TEXT C The three biggest lies in America are: (1) "The check is in the mail." (2) "Of course Ill respect you in the morning." (3) "It was a computer error." Of these three little white lies, the worst of the lot by far is the third. Its the only one that can never be true. Today, if a bank statement cheats you out of 900 that way, you know what the clerk is sure to say: "It was a computer error." Nonsense. The computer is reporting nothing more than what the clerk typed into it. The most irritating case of all is when the computerized cash register in the grocery store shows that an item costs more than it actually does. If the innocent buyer points out the mistake, the checker, bagger, and manager all come together and offer the familiar explanation: "It was a computer error." It wasnt, of course. That high-tech cash register is really nothing more than an electric eye. The eye reads the Universal Product Code —— that ribbon of black and white lines in a comer of the package —— and then checks the code against a price list stored in memory. If the price list is right, youll be charged accurately. Grocery stores update the price list each day —— that is, somebody sits at a keyboard and types in the prices. If the price they type in is too high, there are only two explanations: carelessness or dishonesty. But somehow "a computer error" is supposed to excuse everything. One reason we let people hide behind a computer is the common misperception that huge, modern computers are "electric brains" with "artificial intelligence." At some point there might be a machine with intelligence, but none exists today. The smartest computer on earth right now is no more "intelligent" than your average screwdriver. At this point in the development of computers, the only thing any machine can do is what a human has instructed it to do.
　　73. We are told that a high-tech cash register is really just _____.
　　A) an electric instrument of sight
　　B) a simple adding machine
　　C) a way to keep employees honest
　　D) an expensive piece of window dressing
　　74. Grocery store price lists are updated by _____.
　　A) a scanner
　　B) a telephone hookup
　　C) an adding machine
　　D) an employee
　　75. Which of the following describes the main idea of the passage?
　　A) Computers are stupid and inefficient.
　　B) Computer errors are basically human errors.
　　C) Computers can help department stores update the price list.
　　D) Supermarket price errors are often made through dishonesty.
　　TEXT D All R&D executives have two major responsibilities: (1) they must ensure that the company is supplied with technically successful projects, and (2) they must select the most promising schemes and ideas for the expenditure of R&D resources. This work is complicated by numerous uncertainties, inasmuch as commercial research and development must be based on market forecasts. If R&D management can provide a regular flow of new and updated products, the company will benefit in a number of ways. First of all, it will be able to make full use of expensive departmental resources, development engineering and available marketing capacity. In addition to that, a flow of new market winners will provide the business with steady growth income and profits. This can also be important psychologically, for it is often on this basis that those outside the company assess the quality of its management. The R&D departments job is made more difficult because of the length of time required to complete its research. In the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, for example, it may take five to ten years before a product is a technical success and a further six to eight years before it reaches full commercial potential. To achieve results, R&D must define both the areas that should be investigated and the objectives that should be achieved in each area. For this reason, the R&D department must take an interest in all aspects of design, application, efficiency, and use of appropriate materials. There is a difference, however, between the development of new consumer products and the development of new industrial ones. In specific need, and development is tailored to meet it. In many industrial markets, product development is the result of work down in the research laboratory. This work is often aimed at a general need, such as a new kind of medicine or higher operating speeds for machines. When the new industrial project has been developed, its performance can be analyzed in terms of customer needs.
　　76. How long does it take in some industries before a product achieves full commercial potential?
　　A) From five to ten years.
　　B) From six to eight years.
　　C) From seven to eleven years.
　　D) From eleven to eighteen years.
　　77. From the passage, we are told that consumer products are developed to _____.
　　A) make use of appropriate materials
　　B) assess the management of a company
　　C) meet a specific need
　　D) meet a general need