After years of hearing drivers complain about scratches (划痕) on their cars, Japan’s Nissan Motor Company has officially announced the next big thing--a paint that not only resists scratches and scrapes, but actually repairs itself within a few days.
The new material, developed by Nippon Paint Company, contains an elastic rubbery-like resin (弹性树脂) that is able to heal minor (较小的) marks caused by car wash equipment, parking lot encounters, road debris (石头碎片) or even on-purpose destruction.
The automaker admits its results vary depending on the temperature and the depth of the damage, but adds “this is the only paint like it in the world, and tests prove it works.”
Minor scratches, the most common type, are said to slowly fade over about a week. And once they’re gone, there is no trace (痕迹) that they were ever there.
The special paint is said to last for at least three years after it is first applied, but there is no word yet on whether more can be added after that period.
Nissan claims car washes are the worst offenders for this type of damage, accounting for at least 80 percent of all incidents.
But the complete auto-healing won’t come without scratching your wallet. The vehicle maker notes the special paint adds about $ 100 US to the price of a car.
It plans to use its new chemical mixture only on its X-Trail SUVs in Japan for now, as it looks for a more widespread presentation. And while plans to offer the feature overseas haven’t been made yet, if it’s a hit there, you can be almost sure market forces will drive it to these shores as well. From the article, we can find that_______.
| A．the paint has already been used on cars by now |
| B．the paint beats other products of its kind in its lengthy effect |
| C．car damage is mainly caused by scratches and scrapes |
| D．marketing this paint in Europe is not under way |
The paint used on cars can_________.
| A．last 3 years before it is re-applied again |
| B．fade only in a few days |
| C．help cars recover from minor paint damage |
| D．reduce car scrape incidents to 20 percent |
What does the underlined part refer to?
| A．Certain models of Nissan. | B．Name for one kind of paint. |
| C．Somewhere in Japan. | D．A word standing for a car-dealer store. |
What can be inferred from the article?
| A．The paint was developed by Nissan Motor Company. |
| B．The paint might work better in summer than in winter. |
| C．The mark on the car could disappear as soon as the paint is applied. |
| D．The paint is very popular in Japan. |
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III 阅读（共两节, 满分40分）
第一节阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Carl’s parents had started a small grocery store and had built it over the years into a major supermarket. Carl now worked there full time.
He liked working at his parent’s business; it was an honest business. He had been brought up to be honest, to tell the truth, and more — he knew that there was such a thing as truth. A year ago, his homeroom teacher had said in front of the whole class:
“There is no such thing as truth.”
Carl Savinski had stood up and said, “That would make your statement false.”
“Huh?”
“That would make your statement false,” Carl had repeated. “If there is no such thing as truth, then your statement is not true. To say that there is no such thing as truth is absurd — you dumb piece of shit!”
Carl was expelled from school for two weeks. He didn’t go back. He joined his parent’s business instead.
In the past year he had learned that to be honest was not only the right thing to do but also the practical thing to do. He saw how his parents had built this business. He saw that they had made reasonable rules for the staff and employed them equally without favoritism. The staff liked working there and his parents had gained a competent work force that cared about the future of the company.
His parents had gained more customers by treating them honestly, by being fair, by giving them more value for their money. If produce was too old, they threw it out; they didn’t sell three-day old bread as fresh.
They stuck to terms with their suppliers: if payment was required in thirty days, they paid in thirty days. If a supplier accidentally shipped more than they were invoiced for, they paid for the extra; but if this happened too often, they changed suppliers. They built up honest relationships with their suppliers. And they gained: they were first to be offered a commodity in short supply, and first to receive a discount if a supplier was over stocked.
In the past year Carl Savinski saw with his own eyes, in his day-to-day job, that being honest paid. He saw that to be reasonable, to be honest, to tell the truth was practical — that one did not suffer a loss by being honest, but made a gain.
41. How long had Carl worked in his parents’ supermarket?
A. For half a year. B. For more than a year.
C. For a year. D. For years.
42. What does the underlined word “expelled” mean?
A. cut off B. driven off C. set off D. warned of
43. Why did the staff like working for Carl’s parents?
A. Because the staff were all equally paid without favoritism.
B. Because Carl’s parents made strict rules for their business.
C. Because the future of the company was really promising.
D. Because the regulations were effective and the staff were equally treated.
44. Which of the following can be seen as an honest operation of the company?
A. They gave more discounts by raising the price.
B. Their butcher cut more fat off the meat.
C. They changed suppliers for cheaper goods.
D. Their contracts are occasionally not carried out.
45. What does this story mainly tell us?
A. Being honest pays off. B. Being honest makes a loss.
C. Not all people believe in truth. D. People have a false belief in truth.
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Besides relevant theories and keen logic, a scientist who does research in economic psychology and who wants to predict the way in which consumers will spend their money must study consumer behavior. It’s vital for his credit as a qualified economist. He must obtain numbers and material both on the resources of consumers and on the efforts that tend to encourage or discourage money spending.
If an economist were asked which of the three groups borrow most——people with rising incomes, stable incomes or declining incomes——he would probably answer: those with declining incomes. Actually, in the past 5 years, the answer was: people with rising incomes. This shows us that traditional assumptions about earning and spending are not always reliable. Another traditional assumption is that if people who have money expect prices to go up, they will hurry to buy. If they expect prices to go down, they will postpone buying. But research surveys have shown that this is also not always the case. Their expectations of price increases may not stimulate buying. One typical attitude was expressed by the wife of a mechanic in an interview at a time of rising prices. “In a few months,” she said, “we’ll have to pay more for meat and milk. We’ll have less to spend on other things.” Her family had been planning to buy a new car but they postponed this purchase. Furthermore, the rise in prices that has already taken place may be hated and buyer’s resistance may be caused. This is shown by the following typical comment of the wife: “I just don’t pay these prices: they are too high.”
Traditional assumptions should be investigated carefully, and factors of time and place should be considered. The investigations mentioned above were carried out in America. Research conducted at the same time in Great Britain, however, produced results that were more in agreement with traditional assumptions about saving and spending patterns. The condition most beneficial to spending appears to be price stability. If prices have been stable and people have become accustomed to considering the current prices “right”, they are likely to buy. Thus, in a society of good economy which maintains consumer confidence, it appears that the common business policy of maintaining stable prices with occasional sales or discounts is based on a correct understanding of consumer psychology.
72. According to the passage, it is essential for a successful economist to ______.
A. know about economic theories
B. be capable of logical thinking
C. predict the latest national economy
D. to understand consumers’ spending habits
73. The example of the mechanic’s wife is intended to show that ______.
people tend to buy more when prices are expected to fall
people tend to buy less when prices are expected to fall
people tend to buy more when prices are expected to rise
people tend to buy less when prices are expected to rise
74. Findings in investigations in Britain show _____.
consumer behaviour may vary in different places
Britain and America share similar saving and spending patterns
Britain is important in economic research
occasional discounts and sales are important
75. According to the passage, what is most helpful in promoting spending?
A. Big discount. . B. Good consumer confidence.
C. Steady price. D. Positive consumer psychology.
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| The Sunday Times “Expect the Unexpected Australia Adventure” Three ‘Expect the UNEXPECTED AUSTRALIA Adventure’ Packages for 2 must be won! Three instant travel correspondents(回信者) will each get to explore the surprising side of Australia with their partners together with Radio 94 FM DJs Jeanie Austin & Maggie Tan(The Morning Show) and Ronny Henry & Andre Lim (The Unmarried Guys)! This is your chance to discover Australia and, after the journey, to share your adventures on “live radio”.
|
69. Other than the four DJs, how many people will be going to explore the surprising side of Australia?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 6 D. 10
70. Timmy has just got married. Which one of the adventure packages might he choose for his honeymoon?
A. Sydney B. Melbourne C. Queensland D. Tasmania
71. In which way are the winners expected by the organizer to tell about their adventures in Australia?
A. Contact the organizer through email.
B. Post a homemade video on YouTube.
C. Login to www.asiaone.com
D. Report your adventures on “live” radio.
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Section B
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
At the beginning of every school year, I feared coming home with the heavy homework of the first day after a summer of fun. And I feared getting another teacher who had a long list of rules and a stare that could kill a cat.
But there was always one part of beginning a new school year that I enjoyed. I always liked going to the store to arm myself with new school supplies-even if I didn’t need them.
Sure, my pencils, erasers and notebooks from the previous school year may have had some life left in them. But this didn’t matter. Every year, Dad would pile us into the car, take us to Wal-Mart and let us buy the newest and coolest pencils, rainbow-colored erasers and spiral notebooks.
Besides school supplies, many parents also take their kids on annual shopping spree for new clothes and book bags just in time for school. During the whole process, children are in high spirits, buying a lot of stuff and are back home exhausted.
Every year, most of my classmates and I show up to school on the first day with something smelling like a new car. We’d put our new stationery on top of the desks, just to make sure others see them.
Leftover supplies from past years were always stuffed into the living room desk. Used clothes that had lost their appeal were sent to second-hand shops, where they would be sold for 50 cents a piece.
However, all of the new stuff could only make us excited about going to school for one week, after which the usual boredom and fear come back.
65. What is NOT TRUE about the author at the beginning of a new school year in the passage?
A. He often has to face a new teacher.
B. He doesn’t enjoy the load of work from school.
C. He doesn’t appreciate strict teachers
D. He obtains new school supplies from the school.
66. Why do the students look forward to getting new pencils every year?
A. Because the old ones are used up.
B. Because new pencils help them to study better.
C. Because they want to show their new stuff off.
D. Because it’s required by the school.
67. The underlined word “spree” in the passage probably means ______.
A. competition B. considerable embarrassment
C. wild celebration D. emotional pain
68. How are the old supplies dealt with?
A. They are put aside and forgotten. B. They are given to poorer children.
C. They are sold online. D. They are treasured by the students.
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Labor force is defined as being the total number of people who are available to work and earn income．This definition includes everyone who is employed or seeking paid employment，so it includes employers and the self-employed．Labor is one of the country's resources which can be combined with other resources to produce the goods and services wanted by the community．
Although the size of the workforce depends a great deal on the size of the total population，there are several other influences which also affect it．The age distribution (分布) of the total population has a very marked effect on the available workforce. If the population has a high proportion of very young people or of those too old to work，then the available workforce would be lower than if there were an balanced spread age distribution．If the population naturally grows rapidly, the number of births greatly exceeds (超出) the number of deaths then as a total population increases proportion of the workforce declines．
Sometimes a population is described as aging which means that the birth rate is either falling or growing very slowly，and as people retire from the workforce there are insufficient numbers of young people entering it to replace those who are leaving it．In that situation the population is top-heavy with older people．So the percentage of the population in the workforce declines when there is either a rapid increase in births or a falling birth rate．
The age distribution of the population has several important effects on the economy．If the population is aging and there is an increase in the number of people retiring without a corresponding increase in the number entering the workforce，this raises the problem of the ability of the economy to provide a reasonable level of social services to the retired group．If the aged are to be cared for in special homes，finance must be available for that purpose．If the size of the workforce is small relative to the total population，then the government tax revenue(税收) is relatively low and either the government has less money available to it or the workforce members have to be taxed more heavily．
72．In the passage “labor force” is defined as ___________.
A．people who are available to work and earn income
B．self-employed people only
C．people who are looking for an employment
D．employers who create job opportunities
73．The conclusion which can be drawn from the second paragraph is that___________.
A．a natural growth of population leads to a balanced workforce
B．a large population does not necessarily mean a higher proportion of workforce
C．the larger the population，the higher the proportion of the workforce
D．the workforce will be lower, if the population has a balanced age distribution，
74．When a population is said to be aging，___________.
A．there are more people retiring than those entering the workforce
B．the birth rate must be growing
C．there should be an oversupply of workforce
D．There are more people entering the workforce than those retiring
75．The population which is top-heavy with older people ___________ of a country.
A．leads to the high rate of unemployment
B．results in low tax on the workforce members
C．affects employees’ incomes
D．places pressure on the economy
