Part Ⅳ Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)

Section A

Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.

America is a country that now sits atop the cherished myth that work provides rewards, that working people can support their families. It's a myth that has become so divorced from reality that it might as well begin with the words "Once upon a time." Today 1.6 million New Yorkers suffer from "food insecurity," which is a fancy way of saying they don't have enough to eat. Some are the people who come in at night and clean the skyscrapers that glitter along the river. Some pour coffee and take care of the aged parents of the people who live in those buildings. The American Dream for the well-to-do grows from the bowed backs of the working poor, who too often have to choose between groceries and rent.

In a new book called "The Betrayal of Work", Beth Shulman says that even in the booming 1990s one out of every four American workers made less than $8.70 an hour, an income equal to the government's poverty level for a family of four. Many, if not most, of these workers had no health care, sick pay or retirement provisions.

We ease our consciences, Shulman writes, by describing these people as "low skilled," as though they're not important or intelligent enough to deserve more. But low-skilled workers today are better educated than ever before, and they constitute the linchpin (关键) of American industry. When politicians crow (得意洋洋地说) that happy days are here again because jobs are on the rise, it's these jobs they're really talking about. Five of the 10 occupations expected to grow big in the next decade are in the lowest-paying job groups. And before we sit back and decide that's just the way it is, it's instructive to consider the rest of the world. While the bottom 10 percent of American workers earn just 37 percent of our average wage, their counterparts in other industrialized countries earn upwards of 60 percent. And those are countries that provide health care and child care, which eases the economic pinch considerably.

Almost 40 years ago, when Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty, a family with a car and a house in the suburbs felt prosperous. Today that same family may well feel poor, overwhelmed by credit card debt, a second mortgage and the cost of the stuff that has become the backbone of American life. When the middle class feels poor, the poor have little chance for change, or even recognition.

47. By saying "it might as well begin with the words ‘Once upon a time'" (Line 3, Para.1), the author suggests that the American myth is ________.

48. What is the American Dream of the well-to-do built upon?

49. Some Americans try to make themselves feel less guilty by attributing the poverty of the working people to ________.

50. We learn from the passage that the difference in pay between the lowest paid and the average worker in America is ________ than that in other industrialized countries.

51. According to the author, how would an American family with a car and a house in the suburbs probably feel about themselves today?

 

Section B

Passage One

Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.

As a wise man once said, we are all ultimately alone. But an increasing number of Europeans are choosing to be so at an ever earlier age. This isn't the stuff of gloomy philosophical contemplations, but a fact of Europe's new economic landscape, embraced by sociologists, real-estate developers and ad executives alike. The shift away from family life to solo lifestyle, observes a French sociologist, is part of the "irresistible momentum of individualism" over the last century. The communications revolution, the shift from a business culture of stability to one of mobility and the mass entry of women into the workforce have greatly wreaked havoc on (扰乱) Europeans' private lives.

Europe's new economic climate has largely fostered the trend toward independence. The current generation of home-aloners came of age during Europe's shift from social democracy to the sharper, more individualistic climate of American-style capitalism. Raised in an era of privatization and increased consumer choice, today's tech-savvy (精通技术的) workers have embraced a free market in love as well as economics. Modern Europeans are rich enough to afford to live alone, and temperamentally independent enough to want to do so.

Once upon a time, people who lived alone tended to be those on either side of marriage-twenty something professionals or widowed senior citizens. While pensioners, particularly elderly women, make up a large proportion of those living alone, the newest crop of singles are high earners in their 30s and 40s who increasingly view living alone as a lifestyle choice. Living alone was conceived to be negative-dark and cold, while being together suggested warmth and light. But then came along the idea of singles. They were young, beautiful, strong! Now, young people want to live alone.

The booming economy means people are working harder than ever. And that doesn't leave much room for relationships. Pimpi Arroyo, a 35-year-old composer who lives alone in a house in Paris, says he hasn't got time to get lonely because he has too much work. "I have deadlines which would make life with someone else fairly difficult." Only an Ideal Woman would make him change his lifestyle, he says. Kaufmann, author of a recent book called "The Single Woman and Prince Charming," thinks this fierce new individualism means that people expect more and more of mates, so relationships don't last long-if they start at all. Eppendorf, a blond Berliner with a deep tan, teaches grade school in the mornings. In the afternoon she sunbathes or sleeps, resting up for going dancing. Just shy of 50, she says she'd never have wanted to do what her mother did-give up a career to raise a family. Instead. "I've always done what I wanted to do：live a self-determined life."

52. More and more young Europeans remain single because ________.

      A) they are driven by an overwhelming sense of individualism

      B) they have entered the workforce at a much earlier age

      C) they have embraced a business culture of stability

      D) they are pessimistic about their economic future

53. What is said about European society in the passage?

      A) It has fostered the trend towards small families.

      B) It is getting closer to American style capitalism.

      C) It has limited consumer choice despite a free market.

      D) It is being threatened by irresistible privatization.

54. According to Paragraph 3, the newest group of singles are ________.

      A) warm and light hearted                                   C) negative and gloomy

      B) on either side of marriage                               D) healthy and wealthy

55. The author quotes Eppendorf to show that ________.

      A) some modern women prefer a life of individual freedom

      B) the family is no longer the basic unit of society in present-day Europe

      C) some professional people have too much work to do to feel lonely

      D) most Europeans conceive living a single life as unacceptable

56. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?

      A) To review the impact of women becoming high earners.

      B) To contemplate the philosophy underlying individualism.

      C) To examine the trend of young people living alone.

      D) To stress the rebuilding of personal relationships.

Passage Two

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

Supporters of the biotech industry have accused an American scientist of misconduct after she testified to the New Zealand government that a genetically modified (GM) bacterium could cause serious damage if released.

The New Zealand Life Sciences Network, an association of pro-GM scientists and organizations, says the view expressed by Elaine Ingham, a soil biologist at Oregon State University in Corvallis, was exaggerated and irresponsible. It has asked her university to discipline her.

But Ingham stands by her comments and says the complaints are an attempt to silence her. "They're trying to cause trouble with my university and get me fired," Ingham told New Scientist.

The controversy began on 1 February, when Ingham testified before New Zealand's Royal Commission on Genetic Modification, which will determine how to regulate GM organisms. Ingham claimed that a GM version of a common soil bacterium could spread and destroy plants if released into the wild. Other researchers had previously modified the bacterium to produce alcohol from organic waste. But Ingham says that when she put it in soil with wheat plants, all of the plants died within a week.

"We would lose terrestrial (陆生的) plants...this is an organism that is potentially deadly to the continued survival of human beings," she told the commission. She added that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) canceled its approval for field tests using the organism once she had told them about her research in 1999.

But last week the New Zealand Life Sciences Network accused Ingham of "presenting inaccurate, careless and exaggerated information" and "generating speculative doomsday scenarios (世界末日的局面) that are not scientifically supportable". They say that her study doesn't even show that the bacteria would survive in the wild, much less kill massive numbers of plants. What's more, the network says that contrary to Ingham's claims, the EPA was never asked to consider the organism for field trials.

The EPA has not commented on the dispute. But an e-mail to the network from Janet Anderson, director of the EPA's bio-pesticides (生物杀虫剂) division, says "there is no record of a review and/or clearance to field test" the organism.

Ingham says EPA officials had told her that the organism was approved for field tests, but says she has few details. It's also not clear whether the organism, first engineered by a German institute for biotechnology, is still in use.

Whether Ingham is right or wrong, her supporters say opponents are trying unfairly to silence her.

"I think her concerns should be taken seriously. She shouldn't be harassed in this way," says Ann Clarke, a plant biologist at the University of Guelph in Canada who also testified before the commission. "It's an attempt to silence the opposition."

57. The passage centers on the controversy ________.

      A) between American and New Zealand biologists over genetic modification

      B) as to whether the study of genetic modification should be continued

      C) over the possible adverse effect of a GM bacterium on plants

      D) about whether Elaine lngham should be fired by her university

58. Ingham insists that her testimony is based on ________.

      A) evidence provided by the EPA of the United States

      B) the results of an experiment she conducted herself

      C) evidence from her collaborative research with German biologists

      D) the results of extensive field tests in Corvallis, Oregon

59. According to Janet Anderson, the EPA ________.

      A) has canceled its approval for field tests of the GM organism

      B) hasn't reviewed the findings of Ingham's research

      C) has approved field tests using the GM organism

      D) hasn't given permission to field test the GM organism

60. According to Ann Clarke, the New Zealand Life Sciences Network ________.

      A) should gather evidence to discredit Ingham's claims

      B) should require that the research by their biologists be regulated

      C) shouldn't demand that Ingham be disciplined for voicing her views

      D) shouldn't appease the opposition in such a quiet way

61. Which of the following statements about Ingham is TRUE?

      A) Her testimony hasn't been supported by the EPA.

      B) Her credibility as a scientist hasn't been undermined.

      C) She is firmly supported by her university.

      D) She has made great contributions to the study of GM bacteria.