3．A 细节题。内容涉及马萨诸塞州最近通过的一项议案。原文参照第三段第五行。

4．A 语义题。从第二、三段的内容来看，各州政府试图动用各种基金对请假照料新生婴儿的父母进行经济上的帮助，因此A项在意义上最符合。

5．C 情感态度题。本文重点说明了停薪请假人所面临的经济困难，以及各州的解决方案，并在最后一段说明带薪请假政策可能带来的积极变化。从材料的选择来看，作者对于带薪请假政策持积极的态度，所以答案为C。





参考译文



上个月，吉纳·加罗和布莱恩·杜普里希从哥伦比亚收养了四个月大的安德烈时，这对夫妇决定请假照顾他。六年前，他们的女儿梅丽娜出生后，这家人靠着杜普里希做建筑工人每年36000美元的薪水勉强度日，这样，从事特殊教育教学的加罗就可以待在家里照顾孩子。如今，因为加罗的工作能够为家庭提供医疗健康保险，她将在今年秋季回去工作，而让杜普里希摆弄那些尿片和婴儿奶瓶。他的老板同意他请假——但他必须为此放弃时薪为18美元的报酬。这可有些让这个家庭犯难了。虽然加罗40000美元的年薪可以支付他们的抵押贷款，但夫妇俩却不得不冻结他们的退休金账户，减少梅丽娜的课后活动开支——还要祷告汽车别出问题。“我们不再后顾无忧，”加罗说道，“生活会变得很拮据。”

1993年颁布的《家庭医疗休假法》本来应该帮助像加罗这样的家庭，为那些请假照顾新生儿、治疗重病或者照顾患病亲人的员工提供一个安全保障。可是，法律虽然可以保证这些员工不至于丢掉工作，却不能支付他们的薪水。去年的一项调查显示，虽然从1999年以来有2400万美国人请假，但还有270万人想要请假，却承受不起请假带来的损失。要不了多久这种情况就会改变。目前至少有25个州正在探索提供带薪休假的新途径，以回应选民日益增加的要求。一种可能性就是利用州伤病基金。一些州——纽约、新泽西、加利福尼亚、罗德岛和夏威夷——已经动用伤病基金为请孕产假的妇女提供部分工资。但这种举措并不能帮助那些做父亲的人和照料年迈父母的人。新泽西州和纽约州也许不久就会扩大伤病基金计划的覆盖面，让那些请假照料孩子的父亲们和其他照料伤病亲属的人都能从中受益。包括亚利桑那州、伊利诺伊州和佛罗里达州在内的13个州已经提议动用失业基金来支付请假工资。

马萨诸塞州的举措尤具创意。当该州的代理州长，简·斯威夫特于5月生下一对双胞胎女儿的时候，她以自己“请产假”的方式引起人们对这一问题的关注。她在家通过电脑终端远程工作，做的是兼职工作，拿的却是全职的薪水。在她上周重返工作岗位之前，州参议院就一致通过了一项试点方案，允许动用失业人员医疗保险计划的剩余基金，让刚生了孩子的父母可以拿一半工资，请假12周。众议院提议的另外一项计划则要求雇主为每个员工增加20美元工资，以便设立一个“新家庭信托基金”。作为回报，商业企业可以获得税金免除。这一周，预计斯威夫特将宣布她本人针对低收入母亲和父亲提出的带薪请假计划。民意测验显示了广泛的公众支持——这是斯威夫特和其他国内政治家乐意解决这一问题的另外一个原因。

不过，并不是所有人都热衷这种想法。一些没有子女的人质疑为什么刚生了孩子的父母——他们是许多提案当中第一批获得带薪请假待遇的人——得到的政府补贴比他们的多。商业机构抵制动用失业基金的提案；一些机构甚至已经提起诉讼，以阻止这些提案获得通过。随着经济发展的减速，许多公司也说他们无力为提议中的福利基金提供资金。商业企业的院外游说成员说有太多的员工已经滥用现有的联邦家庭医疗休假法，以许多可疑的借口请假，或者拖延一点请假时间。他们认为该法律提案只会使情况变得更糟。

不过，对于加罗和杜普里希来说，新的法律会使他们的境况大为不同。梅丽娜准备一块花生黄油果冻三明治的时候，杜普里希把怀中打盹的安德烈抱在胸前。“我们正在努力为两个孩子创造好的条件，所以不得不做出牺牲。” 杜普里希说。在马塞诸塞州和其他许多州，也许很快人们就会得到这样的帮助。





Unit 70


Few lawyers did more to help George W．Bush become president than Barry Richard．As Bush's quarterback in the Florida courts during last fall's bruising recount，the white-maned Tallahassee，Fla.，litigator became a familiar figure to TV audiences．He got the GOP equivalent of rock-star treatment when he came to Washington last January for Bush's Inauguration．At one ball，recalls law partner Fred Baggett，a heavyset Texas woman lifted Richard off the floor and planted a big kiss on his cheek，exclaiming，“I love you for giving us our president!”

But Richard has discovered that the Bushes’ gratitude has its limits．More than four months after the U.S．Supreme Court ended the 2000 election，he and his firm，Greenberg Traurig，are still owed more than $800,000 in legal fees．The firm，which sent 39 lawyers and 13 paralegals into court battles all over the state，is one of a dozen that have so far been stiffed．The estimated total tab: more than $2 million．The situation，Newsweek has learned，has gotten increasingly sticky．While lawyers complain privately about foot dragging（Richard says he's not among them），Bush advisers are griping about“astronomical” bills—including one from a litigator who charged for more than 24 hours of work in a single day．“What you’ve got here is a bunch of rich lawyers bellyaching,” says one former Bush campaign official．“Yet these guys got huge in-kind contributions to their reputations out of this.”

The lawyers were supposed to get their money from the Bush Recount Committee，a fund-raising vehicle set up when the Florida fight began．A nebulous entity not legally required to disclose how it spent its money，the committee and its chief fund-raiser，Texas oilman （and now Commerce secretary） Don Evans，swiftly collected $8.3 million—more than twice the $3.9 million Al Gore's recount committee raised to pay its lawyers. To avoid charges that the recount was being bankrolled by special interests，the Bushes imposed a $5,000 cap on individual donations，a PR gesture they now regret．After paying off caterers，air charters and the army of GOP Hill types who came to Florida as“observers,” the“kitty ran dry,” says one source.

The Bush camp says it intends to pay up．But Ben Ginsberg，the former chief campaign counsel who has inherited the mess，hasn’t yet figured out how．As for the law firms，they are taking pains not to alienate their deadbeat clients，for fear of damaging their burgeoning Washington lobbying practices．Greenberg Traurig now represents electric power companies，drug manufacturers and Internet gambling interests willing to pay big money for access to policymakers．Whether Richard and company collect or not，that $800,000 could end up being a smart investment.


注（1）：本文选自Newsweek；

注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象：第1、2、3、5、4题分别模仿1995年真题Text 3第1、2、3、5题和Text 4 第1题。



1．The word“quarterback”（Line 2，Paragraph 1）most probably means ______.

A) supporter

B) counsel

C) assistant

D) adviser

2．The main problem Richard is facing now is ______.

A) the ingratitude of the Bushes

B) the complaints of his law partners

C) the unpaid bills

D) Bush advisers’ criticism

3．From the passage we can infer that ______.

A) lawyers also benefited a lot from working for the Bush Camp

B) Al Gore lost the recount case because his Recount Committee raised far fewer funds than that of Bush’s

C) Texan women are all very proud of having Bush as their president

D) the Bushes intend to become deadbeat clients because it does no harm to their relationship with law firms

4．According to the passage，the Bush Recount Committee ______.

A) spent all the raised money to pay its lawyers

B) had got most of its funds from individuals

C) could have raised more money if they hadn’t imposed a cap on individual donations

D) had to pay the bills of the army for their help in Bush's election

5．We can learn from the last paragraph that ______.

A) the Bush camp also owes electrical power companies and drug manufacturers a lot of money

B) richard and his company have invested their legal fees to expand their business

C) greenberg Traurig works for electric power companies，drug manufacturers and Internet gambling interests

D) law firms don’t want to lose influential clients even if they don’t pay off their legal fees





篇章剖析


本文是一篇说明文，采用提出问题——分析问题的写作模式。第一段，作者介绍了Barry Richard这个帮助布什赢得选举的重要人物；第二段则说明了他和他的法律公司所面临的问题：布什重新计票委员会尚未支付他们的律师费；第三段介绍了布什重新计票委员会的工作及其资金使用情况；第四段则分析说明即使该法律公司收不回律师费，他们仍然需要维持和这种客户的关系。





词汇注释


quarterback /ˈkwɔːtəbæk/ n. （橄榄球）四分卫；关键人物；智囊

bruising /ˈbruːzɪŋ/ adj. 困难的；令人不快的

mane /meɪn/ n. （人的）长头发；鬃毛

Tallahassee /ˌtæləˈhæsɪ/ n. 塔拉哈西（美国佛罗里达州首府）

litigator /ˈlɪtɪgeɪtə/ n. 诉讼律师

GOP 大老党（美国共和党的别称）（Grand Old Party）

paralegal /ˌpærəˈliːgəl,ˈpærəl-/ n. 律师的专职助手，律师帮办

stiff /stɪf/ v. 〈美俚〉不肯给…小账，让…空手而去；失信没给予或供给（担保的或期望的东西）

astronomical /æstrəˈnɒmɪk(ə)l/ adj. 庞大的，无法估计的

bellyache /ˈbelɪeɪk/ v. 发（不该发的）牢骚，抱怨

nebulous /ˈnebjuləs/ adj. 含糊的，模糊的；暧昧的

bankroll /ˈbæŋkrəʊl/ v. 为…提供资金，资助

PR 公共关系 （public relation）

caterer /ˈkeɪtərə(r)/ n. 包办伙食的人；筹备文娱节目的人

deadbeat /ˈdedbi:t/ n. 〈俗〉赖债不还的人，游手好闲者

burgeon /ˈbɜːdʒ(ə)n/ v. （迅速）成长，发展





难句突破


A nebulous entity not legally required to disclose how it spent its money，the committee and its chief fund-raiser，Texas oilman（and now Commerce secretary）Don Evans，swiftly collected $8.3 million—more than twice the $3.9 million Al Gore's recount committee raised to pay its lawyers.

主体句式：The committee and its chief fund-raiser..．swiftly collected...

结构分析：本句是个包含同位语和附加说明的长句。A nebulous entity not legally required to disclose how it spent its money 是委员会的同位语，起到补充说明的作用，而破折号之后的成分也是对句子的补充说明。

句子译文：法律不要求这个性质模糊的机构透露其使用资金的情况。该委员会和它的主要筹资人，得克萨斯州石油商（现商务秘书）唐·伊万斯很快就筹集了830万美元——比艾尔·戈尔重新计票委员会所筹集的390万美元资金的两倍还多，并主要用这笔钱来支付律师费用。





题目分析


1．B 语义题。 根据上下文，Richard作为诉讼律师为布什在佛罗里达法庭的成功立下了汗马功劳。Quarterback原意是橄榄球比赛中的四分卫，是球赛中的关键人物，这里则是指在法庭中为布什效力的辩护律师，是在法庭中胜诉的关键人物。Counsel有“辩护律师”的意思，词义最为接近。

2．C 细节题。文章第二段提到了布什阵营拖欠Richard的公司巨额律师费以及由此引发的抱怨和布什竞选班子的辩解，可见其面临的主要问题是账单未付清。

3．A 推理题。这从第二段引用布什竞选班子成员的话：“Yet these guys got huge in-kind contributions to their reputations out of this.”和最后一段“that $800,000 could end up being a smart investment”两句中可以看出律师事务所和律师们都从其为布什阵营的服务中获益匪浅。

4．C 细节题。文章第三段提到布什重新计票委员会设置了个人捐助的上限（imposed a $5,000 cap on individual donations），并为其后悔。在第三段结尾处讲到在付完各种费用后，他们的资金已经所剩无几（the“kitty ran dry”），由此可以推断出答案是C。

5．D 推理题。从最后一段“As for the law firms，they are taking pains not to alienate their deadbeat clients，for fear of damaging their burgeoning Washington lobbying practices.”来看，为了华盛顿的业务，律师事务所还不得不拉拢赖账的客户。所以答案D是正确的。





参考译文



为了帮助乔治·W.布什成为总统，巴里·理查德做了比大多数律师都要多的工作。作为在去年秋天那场难解难分的重新计票风波中布什的法庭辩护律师，这位来自佛罗里达州塔拉哈西市的满头白发的诉讼律师成了电视观众熟悉的人物。去年一月他到华盛顿参加布什就职典礼的时候，得到了共和党对待摇滚歌星的待遇。据他的律师合伙人弗莱德·巴格特回忆，在一场舞会中，一位体格壮实的得克萨斯妇女将理查德举了起来，在他脸上重重地吻了一下，并且大声说道：“你成就了我们的总统，我爱你！”

但理查德发现布什阵营的感激是有限的。在美国最高法院裁定2000年选举最终获胜者四个多月后，他和他的“格林伯格·特里格”公司仍然被拖欠了超过80万美元的法律服务费。他的公司将39名律师和13名律师助手派往全州各地参与法庭辩论，现在和其他十几家公司一样没有收到劳务费。估计拖欠费用总计已经超过了200万美元。据《新闻周刊》了解，现在这种局面已经变得越来越困难了。虽然律师们私下对拖延付费颇有微词（理查德说他没有抱怨过），布什的顾问手里还有一大把“天文数字”的账单——包括一位诉讼律师开出的每天超过24小时工作费的账单。“在这里的都是些收入不菲还抱怨个不停的律师。”一位前布什竞选班子的官员说道，“可是这些人还从这项工作中得到了提高他们声望的巨大实惠。”

这些律师应该从布什重新计票委员会那里拿到他们的报酬。该委员会成立于佛罗里达之争开始的时候，其主要工作就是筹集资金。法律不要求这个性质模糊的机构透露其使用资金的情况。该委员会和它的主要筹资人，得克萨斯州石油商（现商务秘书）唐·伊万斯很快就筹集了830万美元——比艾尔·戈尔重新计票委员会所筹集的390万美元资金的两倍还多，并主要用这笔钱来支付律师费用。为了避免被指控其重新计票工作获得特殊利益集团的资助，布什班子对个人捐款设置5000美元的上限，现在他们正为这种公关姿态后悔不已。在付清了用于包办伙食、包租飞机以及到佛罗里达“观察”助阵的共和党议员团的账单之后，“筹集的资金已经所剩无几”，一位知情人说道。

布什阵营说他们想要付清账单。但前主要竞选顾问本·金斯伯格面对着接手的一团糟局面还没有理出头绪。至于那些法律事务所，他们正在尽力不疏远那些赖账的客户，以免损害他们在华盛顿刚刚起步的院外游说业务。现在“格林伯格·特里格”公司代表着那些愿意出巨资来接近政策制定者的电力公司、药品制造商和互联网博彩行业。不论理查德及其公司能不能收回法律服务费，那80万美元都是一笔精明的投资。





第6章　教育类



Unit 71


On campuses，cheerful undergraduates are pressing leaflets into freshers’ hands．At Heathrow airport，where many foreign students enter Britain，the welcome has been less warm．Officials herded recent arrivals into a separate queue that at times took six hours to get through—and those were the lucky ones．Many potential students are languishing at home，and will miss out on university places this autumn unless they receive visas in the next few days.

Universities had seen trouble looming since March，when a new student-visa system was introduced．By insisting that potential students prove their academic credentials and show that they have enough money to support themselves，the Home Office intended to deter those who were actually coming to Britain to work．It also hoped the reforms would keep out potential terrorists．But the advice it issued to applicants was poor （it has since been revised）and staff at many visa-processing centres were not properly trained.

The result has been a backlog at many centres—in Los Angeles，for example，students waited up to 40 days for a visa．But the problem has been particularly acute in the Indian subcontinent．In Pakistan，5,000 aspiring students have yet to have their applications processed and 9,000 more are appealing against outright refusals.

The logjam affects mostly wealthy，well-educated folk in strategically important countries．The elite universities，some of which have long had a cosmopolitan clientele，are concerned．“We are all extremely worried about the damage that this could do to the reputation of British higher education overseas，particularly in the Indian subcontinent．It comes at a time when universities’ finances are under enormous pressure,” says Simeon Underwood，head of admissions policy at the London School of Economics．

International students are vital to British universities．Although British and European students pay tuition fees of up to ￡3,225 a year，the cost of educating them is far higher．The state partially plugs the gap and，for that reason，it also caps the number of these students．Fees from overseas students，who pay around ￡12,000 a year，contribute more than ￡1.5 billion annually，8% of universities’ total income.

To attract these crucial customers，universities offer to meet them at airports，run events to settle them in and arrange for police to visit campuses to expedite visa controls．But if students cannot make it into Britain，such canny marketing is in vain．This year，even though a weak pound makes British universities a cheap option，some have seen the number of new students from outside the European Union fall by a fifth because of difficulties in getting visas.

On a visit to Islamabad on October 5th Alan Johnson，the home secretary，promised to cut the time it takes to process a visa from 60 days to 15 by hiring more staff，and to help Pakistan establish a national anti-terrorism agency，which would relieve the pressure on the visa system．But his intervention will not help this year's blocked students．And if problems persist，more foreign students may plump for universities in America or Australia in future.


注（1）：本文选自Economist；

注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象为1999年真题Text 4第1～ 4题和Text 1第4题。



1．We can learn from the first paragraph that ______.

A) Heathrow airport does not like international students as much as university undergraduates

B) the unavailability of visa may force many students to lose their admission into UK universities

C) students feel lucky to wait for only six hours in the airport to get into Britain

D) many students will arrive at the universities much later than expected because they cannot receive the visa

2．According to the new student-visa system，an international student should prove all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A) he should have adequate financial resources

B) he should meet the bottom requirements set by the universities

C) he should provide his birth certificate showing he is not from a terrorist country

D) he should convince the visa official that his purpose of coming to UK is to study

3．According to the text，the new student-visa system may lead to ______.

A) a negative influence on UK's strategic relations with some important countries

B) more governmental subsidies to British universities

C) an increasing pressure on Britain's governmental finance

D) the damage of the reputation of British higher education

4．It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.