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2012华科博士英语真题
2012真题 Cloud Storage Basics r$~HfskeI d<N:[Y\4
l 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. 'X2POay1 d;}nh2* 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. q%?in+l /RC7"QzL 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. KMjhZap
% s}% M4 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. p"ZG%Ow5Q] :A'y+MnK< So cloud storage is convenient and offers more flexibility, but howdoes it work? Find out in the next section. %n: k# DZPPJ2 } 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. u^qT2Ss0 5S--'=fu+ 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. h{HHLR ^qD$z=z- 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. g~A`N=r;h P! #[mio 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." [}0haTYc4 8&`LYdzt pohp&Tc
m Passage 1 S2VA{9:m 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. FZslv"F 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 $1.1 billion in 1977. The projected total ofcorporate contracts with minority businesses for the early 1980's is estimatedto be over 53 billion per year with no letup anticipated in the next decade.Promising as it is for minority businesses, this increased patronage posesdangers for them, too. First, minority firms risk expanding too fastand overextending themselves financially, since most are small concerns and,unlike large businesses, they often need to make substantial investments in newplants, staff, equipment, and the like in order to perform work subcontractedto them. If, thereafter, their subcontracts are for some reason reduced, suchfirms can face potentially crippling fixed expenses. Theworld of corporate purchasing can be frustrating for small entrepreneurs whoget requests for elaborate formal estimates and bids. Both consume valuabletime and resources, and a small company's efforts must soon result in orders,or both the morale and the financial health of the business will suffer. iV
q'r4S Asecond risk is that White-owned companies may seek to cash in on the increasingapportionments through formation of joint ventures with minority-ownedconcerns. Of course, in many instances there are legitimate reasons for jointventures; clearly, White and minority enterprises can team up to acquirebusiness that neither could acquire alone. But civil rights groups and minoritybusiness owners have complained to Congress about minorities being set up as“fronts (a person, group, or thing used to mask the identity or true characteror activity of the actual controlling agent)” with White backing, rather thanbeing accepted as full partners in legitimate joint ventures. ]*[ 2$ 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. wHMX=N1/ '=8d?aeF 1. The primary purpose of the text is to uH- l%17 41?HY{&2 [A] presenta commonplace idea and its inaccuracies. ]{mPh\ l$pm_%@2] [B] describe a situation and its potentialdrawbacks. =Qj{T
9} M?P [C] propose a temporary solution to aproblem. ARwD~
Tr kr:^tbJ [D] analyze a frequent source ofdisagreement. cZU=o\ ;1O_M9 2. The text suggests that the failure of alarge business to have its bids for subcontracts result quickly in orders mightcauses it to MSqVlj =O_4|7Zl [A] experience frustration but not seriousfinancial harm. VfC <WVYiZ ][h%UrV [B] face potentially crippling fixed expenses. })8N5C+KU f:|1_ j [C] have to record its efforts on forms filedwith the government. I%X6T@P sn$9Shgh [D] increase its spending with minoritysubcontractors. ujq=F %w
vdn 3.The author would most likely agree with which of the followingstatements about corporate response to working with minority subcontractors? Ln<`E|[29 Yi+wC}
[A] Annoyed by the proliferation of “front”organizations, corporations are likely to reduce their efforts to work withminority-owned subcontractors in the near future. a# y;dK Ou!2[oe@M [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. 2%@4] ag#S6E^%S [C] The significant response of corporationsin the 1970’s is likely to be sustained and conceivably be increased throughoutthe 1980’s. i6tf2oqO7 K&Z |