Passage One
Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage:
Shortly after the war, my brother and I were invited to spend a few days’ holiday with an uncle who had just returned from abroad. He rented a cottage in the country, although he rarely spent much time there. The cottage, however, had no comfortable furniture in it, many of the windows were broken and the roof leaked, making the whole house damp.
On our first evening, we sat around the fire after supper listening to the stories our uncle had had to tell of his many adventures in distant countries. I was so tired after the long train journey that I would have preferred to go to bed, but I could not bear to miss any of my uncle’s exciting tales.
He was just in the middle of describing a rather terrifying experience he had, when there was a loud crash from the bedroom above, the one where my brother and I were going to sleep.
“It sounds as if the roof has fallen in!” shouted my uncle, with a loud laugh.
When we got to the top of the stairs and opened the bedroom door, a strange sight met our eyes. A large part of the ceiling had collapsed (), falling right on to the pillow of my bed. I was glad that I had stayed up late to listen to my uncle’s stories, otherwise I should certainly have been seriously injured, perhaps killed.
That nigh we all slept on the floor of the sitting room downstairs not wishing to risk our lives by sleeping under a roof which might at any moment collapse on our heads. We left for London the very next morning and my uncle gave up his cottage in the country. This was not the kind of adventure he cared for, either!
61. What does the writer say about his uncle during the war?
A、He made a lot of money.
B、He enjoyed many of his adventures.
C、He had a lot of adventures.
D、He fought as a soldier.
62. When did the story most likely happen?
A、In the spring.
B、In the summer.
C、In the fall.
D、In the winter.
63. Why did the writer wish to go to bed at first?
A、He thought his uncle’s stories would be boring.
B、He was really tired from the long journey.
C、He had the habit of going to bed early.
D、His uncle’s stories made him sleepy.
64. Why was the writer glad after the accident?
A、He realized he would have a good sleep.
B、He had heard many exciting stories.
C、He had a narrow escape from death.
D、He had experienced a great adventure.
65. What did the writer’s uncle most likely do with the cottage after the accident?
A、He bought it and had it repaired.
B、He gave it to his neighbors.
C、He sold it to others.
D、He returned it to the landlord.
Passage Two
Questions 66 to 70 are based on the following passage:
Insurance is the sharing of risks. Nearly everyone is exposed to risks of some sort. The house owner, for example, knows that his property can be damaged by fire; the ship owner knows that his vessel may be lost at sea; the father 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, 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. Those who pay the contributions are known as “insured” and those who control the pool of contributions as “insurer”.
Not all risks lend themselves to being covered by insurance. Broadly speaking, the ordinary risks of business cannot be covered. The risk that buyers will not buy goods at the prices offered is not a kind that can be estimated in numbers and risks can only be insured against if they can be estimated.
The legal basis of all insurance is the “policy”. This is a printed form of contract on thick paper of the best quality. It states that in return for regular payment by the insured of a named sum of money, called the “premium”, which is usually paid every year, the insurer will pay a sum of money for loss, if the risk or event insured against actually happens.
66. Why does the writer mention the father in the passage?
A、The writer uses the father as an example to illustrate his point.
B、The writer believes the father knows better than the mother.
C、The writer wants to persuade the father to buy insurance.
D、The writer wishes to set an example for fathers.
67. Which of the following can be covered by insurance?
A、All risks of business.
B、All houses damaged by fire.
C、Goods with clearly marked prices.
D、Things whose values can be estimated.
68. What do insurers firmly believe?
A、People don’t like to spend their money.
B、No one can avoid any risks.
C、Almost all people trust insurance.
D、Most people like to help others.
69. What does “premium” (Para.3) most probably mean in the passage?
A、The money paid by the insured.
B、A printed form of contract.
C、The money paid for the loss.
D、The contributions of insurers.
70. What is the main idea of the passage?
A、Insurance is a way of sharing risks among people.
B、Insurance has a solid legal basis.
C、Only a few people suffer loss in their daily life.
D、Insurance is not worth buying.
Passage Three
Questions 71 to 75 are based on the following passage:
Be careful of those who use the truth to deceive (欺骗). When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can create a false impression. For example, someone might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery (抽彩给奖法). It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!” this guy’s a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he bought two hundred tickets, and only one was a winner. He’s really a big loser! He didn’t say anything that was false, but he omitted important information on purpose. That’s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as dishonest.
Dishonest politicians often use this method. Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of the politicians opposing her runs an ad saying, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs!” That’s true. However an honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”
Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths. It’s against the law to make false claims, so they try to mislead you with the truth. An ad might claim, “Nine out of ten doctors recommend Yucky Pills to cure nose pimples (丘疹).” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.
This kind of deception happens too often. It’s a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well.
71. What does the writer want to tell us with example of the lottery winner?
A、He was lucky to win the lottery.
B、He did not tell the whole truth.
C、Lottery makes its buyers dishonest.
D、People lose a lot of money in buying lottery tickets.
72. What does the passage imply about Governor Smith?
A、She was the most honest politician.
B、She did a good job in her last term.
C、She was opposed by many people in her state.
D、She created more job opportunities than ever before.
73. What does the writer mainly say about half-truths?
A、They are nothing but lies.
B、They are as dishonest as lies.
C、They are false claims.
D、They are popular with people.
74. What is the writer’s attitude toward half-truths?
A、Doubtful
B、Negative
C、Neutral
D、Positive
75. What does the word “mislead” (Para. 3) most likely mean in the passage?
A、Cheat
B、Guide
C、Mistake
D、Inform
