Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Communication Quiz....



Communication Quiz1


ELECTRIC CARS - THE ROAD TO LESS POLLUTION
It's the year 2010 and one of those glaring bright Hong Kong summer days that hurt your eyes the minute you step out of the flat. To escape the heat you flag down the familiar red taxi. It glides to the curb to pick you up and hums away without a sound. Sweeping past the other silent cars, taxis and buses headed into Central, you feel as if you can almost touch Kowloon, it looks so close against the pure, clean sky.
It is nothing, you remember with a slight shudder, like the pollution shrouded vista of 1996. This is a vision of Hong Kong in the era of the electric vehicle. Clean air, skies and running cars which produce no deadly emission gases. Or so the environmentalists would have us believe. But back to the present: There has never been a quick solution to air pollution, and despite the optimism, some of the lustre is fading in the green argument for electric powered vehicles. The detractors claim electric vehicles transfer the pollution load from the roads to the power plants which produces the electricity. They are inefficient and slow. And who, they ask, would buy untested technology?
"Hong Kong is perfect for electric vehicles and the technology is available," said Al Morgan, a consultant who has been trying to sell his vision of an electrified Asia. "This could be the showplace for electric vehicles. The high profile of Hong Kong throughout the world and the confined road space make it a natural."
But selling a dream has never been easy. Last year, the Private Sector Committee on the Environment displayed an electric taxi to a crowd of curious onlookers in Central and suggested that a fleet of 150 to 200 vehicles would be cruising the streets by early this year.
Elcar Asia Ltd, which had envisaged electrifying the entire taxi fleet of nearly 15,000 vehicles, and sprinkling battery swapping stations across the territory, has since closed down. Its director, Dr. Donald Taylor, however, is undaunted: he is still pursuing the electrified road. Professor Chan Ching-chuen, director of the University of Hong Kong's International Research Centre for Electric Vehicles, heads a team of 10 researchers who have been relentlessly chasing the pollution-free vehicle.
Nine experimental versions were built and tested before the latest proto-type, the U2001 was completed. The project links researchers from the university with counterparts in Japan, China and the United States. The results are being carefully watched by those governments as well as the American Big Three car manufactures - Chrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors Corporation. Honda in Japan is one of the project sponsors. This is not the work of lightweights. "Hong Kong does not have the manufacturing base to produce electric cars, but it is becoming a world leader in this technology and can act as a catalyst," project researcher, Chau Kwok-tong, said. "All across the world scientists are awaiting the go-ahead." In the US, reforms are in the works which could alter how car-mad Americans see themselves. New York, California, and Massachusetts, have, in an effort to clean up the environment, drafted laws mandating electric vehicle sales by 1998. In California, where the streets are clogged with Mercedes-Benz, Rolls Royces, Ford Broncos and low-riders, two per cent of all vehicle sales must be electric by that date. The Californian two per cent rule has left dumbfounded manufacturers scrambling for a user-friendly electric car. Closer to home, Taiwan has set a 1998 deadline and is demanding five per cent of motorcycles sold by manufactures must be electric. But the proponents of electric cars are not without their enemies. Last month, the US car manufacturers rebelled and are now threatening to hold the three American states hostage. If California, Massachusetts and New York do not wipe their electric vehicle laws off the books, manufacturers have said they will kill plans to produce cleaner burning cars next year. The choice is loosen the emission restrictions and allow more time to find alternatives. The Big Three have said consumers will reject the current crop of electric vehicles because they are too expensive and inefficient. Given time, they claim, the emission standards for fossil fuels vehicles, can drop to near zero. But without the time, they say they will abandon research. Critics have complained that environmentalists are myopic when it comes to electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are zero emission producers. The two per cent scheme will not effectively control pollution because it only transfers it from the car to the power station.
Despite intensive research on how to power the vehicles, this remains one of the unresolved problems. Traditional lead-acid batteries appear to have the highest efficiency rates, but lead is one of the world's deadliest pollutants. The more high-tech combinations, like nickel cadmium, lithium polymer, sodium sulphur or zinc-air present environmental spillage problems, not to mention their high costs.
Large amounts of lead are required to create the batteries needed to power huge numbers of electric cars. American researchers have suggested that emissions from mining, smelting and the recycling of this lead would expose thousands of people living or working close to production sites to near toxic levels of lead. If only five per cent of America's 200 million vehicles were powered by lead-based batteries, an extra 21,000 tonnes of lead would be released into the environment annually.
The focus on electric vehicles may have clouded alternative zero emission options. New research is being done at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other research centres worldwide. The industry is looking for other technological breakthroughs - fusion for example.
Other experts believe Mercedes-Benz and Mazda's research on hydrogen power and fuel cells might hit pay off both in dollars and clean air. Even the most jaded sceptic has to agree that something must be done to solve the pollution crisis.
It is estimated that there are a billion internal combustion engines on the planet. The rule of thumb is that one dirty engine equals 40 clean ones which are well-maintained. It is the insidious nature of air pollution and the inability of researchers to eliminate other factors and prove that the toxic cocktail of chemicals in our air is a direct health risk, which has led to muddled action by governments, worldwide.
But in action costs. The American Lung Association puts a price tag of more than US$ 40 billion (HK$ 309.2 billion) a year on air pollution, in terms of medical costs, days lost at work and premature death. In the past decade, the rate of pollution-related respiratory problems in the territory has leapt by 18.6 per cent.
The Government's statistics tell us that every day we breathe the equivalent of 250 beverage cans of toxic pollutants. And, they assure us, it is getting worse. When Governor Chris Patten arrived in Hong Kong, he was hailed as the "Green Governor". But the policy makers in the Government have side-stepped and shrugged off every opportunity to enact fresh air legislation. A survey conducted by the air action group CLEAR found that over 80 per cent of the people of Hong Kong would gladly pay higher taxi and bus fares, if it meant they would be able to breathe cleaner air. As legislator Christine Loh Kung-wai has pointed out: "Now is the time for action. The projections for increased commercial and container port traffic on the roads show that it will only get worse. What we need is creative thinking, but we need it in a hurry. The health of Hong Kong people can't wait." Electric cars can help Hong Kong breathe easier.

But selling a dream has never been easy,what is the dream?:


A. the vision of electric vehicles,of an electrified pollution free Asia


B. of insured medical care by the administration.


C. of a glaring bright Hong Kong summer day that hurt your eyes the minute you step out of the flat 


D. of a green Hongkong

A
THE REAL THING?
One of the most successful commercial products ever launched is said to have come about as the result of a mistake. In 1896, Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, was selling a nerve tonic known as 'French Wine Cola - Ideal Nerve Tonic'. By accidentally adding fizzy water instead of still water to the recipe, a pharmacist called John S. Pemberton invented what has today become the most popular soft drink in the world: Coca-Cola. Along with its closest rival - Pepsi - which appeared on the market three years later, Coke has enjoyed phenomenal success worldwide, particularly in the past fifty years. Indeed, old Coke bottles and 'limited edition' cans can often fetch considerable sums from collectors, and there are even stores which deal exclusively in Coke products and memorabilia.
What could possibly account for the amazing success of Coca-Cola? How has this combination of carbonated water, sugar, acid and flavourings come to symbolize the American way of life for most of the world? After all, even the manufacturers could hardly describe Coke as a healthy product since it contains relatively high amounts of sugar (admittedly not the case with Diet Coke which contains artificial sweeteners instead of sugar) and phosphoric acid, both of which are known to damage teeth.
One explanation may be found in the name. The original recipe included a flavouring from the coca plant and probably included small amounts of cocaine (an addictive substance), but since the early part of this century all traces of cocaine have been removed. However, Coke (like all cola drinks) also includes a flavouring from the cola tree; cola extract contains caffeine, which is a stimulant, and the Coca-Cola company adds extra caffeine for good measure. While caffeine is not thought to be an addictive substance in itself, there is considerable evidence that over a period of time the consumption of caffeine has to be increased in order for its stimulating effect to be maintained, and so sales of Coke perhaps benefit as a result.
A more likely reason for the enduring popularity of Coke may, however, be found in the company's enviable marketing strategies. Over the years it has come up with some of the most memorable commercials, tunes, slogans and sponsorship in the world of advertising, variously emphasizing international harmony, youthfulness and a carefree lifestyle. Few other companies (arguably including Pepsi) have been able to match such marketing ploys so consistently or effectively. As suggested earlier, the influences of American culture are evident just about everywhere, and Coca-Cola has somehow come to represent a vision of the United States that much of the rest of the world dreams about and aspires to. Perhaps drinking Coke brings people that little bit closer to the dream.

The writer in the paragraph 1 suggests that:


A. Coke has enjoyed phenomenal success


B. considers the success of Coke to be undeserved


C. thinks that the success of Coke is very strange


D. rather disapproves of the success of Coke

A


Fill in the blanks with appropriate tense:
The postman......................... this morning.

A. come

B. didn't come


C. isn't come

B
The chef always ________ (taste) the food before he serves it.
A. taste
B. is tasting
C. tastes

C
Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles:
At ____ (1) beginning of ____(2) twentieth century, East Los Angeles became ____(3) popular immigrant destination.

A. the,the,a


B. the,an,a


C. the,the,the


D. the,a,the

A
She _______________ John for 10 years.

A. was known


B. has known
Incorrect
C. has been knowing

B


The best way to meet people at a business or social function is to:


A. Head for the bar or buffet immediately upon arrival


B. Stick close to those you know very well and forget about the rest


C. Look confident, standing in the center of the room, and wait for someone to approach you

D. Introduce yourself to two people who are standing close and talking softly


E. Introduce yourself to a person standing alone

E
When answering a business phone, always answer

A. With your name


B. With a simple hello. It sounds more approachable and less pretentious.

C. With your name, department, title, and a greeting

A


Choose which verb tense (present/past simple or continuous) fits better.
How long ________ the flu?

A. did you have

B. were you having

A
Which one is correct?

A. I have a pen.


B. I having a pen.


C. I is having a pen.


D. I am having a pen.

A

I have a pen.
Which one is correct?

A. None


B. He know it.


C. He is knowing it.

D. He knows it.

D

He knows it.
Choose the correct form of verbs to complete the sentences.
The phone _____________but she was out.

A. rang


B. rung


C. ring

A


Select the right option which indicates MTI ( Mother tongue influence) in the below given statements.
Shama is taking a head bath.
A. •bath

B. •Head bath

C. •Is taking


D. •Head

B
Select the right option which indicates MTI ( Mother tongue influence) in the below given statements.
Please call at my mobile phone.
Incorrect
A. •Mobile phone


B. •Call at my.


C. •At my mobile phone.


D. •Call

B


“Eye contact is culture centric”.


True
The chairperson of a meeting sets the agenda of the meeting.


True


Identify the sentence in Past perfect continuous tense:

A. Susan had been thinking about the idea for a while when he made the suggestion.


B. Susan was thinking about the idea for a while when he made the suggestion.
C. Susan is thinking about the idea for a while when he made the suggestion.


D. Susan had thought about the idea for a while when he made the suggestion.

A

The past perfect continuous is used to express how long something had been going on before something important happened in the past.
Please rewrite the following statement.

We are awaiting you early reply.


A. We look forward your reply.

B. We look forward to your reply.


C. We are awaiting you early.

B
Identify the tense:

We were not able to get a conference room because we had not booked in advance.

A. Past continuous


B. Past Simple

C. past perfect


D. past perfect continuous

C
Identify the correct part of the sentence
They not remembered / didn't remembered / didn't remember to get the bread this morning!
A. not remembered

B. didn't remember


C. didn't remembered

B

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