B they should live together with other singletons. C singledom is an acceptable life-style. D singledom can shorten one’s life-span.
52. Which of the following may NOT be the reason for the increasing number of households as mentioned in the passage?
A Many people get divorced because of unhappy marriage. B Now people can afford to support a household individually. C Some people have to sacrifice family life for their careers. D Many people live much longer than before.
53. The author thinks living alone is disastrous mainly because singledom is _________
A harmful to people’s life. B destructive to our ecosystem. C dangerous to plants and animals. D unworkable in our society 54. It is implied in the passage that singletons are usually _______
A self-reliant B self-conscious C self-sufficient D self-centered 55. When seeing others living alone, some people panic because they think singledom is ____
A abnormal B diversified C unimaginable D disgusting 56. The author suggests that singletons should ___________ A find boy friends or girl friends. B live with their parents and other family members. C live together and share more with their friends. D watch more episodes of the TV series Friends.
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Passage Two
In 1999 when MiShel and Carl Meissner decided to have children, they tackled the next big issue; Should they try to have a girl? It was no small matter. MiShel’s brother had become blind from a hereditary condition in his early 20s, and the Meissners had learned that the condition is a disorder passed from mothers to sons. If they had a boy, he would have a 50 percent chance of having the condition. A girl would be unaffected. The British couple’s inquiries about sex selection led them to Virginia, U.S., where a new sperm-separation technique, called MicroSort, was experimental at the time. When MiShel became pregnant she gave birth to a daughter. Now they will try to have a second daughter using the same technique.
The techniques separates sperm into two groups--- those that carry the X-chromosome (染色体) producing a female baby and those that carry the Y-chromosome producing a male baby.
The technology was developed in 1990s, but the opening of laboratory in January 2003 in California marked the company’s first expansion. “We believe the number of people who want this technology is greater than those who have access to it.” Said Keith L. Blauer, the company’s clinical director.
This is not only a seemingly effective way to select a child’s gender. It also brings a host of ethical and practical considerations ----especially for the majority of families who use the technique for nonmedical reasons.
The clinic offers sex selection for two purposes: to help couples avoid passing on a sex-linked genetic disease and to allow those who already have a child to “balance” their family by having a baby of the opposite sex.
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Blaucer said the company has had an impressive success rate: 91 percent of the women who become pregnant after sorting for a girl are successful, while 76 percent who sort for a boy and get pregnant are successful.
The technique separates sperm based on the fact that the X chromosome is larger than the Y chromosome. A machine is used to distinguished the size differences and sort the sperm accordingly.
57. Why did MiShel and Carl decide not to have a boy? A Because they might give birth to a blind baby. B Because Carl might pass his family’s disease to his son. C Because the boy might become blind when he grows up. D Because they wanted a daughter to balance their family.
58. When MiShel gave birth to her first girl, the new sperm-separation technique ____ A had already been well-developed. B had not been declared successful.
C was available to those who wanted it. D had been widely accepted in the medical world.
59. Which of the following is the author’s primary concern regarding the application of the new technology?
A The expansion of the new technology may not bring profits to the companies. B Most people who use the technology will not have a baby as they want. C The effect of the new technology still needs to be carefully examined. D Increasing use of the technology may disturb the sex balance in the population 60. According to Mr. Blauer, by using the new technology, ______
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A 91% of the women successfully give birth to girls. B 76% of the women get pregnant with boys.
C it is more successful for those who want to have girls. D it is more successful for those who want to have boys.
61. The sperm-separation technique is based on the fact that the chromosomes responsible for babies’ sex_____
A are of different shapes B are of different sizes C can be identified D can be reproduced
62. We can infer from this passage that the new technology_________ A may not guarantee people a daughter or a son as they desire. B is used by most families for nonmedical reasons. C has brought an insoluble ethical dilemma for mankind. D will lead to a larger proportional of females in the population. Passage Three
Without question there are plenty of bargains to be had at sales time ----particularly at the top-quality shops whose reputation depends on having only the best and newest goods in stock each season. They tend, for obvious reasons, to be the fashion or seasonal goods which in due course become the biggest bargains.
It is true that some goods are specially brought in for the sales but these too can provide exceptional value. A manufacturer may have the end of a range left in his hands and be glad to sell the lot off cheaply to shops; or he may have a surplus of a certain material which he is glad to make up and get rid of cheaply; or he may be prepared to produce a special line at low cost merely to keep his employees busy
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during slack period. He is likely to have a good many “seconds” available and if their defects are trifling these may be particularly good bargains.
Nevertheless, sales do offer a special opportunity for sharp practices and shoppers need to be extra critical. For example the “second” should be clearly marked as such and not sold as if they were perfect. The term “substandard,” incidentally, usually indicates a more serious defect than “seconds.” More serious is the habit of marking the price down from an alleged previous price which is in fact fictitious. Mis-description of this and all other kinds is much practiced by the men who run one-day sales of carpets in church halls and the like. As the sellers leave the district the day after the sale there is little possibility of redress. In advertising sales, shops may say “only 100 left” when in fact they have plenty more; conversely they may say “10,000 at half-price” when only a few are available at such a drastic reduction. If ever the warning “let the buyer beware” were necessary it is during sales. 63. Which kind of goods can be among the best bargains?
A Cheapest goods B Newest goods C Seasonal goods D Goods in stock 64. The second paragraph deals with all of the following types of goods EXCEPT ____
A surplus goods B low-cost goods C the end lot goods D exceptionally valued goods
65. In order to maintain his business during a bad time, a manufacturer may ____ A have his goods produced at low cost. B sell his goods at a very low price.
C have his employees sell his goods. D try to produce high quality
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