单选题 Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following news.

单选题The energy crunch, which is being felt around the world, has dramatized how the reckless despoiling of the earths resources has brought the whole world to brink of disaster. The overdevelopment of motor transport, with its spiral of more cars, more highway, more pollution, more suburbs, more commuting, has contributed to the near-destruction of our cities, the disintegration of the family, and the pollution not only of local air, but also of the earth"s atmosphere. The catastrophe has arrived in the form of the energy crunch. Our present situation is unlike war, revolution, or depression. It is also unlike the great natural catastrophes of the past. Worldwide resources exploitation and energy use have brought us to a state where long-range planning is crucial. What we need is not a continuation of our present perilous state, which endangers the future of our country, our children, and our earth, but a movement forward to a new norm in order to work rapidly and effectively on planetary problems. This country has been reeling under the continuing exposures of loss of moral integrity and the revelation that lawbreaking has reached into the highest places in the land. There is a strong demand for moral reinvigoration and for some commitment that is vast enough and yet personal enough to enlist the loyalty of all. In the past it has been only in a war in defense of their own country and their own ideals that any people have been able to invoke a total commitment. This is the first time that we have been asked to defend ourselves and what we hold dear in cooperation with all the other inhabitants of this planet, who share with us the same endangered air and the same endangered oceans. There is a common need to reassess our present course, to change that course, and to devise new methods through which the world can survive. This is a priceless opportunity. To grasp it, we need a widespread understanding of the nature of the crisis confronting us—and the world—a crisis that is no passing inconvenience, no by-product of the ambition of the oil producing countries, no figment of environmentalists" fears, no by-product of any present system of government. What we face is the outcome of the invention of the last four hundred years. What we need is a transformed life-style. This new life style can flow directly from science and technology, but its acceptance depends on an overriding commitment to a higher quality of .life for the world"s children and future generation.

单选题Questions 27-30

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单选题 In the information technology industry, it is widely acknowledged that how well IT departments of the future can fulfil their business goals will depend not on the regular updating of technology, which is essential for them to do, but on how well they can hold on to the people skilled at manipulating the newest technology. This is becoming more difficult. Best estimates of the current shortfall in IT staff in the UK are between 30,000 and 50,000, and growing. And there is no end to the problem in sight. A severe industry-wide lack of investment in training means the long-term skills base is both ageing and shrinking. Employers are chasing experienced staff in ever-decreasing circles, and according to a recent government report, 250,000 new IT jobs will be created over the next decade. Most employers are confining themselves to dealing with the immediate problems. There is little evidence, for example, that they are stepping up their intake of raw recruits for in-house training, or re-training existing staff from other functions. This is the course of action recommended by the Computer Software Services Association, but research shows its members are adopting the short-term measure of bringing in more and more consultants on a contract basis. However, this approach is becoming less and less acceptable as the general shortage of skills, coupled with high demand, sends contractor rates soaring. An experienced contract programmer, for example, can now earn at least double the current permanent salary. With IT professionals increasingly attracted to the financial rewards and flexibility of consultancy work, average staff turnover rates are estimated to be around 15%. While many companies in the financial services sector are managing to contain their losses by offering skilled IT staff 'golden handcuffs'—deferred loyalty bonuses that tie them in until a certain date—other organisations, like local governments, are unable to match the competitive salaries and perks on offer in the private sector and contractor market, and are suffering turnover rates of up to 60% a year. Many industry experts advise employers to link bonuses to performance wherever possible. However, employers are realising that bonuses will only succeed if they are accompanied by other incentives such as attractive career prospects, training, and challenging work that meets the individual' s long-term ambition. This means managers need to allocate assignments more strategically and think about advancing their staff as well as their business. Some employers advocate giving key employees projects that would normally be handled by people with slightly more experience or capability. For many employers, however, the urgency of the problem demands a more immediate solution, such as recruiting skilled workers from overseas. But even this is not easy, with strict quotas on the number of work permits issued. In addition, opposition to the recruitment of IT people from other countries is growing, as many professionals believe it will lead to even less investment in training and thus a long-term weakening of the UK skills base.

单选题Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following interview.

单选题Body language is a personal thing. It says a lot about a person, such as whether he {{U}}(34) {{/U}} respect for others to whom he is talking, and whether he pays proper {{U}}(35) {{/U}}to someone else's ideas. Think about your own body language. It is important to pay attention to it. {{U}}(36) {{/U}}, when you meet someone, don't stand too {{U}}(37) {{/U}}. An uncomfortable nearness is very {{U}}(38) {{/U}} to the other per- son, {{U}}(39) {{/U}} keep your physical distance, {{U}}(40) {{/U}} he'll have to keep backing off from you. {{U}}(41) {{/U}} two feet will do. Some of the {{U}}(42) {{/U}} in which your body will tell the other person you are {{U}}(43) {{/U}} carefully are.: Sit attentively(专注地) in your chair. {{U}}(44) {{/U}} you slump(垂头弯腰地坐) down on your backbone, your {{U}}(45) {{/U}} straight out in front of you, your body is saying, "I don't care what you're {{U}}(46) {{/U}}; I'm not interested." {{U}}(47) {{/U}} the face of the person speaking and do not let your eyes roam (漫游) around. It's{{U}} (48) {{/U}}to give the person speaking your {{U}}(49) {{/U}} attention. Keep your legs {{U}}(50) {{/U}}. Do not keep changing your position. Crossing and uncrossing your knees shows either aching legs or the{{U}} (51) {{/U}}that you can {{U}}(52) {{/U}} wait to get away. It is the way you may feel, but you should certainly {{U}}(53) {{/U}} that fact.

单选题Questions 23～26

单选题

单选题Questions 23-26

单选题Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following interview.

单选题New York Public Library is a library system consisting of an administrative center, 4 research libraries, and 82 neighborhood branch libraries in the boroughs of Manhattan, the Broil, and Staten Island, in New York City. (The boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens have their own public library systems.) The library provides free circulating books and other materials, reference services, and research facilities. The library's full name is The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations. The library was founded in 1895 with funds from a trust left by the American political leader Samuel J. Tilden. The trust made possible the consolidation of the Astor and Lenox libraries, two research libraries that were experiencing financial difficulty. The Astor Library was established in 1849 by an endowment left by John Jacob Astor, a merchant and financier. The Lenox Library was the private collection of the American philanthropist James Lenox. Upon his death in 1880 the collection became a research library. The library contracted with the city to build and operate circulating libraries in three of the city's boroughs. In 1901 Andrew Carnegie, the American steel magnate and philanthropist, provided the money to build the first 39 branches of the library. The Central Research Building, erected and still maintained by the city, was dedicated as a free research library in 1911. In the early 1990s, about 80 percent of funding for the branch libraries were provided by New York City. The research libraries are supported mostly by private endowments and gifts, and additional grants are awarded by the federal government and by the city and state of New York. The administrative center of the research libraries, and the largest library of the system, is the Central Research Building, a well-known New York City landmark. Its imposing marble structure covers two blocks from 40th to 42nd streets on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Cataloging and acquisition for the research libraries are done ha this building. Besides the Central Research Building, the research libraries include the Library for the Performing Arts, located within the Lincoln Center complex; the Schomburg Center for Research Building; and the Science, Industry, and Business Library (SIBL), which opened in May 1996 on Madison Avenue near 34th Street. The SIBL also has a 50,000-volume circulating collection. The other research libraries only allow their materials to be used in library reading rooms. Together, these constitute one of the greatest libraries in the world, containing some 12.5 million books and more than 27 million manuscripts, recordings, prints, and other items. They are organized into subject divisions and special collections, covering virtually every field of knowledge in every language.

单选题The passage implies that before the invention of the printing press ______.

单选题 One of London Zoo's recent advertisements caused me some irritation, so patently did it distort reality. Headlined "Without zoos you might as well tell these animals to get stuffed", it was bordered with illustrations of several endangered species and went on to extol the myth that without zoos like London Zoo these animals "will almost certainly disappear forever". With the zoo world's rather mediocre record on conservation, one might be forgiven for being slightly skeptical about such an advertisement. Zoos were originally created as places of entertainment, and their suggested involvement with conservation didn't seriously arise until about 30 years ago, when the Zoological Society of London held the first formal international meeting on the subject. Eight years later, a series of world conferences took place, entitled "The Breeding of Endangered Species", and from this point onwards conservation became the zoo community's buzzword. Tiffs commitment has now been clearly defined in The World Zoo Conservation Strategy (WZCS, September 1993), which-although an important and welcome document-does seem to be based on an unrealistic optimism about the nature of the zoo industry. The WZCS estimates that there are about 10,000 zoos in the world, of which around 1,000 represent a core of quality collections capable of participating in coordinated conservation programmes. This is probably the document's first failing, as I believe that 10,000 is a serious underestimate of the total number of places masquerading as zoological establishments. Of course it is difficult to get accurate data but, to put the issue into perspective, I have found that, in a year of working in Eastern Europe, I discover fresh zoos on almost a weekly basis. The second flaw in the reasoning of the WZCS document is the naive faith it places in its 1,000 core zoos. One would assume that the caliber of these institutions would have been carefully examined, but it appears that the criterion for inclusion on this select list might merely be that the zoo is a member of a zoo federation or association. This might be a good starting point, working on the premise that members must meet certain standards, but again the facts don't support the theory. The greatly respected American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA) has had extremely dubious members, and in the UK the Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland has occasionally had members that have been roundly censured in the national press. These include Robin Hill Adventure Park on the Isle Wight, which many considered the most notorious collection of animals in the country. This establishment, which for years was protected by the Isle's local council (which viewed it as a tourist amenity), was finally closed down following a damning report by a veterinary inspector appointed under the terms of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981. As it was always a collection of dubious repute, one is obliged to reflect upon the standards that the Zoo Federation sets when granting membership. The situation is even worse in developing countries where little money is available for redevelopment and it is hard to see a way of incorporating collections into the overall scheme of the WZCS. Even assuming that the WZCS's 1,000 core zoos are all of a high standard—complete with scientific staff and research facilities, trained and dedicated keepers, accommodation that permits normal or natural behaviour, and a policy of co-operating fully with one another—what might be the potential for conservation? Colin Tudge, author of Last Animals at the Zoo (Oxford University Press, 1992), argues that "if the world's zoos worked together in co-operative breeding programmes, then even without further expansion they could save around 2,000 species of endangered land vertebrates". This seems an extremely optimistic proposition from a man who must be aware of the failing and weaknesses of the zoo industry-the man who, when a member of the council of London Zoo, had to persuade the zoo to devote more of its activities to conservation. Moreover, where are the facts to support such optimism? Today approximately 16 species might be said to have been "saved" by captive breeding programmes, although a number of these can hardly be looked upon as resounding successes. Beyond that, about a further 20 species are being seriously considered for zoo conservation programmes. Given that the international conference at London Zoo was held 30 years ago, this is pretty slow progress, and a long way off Tudge's target of 2,000.

单选题The author's reference to "private and public collections" suggests that ______.

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单选题Which is safer--staying at home, traveling to work on public transport, or working in the office? Surprisingly, each of these carries the same risk, which is very low: However, what about flying compared to working in the chemical industry? Unfortunately, the former is 65 times riskier than the latter! In fact, the accident rate of workers in the chemical industry is less than that of almost any of human activity, and almost as safe as staying at home. The trouble with the chemical industry is that when things go wrong they often cause death to those living nearby. It is this which makes chemical accidents so newsworthy. Fortunately, they are extremely rare. The most famous ones happened at Texas City (1947), Flixborough (1974), Seveso (1976), Pemex (1984) and Bhopal (1984). Some of these are always in the minds of the people even though the loss of life was small. No one died at Seveso, and only 28 workers at Flixborough. The worst accident of all was Bhopal, where up to 3,000 were killed. The Texas City explosion of fertilizer killed 552. The Pemex fire at a storage plant for natural gas in the suburbs of Mexico City took 542 lives, just a month before the unfortunate event at Bhopal. Some experts have discussed these accidents and used each accident to illustrate a particular danger. Thus the Texas City explosion was caused by tons of ammonium nitrate, which is safe unless stored in great quantity. The Flixborough fireball was the fault of management, which took risks to keep production going during essential repairs. The Seveso accident shows what happens if the local authorities lack knowledge of the danger on their doorstep. When the poisonous gas drifted over the town, local leaders were incapable of taking effective action. The Pemex fire was made worse by an overloaded site in an overcrowded suburb. The fire set off a chain reaction of exploding storage tanks. Yet, by a miracle, the two largest tanks did not explode. Had these caught fire, then 3,000 strong rescue team and fire fighters would all have died.

单选题 Question 23-26

单选题{{B}}Statements{{/B}}{{B}}Directions:{{/B}} In this part of the test, you will hear several short statements. These statements will be spoken {{B}}ONLY ONCE,{{/B}} and you will not find them written on the paper; so you must listen carefully. When you hear a statement, read the answer choices and decide which one is closest in meaning to the statement you have heard. Then write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your {{B}}ANSWER BOOKLET{{/B}}

单选题 {{B}}Questions 23-26{{/B}}