C

Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict.” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and a sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I am working harder than ever.” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”

More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work. In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday（but only on Friday）. This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.

Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code.” “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative（保守的）dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale（心境，士气）. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative influence on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”

29 David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because ________.

A. he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt

B. he couldn’t stand a clean appearance

C. he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time

D. he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes

30David Smith wears casual clothes now, because__________.

A. they make him feel at ease when working 

B. he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes 

C. he looks handsome in casual clothes 

D. he no longer works for any company 

31 In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned EXCEPT __________. 

A. saving employees’ money

　　B. making employees more attractive

C. improving employees’ motivation

　　D. making employees happier

D

　　In Los Angeles, drivers spend sixty-one hours every year stuck in traffic. These drivers know all too well how bad the traffic can be. “There're too many cars, and you can't move around a lot.”

　　Professor Cyrus Shahabi also knows about traffic jams. He lives more than 65 kilometers from his office at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. He is always late even with the help of a navigation (导航) system.

　　He decided to develop a program called ClearPath for that. He says his program uses historical data to predict traffic conditions even before the driver leaves the house. “What’s unique is that we use a lot of data that’s currently become available including traffic data, weather data, and we analyze that so that we can predict what's going to happen in front of you when you leave home.”

　　Professor Shahabi says his system does more than just respond to current traffic conditions. With ClearPath, he says, a driver can decide what time he wants to leave, and ClearPath will give the fastest route. It looks at the entire road network, including surface streets as well as highways, before the driver hits the road. Professor Shahabi hopes to have ClearPath available nationwide and overseas once they can collect traffic data from other cities.

　　“I always thought that Los Angeles had the worst traffic, but now I know that Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, believe it or not, Singapore, Hong Kong certainly are examples that can immediately use this. ”

　　Professor Shahabi hopes to share this new technology with companies that already have navigation systems, such as Google and Apple.

32 Drivers in Los Angeles were mentioned in order to__________.

     A. show care for them                   B. introduce their life

     C. solve traffic problems                 D. raise the topic

33 What is unique about ClearPath?

　　A. It can use a lot of information all over the world.

　　B. It can ensure that you will never be late for work.

　　C. It helps drivers see clearly what happens on the road.

　　D. It helps drivers know the road conditions ahead of time. 

34 The underlined word “hits” in the fifth paragraph probably means __________.

A. have an accident  B. get to

C. turn left or right D. collect traffic data

35 What's Professor Shahabi’s attitude toward his invention?

　　A. Disappointed.         B. Proud.      C. Optimistic.     D. Worried.
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