New technology links the world as never before. Our planet has shrunk. It’s now a “global village” where countries are only seconds away by fax or phone or satellite link. And, of course, our ability to benefit from this high-tech communications equipment is greatly increased by foreign language skills.
Deeply involved with this new technology is a kind of modern businesspeople who have a growing respect for the economic value of doing business abroad. In modern markets, success overseas often helps support domestic business efforts.
Overseas assignments (指派) are becoming increasingly important to advancement within executive (行政) ranks. The executive stationed in another country no longer need fear being “out of sight and out of mind.” He or she can be sure that the overseas effort is central to the company’s plan for success, and that promotions often follow or accompany an assignment abroad. If an employee can succeed in a difficult assignment overseas, superiors will have greater confidence in his or her ability to manage back in the United States where cross-cultural considerations and foreign language issues are becoming more and more common.
Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communications devices (装置) with business applications, even small businesses in the United States are able to get into international markets.
English is still the international language of business. But there is an ever-growing need for people who can speak another language. A second language isn’t generally required to get a job in business, but having language skills gives a candidate the edge when other qualifications appear to be equal.
The employee posted abroad who speaks the country’s language has an opportunity to fast-forward certain negotiations, and can have the cultural insight (洞察力) to know when it is better to move more slowly. The employee at the home office who can communicate well with foreign customers over the telephone or by fax machine is an obvious asset (有价值的人或物) to the firm. With the increased use of high-tech communications equipment, businesspeople ________.
| A．are eager to work overseas |
| B．have to get familiar with modern technology |
| C．are gaining more economic benefits from domestic operations |
| D．are attaching more importance to their overseas business |
In this passage, “out of sight and out of mind” (Line 3, Para. 3) probably means ________.
| A．leaving all care and worry behind |
| B．being unable to think properly for lack of insight |
| C．being totally out of touch with business at home |
| D．missing opportunities for promotion when abroad |
According to the passage, what is an important consideration of international corporations in employing people today?
| A．Ability to speak the customer’s language. |
| B．Connections with businesses overseas. |
| C．Technical know-how. |
| D．Business experience. |
The advantage of employees having foreign language skills is that they can ________.
| A．fast-forward their proposals to headquarters |
| B．better control the whole negotiation process |
| C．easily make friends with businesspeople abroad |
| D．easily find new approaches to meet market needs |
B
F
our hundred and three babies are crying loudly. Do you know how to make them quiet in 41 seconds? There is an amazing new product on sale in Japan which does exactly this. It is an LP (a long-playing record) of sounds from inside a mother's body, which a hospital doctor recorded. In tests with the record she played the LP to 403 crying babies. After 41 seconds none of the babies was crying and 161 of them were sleeping.
The record began as an experiment by Professor Hajime Minooka of the Nippon Medical University near Tokyo. He was looking for something natural that helps new-born babies go to sleep. The sound of the mother's heart-beat and other body sounds are the things the babies heard inside their mothers. They feel safe and happy when they hear these sounds again. And they go to sleep.
Hospitals in Osaka and Tokyo are using the LP. 10,000 young couples are using it too. Toshiba Music Company who make and sell the records are very happy. One and a half million couples（夫妇) marry every year in Japan. Many will have babies, so the L
P will definitely（明确的、干脆地) be a hit!
60.The experiment was made on ___ babies.
A. 10,000 B. 564 C. 403 D. 161
61. What is TRUE according to the text?
A. About 55% of the crying babies fall asleep after 41 seconds hearing the LP.
B. The LP sounds were first recorded by Professor Hajime Minooka.
C. The LP is produced and sold by Toshiba Music Company.
D. One million and a half babies are born in Japan every year.
62. Babies feel ___ when they hear these LP sounds.
A. the sounds be their mothers' voices
B. as if they were inside their mothers
C. the music natural and soft
D. themselves sleeping together with their mothers
63 "Many will have babies, so the LP will definitely be a hit!" The word "hit" means"____".
A. popularity B. amazement C. strike D. experiment
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
When I was sixteen years old, I made my first visit to the United States. It wasn’t the first time I had been abroad. Like most English children, I learned French at school. I had often been to France, so I was used to speaking a foreign language to people who didn’t understand French. But when I went to America, I was really looking forward to having a nice and easy holiday without any language problems.
How wrong I was! The misunderstandings began at the airport. I was looking for a public telephone to give my American friend Daisy a call and tell her that I had arrived. A friendly old man saw me looking lost and asked if he could help me.
"Yes, "I said, "I want to give my friend a ring. "
"Well, that's nice, "he said. "Are you getting married? But aren't you a bit young?"
"Who is talking about marriage?" I replied. "I only want to give my friend a ring to tell her I've arrived. Can you tell me where there's a phone box?"
"Oh! "he said. "There's a phone downstairs. "
When at last we met, Daisy explained the misunderstanding to me.
"Don't worry, "she said to me. "I had so many difficulties at first. There are lots of words which the Americans use differently in meaning from the British. You' ll soon get used to all the funny things they say. Most of the time, British and American people understand each other!"
56. The writer thought ______ in America.
A. he wouldn't have any language difficulties
B. he would not understand the Americans
C. the Americans might not understand him
D. he would have difficulty at the airport
57. The writer wanted to _____.
A. buy a ring for his friend
B. make a call to his friend
C. go to the telephone company
D. see his friend off
58. From the passage we can see that "give somebody a ring" ______.
A .means the same in America as in England
B. means "call somebody" to the old man
C. has two different meanings
D. means "be going to get married" in England
59. In the last paragraph the underlined word "they" refers to ______.
A. the old man and the boy B. the Americans
C. the British D. the French
C
Elizabeth Blackwell was born in England in 1821, and moved to New York City when she was ten years old. One day she decided that she wanted to become a doctor. That was nearly impossible for a woman in the middle of the nineteenth century. After writing many letters asking for admission(录取) to medical schools, she was finally accepted by a doctor in Philadelphia. She was so determined that she taught school and gave music lessons to get money for the cost of schooling.
In 1849, after graduation from medical school. she decided to further her education in Paris. She wanted to be a surgeon(外科医师) , but a serious eye problem forced her to give up the idea.
Upon returning to the United States, she found it difficult to start her own practice because she was a woman. By 1857 Elizabeth and her sister, also a doctor, along with another woman doctor, managed to open a new hospital, the first for women and children Besides being the first woman physician and founding her own hospital , she also set up the first medical school for women.
66. Why couldn’t Elizabeth Blackwell realize her dream of becoming a surgeon?
A. She couldn’t get admitted to medical school
B. She decided to further her education in Paris
C. A serious eye problem stopped her
D. It was difficult for her to start a practice in the United States
67. What main obstacle(障碍) almost destroyed Elizabeth’s chances for becoming for a doctor?
A. She was a woman.
B. She wrote too many letters.
C. She couldn’t graduate from medical school.
D. She couldn’t set up her hospital.
68. How many years passed between her graduation from medical school and the opening of her hospital?
A. Eight years B. Ten yearsC. Nineteen yearsD. Thirty-six years
69. According to the passage, all of the following are “firsts” in the life of Elizabeth Blacekwell except that she ______.
A. became the first woman physician
B. was the first woman doctor
C. and several other women founded the first hospital for women and children
D. set up the first medical school for women
70. Eilzabeth Blackwell spent most of her lift in _______.
A. England B. Paris C. the United States D. New York City
B
A young British sailor was missing at sea yesterday in similar circumstances(情况)to the way his father died five years ago．
The dinghy(救生橡皮船)，used to take Richard Smith，21，to his yacht(快艇)，was discovered empty, floating in seas off the Caribbean island．An air and sea search was carried out but he has still not been discovered．
Richard’s mother, Bicknell，said from her home in Hampshire，“It’s so much coincidence．Richard always carried a photograph of his father attached to a poem，which included the date of his disappearance．”
“Now, it’s very strange because all they have found is Richard’s dinghy．We need to know this time what has happened one way or another．If you know at least you can go through the grieving process(悲痛的过程)．”
In November 1996，Mr. Smith’s father, Charlie，was sailing in the Tasmen sea between the Australian mainland and the island of Tasmen with his new wife．They lost radio contact with the shore and they, together with their yacht were never seen again，and their disappearance remains a mystery．
Richard is described a talented(有才能的)and experienced sailor who has crewed for the champion ocean racer．He had sailed to the。Caribbean in November to crew ocean racing yachts for entertainment．He ended the evening drinking in the Abracbabra bar but left after local police closed it for being too noisy．
About 2 am the following day Richard headed back for his dinghy．He started its outboard motor before giving all elderly woman a lift to her yacht after her dinghy had gone missing．It was the last time he was seen．
61．Riehard Smith was___________in 2000．
A．ten B．fifteen C．twenty D．eighteen
62．People searched for Richard using_____．
A．ship only B．ship and radio C．ship and plane D．yacht and car
63．According to the passage，we know Richard died because____．
A．he was a green hand in sailing
B．some unknown animal attacked him
C．that was a maze in the area he was sailing
D．of something we don’t know
64．Which statement is NOT true according to this passage?
A．Young Smith had lost radio contact with the shore before he died．
B．Richard’s father had married two women at least．
C．Richard didn’t drink on the evening before he was lost because the policeman closed the bar．
D．Richard was seen at about 2 am the day he disappeared．
65．The writer tells us__________．
A．a story about two heroes B．a piece of news about a merchant ship
C．a coincidence D．the dying process of Richard
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出一个最佳选项。
A
Satellites are an important part of our ordinary lives．For example, the information for weather forecasts is sent by satellite．Some satellites have cameras which take photographs of the Earth to show how clouds are moving．Satellites are also used to connect our international phone calls．
Computer connections of the World Wide Web and Internet also use satellites. Many of our TV programs come to US through satellites．Airplane pilots also sometimes use a satellite to help them find their exact location．
We use satellites to send television pictures from one part of the world to another．They are usually 35，880 kilometers above the equator．Sometimes we can see a satellite in the sky and it seems to stay in the same place．This is because it is moving around the world at 11，000 kilometers an hour—exactly the same speed that the earth rotates．A satellite must orbit the Earth with its antennae(天线)facing the earth．Sometimes, it moves away from its orbit，So there are little rockets on it which are used to put the satellite back in the right position．This usually happens about every five or six days．
Space is not empty! Every week, more and more satellites are sent into space to orbit the Earth．A satellite usually works for about 10-12 years．Satellites which are broken are sometimes repaired by astronauts or sometimes brought back to Earth to be repaired．Often，very old or broken satellites are left in space to orbit the Earth for a very long time．This is very serious because some satellites use nuclear power and they can crash into each other．
56．Which of the following is NOT done by satellites according to the passage?
A．Sending information for weather forecast．
B．Taking photographs of the Earth．
C．Sending TV pictures．
D．Providing food for airplane pilots．
57．What’s the speed the earth rotates at?
A．35,880 kilometers per hour． B．335,880 kilometers per hour．
C．11,000 kilometers per hour． D．110,000 kilometers per hour
58．Why does the satellite move around the world at the same speed as the Earth rotates?
A．In order to take photographs．
B．In order to stay in a certain position in the orbit．
C．In order to move away from its orbit．
D．In order to send television pictures．
59．What does the underlined word “This” refer to?
A．A satellite．
B．A little rocket．
C．A satellite seems to stay in the same place in the sky．
D．The satellite puts the rockets in the right position．
60．Which is true of satellites?
A．A satellite usually works for about 10-2 years．
B．Every time a satellite gets broken，it is brought back to the Earth to be repaired．
C．A broken satellite is never left in space．
D．They often crash into each other．