In ______, Columbus reached North America.

Sometimes it is difficult to compare money values in different periods of history because______.

__ (对他大惊小怪) is the last thing he would desire or expect.

DVD for Rent

1．A pay-for -play system for video DVD (digital versatile disc) will emerge by summer as an alternative, and possibly a competitor, to the DVD format currently available.

2．The new system called Digital Video Express (Divx),operates like a DVD player, except for the specially coded discs. These will cost $ 5 for initial viewing over a 48-hour period and can be viewed again for additional fees and even purchased for unlimited viewing.

3．Divx combines the service of a video rental store with the operation of a pay-per-view TV channel. Unlike a rented videotape, though, the Divx disc needn't he returned. The 48-hour viewing period doesn't begin until the disc is first played. Customers can retain the disc for replay in the future at an additional fee, or simply discard it. (Divx plans a collection and recycling programme.)

4．Subsequent plays, or the purchase of unlimited-viewing rights, are billed to the customer's Divx account and charged to a credit card. The player's built-in memory keeps track of all Divx plays, and relays this information by toll-free phone modern to the Divx record-keeping centre. Each Divx disc and player has a unique identification code, so the system knows which discs have been played and where—something that may raise concerns over privacy.

5．Some Divx discs could be converted for unlimited play at a price likely to be lower than buying a conventional DVD. Others, called Divx Gold, would be sold from the beginning for unlimited play without further charge. Although conventional DVDs will run in a Divx players, conventional DVD player will lack the decoding and communications ability to play Divx discs. Divx players will be offered by Panasonic, RCA and Zenith.

6．About 100 discs will be available initially from Disney, Dreamworks, Paramount, and Universal, growing to 500 titles within a year. Most of these will be released in the 4:3 pan-and- scan mode rather than in the 16:9 letterbox format. Other filmmakers have yet to adopt the Divx system. Which is owned by retailer Circuit City, the 350-store electronics chain that bankrolled its development.

A．Booming business of Circuit City

B．Superior quality of conventional DVD discs

C．An introduction of the new system Divx

D．Unlimited or permanent play of Divx discs

E．Disk-play tracking and billing systems

F．Expansion of the titles of Divx discs

Paragraph 2__

__ (面对严重的疾病), she has shown great courage.

Some farmers have more pieces of land to look after than others.