Part Ⅵ READING COMPREHENSION ［30 MIN.］
　　SECTION A READING COMPREHENSION［25 MIN.］
　　In this section there are four passages followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer.
　　Mark your answers on your answer sheet.
　　TEXT A
　　Clearly if we are to participate in the society in which we live we must communicate with other people. A great deal of communicating is performed on a person-t o-person basis by the simple means of speech. If we travel in buses, buy things in shops, or eat in restaurants, we are likely to have conversations where we give information or opinions, receive news or comment, and very likely have our views challenged by other members of society.
　　Face-to-face contact is by no means the only form of communication and during the last two hundred years the art of mass communication has become one of the dominating factors of contemporary society. Two things, above others, have caused t he enormous growth of the communication industry. Firstly, inventiveness has led to advances in printing, telecommunications, photography, radio and television. secondly, speed has revolutionised the transmission and reception of communications so that local news often takes a back seat to national news, which itself i s often almost eclipsed by international news.
　　No longer is the possession of information confined to a privileged minority. In the last century the wealthy man with his own library was indeed fortunate, but today there are public libraries. Forty years ago people used to flock to the cinema, but now far more people sit at home and turn on the TV to watch a program me that is being channelled into millions of homes. Communication is no longer merely concerned with the transmission of information. The modem communication industry influences the way people live in society and broadens their horizons by allowing access to information, education and entertainment. The printing, broadcasting and advertising industries are all involved with informing, educating and entertaining.
　　Although a great deal of the material communicated by the mass media is very valuable to the individual and to the society of which he is a part, the vast modem network of communications is open to abuse. However, the mass media are with us for better, for worse, and there is no turning back.
　　66.In the first paragraph the writer emphasizes the___ of face-t o-face contact in social settings.
　　A. nature B. limitation C. usefulness D. creativity
　　67.It is implied in the passage that___.
　　 news used to be the only source of information.
　　 news still takes a significant place.
　　al news is becoming more popular.
　　ational news is the fastest transmitted news.
　　68.Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?
　　A.To possess information used to be a privilege.
　　B.Public libraries have replaced private libraries.
　　C.Communication means more than transmission.
　　D.Information influences ways of life and thinking.
　　69.From the last paragraph we can infer that the writer is___.
　　erent to the harmful influence of the mass media
　　 about the drastic changes in the mass media
　　istic about the future of the mass media
　　ned about the wrong use of the mass media
TEXT B
　　The men and women of Anglo-Saxon England normally bore one name only. Distinguishing epithets were rarely added. These might be patronymic, descriptive or occupational. They were, however, hardly surnames. Heritable names gradually became general in the three centuries following the Norman Conquest in 1066. It was not until the 13th and 14th centuries that surnames became fixed, although for many years after that, the degree of stability in family names varied considerably in different parts of the country.
　　British surnames fall mainly into four broad categories: patronymic, occupational, descriptive and local. A few names, it is true, will remain puzzling: foreign names, perhaps, crudely translated, adapted or abbreviated; or artificial names . In fact, over fifty per cent of genuine British surnames derive from place names of different kinds, and so they belong to the last of our four main categories. Even such a name as Simpson may belong to this last group, and not to the first , had the family once had its home in the ancient village of that name. Otherwise, Simpson means "the son of Simon", as might be expected.
　　Hundreds of occupational surnames are at once familiar to us, or at least recognisable after a little thought: Archer, Carter, Fisher, Mason, Thatcher, Taylor, to name but a few. Hundreds of others are more obscure in their meanings an d testify to the amazing specialisation in medieval arts, crafts and functions. Such are "Day", (Old English for breadmaker) and "Walker" (a fuller whose job it was to clean and thicken newly made cloth).
　　All these vocational names carry with them a certain gravity and dignity, which descriptive names often lack. Some, it is true, like "Long", "Short" or "Little", are simple. They may be taken quite literally. Others require more thinking: their meanings are slightly different from the modem ones. "Black" and "White " implied dark and fair respectively. "Sharp" meant genuinely discerning, alert, acute rather than quick-witted or clever. Place-names have a lasting interest since there is hardly a town or village in all England that has not at some time given its name to a family. They may be picturesque, even poetical; or they may be pedestrian, even trivial. Among the commoner names which survive with relatively little change from old-English times are "Milton"(middle enclosure) and "Hilton"(enclosure on a hill).
　　70.Surnames are said to be ___ in Anglo-Saxon England.
　　A. common B. vocational C. unusual D. descriptive
　　71.We learn from the first paragraph ___ for many years after the 13th and 14th centuries.
　　A. family names became descriptive and occupational
　　B. people in some areas still had no surnames
　　C. some people kept changing their surnames
　　D. all family names became fixed in England
　　72."Patronymic" in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to "formed from ___.
　　A. the name of one's father"
　　B. the family occupation"
　　C. one's family home"
　　D. one's family history"
　　73.Which of the following sentences is an opinion rather than a fact?
　　A. hundreds of occupational names are at once familiar to us.
　　B. "Black" and "White" implied "dark" and "fair" respectively.
　　C. Vocational names carry with them a certain gravity and dignity.
　　D. Every place in England has given its name to a family.
　　TEXT C
　　Since the early 1930s, Swiss banks had prided themselves on their system of banking secrecy and numbered accounts. Over the years, they had successfully withstood every challenge to this system by their own government who, in turn, ha d been frequently urged by foreign governments to reveal information about the financial affairs to certain account holders. The result of this policy of secrecy was that a kind of mystique had grown up around Swiss banking. There was a widely-held belief that Switzerland was irresistible to wealthy foreigners, mainly because of its numbered accounts and bankers' reluctance to ask awkward questions of depositors. Contributing to the mystique was the view, carefully propagated by the banks themselves, that if this secrecy was ever given up, foreigners would fall over themselves in the rush to withdraw money, and the Swiss banking system would virtually collapse overnight.
　　To many, therefore, it came like a bolt out of the blue, when, in 1977, the Swiss banks announced they had signed a pact with the Swiss National Bank (the Central Bank). The aim of the agreement was to prevent to improper use of the country's bank secrecy laws, and its effect was to curb severely the system of secrecy.
　　The rules which the banks had agreed to observe made the opening of numbered accounts subject to much closer scrutiny than before. The banks would be required, if necessary, to identify the origin of foreign funds going into numbered and other accounts. The idea was to stop such accounts being used for dubious purposes. Also they agreed not to accept funds resulting from tax evasion or from crime.
　　The pact represented essentially a tightening up of banking rules. Although the banks agreed to end relations with clients whose identities were unclear or who were performing improper acts, they were still not obliged to inform on a client to anyone, including the Swiss government. To some extent, therefore, the princ iple of secrecy had been maintained.
　　74.Swiss banks took pride in___.
　　 number of their accounts
　　lding client information
　　 mysterious to the outsiders
　　ting wealthy foreign clients
　　75.According to the passage, the widely-held belief that Switzerland w as irresistible to wealthy foreigners was ___ by banks themselves.
　　 B. criticized C. reviewed ed
　　76.In the last paragraph, the writer thinks that___.
　　te changes had been introduced into Swiss banks
　　B.Swiss banks could no longer keep client information
　　s in the bank policies had been somewhat superficial
　　 changes need to be considered and made
　TEXT D
　　Coketown was a town of red brick, or of brick that would have been red if the smoke and the ashes had allowed it; but as matters stood it was a town of unnatural red and black like the painted face of a savage. It was a town of machinery an d tall chimneys, out of which smoke trailed themselves for ever and ever. It had a black canal in it, and a river that ran purple with ill-smelling dye, and vas t piles of buildings full of windows where there was a rattling and a trembling all day long, and where the piston of the steam-engine worked monotonously up an d down like the head of an elephant in a state of madness. The town contained several large streets all very like one another, and many small streets still more like one another, inhabited by people equally like one another.
　　A sunny midsummer day. There was such a thing sometimes, even in Coketown. Seen from a distance in such weather, Coketown lay covered in a haze of its own. You only knew the town was there, because you knew there could have been no such blotch upon the view without a town.
　　The streets were hot and dusty on the summer day, and the sun was so bright that it even shone through the haze over Coketown, and could not be looked at steadily. Workers emerged from low underground doorways into factory yards, and sat on posts and steps, wiping their faces and contemplating coals. The whole town see med to be frying in oil. There was a stifling smell of hot oil everywhere. The atmosphere of those places was like the breath of hell, and their inhabitants was ting with heat, toiled languidly in the desert. But no temperature made the mad elephants more mad or more sane. Their wearisome heads went up and down at the same rate, in hot weather and in cold, wet weather and dry fair weather and foul. The measured motion of their shadows on the walls, was the substitute Coketown had to show for the shadows of rustling woods; while for the summer hum of insects, it could offer all the year round, from the dawn of Monday to the night of S aturday, the whirr of shafts and wheels.
　　77.Which of the following adjectives is NOT appropriate to describe Co ketown?
　　A. dull
　　B. dirty
　　C. noisy
　　D. savage
　　78.From the passage we know that Coketown was mainly a(n) ___town .
　　A. industrial
　　B. agricultural
　　C. residential
　　D. commercial
　　79. Only ___ were not affected by weather.
　　 workmen
　　B. the inhabitants
　　 steam-engines
　　 rustling woods
　　80.Which is the author's opinion of Coketown?
　　A.Coketown should be replaced by woods.
　　B.The town was seriously polluted.
　　C.The town had too much oil in it.
　　D. The town's atmosphere was traditional.
　　SECTION B SKIMMING AND SCANNING
　　In this section there are seven passages with a total often multiple-choice questions. Skim or scan them as required and then mark your answers on your answer sheet.
　　TEXT E
　　First read the following question.
　　81.The writer is concerned about___.
　　A. budget housekeeping
　　B. the retail trade
　　C. computer skills
　　D. mental arithmetic
　　Now read Text E quickly and mark your answer on your answer sheet.
　　A lot of attention is being given to children who leave school unable to read or write. I think there should be equal concern for those who are unable to cope with simple mental arithmetic -particularly girls. It is often stated that today's children are growing up in a computer world and they don't need the same skills that their grandparents did. But is it any wonder that many young girls trying to cope with budget housekeeping fail for the simple reason they cannot keep accurate checks on their purchases? Shopping in markets is no source of cheap purchasing unless one is able to keep pace with the apparent mental agility of the vendor. Must we face the thought that at some time in the distant future everyone will need to carry in their handbag or pocket one of the miniature calculators?
　　TEXT F
　　First read the following question.
　　82.This is a letter of___.
　　A. reference
　　B. application
　　C. inquiry
　　D. complaint
　　Now read Text F quickly and mark your answer on your answer sheet.
　　10 Garden Ave.
　　Essex
　　The Personnel Officer
　　Belgian Medico Ltd.
　　P0 Box 920
　　Brussels
　　Belgium
　　5th May 200___
Dear Sir,
 　With reference to your advertisement in the "Daily Star", I’d like to apply for the position of translator with your firm. I hold a degree in German and French from the University of London. And I have worked as a translator for the past three years with Watson & Sons, Ltd., manufacturer of laboratory instruments, translating business correspondence from French and German into English. I am 25 years old and unmarried. I enjoy living and working in different countries and I should welcome the chance of moving to Belgium.
　　Yours sincerely,
　　(Miss) Janet Holbrooke
　　TEXT G
　　First read the following question.
　　83.The passage is mainly about___.
　　ness ence ion
　　Now read Text G quickly and mark your answer on your answer sheet.
　　Loneliness is a curious thing. Most of us can remember feeling most lonely when we were not in fact alone at all, but when we were surrounded by people. Everyone has experienced, at some time, that strong sense of isolation that comes over you when you are at a party or in a room full of happy laughing people. It suddenly seems to you as if everybody knows everybody else, everybody knows what is going on; everybody, that is, except you.
　　This feeling of loneliness which can overcome you when you are in a crowd is very difficult to get rid of. People living alone are advised to tackle their loneliness by joining a club or a society, by going out and meeting people.
　TEXT H
　　First read the following question.
　　84.The author mainly discusses ___ of public transportation.
　　 price
　　B. the types
　　 improvement
　　D. the advantage
　　Now read Text H quickly and mark your answer on your answer sheet.
　　The price of public transportation in Beijing has doubled twice since 1989, but it is still a bargain. Using the subway and minibuses used to show class status; now people of all classes take them, while some wealthy prefer taxis or private cars. What a change in just a few years! But there are downfalls to having more cars on the roads. Fortunately, the government is aware of the problem. No-lead gasoline is the only one permitted in the city, and the rest of the country follows. Thousands of trees are planted in an d around the city every year. Children are taught why and how to protect the environment. At the same time, public transportation has marked real progress: buses are everywhere and run frequently. We no longer see those old buses with broke n windows. Instead, there are fast buses, double-decker buses, air-conditioned o r heated buses, all offering a good service.
　　TEXT I
　　First read the following questions.
　　85. Each participating team should at least have ___
　　
　　86.Participants can bring along their ___ to the competition.
　　A.Christmas trees
　　B.Christmas presents
　　al costumes
　　tion materials
　Now read Text I quickly and mark your answers on your answer sheet.
　　With Christmas Day around the corner, Hong Kong’s Provisional Regional Council announced that a Christmas tree decoration competition will be held on Sunday in conjunction with the ongoing Regional Council Festival. Members of the public are welcome to take part in the competition as families or small groups. Each team should be formed by at least three persons. A total of 99 Christmas trees of 1.5 metres in height will be available for the participating teams to decorate. Participants can bring along their own decoration materials and to use their imagination and creativity to achieve the best results.
　　Each participating team can take home the Christmas tree it has decorated as a souvenir. In addition, there will be cash awards for the winners.
　　TEXT J
　　First read the following questions.
　　87.If you only have time for a half-day trip, which day would you choo se?
　　A.Sunday 23 July.
　　B.Saturday 15 July.
　　C.Wednesday 9 August.
　　D.Saturday 5 August.
　　88.Which of the following trips offers you the opportunity to see Geor gian architecture?
　　A.Trip One.
　　B.Trip Two.
　　C.Trip Three.
　　D.Trip Four.
　　Now read Text quickly and mark your answers on your answer sheet.
　　Summer Outings
　　Trip One
　　Saturday 15 July Stratford-upon-Avon and "Julius Caesar"
　　The coach will leave at 9 am, allowing a couple of hours to visit Stratford befo re the performance of "Julius Caesar" at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Back around 7:30 pm.
　　Trip Two
　　Sunday 23 July Bath
　　The spa town of Bath contains the country’s finest Roman ruins, and much elegant Georgian architecture. The coach will depart at 9 am, returning at around 6:30 pm.
　　Trip Three
　　Saturday 5 August Stratford-upon-Avon and "The Taming of the Shrew" Another chance to visit Stratford. "The Taming of the Shrew" stars Josie Lawrence in the title role. The coach will leave at 9 am, returning at around 7:30 pm.
　　Trip Four
　　Wednesday 9 August Oxford and "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" A half-day trip to Oxford. The coach will leave at 2:15 pm, allowing an afternoon to see the sights before one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays at the Playhouse Theatre. Back after the show.
　TEXT K
　　First read the following questions.
　　89.Which nation is thought to be business-minded?
　　A.The Dutch. B. The Italians.C.The British. D. The Germans.
　　90.The opinions seem to be most divided on___.
　　 Germans B. the Dutch French British
　　Now read Text K quickly and mark your answers on your answer sheet.
　　Some of the data from a survey on national stereotypes in some European countries is summarized below:
　　Germans Liked themselves best of all. Most Europeans agreed that the Germans had the highest proportion of good qualities. They considered themselves very tolerant, but nobody else did.
　　French Not really admired by anyone except the Italians. Other Europeans found them conservative, withdrawn, brilliant, superficial. Also, not very friendl y.
　　British Mixed reactions. Some found them calm, reserved, open- minded, others thought they were insular and superior. The British most admired the Dutch.
　　Italians Generally considered by everyone to be lazy and untrustworthy, an d the Italians agreed! Most also found them to be charming, hospitable and noisy
　　The Italians admired the French. Hardly anyone loved the Italians except the French.
　　Dutch Most admired people in Europe-except by their neighbours-the Belgians. Everyone agreed that the Dutch are hardworking, thrifty, good-natured, tolerant and business-minded.