In Western countries people have been using the installment （按揭）plan since the first half of the twentieth century. Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments .In the U.S., the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan.
The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash. There is a charge for interest. The buyers pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment when the goods are delivered to him. He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up. The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made.
Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages. It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping, It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment. There is ,however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse. This may result in a great increase in unemployment. If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments. If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money. If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit, it becomes more likely to have a depression. This is why, in some countries, the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan.Which of the following is true about the installment plan?
| A．British families just use the installment plan to buy furniture. |
| B．More than 10 precent American families buy things on installment. |
| C．Americans spend more on installment buying than British people do. |
| D．The payment of installment buying is easier than buying by cash. |
Goods bought on installments are more expensive than goods bought by cash because_________.
| A．the buyer has to pay extra money as interest |
| B．the delivery of the goods charges extra money |
| C．the buyer has to pay a down payment |
| D．The service offered by installment plan charged extra money |
What will happen to a buyer if he fails to make the full payment for an item bought on installments?
| A．He might lose his job |
| B．He will stop owning the item he has bought |
| C．He will have to sell what he has bought |
| D．He will go into debt |
The advantages of installment buying might include all the followings EXCEPT that _________.
| A．purchasing power is strengthened |
| B．Employment might be increased |
| C．People develop a good habit of saving money |
| D．Young couples are able to furnish their homes |
In some countries, the government controls the installment plan to_________.
| A．increase employment |
| B．avoid depressions |
| C．ensure that businesses make good profits |
| D．ensure that people can pay for what they buy |
C
Instead of hitting the beach, fourteen high school students traded swimming suits for lab coats last summer and turned their attention to scientific experiments.
The High School Research Program offers high school students guidance with researchers in Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Jennifer Funkhouser, academic adviser for the Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management, directs this four-week summer program designed to increase understanding of research and its career potential(潜能)。
Several considerations go into selecting students, including grades, school involvement and interest in science and agriculture. And many students come from poorer school districts, Funkhouser says, “This is their chance to learn techniques and do experiments they never would have a chance to do in high school.”
Warner Ervin of Houston is interested in animal science and learned how to tell male from female mosquitoes(蚊子).His adviser, Craig Coates, studies the genes of mosquitoes that allow them to fight against malaria and yellow fever. Coates thought this experience would be fun and helpful to the high school students.
The agricultural research at A&M differs from stereotypes. It’s “molecular(分子)science on the cutting edge,” Funkhouser says. The program broadened students’ knowledge. Victor Garcia of Rio Grande City hopes to become a biology teacher and says he learned a lot about chemistry from the program.
At the end of the program, the students presented papers on their research. They’re also paid $600 for their work----another way this program differs from others, which often charge a fee.
Fourteen students got paid to learn that science is fun, that agriculture is a lot more than milking and plowing and that research can open many doors.
63.The research program is chiefly designed for .
A. high school advisers from Houston
B. college students majoring in agriculture
C. high school students from different places
D. researchers at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
64.It can be inferred from the text that the students in poorer areas .
A. had little chance to go to college
B. could often take part in the program
C. found the program useful to their future
D. showed much interest in their high school experiments
65.When the program was over, the students .
A. entered that college B. wrote research reports
C. paid for their research D. found way to make money
66.The underlined expression “on the cutting edge” in paragraph 5 means “on the most________
position”.
A. important B. favourable C. astonishing D. advanced
67.What would be the best title for the text?
A.A Program for Agricultural Science Students
B. A Program for Animal Science Students
C. A Program for Medical Science Lovers
D. A Program for Future Science Lovers
B
When a Swedish ship that sank in 1628 was recovered from the port of Stockholm, historians and scientists were overjoyed with the chance to examine the remains of the past. The ship construction showed how ships were built and operated during the seventeenth century. In this way, artifacts, objects made by human beings, provided a picture of daily life almost 400 years ago.
Underwater archaeology –the study of ships, aircraft and human settlements that have sunk under large bodies of water—is really a product of the last 50 years. The rapid growth of this new area of study has occurred because of the invention of better diving equipment. Besides the Swedish ship
wreck(残骸), underwater archaeologists have made more exciting discoveries such as the 5,000-year-old boats in the Mediterranean Sea.
Underwater archaeology can provide facts about the past. In ancient ports all over the world are ships sunken in the past 6,000 years. There are also sunken settlements in seas and lakes telling of people’s way of life and their systems of trade in ancient times. Underwater archaeologists want to study these objects to add to the world’s knowledge of history , but they have to fight two enemies. One enemy is treasure hunters who dive for ancient artifacts that they can sell to collectors. Once sold, these objects are lost to experts. The second enemy is dredging machines (挖掘机)often used to repair ports. These machines destroy wrecks and artifacts or bury them deeper under sand and mud. By teaching the public about the importance of underwater “museums” of the past, archaeologists are hoping to get support for laws to protect underwater treasures.
59．What purpose does Paragraph 1 serve in the passage?
A．To provide background information of the topic.
B．To attract readers’ attention to the topic.
C．To use an example to support the topic.
D．To offer basic knowledge of the topic.
60．The aim of underwater archaeology is to___________.
A．exploit water bodies
B．search for underwater life
C．study underwater artifacts
D．examine underwater environment
61．Underwater archaeologists are worried because___________.
A．sea hunters have better diving equipment
B．their knowledge of world history is limited
C．dredging machines cause damage to the ports
D．sold artifacts can hardly be regained for research
62．What is the main purpose of the passage?
A．to introduce a young branch of learning.
B．To discuss the scientists ’ problems.
C．To explain people’s way of life in the past.
D．To describe the sunken ships.
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
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56. How many days will the two jazz masters perform in Hong Kong?
A. 2 days. B. 3 days. C. 4 days. D. 5 days.
57. You can get a ticket except that ________.
A. you go and buy one at the ticket office B. you book online
C. you call and pay with your credit card D. you wait to get one for free
58. Why will the two jazz masters perform in Hong Kong?
A. Because they meet in there after not seeing each other for 40 years.
B. It’s for Hong Kong Arts Festival.
C. Because they can’t live without music.
D. It just happens that they two are performing there.
Americans can travel almost anywhere they choose. But to protect its people, the government lists a few dangerous places where Americans cannot go. These places are unfriendly countries or countries at war. There, the traveller might not be safe. These countries are listed in a small book called a passport（护照）.
This passport is a government request for the safety of its travelling people. It is also a government’s pledge（保证） that the people will obey the rules of the host country（东道国）.
To receive a passport from the government, a traveller must prove that he is an American citizen （公民）. An American can not go overseas（外国） without a passport. Only certain close countries such as Canada and Mexico do not ask for passports.
Pasted （粘贴）inside the passport is the traveller’s picture. Children travelling with their parents are included in one parent’s book.
Thousands of people from the United States visit other countries every year. An American traveller might carry plane tickets, money, clothing and many other things. But the most important that he carries in another country is his passport.
68. A passport is not needed when an American goes to ______.
A. foreign countries B. dangerous areas C. Canada or Mexico D. countries overseas
69. From the passage we can see that ______.
A. children can’t travel to foreign countries B. Americans like to travel
C. a traveller is not safe in most countries D. Americans like to travel to close countries
70. Why does a traveller need a passport?
A. He needs something more to carry when he travels.
B. It helps the country to protect the people. C. He needs to have his picture taken more often.
D. It helps the traveller to know where he will go.
The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff(东西) they call “books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed?” I asked
myself. I didn’t answer, In fact I dared not.
The clock struck twelve. “Oh, dear! ” I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most unhappy creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate（绝望的） now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
64. When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were ________ .
A. asleep B. outside C. working in bed D. quietly laughing at him
65. Reviewing his lessons didn’t help him because ____ .
A. it was too late at night B. he was very tired
C. his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open
D. he hadn’t studied hard before the examination
66. What do you suppose happened to the author the second day?
A. He went to a church to pray again B. He got an A in the exam
C. He failed in the exam D. He was punished by his teacher
67. The best title for the passage would be _________ .
A. The Night Before the Examination B. Working Far into the Night
C. A Slow Student D. Going Over My Lessons
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