Text 4
Business travelers used to be the cash cows of the hotel business. Armed with corporate credit cards and expense accounts, they’d happily lay down hundreds of dollars per night for the privilege of a Godiva chocolate on their pillow and a sunken whirlpool tub in their bathroom. But just as pro longed corporate belt tightening has forced road warriors to use budget airlines, more and more of them are now eschewing five-star lodging in favor of cheaper accommodations. Indeed, earlier this year the U. S. -based National Business Travel Association released figures showing that 61 percent of corporate travel managers planned to book their people into lower-priced hotels in the coming year.
Here’s the good news: penny-pinching is translating into better deals at cheap and up-market hotels alike. Services at middle-market hotels are rising to accommodate a new wave of more demanding corporate customers. And luxury hotels are working harder to keep business travelers coming, offering lower rates, special packages and extra services. Even though business-travel volume is set to rise by more than 4 percent in 2004 after three dismal years, hotels will continue to be under pressure--in large part because a weak dollar is forcing American business travelers to search for value.
Some of the best deals are coming from the big chains. In January Starwood Hotels announced it would upgrade its global middle-market brand, Four Points, by rolling out free high-speed wireless Internet access in all guest rooms. On the flip side, upscale brands like Inter Continental and Ritz Carlton are selling empty rooms at discount rates via online services. That has the effect of depressing luxury-room prices, because corporate travel managers can now demand that hotels match their own discount prices all the time. Inter Continental hotels in France and Germany have been hit so hard that they are actually repricing their rooms to reflect rates before the dollar began falling. Upscale hotels like Waldorf-Astoria, Sofitel are also trying to offer extra services.
But beware of new, hidden fees. In an effort to make up some of their lost revenue, hotels are starting to charge corporate travelers for things that used to be free--including breakfast, banquet or meeting rooms.
Aside from saving companies money, the trend in frugal business travel may give rise to a whole new market segment: the buy-to-let hotel room, Last week in London, British property developer Johnny Sandelson launched GuestInvest, a hotel in Notting Hill where users can purchase a room for￡ 235,000, use it for a maximum of 52 nights a year themselves, then rent it out the rest of the time to make extra money. It seems an idea whose time has come: GuestInvest says it has already fielded hundreds of calls from business people interested in making a cheaper hotel their second home.

Compared with traditional hotels, the buy-to-let hotel（）

A:provides better room and service. B:attracts more attentions from travelers. C:costs less and can be profitable. D:makes travelers feel more at home.

Text 4 Business travelers used to be the cash cows of the hotel business. Armed with corporate credit cards and expense accounts, they’d happily lay down hundreds of dollars per night for the privilege of a Godiva chocolate on their pillow and a sunken whirlpool tub in their bathroom. But just as pro longed corporate belt tightening has forced road warriors to use budget airlines, more and more of them are now eschewing five-star lodging in favor of cheaper accommodations. Indeed, earlier this year the U. S. -based National Business Travel Association released figures showing that 61 percent of corporate travel managers planned to book their people into lower-priced hotels in the coming year. Here’s the good news: penny-pinching is translating into better deals at cheap and up-market hotels alike. Services at middle-market hotels are rising to accommodate a new wave of more demanding corporate customers. And luxury hotels are working harder to keep business travelers coming, offering lower rates, special packages and extra services. Even though business-travel volume is set to rise by more than 4 percent in 2004 after three dismal years, hotels will continue to be under pressure--in large part because a weak dollar is forcing American business travelers to search for value. Some of the best deals are coming from the big chains. In January Starwood Hotels announced it would upgrade its global middle-market brand, Four Points, by rolling out free high-speed wireless Internet access in all guest rooms. On the flip side, upscale brands like Inter Continental and Ritz Carlton are selling empty rooms at discount rates via online services. That has the effect of depressing luxury-room prices, because corporate travel managers can now demand that hotels match their own discount prices all the time. Inter Continental hotels in France and Germany have been hit so hard that they are actually repricing their rooms to reflect rates before the dollar began falling. Upscale hotels like Waldorf-Astoria, Sofitel are also trying to offer extra services. But beware of new, hidden fees. In an effort to make up some of their lost revenue, hotels are starting to charge corporate travelers for things that used to be free--including breakfast, banquet or meeting rooms. Aside from saving companies money, the trend in frugal business travel may give rise to a whole new market segment: the buy-to-let hotel room, Last week in London, British property developer Johnny Sandelson launched GuestInvest, a hotel in Notting Hill where users can purchase a room for￡ 235,000, use it for a maximum of 52 nights a year themselves, then rent it out the rest of the time to make extra money. It seems an idea whose time has come: GuestInvest says it has already fielded hundreds of calls from business people interested in making a cheaper hotel their second home.

Compared with traditional hotels, the buy-to-let hotel（）

A:provides better room and service. B:attracts more attentions from travelers. C:costs less and can be profitable. D:makes travelers feel more at home.

C
The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modem traffic and modem communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. On, of the biggest is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution, many years ago, the problem was not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.
Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution man makes. Water pollution kill our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution make us angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air.
Pollution by SO₂(二氧化硫) is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. It is sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in population at the same time.

Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution because（）

A:it's bad for all living things in the world B:it makes much noise C:it makes our rivers and lakes dirty D:it makes us angry more easily

C

______makes it possible for many people to work at home.

A:The use of computers B:The large number of children C:The peaceful atmosphere at home D:The better living condition

C

Which of the following statements is NOT true

A:Young mothers and disabled people like to work at home. B:As people are widely using computers, it’s not necessary for any of them to work in the offices now. C:Some skilled workers can work at home. D:Many people do part of their work at home.

? ?The initial impact of computers was in the area of entertainment. If you walked by a video arcade in the early 1980s, you could not have failed to notice that the use of video games was growing at what some considered an alarming rate. In 1981 the movie industry grossed $ 3 billion, video games took in an estimated $ 6 billion. That gives you some idea of just how big the computer industry had become. ?Video games employ the same technology as personal computers, and indeed many who bought personal computers did so primarily for playing games at home, thus saving their quarters. Though video games are not as popular as they were a few years ago, they did provide consumer with their first real reason to buy PCs.
? ?A more recent computer innovation, desktop publishing, supplies one good reason for those who write for a living to buy a PC. Desktop publishing is a deceptively simple description for an extremely complex group of hardware and software tools. You can now write text, edit text, draw illustrations, incorporate photographs, design page layouts, and print a finished document with a relatively inexpensive computer and laser printer. Although the new technology offers new freedom, there is a price to be paid for this freedom. With total control comes total responsibility. In fact, the issue of social responsibility in our new computer age has long been a topic of debate among computer enthusiasts. Some people are concerned with the long-term social effects of the so-called computer revolution. Ironically, many PC pioneers who built and marketed the first machines were 60s-style advocates of social change. They claim that while personal computer technology has the potential to make society more equal, it’s having the opposite effect since upper-middle-class people can afford them and lower-class people cannot.
? ?In addition, the ways that computers are used to monitor the activities of their users have evoked anxiety about the machine. Over 7 million Americans now have their work paced, controlled, and monitored by computers. A computer is more restrictive and powerful in the way it controls people than the old-fashioned assembly line. This can lead to what some have called "tech-stress". Irritated eyes, back problems, and other physical symptoms have also been associated with the extensive use of computers. Although the personal computer may not have had the impact some predicted a decade age, the combination of computer technology with satellites and cable does promise innovations in the mass media that would have seemed astonishing just a few short years ago.

What’s the advantage that desktop publishing brings people?

A:It makes home banking a reality. B:It provides a method for producing professional-looking documents. C:It makes it possible for people to receive newspaper electronically. D:It makes it possible for people to bring office work to home.

The initial impact of computers was in the area of entertainment. If you walked by a video arcade in the early 1980s, you could not have failed to notice that the use of video games was growing at what some considered an alarming rate. In 1981 the movie industry grossed $ 3 billion, video games took in an estimated $ 6 billion. That gives you some idea of just how big the computer industry had become. Video games employ the same technology as personal computers, and indeed many who bought personal computers did so primarily for playing games at home, thus saving their quarters. Though video games are not as popular as they were a few years age, they did provide consumer with their first real reason to buy PCs.
A. more recent computer innovation, desktop publishing, supplies one good reason for those who write for a living to buy a PC. Desktop publishing is a deceptively simple description for an extremely complex group of hardware and software tools. You can now write text, edit text, draw illustrations, incorporate photographs, design page layouts, and print a finished document with a relatively inexpensive computer and laser printer. Although the new technology offers new freedom, there is a price to be paid for this freedom. With total control comes total responsibility. In fact, the issue of social responsibility in our new computer age has long been a topic of debate among computer enthusiasts. Some people are concerned with the long-term social effects of the so-called computer revolution. Ironically, many PC. pioneers who built and marketed the first machines were 60s-style advocates of social change. They claim that while personal computer technology has the potential to make society more equal, it’s having the opposite effect since upper-middle-class people can afford them and lower-class people cannot.
In addition, the ways that computers are used to monitor the activities of their users have evoked anxiety about the machine. Over 7 million Americans now have their work paced, controlled, and monitored by computers. A. computer is more restrictive and powerful in the way it controls people than the old-fashioned assembly line. This can lead to what some have called "tech-stress". Irritated eyes, back problems, and other physical symptoms have also been associated with the extensive use of computers. Although the personal computer may not have had the impact some predicted a decade age, the combination of computer technology with satellites and cable does promise innovations in the mass media that would have seemed astonishing just a few short years ago.
What’s the advantage that desktop publishing brings people ______

A:It makes home banking a reality. B:It provides a method for producing professional-looking documents. C:It makes it possible for people to receive newspaper electronically. D:It makes it possible for people to bring office work to hom

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What’s the advantage that desktop publishing brings people? ______.

A:It makes home banking a reality. B:It provides a method for producing professional-looking documents. C:It makes it possible for people to receive newspaper electronically. D:It makes it possible for people to bring office work to home.