Section C
Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from the list A-F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.(本题请涂在答题卡上)
(E)
E. People’s misunderstanding about credit cards. F. Ways to save on the interest. |
80.______ Although credit cards are already a more acceptable part of the financial dealings, they are still regarded, especially in the time of a serious economic crisis, by many as being a major part of the “live now pay later” system. Along with hire-purchase regulations, credit cards, according to some, provide encouragement to spend more money. However, it’s only the fool who is dominated by the temptation to live, temporarily at least, beyond their means, and such people would no doubt manage to do so even without credit cards.
81.______ Advertising campaigns have already promoted a growing realization of the advantages of these small pieces of plastic. They avoid the need to carry large amounts of cash and are always useful in emergencies. And the monthly credit card bill is a loyal booker keeping your monthly purchase record and indicating your buying habits.
82.______ All the credit card organizations charge interest on a monthly basis which may work out as high as two percent a year. But sensible purchase using a card can mean that you obtain up to seven weeks interest-free credit. Using the card abroad, where items frequently take a long time to be included on your account, can extend this period even further.
83.______ It is worthwhile consulting more credit card companies before deciding on a particular credit card. It is necessary to consider the amount of credit granted, interest rates, which may vary slightly; the number and range of outlets, though most cards cover major stores.
84.______ Undoubtedly, if used wisely, a credit card can cost nothing, or at lease help to tide you over a period of financial difficulty. However, we should also remember that the wrong use of the little plastic may drag us deep into financial troubles. More than half of the American personal bankruptcy(破产) and credit failure cases are connected with the wrong use of the credit card. Therefore, every time you open your wallet and reach for a credit card, remember to ask yourself:” Is the item necessary to me?” and “Do I really need so many credit cards?”
The damming of river systems in the northwestern United States has had damaging effects on salmon(鲑鱼). In the spring young salmon, called smolts, drift into rivers from smaller streams. They swim with the current downstream heading for the Pacific Ocean. Before the large-scale constructions of dams(水坝), the young salmon used the strong flow from melting snows to get to the sea in between six and twenty days. It is necessary to do this because during these days the smolts’ bodies undergo the physiological changes for adaptation to salt water.
Unfortunately, the current has become very slow due to the construction of numerous dams. Companies operating the dams also intentionally slow the current. They store the water from the melting snow until the winter, when more electric power is needed. The net result is that many of the young fish do not survive the now sixty-day trip to the sea. Consequently, there are fewer adult salmon to migrate(回游) back up the rivers for breeding. When the time comes for the salmon to return, they again face the problem of dams. As fewer adult salmon are able to get back to their cool upstream water, they fail to produce a sufficiently new generation of salmon. This cycle could eventually lead to the extinction of the fish.
Attempts are being made to transport the young salmon down river by boats. However, many scientists think that this artificial method of getting the fish to the sea kills more than it saves. Another suggestion, recently proposed by environmentalists, is to increase the rate of water flow. This would be a partial（部分的） solution to the declining salmon numbers. One method of doing this would call for releasing water from upstream dam. This would speed up the downstream movement of the smolts.
Another method would be to reduce the water level in the dams for a period in the spring when the smolts are migrating downstream. This would also increase the flow rate temporarily without requiring large amounts of water and, thus, enable the young salmon to move downstream faster. Unfortunately, both of these proposals have met with criticism from the power companies, which strongly suggests the uncertain fate of the salmon in the region.
76. What’s the main topic of the passage?
A. The failure of adult salmon to reproduce.
B. The importance of smolts returning upstream.
C. The need for smolts to reach salt water quickly.
D. The harm caused to salmon by river damming.
77. The passage discusses all of the following methods of dealing with salmon issue EXCEPT _____.
A. carrying the fish in boats
B. allowing water to be released from upstream dams
C. dropping water levels in dams
D. breeding salmon
78. In paragraph 3, what does the author mean by the statement that many scientists think that this artificial method of getting the fish to the sea kills more than it saves?
A. Saving fish is artificial.
B. More fish die when transported than would die otherwise
C. Artificial methods of transportation give salmon the chance to get adapted to salt water.
D. The sea kills more fish than are saved by transportation.
79. Which of the following statements would the author most probably agree with?
A. The salmon problem is likely to continue.
B. A solution to the salmon problem will be found in the near future.
C. Salmon will be extinct very quickly.
D. The government should step in and provide a way out.
Computers and television have pushed a generation of children towards violent behaviour, and mental illness, a large-scale study said yesterday. Though the main reason for children’s violent behaviour comes from family, the study report also blamed computer games, the internet and television for breeding violence and increase mental illness.
The study report warned of the effects of long hours spent watching television, on the internet and playing computer games. 'There is much evidence that exposure to violent images encourages aggressive behaviour,” it said.
On television, violence is frequently shown as part of a normal human life. The violence is both physical and psychological, and violent argument appears as a standard response to disagreement. To be sure, there is plenty of violence in Shakespeare plays and in the cinema. But people used to go to the cinema once a week, whereas our children now watch television for an average of 17 hours a week.
According to the report, the harm caused by computer and television has been widely recognized, which is only second to family factors including family break-up and the lack of a father living at home. No doubt, selfish behaviour by adults is mainly responsible for the misery of millions of children.
Many parents’ aggressive pursuit of personal success has pushed the needs of children aside and amounts children’s violent behavior. The belief among adults that the main duty of the individual is to make the most of their own life, rather than contribute to the good of others, is causing our young people a range of problems.
At the end, the report calls for measures to cut the impact of television on young people, including a ban on all advertising aimed at children under 12, set up watchdog equipment on every TV set to control what children watch and put an end to advertising of alcohol and unhealthy food before the 9pm watershed. And more importantly, it calls on all British parents to value the once-in-a-lifetime period of their children’s growth. Or, according to the report, they will soon regret their absence in that special period when their kids have grown into the “bad guys.”
72. The study is mainly about ______.
A. the family and social reasons for the children’s negative behaviour
B. the importance of a complete family on the behaviour of children
C. the ways to reduce the influence of television on children
D. the relationship between parents and children
73. According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
A. The major reason for children’s bad behaviour comes from family.
B. Watching too many violent images will cause violent behaviour.
C. Classical works are violence-free so people in the past were not that violent.
D. Many parents put personal success ahead of their children’s benefits.
74. According to the passage, what kind of TV program is more likely to be shown after 9 p.m.?
A. Cartoons for kindergarten children.
B. Gardening programs for housewives.
C. Action movies with violent scenes.
D. Political talk shows for adults.
75. The passage mentions all the measures to reduce the TV influence EXCEPT ______.
A. advising parents to watch TV programs with children together
B. stopping commercials for little children
C. using a practical method to monitor what children watch on TV
D. forbiding ads for harmful products shown before 9 p.m.
Upon waking up, Jim found himself lying on a stretch of sandy shore with his face half-buried in the sand. He found, that his clothes had been almost torn apart. His arms ached and his body was heavy like stone. Before he could stand up, he was brought to his knees due to exhaustion. As he lay on the sand, he began to study the environment for signs of human activities. But there was nothing except for a few trees and some stones within eyesight.
He remembered how, a few hours before, he had still been struggling for survival in the vast South China Sea. The boat that had carried his friends and him out to sea for a fun fishing trip had run into a terrible storm. James, who was the captain of the boat, and had been at the wheel, lost control of the boat. The boat moved from side to side in the storm. Suddenly, it hit a sharp object, most probably a rock from the sea and was wrecked.
Jim could not remember how he had managed to drift onto land. His friends were not in sight. He was saddened by the fact that they might have all drowned. Then he suddenly saw a thin column of smoke on the far side of a hill. “Could it be a house?” Jim asked himself. Even if it wasn’t, it gave him some fresh hope of surviving the ordeal that he was going through. He struggled on towards the place from where the smoke was rising.
Finally, he found himself at the top of the hill. He saw a little green valley dotted with a few huts and trees in the sun. His eyes were not playing tricks on him. There was a village located at the bottom of the valley. The sight gave him renewed hope. He began to run toward the village with his last ounce of energy.
68. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Jim found himself in a desert when he woke up.
B. Jim and his friends were fishing at South China Sea.
C. Jim lost control of the boat he and his friends were in.
D. The boat hit a rock but kept steady.
69. Jim struggled toward the place of the smoke probably because ______.
A. he was afraid of being too near the sea
B. he thought his friends might be in the place of the smoke
C. the smoke implied human activities
D. All of the above.
70. What does the underlined word “ordeal” in the third paragraph probably mean?
A. bad weather B. order C. suffering D. ideal state
71. According to the passage, what is NOT TRUE about Jim?
A. He survived a terrible sea storm.
B. He had the feeling that his friends survived the wreckage.
C. At first he didn’t find signs of humans but then he saw a smoke rising.
D. He finally found a village at the bottom of a valley.
Section B
Directions: Read the following four passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
(A)
E-BAE STORES
A one-stop shopping place for ALL
We sell used clothes, games, books, CDs and DVDs. This is also a place for buyers to buy your second-hand goods. E-BAE is the best platform to market or purchase your dream items. It is noise-free, complaint-free and no shopping crowd. Goods are going at the lowest prices you can find in the town.
I am selling a computer. It is a well-maintained second hand computer with a LCD monitor and a rechargeable battery. It is at an affordable price. E-mail Fred at frogprince@hotmail.com
Selling: Hiking shoes. Worn only once. In tip-top condition. Dark brown leather material with black laces. Branded.
Original Price: $198
Sale Price: $120
Please drop an e-mail to Daniel at damiao@gmail.com
For sale: branded PEAR iPod with a thin black and silver body. 1 year old.
Storage size: 2GB
Original Price: $159
Sale Price: $100
Interested? Please contact Jace at moveit@pacific.net.sg
Looking for the right bag for the right occasion? We have a collection of big-name bags to suit your needs. All on rent or going at amazingly low prices. Drop an e-mail message to Chanel at quirkyfinds@yahoo.com or visit chanel.blogspot.com to answer your needs.
65. According to the advertisement, which of the following is the benefit of E-BAE Shop?
A. Crowding with customers. B. Paying original prices.
C. Shopping with ease and comfort. D. Shopping with free shipping.
66. Which of the following items is not sold on the webpage?
A. Second-hand shoes. B. Designer bags.
C. Electronic goods. D. Computer batteries.
67. If Anne needs a bag for a dinner party, which email address can she use to contact the person in charge?
A. frogprince@hotmail.com B. damiao@gmail.com
C. moveit@pacific.net.sg D. quirkyfinds@yahoo.com
III, Reading Comprehension
Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passages there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
The world was sharply separated into men and women, because that was the way we believed it should be. We hold this firm belief and made efforts to keep this ___50___. When a baby came to the world, he or she was expected to play different roles—boys were portrayed as noisy and naughty ones who people were more likely to ___51___ while girls were bound by strict social requirements to be lovely and ___52___. People became the product of their sex. Their social roles were determined when they were ___53___. Males were the producers of cool reasoning and were capable of ___54___. And being emotional was considered as the feature of females and their main activity location was ___55___.
___56___, with the development of civilization and women’s self-consciousness, more and more women have realized that such natural and physical differences between man and woman have no ___57___ with the differences between male and female excellence. Women are now confident to ___58___ the concepts as “male leadership” and “male power”, which are only terms invented by men and serve in men’s ___59___.
Such remarkable change in people’s viewpoint may well explain the gradual ___60___ of single-sex schools. The aim of education is to stimulate imagination, encourage free thinking and keep alive various interests. But the single-sex school follows the same regulations and ___61___ a set of separate subjects for males or females. In single-sex schools, instead of being offered a rich expansion of experience, students have access to ___62___ knowledge. Such education harms individual freedom and kills the possibility for a young person to develop into a(n) ___63___ human. Furthermore, such sexual distinction is also dangerous as it breaks up the sense of community by ___64___ people into two sex groups, which eventually damages the development of human civilization.
50. A. regret B. division C. union D. step
51. A. spoil B. control C. teach D. face
52. A. active B. humorous C. famous D. gentle
53. A. born B. grown C. praised D. retired
54. A. friendship B. failure C. leadership D. relationship
55. A. at home B. at work place C. in politics D. in education
56. A. In particular B. Furthermore C. In addition D. However
57. A. contact B. attempt C. connection D. excuse
58. A. reject B. reflect C. pardon D. measure
59. A. truth B. sex C. interest D. belief
60. A. extinction B. prospect C. foundation D. definition
61. A. sets up B. brings down C. sticks to D. gives up
62. A. objective B. wrong C. vivid D. limited
63. A. complete B. simple C. domestic D. ordinary
64. A. guiding B. uniting C. isolating D. transporting
