2008

　　Text 1

　　While still catching-up to men in some spheres of modern life, women appear to be way ahead in at least one undesirable category. Women are particularly susceptible to developing depression and anxiety disorders in response to stress compared to men, according to Dr. Yehuda, chief psychiatrist at New York’s Veteran’s Administration Hospital.

　　Studies of both animals and humans have shown that sex hormones somehow affects the stress response, causing females under stress to produce more of the trigger chemicals than do males under the same conditions. In several of the studies, when stressed-out female rats had their ovaries (the female reproductive organs) removed, their chemical responses became equal to those of the males.

　　Adding to a woman’s increased dose of stress chemicals, are her increased opportunities for stress. It’s not necessarily that women don’t cope as well. It’s just that they have so much more to cope with, says Dr. Yehuda. Their capacity for tolerating stress may even be greater than men’s, she observes, It’s just that they’re dealing with so many more things that they become worn out from it more visibly and sooner.

　　Dr. Yehuda notes another difference between the sexes. I think that the kinds of things that women are exposed to tend to be in more of a chronic or repeated nature. Men go to war and are exposed to combat stress. Men are exposed to more acts of random physical violence. The kinds of interpersonal violence that women are exposed to tend to be in domestic situations, by, unfortunately, parents or other family numbers, and they tend not to be one-shot deals. The wear-and-tear that comes from these longer relationships can be quite devastating.

　　Adeline Alvarez married at 18 and gave birth to a son, but had determined to finish college. I struggled a lot to get the college degree. I was living in so much frustration that that was my escape, to go to school, and get ahead and do better. Later her marriage ended and she became a single mother. It’s the hardest thing to take care of a teenager, have a job, pay the rent, pay the car payment, and pay the debt. I lived from paycheck to paycheck.

　　Not everyone experiences the kinds of severe chronic stresses Alvarez describes. But most women today are coping with a lot of obligations, with few breaks, and feeling the strain. Alvarez’s experience demonstrates the importance of finding ways to diffuse stress before it threatens your health and your ability to function.

　　21. Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs?

　　[A] Women are biologically more vulnerable to stress.

　　[B] Women are still suffering much stress caused by men.

　　[C] Women are more experienced than men in coping with stress.

　　[D] Men and women show different inclinations when faced with stress.

　　22. Dr. Yehuda’s research suggests that women

　　[A] need extra doses of chemicals to handle stress.[B] have limited capacity for tolerating stress.

　　[C] are more capable of avoiding stress.[D] are exposed to more stress.

　　23. According to Paragraph 4, the stress women confront tends to be

　　[A] domestic and temporary.[B] irregular and violent.

　　[C] durable and frequent.[D] trivial and random.

　　24. The sentence “I lived from paycheck to paycheck.” (Line 6, Para. 5) shows that

　　[A] Alvarez cared about nothing but making money.

　　[B] Alvarez’s salary barely covered her household expenses.

　　[C] Alvarez got paychecks from different jobs.

　　[D] Alvarez paid practically everything by check.

　　25. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

　　[A] Strain of Stress: No Way Out?[B] Responses to Stress: Gender Difference

　　[C] Stress Analysis: What Chemicals Say[D] Gender Inequality: Women Under Stress

　　Text 2

　　It used to be so straightforward. A team of researchers working together in the laboratory would submit the results of their research to a journal. A journal editor would then remove the authors names and affiliations from the paper and send it to their peers for review. Depending on the comments received, the editor would accept the paper for publication or decline it. Copyright rested with the journal publisher, and researchers seeking knowledge of the results would have to subscribe to the journal.

　　No longer. The Internet and pressure from funding agencies, who are questioning why commercial publishers are making money from government-funded research by restricting access to it—is making access to scientific results a reality. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has just issued a report describing the far-reaching consequences of this. The report, by John Houghton of Victoria University in Australia and Graham Vickery of the OECD, makes heavy reading for publishers who have, so far, made handsome profits. But it goes further than that. It signals a change in what has, until now, been a key element of scientific endeavor.

　　The value of knowledge and the return on the public investment in research depends, in part, upon wide distribution and ready access. It is big business. In America, the core scientific publishing market is estimated at between $7 billion and $11 billion. The International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers says that there are more than 2,000 publishers worldwide specializing in these subjects. They publish more than 1.2 million articles each year in some 16,000 journals.

　　This is now changing. According to the OECD report, some 75% of scholarly journals are now online. Entirely new business models are emerging; three main ones were identified by the report’s authors. There is the so-called big deal, where institutional subscribers pay for access to a collection of online journal titles through site-licensing agreements. There is open-access publishing, typically supported by asking the author (or his employer) to pay for the paper to be published. Finally, there are open-access archives, where organizations such as universities or international laboratories support institutional repositories. Other models exist that are hybrids of these three, such as delayed open-access, where journals allow only subscribers to read a paper for the first six months, before making it freely available to everyone who wishes to see it. All this could change the traditional form of the peer-review process, at least for the publication of papers.

　　26. In the first paragraph, the author discusses

　　[A] the background information of journal editing.

　　[B] the publication routine of laboratory reports.

　　[C] the relations of authors with journal publishers.

　　[D] the traditional process of journal publication.

　　27. Which of the following is true of the OECD report?

　　[A] It criticizes government-funded research.

　　[B] It introduces an effective means of publication.

　　[C] It upsets profit-making journal publishers.

　　[D] It benefits scientific research considerably.

　　28. According to the text, online publication is significant in that

　　[A] it provides an easier access to scientific results.

　　[B] it brings huge profits to scientific researchers.

　　[C] it emphasizes the crucial role of scientific knowledge.

　　[D] it facilitates public investment in scientific research.

　　29. With the open-access publishing model, the author of a paper is required to

　　[A] cover the cost of its publication. [B] subscribe to the journal publishing it.

　　[C] allow other online journals to use it freely.[D] complete the peer-review before submission.

　　30. Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage?

　　[A] The Internet is posing a threat to publishers.

　　[B] A new mode of publication is emerging.

　　[C] Authors welcome the new channel for publication.

　　[D] Publication is rendered easier by online service.

　　Text 3

　　In the early 1960s Wilt Chamberlain was one of only three players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) listed at over seven feet. If he had played last season, however, he would have been one of 42. The bodies playing major professional sports have changed dramatically over the years, and managers have been more than willing to adjust team uniforms to fit the growing numbers of bigger, longer frames.

　　The trend in sports, though, may be obscuring an unrecognized reality: Americans have generally stopped growing. Though typically about two inches taller now than 140 years ago, today’s people—especially those born to families who have lived in the U.S. for many generations—apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s. And they aren’t likely to get any taller. In the general population today, at this genetic, environmental level, we’ve pretty much gone as far as we can go, says anthropologist William Cameron Chumlea of Wright State University. In the case of NBA players, their increase in height appears to result from the increasingly common practice of recruiting players from all over the world.

　　Growth, which rarely continues beyond the age of 20, demands calories and nutrients—notably, protein—to feed expanding tissues. At the start of the 20th century, under-nutrition and childhood infections got in the way. But as diet and health improved, children and adolescents have, on average, increased in height by about an inch and a half every 20 years, a pattern known as the secular trend in height. Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, average height—5′9〞for men, 5′4〞for women—hasn’t really changed since 1960.

　　Genetically speaking, there are advantages to avoiding substantial height. During childbirth, larger babies have more difficulty passing through the birth canal. Moreover, even though humans have been upright for millions of years, our feet and back continue to struggle with bipedal posture and cannot easily withstand repeated strain imposed by oversize limbs. There are some real constraints that are set by the genetic architecture of the individual organism, says anthropologist William Leonard of Northwestern University.

　　Genetic maximums can change, but don’t expect this to happen soon. Claire C. Gordon, senior anthropologist at the Army Research Center in Natick, Mass, ensures that 90 percent of the uniforms and workstations fit recruits without alteration. She says that, unlike those for basketball, the length of military uniforms has not changed for some time. And if you need to predict human height in the near future to design a piece of equipment, Gordon says that by and large, you could use today’s data and feel fairly confident.

　　31. Wilt Chamberlain is cited as an example to

　　[A] illustrate the change of height of NBA players.

　　[B] show the popularity of NBA players in the U.S.

　　[C] compare different generations of NBA players.

　　[D] assess the achievements of famous NBA players.

　　32. Which of the following plays a key role in body growth according to the text?

　　[A] Genetic modification.[B] Natural environment.

　　[C] Living standards.[D] Daily exercise.

　　33. On which of the following statements would the author most probably agree?

　　[A] Non-Americans add to the average height of the nation.

　　[B] Human height is conditioned by the upright posture.

　　[C] Americans are the tallest on average in the world.

　　[D] Larger babies tend to become taller in adulthood.

　　34. We learn from the last paragraph that in the near future

　　[A] the garment industry will reconsider the uniform size.

　　[B] the design of military uniforms will remain unchanged.

　　[C] genetic testing will be employed in selecting sportsmen.

　　[D] the existing data of human height will still be applicable.

　　35. The text intends to tell us that

　　[A] the change of human height follows a cyclic pattern.

　　[B] human height is becoming even more predictable.

　　[C] Americans have reached their genetic growth limit.

　　[D] the genetic pattern of Americans has altered.

　　Text 4

　　In 1784, five years before he became president of the United States, George Washington, 52, was nearly toothless. So he hired a dentist to transplant nine teeth into his jaw—having extracted them from the mouths of his slaves.

　　That’s a far different image from the cherry-tree-chopping George most people remember from their history books. But recently, many historians have begun to focus on the role slavery played in the lives of the founding generation. They have been spurred in part by DNA evidence made available in 1998, which almost certainly proved Thomas Jefferson had fathered at least one child with his slave Sally Hemings. And only over the past 30 years have scholars examined history from the bottom up. Works of several historians reveal the moral compromises made by the nation’s early leaders and the fragile nature of the country’s infancy. More significantly, they argue that many of the Founding Fathers knew slavery was wrong—and yet most did little to fight it.

　　More than anything, the historians say, the founders were hampered by the culture of their time. While Washington and Jefferson privately expressed distaste for slavery, they also understood that it was part of the political and economic bedrock of the country they helped to create.

　　For one thing, the South could not afford to part with its slaves. Owning slaves was “like having a large bank account,” says Wiencek, author of An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America. The southern states would not have signed the Constitution without protections for the “peculiar institution,” including a clause that counted a slave as three fifths of a man for purposes of congressional representation.

　　And the statesmen’s political lives depended on slavery. The three-fifths formula handed Jefferson his narrow victory in the presidential election of 1800 by inflating the votes of the southern states in the Electoral College. Once in office, Jefferson extended slavery with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803; the new land was carved into 13 states, including three slave states.

　　Still, Jefferson freed Hemings’s children—though not Hemings herself or his approximately 150 other slaves. Washington, who had begun to believe that all men were created equal after observing the valor of black soldiers during the Revolutionary War, overcame the strong opposition of his relatives to grant his slaves their freedom in his will. Only a decade earlier, such an act would have required legislative approval in Virginia.

　　36. George Washington’s dental surgery is mentioned to

　　[A] show the primitive medical practice in the past.

　　[B] demonstrate the cruelty of slavery in his days.

　　[C] stress the role of slaves in the U.S. history.

　　[D] reveal some unknown aspect of his life.

　　37. We may infer from the second paragraph that

　　[A] DNA technology has been widely applied to history research.

　　[B] in its early days the U.S. was confronted with delicate situations.

　　[C] historians deliberately made up some stories of Jefferson’s life.

　　[D] political compromises are easily found throughout the U.S. history.

　　38. What do we learn about Thomas Jefferson?

　　[A] His political view changed his attitude towards slavery.

　　[B] His status as a father made him free the child slaves.

　　[C] His attitude towards slavery was complex.

　　[D] His affair with a slave stained his prestige.

　　39. Which of the following is true according to the text?

　　[A] Some Founding Fathers benefit politically from slavery.

　　[B] Slaves in the old days did not have the right to vote.

　　[C] Slave owners usually had large savings accounts.

　　[D] Slavery was regarded as a peculiar institution.

　　40. Washington’s decision to free slaves originated from his

　　[A] moral considerations.[B] military experience.

　　[C] financial conditions.[D] political stand.

　　Text 1

　　If you were to examine the birth certificate of every soccer player in 2006’s World Cup tournament, you would most likely find a noteworthy quirk: elite soccer players are more likely to have been born in the earlier months of the year than in the later months. If you then examined the European national youth teams that feed the World Cup and professional ranks, you would find this strange phenomenon to be even more pronounced.

　　What might account for this strange phenomenon? Here are a few guesses: a) certain astrological signs confer superior soccer skills; b) winter-born babies tend to have higher oxygen capacity, which increases soccer stamina; c) soccer-mad parents are more likely to conceive children in springtime, at the annual peak of soccer mania; d) none of the above.

　　Anders Ericsson, a 58-year-old psychology professor at Florida State University, says he believes strongly in “none of the above.” Ericsson grew up in Sweden, and studied nuclear engineering until he realized he would have more opportunity to conduct his own research if he switched to psychology. His first experiment, nearly 30 years ago, involved memory: training a person to hear and then repeat a random series of numbers. “With the first subject, after about 20 hours of training, his digit span had risen from 7 to 20,” Ericsson recalls. “He kept improving, and after about 200 hours of training he had risen to over 80 numbers.”

　　This success, coupled with later research showing that memory itself is not genetically determined, led Ericsson to conclude that the act of memorizing is more of a cognitive exercise than an intuitive one. In other words, whatever inborn differences two people may exhibit in their abilities to memorize, those differences are swamped by how well each person “encodes” the information. And the best way to learn how to encode information meaningfully, Ericsson determined, was a process known as deliberate practice. Deliberate practice entails more than simply repeating a task. Rather, it involves setting specific goals, obtaining immediate feedback and concentrating as much on technique as on outcome.

　　Ericsson and his colleagues have thus taken to studying expert performers in a wide range of pursuits, including soccer. They gather all the data they can, not just performance statistics and biographical details but also the results of their own laboratory experiments with high achievers. Their work makes a rather startling assertion: the trait we commonly call talent is highly overrated. Or, put another way, expert performers—whether in memory or surgery, ballet or computer programming—are nearly always made, not born.

　　21. The birthday phenomenon found among soccer players is mentioned to

　　A. stress the importance of professional training.

　　B. spotlight the soccer superstars in the World Cup.

　　C. introduce the topic of what makes expert performance.

　　D. explain why some soccer teams play better than others.

　　22. The word “mania” (Line 4, Paragraph 2) most probably means

　　A. funB. crazeC. hysteriaD. excitement

　　23. According to Ericsson, good memory

　　A. depends on meaningful processing of information.

　　B. results from intuitive rather than cognitive exercises.

　　C. is determined by genetic rather than psychological factors.

　　D. requires immediate feedback and a high degree of concentration.

　　24. Ericsson and his colleagues believe that

　　A. talent is a dominating factor for professional success.

　　B. biographical data provide the key to excellent performance.

　　C. the role of talent tends to be overlooked.

　　D. high achievers owe their success mostly to nurture.

　　25. Which of the following proverbs is closest to the message the text tries to convey?

　　A. “Faith will move mountains.”B. “One reaps what one sows.”

　　C. “Practice makes perfect.”D. “Like father, like son.”

　　Text 2

　　In spite of “endless talk of difference,” American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people. This is “the democratizing uniformity of dress and discourse, and the casualness and absence of deference” characteristic of popular culture. People are absorbed into “a culture of consumption” launched by the 19th-century department stores that offered ‘vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere. Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite.” these were stores “anyone could enter, regardless of class or background. This turned shopping into a public and democratic act.” The mass media, advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization.

　　Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous. Writing for the National Immigration Forum, Gregory Rodriguez reports that today’s immigration is neither at unprecedented level nor resistant to assimilation. In 1998 immigrants were 9.8 percent of population； in 1900, 13.6 percent. In the 10 years prior to 1990, 3.1 immigrants arrived for every 1,000 residents； in the 10 years prior to 1890, 9.2 for every 1,000. Now, consider three indices of assimilation-language, home ownership and intermarriage.

　　The 1990 Census revealed that “a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English “well” or “very well” after ten years of residence.” The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient in English. “By the third generation, the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families.” Hence the description of America as a graveyard” for language. By 1996 foreign-born immigrants who had arrive before 1970 had a home ownership rate of 75.6 percent, higher than the 69.8 percent rate among native-born Americans.

　　Foreign-born Asians and Hispanics “have higher rates of intermarriage than do U.S-born whites and blacks.” By the third generation, one third of Hispanic women are married to non-Hispanics, and 41 percent of Asian-American women are married to non-Asians.

　　Rodriguez notes that children in remote villages around world are fans of superstars like Amold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet “some Americans fear that immigrants living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nation’s assimilative power.”

　　Are there divisive issues and pockets of seething anger in America? Indeed. It is big enough to have a bit of everything. But particularly when viewed against America’s turbulent past, today’s social indices hardly suggest a dark and deteriorating social environment.

　　21. The word “homogenizing” (Line 2, Paragraph 1) most probably means_____.

　　[A] identifying [B] associating [C] assimilating [D] monopolizing

　　22. According to the author, the department stores of the 19th century_____.

　　[A] played a role in the spread of popular culture.

　　[B] became intimate shops for common consumers.

　　[C] satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite.

　　[D] owed its emergence to the culture of consumption.

　　23. The text suggests that immigrants now in the U.S. _____.

　　[A] are resistant to homogenization.

　　[B] exert a great influence on American culture.

　　[C] are hardly a threat to the common culture.

　　[D] constitute the majority of the population.

　　24. Why are Amold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks mentioned in Paragraph 5?

　　[A] To prove their popularity around the world.

　　[B] To reveal the public’s fear of immigrants.

　　[C] To give examples of successful immigrants.

　　[D] To show the powerful influence of American culture.

　　25. In the author’s opinion, the absorption of immigrants into American society is_____.

　　[A] rewarding [B] successful [C] fruitless [D] harmful

　　Text 3

　　Over the past century, all kinds of unfairness and discrimination have been condemned or made illegal. But one insidious form continues to thrive: alphabetism. This, for those as yet unaware of such a disadvantage, refers to discrimination against those whose surnames begin with a letter in the lower half of the alphabet.

　　It has long been known that a taxi firm called AAAA cars has a big advantage over Zodiac cars when customers thumb through their phone directories. Less well known is the advantage that Adam Abbott has in life over ZoëZysman. English names are fairly evenly spread between the halves of the alphabet. Yet a suspiciously large number of top people have surnames beginning with letters between A and K.

　　Thus the American president and vice-president have surnames starting with B and C respectively; and 26 of George Bush's predecessors (including his father) had surnames in the first half of the alphabet against just 16 in the second half. Even more striking, six of the seven heads of government of the G7 rich countries are alphabetically advantaged (Berlusconi, Blair, Bush, Chirac, Chretien and Koizumi). The world's three top central bankers (Greenspan, Duisenberg and Hayami) are all close to the top of the alphabet, even if one of them really uses Japanese characters. As are the world's five richest men (Gates, Buffett, Allen, Ellison and Albrecht).

　　Can this merely be coincidence? One theory, dreamt up in all the spare time enjoyed by the alphabetically disadvantaged, is that the rot sets in early. At the start of the first year in infant school, teachers seat pupils alphabetically from the front, to make it easier to remember their names. So short-sighted Zysman junior gets stuck in the back row, and is rarely asked the improving questions posed by those insensitive teachers. At the time the alphabetically disadvantaged may think they have had a lucky escape. Yet the result may be worse qualifications, because they get less individual attention, as well as less confidence in speaking publicly.

　　The humiliation continues. At university graduation ceremonies, the ABCs proudly get their awards first; by the time they reach the Zysmans most people are literally having a ZZZ. Shortlists for job interviews, election ballot papers, lists of conference speakers and attendees: all tend to be drawn up alphabetically, and their recipients lose interest as they plough through them.

　　46.What does the author intend to illustrate with AAAA cars and Zodiac cars?

　　[A] A kind of overlooked inequality.

　　[B] A type of conspicuous bias.

　　[C] A type of personal prejudice.

　　[D] A kind of brand discrimination.

　　47.What can we infer from the first three paragraphs?

　　[A] In both East and West, names are essential to success.

　　[B] The alphabet is to blame for the failure of ZoëZysman.

　　[C] Customers often pay a lot of attention to companies' names.

　　[D] Some form of discrimination is too subtle to recognize.

　　48.The 4th paragraph suggests that

　　[A] questions are often put to the more intelligent students.

　　[B] alphabetically disadvantaged students often escape from class.

　　[C] teachers should pay attention to all of their students.

　　[D] students should be seated according to their eyesight.

　　49.What does the author mean by “most people are literally having a ZZZ” (Lines 2-3, Paragraph 5)?

　　[A] They are getting impatient.

　　[B] They are noisily dozing off.

　　[C] They are feeling humiliated.

　　[D] They are busy with word puzzles.

　　50.Which of the following is true according to the text?

　　[A] People with surnames beginning with N to Z are often ill-treated.

　　[B] VIPs in the Western world gain a great deal from alphabetism.

　　[C] The campaign to eliminate alphabetism still has a long way to go.

　　[D] Putting things alphabetically may lead to unintentional bias.

　　Text 4

　　When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn't biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn't cutting, filing or polishing as many nails as she'd like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. “I’m a good economic indicator,” she says. “I provide a service that people can do without when they’re concerned about saving some dollars.” So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillard’s department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I don’t know if other clients are going to abandon me, too,” she says.

　　Even before Alan Greenspan’s admission that America’s red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year’s pace. But don’t sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only mildly concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy’s long-term prospects even as they do some modest belt-tightening.

　　Consumers say they’re not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, “there’s a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses,” says broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. “Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three,” says John Tealdi, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job.

　　Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldn’t mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might see an upside, too Getting a table at Manhattan’s hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant used to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.

　　51.By “Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet” (Line 1, Paragraph 1). The author means

　　[A] Spero can hardly maintain her business.

　　[B] Spero is too much engaged in her work.

　　[C] Spero has grown out of her bad habit.

　　[D] Spero is not in a desperate situation.

　　52.How do the public feel about the current economic situation?

　　[A] Optimistic. [B] Confused.

　　[C] Carefree.[D] Panicked.

　　53.When mentioning “the $4 million to $10 million range” (Lines 3-4,Paragraph 3), the author is talking about

　　[A] gold market. [B] real estate.

　　[C] stock exchange. [D]venture investment.

　　54.Why can many people see “silver linings” to the economic slowdown?

　　[A] They would benefit in certain ways.

　　[B] The stock market shows signs of recovery.

　　[C] Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom.

　　[D] The purchasing power would be enhanced.

　　55.To which of the following is the author likely to agree?

　　[A] A new boom, on the horizon.

　　[B] Tighten the belt, the single remedy.

　　[C] Caution all right, panic not.

　　[D] The more ventures, the more chances.

　　Text 5

　　It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional. Small wonder. Americans' life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a 30-minute surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population a quality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. But not even a great health-care system can cure death — and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours.

　　Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solved. Shielded by third-party payers from the cost of our care, we demand everything that can possibly be done for us, even if it's useless. The most obvious example is late-stage cancer care. Physicians — frustrated by their inability to cure the disease and fearing loss of hope in the patient — too often offer aggressive treatment far beyond what is scientifically justified.

　　In 1950, the US spent $12.7 billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be $1540 billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age — say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and infirm "have a duty to die and get out of the way", so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential.

　　I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is in her 70s, and former surgeon general C.Everett Koop chairs an Internet start-up in his 80s. These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68-year-old, I wish to age as productively as they have.

　　Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. As a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people's lives.

　　56. What is implied in the first sentence?

　　[A] Americans are better prepared for death than other people.

　　[B] Americans enjoy a higher life quality than ever before.

　　[C] Americans are over-confident of their medical technology.

　　[D] Americans take a vain pride in their long life expectancy.

　　57. The author uses the example of caner patients to show that ________.

　　[A] medical resources are often wasted

　　[B] doctors are helpless against fatal diseases

　　[C] some treatments are too aggressive

　　[D] medical costs are becoming unaffordable

　　58. The author's attitude to ward Richard Lamm's remark is one of ________.

　　[A] strong disapproval

　　[B] reserved consent

　　[C] slight contempt

　　[D] enthusiastic support

　　59. In contras to the US, Japan and Sweden are funding their medical care ________.

　　[A] more flexibly

　　[B] more extravagantly

　　[C] more cautiously

　　[D] more reasonably

　　60. The text intends to express the idea that ________.

　　[A] medicine will further prolong people's lives

　　[B] life beyond a certain limit is not worth living

　　[C] death should be accepted as a fact of life

　　[D] excessive demands increase the cost of health care

　　2005

　　Part B

　　52. Directions:

　　Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following drawing. In your essay ,you should first describe the drawing the interpret its meaning, and give your comment on it.

　　You should write neatly on ANSWER SHEET2. (20 points)

　　

　　The picture above symbolically demonstrates how three sons and a daughter treat their old and helpless father. They each stand in a different comer of a football field. The eldest son kicks out the father while the other children are prepared to ward him off. It is sad to see none of them is willing to receive and support their father. What it illustrates is a common phenomenon in today's society: many grown-up children refuse to support their aging parents.

　　While young people enjoy a comfortable life, their parents are neglected and left in utter poverty, as these elderly people have grown so physically weak that they no longer have the power to support themselves. I think these children have gone against their own conscience and therefore may be put under strong attacks of words and contempt by us. According to Chinese culture, to respect the old and love the young are the traditional virtue and to be kind to one's parents is the height of it. We owe so much to our parents in the they not only gave us life but have done much in bringing us up. It is against nature for us to escape from our responsibility of taking care of our parents when they are old.

　　On the contrary, we have the duty to pay back their love by making their later years enjoyable and happy. With love and respect for the old, our society will be full of sunshine; Without love and respect for the old, our society will be dark through.

　　2006年

　　Part B

　　52. Directions:

　　Study the following photos carefully and write an essay of 160~200 words in which you should

　　1. describe the photos briefly,

　　2. interpret the social phenomenon reflected by them, and

　　3. give your point of view.

　　参考例文

　　How ironic the two pictures are in describing one of the most widespread social phenomena concerning idol adoration! In the first picture, a young man writes the name of Beckham on his face. In the second picture, another young man spends 300 yuan in dealing with his hair to make himself look like Beckham. The meaning conveyed in the two pictures reveals that in current China some young people are losing themselves.

　　I am greatly shocked by the enthusiasm for this British football superstar shown by these two young men. Frankly speaking, things of this kind really happen among us. Some people, especially college students, do nothing but concentrate on imitating superstars. This does great harm to their study and growth. If we can’t stop the worsening of this tendency, our own culture will be damaged, and we ourselves will be the ultimate victims.

　　From my point of view, a lot of measures should be taken to save our losing culture and re-find ourselves. In fact, some measures have already been taken. In my university, campaigns have been launched to educate people to pay more attention to our traditional culture and read more books instead of focusing on our appearances. As a result, we have witnessed some improvements but still there is a long way to go.

　　Directions:

　　Among all the worthy feelings of mankind, love is probably the noblest, but everyone has his/her own understanding of it.

　　There has been a discussion recently on the issue in a newspaper. Write an essay to the newspaper to

　　1) show your understanding of the symbolic meaning of the picture below,

　　2) give a specific example, and

　　3) give your suggestion as to the best way to show love.

　　You should write about 200 words on ANSWER SHEET 2. (20 points)

　　Sample

　　It is generally believed that love is a hot topic which is most talked about. As is described in the picture,“Love is a lamp, the brighter, the darker.”Certainly it is true. People in dark places need more light than ordinary people. Maybe just a thread of light will call forth their strength and courage to step out of their difficulties. Love is of the utmost importance to the human beings. Everybody not only needs love, but also should give love.

　　In order to make it clear, let me give some examples. When someone is starving to death, just a little food and water from you may save him. Or when a little girl in a poor rural area drops out of school owing to poverty, just a small sum of money from you may support her to finish her schooling, changing her life. All of these are nothing to you, but your help is just like a lamp in a dark place, shining others with its light and heat

　　It is far beyond any reasonable doubt that we should offer our help to all who are in need. If we expect to get love from others, we should provide others with love. So when we see someone in difficulty or in distress or in need of help, don’t hesitate to give our love to him. Only in this way, I believe, will people be harmonious and our society be a better place for us to live in.