[单选题]

　　In 1937， the economist Ronald Coase asked a simple question.Why do companies exist? Classical economics did not have a good answer for why everyone did not transact fluidly in the open market.Centrally planned companies with employees stood out as “islands of conscious power”， like “lumps of butter condensing in a pail of buttermilk”， as one contemporary put it.Coase said there were lumps in the buttermilk because there were costs to doing everything in the market.Take hiring labour.You had to find people to do things for you.You had to work out the right price.It was more efficient for entrepreneurs to hire employees who agreed simply to follow orders in exchange for pay.

　　Technology has cut the transaction costs of hiring in the open market.Xenios Thrasyvoulou runs an online freelancer marketplace called PeoplePerHour， which allows entrepreneurs to chop up jobs into tasks and auction them off to workers they have never met， but can nonetheless trust because they have quality ratings from previous gigs， regardless of the fact they are not employees but “independent contractors”.

　　Yet the economist Chris Dillow points out that it still makes sense to have some workers in-house： people you want to keep away from competitors; people who create your intellectual property and keep your secrets.The fall in transaction costs has not eliminated the need for companies.But it is shifting the borderline between a central core of employees and a margin of not-quite-employees， who can be picked up and put down at will in the open market.

　　This has troubling implications for inequality， not just inequality of income but inequality of security.Of course， some people may well opt for life on the margin because they value the variety.The talented may prosper in the open market by auctioning their time to the highest bidder.But others may find they do not have a choice - that they do not have the skills or qualities to persuade companies to move them from the margin to the core.

　　Policymakers are not powerless in the face of these technological forces.Tax and regulation help determine where the corporate boundary lies.In the UK， tax policy encourages the swell of the margin， since employing someone directly incurs a bigger tax bill than using a self-employed contractor to do the same work.The government tried to reduce the disparity by raising tax on the self-employed， but relented at the first sign of resistance.

　　Employment law， in contrast， draws a line in the sand.It states that when companies exert control over how and when people work， they must bring them in-house and make them employees.There are companies straining at that boundary already.Some are running over it without punishment from the state.With technology and tax policy pushing relentlessly towards a bigger margin and a smaller core， the government will need to beef up employment law enforcement dramatically if it wants to hold the line.

　　The shifting borderline between the core and the margin may______.

　　Aresult from employees' insecurity

　　Bcontribute to income inequality

　　Cworsen unfair competition

　　Dreduce job opportunities

　　参考答案：B

　　[单选题]

　　Do Americans hate science? They certainly seem to hate it more than they used to， as they rage against experts in every field.This is more than a traditional American distaste for eggheads and intellectuals.Americans， increasingly， are acting on myths and misinformation about science， and placing themselves at significant risk.Of course， Americans don't really hate science.Rather， it is more accurate to say that the American public distrusts scientists? rather than science itself.Scientists， however， should be consoled by the fact that they are disdained not for their work， but for being part of an undifferentiated mass of “experts”， whom a fair number of Americans now view as， at best， a suspect political class， and， at worst， as an enemy.

　　In one sense， this attack on the defenders of established knowledge was inevitable.It is not only fueled by an obvious culprit-the internet-but also by the unintended side effects of otherwise positive social changes.Universal education and increased social mobility， among other changes， have thrown America's experts and citizens into direct contact after nearly two centuries in which they lived segregated lives and rarely interacted with each other.And yet the result has not been a greater respect for knowledge， but the growth of an irrational conviction among Americans that everyone is as smart as everyone else.To understand this， and to think about solutions， requires a deeper look at causes.Both the professional community and the public it serves bear some responsibility for our perilous condition.

　　The public rejection of science is an extension of our politics， which in turn have become an expression of our constant outrage about everything that offends our deepest beliefs about ourselves.As social scientist David Dunning has put it： “Some of our most stubborn misbeliefs arise not from primitive childlike intuitions， but from the very values and philosophies that define who we are as individuals.” When those misbeliefs are challenged， laypeople take it not as correction but as a direct attack on their identity.

　　The expert community， however， must shoulder some of the blame for the collapse of the relationship between science and the public.Experts often intrude on from empirical knowledge to normative demands and thus validate the suspicions of laypeople that the real goal of expert advice is to force compliance with expert policy preferences.Experts cannot compel civic engagement， and they must accept that their advice， which might seem obvious and right to them， will not always be taken in a democracy that may not value the same things they do.The job of mediating those values and policies lies with elected officials.The knowers cannot be the deciders.

　　At the same time， experts cannot withdraw from a public arena increasingly controlled by opportunistic politicians who seek to discredit empiricism and rationality.Instead? the expert community must help to lead laypeople back along the road to a better day when the citizens valued scientists as essential parts of the American story.Experts must continue， as citizens， to advocate for those things they believe to be in the public interest， but the most important role they can play is defend a stark but considerate insistence on science and reason as the foundation for public policy.

　　It can be inferred that social changes______.

　　Aboost the public attack on established knowledge

　　Bhelp increase the public respect for knowledge

　　Cbreak the distrust between experts and citizens

　　Dcontribute to the citizens' rejection of experts

　　参考答案：D

　　[单选题]

　　In a big decision， the Supreme Court overturned a 1992 federal law that had effectively banned all states except Nevada from legalizing sports betting.The court had no opinion about sports gambling itself.It merely reasserted a constitutional restraint on federal power over the states.

　　So before states rush to permit， regulate， and tax sports betting， they may want to first weigh the original reasons behind the now-defunct ban.The big reason given back then by Congress was to maintain sports as a public display of talent， effort， and teamwork - the very opposite of a belief in chance.The integrity of athletes lies in their ability to master the circumstances of a game.

　　In sports， unforeseen circumstances are not considered luck but rather a challenge to test the skills of athletes.Sports should not be sullied by the false hopes of quick riches by gamblers pining for a “lucky break.” Like society itself， sports rely on each person's desire to understand the causality of events and make the best of them.Athletes know they cannot put faith in so-called fortune.Nor should governments.If states now boost sports betting by legalizing it， what message are they sending about athletics - in fact， about any physical or mental endeavor?

　　According to Bill Bradley， a former NBA star and the then-senator who sponsored the 1992 law， placing bets on players makes them no better than roulette chips.Sports have a dignity that defies those who want to see games turning on a twist of fate.

　　Mr.Bradley also gives a second reason for governments not to push betting on sports.Should gambling be allowed on Little League games or middle-school athletics? Even New Jersey， which led the case against the 1992 act， did not want betting on its local teams.

　　Up to now， most major professional sports leagues were opposed to lifting the federal- ban.They feared athletes might throw a game or simply rig a play at the request of gambling agencies， as is often the case in many parts of the world.If games were seen as gamed， fans might flee.Now after this ruling， however， leagues might be tempted by the possibility they could get what is misnamed an “integrity fee，” or a percentage of gambling revenues from each game.States， too， appear tempted to gain tax revenue from sports gambling - although they should first look at how little Nevada has actually gained from sports betting in comparison to other types of gambling.

　　The uncertainties of legalized， regulated sports gambling in the United States are very high.But one certainty remains： Sports must remain pure in their purpose as a contest of what athletes give in a game， not what betting can take from them.

　　According to the author， sports betting tax______.

　　Acan be used to fund major professional sports leagues

　　Bmay inhibit sports gamblers' greed for money

　　Cis likely to encourage more illegal betting on sports

　　Dwill bring in a very small amount of revenue for states

　　参考答案：D

　　[单选题]

　　The “test optional” movement has won its most high-profile convert in the University of Chicago， which announced last month that applicants to the school would no longer need to submit ACT or SAT scores.The University of Chicago has become known in recent years for its commitment to academic rigor and resistance to indulgence and group think.But in this decision it has increased the momentum of a fashionable but damaging ideology overtaking elite education： That standardized metrics of any kind are discriminatory and elitist， and that each student is so special that he or she can only be evaluated according to uniquely personal traits.

　　No test is perfect， but the ACT and SAT are powerful predictors of college performance.As psychology professors Nathan Kuncel and Paul Sackett wrote： “Longitudinal research demonstrates that standardized tests predict not just grades all the way through college but also the level of courses a student is likely to take.”

　　So what's behind the campaign against standardized assessments? A University of Chicago spokeswoman says the test “may not reflect the full accomplishments and academic promise of a student.” This is true but could be said of any single part of a college application， including high school grades.

　　Grades may be the next metric to fall out of fashion.Last year a coalition of private high schools joined a campaign to eliminate grades on grounds that “a GPA shaves off a lot of humanity，” in the words of one prep-school principal.One wonders if the aim isn't really to shield well-off students from rigorous assessments so they can skate by on testimonials and extracurriculars alone.

　　The University of Chicago also says eliminating testing requirements “levels the playing field”， for “under-resourced and first-generation students，” who may not have access to test-preparation courses.But contrary to myth， most such courses produce only modest gains.And last year Khan Academy and the College Board unveiled a free course they say boosts SAT scores for students at all income levels.By contrast， low-income students are unlikely to have access to exotic summer internships or other activities that impress admissions offices.

　　The case that test-optional policies increase diversity is mostly speculative.But they do have their uses in the race-in-admissions game： Schools accused of discriminating against Asian-Americans， who tend to score higher， may find them a convenient way to conceal their use of racial preferences.

　　But the momentum of the “test optional” campaign is not a win for diversity in higher education.It looks more like an opportunity for universities to game the college-ranking system， If test scores are optional， only high-scoring students will submit them and this will make schools like Chicago rank higher.It might also lower their acceptance rates because more students will apply.Praise for “increasing access” is undeserved.

　　Which of the following is true of the “test optional” movement?

　　AIt de-emphasizes the role of standardized tests scores in college entry.

　　BIt advocates rigorous academic assessments for college students.

　　CIt takes personal traits as the sole criterion for college admission.

　　DIt proposes using standardized tests as predictors of college performance.

　　参考答案：A

　　[单选题]

　　第41题应该填()。

　　AThe first step in preparing a marketing plan is that of producing the information necessary for decision-making, Usually, a company will have within its own administration and control system the raw material necessary for the plan’s foundations.In addition, there is plenty of published information which is made available by government departments, institutions and the press.

　　BFor a marketing-oriented activity to produce lasting results the entire operation has to be systematically planned.By producing basic information in written form and establishing aims for the future, the company is creating standards against which actual performance can be measured.Documentation of detailed policy actions then provides the basis for controlling the company’s operation.Future trends may be predicted through the investigation of all factors likely to influence company results.

　　CCompanies often avoid planning marketing procedures in detail because of the effort needed to express their forward policy in a written form.Managers commonly consider that their time is too valuable to spend on anything other than urgent operational problems.In fact, the manager who spends his time on dealing with current administrative detail is almost certain to have ignored proper planning in the past.For, if properly prepared, the marketing plan will contain sufficient details of the company’s policy and operational strategy for the work to be done by an assistant.As the many alternative courses of action are programmed, the assistant takes any actions or decisions which are appropriate.Only unusual situations need be dealt with by the manager.

　　DA good marketing plan is therefore essential to a company's successful development, but so is an effective marketing manager.He must be capable of identifying the parameters for market research and interpreting the data produced so that he can quantify the existing and potential needs of customers.Someone with an eye for style in packaging and product promotion is also a valuable asset.In an ideal world, the manager would possess all these abilities; however, they may be useless if not combined with that real love of and natural flair for the job which allow him sometimes to ignore the rational evidence and act instinctively.

　　EEvery market activity is an investment in time, energy and money.Few companies would spend a large sum of money on, say, a purchase of capital equipment without a full investigation into why it is needed, the choices available, and the expected return on what has been spent.Yet every year the vast majority of companies invest a large amount of money in marketing actions without knowing what their financial worth to the company or likely return will be.By introducing the disciplines arising from market planning a company should be able to ensure that the costs of marketing planning show a reasonable return and are calculated in the same way as all other business investments.

　　FMarketing research is yet to be fully exploited by the majority of companies.It has so far only been used by companies which have recognized that their existing information sources are inadequate.Because of the scale of operations which now confronts the typical businessman, it is essential that investment decisions are based upon relevant information so reducing the business risk.

　　GMany managers believe that the costs of marketing form an additional expense that has to be accepted in order to sell their goods.Whilst it is true that many companies use certain tools of marketing for this purpose, it is also true that the most successful companies accept marketing as an essential part of the company's total commercial operation for it is an essential cost in the same way as production or finance.

　　参考答案：G

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