1、清华在线 010-62771166 627811661Part III Reading Comprehension (45 minutes, 30 points)Directions: There are six passages in this part. Each passage is followed by five questions orunfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose thebest answer and mark the corr
2、esponding letter on the ANSWER SHEET with a single line through the center.Passage OneAstronaut Jim Voss has enjoyed many memorable moments in his career, including three space flights and one space walk. But he recalls with special fondness a decidedly earthbound ( 为地球所吸引 ) experience in the summer
3、 of 1980, when he participated in the NASA - ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. Voss then a science teacher at West Point, was assigned to the Marshall Space Flight Centers propulsion (推进) lab in Alabama to analyze why a hydraulic fuel pump on the space shuttle was working so well when previous
4、 seals had failed. It was a seemingly tiny problem among the vast complexities of running the space program. Yet it was important to NASA because any crack in the seal could have led to destructive results for the astronauts who relied on them.“I worked a bit with NASA engineers,” says Voss, “but I
5、did it mostly by analysis. I used ahandheld calculator, not a computer, to do a thermodynamic (热力学的) analysis,“ At the end ofthe summer, he, like the other NASA-ASEE fellows working at Marshall, summarized his findings in a formal presentation and detailed paper. It was a valuable moment for Voss be
6、cause the ASEE program gave him added understanding of NASA, deepened his desire to fly in space, and intensified his application for astronaut status. “It was not an essay process. Voss was actually passed over when he first applied for the astronaut program in 1978. Over the next nine years he rea
7、pplied repeatedly, and was finally accepted in1987. Since then he has participated in three space mission. The 50-year-old Army officer, who fives in Huston, is now in training fro a four-month mission as a crew member on the International Space Station starting in July 2000Voss says the ASEE progra
8、m is wonderful for all involved. “It brings in people from theacademic world and gives NASA a special properly for a particular period of time. It brings somefresh eyes and fresh ideas to NASA, and establishes a link with our colleges and universities, “ 清华在线 010-62771166 627811662Voss explains. “T
9、heres an exchange of information and an exchange of perspectives that is very important.” For the academic side, Voss says, the ASEE program also “brings institutions of higher learning more insight into new technology. We give them an opportunity to work on real-world problems and take it back to t
10、he classroom.“36. Why was the hydraulic fuel pump seal important for the space shuttle?A. Because previous seals all failed.B. Because it was very complex in running the space program.C. Because great care has to be taken of the hydraulic fuel pump sealing.D. Because any crack in the seals would cau
11、se disastrous results for the astronauts.37. The great significance of Vosss findings lies in _.I. strengthening his determination to join in space flightsII. furthering his understanding of NASAIII. consolidating his astronaut status in NASA programsA. I only.B. II only.C. I, II and III all include
12、d.D. I and II only.38. How many flights will Voss have finished if his Four-month mission starting in July 2000 ends up successfully?A. Three B. TwoC. Four D. Five39. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to what Voss said on the ASEE program?A. Fresh members from die academic world participa
13、te in the program.B. The program brings new outlooks to HASA space programs.C. It is important for the space scientists to exchange information and perspectives.D. American colleges and universities me a special property of NASA.40. What does Voss want to stress in the last paragraph?A. The technolo
14、gical significance of the program清华在线 010-62771166 627811663B. The educational significance of the programC. The philosophical significance of the programD. The historical significance of the programPassage TwoThe current emergency in Mexico City that has taken over our fives is nothing. I could ev
15、er have imagined for me or my children, we are living in an environmental crisis, an air - pollutionemergency of unprecedented severity. What it really means is that just to breathe here is to play adangerous game with your health.As parents, what terrorizes us most are reports that children are at
16、higher risk because theybreathe more times per minute. What more can we do to protect them and ourselves? Ourpediatricians (儿科医师的) medical recommendation was simple: abandon the city permanently.We are foreigners and we are among the small minority that can afford to leave. We are here because of my
17、 husbands work. We are fascinated by Mexico-its history and rich culture. We know that for us, this is a temporary danger. However, we cannot stand for much longer the fear we feel for our boys. We cannot stop them from breathing.But for millions, there is no choice. Their lives, their jobs, their f
18、utures depend on being here. Thousands of Mexicans arrive each day in this city, desperate for economic opportunities. Thousands more are born here each day. Entire families work in the streets and practically live there. It is a familiar sight: as parents hawk goods at stoplights, their children pl
19、ay in the grassy highway dividers, breathing exhaust fumes. I feel guilty complaining about my personal situation; we wont be here long enough for our children to form the impression that skies are colored only gray.And yet the government cannot do what it must to end this problem. For any country,
20、especially a developing Third World economy like Mexicos, the idea of barring from the capital city enough cars, closing enough factories and spending the necessary billions on public transportation is simply not an option. So when things get bad, as in the current emergency, Mexico takes half measu
21、resprohibiting some more cars from circulating, stopping some factories from producing-that even its own officials concede arent adequate.The word “emergency“ implies the unusual. But when daily life itself is an emergency, the清华在线 010-62771166 627811664concept loses its meaning. It is human nature
22、 to try to adapt to that which we cannot change. Or tomislead ourselves into believing we can adapt.41. According to the passage, the current emergency in Mexico City refers to _.A. serious air pollution B. economic crisisC. unemployment D. natural disaster42. Which of the following statements is NO
23、T TRUE according to the passage?A. Kids are in greater danger than grown-ups in Mexico City.B. The author is not a native Mexican.C. The authors husband is a pediatrician.D. The Mexican history and culture appeal to the author.43. The word “hawk“ (Paragraph 3) most probably means _.A. sell B. transp
24、ort C. place D. deliver44. The Mexican government takes half measures to solve the pollution problem because_.A. Mexican economy depends very much on cars and factoriesB. it is not wise enough to come up with effective measuresC. Mexicans are able to adapt themselves to the current emergencyD. Mexic
25、ans enjoy playing dangerous games with their health45. The purpose of the passage is to _.A describe the harmful air pollutionB. explain the way to prevent air pollutionC. show the worries about the air pollutionD. recommend a method to avoid air pollutionPassage ThreeIn 1998 consumers could purchas
26、e virtually anything over the Internet. Books, compact discs, and even stocks were available from World Wide Web sites that seemed to spring up almost daily. A few years earlier, some people had predicted that consumers accustomed to shopping in stores would be reluctant to buy things that they coul
27、d not see or touch in person. For a growing number of time-starved consumers, however, shopping from their home computer was proving to be a convenient alternative to driving to the store.清华在线 010-62771166 627811665A research estimated that in 1998 US consumers would purchase $ 7.3 billion of goods
28、 over the Internet, double the 1997 total. Finding a bargain was getting easier owing to the rise of onlineauctions and Web sites that did comparison shopping on the Internet for the best deal.For all the consumer interest, retailing in cyberspace was still a largely unprofitable business, however.
29、Internet pioneer Amazon.Com, which began selling books in 1995 and later branched into recorded music and videos, posted revenue of $ 153.7 million in the third quarter, up from $37.9 million in the same period of 1997. Overall, however, the companys loss widened to $45.2 million from $ 9.6 million,
30、 and analysis did not expect the company to turn a profit until 2001. Despite the great loss, Amazon.Com had a stock market value of many billion, reflecting investors optimism about the future of the industry.Internet retailing appealed to investors because it provided an efficient means for reachi
31、ngmillions of consumers without having the cost of operating conventional stores with their armies of salespeople. Selling online carried its own risks, however. With so many companies competing for consumers attention, price competition was intense and profit margins thin or nonexistent. One video
32、retailer sold the hit movie Titanic for $ 9.99, undercutting (削价) the $ 19.99 suggested retail price and losing about $ 6 on each copy sold. With Internet retailing still in its initial stage, companies seemed willing to absorb such losses in an attempt to establish a dominant market position.46. Wh
33、ich of the following is TRUE, according to the writer?A. Consumers are reluctant to buy things on the Internet.B. Consumers are too busy to buy things on the Internet.C. Internet retailing is a profitable business.D. More and more consumers prefer Internet shopping.47. Finding a bargain on the Inter
34、net was getting easier partly because _.A. there were more and more Internet usersB. there were more and more online auctionsC. the consumers had more money to spendD. there were more goods available on the Internet48. “For all the consumer interest“ (Paragraph 3) means _.清华在线 010-62771166 62781166
35、6A. to the interest of all the consumersB. for the interest of all the consumersC. though consumers are very much interestedD. all the consumers are much interested49. It can be inferred from the passage that Amazon. Com _.A. will probably make a profit in 2001B. is making a profit nowC. is a compan
36、y that sells books onlyD. suffers a great loss on the stock market50. Investors are interested in Internet retailing because _.A. selling online involves little riskB. Internet retailing is in its initial stageC. it can easily reach millions of consumersD. they can make huge profits from itPassage F
37、ourIt is all very well to blame traffic jams, the cost of petrol and the quick peace of modern life, but manners on the roads are becoming horrible. You might tolerate the rude and inconsiderate driver, but nowadays the well-mannered motorist is the exception to the rule. Perhaps the situation calls
38、 for a “Be Kind to Other Drivers“ campaign, otherwise, it may get completely out of hand.Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense too. It takes the most cool-headed and good-tempered of drivers to resist the temptation to revenge when subjected to uncivilized behaviors. On the other
39、hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards relieving the tensions of motoring. A friendly nod or a wave of acknowledgement in response to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of goodwill and tolerance so necessary in modern traffic conditions. But such acknowledgements of polite
40、ness are all too rare today. Many drivers nowadays dont even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it.However, improper politeness can also be dangerous. A typical example is the driver who waves a child across a crossing into the path of oncoming vehicles that may be unable to stop in tim
41、e. The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they care 清华在线 010-62771166 627811667to.A veteran driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if motorists learn to filter correctly into traffic streams without causing the total blockages (堵塞) that
42、give rise to badtemper. Unfortunately, modern motorists cant even learn to drive, let alone be well-mannered on the road. Years ago the experts warned us that the car-ownership explosion would demand a lot more give-and-take from all road users. It is high time for all of us to take this message to
43、heart.51. According to this passage, troubles on the road are primarily caused by _.A. peoples attitude towards driversB. the rhythm of modern lifeC. traffic conditionsD. the behavior of the driver52. The sentence “You might tolerate the rude and inconsiderate driver, but nowadays the well-mannered
44、motorist is the exception to the rule“ implies that _.A. our society is unjust towards well-mannered motoristsB. rude drivers can be met only occasionallyC. nowadays impolite drivers constitute the majority of motoristsD. the well-mannered motorist cannot tolerate the rude driver53. By “good sense“
45、(Paragraph 2), the writer means _.A. the drivers prompt response to difficult conditionsB. the drivers ability to understand and react reasonablyC. the driver s tolerance of bad road conditionsD. the drivers acknowledgement of politeness and regulations54. Experts have long pointed out that in the f
46、ace of car-ownership explosion, _.A. Drivers should be ready to yield to one anotherB. road users should make more sacrificesC. drivers should have more communication among themselvesD. drivers will suffer a great loss if they pay no respect to others55. In the writers opinion _.A. drivers should ap
47、ply road politeness properly清华在线 010-62771166 627811668B. strict traffic regulations are badly neededC. rude and inconsiderate drivers should be punishedD. drivers should try their best to avoid traffic jamsPassage FiveThe most noticeable trend among todays media companies is vertical integration-a
48、n attempt to control several related aspects of the media business at once, each part helping the other. Besides publishing magazines and books, Time Warner, for example, owns Home Box Office (HBO), Warner movie studios, various cable TV systems throughout the United States and CNN as well. The Japanese company Matsushita owns MCA Records and Universal Studios and manufactures broadcast production equipment.To describe the financial status of todays media is also to talk about acquisitions. The media are buying and selling each other in unprecedented numbers an
