Passage 1 According to a recent survey, employees in many companies today work longer hours than employees did in 1979.They also take shorter vacations than employees in 1979. It seems that Americans are working harder today than ever before. Or are they? A management consultant, Bill Meyer, decided to find out. For three days, he observed an investment banker hard at work. Meyer wrote down everything the banker did during his long workday. At the end of the three- day period, Meyer reviewed the banker's activities with him. What did they find out? They discovered that the man spent 80 percent of his time doing unnecessary work. For example, he attended unnecessary meetings, made redundant (多余的) telephone calls, and spent time packing and unpacking his tow big briefcases. Apparently, many people believe that the more time a person spends at work, the more he or she accomplishes. When employers evaluate employees, they often consider the amount of time on the job in addition to job performance. Employees know this. Although many working people can do their job effectively during a regular 40-hour work week, they feel they have to spend more time on the job after normal working hours so that the people who can promote them see them. A group of headhunters (猎头) were asked their opinion about a situation. They had a choice of two candidates for an executive position with an important company. The candidates had similar qualifications for the job. For example, they were both reliable. One could do the job well in a 40-hour work week. The other would do the same job in an 80-hour work week just as well. According to a headhunting expert, the 80-hour-a-week candidate would get the job. The time this candidate spends on the job may encourage other employees to spend more time at work, too. Employers believe that if the employees stay at work later, they may actually do more work. However, the connection between time and productivity (生产率) is not always positive. In fact, many studies indicate that after a certain point, anyone's productivity and creativity begin to decrease. Some employees are not willing to spend so much extra, unproductive time at the office. Once they finish their work satisfactorily, they want to relax and enjoy themselves. For these people, the solution is to find a company that encourages people to do both.
1. What is the main idea of this passage?
A.Many people work long hours a week, and some work even longer.
B.Most people can get more work done by working longer hours.
C.Most Americans work 80 hours a week, and some work even longer.
D.People can make more money by working longer hours.
A B C D
A
2. The management consultant wanted to find out ______.
A.how hard the investment banker worked during his work hours
B.when people spent time doing unnecessary work in their office
C.if people needed vacation after working hard for a certain period of time
D.whether Americans were really working harder than they had done before
A B C D
D
3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The more time a person spends at work, the more he or she accomplishes.
B.Employers do not judge their employees' job performance according to the amount of working time.
C.Some people work more than hours a week in the hope of getting promotion.
D.All employees are willing to spend extra time at work.
A B C D
C
4. The 80-hour-a-week candidate would get the job because employers believe ______.
A.that he is more reliable
B.his example would lead other employees to work longer hours
C.he has better qualifications
D.he could encourage other employees to do a better job
A B C D
B
5. The expression "to do both" in the last paragraph is "______".
A.to finish their work satisfactorily and relax and enjoy themselves
B.to pay attention to both performance and productivity
C.to work long hours and have short vacations
D.to relax and enjoy themselves quite frequently
A B C D
A
Passage 2 Many private institutions of higher education around the country are in danger. Not all will be saved, and perhaps not all deserve to be saved. There are low-quality schools just as there are low-quality businesses. We have no obligation to save them simply because they exist. But many thriving institutions that deserve to continue are threatened. They are doing a fine job educationally, but they are caught in a financial difficulty, with no way to reduce rising costs or increase revenues (收入) significantly. Raising fees doesn't bring in more revenue, for each time fees go up, the enrollment (注册人数) goes down, or the amount that must be given away in student aid goes up. Schools are bad businesses, whether public or private, not usually because of bad management but because of the nature of the business. They lose money on every customer, and they can go bankrupt either from too few students or too many students. Even a very good college is a very bad business. It is such colleges thriving but threatened, that I worry about. Low enrollment is not their chief problem. Even with full enrollments, they may go under. Efforts to save them, and preferably to keep them private, are a national necessity. There is no basis for arguing that private schools are bound to be better than public schools. There are plentiful examples to the contrary. Anyone can name state universities and colleges that rank as the finest in the nation and the world. It is now inevitable that public institutions will be dominant, and therefore diversity (多样性) is a national necessity. Diversity in the way we support schools tends to give us a healthy diversity in the forms of education. In an imperfect society such as ours, uniformity of education throughout the nation could be dangerous. In an imperfect society, diversity is a positive good. Eager supporters of public higher education know the importance of keeping private higher education healthy.
1. In the passage, the author asks the public to support ______.
A.private higher education in general
B.public higher education in general
C.high-quality private universities and colleges
D.high-quality state universities and colleges
A B C D
C
2. According to the passage, schools are bad businesses because of ______.
A.the nature of school
B.poor teachers
C.bad management
D.too few students
A B C D
A
3. The phrase "go under" in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to "______".
A.have low fees
B.get into difficulties
C.do a bad job educationally
D.have low teaching standards
A B C D
B
4. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.there are many cases indicating that private schools are superior to public schools.
B.The author thinks diversity of education is preferable to uniformity of education.
C.A high-quality university is always a good business.
D.Each time fees are raised, the enrollment goes up.
A B C D
B
5. In the author's opinion, the way that can save private schools lies in ______.
A.full enrollment
B.raising fees
C.reducing student aid
D.national support
A B C D
D
Passage 3 The fourth-graders at Chicago's McCormick Elementary School don't know Chinese is supposed to be hard to learn. For most, who speak Spanish at home, it's becoming their third language. They've been hearing and using Chinese words since nursery, and it's natural to give a ni hao when strangers enter the classroom. "It's really fun!" says Miranda Lucas, taking a break from a lesson that includes a Chinese interview with Jackie Chan. "I'm teaching my morn to speak Chinese." The classroom scene at McCormick is unusual, but it may soon be a common phenomenon in American schools, where Chinese is rapidly becoming the hot new language. Government officials have long wanted more focus on useful languages like Chinese, and pressure from them--as well as from business leaders, politicians, and parents--has produced a quick growth in the number of programs. Chicago city officials make their best effort to include Chinese in their public schools. Their program has grown to include 3,000 students in 20 schools, with more schools on a waiting list. Programs have also spread to places like Los Angeles, New York City, and North Carolina. Supporters see knowledge of the Chinese language and culture as an advantage in a global economy where China is growing in importance. "This is an interesting way to begin to engage with the world's next superpower," says Michael Levine, director of education at the Asia Society, which has started five new public high schools that offer Chinese. "Globalization has already changed the arrangements in terms of how children today are going to think about their career. The question is when, not whether, the schools are going to adjust." The number of students learning Chinese is tiny compared with how many study Spanish or French. But one report shows that before-college enrollment (报名人数) nearly quadrupled between 1992 and 2002, from 6,000 to 24,000. Despite the demand, though, developing programs isn't easy. And the No. 1 difficulty, everyone agrees, in having enough teachers. Finding teacher "is the challenge," says Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser for a language institute and a Chinese teacher for 15 years at the college level. "Materials are easy in comparison. Or getting schools funded."
1. The best title for this passage might be "______".
A.Next Hot Language to Study: Chinese
B.Next Hot Languages to Study: Spanish
C.Next Hot Languages to Study: French
D.Chicago Is the Place to Learn Chinese
A B C D
A
2. The most difficult thing to do is finding ______.
A.enough textbooks for the Chinese programs
B.enough money for the Chinese programs
C.enough teachers for the Chinese programs
D.enough students for the Chinese programs
A B C D
C
3. We learn from the passage that ______.
A.Scott McGinnis has been a Chinese teacher for 15 years
B.Jackie Chan is a Chinese teacher at McCormick Elementary School
C.Chicago officials are required to learn Chinese
D.Scott McGinnis is good at giving his opinions on everything
A B C D
A
4. According to the passage, all the following statements are true EXCEPT ______.
A.the number of students learning Chinese is small
B.Chinese programs have found their way in several major cities in the U.S.
C.Government officials don't like the pressure from business leaders and parents to start Chinese programs
D.China is becoming more and more influential in the world
A B C D
C
5. The word "quadrupled" in the last paragraph is close in meaning to "multiplied by ______.
A.three times
B.four times
C.five times
D.six times
A B C D
B
Passage 4 I hear many parents complain that their teenage children are rebelling. I wish it were so. At your age you ought to be growing away from your parents. You should be learning to stand on your own feet. But take a good look at the present rebellion. It seems that teenagers are all taking the same way of showing that they disagree with their parents. Instead of striking out boldly on their own, most of them are holing one another's hands for reassurance (放心). They claim they want to dress as they please. But they all wear the same clothes. They set off in new directions in music. But they all end up listening to the same record. Their reason for thinking or acting in such a way is that the crowd is doing it. They have come out of their cocoon (茧) into a larger cocoon. It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and to go his or her own way. Industry has firmly carved out a market for teenager. These days every teenager can learn from the advertisements what a teenager should have and be. This is a great barrier for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path. But the barrier is worth climbing over. The path is worth following. You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party. You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records. You may have some thoughts that you don't care to share at once with your classmates. Well, go to it. Find yourself. Be yourself. Popularity will come--with the people who respect you for who you are. That's the only kind of popularity that really counts.
1. The author's purpose in writing this passage is to tell ______.
A.readers how to be popular with people around
B.teenagers how to learn to make a decision for themselves
C.parents how to control and guide their children
D.people how to understand and respect each other
A B C D
B
2. According to the author, many teenagers think they are brave enough to act on their own, but in fact most of them ______
A.have much difficulty understanding each other
B.lack confidence
C.dare not cope with any problems alone
D.are very much afraid of getting lost
A B C D
B
3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.There is no popularity that really counts.
B.Many parents think that their children are challenging their authority.
C.It is not necessarily bad for a teenager to disagree with his or her classmates.
D.Most teenagers are actually doing the same.
A B C D
A
4. The author thinks of advertisements as ______ to teenagers.
A.inevitable
B.influential
C.instructive
D.attractive
A B C D
B
5. The main idea of the last paragraph is that a teenager should ______.
A.differ from others in as many ways as possible
B.become popular with others
C.find his real self
D.rebel against his parents and the popularity wave
A B C D
C
Passage 5 Much unfriendly feeling towards computers has been based on the fear of widespread unemployment resulting from their introduction. Computers are often used as part of automated (自动化的) production systems requiring a least possible number of operators, causing the loss of many jobs. This has happened, for example, in many steelworks. On the other hand, computers do create jobs. They are more skilled and better paid, though fewer in number than those they replace. Many activities could not continue in their present form without computers, no matter how many people are employed. Examples are the check clearing (交换) system of major banks and the weather forecasting system. When a firm introduces computers, a few people are usually employed in key posts (such as jobs of operations managers) while other staff are re-trained as operators, programmers, and data preparation staff. After the new system has settled down, people in non-computer jobs are not always replaced when they leave, resulting in a decrease in the number of employees. This decrease is sometimes balanced by a substantial increase in the activity of the firm, resulting from the introduction of computers. The attitudes of workers towards computers vary. There is fear of widespread unemployment and of the takeover of many jobs by computer-trained workers, making promotion for older workers not skilled in computers more difficult. On the other hand, many workers regard the trend toward wider use of computers inevitable. They realize that computers bring about greater efficiency and productivity, which will improve the condition of the whole economy, and lead to the creation of more jobs. This view was supported by the former British Prime Minister, James Callaghan in 1979, when he made the point that new technologies hold the key to increased productivity, which will benefit the economy in the long run.
1. The unfriendly feeling towards computers is developed from ______.
A.the possible widespread unemployment caused by their introduction
B.their use as part of automated production systems
C.the least possible number of operators
D.the production system in steelworks
A B C D
A
2. The underlined word "They" (Line 1, Par. 2) refers to "______".
A.computers
B.jobs
C.activities
D.systems
A B C D
A
3. According to paragraph 2, without computers ______.
A.human activities could not continue
B.there could not be weather forecasting systems
C.many activities would have to change their present form
D.banks would not be able to go on with check clearing
A B C D
C
4. According to the passage, what results from the introduction of computers?
A.After re-training, all employees in the firm get new jobs.
B.A considerable proportion of people are employed in key posts.
C.The firm keeps all of its. original staff members.
D.The decrease in staff members may be balanced by the increase of firm activities.
A B C D
D
5. James Callaghan's attitude towards computers can be best described as ______.
A.doubtful
B.regretful
C.unfriendly
D.supportive
A B C D
D
Passage 6 The vitamins necessary for a healthy body are normally supplied by a good mixed diet (饮食), including a variety of fruits and green vegetables. It is only when people try to live on a very restricted diet that it is necessary to make special provision to supply the missing vitamins. An example of the dangers of a restricted diet may be seen in the disease known as "beri- beri". It used to distress large numbers of Eastern peoples who lived mainly on rice. In the early years of this century, a scientist named Eijkman was trying to discover the cause of "beri-beri". At first he thought it was caused by a germ. He was working in a Japanese hospital, where the patients were fed on polished rice which had the outer husk (外壳) removed from the grain. It was though this would be easier for weak and sick people to digest. Eijkman thought his germ theory was confirmed when he noticed the chickens in the hospital yard, which were fed on leftovers (剩饭) from the patients' plates, were also showing signs of the disease. He then tried to isolate the germ, but his experiments were interrupted by a hospital official, who declared that the polished rice, even though left over by the patients, was too good for chicken. It Should be recooked for the patients, and the chickens should be fed on cheap rice with the outer layer still on the grain. Eijkman noticed that the chickens began to recover on the new diet. He began to consider the possibility that eating unpolished rice somehow prevented or cured "beriberi"--even that a lack of some element in the husk might be the cause of the disease. Indeed this was the case. The element needed to prevent "beriberi" was shortly afterwards isolated from rice husks and is now known as vitamin B. Nowadays, this terrible disease is much less common thanks to our knowledge of vitamins.
1. A good mixed diet ______.
A.normally contains enough vitamins
B.still needs special provision of vitamins
C.is suitable for losing weight
D.is composed of fruits and vegetables
A B C D
D
2. The disease "beriberi" ______.
A.kills large numbers of Eastern peoples
B.is a vitamin deficiency (缺乏) disease
C.is caused by diseased rice
D.can be caught from diseased chickens
A B C D
B
3. The chickens Eijkman noticed in the hospital yard ______.
A.couldn't digest the polished rice
B.proved "beriberi" is caused by germs
C.were later cooked for the patients' food
D.were suffering from "beriberi"
A B C D
D
4. According to Eijkman, polished rice ______.
A.was cheaper than unpolished rice
B.was less nourishing (有营养的) than unpolished rice
C.was more nourishing than unpolished rice
D.cured "beriberi"
A B C D
B
5. The chemical substance missing from polished rice ______.