63. What will happen to a buyer if he fails to make the full payment for an item bought on installments?

　A. He might lose his job.　　　　　 　　 　 B. He will stop owning the item he has bought.

　C. He will have to sell what he has bought. 　 D. He will go into debt.

62. Goods bought on installments are more expensive than goods bought by cash because _______.

　A. the buyer has to pay extra money as interest

　B. the delivery of the goods charges extra money

　C. the buyer has to pay a down payment

　D. the service offered by installment plan charged extra money

61. Which of the following is NOT true about the installment plan?

　A. A lot of British families use the installment plan.

　B. More than 10 percent American families buy things on installments.

　C. Americans depend more on installment than British people do.

　D. Americans spend one tenth of their income on installment buying.

60. What is the best title for the passage?

A. Unforgettable Experiences　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Remarkable Imagination

C. Lifelong Friendship　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Noble Companions

B

In Western countries people have been using the installment plan since the first half of the twentieth century. Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments. In the U.S., the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan.

　 The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash. There is a charge for interest. The buyer pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment when the goods are delivered to him. He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up. The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made.

　Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages. It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping. It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment. There is, however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse. This may result in a great increase in unemployment. If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments. If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money. If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit, it becomes more likely to have a depression. This is why, in some countries, the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment and installments to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan.

59. In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to _________.

A. seek professional help　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　 B. be left alone

C. stay with her best friend　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. break the silence

58. According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend _________.

A. call each other regularly　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. have similar personalities

C. enjoy writing to each other　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. dream of meeting each other

57. In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means _________.

A. our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us

B. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London

C. our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared

D. we parted with each other in London

56. In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to _____.

A. become serious about her study　　　　　　　　　　　 B. go to her friend’s house regularly

C. learn from her classmates at school　　　　　　　　 D. share poems and stories with her friend

47. A. inform　　　　　　　　　　 B. warn　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　 C. cure　　　　　　　　 　　　 D. remind

SECTION C

Directions: Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one word that best fits the context.

Too clean is unhealthy

If all members of a household are healthy, cleaning with a disinfectant is unnecessary and may even be harmful, warns Klaus Afflerbach, head of the accident prevention forum of the German Green Cross

"Hygiene doesn't mean disinfection," Afflerbach says. He points 　48　 that excessive cleanliness could cause allergies, respiratory ailments or damage to mucous membranes, possibly due 　49 　scents or perfumes contained in disinfectants.

To kill unhealthy germs on dish towels and sponges, he advises either washing them, replacing them 　50 　heating them in a microwave oven at 800 watts once 　51 　week. Kitchen worktops should be cleaned - especially after contact 　52 　meat - with normal household cleaner and water heated to 50 C to 60 C.

Textiles can be machine-washed adequately 　53 　temperatures of just 30 C to 40 C, Afflerbach says.

A simple household cleaner is sufficient for the entire home. To remove calcium deposits, Afflerbach recommends a lemon-based cleaner 　54 　than a vinegar-based one. "The effect is the same, 　55 　lemon is less aggressive," he says.

PART THREE　 READING COMPREHENSION

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.

A

　　 When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate(照亮)me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.

　　 When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say: “Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.

　 When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend, He was in despair and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.

　　 For almost four years I have had a remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think: “Yes, I must tell….”We have never met.

　　 It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist，who will only fill up the healing(愈合的)silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.

46. A. pained　　　　　　　　　　 B. flooded　　　　　 　　　　　　　 C. shut　　　　　　　　 　　　 D. froze