Part IV Translation

One horse or mule was required to support four human beings a ratio that remained almost constant for many decades. (Passage Four)

Passage 1

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:

Do you want to say what you think in a letter to the President of the United States? You’ll get a reply from him—written in ink, not typed—after only a few days.

The President gets about 4,000 letters every week. He answers everyone who writes to him on special Whites House paper. But he doesn’t need a lot of time for it. In fact, he only gives 20 minutes a week to look at his personal correspondence. He has the most modern secretary in the world to help him.

It’s computer, worth ￡ 800，000，which has its own rooms on the first floor of the White House. It has a bank of electronic pens which write like the President writes, in his favorite light blue ink. Each letter the President receives gets a number, according to the type of answer it needs. The pens then write the correct reply for it, according to the number. Each letter takes less than a second to write. A White House official said, “It’s not important that letters come from a computer. Each letter says what the President wants to say.”

1. for a reply from the President.

A. You have to wait a long time B. You only have to wait several days

C. You have to wait at least one month D. You only have to wait a few weeks

2. The reply from the President .

A. is always printed B. is always typed

C. is always written in ink D. is always written by himself

3. It takes the computer to write ten letters.

A. no more than ten seconds B. a little more than ten seconds

C. less than ten seconds D. at least one second

4. The computer can be described as .

A. expensive but efficient B. possessing a beautiful handwriting

C. heavy and inefficient D. the President’s most reliable secretary

5. It can be inferred from the passage that .

A. the President never reads any letters written to him by ordinary people

B. the President hires a very efficient secretary to deal with his correspondence

C. the President does not really care about the letters he receives every week

D. the President is assured that the computer express his views in the letters

Passage 3

Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage:

The idea of a special day to honor mothers was first put forward in America in 1907. two years later a woman, Mrs. John Bruce Dodd, in the state of Washington proposed a similar day to honor the head of the family—the father. Her mother died when she was very young, and her father brought her up. She loved her father very much.

In response to Mrs. Dodd’s idea that same year—1909, the state governor of Washington proclaimed (宣布) the third Sunday in June Father’s Day. The idea was officially approved by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge recommended national observance of the occasion “to establish more intimate (亲密) relations between fathers and their children, and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations.” The red or white rose is recognized as the official Father’s Day flower.

Father’s Day took longer to establish on a national scale than Mother’s Day, but as the idea grained popularity, tradesmen and manufacturers began to see the commercial possibilities. They encouraged sons and daughters to honor their fathers with small thank-you presents, such as a tie or pair of socks, as well as by sending greeting cards.

During the Second World War, American servicemen stationed in Britain began to request Father’s Day greeting cards to send home. This generated a response with British card publishers. Though at first the British public was slow to accept this rather artificial day, it’s now well celebrated in Britain on the third Sunday in June in much the same way as in America.

Father’s Day seems to be much less important as occasion than the Mother’s Day. Not many of the children offer their fathers some presents. But the American fathers still think they are much better fated than the fathers of many other countries, who have not even a day for their sake in name only.

11. When did Father’s Day officially begin to have national popularity?

A. 1907 B. 1909 C. 1916 D. 1924

12. Who first started the idea of holding the Father’s Day?

A. Mrs. John Bruce Dodd B. Mrs. John Bruce’s Mother

C. The government of Washington. D. Some businessmen.

13. What flower will be popular on Father’s Day?

A. Lily B. Water Lily C. Red rose or white rose D. Sunflower.

14. Which statement is true, a according to this passage?

A. It took even longer for Mother’s Day to gain national popularity.

B. The businessmen helped to make Father’s Day popular.

C. Father’s Day is only celebrated in America.

D. Father’s Day is only a trick of the businessmen to make money.

15. What was the first reaction of the British publishing towards Father’s Day?

A. They thought highly of it and accepted it at once.

B. They just accepted it at once without any hesitation.

C. They just thought it a joke.

D. They thought it was too artificial and took a long time to accept.

Passage 4

Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage:

Successful innovations have driven many older technologies to extinction and have resulted in higher productivity, greater consumption of energy, increased demand of raw materials, accelerated flow of materials through the economy and increased quantities of metals and other substances in use each person. The history of industrial development abounds with examples.

In 1870, horses and mules were the prime source of power on U.S. farms. One horse or mule was required to support four human beings a ratio that remained almost constant for many decades. At that time, had a national commission been asked to forecast the population for 1970, its answer probably would have depended on whether its consultants were of an economic or technological turn of mind. Had they been “economists”, they would probably have projected the 1970 horses or mule population to be more than 50 million. Had they been “technologists”, they would have recognized that the power of steam had already been harnessed to industry and to learn and ocean transport. They would have recognized further that it would be the prime source of power on the farm. It would have been difficult for them to avoid the conclusion that the horse and mule population would decline rapidly.

16. According to the passage, what supplied most of the power on U.S. farms in 1870?

A. Animals B. Humans C. Engines D. Water

17. Which of the following is NOT mentioned by the author as a consequence of new technological developments?

A. Older technologies die away. 

B. The quality of life is Improved.

C. Overall productivity increase. 

D. More raw materials become necessary.

18. It can be inferred from the passage that by 1870 .

A. technology began to be more economical

B. the steam engine had been invented

C. the U.S. horse population was about 10 million

D. a national commission was about 10 million

19. In the second paragraph, the author suggests that “economists” would .

A. plan the economy through yearly forecasts

B. fail to consider the influence of technological innovation

C. value the economic contribution of farm animals

D. consult the national commission on the economy

20. What is the author’s attitude toward changes brought on by technological innovations?

A. He is excited about them. 

B. He accept them as natural.

C. He is disturbed by them. 

D. He questions their usefulness.

Wouldhehaveseenyouifyouhadn’t_____tohim?