Yasuhisa Shizoki, a 51-year-old MP from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), starts tapping his finger on the dismal economic chart on his coffee table. "Unless we change the decision-making process," he says bluntly, "we are not going to be able to solve this kind of problem." With the economy in such a mess, it may seem a bit of a diversion to be trying to sort out Japan’s political structures as well as its economic problems. But Mr Shiozaki can hardly be accused of time-wasting. He has consistently prodded the government to take a firm hand to ailing banks, and has given warning against complacency after a recent rise in share prices. Far from being a distraction, his latest cause highlights how far Japan is from genuine economic reform. Since cowriting a report on political reform, which was released by an LDP panel last week, Mr Shiozaki has further upset the party’s old guard. Its legionaries, flanked by columns of the bureaucracy, continue to hamper most attempts to overhaul the economy. Junichiro Koizumi was supposed to change all that, by going over their heads and appealing directly to the public. Yet nearly a year after becoming prime minister, Mr Koizumi has precious little to show for his efforts. His popularity is now flagging and his determination is increasingly in doubt.
As hopes of immediate economic reform fade, optimists are focusing on another potential benefit of Mr Koizumi’s tenure. They hope that his highly personalized style of leadership will pave the way for a permanent change in Japanese politics, towards more united and authoritative cabinets that are held directly accountable for their policies. As that happens, the thinking goes, real economic reforms will be able to follow.
A leading candidate for change is the 40-year-old system--informal but religiously followed--through which the LDP machinery vets every bill before it ever gets to parliament. Most legislation starts in the LDP’s party committees, which mirror the parliamentary committee structure. Proposals then go through two higher LDP bodies, which hammer out political deals to smooth their passage. Only then does the prime minister’s cabinet get fully involved in approving the policy. Most issues have been decided by the LDP mandarins long before they reach this point, let alone the floor of parliament, leaving even the prime minister limited influence, and allowing precious little room for public debate and even less for accountability.
As a result, progress will probably remain slow. Since they know that political reform leads to economic reform, and hence poses a threat to their interests, most of the LDP will resist any real changes. But at least a handful of insiders have now bought into one of Mr Koizumi’s best slogans. "Change the LDP, change Japan./
What is implied in the first sentence

A:The economic situation in Japan is depressing. B:Shizoki is engaged in some time-wasting activity. C:The economic chart mirrors genuine revivals. D:Shizoki is addicted to his enjoyable diversions.

Text 2

The modern cult of beauty is a success in so far as more women retain their youthful appearance to a greater age than in the past. "Old ladies" are already becoming rare. In a few years, we may well believe, they will be extinct. White hair and wrinkles, a bent back and hollow cheeks will come to be regarded as medievally old-fashioned. The crone of the future will be golden, curly and cherry-lipped, and slender. This desirable consummation will be due in part to skin foods and injections of paraffin-wax, facial surgery, mud baths, and paint, in part to improved health, due in its turn to a more rational mode of life. Ugliness is one of the symptoms of disease, beauty of health. In so far as the campaign for beauty is also a campaign for more health, it is admirable and, up to a point, genuinely successful.
Beauty that is merely the artificial shadow of these symptoms of health is intrinsically of poorer quality than the genuine article. Still, it is a sufficiently good imitation to be sometimes mistakeable for the real thing. The apparatus for mimicking the symptoms of health is now within the reach of every moderately prosperous person; the knowledge of the way in which real health can be achieved is growing, and will in time, no doubt, be universally acted upon. When that happy moment comes, will every woman be beautiful—as beautiful, at any rate, as the natural shape of her features, with or without surgical and chemical aid, permits
The answer is emphatically: No. For real beauty is as much an affair of the inner as of the outer self. The beauty of a porcelain jar is a matter of shape, of color, of surface texture. The jar may be empty or tenanted by spiders, full of honey or stinking slime—it makes no difference to its beauty or ugliness. But a woman is alive, and her beauty is therefore not skin deep. The surface of the human vessel is affected by the nature of its spiritual contents. I have seen women who, by the standards of a connoisseur of porcelain, were ravishingly lovely. Their shape, their colour, their surface texture were perfect. And yet they were not beautiful. For the lovely vase was either empty or filled with some corruption. Spiritual emptiness or ugliness shows through. And conversely, there is an interior light that can transfigure forms that the pure aesthetician would regard as imperfect or downright ugly.
There are numerous forms of psychological ugliness. There is an ugliness of stupidity, for example, of unawareness (distressingly common among pretty women). An ugliness also of greed, of lasciviousness, of avarice. All the deadly sins, indeed, have their own peculiar negation of beauty. On the pretty faces of those especially who are trying to have a continuous "good time", one sees very often a kind of bored sullenness that ruin all their charm. I remember in particular two young American girls I once met in North Africa. Form the porcelain specialist’s point of view, they were extremely beautiful. But a sullen boredom was so deeply stamped into their fresh faces, their gait and gestures expressed so weary a listlessness, that it was unbearable to look at them. These exquisite creatures were positively repulsive.
In the second paragraph, beauty is talked about as ______.

A:an artificial shadow of a genuine article B:an apparatus for achieving good health C:the poor imitation of true inner health D:the good knowledge of health and disease

I am not sure that I can draw an exact line between wit and humor (perhaps the distinction is so subtle that only those persons can decide who have long white beards), but even an ignorant person may express an opinion in this matter.
I am quite positive that humor is the more comfortable and livable quality. Humorous persons, if their gift is genuine and not a mere shine upon the surface, are always agreeable companions. They have pleasant mouths turned up at the corners, to which the great master of Marionettes (牵线木偶) has fixed the strings and he holds them in his nimblest (灵巧的) fingers to twitch them at the slightest jest (笑话). But the mouth of a merely witty man is hard and sour. Nor is the flash from a witty man always comforting, but a humorous man radiates a general pleasure.
I admire wit, but l have no real liking for it; it has been too often employed against me, whereas humor is always an ally; it never points an impertinent (不礼貌的) finger into my defects. A wit’s tongue, however, is as sharp as a donkey’s stick—I may gallop the faster for its prodding (刺戳) , but the touch behind is too persuasive for any comfort.
Wit is a lean creature with a sharp inquiring nose, whereas humor has a kindly eye and a comfortable girth. Wit has a better voice in a solo, but humor comes into the chorus best.
Wit keeps the season’s fashions and is precise in the phrases and judgments of the day, but humor is concerned with homely eternal things.

Implied but not stated: ()

A:Humor is always genuine B:Humorous persons have pleasant faces C:Wit is more nimble than humor D:Humor comes by more naturally than wit

Passage 3
Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also ex plain that there’ s a big difference between "being a writer" and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter. "You’ ye got to want to write," I say to them, "not want to be a writer."
The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by for tune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When ! left a 20-year career in the U. S. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer (自由撰稿人), I had no prospects at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn’ t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer.
After a year or so, however, I still hadn’ t gotten a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that I barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn’ t going to be one of those people who die wondering" What if" I would keep putting my dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the Shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

What can be concluded from the passage()

A:Genuine writers often find their work interesting and rewarding B:A writer' s success depends on luck rather than on effort. C:Famous writers usually live in poverty and isolation. D:The chances for a writer to become successful are small.

Passage 3 Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also ex plain that there’ s a big difference between "being a writer" and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter. "You’ ye got to want to write," I say to them, "not want to be a writer." The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by for tune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When ! left a 20-year career in the U. S. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer (自由撰稿人), I had no prospects at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn’ t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer. After a year or so, however, I still hadn’ t gotten a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that I barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn’ t going to be one of those people who die wondering" What if" I would keep putting my dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the Shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

What can be concluded from the passage( )

A:Genuine writers often find their work interesting and rewarding B:A writer' s success depends on luck rather than on effort. C:Famous writers usually live in poverty and isolation. D:The chances for a writer to become successful are small.

Microsoft Launches Free Security

Microsoft has released its free computer security package to the public.
From 29 September, Windows users will be able to download the software from Microsoft’s Security Essentials website.
The free software gives basic protection against viruses, trojans, rootkits, and spyware. The Essentials software is Microsoft’s second try at making an own-brand security package.
Prior to release a beta version of Security Essentials software, code named Morro, has been available to users in the US, China, Brazil, and Israel.
Microsoft said the software would be available to anyone who wanted to use it and downloading it would not involve registering with the software firm or having a limit on the amount of time it could be used for.
"Consumers have told us that they want the protection of real-time security software, but that they are confused by trials and renewals and concerned about performance and as a result, too many are unprotected" said Amy Barzdukas, general manager for consumer security at Microsoft in a statement.
The only restriction on use is that it has to be installed on a" genuine" Windows PC—One whose copy of its operating system has been verified by Microsoft.
In the free software market Microsoft faces competition from many others including AVG. Alwil Avast, Avira Antivir and Comodo.
The free software runs on Windows XP, Vista and will also be available for Windows 7 when it is released in late October. Updates will be provided automatically to those who install the software.
Prior to working on Security Essentials, Microsoft offered its Windows Live One Care paid security software but this failed to win a significant user base in the highly competitive consumer market. This software was withdrawn in mid. 2009.
What is the restriction on using this Security Essentials software

A:Three-month trials. B:To install on a "genuine" Windows P C:C. Users’ Windows system. D:Users’ computer literacy.

{{B}}第三篇{{/B}}

?{{B}} ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Advice of a Writer{{/B}}
? ?Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there’s a big difference between "being a writer" and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter. ?"You’ve got to want to write, I say to them, "not want to be a writer."
? ? The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor--paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When I left a 20 _year career in the U. S. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer (自由撰稿者), I had no prospects at all: What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer.
? ?After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t gotten a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering, What if? I would keep putting my dream to the test--even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the Shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.
What can be concluded from the passage?

A:Genuine writers often find their work interesting and rewarding. B:A writer’s success depends on luck rather than on effort. C:Famous writers usually live in poverty and isolation. D:The chances for a writer to become successful are small.

Policing Skills

In many ways, though, definition of such skills is quite unnecessary for an analysis of policing. It is really most unlikely that the average police officer will ever in his career perform or even witness those detective skills that he has enjoyed in countless TV products. The reason for this is simply that the vast majority of crimes are usually either very likely to be solved by routine investigation or they are very unlikely to be solved at all. Fortunately, the clear - up rate for serious crimes tends to be very high. Zander( 1979 )has shown why. In his study of Old bailey cases ,the identity of the defendant(被告) seems to have been reasonably clear in 87% of cases. Morgan (1980 and ongoing)has shown that well over 92% of crimes known to the police are discovered by the public who provide the majority of decisive information. In Morgan’s study, crimes that were" solved" contained in their crime files over twice the amount of qualitative information as crimes that were not" solved". The various bits of information in value in terms of probability of detection, "solving" of the crime. In this, where information was provided by the public during a police interview, the information was believed to the police" since it was felt that in an interview genuine police skills are involved in the collection of information. "Evidently this method can be justified thus, but will necessarily overestimate the police role. Nevertheless, in this analysis of crime files it was shown that in cases where crimes were solves, the public still provided nearly twice the amount of information as the police.
We can learn from the passage that the collection of information in police interviews

A:requires genuine police skills. B:cannot be justified. C:is crucial for the solving of a crime. D:over - estimates the informant’s role but ignores the police’s rol

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