Journalists who write about families as well as social and cultural issues can count on receiving an annual barrage of public relations pitches for Valentine’sDay. The PR blitz begins right afterChristmas and continues almost until the big day itself.Daily, sometimes hourly, e-mails pop up on my computer screen, as publicity agents propose stories on a variety of love-rated subjects. Some suggest traditional topics. How about interviewing the author of a new book on how to find the perfect mate Or what about a story offering ideas on the best gifts to give to your heartthrob Other suggestions take a thoroughly modern approach to romance. Publicists would be happy to provide information about the newest matchmaking website or the hottest dating coach. There’s even a "psychic medium" who promises to tell radio and television audiences about their "current and future relationships". Individually, these story promotions could be taken for what they are. just another day, another client, another dollar in the life of publicity agents.But collectively, they signal more than simply a desire to capitalize on a holiday that has mushroomed into a $17 billion industry. In their varied forms, these promotions reflect the urgency of the quest for love and companionship in a society where one-quarter of all households now consist of single people. These pitches also serve as a measure of how much Valentine’sDay itself has changeD、They can impel long-married observers to look back with a certain nostalgia to a time several decades ago when Fe B、14 didn’t carry such intensity—and when courtship didn’t cost quite so much. That was a time before men were expected to spend two months’ worth of their salary for an engagement ring, before men and women decided they would settle for nothing less than a "soul mate", and before it was necessary to seek advice from an army of self-help gurus bearing titles such as "relationship and interpersonal communication expert". That was also an era when many hopeful PrinceCharmings could show their love with a card or a heart-shaped box of drugstore chocolates, and when even a single rose could melt a young woman’s heart. What a contrast to today, when anything less than a dozen long-stemmed roses can risk making a sender appear frugal, and when an ardent suitor who wants to make an impression will buy chocolates fromBelgium, whatever the cost. This year the average man will spend $120 and the average woman $ 85, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Is this love, or obligation For some men, it might even include a bit of guilt.As Tracy Mullin,CEO of the NRF, notes, presumably with tongue planted firmly in cheek, some men "may be looking at Valentine’sDay as a way to make up for that HDTV they splurged on for the SuperBowl".As one public radio station announcer put it during a Valentine’sDay fundraiser offering long-stemmed roses. "This is a perfect way to fulfill your Valentine’s obligations."Another host making a similar appeal urged listeners to "take care of your Valentine’sDay duties". And if you don’t One relationship expert quoted in a Valentine’sDay press release offers the stern warning that "if a guy doesn’t come through on Valentine’sDay, it means he doesn’t care about you," so just say goodbye and move on.But assuming he does care, another PR firm suggests a high-tech approach to the day. "This year, think outside the box and send a Video Valentine!" the e-mail pitch begins. "Too shy to say those three little words in person Profess your love on video! Or use your cellphone to record yourself shopping for the perfect gift."Diamonds, anyone Whatever the approach, couples might do well to follow the advice of a group of husbands in Japan who say they know the answer tAstechnologicaladvancesputmoreandmoretim As technological advances put more and more time between early school life and the young person''s final access to specialized work, the stage of ________becomes an even more marked and conscious period.A.adolescence B.adjacency C.advantage D.adventure
Themostpopularorganicgemisthepearl.Apear The most popular organic gem is the pearl. A、pearl is the response of a marine mollusk to the presence of an irritating impurity accidentally introduced into its body; a cultured pearl is the result of the intentional insertion of a mother-of-pearl bead into a live mollusk. Whether introduced accidentally or intentionally, the pearl-making process is the same: the mollusk coats the irritant with a substance called nacre. Nacre is composed chiefly of calcium carbonate.Because very few natural pearls are now on the market, most pearls used in fine jewelry are cultureD、These include "Biwa" pearls and most other freshwater pearls.Cultured pearls are not easily distinguished from natural pearls except by an expert. Nacre is a substance that is________. A、mechanically manufactured
B、the result of laboratory testing
C、organically secreted by the mollusk D.present in the chemical composition of freshwater pounds
Thefirstandmostimportantagentsofsocializ The first and most important agents of socialization are the people who care for infants. In the earliest months, messages from nurturers constitute the child’s basic understanding of the world around it. This is the infant’s first introduction to the language that shapes perception and elicits emotion. Another powerful source of information and socialization is the friendship of peers. Peers are equals that one can deal with on the same level as oneself, whereas parents are superiors. The heavy emotional overlay of family relationships makes some kinds of learning difficult. Much formal socialization is placed in the hands of professionals. Teachers from kindergarten on are specifically designated agents of socialization. Ideally, a teacher is one who has both knowledge and the skills to present it.During the course of teaching their subjects, classroom instructors provide role models and attempt to convey the excitement of learning itself. In earlier times, parents, friends and teachers would comprise the list of primary childhood socializers.Children’s books, comics and magazines might also have been mentioned as sources of information on norms and role models. Today one must add three powerful indirect or nonpersonal socialization agents: radio, movies and television. Many people learn about politics, form a vision of well-being, and develop attitudes towards others from what they see on the screen and hear through the speakers. |
In this passage, agents of socialization refer to ______.A.the media
B、individuals C.all channels D.organizations
A.Youshouldhavegotupwhenhecameintothemee A、You should have got up when he came into the meeting room for the argument. B、You should have supported him in the argument at the meeting yesterday afternoon. C、You shouldn’t be afraid to argue with him during the meeting yesterday afternoon. D、You shouldn’t have talked with Tom about your views on the argument yesterday.
活水,乃私家园林的标志性元素,必不可缺。无水,则园中一草一石,一花一木皆了无生趣 活水,乃私家园林的标志性元素,必不可缺。无水,则园中一草一石,一花一木皆了无生趣。 "Butyou’llbeabletocome,won’tyouYes,Ithin "But you’ll be able to come, won’t you Yes, I think such. " A、that B、it C、so D、this
Accordingtothetalk,whichofthefollowingar According to the talk, which of the following are not the closest friends of human beings Modernindustrialsocietygrantslittlestatu Modern industrial society grants little status to old people. In fact, such a society has a system of built-in obsolescence. There is no formal system for continuing our education throughout our life in order to keep up with rapidly changing knowledge. When our education and job skills have grown obsolete, we are treated exactly like those who have never gained an education or job skills and are not encouraged or given the opportunity to begin anew. As a society becomes more highly developed, the overall status of older people diminishes. Improved health technology creates a large pool of old people, who compete for jobs with the young. However, economic technology lowers the demand for workers and creates new jobs for which the skills of the aged are obsolete, forcing older people into retirement.At the same time, young people are being educated in the new technology and are keeping pace with rapid changes in knowledge. Finally, urbanization creates age-segregated neighborhoods.Because the old live on fixed incomes, they must often live in inferior housing.All these factors — retirement, obsolete knowledge and skills, inferior standards of living — lower the status of the aged in society. A、century ago, when one could expect to live only to 50 or so, the life span more or less coincided with the occupation and family cycle.But today the average life span allows for fifteen to twenty years of life after these cycles. It appears that our life span is outpacing our usefulness in society. According to this passage, the status of the aged is lowered by their________. A、forced retirement
B、inferior housing C.longer life span D.fixed incomes
今天,中国人民已经拥有一个欣欣向荣的社会主义祖国。 今天,中国人民已经拥有一个欣欣向荣的社会主义祖国。 另外一些人可以在工厂农村住几个月,在那里做调查,交朋友。 另外一些人可以在工厂农村住几个月,在那里做调查,交朋友。 Electronicmailhasbecomeanextremelyimport Electronic mail has become an extremely important and popular means of communication. The convenience and efficiency of electronic mail are threatened by the extremely rapid growth in the volume of unsolicited commercial electronic mail. Unsolicited commercial electronic mail is currently estimated to account for over half of all electronic mail traffic, up from an estimated 7 percent in 2001, and the volume continues to rise. Most of these messages are fraudulent or deceptive in one or more respects. The receipt of unsolicited commercial electronic mail may result in costs to recipients who cannot refuse to accept such mail and who incur costs for the storage of such mail, or for the time spent accessing, reviewing, and discarding such mail, or for both. The receipt of a large number of unwanted messages also decreases the convenience of electronic mail and creates a risk that wanted electronic mail messages, both commercial and noncommercial, will be lost, overlooked, or discarded amidst the larger volume of unwanted messages, thus reducing the reliability and usefulness of electronic mail to the recipient. Some commercial electronic mail contains material that many recipients may consider vulgar or pornographic in nature. The growth in unsolicited commercial electronic mail imposes significant monetary costs on providers of Internet access services, businesses, and educational and nonprofit institutions that carry and receive such mail, as there is a finite volume of mail that such providers, businesses, and institutions can handle without further investment in infrastructure. Many senders of unsolicited commercial electronic mail purposefully disguise the source of such mail. Many senders of unsolicited commercial electronic mail purposefully include misleading information in the messages’ subject lines in order to induce the recipients to view the messages. While some senders of commercial electronic mail messages provide simple and reliable ways for recipients to reject (or "opt-out" of) receipt of commercial electronic mail from such senders in the future, other senders provide no such "opt-out" mechanism, or refuse to honor the requests of recipients not to receive electronic mail from such senders in the future, or both. Many senders of bulk unsolicited commercial electronic mail use computer programs to gather large numbers of electronic mail addresses on an automated basis from Internet websites or online services where users must post their addresses in order to make full use of the website or service. The problems associated with the rapid growth and abuse of unsolicited commercial electronic mail cannot be solved by the government alone. The development and adoption of technological approaches and the pursuit of cooperative efforts with other countries will be necessary as well. "Pornographic" in Paragraph 3 probably means ______.A.decent B.instructional C.sexual D.commercial
Someworkersinthenuclearpowerstationweree Some workers in the nuclear power station were exposed to high levels of ______. A.radiation B、cancer C、microwaves D、high temperature
TheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange The Intergovernmental Panel onClimateChange (IPCC、was set up in 1988 to assess information on climate change and its impact. Its ThirdAssessment Report predicts global temperature rises by 2100 of between 1.4°C、and 5.8°C、Although the issue of the changing climate is very complex and some changes are uncertain, temperature rises are expected to affect countries throughout the world and have a knock-on effect with sea-level rises.Scientists have argued about whether temperature rises are due to human activities or due to natural changes in our environment. The IPCC、announced in 2001 that "most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is likely to be attributable to human activities". This was a more forceful statement than in 1996 when the SecondAssessment Report stated that there was a "discernible human influence on the climate" which was the first time they had concluded such a link. Many experts believe the faster the climate changes, the greater the risk will be.Key points of the projections for climate change globally include that by the second half of the 21st century, wintertime rainfall in the northern mid to high latitudes andAntarctica will rise, that meanwhileAustralia,CentralAmerica and southernAfrica are likely to see decreases in autumn precipitation, that some land areas in the tropics will see more rainfall, and that there will generally be more hot days over land areas. The SecondAssessment Report was released ________years ago. A、five B.six C.seven D.eight
ThefactthatmostAmericansliveinurbanareas The fact that mostAmericans live in urban areas does not mean that they reside in the center of large cities. In fact, moreAmericans live in the suburbs of large metropolitan areas than in the cities themselves.TheBureau of theCensus regards any area with more than 2,500 people as an urban area, and does not consider boundaries of cities and suburbs. According to theBureau, the political boundaries are less significant than the social and economic relationships and the transportation and communication systems mat integrate a locale. The term used by theBureau for an integrated metropolis is an MSA, which stands for Metropolitan StatisticalAre A、In general, an MS A、is any area that contains a city and its surrounding suburbs and has a total population of 50,000 or more. At the present time, theBureau reports more than 280 MSAs, which together account for 75 percent of the US population. In addition, theBureau recognizes 18 megapolises, that is, continuous adjacent metropolitan areas. One of the most obvious megapolises includes a chain of hundreds of cities and suburbs across 10 states on theEastCoast from Massachusetts to Virginia, includingBoston, New York, and Washington,D、 C、In theEasternCorridor, as it is called, a population of 45 million inhabitants is concentrateD、Another megapolis that is growing rapidly is theCalifornia coast from San Francisco through LosAngeles to SanDiego. The word "integrate" in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to________. A、benefit
B、define
C、unite D.restrict
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