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TEST FOR ENGLISHMAJORS (2007)
-GRADE EIGHT-
TIME LIMIT: 150 MIN
In this section you will hear amini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening to themini-lecture, please complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE andwrite NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap. Make sure the word(s) you fill inis (are) both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may use the blanksheet for note-taking.
You have THIRTY seconds topreview the gap-filling task.
Now listen to the mini-lecture.When it is over, you will be given THREE minutes to check you work.
What Can We Learn fromArt?
【答案与解析】
(1)politics, economics and war
（细节题。演讲一开始介绍了普通历史与艺术史的不同，本题主要针对普通历史设题。演讲中提到“most typical history coursesconcentrate on Politics, economics and war”，这里的“typical”与题干中的“general”属于同义复述，因此直接提取答案politics, economics and war。）
(2)civilization
（细节题。讲座提到该研究的意义是提到“enablesus to learn more things about human society and civilization”，所以该研究能够使我们更多的了解人类社会和文明，故应填入civilization。）
(3)objective
（细节题。讲座第二点论述的是信息的种类，信息分为两类：历史书上的信息和艺术史上的信息，本题主要涉及历史书上的信息。讲座提到普通历史提供的“信息”的一个特点“objective”。原文中“thatis”后面的内容对这一特点进行解释说明，与题干中后面提到的“facts, but no opinions”意思一致，所以提取答案objective。）
(4)subjective
（细节题。上文提到历史书中的信息是客观的，而“Art,on the other hand, is subjective”，所以艺术则是主观的。）
(5)personal emotions
（细节题。本题涉及艺术史信息的特点。讲座提到艺术史信息反映的是个人情感和观点，所以可以直接提取答案personal emotions。）
(6)Spanish
（细节题。在举例说明中提到“FranciscoGoya was a great Spanish painter”，所以这里指的是西班牙画家，接着提到“His description ofsoldiers and their victims has become a symbol of the enormous power or themisuse of this power that the government can have over its people”，所以“misuseof governmental power”是“Spanish painters’works”包含的内容。）
(7)social problems
（细节题。讲座中提到“Over100 years later, on another continent, the powerful paintings of Mexicanartists depicted their deep anger and sadness about social problems”，所以墨西哥艺术作品中包括对社会问题的态度。）
(8)the Bible
（推断题。讲座第三点讲述的是艺术与宗教信仰的关系，本题主要针对欧洲艺术与宗教的关系。讲座中提到“Churches and other religiousbuildings were filled with paintings that showed people and stories from theBible.”在教堂和其他宗教建筑物中的画像上到处都是来自《圣经》的人物和故事。因此将原句中的“people and storiesfrom the Bible”简化为“the Bible”。）
(9)animal images
（细节题。本题考察的是中东艺术与宗教的关系。讲座中提到“...itsabsence of human and animal images. This reflects the Islamic belief that theseimages are unholy.”后半句的“these images”指代的就是前句的“human and animal images”。所以直接提取答案animal images。）
(10)the Gods
（细节题。第四段后半部分，演讲者又介绍了非洲和太平洋群岛地区对传统艺术目的的看法，提到“...that is gods to enter people’slives. Each...to make sure that crops, animals and people are healthy andincreasing in number.”由此可见，传统艺术的目的是求助于gods来保护庄稼、植物以及人类，故答案为the Gods。）
(11)culture background
（细节题。讲座中提到“Similarly,the way that people view art also depends on their cultural background.”所以人们对艺术的理解也与文化背景有关，故应填入culture background。）
(12)decoration
（细节题。讲座第四点讲述的是在不同的文化背景下人们对艺术的不同看法，讲座主要分两点进行了论述：欧洲人和美国人、其他地方的人。本题主要针对欧洲人和美国人对艺术的看法设题。讲座中明确提到“For most Europeans andAmericans, art is mainly for decoration.”由此可直接得出答案decoration。）
(13)practical
（细节题。本题主要针对其他地区的人对艺术的看大提问。演讲者提到“It has a function, it has a practical role to playin people’s lives”可见，艺术具有实用功能。答案为practical。）
(14)influence/interaction
（推断题。演讲者在最后讲述艺术反映了社会变化，本题主要针对社会变化的原因设题。演讲者提到，不同的文化互相影响，致使社会发生变革，这些社会变革又通过艺术体现出来。由此可见，社会变革的原因是不同文化之间的相互影响的作用，故答案为influence或interaction。）
(15)urbanization
（推理题。倒数第二段第三句提到“Aspeople from tribal societies move to urban areas, their values and beliefschange accordingly...”由此可以推断，都市化进程对原始部落的艺术形式有影响，故答案为urbanization。）
【录音原文】
What Can We Learn fromArt?
Good morning, today’s lecture isthe very first of a series of lectures on art history, so I’d like to spendsome time discussing with you the following topic: Why do we need to study arthistory? And what can we learn from it?
First of all, I’d say, if youstudy art history, this might be a good way to learn more about a culture thanit’s possible to learn in general history classes. [1] You know, mosttypical history courses concentrate on politics,economics and war , but art historyfocuses on much more than this. Because art reflects not only the politicalvalues of a people, but also their religious beliefs, emotions etc. In addition,information about the daily activities of our ancestors can be provided by art,like what people did for a living, what kind of dress they wore, whatceremonies they held etc. [2] In short, art can express the essentialqualities of a time and a place, and the study of it clearly offers us a deeperunderstanding than can be found in most history books and enables us to learnmore things about human society and civilization .
The second point I’d like to makeis about the type of information. [3] In history books, informationis objective , that is facts aboutpolitical economic life of a country are given, but opinions are not expressed. [4] Art, on the other hand, is subjective. [5] It reflects personal emotions and opinions. For example, [6] FranciscoGoya was a great Spanish painter andalso perhaps the first truly political artist. In his famous painting, TheThird of May 1808, he showed soldiers shooting a group of simple people.His description of soldiers and their victims has become a symbol of theenormous power or the misuse of this power that the government can have overits people. [7] Over 100 years later, on another continent, thepowerful paintings of Mexican artists depicted their deep anger and sadnessabout social problems. In summary, through art you can find a personal andemotional view of history.
Thirdly, art can reflect aculture’s religious beliefs. For hundreds of years in Europe, religious art wasalmost the only type of art that existed. [8] Churches and otherreligious buildings were filled with paintings that showed people and storiesfrom the Bible . [9] By contrast, one of the maincharacteristics of art in the Middle East was (and still is), its absence ofhuman and animal images . This reflectsthe Islamic belief that these images are unholy. Thus, on palaces, mosques andother buildings, Islamic artists have created unique decoration of great beautywith images of flowers of geometric forms, for example, circles, squares andtriangles. The same is true of other places, like Africa and Pacific Islands. Artalso reflects the religious beliefs of traditional cultures in these places. Asa matter of fact, religion is the purpose for this art and it’s, therefore,absolutely essential to it. Traditional art in Africa and Pacific Islands isdifferent from Christian art. Christian art influences people’s religiousfeelings towards God. [10] But the goal of traditional art in Africaand Pacific Islands is the influence of spiritual powers, that is gods to enter people’s lives. Each tribe orvillage there had special ceremonies with songs and dances to make sure thatcrops, animals and people are healthy and increasing in number. The dancers inthe ceremonies wear masks, headdresses and costumes that they believe arenecessary to influence gods. So these masks, head dresses themselves, arerevelry part of the art.
As we said, art depends onculture, different forms of art result from different cultures. [11] Similarly,the way that people view art also depends on their cultural background. This ismy fourth point. [12] For most Europeans and Americans, art is mainlyfor decoration .It’s something on a museum wall or in a glass case. It makes their homes moreattractive. People look at it and admire it: “Oh, what a beautiful painting!” Besides,ideas are expressed in this art. This is a wonderful statue, and admiring it, Imight say: “It makes such a strong anti-war statement.” But in other places,art is not considered to be separated from everyday existence. [13] Ithas a function, it has a practical roleto play in people’s lives. A person in a tribal society might look at a maskand say: “Oh, this is a good mask. It would keep my house safe. ”In brief, theway in which people enjoy or appreciate art depends on their culture.
To conclude my lecture, we cansay that art is a reflection of various cultures. [14] But at thesame time, we have to remember that art also reflects the changes in societythat take place when different cultures influence one another. [15] As people from tribal societies move to urbanareas, their values and beliefs change accordingly and their traditional artforms begin to lose their function. At the same time, urban artists begin tolearn a lot from traditional art. For example, African masks and figures had agreat influence on Picasso’s works. And many American and Canadian artistsstudy the simplicity of Japanese painting. The result is that as the world getssmaller, the art of each culture becomes more international.
OK, this brings us to the end ofour lecture. I hope that after today’s lecture, you’ll understand better thesignificance of the study of art history. Art enables us to know more abouthuman history, for example, people’s views and opinions about certainhistorical events, and what’s more important, about different cultures, theirreligious beliefs, perception of art etc.
In this section you will hear ONEinterview. The interview will be divided into TWO parts. At the end of eachpart, five questions will be asked about what was said. Both the interview andthe questions will be spoken ONCE ONLY. After each question there will be aten-second pause. During the pause, you should read the four choices of A, B, Cand D, and mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.
You have THIRTY seconds topreview the questions.
Now listen to Part One of theinterview. Questions 1 to 5 are based on Part One of the interview.
1.A. Unfavorable weather conditions.
B. Airports handling capacity.
C. Inadequate ticketing service.
D. Overbooking.
2.A. Some passengers are always late for their planes.
B. All flights from a busyairport arrive or leave at more or less the same time.
C. The bad weather is one of theimportant factors.
D. Too many planes and thelimited airport capacity.
3.A. Free ticket.
B. Free phone call.
C. Cash reward.
D. Seat reservation.
4.A. Too many people take planes every day.
B. The special fare systemsencourage people to fly on less popular flight.
C. The phenomenon of overbookingis quite normal.
D. Because of the limited volumeof traffic in the airport.
5.A. Because all flights in and out of there are full.
B. Because the volume of trafficis heavy.
C. Because there are more popularflights.
D. Because there are more delaysand cancellations.
【答案与解析】
1. B 细节题。本题主要涉及民航产生问题的原因，男士回答说“交通流量过大是造成问题的原因，”之后进一步解释说明：所有的机场能够容纳的起飞和降落的飞机数量都有限，这说明正是由于机场的起飞和降落容量有限，给旅客带来了不便，故答案为B项。
2. A 细节题。录音中男士在介绍乘坐飞机的旅客会面临的一些问题时提到“All flights from a busy airportarrive and leave at more or less the same time”故B项正确；“theairport can only handle 120 an hour, that means some will always be latelanding or taking-off”故D项正确；“Andif the weather is bad, oh, you can imagine what the situation is like”，由此可知C项正确。所以只有A项不是该原因。
3. D 细节题。对话中男士提到如果飞机满仓，一些人主动提出乘坐下一班航班，可能获得的赔偿“a cash bribe orfree-trip voucher, a free phone call”，这与C、A、B项内容分别对应，只有D项未提及，故为答案。
4. B 细节题。原文提到“The special fare systems on the airline’s computersencourage more people to fly on less popular flights and this means that as aresult all flights are equally full”，所以原因是航空公司提供的特殊系统鼓励人们乘坐客流量不那么多的航班，所以所有的航班都是满的。
5. B 细节题。根据原文“The reason is there are too many flights there.”所以乘客避开大机场的原因是大机场的流量过大，可知答案为B项。
【录音原文】
W: Nigel Linge is editorof Business Travel Weekly. Nigel, thanks for being on the show. Now, whatkind of problems do airline passengers face nowadays?
M: Well, [1] mostof the problems are caused by the heavy volume of traffic. You know, allairports have a limit to the number of take-offs and landings they can handle.
W: So what seems to bethe problem?
M: [2] All flights from abusy airport arrive and leave at more or less the same time. If 60 aircraft arescheduled to take off between 5 p.m. and 5:15, and the airport can only handle120 an hour, that means some will always be late landing or taking-off. And ifthe weather is bad, oh, you can imagine what the situation is like. Sopassengers have to be loaded into each plane, and then the planes have to lineup to take off.
W: So waiting at thelounge or on the plane is quite common.
M: Certainly. And anotherproblem that’s very common is overbooking. Quite often you hear an announcementon the airport loudspeakers: “We have oversold on this flight and would likevolunteers to go on the next flight out.” [3] If you decide tovolunteer, you may get a cash bribe or free-trip voucher, but make sure you geta guaranteed seat on the next flight and a free phone call to whoever ismeeting you on the other end. And worse still, you arrive with confirmedreservation and you discover you’ve been bumped off the flight.
W: Presumably, if youchoose to travel at off-peak times, there are few problems.
M: Well, there are nooff-peak times. All flights seem to be full except Saturday. I don’t quiteunderstand why this is so. You know, if there is a public holiday, things arelikely to be especially busy. [4] The special fare systems on theairline’s computers encourage more people to fly on less popular flights andthis means that as a result all flights are equally full.
W: So, what advice wouldyou give to business travelers?
M: I’d say “Avoid bigairports if you can”. [5] The reason is there are too many flightsthere. Then, remember not to check your baggage if you can help it. Anotherthing is “Be prepared for delays”. Take something to eat and drink in your handluggage.
Thisis the end of Part One of the interview. Questions 1 to 5 are based on what youhave just heard.
1.According to Nigel, what causes most of the problems for traveling by plane?
2. Whichof the following may not be the reason for late landing or taking-off?
3. Forvolunteers taking the next flight, which of the following is not mentioned ascompensation?
4. Why areall flights equally full?
5. Why does Nigelsuggest that business travelers should avoid big airports?
Now listen to Part Two of theinterview. Questions 6 to 10 are based on Part Two of the interview.
6. A. Booking on lesspopular flights.
B. buying tickets at full price.
C. carrying excessive luggage.
D. planning long business trips.
7.A. To book the plane ticket earlier.
B. To find out about differentticket options.
C. To fly on less popularflights.
D. To take plane in a largerairport.
8.A. Because there are always things unexpected.
B. Because the weather is notgood.
C. Because some passengers maylate for the plane.
D. Because the passengers aren’tgood at making plan.
9.A. The flights have oversold the tickets.
B. The planes are always latelanding or taking off.
C. All flight seems to be fulleach day.
D. To travel overnight or beingstuck in a dreadful place.
10.A. The possibility of discounts depends on a travel agent’s volume of business.
B. Longer flights to the samedestination may be cheaper.
C. It is advisable to plan everydetail of a trip in advance.
D. Arranging for stopovers canavoid overnight travel.
【答案与解析】
6. A 细节题。文中在不同地方提到没有经验的旅客常犯的几个错误，第一个就是“take far too muchluggage”与C项相符。第二个错误是“thinkthat you have to pay full price for air tickets”，与B项相符。第三个错误是“go away for too long”，与D项相符。只有A项未提及，故为答案。
7. B 细节题。乘坐飞机的旅客常犯的另外一个错误就是“Another mistake people make is tothink that you have to pay full price for air tickets. You should find outabout the different ticket options”，所以为了避免这个错误，就要看看有没有别的选择，不一定非得买全价机票。
8. A 细节题。录音原文中Nigel提到，不要期望着能完全按照计划行事，总是会有意外发生，接着列举了各种意外情况，故答案为A项。
9. D 细节题。对话中女士提到“I think the worst part of a trip is having to travelovernight or being stuck for a weekend in some dreadful place”，所以旅行中最糟糕的就是夜晚坐飞机或者困在某个可怕的地方一周，故答案为D项。
10. C 细节题。在提到不需要买全额机票时，Nigel给出一个例子，“ifyou’re going to Australia from the USA, you could go out via Singapore”如果想从澳大利亚飞往美国，应该选择中间经停新加坡的飞机，这样可以节省机票钱。B项符合文意。Nigel还提到“getto know a good travel agent and make sure he gives you the best possibleservice.”即一个好的机票代理能够以商务舱的价格拿到头等舱的机票，其原因就是他的业务量大，A项符合文意。对话最后提到“it’s always more pleasant to stay a night in a hotelthan on a plane even if you travel business-class.”最好选择在旅馆过夜，而不是在飞机上过夜，D项符合文意。故答案为C项。
【录音原文】
W: What kind of mistakesdo inexperienced travelers make?
M: [6] The first mistakebusiness travelers make is to take far too much luggage. Remember, take onlycarry-on luggage, because at most airports, you can get away with two small bags.
W: Oh. I see.
M: [6] Another mistake peoplemake is to think that you have to pay full price for air tickets. [7] Youshould find out about the different ticket options. For example, an RTW farecan save up to 40% on normal fare.
W: Excuse me, what is RTW?
M: Round the World. [10] Forexample, if you’re going to Australia from the USA, you could go out viaSingapore, and come back via North America. And another way to save money is tosee if the ticket to a destination beyond it’s cheaper. For example, a ticketfrom Amsterdam from London to New York may be cheaper than one straight fromLondon to New York.
W: Oh, that’s very usefulinformation.
M: [6] And another mistake isto go away for too long. Most people’s efficiency and energy start to fall offafter two weeks away. So my advice is “Keep your trip short”, only go for twoweeks and never for a longer than three. [8] Another point is “Don’texpect everything to go according to plan”. You need to learn to expect theunexpected. There may be a typhoon in summer or your taxi may break down on theway to the airport. In other words, don’t be optimistic about plans and don’tschedule important meetings too closely together. You need to allow time fordelays and break-downs.
W: Yeah, this issomething travelers have to remember when they plan their trips.
M: [10] And another thing, getto know a good travel agent and make sure he gives you the best possibleservice. Take discounts for example, a good travel agent can get first-class ticketfor the price of business-class. This is because he does enough volume ofbusiness and he can get discounts with airlines on his own behalf. He shouldpass them on to you. So make sure he indeed does.
W: [9] I think the worst partof a trip is having to travel overnight or being stuck for a weekend in somedreadful place. Are there any ways avoiding that?
M: Yes. We can break orstop over in a more relaxing or lively place. It’s often available at specialcheap weekend rate. Various airlines and hotel chains offer these. [10] Andit’s always more pleasant to stay a night in a hotel than on a plane even ifyou travel business-class.
W: Yes. OK, thank you,Nigel, for all the useful information and advice.
M: Pleasure!
Thisis the end of Part Two of the interview. Questions 6 to 10 are based on whatyou have just heard.
6. Whichis not the likely mistake made by travelers without experience?
7. According to Nigel, how toavoid full price for flight ticket ?
8. Why couldn’t passengers expecteverything to go according to plan?
9. Which may be the worst part ofa trip?
10. Which of thefollowing statements is NOT CORRECT?
In this section there are severalpassages followed by fourteen multiple choice questions. For each multiplechoice question, there are four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choosethe one that you think is the best answer and mark your answers on ANSWER SHEETTWO.
PASSAGE ONE
The Welsh language has alwaysbeen the ultimate marker of Welsh identity, but a generation ago it looked asif Welsh would go the way of Manx, once widely spoken on the Isle of Man butnow extinct. Government financing and central planning, however, have helpedreverse the decline of Welsh. Road signs and official public documents arewritten in both Welsh and English, and schoolchildren are required to learnboth languages. Welsh is now one of the most successful of Europe’s regionallanguages, spoken by more than a half-million of the country’s three millionpeople.
The revival of the language,particularly among young people, is part of a resurgence of national identitysweeping through this small, proud nation. Last month Wales marked the secondanniversary of the opening of the National Assembly, the first parliament to beconvened here since 1404. The idea behind devolution was to restore the balancewithin the union of nations making up the United Kingdom. With most of thepeople and wealth, England has always had bragging rights. The partial transferof legislative powers from Westminster, implemented by Tony Blair, was designedto give the other members of the club—Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales—abigger say and to counter centrifugal forces that seemed to threaten thevery idea of the union.
The Welsh showed littleenthusiasm for devolution. Whereas the Scots voted overwhelmingly for aparliament, the vote for a Welsh assembly scraped through by less than onepercent on a turnout of less than 25 percent. Its powers were proportionatelylimited. The Assembly can decide how money from Westminster or the EuropeanUnion is spent. It cannot, unlike its counterpart in Edinburgh, enact laws. Butnow that it is here, the Welsh are growing to like their Assembly. Many peoplewould like it to have more powers. Its importance as figurehead will grow withthe opening in 2003, of a new debating chamber, one of many new buildings thatare transforming Cardiff from a decaying seaport into a Baltimore-stylewaterfront city. Meanwhile a grant of nearly two million dollars from theEuropean Union will tackle poverty. Wales is one of the poorest regions inWestern Europe—only Spain, Portugal, and Greece have a lower standard ofliving.
Newspapers and magazines arefilled with stories about great Welsh men and women, boosting self-esteem. Tofamiliar faces such as Dylan Thomas and Richard Burton have been added newicons such as Catherine Zeta-Jones, the movie star, and Bryn Terfel, the operasinger. Indigenous foods like salt marsh lamb are in vogue. And Wales nowboasts a national airline. Awyr Cymru. Cymru, which means “land ofcompatriots,” is the Welsh name for Wales. The red dragon, the nation’s symbolsince the time of King Arthur, is everywhere—on T-shirts, rugby jerseys andeven cell phone covers.
“Until very recent times mostWelsh people had this feeling of being second-class citizens,” said DyfanJones, an 18-year-old student. It was a warm summer night, and I was sitting onthe grass with a group of young people in Llanelli, an industrial town in thesouth, outside the rock music venue of the National Eisteddfod, Wales’s annualcultural festival. The disused factory in front of us echoed to the sounds ofnew Welsh bands.
“There was almost a genetictendency for lack of confidence,” Dyfan continued. Equally comfortable in hisWelshness as in his membership in the English-speaking, global youth cultureand the new federal Europe, Dyfan, like the rest of his generation, is growingup with a sense of possibility unimaginable ten years ago. “We used to think.We can’t do anything, we’re only Welsh. Now I think that’s changing.”
11.According to the passage, devolution was mainly meant to _____.
A. maintain the present statusamong the nations
B. reduce legislative powers ofEngland
C. create a better state ofequality among the nations
D. grant more say to all thenations in the union
12.Wales is different from Scotland in all the following aspects EXCEPT _____.
A. people’s desire for devolution
B. locals’ turnout for the voting
C. powers of the legislative body
D. status of the nationallanguage
13. Which of thefollowing is NOT cited as an example of the resurgence of Welsh nationalidentity?
A. Welsh has witnessed a revivalas a national language.
B. Poverty-relief funds have comefrom the European Union.
C. A Welsh national airline iscurrently in operation.
D. The national symbol has becomea familiar sight.
14.According to Dyfan Jones what has changed is _____.
A. people’s mentality
B. pop culture
C. town’s appearance
D. possibilities for the people
【文章导读】
文章主要讲的是威尔士作为大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国的一部分从政治、经济、文化各方面来说地位逐渐崛起。
【答案与解析】
11. C 推理题。文章第二段第三句提到“the idea behind devolution was to restore thebalance within the union of nations making up the United Kingdom.”为了重新建立英联邦各成员国之间的平衡。该段后面又具体指出，一直以来，英格兰都是“had bragging rights”，而这次部分立法权的转交就是为了让其他成员国有更大的发言权，这样做的目的就是实现各成员国之间的平等，故C项符合。
12. D 细节题。文章第三段对Wales与Scotland进行了比较，第一、二句“The Welsh showed little enthusiasm for devolution.Whereas the Scots voted overwhelmingly for a parliament, the vote for a Welshassembly scraped through by less than one percent on a turnout of less than 25percent...”分别与A、B项对应。第三、四句“Its powers were proportionately limited...unlike itscounterpart in Edinburgh, enact laws.”其中的“its”指代的是“Welsh,its counterpart in Edinburgh”，指代的是苏格兰，对应C项。文章并未对威尔士和苏格兰语进行比较，故选D项。
13. B 细节题。文章第三段末尾提到了欧盟的资金援助以解决威尔士的贫穷问题，作者举这个例子的目的在于表明威尔士现在正往好的方向发展。而题目问的是不能作为威尔士国家意识苏醒的例子，故B项不符合要求。第一段第二句提到中央通过财政支持并采取一系列的措施来扭转威尔士语面临消失的现状，如今威尔士语已经是欧洲的“regional language”了；第四段第四、五句提到以威尔士命名的国家航空公司现在正在运营中；第六句提到作为国家象征的红色的龙如今到处都是，这三方面都是国家认同感复苏的表现，故A、C、D项符合要求。
14. A 细节题。文章最后一段提到Dyfan的话“过去威尔士人缺乏自信，总会觉得我不能做这个，不能做那个，因为我只是个威尔士人”，但现在不同了，人们观念已在逐渐改变，由此可见人们的心理发生了变化。故选A项。
【全文翻译】
威尔士语一直是威尔士人身份的根本标志，但是，就在一代人之前，威尔士语还看起来要走上马恩岛语的老路，马恩岛语曾经在马恩岛上广泛应用、但是现在已经消失匿迹了。然而，政府的财政支持和中央计划扭转了威尔士语濒临灭绝的趋势。道路标志和官方文件中都同时使用了威尔士语和英语，学校的学生也都被要求学习这两种语言。威尔士语现在已经是欧洲最成功的地方语言之一，该国的三百万人口中有五十多万人在使用它。
这种语言的复兴，特别是在年轻人中的复兴，是席卷这个小而自主的国家主体意识复兴的一部分。上个月，威尔士举行了对国民议会成立两周年的庆祝活动，国民议会是自1404年以来在威尔士召集的第一次议会。权利下放的目的是恢复组成英联邦的国家集体内部的平衡。英格兰拥有最多的人口和财富，所以它总是有无上的权力。托尼·布莱尔将威斯敏斯特的立法权部分转移，是为了给这个俱乐部的其他成员——苏格兰、北爱尔兰和威尔士——更大的发言权，也是为了抵制似乎要威胁到联盟的一些离心力。
威尔士人对权利的下放并没有显示出多大的热情。当苏格兰人在成立议会的选举中体现了压倒性的支持意见的时候，不到25%的人参加的是否成立威尔士议会的选举中只有不到1%的人勉强投票选择支持。这个议会的权利受到了部分限制。它能决定如何使用来自威斯敏斯特或欧盟的资金，但不能像爱丁堡的议会那样制定法律。但不管怎么说议会是成立了，威尔士人也慢慢地喜欢起他们的议会来。许多人希望它有更多的权利。它作为名誉领袖的重要性将随着2003年新辩论厅的建立而增长。这个新议院是许多新建筑之一，它们正在将加地夫从一个衰败的海港转换成一个巴尔的摩风格的滨水城市。同时，来自欧盟的将近两百万美元的资金将解决贫困问题。威尔士是西欧最贫困的地区之——只有西班牙、葡萄牙和希腊比它的生活水平更低。
报纸和杂志充斥着伟大的威尔士男女的事迹，加强了人们的自尊心。除了狄兰·托马斯和理查德·伯顿这些熟面孔之外，又增加了一些新面孔，例如电影明星凯瑟琳·泽塔琼斯和歌剧家百灵·特尔非。像盐沼羊肉这样的本土食品越来越流行。而且威尔士现在成立了一家国家航空公司——威尔士航空公司。Cymru——意思是“同胞们的土地”——是威尔士语中对威尔士的称谓。自亚瑟王以来，这个国家的象征是“红龙”，而它现在到处都是——T恤衫上，橄榄球衫上，甚至手机套上。
18岁的学生迪范·琼斯说，“直到最近大多数威尔士人还是觉得自己是二等公民。”那是一个温暖的夏天的晚上，我和一群年轻人坐在南部工业区兰奈尔的草地上，那地方就在威尔士每年的全国文化节，艾斯特福德的摇滚乐大道的外面。我们前面废弃的工厂回响着新威尔士乐队的乐声。
范迪继续说道，“威尔士人天生缺乏自信。”范迪对自己的威尔士人身份和对于自己作为英语国家、全球青年文化、新的欧盟成员的一分子感到一样舒心。如同其他同龄人一样，他越来越相信可能性，这在十年前是无法想象的“我们过去总是会想：我们什么也做不了，我们只是威尔士人。现在我想这一想法正在发生改变。”
【题海拾贝】
①resurgence n. 复苏，复兴
②convene v. 召集，集合
③devolution n. 转移，委付，权力下放
④centrifugal adj. 离心的，权力扩散的
⑤scrape v. 刮，擦伤，勉强通过
⑥indigenous adj. 本土的，土著的，国产的
PASSAGE TWO
Getting to the heart of Kuwaitidemocracy seems hilariously easy. Armed only with a dog-eared NEWSWEEK ID, Iambled through the gates of the National Assembly last week. Unscanned,unsearched, my satchel could easily have held the odd grenade or an anthrax-stuffedlunchbox. The only person who stopped me was a guard who grinned and invited meto take a swig of orange juice from his plastic bottle.
Were I a Kuwaiti woman wielding aballot, I would have been a clearer and more present danger. That very day Parliamentblocked a bill giving women the vote; 29 M.P.s voted in favour and 29 against, with two abstentions. Unable to decide whether the bill had passed or not,the government scheduled another vote in two weeks—too late for women toregister for June’s municipal elections. The next such elections aren’t until2009.
Inside the elegant, marbledParliament itself, a sea of mustachioed men in white robes sat in green seats,debating furiously. The ruling emir has pushed for women’s political rights foryears. Ironically, the democratically elected legislature has thwarted him.Traditionalists and tribal leaders are opposed. Liberals fret, too, thatIslamists will let their multiple wives vote, swelling conservative ranks.“When I came to Parliament today, people who voted yes didn’t even shake handswith me,” said one Shia cleric. “Why can’t we respect each other and worktogether?”
Why not indeed? By Gulfstandards, Kuwait is a democratic superstar. Its citizens enjoy free speech (aslong as they don’t insult their emir, naturally) and boast a Parliament thatcan actually pass laws. Unlike their Saudi sisters, Kuwaiti women drive, workand travel freely. They run multibillion-dollar businesses and serve asambassadors. Their academic success is such that colleges have actually loweredthe grades required for male students to get into medical and engineeringcourses. Even then, 70 percent of university students are females.
In Kuwait, the Western obsessionwith the higab finds its equivalent. At a fancy party for NEWSWEEK’sArabic edition, some Kuwaiti women wore them. Others opted for tight, spangled,sheer little numbers in peacock blue or parrot orange. For the party’sentertainment, Nancy Ajram, the Arab world’s answer to Britney Spears, sangpassionate songs of love in a white mini-dress. She couldn’t dance for us,alas, since shaking one’s body onstage is illegal in Kuwait. That didn’t stopwhole tables of men from raising their camera-enabled mobile phones and clickingher picture.
You’d think not being able tovote or dance in public would anger Kuwait’s younger generation of women. Tofind out, I headed to the malls-Kuwait’s archipelago of civic freedom. Eager toduck strict parents and the social taboos of dating in public young Kuwaitishave taken to cafes, beaming flirtatious infrared e-mails to one another ontheir cell phones. At Starbucks in the glittering Al Sharq Mall, I found onlytables of men, puffing cigarettes and grumbling about the service. At Pizza Hut,I thought I’d got an answer after encountering a young woman who looked everyinch the modern suffragette—drainpipe jeans, strappy sliver high-heeled sandalsand a higab studded with purple rhinestones. But, no, Miriam Al-Enizi, 20, studyingbusiness administration at Kuwait University, doesn’t think women need thevote. “Men are better at politics than women,” she explained, adding that womenin Kuwait already have everything they need. Welcome to democracy, Kuwaitstyle.
15. According to thepassage, which of the following groups of people might be viewed as beingdangerous by the guards?
A. Foreign tourists.
B. Women protestors.
C. Foreign journalists.
D. Members of the NationalAssembly.
16.The bill giving women the vote did not manage to pass because _____.
A. Different interest groups helddifferent concerns
B. Liberals did not reachconsensus among themselves
C. Parliament was controlled bytraditionalists
D. Parliament members were allconservatives
17.Which of the following is NOT true about young Kuwaiti women?
A. They seem to be quitecontented.
B. They go in for Westernfashions.
C. They desire more than modernnecessities.
D. They favour the use of hi-techproducts.
【文章导读】
文章主要介绍了女性在科威特生活状态，文章一开始主要介绍女性在科威特没有民主权力，地位低下，接着笔锋一转说明科威特的民主环境很好，人们有言论自由，女性成就很高，，她们也勇于追求时尚。最后介绍了科威特年轻女性的生活状况和心态。
【答案与解析】
15. B 推理题。文章第二段第一句指出，如果作者他自己是“a Kuwaiti woman wielding a ballot”，那么就会被视作危险人物；该段第二句还提到，当时议会“blocked a bill giving women thevote”给妇女选举权的议案没有通过，故如果一个Kuwaiti woman手里挥着选票的话，那她很可能就是在对议会的决定表示抗议。故B项符合。
16. A 推理题。文章第三段介绍了议会内部不同利益集团对妇女选举的想法，其中，只有王室赞成，而民主选举出来的立法机构、保守派、部落首领以及自由主义者都反对，他们反对的理由都不一样，都有其不同的concerns，故此题A项最切合题意。
17. C 细节题。从文章最后一段第四句可知，很多Kuwaiti妇女都认为“womendoesn’t need the vote”不需要选举权。最后一句提到“women in Kuwaitalready have everything they need”，由此可见她们实际上对现在的生活和地位还是很满意的，故A项正确。第三句提到年轻的Kuwaitis女孩穿牛仔裤，银色的高跟凉鞋，可见她们追求西方时尚，故B项正确。第一句提到“the social taboos of dating in public young Kuwaitishave taken to cafes, beaming flirtatious infrared e-mails to one another ontheir cell phones.”，由此可见年轻的Kuwaitis女孩喜欢高科技产品，故D项正确。C项文中并未提及，故选C项。
【全文翻译】
进入科威特民主政治的核心地区容易地让人感到啼笑皆非。仅仅佩戴一个卷了边的《新闻周刊》的记者证，我上周就溜进了科威特国家议会的重重大门，未经过安检，也未经过搜查，我的小背包里可以轻易地藏一枚手榴弹或装有炭疽热的饭盒。唯一拦住我的人是一个警卫，他咧嘴笑着，邀请我尝一口他的塑料瓶子里的橙汁。
如果我是一个挥舞着选票的科威特妇女，我就可能成为一个更明显也更现行的危险人物。就在那天，议会拒绝通过一个给予女性选举权的提案：29位议员赞成，29位反对，2位弃权。因为无法决定该议案是否通过，政府计划两周内再进行一次投票，但那时候对于妇女参加六月份的地方选举来说就太晚了。而下一次这样的选举要到2009年才举行。
在雅致的铺有大理石的议会里，一大群穿着白色长袍，留着大胡子的男人坐在绿色的椅子上，激烈的争论着。该国酋长几年来一直致力于推动女性的政治权利；具有讽刺意味的是，经过民主程序选举出来的立法机构反对他这样做。传统主义者和部落首领也反对。自由主义者也烦恼着伊斯兰教徒会让自己的多个老婆参与选举，那样会壮大保守人士的阵营。一位什叶派牧师说：“今天我到议会的时候，那些支持该议案的议员们甚至不和我握手。为什么我们不能互相尊敬，相互合作呢？”
究竟是为什么呢？就海湾地区的标准而言，科威特在民主方面算得上是巨星了。其公民享有言论自由（当然，只要他们不侮辱酋长就行），拥有一个可以制定法律的议会。与沙特妇女不同，科威特妇女可以自由开车，工作、旅行。她们经营着几十亿美元的业务，出任大使。她们所取得的极高的学术成就使得大学降低了对男生学习医学和工程课程的分数要求。即使是这样，大学中70%的学生还是女性。
与西方国家一样，科威特也非常迷恋higab（穆斯林妇女戴的面纱或头巾）。在一个为《新闻周刊》阿拉伯版举行的化妆舞会中，一些科威特女性就戴着higab,其他人选择紧身的，有装饰的，孔雀蓝或鹦鹉黄的小衣服。为了娱乐来宾，Nancy Ajram 这个在阿拉伯世界与Britney Spears一样有名的歌手穿着白色迷你裙唱激情的爱情歌曲。唉，但是她不能为我们跳舞，因为在科威特，在舞台上摆动身体是违法的。但是那并不是妨碍桌旁的男人们举起具有照相功能的手机拍下她的照片。
你可能认为不能选举，不能在公共场合跳舞会使科威特年轻一代的女性感到愤怒。为了确认是否如此，我去了购物中心——科威特公民自由的聚集地。急于躲避严厉的父母以及社会对公开约会的禁忌，科威特年轻人去咖啡馆，通过手机发送调情的红外电子邮件。在明亮的Al Sharq 购物中心的星巴克里，我只看到了桌边的男人们，抽着烟，对服务满腹牢骚。而在必胜客里，我想自己找到了答案。在那，我遇到了一个从头到脚完全是现代的妇女参政议政者的年轻女人，她穿着直筒牛仔裤，系带的银色高跟凉鞋，戴着缀有紫色人造水晶的higab。但是20岁的MariamAl-Enizi并不认为妇女需要选举权，她是科威特大学工商管理专业的学生。她解释说：“男人比女性更擅长政治。”她还补充到，科威特妇女已经有了他们需要的一切。欢迎来到科威特式的民主中来。
【题海拾贝】
①amble v. 缓行，从容漫步
②grenade n. 手榴弹
③wield v. 使用，行使，挥舞
④abstention n. 弃权，节制，戒绝
⑤thwart v. 挫败，反对，阻碍，横过
⑥grumble v. 抱怨
PASSAGE THREE
Richard, King of England from1189 to 1199, with all his characteristic virtues and faults cast in a heroicmould, is one of the most fascinating medieval figures. He has been describedas the creature and embodiment of the age of chivalry. In those days the lionwas much admired in heraldry, and more than one king sought to link himselfwith its repute. When Richard’s contemporaries called him “Coeur de Lion” (TheLion heart), they paid a lasting compliment to the king of beasts. Little didthe English people owe him for his services, and heavily did they pay for hisadventures. He was in England only twice for a few short months in his tenyears’ reign; yet his memory has always English hearts, and seems to presentthroughout the centuries the pattern of the fighting man. In all deeds ofprowess as well as in large schemes of war Richard shone. He was tall anddelicately shaped strong in nerve and sinew, and most dexterous in arms. He rejoicedin personal combat, and regarded his opponents without malice as necessaryagents in his fame. He loved war, not so much for the sake of glory orpolitical ends, but as other men love science or poetry, for the excitement ofthe struggle and the glow of victory. By this his whole temperament was toned;and united with the highest qualities of the military commander, love of warcalled forth all the powers of his mind and body.
Although a man of blood andviolence, Richard was too impetuous to be either treacherous or habituallycruel. He was as ready to forgive as he was hasty to offend; he was open-handedand munificent to profusion; in war circumspect in design and skilful inexecution; in political a child, lacking in subtlety and experience. Hispolitical alliances were formed upon his likes and dislikes; his politicalschemes had neither unity nor clearness of purpose. The advantages gained forhim by military geoids were flung away through diplomatic ineptitude. When, onthe journey to the East, Messina in Sicily was won by his arms he was easilypersuaded to share with his polished, faithless ally, Philip Augustus, fruitsof a victory which more wisely used might have foiled the French King’s artfulschemes. The rich and tenable acquisition of Cyprus was cast away even moreeasily than it was won. His life was one magnificent parade, which, when ended,left only an empty plain.
In 1199, when the difficulties ofraising revenue for the endless war were at their height, good news was broughtto King Richard. It was said there had been dug up near the castle of Chaluz,on the lands of one of his French vassals, a treasure of wonderful quality; agroup of golden images of an emperor, his wife, sons and daughters, seatedround a table, also of gold, had been unearthed. The King claimed this treasureas lord paramount. The lord of Chaluz resisted the demand, and the King laidsiege to his small, weak castle. On the third day, as he rode daringly, nearthe wall. Confident in his hard-tried luck, a bolt from a crossbow struck himin the left shoulder by the neck. The wound, already deep, was aggravated bythe necessary cutting out of the arrow-head. Gangrene set in, and Coeur de Lionknew that he must pay a soldier’s debt. He prepared for death with fortitudeand calm, and in accordance with the principles he had followed. He arrangedhis affairs, he divided his personal belongings among his friends or bequeathedthem to charity. He declared John to be his heir, and made all present swearfealty to him. He ordered the archer who had shot the fatal bolt, and who wasnow a prisoner, to be brought before him. He pardoned him, and made him a giftof money. For seven years he had not confessed for fear of being compelled tobe reconciled to Philip, but now he received the offices of the Church withsincere and exemplary piety, and died in the forty-second year of his age onApril 6, 1199, worthy, by the consent of all men, to sit with King Arthur andRoland and other heroes of martial romance at some Eternal Round Table, whichwe trust the Creator of the Universe in His comprehension will not have forgottento provide.
The archer was flayed alive.
18. “Little did theEnglish people own him for his service” (paragraph one) means that the English_____.
A. paid few taxes to him
B. gave him little respect
C. received little protectionfrom him
D. had no real cause to feelgrateful to him
19. To say that his lifewas a “magnificent parade” (Paragraph Two) implies that it was to some extent_____
A. spent chiefly at war
B. impressive and admirable
C. lived too pompously
D. an empty show
20. The point of the last short paragraph is thatRichard was _____.
A. cheated by his own successors
B. determined to take revenge onhis enemies
C. more generous to his enemiesthan his successors
D. unable to influence thebehavior of his successors
21.Which of the following phrase best describes Richard as seen by the author?
A. An aggressive king,too fond of war.
B. A brave king with minorfaults.
C. A competent but cunningsoldier.
D. A king with great politicalskills.
【文章导读】
文章主要讲述了英格兰国王理查德这一英雄人物形象，在作者笔下他一生戎马生涯，却没有实质性的收获，他为子民做的事情并不多，暴力冲动；同时他又是宽宏大量、坚毅、冷静、精力充沛、真诚的，所有这些品格都使他性格和执政生涯里的小瑕疵显得都是微不足道的，总体来说，他是一个只有较少缺点的勇敢的国王。
【答案与解析】
18. D 推断题。这句后面的“heavily did they pay for his adventures”实际上是对此句的进一步说明。他的人民为他的冒险付出了惨重的代价，后面又讲到他在位十年间在英国的时间却很短，也说明他为英国人民做的事情不多。因此此句应该指他的人民没有真正的理由对他心存感激，故D项符合。
19. B 细节题。文章第二段主要讲述了Richard骁勇善战，但是在政治决策上，他冲动且不成熟，没有同盟和明确的目标……，因而战场上赢得优势会因政治上缺乏技巧而丧失。但是总的来说，他的人生因赫赫战功而辉煌，如同“magnificent parade”，令人印象深刻。
20. C 推断题。从倒数第二段可知，Richard已命令释放那个射手，并且还给了他一笔钱，可他一死，他的继承者却将那个射手活活的剥皮致死，可知，Richard的继承者对待敌人不如Richard仁慈，故选C项。将那个射手处死的是Richard的继承者，因此B项的表述“Richard决心报复仇人”偷换了主语。将那个射手处死并不涉及继承者有无欺骗Richard，也并不涉及Richard是否影响继承者，故排除A、D项。
21. B 推断题。从文章第一段作者的用词可看出，作者虽然承认Richard喜好战争，但并不是对他完全的否定和批评，比如“In all deeds of prowess as wellas in large schemes of war Richard shone”，以及一些描述性的词语，像“delicately shapedstrong in nerve and sinew, the highest qualities of the military commander”。A项隐含的意思是对Richard性格的否定。故A项不准确。文章第二段表明，作者认为Richard在政治上的不英明导致了很多不必要的损失，因此D项不符合。C项“Richard是个有能力但却很狡猾的士兵”，文章并无此义，故此项不符合。纵观全文，作者认为Richard很勇敢，即使描述其好战、冲动等性格弱点时，作者也用了一些像“love of war called forth all thepowers of his mind and body”之类的语句来转缓，故B项符合。
【全文翻译】
理查德是1189至1199年的英格兰国王，他所特有的美德和缺点都被定型于一个英雄的模子里，是中世纪最吸引人的人物之一。他被称为骑士时代的创造物和象征。那时候，纹章中经常出现狮子的形象，许多国王想要把自己和狮子的声望联系在一起。当理查德同时代的人称他为“Coeur de Lion”（狮心王）时，他们是给予他百兽之王这一永久的赞誉。英国人没有从他那儿得到多少好处，而是为他的冒险付出了沉重的代价。在他在位的十年间，他只在英国呆过两次，每次不过短短的几个月时间，但是对他的记忆总是搅动英国人的心，并且在之后的世纪里都作为好战者的典型存在着。理查德在所有的英勇行为和大的战争行动中都表现地卓尔不群。他高大威武，身材匀称。意志坚定，精力充沛，精通武器装备。他乐于亲自参战，面对敌手毫无恶意，将他们视为自己声望的必要成分。他热爱战争，并不是为了荣誉或政治原因，而是像其他热爱科学或诗歌的人一样，是为了努力奋斗和光辉胜利带来的激动之情。这就是他性情的基调，它和他身上具有军事指挥官的最好的素质统一起来，对战争的热爱激发了他身体和精神上的所有能量。
尽管理查德是一个残忍嗜杀而又暴虐的人，但他性格中的轻率冲动使得他即不会背信弃义，也不是天性残忍。他易于冒犯他人，但也乐于宽恕。他极为慷慨；在战争中，他设计周密，执行灵活；在政治上，则是一个孩子，不够精明，缺少经验。他进行政治联盟是基于自己的喜好；他的政治规划不一致，目的也不明确。由于外交方面的无能，军事天赋带给他的优势也被丢掉了。在东征途中，他的军队打败了西西里的墨西拿。他轻易就被说服，与圆滑而无信的盟友Philip Augustus分享了胜利果实。如果他手腕高超的话，就会挫败法国国王这一骗人的诡计。他轻易就放弃了唾手可得的富饶且容易防守的塞浦路斯。他的一生是华丽的游行，而当生命结束时，只留下一片空空的平原。
1199年，为没完没了的战争筹措经费到了最困难的时候，有好消息传到了国王理查德那儿。据说在他的一个法国诸侯的领地上的Chalus城堡附近挖掘出了极棒的宝藏——一组围坐在在金桌子旁的某个国王、王后、王子和公主的金塑像被挖掘出来。理查德声称国王对此拥有所有权。但是Chaluz的领主拒绝了这一要求，国王开始围攻他小小的不堪一击的城堡。他对于自己历经磨难的好运很是自信，第三天，当他肆无忌惮地在城墙边骑马时，一枚从弩上发射出来的箭射中他颈部左肩处。伤口很深，在将箭头挖出来的过程中进一步恶化。坏疽蔓延开来，Coeur de Lion知道自己要还清作为士兵所欠下的血债了。他平静勇敢的面对死亡，这与他遵循的原则一致。他安排后事，将个人财产分给朋友或捐赠给慈善机构。他宣布约翰为王位继承人，让所有在场者发誓对其效忠。他命令将射出致命一箭的弓箭手——现在是一名囚犯——带了进来。他饶恕了他，并且给了他一些钱作为礼物。他已经7年没有忏悔了，担心被迫与菲利普讲和，但是现在他怀着真诚的堪称楷模的虔诚接受了教会的宗教仪式。他死于1199年4月6日，时年42岁。所有人都认为，他应该和亚瑟王，罗兰王和其他军事英雄并肩坐在某个永久的圆桌边上。我们相信上帝能够理解他，不会忘记给他提供这样的机会。
那个射中他的弓箭手被活剥了皮。
【题海拾贝】
①prowess n. 英勇，超凡技术，勇猛
②impetuous adj. 冲动的，轻率的
③treacherous adj. 奸诈的，叛逆的，危险的
④munificent adj. 慷慨的，大方的
⑤circumspect adj. 慎重的，周到的
⑥ineptitude n.不合适，不称职，愚笨
⑦fortitude n. 刚毅，坚韧
⑧bequeath v. 遗赠，遗留
PASSAGE FOUR
The miserable fate of Enron’semployees will be a landmark in business history, one of those awful eventsthat everyone agrees must never be allowed to happen again. This urge isunderstandable and noble: thousands have lost virtually all their retirementsavings with the demise of Enron stock. But making sure it never happens againmay not be possible, because the sudden impoverishment of those Enron workersrepresents something even larger than it seems. It’s the latest turn in theunwinding of one of the most audacious promise of the 20th century.
The promise was assured economicsecurity—even comfort—for essentially everyone in the developed world. With theexplosion of wealth, that began in the 19th century it became possible to thinkabout a possibility no one had dared to dream before. The fear at the center ofdaily living since caveman days—lack of food warmth, shelter—would at last loseits power to terrify. That remarkable promise became reality in many ways.Governments created welfare systems for anyone in need and separate programmesfor the elderly (Social Security in the U.S.). Labour unions promised not onlybetter pay for workers but also pensions for retirees. Giant corporations cameinto being and offered the possibility—in some cases the promise—of lifetimeemployment plus guaranteed pensions. The cumulative effect was a fundamentalchange in how millions of people approached life itself, a reversal of attitudethat most rank as one of the largest in human history. For millennia theaverage person’s stance toward providing for himself had been. Ultimately I’mon my own. Now it became, ultimately I’ll be taken care of.
The early hints that this promisemight be broken on a large scale came in the 1980s. U.S. business had becomeuncompetitive globally and began restructuring massively, with huge Layoffs.The trend accelerated in the 1990s as the bastions of corporate welfare facedreality. IBM ended it’s no-layoff policy. AT&T fired thousands, many ofwhom found such a thing simply incomprehensible, and a few of whom killedthemselves. The other supposed guarantors of our economic security were also indecline. Labour-union membership and power fell to their lowest levels indecades. President Clinton signed a historic bill scaling back welfare.Americans realized that Social Security won’t provide social security for any ofus.
A less visible but equallysignificant trend affected pensions. To make costs easier to control, companiesmoved away from defined-benefit pension plans, which obligate them to pay outspecified amounts years in the future, to defined-contribution plans, whichspecify only how much goes into the play today. The most common type ofdefined-contribution plan is the 401(k). The significance of the 401(k) is thatit puts most of the responsibility for a person’s economic fate back on theemployee. Within limits the employee must decide how much goes into the planeach year and how it gets invested—the two factors that will determine how muchit’s worth when the employee retires.
Which brings us back to Enron?Those billions of dollars in vaporized retirement savings went in employees’401(k) accounts. That is, the employees chose how much money to put into thoseaccounts and then chose how to invest it. Enron matched a certain proportion ofeach employee’s 401(k) contribution with company stock, so everyone was goingto end up with some Enron in his or her portfolio; but that could be regardedas a freebie, since nothing compels a company to match employee contributionsat all.
At least two special featurescomplicate the Enron case. First, some shareholders charge top management withillegally covering up the company’s problems, prompting investors to hang onwhen they should have sold. Second, Enron’s 401(k) accounts were locked whilethe company changed plan administrators in October, when the stock was falling,so employees could not have closed their accounts if they wanted to.
But by far the largest cause ofthis human tragedy is that thousands of employees were heavily overweighed inEnron stock. Many had placed 100% of their 401(k) assets in the stock ratherthan in the 18 other investment options they were offered. Of course thatwasn’t prudent, but it’s what some of them did.
The Enron employees’’ retirementdisaster is part of the larger trend away from guaranteed economic security.That’s why preventing such a thing from ever happening again may be impossible.The huge attitudinal shift to I’ll-be-taken-care-of took at least a generation.The shift back may take just as long. It won’t be complete until a newgeneration of employees see assured economic comfort as a 20 th -century quirk, and understand not just intellectually but in their bones that,like most people in most times and places, they’re on their own
22. According to thepassage, the combined efforts by governments, labour unions and bigcorporations to guarantee economic comfort have led to a significant change in_____.
A. people’s outlook on life
B. people’s life styles
C. people’s living standard
D. people’s social values
23.Changes in pension schemes were also part of _____.
A. the corporate lay-offs
B. the government cuts in welfarespending
C. the economic restructuring
D. the warning power of laboursunions
24.Which is NOT seen as a lesson drawn from the Enron disaster?
A. 401(k) assets should be placedin more than one investment option.
B. Employees have to take upresponsibilities for themselves.
C. Such events could happen againas it is not easy to change people’s mind.
D. Economic security won’t betaken for granted by future young workers.
【文章导读】
文章由安然公司由于股票崩盘导致成千上万的人损失了自己所有的退休金储备这一事件引出对经济安全保障的论述。论述了人们对经济安全保障这一问题的态度转变过程以及转变的原因，最后作者回到安然事件深入分析了安然事件的实质以及所带来的巨大影响。
【答案与解析】
22. A 细节题。由文章第二段倒数第四句“The cumulative effect was afundamental change in how millions of people approached life itself, a reversalof attitude that most rank as one of the largest in human history.”可知，这一系列事件带来的是人们对待生活（approached life itself）的根本性的转变，故A项“人们对生活的展望、看法”，符合题意。
23. C 推断题。第三段首句指出这种提供经济安全的承诺从20世纪80年代开始大规模地被打打破了。第二句提到两个原因：美国公司的全球竞争力下降和美国公司开始大规模重组。之后开始举例进行说明，首先提到解雇员工，然后第四段提到退休金，可见退休金计划的改变也是企业经济重组的部分内容，故选C项。
24. D 推理题。文章倒数第二段第一句指出职工的唯一的投资选择（sole investment option）是造成悲剧的最大原因，从该段第二句也可看出，如果他们将投资分散在各个“investment options”的话，可能就不会造成这么大的悲剧，故A项正确。从文章可知，人们普遍认为“I’ll-be-taken-care-of”，但此次悲剧不仅说明了所谓的经济安全的瓦解，也警醒了他们须为自己负责，不能再想当然以为企业、社会或者政府会为他们负责。故B项正确。从最后一段可知，人们的思想观念不可能一下子转变过来，因而有可能这样的事会再发生，故C项正确。D项并不是从Enrondisaster得到的教训。
【全文翻译】
安然公司员工的悲惨命运是商业史上的一个划时代的事件，属于那种人人都认为不能再发生的事情的范畴里。这种要求可以理解。而且非常好：随着安然股票的崩盘，成千上万的人实际上损失了自己所有的退休金储备。但是确保这类事件不再发生可能不太现实，因为安然员工的突然致贫比表面看来呈现出更深的含义。这是解开二十世纪一个最大胆的承诺的最新转变。
这个承诺就是保证发达国家中每个人的经济安全，甚至是经济上的舒适。随着19世纪开始的财富快速膨胀，考虑人们之前所不敢想象的可能性变得可能了。从穴居时代开始，人们日常生活的核心就是担心挨饿受冻、没有地方住，而这种恐惧感最终将不复存在。这个惊人的承诺在许多方面成了现实。政府为每个有需要的人提供福利制度，为老人提供单独的福利计划（在美国是社会保障计划）。工会承诺不仅为工人提供更高的薪酬，也为退休者提供退休金。大公司的诞生为包含保障金的终身就业提供了可能——有时候也是承诺。所有这些累积起来，使得成百上千万人的生活方式产生了根本变化，这种生活态度的彻底转变荣登人类历史上最大转变之一的行列。几千年以来普通人养活自己的观点是：最终我要靠自己。但是现在变成了：最终，我会得到照顾。
大规模地打破的这一承诺的最初迹象始于20世纪80年代。美国公司在全球失去了竞争力，开始大规模地进行重组，大批雇佣人员失业。在90年代，随着公司的福利制度开始直面现实，这一趋势发展更加迅速。IBM公司废除了不解雇员工的制度。AT&T解雇了上千人，许多人发现对被解雇无法理解，一些人自杀身亡。而其他被认为是经济安全的保障人也在走下坡路。几十年间，工会成员身份和工会权力跌至谷底。克林顿总统签署了一个议案，相应缩减福利。美国人意识到社会保障体系不会再为我们中的每个人都提供社会保障了。
一个不那么明显但是同样重要的趋势同样对退休金产生了影响。为了更容易控制成本，公司取消了固定收益计划，该计划强制规定他们要在未来固定的多少年中为员工支付退休金。公司改成养老金固定缴款计划，该计划只规定现在有多少钱进入养老金账户。而养老金固定缴款计划中最普遍的类型就是401（k）。该计划的意义在于承担一名雇员未来经济命运的大部分责任交还给雇员自己。在限额内，雇员必须决定每年有多少钱进入固定缴款计划账户，应该如何投资，这两个因素将决定雇员退休时有多少退休金。
现在回到安然事件。这些蒸发了的几亿美元的退休金就是雇员401（k）账户里的资金。也就是说，雇员们决定有多少钱进入这些账户，然后选择如何投资。安然公司将雇员401（k）账户中的分担额按比例补给公司股票，因此每个人最终在他或她的退休金户头上都会有安然的股票。但那些被视为免费赠品，因为没有人强迫公司补足员工的分担额。
至少有两个独特特点让安然事件变得复杂。首先，一些股东指控公司高层管理非法掩盖公司的问题，在他们应该抛售公司股票时还敦促他们继续持有。第二，安然公司在10月份更换养老金固定缴款计划执行官时股票就在下跌，而401（k）账户被冻结，因此雇员即使想结清退休金户头也是不可能的。
但是目前为止，造成这一人类悲剧的最重要的原因是数千雇员大量持有安然股票。许多人401（k）账户中100%都是公司股票，而不是为他们提供的18种其他投资选择，当然这不是慎重的选择，但一些人的确这样做了。
安然雇员的退休金灾难是我们远离有保障的经济安全的大趋势的一部分。正是因此，我们不可能防止这类事件再度发生。人们的观念大规模的转为“我会得到照顾”花了二、三十年的时间。而再将观念扭转回来也需要那么长的时间。这一过程不会结束，直到新的一代雇员们将20世纪有保障的经济舒适视为奇想，不仅从理性上，而且坚信像多数时期，多数地区的多数人一样，他们要靠自己。
【题海拾贝】
①demise n. 死亡，终止，转让
②audacious adj. 无畏的，鲁莽的
③portfolio n. 公文包，证券投资组合
④freebie n. 免费的东西，赠品
⑤attitudinal adj. 态度的
⑥quirk n. 怪癖
In this section there are eightshort answer questions based on the passages in SECTION A. Answer each questionin NO more than 10 words in the space provided on ANSWER SHEET TWO.
PASSAGE ONE
25.What does the word “centrifugal” in the second paragraph mean?
【答案】 Separatist
【解析】 推理题。这种“centrifugalforces”是会威胁到团结这一理念，即威胁到各国之间统一与联合的思想，因此本词表达的意思应与“union”相反，应含有“分裂的、不统一的”的意思。separatist“分离的”，符合题意。
PASSAGE TWO
26.Why did the man easily go through the gates of the National Assembly?
27. What do we know about Kuwait democracy?
28.What is the role of the 4th and 5th paragraphs in the development of the topic?
【答案与解析】
26.Becausehe is a journalist.
（细节题。文中提到“Armedonly with a dog-eared NEWSWEEK ID”，而且下文说到“Were I a Kuwaiti womanwielding a ballot, I would have been a clearer and more present danger”，所以他能畅通无阻的通过科威特国家议会的重重大门，是因为他“仅仅佩戴一个卷了边的《新闻周刊》的记者证”。）
27. Itis good by Gulf standards but has limitations.
（根据文章倒数第三段第二句“ByGulf standards, Kuwait is a democratic superstar”，所以根据海湾地区的标准，科威特在民主方面算得上是巨星，但是女性没有选举权、不能在公共场合跳舞又表明其不够民主。）
28. Toprovide a contrast to the preceding paragraphs.
（推断题。文章第四、五两段主要介绍了Kuwaiti妇女的生活现状，她们有言论自由，可以自由的工作、旅游、开车，可以经营自己的公司，可以当外交官等，这些都体现了“Kuwait is a democraticsuperstar”，妇女在Kuwaiti的地位相对于其他阿拉伯国家来说已经是比较高的了。但从一、二、三段可知，Kuwaiti妇女没有选举权，前后形成鲜明对比。）
PASSAGE THREE
29.What character qualities did Richard show as death approached?
30.What do the first and second paragraphs show to us?
【答案与解析】
29.Braveryand self-control.
（推断题。文章倒数第二段最后五句话提到，Richard在处理身后事时体现了坚韧与沉着（fortitude and calm）。他先是将自己的财产或分给朋友或捐给慈善机构，然后任命了继承人，接着又赦免了那个给他致命一箭的射手。在第二段中说理查德是一个“残忍嗜杀，而又暴虐的人”，故综合起来，他勇敢地面对死亡的表现是勇敢的、自制的。）
30. Bothpresent Richard’s virtues and faults.
（推断题。文章第一段和第二段中，作者都描写了Richard性格中好的一面和坏的一面。）
PASSAGE FOUR
31. Why does theauthor say at the beginning “The miserable fate of Enron’s employees will be alandmark in business history...”?
32.Why did thousands of employees choose Enron as their sole investment option?
【答案与解析】
31.Because it signifies a turning point in economic security.
（推断题。既然题干中提到“Enron职工的悲惨命运将是商业史上标志性的事件”，可见此事对整个商界产生了巨大的影响。结合首段末句和第二段第一句可知，20世纪的一个“audaciouspromise”就是经济安全这次事件体现了经济安全方面的转变。）
32. Enronoffered to add company stock to their investment.
（细节题。从文章第四段可知，401(k)与以往的“defined-benefitplan”一个重要的不同在于，前者是让职工在很大程度上去负责自己的经济命运（比如说自己决定要不要将那些钱做进一步的投资），而后者则是让公司来负责。而第五段又进一步指出Enron的政策“matcheda certain proportion of each employee’s 401(k) contribution with company stock”即职工在公司401(k)上的投资量与他将来可以获得的公司股份挂上钩。由此可推知，职工们选择Enron作为其唯一的投资对象很可能是受了公司提供的这种免费的诱惑。）
The passage contains TEN errors. Eachindicated line contains a maximum of ONE error. In each case, only ONE word isinvolved. You should proofread the passage and correct it in the following way.
For a wrong word, underlinethe wrong word and write the correct one in the blank provided at the end ofthe line.
For a missing word, markthe position of the missing word with a “∧”sign and write the word you believe to be missing in the blank provided at theend of the line.
For an unnecessary word, crossthe unnecessary word with a slash “/” and put the word in the blank provided atthe end of the line.
EXAMPLE
Proofread the given passage onANSWER SHEET THREE as instructed.
【答案与解析】
(1)and→or
（考点：选择关系。在否定句中一般用“or”，表示“两者都不”。）
(2) show→showing
（考点：非谓语动词。一个句子中不能同时出现两个谓语动词。therebe句型中，已经有一个谓语动词“be”，故将“show”改成“showing”，现在分词短语作“material”的后置定语。）
(3) the→删除the
（考点：定冠词误用。此处意为“语言起源于由于愤怒、害怕、痛苦及高兴的叫喊”，并非特指哪一语言，故不用定冠词“the”。）
(4)and→but
（考点：逻辑关系。该句的前半句与后半句的“缺少必要的证据”构成了转折关系。）
(5)large→larger
（考点：比较级。句中的“than”表明前面形容词应用比较级。）
(6)in→on
（考点：固定搭配。onthe grounds为固定用法，意为“理由；依据”。）
(7)return→response
（考点：语义衔接。inresponse to固定搭配，表示“作为……的回应、响应”。）
(8)on→删除on
（考点：动词的词性。emphasize及物动词，后直接接宾语。）
(9)to∧large→a
（考点：固定搭配。toa large extent意为“在很大程度上”。）
(10)these→those
（考点：语法规则。此处“those”作为后面“that”引导的定语从句的先行词。）
Translate the underlined part ofthe following text form Chinese into English. Write your translation on ANSWERSHEET THREE.
暮色中，河湾里落满云霞，与天际的颜色混合在一起，分不清哪是流云哪是水湾。
也就在这一幅绚烂的图画旁边，在河湾之畔，一群羊正在低头觅食。它们几乎没有一个顾得上抬起头来，看一眼这美丽的黄昏，也许它们要抓紧时间，在即将回家的最后一刻再次咀嚼。这是黄河滩上的一幕，牧羊人不见了，他不知在何处歇息。只有这些生灵自由自在地享受着这个黄昏。这儿水草肥美，让它们长得肥滚滚的。如果走近了，你会发现它们洁白的牙齿，以及那丰富而单纯的表情。
【参考译文】
Just beside this splendidpicture, a herd of sheep are lowering their heads, grazing by the river bank. Hardlyany of them would spare some time to raise their eyes to have a glance at thebeautiful dusk. They are, perhaps, making use of every minute to enjoy theirlast chew before being driven home. This is a scene taking place on the bank ofthe Yellow River. The shepherd disappears, and no one knows where he is restinghimself. Only the sheep are joyfully appreciating the dusk with ease andfreedom. The exuberant water grass have made the sheep grow as fat as balls.When approaching them, you would find their lily-white teeth and a variety ofinnocent facial impressions. What’s more, an infinite sympathy will come out ifyou stare at these faces for longer.
【翻译要点】
1. 划线部分第一句中，“一群羊”可译为aherd of sheep或a flock of sheep。牛羊觅食一般指吃草，所以使用graze“（让动物）吃草”。
2.划线部分第二句中，“顾得上”可译为would spare some time to。
3. 划线部分第三句中，“这是黄河滩上的一幕”在翻译时采用了增译法，加上“taking place”这个动词，使得这一画面栩栩如生地呈现出来。
4.倒数第三句中，“自由自在地”把副词转译成了介词短语with ease and freedom。
5. 倒数第二句中，“肥滚滚”翻译时使用了隐喻的手法“as fat as a ball”。
6. 最后一句中，“如果走进了”，使用非谓语结构现在分词表伴随状态“When approaching them”。
“To help or not to help”, that isa question, especially if you have to face the consequences of your kindness.That is, what would you do if you found someone in trouble and needing help? Thefollowing article is about help the old.
Write an article of NOLESS THAN 300 words, in which you should:
1. summarize briefly theexcerpts;
2. give your comment.
Marks will be awardedfor content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality.Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.
Write your article on ANSWERSHEET FOUR.
A student at Huainan NormalUniversity is seeking witnesses who saw her helping an elderly resident who hadfallen, after the woman’s family accused her of being the cause of the oldlady’s fall.
Comments:
In a civil lawsuit, a plaintiffwho files a lawsuit against someone for being the cause of an accident needs toprovide evidence to back up their accusation. Of course the judge can make adecision based on indirect evidence, but in the student’s case there is noevidence to suggest she was responsible. However, the reality is in previouscases the courts simply asked the two parties to divide the responsibility ifthere was no evidence to show who should be held responsible. As a result, manywill think twice before going to the help of senior citizens.
Beijing Times, Sept 11
In some previous cases, seniorcitizens have accused good Samaritans of being the cause of their accidents butwere finally proved to have told a lie, yet they got away without beingpunished. The judges failed to perform their duty because these elderlyaccusers violated the law.
Beijing News, Sept 10
The family of the senior saidthat if Yuan did not cause the accident, why did she extend a helping hand andeven help pay for the emergency medical care? This is absurd logic, as thewoman didn’t have enough money on her to cover the cost. Worse, such logic hasbeen used in similar cases to extort money from a good Samaritan. That logichas already hurt enough good people.
rednet, Sept 11
【审题构思】
本篇的写作主题是有关老人跌倒扶不扶的问题，文章可以说扶，也可以说不扶，只要言之有理即可。如果认为老人跌倒应该扶，可以说帮助别人是我们的传统美德，有利于建立和谐社会等；如果认为老人跌倒不应该扶，可以说为了避免被讹，保护好个人的身体与财产安全等。以认为老人跌倒应该扶起为例，论证时可分别陈述应该扶老人的理由。注意分点列举，这样才能做到内容充实，条理清晰。最后一段总结全文，重申观点；也可进一步补充观点，深化主题。
【参考范文】
To Help or Not to Help
(1) In current days, there is asocial phenomenon that some old people fall on the ground, and someone tries tohelp him but instead he or she is blackmailed ① . Here arises a debate over whetherwe should help the fallen aged. As mentioned above, more people are reluctantto ② help those in need for the fearof ③ harming their own benefits oreven losing their life. (2) However, from my point of view ④ , I think we should help the old.
(3) First of all, we have alwayscalled ourselves “descendants of the dragon”, who live in a great country witha long history and brilliant civilization. It’s our traditional virtue torespect the aged and take good care of children. From ancient times to the present,the virtue of helping each other has been handed down ⑤ in our country. Thus, I think that’s what we Chinese should inherit anddevelop.
(4) At the same time, due to manyunscrupulous ⑥ people in society,everyone has a selfish mentality and is afraid of being into trouble. In myheart, I believe that man is born good. We can’t refuse to help others. And ourworld will be better when we learn to help others from the depth of our heart ⑦ .
(5) Furthermore, if everyone dotheir little bit to help others without hesitation, we can eliminate theindifference between people and thus create a harmonious society and a soundsocial environment. (6) In brief, as the old saying goes “don’t do evilthings though they may be insignificant, and don’t give up good things thoughthey may be minor matters” .
(7) In short, as for the questionwhether to help the fallen aged, I believe as a part of the whole society,individuals should take the trouble to ⑧ give them a hand for the sake of ⑨ creating a bettersocial atmosphere. For the government, they should spare their efforts in ⑩ setting laws and regulations to guarantee the well-meaning people’s benefit andseverely push those who frame others.
【范文点评】
（1）第一段先根据材料总结目前社会的现状，为下文作者论述观点做铺垫。
（2）由“however”进行转折，进而提出作者的观点：应该扶老人。
（3）第二段指出支持作者观点的理由：帮助别人是中国的传统美德。
（4）第三段作者先分析了人们遇到跌倒老人不扶的原因，接着指出人们性本善，如果按着本心走，还是会选择去扶。
（5）第四段指出支持作者观点的理由，只有扶老人，才能消除人与人之间的冷漠，创建和谐社会。
（6）作者引用谚语“不以善小而不为，不为恶小而为之”来论述扶跌倒老人的重要性。
（7）最后一段以“in short”来总结全文，并且作者分别从个人与社会角度提出建议，深化了主题。
【闪光词汇】
①blackmail vt. 勒索，敲诈
②be reluctant to 不愿意
③for the fear of 唯恐
④from my point of view 依我之见
⑤hand down 传世
⑥unscrupulous adj. 不讲道德的
⑦from the depth of our heart 从内心深处
⑧take the trouble to 不怕麻烦去做……
⑨for the sake of 为了
⑩spare their efforts in 不遗余力做某事
【经典句型】
1.There is a social phenomenon that...
2.Here arises a debate over…
3. As the old sayinggoes “don’t do evil things though they may be insignificant, and don’t give upgood things though they may be minor matters”.
4.As for the question whether...
5.For the government, they should spare their efforts in...