Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your mowers on ANSWER SNEET 1. (40 points)
Text 1
Hunting for a job late last year, lawyer Gant Redmon stumbled across Career Builder, a job database on the Internet. He searched it with no success but was attracted by the sites “personal search agent”. Its an interactive feature that lets visitors key in job criteria such as location, title, and salary, then Emails them when a matching position is posted in the database. Redmon chose the keywords legal, intellectual property, and Washington, D.C. Three weeks later, he got his first notification of an opening. “I struck gold,” says Redmon, who Emailed his resume to the employer and won a position as inhouse counsel for a company.
With thousands of careerrelated sites on the Internet, finding promising openings can be timeconsuming and inefficient. Search agents reduce the need for repeated visits to the databases. But although a search agent worked for Redmon, career experts see drawbacks. Narrowing your criteria, for example, may work against you: “Every time you answer a question you eliminate a possibility.” says one expert.
For any job search, you should start with a narrow concept — what you think you want to do — then broaden it. “None of these programs do that,” says another expert. “Theres no career counseling implicit in all of this.” Instead, the best strategy is to use the agent as a kind of tip service to keep abreast of jobs in a particular database; when you get Email, consider it a reminder to check the database again. “I would not rely on agents for finding everything that is added to a database that might interest me,” says the author of a jobsearching guide.
Some sites design their agents to tempt job hunters to return. When Career Sites agent sends out messages to those who have signed up for its service, for example, it includes only three potential jobs — those it considers the best matches. There may be more matches in the database; job hunters will have to visit the site again to find them — and they do. “On the day after we send our messages, we see a sharp increase in our traffic,” says Seth Peets, vice president of marketing for Career Site.
Even those who arent hunting for jobs may find search agents worthwhile. Some use them to keep a close watch on the demand for their line of work or gather information on compensation to arm themselves when negotiating for a raise. Although happily employed, Redmon maintains his agent at Career Builder. “You always keep your eyes open,” he says. Working with a personal search agent means having another set of eyes looking out for you.
41. How did Redmon find his job?
A. By searching openings in a job database.
B. By posting a matching position in a database.
C. By using a special service of a database.
D. By Emailing his resume to a database.
42. Which of the following can be a disadvantage of search agents?
A. Lack of counseling. B. Limited number of visits.
C. Lower efficiency. D. Fewer successful matches.
43. The expression “tip service” (Lines 3-4, Paragraph 3) most probably means
A. advisory. B. compensation.
C. interaction. D. reminder.
44. Why does Career Sites agent offer each job hunter only three job options?
A. To focus on better job matches.
B. To attract more returning visits.
C. To reserve space for more messages.
D. To increase the rate of success.
45. Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. Personal search agents are indispensable to jobhunters.
B. Some sites keep Emailing job seekers to trace their demands.
C. Personal search agents are also helpful to those already employed.
D. Some agents stop sending information to people once they are employed.
Text 2
Over the past century, all kinds of unfairness and discrimination have been condemned or made illegal. But one insidious form continues to thrive: alphabetism. This, for those as yet unaware of such a disadvantage, refers to discrimination against those whose surnames begin with a letter in the lower half of the alphabet.
It has long been known that a taxi firm called AAAA cars has a big advantage over Zodiac cars when customers thumb through their phone directories. Less well known is the advantage that Adam Abbott has in life over Zo Zysman. English names are fairly evenly spread between the halves of the alphabet. Yet a suspiciously large number of top people have surnames beginning with letters between A and K.
Thus the American president and vicepresident have surnames starting with B and C respectively; and 26 of George Bushs predecessors (including his father) had surnames in the first half of the alphabet against just 16 in the second half. Even more striking, six of the seven heads of government of the G7 rich countries are alphabetically advantaged (Berlusconi, Blair, Bush, Chirac, Chrétien and Koizumi). The worlds three top central bankers (Greenspan, Duisenberg and Hayami) are all close to the top of the alphabet, even if one of them really uses Japanese characters. As are the worlds five richest men (Gates, Buffett, Allen, Ellison and Albrecht).
Can this merely be coincidence? One theory, dreamt up in all the spare time enjoyed by the alphabetically disadvantaged, is that the rot sets in early. At the start of the first year in infant school, teachers seat pupils alphabetically from the front, to make it easier to remember their names. So shortsighted Zysman junior gets stuck in the back row, and is rarely asked the improving questions posed by those insensitive teachers. At the time the alphabetically disadvantaged may think they have had a lucky escape. Yet the result may be worse qualifications, because they get less individual attention, as well as less confidence in speaking publicly.
The humiliation continues. At university graduation ceremonies, the ABCs proudly get their awards first; by the time they reach the Zysmans most people are literally having a ZZZ. Shortlists for job interviews, election ballot papers, lists of conference speakers and attendees: all tend to be drawn up alphabetically, and their recipients lose interest as they plough through them.
46. What does the author intend to illustrate with AAAA cars and Zodiac cars?
A. A kind of overlooked inequality. B. A type of conspicuous bias.
C. A type of personal prejudice. D. A kind of brand discrimination.
47. What can we infer from the first three paragraphs?
A. In both East and West, names are essential to success.
B. The alphabet is to blame for the failure of Zo Zysman.
C. Customers often pay a lot of attention to companies names.
D. Some form of discrimination is too subtle to recognize.
48. The 4th paragraph suggests that
A. questions are often put to the more intelligent students.
B. alphabetically disadvantaged students often escape form class.
C. teachers should pay attention to all of their students.
D. students should be seated according to their eyesight.
49. What does the author mean by “most people are literally having a ZZZ” (Line 2, Paragraph 5)?
A. They are getting impatient. B. They are noisily dozing off.
C. They are feeling humiliated. D. They are busy with word puzzles.
50. Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. People with surnames beginning with N to Z are often illtreated.
B. VIPs in the Western world gain a great deal from alphabetism.
C. The campaign to eliminate alphabetism still has a long way to go.
D. Putting things alphabetically may lead to unintentional bias.
Text 3
When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isnt biting her nails just yet. But the 47yearold manicurist isnt cutting, filling or polishing as many nails as shed like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. “Im a good economic indicator,” she says. “I provide a service that people can do without when theyre concerned about saving some dollars.” So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middlebrow Dillards department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I dont know if other clients are going to abandon me, too” she says.
Even before Alan Greenspans admission that Americas redhot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last years pace. But dont sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economys longterm prospects, even as they do some modest belttightening.
Consumers say theyre not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, “theres a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses,” says broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. “Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three,” says john Deadly, a Bay Area realestate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job.
Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldnt mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stockmarket swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might see an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattans hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant need to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.
51. By “Ellen Spero isnt biting her nails just yet”(Line 1, Paragraph 1), the author means
A. Spero can hardly maintain her business.B. Spero is too much engaged in her work.
C. Spero has grown out of her bad habit.D. Spero is not in a desperate situation.
52. How do the public feel about the current economic situation?
A. Optimistic.B. Confused.
C. Carefree.D. Panicked.
53. When mentioning “the $4 million to $10 million range” (Line 3, Paragraph 3) the author is talking about.
A. gold market.B. real estate.
C. stock exchange.D. venture investment.
54. Why can many people see “silver linings” to the economic slowdown?
A. They would benefit in certain ways.
B. The stock market shows signs of recovery.
C. Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom.
D. The purchasing power would be enhanced.
55. To which of the following is the author likely to agree?
A. A now boom, on the horizon.B. Tighten the belt, the single remedy.
C. Caution all right, panic not.D. The more ventures, the more chances.
Text 4
Americans today dont place a very high value on intellect. Our heroes are athletes, entertainers, and entrepreneurs, not scholars. Even our schools are where we send our children to get a practical education — not to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Symptoms of pervasive antiintellectualism in our schools arent difficult to find.
“Schools have always been in a society where practical is more important than intellectual,” says education writer Diane Ravitch. “Schools could be a counterbalance.” Razitchs latest book, Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms, traces the roots of antiintellectualism in our schools, concluding they are anything but a counterbalance to the American distaste for intellectual pursuits.
But they could and should be. Encouraging kids to reject the life of the mind leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and control. Without the ability to think critically, to defend their ideas and understand the ideas of others, they cannot fully participate in our democracy. Continuing along this path, says writer Earl Shorris, “We will become a secondrate country. We will have a less civil society.”
“Intellect is resented as a form of power or privilege,” writes historian and professor Richard Hofstadter in AntiIntellectualism in American life, a Pulitzer Prize winning book on the roots of antiintellectualism in US politics, religion, and education. From the beginning of our history, says Hofstadter, our democratic and populist urges have driven us to reject anything that smells of elitism. Practicality, common sense, and native intelligence have been considered more noble qualities than anything you could learn from a book.
Ralph Waldo Emerson and other Transcendentalist philosophers thought schooling and rigorous book learning put unnatural restraints on children:“We are shut up in schools and college recitation rooms for 10 or 15 years and come out at last with a bellyful of words and do not know a thing.” Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn exemplified American antiintellectualism. Its hero avoids being civilized — going to school and learning to read — so he can preserve his innate goodness.
Intellect, according to Hofstadter, is different from native intelligence, a quality we reluctantly admire. Intellect is the critical, creative, and contemplative side of the mind. Intelligence seeks to grasp, manipulate, reorder, and adjust, while intellect examines, ponders, wonders, theorizes, criticizes and imagines.
School remains a place where intellect is mistrusted. Hofstadter says our countrys educational system is in the grips of people who “joyfully and militantly proclaim their hostility to intellect and their eagerness to identify with children who show the least intellectual promise.”
56. What do American parents expect their children to acquire in school?
A. The habit of thinking independently.B. Profound knowledge of the world.
C. Practical abilities for future career.D. The confidence in intellectual pursuits.
57. We can learn from the text that Americans have a history of
A. undervaluing intellect.B. favoring intellectualism.
C. supporting school reform.D. suppressing native intelligence.
58. The views of Ravish and Emerson on schooling are
A. identical.B. similar.
C. complementary.D. opposite.
59. Emerson, according to the text, is probably
A. a pioneer of education reform.B. an opponent of intellectualism.
C. a scholar in favor of intellect.D. an advocate of regular schooling.
60. What does the author think of intellect?
A. It is second to intelligence.B. It evolves from common sense.
Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A,B,C or D. Mark your answers on ANAWER SHEET 1（40 points）
Text 1
Wild Bill Donovan would have loved the Internet. The American spymaster who built the Office of Strategic Services in the World War II and later laid the roots for the CIA was fascinated with information. Donovan believed in using whatever tools came to hand in the “great game” of espionage — spying as a “profession”. These days the Net, which has already remade pastimes as buying books and sending mail, is reshaping Donovans vocation as well.
The last revolution isnt simply a matter of gentlemen reading other gentlemens email. That kind of electronic spying has been going on for decades. In the past three or four years, the world wide web has given birth to a whole industry of pointandclick spying. The spooks call it “open source intelligence”, and as the Net grows, it is becoming increasingly influential. In 1995 the CIA held a contest to see who could compile the most data about Burundi. The winner, by a large margin, was a tiny Virginia company called OpenSource Solutions，whose clear advantage was its mastery of the electronic world.
Among the firms making the biggest splash in the new world is Straitford, Inc., a private intelligenceanalysis firm based in Austin, Texas. Straitford makes money by selling the results of spying（covering nations from Chile to Russia）to corporations like energyservices firm McDermott International. Many of its predictions are available online at www.straitford.com.
Straifford president George Friedman says he sees the online world as a kind of mutually reinforcing tool for both information collection and distribution, a spymasters dream. Last week his firm was busy vacuuming up data bits from the far corners of the world and predicting a crisis in Ukraine.“As soon as that report runs, well suddenly get 500 new internet signups from Ukraine,” says Friedman, a former political science professor. “And well hear back from some of them.” Opensource spying does have its risks, of course, since it can be difficult to tell good information from bad. That s where Straitford earns its keep.
Friedman relies on a lean staff in Austin. Several of his staff members have militaryintelligence backgrounds. He sees the firms outsider status as the key to its success. Straitfords briefs dont sound like the usual Washington back and forthing, whereby agencies avoid dramatic declarations on the chance they might be wrong. Straitford, says Friedman, takes pride in its independent voice.
41. The emergence of the Net has
A. received support from fans like Donovan. B. remolded the intelligence services.
C. restored many common pastimes. D. revived spying as a profession.
42. Donovans story is mentioned in the text to
A. introduce the topic of online spying.B. show how he fought for the U.S.
C. give an episode of the information war. D. honor his unique services to the CIA.
43. The phrase “making the biggest splash”（line 1,paragraph 3）most probably means
A. causing the biggest trouble. B. exerting the greatest effort.
C. achieving the greatest success. D. enjoying the widest popularity.
44. It can be learned from paragraph 4 that
A. Straitfords prediction about Ukraine has proved true.
B. Straitford guarantees the truthfulness of its information.
C. Straitfords business is characterized by unpredictability.
D. Straitford is able to provide fairly reliable information.
45. Straitford is most proud of its
A. official status. B. nonconformist image.
C. efficient staff. D. military background.
Text 2
To paraphrase 18thcentury statesman Edmund Burke,“all that is needed for the triumph of a misguided cause is that good people do nothing.” One such cause now seeks to end biomedical research because of the theory that animals have rights ruling out their use in research. Scientists need to respond forcefully to animal rights advocates, whose arguments are confusing the public and thereby threatening advances in health knowledge and care. Leaders of the animal rights movement target biomedical research because it depends on public funding, and few people understand the process of health care research. Hearing allegations of cruelty to animals in research settings, many are perplexed that anyone would deliberately harm an animal.
For example, a grandmotherly woman staffing an animal rights booth at a recent street fair was distributing a brochure that encouraged readers not to use anything that opposed immunizations, she wanted to know if vaccines come from animal research. When assured that they do, she replied,“Then I would have to say yes.” Asked what will happen when epidemics return, she said,“Dont worry, scientists will find some way of using computers.” Such wellmeaning people just dons understand.
Scientists must communicate their message to the public in a compassionate, understandable wayin human terms, not in the language of molecular biology. We need to make clear the connection between animal research and a grandmothers hip replacement, a fathers bypass operation, a babys vaccinations, and even a pets shots. To those who are unaware that animal research was needed to produce these treatments, as well as new treatments and vaccines, animal research seems wasteful at best and cruel at worst.
Much can be done. Scientists could “adopt” middle school classes and present their own research. They should be quick to respond to letters to the editor, lest animal rights misinformation go unchallenged and acquire a deceptive appearance of truth. Research institutions could be opened to tours, to show that laboratory animals receive humane care. Finally, because the ultimate stakeholders are patients, the health research community should actively recruit to its cause not only wellknown personalities such as Stephen Cooper, who has made courageous statements about the value of animal research, but all who receive medical treatment. If good people do nothing there is a real possibility that an uninformed citizenry will extinguish the precious embers of medical progress.
46. The author begins his article with Edmund Burkes words to
A. call on scientists to take some actions.
B. criticize the misguided cause of animal rights.
C. warn of the doom of biomedical research.
D. show the triumph of the animal rights movement.
47. Misled people tend to think that using an animal in research is
A. cruel but natural. B. inhuman and unacceptable.
C. inevitable but vicious. D. pointless and wasteful.
48. The example of the grandmotherly woman is used to show the publics
A. discontent with animal research. B. ignorance about medical science.
C. indifference to epidemics. D. anxiety about animal rights.
49. The author believes that, in face of the challenge from animal rights advocates, scientists should
A. communicate more with the public. B. employ hitech means in research.
C. feel no shame for their cause. D. strive to develop new cures.
50. From the text we learn that Stephen Cooper is
A. a wellknown humanist. B. a medical practitioner.
C. an enthusiast in animal rights. D. a supporter of animal research.
Text 3
In recent years, railroads have been combining with each other, merging into super systems, causing heightened concerns about monopoly. As recently as 1995,the top four railroads accounted for under 70 percent of the total tonmiles moved by rails. Next year, after a series of mergers is completed, just four railroads will control well over 90 percent of all the freight moved by major rail carriers.
Supporters of the new super systems argue that these mergers will allow for substantial cost reductions and better coordinated service. Any threat of monopoly, they argue, is removed by fierce competition from trucks. But many shippers complain that for heavy bulk commodities traveling long distances, such as coal, chemicals, and grain, trucking is too costly and the railroads therefore have them by the throat.
The vast consolidation within the rail industry means that most shippers are served by only one rail company. Railroads typically charge such “captive” shippers 20 to 30 percent more than they do when another railroad is competing for the business. Shippers who feel they are being overcharged have the right to appeal to the federal governments Surface Transportation Board for rate relief, but the process is expensive, time consuming, and will work only in truly extreme cases.
Railroads justify rate discrimination against captive shippers on the grounds that in the long run it reduces everyones cost. If railroads charged all customers the same average rate, they argue, shippers who have the option of switching to trucks or other forms of transportation would do so, leaving remaining customers to shoulder the cost of keeping up the line. Its theory to which many economists subscribe, but in practice it often leaves railroads in the position of determining which companies will flourish and which will fail. “Do we really want railroads to be the arbiters of who wins and who loses in the marketplace?” asks Martin Bercovici, a Washington lawyer who frequently represents shipper.
Many captive shippers also worry they will soon be hit with a round of huge rate increases. The railroad industry as a whole, despite its brightening fortuning fortunes, still does not earn enough to cover the cost of the capital it must invest to keep up with its surging traffic. Yet railroads continue to borrow billions to acquire one another, with Wall Street cheering them on. Consider the 10.2 billion bid by Norfolk Southern and CSX to acquire Conrail this year. Conrails net railway operating income in 1996 was just 427 million, less than half of the carrying costs of the transaction. Whos going to pay for the rest of the bill? Many captive shippers fear that they will, as Norfolk Southern and CSX increase their grip on the market.
51. According to those who support mergers railway monopoly is unlikely because
A. cost reduction is based on competition.
B. services call for crosstrade coordination.
C. outside competitors will continue to exist.
D. shippers will have the railway by the throat.
52. What is many captive shippers attitude towards the consolidation in the rail industry?
A. Indifferent. B. Supportive.
C. Indignant. D. Apprehensive.
53. It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that
A. shippers will be charged less without a rival railroad.
B. there will soon be only one railroad company nationwide.
C. overcharged shippers are unlikely to appeal for rate relief.
D. a government board ensures fair play in railway business.
54. The word “arbiters”（line 7,paragraph 4）most probably refers to those
A. who work as coordinators. B. who function as judges.
C. who supervise transactions. D. who determine the price.
55. According to the text, the cost increase in the rail industry is mainly caused by
A. the continuing acquisition. B. the growing traffic.
C. the cheering Wall Street. D. the shrinking market.
Text 4
It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional small wonder. Americans life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a 30minuts surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population a quality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. But not even a great healthcare system can cure death — and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours.
Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solved. Shielded by thirdparty payers from the cost of our care, we demand everything that can possibly be done for us, even if its useless. The most obvious example is latestage cancer care. Physicians — frustrated by their inability to cure the disease and fearing loss of hope in the patient — too often offer aggressive treatment far beyond what is scientifically justified.
In1950, the U.S. spent 1.27 billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be 154 billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age — say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and infirm “have a duty to die and get out of the way”, so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential.
I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78,Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53.Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor is in her 70s,and former surgeon general C. Everett Koop chairs an Internet startup in his 80s.These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68yearold,I wish to age as productively as they have.
Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. As a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be over funding the quest for unlikely cures while under funding research on humbler therapies that could improve peoples lives.
56. What is implied in the first sentence?
A. Americans are better prepared for death than other people.
B. Americans enjoy a higher life quality than ever before.
C. Americans are overconfident of their medical technology.
D. Americans take a vain pride in their long life expectancy.
57. The author uses the example of caner patients to show that
A. medical resources are often wasted.
B. doctors are helpless against fatal diseases.
C. some treatments are too aggressive.
D. medical costs are becoming unaffordable.
58. The authors attitude to ward Richard Lamms remark is one of
A. strong disapproval. B. reserved consent.
C. slight contempt. D. enthusiastic support.
59. In contrast to the U.S., Japan and Sweden are funding their medical care
A. more flexibly. B. more extravagantly.
C. more cautiously. D. more reasonably.
60. The text intends to express the idea that
A. medicine will further prolong peoples lives.
B. life beyond a certain limit is not worth living.
C. death should be accepted as a fact of life.
D. excessive demands increase the cost of health care.
41. 【B】问题是：网络的出现
文章第一段最后一句，简化后便是 “Net is reshaping Donovans vocation.” 句中 “reshape” 和B项中的 “remold” 属同义词，在句中意思是翻新。 “Donovans vocation”在上下文中指的也正是前句所提到的 “spying as a profession” 和 “great game of espionage” 这又与B项中的 “intelligent service”是一个意思，故选B。文章第一段第一句用的是虚拟语气, 这表明Bill Donovan 在Internet 问世前就已经去世了,故不能选A; C项内容只是对Net 附带的描绘，不是作者要讲关于它出现的主要意图; D 项中用了 “revive” 这个词, 但常识告诉我们,间*这一行从问世以来,一直就没有中停过,又何谈 “revive”？
42. 【A】问题是：在文中Donovan 故事的提起,是用来
Donovan这个名字在作者展开文章后,就从此消失。 很显然作者提到他的目的是引导读者接触到本文的主要话题,即on line spying。C、B项文章没有提到；D项内容不是文章重点。
43. 【C】问题是：文章第三段第一行中 “making the biggest splash” 的意思有可能是
文章在谈过“net spying” 这一行业在美国欣欣向荣后，第三段第一句作者讲到 “Among the firms making the biggest splash in the new world is Straitford.”。 这句话到底是什么意思？下一句——“Straitford makes money by selling the results of spying”。可见，“making the biggest splash” 和 “making money” 在上下文中指的是同一个意思。这也正是C项内容（achieving the greatest success）。
文章最后一段讲到Straitford以他独立的声音而自豪。而这 “independent voice” 是与前句中 “usual Washington back and forth”形成对比，来显示Straitford 的 “unusual”。这与B项 内容相符。Nonconformist的意思是“不遵守常规者”。
Wild Bill Donovan应该会爱上网络。这位在二战期间建立了战略业务部，并且随后为中央情报局打下根基的美国间*头子总是为信息所神往。Donovan坚信在谍报（间*作为职业）活动中，应当运用任何可利用的（来进行谍报活动）。如今的网络，不仅再造了像买书和发邮件这样的消遣，也正在翻新Donovan的老本行。
Straitford，一个在得克萨斯Austin的情报分析公司,是在这个新兴行业中取得巨大成功的公司之一。Straitford通过将获得的情报（覆盖面从Chile到Russia）卖给像McDermott International 这样的能源服务公司来赚钱。它的许多预报都可以从www.straitford.com 上得到。
Edmaund 的这句话意思是 “一个造就愚蠢的事业胜利所需的，正是人们对它的开始无动于衷。”紧接着，下一句作者便指出 “one such cause”正在试图结束生物医学的研究。很明显，作者在文章开头引用名言，一是为了吸引读者注意，更重要的是呼吁科学家们对现今的这个 “one such cause”马上采取行动，即A项内容
文章第二段作者举老奶奶的例子来说明上段中提到很多人受了误导是因为“few people understand the process of health care research”(第一段第六～七行)。这个例子非常有趣，讲的是一个老奶奶发传单，鼓励人们不要接受任何和动物研究有关的免疫注射。当问到如果流行病又开始蔓延怎么办，她回答说：“不用担心，科学家们会通过电脑找到办法的。”对于这个例子，作者感叹道：“such wellmeaning people just dont understand.”。这个例子充分说明了大众对医学研究还缺乏认识，即B项内容。
有很多可以做。科学家们可以借用中学课堂来展示他们的研究。他们应当及时回复报编的来信，以免动物权利保护者的使人受误导的信息，逃脱人们的视线，从而披上“真理”的外衣。研究所也可以为游人开放，证明实验室的动物是受到人道的对待。最后，因为事情最终关系到病人，健康研究应当主动积极地吸收到Stephen Cooper 这样的名人，他就动物研究的价值发表了鼓舞人心的声明。如果我们还是无动于衷，那么不了解情况的大众将很有可能扑灭医学进步上宝贵的余烬。
文章第四段第六行也就是 “arbiters” 出现的那行的前一行，作者讲到在实际操作中，铁路货运所处的地位决定了哪个公司的兴或亡（in the position of determining）。对于这种局势，Martin Berocovici 问了这样一个问题：“我们真的希望他们成为决定市场上谁胜谁负的arbiters吗？” 很显然，无论 “arbiter”是什么样的人，他一定是 “in the position of determining”, 即与B项内容相同。
55. 【A】问题是：根据文章铁路货运投资成本的提高是由于
文章最后一段2至3行作者指出铁路货运产业总体上来说，虽然有着他光辉的业绩，但他的盈利仍跟不上收购和合并所需的成本投资。第三行中的 “keep up with its surging traffic” 在上下文中指的正是下句中提到的铁道货运不断地 “acquire one another”。很明显，投资成本的提高，是由 “continues acquisition” 直接造成的，即A项内容。
文章第二段第四行作者讲到 “its useless”。而 “it” 所指的正是同句中的 “everything that can possibly done”( 一切可行的办法)。而对这 “everything”的支持，又是来自于美国健康医疗体制。可见，作者举这个晚期癌症病人的意图是用来说明事实上一部分的医疗开销是 “useless”，这与A项中的 “wasted” 在上下文中同义。
58. 【B】问题是：作者对于Richard Lamm所说的态度是
文章第三段是第二段的延伸，作者继续举例说明政府在健康医疗上的开销过于庞大。随后，在本段末，作者引用了前科罗拉多州州长Richard Lamm 对于这个问题的看法。他说， “老弱病残的应该有死的责任，不要挡在路上，这样更年轻更健康的才可以实现他们的潜力。” 对于Richard 粗糙的发言，作者讲道: “I would not go that far.”。接着列出许多高龄并且对社会做出巨大贡献的人。表明作者不完全同意州长所说的。B项 “reserved consent”,带保留性的同意，符合作者本意。
59. 【D】问题是：和美国不同, 日本和瑞典医护拨款
文章最后一段作者指出，任何社会中，在这方面（指health and care）所花销的应该有个节制。作为一个医护人员，作者深知昂贵和戏剧性医疗措施的后果有时是无效甚至痛苦的。日本和瑞典作为正面的例子，证明了要使一个国家的人民过得更长、更健康生活的关键，不在于这个国家在医护方面开销的大小。这也暗示了日本和瑞典在 “medical care”上的拨款是科学合理的, 即D项内容。
60. 【C】问题是：文章试图表达的观点是
文章第一段作者便暗示了美国在健康医疗体制上巨大花费的原因还是“our failure to confront that reality(death)”。接着作者陈述了自己的（也就是文章要表达的）观点—— “death is normal”，死亡是正常的，他也是生命的一部分，即C项内容。A项与文章呈现观点相反，B项不是作者观点，D项是现象，而问题问的是本质。