The railroads contributed to the industrial growth not only by connecting these major centers, but also by themselves consuming enormous amounts of fuel, iron, and coal. Many factors influenced emerging modes of production. For example, machine tools, the tools used to make goods, were steadily improved in the latter part of the nineteenth century — always with an eye to speedier production and lower unit costs. The products of the factories were rapidly absorbed by the growing cities that sheltered the workers and distributors. The increased urban population was nourished by the increased farm production that, in turn, was made more productive by the use of the new farm machinery. American agricultural production kept up with the urban demand and still had surpluses for sale to the industrial centers of Europe.
The labor that ran the factories and built the railways was recruited in part from American farm areas where people were being displaced by farm machinery, in part from Asia, and in part form Europe. Europe now began to send tides of immigrants from eastern and southern Europe — most of whom were originally poor farmers but who settled in American industrial cities. The money to finance this tremendous expansion of the American economy still came from European financiers for the most part, but the Americans were approaching the day when their expansion could be financed in their own “money market”.
26. What does the passage mainly discuss? A. The history of railroads in the United States. B. The major United States industrial centers.
C. Factors that affected industrialization in the United States. D. The role of agriculture in the nineteenth century.
27. The word “ingredients” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to ________. A. minerals B. products C. methods D. components 28. According to the passage, all of the following were true of railroads in the United States in the nineteenth century EXCEPT that ________. A. they connected important industrial cities B. they were necessary to the industrialization process C. they were expanded in a short time
D. they used relatively small quantities of natural resources
29. According to the passage, what was one effect of the improvement of machine tools? A. Lower manufacturing costs. B. Better distribution of goods.
C. More efficient transportation of natural resources. D. A reduction in industrial jobs.
30. Which of the following is NOT true of the United States farmers in the nineteenth century?
A. They lost some jobs because of mechanization.
B. They were unable to produce sufficient food for urban areas. C. They raised their productivity by using new machinery. D. They sold food to European countries.
Passage Three
Since the dawn of human ingenuity, people have devised ever more cunning tools to cope with work that is dangerous, boring, burdensome, or just plain nasty. That compulsion has resulted in robotics—the science of conferring various human capabilities on machines. And if scientists have yet to create the mechanical version of science fiction, they have begun to come close.
As a result, the modern world is increasingly populated by intelligent gizmos whose presence we barely notice but whose universal existence has removed much human labor. Our factories hum to the rhythm of robot assembly arms. Our banking is done at automated teller terminals that thank us with mechanical politeness for the transaction. Our subway trains are controlled by tireless robot-drivers. And thanks to the continual miniaturization of electronics and micro-mechanics, there are already robot systems that can perform some kinds of brain and bone surgery with submillimeter accuracy—far greater precision than highly skilled physicians can achieve with their hands alone.
But if robots are to reach the next stage of laborsaving utility, they will have to operate with less human supervision and be able to make at least a few decisions for themselves -- goals that pose a real challenge. “While we know how to tell a robot to handle a specific error,” says Dave Lavery, manager of a robotics program at NASA, “we can?t yet give a robot enough ?common sense? to reliably interact with a dynamic world.”
Indeed the quest for true artificial intelligence has produced very mixed results. Despite a spell of initial optimism in the 1960s and 1970s when it appeared that transistor circuits and microprocessors might be able to copy the action of the human brain by the year 2010, researchers lately have begun to extend that forecast by decades if not centuries.
What they found, in attempting to model thought, is that the human brain?s roughly one hundred billion nerve cells are much more talented—and human perception far more complicated —than previously imagined. They have built robots that can recognize the error of a machine panel by a fraction of a millimeter in a controlled factory environment. But the human mind can glimpse a rapidly changing scene and immediately disregard the 98 percent that is irrelevant, instantaneously focusing on the monkey at the side of a winding forest road or the single suspicious face in a big crowd. The most advanced computer systems on Earth can?t approach that kind of ability, and neuroscientists still don?t know quite how we do it.
31. Human ingenuity was initially demonstrated in ________. A. the use of machines to produce science fiction B. the wide use of machines in manufacturing industry C. the invention of tools for difficult and dangerous work D. the elite?s cunning tackling of dangerous and boring work
32. The word “gizmos” (Line 1, Paragraph 2) most probably means________. A. programs B. experts C. devices D. creatures
33. According to the text, what is beyond man?s ability now is to design a robot that can ________.
A. fulfill delicate tasks like performing brain surgery B. interact with human beings verbally C. have a little common sense
D. respond independently to a changing world
34 Besides reducing human labor, robots can also________. A. make a few decisions for themselves B. deal with some errors with human intervention C. improve factory environments
D. cultivate human creativity
35. The author uses the example of a monkey to argue that robots are________. A. expected to copy human brain in internal structure B. able to perceive abnormalities immediately
C. far less able than human brain in focusing on relevant information D. best used in a controlled environment
Passage Four
Though it is mere 1 to 3 percent of the population, the upper class possesses at least 25 percent of the nation?s wealth. This class has two segments: upper-upper and lower-upper. Basically, the upper-upper class is “old rich” － families that have been wealthy for several generations － an aristocracy of birth and wealth. Their names are in the Social Register, a listing of acceptable members of high society. A few are known across the nations, such as the Rockefellers, Roosevelts, and Vanderbilts. Most are not visible to the general public. They live in grand seclusion, drawing their income from the investment of their inherited wealth. In contrast, the lower-upper class is the “new rich”. Although they may be wealthier than some of the old rich, the new rich have hustled to make their money like everybody else beneath their class. Thus their prestige is generally lower than that of the old rich, who have not found it necessary to lift a finger to make their money, and who tend to look down upon the new rich.
However its wealth is required, the upper class is very, very rich. They have enough money and leisure time to cultivate an interest in the arts and to collect rare books, paintings, and sculptures. They generally live in exclusive areas, belong to exclusive social club, communicate with each other, and marry their own kind － all of which keeps them so distant from the masses that they have been called the out-of-sight class. More than any other class, they tend to be conscious of being members of a class. They also command an enormous amount of power and influence here and abroad, as they hold many top government positions, run the Council on Foreign Relations, and control multinational corporations. Their actions affect the lives of millions. 36 All the following statements are true EXCEPT that ______.
A. the upper-upper class is of aristocratic origin
B. the “old rich” enjoy higher prestige than the “new rich” C. the “old rich” isolate themselves and lead a lonely life D. the upper class owns at least a quarter of the country?s wealth
37. According to the author, the “old rich” get richer ______.
A. through the Social Register B. through their reputation
C. by investing their inherited wealth D. by collecting paintings and sculptures
38. The reason why the “old rich” look down upon the “new rich” is that ______.
A. the former are wealthier than the latter B. the latter sweat themselves to make money C. the “new rich” have no interest in arts
D. the “old rich” are conscious of being members of the upper class
39. The upper class is also called the out-of-sight class because ______.
A. they keep away from the general public B. they spend most of their time abroad C. they don?t communicate with any people D. they move frequently from place to place
40 We can learn from the passage that ______.
A .the upper class is powerful and influential B. the upper class collects rare books to make money C. the upper class holds all top government positions
D. the “old rich” makes much more money than the “new rich”
Part III Writing (40%)
Directions: Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following drawing. In your essay, you should
1) describe the drawing briefly, 2) explain its intended meaning, and then
3) give your comments.
You should write neatly on your ANSWER SHEET. Remember to give a title to your writing.