The prt Chin __________ in the world now __________ by mny countries.plys; is widely prise

The United Nations published a report that was called "The State of World Population". It shows that the growth rate of world population. will actually go down in the next ten years. The growth rate will fall from the present 1.8% to a rate of about 1.6% by the end of this century. But the report also points out that problems of food, health care, housing care, housing, jobs and schools will get worse unless we do something about the situation.

Why is this? Although the total growth rate of the world population will decrease(下降), in some countries there will be a big rise in the population. More people will be born in Third World countries than in the richer Northern countries. So the population will grow faster in poor countries; and the problems in these countries will be very serious. This is because the family is more likely to survive(幸存) if there are a lot of children to work for the members who become old or who cannot find work. A survey of the UN also shows that the growth rate is low where there is a higher level of income, better education, more health care and better living conditions. In this aspect, government plays an important role. So, the conclusion of the UN report is: "Look after the people and the population will look after itself."

What can we learn about the growth rate of population?

A．The total growth rate of world population will increase.

B．The growth rate of population in richer countries will increase.

C．The growth rate of population in poor countries will increase.

D．The total growth rate in American countries will increase.

A new international study shows that six people die every minute from smoking. That equals 3 million deaths around the world every year. If the present rate (率)of smoking continues, the number of deaths each year from smoking could rise to 10 million by the year 2020.

The study describes smoking as the biggest cause to deadly diseases among grown-ups in industrial countries. So far most of the smoking deaths have happened on men, especially in developing countries.

A researcher at the World Health Organization says 70% of Chinese men smoke more than 15 cigarettes each day. In Latin America about 50% of the men are smokers. There also is a very large number of smokers in the former Soviet Union(苏联)and in the east Europe. And 25% of all smoking deaths worldwide are in those areas of the world. Scientists say smoking will kill 50% of the countries.

Smoking is known to cause lung cancer. It also can lead to cancer of the mouth and other parts of bodies. Smokers are more likely than non-smokers to suffer from heart disease.

Experts say that people reduce their chance of dying from smoking if they stop smoking completely. They say smokers who give up smoking can improve their health.

The main idea of this passage is that ______.

A．we must give up smoking

B．smoking causes lung caner

C．smoking does harm to health

D．men like smoking much more than women

Part A

Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points)

A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It is all translated to a fundamental change in the way we work. Already we've partly been there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth of the economic transformation can't be measured by numbers alone, because it is also giving rise to a radical new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held notions about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers—all these are being changed.

We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which d single invention, the chip(芯片), would transform. our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrow's achievements in biotechnology, artificial Intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more vital, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant. It will be the way you do your job.

A characteristic of the information age is that______

A．the service industry is relying more and more on the female work force

B．manufacturing industries are steadily increasing

C．people find it harder to earn a living by working in factories

D．most of the job opportunities can now be found in service industry

Just as human history has been shaped by the rise and fall of successive empires, so the computer industry has, in the few decades of its existence, been dominated by one large company after another. During the mainframe. era, IBM wore the crown. But it fumbled the transition to smaller machines in the personal-computer era, and the throne was usurped by Microsoft. Now, at the dawn of the new era of Internet services, Google is widely seen as the heir to the kingdom. As the upstart has matured into a powerful industry giant, the suggestion that "Google is the new Microsoft" has become commonplace in computing circles. Is it true?

The comparison is both a compliment and a reproach. It is a compliment because it implies that Google has now become the company that defines the environment in which other technology firms operate, just as IBM and Microsoft once did. As with Microsoft in its heyday, Google is the technology firm where the smartest geeks aspire to work; it embodies the technological zeitgeist; and it is a highly regarded company that has become a household name. But the comparison is also a reproach, because it highlights growing concern that Google is now powerful for its own good, or that of the industry, or indeed that of the world at large.

For many people, Google provides the front door to the internet. For many online businesses, their position in its search ranking—the workings of which are a closely guarded secret—is a matter of life or death. Too much power is thus concentrated in Google's hands, say critics, including Microsoft's Bill Gates. Microsoft and other big internet firms, including eBay, Amazon and Yahoo!, are now said to be negotiating various alliances in order to provide a counterweight to the new behemoth. Smaller firms feel even more vulnerable. As soon as Google says it is moving into a particular market, small fry in that market now dart for cover, unless they are lucky enough to be acquired by Google.

Yet there are some crucial ways in which Google differs from Microsoft. For a start, it is a far more innovative company, and its use of small, flexible teams has so far allowed it to remain innovative even as it has grown. Microsoft, in contrast, has stagnated as a result of its size and dominance. It is least innovative in the markets in which it faces the least competition—operating system, office software and web browser—though it is, curiously, still capable of innovating in markets in which it has strong rivals (notably video gaming).

More important, however, are the differences that suggest that Google will not be able to establish an IBM—or—Microsoft-style. lock on the industry. IBM's dominance was based on its ownership of the proprietary hardware and software of its mainframe. computers. In the PC era hardware became commodity and Microsoft established a lucrative monopoly centered on its proprietary operating system, Windows. But in the new era of internet services, open standards predominate, rivals are always just a click away, and there is far less scope for companies to establish a proprietary lock-in.

Try to avoid using Microsoft's software for a day, particularly if you work in an office, and you will have difficulty; but surviving a day without Google is relatively easy. It has strong competitors in all the markets in which it operates: search, online advertising, mapping, software services, and so on. Large firms such as Yahoo!, which previously farmed searches out to Google, have switched to other technologies. Google's market share in search has fallen from a high of around 80% to around 50% today. Perhaps the clearest evidence that Google's continued dominance is not inevitable in the fate of Alta Vista, the former top dog in internet search. Who remembers it to today?

Without a proprietary lock-in to protect its dominant position, Google will have to work hard to stay on top. And that, ultimately, is where the co

A．Google dominates the online business and plays a vital role in the market.

B．Too much power is concentrated in Google's hands.

C．Google can decide the life and death of Microsoft and other big internet firms.

D．Google exerts great pressure on its rivals.

第二篇

A new international study shows that six people die every minute from smoking. That equals 3 million deaths around the world every year. If the present rate (率)of smoking continues, the number of deaths each year from smoking could rise to 10 million by the year 2020.

The study describes smoking as the biggest cause to deadly diseases among grown-ups in industrial countries. So far most of the smoking deaths have happened on men, especially in developing countries.

A researcher at the World Health Organization says 70% of Chinese men smoke more than 15 cigarettes each day. In Latin America about 50% of the men are smokers. There also is a very large number of smokers in the former Soviet Union(苏联)and in the east Europe. And 25% of all smoking deaths worldwide are in those areas of the world. Scientists say smoking will kill 50% of the countries.

Smoking is known to cause lung cancer. It also can lead to cancer of the mouth and other parts of bodies. Smokers are more likely than non-smokers to suffer from heart disease.

Experts say that people reduce their chance of dying from smoking if they stop smoking completely. They say smokers who give up smoking can improve their health.

The main idea of this passage is that ______.

A. we must give up smoking

B. smoking causes lung caner

C. smoking does harm to health

D. men like smoking much more than women

On cold days in Delhi, the poor light bonfires (篝火) of tyres, trees and rags whose fumes mix with the exhaust from the citys 2 million vehicles to form. a thick smog. On most days in Mexico City, a blanket of pollution cuts off views of the surrounding mountains. On one famous occasion it got so bad that birds fell dead out of the sky on to the Zocalo, the citys main square. Throughout the developing world, smogs in many big cities are getting worse as more people use cars and more manufacturing firms are belching out (喷出) pollution. Congestion is on the rise, too- according to one estimate, a car in Bangkok now spends the equivalent of 40 days a year stuck in traffic. The air in Asias cities, like the water in its rivers, is particularly unhealthy, containing levels of dust and smoke several times higher than in the rich countries cities. Environmentalists in the developed world also worry about air pollution in poorer countries, not just out of the goodness of their hearts but because they fear it may affect their own backyard. Carbon-dioxide emissions, thought to be the cause of global warming, are growing particularly fast in developing countries. So are emissions of sulphur dioxide, blamed for acid rain, which sometimes falls hundreds of miles from the source of the pollution. But the harm that air pollution causes in the developing countries themselves is much more serious and immediate. The biggest concern are indoor air pollution, lead emissions and small particles. Indoor pollution in poor countries is not much talked about, but it is often as damaging to health as smoking cigarettes. Around a third of all energy consumed in developing countries comes from wood, crop residues and dung, which are often burnt in poorly designed stoves within ill-ventilated (通风很差的) huts. Studies of women in India and Nepal exposed to smoke from such fuels show that their death rates from chronic respiratory disease are similar to those of heavy smokers. Lead has long been known to be dangerous in large doses. But only since the 1970s have scientists been aware that relatively small quantities of lead in the bloodstream can be harmful to humans. In particular, many studies show a correlation between levels of lead in childrens blood and lower IQ scores, hearing loss and hyperactivity (活动过度). But the kind of air pollution thought to cause the most damage to human health in developing countries is that from small particles. Caused by vehicle exhausts, coal-burning smoke from factories and dust stirred up by vehicles, these particles easily find their way into peoples lungs. Studies the world over have shown a strong positive correlation between small particles in the air and death rates.

The first paragraph is engaged in______.

A．describing several world famous cities in developing countries

B．illustrating the seriousness of environmental problems in developing countries

C．drawing a picture about the seriously polluted future world

D．comparing the pollution problems in developed and developing countries

A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It is all translated to a fundamental change in the way we work. Already we've partly been there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many or these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth of the economic transformation can't be measured by numbers alone, because it is also giving rise to a radical new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held notions about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers—all these are being changed.

We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip (集成电路), would transform. our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrow's achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more vital, and the people who possess it, whether .they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant It will be the way you do your job.

A characteristic of the information age is that ______.

A．the service industry is relying more and more on the female work force

B．manufacturing industries are steadily increasing

C．people find it harder to earn a living by working in factories

D．most of the job opportunities can now be found in service industry

Section B

Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D.

听力原文： The United Nations published a report that was called "The State of World Population". It shows that the growth rate of world population will actually go down in the next ten years. The growth rate will fall from the present 18% to a rate of about 16% by the end of this century. But the report also points out that problems of food, health care, housing care, housing, jobs and schools will get worse unless we do something about the situation.

Why is this? Although the total growth rate of the world population will decrease in some countries there will be a big rise in the population. More people will be born in Third World countries than in the richer Northern countries. So the population will grow faster in poor countries; and the problems in these countries will be very serious. This is because the family is more likely to survive if there are a lot of children to work for the members who become old or who cannot find work. A survey of the United Nations also shows that the growth rate is low where there is a higher level of income, better education, more health care and better living conditions. In this aspect, government plays an important role. So, the conclusion of the United Nations report is: "Look after the people and the population will look after itself."

(27)

A．The total growth rate of world population will increase.

B．The growth rate of population in richer countries will increase.

C．The growth rate of population in poor countries will increase.

D．The total growth rate in American countries will increase.

The rise of multinational corporations (跨国公司), global marketing, new communications technologies, and shrinking cultural differences have led to an unparalleled increase in global public relations or PR.

Surprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, the U. S. leadership in public relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries. Ten years ago, for example, the world's top five public relations agencies were American-owned. In 1991, only one was. The British in particular are becoming ore sophisticated and creative. A recent survey found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate (公司的) planning activities, compared to about one-third of U. S. companies, It may not be long before London replaces New York as the capital of PR.

Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? First, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs. Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country. Secondly, Americans lag behind their European and Asian counterparts (相对应的人) in knowing a second language. Less than 5 percent of Burson-Marshall's U. S. employees know two languages. Ogilvy and Mather has about the same percentage conversely, some European firms have half or more of their employees fluent in a second language. Finally, people involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs. In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal. Overseas, their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist, publications not often read in this country.

Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN(Cable News Network). Turner recently announced that the word "foreign" would no longer be used on CNN news broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependent that there is no longer any such thing as foreign.

According to the passage, U. S. leadership in public relations is being threatened because ______ .

A．an unparalleled increase in the number of public relations companies

B．shrinking cultural differences and new communications technologies

C．the decreasing number of multinational corporations in the U. S.

D．increased efforts of other countries in public relations