It is called softwood, but these days it is producing nothing but hard feelings. Softwood is used to build houses, stuff that in skilled hands changes from a pile of wood into a recognizable home in mere days. In the United States, about 10% of such softwood comes from Canada. But on March 2nd the Department of Commerce announced that it would slap a tariff of around 9% on Canadian softwood. The Americans contend that Canada is subsidizing its timber industry, and dumping wood on to its neighbour for sale at prices that do not cover its production cost.
The Canadians hotly deny this, and the two sides are volleying expertise at each other. “They’ve hired their experts, and we’ve hired ours,” says John Allan, president of the British Columbia Lumber Trade Council. In Canada the provincial governments own forests, and each province is given considerable freedom in pricing its “stumpage”, as standing trees are oddly called. American critics say the Canadians all but give away those uncut trees. John Perez-Garcia, a professor of forestry at the University of Washington in Seattle, estimates that Canadian logging companies pay as much as 40% less for standing trees than they would if the market set the price.
Not so, retort the Canadians. Dan Evans, manager of log exports for British Columbia’s government, points out that stumpage fees cover only a small portion of what it costs a Canadian company to send lumber across the border. These companies, he says, have to build their own roads, re-forest logged lands, and pay the cost of planning their sales. “We feel we price our timber competitively.” It is worth noting that for years American companies were themselves accused of receiving subsidies; stumpage prices for trees cut down on federal land were long criticized as too low. Then they were quiet on the subject. But now that most American-produced lumber comes from private forests, government subsidies are anathema.
In Seattle, Robb Dunn, president of a chain of ten lumber stores, says his customers will just have to put up with higher prices. Some reckon the tariff will increase new-home prices by as much as $1,300. That may be a bit high; although lumber prices have gone up lately, they are still below the peak reached last summer. And rising interest rates may slow the American housing market, cutting demand.
The two sides hope to continue talks. One way out might be an agreement under which Canada taxes its lumber companies until it reforms its pricing policies to America’s satisfaction. But Mr Allan, for one, is not optimistic. The United States, he says, has not negotiated in good faith: “Its government just can’t get a grip in its timber industry, which is too powerful.”
1. Hard feelings produced by softwood result in _____.
［A］ 10% of Canadian softwood comes into America ［B］ America impose a tax on Canadian softwood
［C］ Canada is dumping wood into America ［D］ Canadian softwood is sold at a subsidized price
2. It is true of Canada that _____.
［A］ experts are hired to defend the logging industry ［B］ the central government sets a uniform price for its forest
［C］ the uncut trees are given to logging companies for free ［D］ logging companies pay 40% of the softwood tariff
3. The word “anathema” (Line 7, Paragraph 3) probably refers to something that are _____.
［A］ welcomed ［B］ hated ［C］ admitted ［D］ avoided
4. What can we infer from the text?
［A］ Lumber price mainly consists of stumpage fee. ［B］ Private forests monopolise the Canadian logging market.
［C］ Americans apply a double standard in lumber trade. ［D］ Raising stumpage fees will finally solve the problem.
5. What will probably happen because of this trade war?
［A］ Demand for wooden house will fall. ［B］ Customers will have to pay high prices.
［C］ Canada will place higher tax on lumber industry. ［D］ The U.S. will negotiate the matter sincerely.
答案：1.B 2.A 3.B 4.C 5.B
核心词汇与超纲词汇
（1）hard（a.）冷酷无情的；硬心肠的；苛刻的
（2）slap（v.）（用手掌）打，拍；啪地一下放下，随意扔放；~ sth. on sb./sth.强制执行，强迫某人做，如The company ~ed a non-smoking ban on the premises（公司严禁在办公场所吸烟）
（3）tariff（n.）关税，税则；（旅馆、饭店等的）价目表、价格表
（4）subside（v.）资助, 津贴
（5）dump（v.）倾倒(垃圾)，倾卸，倾销；（n.）卸货场；垃圾站
（6）volley（n./v.）（某些体育运动，如网球或足球）截击空中球，凌空击球；（子弹的）群射，齐发；（质问、评论、辱骂等的）接连发出，如a ~ of angry questions一连串愤怒的质问；volleyball 排球运动
（7）expertise（n.）专门知识，专门机能，专长
（8）all but几乎，差不多
（9）give away送掉，分发，泄露，出卖，让步
（10）anathema令人厌恶的事；受诅咒的事，可恶的想法
（11）in good faith真诚，诚心诚意；in bad faith存心不良，背信弃义
（12）grip（n.）紧握；控制，影响力；理解，了解
全文翻译
它被称为软木，但最近软木带来的却是冷酷的情感。软木被用来建造房子，仅仅几天它在熟练工人手中就从一堆木材变成了一个可辨认的家。在美国，这样的软木大约10%来自加拿大。但是3月2日，美国商务部宣称它将对加拿大软木强制征收9%的关税。美国认为加拿大政府在补贴其伐木业，并且以低于生产成本的价格倾销于邻国。
加拿大对此予以强烈的否认，双方用专家知识相互攻击。加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省木材贸易委员会主席约翰-艾伦说，“他们雇佣了专家，我们也有”。在加拿大，省政府拥有森林，各省政府有足够的自由为“立木”，即未伐倒的树木定价。美国评论家指出加拿大几乎在赠送那些树。西亚图华盛顿大学林学教授约翰?皮里斯估计加拿大伐木公司为立木支付的价格比市场规定的要少40％。
加拿大反驳说不是这样。加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省木材出口负责人丹?埃文斯指出，立木的费用只是一家加拿大公司将木材送出边界所花费的成本的一小部分。他说，这些公司还必须自己修路、在已伐木的土地上重新植树造林，以及支付营销策划的费用。“我们认为自己木材的定价有竞争力”。值得指出的是，多年以来美国公司自己也被指责得到补贴，批判其联邦土地上伐木的立木价格太低。这些公司对此保持沉默。但是现在大部分美国生产的木材来自于私人的森林，政府的资助非常可恶。
西亚图十家连锁木材店的老板罗伯?邓恩说，他的顾客将不得不忍受更高的价格。一些人认为关税将使新家的价格增长1,300美元。这有点贵；虽然最近木材价格上涨，但是仍然不会达到去年夏天的最高值。增长的利率将减少美国房产市场的需求从而减慢其发展。
双方希望继续对话。解决问题的方法之一是制定协定，加拿大收取伐木公司的税，直到它对价格政策的改革让美国满意。但是艾伦先生对此并不乐观。他说：“美国没有协商的诚意，美国政府只是控制不了其强大的木材工业”。
十二、华尔街日报赢得公共信任
The Wall Street Journal has continued as the world’s most credible news source and one that refused to conform to the passing prejudice and error of the journalistic herd. Naturally the Journal receives ongoing abuse from the herd for its distressing independence. Yet, rarely is the criticism straightforward but rather an assault on the conservatism of the Journal’s editorial page, which strikes conformist journalists as an insult and is the real cause of the herd’s distress. Rather the criticism focuses on the Journal’s bottom line, its sluggish share price, and rumors that the family controlling the paper, the Bancroft family, is unhappy and about to sell it.
The rumors of the Bancrofts’ unhappiness are all highly exaggerated and quickly refuted. For this proud family whose ancestor, Clarence W. Barron, purchased the Journal and with it the Dow Jones news service in 1902 conceives of its ownership as a “public trust.” That is how Roy A. Hammer, a lawyer and trustee for the entities through which the Bancrofts control the paper, described their sense of ownership. This is not so unusual. Great newspapers have always played a major role in American civic life. I said “great newspapers,” serious newspapers, the kind that put gathering news ahead of sensationalism.
Most of the truly profitable newspapers in the country today are essentially shopping circulars with some cheap journalism printed on those pages not devoted to shopping mall sales. The great newspaper chains take over local papers, fire journalists, and set out to fill their pages with still more advertisements. Well, they supply a service. They let readers know about the price, say, of chicken at the Giant or snow tires at the CVS. But fewer and fewer local newspapers supply much news and analysis. Great newspapers do, and not one that I know of makes a vast amount of money.
Great newspapers do help to set the agenda for the nation. They break stories of corruption or on other vital matters. One of the few things I find admirable about the New York Times is that its controlling family, the Sulzberger family, is not intent on squeezing every penny of profit out of its flagship paper. Thus last week when I read a long critique in the Times of the Wall Street Journal’s management for its sluggish financial performance, I discovered hypocrisy.
The hypocrisy is all the greater coming from liberals who are criticizing conservatives for their alleged devotion the “Almighty Dollar.” Profits are essential to all businesses. For one thing they are a very accurate poll of the populace’s tastes, but there are other services some corporations supply to society. Both the Journal and the Times supply—at too high a cost—information that enlightens the citizenry.
1. The journalistic herd’s distress is caused by the Wall Street Journal’s _____.
［A］ credibility ［B］ prejudice ［C］ conformism ［D］ professionalism
2. The Bancroft family purchased the Wall Street Journal to _____.
［A］ sell it for a higher price ［B］ promote the Dow Jones news service
［C］ dominate the great newspapers chains ［D］ influence American civic life
3. It can be inferred from the passage that great newspapers _____ .
［A］ have to engage in a form of sensationalism ［B］ make a bigger profit than local papers
［C］ supply much news and analysis ［D］ refuse to accept the error of the journalistic herd
4. The author says “I discovered hypocrisy” (Last line, Paragraph 4), because _____ .
［A］ the Times was involved in corruption ［B］ the Times was becoming profit-driven
［C］ the Times was attacking the Journal ［D］ the Journal was in financial difficulty
5. The author seems to believe that all the newspapers should _____.
［A］ maxmize the profit ［B］ satisfy the public’s tastes ［C］ provide social services ［D］ inform the readers at a high cost
答案：1.C 2.D 3.C 4.B 5.C
核心词汇与超纲词汇
(1)passing（a.）暂时的，瞬间的，一时之兴的；经过的，过往的
(2)herd（n.）兽群；人群，芸芸众生，the common ~普通百姓，follow the ~随大流
(3)journalistic（a.）新闻业的，新闻工作（者）的；journalist新闻工作者
(4)ongoing（a.）持续存在的，仍在进行的；不断发展的
(5)distressing（a.）悲伤的，使痛苦的，使烦恼的
(6)strike sb as sth.给（某人以……）印象，让（某人）觉得，如His reaction struck me as odd（他的反应令我诧异）。
(7)conformist（n.）墨守成规的人
(8)bottom line要旨，基本论点；最重要的原则，最后的底线
(9)conceive（v.）（of sth. As sth.）（主义、计划等）构想，想象，设想
(10)ownership（n.）所有权，产权；物主身份，东家
(11)entity（n.）实体
(12)circular（n.）传单，广告，文件，公告
(13)break（v.）透露，传开，如There was a public outcry when the scandal broke（丑闻一传开，舆论一片哗然）。
(14)enlighten （v.）启发，启蒙，教导，授予...知识，开导
全文翻译
《华尔街日报》一直以来作为世界上非常可靠的新闻信息来源而存在，它拒绝顺从新闻群体中出现的暂时的偏见和错误。自然，该日报因为它令人苦恼的独立性不断受到新闻群体的攻击。但是这种批评很少是直截针对日报的，而是对社论版因循守旧的立场的攻击，这种攻击被墨守陈规者视为侮辱同时也是引起新闻群体烦恼的真正原因。更确切的说，批评的矛头指向了日报的基本原则，它疲软的股价以及控制日报的班克罗夫特家族不悦并即将出售它的传闻。
有关班克罗夫特家族不悦的传闻被极大的渲染并很快遭到了驳斥。因为其祖先克莱伦斯?巴伦于1902年收购了该日报和道琼斯新闻服务而骄傲的班克罗夫特家族，设想自己成为“公共信任”的所有者。班克罗夫特家族控制报界的这些实体的律师兼托管人罗伊?哈默也这样描述它们的所有权意识。这并不是什么特别罕见的事。大报纸在美国市民生活中总是发挥重要的作用。我说的是“大报纸”，是严肃的报纸，那一类把收集新闻看做比报道耸人听闻的消息更大报纸。
目前，这个国家里大多数真正有利可图的报纸基本是购物广告，在不专门用于商业街销售的页面上印有一些廉价的新闻。大的报业集团接管地方报业，解雇新闻记者，然后尽力用更多的广告填充版面。它们也提供服务：让读者了解“巨人”牌鸡肉或者CVS的雪地防滑轮胎的价格。但是越来越少的地方报纸提供较多的新闻和分析，大报纸则提供，而且在我所了解的范围内，没有一家赚到大笔的钱。
大报纸确实帮助国家安排议程。它们揭露受贿或其他重大事件。我发现《纽约时报》令人钦佩的一点是：控制该报纸的苏兹贝格家族没有致力于从它的旗舰报纸中榨取每一美分的利润。因此，上周当我在《时报》上读到一篇对《华尔街日报》疲软的财政表现的管理的批评时，我发现了伪善。
这种伪善更多地来自自由派批评保守派，因为他们声称热爱“万能的美金”。对于所有企业来说，利润都是最本质的。首先它非常准确地反映了大众的品味，但是也有一些其他的服务是需要新闻机构提供给社会的。《日报》和《时报》都以过高的代价提供启迪公民的信息。
十三、基因技术在刑侦中的应用
Violent criminals with something to hide have more reason than ever to be paranoid about a tap on the shoulder which could send them to jail. Queensland police are working through a backlog of unsolved murders with some dramatic success. Greater cooperation between the public and various law enforcement agencies is playing a role, but new genetic-testing techniques are the real key to providing the vital evidence to mount a prosecution.
Evidence left behind at the scene of any murder is guaranteed to outlive the person who left it. A blood, saliva or tissue sample in the size of a pin, kept dry and out of sunlight, will last several thousand years. From it, scientific analysis now can tell accurately the sex of the person who left it.
When matched against a sample from a crime suspect, it can indicate with million-to-one certainty whether the samples come from the same source. Only twins share identical DNA. So precise is the technology if the biological parents of a suspect agree to provide a sample, forensic scientists can work out the rest for themselves without cooperation from the suspect.
Queensland forensic scientists have been using the DNA testing technology since 1992, and last year they were recognized internationally for their competence in positive individual identification. That is part of the reason 20 of Queensland’s most puzzling unsolved murders dating to 1932 are being actively investigated. There also have been several recent arrests for unsolved murders.
Forensic evidence was instrumental in charges being laid over the bashing death of waitress Tasha Douty on Brampton Island in 1983. Douty’s blood-splattered, naked body was found on a nude sunbathing beach at Dinghy Bay on the island. Footprints in the sand indicated that the killer had grappled with the 21-year-old mother who had fled up the beach before being caught and beaten to death.
According to Leo Freney, the supervising forensic scientist at the John Tonge Centre at Brisbane’s Griffith University, DNA testing has become an invaluable tool for police. Its use is in identifying and rejecting suspects. In fact, he says, it eliminates more people than it convicts.
“It is easily as good as fingerprints for the purpose of identification,” he says. “In the case of violent crime it is better than fingerprints. You can’t innocently explain things like blood and semen at a crime scene where you may be able to innocently explain fingerprints.” In Queensland, a person who has been arrested on suspicion of an offence can be taken before a magistrate and ordered to provide a sample of body fluid by force if necessary.
1. What is implied in the first sentence of the first paragraph?
［A］ Law punishments are always slow. ［B］ Justice has long arms.
［C］ Everyone is equal before the law. ［D］ A burnt child dreads the fire.
2. In Queensland, dramatic progress made in investigating unresolved murders is because of _____.
［A］ the greater cooperation between suspects and police ［B］ the simplification of the criminal prosecution process
［C］ forensic scientists’ ability in positive individual identification ［D］ new techniques in finding footprints of murders
3. Evidence left behind at the scene of a crime is all of the following EXCEPT _____.
［A］ blood ［B］ tissue ［C］ footprints ［D］ pin
4. What can be inferred from the text?
［A］ Criminal evidence could be kept well in dry and warm places. ［B］ The high accuracy of genetic testing lies in DNA’s uniqueness. ［C］ DNA testing provides the vital evidence in Tasha Douty Case. ［D］ Fingerprints are better than DNA to convict suspects.
5. By the use of new technology, forensic scientists can _____.
［A］ work out the result of DNA completely by themselves ［B］ eliminate more suspects than identify them
［C］ tell the appearance of a murder from the evidence left ［D］ order the suspect to provide a sample of body fluid by law
答案:1.B 2.C 3.D 4.C 5.B
核心词汇与超纲词汇
(1)paranoid（a.）多疑的，恐惧的；患偏执症的，有妄想狂的
(2)backlog（n.）积压的工作
(3)enforcement（n.）执行，强制；enforce（v.）
(4)prosecution（n.）告发，起诉，检举；原告，控方；实施，从事，进行；
(5)be guaranteed to do sth.肯定会，必定会，如She is guaranteed to find out it（她肯定会发现）。
(6)outlive（v.）比……活得长；（在……结束或消失后）继续存在
(7)forensic（a.）法医的，（用于）法庭的
(8)unsolved（a.）未解决的，未破解的，如an ~ murder/mystery/problem未破案的谋杀事件；未解开的迷团；未解决的问题
(9)bash（v.）猛击，猛撞；殴打，连接攻击；严厉批评
(10)splatter（v.）溅泼，说话结巴
(11)magistrate(n.）地方行政官，地方法官，治安官
全文翻译
有事情要隐瞒的暴力罪犯现在更有理由害怕别人拍一下他们的肩膀，因为这能将他们送进监狱。昆士兰的警察正成功地破获一推积压多年未侦破的谋杀案件。公众和各家执法机构的合作起了一定作用，但对于提供足以起诉的重要证据，新的基因检测技术是关键。
谋杀后留下现场的证据肯定在留下它的人离开后继续存在。针头大小的血迹、唾液和皮肤组织，如果保持干爽，避免阳光照射，将持续保存几千年。根据这些证据，科学的分析可以精确到辨别出留下它的人的性别。
当把它和犯罪嫌疑人的样本进行对照时，它能以百万分之一的精确性说明这些样本是否来自同一人。只有双胞胎的DNA会完全一样。该项技术准确性如此之高，如果嫌疑人的亲身父母同意提供样本，即使没有嫌疑人的合作，法医也能够知道DNA的剩余部分。
昆士兰的法医们自1992年一直在使用DNA测试技术，并在去年因其正确的个人识别能力而得到国际认可。这部分解释了为什么昆士兰早至1932年最令人迷惑的未侦破的谋杀案中的20件正在接受积极的调查。最近也有几个未侦破案件的凶手被捕。
法医的证据对于1983年班顿岛女招待塔莎?道迪被殴打至死案件的起诉起了关键作用。塔莎?道迪溅满了血、赤裸的尸体在一个裸体日光浴海滩被发现。沙滩上的脚印表明，这位21岁的母亲在被凶手抓住打死之前，逃到了海滩上，并和凶手搏斗过。
布里斯班格里菲斯大学约翰?唐恩中心的主管法医Leo Freney认为，DNA技术已经成为警方极其有价值的工具。它可以用来确认和排除嫌疑人，事实上被排除的人数要多于被确认的人数。
他说，“用于辨认罪犯时，基因检测和指纹一样有效。并且在侦破刑事案件时，基因检测比指纹更加有效。人们在犯罪现场留下指纹时可以解释自己是无辜的，留下血液和精液时就不能了”。在昆士兰，因作案嫌疑被捕的人可以被带到地方法官那里，并在必要时被强制要求提供体液。
十四、广告业是美国经济的晴雨表
When Rupert Murdoch sees beams of light in the American advertising market, it is not necessarily time to reach for the sunglasses. Last October, when the impact of September 11th was only beginning to tell, the boss of NewsCorp, a media group, had already identified “strong rays of sunshine”. With ad sales still languishing, Mr Murdoch declared last month that “there are some hints of a modest upswing in the US advertising markets.” His early optimism turned out to be misplaced. Now, however, other industry observers are beginning to agree with him.
Advertising usually exaggerates the economic cycle: falling sharply and early in a downturn, and rebounding strongly once the economy has begun to recover. This is because most managers prefer to trim their ad budgets rather than their payrolls, and restore such spending only once they feel sure that things are looking up. Last year, America’s ad market shrank by 9.8%, according to CMR, a research firm. Although ad spending has not yet recovered across all media, some analysts now expect overall ad spending to start to grow in the third quarter.
The signs of improvement are patchy, however. Ad spending on radio and television seems to be inching up—advertising on American national radio was up 2% in January on the same period last year, according to Aegis—while spending on magazines and newspapers is still weak. Even within any one market, there are huge differences; just pick up a copy of one of the now-slimline high-tech magazines that once bulged with ads, and compare it with the hefty celebrity or women’s titles. Advertisers in some categories, such as the travel industry, are still reluctant to buy space or airtime, while others, such as the car and movie businesses, have been bolder. The winter Olympics, held last month in Salt Lake City, has also distorted the spending on broadcast advertising in the first quarter.
Nonetheless, there is an underlying pattern. One measure is the booking of ad spots for national brands on local television. By early March, according to Mr Westerfield’s analysis, such bookings were growing fast across eight out of the top ten advertising sectors, led by the financial and motor industries. UBS Warburg now expects the “upfront” market, which starts in May when advertisers book advance ad spots on the TV networks for the new season in September, to be up 4% on last year. On some estimates, even online advertising could pick up by the end of the year.
1. What does the author mean by “it is not necessarily time to reach for the sunglasses” (Para.1)?
［A］ The sunshine is not terribly strong. ［B］ It is not good time to develop advertising.
［C］ There is no need to worry about economy now. ［D］ The real economic recovery has yet to take place.
2. Mr. Murdoch’s early market estimation was _____.
［A］ exaggerating the situation ［B］ being too cautious
［C］ underestimating the development ［D］ probably describing the reality
3. Which of the following is true according to the text?
［A］ Advertising is a sensitive marker of economic change. ［B］ Managers will first cut salary during economic downturn.
［C］ CMR was wrong about last year’s U.S. ad market. ［D］ Advertising spending has started overall growing.
4. Signs of improvement are visible in the advertising of _____.
［A］ high-tech magazines and sports industry ［B］ celebrity magazines and travel industry
［C］ women’s magazines and car industry ［D］ movie industry and high-tech magazines
5. What is the author’s view of the prospect of U.S. advertising market?
［A］ Recovery will be slow but sure. ［B］ There will be a big jump.
［C］ Patchy improvement will occur. ［D］ The situation will remain pessimistic.
答案：1.D 2.D 3.A 4.C 5.A
核心词汇与超纲词汇
(1)languish（v.）憔悴，凋萎，衰退
(2)misplaced（a.）给错对象的；不适宜的，如~ confidence/optimism/fear不应有的信心/乐观精神/恐惧
(3)patchy（a.）零散的，散落的，分布不均的；不完整的，参差不齐的
(4)inch（v.）（使朝某方向）谨慎移动
(5)slimline（a.）式样小巧的；薄型的；低糖的
(6)bulge（v.）（with）充满，塞满；凸出，鼓胀
(7)heft（a.）重的，异常大的，肌肉发达的
(8)title（n.）标题，题目；（书刊的）一种，一本；称号，头衔，职称；冠军
(9)distort（v.）使变形，扭曲，使失真；歪曲，曲解
(10)spot（n.）某演员的固定节目，某类节目的固定拦目，如a guest/solo ~嘉宾/独唱节目
全文翻译
当鲁珀特.默多克看到美国广告市场上反弹的光芒时，那光线还不够刺眼（戴太阳镜还为时过早）。去年十月，当9.11事件的影响刚刚开始显现出来时，这位新闻集团的老总就已经认为是“强烈的阳光”了。随着广告销售的衰退，鲁珀特.默多克先生上个月宣布“美国广告市场有中度复苏的迹象”。他先前看来是过于乐观了。然而，现在其他业内观察员却开始认同他的观点。
广告业的行情通常放大这样的经济规律：广告业在经济不景气的初期就明显下滑，一旦经济开始复苏就立刻反弹。这是因为经济不景气时，绝大多数企业主都宁愿削减广告开支而不愿意减薪，一旦感觉到经济形势有所回升他们就立刻又重新投入这些广告费用。根据美兰德媒体调查显示，去年美国的广告市场萎缩了9.8%。虽然广告费用的上升还没有在所有媒体中体现出来，但根据一些分析家的预测，今年第三季度广告费会全面上升。
然而，这些好转的迹象并不平衡。广播和电视广告费似乎在缓慢地上升——根据安吉斯的报道，美国国家广播的广告收入在二月份比去年同期上涨了2%——而报刊杂志的广告费依然很少。当然，即使在同一个行业里，也会有巨大的差异。比如拿一本曾经充斥着各种广告而现在显得很小巧的高科技杂志，与名人或女性娱乐杂志相比。广告主仍然不愿意在有些栏目如旅游栏目中买断版面或播放时间，而对汽车和电影这样的栏目却从不犹豫。上个月在盐湖城举办的冬奥会，也使第一季度的广播广告投资出现了异常的增多。
然而，这里存在着潜在的市场变化。一种是在地方电视台预定全国名牌的广告栏目。根据威斯特弗尔德先生的分析，三月初，前十名广告时段中有八个的预定正迅速增长，以金融和汽车业投资最多。UBS Warburg现在寄希望于“前瞻”市场，它会在5月启动，那时广告主们正开始为九月份开始的新季度预订广告栏目，预计比去年增长4％。根据一些预测，网络广告到年底也会有起色。
十五、节省时间
The phenomenon of stress has been widely discussed and referred to as one of the central problems of our age. Globalisation and the improved technology it brings only seems to make this problem worse, creating more options while at the same time making our lives more complex. Closely bound up with stress is the problem of “time famine”. In Britain, for example, the combination of the longest working hours in Europe and the highest proportion of working women in Europe means people have less and less time to themselves. Add to this the rise in the number of single-person households and the work ethic promoted by successive governments since the early eighties and it becomes easy to see why time is now at a premium for so many of us.
One response to this has come from the USA, so often the forerunner in what is fashionable, in the form of lifestyle management. This involves hiring a company to repair the house, do the shopping and a host of other time consuming tasks. Some analysts insist that the management of people’s time could be big business in the next 10 years. In the USA lifestyle management companies have been around for a while but now it seems that the British are keen to use them too.
What most potential customers want is quality time. This means taking away the day to day hassles connected with running our lives. Whereas in the past there always seemed to be time for arranging private lives and keeping up with everyday demands of house, health, children or holidays, nowadays the work obsessed population, tied to the office, do not appear to be able to cope with such inconveniences. In other words, people require a separate Personal Assistant for their lifestyle!
The jury is out, however, as to whether this new service is beneficial or not. Being constantly pressed for time is undoubtedly stressful and what could be better than relieving such pressures by off-loading some of our more mundane tasks on a willing helper? Perhaps this can also be a way to ensure that you get quality service. It is often said that a large part of Britain’s service sector aims purely and simply at short term profit in return for bad quality goods and poor service. If you put experts in charge of finding a good plumber at a reasonable rate you can at least be assured that your leaking pipes will be fixed properly.
This raises an important question, however. Is it really good for us to create more time to spend at work when we are already exhausted from working long hours? It may be far more important to take control of our private lives ourselves and in so doing relieve stress by giving ourselves a proper escape from the cares of the work-place. After all, if you do not have time to look after your own home and to organise your own life, then, just maybe, you have got your priorities wrong. There may be one reason why, in the end, the lifestyle management business will not take off in the UK and that is the inherently conservative nature of the British. To really embrace this new concept we might all need to rethink our lives!
1. The writer suggests that stress _____ .
［A］ is the most important problem of modern life ［B］ is caused by technology and globalisation
［C］ can be made worse because of too many choices ［D］ can be less if we had more time to spend at work
2. “time is at a premium”（Para.1, Line 8）probably means that _____.
［A］ the longer we work, the less important time is ［B］ time has become harder and harder to find
［C］ people have more free time in America than in Britain ［D］ saving time is a fashionable lifestyle trend
3. According to the text, most potential customers _____.
［A］ do not have a personal assistant in their offices ［B］ are too lazy to organise their private lives
［C］ have problems coping with the demands of daily living ［D］ enjoy the way of spending more time at work.
4. What is true of lifestyle management companies according to the author?
［A］ They will definitely become important even it takes time to accept them.
［B］ They are not interested in long-term relationships with customers.
［C］ They benefit the customers by giving a cheap way of saving time.
［D］ They have expertise in getting the right people to do jobs for their clients.
5. The author probably believes that the British _____.
［A］ will accept the need for lifestyle management companies ［B］ have to give careful thought to their way of life
［C］ should turn to experts when dealing with specific problems ［D］ should be well trained with a good work ethic
答案：1.C 2.B 3.C 4.D 5.B
核心词汇与超纲词汇
(1)globalisation（n.）全球化；globalize（v.）；global（a.）球形的；全球的，全世界的
(2)bind up包扎，装订；束缚
(3)famine（n.）饥荒；严重的缺乏；famish（v.）饥饿，挨饿
(4)household（n.）家庭；一家人；（a.）与家庭有关的，用于家中的；家喻户晓的
(5)at a premium（股票）高于票面价值（或发行价格）；非常珍贵；甚受欢迎
(6)host（n.）（常与of连用）一大群，许多，如A whole host of difficulties has / have arisen.出现了一大堆的困难；（v.）作为主人招待；主办
(7)have been around见过世面；经验丰富
(8)hassle（n.）激烈的争论，激战；麻烦，打扰
(9)the jury is out on sth.（某事）仍未定夺，悬而未决
(10)off-load卸载；off-前缀常常构成名词、形容词、动词或副词，意为“不在……上；离开；去掉”；如offstage不在舞台上，off-duty不值班的
(11)mundane（a.）世俗的；寻常的，普通的~ affairs俗事
(12)in return（for sth.）作为（对……）的回报，如Can I buy you lunch ~ for your help（感谢你帮忙，我请你吃午饭好吗）；作为回应，如I asked her opinion, but she just asked me a question ~（我征求她的意见，她却只是反问我一句）
全文翻译
压力的现象已经得到广泛地讨论，并被认为是我们这个时代最中心的问题之一。它带来的全球化和技术的改善似乎只是让这个问题更严重：在创造更多机会的同时使我们的生活更复杂。被压力紧紧束缚是“时间荒”的问题。比如，英国是欧洲工作时间最长和工作女性比例最大的国家，这意味着人们拥有越来越少的属于自己的时间。此外，再加上单身住户人数的上升和自80年代早期开始连续几届政府提倡的工作道德，因此很容易明白为什么时间变得如此珍贵。
总是作为时尚先驱的美国对此的一个反应是开始指导人们的生活方式。它包括雇佣一家公司来修房子、购物和完成其他一大堆耗费时间的工作。一些分析家坚持认为在未来十年内对时间的管理会是大生意。在美国，生活方式的指导公司已经是经验丰富，但现在看来英国人似乎也渴望使用它们。
这些潜在的顾客需要的是“优质时间”。它意味着带走一天天过日子中产生的麻烦。虽然过去人们似乎总是有时间安排私人生活，满足每日里房子、健康、孩子或假期的需求。但现在受到工作困扰的人群，被办公室所约束，似乎不能应付这些不便。换句话说，人们要求一种对他们生活方式的单独的个人帮助。
然而，这种新的服务是不是有用则仍未定夺。不断地迫切需求时间无疑会产生压力，因此通过自愿的帮手来分担我们更普通的事务自然是再好不过了。或许这也是一种保证你得到优质服务的方式。人们常说英国大部分服务部门商品和服务质量差是因为只看重短期收益。如果你让专家按照合理的价格负责找到优秀的水管工人，至少能确保你漏水的管子将会被修好。
然而，这里提出了一个重要的问题。当我们因为长时间的工作已经筋疲力尽，再为我们创造更多的时间来工作是否正确？也许更重要的是控制我们自己的私人生活，通过让自己适当逃离对工作的忧虑而减少压力。毕竟，如果你没有时间照顾自己的家和组织自己的生活，那么也许你优先考虑的事情错了。最后，指导生活方式的企业在英国不会发展的原因是英国人天生的保守性格。要接受这个新的概念，我们也许都需要重新考虑自己的生活。
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