[简答题]

The steadily growing number of single-person households in Britain has raised plenty of troubling issues—how to build enough dwellings to accommodate them, what to do about the decline in traditional family cohesion—to keep planners and sociologists busy. But one as yet unstudied side- effect of this social trend appears to be an explosion in the cat population.
The Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association reckons that the number of dogs has declined from a peak of 7.4 million in 1990 to 6.5 million now. (47)Meanwhile the domestic cat population has risen steadily, overtaking dog numbers in 1993 to stand now at about 8 million, twice as many as there were in 1965. Changing life-styles, more than anything else, are responsible for this. (48)More single-person households and more married women at work means that fewer households are able to give a dog the walks and other attention it needs. Cats, on the other hand, apart from daily feedin

[单项选择]1 A growing number of companies are finding that small-group discussions allow them to develop healthier ways to think about work. People at all levels of the corporate structure are starting groups that meet weekly or monthly to talk over ways to make workplaces more ethical and just.
2 Several factors must be present for small-group discussions to be successful. First, it is important to put together the right group. Groups work best when they consist of people who have similar duties, responsibilities, and missions. This does not mean, however, that everyone in the group must think in lockstep.
3 All participants should agree on the group’s purpose. Finding the right subject matter is essential. There are several ways to fuel the discussion: by using the company’s mission statement, by finding readings on work and ethics by experts in the topic, or by analyzing specific workplace incidents that have affected the company or others like i
A. demand
B. overlook
C. explore
D. remove

[简答题]There is a growing number of economists who believe today’s brutally tough labor market is not a temporary American oddity. Falling wages, reduced benefits and rising job insecurity seem to be increasingly entrenched features of the job scene across most of Western Europe, the United States and other parts of the developed world. The number of insecure freelance positions is rising (as are working hours) while stable jobs with good benefits are being cut. Laid-off workers are much less likely to be rehired by their old companies and have to find new jobs or turn to self-employment. Those who still have jobs are working longer hours with little prospect of meaningful raises. The new labor market is shaped by growing global competition, spurred by the rise of cheap manufacturers in China, India and Eastern Europe, and the price-chopping effect of both the Internet and giant retailers led by Wal-Mart. These forces compel Western companies to exercise a growing restraint on prices and labo