September 30, 2014 Greetings shareholders  , GLA Electronics of America Inc. is placed to show a summary of its yearly income report for the year 2014. Thanks to our recently-enlarged international markets, the total earnings reached US$160 million in 2014, with a net profit of US$ 40 million CarPhone Quarterly Sales GLA Electronics sold l.6 million CarPhones the whole year, with half of these being sold during the fourth quarter, which ended September 24, 2014. In addition, the first quarter saw sales of 400,000 _ , with the remaining units sales divided equally between the second and third quarters. CarPhone Sales Have Improved Greatly since 2011. We are excited to announce that we sold more CarPhones in 2014 than in the year of 2011 to 2013 combined. In 2011, only 150,000 units were sold. Thanks to strong advertising afterwards, sales increased by 50% in 2012, and then double in 2013. Distribution of CarPhone Sales by Region Sales onside of North America made up nearly 50% of the total sales volume in 2014. Half of the units sold internationally were in Asian markers, with 300,000 units sold in Europe. The remaining units were sold in South America. A Vision of the Future GLA Electronics will continue to invest  in the growth of our company. In 2015, we expect sales to increase by up to 300% , partly due to the upcoming opening of three large factories in China, Taiwan, and Malaysia. In addition, the demand for CarPhones continues to increase worldwide and shows no sign of slowing down. We are grateful for the success of 2014. Hopefully, the coming year will see continued growth. Sincerely, Brian Fisher CEO GLA Electronics of America Inc. Based on the report, which of the following is true about GLA Electronics' earnings in 2014? A) The first half ofe year saw the most earnings. B) All four quarters showed similar earnings. C) The least successful quarter was the first. D) The most successful quarter was the fourth.
D


When you were young, ginger ale may have been a popular choice for reducing the unpleasant feelings caused by your upset stomach on the road to get to school. For years, ginger has been used to reduce the effects of nausea . But do you know it's now also being looked at to fight cancer? Scientists have discovered that ginger can kill cancerous cells in two different ways. On the one hand, ginger causes the cancer cells to "commit suicide" by destroying themselves while leaving the surrounding healthy cells untouched. Ginger can prevent the growth of diseased cells by destroying the environment they grow in. On the other hand, ginger tricks the diseased cells and causes them to fight among themselves. Researchers are now looking into one of the toughest cancers to fight. However, scientists find repeated treatment of disease by drugs can actually lose its effectiveness over time as the cancer builds up resistance to the same treatment. This raises researchers' confidence that ginger would help stop resistance from the cancer. In a study, the cancer clearly stopped growing in the body of the mice that had been given ginger. The bad news is that such encouraging research has only been conducted on mice. The good news, however, is that it seems humans might be able to get the same benefit just by eating products with ginger and ginger root in them. Cancer prevention and fighting abilities aren't the only potential benefits you may get from adding a bit more ginger to your diet. Drinking ginger ale when your stomach was upset as a child wasn't just a placebo .Numerous studies and research, including the Mayo Clinic's strict grading system, agree that ginger has some sort of anti-nausea characteristics. Some believe that ginger works well against nausea after operations, while others use it to reduce motion sickness such as seasickness and car sickness. The Mayo Clinic, however, advises the use of ginger only to reduce nausea during pregnancy. While more research needs to be done, early studies are very promising,... Why do scientists think ginger can be used to fight against cancer? A) Ginger can destroy diseased cells in two different ways. B) Ginger is commonly considered as a kind of pain killer. C) Ginger warms people's bodies and helps them recover from operations. D) Ginger has no harmful side effects according to a large amount of medical research.
A


Q: In Mexico, girls mark their fifteenth birthday with a celebration called Quinceanera. In the morning, the birthday girl goes to the church with her family and her best friends. She wears a beautiful dress. Later in the day, there is a huge party, with a big cake that matches the girl's dress, and a night filled with music and dancing. Becoming an adult is a very important life change, and Japan has a special holiday to celebrate this. The second Sunday in January is Coming-of-Age Day. On that day, everyone who had their twentieth birthday in the last year goes to their Town Hall for a special activity. Everyone dresses up, and many women wear beautiful dresses. The mayor makes a speech and gives presents to all the new adults. Some kids are afraid to start school, but six-year-olds in Germany can't wait. For them, Schulanfang is a big holiday. To celebrate a child's first day of school, parents or friends give the child a Zuckertuete, a big color box filled with candy and little presents. People take pictures of the kids holding their Zuckertuete, and there is a school party later for the parents with cake and coffee. What happens at Quinceanera? A) The birthday girl buys many gifts. B) The birthday girl goes to the church. C) Parents give a Zuckertuete to the child. D) Parents make speeches in the church.
A: B


What if handheld   tools know what needs to be done and were even able to guide and help inexperienced users to complete jobs that require skill? Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed and started studying a novel concept in robotics--intelligent handheld robots. Historically, handheld tools have been straight, unintelligent instruments that are _ of the context they operate in, are fully directed by the user, and therefore, lack any understanding about the task they are performing. Dr. Walterio Mayol-Cuevas and PhD student, Austin Gregg-Smith, from the University's Department of Computer Science, have been working in the design of the robot as well as in understanding how best to be with a tool that "knows and acts". Compared to other tools such as power tools that have a motor and perhaps some basic sensors  , the handheld robots developed at Bristol are designed to have more degrees of freedom to allow greater independence from the instructions of the user, and importantly, understand the steps being carried out. This allows for a new level of co-operation between user and tool, such as the user providing directions and the tool performing the detailed task. Handheld robots, aim to share physical similarity with users but are neither fully independent as is a humanoid robot nor are part of the user's body. The aim with handheld robots is to develop the intuitiveness   of using traditional handheld tools while adding planted intelligence and action to allow for new abilities. Dr. Mayol-Cuevas, Reader in Robotics Computer Vision and Mobile Systems, said, "There are three basic levels of autonomy   we are considering: no autonomy, semi-autonomous when the robot advises the user but does not act, and fully autonomous when the robot advises and acts even by correcting or refusing to perform incorrect user actions." What can we learn from the passage? A) The handheld robots can never disobey the user's order. B) The autonomy is the only thing that the scientists are considering. C) There will be more intelligence and independence in the handheld robots. D) The aim of the handheld robots is to correct and refuse the user's directions.

C