Part IV　Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth ) ( 25 minutes)

    Section A

    Direction : In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

    Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.

    The flood of women into the job market boosted economic growth and changed U.S. society in many ways. Many in-home jobs that used to be done 47 by women——ranging from family shopping to preparing meals to doing 48 work——still need to be done by someone .Husbands and children now do some of these jobs, a 49 that has changed the target market for many products. Or a working woman may face a crushing "poverty of time " and look for help elsewhere, creating opportunities for producers of frozen meals, child care centers, dry cleaners, financial services, and the like.

    Although there is still a big wage 50 between men and women, the income working women 51 gives them new independence and buying power. For example, women now 52 about half of all cars. Not long ago, many cars dealers 53 women shoppers by ignoring them or suggesting that they come back with their husbands. Now car companies have realized that women are 54 customers. It's interesting that some leading Japanese car dealers were the first to 55 pay attention to women customers. In Japan, fewer women have jobs or buy cars —— the Japanese society is still very much male-oriented. Perhaps it was the 56 contrast with Japanese society that prompted American firms to pay more attention to 　　women buyers.

　　A）scale
　　B）retailed
　　C）generate
　　D）extreme
　　E）technically
　　F）affordable
　　G）situation
　　H）really
　　I）potential
　　J）gap
　　K）voluntary
　　L）excessive
　　M）insulted
　　N）purchase
　　O）primarily

　　47.答案：(O)
　　48.答案：(K)
　　49.答案：(G)
　　50.答案：(J)
　　51.答案：(C)
　　52.答案：(N)
　　53.答案：(M)
　　54.答案：(I)
　　55.答案：(H)
　　56.答案：(D)