历年天津大学考博英语
真题
北京中考数学真题pdf四级真题及答案下载历年四级真题下载证券交易真题下载资料分析真题下载
Direction:Listentothefollowingpassage.Altogetherthepassagewillbereadfourtimes.Duringthefirstreadingthepassagewillbereadatnormalspeedandyouaresupposedtolistenonlyandtrytohaveageneralunderstandingofit.Forthesecondandthirdreadingsthepassagewillbereadsentencebysentenceorphrasebyphasewithanintervalof12-15secondsinbetweenforwriting.Thelastreadingwillbedoneatthenormalspeedagainforyoutocheckup. IIVocabularyandStructure(10%) Directions:Thereare20incompletesentencesinthispart.ForeachsentencetherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,C,andD.Circletheonethatbestcompletesthesentence. 1.Itwasverykindofyoutogetmesomethingformybirthday,butyoumesuchanexpensivepresent. [A]didn‘tneedbuying[B]needn’tbuy[C]needn‘thavebought[D]hadn’tneededtobuy 2.The——ofaculturalphenomenonisusuallyalogicalconsequenceofsomephysicalaspectinthelifestyleofthepeople. [A]manifestation[B]implementation[C]expedition[D]demonstration 3.Heisholdinga——positioninthecompanyandexpectstobepromotedsoon.[A]subordinate[B]succeeding[C]successive[D]subsequent 4.InAmericanuniversities,classesareoftenarrangedinmoreflexible——andmanyjobsoncampusarereservedforstudents. [A]scales[B]ranks[C]grades[D]patterns 5.Thegovernmentgaveaveryexplanationofitsplanforeconomicdevelopment.[A]comprehensive[B]compound[C]considerable[D]complacent 6.Inmyopinion,youcanwidentheoftheseimprovementsthroughyouractiveparticipation.[A]dimension[B]volume[C]magnitude[D]scope 7.NoTobaccoDayisthedaywhentheworldHealthOrganizationtopeopletostopusingtobaccoproducts.[A]asks[B]applies[C]appeals[D]urges 8.Thedentist‘sconfidentmannermethatIwasinsafehands.[A]insured[B]assured[C]ensured[D]secured 9.Wepreferthattheplanbeforebeingputintoexecution.[A]befullydiscussed[B]mustbefullydiscussed[C]willbefullydiscussed[D]isfullydiscussed 10.Thesoundoffootstepsonthebarefloorthedownstairsneighbors.[A]disturbed[B]interrupted[C]annoyed[D]irritated 11.Iaskedhimforajobtheimpressionthathewastheheadofthefirm,buthewasn‘t.[A]with[B]under[C]in[D]of 12.It‘snogoodremembergrammaticalrules.Youneedtopracticewhatyouhavelearned.[A]tryingto[B]tryto[C]totryto[D]triedto 13.Thedictatorreliedonabuseofitsopponentsonsoundingreasoning.[A]morethan[B]ratherthan[C]otherthan[D]betterthan 14.Tomakethebestandthemostefficientofyourtimeandtoachieveyourgoals,starteachdaybyyouragenda.[A]holdingon[B]makingout[C]keepingon[D]takingdown 15.Oncethequestionisput,weknowtrytoobtaintheanswer.[A]toproceedindirectionto[B]wheredirectionproceedto[C]inwhichdirectiontoproceedto[D]whichdirectionproceedtoward 16.Duringtheopera‘smostfamousaria,thetempochosenbytheorchestra’sconductorseemed,withoutnecessaryrelationtowhathadgonebefore[A]tedious[B]melodious[C]capricious[D]moderation 17.Itistimethenationsoftheworldahalttothemanufactureofnuclearweapons.[A]wouldcall[B]call[C]called[D]willcall 18.Whenthedropswereplacedinthepatient‘seyes,hispupilsbecame.[A]dilated[B]smaller[C]irritated[D]sensible 19.Tovisitzoosthatsimulatethenaturalhabitatsofanimalsofgreatinteresttozoologists.[A]are[B]be[C]were[D]is 20.Mr.Smithwiththegovernmentforthirty-sevenyearsbythetimeheretires.[A]willwork[B]willhaveworked[C]willbeworking[D]willhavebeenworked IIISentenceTransformation(20%) Directions:Rewriteeachofthefollowingsentencesbyusingtheword(s)belowitsothateachnewsentencemeansroughlythesameastheoriginalone.Insomeinstancesitmaybenecessarytochangethetenseofthegivenword(s)。 1.Heiswarm-hearted,butthisdoesn‘tmeanthatheisbright.(follow) 2.Themanagerhasaskedmetoconsiderthisproposalcarefully.(consideration) 3.Thegardenistoosmallforaswimmingpool.(room) 4.Increasingthetaxonhouseholdgoodsisboundtocausetrouble.It‘sasking 5.Themuseumisclosedthisafternoon.Thereis 6.Don‘ttouchthosewiresinanycircumstances.Under 7.Thesmallnumberofpotentialbuyersdoesnotprovideasufficientlylargemarketforthiskindofapparatus.(enough) 8.Iwasfinallyabletoconvincehimofitsvalue.Ifinallysucceeded 9.Filmmakersunderstandablylosemuchoftheirinterestinthegenre.(appealto) 10.Notallofthepeoplelikethismovie.(popular) IVCloze(10%) Directions:Readthroughthefollowingpassageandthendecidewhichofthechoicesgivenbelowcouldcorrectlycompletethepassageifinsertedinthecorrespondingblanks.Circlethecorrectchoiceforeachblank. Aninterestingtheoryineconomicsis1bytheHeadManofasmallmountaintribe.Ifseemsthatthistribewasverygoodatmakingstrawmatsthathadgreatsales2inthe3market.TherepresentativeofanAmericancompanywenttovisitthetribeandtriedtomakeagoodbusinessdeal.He4totheHeadManand5thathiscompanywouldliketo6severalthousandpieces. Undoubtedly,hesaid,thebusiness7wouldbe8tothetribe.Aftersomethoughts,theHeadMan9,butannouncedthatthepriceperpiecewouldbe10insucha11orderthanitwouldbeif12asmallorderwereplaced.Therepresentativewas13thanalittleshocked14thebusinesssenseoftheHeadMan15insistedthatthepriceshouldbe16becauseofthelargevolume,and17nothigher.No,repliedtheheadofthetribe18.Butwhynot?askedtheAmerican.Because19issotiresometomakethe20articleoverandover,answeredtheHeadMan.1.A.illustratedB.appreciatedC.demonstratedD.anticipated2.A.capacityB.potentialC.abilityD.fortune3.A.strawB.globalC.worldD.earth4.A.addressedB.spokeC.askedD.told5.A.declaredB.confirmedC.demandedD.gestured6.A.orderB.sellC.disposeD.make7.A.treatyB.pactC.matterD.deal8.A.effectiveB.efficientC.valuableD.profitable9.A.agreedB.acceptedC.refusedD.received10.A.lowerB.higherC.expensiveD.cheaper11.A.smallB.bigC.vastD.high12.A.certainlyB.reallyC.onlyD.simply13.A.greaterB.strongerC.lessD.more14.A.fromB.ofC.atD.since15.A.whoB.andC.thenD.therefore16.A.lowerB.higherC.littleD.raised17.A.neverB.reallyC.certainlyD.yet18.A.weaklyB.happilyC.stubbornlyD.hesitatingly19.A.heB.itC.whatD.work20.A.similarB.beautifulC.alikeD.same VReadingComprehension(20%) Directions:Inthisparttherearefourpassagesfollowedbyquestionsorunfinishedstatements,eachwithfoursuggestedanswersmarkedA),B),C)andD)。Choosetheonethatyouthinkisthecorrectanswer. 1)AreportconsistentlybroughtbackbyvisitorstotheUSishowfriendly,courteous,andhelpfulmostAmericansweretothem.Tobefair,thisobservationisalsofrequentlymadeofCanadaandCanadians,andshouldbestbeconsideredNorthAmerican.Thereare,ofcourse,exceptions.Small-mindedofficials,rudewaiters,andill-manneredtaxidriversarehardlyunknownintheUS.Yetitisanobservationmadesofrequentlythatitdeservescomment. Foralongperiodoftimeandinmanypartsofthecountry,atravelerwasawelcomebrakinanotherwisedullexistence.Dullnessandlonelinesswerecommonproblemsofthefamilieswhogenerallyliveddistantfromoneanother.Strangersandtravelerswerewelcomesourcesofdiversion,andbroughtnewsoftheoutsideworld. Theharshrealitiesofthefrontieralsoshapedthistraditionofhospitality.Someonetravelingalone,ifhungry,injured,orill,oftenhadnowheretoturnexcepttothenearestcabinorsettlement.Itwasnotamatterofchoiceforthetravelerormerelyacharitableimpulseonthepartofthesettlers.Itreflectedtheharshnessofdailylife:ifyoudidn‘ttakeinthestrangerandtakecareofhim,therewasnooneelsewhowould,Andsomeday,remember,youmightbeinthesamesituation. Todaytherearemanycharitableorganizationsthatspecializedinhelpingthewearytraveler.Yet,theoldtraditionofhospitalitytostrangersisstillverystrongintheUS,especiallyinthesmallercitiesandtownsawayfromthebusytouristtrails.Iwasjusttravelingthrough,gottalkingwiththisAmerican,andprettysoonheinvitedmehomefordinner-amazing.SuchobservationsreportedbyvisitorstotheUSarenotuncommon,butarenotalwaysunderstoodproperly.ThecasualfriendlinessofmanyAmericansshouldbeinterpretedneitherassuperficialnorasartificial,butastheresultofahistoricallydevelopedculturaltradition. Asistrueofanydevelopedsociety,inAmericaacomplexsetofculturalsignals,assumptions,andconventionsunderliesallsocialinterrelationships.And,ofcourse,speakingalanguagedoesnotnecessarilymeanthatsomeoneunderstandssocialandculturalpatterns.Visitorswhofailtotranslateculturalmeaningsproperlyoftendrawwrongconclusions.Forexample,whenanAmericanusesthewordfriend,theculturalimplicationsofthewordmaybequitedifferentfromthoseithasinthevisitor‘slanguageandculture.Ittakesmorethanabriefencounteronabustodistinguishbetweencourteousconventionandindividualinterest.Yet,beingfriendlyisavirtuethatmanyAmericansvaluehighlyandexpectfrombothneighborsandstrangers. 1.Thewordobservationinthefirstparagraphmostprobablymeans[A]attention.[B]watchfulness.[C]survey[D]opinion. 2.Peopleinfrontiersettlementsusedtoentertaintravelersbecausethesestrangerswould______.[A]bringgoodnewsfromoutsideworld.[B]helplocalssolvetheirproblems.[C]bringachangetothelifeinthesettlements.[D]requiresadifferentdefinition. 3.Nowadaysthetraditionoffriendlinesstostrangers______.[A]isstillprevailing.[B]canrarelybeseen[C]iswadingfast[D]requiresadifferentdefinition 4.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingistrue?考博网编辑kaobo.netkaobo.cn [A]Peoplearestillfondoftravelingtoremoteplaces.[B]Foreigntravelersnowkeepawayfrombusytouristtrails.[C]Thereisnocharitableorganizationinsmallcities.[D]ForeignvisitorstotheUShavetroubleunderstandingAmerican‘sfriendliness. 5.Fromthelastparagraphofthepassagewehavelearnedthat______[A]theabilityofspeakingaforeignlanguageimpliesabetterunderstandingofitsculture.[B]variousvirtuesmanifestthemselvesexclusivelyamongfriends.[C]cultureexercisesagreatinfluenceonsocialinterrelationships.[D]courteousconventionandindividualinterestarecloselyinterrelated.考博网编辑kaobo.netkaobo.cn 2)Itiswellknownthatwhenanindividualjoinsagrouphetendstoacceptthegroup‘sstandardsofbehaviorandthinking.Heisexpectedtobehaveinaccordancewiththesenorms-inotherwordsthegroupexpectshimtoconform.Manyillustrationscouldbegivenofthisfromeverydaylife,butwhatisofparticularinteresttopsychologistsistheextenttowhichpeople’sjudgmentsandopinionscanbechangedasaresultofgrouppressure. Inatypicalexperiment,theexperimenterasksforvolunteerstojoinagroupthatisinvestigatingvisualperception.Thevictimsarenot,therefore,awareoftherealpurposeoftheexperiment.Eachvolunteeristakentoaroomwherehefindsagroupofaboutsevenpeoplewhoarecollaboratingwiththeexperimenter.Thegroupisshownastandardcardwhichcontainsasingleline.Theyarethenaskedtolookatasecondcard.Thishasthreelinesonit.Oneisobviouslylongerthanthelineonthefirstcard,oneisshorterandonethesamelength.Theyhavetosaywhichlineonthesecondcardisthesamelengthasthelineonthestandardcard.Theothermembersofthegroupanswerfirstbutwhatthevolunteerdoesnotknowisthattheyhavebeentoldtopickoneofthewronglines.Thevolunteerseesthattheothermembersofthegroupunanimouslychoosealinewhichisobviouslynotthesamelengthastheoneonthestandardcard. Whenitishisturntoanswerheisfacedwiththeunanimousopinionofthegroup-alltheothershavechosenlineAbuthequiteclearlyseeslineBascorrect.Whatwillhedo?AccordingtoAsch,morethanhalfofthevictimschosenwillchangetheiropinion.Whatisequallysurprisingisthat,wheninterviewedabouttheiranswers,mostexplainedthattheyknewthegroupchoicewasincorrectbutthattheyyieldedtothepressureofthegroupbecausetheythoughttheymustbesufferingfromanopticalillusion. 6.Psychologistsareinterestedin________.[A]howfargrouppressurecaninfluencepeople‘sjudgments.[B]howtomakejudgmentsaccordingtoeverydayexperience.[C]howtochangepeople’sjudgments.[D]thegroup‘sstandardsofsocialbehaviour. 7.Intheexperiment.Whohavebeentoldtopickthewrongline? [A]Thevictims.[B]Thevolunteer.[C]Theexperimenter.[D]Theothermembers. 8.Inwhatcircumstancesdomostpeopleyieldtopressure? [A]Whenthegroupisseparated.[B]Whenthegroupisunanimous.[C]Whentheyknowtheyarethevictims.[D]Whentheyareforcedtoanswerquestions. 9.Theexperimentsdemonstratethat_______.[A]nearlyeveryindividualwillbehavedifferentlyfromothers[B]grouppressureiscausedbytheinterferenceofthepsychologists.[C]psychologistswishtochangethepeople‘sjudgmentsandopinions.[D]peoplewillchangetheirideasundergrouppressure. 10.Thebesttitleofthispassagewouldbe_________.[A]ATypicalExperiment.[B]AreWeAfraidtobeDifferent? [C]TheGroup‘sStandardsofBehaviorandThinking.[D]DoseanIndividualNeedtoFollowaGroup’sStandards? 3)ThesinglebusinessofHenryThoreau,duringforty-oldyearsofeageractivitywastodiscoveraneconomycalculatedtoprovideasatisfyinglife.Hisoneconcern,thatgavetohisramblingsinConcordfieldsavalueofhighadventure,wastoexplorethetruemeaningofwealth.Asheunderstoodtheproblemofeconomics,therethreepossiblesolutionsopentohim:toexploithimself,toexploithisfellows,ortoreducetheproblemtoitslowestdenominator.Thefirstwasquiteimpossible–toimprisononeselfinatreadmillwhenthemorningcalledtogreatadventure.Toexploitone‘sfellowsseemedtoThoreau’ssensitivesocialconscienceanevengreaterinfidelity.Freedomwithabstinenceseemedtohimbetterthanserfdomwithmaterialwell-being,andhewascontenttomovetoWaldenPondandtosetaboutthehighbusinessofliving,toconfrontonlytheessentialfactsoflifeandtoseewhatithadtoteach.Hedidnotadvocatethatothermenshouldbuildcabinsandliveisolated.Hehadnowishtodogmatizeconcerningthebestmodeofliving-eachmustsettlethatforhimself.Butthatasatisfyinglifeshouldbelived,hewasvitallyconcerned.Thestoryofhisemancipationfromthelowereconomicsistheoneromanceofhislife,andWaldenishisgreatbook.ItisabookInpraiseofliferatherthanofNature,arecordofcalculatingeconomicsthatstudiedsavinginordertospendmorelargely.Butitisabookofsocialcriticismaswell,inspiteofitsexplicitdenialofsuchapurpose.Inconsideringthetruenatureofeconomyheconcluded,withRuskin,thatthecostofathingistheamountoflifethatisrequiredinexchangeforit,immediatelyorinthelongrun.InWaldenThoreauelaboratedthetext:Theonlywealthislife.考博网编辑kaobo.netkaobo.cn 11.ThoueaustartedanexperimentatWaldenPondwiththehopeof______.[A]learninghowtolivequietly.[B]writingabookonphilosophy.[C]discoveringwhathumanscanlearnfromnature.[D]workingoutthebestadjustmenttomateriallife. 12.ToThoreauthebestsolutiontotheproblemofeconomicsis_______.[A]toliveaverysimplelife.[B]tobecomeself–sufficient.[C]toliveinthecountry.[D]toreformthesociety. 13.Thoreauholdsthatthecrucialthingforpeopletodoisto________.[A]haveabetterunderstandingofwhatlifemeans.[B]liveharmoniouslywithnature.[C]tosaveasmuchasonepossiblycan.[D]tolivealifethatoneiscontentwith. 14.InthebookWaldenallofthefollowingcanbefoundexcept________.[A]thenatureofeconomy.[B]themeaningoffreedom.[C]thecriticismofsociety.[D]Ruskin‘sphilosophy. 15.Thoreau‘sattitudetowardsocietycanbestbecharacterizedasoneof_______.[A]acceptance.[B]avoidance.[C]indifference[D]individualism 4) Automationreferstotheintroductionofelectroniccontrolandautomaticoperationofproductivemachinery.Itreducesthehumanfactors,mentalandphysical,inproduction,andisdesignedtomakepossiblethemanufactureofmoregoodswithfewerworkers.ThedevelopmentofautomationinAmericanindustryhasbeencalledtheSecondIndustrialRevolution. Labor‘sconcernoverautomationarisesfromuncertaintyaboutitseffectsonemployment,andfearsofmajorchangesinjobs.Inthemain,laborhastakentheviewthatresistancetotechnologicalchangeisfutile.Inthelongrun,theresultofautomationmaywellbeanincreaseinemployment,sinceitisexpectedthatvastindustrieswillgrowuparoundmanufacturing,maintaining,andrepairingautomationequipment.Unquestionably,however,therewillbemajorshiftsinjobswithinplantsanddisplacementoflaborfromoneindustrytoanother.Theinterestoflaborliesinbringingaboutthistransitionwithaminimumofinconvenienceanddistresstotheworkersinvolved.Also,unionspokesmenemphasizethatthebenefitoftheincreasedproductionandlowercostsmadepossiblebyautomationshouldbesharedbyworkersintheformofhigherwages,moreleisure,andimprovedlivingstandards. Toprotecttheinterestsoftheirmembersintheeraofautomation,unionshaveadoptedanumberofnewpolicies.Oneoftheseisthepromotionofsupplementaryunemploymentbenefitsplans.ItisemphasizedthatsincetheemployerinvolvedinSUBplanhasadirectfinancialstakeinpreventingunemployment,hewillhaveastrongincentiveforplanningnewinstallationssoastocausetheleastpossibledisruptioninjobsandjobassignments.Someunionsareworkingfordismissalpayagreements,requiringthatpermanentlylaidoffworkersbepaidasumofmoneybasedonlengthofservice.Anotherapproachistheideaoftheimprovementfactor,whichcallsforwageincreasebasedonincreasesinproductivity.Itisprobable,however,thatlaborwillrelymainlyonreductioninworkinghoursinordertogainafullshareinthefruitsofautomation. 16.Welearnfromparagraph1thatautomationwillprobablyleadto_______.[A]industrialexpansion[B]anincreaseinemployment[C]displacementoflaborfromoneindustrytoanother.[D]anincreaseinunemployment. 17.Laborhastheopinionthat_______.[A]alleffortsmustbemadetopreventautomation[B]automationwillcauseariseinconsumercosts[C]itsmaininterestliesinincreasingallwages.[D]technologicalchangecannotbestopped. 18.Whatistherelationbetweenautomationandemploymentintheopinionoflabor? [A]Automationwilldefinitelyleadstomoreunemployment.[B]Fromalong-termpointofviewautomationwillbringaboutmorejobs.[C]Automationwillnotcausemuchchangeinemployment[D]sooneroflaterautomationwilldoalltheworkinsteadofman 19.Theunionstressesthat________.[A]workersshouldalsoenjoythefruitsbroughtaboutbyautomation.[B]noworkersshouldbefiredinthedevelopmentofautomation[C]itisnecessarytoslowdownthedevelopmentofautomation[D]workersshouldbepaidaccordingtotheirlengthofservice 20.Howmanynewpoliciesoftheunionshavebeenlistedinthispassage? [A]1[B]2[C]3[D] 5) VIWriting(20%) Directions:Peoplemayholddifferentviewsastothedisputeoverwhentheshapingofaperson‘scharacter,ornaturaldispositioniscompleted.Somepeoplestatethattheprocessofformingone’scharacterisfulfilledinone‘schildhood,whereasothersarguethatitisachievedafteronefinisheshisschoolstudiesorhasworkedforayearbeyondcampus.Whatdoyouthink?Providedetailsinsupportofyourargumentwithatleast180words.天津大学2008年10月06日Direction:Listentothefollowingpassage.Altogetherthepassagewillbereadfourtimes.Duringthefirstreadingthepassagewillbereadatnormalspeedandyouaresupposedtolistenonlyandtrytohaveageneralunderstandingofit.Forthesecondandthirdreadingsthepassagewillbereadsentencebysentenceorphrasebyphasewithanintervalof12-15secondsinbetweenforwriting.Thelastreadingwillbedoneatthenormalspeedagainforyoutocheckup. IIVocabularyandStructure(10%) Directions:Thereare20incompletesentencesinthispart.ForeachsentencetherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,C,andD.Circletheonethatbestcompletesthesentence. 1.Itwasverykindofyoutogetmesomethingformybirthday,butyoumesuchanexpensivepresent. [A]didn‘tneedbuying[B]needn’tbuy[C]needn‘thavebought[D]hadn’tneededtobuy 2.The——ofaculturalphenomenonisusuallyalogicalconsequenceofsomephysicalaspectinthelifestyleofthepeople. [A]manifestation[B]implementation[C]expedition[D]demonstration 3.Heisholdinga——positioninthecompanyandexpectstobepromotedsoon.[A]subordinate[B]succeeding[C]successive[D]subsequent 4.InAmericanuniversities,classesareoftenarrangedinmoreflexible——andmanyjobsoncampusarereservedforstudents. [A]scales[B]ranks[C]grades[D]patterns 5.Thegovernmentgaveaveryexplanationofitsplanforeconomicdevelopment.[A]comprehensive[B]compound[C]considerable[D]complacent 6.Inmyopinion,youcanwidentheoftheseimprovementsthroughyouractiveparticipation.[A]dimension[B]volume[C]magnitude[D]scope 7.NoTobaccoDayisthedaywhentheworldHealthOrganizationtopeopletostopusingtobaccoproducts.[A]asks[B]applies[C]appeals[D]urges 8.Thedentist‘sconfidentmannermethatIwasinsafehands.[A]insured[B]assured[C]ensured[D]secured 9.Wepreferthattheplanbeforebeingputintoexecution.[A]befullydiscussed[B]mustbefullydiscussed[C]willbefullydiscussed[D]isfullydiscussed 10.Thesoundoffootstepsonthebarefloorthedownstairsneighbors.[A]disturbed[B]interrupted[C]annoyed[D]irritated 11.Iaskedhimforajobtheimpressionthathewastheheadofthefirm,buthewasn‘t.[A]with[B]under[C]in[D]of 12.It‘snogoodremembergrammaticalrules.Youneedtopracticewhatyouhavelearned.[A]tryingto[B]tryto[C]totryto[D]triedto 13.Thedictatorreliedonabuseofitsopponentsonsoundingreasoning.[A]morethan[B]ratherthan[C]otherthan[D]betterthan 14.Tomakethebestandthemostefficientofyourtimeandtoachieveyourgoals,starteachdaybyyouragenda.[A]holdingon[B]makingout[C]keepingon[D]takingdown 15.Oncethequestionisput,weknowtrytoobtaintheanswer.[A]toproceedindirectionto[B]wheredirectionproceedto[C]inwhichdirectiontoproceedto[D]whichdirectionproceedtoward 16.Duringtheopera‘smostfamousaria,thetempochosenbytheorchestra’sconductorseemed,withoutnecessaryrelationtowhathadgonebefore[A]tedious[B]melodious[C]capricious[D]moderation 17.Itistimethenationsoftheworld