Passage 4

Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage:

The new global satellite communications systems will offer three kinds service, which may overlap in many different kinds of receivers.

VOICE. Satellite telephones will be able to make calls from anywhere on the Earth to anywhere else. That could make them especially useful to remote, third world villages (some of which already use stationary satellite telephones), explorers and disaster-relief teams. Today’s mobile telephones depend on earth-bound transmitters, where technical standards vary from country to country. So business travelers cannot use their mobile phones on international trips. Satellite telephones would make that possible.

MESSAGING. Satellite massagers have the same global coverage as satellite telephones, but carry text alone, which could be useful for those with laptop computers. Equipped with a small screen like today’s papers, satellite massagers will also receive short messages.

TRACKING. Voice and messaging systems will also tell their users where they are to within a few hundred meters. Combined with the messaging service, the location service could help rescue teams to find stranded adventurers, the police to find stolen cars, exporters to follow the progress of cargoes, and haulage companies to check that drivers are not detouring the pub. America’s military Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite will provide better positioning information to anyone who has a receiver for their signals, but GPS does not carry messages, so such a receiver cannot be used on its own for tracking or rescue. By the mid-1990s, GPS receivers will be able to tell people where they are to within 70 meters anywhere in the world, and to within a meter or so in areas where the service is supplemented by ground-based transmitter.

16. Global satellite communications systems will be useful to .

A. laptop computer users

B. remote villages

C. disaster-relief teams

D. all above

17. Satellite telephone will make .

A. business travelers use mobile phones on international trips

B. possible calls from anywhere on earth to anywhere else

C. explorers happy

D. all above

18. Which of the following is true?

A. The positioning precision of the voice system is better than that of GPS.

B. The positioning precision of GPS is Better than that of the voice system.

C. The positioning precision of the messaging system is better than of GPS.

D. The positioning precision of voice system is better than that of the messaging system.

19. What can we say about the new global satellite communications systems?

A. They are widely used.

B. They are very helpful.

C. They are costly.

D. Both A and B.

20. Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?

A. Global Satellite Communications

B. New Voice and Messaging System

C. New Generation Satellite

D. Always in Touch

Passage 2

Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:

When aluminum was first produced about a hundred and fifty years ago, it was so difficult to separate form the ores in which it was found that its price was higher than that of gold. The price remained high until a new process was discovered for refining the metal with the aid of electricity approximately three quarters of a century later. The new method was so much cheaper that aluminum because practical for many purposes, one of which was making pots and pans.

Aluminum is lightweight, rustproof and easily shaped into different forms. By mixing it with other metals, scientists have been able to produce a variety of alloys, some of which have the strength of steel but weigh only one third as much.

Today, the uses of aluminum are innumerable. Perhaps its most important use is in transportation. Aluminum is found in the engine of automobiles, in the hulls of boats. It is also used in many parts of airplanes. In fact, the huge “airbus” planes would probably never have been produced if aluminum did not exist. By making vehicles lighter in weight aluminum has greatly reduced the amount of fuel needed to move them, Aluminum is also being used extensively in the building industry in some countries.

Since aluminum is such a versatile (多用的) metal, it is fortunate that bauxite (铝土矿), which is one of its chief sources, is also one of the earth’s most plentiful substances. As the source of aluminum is almost inexhaustible, we can expect that more and more uses will be found for this versatile metal.

6. The price of aluminum was sharply reduced when people discovered a new refining process with the aid of .

A. wind B. solar energy C. hydraulic power D. electricity

7. Aluminum is .

A. lightweight, rustproof but not easily shaped into different forms

B. heavyweight, rustproof and easily shaped into different forms

C. lightweight, rustproof and easily shaped into different forms

D. lightweight and easily shaped into different forms but it is easy to become rusty

8. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. Aluminum is widely used in transportation.

B. Aluminum is also used in many parts of airplanes.

C. Aluminum is being used extensively in the building industry.

D. Aluminum is not used in its pure form.

9. Aluminum is found on earth mostly in the form of .

A. pure metal B. bauxite C. gold D. liquid

10. What is the passage talking about?

A. The features of aluminum and its functions. B. The process of aluminum.

C. The discovery of aluminum. D. The promising future of aluminum.

PartIVTranslation

Asthesourceofaluminumisalmostinexhaustible,wecanexpectthatmoreandmoreuseswillbefoundforthisversatilemetal.(PassageTwo)

Once it was possible to define male and female roles easily by the division of labor. Men worked outside the home and earned the income to support their families, while women cooked the meals and took care of the home and the children. These roles were firmly fixed for most people, and there was not much opportunity for women to exchange their roles. But by the middle of this century, men’s and women’s roles were becoming less firmly fixed.

In the 1950s, economic and social success was the goal of the typical American. But in the 1960s a new force developed called the counterculture. The people involved in this movement did not value the middle-class American goals. The counterculture presented men and women with new role choices. Taking more interest in childcare, men began to share child-raising tasks with their wives. In fact, some young men and women moved to communal homes or farms where the economic and childcare responsibilities were shared equally by both sexes. In addition, many Americans did not value the traditional male role of soldier. Some young men refused to be drafted as soldiers to fight in the war in Vietnam.

In terms of numbers, the counterculture was not a very large group of people. But its influence spread to many parts of American society. Working men of all classes began to change their economic and social patterns. Industrial workers and business executives alike cut down on “overtime” work so that they could spend more leisure time with their families. Some doctors, lawyers, and teachers turned away from high paying situations to practice their professions in poorer neighborhoods.

In the 1970s, the feminist movement, or women’s liberation, produced additional economic and social changes. Women of all ages and at all levels of society were entering the work force in greater numbers. Most of them still took traditional women’s jobs as public school teaching, nursing, and secretarial work. But some women began to enter traditionally male occupations: police work, banking, dentistry, and construction work. Women were asking for equal work, and equal opportunities for promotion.

Today the experts generally agree that important changes are taking place in the roles of men and women. Naturally, there are difficulties in adjusting to these transformations.

1.Which of the following best express the main idea of Paragraph 1?

A.Women usually worked outside the home for wages.

B.Men and women’s roles were easily exchanged in the past.

C.Men’s roles at home were more firmly fixed than women’s.

D.Men and women’s roles were usually quite separated in the past.

2.Which sentence best expresses the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A.The first sentence.

B.The second and the third sentences.

C.The fourth sentence.

D.The last sentence.

3.In the passage the author proposes that the counterculture___.

A.destroyed the United States.

B.transformed some American values.

C.was not important in the United States.

D.brought people more leisure time with their families.

4.It could be inferred from the passage that___.

A.men and women will never share the same goals.

B.some men will be willing to exchange their traditional male roles.

C.most men will be happy to share some of the household responsibilities with their wives.

D.more American households are headed by women than ever before.

5.The best title for the passage may be ___.

A.Results of Feminist Movements

B.New influence in American Life

C.Counterculture and Its consequence

D.Traditional Division of Male and Female Roles.

Onceitwaspossibletodefinemaleandfemaleroleseasilybythedivisionoflabor.Menworkedoutsidethehomeandearnedtheincometosupporttheirfamilies,whilewomencookedthemealsandtookcareofthehomeandthechildren.Theseroleswerefirmlyfixedformostpeople,andtherewasnotmuchopportunityforwomentoexchangetheirroles.Butbythemiddleofthiscentury,men’sandwomen’sroleswerebecominglessfirmlyfixed.

Inthe1950s,economicandsocialsuccesswasthegoalofthetypicalAmerican.Butinthe1960sanewforcedevelopedcalledthecounterculture.Thepeopleinvolvedinthismovementdidnotvaluethemiddle-classAmericangoals.Thecounterculturepresentedmenandwomenwithnewrolechoices.Takingmoreinterestinchildcare,menbegantosharechild-raisingtaskswiththeirwives.Infact,someyoungmenandwomenmovedtocommunalhomesorfarmswheretheeconomicandchildcareresponsibilitiesweresharedequallybybothsexes.Inaddition,manyAmericansdidnotvaluethetraditionalmaleroleofsoldier.SomeyoungmenrefusedtobedraftedassoldierstofightinthewarinVietnam.

Intermsofnumbers,thecounterculturewasnotaverylargegroupofpeople.ButitsinfluencespreadtomanypartsofAmericansociety.Workingmenofallclassesbegantochangetheireconomicandsocialpatterns.Industrialworkersandbusinessexecutivesalikecutdownon“overtime”worksothattheycouldspendmoreleisuretimewiththeirfamilies.Somedoctors,lawyers,andteachersturnedawayfromhighpayingsituationstopracticetheirprofessionsinpoorerneighborhoods.

Inthe1970s,thefeministmovement,orwomen’sliberation,producedadditionaleconomicandsocialchanges.Womenofallagesandatalllevelsofsocietywereenteringtheworkforceingreaternumbers.Mostofthemstilltooktraditionalwomen’sjobsaspublicschoolteaching,nursing,andsecretarialwork.Butsomewomenbegantoentertraditionallymaleoccupations:policework,banking,dentistry,andconstructionwork.Womenwereaskingforequalwork,andequalopportunitiesforpromotion.

Todaytheexpertsgenerallyagreethatimportantchangesaretakingplaceintherolesofmenandwomen.Naturally,therearedifficultiesinadjustingtothesetransformations.

1.WhichofthefollowingbestexpressthemainideaofParagraph1?

A.Womenusuallyworkedoutsidethehomeforwages.

B.Menandwomen’sroleswereeasilyexchangedinthepast.

C.Men’srolesathomeweremorefirmlyfixedthanwomen’s.

D.Menandwomen’sroleswereusuallyquiteseparatedinthepast.

2.WhichsentencebestexpressesthemainideaofParagraph2?

A.Thefirstsentence.

B.Thesecondandthethirdsentences.

C.Thefourthsentence.

D.Thelastsentence.

3.Inthepassagetheauthorproposesthatthecounterculture___.

A.destroyedtheUnitedStates.

B.transformedsomeAmericanvalues.

C.wasnotimportantintheUnitedStates.

D.broughtpeoplemoreleisuretimewiththeirfamilies.

4.Itcouldbeinferredfromthepassagethat___.

A.menandwomenwillneversharethesamegoals.

B.somemenwillbewillingtoexchangetheirtraditionalmaleroles.

C.mostmenwillbehappytosharesomeofthehouseholdresponsibilitieswiththeirwives.

D.moreAmericanhouseholdsareheadedbywomenthaneverbefore.

5.Thebesttitleforthepassagemaybe___.

A.ResultsofFeministMovements

B.NewinfluenceinAmericanLife

C.CountercultureandItsconsequence

D.TraditionalDivisionofMaleandFemaleRoles.