III. Reading Comprehension (30 points, 2 points each)
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
Many of today's most trusted sales techniques were invented over a century ago by a young merchant named Eaton in Toronto. When he was young, Eaton worked briefly with his brothers in small-town stores. In 1869, he sep up his own shop in downtown Toronto. He had many competitors, but he was also ambitious and had a plan for success. He offered a unique style of trade, but as was expected, all the other shopkeepers laughed at him, believing he would eventually fail. However, Eaton was not a man to be easily defeated; he came up with a brand new notion of business - "Goods satisfactory, or money refunded." He sold all his goods at fixed prices and only for cash.
With a sharp sense of what the public wanted, he went out of the way to meet their needs. His business grew rapidly. He set up new branches and started mail order service that allowed people to buy from a list of his goods.
Eaton's list-advertisements of his day-was the first of its kind. It was distributed and read all over the country. It was the only way to access good-quality goods at reasonable prices for people living far away from big cites. It became part of their life. They even called it The Wishing Book. The secret of the list's success was that Eaton gained the respect of this customers; they trusted him for good prices and quality goods. Probably because he remembered his miserable early days in Ireland, Eaton thought much of the welfare of his employees: better working conditions, shorter weekday hours than his competitors and Saturday afternoons off in the summer. In all this, he was a leader.
21. The best description of Eaton is that ______.
A. he was the richest merchant in Toronto
B. he was a successful technical inventor
C. he introduced new sales practices
D. he changed people's ideas about businessmen
22. Eaton's success lay primarily in that ____.
A. he sold only good quality goods
B. he was the first person to provide good service
C. he treated his employees better than any of his competitors
D. he won respect from his customers
23. From the passage we can infer that ______.
A. Eaton invented the idea of the internet shopping
B. Eaton drove other businessmen to failure
C. Eaton never sold his goods on credit
D. Eaton was defeated by his rivals
24. The best title for this passage is _____.
A. Good Goods, of Money Refunded
B. Eaton, a Sales Inventor
C. Customers' Respect, a Secret of Success
D. Eaton's list, a Welcome Event in Sales History
25. Eaton's List was important to people on farms because it was a convenient way of getting _____.
A. good-quality goods at reasonable prices
B. goods at unreasonable prices
C. good-quality goods at unreasonable prices
D. poor-quality goods at reasonable prices
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
The threat of a global outbreak (疾病大爆发) of bird flu makes it urgent for the international community to cooperate effectively. Wealthy countries will have to provide hundreds of millions of dollars for the testing and production of medicines necessary for treating patients suffering from bird flu. Developing countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, where the bird flu virus (病毒) has spread since 1997, must work out special programs so that farmers will not hide sighs of possible outbreaks. In addition, the way such farm birds as chickens and ducks are traditionally raised and marketed in the developing world should be changed; there should be more distance between the birds and their keepers. Countries should deal with the disease with joint effort. If one country is inadequately prepared, it will be a threat to every other country.
The potential effects of a national outbreak of bird flu are enormous. Firstly, an outbreak may kill large numbers of people. World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that an outbreak similar to the mild Hong Kong flu of 1968 could kill as many as 7.4 millions people. If it were as dangerous as the 1918 Spanish flu, which killed 50 million, the number would be much higher. Secondly, such an outbreak may cause great financial damage. The latest outbreak of bird flu, which began in December 2003, has cost Southeast Asia more than $10 billion and depressed its GDP by 1.5 percent. If a new outbreak of bird flu were to last for a whole year, $800 billion would be lost.
Despite the 124 human cases and 63 deaths from bird flu since December 2003, the virus remains mainly a disease animals. However, the more animals that die of the disease, the more chances it has of spreading to people. Large numbers of dead or dying birds mean that more people will be exposed to the virus and change into a virus with new characteristics. If the international community works together efficiently, man can surely prevent such a virus and possibly save millions of lives.
26. Faced with the threat of a global outbreak of bird flu, the international community should ________.
A. establish new markets
B. work together effectively
C. stop birds from flying to other countries
D. raise fewer chickens and ducks
27. The second paragraph focuses on ______.
A. World Health Organization
B. flus in Hong Kong and Spain
C. the economy of Southeast Asia
D. possible effects of a bird flu outbreak
28. The number of people who have died of bird flu since 2003 is _______.
A. 63 B. 124 C. 7.4 million D. 50 million
29. In the third paragraph, the author is mainly interested in _____.
A. stimulating financial growth B. reducing economic damages
C. saving human lives D. protecting bird species
30. The passage deals with all the following aspects bird flu EXCEPT _______.
A. the origin and history of bird flu
B. the importance of international cooperation
C. the possible dangers of a national outbreak
D. the significance of preventing it from spreading
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
The long summer holidays are finally over and some parents are pleased. "We worry more about their safety in the holidays," explains one mother from North London. If teenagers are not wandering around on public transport in a big and potentially dangerous city, they are chatting to strangers in an internet chat room! Well, that's an extreme picture of the UK today, but many parents are worried about how much freedom they can give their children during the holidays and at weekends.
Weekends are not the only time to worry! Newspaper are full of stories about too many school kids going to school by car because their parents do not want them to travel alone on a bus or train. This summer there were more frightening stories of teenagers disappearing with questionable friends that they met on the net. All the Media stories help increase parents fears, but is the UK really so dangerous?
Many young people feel that life for their parents was easier. In the 1960s young people played in the streets more and traveled around town without their parents. "At least our parents can keep tabs on us," says 16-year-old Julia. "So many people have mobile phones now and their parents ring to find out where they are. I use my mobile to get Dad to come to the station when I arrive late." Mobiles are not just expensive toys; they help keep young people safe. Most significantly, they help keep young people safe. Most significantly, they make parents feel better. Only one problem is, though, that some young people have been attacked by thieves who want to steal their mobile phones.
Young people like going out with friends, but they now need to learn how to get home safely. Five million young people in the UK between the ages of 9 to 16 use chat rooms to make friends, but they, too, need to be careful and never give their personal details to a stranger. Young people today have more opportunities to meet new people and go out at night more than their parents ever did. Now school, television programs and newspapers must help teenagers to enjoy their freedom and to be responsible for their own safety.
31. Some parents are upset about the summer holidays mainly because their children ______.
A. wander around on bus in the city
B. chat to strangers in Internet chat rooms
C. make questionable friends on the net
D. are taken little care of by teachers
32. For the sake of the safety, many parents send their kids to school ________.
A. by car B. by bus C. by train D. by public transport
33. Most significantly, mobile phones _______.
A. enable parents keep a close watch on their kids
B. help keep teenagers safe
C. make parents feel less worried
D. protect teenagers from being attacked
34. Teenagers should never give any strangers ______.
A. their mobile phone numbers B. their family address
C. their personal information D. their parents' names
35. This passage is mainly about ________.
A. freedom for teenagers in summer holidays
B. safety for teenagers in summer holidays
C. activities for teenagers in summer holidays
D. troubles for teenagers in summer holidays
