ineffective and the public doesn't care. It is easy to blame a business for helping itself by hurting other people. But blaming alone is unlikely to produce change. It ignores the fact that businesses are not charities but profit-making companies, and they are under obligation to maximize profits for shareholders by legal means. Our blaming of businesses also ignores the ultimate responsibility of the public for creating the conditions that let a business profit through destructive environmental policies. In the long run, it is the public, either directly or through its politicians, that has the power to make such destructive policies unprofitable and illegal, and to make sustainable environmental policies profitable. The public can do that by accusing businesses of harming them. The public may also make their opinion felt by choosing to buy sustainably harvested products; by preferring their governments to award valuable contracts to businesses with a good environmental track record; and by pressing their governments to pass and enforce laws and regulations requiring good environmental practices. In turn, big businesses can exert powerful pressure on any suppliers that might ignore public or government pressure. For instance, after the US public became concerned about the spread of a disease, transmitted to humans through infected meat, the US government introduced rules demanding that the meat industry abandon practices associated with the risk of the disease spreading. But the meat packers refused to follow these, claiming that they would be too expensive to obey. However, when a fast-food company made the same demands after customer purchases of its hamburgers dropped, the meat industry followed immediately. The public's task is therefore to identify which links in the supply chain are sensitive to public pressure. Some readers may be disappointed or outraged that I place the ultimate responsibility for business practices harming the public on the public itself. I also believe that the public must accept the necessity for higher prices for products to cover the added costs of sound environmental practices. My views may seem to ignore the belief that businesses should act in accordance with moral principles even if this leads to a reduction in their profits. But I think we have to recognize that, throughout human history, government regulation has arisen precisely because it was found that not only did moral principles need to be made explicit, they also needed to be enforced. My conclusion is not a moralistic one about who is right or wrong, admirable or selfish. I believe that changes in public attitudes are essential for changes in businesses' environmental practices.
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| 2. 阅读理解 | 详细信息 |
阅读理解On March 7, 1907, the English statistician Francis Galton published a paper which illustrated what has come to be known as the "wisdom of crowds" effect. The experiment of estimation he conducted showed that in some cases, the average of a large number of independent estimates could be quite accurate. This effect capitalizes on the fact that when people make errors, those errors aren't always the same. Some people will tend to overestimate, and some to underestimate. When enough of these errors are averaged together, they cancel each other out, resulting in a more accurate estimate. If people are similar and tend to make the same errors, then their errors won't cancel each other out. In more technical terms, the wisdom of crowds requires that people's estimates be independent. If for whatever reasons, people's errors become correlated or dependent, the accuracy of the estimate will go down. But a new study led by Joaquin Navajas offered an interesting twist (转折) on this classic phenomenon. The key finding of the study was that when crowds were further divided into smaller groups that were allowed to have a discussion, the averages from these groups were more accurate than those from an equal number of independent individuals. For instance, the average obtained from the estimates of four discussion groups of five was significantly more accurate than the average obtained from 20 independent individuals. In a follow-up study with 100 university students, the researchers tried to get a better sense of what the group members actually did in their discussion. Did they tend to go with those most confident about their estimates? Did they follow those least willing to change their minds? This happened some of the time, but it wasn't the dominant response. Most frequently, the groups reported that they "shared arguments and reasoned together." Somehow, these arguments and reasoning resulted in a global reduction in error. Although the studies led by Navajas have limitations and many questions remain, the potential implications for group discussion and decision-making are enormous.
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| 3. 听力题 | 详细信息 |
What can be concluded about Keven from the conversation?
A . He wants to buy the new car
B . He thinks his signature is necessary
C . He has already signed a contract
D . He doesn't always say what he means.
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| 4. 听力题 | 详细信息 |
What does the man mean?
A . A cold drink can be relaxing.
B . Scott and Tina like to play jocks on each other.
C . Humor can be helpful in embarrassing situations
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| 5. 听力题 | 详细信息 |
What are the speakers mainly discussing?
A . How customers could be best served.
B . What kind of stores can offer lower prices.
C . Whether online stores will replace high-street stores.
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| 6. 听力题 | 详细信息 |
What does the man mean?
A . The lady should stop being patient.
B . He can't understand the lady's feeling.
C . The lady should not blame others.
D . Nobody may be interested in her problem.
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| 7. 听力题 | 详细信息 |
What does the man think of the party?
A . He doesn't like the part.
B . He hates to prepare for the party.
C . It is worthwhile to prepare for the party.
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| 8. 听力题 | 详细信息 |
听录音，回答问题。
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| 9. 听力题 | 详细信息 |
听录音，回答问题。
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| 10. 听力题 | 详细信息 |
听录音，回答问题。
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