2014年9月上海市中级口译第一阶段笔试真题试卷

Good morning, class. Today’s topic is “Idioms and Their Origins“. An idiom is a phrase or expression with【C1】______. The meaning of an idiom often cannot be understood from the meaning of【C2】______in it. In our language, idioms are an important part and they often make our language【C3】______. So in today’s lecture, let’s look at the origins of some English idioms. The first【C4】______on our list is “Raining cats and dogs“. This is an interesting phrase. It is【C5】______the well-known antipathy between dogs and cats, which is【C6】______in the phrase “fight like cat and dog“. However, there are【C7】______about the origin of the well-known expression, “Raining cats and dogs“. One theory is that【C8】______, the roofs on houses were made of hay. You’ve probably heard of【C9】______, well that’s all they were. Thick straw, piled high, with【C10】______. Those thatch roofs were the only place for the little animals to【C11】______. So all the pets in the house; dogs, cats and【C12】______, even mice, rats, bugs, all lived in the roof. When it rained 【C13】______so sometimes the animals would slip and 【C14】______. Thus the saying, “it’s raining cats and dogs. “ Another explanation is that heavy rain would wash dead animals【C15】______. In the 18th century, streets in England were rather filthy and heavy rain would occasionally 【C16】______dead animals and other debris. The animals didn’t fall from the sky, but the sight of dead cats and dogs 【C17】______in storms could well have caused the coining of this colourful phrase. The most popular one comes from 【C18】______in which cats were a symbol for rain and dogs 【C19】______. Thus, “it’s cats and dogs out there“ is often used to describe 【C20】______with strong winds.Good morning, class. Today’s topic is “Idioms and Their Origins“. An idiom is a phrase or expression with a special meaning. The meaning of an idiom often cannot be understood from the meaning of the individual words in it. In our language, idioms are an important part and they often make our language more colourful. So in today’s lecture, let’s look at the origins of some English idioms. The first idiomatic expression on our list is “Raining cats and dogs“. This is an interesting phrase. It is not related to the well-known antipathy between dogs and cats, which is vividly described in the phrase “fight like cat and dog“. However, there are several common theories about the origin of the well-known expression, “Raining cats and dogs“. One theory is that long ago in England, the roofs on houses were made of hay. You’ve probably heard of thatch-roofed houses, well that’s all they were. Thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. Those thatch roofs were the only place for the little animals to get warm. So all the pets in the house; dogs, cats and other small animals, even mice, rats, bugs, all lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery so sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Thus the saying, “it’s raining cats and dogs. “ Another explanation is that heavy rain would wash dead animals down the streets. In the 18th-century, streets in England were rather filthy and heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals and other debris. The animals didn’t fall from the sky, but the sight of dead cats and dogs floating by in storms could well have caused the coining of this colourful phrase. The most popular one comes from Northern European myth in which cats were a symbol for rain and dogs a symbol for wind. Thus, “it’s cats and dogs out there. “ is often used to describe a heavy rain storm with strong winds.

Question No. 1 We have a heavy load of work today and let’ s leave for the office right now. The earlier we get there, the more working time we’ll have. Start working if you arrive before I do. Before you get there, be sure to finish the homework. Go as early as possible so we can do lots of work. If they arrive late, we’ll need more time to work.

Question No. 6 It is advisable to choose a college major based on your interests and aptitudes. But you should make sure you get a good background in basic skills like writing and math. Math and writing are the two most important courses in your college life. Some basic skills are necessary, no matter what your major is at college. Your interests are the best motivation in choosing your college major. Despite your interests and aptitudes, you should choose writing or math as your major.

W: I’m popping out to get some sandwiches for lunch. Do you want anything? M: Yeah, could you get me a salad sandwich, please? W: Sure. On white bread or brown? M: I’ll have brown. And what else? Let me think, hang on, er, a yogurt, a plain yogurt, and a piece of cheesecake. W: Right. Yeah. Actually hang on. I’d better write this down or I’ 11 forget. One salad sandwich. M: Yes, brown bread. And one plain yogurt and one piece of cheesecake. W: No ham and meat. Are you a vegetarian? M: No, you know I’m not. I’m just on diet. I think I’m putting on some weight lately. W: Well, I think exercising is the best way to keep fit. There’s a fitness centre downstairs. Would you like to have a try after work? M: I’d love to. Thanks a lot for the advice. Question No. 11 What is the woman going to do? Question No. 12 The man asks the woman to get him something to eat. Which of the following is NOT one of them? Question No. 13 Which of the following is TRUE about the man? Question No. 14 What will the man probably do after that day’s work? To get some exercise. To buy some food. To make a phone call. To take some fresh air.

Good morning, folks. Welcome to “The Elephant Walk“ . Today we’re going to learn and enjoy the riding of an elephant. The first step in riding an elephant, of course, is to climb onto it. There are four ways. The first is the easiest for the passenger and the most uncomfortable for the elephant. With a command of “Baitho!“, the elephant kneels. You climb up to the seat by stepping on the top of the front part of either leg, holding on to the ear, and pulling yourself up. The second way is more difficult. Upon the command of “Utha! Utha!“, the elephant lifts either of its front legs and, holding onto the ear, you step onto the leg and are raised up as in a lift. The third is over the backside. The elephant lowers one of its back legs and you simply catch hold of the tail. The fourth, the expert’s way, is by the trunk. It looks so elegant and simple. As the trunk is lowered to the ground, you place your foot in the middle and then hold on to both ears. The result is that you are lifted up and over and onto the elephant’s back. Remember each elephant can ride only two passengers and the third one is from our trainers’ team, who will help you climb onto the elephant and through the entire journey to ensure your safety, and your pleasure. Question No. 15 How many different ways of climbing onto an elephant are described in the talk? Question No. 16 According to the talk, what is special about the expert’s way of climbing onto an elephant? Question No. 17 Why is an elephant trainer needed in riding the elephant? Question No. 18 Which of the following group of people is most likely to be interested in the talk? Two. Three. Four. Five.

W: Here we are at registration again; I can’t believe how much tuition has gone up. M: I know. It’s ridiculous. You know my cousin Anne pays nothing to go to her school in Kentucky. W: Nothing! Maybe I should transfer there. M: You can’t, only students from certain parts of Kentucky can go. It’s only for students from the Appalachian Mountains area. W: So with no tuition how do they run the school? M: Well, they get a lot of donations. W: And that pays for everything? M: Well, they also get some money from the government and besides that all the students are required to work at the college. That’s why the college doesn’t need to hire a lot of outside-workers. W: Oh yeah, that will help cut the school expenses, so what kind of job do they do? M: My cousin helps to clean the dorms. I think her roommate washes dishes in the cafeteria. Things like that. W: That sounds great! Come to think of it. I heard of something in Georgia called hope scholarship. M: Hope scholarship? What’s that? W: I think they used state lottery money to give free tuition. But not everyone from Georgia qualifies. You need at least B average in high school. M: I should apply for that. I had really good grades in high school. W: No, you had to be from Georgia. M: Just my luck. Question No. 19 What are the two people mainly talking about? Question No. 20 Which of the following does not contribute to the financial sources for the school in Kentucky, according to the conversation? Question No. 21 How could some Georgia schools offer hope scholarship? Question No. 22 Apart from coming from Georgia, what else qualifies a student for hope scholarship? College financing channels. Grades required for scholarships. Campus jobs. Tuition fees.

Increasingly, over the past ten years, people—especially young people—have become aware of the need to change their eating habits, because much of the food they eat, particularly processed foods, is not good for the health. Consequently, there has been a growing interest in natural foods. What are natural foods, you may ask? Well they are foods which do not contain chemical additives and which have not been affected by chemical fertilizers that are widely used in farming today. Natural foods, for example, are vegetables, fruit and grain which have been grown in soil that is rich in organic matters. In simple terms, this means that the soil has been nourished by unused vegetable matter, which provides it with essential vitamins and minerals. This in itself is a natural process compared with the use of chemicals and fertilizers, the main purpose of which is to increase the amount—but not the quality—of foods grown in commercial farming areas. Natural foods also include animals which have been allowed to feed and move freely in healthy pastures. Compare this with what happens in the mass production of poultry: there are battery farms, for example, where thousands of chickens live crowded together in one building and are fed on food which is little better than rubbish. Chickens kept in this way are not only tasteless as food; they also produce eggs which lack important vitamins. Question No. 23 Why have people become more interested in natural foods? Question No. 24 For what purpose are chemicals and fertilizers used in the production of foods? Question No. 25 Which of the following statements is TRUE about natural foods? Question No. 26 Which of the following would NOT be regarded as natural foods? They want to have a simpler life style. They’d like to enjoy foods that are tastier. It is no longer fashionable to eat processed foods. It is necessary for them to change their eating habits.

W: Good afternoon. Linda speaking. How can I help you? M: Oh, hello. At last! I was just about to ring off. W: I am sorry about that. The waiting system is a bit frustrating, isn’t it? It’s the only way we can offer our 24-hour service, you see. M: Yeah. yeah. Look, it’s about the computer I bought off you two weeks ago ... W: Yes, what seems to be the problem? M: Well, I was transferring my files to it from my hard disk drive and it’s lost the lot. Everything! W: OK, now don’t worry. I’m sure we can sort something out. The computer has lost all your data, you say? M: Yes. And it’s wiped everything off the hard disk drive as well! My whole life, my whole life was in those files W: Oh, my’ goodness! Are you sure? Sounds like the problem’s with your hard disk drive. M: Of course I’m sure! And there’s nothing wrong with my hard disk drive. I’ve had it for years! W: OK. I can understand how upset you must be. Now I don’t think we can deal with this on the phone, so I’ll arrange to send a service engineer to see if they can retrieve your data. Can you give me your product reference number? M: Er, yes, it’s... here it is... it’s SF11-003. By the way, I’ll be expecting a total refund and compensation if this can’t be fixed! W: Unfortunately, we’re not authorized to give refunds, but what I can do is send you a brand-new computer. How would that be? M: This is supposed to be a brand-new computer. You think I want another one of these, after what the last one did? W: Well, let’s see what our engineer can do. Hopefully it’s not quite as bad as you think. Now, I’ve got your name and address here in your customer file. It’s Mr Chatterton at Oxford OX2 6BI, right? M: Yes. W: Right, Mr Chatterton. We’ll have an engineer with you this afternoon. Is that OK? M: Er. well. I suppose. . . W: Good. Glad to be of assistance. Is there anything else I can help you M: Hm? Oh. no. W: Well, best of luck this afternoon. I hope we can solve the problem for you. M: Well, thanks, goodbye. Question No. 27 Why is the man telephoning? Question No. 28 What is the man’s problem? Question No. 29 How does the woman try to help? Question No. 30 Which of the following is NOT true, according to the conversation? He needs to inquire about a new product. He knows it is a 24-hour service. He thinks he can get his data back. He has a complaint to make.

______Sentence No. 1 People used to believe that to be healthy they had to eat a lot of meat. Today we eat more whole-grain food like bread and rice. Fruit and vegetable are also important.

______North America is an interesting continent. There are many types of landforms, such as mountains and deserts. There are also great rivers and lakes. There are still many wide-open spaces, but there are crowded cities, too, for example, New York and Toronto. The United States and Mexico are part of North America. Canada is also in North America, and it is the biggest of the three countries. In addition, Central America, which is made up of 7 countries, and many islands in the Caribbean are also part of North America.

Wild claims on labels of worthless medicines are much less frequent than they were years ago. But some over-the-counter drugs are still being promoted by tall stories, sometimes told in booklets or through advertising, rather than on the label. One tall story is that every American today suffers from a vitamin or mineral deficiency and needs vitamin supplements. This isn’t so. Vitamins and minerals are plentiful in our food supply. Eating a variety of foods makes it almost certain that you will get a full quota of these nutrients. Infants, pregnant women, the sick or convalescent, and those who are dieting may need special supplements. But the family physician is the best authority on what vitamin supplements are needed. If your doctor does recommend supplements, take the suggested dose—no more. Some people take or give vitamins on the principle that if a little is good, twice as much is better. Excessive doses of certain vitamins are known to be toxic. If you are overweight, don’t fall for a formula that promises you a slim, trim figure without dieting or calorie counting. To reduce, you must consume fewer calories than you use up in daily living. If calories are not used in producing heat or energy, they are stored as fat. If you need to lose only a few pounds, you can probably work out your own diet. But if you need to lose many pounds, have your doctor plan a diet for you. Crash diets can break down your health, not your weight. Beware of cosmetics that make exaggerated claims or promises. There are no quick or easy cures for acne. Acne is a complex disease caused by a combination of factors. No creams from a drugstore can cure it. Don’t trust any cream or gadget that promises to give you curves where you want them, or take them from where they are not wanted. Any cream that could do this would not be safe to use and there are no gadgets that are effective for spot reducing. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act protects the consumer by prohibiting any statements on labels or packages that are false or misleading.

When Shelton Johnson was 5, his family took him to Berchtesgaden National Park in the Bavarian Alps. Now 52, he still remembers his sense of awe. “The mountains, the sky being so close—it affected me profoundly,“ said Mr. Johnson, who now works as a ranger at Yosemite National Park in California. In 23 years on the job, Mr. Johnson has been equally struck by how few of his fellow African-Americans visit the national parks. So a few years ago, he decided to write Oprah Winfrey, the American entertainment icon. “Every year, America is becoming increasingly diverse, but that diversity is not reflected in the national parks, even though African-Americans and other groups played a vital role in the founding of national parks,“ he wrote. “If the national parks are America’s playground, then why are we not playing in the most beautiful places in America?“ “The Oprah Winfrey Show“ recently aired two episodes from Yosemite in response to Mr. Johnson’s appeal. The National Park Service is expanding its efforts to diversify both its guests and its work force as the agency prepares to celebrate its centennial in 2016. Surveys show that visitors to America’s 393 national parks—there were 285. 5 million of them in 2009—are mainly non-Hispanic whites, with blacks the least likely to visit. The Park Service now says the problem is linked to the parks’ very survival. “If the American public doesn’t know that we exist or doesn’t care, our mission is potentially in jeopardy,“ said Jonathan B. Jarvis, who took over as director of the Park Service last year. In a Park Service survey it commissioned in 2000, only 13 percent of black respondents reported visiting a national park in the previous two years. Jim Gramann, a visiting social scientist with the Park Service who is overseeing a review of a follow-up survey in 2008 and 2009 that is to be released early next year, said the gap persisted. “The demographic face of America is not reflected in national park visitation, with a few exceptions,“ Mr. Gramann said. But some officials acknowledge that the parks may not seem welcoming to specific ethnic groups. They cited rules that limit the number of people in picnic areas or the number of tents that can be pitched at specific sites, which can clash with the vacation style of extended Latino families. But no group avoids national parks as much as African-Americans. The 2000 survey found that blacks were three times as likely as whites to believe that park employees gave them poor service and that parks were “uncomfortable places. “ Attendance tends to be more homogenously white at wilderness parks like Yosemite, where a 2009 survey found that 77 percent of the visitors were white, 11 percent Latino, 11 percent Asian and 1 percent black. Mr. Johnson said he was more likely to meet someone from Finland or Israel in the park than from an African-American neighborhood in the United States. “It’s something that’s pervasive in the culture—it doesn’t matter whether you’re Oprah or a postal worker,“ Mr. Johnson said.

The number of people emigrating from Ireland is currently estimated at 30,000 annually. There is no doubt that the bulk of young Irish emigrants end up in London. And while some of their problems are unique to this generation, many of them work in the same jobs and live in the same conditions as endless previous generations of emigrants to Britain. While some Irish take their degrees to London and use them to get jobs in the burgeoning service industry, for many others who left school in their teens and experienced months, if not years, of unemployment their second act on reaching London is to sign on for social welfare. Their first, and most difficult, is finding somewhere to live. Social welfare benefits, when they include a rent allowance, are better in England. For a young unemployed man or woman, living at home with little or no unemployment assistance in Ireland, this can seem an attractive proposition, offering independence, a subsistence income and at least the hope of a job in a city where unemployment, while real, is a lot lower than in Ireland. Many young Irish emigrants go straight on the dole when they arrive in England. Some find jobs fairly quickly, others remain on the dole for months. Andrew Fox is living on the dole, and is also in receipt of housing benefit. And he is living in relative comfort, as he’s staying in Conway House, the hostel for young Irish men run by the Catholic Church in Kilburn. This costs ￡50 a week for bed and breakfast, arid all the young men there spoke glowingly of the facilities it offers and the welcome they receive from staff. There was a 300 per cent increase in demand for places in this hostel in the first six months of last year. But those who get into Conway House are the lucky ones and there is a six month time limit on residence there. It has a capacity for just 300, a drop in the ocean, and thousands of young Irish emigrants live in squats across north London. The squats are empty houses, many of them owned by the local council. They may be being prepared for sale into the private sector. Sometimes the council boards up the windows or removes the stairs, and the electricity is usually cut off. The conditions vary widely in the squats, from those in houses which are in good condition and where the illegal tenants are painters and decorators and do the place up, to those in bad repair where the squatters live on mattresses on the floors in rooms lit only by candles. If they reconnect the electricity they face arrest and charges for stealing it. Loneliness as well as the need for practical help ensures that many Irish people stick together. One of the subjects discussed at a seminar on emigration in Kilburn was the trauma experienced by Irish emigrants, revealed in statistics which showed a disproportionately high number of Irish admissions to mental hospitals. One of the reasons for the sense of alienation was the sense of being foreigners in England and the hostility they experienced from many sections of the media and the police. Those who leave the country voluntarily are more likely to adapt well than those, in the majority, forced to do so out of economic necessity. Most of those who attended the seminar in Kilburn were in no doubt about the category they belonged to. “I love Ireland“, says Andrew Fox. “I wouldn’t have left it, only there was no work there. “

My first visit to Paris began in the company of some earnest students. My friend and I, therefore, being full of independence and the love of adventure, decided to go off on our own and explore Northern France as hitch-hikers. We managed all right down the main road from Paris to Rouen, because there were lots of vegetable trucks with sympathetic drivers. After that we still made headway along secondary roads to Fecamp, because we fell in with two family men who had left their wives behind and were off on a spree on their own. In Fecamp, having decided that it was pointless to reserve money for emergencies such as railway fares, we spent our francs in great contentment, carefully arranging that we should have just enough left for supper and an overnight stay at the Youth Hostel in Dieppe, before catching the early morning boat. Dieppe was only fifty miles away, so we thought it would be a shame to leave Fecamp until late in the afternoon. There is a hill outside Fecamp, a steep one. We walked up it quite briskly, saying to each other as the lorries climbed past us, that, after all, we couldn’t expect a French truck driver to stop on a hill for us. It would be fine going from the top. It probably would have been fine going at the top, if we had got there before the last of the evening truck convoy had passed on its way westwards along the coast. We failed to realize that at first, and sat in dignified patience on the crest of the hill. We were sitting there two and a half hours later—still dignified, but less patient. Then we went about two hundred yards further down to a little bistro, to have some coffee and ask advice from the proprietor. He told us that there would be no more trucks and explained that our gentlemanly signaling stood out the slightest chance of stopping a private motorist. “This is the way one does it!“ he exclaimed, jumping into the centre of the road and completely barring the progress of a vast, gleaming car which contained a rather supercilious Belgian family, who obviously thought nothing at all of the two bedraggled English students. However, having had to stop, they let us into the back seat, after carefully removing all objects of value, including their daughter. Conversation was not easy, but we were more than content to stay quiet—until the car halted suddenly in an out-of-the-way village far from the main road, and we learned to our surprise that the Belgians went no farther. They left us standing on a deserted country road, looking sorrowfully after them as their rear lamp disappeared into the darkness. We walked in what we believed to be the general direction of Dieppe for a long time. At about 11 p. m. , we heard, far in the distance, a low-pitched staccato rumbling. We ran to a rise in the road and from there we saw, as if it were some mirage, a vast French truck approaching us. It was no time for half measures. My friend sat down by the roadside and hugged his leg, and looked as much like a road accident as nature and the circumstances permitted I stood in the middle of the road and held my arms out. As soon as the lorry stopped we rushed to either side and gabbled out a plea in poor if voluble French for a lift to Dieppe. There were two aboard, the driver and his relief, and at first they thought we were a holdup. When we got over that, they let us in, and resumed the journey. We reached the Youth Hostel at Dieppe at about 1: 30 a. m. , or as my friend pointed out, precisely 3 hours after all doors had been locked. This, in fact, was not true, because after we climbed over a high wall and tiptoed across the forecourt, we discovered that the door to the washroom was not properly secured, and we were able to make our stealthy way to the men’s dormitory where we slept soundly until roused at 9:30 the following morning.

One point three billion metric tons—that’s how much food that we waste each year. Not an easy number to wrap one’s head around. Try to imagine 143,000 Eiffel Towers stacked one on top of the other—together they’d weigh around 1. 3 billion tons. The sheer scale of the number makes it practically impossible to grasp, no matter how you come at it. Rendering the figure all the more unfathomable is the fact that alongside this massive wastage of food, 840 million people experience chronic hunger on a daily basis. Many millions more suffer from “silent hunger“—malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. For the more economically minded, here’s another number: the economic cost of food wastage runs around $ 750 billion per annum. This is expressed in producer prices; if we were to consider retail prices and the wider impacts on the environment including climate change, the figure would be far higher. When food is lost or wasted, the energy, land and water resources that went into producing it are also squandered—while at the same time large amounts of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere during production, processing, and cooking. We simply cannot tolerate the wastage of 1. 3 billion tons of food per year—one-third of the world’s annual food production. There’s a lot that can be done. To begin with, food losses and waste need to be seen as a cross-cutting policy issue, rather than a lifestyle choice to be left in the hands of individual consumers and their consciences. The world needs to wake up to the need for policies on food waste and losses that look at all stages of the food chain, from production to consumption. Losses of food—on farms, during processing, transport and at markets—represent a thorn in the side of food security in most developing countries, where post-harvest losses can reach as high as 40 percent of production in some cases. Especially in these places, investment in infrastructure for transportation, storage, cooling and marketing of food is badly needed. Training farmers in best practices also has an important role to play. In developed countries, food retailing practices require a rethink. For example, rejection of food products on the basis of aesthetic concerns is a major cause of food waste. Some supermarkets have already begun relaxing standards on fruit appearance, selling “misshaped“ items at reduced prices and helping raise awareness that “ugly does not mean bad. “ More approaches like this, that find markets or uses for surplus food, are needed. Both businesses and households should monitor to see where and how they waste food and take corrective steps, because prevention of waste is even more important than recycling. Unlike the mindboggling figure of 1. 3 billion tons, these simple steps are easy enough to grasp—and within reach of each of us. The world has enough on its plate—food wastage is something we can all do something about now.

Starting up a business is easier in the service sector than in manufacturing. A new manufacturer has to invest heavily in factory premises, machinery and staff whereas a service sector start-up requires a much smaller initial investment. However, these new service sector firms often take a long time to build up a client base. They rely heavily on word of mouth to attract customers, a slow process that causes a few uncomfortable months while waiting for customers to arrive. With few customers, cash flow is minimal, but the start-up bank loan still has to be serviced, and there may be promotional costs like price cuts or free samples. In contrast, new manufacturers have to find more start-up capital. They take the risk of a high initial investment only because they know there is a ready market for their product. On the other hand, the service sector start-up is more speculative, based on the hope that people will want the service offered, so payback may be seriously delayed. But service sector start-ups have one big advantage over manufacturing. A restaurant, for example, could be set up in a few weeks, enough time to find premises, buy equipment “off the shelf“ and recruit staff. A manufacturer, on the other hand, needs about a year to find suitable premises, install machinery and make deals with suppliers of materials. This delays the time taken for cash inflows to start offsetting the start-up costs for the manufacture. Cash flow is also influenced by the way demand may vary according to the time of year. Many manufacturers face a seasonal pattern of demand for their products, but the seasonality is more acute for many service sector firms. Manufacturers can produce stock before their seasonal peak, thus allowing them to spread the pressure on the production process. But for service providers who make most of their money during one peak period, seasonality increases the level of risk. If the peak season fails, e. g. ice cream sales crash because of a cold summer, the whole business could collapse before the next peak season. Even more importantly, service providers have to respond instantly to changes in customer demand. Any variation, whether caused by seasonal factors or changes in fashion, hits service providers immediately. This implies an even greater need for a market-oriented approach by service providers. There is, however, a positive aspect for service firms: unlike manufacturers, they are less likely to be caught with huge stocks of unwanted products. A firm’s financial success depends on adding value to its products, that is, selling its products at a price that is higher than the cost of making them. In setting a price, companies must ensure that their customers believe that the product or service is worth the price being charged. This is harder for service providers. Customers can calculate more or less the cost of providing a restaurant meal or painting a room. It’s much harder to judge the cost of manufacturing products like cars or refrigerators. Thus, service providers have to work much harder to add value to their services while avoiding any suspicion of overcharging. The implication of this is that manufacturers are likely to find it easier to trade with higher profit margins than service sector firms.

Robots came into the world as a literary device whereby the writers and film-makers of the early 20th century could explore their hopes and fears about technology, as the era of the automobile, telephone and aeroplane picked up its reckless jazz-age speed. Since moving from the page and screen to real life, robots have been a mild disappointment. They do some things that humans cannot do themselves, like exploring Mars, and a host of things people do not much want to do, like dealing with unexploded bombs or vacuuming floors. And they are very useful in bits of manufacturing. But reliable robots—especially ones required to work beyond the safety cages of a factory floor—have proved hard to make, and robots are still pretty stupid So although they fascinate people, they have not yet made much of a mark on the world That seems about to change. The dramatic growth in the power of silicon chips, digital sensors and high-bandwidth communications improves robots just as it improves all sorts of other products.

中华民族是由56个民族组成的大家庭。自古以来，我国各族人民就劳动、生息、繁衍在祖国的土地上，共同为中华文明和建立统一的多民族国家贡献自己的才智。悠久的中华文化，成为维系民族团结和国家统一的牢固纽带。中华文明经历了5000多年的历史变迁，始终一脉相承，代表着中华民族独特的精神标识，为中华民族生生不息、发展壮大提供了丰厚滋养。随着中国经济社会不断发展，中华文明也必将顺应时代发展焕发出更加蓬勃的生命力。