Section C (2.5’×10 = 25’)
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. 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 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
Personal computers and the Internet give people new choices about how to spend their time. Some may use this freedom to share less time with certain friends or family members, but new technology will also let them stay in closer touch with those they care most about. I know this from personal experience.
E-mail makes it easy to work at home, which is where I now spend most weekends and evenings. My working hours aren’t necessarily much shorter than they once were but I spend fewer of them at the office. This lets me share more time with my young daughter than I might have if she’d been born before electronic mail became such a practical tool.
The Internet also makes it easy to share thoughts with a group of friends. Say you do something fun or see a great movie perhaps--- and there are four or five friends who might want to hear about it. If you call each one, you may feel tired of telling the story.
With E-mail, you just write one note about your experience, at your convenience, and address it to all the friends you think might be interested. They can read your message when they have time, and read only as much as they want to. They can reply at their convenience, and you can read what they have to say at your convenience.
E-mail is also an inexpensive way to stay in close touch with people who live far away. More than a few parents use E-mail to keep in touch, even daily touch, with their children off at college.
We just have to keep in mind that computers and the Internet offer another way of staying in touch. They don’t take the place of any of the old ways.
46. The purpose of this passage is to ________.
A. explain how to use the Internet
B. describe the writer’s joy of keeping up with the latest technology
C. tell the merits and usefulness of the Internet
D. introduce the reader to basic knowledge about personal computers and the Internet
47. The use of E-mail has made it possible for the writer to ________.
A. spend less time working
B. have more free time with his child
C. work at home on weekends
D. work at a speed comfortable to him
48. According to the writer, E-mail has an obvious advantage over the telephone because the former helps one ________.
A. reach a group of people at one time conveniently
B. keep one’s communication as personal as possible
C. pass on much more information than the latter
D. get in touch with one’s friends faster than the latter
49. The best title for this passage is ________.
A. Computer: New Technological Advances
B. Internet: New Tool to Maintain Good Friendship
C. Computers Have Made Life Easier
D. Internet: a Convenient Tool for Communication
50. The author’s attitude towards the Internet is .
A. indifferent B. positive C. critical D. ironic
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
The entertainment profession, or “show business”, attracts many young people. Unfortunately, only very few can hope to become famous and successful. Talent is not enough, because show business is as competitive as any other business. Without a good manager, the performer can never hope to succeed. Fashion is important in this business, too. The best tailor (裁缝) in the world will never be successful if he makes old-fashioned clothes. In exactly the same way, a performer must change his “act” in order to follow the taste of the moment. This is true for actors, dancers and comedians (喜剧演员), but perhaps most of all for singers.
“Pop” stands for “popular”, and a pop singer has to work very hard to become popular. He must either give the public what they already want or he must find a new way of singing that will attract their attention. Even when he has succeeded and his records are sold everywhere, he cannot relax. He must work harder to stay popular, because there are always younger singers trying to become famous and to steal some of the popularity.
The life of a successful pop singer is not at all easy. He can only relax when he is alone, because everything he does is watched and reported in the special newspaper written for the “fans”. The fans are the most important people in the world for the singer. They buy his records, go to his concerts and make him rich and famous. But they can be very annoying, too. Sometimes their enthusiasm goes so out of control that they do anything to get a memento (纪念品) off the singer. They steal handkerchief, they tear off buttons, and they even cut off a strand (一缕) of the unfortunate singer’s hair. Many singers have been stripped (脱去) practically naked by their fans.
A pop singer has to spend a lot of money on clothes, because he must always look smart, or at any rate, different. He must have a luxury car. And he must always keep smiling for the benefit of his public.
51. In order to become a successful performer in show business, one must have _____.
A. good looks B. a lot of money
C. good chances D. talent, fashion and a good manager
52. The example of the “tailor” is cited here to explain that ________.
A. clothes that the tailor made is vital to performers’ success
B. performers have to change their performances to be popular
C. performers should do the same thing as a tailor does
D. performers can never succeed without a tailor
53. When a pop singer has become famous, he must work hard to ________.
A. attract the public B. remain popular
C. sell more records D. earn more money
54. It can be inferred that the fans’ over-enthusiastic behavior sometimes _______.
A. express their dislike for the singers B. make the singers most popular
C. show their great respect for the singers D. make the singers feel embarrassed
55. From the last paragraph we know that a pop singer ________.
A. can relax when he is successful B. must pay much attention to his clothes
C. can enjoy his life at will D. is always annoyed by his fans
Part IV Translation 15'
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese to English. You should write your answer on the Answer Sheet.
信息技术(Information Technology)正在飞速发展, 中国公民也越来越重视信息技术，有些学校甚至将信息技术作为必修课程，对这一现象大家持不同观点。一部分人认为这是没有必要的，学生就应该学校传统的课程。另一部分人认为这是应该的，中国就应该与时俱进。不管怎样，信息技术引起广大人民的重视是一件好事。
