78. It is implied in the passage that _______.

　 A. the weather in the UK is changeable in summer

　 B. most performances at British festivals are given in the open air

　 C. the cardboard tents produced by Mr. Dunlop can be user-tailored

D. cardboard tents can be easily put up and removed by users.

77. Mr. Dunlop established his business ______.

　 A. independently with an interest-free loan from Mint

　 B. with the approval of the City’s administration

　 C. in partnership with a finance group

　 D. with the help of a Japanese architect

76. “Eco-friendly tents” in paragraph 1 refer to tents _______.

　 A. economically desirable　　　 B. favorable to the environment

　 C. for holding music performances D. designed for disaster relief

75. What can be concluded from the passage?

　 A. With forever stamps, there will be no need to worry about rate changes.

　 B. Postal workers will benefit most from the sales of forever stamps.

　 C. The inflation has become a threat to the sales of first-class stamps.

　 D. New interest will be aroused in collecting forever stamps.

答案　 72.C　 73.D　 74.C　 75.A

Passage 63

(07·上海D篇)

The traditional tent cities at festivals such as Glastonbury may never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tents made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.

Major festivals such as Glastonbury throw away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof.

Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs.

The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business.

To raise money for the idea, he toured the City’s private companies which fund new business and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint’s directors and won their support. Mint has committed around £500,000 to MyHab and taken a share of 30 per cent in Mr. Dunlop’s business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year.

Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics.

For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhab team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards. They can be personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior (外部的) advertising space.

The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonbury having some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in the UK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious.

74. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

　 A. The investment in forever stamps will bring adequate reward.

　 B. America will be the first country to issue forever stamps.

　 C. The design of the “forever stamp” remains to be revealed.

　 D. 2-or-3-cent stamps will no longer be printed in the future.

73. By saying “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp”, Mr. Saunders means that forever stamps ________.

　 A. could be collected by one’s great-grandchildren

　 B. might be very precious in great-grandchildren’s hands

　 C. might have been inherited from one’s great-grandfathers

　 D. could be used by one’s great-grandchildren even decades later

72. The main purpose of introducing a “forever stamp” is ______.

　 A. to reduce the cost of printing 2-or-3-cent stamps

　 B. to help save the consumers’ cost on first-class mailing

　 C. to respond to the complaints about rising postal rates

　 D. to compete with online bill paying

68. Which of the following is probably the best title of the passage?

　 A. Tasting with Eyes　　　

B. Flavors of Ice Cream

　 C. John Harrison’s Life　　

D. One Cool Job

答案　 65.B　 66.B　 67.D　 68.D

Passage 62

(07·上海C篇)

Mail carriers will be delivering some good news and some bad news this week.

The bad news: Stamp prices are expected to rise 2 cents in May to 41 cents, the Postal Regulatory Commission announced yesterday. The good news: With the introduction of a “forever stamp,” it may be the last time Americans have to use annoying 2-or-3-cent stamps to make up postage differences.

Beginning in May, people would be able to purchase the stamps in booklets of 20 at the regular rate of a first-class stamp. As the name implies, “forever stamps” will keep their first-class mailing value forever, even when the postage rate goes up.

The new “forever stamp” is the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) answer to the complaints about frequent rate increases. The May increases will be the fifth in a decade. Postal rates have risen because of inflation (通货膨胀), competition from online bill paying, and the rising costs of employee benefits, including healthcare, says Mark Saunders, a spokesman for USPS.

The USPS expects some financial gain from sales of the “forever stamp” and the savings from not printing as many 2-or-3-cent stamps. “It’s not your grandfather’s stamp,” says Mr. Saunders. “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp.”

Other countries, including Canada, England, and Finland use similar stamps.

Don Schilling, who has collected stamps for 50 years, says he’s interested in the public’s reaction. “This is an entirely new class of stamps.” Mr. Schilling says. He adds that he’ll buy the stamps because he will be able to use them for a long period of time, not because they could make him rich - the volume printed will be too large for collectors. “We won’t be able to send our kids to college on these,” he says, laughing.

The USPS board of governors has yet to accept the Postal Regulatory Commission’s decision, but tends to follow its recommendations. No plans have been announced yet for the design of the stamps.

67. What does Harrison do first when testing ice cream?

　 A. He stirs the ice cream.

B. He examines the color of the ice cream.

　 C. He tastes the flavor of the ice cream.　

D. He lets the ice cream warm up.

66. According to John Harrison, to be qualified in the “cool field”, it is helpful to ______.

　 A. keep a diary of work　

B. have a degree in related subjects

　 C. have new ideas every day　　

D. find out new flavors each day