级别: 初级博友
显示用户信息
UID: 182553
精华:
0
发帖: 3
流量: 0 M
威望: 13 分
介绍博友: 0 个
人民币: 0 元
好评度: 0 点
注册时间: 2017-03-07
最后登录: 2017-03-07
|
2012华科博士英语真题
2012真题 Cloud Storage Basics `LAR@a5i G0u LmW70 Comedian George Carlin has a routine in which he talks about howhumans seem to spend their lives accumulating "stuff." Once they'vegathered enough stuff, they have to find places to store all of it. If Carlinwere to update that routine today, he could make the same observation about computerinformation. It seems that everyone with a computer spends a lot of time acquiring data andthen trying to find a way to store it. "<_0A f] VhjM>( For some computer owners, finding enough storage space to hold all the datathey've acquired is a real challenge. Some people invest in larger harddrives. Others prefer external storage devices likethumb drives or compact discs. Desperate computer owners might deleteentire folders worth of old files in order to make space for new information. But some arechoosing to rely on a growing trend: cloud storage. / N)W2 r78TE@d While cloud storage sounds like it has something to do with weather fronts and stormsystems, it really refers to saving data to anoff-site storage system maintained by a third party. Instead of storinginformation to your computer's hard drive or other local storage device, yousave it to a remote database. The Internet provides the connection between your computer andthe database. x3qW0K8 XU/QA
[K On the surface, cloud storage has several advantages overtraditional data storage. For example, if you store your data on a cloudstorage system, you'll be able to get to that data from any location that hasInternet access. You wouldn't need to carry around a physical storagedevice or use the same computer to save and retrieve yourinformation. With the right storage system, you could even allow other peopleto access the data, turning a personal project into a collaborativeeffort. )ZrS{vY OO?]qZa1 So cloud storage is convenient and offers more flexibility, but howdoes it work? Find out in the next section. %sHF-n5P |-V&O=!^+ There are hundreds of different cloud storage systems. Some have a veryspecific focus, such as storing Web e-mail messages or digital pictures. Others are available to storeall forms of digital data. Some cloud storage systems are small operations,while others are so large that the physical equipment can fill up an entirewarehouse. The facilities that house cloud storage systems are called datacenters. 7eWk7&Xul pdJ/&ufh At its most basic level, a cloud storage system needs just one data server connected to the Internet. A client (e.g., a computer user subscribing to acloud storage service) sends copies of files over the Internet to the dataserver, which then records the information. When the client wishes to retrievethe information, he or she accesses the data server through a Web-basedinterface. The server then either sends the files back to the client or allowsthe client to access and manipulate the files on the server itself. pV4Whq$ .h0b~nI>> Cloud storage systems generally rely on hundreds of data servers.Because computers occasionally require maintenance or repair, it's importantto store the same information on multiple machines. This is called redundancy.Without redundancy, a cloud storage system couldn't ensure clientsthat they could access their information at any given time. Most systems storethe same data on servers that use different powersupplies. That way, clients can access their data even if one power supplyfails. xss`Y,5? >.dWjb6t Not all cloud storage clients are worried about running out of storage space.They use cloud storage as a way to create backups of data. If something happensto the client's computer system, the data survives off-site. It's a digital-agevariation of "don't put all your eggs in one basket."
dl hdsj: }y9mNT *tm0R> ?! Passage 1 aK`@6F,]j Recentyears have brought minority-owned businesses in the United States unprecedentedopportunities - as well as new and significant risks. Civil rights activistshave long argued that one of the principal reasons why Blacks, Hispanics, andother minority groups have difficulty establishing themselves in business isthat they lack access to the sizable orders and subcontracts that are generatedby large companies. Now Congress, in apparent agreement, has required by lawthat businesses awarded federal contracts of more than $500,000 do their bestto find minority subcontractors and record their efforts to do so on formsfiled with the government. Indeed, some federal and local agencies have gone sofar as to set specific percentage goals for apportioning parts of public workscontracts to minority enterprises. Y&/]O$< Corporate response appears to have been substantial. According to figurescollected in 1977, the total of corporate contracts with minority businessesrose from $77 million in 1972 to $1.1 billion in 1977. The projected total ofcorporate contracts with minority businesses for the early 1980's is estimatedto be over 53 billion per year with no letup anticipated in the next decade.Promising as it is for minority businesses, this increased patronage posesdangers for them, too. First, minority firms risk expanding too fastand overextending themselves financially, since most are small concerns and,unlike large businesses, they often need to make substantial investments in newplants, staff, equipment, and the like in order to perform work subcontractedto them. If, thereafter, their subcontracts are for some reason reduced, suchfirms can face potentially crippling fixed expenses. Theworld of corporate purchasing can be frustrating for small entrepreneurs whoget requests for elaborate formal estimates and bids. Both consume valuabletime and resources, and a small company's efforts must soon result in orders,or both the morale and the financial health of the business will suffer. Or
!+._3i Asecond risk is that White-owned companies may seek to cash in on the increasingapportionments through formation of joint ventures with minority-ownedconcerns. Of course, in many instances there are legitimate reasons for jointventures; clearly, White and minority enterprises can team up to acquirebusiness that neither could acquire alone. But civil rights groups and minoritybusiness owners have complained to Congress about minorities being set up as“fronts (a person, group, or thing used to mask the identity or true characteror activity of the actual controlling agent)” with White backing, rather thanbeing accepted as full partners in legitimate joint ventures. /-#I_>:8' Third, a minority enterprise that secures the business of one large corporatecustomer often runs the danger of becoming-and remaining-dependent. Even in thebest of circumstances, fierce competition from larger, more establishedcompanies makes it difficult for small concerns to broaden their customer bases:when such firms have nearly guaranteed orders from a single corporatebenefactor, they may truly have to struggle against complacency arising fromtheir current success. A^q[N <dW]\h?) 1. The primary purpose of the text is to
sKlDu ,t\* ZTt$ [A] presenta commonplace idea and its inaccuracies. ;FZ@:%qDm >yY'7Ey [B] describe a situation and its potentialdrawbacks. |&Ym@Jyj Qg6W5Hc [C] propose a temporary solution to aproblem. s}N#n( dnj}AVfQx [D] analyze a frequent source ofdisagreement. n u'M
39{ -?(E_^ng 2. The text suggests that the failure of alarge business to have its bids for subcontracts result quickly in orders mightcauses it to Y(44pA&oN
}1>[ [A] experience frustration but not seriousfinancial harm. 8T(e.I }#X8@ [B] face potentially crippling fixed expenses. Ot]Ru,y->+ c+2FC@q{l [C] have to record its efforts on forms filedwith the government. CZ nOui H<^/Ati,| [D] increase its spending with minoritysubcontractors. _1U1(^) -YsLd 9^4 3.The author would most likely agree with which of the followingstatements about corporate response to working with minority subcontractors? NMA}Q$o
s W^s
;Bi+Nw [A] Annoyed by the proliferation of “front”organizations, corporations are likely to reduce their efforts to work withminority-owned subcontractors in the near future. +"1NC\<* qbv#I; [B] Although corporations showed considerable interest in working with minoritybusinesses in the 1970’s, their aversion to government paperwork made themreluctant to pursue many government contracts. j\m_o% 4 t*?0D\b
2 [C] The significant response of corporationsin the 1970’s is likely to be sustained and conceivably be increased throughoutthe 1980’s. zL\OB?)5J
i\dc>C ; [D] Although corporations are eager tocooperate with minority-owned businesses, a shortage of capital in the 1970’smade substantial response impossible 8cA~R- 4 According to the text, civil rights activists maintain that onedisadvantage under which minority-owned businesses have traditionally had tolabor is that they have W8]lBh5~: {c
(!;U [A] been especially vulnerable to government mismanagement of theeconomy. s&NX@ FXs*vg` [B] been denied bank loans at rates comparable to those afforded largercompetitors. -N"&/) #
0Lf<NZ [C] not had sufficient opportunity to secure business created by largecorporations. 3mOtW%Hl -Y='_4s [D] not been able to advertise in those media that reach large numbers ofpotential customers. SI=yI- 6qp%$>$Vt; 5 The author implies that a minority-owned concern that does the greaterpart of its business with one large corporate customer should 1Uqu>' v.]Q$q
^ [A] avoid competition with larger, more established concerns by notexpanding. mVR P~:+ d20gf:@BM [B] concentrating on securing even more businessfrom that corporation. zSFDUZ]A3 $ mI0Bk [C] use its influence with the corporation to promote subcontracting withother minority concerns. nH<eR)0 DS)RX.k_# [D] try to expand its customer bases to avoid becoming dependent on thecorporation. qv@$ZLR +gLPhX:` Passage 2 o9H^?Rut Years of research hadeducated me about how sugar, fat, and salt change the brain. I understood someof the parallels between hyperpalatable foods and drugs of abuse, and about thelinks among sensory stimulation, cues, and memory. I'd met enough people likeClaudia and Maria to understand how even the thought of food could cause themto lose control. Q*b]_0Rb But Iwasn't fully prepared for the discoveries I made about irresistibility andwhoosh, the Monster Thickburger and Baked! Cheetos Flamin' Hot, aboutindulgence and purple cows. Without necessarily understanding the underlyingscience, the food industry has discovered what sells. rW0
FA I wassitting at Chili's Grill & Bar in Chicago'sO'Hare Airport waiting for a late-night flight. At a nearby table a couple intheir early forties was deep into a meal. The woman was overweight, with about180 pounds on her five-foot-four-inch frame. The Southwestern Eggrolls she had ordered were listed as a starter course, but theenormous platter in front of her had been heaped with food. The dish wasdescribed on the menu as "smoked chicken, black beans, corn, jalape?o Jackcheese, red peppers, and spinach wrapped inside a crispy flour tortilla,"and it was served with a creamy avocado-ranch dipping sauce. Despite its name,the dish looked more like a burrito than an egg roll, an only-in-America fusionapproach. =|YxDas Iwatched as the woman attacked her food with vigor and speed. She held the eggroll in one hand, dunked it into the sauce, and brought it to her mouth whileusing the fork in her other hand to scoop up more sauce. Occasionally shereached over and speared some of her companion's french fries. The woman atesteadily, working her way around the plate with scant pause for conversation orrest. When she finally paused, only a little lettuce was left. >2Kh0rIH Had sheknown someone was watching her, I'm sure she would have eaten differently. Hadshe been asked to describe what she had just eaten, she probably would have substantiallyunderestimated her consumption. And she would probably have been surprised tolearn what the ingredients in her meal really were. |P%DkM*X Thewoman might have been interested in how my industry source, who had calledsugar, fat, and salt the three points of the compass, described her entree.Deep-frying the tortilla drives down its water content from 40 percent to about5 percent and replaces the rest with fat. "The tortilla is really going toabsorb a lot of fat," he said. "It looks like an egg roll is supposedto look, which is crispy and brown on the outside." di>cMS 4 c The foodconsultant read through other ingredients on the label, keeping up a runningcommentary as he did. "Cooked white meat chicken, binder added, smokeflavor. People like smoky flavor — it's the caveman in them." )lZp9O Zib)P & "There'sgreen stuff in there," he said, noting the spinach. "That makes mefeel like I'm eating something healthy." R<=zCE `: "ShreddedMonterey Jack cheese.... The increase in per-capita consumption of cheese isoff the chart."
4A2?Uhpy The hotpeppers, he said, "add a little spice, but not too much to kill everythingelse off." He believed the chicken had been chopped and formed much like ameat loaf, with binders added, which makes those calories easy to swallow.Ingredients that hold moisture, including autolyzed yeast extract, sodiumphosphate, and soy protein concentrate, further soften the food. I noticed thatsalt appeared eight times on the label and that sweeteners were there fivetimes, in the form of corn-syrup solids, molasses, honey, brown sugar, andsugar.
oD$J0{K6 "Thisis highly processed?" I asked. $9ky{T?YG "Absolutely,yes. All of this has been processed such that you can wolf it downfast...chopped up and made ultrapalatable.... Very appealing looking, very highpleasure in the food, very high caloric density. Rules out all that stuff youhave to chew." Gqy,u3lE Byeliminating the need to chew, modern food processing techniques allow us to eatfaster. "When you're eating these things, you've had 500, 600, 800, 900calories before you know it," said the consultant. "Literally beforeyou know it." Refined food simply melts in the mouth. wV^V]c ?U 1. It can be inferred from the author's description of the woman eatingin paragraph four that (
)3O=! (A) The woman prefers to eat at Chili's vs. other restaurants. KFFSv{m[ (B) The woman truly enjoys the foods that she chooses to eat. 7%{ | (C) The woman's efficiency at cleaning her plate adds to her dining experience. gw}Mw (D) The author is disgusted by the woman's consumption. eR3$i)5 (E) The author believes the woman should take a course in healthy eating. as>L[jyG/ 2. According to the passage, the main reason people overeat is 1"e)5xI (A) because salt and sweeteners, like corn-syrup solids and brown sugar, areadded to the food. W< |