复合题

Directions: For passages 1 to 4, each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and write the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.

Passage 1

Insurance companies provide a service to the community by protecting it against expected and unexpected disasters. Before an insurance company will agree to insure anything, it collects accurate figures about the risk. It knows, for example, that the risk of the man being killed in a plane accident is less than the risk he takes in crossing a busy road. This enables it to quote low figures for travel insurance. Sometimes the risk may be high as in motor- racing or mountaineering. Then the company charges a much higher price. If too many climbers have accidents, the price rises still further. If the majority of climbers fall off mountains, the company will refuse to insure them.

An ordinary householder may wish to protect his home against fire or his property against burglary. A shopkeeper may wish to insure against theft. In normal cases, the company will check its statistics and quote a premium. If it is suspicious, it may refuse to quote. If it insures a shop and then receives a suspicious claim, it will investigate the claim as a means of protecting itself against false claims. It is not unknown for a businessman in debt to burn down his own premises so that he can claim much money from his insurance company. He can be sure that the fire will be investigated most carefully. Insurance companies also accept insurance against shipwreck or disaster in the air. Planes and ships are very expensive, so a large premium is charged but a reduction is given to companies with an accident-free record.

Every week insurance companies receive premium payments from customers. These payments can form a very large total running into millions of dollars. The company does not leave the money in the bank. It invests in property, shares, farms and even antique paintings and stamps. Its aim is to obtain the best possible return on its investment. This is not as greedy as it may seem, since this is one way by which it can keep its premiums down and continue to make a profit while being of service to the community. 

单选题 According to the first paragraph, which of the following statements is TRUE?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】第一段第三句“It knows, for example, that the risk of the man being killed in a plane accident is less than the risk he takes in crossing a busy road.”可知B正确。
单选题 From the passage we know that if accidents will happen nine times out of ten, the insurance company will_____.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】根据第一段最后一句“If the majority of climbers fall off mountains, the company will refuse to insure them.”如果登山者中的绝大多数人都掉下了山， 保险公司将拒绝为其投保。 所以本题应选C。
单选题 If a shop owner in debt destroyed his own house his purpose would most probably be to _____.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】第二段中提到“It is not unknown for a businessman in debt to burn down his own premises so that he can claim much money from his insurance company.”可知商人骗保并不鲜见， 所以选B。
单选题 According to the passage if an airline has an accident-free record, it usually pays _____ to the insurance company.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】第三段第五句“Planes and ships are very expensive, so a large premium is charged but a reduction is given to companies with an accident free record.”飞机和船只非常昂贵， 所以保险费也就高， 但是如果这些公司有无事故纪录， 保险费会有所减少。 所以选A。
单选题 The main idea of the last paragraph is _____.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】最后一段说到保险公司会把收益投入到回报最高的方向， 这样他们就可以在维持保费不上涨的前提下既保障客户的权益， 自身又获得利润。 可知最后一段讲的是保险公司如何运用收入以及为何如此的原因， 所以选C。