2009年11月北京成人英语三级考试B卷试题及答案

　　Part I Reading Comprehension (30%)

　　Directions: There are three passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice and blacken the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet。

　　Passage 1

　　Questions I to 5 are based on the following passage:

　　The fourth-graders at Chicago's McCormick Elementary School don't know Chinese is supposed to be hard to learn. For most, who speak Spanish at home, it's becoming their third language. They've been hearing and using Chinese words since nursery, and it's natural to give a "ni hao" when strangers enter the classroom, “It's really fun!” says Miranda Lucas, taking a break from a lesson that includes a Chinese interview with Jackie Chan. “I'm teaching my mom to speak Chinese。”

　　The classroom scene at McCormick is unusual, but it may soon be a common phenomenon in American schools, where Chinese is rapidly becoming the hot new language. Government officials have long wanted more focus on useful languages like Chinese, and pressure from them — as well as from business leaders, politicians, and parents — has produced a quick growth in the number of programs。

　　Chicago city officials make their best effort to include Chinese in their public schools. Their program has grown to include 3,000 students in 20 schools, with more schools on a waiting list. Programs have also spread to places like Los Angeles, New York City, and North Carolina. Supporters see knowledge of the Chinese language and culture as an advantage in a global economy where China is growing in importance. “This is an interesting way to begin to engage with the world's next superpower,” says Michael Levine, director of education at the Asia Society, which has started five new public high schools that offer Chinese. “Globalization has already changed the arrangements in terms of how children today are going to think about their careers. The question is when, not whether, the schools are going to adjust”

　　(76) The number of students learning Chinese is tiny compared with how many study Spanish or French. But one report shows that before-college enrollment (报名人数) nearly quadrupled between 1992 and 2002, from 6,000 to 24,000. Despite the demand, though, developing programs isn't easy. And the No. one difficulty, everyone agrees, is having enough teachers. Finding teacher "is the challenge," says Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser for a language institute and a Chinese teacher for 15 years at the college level. "Materials are easy in comparison. Or getting schools funded."

　　1. The best title for this passage might be ______。

　　A. Next Hot Language to Study: Chinese

　　B. Next Hot Language to Study: Spanish

　　C. Next Hot Language to Study: French

　　D. Chicago Is the Place to Learn Chinese

　　2. The most difficult thing to do is finding ______。

　　A. enough textbooks for the Chinese programs

　　B. enough money for the Chinese programs

　　C. enough teachers for the Chinese programs

　　D. enough students for the Chinese programs

　　3. We learn from the passage that ______。

　　A. Scott McGinnis has been a Chinese teacher for 15 years

　　B. Jackie Chan is a Chinese teacher at McCormick Elementary School

　　C. Chicago officials are required to learn Chinese

　　D. Scott McGinnis is good at giving his opinions on everything

　　4. According to the passage, all the following statements are true EXCEPT______。

　　A. the number of students learning Chinese is small

　　B. Chinese programs have found their way in several major cities in the U.S。

　　C. government officials don't like the pressure from business leaders and parents to start Chinese programs

　　D. China is becoming more and more influential in the world

　　5. The word “quadrupled” in the last paragraph is close in meaning to “multiplied by______”。

　　A. three times B. four times

　　C. five times D. six times

　　Passage 2

　　Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:

　　Many private institutions of higher education around the country are in danger. Not all will be saved, and perhaps not all deserve to be saved. There are low-quality schools just as there are low-quality businesses. We have no obligation to save them simply because they exist. But many thriving institutions that deserve to continue are threatened. They are doing a fine job educationally, but they are caught in a financial difficulty, with no way to reduce rising costs or increase revenues (收入) significantly. Raising fees doesn't bring in more revenue, for each time fees go up, the enrollment (注册人数) goes down, or the amount that must be given away in student aid goes up. (77) Schools are bad businesses, whether public or private. not usually because of bad management but because of the nature of the business. They lose money on every customer, and they can go bankrupt either from too few students or too many students. Even a very good college is a very bad business。

　　It is such colleges, thriving but threatened, that I worry about. Low enrollment is not their chief problem. Even with full enrollments, they may go under. Efforts to save them, and preferably to keep them private, are a national necessity. (78) There is no basis for arguing that private schools are bound to be better than public schools. There are plentiful examples to the contrary. Anyone can name state universities and colleges that rank as the finest in the nation and the world. It is now inevitable that public institutions will be dominant, and therefore diversity (多样性) is a national necessity. Diversity in the way we support schools tends to give us a healthy diversity in the forms of education. In an imperfect society such as ours, uniformity of education throughout the nation could be dangerous. In an imperfect society, diversity is a positive good. Eager supporters of public higher education know the importance of keeping private higher education healthy。

　　6. In the passage, the author asks the public to support _____。

　　A. private higher education in general

　　B. public higher education in general

　　C. high-quality private universities and colleges

　　D. high-quality state universities and colleges

　　7. According to the passage, schools are bad businesses because of____。

　　A. the nature of school B. poor teachers

　　C. bad management D. too few students

　　8. The phrase “go under” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to _____。

　　A. have low fees B. get into difficulties

　　C. do a bad job educationally D. have low teaching standards

　　9. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

　　A. There are many cases indicating that private schools are superior to public schools。

　　B. The author thinks diversity of education is preferable to uniformity of education。

　　C. A high-quality university is always a good business。

　　D. Each time fees are raised, the enrollment goes up。

　　10. In the author's opinion, the way that can save private schools lies in ____。。

　　A. full enrollment B. raising fees

　　C. reducing student aid D. national support

　　Passage 3

　　Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage:

　　According to a recent survey, employees in many companies today work longer hours than employees did in 1979. They also take shorter vacations than employees in 1979. It seems that Americans are working harder today than ever before. Or are they? A management consultant. Bill Meyer, decided to find out. For three days, he observed an investment banker hard at work. Meyer wrote down everything the banker did during his long workday. At the end of the three-day period, Meyer reviewed the banker's activities with him. What did they find out? They discovered that the man spent 80 percent of his time doing unnecessary work. For example, he attended unnecessary meetings, made redundant (多余的) telephone calls, and spent time packing and unpacking his two big briefcases。

　　(79) Apparently, many people believe that the more time a person spends at work. the more he or she accomplishes. When employers evaluate employees, they often consider the amount of time on the job in addition to job performance. Employees know this. Although many working people can do their job effectively during a regular 40-hour work week, they feel they have to spend more time on the job after normal working hours so that the people who can promote them see them。

　　A group of headhunters (猪头) were asked their opinion about a situation. They had a choice of two candidates for an executive position with an important company. The candidates had similar qualifications for the job. For example, they were both reliable. One could do the job well in a 40-hour work week. The other would do the same job in an 80-hour work week just as well. According to a headhunting expert, the 80-hour-a-week candidate would get the job. The time this candidate spends on the job may encourage other employees to spend more time at work, too. Employers believe that if the employees stay at work later, they may actually do more work。

　　However, the connection between time and productivity (生产率) is not always positive. (80) In fact, many studies indicate that after a certain point, anyone's productivity and creativity begin to decrease. Some employees are not willing to spend so much extra, unproductive time at the office. Once they finish their work satisfactorily, they want to relax and enjoy themselves. For these people, the solution is to find a company that encourages people to do both。

　　11. What is the main idea of this passage?

　　A. Many people work long hours but do not always do a lot of work。

　　B. Most people can get more work done by working longer hours。

　　C. Most Americans work 80 hours a week, and some work even longer。

　　D. People can make more money by working longer hours。

　　12. The management consultant wanted to find out ______。

　　A. how hard the investment banker worked during his work hours

　　B. when people spent time doing unnecessary work in their office

　　C. if people needed vacation after working hard for a certain period of time

　　D. whether Americans were really working harder than they had done before

　　13. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

　　A. The more time a person spends at work, the more he or she accomplishes。

　　B. Employers do not judge their employees' job performance according to the amount of working time。

　　C. Some people work more than 40 hours a week in the hope of getting promotion。

　　D. All employees are willing to spend extra time at work。

　　14. The 80-hour-a-week candidate would get the job because employers believe ______。

　　A. that he is more reliable

　　B. his example would lead other employees to work longer hours

　　C. he has better qualifications

　　D. he could encourage other employees to do a better job

　　15. The expression “to do both” in the last paragraph is ______。

　　A. to finish their work satisfactorily and relax and enjoy themselves

　　B. to pay attention to both performance and productivity

　　C. to work long hours and have short vacations

　　D. to relax and enjoy themselves quite frequently