Technology offers conveniences such as opening the garage door from your car or changing the television station without touching the TV.

    Now one American company is offering its employees a new convenience: a microchip implanted in their hands. Employees who have these chips can do all kinds of things just by waving their hands. Three Square Market is offering to implant microchips in all of their employees for free. Each chip costs $300 and Three Square Market will pay for the chip. Employees can volunteer to have the chips implanted in their hands. About 50 out of 80 employees have chosen to do so. The president of the company, his wife and their children are also getting chips implanted in their hands.

    The chip is about the size of a grain of rice. Implanting the chip only takes about a second and is said to hurt only very briefly. The chips go under the skin between the thumb and forefinger. With a chip in the hand, a person can enter the office building, buy food, sign into computers and more, simply by waving that hand near a scanner. The chips will be also used to identify employees. Employees who want convenience, but do not want to have a microchip implanted under their skin, can wear a wristband or a ring with a chip instead. They can perform the same tasks with a wave of their hands as if they had an implanted chip.

    Three Square Market is the first company in the United States to offer to implant chips in its employees. Epicenter, a company in Sweden, has been implanting chips in its employees for a while.

    Three Square Market says the chip cannot track the employees. The company says scanners can read the chips only when they are within a few inches of them. “The chips protect against identity theft, similar to credit cards.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the chips back in 2004, so they should be safe for humans, according to the company.

    In the future, people with the chips may be able to do more with them, even outside the office. Todd Westby is Chief Executive Officer of Three Square Market. He says, “Eventually, this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities, etc.”

世界上面积最大的陆地是（    ）

喜迎国庆佳节，天音百货某服装原价400元，连续两次降价a％后售价为225元。下列所列方程中，正确的是（    ）

阅读下面的文字，完成小题。

雪域青稞

次旦多吉

①久在江南读书，一日独坐阳台，竟忽而想起家乡的青稞地来。那苍茫的图景，连带着一些许心绪，竟一股脑儿地填满胸壑，不能得解。

②也许你会觉得奇怪，青藏高原上的青稞地，不就和北方的麦子地是一模一样的吗？不就是如此平淡吗？看上去不如南国的稻田秀丽，不如西北的胡杨壮观，我只能这样告诉你，那是因为你还没有登上过巍峨的青藏高原，在如此恶劣的环境看它们是如何坚强地生长。

③在我老家的东面，就有一块不大的土地，每到播种季节，母亲都会找人把青稞播种到地里。这块土地的土质很差，而且已经让先前的作物生长了一季，营养早已被上季的作物用光，再种青稞不是白白地浪费种子吗？有时，我会禁不住向母亲提出这样的问题，不过母亲每次都是微微一笑。说：“青稞可不像你想的那样，只管种下去，不论怎么着，到了明年也能收，这样咱们就可以做青稞饼，也可以做青稞酒了!”原来如此!就像母亲对我说的，青稞真像她小时候一样，养孩子和养牲口一样，只要有能吃的东西，哪怕是糟糠窝窝头，只要有能穿的衣服，哪怕是几片破布头，他们一样可以长大成人。现在想起来，可不是吗，青稞不就是庄稼中的牲口吗!

④于是，渐渐地喜欢上了青稞，这种低调却又顽强的草本植物。闲暇时候，我仿佛是受到了某种诅咒似的，总是会在不经意的漫步中，走进齐腿深的青稞田之中。那些青稞刀切似的整齐，看上去异常壮观，偶尔地会有几株从整齐的队伍中冒将出来，饱满的果穗倔强地想要触摸天空。也许是因为贪婪生长，所以它们才会这么突出，而我更愿意将它们看成是田中的佼佼者。

⑤严冬过后，正是青稞返青、继续生长的时候，然而这个时候却是高原多风的季节。强劲的北风一旦吹起，就连杨树那些看似坚不可摧的植物都要断条手臂下来，可是青稞呢，它们凭借根须，紧紧地抓住脚下的土壤，在猎猎北风中集体舞蹈!我似乎正在慢慢参透这其中的玄机，飞翔并不单单那么一种，鸟儿张开翅膀，翱翔于蓝天白云之上的，叫做飞翔；然而像青稞这样，乘着劲风，在地面上恣肆舞蹈的，也是一种飞翔。只有一个完全的自由者，才会拥有这种飞翔。怪不得，会有那么多诗人热衷于描写青稞，这其貌不扬的青稞，真倒像极了海明威笔下的圣地亚哥，活脱脱的一个硬汉，活脱脱的一个精神象征。

⑥犹能记起初见稻子时的情景。因为读书的缘故，那是我第一次离开家，离开生活了二十年的西藏。火车一路驶向江南的土地，当我还沉浸在长江的壮观时，一抹重重的绿色映着敞开的车窗扑进来。我心想，这就是稻苗吧。它们整整齐齐地拥簇在一起，绿得发亮，绿得耀眼。如果说家乡的青稞地是一尊富有内涵的雕像，那么初见江南的稻田，真觉得它们像极了由色彩取胜的泼墨画。雕像凝重，饱含着思想的力量，而泼墨画则精致，细腻，让人想起“草长莺飞二月天”，让人想起那争抢暖树的几只早莺。

⑦如今，久在南国，我已切身感受到江南文化的典雅和细腻，然而不论它是多么迷人，即便是每天都在看那一片片的稻田，我却总也忘却不掉西藏的青裸。虽然没有那么精致、典雅，却也别有一番率性而为的美。

⑧某一个暑假，我专程赶回老家，想去看看久违的青稞。这个时期青稞和油菜花一样长得茂盛而碧绿。回到家后，母亲先为我打点好餐饭，我心里就一直默默念叨：我已经有一年的时间没有吃上青稞。我一口气吃了四个热乎乎的青稞饼。紧接着就独自一人跑向青稞田。当我爬上一座山头，一边啃着母亲做的青稞饼，一边放眼辽阔的青稞田时，我的情绪变得有些难以控制，仿似一下子扑进了母亲的怀里。

⑨到这里，我觉得，我真是一个孝顺的孩子。不但孝顺生我养我教诲我的母亲，而且更加孝顺生我母亲养我母亲教诲我母亲的青藏高原。