[单项选择]

This fall the Pew Research Center, in association with TIME, conducted a nationwide poll exploring the contours of modern marriage and the new American family. And of all the transformations our family structures have undergone in the past 50 years, perhaps the most profound is the marriage differential that has opened between the rich and the poor. In 1960 the median household income of married adults was 12% higher than that of single adults, after adjusting for household size. By 2008 this gap had grown to 41%. In other words, the richer and more educated you are, the more likely you are to marry, or to be married — or, conversely, if you’re married, you’re more likely to be well off.
To begin the question of why the wealth disparity between the married and the unmarried has grown so much, it might be useful to take a look at the brief but illustrativeA. economic structure
B. social structure
C. political structure
D. educational structure

[单项选择]
A research center has been set up in this far-east country to develop advanced micro-chip production technology. The center, which will start out with about US $14 million, will help the country develop its chip industry without always depending on imported technology.
The center will make use of its research skills and facilities to develop new technology for domestic chip plants. The advent of the center will possibly free the country from the situation that it is always buying almost-outdated technologies from other countries, said the country’s flagship chipmaker. Currently, chip plants in this country are in a passive situation because many foreign governments don’t allow them to import the most advanced technologies, fearing they will be used for military purposes. Moreover, the high licensing fees they have to pay to technology provider are also an important reason for their decision of self-
A. Right
B. Wrong
C. Not mentioned

[单项选择]In fall 2006, the National Basketball Association (NBA) started using basketballs made with synthetic, or man-made, material instead of leather. They made the change because they wanted every basketball they use to feel and bounce the same. Not all leather balls are exactly alike in weight or how they bounce, but the synthetic balls are.
However, some players complained right away that the new balls bounced differently and were actually harder to control than the leather ones.
Physics helped answer questions about why the new balls felt different. For example, the scientists studied friction, which in this case affects the ability of a player to hold onto a ball. "The greater the friction, the better it will stick to his hand," explains a scientist.
Tests on both wet and dry balls showed that while the synthetic ball was easier to hold onto when dry, it had less friction and became much harder to hold onto when wet. That’s because sweat stays on the surface of the synthe
A. Because they are easier to control.
B. Because they waste less material.
C. Because they look exactly alike.
D. Because they feel and bounce alike..

[填空题]Rangachari works at the Center for Policy Research, with the headmaster based in

[填空题]Press Association