A.mainlyB.uniquelyC.approximatelyD.respectively
A.mainly
B.uniquely
C.approximately
D.respectively
A.mainly
B.uniquely
C.approximately
D.respectively
A.Mainly rice and vegetables.
B.Mainly rice and meat.
C.Occasionally rice and vegetables.
D.Occasionally meat and vegetables.
When enthusiasts talk of sustainable development, the eyes of most people glaze over. There is a whiff of sack-cloth and ashes about their arguments, which usually depend on people giving up the comforts of a modern economy to achieve some debatable greater good. Yet there is a serious point at issue. Modern industry pollutes, and it also seems to cause significant changes to the climate. What is needed is an industry that delivers the benefits without the costs. And the glimmerings of just such an industry can now be discerned.
That industry is based on biotechnology. At the moment, biotech's main uses are in medicine and agriculture. But its biggest long-term impact may be industrial. Here, it will diminish demand for oil by taking the cheapest raw materials imaginable, carbon dioxide and water, and using them to make fuel and plastics.
Plastics and fuels made in this way would have several advantages. They could accurately be called "renewables", since nothing is depleted to make them. They would be part of the natural carbon cycle, borrowing that element from the atmosphere for a few months, and returning it when they were burned or dumped. That means they could not possibly contribute to global warming. And they would be environmentally friendly in other ways. Bioplastics are biodegradable, since bacteria understand their chemistry and can therefore digest them. Biofuels, while not quite "zero emission" from the exhaust pipe (though a lot cleaner than petrol and diesel), would be cleaner overall even than the fuel-cell technology now being touted as an alternative to the internal-combustion engine. That is because making the hydrogen that fuel cells use is not an environmentally friendly process, and never will be—unless it, too, uses biotechnology.
All this will, in the end, depend on costs. But these do not look unfavorable. Already, the price of bioplastics overlaps the top end of the petroleum-based plastics market. Bulk production should bring prices down, particularly when the raw materials are free. Meanwhile, ethanol would be a lot easier to introduce than fuel cells. Existing engines will run on it with minor tweaking, so there is no need to change the way cars are made. And since, unlike hydrogen, it is a liquid, the fuel-distribution infrastructure would not need radical change.
The future could be green in ways that traditional environmentalists had not expected. Whether they will embrace that possibility, or stick to sack-cloth, remains to be seen.
According to the author, applying biotechnology to industry
A.has brought about sustainable development.
B.proves to be nothing but an imagination.
C.will deprive most people of modern comforts.
D.contributes to the environmentally sound development.
A.software-licensing fees.
B.total cost of a software product.
C.payment for service contracts.
D.the charge for subscription.
It is a tough time for producers of branded consumer goods. Unilever and its competitors have to cope with pressure on prices and stiff competition from supermarkets' own brands, Colgate-Palmolive warned of lower profits on the 'same day, Nestle recently disappointed investors with its latest results. Even so, Unilever admits the bulk of its troubles are self-inflicted. The "Path to Growth" strategy aimed to make the firm more efficient. Unilever saved about 4 billion euro ($4.9 billion) in costs over the past five years and reduced its portfolio of brands front 1,600 to some 450, but it still failed to meet its targets for profit and sales, reporting a sales decline of 0.7% for the second quarter of this year.
Andrew Wood at Sanford Bernstein, an investment-research firm, thinks the main problem is under-investment in advertising and marketing, an infatuation with brands and unrealistic performance targets. Unilever cut its ad and marketing expenditure at the worst moment, says Mr. Wood. Commoditised products are especially vulnerable to the onslaught of retailers' own brands. In margarine, for instance, retailers' own brands now capture as much as one-fifth of the market. Unilever also over extended some successful brands, for instance Bertolli's olive oils and pasta sauces. According to Mr. Wood, Unilever can sustainably grow its business about 3% a year; it was shooting for 5-6%.
Unilever's chief financial officer (CFO) counters that consumers look for a product and then buy a brand, so his firm needs to focus on brands. Unilever intends to step up its marketing efforts, al though ad spending is supposed to remain at current levels. At present, Unilever spends 14.5% of sales on ads. But even the CFO admits the company has "issues of competitiveness". After seven quarters of disappointing performance, it needs to regain credibility with investors. Over the next few months, management will rethink its strategy for the next five-year plan. Patrick Cescau, a Frenchman who will take over from Mr. FitzGerald, is inheriting a tricky legacy.
Which of the following about "Path to Growth" strategy is true?
A.It is hard to carry out.
B.It has a glorious history.
C.it underlines Unilever's brands.
D.It brings high growth.
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