46. According to the author, what will be the best policy for electronic commerce?

A. Self-regulation by the business.

B. Strict consumer protection laws.

C. Close international cooperation.

D. Government protection.

45. What does the word “subjects” in paragraph 4 mean?

A. Person or thing that is being discussed or described.

B. Branch of knowledge studied in a school.

C. Person or thing being treated in a certain way or being experimented on.

D. Any member of a State apart from the the supreme ruler.

B

For most people, shopping is still a matter of wandering down the street or loading a cart in a shopping mall. Soon, that will change. Electronic commerce(trade)is growing fast and will soon bring people more choices. There will, however, be a cost: protecting the consumer from being cheated will be harder. Many governments therefore want to apply street regulations to the electronic world. But politicians would be wiser to see cyberspace as a basis for a new era of corporate self-regulation.

Consumers in rich countries have grown used to the idea that the government takes responsibility for everything for the stability of the banks to the safety of the drugs or their rights to refund when goods are faulty. But governments cannot enforce national laws on businesses whose only presence is on the screen. Even in a country where a clear right to compensation exists, the on-line customer in Tokyo, say, can hardly go to New York to get a refund for a clothes purchase.

One answer is for government to cooperate more: to recognize each other’s rules. But that requires years of work and volumes of detailed rules. And plenty of countries have rules too fanciful for sober countries to accept. There is, however, another choice. Let the electronic businesses do the regulation themselves. They do, after all, have a self-interest in doing so.

In electronic commerce, a reputation for honest dealing will be a valuable competitive asset. Governments, too, may compete to be trusted. For instance, customers ordering medicines on-line may prefer to buy from the United States because they trust the rigorous screening of the Food and Drug Administration; or they may decide that the FDA’s rules are too strict, and buy from Switzerland instead.

Customers will still need to use their judgement. But precisely because the technology is new, electronic shoppers are likely for a while to be a lot more cautious than customers of the normal sort. And the new technology will also make it easier for them to complain when a company lets them down. In this way, at least, the advent of cyberspace may argue for fewer consumer protection laws, not more.

44. The major cause of sleep-deficit of modern people is _______.

A. the endless TV programmes in the evenings and the internet

B. the heavy work load of the day

C. the sufficient energy modern people usually have

D. loud noises in the modern cities

43. People in the 18^th and 19^th centuries slept about 9. 5 hours a night because _______.

A. they were forced by their parents to do so

B. they knew what was best for their health

C. they had no electricity

D. they were not so dynamic and ambitious as modern people are

42. Which of the following is Dr. David’s opinion?

A. People who think they are sleeping enough are better off than those who don't.

B. Some people can remain energetic with only 6. 5 hours’ sleep a night.

C. If they get 8. 5 hours’ sleep, people will be full of drive and ambition.

D. People’s metal power suffers if they are lacking in sleep.

41. What is the main topic of the passage?

A. Research on the causes and consequences of sleep-deficit.

B. The epidemic of sleepiness in the modern times.

C. The history of people’s sleeping patterns.

D. The minimum of our sleeping hours.

29. A. decisions　　　　 B. friends　　　　　　　　　 C. positions　　　　　　　 D. relatives

28. A. accepted　　　　　 B. offered　　　　　　　　 C. refused　　　　　　　　 D. lent

27. A. sleep　　　　　　　 B. encouragement　　　 C. movement　　　　　　 D. satisfaction