Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
Passage one
Too many vulnerable child-free adults are being ruthlessly(无情的)manipulated
into parent-hood by their parents , who think that happiness among older people
depends on having a grand-child to spoil. We need an organization to help beat
down the persistent campaigns of grandchildless parents. It’s time to establish
Planned Grandparenthood, which would have many global and local benefits.
Part of its mission would be to promote the risks and realities associated
with being a grandparent. The staff would include depressed grandparents who
would explain how grandkids break lamps, bite, scream and kick. Others would
detail how an hour of baby-sitting often turns into a crying marathon. More
grandparents would testify that they had to pay for their grandchild’s expensive
college education.
Planned grandparenthood’s carefully written literature would detail all the
joys of life grand-child-free a calm living room, extra money for luxuries
during the golden years, etc. Potential grandparents would be reminded that,
without grandchildren around, it’s possible to have a conversation with your
kids, who----incidentally-----would have more time for their own parents .
Meanwhile, most children are vulnerable to the enormous influence exerted
by grandchildless parents aiming to persuade their kids to produce children .
They will take a call from a persistent parent, even if they’re loaded with
works. In addition, some parents make handsome money offers payable upon the
grandchild’s birth. Sometimes these gifts not only cover expenses associated
with the infant’s birth, but extras, too, like a vacation. In any case, cash
gifts can weaken the resolve of even the noblest person.
At Planned Grandparenthood, children targeted by their parents to reproduce
could obtain non-biased information about the insanity of having their own kids.
The catastrophic psychological and economic costs of childbearing would be
emphasized. The symptoms of morning sickness would be listed and horrors of
childbirth pictured. A monthly newsletter would contain stories about
overwhelmed parents and offer guidance on how childless adults can respond to
the different lobbying tactics that would-be grandparents employ.
When I think about all the problems of our overpopulated world and look at
our boy grabbing at the lamp by the sofa, I wish I could have turned to Planned
Grandparenthood when my parents were putting the grandchild squeeze on me.
If I could have, I might not be in this parenthood predicament( 窘境) . But
here’s the crazy irony, I don’t want my child-free life back . Dylan’s too much
fun.
21. What’s the purpose of the proposed organization Planned
Grandparenthood?
A) To encourage childless couples to have children.
B) To provide facilities and services for grandchildless parents.
C) To offer counseling to people on how to raise grandchildren.
D) To discourage people from insisting on having grandchildren.
22. Planned Grandparenthood would include depressed grandparents on its
staff in order to____.
A) show them the joys of life grandparents may have in raising
grandchildren
B) draw attention to the troubles and difficulties grandchildren may
cause
C) share their experience in raising grandchildren in a more scientific
way
D) help raise funds to cover the high expense of education for
grandchildren
23. According to the passage, some couples may eventually choose to have
children because_____.
A) they find it hard to resist the carrot-and-stick approach of their
parents
B) they have learn from other parents about the joys of having children
C) they feel more and more lonely ad they grow older
D) they have found it irrational to remain childless
24.By saying “… my parents were putting the grandchild squeeze on me” (Line
2-3,Para. 6), the author means that _________.
A) her parents kept pressuring her to have a child
B) her parents liked to have a grandchild in their arms
C) her parents asked her to save for the expenses of raising a child
D) her parents kept blaming her for her child’s bad behavior
25.What does the author really of the idea of having children?
A) It does more harm than good.
B) It contributes to overpopulation.
C) It is troublesome but rewarding.
D) It is a psychological catastrophe
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
Ask most people how they define the American Dream and chances are they’ll
say, “Success.” The dream of individual opportunity has been home in American
since Europeans discovered a “new world” in the Western Hemisphere. Early
immigrants like Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur praised highly the freedom and
opportunity to be found in this new land. His glowing descriptions of a
classless society where anyone could attain success through honesty and hard
work fired the imaginations of many European readers: in Letters from an
American Farmer (1782) he wrote. “We are all excited at the spirit of an
industry which is unfettered (无拘无束的) and unrestrained, because each person works
for himself … We have no princes, for whom we toil (干苦力活)，starve, and bleed: we
are the most perfect society now existing in the world.” The promise of a land
where “the rewards of a man’s industry follow with equal steps the progress of
his labor” drew poor immigrants from Europe and fueled national expansion into
the western territories.
Our national mythology (神化) is full of illustration the American success
story. There’s Benjamin Franklin, the very model of the self-educated, self-made
man, who rose from modest origins to become a well-known scientist, philosopher,
and statesman. In the nineteenth century, Horatio Alger, a writer of fiction for
young boys, became American’s best-selling author with rags-to-riches tales. The
notion of success haunts us: we spend million every year reading about the rich
and famous, learning how to “make a fortune in real estate with no money down,”
and “dressing for success.” The myth of success has even invaded our personal
relationships: today it’s as important to be “successful” in marriage or
parenthoods as it is to come out on top in business.
But dreams easily turn into nightmares. Every American who hopes to “make
it” also knows the fear of failure, because the myth of success inevitably
implies comparison between the haves and the have-nots, the stars and the
anonymous crowd. Under pressure of the myth, we become indulged in status
symbols: we try to live in the “right” neighborhoods, wear the “right” clothes,
eat the “right” foods. These symbols of distinction assure us and others that we
believe strongly in the fundamental equality of all, yet strive as hard as we
can to separate ourselves from our fellow citizens.
26. What is the essence of the American Dream according to Crevecoeur?
A) People are free to develop their power of imagination.
B) People who are honest and work hard can succeed.
C) People are free from exploitation and oppression.
D) People can fully enjoy individual freedom.
27.By saying “the rewards of a man’s industry follow with equal steps the
progress of his labor” (Line 10, Para. 1), the author means __________ .
A) the more diligent one is, the bigger his returns
B) laborious work ensures the growth of an industry
C) a man’s business should be developed step by step
D) a company’s success depends on its employees’ hard work
28. The characters described in Horatio Alger’s novels are people who
_______.
A) succeed in real estate investment
B) earned enormous fortunes by chances
C) became wealthy after starting life very poor
D) became famous despite their modest origins
29. It can be inferred from the last sentence of the second paragraph that
_________.
A) business success often contributes to a successful marriage
B) Americans wish to succeed in every aspect of life
C) good personal relationships lead to business success
D) successful business people provide good care for their children
30. What is the paradox of American culture according to the author?
A) The American road to success is full of nightmares.
B) Status symbols are not a real indicator of a person’s wealth.
C) The American Dream is nothing but an empty dream.
D) What Americans strive after often contradicts their beliefs.
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
Public distrust of scientists stems in part from the blurring of boundaries
between science and technology, between discovery and manufacture. Most
government, perhaps all governments, justify public expenditure on scientific
research in terms of the economic benefits the scientific enterprise ha brought
in the past and will bring in the future. Politicians remind their voters of the
splendid machines ‘our scientists’ have invented, the new drugs to relieve old
ailments (病痛), and the new surgical equipment and techniques by which previously
intractable (难治疗的) conditions may now be treated and lives saved. At the same
time, the politicians demand of scientists that they tailor their research to
‘economics needs’, that they award a higher priority to research proposals that
are ‘near the market’ and can be translated into the greatest return on
investment in the shortest time. Dependent, as they are, on politicians for much
of their funding, scientists have little choice but to comply. Like the rest of
us, they are members of a society that rates the creation of wealth as the
greatest possible good. Many have reservations, but keep them to themselves in
what they perceive as a climate hostile to the pursuit of understanding for its
own sake and the idea of an inquiring, creative spirit.
In such circumstances no one should be too hard on people who are
suspicious of conflicts of interest. When we learn that the distinguished
professor assuring us of the safety of a particular product holds a consultancy
with the company making it, we cannot be blamed for wondering whether his fee
might conceivably cloud his professional judgment. Even if the professor holds
no consultancy with any firm, some people many still distrust him because of his
association with those who do, or at least wonder about the source of some his
research funding.
This attitude can have damaging effects. It questions the integrity of
individuals working in a profession that prizes intellectual honesty as the
supreme virtue, and plays into the hands of those who would like to discredit
scientists by representing then a venal (可以收买的). This makes it easier to dismiss
all scientific pronouncements, but especially those made by the scientists who
present themselves as ‘experts’. The scientist most likely to understand the
safety of a nuclear reactor, for example, is a nuclear engineer declares that a
reactor is unsafe, we believe him, because clearly it is not to his advantage to
lie about it. If he tells us it is safe, on the other hand, we distrust him,
because he may well be protecting the employer who pays his salary.
31. What is the chief concern of most governments when it comes to
scientific research?
A) Support from the votes.
B) The reduction of public expenditure.
C) Quick economics returns.
D) The budget for a research project.
32. Scientist have to adapt their research to ‘economic needs’ in order to
_________ .
A) impress the public with their achievements
B) pursue knowledge for knowledge’s sake
C) obtain funding from the government
D) translate knowledge into wealth
33. Why won’t scientists complain about the government’s policy concerning
scientific research?
A) They think they work in an environment hostile to the free pursuit of
knowledge.
B) They are accustomed to keeping their opinions to themselves.
C) They know it takes patience to win support from the public.
D) They think compliance with government policy is in the interests of the
public.
34. According to the author, people are suspicious of the professional
judgment of scientists because ___________ .
A) their pronouncements often turn out to be wrong
B) sometimes they hide the source of their research funding
C) some of them do not give priority to intellectual honesty
D) they could be influenced by their association with the project
concerned
35. Why does the author say that public distrust of scientists can have
damaging effects?
A) It makes things difficult for scientists seeking research funds.
B) People would not believe scientists even when they tell the truth.
C) It may dampen the enthusiasm of scientists for independent research.
D) Scientists themselves may doubt the value of their research
findings.
Passage Four
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.
In many ways, today’s business environment has changed qualitatively since
the late 1980s. The end of the Cold War radically altered the very nature of the
world’s politics and economics. In just a few short years, globalization has
started a variety of trends with profound consequences: the opening of markets,
true global competition, widespread deregulation (解除政府对……的控制) of industry, and
an abundance of accessible capital. We have experienced both the benefits and
risks of a truly global economy, with both Wall Street and Main Street (平民百姓)
feeling the pains of economic disorder half a world away.
At the same time, we have fully entered the Information Age, Starting
breakthroughs in information technology have irreversibly altered the ability to
conduct business unconstrained by the traditional limitations of time or space.
Today, it’s almost impossible to imagine a world without intranets, e-mail, and
portable computers. With stunning speed, the Internet is profoundly changing the
way we work, shop, do business, and communicate.
As a consequence, we have truly entered the Post-Industrial economy. We are
rapidly shifting from an economy based on manufacturing and commodities to one
that places the greatest value on information, services, support, and
distribution. That shift, in turn, place an unprecedented premium on “knowledge
workers,” a new class of wealthy, educated, and mobile people who view
themselves as free agents in a seller’s market.
Beyond the realm of information technology, the accelerated pace of
technological change in virtually every industry has created entirely new
business, wiped out others, and produced a Pervasive( 广泛的) demand for continuous
innovation. New product, process ,and distribution technologies provide powerful
levers for creating competitive value. More companies are learning the
importance of destructive technologies-----innovations that hold the potential
to make a product line, or even an entire business segment, virtually
outdated.
Another major trend has been the fragmentation of consumer and business
markets. There’s a growing appreciation that superficially similar groups of
customers may have very different preferences in terms of what they want to buy
and how they want to buy it. Now, new technology makes it easier, faster ,and
cheaper to identify and serve targeted micro-markets in ways that were
physically impossible or prohibitively expensive in the past. Moreover, the
trend feeds on itself, a business’s ability to serve sub-markets fuels
customers’ appetites for more and more specialized offerings.
36. According to the first paragraph, the chances in the business
environment in the past decades can be attributed to __________.
A) technological advances
B) worldwide economic disorder
C) the fierce competition in industry
D) the globalization of economy
37. what idea does the author want to convey in the second paragraph ?
A) The rapid development of information technology has taken businessmen by
surprise
B) Information technology has removed the restrictions of time and space in
business transactions
C) The Internet, intranets, e-mail, and portable computers have penetrated
every corner of the world.
D) The way we do business today has brought about startling breakthroughs
in information technology.
38. If a business wants to thrive in the Post-Industrial
economy,__________
A) it has to invest more capital in the training of free agents to operate
in a seller’s market
B) it should try its best to satisfy the increasing demands of mobile
knowledgeable people
C) it should not overlook the importance of information, services, support,
and distribution
D) it has to provide each of its employees with the latest information
about the changing market
39. In the author’s view, destructive technologies are innovations which
_________
A) can eliminate an entire business segment
B) demand a radical change in providing services
C) may destroy the potential of a company to make any profit
D) call for continuous improvement in ways of doing business
40. With the fragmentation of consumer and business markets
______________
A) an increasing number of companies have disintegrated
B) manufacturers must focus on one special product to remain competitive in
the market
C) it is physically impossible and prohibitively expensive to do business
in the old way
D) businesses have to meet individual customers’ specific needs in order to
succeed .
精彩生活 
