Ⅲ.Reading Comprehension(20 points,2 points for each)
從下列每篇短文的問題后所給的四個選擇項中選出一個答案，并寫在答題紙相應(yīng)的位置上。
Passage One
Questions 21 to 23 are based on the following passage.
Insurance is the sharing of risks.Nearly everybody is
exposed to risk of some sort.The houseowner,for
example,knows that his property can be damaged by
fire;the shipowner knows that his vessel may be lost at
sea;the breadwinner knows that he may die at an early
age and leave his family the poorer.On the other
hand,not every house is damaged by fire nor every vessel
lost at sea.If these persons each put a small sum
into a pool( 集合資金),there will be enough to meet the needs
of the few who do suffer loss.In other
words,the losses of the few are met from the contributions of
the many.This is the basis of insurance.
The premium for an insurance naturally depends upon how likely
the risk is to happen,as suggested by
past experience.If companies fix their premium too high,there
will be more competition in the branch of
insurance and they may lose business.On the other hand,if they
make the premium too low,they will lose
money and may even have to drop out of business.So the ordinary
forces of supply and demand keep
premiums at a level satisfactory to both the insurer and the insured.
21.According to the writer,insurance is possible because _______.
A. everyone at some time suffers loss
B. only a small proportion of the insured suffer loss
C. nearly everyone suffers loss
D. only insured people suffer loss
22.The word “premium"(in Paragraph 2) means _______.
A. the pool that the insurance buyers put their money into
B. the amount of money the insurance company pays to the insured
C. the amount of money that the insured should pay to the company
D. the amount of money that is caused by the risk
23.Which of the following statements is true according to the article?
A. Not all people can buy insurance policies.
B. Risks of all kinds can be covered by insurance.
C. There is intense competition among insurance companies.
D. Insurance companies do not know how likely the risks are to happen.
Passage Two
Questions 24 to 26 are based on the following passage.
It is difficult to imagine what life would be like without memory.
The meanings of thousands of
everyday perceptions( 感知),the basis for the decisions we make,
and the roots of our habits and skills are to
be found in our past experiences.And these experiences are brought
into the present by memory.
Memory can be defined as the capacity to keep information available
for later use.It includes not only
“remembering" things like words and historical facts,but also involves
any change in the way an animal
typically behaves.Memory is involved when a rat gives up eating grain
because he has smelled something
suspicious(可疑的) in the grain pile.Memory is also involved when a six
year old child learns to hit a
baseball.
Memory exists not only in humans and animals but also in some
physical objects and
machines.Computers,for example,contain devices for storing data for
later use.It is interesting to compare
the memory-storage( 貯藏) capacity of a computer with that of a human
being.The instant access memory
of a large computer may hold up to 100 000 “words"－ready for instant
use.An average U.S. teenager
probably recognizes the meaning of about 100 000 words of English.
However,this is but a small amount of
the information which the teenager has stored.Consider,for example,
the number of faces and places that the
teenager can recognize at sight.
從下列每篇短文的問題后所給的四個選擇項中選出一個答案，并寫在答題紙相應(yīng)的位置上。
Passage One
Questions 21 to 23 are based on the following passage.
Insurance is the sharing of risks.Nearly everybody is
exposed to risk of some sort.The houseowner,for
example,knows that his property can be damaged by
fire;the shipowner knows that his vessel may be lost at
sea;the breadwinner knows that he may die at an early
age and leave his family the poorer.On the other
hand,not every house is damaged by fire nor every vessel
lost at sea.If these persons each put a small sum
into a pool( 集合資金),there will be enough to meet the needs
of the few who do suffer loss.In other
words,the losses of the few are met from the contributions of
the many.This is the basis of insurance.
The premium for an insurance naturally depends upon how likely
the risk is to happen,as suggested by
past experience.If companies fix their premium too high,there
will be more competition in the branch of
insurance and they may lose business.On the other hand,if they
make the premium too low,they will lose
money and may even have to drop out of business.So the ordinary
forces of supply and demand keep
premiums at a level satisfactory to both the insurer and the insured.
21.According to the writer,insurance is possible because _______.
A. everyone at some time suffers loss
B. only a small proportion of the insured suffer loss
C. nearly everyone suffers loss
D. only insured people suffer loss
22.The word “premium"(in Paragraph 2) means _______.
A. the pool that the insurance buyers put their money into
B. the amount of money the insurance company pays to the insured
C. the amount of money that the insured should pay to the company
D. the amount of money that is caused by the risk
23.Which of the following statements is true according to the article?
A. Not all people can buy insurance policies.
B. Risks of all kinds can be covered by insurance.
C. There is intense competition among insurance companies.
D. Insurance companies do not know how likely the risks are to happen.
Passage Two
Questions 24 to 26 are based on the following passage.
It is difficult to imagine what life would be like without memory.
The meanings of thousands of
everyday perceptions( 感知),the basis for the decisions we make,
and the roots of our habits and skills are to
be found in our past experiences.And these experiences are brought
into the present by memory.
Memory can be defined as the capacity to keep information available
for later use.It includes not only
“remembering" things like words and historical facts,but also involves
any change in the way an animal
typically behaves.Memory is involved when a rat gives up eating grain
because he has smelled something
suspicious(可疑的) in the grain pile.Memory is also involved when a six
year old child learns to hit a
baseball.
Memory exists not only in humans and animals but also in some
physical objects and
machines.Computers,for example,contain devices for storing data for
later use.It is interesting to compare
the memory-storage( 貯藏) capacity of a computer with that of a human
being.The instant access memory
of a large computer may hold up to 100 000 “words"－ready for instant
use.An average U.S. teenager
probably recognizes the meaning of about 100 000 words of English.
However,this is but a small amount of
the information which the teenager has stored.Consider,for example,
the number of faces and places that the
teenager can recognize at sight.