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 ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)

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Text 1

Excessive sugar has a strong mal-effect on the functioning of active organs such as the heart，kidneys and the brain．Shipwrecked sailors who ate and drank nothing but sugar for nine days surely went through some of this trauma．

This incident occurred when a vessel carrying a cargo of sugar was shipwrecked in 1793．The five surviving sailors were finally rescued nine days after the accident．They were in a wasted condition due to starvation，having consumed nothing but sugar． French physiologist F．Magendie was inspired by that incident to conduct a series of experiments with animals．In the experiments，he fed dogs a diet of sugar and water．All the dogs wasted and died．

The shipwrecked sailors and the French physiologist’s experimental dogs proved the same point．As a steady diet，sugar is worse than nothing．Plain water can keep you alive for quite some time．Sugar and water can kill you．Humans【and animals】are“unable to subsist on a diet of sugar”．The dead dogs in Professor Magendie’s laboratory alerted the sugar industry to the hazards of free scientific inquiry．From that day to this，the sugar industry has invested millions of dollars in behind-the-scenes，subsidized science．The best scientific names that money could buy have been hired，in the hope that they could one day come up with something at least pseudoscientific in the way of glad tidings about sugar．

It has been proved，however，that sugar is a major factor in dental decay；sugar in a person’s diet does cause overweight removal of sugar from diets has cured symptoms of crippling，worldwide diseases such as diabetes，cancer and heart illnesses．

Sir Frederick Banting noticed in 1929 that，among sugar plantation owners who ate large amounts of their refined stuff，diabetes was common．Among native cane-cutters，who

only got to chew the raw cane，he saw no diabetes．

However，the story of the public relations attempts on the part of the sugar manufacturers began in Britain in 1808 when the Committee of West India reported to the House of Commons that a prize of twenty-five guineas(英旧币，值21先令)had been offered to anyone who could come up with the most “satisfactory” experiments to prove that unrefined sugar was good for feeding and fattening oxen，cows，hogs and sheep．Food for animals is often seasonal，always expensive．Sugar，by then，was dirt cheap．People weren’t eating it fast enough．

Naturally，the attempt to feed livestock with sugar in England in 1808 was a disaster．

21．All of the following are true about sugar EXCEPT______．

A．Refined sugar alone can be a diet for people to live on for a few days．

B．Sugar can cause diabetes，cancer and heart diseases．

C．Unrefined sugar was once good and very cheap if used to feed and fatten livestock．

D．Sugar cannot be used as a daily diet．

22．Sugar manufacturers have______．

A．tried hard to make experiments on their own with sugar on humans and animals．

B．invested millions of dollars in buying best names of scientists to sell sugar．

C．hoped to encounter some scientific findings about sugar．

D．tried hard to establish public relations in order to open the market for sugar．

23．The word“trauma”( in paragraph l ) most probably means______．

A．diseased condition B．dangerous situation

C．terrible shipwreck D．excessive sugar intake

24．The sugar manufacturers have invested millions of dollars in behind-the-scenes, subsidized science because they_______．

A．began to realize the benefits of scientific experiments

B．began to realize the hazards of eating sugar

C．were afraid that the trade of sugar would be prohibited by the government

D．hoped to find something pleasing, even in the guise of science, about sugar

25．We can safely conclude that_______.

A．people in the 19th century were eager to eat sugar

B．if shipwrecked sailors had drunk fresh water，things would have been even worse

C．one or more scientists have been hired to cheat in regard to sugar

D．scientists can do nothing without the money subsidized secretly

答案：21 C 22 D 23 A 24 D 25 C

Text 2

Undoubtedly，Internet technology will change the way we live，work，communicate and do business．But beware of those who proclaim this to be a New Era of profitability．As in the so-called New Eras of the past--brought on by earlier technological breakthroughs--this one carries the seeds of its own destruction．The phenomenal growth of Internet businesses is already fueling a Klondike-style gold rush，with far too many diggers looking for far too little gold．Economics teaches us that it is hard to become an upstart with a basically free commodity．Think of ice in the Arctic，sand in the desert，seawater in the ocean or，for that matter，the seemingly unlimited“hot air”on the Net．

In the 20th century，the proliferation of cars，radios，movies，televisions，mass retailers

and computers all inspired a sense that we had begun a New Era．Each breakthrough promised new riches and unprecedented prosperity for the innovators．But in the long run，they always failed to deliver to investors the expected rewards．

Why the letdowns? In part because every great innovator invariably attracted great imitators，who competed with the original and eventually depressed his“excessive”profit margin by commoditizing the invention．Furthermore，great inventions have always been followed by greater innovations，which，through the process known as creative destruction，render the previous new technology obsolete．And when inventions become vital to the economy，they are frequently brought under the control of governments via regulation，nationalization and，in extreme cases，expropriation(没收)．

Take the Erie Canal，which was completed in 1825. Its success led to the great American canal boom of the 1830s．It ended just a few years later in a tremendous failure，as most of the other canals failed to make money．The Erie，too，began to suffer from competition，first from railroads and，eventually，from trucks．In the end，the railroad industry--which helped create an unprecedented industrial boom--proved to be disastrous for most investors．By 1895，most U．S．railroads had to be restructured．

Now-familiar technologies like cars，radios，cash registers and mainframe computers were all at some point new and revolutionary．But the spread of the technologies led inevitably to the demise of their creators’“excessive”profits，as each became just another commodity．Don’t think for a minute that the internet will be any different．

26．The purpose of this passage is _______.

A．to pour cold water on the booming Internet industry

B．to exemplify why New Eras of the past failed

C．to justify the profitability of Internet business

D．to explore the prosperity and decline of New Eras

27．It is implied in the passage that ______.

A．most Internet companies are unlikely to be out of business soon

B．after beating the competitors，the survived Internet companies can achieve some

meaningful earnings

C．the growth of the Internet businesses is too fast

D．the spread of a new invention can make people live better

28．The current booming of Internet industry is compared to _______.

A．ice in the Arctic

B．sand in the desert

C．seawater in the ocean

D．a Klondike-style gold rush

29．All the following account for the letdowns of New Eras of the past EXCEPT ______ .

A．the emergence of imitation after innovation

B．the competition between imitation and innovation

C．even greater innovation after great invention

D．exclusive intervention by the government

30．The Erie Canal is mentioned in the passage because ______.

A．its success led to the great American canal boom in the 1830s

B．it ended just a few years later in a tremendous failure

C．it suffered from competition from railroads and trucks

D．it proved to be less profitable than its investors expected

答案：26A 27C 28D 29D 30D