Passage Six

　　A breakthrough in the provision of energy from the sun for the European Economic Community (EEC) could be brought forward by up to two decades, if a modest increase could be provided in the EEC's research effort in this field, according to the senior EEC scientists engaged in experiments in solar energy at EEC's scientific laboratories at Ispra, near Milan.

　　The senior West German scientist in charge of the Community's solar energy program, Mr. Joachim Gretz, told journalists that at present levels of research spending it was most unlikely that solar energy would provide as much as three per cent of the Community's energy requirements even after the year 2000. But he said that with s modest increase in the present sums, devoted by the EEC to this work it was possible that the breakthrough could be achieved by the end of the next decade.

　　Mr. Gretz calculates that if solar energy only provided three per cent of the EEC's needs, this could still produce a saving of about a billion pounds in the present bill for imported energy each year. and he believes that with the possibility of utilizing more advanced technology in this field it might be possible to satisfy a much bigger share of the Community's future energy needs.

　　At present the EEC spends about $ 2. 6 millions a year on solar research at Ispra, one of the EEC's official joint research centers, and another $ 3 millions a year in indirect research with universities and other independent bodies.

　　1. The phrase “be brought forward” in line 2 most probably means

　　A. be expected B. be completed

　　C. be advanced D. be introduced

　　2. Some scientists believe that s breakthrough in the use of solar energy depends on

　　A. sufficient funding B. further experiments

　　C. advanced technology D. well-equipped laboratories

　　3. According to Mr. Gretz, the present sum of money will enable the scientists to provide

　　A. a little more than 3% of the EEC's needs after the year 2000

　　B. 3 % of the EEC's needs before the year 2000

　　C. less than 3% of the EEC's needs before the year 2000

　　D. only 3% of the EEC's needs even after the year 2000

　　4. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

　　A. The EEC spends one billion pounds on imported energy each year.

　　B. At the present level of research spending, it is difficult to make any significant progress in

　　the provision of energy from the sun.

　　C. The desired breakthrough could be obtained by the end of the next decade of investment

　　were increased.

　　D. The total yearly spending of the EEC on solar energy research amounted to almost 6

　　million dollars.

　　5. The application of advanced technology to research in solar energy

　　A. would lead to a big increase in research funding

　　B. would make it unnecessary to import oil

　　C. would make it possible to meet the future energy needs of the EEC

　　D. would provide a much greater proportion of the Community's future energy needs

　　Passage Seven

　　As a medium of exchange, money permits the separation of exchange into the two distinct acts of buying and selling, without requiring the seller to purchase goods from the person who buys his products, or vice versa. Hence producers who know they will he paid in money, can concentrate on finding the most suitable outlet (销路) for their goods, while buyers who will pay in money, can concentrate on finding the cheapest market for the things they wish to purchase. Specialization, which is vital to an advanced economy, is encouraged, because people whose output is not a complete product but only a part of one in which many others are involved can be paid an amount equivalent to their share of the product.

　　Another advantage of money is that it is a measure of value--that is, it serves as a unit in terms of which the relative values of different products can be expressed. In a barter economy it would be necessary to determine how many plates were worth one hundred weight of cotton, or how many pens should be exchanged for a ton of coal. which would be a difficult and time-consuming (费时的) task. The process of establishing relative values would have to be undertaken for every act of exchange, according to what products were being offered against one another, and according to the two parties' desires and preferences. If I am trying to barter fish for bananas, for example, a lot would depend on whether the person willing to exchange bananas is or is not keen on fish.

　　Thirdly, money acts as a store of wealth. It is difficult to imagine saving under a barter system. No one engaged on only one stage in the manufacture of a product could save part of his output, since he would be producing nothing complete. Even when a person actually produced a complete product the difficulties would be overwhelming. Most products deteriorate fairly rapidly, either physically or in value, as a result of long storage; even if storage were possible, the practice of storing products for years on end would involve obvious disadvantages-imagine a coal-miner attempting to save enough coal which of course is his product, to keep him for life. If wealth could not be saved, or only with great difficulty, future needs could not be provided for, or capital accumulated to raise productivity.

　　l. Using money as a medium of exchange means that

　　A. you have to sell something in order to buy something

　　B. you have to buy something in order to sell something

　　C. you don't have to buy something in order to sell something

　　D. the seller and the purchaser are the same person

　　2. Specialization is encouraged because

　　A. people can use their money to buy whatever they want

　　B. people do not need to make a complete product for exchange

　　C. people make a great contribution to the manufacture of a product

　　D. people cannot use their money to buy whatever they want

　　3. A barter economy is one in which

　　A. value is decided by weight

　　B. value is decided by number

　　C. money is used and goods are not exchanged

　　D. goods are exchanged and money is not used

　　4. If one had to save products instead of money,

　　A. this would need years of practice

　　B. coal, for example, would lose its value

　　C. they could not be stored for years on end.

　　D. many products would lose their value

　　5. How many advantages of money are mentioned in this passage?

　　A. Two. B. Three.

　　C. Four. D. Five.

　　Passage Eight

　　In 1795 the political economist Malthus predicted that in time mankind would face starvation, having outgrown the available food supplies. Today, a century and a half later, there are still experts who forecast the same global disaster--unless urgent measures are taken to prevent it.

　　By the end of the present century there may well be over five thousand million people living on this globe, an increase of over fifty percent on today's figure, In order to keep pace with this increase in mankind the farmers of the world will have to step up their production of food by at least two percent every year. Such a rate of increase has never been maintained in any country by conventional methods of agriculture, despite modern mechanization and the widespread use of fertilizers. There are no large worthwhile reserves of potential farmland remaining, and good fertile (肥沃的) land is continually being changed into industrial use. Moreover, erosion of the soil takes a constant toll (损失).

　　Intensive research, carried out over many years in all manner of climatic conditions. has produced a revolutionary method of growing crops without using any soil at all. Hydroponics (水栽法), as this technique is called, may well be the answer to all our food worries; already it has accomplished wonders in producing huge crops. Hydroponics was once a complicated and expensive business, now it is well out of the experimental stage. Labor costs are far lower than when normal methods of agriculture are employed. in fact. it is a completely automatic system. There is no hard manual work, no digging or ploughing, and no weeding to speak of. Yields can be far higher than they are in soil.

　　1. Which of the following best sums up the whole passage?

　　A. Malthus' prediction has been proved to be correct by modern experts.

　　B. Hydorponics is a new development in agriculture.

　　C. Hydroponics may be the answer to the world food shortage in the future.

　　D. Conventional methods of agriculture should be improved so as to step up food production

　　by two percent every year.

　　2. The phrase “having outgrown the available food supplies” in the first paragraph implies that

　　.

　　A. the available food supplies will be enough to feed world population

　　B. the earth is too exhausted to support its increasing population

　　C. world, population will grow at a rate faster than food production

　　D. food supplies will be too much available for world population

　　3. “Erosion” in the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph probably means .

　　A. “washing away” B. “taking away”

　　C. “digging up” D. “picking up”

　　4. Which of the following statements is not true of hydroponics?

　　A. Hydroponics is still too complicated and expensive for practical use.

　　B. Hydroponics is considered a revolutionary method of agriculture.

　　C. Hydroponics has created wonders in agriculture.

　　D. Hydroponics has already been employed in food production.

　　5. Judging from the passage, the most important advantage of hydroponics should be

　　A. higher yield B. lower labor costs

　　C. more automation D. less hard manual work

　　Passage Nine

　　In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are horn in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about a half dozen generate the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that give them hurricane status, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.

　　The great storms that hit the coast start as innocent circling disturbances hundreds--even thousands--of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried westward by the trade winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist air flows in at the bottom of such a disturbance, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the process, the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat that is converted to energy in the form of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to swirl in a counter-clockwise motion.

　　The average life of s hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat released by a hurricane's rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months. Water, not wind, is the main source of death and destruction in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6 to 12-inch downpours resulting in sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea -- the mountains of water moving toward the low-pressure hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.

　　1. When is an ordinary tropical storm called a hurricane?

　　A. When it begins in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas.

　　B. When it hits the coastline.

　　C. When it is more than 75 miles wide.

　　D. When its winds reach 75 miles per hour.

　　2. What is the worst thing about hurricanes?

　　A. The destructive effects of water.

　　B. The heat they release.

　　C. That they last about nine days on the average.

　　D. Their strong winds.

　　3. The counter-clockwise swirling of the hurricane is brought about by .

　　A. the low-pressure area in the center of the storm

　　B. the force of waves of water

　　C. the trade winds

　　D. the increasing heat

　　4. Apparently the word “downpour” in the last paragraph means .

　　A. heavy rainfall

　　B. dangerous waves

　　C. the progress of water to the hurricane center

　　D. the energy produced by the hurricane

　　5. Which of the following is not true?

　　A. Millions of dollars of damage is caused by powerful storms.

　　B. In the second half of each year, there are powerful storms in tropical Atlantic and Caribbean

　　seas.

　　C. A hurricane contains more power than we can imagine.

　　D. The energy in the heat released by a hurricane's rainfall in a single hour would meet the

　　entire needs of the United States for more than six months.

　　Passage Ten

　　A rapid means of long-distance transportation became a necessity for the United States as settlement (新拓居地) spread ever farther westward. The early trains were impractical curiosities, and for a long time the railroad companies met with troublesome mechanical problems. The most serious one was the construction of rails able to bear the load, and the development of a safe, effective stopping system. Once these were solved, the railroad was established as the best means of land transportation. By 1860 there were thousands of miles of railroads crossing the eastern mountain ranges and reaching westward to the Mississippi. There were also regional southern and western lines.

　　The high point in railroad building came with the construction of the first transcontinental system. In 1862, Congress authorized two western railroad companies to build lines from Nebraska westward and from California eastward to a meeting point, so as to complete a transcontinental crossing linking to Atlantic seaboard with the Pacific. The Government helped the railroads generously with money and land. Actual work on this project began four years later. The Central Pacific Company, starting from California, used Chinese labor, while the Union Pacific employed crews of Irish laborers. The two groups worked at remarkable speed, each trying to cover a greater distance than the other. In 1869, they met at a place called Promontory in what is now the state of Utah. Many visitors came there for the great occasion. There were joyous celebrations all over the country, with parades and the ringing of church bells to honor the great achievement.

　　The railroad was very important in encouraging westward movement. It also helped build up industry and farming by moving raw materials and by distributing products rapidly to distant markets. In linking towns and people to one another it helped unify the United States.

　　1. The major problems with America's railroad system in the mid 19th century lay in .

　　A. poor quality rails and unreliable stopping systems

　　B. lack of financial support for development

　　C. limited railroad lines

　　D. lack of transcontinental railroad

　　2. The building of the first transcontinental system .

　　A. brought about a rapid growth of industry and farming in the west

　　B. attracted many visitors to the construction sites

　　C. attracted laborers from Europe

　　D. encouraged people to travel all over the country

　　3. The best title for this passage would be .

　　A. Settlements Spread Westward

　　B. The Coast-to-Coast Railroad A Vital Link

　　C. American Railroad History

　　D. The Importance of Railroads in the American Economy

　　4. The construction of the transcontinental railroad took .

　　A. 9 years B. 7 years

　　C. 4 years D. 3 years

　　5. What most likely made people think about a transcontinental railroad?

　　A. The possibility of government support for such a task.

　　B. The need to explore Utah.

　　C. The need to connect the east coast with the west.

　　D. The need to develop the railroad industry in the west.

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