Toyota Motor Corp, Japan’s biggest carmaker, said on Friday it will recall 1,489 Lexus sedans (高级轿车) sold in China. "It will take us some time to ship the fuel tanks and vent pipes to China to change those in these Lexus sedans for customers free of charge, if problems are found," said Yang Hongjian, a spokes- woman of Toyota’s China representative office.
The expected recall will affect Lexus LS430 sedans made in Japan from July 29, 2003 to January 14, 2004, the representative office said in a statement. Toyota has not received complaints from Chinese customers, according to the statement. The move will be part of Toyota’s global recall of 18,200 Lexus LS430s. It will be the third car recall in China in two weeks. Although automobile recall is a common practice in developed markets, it remains new to Chinese customers. The Chinese government published long-awaited automobile recall rules on March 15, which will be officially carried out at the beginning of October.
China’s auto market is forecast to reach 10 million units by 2010. Automakers, especially Chinese producers, will face greater pressure from automobile recalls, which could be very costly sometimes, and should be in full preparations, according to the expert. The Japanese carmaker sold 1, 549 Lexus vehicles on the Chinese mainland during the first five months of this year, according to Yang. Lexus sales on the mainland reached 4,000 units last year, up from 1,600 units in 2002. (China Daily July 3, 2004)
1. What can we learn from the text?
A. Chinese customers are not satisfied with Toyota Lexus LS430 sedans.
B. Chinese car market has seen car recalls three times so far.
C. Toyota will have a worldwide recall of Lexus LS430 sedans.
D. Toyota Motor start to recall Lexus Sedans due to the problems with fuel tanks.
2. The carmakers were unwilling to recall their cars in the past mainly because ______.
A. they were not fully prepared
B. they couldn’t afford the cost for their car recalls
C. their products could not meet the required standard
D. there were no related rules and little pressure
3. It is implied in the passage that ______.
A. sales of homemade automobiles will grow even faster
B. automobile recalls will take place in China more frequently
C. China’s car market is forecast to be the biggest by 2010 in the world
D. Toyota is likely to sell the most Lexus Sedans in China in the future
4. Which of the following is the best tide of this passage?
A. Toyota to Recall Its Lexus Sedans Sold in China
B. China Prepares to Recall Cars
C. The Problems in China’s Car Market
D. Costly Japanese Car Recalls
The following conversation is between Susan Russell-Robinson from the US Geological （地质学的）Survey and Barbara Reynolds from USA Today .
Q: Why , after 600 years of no activity , did Mount Pinatubo in Philippines erupt（喷发）in 1991 ?
A: Volcanoes （火山）each have their own eruption styles . This volcano probably has a rule which makes it erupt in the order of every 500 to 1000 years , but a volcano in Hawaii seems to erupt every year , and some of the Alaskan volcanoes might erupt every 10 or 20 years .
Q: So nothing caused it ?
A: There’s nothing out of the ordinary . If you were to take an ordinary calendar year , 50 to 75 or 80 volcanoes erupt around the world every year . There are 20 to 30 volcanoes every month that show signs of unrest . That might be a full-blown eruption or a whole host of activities like that .
Q: What is “the ring of fire” ?
A: If you look at where active volcanoes are placed around the world , there are somewhere between 500 and 600 of them . There is what appears to be almost a necklace that goes around the Pacific Ocean . It makes a ring where 60% of the world’s volcanoes lie .
Q: Why such a concentration（集中）there ?
A: That’s based on a theory that the oceans and the continents are like separate pieces . When continents and when that happens it seems to produce magma（熔岩）at depth and then you have volcanoes in the same ring .What kind of writing do you think this passage is ?
| A．A text taken from a geography book . |
| B．An interview published in the press . |
| C．A conversation carried out in a film . |
| D．An oral test recorded as an example . |
Which of the following statements can correctly explain why we have so many volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean ?
| A．The movement of the surface of the earth makes it possible. |
| B．The Pacific Ocean produces magma and presses it everywhere. |
| C．The oceans and the continents are separated from each other. |
| D．The earth’s surface around the Pacific is thinner than any other part. |
Barbara Reynolds’ main purpose here is .
| A．to show how dangerous volcanoes are to the world |
| B．to learn what signs a volcano gives us before its eruption |
| C．to warn the world of the existence of “the ring of fire” |
| D．to introduce some general idea of volcanoes to the public |
Which of the following can be considered as the best conclusion of the conversation?
| A．There are so many volcanoes in the world and we are always in danger. |
| B．Volcanoes have erupted more frequently than ever before. |
| C．Volcanoes are waiting to be better known. |
| D．Something must be done to protect the people near the ring of fire. |
Dog Translation Products Coming to U. S.
A Japanese toy maker declares that they have developed a gadget that translates dog barks into human language and plans to begin selling the gadget——under the name of Bowlingual——in U. S. pet stores and gift shops this summer.
Tokyo-based Takara Co. Ltd. says about 300, 000 of the dog translator gadgets have been sold since it was on sale in Japan late last year. It is forecasting far bigger sales once an English language translation for dogs comes to America in August. The United States is home to about 67 million dogs, more than six times the number in Japan.
"We know that the Americans love their dogs so much, so we don't think they will mind spending $ 120 on this product," the Takara marketing manager said during an interview at a recent pet products conference in Atlanta.
Regarded as one of the coolest inventions of 2002 by Time magazine, Bowlingual is made up of a 3 - inch long wireless microphone that is fastened to a dog collar and sends out sounds to a small console (控制台) that is connected to a database (数据库). The console divides each bark into six emotional types——happiness, sadness, disappointment, anger, threat and desire——and shows common phrases, such as "You're ticking me off," that fit the dog's emotional state.
Takara says it has spent millions of dollars developing the gadget in cooperation with famous sound experts and animal behaviorists.
One thing that does appear certain is that the markets for animal translation products will likely remain a dog's world since Takara has no plans to develop a similar gadget for cats. "They are too unpredictable (反复无常) , " the marketing manager said.This passage mainly tells us that Bowlingual ___________.
| A．was invented in Japan | B．has developed quickly |
| C．will be sold in America | D．sells well for its price |
The underlined word "they" in the last paragraph refers to ___________.
| A．markets | B．products | C．plans | D．cats |
When was this passage most probably published?
| A．In the winter of 2002. | B．In the spring of 2003. |
| C．In the summer of 2002. | D．In the autumn of 2003. |
From the passage, we can see that Takara Co. Ltd. is ___________ the sale of its new product.
| A．proud of | B．satisfied with |
| C．confident of | D．worried about |
International Studies (BA)
Key features
● Recognizes the “global community”（国际社会）
● Has close connections with practical research
● Much of the teaching is done in small discussion groups
About the course
The course gives you chances to know great power polities between nation states. It will provide more space to study particular issues such as relationship among countries in the European Union, third world debt, local and international disagreement, and the work of such international bodies as the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, and the World Bank.
The course puts theories into the working of the international system with close attention to particular countries. You will also have a better knowledge of methods of solving the international problems.
Related（相关的）courses
BA (Hons) Community Management
BA (Hons) Public Policy and Management
Employment possibilities
International organizations
International business
Earth Science (BSc)
Key features
● Based on key courses and the latest research findings
● Pays much attention to practical skills
● Offers chances for fieldwork（实地考察）
About the course
The demand for natural resources is becoming an increasingly serious problem for the future of mankind. Graduates in Earth Science will play an important role in meeting this demand, and in knowing the meaning of using the natural resources.
The course covers geography and geology. You will carry out fieldwork in the UK and possibly overseas, and a research in an area of interest to you in the final year.
Related courses
BSc (Hons) Geograhpy
BSc (Hons) Geology
Employment possibilities
Mineral, oil, water or other related engineering industriesInternational Studies is a course in ________.
| A．international polities | B．international business |
| C．international systems | D．international bodies |
After taking the course of International Studies, the students will _______.
| A．become practical and open-minded |
| B．have a greater ability to discuss theories |
| C．know how to settle international problems |
| D．have good jobs in any international organizations |
Earth Science, as described in the second text, ________.
| A．is attractive because of the chances for fieldwork |
| B．pays more attention to practical skills than theories |
| C．is built on important courses and the results of recent studies |
| D．encourages students to play a role in using natural resources |
It can be inferred that the above two texts are written for the students who _______.
| A．enjoy research work | B．plan to choose courses |
| C．study in the UK | D．are interested in overseas fieldwork |
A study of a university in Shanghai had found that many of the students there are using a quote（引语）from the Italian poet Dante as a kind of motto. The study of Fudan University, one of China’s top universities, of 489 students, found that 82 had chosen Dante’s “Follow your own path and don’t worry about what others say” as their motto, out of 278 people who said they had a motto. This was followed by “Believe yourself” and “Self-improvement without stop.”
Students also expressed a common hope for greater understanding and care and said they were always ready to give a hand to those in need.
Some researchers think that mottoes can play an important part in children’s growth and they say that a good motto can help children develop a better character.The study shows _________.
| A．which university should have mottoes |
| B．what poems are popular |
| C．how many students like the motto “Believe yourself.” |
| D．the majority of the students like to choose their favorite mottoes |
Of the students asked, _______ students have mottoes.
| A．about 78% | B．about 57% | C．about 16% | D．about 8% |
The motto “Self-improvement without stop” shares the similar meaning with ______.
| A．going on to improve rapidly |
| B．growing by oneself continuously |
| C．making oneself better and perfect continuously |
| D．becoming better without having a break |
The best title for the passage should be _______.
| A．Mottoes and Character Developing | B．Students and Poet |
| C．Mottoes and Learning | D．Understanding Care |
Well, when the huge wave hit the boat, my safety belt broke and I was swept overboard. I don’t really understand how it happened, but it did. I heard someone yell out, but then my boat, Wild One, went off into the darkness and I was alone in a very rough sea. I then spent five and a half hours in the water. The place where it happened was, oh, about 50 kilometers from shore. It was likely that I wouldn’t see another day, but I always thought I’d overcome the difficulties. At first I was watching out for Wild One. The rest of the crew knew I was gone, so they were sure to come back and look for me. After a while, I saw the boat’s lights when it came looking for me. They were within about 300 meters of me, but the spotlight just missed me. The reason why they didn’t see me was because of the huge waves. You know, I started sailing when I was seven, and started ocean racing when I was about eighteen, but I’d never been overboard before. I believed I was going to survive, but it was very cold, and as the hours passed I started to get desperate——and frozen! It was around 5 am when I saw the lights of a tanker coming towards me. I figured it was probably my last chance. At first, I thought they were going to miss me, and then they made a slight turn and I yelled out “Help!” and they heard me. Then another yacht appeared. These guys were terrific. They gave me dry clothes, and then one jumped into the bunk and hung onto me. They covered us with as much dry clothing as they could, and the guy in with me stayed to transfer his body heat to me.The author of the passage was alone in the sea NOT because ______.
| A．the wind was too strong | B．the wave hit the boat |
| C．the safety belt was broken | D．his boat was in the darkness |
He was not saved by his crew because _______.
| A．he didn’t yell out “Help!” | B．300 meters was long distance |
| C．he was not found | D．he didn’t see the spotlight |
It was inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．he was swept overboard at about midnight |
| B．Wild One was the name of a crew member |
| C．he started ocean racing at about seven |
| D．he was too hopeless to take the last chance |
One of the guys who saved him jumped into the bunk in order to ________.
| A．cover him with more dry clothes |
| B．warm him with his body heat |
| C．comfort him |
| D．congratulate him |