SectionⅡ Reading Comprehension
Part A
Directions：
Read the following four texts.Answer the questions below each text by choosing [A], [B], [C]or[D].Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.（40 points）
Text 1
Professor Kumar Bhatt, founder and head of Warwick Manufacturing Group（WMG）, and Rob Meakin, a personnel director at Marconi, have developed a partnership to train engineers and managers to become e-literate.The New Knowledge Partnership will include a team of 40 Marconi managers in what Professor Bhatt calls electronic engineering management or E2.A wide range of engineering and non-engineering companies has expressed interest in these exciting programs.
Professor Bhatt believes that e-commerce is changing the business environment to a huge extent.Many chief executives do not understand the power of the new technologies and, in some cases, are actually resisting change.He says, “as long as enough industry leaders realize its potential benefits, e-business will make possible a second productivity revolution in Britain.This could take the economy close to eliminating the still substantial competitiveness gap with its main rivals.Over the last five years in the US there has been a 30% improvement in manufacturing sector productivity because of information technology.In Britain we can achieve more than that and successful e-business will be worth billions to the UK economy.”Already Britain makes more use of computer-aided design and manufacture（CAD/CAM）and management information technology systems than other European countries, and has a government that actively promotes e-business.
But, observes Professor Bhatt, Britain has never used technology as a growth driver.“The thing about electronic engineering management is that you can keep your legacy systems; you just need to link those systems with an information engine.At the touch of a button it will allow project managers to see the status of a project, identify problems precisely and make virtually immediate decisions based on information that will be much more complete than in the past.”
The E2 program is the result of an alliance by the Warwick Manufacturing Group with America's leading e-commerce study center, Carnegie Mellon.The latter will be responsible for training many of the Marconi managers in America, where the group has half its business.In Britain, Professor Bhatt has linked up with Sun Microsystems, Oracle and Parametric Technology, to set up a multi-million pound E2 design and manufacturing center at the university which will be used for training and research.
Professor Bhatt believes that e-commerce is changing business to such an extent that WMG is likely to be renamed Warwick Electronic Manufacturing Group.But, he warns“The move to globalize because of e-commerce is racing ahead.Although the net allows British industry to overtake their European peers, it also offers Asian countries to leapfrog （跃过）the West.For the first time it is not the privilege of the western world because this technology is universal.”
21.Professor Bhatt and Rob Meakin have developed a method to _____________ .
[A]teach electronic engineering management
[B]train employees to be acquainted with e-commerce
[C]train employees to be engineers and managers
[D]teach employees about developing a partnership
22.How does Professor Bhatt feel about many leaders in companies？
[A]They do not understand a possible second productivity revolution in Britain.
[B]They are excited about change.
[C]They are ready for e-business.
[D]They sometimes are against the change resulted from new technologies.
23.According to the passage, what do you know about e-business in Britain？
[A]E-business has eliminated many competitive rivals.
[B]E-business has done many benefits to big companies.
[C]Many companies have joined in the E2 business program.
[D]E-business has great potential and will make changes in the country.
24.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE？
[A]Britain can be competitive to US in the area of information technology.
[B]Britain has already taken the advantages of running engineering management.
[C]As with many other European countries, Britain has made use of computer-aided systems.
[D]E-commerce has offered opportunities to European countries to eliminate the competitiveness gap with all the rivals.
25.WMG would like to change its name because ____________ .
[A]Britain is going to catch up with all other European countries in the field of electronic engineering management
[B]business has been influenced so much by e-commerce
[C]the e-commerce has offered Asian countries the chance to overtake Britain and the rest of Europe
[D]e-business is very popular and will become universal
Text 2
Latino youths need better education for Arizona to take full advantage of the possibilities their exploding population offers.Arizona's fast-growing Latino population offers the state tremendous promise and a challenge.Even more than the aging of the baby boomers, the Latino boom is fundamentally reorienting the state's economic and social structure.
Immigration and natural increase have added 600,000 young Latino residents to the state's population in the past decade.Half of the population younger than 18 in both Phoenix and Tucson is now Latino.Within 20 years, Latinos will make up half of the homegrown entry-level labor pool in the state's two largest labor markets.
What is more, Hispanics are becoming key economic players.Most people don't notice it, but Latinos born in Arizona make up much of their immigrant parents' economic and educational deficits.For example, second-generation Mexican-Americans secure an average of 12 grades of schooling where their parents obtained less than nine.That means they erase 70 percent of their parents' lag behind third-generation non-Hispanic Whites in a single generation.
All of this hands the state a golden opportunity.At a time when many states will struggle with labor shortages because of modest population growth, Arizona has a priceless chance to build a populous, hardworking and skilled workforce on which to base future prosperity.The problem is that Arizona and its Latino residents may not be able to seize this opportunity.Far too many of Arizona's Latinos drop out of high school or fail to obtain the basic education needed for more advanced study.As a result, educational deficits are holding back many Latinos—and the state as well.To be sure, construction and low-end service jobs continue to absorb tens of thousands of Latino immigrants with little formal education.But over the long term, most of Arizona's Latino citizens remain ill-prepared to prosper in an increasingly demanding knowledge economy.
For the reason, the educational uplift of Arizona's huge Latino population must move to the center of the state's agenda.After all, the education deficits of Arizona's Latino population will severely cramp the fortunes of hardworking people if they go unaddressed and could well undercut the state's ability to compete in the new economy.At the entry level, slower growth rates may create more competition for low-skill jobs, displacing Latinos from a significant means of support.At the higher end, shortages of Latinos educationally ready to move up will make it much harder for knowledge-based companies staff to get high-skill positions.
26.The Latino population is changing Arizona's ___________ .
[A]aging problem
[B]educational system
[C]economic structure
[D]financial deficits
27.What can be inferred from the third paragraph？
[A]The Latino population in Arizona is made up of Hispanics and Mexican-Americans.
[B]The first-generation Latinos are immigrants instead of being born in America.
[C]70 percent of the first-generation Latinos had less schooling than nine years.
[D]The educational system used to be in favor of the non-Hispanic Whites.
28.“Educational deficits”（Lines 6—7, Para.4）most probably means that _____________ .
[A]the state did not put much money into education
[B]many Latinos are too poor to obtain education
[C]education is not a profitable enterprise
[D]many Latinos are not well-educated
29.According to the author, Arizona should give highest priority to ______________ .
[A]controlling the Latino population
[B]enhancing the educational level of the Latino population
[C]improving the knowledge-based economy
[D]building the Latino population into hardworking and skilled workforce
30.It is implied that, in the long run, most Latinos in Arizona will ____________ .
[A]be jobless
[B]be badly-paid
[C]do low-skill jobs
[D]do high-skill jobs
Text 3
As obvious as it may sound, the truth is there are a lot of businesses out there.The odds of not having any competition are next to impossible, and something any worthwhile business, whether big or small, has to eventually come to accept.Every one of those businesses are trying to do the exact same thing:get people to buy their products.When flooded with so many potential prospects it isn't always easy for the customers to know which business is the best and which one has the best product.What you need to do is to help them along.
Differentiating your business and your products from the competitors is by far one of the most important details when dealing with any kind of industry.Everything a company does, from the creative ads they run to the inventive promotions they produce to the full color business cards they hand out is geared towards separating themselves from the rest of the flock.If you're going to compete with them you're going to have to do the same, and do it more effectively.
Sometimes the most effective approaches can be some of the most simple.Printing well-colored brochures gives businesses the chance to show their customers the subtle or not so subtle differences between them and the competitors, whether it is better designs, better features, or better prices.Handing them a list of all the products or services you offer allows them the ability to see exactly what they're getting when they do business with you, and the more customers know about a business the better the odds are they'll feel comfortable with them.
But, even going beyond the products, boosting up your company can also be an effective tool to place you above the competitors.When you hand a person a business card, fully colored with a unique design you're handing him a means to remember you.A business card can say a lot about a person and the business he run.Simple, drab colors can be off putting to the person looking for a friendlier business.The right color scheme alone can differentiate you from the competitors, and once you've managed to separate yourself out, you'll be in a prime position to be whom the person favors when they need that specific product.
With competition as steep as it is today, every business has its hands full trying to stay above the rest.When every little thing counts, the business the customers will take to heart will be the one who can show them just why they're the best qualified.Printing out the right kind of colorful brochure or business card can be a valuable method of stepping away from the crowded business field.
31.According to the writer, what does every business, regardless of its size, make effort to achieve nowadays？
[A]Get people to buy their products.
[B]Design and produce new products.
[C]Make their prices more competitive.
[D]Better the quality of their present products.
32.Why do some companies design their business cards in full color？
[A]To keep up with the trend.
[B]To make the cards look fancy.
[C]To distinguish themselves from others.
[D]To vividly demonstrate the corporate culture.
33.What would help customers know better about your business when doing business with them？
[A]Inviting them to kinds of exhibitions related.
[B]Showing them the price of your products.
[C]Asking them to find out the subtle differences between you and the competitors.
[D]Giving them a catalogue of all the products or services your business provides.
34.According to the last paragraph, what kind of business will make the customers think seriously? It's the business that can _____________ .
[A]provide comprehensive after-sales service
[B]always offer the lowest price in the market
[C]show customers why they are the best qualified
[D]convince customers that they are the largest in this field
35.The writer suggests that companies ___________ for the sake of effective product differentiation.
[A]step away from the crowded business field
[B]make as many advertisements in newspapers as possible
[C]manage to enter competitive markets whenever possible
[D]print out the right kind of colorful brochure or business card
Text 4
Virtually all consumers will have a credit card in their lives.Selecting a credit card should not be something taken lightly, card companies are constantly looking for new consumers, but only after wisely comparing offers should you select a provider.Pick a company that will give you a reasonable rate and one that incentivizes their program with some type of reward for using their card.
Almost without fail, rewards cards typically give consumers money back on their purchases or allow you to accumulate points toward prizes on future purchases.If you charge $10,000 per year and your rewards card pays you a 2% reward on purchases, you will receive $200 from the company.Usually you will gain the funds in the form of several credits to your account spread out over the course of year, but in some cases you will receive the rewards in the form of a check.
Rewards cards are free money? Only if you do not have to pay an annual fee and you pay your credit card off every month.If you do not pay your card off every month, your reward could easily be overshadowed by monthly interest payments, especially if your interest rate is high.Not too many companies pay rewards and give you a low rate at the same time.In theory, even if you carry balances for as little as 2-3 months before paying your card off you could find your rewards for the entire year outweighed by finance charges.
So you need to consider the following when selecting your card.First, is there an annual cap on purchases? Many rewards cards will limit to you the amount of cash back funds or rewards points you can accumulate in one year.Most people never come close to the figure, but if you are a business traveler you can quickly approach and pass these limitations within the year.Second, do points eventually drop off? The majority of rewards cards only allow you to accumulate points for three years before they begin to drop off.If your next car purchase is five years away and you have a program that drops off points, you could find the first two years of card usage to be a waste as those points would vanish. If you still want that particular rewards card, only use it in years 3,4, and 5 so that when it comes time to purchase your new car you will not have lost any points.You could consider getting and using another rewards card for a different rewards system to cover years 1 and 2.
All in all, rewards card can be a useful option for the savvy consumer.Remember, points do fall off and carrying balances from month to month will wipe out the value of the card in short order.By showing plenty of discipline you can make rewards cards work well for you.
36.Consumers had better choose a provider of a credit card with ____________ .
[A]the promise of giving their money back on their purchases
[B]the rewards in the form of a check
[C]a reasonable rate and reward for using their card
[D]the chance of giving their money back in a short time
37.If you do not pay your card off every month,____________ .
[A]your rewards cards are free money
[B]you have to pay an annual fee
[C]your reward is outweighed by interest
[D]no companies pay rewards
38.If you often travel on business, ____________ .
[A]you'd better consider taking a cap with you
[B]many rewards cards will not limit to you
[C]you will never come close to the limitation
[D]you'd better choose a higher limitation card
39.To avoid losing any points, ______________ .
[A]you have to purchase a car five years later
[B]you'd better purchase in the accumulating limitation
[C]you will never come close to the limitation
[D]you have to waste the two years points
40.What does the author imply by saying“rewards cards can be a useful option for the savvy consumer”？
[A]Rewards cards are helpful when people know them totally well.
[B]Rewards cards are useful only when people purchase with them.
[C]The value of the card will vanish from month to month in short time.
[D]Rewards cards will serve people with comfort and convenience.
Part B
Directions：
Read the following text and answer the questions by finding information from the right column that corresponds to each of the marked details given in the left column.There are two extra choices in the right column.Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.（10 points）
A hospital is an institution that provides medical services for a community.The doctors, nurses, and other personnel of a hospital work to restore health to sick and injured people.They also try to prevent disease and maintain health in the community. Some hospitals serve as centers for medical education and research.
Most hospitals are short-term hospitals in which the majority of patients stay less than 30 days.Patients spend an average of 4 to 8 days in a short-term hospital.In long-term hospitals, most patients stay more than 30 days.People having their tonsils removed would go to a short-term hospital.Those with severe mental illnesses may stay in a long-term institution because of the time needed to treat their condition.
A general hospital provides services for most people and illnesses.A special hospital cares for certain people or certain illnesses.For example, pediatric hospitals treat only children.Rehabilitation hospitals provide services to help people adjust to mental and physical disabilities.
A hospital may perform other services besides treating the sick.Research hospitals conduct medical research.Teaching hospitals educate future physicians, nurses, and laboratory specialists.A teaching hospital may form part of a university medical center, or it may be a general hospital associated with a medical school.
In the professional services department, physicians play an important role and lead a large medical team working for the hospital.The medical team also includes physicians in training.These interns come from medical schools and work in a hospital for practical experience.The nursing staff forms the largest group in the patient care team. Professional nurses, generally called registered nurses, have graduated from a nursing school.They carry out much of the patients' care under the guidance of physicians.They also direct other members of the nursing staff, including practical nurses, nurse's aides, and nurse attendants.These men and women do many tasks to train the registered nurses for work requiring the special skills.
There are many other important departments in a hospital besides the professional services department.The hospital pharmacy provides medicines that physicians order for patients.The central service department maintains medical supplies.The food service department prepares meals for patients and staff members.The hospital laboratories conduct tests that help doctors diagnose and treat illnesses.The radiology department makes X rays to help physicians diagnose diseases and injuries.The medical records department keeps a record on every patient.If former patients return to the hospital, their medical record helps the physician diagnose and treat their illness.The admitting office schedules patients for admission at the request of their physician and assigns them to a room.And the business office lists each patient's charges, prepares a bill, and records payments received.
