单选题
Germany's chimney sweeps—hallowed as bringers of good luck, with their black top hats and coiled-wire brushes— are under attack. Last week the European Commission's directorate for the internal market revived proceedings against an antiquated German law that protects sweeps against competition. The country's chimney sweeps enjoy a near-perfect monopoly. Germany is divided into around 8000 districts, each ruled by its own master sweep who usually employs two more sweeps. Although this is a private enterprise, the maintenance and inspection service provided is compulsory and prices are set by the local authority: sweeps cannot stray outside their district, nor can householders change their sweep even if they loathe him. This rule cuts both ways. "There are some customers I can't stand either," says one Frankfurt sweep. The rationale is simple: chimney-sweeping and related gas and heating maintenance in Germany are treated as a matter of public safety. Annual or semi-annual visits are prescribed, keeping the sweeps busy all year round. For centuries, chimney-sweeps in Europe were a wandering breed. But in 1937 the chimney-sweep law was revised by Heinrich Himmler, then the acting interior minister. His roles tied chimney sweeps to their districts and decreed that they should be German, to enable him to use sweeps as local spies. The law was updated in 1969, leaving the local monopolies in place but opening up the profession, in theory at least, to non-Germ, ans. But in practice few apply. Four years ago a brave Pole qualified as a master in Kaiserslautern, according to a fellow student, and this year an Italian did so in the Rhineland Palatinate. But he, like most newly qualified German masters, will spend years on a waiting list before he gets his own district. The European Commission would like to see a competitive market in which people can choose their own sweeps, just as they choose builders or plumbers. It first opened infringement proceedings in 2003, and the German government of the time promised to change the law but failed to do so. And despite the huffing and puffing from Brussels, tile government is still reluctant to dismantle its antiquated system on safety grounds. The number of deaths from carbon-monoxide poisoning in Germany is around one-tenth that in France or Belgium, claims the Frankfurt sweep. So Germans are likely to be stock with their neighbourhood Schornsteinfegers—whether they can stand each other or not—for some time to come.
单选题
What's the reason that Germany's chimney sweeps are under attack? [A] Chimney sweeps can not be bringers of good luck any more. [B] German law that protects sweeps' competition was accused against last week. [C] Germany's chimney sweeps enjoy a near-perfect monopoly. [D] European Commission's directorate for the internal market hate the chimney sweeps.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[直击题眼] 第一段前三句：GERMANY'S chimney sweeps...proceedings against an antiquated German law that protects sweeps against competition. The country's chimney sweeps enjoy a neat-perfect monopoly. [深层剖析] 文中提到正是因为烟囱清洁工作被垄断，对工人和用户都不讨好，这项清洁工作才被攻击了，故 [C]正确。 [主干扰项分析] 第二句明确提到是反对竞争而非保护烟囱清洁工竞争的法律被控诉，故[B]不正确，排除此选项需要仔细，选项内容跟原文很像；文中介绍说欧盟委员会内部市场理事会控诉的对象是这种过时的法律，而非出于对烟囱清洁工的不满，故[D]不对。 [次干扰项分析] 文中只在第一句提到烟囱清洁工曾被认为能带来好运，但并没有说他们现在受到攻击的原因是再也不能传递好运，故[A]错误。
单选题
What does "This rule cuts both ways" (Line 7, Paragraph 1) mean? [A] The maintenance and inspection service provided is compulsory. [B] Prices are set by the local authority. [C] Some sweeps can't stand some customers. [D] Customers and sweeps can not satisfy one another.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[直击题眼] 第一段后三句：Although this is a private enterprise... service provided is compulsory and prices are set by the local authority: sweeps cannot stray outside their district, nor can householders change their sweep even if they loathe him. This rule cuts both ways. “There are some customers l can't stand either,”says one Frankfurt sweep． [深层剖析] 根据这段文字可以推断出垄断使得清洁工和客户两边都各有怨言，[D]正确，cut both ways意思是“互有利弊，对双方都起作用”。 [主干扰项分析] [A]和[B]讲的是烟囱清洁工作被政府控制，是造成烟囱清洁工作两边都不讨好的原因，但不是这个句子的意思。 [次干扰项分析] [C]只提到清洁工对客户不满，不符合both的意思。
单选题
Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2? [A] Chimney-sweeping is impotant in Germany because it is treated as a matter of public safety. [B] Chimney-sweeping visit was done every a year and a half. [C] Before 1937, chimney sweeps are German and work in their districts. [D] Heinrich Himmler revised the law because he can use sweeps as local spies.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[直击题眼] 第二段：... chimney-sweeping and related gas and heating maintenance in Germany are treated as a matter of public safety. Annual or semi-annual visits are prescribed, keeping the sweeps busy all year round. For centuries, chimney-sweeps in Europe were a wandering breed. But in 1937 the chimney-sweep law was revised by Heinrich Himmler... tied chimney sweeps to their districts and decreed that they should be German, to enable him to use sweeps as local spies． [深层剖析] 本段讲到清洁工常年忙碌，这项工作被认为是关系到公共安全的问题，就是说在德国烟囱清洁是很重要的，[A]正确。 [主干扰项分析] 文中的Annual or semi-annual意为“一年或半年一次”，选项[B]则是一年半一次，错误。文中说 1937年前烟囱清洁工是wandering breed，即“漂泊的人群”，这一年之后才限制必须是德国人，并只能在本地工作， [C]与原文恰恰相反。 [次干扰项分析] 本段最后一句中的to enable him to use sweeps as local spies可以证明让烟囱清洁工充当间谍是原因之一，但[D]选项未明确指出修订的是哪项法律，故不正确。
单选题
What's the author's attitude toward the anti-monopoly of chimney sweeping in Germany? [A] Inevitable. [B] Possible. [C] Pessimistic. [D] Optimistic.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[直击题眼] 全文。 [深层剖析] 文中讲了德国的烟囱清洁垄断法令带来的弊端、欧盟委员会对其提出的诉讼、德国对此法令做出的修改以及外国申请者的成功等事实，文章最后又提出这样的垄断还会存在“一段时间(for some time to come)”而非一直存在，且文中提及这种法律体系时用的都是antiquated“陈旧的，过时的”等词，这些都说明作者认为废除这样的垄断是势在必行、不可避免的，故[A]正确。 [主干扰项分析] [D]与[A]意思有相近之处，但从德国现状来说，完全消除垄断尚需时日，虽然这种结果已是必然，但其过程可能还比较曲折，如文章最后一句所说至少在未来一段时间内德国人还不得不用本地清扫工，故[D]不及[A]准确。 [次干扰项分析] [B]、[C]和[A]是相反的，故均不正确。
单选题
Which of the following is the best title of the passage? [A] Update of Chimney Sweeps' Law [B] Chimney Sweeps under File. [C] Chimney Sweeps in German [D] Non-Germans or Not