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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.
In the last 12 years total employment in the United States grew faster than
at any time in the peacetime history of any country – from 82 to 110 million
between 1973 and 1985 – that is, by a full one third. The entire growth,
however, was in manufacturing, and especially in no – blue-collar jobs…
This trend is the same in all developed countries, and is, indeed, even more
pronounced in Japan. It is therefore highly probable that in 25 years developed
countries such as the United States and Japan will employ no larger a proportion
of the labor force I n manufacturing than developed countries now employ in
farming – at most, 10 percent. Today the United States employs around 18 million
people in blue-collar jobs in manufacturing industries. By 2010, the number is
likely to be no more than 12 million. In some major industries the drop will be
even sharper. It is quite unrealistic, for instance, to expect that the American
automobile industry will employ more than one –third of its present blue-collar
force 25 years hence, even though production might be 50 percent higher.
If a company, an industry or a country does not in the next quarter century
sharply increase manufacturing production and at the same time sharply reduce
the blue-collar work force, it cannot hope to remain competitive – or even to
remain “developed.” The attempt to preserve such blue – collar jobs is actually
a prescription for unemployment…
This is not a conclusion that American politicians, labor leaders or indeed
the general public can easily understand or accept. What confuses the issue even
more it that the United States is experiencing several separate and different
shifts in the manufacturing economy. One is the acceleration of the substitution
of knowledge and capital for manual labor. Where we spoke of mechanization a few
decades ago, we now speak of “robotization “ or “automation.” This is actually
more a change in terminology than a change in reality. When Henry Ford
introduced the assembly line in 1909, he cut the number of man – hours required
to produce a motor car by some 80 percent in two or three years –far more than
anyone expects to result from even the most complete robotization. But there is
no doubt that we are facing a new, sharp acceleration in the replacement of
manual workers by machines –that is, by the products of knowledge.
1.According to the author, the shrinkage in the manufacturing labor force
demonstrates______.
A.the degree to which a country’s production is robotized
B.a reduction in a country’s manufacturing industries
C.a worsening relationship between labor and management
D.the difference between a developed country and a developing country
2.According to the author, in coming 25years, a developed country or
industry, in order t remain competitive, ought to ______.
A.reduce the percentage of the blue-collar work force
B.preserve blue – collar jobs for international competition
C.accelerate motor – can manufacturing in Henry Ford’s style
D.solve the problem of unemployment
3.American politicians and labor leaders tend to dislike_____.
A.confusion in manufacturing economy
B.an increase in blue – collar work force
C.internal competition in manufacturing production
D.a drop in the blue – collar job opportunities
4.The word “prescription” in “a prescription for unemployment” may be the
equivalent to ______
A.something recommended as medical treatment
B.a way suggested to overcome some difficulty
C.some measures taken in advance
D.a device to dire
5.This passage may have been excepted from ________
A.a magazine about capital investment
B.an article on automation
C.a motor-car magazine
D.an article on global economy
Passage 2
Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:
There are two kinds of memory: shot-term and long-term. Information in
long-term memory can be remembered at a later time when it is needed. The
information may be kept for days or weeks. However, information over and over.
The following experiment shows how short-term memory has been studied.
Henning studied how students who are learning English as a second language
remember vocabulary. The subjects in his experiment were 75 college students.
They represented all levels of ability in English: beginning, intermediate, and
native-speaking students.
To begin, the subjects listened to a recording of a native speaker reading a
paragraph in English. Following the recording, the subjects took a 15-question
test to see which words they remembered, each question had four choices. The
subjects had to circle the word they had heard in the recording. Some of the
questions had four choices that sound alike. For example, weather, whether,
wither, and wetter are four words that sound alike. Some of the questions had
four choices that have the same meaning. Method, way, manner, and system would
be four words with the same meaning. Finally the subjects took a language
proficiency test.
Henning found that students with a lower proficiency in English made more of
their mistakes on words that sound alike; students with a higher proficiency
made more of their mistakes on words that have the same meaning. Henning’s
results suggest that beginning students hold the sound of words in their
short-term memory, and advanced students hold the meaning of words in their
short-term memory.
6. Henning made the experiment in order to study .
A. how students remember English vocabulary by short-term memory
B. how students learn English vocabulary
C. how to develop students’ ability in English
D. how long information in short-term memory is kept
7. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Information in short-term memory is different from that in long-term
memory.
B. Long-term memory can be achieved only by training.
C. It is easier to test short-term memory than long-term memory.
D. Henning gave a separate test on vocabulary to his students.
8. From Henning’s result we can see that .
A. beginners have difficulty distinguishing the pronunciation of words
B. advanced students remember words by their meaning
C. it is difficult to remember words that sound alike
D. it is difficult to remember words that have the same meaning
9. The word “subjects” in the passage means .
A. memory B. the theme of listening material
C. a branch of knowledge studied D. the students experimented on
