Example 5 (2000)

　　By the mid-1980s Americans had found themselves at a loss over their fading industrial competitiveness. Some huge American industries, such as consumer electronics, had shrunk or vanished in the face of foreign competition. By 1987 there was only one American television maker left, Zenith. (Now there is none: Zenith was bought by South Korea’s LG Electronics in July.) Foreign-made cars and textiles were sweeping into the domestic market.

　　52. The loss of U.S. predominance in the world economy in the 1980s is manifested in the fact that the American __________.

　　[A] TV industry had withdrawn to its domestic market

　　[B] Semiconductor industry had been taken over by foreign enterprises

　　[C] Machine-tool industry had collapsed after suicidal actions

　　[D] Auto industry had lost part of its domestic market

　　Example 6 (2005)

　　Fortunately, the White House is starting to pay attention. But it’s obvious that a majority of the president’s advisers still don’t take global warming seriously. Instead of a plan of action, they continue to press for more research—a classis case of paralysis by analysis”.

　　What does the author mean by “paralysis by analysis” (Last line, paragraph 4)?

　　A) Endless studies kill action.

　　B) Careful investigation reveals truth.

　　C) Prudent planning hinders.

　　D) Extensive research helps decision-making.

　　Example 7 (2004)

　　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.

　　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.

　　Example 8 (2004)

　　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.

　　49. What does the author mean by “most people are literally having a ZZZ”?

　　[A] They are getting impatient.

　　[B] They are noisily dozing off.

　　[C] They are feeling humiliated.

　　[D] They are busy with word puzzles.

　　Example 9 (2003)

　　In recent years, railroads have been combining with each other, merging into supersystems, causing heightened concerns about monopoly. As recently as 1995, the top four railroads accounted for under 70 percent of the total ton-miles 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 supersystems 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 government’s 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 everyone’s 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. It’s a 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 shippers.

　　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 fortunes, still does not earn enough 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. Conrail’s net railway operating income in 1996 was just $427 million, less than half of the carrying costs of the transaction. Who’s 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.

　　62.What is many captive shippers’ attitude towards the consolidation in the rail industry?

　　[A] Indifferent.

　　[B] Supportive.

　　[C] Indignant.

　　[D] Apprehensive.

　　64.The word “arbiters” (line 6, 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.

　　Example 10 (1996)

　　Rumor has it that more than 20 books on creationism/evolution are in the publisher’s pipelines. A few have already appeared. The goal of all will be to try to explain to a confused and often unenlightened citizenry that there are not two equally valid scientific theories for the origin and evolution of universe and life. Cosmology, geology, and biology have provided a consistent, unified, and constantly improving account of what happened. “Scientific” creationism, which is being pushed by some for “equal time” in the classrooms whenever the scientific accounts of evolution are given, is based on religion, not science. Virtually all scientists and the majority of nonfundamentalist religious leaders have come to regard “scientific” creationism as bad science and bad religion.

　　The first four chapters of Kitcher’s book give a very brief introduction to evolution. At appropriate places, he introduces the criticisms of the creationists and provides answers. In the last three chapters, he takes off his gloves and gives the creationists a good beating. He describes their programmes and tactics, and, for those unfamiliar with the ways of creationists, the extent of their deception and distortion may come as an unpleasant surprise. When their basic motivation is religious, one might have expected more Christian behavior.

　　Kitcher is a philosopher, and this may account, in part, for the clarity and effectiveness of his arguments. The nonspecialist will be able to obtain at least a notion of the sorts of data and argument that support evolutionary theory. The final chapters on the creationists will be extremely clear to all. On the dust jacket of this fine book, Stephen Jay Gould says: “This book stands for reason itself.” And so it does—and all would be well were reason the only judge in the creationism/evolution debate.

　　67. “Creationism” in the passage refers to __________.

　　[A] evolution in its true sense as to the origin of the universe

　　[B] a notion of the creation of religion

　　[C] the scientific explanation of the earth formation

　　[D] the deceptive theory about the origin of the universe

　　Tomorrow never comes.