Directions:There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by
some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices
marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the
corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the
centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
On average, American kids ages 3 to 12 spent 29 hours a week in school,
eight hours more that they did in 1981. They also did more household work and
participated in more of such organized activities as soccer and ballet (芭蕾舞).
Involvement in sports, in particular, rose almost 50% from 1981 to 1997: boys
now spend an average of four hours a week playing sports; girls log hall that
time. All in all, however, children's leisure time dropped from 40% of the day
in 1981 to 25%.
"Children are affected by the same time crunch (危机) that affects their
parents," says Sandra Hofferth, who headed the recent study of children's
timetable. A chief reason, she says, is that more mothers are working outside
the home. (Nevertheless, children in both double-income and "male breadwinner"
households spent comparable amounts of time interacting with their parents.19
hours and 22 hours respectively. In contrast, children spent only 9 hours with
their single mothers.)
All work and no play could make for some very messed-up kids. "Play is the
most powerful way a child explores the world and learns about himself," says T.
Berry Brazelton, professor at Harvard Medical School Unstructured play
encourages independent thinking and allows the young to negotiate their
relationships with their peers, but kids ages 3 to 12 spent only 12 hours a week
engaged in it.
The children sampled spent a quarter of their rapidly decreasing "free
time" watching television. But that, believe it or not, was one of the findings
parents might regard as good news. If they're spending less time in front of the
TV set, however, kids aren't replacing it with reading. Despite efforts to get
kids more interested in books, the children spent just over an hour a week
reading. Let's face it, who's got the time?
21. By mentioning "the same time crunch" (Line 1, Para. 2) Sandra Hofferth
means _________.
A) children have little time to play with their parents
B) children are not taken good care of by their working parents
C) both parents and children suffer from lack of leisure time
D) both parents and children have trouble managing their time
22. According to the author, the reason given by Sandra Hofferth for the
time crunch is _________.
A) quite convincing
B) partially true
C) totally groundless
D) rather confusing
23. According to the author a child develops better if _________.
A) he has plenty of time reading and studying
B) he is left to play with his peers in his own way
C) he has more time participating in school activities
D) he is free to interact with his working parents
24. The author is concerned about the fact that American kids
_________.
A) are engaged in more and more structured activities
B) are increasingly neglected by their working mothers
C) are spending more and more time watching TV
D) are involved less and less in household work
25. We can infer from the passage that _________.
A) extracurricular activities promote children's intelligence
B) most children will turn to reading with TV sets switched off
C) efforts to get kids interested in reading have been fruitful
D) most parents believe reading to be beneficial to children
Passage Two
Questions 26 to :30 are based on the following passage.
Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, "The
business of America is business." By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is
based on the values of the business world.
Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daily
newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about
business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which
the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems
of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in
every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it.
Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal
Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news
appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment
is often referred to as "the entertainment industry" or "show business."
The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity
that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so
many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the
dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance (大量地) because the U.S.
economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system crates
more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.
The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the
word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business --
referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout
U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better
working conditions, and the fight to form unions. Today, many of the old labor
disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing ---- the
laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high --
creates feelings of insecurity for many.
26. The United States is a typical country _________.
A) which encourages free trade at home and abroad
B) where people's chief concern is how to make money
C) where all businesses are managed scientifically
D) which normally works according to the federal budget
27. The influence of business in the U.S. is evidenced by the fact that
_________.
A) most newspapers are run by big businesses
B) even public organizations concentrate on working for profits
C) Americans of all professions know how to do business
D) even arts and entertainment are regarded as business
28. According to the passage, immigrants choose to settle in the U.S.,
dreaming that _________.
A) they can start profitable businesses there
B) they can be more competitive in business
C) they will make a fortune overnight there
D) they will find better chances of employment
29. Henry Ford's statement can be taken negatively because _________.
A) working people are discouraged to fight for their fights
B) there are many industries controlled by a few big capitalists
C) there is a conflicting relationship between big corporations and
labor
D) public services are not run by the federal government
30. A company's efforts to keep expenses low and profits high may result in
_________.
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