The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological disaster area. Nauru’s heartbreaking story could have one good consequence — other countries might learn from its mistakes.
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived on the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. The whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.
Nauru’s real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate (磷酸盐)on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which is a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine. When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.
In 1968, Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem — their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000, Nauru was financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately $433,600,000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen. What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?________.
| A．To seek help for Nauru’s problems. |
| B．To give a warning to other countries |
| C．To show the importance of money. |
| D．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war. |
What was Nauru like before the Europeans came? ________.
| A．Rich and powerful | B．Modern and open |
| C．Peaceful and attractive | D．Greedy and aggressive |
The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from _______.
| A．soil pollution | B．phosphate overmining |
| C．farming activity | D．whale hunting |
Which of the following was a cause of Nauru’s financial problem? ________.
| A．Its leaders misused the money |
| B．It spent too much repairing the island |
| C．Its phosphate mining cost much money |
| D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war. |
What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph?_ _______.
| A．The phosphate mines were destroyed |
| B．The ecological damage is difficult to repair. |
| C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans |
| D．The leaders will take the experts’ words seriously. |
Bill Gates, the billionaire Microsoft chairman without a single earned university degree, is by his success raising new doubts about the worth of the business world’s favorite academic title: the MBA (Master of Business Administration).
The MBA, a 20th century product, always has borne the mark of lowly commerce and greed on the tree-lined campuses ruled by purer disciplines such as philosophy and literature.
But even with the recession(经济萎缩) apparently cutting down the hiring of business school graduates, about 79,000 people are expected to receive MBAs in 1993. This is nearly 16 times the number of business graduates in 1960.
“If you are going into the corporate world it is still a disadvantage not to have one,” said Donald Morrison, professor of marketing and management science. “But in the last five years or so, when someone says, ‘Should I attempt to get an MBA?’ the answer a lot more is: It depends.”
The success of Bill Gates and other non-MBAs, such as the late Sam Walton of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., has helped inspire self-conscious debates on business school campuses over the worth of a business degree and whether management skills can be taught.
The Harvard Business Review printed a lively, fictional exchange of letters to dramatize complaints about business degree holders. The article called MBA hires “extremely disappointing” and said “MBAs want to move up too fast, they don’t understand politics and people, and they aren’t able to function as part of a team until their third year. But by then, they’re out looking for other jobs.”
The problem, most participants in the debate acknowledge, is that the MBA has acquired an aura (光环) of future riches and power far beyond its actual importance and usefulness.
Business people who have hired or worked with MBAs say those with the degrees of ten know how to analyze systems but are not so skillful at motivating people. “They don’t get a lot of grounding in the people side of the business”, said James Shaffer, vice-president and principal of the Towers Perrin management consulting firm.According to paragraph 2, what is the general attitude towards business on campuses ruled by purer disciplines?
| A．Envious(嫉妒的). | B．Realistic. |
| C．Scornful(蔑视的). | D．Appreciative. |
. It seems that the argument over the value of MBA degrees had been fueled mainly by ___.
| A．the complaints from various employers |
| B．the success of many non-MBAs |
| C．the criticism from the scientists of purer disciplines |
| D．the poor performance of MBAs at work |
. What is the major weakness of MBA holders according to the Harvard Business Review?
| A．They are usually self-centered. |
| B．They are aggressive and greedy. |
| C．They keep complaining about their jobs. |
| D．They are not good at dealing with people. |
. From the passage we know that most MBAs ________.
| A．can climb the corporate ladder fairly quickly |
| B．quit their jobs once they are familiar with their workmates |
| C．receive salaries that do not match their professional training |
| D．cherish unrealistic expectations about their future |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Why there is an increased enrollment in MBA programs. |
| B．The necessity of reforming MBA programs in business schools. |
| C．Doubts about the worth of holding an MBA degree. |
| D．A debate held recently on university campuses. |
Clothes can make phone calls, play music, dial your pal’s number, keep you warm during cold weather and operate your computer?
This is not a fantasy. A British company, called Electrotextiles, has created a wide range of clothes — clothes that have minds of their own! Scientists, working for the company, have invented a kind of fabric that can be blended(混合) with flexible electronic materials to create intelligent clothing. The result are electronic garments.
If you think the wearer has to be wired to different devices, think again. These designer clothes are wire-free, soft to touch and washable!! Like any electronic device, these high-tech clothes have to be powered. Currently, a tiny nine-volt battery serves the purpose. But the researchers hope that in the near future the clothes will generate electricity by using body heat. These clothes are 100 percent shock proof, they say.
The Electrotextiles team has also created the world’s first cloth keyboard. This keyboard can be sewn into your trousers or skirt. To use this device, you will have to sit down and tap on your lap! These ‘lap- tap’ gadgets(器具) are all set to take over laptop computers!
Another useful garment is the shirt-cum-mobile phone. This handy invention enables drivers to chat comfortably with others at the wheel! Other popular electronic wear include the denim(牛仔布) jacket with flexible earphones sewn into the hood(风帽) and the electronic ski jacket with a built-in heater. The ski jacket is also programmed to send signals to a satellite. This technology is known as global positioning system and can be used to track lost skiers and wandering kids.
Having completed the cloth keyboard, scientists have already started to work on a new project—a necktie that can be used as a computer mouse. What is the next? Do you have any idea?. The electronic garments are similar to other electronic devices in that ______.
| A．they feel smooth and soft |
| B．they use electricity as power |
| C．they can be washed in water |
| D．they are made from flexible materials |
. How will researchers improve these high-tech clothes?
| A．Body heat will be used as power. |
| B．The wearer will not get shocked. |
| C．A tiny nine-volt battery will work. |
| D．They will get charged automatically. |
What does the underlined phrase “This handy invention” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
| A．The laptop computer. | B．The electronic ski jacket. |
| C．The shirt-cum-mobile phone. | D．The world’s first cloth keyboard. |
. If you are going on a ski adventure, which device do you need?
| A．The cloth keyboard. | B．The electronic ski jacket. |
| C．The necktie to be used as a mouse. | D．The denim jacket with earphones. |
. The main purpose of the text is ______.
| A．to advertise for an English company | B．to predict the future trend of science |
| C．to show how rapidly science develops | D．to introduce some intelligent clothing |
Men can be beautiful too, right?
CHINA is going to host the 18th World University Student Beauty Contest in Guangzhou this December. This year for the first time the contest will include a male section. Students from over 130 countries will compete for Mr. and Miss Beauty. The contest is one of the most respected beauty contests in the world. It was copied by the United Nations University (an international university belonging to the United Nations) in 1986.
Stick to studying
LI Yining, an economics professor at Peking University, said that he would not encourage students to try their luck in the stock market (股市). “They should stress study,” Li said, in his speech at Beijing Foreign Studies University. When asked, the professor said he expected house prices in Beijing to continue to rise. Li thinks the government should provide more affordable houses for low-level income people.
Campus cinema
Students at over 100 universities will have a digital cinema on campus after the National Day holiday. The 21st Century Digital Film on Campus Project was launched at the end of September. The ticket will cost 3-8 yuan, rather than 30-40 yuan at cinemas in town. Students often download movies online or watch DVDs. Now they can enjoy original films in the digital cinema. The digital cinema will show a variety of films other than Hollywood blockbusters (好莱坞大片).
Getting practical
All 12,000 graduates from vocational school in Shanxi Province have landed a job, according to the provincial government. In the past five years, it is estimated that over 95 percent of the professional school graduates have found jobs. However, the number for university graduates is 70 percent. Some employers said that they prefer professional school graduates who learned something more practical in school and expected lower salaries than university students. In the third part, the underlined word “launched” may mean ______.
| A．started | B．ended | C．told | D．mentioned |
Where can the material be chosen from?
| A．A novel. | B．A newspaper. | C．An advertisement. | D．A fashion magazine. |
. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．More than 130 countries will take part in the 18th World University Student Beauty Contest. |
| B．The ticket for digital film will cost 3-8 yuan. |
| C．In the past five years, over 95 percent of the university graduates have found jobs in Shanxi. |
| D．Over 100 universities took part in the 21st Century Digital Film on Campus Project. |
. Professor Li thinks that ______.
| A．the house prices in Beijing will keep going up. |
| B．the students should try their luck in the stock market. |
| C．the government can do nothing about housing problem. |
| D．the students should not only pay attention to study. |
. What can we infer from the passage?
| A． In Shanxi, the professional school graduates are less popular with employers than university graduates recently. |
| B．The digital cinema will only show Hollywood blockbusters. |
| C．The graduates from universities can put what they learned into practice more easily. |
| D．No men competed in the World University Students Beauty Contest before this year. |
“Oh please God, no, no!” Stephen Eldredge cried out when he saw his wife, Shelli, badly wounded on the side of the road. She had broken actually every long bone in her body, along with her pelvis, jaw, and cheekbones. He was terrified his bride would bleed to death.
Stephen and Shelli had married just six months before near their home in South Jordan, Utah. They were in Hawaii on a family vacation with two of their sons. The family had rented electric motors and headed towards a nature preserve near Waikiki. But Shelli had fallen behind and the family turned back to make sure she was okay.
Shelli lost so much blood that her heart couldn’t function properly and she went into shock at the hospital. Physicians were able to make her come to herself. On the first and second days there, she lived through half a dozen operations. On day three, the worst of Stephen’s fears came true. Shelli didn’t wake. She had shown heart failure and lung failure. “I thought every heartbeat would be her last,” Stephen says.
As days passed with no change, one doctor gently asked if it was time to let Shelli go. An MRI（核磁共振）showed her brain didn’t have much chance of supporting life. Stephen couldn’t bear the thought of trapping his wife’s beautiful spirit in a body that would never work. If he kept her alive, what kind of life would she have ? He called family, religious leaders, and physician friends in Utah for guidance.
And he decided there still was a chance.
The family moved Shelli to a Utah hospital closer to home. In the next few weeks she started opening her eyes, but it wasn’t entirely clear how conscious she was. Nearly seven weeks after the accident, Stephen was joking with his sister in the hospital room when he saw Shelli smile, a big toothy grin. “Did you understand that?” he asked. She smiled again. Stephen fell to his knees in thanks.
Shelli’s recovery has been slow but steady. Initially, she couldn’t remember much of the previous months, including her own wedding. Shelli has endured 17 operations so far and may require more surgery. She will definitely need more months of recovery. But she is able to walk. “She’s got her life back. She’s able to love and be loved, and be the person she was.” Elovie says.
When Shelli hears about each step in her recovery, she calls it “miracle after miracle”. As for his experience, Stephen says, “This is a story of fear that was slowly replaced by faith.” We learn from the first two paragraphs that .
| A．Stephen and Shelli left home to hold the wedding ceremony. |
| B．Shelli was mainly wounded in the back |
| C．the couple were in Hawaii when the accident happened |
| D．the accident happened on their way to Waikiki |
In the hospital room Shelli smiled for the first time after the accident because.
| A．she liked people telling jokes. |
| B．she had remembered all that had happened |
| C．she was excited that she got her life back |
| D．she understood the joke being talked about |
By saying “miracle after miracle”, Shelli means that .
| A．she suffered what a terrible accident |
| B．she appreciated the care of her husband so much |
| C．the love for her family got her life back |
| D．it really surprised her that she survived so many operations |
. After reading the passage, what impresses us most may be that.
| A．Stephen’s not giving up | B．the doctor’s skill and hard work |
| C．Shelli’s bravery and persistence | D．the couple’s faith |
Holiday Inns and McDonald’s. both saw unmatched growth in the 1960s. Their growth opened another direct business operation—franchising.
These operations have the same general pattern. The franchisor, the parent company, first establishes a successful retail business. As it expands, it sees a profit potential in offering others the right to open similar business under its name. The parent company’s methods and means of identification with consumers are included in this right. The parent company supplies skill, and may build and rent stores to franchisees. For these advantages the franchisee pays the franchisor a considerable fee. However, some of the advantages and disadvantages are different.
By extending a “proven” marketing method, a parent can profit in several ways. First, the franchisee’s purchase price gives the parent an immediate return on the plan. Then the sale of supplies to the franchisee provides a continuing source of profits. As new businesses are added and the company’s reputation spreads, the values of the franchise increases and sales of franchises become easier. The snowballing effect can be dramatic. Such growth, too, bring into play the economies of scale. Regional or national advertising that might be financially impossible for a franchisor with 20 franchises could be profitable for one with 40.
The parent, then, finds immediate gains from the opportunity to expand markets on the basis of reputation alone, without having to put up capital or take the risk of owning retail stores. Added to this advantage is a less obvious but material one, Skilled, responsible retail managers are rare. People who invest their capital in franchises, though, probably come closer to the ideal than do paid managers. In fact, the franchisee is an independent store operator working for the franchisor, but without an independent’s freedom to drop supplies at will. Of course the factory’s costs of selling supplies are less. But also certainly the franchisee buying goods that have had broad consumer acceptance will not casually change supplies, even when the contract permits. If the hamburger is not what the customer expected, they may not return. Having paid for the goodwill, the franchisee won’t thoughtlessly destroy it. Franchising refers to a business operation in which a successful parent company .
| A．sells name-brand goods to a private investor |
| B．rents proven ideas and techniques for investment |
| C．sells the right, the guidance to a business under its name |
| D．takes no advertising responsibility for individual investors |
. The advantages of franchising to the parent company are all the following EXCEPT.
| A．an immediate investment return |
| B．the profit from the sale of supplies |
| C．the ownership of additional retail stores |
| D．the possibility of profitable advertising |
The passage mainly tells the reader .
| A．the advantages and disadvantages of franchising |
| B．the benefits of franchising to the franchisor |
| C．the unmatched economic growth in the 1960’s |
| D．some regional and national business operation |
. What will the author probably discuss after the last paragraph?
| A．More advantages of franchising. |
| B．Negative aspects related to franchising. |
| C．The standard of consumer acceptance. |
| D．Risks of investment besides franchising |