a long-term contract

To get a pay raise,a person should______.

A．advertise himself on the job market

B．persuade bis boss to sign a long-term contract

C．try to get inside information about the organization

D．do something to impress his boss just before merit pay decisions

B、a cost whose increases are exactly proportional to increases in output

C、any component included in average cost which enters in AC as the same fixed per-unit amount, no matter what the level of plant output may be

D、a cost which the firm would incur even if its output were zero

B、a cost whose increases are exactly proportional to increases in output

C、any component included in average cost which enters in AC as the same fixed per-unit amount, no matter what the level of plant output may be

D、a cost which the firm would incur even if its output were zero

E、none of the above

And there is no end to the problem in sight. A severe industry-wide lack of investment in training means the long-term skills base is both ageing and shrinking. Employers are chasing experienced staff in ever-decreasing circles, and, according to a recent government report, 250,000 new IT jobs will be created over the next decade.

Most employers are confining themselves to dealing with the immediate problems. There is little evidence, for example, that they are stepping up their intake of raw recruits for in-house training, or retraining existing staff from other functions. This is the course of action recommended by the Computer Software Services Association, but research shows its members are adopting the short-term measure of bringing in more and more consultants on a contract basis.

With IT professionals increasingly attracted to the financial rewards and flexibility of consultancy work, average staff turnover rates are estimated to be around 15%. While many companies in the financial services sector are managing to contain their losses by offering skilled IT staff "golden handcuffs" — deferred loyalty bonuses that tie them in until a certain date — other organizations, like local governments, are unable to match the competitive salaries and perks on offer in the private sector and contractor market, and are suffering turnover rates of up to 60% a year.

But while loyalty bonuses have grabbed the headlines, there are other means of holding on to staff. Some companies are doing additional IT pay reviews in the year and paying market premiums. But such measures can create serious employee relations problems among those excluded, both within and outside IT departments. Many industry experts advise employers to link bonuses to performance wherever possible. However, employers are realising that bonuses will only succeed if they are accompanied by other incentives such as attractive career prospects, training, and challenging work that meets the individual's long-term ambitions.

According to the passage, the success of IT departments will depend on ______.

A．their success at retaining their skilled staff

B．the extent to which they invest in new technology

C．their attempts to recruit staff with the necessary skills

D．the ability of employees to keep up with the latest developments

•For each question (13-18), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.

Problems in the IT industry

In the information technology industry, it is widely acknowledged that how well IT departments of the future can fulfil their business goals will depend not on the regular updating of technology, which is essential for them to do, but on how well they can hold on to the people skilled at manipulating the newest technology. This is becoming more difficult. Best estimates of the current shortfall In IT staff in the UK are between 30,000 and 50,000, and growing.

And there is no end to the problem in sight. A severe industry-wide lack of investment in training means the long-term skills base is both ageing and shrinking. Employers are chasing experienced staff in ever-decreasing circles, and, according to a recent government report, 250,000 new IT jobs will be created over the next decade.

Most employers are confining themselves to dealing with the immediate problems. There is little evidence, for example, that they are stepping up their intake of raw recruits for in* house training, or retraining existing staff from other functions. This is the course of action recommended by the Computer Software Services Association, but research shows its members are adopting the short-term measure of bringing in more and more consultants on a contract basis. However, this approach is becoming less and less acceptable as the general shortage of skills, coupled with high demand, sends contractor rates soaring. An experienced contract programmer, for example, can now earn at least double the current permanent salary.

With IT professionals increasingly attracted to the financial rewards and flexibility of consultancy work, average staff turnover rates are estimated to be around 15%. While many companies in the financial services sector are managing to contain their losses by offering skilled IT stall 'golden handcuffs' - deferred loyalty bonuses that tie them in until a certain date - other organisations, like local governments, are unable to match the competitive salaries and perks on offer in the private sector and contractor market, and are suffering turnover rates of up to 60% a year.

But while loyalty bonuses have grabbed the headlines, there are other means of holding on to staff. Some companies are doing additional IT pay reviews in the year and paying market premiums. But such measures can create serious employee relations problems among those excluded, both within and outside IT departments. Many Industry experts advise employers to link bonuses to performance wherever possible. However, employers are realising that bonuses will only succeed if they are accompanied by other incentives such as attractive career prospects, training, and challenging work that meets the individual's long-term ambitions.

This means managers need to allocate assignments more strategically and think about advancing their staff as well as their business. Some employers advocate giving key employees projects that would normally be handled by people with slightly more experience or capability. For many employers, however, the urgency of the problem demands a more immediate solution, such as recruiting skilled workers from overseas. But even this is not easy, with strict quotas on the number of work permits issued. In addition, opposition to the recruitment of IT people from other countries is growing, as many professionals believe it will lead to

A．their success at retaining their skilled staff.

B．the extent to which they invest in new technology.

C．their attempts to recruit staff with the necessary skills.

D．the ability of employees to keep up with the latest developments.

Questions are based on the following passage.

Romantic love has clear evolutionary roots but our views about what makes an ideal romanticrelationship can be swayed by the society we.live in.So says psychologist Maureen O'Sullivan from theUniversity of San Francisco.She suggests that humans have always tried to strengthen the pair-bond tomaximise (使最大化) reproductive success.Many societies throughout history and around the world today have cultivated strong pressures tostay married.In those where ties to family and commtmity are strong, lifelong marriages can bepromoted by practices such as the cultural prohibition of divorce and arranged marriages that are seenas a contract between two families, not just two individuals.In modern western societies, however, thefocus on ndividuality and independence means that people are less concerned about conforming to (遵守 ) the dictates of family and culture.In the absence of societal pressures to maintain pair-bonds,O'Sullivan suggests that romantic love has increasingly come to be seen as the factor that shoulddetermine who we stay with and for how long."That's why historically we see an increase in romantic love as a basis for forming long-term relationships," she says.According to O'Sullivan culture also shapes the sorts of feelings we expect to have, and actually doexperience, when in love.Although the negative emotions associated with romantic love-fear of loss,disappointment and jealousy-are fairly consistent across cultures, the positive feelings can vary. "If youask Japanese students to list the positive attributes they expect in a romantic partner, they rate highlythings like loyalty, commitment and devotion," says O'Sullivan. "If you ask American college women,they expect everything under the sun: in addition to being committed, partners have to be amusing,funny and a friend."We judge a potential partner according to our specific cultural expectations about what romanticlove should feel like.If you believe that you have found true romance, and your culture tells you thatthis is what a long-term relationship should be based on, there is less need to rely on social or familypressures to keep couples together, O'Sullivan argues.

What does the author say about people's views of an ideal romantic relationship？

A.They vary from culture to culture.

B.They ensure the reproductive success.

C.They reflect the evolutionary process.

D.They are influenced by psychologists.

Speculators will buy a stock or a bond for long-term investment.()

long-term equity investments属于流动资产。()

A.Low-cost,short-term

B.High-cost,short-term

C.Low-cost,long-term

D.High-cost,long-term