第一篇
As Sesame Street kicks off its 40th anniversary season Tuesday, with first lady Michelle Obama and Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda as guests, it is indisputably the most beloved children’s show in history, and one of television’s biggest and most enduring success stories.
The series holds a record 122 Emmy Awards, not including a lifetime-achievement trophy (獎± ) award, and has been adapted in more than 120 countries and territories around the globe. An estimated 100,000 Sesame products have been made available internationally, from T-shirts and costumes to high-tech toys such as Elmo Live.
Sesame’s cross-cultural, multi-generational appeal has a lot to do with the specific age group it targets. “The bulk of our audience is in the 2s and 3s, though we shoot for 2 to 4,” says executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente. At that early stage, says Spinney — who is 75, and has been with the show since Day 1 (he plays Oscar as well) — “children are basically the same, and have been through the years.”
But if preschoolers’ fundamental needs and sensibilities haven’t changed much, the world around them has — not least of all on the media landscape, where Sesame Street now competes with many other kids’ shows and an ever-expanding array of new media.
In 2000, the Children’s Television Workshop, the organization through which creator Joan Ganz Cooney launched Sesame Street on PBS predecessor NET, changed its title to Sesame Workshop, to reflect its expansion into the digital, interactive age.
Content and presentation continue to evolve on TV as well. The show’s famously catchy theme song, Sunny Day, now has a hip-hop beat and a jazzier arrangement. Parente stresses that it’s just as important “to keep our curriculum current. The ABC’s and 123’s are always there, but we stay relevant by incorporating other things that are interesting and meaningful.”
“We focus on all aspects of development — cognitive needs, social and emotional needs, health needs — and bring in advisers who are experts in each area, to make sure we’re age-appropriate,” says Rosemarie Truglio, vice president of education and research, Sesame Workshop. “But we never talk down to children, and we’re not afraid to explore sensitive topics.”
Sesame has had its critics in the academic community as well.
For Mary Lynn Crow, a clinical psychologist and professor of education at the University of Texas-Arlington, “shows like Sesame Street lack the potentially deep, personal emotional imprint (影響) that can and should occur between a student and teacher in an early educational experience.”
On the other hand, Crow considers Sesame Street “a beautiful model of what I call high-tech learning. They can teach children about letters, numbers, color and size through repetition in ways traditional education can’t, and provide early information about attitudes, values and relationships.”
1. What do we learn about Sesame Street from the first two paragraphs?
A) It rose to fame because of the first lady’s role.
B) It’s successful and gains international popularity.
C) It still has to win a lifetime-achievement award.
D) It is the most successful show in American history.
2. What’s Spinney’s opinion on the target audience of Sesame Street?
A) They are completely different than they were 40 years ago.
B) Many of them are devoted fans of the performance.
C) Their basic needs haven’t changed much through years.
D) They continue to watch the show when they have grown up.
3. The author says that in the current world, Sesame Street _______.
A) has slight edge over other shows targeting children
B) has made some changes so as to keep up with the times
C) tries to cater to adults who accompany their children to the show
D) is doomed to fail due to its out-dated content and presentation
4. What can be inferred about Sesame Street from Rosemarie Truglio’s words?
A) It tries to prepare children both for school and life’s lessons.
B) Its writer has changed the theme of the story for kids.
C) Children seem to be looked down upon in the show.
D) Sensitive topics have always been banned in the show.
5. Mary Lynn Crow is negative about Sesame Street because she thinks it _______.
A) only touches up superficial relationships
B) is too complicated for children to understand
C) goes against ways of traditional education
D) repeats basic knowledge over and over again 第二篇
There he was America’s first President with a MBA, the man who loves to boast about his business background, whose presidential campaign raised unprecedented sums from corporate wallets and whose cabinet is stuffed with chief executives. Faith in the integrity of American business leaders was being undermined(破壞)， George Bush said fiercely, by executives "breaching trust and abusing power". It was time for "a new ethic of personal responsibility in the business community". He was going to "end the days of cooking the books, shading the truth and breaking our laws"。
Only months ago, the idea that George W Bush would publicly lambaste America’s cooperate bosses was laughable. As a candidate, born on the wave of a decade-long economic boom and an unprecedented 18-year bull market, he cashed in on American’s love affair with corporate success. But things are different now. The stock market bubble has burst and, despite signs of economic recovery. Wall Street seems to be sunk in gloom. A string of scandals at some of America’s most high-flying firms--including Enron, Xerox. Tyco, Global Crossing and most recently, World Com??has radically changed the public mood。
As political pressure for reform increases, so too does the heat on Mr Bush. Is the businessman’s president really prepared to take business on and push hard for reform? Despite the set jaw and aggrieved tone in New York. Probably not. Mr. Bush thinks the current crisis stems from a few bad-apple chief executives rather than the system as a whole. Hence he focus on tough penalties for corrupt businessmen and his plea for higher ethical standards. The president announced the creation of a financial-crimes SWAT team, at the Justice Department to root out corporate fraud, and wants to double the maximum prison sentence for financial fraud from five to ten years. But he offered few concrete suggestions for systemic reform: little mention of changes to strengthen shareholders’ rights, not even an endorsement of the Senate corporate-reform bill。
There are few signs yet that cleaning up corporate America is an issue that animates the voters. Polls show that Americans have little faith in their business leaders, but politicians do not seem to be suffering as a result. Mr. Bush’s approval ratings have fallen from their sky-highs, but they are still very strong。
The president, therefore, need do no more than talk tough. This alone will convince ordinary Americans that he is on top of the issue. As the economy rebounds and public outage subsides, the clamor for change will be quieter. Democratic attacks will fizzle, and far-reaching reform bills will be watered down before they become law. Politically, the gamble makes sense. Unfortunately for American capitalism, a great opportunity will be missed。
1 We can infer from the third paragraph that Mr. Bush______。
A) didn’t intend to take business on and push hard for reform
B) did not do anything at all for the presence of the current situation
C) took shareholders’ right into account, but he didn’t approve reform bill
D) took some measures to pave the way for the reform
2. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A) Bush had to offer concrete suggestions for reform as political pressure increase
B) At present, the maximum prison sentence for financial fraud is five year
C) It is laughable that M Bush publicly attacked America’s corporate bosses
D) Americans have little faith in their business as well as political leaders
3. Which of the following statements about Mr. Bush is mentioned in this passage?
A) M Bush is the second President with an MBA in American history
B) M Bush contributes a lot to decade-long economic boom
C) M Bush’s approval ratings are still high
D) M Bush didn’t get support in his presidential campaign
4 The author’s attitude towards the reform is______。
A) indifferent
B) optimistic
C) skeptical
D) favorable
5. The phrase "a great opportunity" mentioned in the last paragraph refers to an opportunity to______。
A) carry out reform
B) boom economy
C) animate the voters
D) attack chief executive 第三篇
As Toyota and Hummer have learned, growing too fast can be a dangerous thing.
From its origins, success in the auto industry has been about scale. In the early decades of the 20th century, Henry Ford was able to democratize the car and dominate the early auto industry because he built, and then continually improved, an assembly line that could make huge numbers of cars in a short amount of time. Bigger was always better.
But two items from yesterday’s dispatch in the ongoing car dramas indicate why that’s not always true.
Item No. 1: The Toyota debacle (失敗). The mass failings of Toyota’s legendary quality-control efforts are now on full display in the hearings that have subjected CEO Akio Toyoda to a ritualized set of apologies and humiliations (羞辱). In recent years Toyota rode its efficiency and better financial management — it didn’t have to contend with the burdensome pension and health-care benefits that sandbagged the Big Three (i.e. General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) — to large gains in market share and significant growth. In 2007 Toyota surpassed GM as the largest carmaker in the world.
But something got lost in the process. As Toyoda acknowledged on Wednesday: “I fear the pace at which we have grown may have been too quick. I would like to point out here that Toyota’s priority has traditionally been: first, safety; second, quality; and third, volume. These priorities became confused.” In other words, Toyoda seemed to admit, the company went wrong by moving size — i.e., volume — to the front of the line.
Item No. 2: After a series of failed efforts to sell it, GM announced that its Hummer brand would be wound down. Hummer had a different problem with bigness than Toyota has. It wasn’t that its production volumes were too high. In 2008 only 2,710 Hummers were sold. Rather, the outsize Hummer was simply too big — too inefficient, too out of step with the times — to succeed in a marketplace in which oil spiked to $150 per barrel and seems to have settled at a plateau above $70 a barrel. As the economy tanked, energy prices rose, and the spirit of the time shifted in favor of conservation, the gas-guzzling Hummer faced a double whammy (厄運): consumers had difficulty affording the vehicle’s high list price as well as difficulty affording its high operating price.
Size does matter when it comes to auto production. But not always in the way manufacturers think.
1. The example of Henry Ford’s assembly line suggests that the success in the auto industry was built on__________ .
2. According to the author, Toyota’s fast growth in recent years was attributed to__________ .
3. CEO Akio Toyoda seemed to admit that Toyota betrayed its tradition of putting __________at top priority.
4. According to the passage, GM decided to gradually bring its Hummer brand to an end because of __________ .
5. According to the passage, whether purchasing or operating a Hummer, consumers found it hard to __________ . 第四篇
The "standard of living" of any country means the average person's share of the goods and services which the country produces. A country's standard of living, therefore, depends first and foremost on its capacity to produce wealth. "Wealth" in this sense is not money, for we do not live on money but on things that money can buy: "goods" such as food and clothing, and "services" such as transport and entertainment.
A country's capacity to produce wealth depends upon many factors, most of which have an effect on one another. Wealth depends to a great extent upon a country's natural resources, such as coal, gold, and other minerals, water supply and so on. Some regions of the world are well supplied with coal and minerals, and have a fertile soil and a favorable climate; other regions possess perhaps only one of these things, and some regions possess none of them. The U. S. A is one of the wealthiest regions of the world because she has vast natural resources within her borders, her soil is fertile, and her climate is varied. The Sahara Desert, on the other hand, is one of the least wealthy.
Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn them to use. China is perhaps as well off as the U. S. A. in natural resources, but suffered for many years from civil and external wars, and for this and other reasons was. unable to develop her resources. Sound and stable political conditions, and freedom from foreign invasion, enable a country to develop its natural resources peacefully and steadily, and to produce more wealth than another country equally well served by nature but less well ordered. Another important factor is the technical efficiency of a country's people. Old countries that have, through many centuries, trained up numerous skilled craftsmen and technicians are better placed to produce wealth than countries whose workers are largely unskilled. Wealth also produces wealth. As a country becomes wealthier, its people have a large margin for saving, and can put their savings into factories and machines which will help workers to turn out more goods in their working day.
1. A country's wealth depends upon______. ,
A. its standard of living
B. its money
C. its ability to provide goods and services
D. its ability to provide transport and entertainment
2. The word "foremost" means______.
A. most importantly B. firstly
C. largely D. for the most part
3. The main idea of the second paragraph is that______.
A. a country's wealth depends on many factors
B. the U. S. A. is one of the wealthiest countries in the world
C. the Sahara Desert is a very poor region
D. natural resources are an important factor in the wealth or poverty of a country
4. The third paragraph mentions some of the advantages which one country may have over another in making use of its resources. How many such advantages are mentioned in this paragraph?
A. 2 B. 3
C. 4 D. 5
5. The second sentence.in Paragraph 3 is______.
A. the main idea of the paragraph
B. an example supporting the main idea of the paragraph
C. the conclusion of the paragraph
D. not related to the paragraph 第五篇
The productivity of Americans employed in private businesses has declined. The productivity of workers in countries such as Japan and Germany is increasing. American machine tools, on average, are old, relatively inefficient, and rapidly becoming obsolete, whereas those of our competitors overseas, in comparison, are newer and more efficient. We are no longer the most productive workers in the world. We are no longer the leaders in industrial innovation (革新). We are an immensely
wealthy nation of educated men and women who seem to have lost sight of the fact that everything—from the simplest necessities to the finest luxuries—must be produced through our own collective hard work. We have come to expect automatic increases in our collective standard of living, but we seem to have forgotten that these increases are possible only when our productivity continues to grow.
One thing that must change is the rate at which we substitute capital equipment for human labor. Simply put, our labor force has increased at a far greater rate than has our stock of capital investment. We seem to have forgotten that our past productivity gains, to a large extent, were realized from substitutions of capital for human labor. Today, 3 times as many robots are listed as capital assets by Japanese firms as by United States firms.
There is no doubt that robots will become a common sight in American factories. Representing a new generation of technology, robots will replace factory labor much as the farm tractor replaced the horse. Robot technology has much to offer. It offers higher levels of productivity and quality at lower costs; in promises to free men and women from the dull, repetitious toil of the factory, it is likely to have an impact on society comparable to that made by the growth of computer technology.
1. The word "obsolete"(Para. 1) most probably means_______.
A. weak B. old
C. new D. out of date
2. The author is anxious about_______.
A. his people no longer taking the lead in industrial innovation
B. his country no longer being a wealthy nation
C. his people forgetting to raise their productivity
D. his country falling behind other industrial nations
3. According to the author, in his country_______..
A. the proportion of labor force to capital investment is quite low
B. the growth rate of labor force should be greater than that of capital investment
C. the productivity increases should be achieved by the increases of labor force
D. capital investment should have increased more rapidly than labor force
4. So far as the influence on society is concerned, _______.
A. robot technology seems to be much more promising than computer technology
B. computer technology has less to offer than robot technology
C. robot technology can be compared with computer technology
D. robot technology cannot be compared with computer technology
5. The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to show that_______.
A. robots will help increase labor productivity
B. robots will rule American factories
C. robots are cheaper than human laborers
D. robots will finally replace humans in factories 第一篇答案、B C B A A
第二篇答案、A B C D A
第三篇答案、
1. scale
2. its efficiency and better financial management
3. safety
4. a series of failed effort to sell it
5. afford the high prices
第四篇答案、1. C 2. A 3. A 4. B 5. B
第五篇答案、1. D 2. C 3. D 4. C 5. A
As Sesame Street kicks off its 40th anniversary season Tuesday, with first lady Michelle Obama and Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda as guests, it is indisputably the most beloved children’s show in history, and one of television’s biggest and most enduring success stories.
The series holds a record 122 Emmy Awards, not including a lifetime-achievement trophy (獎± ) award, and has been adapted in more than 120 countries and territories around the globe. An estimated 100,000 Sesame products have been made available internationally, from T-shirts and costumes to high-tech toys such as Elmo Live.
Sesame’s cross-cultural, multi-generational appeal has a lot to do with the specific age group it targets. “The bulk of our audience is in the 2s and 3s, though we shoot for 2 to 4,” says executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente. At that early stage, says Spinney — who is 75, and has been with the show since Day 1 (he plays Oscar as well) — “children are basically the same, and have been through the years.”
But if preschoolers’ fundamental needs and sensibilities haven’t changed much, the world around them has — not least of all on the media landscape, where Sesame Street now competes with many other kids’ shows and an ever-expanding array of new media.
In 2000, the Children’s Television Workshop, the organization through which creator Joan Ganz Cooney launched Sesame Street on PBS predecessor NET, changed its title to Sesame Workshop, to reflect its expansion into the digital, interactive age.
Content and presentation continue to evolve on TV as well. The show’s famously catchy theme song, Sunny Day, now has a hip-hop beat and a jazzier arrangement. Parente stresses that it’s just as important “to keep our curriculum current. The ABC’s and 123’s are always there, but we stay relevant by incorporating other things that are interesting and meaningful.”
“We focus on all aspects of development — cognitive needs, social and emotional needs, health needs — and bring in advisers who are experts in each area, to make sure we’re age-appropriate,” says Rosemarie Truglio, vice president of education and research, Sesame Workshop. “But we never talk down to children, and we’re not afraid to explore sensitive topics.”
Sesame has had its critics in the academic community as well.
For Mary Lynn Crow, a clinical psychologist and professor of education at the University of Texas-Arlington, “shows like Sesame Street lack the potentially deep, personal emotional imprint (影響) that can and should occur between a student and teacher in an early educational experience.”
On the other hand, Crow considers Sesame Street “a beautiful model of what I call high-tech learning. They can teach children about letters, numbers, color and size through repetition in ways traditional education can’t, and provide early information about attitudes, values and relationships.”
1. What do we learn about Sesame Street from the first two paragraphs?
A) It rose to fame because of the first lady’s role.
B) It’s successful and gains international popularity.
C) It still has to win a lifetime-achievement award.
D) It is the most successful show in American history.
2. What’s Spinney’s opinion on the target audience of Sesame Street?
A) They are completely different than they were 40 years ago.
B) Many of them are devoted fans of the performance.
C) Their basic needs haven’t changed much through years.
D) They continue to watch the show when they have grown up.
3. The author says that in the current world, Sesame Street _______.
A) has slight edge over other shows targeting children
B) has made some changes so as to keep up with the times
C) tries to cater to adults who accompany their children to the show
D) is doomed to fail due to its out-dated content and presentation
4. What can be inferred about Sesame Street from Rosemarie Truglio’s words?
A) It tries to prepare children both for school and life’s lessons.
B) Its writer has changed the theme of the story for kids.
C) Children seem to be looked down upon in the show.
D) Sensitive topics have always been banned in the show.
5. Mary Lynn Crow is negative about Sesame Street because she thinks it _______.
A) only touches up superficial relationships
B) is too complicated for children to understand
C) goes against ways of traditional education
D) repeats basic knowledge over and over again 第二篇
There he was America’s first President with a MBA, the man who loves to boast about his business background, whose presidential campaign raised unprecedented sums from corporate wallets and whose cabinet is stuffed with chief executives. Faith in the integrity of American business leaders was being undermined(破壞)， George Bush said fiercely, by executives "breaching trust and abusing power". It was time for "a new ethic of personal responsibility in the business community". He was going to "end the days of cooking the books, shading the truth and breaking our laws"。
Only months ago, the idea that George W Bush would publicly lambaste America’s cooperate bosses was laughable. As a candidate, born on the wave of a decade-long economic boom and an unprecedented 18-year bull market, he cashed in on American’s love affair with corporate success. But things are different now. The stock market bubble has burst and, despite signs of economic recovery. Wall Street seems to be sunk in gloom. A string of scandals at some of America’s most high-flying firms--including Enron, Xerox. Tyco, Global Crossing and most recently, World Com??has radically changed the public mood。
As political pressure for reform increases, so too does the heat on Mr Bush. Is the businessman’s president really prepared to take business on and push hard for reform? Despite the set jaw and aggrieved tone in New York. Probably not. Mr. Bush thinks the current crisis stems from a few bad-apple chief executives rather than the system as a whole. Hence he focus on tough penalties for corrupt businessmen and his plea for higher ethical standards. The president announced the creation of a financial-crimes SWAT team, at the Justice Department to root out corporate fraud, and wants to double the maximum prison sentence for financial fraud from five to ten years. But he offered few concrete suggestions for systemic reform: little mention of changes to strengthen shareholders’ rights, not even an endorsement of the Senate corporate-reform bill。
There are few signs yet that cleaning up corporate America is an issue that animates the voters. Polls show that Americans have little faith in their business leaders, but politicians do not seem to be suffering as a result. Mr. Bush’s approval ratings have fallen from their sky-highs, but they are still very strong。
The president, therefore, need do no more than talk tough. This alone will convince ordinary Americans that he is on top of the issue. As the economy rebounds and public outage subsides, the clamor for change will be quieter. Democratic attacks will fizzle, and far-reaching reform bills will be watered down before they become law. Politically, the gamble makes sense. Unfortunately for American capitalism, a great opportunity will be missed。
1 We can infer from the third paragraph that Mr. Bush______。
A) didn’t intend to take business on and push hard for reform
B) did not do anything at all for the presence of the current situation
C) took shareholders’ right into account, but he didn’t approve reform bill
D) took some measures to pave the way for the reform
2. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A) Bush had to offer concrete suggestions for reform as political pressure increase
B) At present, the maximum prison sentence for financial fraud is five year
C) It is laughable that M Bush publicly attacked America’s corporate bosses
D) Americans have little faith in their business as well as political leaders
3. Which of the following statements about Mr. Bush is mentioned in this passage?
A) M Bush is the second President with an MBA in American history
B) M Bush contributes a lot to decade-long economic boom
C) M Bush’s approval ratings are still high
D) M Bush didn’t get support in his presidential campaign
4 The author’s attitude towards the reform is______。
A) indifferent
B) optimistic
C) skeptical
D) favorable
5. The phrase "a great opportunity" mentioned in the last paragraph refers to an opportunity to______。
A) carry out reform
B) boom economy
C) animate the voters
D) attack chief executive 第三篇
As Toyota and Hummer have learned, growing too fast can be a dangerous thing.
From its origins, success in the auto industry has been about scale. In the early decades of the 20th century, Henry Ford was able to democratize the car and dominate the early auto industry because he built, and then continually improved, an assembly line that could make huge numbers of cars in a short amount of time. Bigger was always better.
But two items from yesterday’s dispatch in the ongoing car dramas indicate why that’s not always true.
Item No. 1: The Toyota debacle (失敗). The mass failings of Toyota’s legendary quality-control efforts are now on full display in the hearings that have subjected CEO Akio Toyoda to a ritualized set of apologies and humiliations (羞辱). In recent years Toyota rode its efficiency and better financial management — it didn’t have to contend with the burdensome pension and health-care benefits that sandbagged the Big Three (i.e. General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) — to large gains in market share and significant growth. In 2007 Toyota surpassed GM as the largest carmaker in the world.
But something got lost in the process. As Toyoda acknowledged on Wednesday: “I fear the pace at which we have grown may have been too quick. I would like to point out here that Toyota’s priority has traditionally been: first, safety; second, quality; and third, volume. These priorities became confused.” In other words, Toyoda seemed to admit, the company went wrong by moving size — i.e., volume — to the front of the line.
Item No. 2: After a series of failed efforts to sell it, GM announced that its Hummer brand would be wound down. Hummer had a different problem with bigness than Toyota has. It wasn’t that its production volumes were too high. In 2008 only 2,710 Hummers were sold. Rather, the outsize Hummer was simply too big — too inefficient, too out of step with the times — to succeed in a marketplace in which oil spiked to $150 per barrel and seems to have settled at a plateau above $70 a barrel. As the economy tanked, energy prices rose, and the spirit of the time shifted in favor of conservation, the gas-guzzling Hummer faced a double whammy (厄運): consumers had difficulty affording the vehicle’s high list price as well as difficulty affording its high operating price.
Size does matter when it comes to auto production. But not always in the way manufacturers think.
1. The example of Henry Ford’s assembly line suggests that the success in the auto industry was built on__________ .
2. According to the author, Toyota’s fast growth in recent years was attributed to__________ .
3. CEO Akio Toyoda seemed to admit that Toyota betrayed its tradition of putting __________at top priority.
4. According to the passage, GM decided to gradually bring its Hummer brand to an end because of __________ .
5. According to the passage, whether purchasing or operating a Hummer, consumers found it hard to __________ . 第四篇
The "standard of living" of any country means the average person's share of the goods and services which the country produces. A country's standard of living, therefore, depends first and foremost on its capacity to produce wealth. "Wealth" in this sense is not money, for we do not live on money but on things that money can buy: "goods" such as food and clothing, and "services" such as transport and entertainment.
A country's capacity to produce wealth depends upon many factors, most of which have an effect on one another. Wealth depends to a great extent upon a country's natural resources, such as coal, gold, and other minerals, water supply and so on. Some regions of the world are well supplied with coal and minerals, and have a fertile soil and a favorable climate; other regions possess perhaps only one of these things, and some regions possess none of them. The U. S. A is one of the wealthiest regions of the world because she has vast natural resources within her borders, her soil is fertile, and her climate is varied. The Sahara Desert, on the other hand, is one of the least wealthy.
Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn them to use. China is perhaps as well off as the U. S. A. in natural resources, but suffered for many years from civil and external wars, and for this and other reasons was. unable to develop her resources. Sound and stable political conditions, and freedom from foreign invasion, enable a country to develop its natural resources peacefully and steadily, and to produce more wealth than another country equally well served by nature but less well ordered. Another important factor is the technical efficiency of a country's people. Old countries that have, through many centuries, trained up numerous skilled craftsmen and technicians are better placed to produce wealth than countries whose workers are largely unskilled. Wealth also produces wealth. As a country becomes wealthier, its people have a large margin for saving, and can put their savings into factories and machines which will help workers to turn out more goods in their working day.
1. A country's wealth depends upon______. ,
A. its standard of living
B. its money
C. its ability to provide goods and services
D. its ability to provide transport and entertainment
2. The word "foremost" means______.
A. most importantly B. firstly
C. largely D. for the most part
3. The main idea of the second paragraph is that______.
A. a country's wealth depends on many factors
B. the U. S. A. is one of the wealthiest countries in the world
C. the Sahara Desert is a very poor region
D. natural resources are an important factor in the wealth or poverty of a country
4. The third paragraph mentions some of the advantages which one country may have over another in making use of its resources. How many such advantages are mentioned in this paragraph?
A. 2 B. 3
C. 4 D. 5
5. The second sentence.in Paragraph 3 is______.
A. the main idea of the paragraph
B. an example supporting the main idea of the paragraph
C. the conclusion of the paragraph
D. not related to the paragraph 第五篇
The productivity of Americans employed in private businesses has declined. The productivity of workers in countries such as Japan and Germany is increasing. American machine tools, on average, are old, relatively inefficient, and rapidly becoming obsolete, whereas those of our competitors overseas, in comparison, are newer and more efficient. We are no longer the most productive workers in the world. We are no longer the leaders in industrial innovation (革新). We are an immensely
wealthy nation of educated men and women who seem to have lost sight of the fact that everything—from the simplest necessities to the finest luxuries—must be produced through our own collective hard work. We have come to expect automatic increases in our collective standard of living, but we seem to have forgotten that these increases are possible only when our productivity continues to grow.
One thing that must change is the rate at which we substitute capital equipment for human labor. Simply put, our labor force has increased at a far greater rate than has our stock of capital investment. We seem to have forgotten that our past productivity gains, to a large extent, were realized from substitutions of capital for human labor. Today, 3 times as many robots are listed as capital assets by Japanese firms as by United States firms.
There is no doubt that robots will become a common sight in American factories. Representing a new generation of technology, robots will replace factory labor much as the farm tractor replaced the horse. Robot technology has much to offer. It offers higher levels of productivity and quality at lower costs; in promises to free men and women from the dull, repetitious toil of the factory, it is likely to have an impact on society comparable to that made by the growth of computer technology.
1. The word "obsolete"(Para. 1) most probably means_______.
A. weak B. old
C. new D. out of date
2. The author is anxious about_______.
A. his people no longer taking the lead in industrial innovation
B. his country no longer being a wealthy nation
C. his people forgetting to raise their productivity
D. his country falling behind other industrial nations
3. According to the author, in his country_______..
A. the proportion of labor force to capital investment is quite low
B. the growth rate of labor force should be greater than that of capital investment
C. the productivity increases should be achieved by the increases of labor force
D. capital investment should have increased more rapidly than labor force
4. So far as the influence on society is concerned, _______.
A. robot technology seems to be much more promising than computer technology
B. computer technology has less to offer than robot technology
C. robot technology can be compared with computer technology
D. robot technology cannot be compared with computer technology
5. The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to show that_______.
A. robots will help increase labor productivity
B. robots will rule American factories
C. robots are cheaper than human laborers
D. robots will finally replace humans in factories 第一篇答案、B C B A A
第二篇答案、A B C D A
第三篇答案、
1. scale
2. its efficiency and better financial management
3. safety
4. a series of failed effort to sell it
5. afford the high prices
第四篇答案、1. C 2. A 3. A 4. B 5. B
第五篇答案、1. D 2. C 3. D 4. C 5. A