Passage 3
Consumers are being confused and misled by the hodge-podge (大杂烩) of environmental claims made by household products, according to a ―green labeling‖ study published by Consumers International Friday.
Among the report‘s more outrageous (令人无法容忍的) findings-a German fertilizer described itself as ―earthworm friendly‖ a brand of flour said it was ―non-polluting‖ and a British toilet paper claimed to be ―environmentally friendlier‖ The study was written and researched by Britain‘s National Consumer Council (NCC) for lobby group Consumer International. It was funded by the German and Dutch governments and the European Commission.
― While many good and useful claims are being made, it is clear there is a long way to go in ensuring shoppers are adequately informed about the environmental impact of products they buy,‖ said Consumers International director Anna Fielder.
The 10-country study surveyed product packaging in Britain, Western Europe, Scandinavia and the United States. It found that products sold in Germany and the United Kingdom made the most environmental claims on average.
The report focused on claims made by specific products, such as detergent (洗涤剂) insect sprays and by some garden products. It did not test the claims, but compared them to labeling guidelines set by the International Standards Organization (ISO) in September, 1999.
Researchers documented claims of environmental friendliness made by about 2,000 products and found many too vague or too misleading to meet ISO standards.
―Many products had specially-designed labels to make them seem environmentally friendly, but in fact many of these symbols mean nothing,‖ said report researcher Philip Page.
―Laundry detergents made the most number of claims with 158. Household cleaners were second with 145 separate claims, while paints were third on our list with 73. The high numbers show how very confusing it must be for consumers to sort the true from the misleading.‖ he said.
The ISO labeling standards ban vague or misleading claims on product packaging, because terms such as ―environmentally friendly‖ and ―non-polluting‖ cannot be verified. ―What we are now pushing for is to have multinational corporations meet the standards set by the ISO.‖ said Page.
31. According to the passage, the NCC found it outrageous that ________. A) all the products surveyed claim to meet ISO standards B) the claims made by products are often unclear or deceiving C) consumers would believe many of the manufactures‘ claim D) few products actually prove to be environment friendly
32. As indicated in this passage, with so many good claims, the consumers ________. A) are becoming more cautious about the products they are going to buy B) are still not willing to pay more for products with green labeling
C) are becoming more aware of the effects different products have on the environment D) still do not know the exact impact of different products on the environment 33. A study was carried out by Britain‘s NCC to ________.
A) find out how many claims made by products fail to meet environmental standards B) inform the consumers of the environmental impact of the products they buy C) examine claims made by products against ISO standards
D) revise the guidelines set by the International Standards Organization
34. What is one of the consequences caused by the many claims of household products? A) They are likely to lead to serious environmental problems. B) Consumers find it difficult to tell the true from the false. C) They could arouse widespread anger among consumer.
D) Consumers will be tempted to buy products they don‘t need.
35. It can be inferred from the passage that the lobby group Consumer International wants to ________. A) make product labeling satisfy ISO requirements
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B) see all household products meet environmental standards C) warn consumers of the danger of so-called green products D) verify the efforts of non-polluting products
31. B 32. D 33. C 34. B 35. A
Passage 4
Two hours from the tall buildings of Manhattan and Philadelphia live some of the world‘s largest black bears. They are in northern Pennsylvania‘s Pocono Mountains, a home they share with an abundance of other wildlife.
The streams, lakes, meadows (草地), mountain ridges and forests that make the Poconos an ideal place for black bears have also attracted more people to the region. Open spaces are threatened by plans for housing estates and important habitats (栖息地) are endangered by highway construction. To protect the Poconos natural beauty from irresponsible development, the Nature Conservancy (大自然保护协会) named the area one of America‘s ―Last Great Places‖.
Operating out of a century-old schoolhouse in the village of Long Pond, Pennsylvania, the conservancy‘s bud Cook is working with local people and business leaders to balance economic growth with environmental protection. By forging partnerships with people like Francis Altemose, the Conservancy has been able to protect more than 14,000 acres of environmentally important land in the area.
Altemose‘s family has farmed in the Pocono area for generations. Two years ago Francis worked with the Conservancy to include his farm in a county farmland protection program. As a result, his family‘s land can be protected from development and the Altemoses will be better able to provide a secure financial future for their 7-year-old grandson.
Cook attributes the Conservancy‘s success in the Poconos to having a local presence and a commitment to working with local residents
―The key to protecting these remarkable lands is connecting with the local community,‖ Cook said. ―The people who live there respect the land. They value quiet forests, clear streams and abundant wildlife. They are eager to help with conservation effort.
For more information on how you can help the Nature Conservancy protect the Poconos and the world‘s other ―Last Great Places,‖ please call 1-888-564 6864 or visit us on the World Wide Web at www.tnc.org.
36. The purpose in naming the Poconos as one of America‘s ―Last Great Places‖ is to ________. A) gain support from the local community B) protect it from irresponsible development C) make it a better home for black bears
D) provide financial security for future generations 37. We learn from the passage that ________. A) the population in the Pocono area is growing B) wildlife in the Pocono area is dying out rapidly
C) the security of the Pocono residents is being threatened D) farmlands in the Pocono area are shrinking fast
38. What is important in protecting the Poconos according to Cook? A) The setting up of an environmental protection website B) Support from organizations like The Nature Conservancy C) Cooperation with the local residents and business leaders D) Inclusion of farmlands in the region‘s protection program
39. What does Bud Cook mean by ―having a local presence‖ (Line 1, Para. 5)? A) Financial contributions from local business leaders B) Consideration of the interests of the local residents
C) The establishment of a wildlife protection foundation in the area
D) The setting up of a local Nature Conservancy branch in the Pocono area
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40. The passage most probably is ________. A) an official document B) a news story C) an advertisement D) a research report
36. B 37. A 38. C 39. D 40.C
2005.12 Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
Just five one-hundredths of an inch thick, light golden in color and with a perfect ―saddle curl,‖ the Lay‘s potato chip seems an unlikely weapon for global domination. But its maker. Frito-Lay. Thinks otherwise. ―Potato chips are a snack food for the world,‖ said Salman Amin, the company‘s head of global marketing. Amin believes there is no corner of the world that can resist the charms of a Frito-Lay potato chip.
Frito-Lay is the biggest snack maker in America, owned by PepsiCo. And accounts for over half of the parent company‘s $3 billion annual profits. But the U.S. snack food market is largely saturated, and to grow, the company has to look overseas. Its strategy rests on two beliefs: first a global product offers economies of scale with which local brands cannot compete. And second, consumers in the 21st century are drawn to ―global‖ as a concept. ―Global‖ does not mean products that are consciously identified as American, but ones than consumes-especially young people-see as part of a modem, innovative (创新的) world in which people are linked across cultures by shared beliefs and tastes. Potato chips are an American invention, but most Chinese, for instance, do not know than Frito-Lay is an American company. Instead, Riskey, the company‘s research and development head, would hope they associate the brand with the new world of global communications and business.
With brand perception a crucial factor, Riskey ordered a redesign of the Frito-Lay logo (标识). The logo, along with the company‘s long-held marketing image of the ―irresistibility‖ of its chips, would help facilitate the company‘s global expansion.
The executives acknowledge that they try to swing national eating habits to a food created in America, but they deny that amounts to economic imperialism. Rater, they see Frito-Lay as spreading the benefits of free enterprise across the world. ―We‘re making products in those countries, we‘re adapting them to the tastes of those countries, building businesses and employing people and changing lives,‖ said Steve Reinemund, PepsiCo‘s chief executive. 21. It is the belief of Frito-Lay‘s head of global marking that ________. A) potato chips can hardly be used as a weapon to dominate the world market B) their company must find new ways to promote domestic sales
C) the light golden color enhances the charm of their company‘s potato chips D) people the world over enjoy eating their company‘s potato chips 22. What do we learn about Frito-Lay from Paragraph 2? A) Its products use to be popular among overseas consumers.
B) Its expansion has caused fierce competition in the snack marker. C) It gives half of its annual profits to its parent company. D) It needs to turn to the word market for development.
23. One of the assumptions on which Frito-Lay bases its development strategy is that ________. A) consumers worldwide today are attracted by global brands
B) local brands cannot compete successfully with American brands C) products suiting Chinese consumers‘ needs bring more profits D) products identified as American will have promising market value 24. Why did Riskey have the Frito-Lay logo redesigned?
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A) To suit changing tastes of young consumers.
B) To promote the company‘s strategy of globalization. C) To change the company‘s long-held marketing image. D) To compete with other American chip producers.
25. Frito-Lay‘s executives claim that the promoting of American food in the international market ________. A) won‘t affect the eating habits of the local people B) will lead to economic imperialism
C) will be in the interest of the local people D) won‘t spoil the taste of their chips
21. D 22. D 23. A 24. B 25. C
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
In communities north of Denver, residents are pitching in to help teachers and administrators as the Vrain school District tries to solve a $13.8 million budget shortage blamed on mismanagement. ―We‘re worried about our teachers and principals, and we really don‘t want to lose them because of this,‖ one parent sail. ―If we can help ease their financial burden, we will. ―
Teachers are grateful, but know it may be years before the district is solvent (有综合能力的). They feel really good about the parent support, but they realize it‘s impossible for then to solve this problem.
The 22,000-student district discovered the shortage last month. ―It‘s extraordinary. Nobody would have imagined something happening like this at this level,‖ said State Treasurer Mike Coffman.
Coffman and district officials last week agreed on a state emergency plan freeing yp a $9.8 million loan that enabled the payroll (工资单) to be met for 2,700 teachers and staff in time for the holidays.
District officials also took $1.7 million from student-activity accounts its 38 schools.
At Coffman‘s request, the District Attorney has begun investigating the district‘s finances. Coffman says he wants to know whether district officials hid the budget shortage until after the November election, when voters approved a $212 million bond issue for schools.
In Frederick, students‘ parents are buying classroom supplies and offering to pay for groceries and utilities to keep first-year teachers and principals in their jobs.
Some $36,000 has been raised in donations from Safeway. A Chevrolet dealership donated $10,000 and forgave the district‘s $10,750 bill for renting the driver educating cars. IBM contributed 4,500 packs of paper.
―We employ thousands of people in this community,‖ said Mitch Carson, a hospital chief executive, who helped raise funds. ―We have children in the school, and we see how they could be affected.‖
At Creek High School, three students started a website that displays newspaper articles, district information and an email forum (论坛)。 ―Rumors about what‘s happening to the district are moving at lighting speed,‖ said a student. ―We wanted to know the truth, and spread that around instead.‖
26. What has happened to the Vrain School District? A) A huge financial problem has arisen. B) Many schools there are mismanaged.
C) Lots of teachers in the district are planning to quit. D) Many administrative personnel have been laid off.
27. How did the residents in the Vrain School District respond to the budget shortage? A) They felt somewhat helpless about it. B) They accused those responsible for it. C) They pooled their efforts to help solve it. D) They demanded a through investigation.
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28. In the view of State Treasurer Mike Coffman, the educational budget shortage is ________. A) unavoidable B) unthinkable C) insolvable D) irreversible
29. Why did Coffman request an investigation?
A) To see if there was a deliberate cover-up of the problem. B) To find out the extent of the consequences of the case. C) To make sure that the school principals were innocent. D) To stop the voters approving the $212 million bong issue.
30. Three high school students started a website in order to ________. A) attract greater public attention to their needs
B) appeal to the public for contributions and donations C) expose officials who neglected their duties D) keep people properly informed of the crisis
26. A 27. C 28. B 29. A 30. D
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
―Humans should not try to avoid stress any more than they would shun food, love or exercise.‖ Said Dr. Hans Selye, the first physician to document the effects of stress on the body. While here‘s on question that continuous stress is harmful, several studies suggest that challenging situations in which you‘re able to rise to the occasion can be good for you.
In a 2001 study of 158 hospital nurses, those who faced considerable work demands but coped with the challenge were more likely to say they were in good health than those who felt they stress that you can manage also boost immune (免疫的) function. In a study at the Academic Center for Dentistry in Amsterdam, researchers put volunteers through two stressful experiences. In the first, a timed task that required memorizing a list followed by a short test, subjects through a gory (血淋淋的) video on surgical procedures. Those who did well on the memory test had an increase in levels of immunoglobulin A, an antibody that‘s the body‘s first line of defense against germs. The video-watchers experienced a downturn in the antibody.
Stress prompts the body to produce certain stress hormones. In short bursts these hormones have a positive effect, including improved memory function. ―They can help nerve cells handle information and put it into storage,‖ says Dr. Bruce McEwen of Rockefeller University in New York. But in the long run these hormones can have a harmful effect on the body and brain. ―Sustained stress is not good for you,‖ says Richard Morimoto, a researcher at Northwestern University in Illinois studying the effects of stress on longevity, ―It‘s the occasional burst of stress or brief exposure to stress that could be protective.‖ 31. The passage is mainly about ________. A) the benefits of manageable stress B) stay away from C) run out of D) put up with
32. The word ―shun‖ (Line 1, Para. 1) most probably means ________. A) cut down on B) stay away from C) run out of D) put up with
33. We can conclude from the study of the 158 nurses in 2001 that ________. A) people under stress tend to have a poor memory
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