PART III  Reading Comprehension       ( 40 % )

Section A

Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice and blacken the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a pencil.

Questions 41 to 44 are based on the following passage:

Every product on the market has a variety of costs built into it before it is ever put up for sale to a customer. There are costs of production, transportation, storage, advertising, and more. Each of these costs must bring in some profit at each stage: truckers must profit from transporting products, or they would not be in business. Thus, costs also include several layers of profits. The selling price of a product must take all of these costs (and built-in profits)into consideration. The selling price itself consists of a markup over the total of all costs, and it is normally based on a percentage of the total cost.

The markup may be quite high 90 percent of cost or it may be low. Grocery items in a supermarket usually have a low markup, while mink coat have a very high one. High markups, however, do not in themselves guarantee big profits. Profits come from turnover. If an item has a 50 percent markup and does not sell, there is no profit. But if a cereal has an 8 percent markup and sells very well, there are reasonable profits.

While most pricing is based on cost factors, there are some exceptions. Prestige pricing means setting prices artificially high in order to attract select clientele(¿Í»§). Such pricing attempts to suggest that the quality or style of the product is exceptional or that the item cannot be found elsewhere. Stores can use prestige pricing to attract wealthy shoppers.

Leader pricing and bait pricing are the opposites of prestige pricing. Leader pricing means setting low prices on certain items to get people to come into the stores. The products so priced are called loss leaders because little or no profit can be made on them. The profits are made from other products people buy while in the store. Bait pricing, now generally considered illegal, means setting artificially low prices to attract customers. The store, however, has no intention of selling goods at the bait prices. The point is to get people into the store and persuade them of the inferiority of the low-priced item. Then a higher-priced item is presented as a better alternative.

A common retail tactic is odd-priced products. For some products of $300, the store will set the price at $295 or$299.95 to give the appearance of a lower price. Automobiles and other high-priced products are usually priced in this manner. For some reason $7,995 has more appeal to a potential car customer than $8000.

Bid pricing is a special kind of price setting. It is often used in the awarding of government contracts. Several companies are asked to submit bids on a job, and normally the lowest bidder wins. A school system may want to buy a large number of computers. Several companies are asked to submit prices, and the school district will decide on the best bid based as well on considerations of quality and service.

41.We learn from the second paragraph, _____ .

A. reducing cost is the surest way to increase profits

B. profits depend on how fast goods are moving

C. fair markup promise the greatest profits

D. lower markup brings reasonable profits

42. In a department store, the purpose of showing clients bait-priced items is to _____ .

A. demonstrate the bad quality of these items

B. get them to purchase some other articles

C. earn some dirty money from these items

D. persuade them to buy what they don't really need

43. Odd-even pricing method _____ .

A. is often used with very expensive items

B. is only effective on potential car customers

C. is the most popular way of pricing a product

D. is the most effective way of selling low priced products

44. In a bidding deal, _____ .

A. the buyer search from place to place for desired object

B. the government selects the best items

C. the government transacts with an individual

D. the sellers compete with each other for the bid

Questions 45 to 48 are based on the following passage:

More and more, the operations of our businesses, governments, and financial institutions are controlled by information that exists only inside computer memories. Anyone clever enough to modify this information for his own purposes can reap substantial rewards. Even worse, a number of people who have done this and been caught at it have managed to get away without punishment.

It's easy for computer crimes to go undetected if no one checks up on what the computer is doing. But even if the crime is detected, the criminal may walk away not only unpunished but with a glowing recommendation from his former employers.

Of course, we have no statistics on crimes that go undetected. But it's disturbing to note how many of the crimes we do know about were detected by accident, not by systematic inspections or other security procedures. The computer criminals who have been caught may been the victims of uncommonly bad luck.

For example, a certain keypunch(¼üÅÌ´ò¿×) operator complained of having to stay overtime to punch extra cards. Investigation revealed that the extra cards she was being asked to punch were for dishonest transactions. In another case, dissatisfied employees of the thief tipped off(Ïò¡­¡­Í¸Â¶) the company that was being robbed.

Unlike other lawbreakers, who must leave the country, commit suicide, or go to jail, computer criminals sometimes escape punishment, demanding not only that they not be charged but that they be given good recommendations and perhaps other benefits. All too often, their demands have been met.

Why? Because company executives are afraid of the bad publicity that would result if the public found out that their computer had been misused. They hesitate at the thought of a criminal boasting in open court of how he juggled(ˣŪ ) the most confidential records right under the noses of the company's executives, accountants , and security staff. And so another computer criminal departs with just the recommendations he needs to continue his crimes elsewhere.

45. It can be concluded from the passage that __________.

A.  it is still impossible to detect computer crimes today

B.  computer crimes are the most serious problem in the operation of financial in situations

C.  computer criminals can escape punishment because they can't be detected

D.  people commit computer crimes at the request their company

46. It is implied in the third paragraph that __________.

A.  many more computer crimes go undetected than are discovered

B.  the rapid increase of computer crimes is a troublesome problem

C.  most computer criminals are smart enough to cover up their crimes

D.  most computer criminals are smart enough to cover up their bad luck

47. Which of the following is mentioned in the passage?

A.  A strict law against computer crimes must be enforced.

B.  Companies need to impose restrictions on confidential information.

C.  Companies will guard against computer crimes to protect their reputation

D.  Companies usually hesitate to uncover computer crimes.

48. The passage is mainly about __________.

A.  why computer crimes are difficult to detect by systematic inspections.

B.  why computer criminals are often able to escape punishment

C.  how computer criminals manage to get good recommendation from their former employers

D.  why computer crimes can't be eliminated

Questions 49 to 52 are based on the following passage:

       Attacking an increasingly popular Internet business practice, a consumer watchdog group Monday filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, asserting that many online search engines are concealing the impact special fees have on search results by Internet users. Commercial Alert, a 3-year-old group founded by consumer activist Ralph Nadir, asked the FTC to investigate whether eight of the Web's largest search engines are violating federal laws against deceptive advertising.

       The group said that the search engines are abandoning objective formulas to determine the order of their listed results and selling the top spots to the highest bidders without making adequate disclosures to Web surfers. The complaint touches a hot-button issue affecting tens of millions of people who submit search queries each day. With more than 2 billion pages and more than 14 billion hyperlinks on the Web, search requests rank as the second most popular online activity after e-mail.

       The eight search engines named in Commercial Alert's complaint are: MSN, owned by Microsoft; Netscape, owned by AOL Time Warner; Directhit, owned by Ask Jeeves; HotBot and Lycos, both owned by Terra Lycos; Altavista, owned by CMGI; LookSmart, owned by LookSmart; and iWon, owned by a privately held company operating under the same name.

       Portland, Ore.-based Commercial Alert could have named more search engines in its complaint, but focused on the biggest sites that are auctioning£¨ÅÄÂô£© off spots in their results, said Gary Ruskin, the group's executive director.

       "Search engines have become central in the quest for learning and knowledge in our society. The ability to skew£¨Å¤Çú£© the results in favor of hucksters(С··) without telling consumers is a serious problem," Ruskin said. By late Monday afternoon, three of the search engines had responded to The Associated Press' inquiries about the complaint. Two, LookSmart and AltaVista, denied the charges. Microsoft spokesman Matt Pilla said MSN is delivering " compelling search results that people want."

       The FTC had no comment about the complaint Monday. The complaint takes aim at the new business plans embraced by more search engines as they try to cash in on their pivotal(¹Ø¼üµÄ) role as Web guides and reverse a steady stream of losses.¡¡To boost revenue, search engines in the past year have been accepting payments from businesses interested in receiving a higher ranking in certain categories or ensuring that their sites are reviewed more frequently.

49. The consumer group complained about ________.

A. special fees that Internet users were charged

B. FTC

C. Commercial Alert

D. online search engines

50. ________ is the most popular activity online.

A. Sending pages

B. sending E-mail

C. Surfing the net

D. selling the top spot

51. Which of the following is NOT a correct statement?

A. There are too many pages or hyperlinks on the Internet, so people usually use search engine to find a certain site.

B. More than 8 search engines are accused of selling their search engine spots by Commercial Alert.

C. The headquarters of Commercial Alert is in Portland Oregon.

D. The search engines are Web guides.

52. All the following companies respond to The Associated Press¡¯ inquiries except  ______.

A. LookSmart               B. CMGI               C. Altavista                   D. Microsoft

Questions 53 to 55 are based on the following passage:

They called him the "King". Elvis Aaron Presley, born in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935, could well claim to be the 20th century's most famous entertainer. In ten short years, his style and sound swept the world. Two years' national service in West Germany interrupted his recording career, but did nothing to dim his popularity. His combination of white country and Western music with black Rhythm and Blues gave the 50s teenage generation music they could identify with. His marriage, in 1967 to Priscilla Beaulieu, daughter of an army colonel, ended in divorce six years later. Like so many 20th century idols, Presley was becoming a victim of the fame he had attracted. It began to take over his life. Under pressure from his domineering manager, Colonel Tom Parker, Presley embarked on a series of comparatively mediocre films. He was straying a long way now from the kind of music he'd mastered in the days in the South, when he sang gospel(¸£ÒôÒôÀÖ) in the Tupelo Church Choir and played guitar in front of a live audience. By the 70's Presley was reduced to singing tearful ballads in night clubs in Las Vegas.

    Presley died in 1977 at his home in Memphis, which had been the center of his musical world for most of his short life. He had been destroyed by drink, drugs, fast food and fast living. His funeral at Graceland was a huge media event. To this day, Presley's home is a shrine to his memory, a measure of the impact he had on his contemporaries. It's reckoned that since he first took the world by storm in 1956, his earnings from records, films and merchandising had grossed more than a billion dollars. And his legend lives on. Each year thousands of sightseers visit the Presley Museum in Tennessee to get a closer view of what it was like to be the undisputed idol of so many people for so many years.

53. According to the passage, Presley¡¯s songs mixed all the following elements EXCEPT _____.

A. record

B. Western music

C. Blues

D. Black rhythm

54. Which statement about Presley is NOT true?

A. He once married a colonel¡¯s daughter.

B. He was destroyed by his fame.

C. He was once in the army.

D. He sang gospel and played guitar for a specific living individual.

55. Which of the following can describe the author¡¯s view about Presley?

A. Presley is a final loser.

B. Presley¡¯s fame has brought him great fortune.

C. Though Presley was not so successful in his later years, he still earned a lot.

D. Despite some defects in his life, he is still a great singer.

Section B

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and then give short answers to the five questions. Write your answers on the Answer Sheet.

Thomas Alva Edison was interested in science at an early age. When he was twelve, he began to sell newspapers. He traveled on American trains and sold his newspapers on them. He began to make experiments on the trains too, and he had a lot of instruments and chemicals on them. The railway line was not very good, and one day a train suddenly shook badly on a curve. Edison had a piece of phosphorus(Á×) among his chemicals. Everything in the train was shaken, and the phosphorus fell on the floor. It began to burn, as phosphorus often does. The train was soon burning also, and Edison was blamed for everything. Thus he was driven out of the train.

After that he did not sell any more newspapers on trains. Perhaps the story that follows explains the next part of his life. One day he was talking to a fried, Jim Mackenzie, who was a telegraph operator. During the conversation Edison looked up and saw a small boy on the railway line. The boy was Mackenzie¡¯s son, and a train was coming. Edison rushed on the line in front of the train. He had saved the boy away before the train. He dragged himself and the boy away before the train reached them. He had saved the boy¡¯s life, and Mackenzie wanted to thank him properly. But Mackenzie was not a rich man; so, to show his feelings, he taught Edison the use of the telegraph instruments.

After that Edison worked as a telegraph operator. He worked a night; during the day he read books and made experiments. The result was that he was very tired. Sometimes he slept at night. His colleagues were angry and they soon found a way to keep him awake. They told him to telegraph the letter A every hour; and in order to do this, he had to stay awake.

Edison did not like this at all, so he inverted a new instrument, which sent the letter A every hour. It never, never failed. Instruments are not like people who forget. So the other operators received the letter every hour.

Edison continued his experiments in New York, but he had not got much money. He invented another instrument. This one printed the passages which the telegraph received. There was by chance a rich man there who was studying the electric telegraph. As soon as he saw the new instrument he bought it about 8,000 pounds.

With this money Edison was able to get some other scientists to help him. His father also built a big house for him at Menlo Park, and in that house Edison invented a lot of different things. One of these was a talking-machine, another was the light bulb.

For sixty years Edison was the world¡¯s leading inventor. He patented over a thousand inventions which changed our way of living. There is no wonder that Edison received many honors during his life for contributions to the progress of mankind. Yet, in spite of all. His fame, Edison remained a modest man. He preferred to continue his work, rather than rest on his achievements. When Edison died in 1931, it was proposed that the American people turn off all power in their homes, streets, and factories for several minutes in honor of this great man. Of course, it was quickly realized that such an honor would be impossible. Its impossibility was indeed the Real tribute to Edison¡¯s achievements.

56. Why was young Edison blamed for the accident of that American train?

57.   What¡¯s the meaning of the phrase ¡°on the line¡± in the second paragraph?

58. Why were the other operators angry with Edison?

59. According to the passage, what were the two main things invented by Edison?

60. What did the American people do in order to show their respect for Edison after he died?

PART IV      Cloze       (5%)

Directions: For each numbered blank in the following passage, there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on the Answer Sheet.

A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps;  for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; __61__ one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.ª¥

      A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not __62__ its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in __63__, and comforting and consoling us in age.

      Men often discover their affinity(Ç׺ÍÁ¦) to each other by the love they have each for a book --- just __64__ two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both have for a third. There is an old proverb, ¡°Love me, __65__ my dog.¡±  But there is more wisdom in this: ¡°Love me, love my book.¡± The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and __66__ each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them.

¡°Books,¡± said Hazlitt, ¡°wind into the heart and slides in the current of our blood.  We read them when young, we remember them __67__ old. We feel that it has happened to ourselves. They are to be very cheap and good. We breathe but the air of books.¡±ª¥

A good book is often the best that life could think out; for the world of a man's life is, __68__ the most part, only the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are __69__ of good words, the golden thoughts, __70__, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters.

PART V        English-Chinese Translation            (10%)

Directions: In this part there is a passage in English. Translate the five sentences underlined into Chinese and write your translation on the Answer Sheet.

All values in the economic system are measured in terms of money. Our goods and services are sold for money, and that money is in turn exchanged for other goods and services. Coins are adequate for small transactions, while paper notes are used for general business. 71.There are additionally a wider sense of the word 'money', covering anything that is used as a means of exchange, whatever form it may take. Originally, a valuable metal (gold, silver or copper) served as a constant store of value, and even today the American dollar is technically 'backed' by the store of gold which the US government maintains. Because gold has been universally regarded as a very valuable metal, national currencies were for many years judged in terms of the so-called 'gold standard'. Nowadays however national currencies are considered to be as strong as the national economies which support them.

Valuable metal has generally been replaced by paper notes. These notes are issued by governments and authorized banks, and are known as 'legal tender'(·¨¶¨»õ±Ò). Other arrangements such as checks and money orders are not legal tender. They perform the function of substitute money and are known as 'instruments of credit'. 72.Credit is offered only when creditors believe that they have a good chance of obtaining legal tender when they present such instruments at a bank or other authorized institution. If a man's assets are known to be considerable, then his credit will be good. If his assets are in doubt, then it may be difficult for him to obtain large sums of credit or even to pay for goods with a check.

The value of money is basically its value as a medium of exchange, or, as economists put it, its 'purchasing power'. This purchasing power is dependent on supply and demand. The demand for money is reckonable as the quantity needed to effect business transactions. An increase in business requires an increase in the amount of money coming into general circulation. 73.But the demand for money is related not only to the quantity of business but also to the rapidity with which the business is done. The supply of money, on the other hand, is the actual amount in notes and coins available for business purposes. 74.If too much money is available, its value decreases, and it does not buy as much as it did, say, five years earlier. This condition is known as 'inflation'.

Banks are closely concerned with the flow of money into and out of the economy. They often co-operate with governments in efforts to stabilize economies and to prevent inflation. They are specialists in the business of providing capital, and in allocating funds on credit. 75.Banks originated as places to which people took their valuables for safe-keeping, but today the great banks of the world have many functions in addition to acting as guardians of valuable private possessions.

PART VI       Writing               (15%)

Directions: For this part, your are asked to write a report to a foreign businessman, Mr. John Ligh, who wants to set up a fast-food restaurant in China. The information you need has been given out.  Your part of the composition should be about 120 words. Remember to write clearly. You should write this composition on the Answer Sheet.

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