Cyberspace,data superhighway,multimedia,for those who have seen the future,and the linking of computers,televisions and telephones will change our lives for ever.Yet for all the talks of a forthcoming technological utopia,little attention has been given to the implications of these developments for the poor.As for all the new high technology,the West concerns itself with the “how”,while the question of “for whom” is put aside once again.

Economists are only now realizing the full extent to which the communication revolution has affected the world economy.Information technology allows the extension of trade across geographical and industrial boundaries,and transnational corporations take full advantage of it.Terms of trade and exchange,interest rates and money movements are more important than the production of goods.The electronic economy made by information technology allows the haves to increase their control on global markets — with a destructive impact on the have??nots.

For them the result is unstable.Developing countries which rely on the production of a small range of goods for export are made to feel like small parts in the international economic machine.As “futures” are traded on computer screens,developing countries simply have less and less control of their destinies.

So what are the options of regaining control？One alternative for developing countries is to buy in the latest computers and telecommunications.Yet this leads to long-term dependency and perhaps permanent constraints on developing countries’ economies.

Communication technology is generally exported from the US,Europe or Japan；the patents,skills and ability remain in the hands of a few industrialized countries.It is also expensive,therefore imported products and services must be bought on credit usually provided by the very countries whose companies stand to gain.

From the passage we know that the development of high technology is in the interests of________.

A．the rich countries                               B．scientific development

C．the local elites                                     D．the world economy

It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A．international trade should be expanded

B．the interests of the poor countries have not been given enough consideration

C．the exports of the poor countries should be increased

D．communication technology in developing countries should be modernized

Why does the author say that the electronic economy may have a destructive impact on developing countries?

A．Because it enables the developed countries to control the international market.

B．Because it destroys the economic balance of the poor countries.

C．Because it violates the national boundaries of the poor countries.

D．Because it inhibits the industrial growth of developing countries.

The development of modern communication technology in developing countries may________.

A．hinder their industrial production

B．cause them to lose control of their trade

C．force them to reduce their share of exports

D．cost them their economic independence

The author’s attitude towards the communication revolution is________.

A．positive                                              B．critical

C．indifferent                                          D．tolerant

完形填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分, 滿分30分）
It was a rainy day and I was riding on a bus downtown to go to work. I was_36_next to a man in a business suit and J paid little attention_37_ we both got off at the same stop and walked to the same news-stand to get a morning_38_.
The man running the stand was obviously having a_39_day. He was rude and unsmil­ing as we bought our papers，which only_40_ more gloom (郁悶) to my day. The business­man_41_my gloomy feeling and smiled brightly，_42_the news-stand owner for the paper and for being open on such a( n) _43_to make sure we were able to get our papers.
As we_44_away，I asked this man why he was so_45_to the newsman when he didn't _46_his expression of thanks and friendliness. The businessman smiled at me and said,"Why would I let someone else _47_what I say and what I feel?"
We then_48_to go to our own work places. To this day，I still don't know who that businessman was，or_49_he worked. He appeared briefly in my life and disappeared just as_50_. But I've never forgotten the words he said and his_51_which seemed like a ray of light on a gloomy day.
That was a good 25 years_52_，but the effect this had on my life has lasted. I_53_had a chance to thank him personally，but the way I look at life has changed _54_those words. I have learnt that we cannot control people and_55_that come to us， but we can always control our response to them. 

Mark Ramirez, a senior executive at AOL, could work in the comfortable leather chair, if he wanted. No, thanks. He prefers to stand most of the day at a desk raised above stomach level.
“I’ve got my knees bent. I feel totally alive,” he said. “It feels more natural to stand.”
In the past few years, standing has become the new sitting for 10 percent of AOL employees at the firm’s Virginia branch. Part of a standing popularity is among accountants, programmers, telemarketers and other office workers across the nation.
GeekDesk, a California firm that sells desks raised by electric motors, says sales will triple this year.
Standers give various reasons for taking to their feet: It makes them feel more focused, prevents drowsiness(困倦睡意), and makes them feel like a general even if they just push paper. (Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfels works standing up. So does novelist Philip Roth.)
But unknown to them, a debate (辯論) is spreading among ergonomics experts（人類工程學(xué)家） and public-health researchers about whether all office workers should be encouraged to stand—to save lives.
Doctors point to surprising new research showing higher rates of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and even mortality among people who sit for long stretches. A study earlier this year in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed that among 123,000 adults followed over 14 years, those who sat more than six hours a day were at least 18 percent more likely to die during the time period studied than those who sat less than three hours a day.
“Every rock we turn over when it comes to sitting is astonishing,” said Marc Hamilton, a leading researcher on inactivity physiology at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana. “Sitting is harmful. It’s dangerous. We are on the cusp (尖端) of a major revolution.” He calls sitting “the new smoking”.
Not so fast, other experts say. Standing too much at work will cause more long-term back injuries. Incidences of varicose veins(靜脈曲張) among women will increase. The heart will have to pump more.
Hedge, the Cornell professor, isn’t a fan of all this standing. “Making people stand all day is dumb,” he said.
The sensible and most cost-effective strategy（策略）, he said, is to sit in a neutral posture（姿勢）, slightly reclined(下彎的), with the keyboard on a tray above the lap. This position promotes positive blood flow. Workers should occasionally walk around, stretch and avoid prolonged periods at the desk. The key, he said, is movement, not standing.
【小題1】Marc Hamilton said “Every rock we turn over when it comes to sitting is astonishing” to show that________.

We can hardly ________ what he really means on this controversial problem, as he doesn’t show his clear stand to anyone of us.

  A. stick out            B. let out            C. try out                  D.figure out

Cyberspace, data superhighway, multimedia, for those who have seen the future, and the linking of computers, televisions and telephones will change our lives for ever. Yet for all the talks of a forthcoming technological utopia, little attention has been given to the implications of these developments for the poor. As for all the new high technology, the West concerns itself with the “how”, while the question of “for whom” is put aside once again.

Economists are only now realizing the full extent to which the communication revolution has affected the world economy. Information technology allows the extension of trade across geographical and industrial boundaries, and transnational corporations take full advantage of it. Terms of trade and exchange, interest rates and money movements are more important than the production of goods. The electronic economy made by information technology allows the haves to increase their control on global markets — with a destructive impact on the have??nots.

For them the result is unstable. Developing countries which rely on the production of a small range of goods for export are made to feel like small parts in the international economic machine. As “futures” are traded on computer screens, developing countries simply have less and less control of their destinies.

So what are the options of regaining control？One alternative for developing countries is to buy in the latest computers and telecommunications. Yet this leads to long-term dependency and perhaps permanent constraints ( 束縛，限制) on developing countries’ economies.

Communication technology is generally exported from the US, Europe or Japan；the patents, skills and ability remain in the hands of a few industrialized countries. It is also expensive, therefore imported products and services must be bought on credit usually provided by the very countries whose companies stand to gain.

From the passage we know that the development of high technology is in the interests of________.

A．the rich countries                               B．scientific development

C．the local government                            D．the world economy

It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A．international trade should be expanded

B．the interests of the poor countries have not been given enough consideration

C．the exports of the poor countries should be increased

D．communication technology in developing countries should be modernized

Why does the author say that the electronic economy may have a destructive impact on developing countries?

A．Because it enables the developed countries to control the international market.

B．Because it destroys the economic balance of the poor countries.

C．Because it violates the national boundaries of the poor countries.

D．Because it constrains the industrial growth of developing countries.

The development of modern communication technology in developing countries may _____.

A．make their industrial production difficult

B．cause them to lose control of their trade

C．force them to reduce their share of exports

D．cost them their economic independence

The author’s attitude towards the communication revolution is________.

A．positive                                              B．critical

C．indifferent                                          D．tolerant