珠珠丽莉MBA英语阅读理解真题黑体词汇复习修订版

珠珠丽莉MBA英语阅

读理斛真题黑体词汇复

习修订版

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珠珠、丽莉MBA英语阅读理解真题黑体词汇复习二

2006年阅读理解

Directions:Therearedpassagesinthisparr.EachpassageosAllowedbysomequestionsor

unfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmardedA,13,C,and

D.Youshoulddecideonrhebestchoiceandblackenthecorrespondingletteronthe

ANSWERSHEETwithapencil

Passage1

Officejobsareamongthepositionshardesthitbycompumation（计算机自动化）.Word

processorsandtypistswillloseabout93,000jobsoverthenextfewyears,while57,000secretarial

jobswillvanish.BlamethePC:Today,manyexecutivestypetheirownmemosandcarrytheir：

“secretaries'inrhepalmsoftheirhands.Timeisalsohardforstockclerks,whoseranksare

expectedrodecreaseby68,000.Andemployeesinmanufacturingfirmsandwholesalersarebeing

replacedwithcomputerizedsystems.

Butnoteveryonewholosesajobwillendupintheunemploymentline.Manywillshiftto

growingpositionswithintheirowncompanies.Whennewtechnologiesshookupthetelecomm

business,telephoneoperatorJudyDoughert）pursuedretraining.Sheisnowacommunications

technician,earningabout$64,000peryear.Ofcourse,ifyou'vebeenatollboothcollectorforthe

past3（）years,andyoufindyourselfreplacedbyanE-ZPassmachine,itmaybeoflittle

consolation（安toknowthatthetelecommfieldisbooming.

Andthat'sjustit:Theserviceeconomyisfading;welcometotheexpertise（专门知识）

economy.Tosucceedinthenewjobmarket,youmustbeabletohandlecomplexproblems

Indeed,allbutoneofrhe50higliest-payingoccupations——air-rrafficcontroller-demandarleasta

bachelor'sdegree.

Forthosewithjustahighschooldiploma（毕业证书）Jt'sgoingtogettoughertofindawell­

payingjob.Sincefewerfactoryandclericaljobswillbeavailable,what'sleftwillbethejobsthat

compumationcan'tkill:Computerscan'tcleanoffices,orcareforAlzheimer'spatients（老年

痴呆病人）•But,sincemostpeoplehavetheskillstofillthosepositions,thewagesstaypainfully

low,meaningcompumationcoulddriveanevendeeperwedge（楔子）betweentherichandpoor.

Thebestadvicenow:Neverstoplearning,andkeepupwithnewtechnology.

Forbusyadults,ofcourse,thatcanbetough.Thegoodnewsisthattheverytechnologythat's

reducingsomanyjobsisalsomakingiteasiertogobacktoschoolwithouthavingtositina

classroom.So-calledInternetdistancelearningishot,withmorethanthreemillionstudents

currendyenrolled,andit'sgainingcredibilitywithemployers.

Areyouatriskoflosingyourjobtoacomputer?CheckthefederalBureauofLaborStatistics,

OccupationalOutlookHandbook,whichisavailableonlineatbls.gov.

Passage2

Tensofthousandsof18-year-oldswillgraduatethisyearandbehandedmeanin毋ess

diplomas.Thesediplomaswon'tlookanydifferentfromthoseawardedtheirluckierclassmates.

Theirvaliditywillbequestionedonlywhentheiremployersdiscoverthatthesegraduatesare

semiliterate（半文盲）

Eventuallyafortunatefewwillfindtheirwayintoeducational-repairshops-adult-literacy

programs,suchastheonewhereIteachbasicgrammarandwriting.There,high-schoolgraduates

andhigh-schooldropoutspursuinggraduate-equivalencycertificateswilllearntheskillsthey

shouldhavelearnedinschool.Theywillalsodiscovertheyhavebeencheatedbyoureducational

svstem.

Iwillneverforgetateacherwhogottheattentionofoneofmychildrenbyrevealingthe

trumpcardoffailure.Ouryoungest,aworld-classcharmer,didlittletodevelophisintellectual

talentsbutalwaysgotby.UntilM-s.Stifter.

Oursonwashigh-schoolseniorwhenhehadherforEnglish."Hesitsinrhehackofthe

roomtalkingtohisfriends."shetoldme,“VChydon'tyoumovehimtothefrontrow?”I

urged,believingtheembarrassmentwouldgethimtosettleclown.Mrs.Stittersaid,"Idon'tmove

seniors.Iflunk（f史及格）them."Ourson'sacademiclifeflashedbeforemyeyes.Noteacher

hadeverthreatenedhim.BythetimeIgothomeIwasfeelingprettygoodaboutthis.Itwasa

radicalapproachforthesetimes,but,well,Whynot?"She'sgoingtoflunkyou."Itoldmyson.

Ididnotdiscussitanyfurther.SuddenlyEnglishbecameapriority（头等重要）inhislife.He

finishedoutthesemesterwithanA.

Iknowoneexampledoesn'tmakeacase,butatnightIseeapatadeofstudentswhoareangry

forhavingbeenpassedalonguntitheycouldnolongerevenpretendtokeepup.Ofaverage

intelligenceorbetter,theyeventuallyquitschool,concludingtheyweretoodumbtofinish/,I

shouldhavebeenheldback,"isacommentIhearfrequently.Evensadderarcthosestudents

whoarchigh-schoolgraduateswhosaytomeafterafewweeksofclass."Idon'tknowhowI

evergotahigh-schooldiploma.”

Passingstudentswhohavenotmasteredtheworkcheatsthemandtheemployerswhoexpect

graduatestohavebasicskills.Wcexcusethisdishonestbehaviorbysayingkidscan'tlearnifthey

comefromterribleenvironments.Nooneseemstostoptothinkthatmostkidsdon'tputschool

firstontheirlistunlesstheyperceivesomethingisatrisk.They'dratherbesailing.

ManystudentsIseeatnighthavedecidedtomakeeducationapriority.Theyaremotivatedby

thedesireforabetterjobortheneedtohangontotheonethey'vegot.Theyhaveahealthyfear

offailure.

Peopleofallagescanriseabovetheirproblems,buttheyneedtohaveareasontodoso.Young

peoplegenerallydon'thaverhematuritycovalueeducationinthesamewaymyadultstudents

valueit.Butfearoffailurecanmotivateborh.

Passage3

Nameshavegainedincreasingimportanceinthecompetitiveworldofhighereducation.As

collegesstriveformarketshare,theyarelookingfornamesthatprojecttheimagetheywantor

reflectthechangestheyhopetomake.TrentonStateCollege,forexample,becametheCollegeof

NewJerseynineyearsagowhenitbeganraisingadmissionsstandardsandappealingtostudents

fromthrou曲outthestate.

uAllIhearinhighereducationis,'Brand,brnntl,hrqnrl/"saidU'imWesterberk,who

specializesinbrandingandismanagingdirectorofLipmanHearne,abmarketingfirmbasedin

Chicagothatworkswithuniversitiesandothernonprofitorganizations."Therehasbeenasea

changeoverthelast10years.Marketingusedtobealmostadirtywordinhighereducation.w

Noralleffortsatnamechangesaresuccessful,ofcourse.In1997,theNewSchoolforSocial

ResearchbecameNewSchoolUniversitytoreflectitsgrowthintoacollectionofeightcolleges,

offeringalistofmajorsthatincludespsychology,music,urbanstudiesandmanagement.ButNew

YorkerscontinuedtocallittheNowSchool.

Now,afterspendinganundisclosedsumonanonlinesurveyandamarketingconsultant?s

creationofwnamingstructures.w"brandarchitecture"and*identitysystems,wthe

universityhascomeupwithanewname:theNewSchool.BeginningMonday,itwilladoptnew

logos（标识）,banners,businesscardsandevennewnamesfortheindividualcolleges,allto

includethewords“theNewSchool/,

Changesinnamesgenerallyrevealsignificantshiftsinhowacollegewantstobeperceived.In

alteringitsnamefromCalState,Hayward,toCalState,EastBay,theuniversityhopedtoproject

itsexpandingroleintwomostlysuburbancountriescastofSanFrancisco.

TheUniversityofSouthernColorado,astateinstitution,becameColoradoStateUniversityat

Pueblotwoyearsago,hopingtohighli^itmanyinternalchanges,includingofferingmoregraduate

programsandsettinghigheradmissionsstandards.

BeaverCollegeturneditselfintoArcadiaUniversityin2001forseveralreasons:tobreakthe

connectionwithitspastasawomen'scollege,topromoteitsgrowthintoafull-fledged（完全成

熟的）universityandofficialsacknowledged,toeliminatesomejokesaboutthecollege,sold

nameonlate-nighttelevisionand“morningzoo“radioshows.

Manycollegeofficialssaidchanginganameandimagecouldproducesubstantialresults.Ar

Arcadia,inadditiontorheriseinapplications,rheaveragesnulenr'stestscr）rehasincreasedhy60

points,JuliRoebeck,anArcadiaspokeswoman,said.

Passage4

Itlookedjustlikeanotheraircraftfromtheoutside.Thepilottoldhisyoungpassengersthat

itwasbuiltin1964.Butappearancesweredeceptive,andthe13studentsfromEuropeandthe

USAwhoboardedtheaircraftwereinfortheflightoftheirlives.

Inside,theareathatnormallyhadscatshadbecomealongwhitetunnel.IIcavilypadded（填

塞）fromfloortoceiling,itlookedabitstrange.Therewerealmostnowindows,butlightsalong

thepaddedwallsilluminatedit.Mostoftheseatshadbeentakenoutapartfromafewattheback

wheretheyoungscientistsquicklytooktheirplaceswithalookoffear.

For12months,sciencestudentsfromacrossthecontinentshadcompetedtowinaplaceon

theflightattheinvitationoftheEuropeanSpaceAgency.Thechallengehadbeentosuggest

imaginativeexperimentstobeconductedinwei^idessconditions.

Forthenexttwohours,thefligjitresembledthatofanenormousbirdwhichhadlostits

reason,shootingupwardstowardstheheavensbcfcjrcrushingtowardsEarth.Theinventionwas

toachieveweightlessnessforafewseconds.

Theaircrafttookoffsmoothlyenough,butanyfeelingsthat1andtheyoungscientistshad

thatwewereonanythinglikeascheduledpassengersenicewerequicklydismissedwhenthepilot

puttheplaneintoa45degreeclimbwhichlastedaround20seconds.Thentheenginescutout

andwcbecameweightless.Everythingbecameconfusedandleftorright,upordownnolonger

hadanymeaning.Aftertensecondsoffree-falldescent（卜降）thepilotpulledtheaircraftoutof

itsnosedive.1'hereturnofgravitywaslessimmediatethanitsloss,butwasstillsuddenenoughto

ensurethatsomestudentscamedownwithabump.

Eachtimethepilotcuttheenginesandwebecameweightless,anewteamconductedits

experiment.FirstitwasrheDutchwhowantedtodiscoverhowitisthatcatsalwayslandontheir

feetThenrheGermanteamwhorendurrednsurre^sfulexperimentcnatradirionalhnikling

methodtoseeifitcouldbeusedforbuildingafuturespacestation.TheAmericanshadanideato

createsolarsailsthatcouldbeusedbysatellites.

Aftertwohoursofgoingupanddowninthelanedoingtheirexperiments,thepredominant

feelingwasoneofexcitementratherthansickness.Mostofthestudentsthoughtitwasan

unforgettableexperienceandonetheywouldbekeentorepeat.

2005年阅读理解

Passage1

Workingatnonstandardtimes-evenings,nights,orweekends—istakingitstollon

Americanfamilies.One-fifthofallemployedAmericansworkvariableorrotatingshifts,andone-

thirdworkweekends,accordingtoHarrietB.Presser,sociologyprofessorattheUniversityof

Maryland.Theresultisstressonfamilialrelationships,whichislikelytocontinueincoming

decades.

Theconsequencesofworkingirregularhoursvaryaccordingtogender,economiclevel,and

whetherornotchildrenareinvolved.Singlemothersaremorelikelytoworknightsandweekends

thanmarriedmothers.Womeninclerical,sales,orotherlow-payingjobsparticipate

disproportionatelyinworkinglateandgraveyardshifts.

Married-couplehouseholdswithchildrenareincreasingjybecomingdual-earnerhouseholds,

generatingmoresplit-shiftcouples.School-agedchildren,however,maybenefitfromparents'

nonstandardworkschedulesbecauseofthegreaterlikelihoodthataparentwillbehomebeforeor

afterschool.Oniheotherhand,acorrelationexistsbetweennonstandardworkschedulesand

b：)rhmaritalinstabilityandadeclineinthequalityofmarriages.

Nonstandardworkinghoursmeanfamiliesspendlesstimetogetherfbrdinerbutmoretime

togetherforbreakfast.One-on-or.cinteractionbetweenparentsandchildrenvaries,however,

basedonparent,shift,andageofchildren.Thereisalsoagreaterrelianceonchildcarebyrelatives

andbyprofessionalproviders.

Workingnonstandardhoursislessachoiceofemployeesandmoreamandateofemployer.

Presserbelievesthattheneedforswingshiftsandweekendworkwillcontinuetoriseinthe

comingdecades.ShereportsthatinsomeEuropeancountriestherearesubstantialsalary

premiumsforemployeesworkingirregularhours-sometimesasmuchas50%higher.The

convenienceofhavingservicesavailable24hoursadaycontinuestodrivethistrend.

Unfortunately,saysPresser,theissueisvirtuallyabsentfrompublicdiscourse.She

emphasizestheneedforfocusedstudiesoncostsandbenefitsofworkingoddhours,thephysical

andemotionalhealthofpeopleworkingnightsandweekends,andrhereasonsbehindthe

necessityforworkingthesehours.uNonstandardworkschedulesnotonlyarchighlyprevalent

amongAmericanfamiliesbutalsogeneratealevelofcomplexityinfamilyfunctioningthatneeds

greaterattention,nshesays.(360words)

Passage2

Mosthumanbeingsactuallydecidebeforetheythink.Whenanyhumanbeing—executive,

specializedexpert,orpersoninthestreet-encountersacomplexissueandformsanopinion,

oftenwithinamatterofseconds,howthorougjilyhasheorsheexploredtheimplicationsofthe

variouscoursesofaction?Answer:norverythoroughly.Veryfewpeople,nomanerhow

intelligentorexperienced,cantakeinventoryofthemanybranchingpossibilities,possible

outcomes,sideeffects,andundesiredconsequencesofapolicyoracourseofactioninamatterof

seconds.Yet,thosewhopridethemselvesonbeingdecisiveoftentrytodojustthat.Andonce

theirbrainslockontoanopinion,mostoftheirthinkingthereafterconsistsoffindingsupportfor

it.

Averyserioussideeffectofargumentativedecisionmakingcanbealackofsupportforthe

chosencourseofactiononthepatofthe“losing“faction.Whenonefactionwinsthemeeting

andtheothersseethemselvesaslosing,thebattleoftendoesn'tendwhenthemeetingends.

Anger,resentment,andjealousymayleadthemtosabotagethedecisionlater,ortoreopenthe

debateatlatermeetings.

Thereisabetter.AsphilosopherAldousHuxleysaid,“Itisn'twhoisright,butwhatis

right,thatcounts/

Thestructured-inquirymethodoffersabetteralternativetoargumentativedecisionmaking

bydebate.WiththehelpoftheInternetandwirelesscomputertechnologythegapbetween

expertsandexecutivesisnowbeingdramaticallyclosed.Byactuallyputtingthebrakesonthe

thinkingprocess,slowingirdown,andorganizingtheflowoflogic,it'spossibletocreatealevel

ofclaritythatsheerargumentationcannevermatch.

Thestructured-inquiryprocessintroducesalevelofconceptualclaritybyorganizingthe

contributionsoftheexperts,thenbringstheexpertsandthedecisionmakersclosertogether.

Althoughirisn'rpossibleornecessaryforapresidentorprimeministerrolisteninonevery

intelligenceanalysismeeting,it'spossibletoorganizetheexperts'informationtogivethe

decisionmakermuchgreaterinsistastoitsmeaning.Thisprocessmaysomewhatresemblea

marketingfocusgroup;it'sasimple,remarkablycleverwaytobringdecisionmakerscloserto

thesourceoftheexpertinformationandopinionsonwhichtheymustbasetheirdecisions.(382

words)

Passage3

Sportisheadingforanindissolublemarriagewithtelevisionandthepassivespectatorwill

enjoyaprivateparadise.Allofthiswillbeinthefutureofsport.Thespectator(thetelevision

audience)willbethepriorityandprofessionalclubswillhavet。readjusttheirstructurestoadapt

tothenewreality:sportasabusiness.

Thenewtechnologieswillmeanthatspectatorswillnolongerhavetowaitfiorbroadcastsby

theconventionalchannels.Thev/willbetheoneswJhodecidewhattosee.Andthevwillhaveto

payforit.InrheUnitedStaresthesystemofrhefuturehasalreadystarted:pay-as-you-view.

Everythingwillbeofferedbytelevisionandthespectatorwillonlyhavetochoose.Thereview

SportsIllustratedrecentlypublishedafullprofileofthelifeofthesupporterathomeinthe

middleofthenextcentury。丘explainedthatrheconsumerswouldheabletoselecttheirviewof

thematchonagigantic,flatscreenoccupyingthewholeofonewall,withimagesofaclaritywhich

cannotbeforeseenatpresent;theycouldwatchfromthetrainer,sstandsjustbehindthebatter

inagameofbaseballorfromrhehelmetofthestarplayerinanAmericanfootballgame.Andat

theirdisposalwillbethesaneoptionstheproduceroftherecordedprogrammerhastoselect

replays,tochoosewhichcameratomeandtodecideonthesoundwhethertohearthepublic,the

players,thetrainerandsoon.

Manysportsexecutives,largelyroooldandtooconservativecofeelarhomewiththenew

technologieswillbelievethatsportmustcontroltheexpansionoftelevisioncoverageinorderto

surviveandensurethatspectatorsattendmatches.Theydonotevenaccepttheevidencewhich

contradictstheirviewwhilethereismorebasketballthaneverontelevision,forexample,itisalso

certainthatbaskerballismorepopularthanever.

Itisalsotheargumentofthesesportsexecutivesthattelevisionharmingthemodestteam.

Thisistrue,butthefutureofthoseteamsisalsomodest.Theyhavereachedtheirceiling.Itisthe

lawofthemarket.Thegreateventscontinuallyattractlargeraudience.

Theworldisbeingconstructedonnewtechnologiessothatpeoplecanmaketheutmostuse

oftheirtimeand,intheirhomehaveaccesstothegreatestpossiblerangeofrecreationalactivities.

Snortwillhavetoadaptitselftothenewworld.

Themostvisionaryexecutivesgofurther.Thatphilosophyis：ratherthanseetelevisiontake

oversportwhynothavesportsta<cnovertelevision?(439words)

Passage4

Conveniencefoodhelpscompaniesbycreatinggrowth,butwhatisitseffectonpeople?For

peoplewhothinkcookingwasthefoundationofcivilization,themicrowaveisthelastenemy.The

communion（共享）ofeatingtogetheriseasilybrokenbyadevicethatliberateshouseholdscitizens

fromwainngformealtimes.Thefirstgreatrevolutioninrhehisroryoffoodisindangerofbeing

undone.Thecompanionshipofthecampfire,cookingpotandcommontabic,whichhavehelped

tobondhumansincollaborativelivingforatleast150000yearscouldbedestroyed.

Mealshavecertainlysufferedfromtheriseofconveniencefood.Theonlymealsregularly

takentogetherinBritainthesedaysarcattheweekend,amongrichfamiliesstrug^ingtoretain

somethingoftheoldsymboloftogetherness.Indeed,theday'sfirstmealhasallbutdisappeared.

Inthe20"centurytheleisureBritishbreakfastwasunderminedbythecomflake;inthe21”

breakfastisvanishingaltogether,avictimofthequickcupofcoffeeinStarbucksandthecereal

bar.

Conveniencefoodhasalsomadepeopleforgethowtocook.Oneoftheapparentparadoxes

ofmodernfoodisthatwhiletheamountoftimespentcookingmealshasfallenfrom60minutesa

dayin1980to13Madayin2002,thenumberofcooksandtelevisionprogrammeroncookinghas

multiplied.Burperhapsthisisn'taparadox.Maybeitisbecausepeoplecan'tcookanymore,so

theyneedtobetoldhowtodoit,ormaybeitisbecausepeoplebuybooksabouthobbies一golf,

yachting-notaboutchores.Cookinghasceasedtobeachoreandhasbecomeahobby.

Althougheverybodylivesinthekirchcn,itsfacilitiesareincreasinglyfordisplayratherthan

foruse.Mr.SilversteinJsnewbook,“Tradingup"lookatmid-rangeconsumerJsmilling

nowtosplashout.Hesaysthatindustrial-styleVikingcookpots,withnearlytwicetheheatoutput

ofotherranges,havehelpedtopushthe'kitchenastheater“trendinhourgoods.1"heycost

from$1000to$9000.Some75%:)fthemareneverused.

Conveniencealsohasanimpactonthehealthiness,orotherwise,offbod,ofcoursethereis

nothingbadaboutreadytoeatfooditself.Youdon'tgetmuchhealthierthananapple,and

supermarketssellabetterforyourangeofready-meals.Butthereisalimittothenumberof

applespeoplewanttoeat;andthesedaysitiseasierforpeopletoeatthekindoffc)odthatmakes

themfat

ThethreeHarvardeconomistsintheirpaper“WhyhaveAmericansbecomemoreobese?”

pointoutthatinthepast,ifpeoplewantedtocatfattyhotfood,theyhadtocookit.Thattook

timeandenergy一agoodchipneedsfryingtwice,oncetocookthepotatoandoncetogetit

crispy(脆)一whichdiscouragedofconsumptionofthatcostoffood.Masspreparationoffood

tookawaythatconstraint.Nobodyhastocutanddouble-cooktheirownfriesthesedays.Who

hasthetime?(512words)

2004年阅读理解

Passage1

Lessthan40yearsagointheUnitedStates,itwascommontochangeaone-dollarbillfora

dollar'sworthofsilver.ThatisbecauserhecoinswereactuaDymadeofsilver.Butthosedaysare

gone.Thereisnosilverintoday'scoins.Whenthepriceofrhepreciousmetalrisesaboveitsface

valueasmoney,themetalwillbecomemorevaluableinotheruses.Silvercoinsarcnolongerin

circulationbecausethesilverincoinsisworthmuchmorethantheirfacevalue.Asilverfirm

couldfindthatitischeapertoobtainsilverbymeltingdowncoinsthanbybuyingitonthe

commoditymarkets.Coinstodayaremadeofanalloyofcheapermetals.

Gresham'slaw,namedafterSirThomasGresham,arguesthat"goodmoney"isdrivenout

ofcirculationby"badmoney”.Goodmoneydiffersfrombadmoneybecauseithashigher

commodityvalue.

Greshamlivedinthe16,bcenturyinEnglandwhereitwascommonforgoldandsilvercoins

tobedebased.Governmentsdidthisbymixingcheapermetalswidigoldandsilver.I'he

governmentscouldthusmakeaprofitincoinagebyissuingcoinsthathadlesspreciousmetalthan

thefacevalueindicated.Becausedifferentmixingsofcoinshaddifferentamountsofgoldand

silver,eventhoughtheyborethesamefacevalue,somecoinswereworthmorethanothersas

commodities.Peoplewhodealtwithgoldandsilvercouldeasilyseethedifferencebctxvccnthe

“good"andthe"bad"money.Greshamobservedthatcoinswithahighercontentofgoldand

silverwerekeptratherthanbeingusedinexchange,orweremelteddownfortheirpreciousmetal.

Inthemid-1960swhentheU.S.issuednewcoinstoreplacesilvercoins,Gresham'slawwentright

inaction.

Passage2

Bythemid-nineteenthcentury,theterm"ice-box"hadenteredtheAmericanlanguage,but

iccwasstillonlybeginningtoaffectthedietofordinarycitizensintheUnitedStates.Theicctrade

grewwiththegrowthofcities.Iccwasusedinhotels,taverns,andhospitals,andbysome

forward-lookingcitydealersinfreshmeat,freshfish,andbutter.AfterrheCivilWar(1861-1865),

asiccwasusedtorefrigeratefireigjitcars,italsocameintohouseholduse.Evenbefore1880,half

theicesoldinNewYork,Philadephia,andBaltimore,andone-thrdofthatsoldinBostonand

Chicago,wenttofamiliesfbrtheirownuse.Thishadbecomepossiblebecauseanewhousehold

convenience,theicebox,aprecursorofthemodemrefrigerator,hadbeeninvented.

Makinganefficienticeboxwasnotaseasyas\vcmightnowsuppose.Intheearlynineteenth

century,theknowledgeofheat,whichwasessentialtoascienceofrefrigeration,wasrudimentary.

Thecommonsensenotionthatrhebesticeboxwasonethatpreventedrheiccfrommeltingwasof

coursemistaken,fbritwasthemeltingoficcthatperformedthecooling.Nevertheless,early

effortstoeconomizeiceincludedwrappingtheiceinblankets,whichkepttheicefromdoingits

job.Notuntilneartheendofrhenineteenrhcenturydidinventorsachievethedelicatebalanceof

insulationandcirculationneededforanefficienticebox.

Butasearlyas1803,aningeniousMan'landfarmer,ThomasMoore,hadbeenontheright

track.IIcownedafarmabouttwentymilesoutsidethecityofWashington,fbrwhichthevillage

ofGeorgetownwasthemarketcenter.Whenheusedaniceboxofhisowndesigntotransporthis

buttertomarket,hefoundthatcustomerswouldpassuptherapidlymeltingstuffinthetubsof

hiscompetitorstopayapremiumpriceforhisbutter,stillfreshandhardinneat,one-pound

bricks.

Oneadvantageofhisicebox,Mooreexplained,wasthatfarmerswouldnolongerhaveto

traveltomarketatnightinordertokeeptheirproducecool.

Passage3

Today,thecomputerhastakenupappliancestatusinmorethan42percentofhouseholds

acrosstheUnitedStates.AndthesecomputersareincreasinglybeingwiredtotheInternet.Online

accesswasupmorethan50percentinjusrthepastyear.Now,morethanonequarterofallU.S.

householdscansurfincyberspace.

Mostly,thisexplosivegrowthhasoccurreddemocratically,4'heonlinepenetrationand

computerownershipincreasesextendacrossallthedemographiclevels-byrace,geography,

income,andeducation.

Weviewthesetrendsasfavorablewithouttheslightestquesconbecauseweclearlysee

computertechnologyasempowering,infact,personalgrowthandaprosperousU.S.economyare

consideredtobethelong-rangerewardsofindividualandcollectivetechnologicalpower.

Nowforthenot-so-goodnews.Thegovernment'sanalysisspellsoutso-calleddigitaldivide.

Thatis,thedigitalexplosionisnotboomingatthesamepaceforeveryone.Yes,itistruethat\vc

areallpluggedintoamuchgreaterdegreethananyofushavebeeninthepast.Butsomeofus

aremorepluggedinthanothersandaregettingpluggedinfarmorerapidly.Andthisgapis

wideningevenasthepaceoftheinformationageacceleratesthr