Section B    Skimming and Scanning (10 MIN.)

In this section there are seven passage followed by ten multiple-choice questions. Skim or scan them as required and then mark your answers on your Answer Sheet.

TEXT E

First read the question.

51. The main theme of this passage is that ____.
A. Asia has come out of the economic slump
B. old rivals renew between Singapore and Hong Kong
C. Singapore competes against Hong Kong in economy
D. Singapore and Hong Kong strive for Asia's top business and financial center
正确答案是

Now go though Text E quickly to answer question 51.


Singapore -- As Asia starts shaking off a two-year economic slump, Singapore and Hong Kong are reviving up their old rivalry to become Asia's top business and financial hub.
　
Many claim Hong Kong has an overwhelming built-in advantage, with an economy twice as big as Singapore's and the mammoth Chinese mainland market next door. But others insist that clever micromanagement by Singapore's government gives this city the edge.
　
"I really enjoy the working environment here in Singapore. It is effective," said Tobias Pelzer, Singapore managing director for the German software firm Netlife, which made the city-state its Asian headquarters last year.
　
"I got off the plane here once as the first or second person. I came to the belt and my suitcase was there. How do they manage that?" Pelzer said.
　
Singapore leaders say such efficiency come largely from strict regulations. They pervade nearly every aspect of Singapore society.
　
In Hong Kong it is a different story.
　
"This is such a cowboy town. I could probably print up business cards labeling myself as a brain surgeon and talk my way into an operating room," said Mike Carlson, managing editor of the Hong Kong lifestyle weekly HK Magazine.
　
Carlson, who has lived in both cities, said Hong Kong's grimy bustle and cramped living conditions sometime leave him pining for Singapore's cleaner air, cheaper rents and elegant street side cafes.
　
Hong Kong residents tend to shun the red tape and social controls that are a way of life in Singapore.
　
Thousands of small entrepreneurs find it easier to flourish in hands-off Hong Kong and this draws in banks, telecommunications firms and other big service providers, said Michael Enright, an economist at Hong Kong University.
　
"Lots of HK firms have no fixed assets other than a cellular phone. You go in the morning and you're registered as a company by afternoon," Enright said. Hong Kong's tax rate is fixed at 16 percent. Singapore's is 26 percent. But Singapore selectively huge tax cuts to companies that locate their headquarters on the island.
　
With the worst of Asia's crisis apparently past, both cities are showing signs of reheating their competition.
　
Singapore is cautiously letting foreign competitors into its banking and telecommunications sectors, and establishing a billion-dollar fund as seed money for high-tech entrepreneurs.
　
Hong Kong is converting its taxis to burn liquefied petroleum gas to fight worsening pollution, and is holding talks with Walt Disney Co about building a theme park. It also set up its own multimillion-dollar fund for high-tech firms.　
　
TEXT F

First read the questions.

52. The primary purpose of this passage is ____.
A. to trace out the development of universities in United States
B. to compare American universities with European universities before the turn of the century
C. to criticize the conditions of American universities in the 19th century
D. to describe and explain the upheaval in American higher education in the later 1800's
正确答案是

53. Which of the following is NOT a new course opened up according to the passage?
A. The history of the fine arts.
B. Advanced Spanish.
C. Classical Philology.
D. Classical Literature.
正确答案是