successful.
Accounting: Both company and customer paperwork was completed very
slowly this quarten The new Q-Form system does not work very well.
Sales: Sales were down this quarter. Many new customers opened contracts
with the company; however, several larger old accounts were lost.
Design: Several new employees were hired this quarter and they have
produced very good work. However, the rate of production needs to
increase.
8:58 The meeting is opened for discussion. Sales Supervisor James suggests that
Sales could design a program of benefits for loyal customers. 9:02 -- Accounting Supervisor Thomas says that Accounting has a program for
keeping track of customer satisfaction and offers assistance. 9:12 James thanks Thomas for the offer and suggests that they meet to discuss it.
9:15 Hamilton asks if there is any more discussion. 9:17 -- Hamilton adjourns the meeting. 53. How long did the meeting last? A. An hour. B. A quarter of an hour. C. Three quarters of an hour. D. Forty minutes.
54. How many different people spoke at the meeting? A. Six. B. Three. C. Four. D. Five.
55. Which department did not receive any criticism during the briefing? A. Human Resources. B. Accounting. C. Sales. D. Design.
56. What problem will James try to solve before the next quarterly meeting?
A. Work is not being produced fast enough. B. Paperwork is being done too slowly. C. More new employees need to be hired.
D. Loyal customers are not being satisfied. Questions 57 to 60 are based on the following passage:
Only one generation ago, Mauritania's capital city was many days' walk from
the Sahara. Today it is in the Sahara. The sand blows through the city streets and
piles up against walls and fences. The desert stretches out as far as the eye can see.
In some parts of the Amazon rain forest in Brazil, all the trees have been cut
down. The earth lies bare and dry in the hot sun. Nothing grows there anymore.
Over vast areas of every continent, the rainfall and vegetation necessary for life
are disappearing. Already more than 40 percent of the earth's land is desert or
desert-like. About 628 million people---one out of seven--live in these dry regions.
In the past, they have managed to survive, but with difficulty. Now, largely through
problems caused by modem life, their existence is threatened by the slow, steady
spread of the earth's deserts.
Many countries are experiencing similar problems. Poor land is farmed until it
is worn out, and trees are cut for firewood, leaving the soil unprotected against wind
and rain. In Peru, Chile, and Brazil, some areas that once were covered with forests
now look like the moon. In India, some land has been so badly damaged by farming
and tree cutting that mud now slides into the Indus and Ganges rivers. Cattle, sheep,
and goats add to the problem by eating grass and other plants faster than they can
grow back. In the United States, some highly populated areas (such as Los Angeles)
are really deserts. Water must be piped in from hundreds of miles away--and this
affects the water supply of other California communities.
Scientists still do not understand all the complex problems of the desert, but
there have been many ideas for saving the land. Saudi Arabia has planted 10 million
trees to help keep the sand from taking over fertile areas. The Israelis are again using
some of the water collection systems left by the ancient peoples in the Negev desert.
They plan to water their orchards with the extra water. Some Sahel farmers still raise
cattle on their poor farm land, but before the cattle are sold, they are taken to greener
lands in the south to get fat.
57. According to paragraph 1 what has happened in Mauritania? A. The Sahara has spread until it has reached Mauntama capital. B. Nothing has happened
C. It takes many days to walk through the Sahara. D. Mauritania has moved its capital city into the Sahara. 58. In paragraph 3, \ A. the number of people who live in dry regions. B. the percentage of the earth's land that is desert-like. C. more than a third of the land's earth D. both A and C.
59. Paragraph 4 says \of
A. Peru's problems.