SECTION 2: STUDY SKILLS (50 minutes)

【点击下载音频MP3】

Directions: In this section, you will read severalpassages. Each passage is f ollowed by  several questions based on its content. You are to choose ONE best answer, (A) , (B), (C)  or (D) , to each question. Answer  all  the  questions f ollowing  each passage  on  the  basis  of    what  is  stated  or implied in that passage and write the letter of   the answer you have chosen in the correspond ing space in your ANSWER BOOKLET. //tr.hjenglish.com

Questions 1-5 //tr.hjenglish.com

Faces, like fingerprints, are unique. Did you ever wonder how it is possible for us to recognize people? Even a skilled writer probably could not describe all the   features   that   make   one   face  different   from   another.   Yet   a   very   young child—or even an animal, such as a pigeon—can learn to recognize faces. We all take this ability for granted.

We   also   tell   people   apart   by   how  they   behave.   When  we  talk about someone's personality, we mean the ways in which he or she acts, speaks, thinks and feels that make that individual different from others.

Like the human face, human personality is very complex. But describing someone's personality in words is somewhat easier than describing his face. If you were asked to describe what a "nice face" looked like, you probably would have a difficult time doing so. But if you were asked to describe a "nice person," you might begin to think about someone who was kind, considerate, friendly, warm, and so forth.

There are many words to describe how a person thinks, feels and acts. Gordon Ports,   an American   psychologist,   found nearly   18000   English   words characterizing   differences   in   people's   behavior.   And   many   of   us   use   this information as a basis for describing, or typing, his personality. Bookworms, conservatives, military types—people are described with such terms.

People have always tried to "type" each other. Actors in early Greek drama wore masks to show the audience whether they played the villain's or the hero's role. In fact, the words "person" and "personality" come from the Latin persona, meaning "mask". Today, most television and movie actors do not wear masks. But we can easily tell the "good guys" from the "bad guys" because the two types differ in appearance as well as in actions. //tr.hjenglish.com

1.   The main idea of this passage is ______.
     (A) how to distinguish people's faces
     (B) how to describe people's personality
     (C) how to distinguish people both inwardly and outwardly
     (D) how to tell good persons from bad persons without wearing masks

2.   The author is most probably a ______.
     (A) linguist
     (B) plastic surgeon
     (C) manager
     (D) sociologist

3.   Which of the following statements is NOT true?
     (A) People may have different personalities.
     (B) People differ from each other in appearance.
     (C) People can learn to recognize human faces.
     (D) People can describe all human features of others.

4.   The reason that it is easier to describe one's personality in words than one's  face is that ______.
     (A) many words are available to describe personality
     (B) a person's personality is easily distinguished
     (C) people's personalities are very much alike
     (D) a person's face is more complex than his personality

5.   We learn from the passage that people are classified according to ______.
     (A) their way of wearing masks
     (B) their way of speaking and playing
     (C) their knowledge and behavior
     (D) their physical appearance and personality //tr.hjenglish.com

Questions 6-10

Before, whenever we had health, we stated discussing poverty. Why no now? Why is the current politics of wealth and poverty seemingly about wealth alone? Eight years ago, when Bill Clinton first ran for president, the Dow Jones average was under 3,500, yearly federal budget deficits were projected at hundreds of billions of dollars forever and beyond, and no one talked about the "permanent boom" or the "new economy." Yet in that more straitened time, Clinton made much of the importance of "not leaving a single person behind." It is possible that  similar "compassionate" rhetoric  might yet play a   role in the general election. //tr.hjenglish.com

But it is striking how much less talk there is about the poor than there was eight years ago, when the country was economically uncertain, or in previous eras, when the country felt flush. Even last summer, when Clinton spent several days on a remarkable, Bobby Kennedy-like pilgrimage through impoverished
areas from Indian reservations in South Dakota to ghetto neighborhoods in East St. Louis, the administration decided to refer to the effort not as a poverty tour but as a "new markets initiative."

What is happening is partly a logical, policy-driven reaction. Poverty really is lower than it has been in decades, especially for minority groups. The most attractive solution to it—a growing economy—is being applied. The people who have been totally left out of this boom often have medical, mental or other problems   for   which   no   one   has   an   immediate   solution.   "The   economy   has sucked in anyone who has any preparation, any ability to cope with modern life," says Franklin D. Raines, the former director of the Office of Management and Budget who is now head of Fannie Mae. When he and other people who specialize in the issue talk about solutions, they talk analytically and long-term:
education, development of work skills, shifts in the labor market, adjustment in welfare reform. 

But I think there is another force that has made this a rich era with barely visible poor people. It is the unusual social and imaginative separation between prosperous America and those still left out. ... It's simple invisibility, because of increasing   geographic,   occupation,   and   social   barriers   that   block   one   group from the other's view.
//tr.hjenglish.com
6.   The main idea of the passage is that ______.
     (A) The county is enjoying economic growth
     (B) The poor are benefiting from today's good economy
     (C) We were more aware of the poor than we are today
     (D) There were many more poor people tan there are today

7.   The organizational pattern of the first two paragraphs of this passage is
    ______.
     (A) order of importance
     (B) comparison and contrast
     (C) chronological order
     (D) classification and division //tr.hjenglish.com

8.   In line 6 of the first paragraph, the word straitened means ______.
     (A) prosperous
     (B) difficult
     (C) relaxing
     (D) significant

9.   From this passage, we can conclude that ______.
     (A) the status quo of the rich and the poor has changed
     (B) the good and prosperous economy will soon end
     (C) poverty will be removed as a result of increased wealth
     (D) all people benefit from good economic conditions

10.According to the author, one important reason that we do not talk much
    about poverty is that ______.
     (A) no one knows what to do about it
     (B) poverty really is lower than in the past
     (C) no one has been left out of the current boom
     (D) the president is not concerned about the poor

Questions 11-15 //tr.hjenglish.com

Our visit to the excavation of a Roman fort on a hill near Coventry was of more than archaeological interest. The year's dig had been a fruitful one and had assembled evidence of a permanent military camp much larger than had at first been conjectured. We were greeted on the site by a group of excavators, some of them filling in a trench that had yielded an almost complete pot the day before, others enjoying the last-day luxury of a cigarette in the sun, but all happy to explain and talk about their work. If we had not already known it, nothing   would   have   suggested   that   this   was   a   party   of prisoners from  the nearby prison. This is not the first time that prison labour has been used in work
of this kind, but here the experiment, now two years old,has proved outstandingly satisfactory. 

From the archaeologists' point of view, prisoners provide a steady force of disciplined labour throughout the entire season, men to whom it is a serious day's work, and not the rather carefree holiday job that it tends to be for the amateur archaeologist. Newcomers are comparatively few, and can soon be initiated by those already trained in the work. Prisoners may also be more accustomed to heavy work like shovelling and carting soil than the majority of students, and they also form a fair cross-section of the population and can furnish men whose special skills make them valuable as surveyors, draughtsmen of pottery restorers. When Coventry's Keeper of Archaeology went to the prison to appeal for help, he was received cautiously by the men, but when the importance of the work was fully understood, far more volunteers were forthcoming then could actually be employed. When they got to work on the site, and their efforts produced pottery and building foundations in what until last year had been an ordinary field, their enthusiasm grew till they would sometimes work through their lunch hour and tea break, and even carry on in the rain rather than sit it out in the hut. This was undoubtedly because the work was not only strenuous but absorbing, and called for considerable intelligence.
The men worked always under professional supervision, but as the season went on they needed less guidance and knew when an expert should be summoned. //tr.hjenglish.com

Disciplinary problems were negligible: the men were carefully selected for their good conduct and working on a party like this was too valuable a privilege to be thrown away. 
 
The Keeper of Archaeology said that this was by far the most satisfactory form   of   labour   that   he   had ever had,  and that it had produced results, in quantity and quality, that could not have been achieved by any other means. A turf and timber fort built near the Roman highway through the   middle   of England in the first century A.D. had been excavated over an area of 14,000 square feet, and a section of turf rampart and palisade fully reconstructed by methods identical to those employed by the Roman army. //tr.hjenglish.com

The restoration of the Roman fort is being financed by Coventry Corporation as part of a plan to create a leisure amenity area. To this project prisoners have contributed work which otherwise would not have been performed and which benefits the whole community.

11.The visit to the excavation site was ______.
     (A) of purely archaeological interest
     (B) fruitful because a complete pot was discovered
     (C) interesting in more than one way
     (D) made by a group of prisoners
12.It can be assumed that archaeologists ______.
     (A) found that the prisoners worked far better than students
     (B) did not like the prisoners' carefree attitude to work
     (C) were willing to take only a few prisoners to work on the site
     (D) were often forced to discipline the prisoners
13.Prisoners demonstrated their attitude to work by ______.
     (A) spending most of their time sitting in a hut
     (B) insisting on professional guidance
     (C) taking no initiative
     (D) working voluntarily //tr.hjenglish.com
14.When prisoners were selected for the work ______.
     (A) many of them refused to co-operate
     (B) their previous behaviour was taken into account
     (C) they were told they must work in all weathers
     (D) they were warned that there would be no privileges
15.The Keeper of Archaeology said that ______.
     (A) he had expected more of the fort to be revealed
     (B) the palisade was very primitive
     (C) only prison labour could produce such good results
     (D) the methods to construct the Roman fort were proved identical

Questions 16-20

Flats were almost unknown in Britain until  the 1850s when they were developed, along with other industrial dwellings, for the laboring classes. These vast blocks were plainly a convenient  means of easing social conscience by housing large numbers of the ever-present poor on compact city sites. During the 1880s, however, the idea of living in comfortable residential chambers caught on with the affluent upper and upper middle classes, and controversy as to the advantages and disadvantages of flat life was a topic of conversation around many a respectable dinner-table. In Paris and other major European cities, the custom whereby the better-off lived in apartments, or flats, was well established.     Up to the late nineteenth century in England only bachelor barristers had established the tradition of living in rooms near the Law Court: any self-respecting head of household would insist upon a West End town house as his London home, the best that his means could provide. 
    
The popularity of flats for the better-off seems to have developed for a number of reasons. First, perhaps, through the introduction of the railways, which had enabled a wide range of people to enjoy a holiday staying in a suite at one of the luxury hotels which had begun to spring up during the previous decade. Hence, no doubt, the fact that many of the early luxury flats were similar to hotel suites, even being provided with communal dining-rooms and central boilers for hot water and heating. Rents tended to be high to cover overheads, but savings were made possible by these communal amenities and by tenants being able to reduce the number of family servants. //tr.hjenglish.com

One of the earliest substantial London developments of flats for the well-to-do was begun soon after Victoria Railway Station was opened in 1860, as the train service provided an efficient link with both the City and the South of England. Victoria Street, adjacent to both the Station and Westminster, had already been formed, and under the direction of the architect, Henry Ashton, was being lined, with blocks of residential chambers in the Parisian manner.
These flats were commodious indeed, offering between eight and fifteen rooms apiece,   including   appropriate domestic offices. The idea was an emphatic departure from the tradition of the London   house and achieved immediate success. //tr.hjenglish.com

Perhaps the most notable block in the vicinity was Queen Anne's Mansions, partly designed by E. R. Robson in 1884 and recently demolished. For many years, this was London's loftiest building and had strong claims to be the ugliest. The block was begun as  a  wild speculation, modelled on the American
skyscraper, and was nearly 200 feet high. The cliff-like walls of dingy brick completely   overshadowed   the modest thoroughfare nearby.Although bleak outside, the mansion flats were palatial within,with   sumptuously furnished communal entertaining and dining rooms, and lifts to the uppermost floors. The
success of these tall blocks of flats could not have been achieved, of course, without the invention of the lift, or 'ascending carriage' as it was called when first used in the Strand Law Courts in the 1870s.

16.Flats first  appeared  in Britain in the middle of the 19th century when ______.
     (A) they were principally built for those families with several servants
     (B) people were not conscious of the crowded housing of the less well-to-do
     (C) there was increasing concern over accommodation for the poor
     (D) people became conscious of the social needs of the rural population
17.English upper-middle-class families preferred to ______.
     (A) live mainly outside London, where it was healthier and cheaper
     (B) live near their working place
     (C) live in the West End
     (D) live in London, but mainly not in the West End
18.One effect of the railways coming to central London was to stimulate the building of ______
     (A) large and well-appointed hotels
     (B) blocks of self-contained flats
     (C) rows of elegant town houses
     (D) flats similar to hotel suites
19.The immediate success of the flats in Victoria Street could be attributed to ______.
     (A) their French style of architecture
     (B) their revolutionary style of architecture
     (C) the ease with which they could be used as offices
     (D) the unusual number of rooms each flat contained
20.How   does   the   writer   refer   to   the   interior   and   exterior   of   Queen   Anne's  Mansions?
     (A) They were elegantly decorated both inside and outside.
     (B) They were grim from the outside and had a modest decor inside.
     (C) They were flashy from the street but nondescript inside.
     (D) They were plain outside but with lavish interiors. //tr.hjenglish.com

Questions 21-25

Troubled by the poor performance of their investments, many people are taking steps to halt erosion of their savings and rethink their financial plans .They are not sure what to do to maximize returns in light of stock market fluctuations,   new   tax   laws,   low   interest   rates   and   skyrocketing   real   estate
values. "On an emotional level, people are petrified of making a mistake and losing     more   money,"      says    financial   counselor     Denise    Hughes.      "The do-it-yourself investor of the 1990s is more comfortable now doing nothing." But doing nothing isn't better than doing something smart, especially as college, weddings       and    retirement     loom.    Here's what financial advisors are recommending to their clients:

Plan for financial aid 
    
Most  parents don't  save  nearly enough  for children's education. They assume that investing in a 529 college plan is the best place for your savings, While a 529 plan offers tax-free growth and withdrawals for college costs—and in some cases a tax deduction—colleges look at these savings when sizing up
eligibility and how much they will fork over. The same scrutiny is given to funds saved in a Coverdell IRA and in an account opened in your child's name. Do save aggressively for college in a taxable account in your name if your household income is below $ 100,000. In this case, your child will likely qualify for some financial aid. Do invest in a 529 savings plan if your income is higher than $100,000 and will likely remain at or above that level when your child enters college. In this case, the 529 plan is great because you probably won't qualify for financial aid anyway.

Expect ups and downs
    
Stung by three straight years of stock market declines, many people have been shifting to lower-risk investments. But just as taking too much risk can hurt your portfolio's growth rate, so can hiding out in ultra, safe investments;
paying 1% or less. //tr.hjenglish.com
    
Do consider investing in funds that you'll hold on to for more than a year. Under the new tax law, long-term capital gains are taxed at a maximum of 15%, down from 20%. Do look at stock funds that pay dividends. Dividends on stocks used to be taxed at your personal income tax rate, Under the new law, they are now taxed at no more than 15%. Investing in these funds will not only hold down taxes but also sustain your portfolio's value in tough times.

Forget high fees
    
Over the next ten years, achieving the kind  of double-digit returns we experienced   over   the   past   20   years   will   be   much   harder,   predicts   Harold Evensky, a certified financial planner. "In the 1990s, the average rate of return for a portfolio allocated 60% to stocks and 40% to bonds was 13.2% after taxes and transaction expenses." Over the coming decade, this rate is expected to be closer to 5.5% as the 50-year historical average returns to the neighborhood of 8%. Don't pay unnecessarily high investment costs and fees. For example, if you can save half a percentage point on your fund expense ratio (the fee that funds charge you each year to manage your money), your average investment return could be 6% instead of 5%, he says.//tr.hjenglish.com

Feather your nest egg
    
Do estimate how much cash you'll need each year to sustain your standard of living when you reach retirement and withdraw from your IRA and your other retirement accounts. With this yearly sum in mind, calculate how big your nest egg has to be to produce that income stream, assuming that your portfolio's value earns a conservative 5% to 6% a year.

21.Which of the following is NOT true about the investors of the 1990s？
     (A) They might need professional help.
     (B) They live a comfortable life now with nothing to do.
     (C) They are afraid of making wrong decisions and losing money.
     (D) They are trying to protect what they make and save rather than taking
    risks.
22.According to the passage, a 529 savings account ______.
     (A) is the best choice for low-income families
     (B) offers tax-free growth and withdrawals
     (C) works best for those who are not qualified for financial aid
     (D) should start in your child's name
23.According to the expert, which of the following can help your portfolio's
    return rate to grow?
     (A) Allocating 40% of your portfolio to stocks and 60% to bonds.
     (B) Hiding out in ultra-safe investments paying 1% or less.
     (C) Investing long term in funds that pay dividends.
     (D) Making high-risk and high-return investments.
24.On   average,   according   to   the   experts,  how   much   can   you   expect   of   an
    investment return in the near future? //tr.hjenglish.com
     (A) Below 1%.                          (B) About 6%.
     (C) Above 8%.                          (D) Close to 13.2%.
25.What does IRA most probably refer to?
     (A) Investment Return Aid.              (B) Individual Retirement Account.
     (C) Individual Refund Amount.           (D) Investment and Retirement Aid.

Questions 26-30

Thinking about the upcoming holidays has given me a serious case of mixed feelings. I'm delighted that several of my out-of-town relatives are arriving in December for an extended visit. I'm not so thrilled about all the excess food that's    headed     my    way.    My    metabolism—never         very    racy    to  begin with—downshifted a gear or two once I hit 40. Since then I've learned to pay close attention to what I eat and how much I exercise so I don't consume more calories than I burn.

That's not going to be easy this year. The flood of free food at the office began earlier than ever—starting with leftover Halloween candy. (Some of it, I confess, supplied by me.) I love breaking bread with family and friends and don't think anyone should miss celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas, Id al-Fitr or any other holiday. But let's face it: all it takes to gain one pound (0.45 kg) is to consume 3,500 more calories than you expend. Spread out over the 40 noshing   days   between   Thanksgiving   and   New   Year's,   that's   fewer   than   90 calories a day, or just one of my favorite Pepperidge Farm Lido cookies—and who can eat just one of those? One pound isn't going to kill anyone, but an extra pound every year for 20 years just might.

This year, I swear, is going to be different. After talking with Nelda Mercer and Diane Quagliani,registered dieticians and spokeswomen for the American Dietetic Association, I've worked out a plan to avoid holiday blimping. If that sounds like a good idea to you, here are a few tips to help see you through the next several weeks:

BE REALISTIC. No one drops waist sizes in November and December. Consider yourself wildly successful if you simply haven't gained any weight by the end of the year.

KEEP MOVING. Exercise is often the first thing that goes in the holiday rush. Aim for at least 30 min. Of physical activity (brisk walking, bicycling; swimming) a day, most days of the week. If you don't already exercise regularly, start slowly and build up gradually. Weight training is a great way to kick-start a faltering metabolism, but any exercise will also help relieve stress.

GO DANCING. You'll burn another 200 to 400 calories an hour and have fun doing it.

BE SELECTIVE. Scan the whole buffet table first, then choose only a few items. //tr.hjenglish.com

TREAT YOURSELF. Don't deny yourself a favorite delicacy. You'll only crave it more.   Just   keep   the   portion   sizes   tiny.   Take   a   bite   or   two,   and   savor   the memory.

PRACTICE YOUR EXCUSES. My favorites: "I couldn't eat another slice but would love to have the recipe," or "Would you mind if I took some of this home instead?"

GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK. If you overindulge today, don't dwell on the lapse. Just do better tomorrow.

DON'T OVERIMBIBE. Here are a couple more reasons. A 4-oz. glass of wine contains 100 calories; a cup of spiked eggnog can easily top 350 calories.

DON'T GET DOWN. A lot of us feel a little blue during the holidays. Keep your spirits up with bubble baths, walks in the woods and maybe even volunteering for a local charity or religious organization.

Remember, this time of year is dedicated to family and friends. Focus on nourishing relationships to make your holidays happier and healthier.

26.Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
     (A) How to lose weight during holidays.
     (B) How to avoid gaining weight during holidays.
     (C) How to spend the upcoming holidays.
     (D) How to keep fit by exercising.
27.Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the passage?
     (A) I took some Halloween candy to the office.
     (B) I started to pay attention to my weight at the age of 40.
     (C) To avoid gaining weight during holidays sounds like a good idea to the
    writer.
     (D) To eat one more Pepperidge Farm Lido cookie is likely to gain 2 pounds
    a year.
28.During the holiday, ______.
     (A) you are very unlikely to lose weight
     (B) you should treat yourself to your favorite delicacies
     (C) you'd better ask for the recipe instead of eating more
     (D) you must often take hot baths
29.Which of the following is closest to the meaning of "overimbibe"?
     (A) Eat lavishly. //tr.hjenglish.com
     (B) Exercise excessively.
     (C) Sleep too little.
     (D) Drink too much.
30.What can you learn from the passage?
     (A) You should offer some excuses when refusing to eat certain food.
     (B) If you are happy every day, you will surely gain weight.
     (C) Stress can kick-start a faltering metabolism.
     (D) Metabolism becomes faster as one grows older.