Why did Kitty leave the company
A. [A] Because she was not good at her job.
Because she got married and she wanted to be a full-time housewife.
C. Because she didn’t like her job.
In the rarefied world of the corporate board, a good network matters. (1) often involves word-of- mouth recommendations: getting on a (2) is easier if you have the right connections. New research suggests men use (3) better than women.Marie Lalanne and Paul Seabright of the Toulouse School of Economics (4) the effect of a network on (5) using a database of board members in Europe and America. They find that if you were to compare two executive directors, (6) in every way except that one had 200 ex-colleagues now (7) boards and the other 400, the latter, (8) , would be paid 6% more. For non-executives the gap is 14%.The really (9) finding concerns the difference between the sexes. Among executive-board members, women earn 17% less than their male (10) . There are plenty of plausible explanations for this (11) , from interruptions to women’s careers to old-fashioned (12) . But the authors find that this pay gap can be fully (13) by the effect of executives’ networks. Men can leverage a large network into more senior positions or a seat on a more (14) board; women don’t seem to be able to.Women could just have (15) connections with members of their networks. "Women seem more inclined to build and rely on only a few strong relationships," says Mr. Seabright. Men are better at developing (16) acquaintances into a network, and better at maintaining a high personal (17) through these contacts. Women may, of course, also be hurt by the existing (18) of men on boards and a male (19) for filling executive positions with other men. But a tendency to think of other men first will be (20) if talented women don’t stay on the radar. (289 words) 11()
A. disparity
B. divergence
C. similarity
D. analogy
The film-awards season, which reaches its tearful climax with the Oscars next week, has long been only loosely related to the film business. Hollywood is dedicated to the art of funneling teenagers past popcorn stands, not art itself. But this year’s awards are less relevant than ever. The true worth of a film is no longer decided by the crowd that assembles in the Kodak Theatre—or, indeed, by any American. It is decided by youngsters in countries such as Russia, China and Brazil. Hollywood has always been an international business, but it is becoming dramatically more so. In the past decade total box-office spending has risen by about one-third in North America while more than doubling elsewhere. Thanks to Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes and "Inception", Warner Bros made $2.93 billion outside North America last year, smashing the studio’s previous record of $2.24 billion. Falling DVD sales in America, by far the world’s biggest home-entertainment market, mean Hollywood is even more dependent on foreign punters. The rising foreign tide has lifted films that were virtually written off in America, such as "Prince of Persia" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: the Voyage of the Dawn Treader". Despite starring the popular Jack Black, "Gulliver’s Travels" had a disappointing run in North America, taking $42m at the box office so far. But strong turnout in Russia and South Korea helped it reach almost $150m in sales elsewhere. As a result, it should turn a profit, says John Davis, the film’s producer. The growth of the international box office is partly a result of the dollar’s weakness. It was also helped by "Avatar", and eco-fantasy that made a startling $2 billion outside North America. But three things are particularly important: a cinema boom in the emerging world, a concerted effort by the major studios to make films that might play well outside America and a global marketing push to make sure they do. Russia, with its shrinking teenage population, is an unlikely spot for a box-office boom. Yet cinema- building is proceeding apace, and supply has created demand. Last year 160m cinema tickets were sold in Russia—the first time in recent years that sales have exceeded the country’s population. Ticket prices have risen, in part because the new cinemas are superior, with digital projectors that can show 3D films. The big Hollywood studios are muscling domestic film-makers aside. In 2007 American films made almost twice as much at the Russian box office as domestic films—8.3 billion roubles ($325m) compared with 4.5 billion. Last year the imported stuff made some 16.4 billion roubles: more than five times as much as the home-grown product, estimates Movie Research, a Moscow outfit. Earlier this month Vladimir Putin, Russia’s Prime Minister, said the government would spend less money supporting Russian film-makers and more on expanding the number of screens. (471 words) Which of the following may NOT be the reason for the growth of the international box office
A. Major studios employ global marketing to make films.
B. Cinema is developing rapidly in the emerging world.
C. "Avatar" made great profit outside North America.
D. The dollar is devaluated.
第一节 听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题,从题中所给的[A]、[B]、[C]三个选项中选出最佳选项,并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后,你都有10秒的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。 Why was Dora late
A. She didn’t know the time.
B. She forgot her class.
C. She didn’t catch the bus.