Passage One

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.

The appeal of advertising to buying motives can have both negative and positive effects. Consumers may be convinced to buy a product of poor quality or high price because of an advertisement. For example, some advertisers have appealed to people’s desire for better fuel economy for their cars by advertising automotive products that improve gasoline mileage. Some of the products work. Others are worthless and a waste of consumers’ money.

Sometimes advertising is intentionally misleading. A few years ago, a brand of bread was offered to dieters with the message that there were fewer calories in every slice. It turned out that the bread was not dietetic (适合于节食的), but just regular bread. There were fewer calories because it was sliced very thin, but there were the same number of calories in every loaf.

On the positive side, emotional appeals may respond to a consumer’s real concerns. Consider fire insurance. Fire insurance may be sold by appealing to fear of loss. But fear of loss is the real reason for fire insurance. The security of knowing that property is protected by insurance makes the purchase of fire insurance a worthwhile investment for most people. If consumers consider the quality of the insurance plans as well as the message in the ads, they will benefit from the advertising.

Each Consumer must evaluate her or his own situation．Are the benefits of the product important enough to justify buying it? Advertising is intended to appeal to consumers．but it does not force them to buy the product．Consumers still controlthe final buying decision．

Advertising can persuade the consumer to buy worthless products by________.

A.stressing their high quality,

B.convincing him of their low price,

C.maintaining a balance between quality and price,

D.appealing to his buying motives

The reason why the bread advertisement is misleading is that______.

A.thin slices of bread could contain more calories,

B.the loaf was cut into regular slices,

C.the bread was not genuine bread,

D.the total number of calories in the loaf remained the same

According to the passage，which 0f the following statements is true?

A.Sometimes advertisements really sell what the consumer needs.,

B.Advertisements occasionally force consumers into buying things they don’t  need.,

C.The buying motives of consumers are controlled by advertisements.,

D.Fire insurance is seldom a worthwhile investment.

It can be inferred from the passage that a smart consumer should______.

A.think carefully about the benefits described in the advertisements,

B.guard against the deceiving nature of advertisements,

C.be familiar with various advertising strategies,

D.avoid buying products that have strong emotional appeal

The passage is mainly about______.

A.how to make a wise buying decision,

B.ways to protect the interests of the consumer,

C.the positive and negative aspects of advertising,

D.the function of advertisements in promoting sales

Passage Two

Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage.

Americans are proud of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?

Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian  (百姓的) clothes. People have become conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears a uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a  garage mechanic is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity than to step out of uniform?

Uniforms also have many practical benefits. They save on other clothes. They save on laundry bills. They are tax-deductible (可减税的). They are often more comfortable and more durable than civilian clothes.

Primary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least.

Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are  long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning  rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.

It is surprising that Americans who worship variety and individuality____.

A. enjoy having a professional identity,

B. still judge a man by his clothes,

C. hold the uniform in such high regard,

D. respect an elevator operator as much as a general in uniform

People are accustomed to thinking that a man in uniform______.

A. appears to be more practical,

B. suggests quality work,

C. discards his social identity,

D. looks superior to a person in civilian clothes

The chief function of a uniform is to______.

A. provide the wearer with a professional identity,

B. inspire the wearer’s confidence in himself,

C. provide practical benefits to the wearer,

D. make the wearer catch the public eye

According to the passage, people wearing uniforms ______.

A. tend to lose their individuality,

B. are usually helpful,

C. look like generals,

D. have little or no individual freedom

The best title for this passage would be______.

A. Uniforms and Society,

B. Advantages and Disadvantages of Uniforms,

C. The Importance of Wearing a Uniform,

D. Practical Benefits of Wearing a Uniform

Passage Three

Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage.

British newspapers can be classified into groups according to various criteria, such as area of distribution, size of sales, socioeconomic class of their readers, days (and times) of publication, and political bias. Each of these different criteria will lead to more or less different groupings.

With regard to the area of distribution a fairly clear distinction can be made between national papers and local papers. The national, e.g. The Times, Daily Mirror and Sunday Express, are readily obtainable in virtually all parts of the United Kingdom at the same time. On the other hand, local papers, e.g. Yorkshire Post or Liverpool Echo, serve a particular area, and outside that area must be specially ordered.

As regards the sales figures, we must recognize that there is no clear line that will distinguish between large and small sales. However, we make a somewhat arbitrary distinction here, partly based on copies sold, but also influenced by the type of content of the papers. This separates the so-called “popular” papers from the “quality” papers: the “qualities”, like Sunday Times or Financial Times, tend to have larger, more serious articles than the “populars”, such as The People or News of the World.

Regarding the socioeconomic class of the readers, a classification on these lines will to a large extent reflect the above distinction into quality and popular. This is because the quality papers are mostly intended for the upper income groups, while the popular papers find their readers among the lower socioeconomic groups. Thus, a reader of The Observer or Financial Times, which are quality papers, is likely to be an educated person with quite a good income, while a reader of Daily Mail or The Sun is more likely to be a less well-educated person with a lower income.    

As to the days of publication, most British papers are either so-called “daily papers”, (which in tact do not appear on Sundays), e.g. The Guardian or The Scotsman, or Sunday papers, like Sunday Times or News of the world. Local papers with small circulations, however, might appear only once or twice a week, or even less frequently, depending on the demand for them. Concerning the time of publication, the vast majority are morning papers, i.e. they go on sale early in the morning, while the minority are the so-called “evening” papers, whose sales might start as early as midday, and then continue until the evening.

According to various criteria British newspapers can be classified into______.

A. national papers and local papers,

B. “qualities” and “populars”,

C. morning papers and evening papers,

D. all of the above

The Times, Daily Mirror, and Sunday Express are readily obtainable in virtually all parts of the UK at the same time. Therefore, they are______.

A. so-called “daily paper”,

B. national papers,

C. popular papers,

D. local papers

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. The “'quality” papers tend to have large, more serious articles than the  “populars”.,

B. The “popular” papers have larger sales.,

C. The “quality” papers find their readers among the upper income groups.,

D. A reader of the “qualities” is likely to be a less well-educated person with a lower income.

As to the days of publication, British daily papers appear______.

A. only on Sundays,

B. only once or twice a week,

C. every day except on Sundays,

D. every day

Sales of the so-called “evening” papers might start______.

A. early in the morning,

B. as early as noon,

C. in the evening,

D. at midnight

Passage Four

Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage.

Exceptional children are different in some significant way from others of the same age. For these children to develop to their full adult potential, their education must be adapted to those differences.

Although we focus on the needs of exceptional children, we find ourselves describing their environment as well. While the leading actor on the stage captures our attention, we are aware of the importance of the supposing players and the scenery of the play itself. Both the family and the society in which exceptional children live are often the key to their growth and development. And it is in the public schools that we find the full expression of society’s understanding—the knowledge, hopes, and fears that are passed on to the next generation.

Education in any society is a minor of that society. In that mirror we can see the strengths, the weaknesses and the culture itself. The great interest in exceptional children shown in public education over the past three decades indicates the strong feeling in our society that all citizens, whatever their special conditions, deserve the opportunity to fully develop their capabilities.

 “All men are created equal.” We’ve heard it many times, but it still has important meaning for education in a democratic society. Although the phrase was used by this country’s founders to denote equality before the caw, it has also been interpreted to mean equality of opportunity. That concept implies educational opportunity for all children—the right of each child to receive help in learning to the limits of his or her capacity, whether that capacity be small or great. Recent court decisions have confirmed the right of all children —disabled or not—to an appropriate education, and have ordered that public schools take the necessary steps to provide that education. In response, schools are modifying their programs, adapting instruction to children who are exceptional, to those who cannot profit substantially from regular programs.

In paragraph 2, the author cites the example of the leading actor on the stage to show that

A. the growth of exceptional children has much to do with their family and the society,

B. exceptional children are more influenced by their families than normal children are,

C. exceptional children are the key interest of the family and society,

D. the needs of the society weigh much heavier than the needs of the exceptional children

The reason that the exceptional children receive so much concern in education is that_______.

A. they are expected to be leaders of the society,

B. they might become a burden of the society,

C. they should fully develop their potential,

D. disabled children deserve special consideration

The word “denote” in the fourth paragraph most probably means_______.

A. translate,

B. indicate,

C. blame,

D. ignore

This passage mainly deals with ____

A. the differences of children in their learning capabilities,

B. the definition of exceptional children in modern society,

C. the special educational programs for exceptional children,

D. the necessity of adapting education to exceptional children

From this passage we learn that the educational concern for exceptional children_______.

A. is now enjoying legal support,

B. disagrees with the tradition of the country,

C. was clearly stated by the country’s founders,

D. will exert great influence over court decisions

Passage Five

 Questions 21-25 are based on the following passage.

 The human thumb made man. Its development was as important an event in man’s growth as his success in learning to walk upright. The thumb shaped the human hand. Without it, man might not have survived. Luckily, the hand developed only one thumb. Two thumbs on one hand would be like having two or more cooks in a small kitchen. They would get in each other’s way. As one English writer said almost 500 years ago, “Ah, each finger today is a thumb, I think.”

That is how we still describe a man who cannot get anything right. We say he is “all thumbs”. There are days when this happens to all of us, days when everything we do seems to go wrong. We cannot even get the right shoes on. The typist cannot hit the right key. The carpenter’s hammer misses the nail and hits his finger. Nothing can be done but throw up one’s hands and moan (悲叹), “God, I am all thumbs today!”

Clearly, the hand can have just one master—the thumb. It gives the hand a freedom and control of movement that are beautiful to see. This can be seen in old sculptures and stone carvings. We have a special phrase to express this mastery of the thumb. When one is ruled by another, completely controlled by him, we say the person is “under the other’s thumb”. A sick man, for example, often finds himself “under his doctor’s thumb”. Tenants have often complained about being “under the thumb of the landlord”.

There was a time, very long ago, when such tenants might in anger “bite their thumbs” at the landlord. Such a gesture was an insult that could not be accepted lightly. People no longer do this. But they do something as childish and as offensive and ugly. They “thumb their noses” at somebody they want to defy or insult.

If a person has two or more thumbs on one hand, he would______.

A. do more things,

B. have a lot of trouble,

C. work as two or more cooks,

D. become a writer

Without ______man might not have survived.

A. the cook,

B. the thumb,

C. the finger,

D. the writer

When a person says “I am all thumbs today”, he means that_______.

A. he can’t get the right shoes on,

B. his hammer misses the nail and hits his finger,

C. he does everything smoothly,

D. he can’t get everything right

When a person is completely controlled by another person, _______.

A. we say that he is “all thumbs”,

B. we say that he has “a great thumb”,

C. we say that he is “under the other’s thumb”,

D. he turns thumb down on him

When you want to insult someone, you can_______.

A. put your thumb on your nose,

B. wave your thumb at him,

C. put him under your thumb,

D. do nothing with your thumb