试题库在线考试题库-历年真题模拟试题及答案-考博英语在线试题测试中心-希赛网

哈尔滨工业大学

很多人认为没有兄弟姐妹的孩子很幸运，因为他们可以得到物质享受和别人的注意。但是想一想独生子女没有隐私---父母总是感觉自己有权知道发生在他或她生活中的一切。身为独生子女的第二个缺点是缺少某些优势，而这恰恰是有兄弟姐妹的孩子所拥有的。独生子女无法因为事情出错而责备兄弟姐妹，或是索要哥哥姐姐以前曾被给予的特权。此外，独生子女也失去了兄弟姐妹的陪伴。结果就是孤独，以及在日后的生活中交朋友也会遇到麻烦，因为他们从未学过与兄弟或姐妹相处。

For a century or so, the shopping ritual at dealer showrooms for new and used vehicles hasn’t changed much, apart from more comfortable chairs and the addition of latte (拿铁咖啡) machines.But the Internet is unraveling the essence of new-car retailing, arming shoppers with more information than ever about features and prices, and (as) well as expert reviews. Will shoppers soon be able to take the next step and order new cars online, like books, laptops and shoes?The debate over Internet vehicle sales rages, since automakers see if (it) as a way to slash distribution costs by hundreds, and perhaps a few thousand dollars per vehicle. Dealers are aghast: They have shielded their franchises in every state with legislation. Many view Internet sales as a means of undermining them. Dealers assert that “cars aren’t books or shoes” and are best sold in person by their sales staff, a process that allows the shopper to test the vehicle, as well as explore financing and trade-ins.Tesla Motors (TSLA.，the groundbreaking electric-vehicle manufacturer founded by Elon Musk, takes orders for its Model S sedan, which starts at $70.000, on its website. The cars are delivered either at one of its 30 company-owned stores or can be drop-shipped to a buyer’s home. Tesla, clearly, is bucking law and tradition. “In Texas, where the law precludes delivering directly to customers, we do so through third-parties,” said Sharma Hendriks, a Tesla spokesperson. “We’re not saying we’ll never have dealers; but that model doesn’t make sense for us now.Because the market for used cars isn’t protected by new-car franchise laws, it may provide a more promising opportunity for online vehicle sales. eBay Motors, a division of eBay (EBAY), offers thousands of vehicles online for sales between private parties. Many used-car dealers also use the digital platform and pay a listing fee.Carvana, a venture sponsored by DriveTime, one of the nation’s largest used-car operations, has begun selling late-model used premium and luxury models on its own website. Carvana operates for the time being only in Atlanta and its environs but hopes to expand nationwide.Ernie Garcia Jr., Carvana’s chief executive officer, said that the first hundred vehicles sold by Carvana reflect what he called a “promising” trend of high satisfaction among buyers. Four buyers of the first hundred weren’t satisfied with their purchase and exercised their right to trade the vehicles they bought for another. Only one of the hundred demanded a refund.Garcia said that sales of new and used vehicles at dealerships, in the conventional manner, reflect about “$2,000 a car” in sales, general and administrative cost. He regards that amount as margin that can and will eventually shrink as online attracts more vehicle shoppers. New-vehicle sales online haven’t arrived, and perhaps may never. Yet that day feels as though it’s drawing closer, especially for consumers who will choose anything and everything-including a spouse-using keypad or mouse.For a century or so, the shopping ritual at dealer showrooms for new and used vehicles hasn’t changed much, apart from more comfortable chairs and the addition of latte （拿铁咖啡） machines.

On the first day of the US federal government shutdown, a Californian resident may not yet feel the impact, but many Chinese tourists are unhappy and their tour guides nervous. Tony Lu has run a travel agency in Los Angeles for 20 years. Four tourist groups from China’s mainland organized by his agency are currently travelling around the United States. They are suffering different kinds of impact from the federal government shutdown, which led to the close of 401 national parks, Smithsonian’s 19 museums and galleries and the National Zoo. “Compared to the 1995-1996 shutdown, this time is more serious to us. We run mostly Chinese market business and there are many more Chinese tourists groups now than 17 years ago,” he said.“Our clients are complaining. The tour guides explained to them that even the US President Barack Obama cannot solve the problem immediately,” he said. Some of the groups have to change their itineraries (行程)as they cannot enter Yellowstone National Park or the Lincoln Memorial, nor can they have a close look of the Statue of Liberty, all of which are among the most popular tourism sites.According to National Park Services, the national parks have about 715,000 visitors per day on average in October. But now, visitors are being turned away.Although there’s no figure yet of how many Chinese tourists are affected by the shutdown, some are expressing their sadness online. “I want to cry,” wrote Ms He to her WeChat (微信)friends. She had been looking forward to her sightseeing trip to the US for a long time.But soon after she landed, she learned that the Statue of Liberty, Lincoln Memorial and many other tourist attractions on her list would be closed.“Nobody will give any compensation to these Chinese tourists. The Senate and the Congress will definitely not,” said Lu, “And we have to do more to make them feel better, such as explaining the situation to them and helping some of them modify their travel plans. Hopefully the federal government shutdown ends soon.”Nearly 1.5 million Chinese traveled to the US last year, according to the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries of the US Department of Commerce.Chinese companies doing business in the US may also be affected if the federal regulatory agencies and other services do not resume work soon.

Criticism is a valuable means of helping ourselves and others achieve personal growth. However, because it is often done carelessly or cruelly, criticism has a bad reputation. Here are some guidelines for offering criticism constructively. First, wait until the person asks for feedback on his or her performance or actions. Unasked-for criticism is not usually valuable. Second, describe the person’s behavior as specifically as possible before you criticize it. Instead of just saying, “You were awful,” tell the person exactly what you observed. And finally, try to balance your criticism with positive statements. Look for significant points in the other person’s performance that you can honestly praise.

Ideas about education are changing in the United States. Education today is not just a high school diploma or a college degree. Many adults are not interested in going to college. They are interested in other kinds of learning. For them, learning does not end with a diploma.Continuing education gives these adults the opportunity to increase their knowledge about their own field or to learn about a new field. It also gives them a chance to improve their old skills or to learn new ones.Secretaries, mechanics, and barbers can take classes to improve their work skills. Nurses can take classes to increase their knowledge of nursing. If they know more or learn more, then they can get a better job or earn more money.Continuing education classes give some adults the chance to learn new skills. There is usually a large variety of classes to choose from, typing, foreign cooking, photography, auto repair, furniture repair, or swimming. These are only some of the classes available.Some adults take classes for fun or because the class will be useful for them. For example, they can choose a class in almost any language, Chinese, Spanish or English as a second language. There are classes in first aid or classes in sewing. There are also many other types of classes to choose from.Other adults take continuing education classes to improve their own lives because they want to feel better about themselves. Overweight people can find exercise classes or classes in nutrition. Others can learn how to be good parents, or how to get along with other people. There are many opportunities for adults to continue their learning. Almost any community college or public school system has a continuing education program. There are classes in schools, community buildings, or churches. Most classes are in the evening, so working people can attend. The classes are usually small, and they are inexpensive.Thousands of people register for continuing education classes each year. They receive no diploma or certificate, and no grade for most of the classes they attend. For them, learning is something they do because they want to.1.Lots of people attend continuing education classes because（） .2.Some adults take lessons of typing or auto repair to （）.3.What’s the main idea of Para.7?4.Attending continuing education classes（） .5.We can learn from the passage that（） .

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