( D )
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.
56. 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.
57. 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
58. 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.
59. The advantage of installment buying might include all the following EXCEPT that ________.
A. purchasing power is strengthened
B. employment might be increased
C. people develop a good habit of saving money
D. young couples are able to furnish their homes
60. In some countries, the governments control the installment plan to ________.
A. increase employment
B. avoid depressions
C. ensure that businesses make good profits
D. ensure that people can pay for what hey buy

D

In the north of Scotland there is a lake called Loch Ness. It is the biggest lake in Britain. It is over thirty kilometres long and in places nearly 300 meters deep. It is cold and dark and not many people went there until after 1930. Then a road was made around the lake. Holiday makers began to use the road, and this was when the stories began.

Someone said that he had seen a monster in the lake. He said it was twelve meters long. It had a long neck and a small head. Then someone else said he had seen it. Others said the same thing and in 1933 a London doctor took a photo. It looked like a monster with a long neck and a thick body but the photo was not dear. The newspapers printed the picture and called it the Loch Ness monster, or "Nessie".

Then the argument began. Some people, however, were certain there was something living in the lake. Others said there was nothing there.

In 1961, a lot of people joined together to make a real effort to see and photograph the monster if there was one! Several times people thought they saw something but after ten years there was still no real proof.

Later underwater television cameras were used, but no one found any real proof. However, they did find something interesting: a huge underwater cave. It was big enough to be home of a monster, but of course, this was not a proof.

In 1975, however, some American scientists formed a search group. They used an underwater camera. It took pictures every seventy seconds. Some of the pictures seemed to show a red-brown creature. Its body was about four meters long and had a very ugly head on the end of a four meter neck. Many people then began to believe in the monster. But even today we can not be certain.

63. Before 1930, ____.

A. few people went to Loch Ness Lake

B. many people had been there

C. nobody went to the lake

D. nobody knew about the lake

64. What did the monster look like?

A. It looked like a horse.

B. It was a creature with a long neck and a small head.

C. It looked beautiful.

D. It was tiny and pretty.

65. Who first took a photo of the monster?

A. An American

B. A television camera

C. A holiday-maker

D. A doctor from London

66. A search group formed by some American scientists.

A. found the monster itself

B. found a huge cave under water

C. believed that there wasn't any monster at all

D. took some pictures which seemed to show a monster

D

In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.

I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit(追求) of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.

However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try. ” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve(缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.

66. What does this passage mainly talk about?

       A. Competition helps to set up self-respect

B. Opinions about competition are different among people.

C. Competition is harmful to personal quality development.

D. Failures are necessary experiences in competition

67. Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?

       A. It pushes society forward                       B. It builds up a sense of duty.

C. It improves personal abilities.                 D. It encourages individual efforts.

68. The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means__________.

       A. those who try their best to win

B. those who value competition most highly

C. those who are against competition most strongly

D. those who rely on others most for success

69. What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a “desire to fail”?

       A. One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others

B. One’s success in competition needs great efforts.

C. One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills

D. One’s success is based on how hard he has tried.

70. Which point of view may the author agree to?

       A. Every effort should be paid back.

B. Competition should be encouraged.

C. Winning should be a life-and-death matter.

D. Fear of failure should be removed in competition.

C

On Anger

Doctors say anger can be an extremely harmful emotion, unless you learn how to deal with it. They warn that angry feelings can lead to heart disease, stomach problem, headaches, emotional problems and possibly cancer.

Anger is a normal emotion that we all feel from time to time. Some people express anger openly in a calm reasonable way. Others burst with anger, losing control of themselves. But other people repress their anger. They cannot or will not express it.

For years many doctors thought that repressing anger was more dangerous to a person’s health than expressing it. They said that when a person is angry, the brain releases the same hormones (激素) that are produced during tense situations. They speed the heart rate, raise blood pressure, or sugar into the blood and narrow the blood vessels to the interstices (空隙). In general, the person feels excited and ready to act.

Doctors said that repressing these feelings only makes the feelings continue. And this can lead to many medical problems. Doctors thought a person could prevent these problems by letting the anger out by expressing it freely. But recently some doctors held a different view. They said that people who express anger repeatedly and violently did become, in fact, more and not less angry. They said this, too, can cause medical problems.

Some doctors say that both repressing and expressing anger can be dangerous. They believe that those who express anger strongly may be more likely to develop heart disease, and they believe that those who keep their anger inside may face a greater danger of high blood pressure.

Doctors say the solution is learning how to deal with anger. They say the first step is to admit that you are angry and to recognize the real cause of the anger, then decide if the cause is serious, enough to get angry about. If it is, they say, “Do not express your anger while angry. Wait until your anger has cooled down and you are able to express yourself calmly and reasonably.”

49. Repressing anger was considered to be dangerous because of all the following EXCEPT that ________   .

A. the heart rate increases    B. the blood pressure rises

C. the blood contains sugar   D. some blood vessels become thinner

50. Which of the following is the more recent view about the expression of anger?

A. It is dangerous to express anger repeatedly or repress one’s anger.

B. One can avoid his medical problems by expressing his anger freely.

C. One’s heart rate will increase if his anger is repressed.

D. One is likely to suffer from high blood pressure in a fit of great anger.

51. When you get angry, which of the following should you do for the sake of health?

A. Repressing the anger.          B. Expressing the anger.

C. Treating the anger properly.     D. Learning how to make a deal.

52.What is the central topic of this passage about?

A. The different ways of dealing with anger.

B. The dangers of anger and the solution

C. New medical discoveries. 

D. The argument between the new and old views about anger.

                                   C

On a BA flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged, well-off white South African Lady has found herself sitting next to a black man. She called a stewardess (女乘务员) over to complain about her seating.

“What seems to be the problem, Madam?” asked the stewardess. “Can’t you see?” she said, “You’ve sat me next to a kafir（异教徒）. I can’t possibly sit next to this disgusting man. Find me another seat!” “Please calm down, Madam,” the stewardess replied. “The flight is very full today, but I’ll tell you what I’ll do — I’ll go and check to see if we have any seats available in club or first class.”

The woman cocked a snooty look at the black man beside her.

A few minutes later the stewardess returned with the good news, which she delivered to the lady, who could not help but look at the people around her with a smug and self-satisfied grin. “Madam, unfortunately, as I suspected, economy is full. I’ve spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one seat in first class.”

Before the lady had a chance to answer, the stewardess continued, “It is the most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain. But, given the circumstances, the captain felt that it was outrageous（令人不能容忍的） that someone should be forced to sit next to such an obnoxious（讨厌的） person.” Having said that, the stewardess turned to the black man sitting next to the lady, and said, “So if you’d like to get your things, sir, I have your seat ready for you.”

At that point, the surrounding passengers stood up and gave an ovation（喝彩） while the black man walked up to the front of the plane.

64. Why did the middle-aged lady complain about her seating?

A. Because her seat was not near a window.

B. Because she sat next to a black man.

C. Because she wanted to have a seat in first class.

D. Because the stewardess didn’t answer her question.

65. The underlined words “an obnoxious person” in Paragraph 5 refers to “__________”.

A. the middle-aged lady               B. the black man

C. the stewardess                          D. the captain

66. From the passage we can infer that _________.

A. the middle-aged lady got a seat in first class

B. both the middle-aged lady and the black man got seats in first class

C. neither the middle-aged lady nor the black man got a seat in first class

D. the black man got a seat in first class

67. What can we conclude from the passage?

A. The white people always prefer seats in first class on a plane.

B. More and more passengers travel by plane.

C. The black people are still looked down upon by some whites.

D. Only whites are served well on a plane.