C. fifty more times as steel                          D. fifty times more as steel

28．There is no doubt _________Jim had more talent than anybody who ever played football.

A. whether                  B. that                              C. if                    D. why

29．If that idea was wrong, the project is bound to fail, _________good all the other ideas might be.

A. however          B. whatsoever             C. though                       D. whatever

30．You don’t have to be in such a hurry, I would rather you _________on business first.

A. would go          B. will go                        C. went                         D. have gone

 

Part III  Reading Comprehension (40 minutes, 40 points)

Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each of the passages is followed by 5 questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, c and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET with a single line through the center:

Passage One

    Advertising actually has a dual function: to sell, as well as to inform. If you stop to think of it, advertisements (ads) provide information of almost everything in our household and immediate environment, form shampoo to fuel for cars. A significant purpose if to inform consumers of new products and services as well as to remind them of established ones. Performance, price, value for money, quality and reliability are some of the main features mentioned in ads.

    Yet there is another important aspect of advertising that should not be forgotten: that of choice. A number of ads for different brands of the same product, e.g. toothpaste, shampoo or washing powder allow the consumer to choose. Choice is an important part of buying.

    In this busy day and age, there is little time for comparison shopping. To determine which product is the best to buy, and at the most competitive price, consumers these days rely on advertising in its various forms. This saves time and energy and simplifies shopping.

    Few can deny that ads benefit the consumer since they encourage healthy competition. When companies compete for the consumer’s dollar, this is good for the purchaser of the product or service. Advertising tends to increase competition since it informs consumers of what is available. One company’s offer will be either matched or bettered by another company in its advertising.

    It was unheard of ten years ago to buy products directly using a personal computer, but it has become a matter of course for some people to browse (浏览) the Internet, surf until they find an e-commerce site and then select the product. Marketing products has been virtually turned upside down by new concepts of selling and buying. More than at any time in history, the choice of goods is unlimited. The whole world is a customer’s marketplace. For busy people like you and me, advertisements actually do us a favor.

 

31. The main idea of this passage is that _________.

A. advertisements benefit busy people in many ways.

B. advertisements encourage competition

C. advertisements provide main features of new products

D. selling and informing are two functions of advertising

32. Which of the following points is NOT mentioned in the passage as one of the important aspects of advertising?

A. To inform consumers of new products and services.

B. To provide consumers with chances to choose.

C. To increase healthy competition of companies.

D. To change the concept of selling and buying.

33. The “comparison shopping” refers to the behavior of _________.

A. comparing and buying a product at the lowest price

B. comparing and deciding which is the best to buy

C. relying on advertising and simplifying shopping

D. buying a product at the least competitive price

34. Healthy competition benefits consumers because __________.

A. it helps companies to compete for the market

B. it compels companies to improve their services

C. it provides them with the best products and services

D. it gives them many chances to choose their products

35. The new concept of selling and buying is that ___________.

A. the unlimited choice of goods compels companies to compete for market

B. the market allows consumers to choose the best products and services

C. consumers can stay at home and select the product by advertising

D. different kinds of products and services can be traded through Internet

 

Passage Two

    A wedding is celebrated with some kind of ceremony almost everywhere in the world. The ceremony varies greatly among different nations and different religions. But whatever the form of a marriage ceremony, it serves the important purpose of announcing to the community that a man and a woman have been joined in marriage.

    The wedding ceremony in the west may be a religious one performed by a clergymen or a civil ceremony performed by a civil official, such as a mayor or a judge, or only a couple’s declaration before witnesses of their intention to marry. Some young people nowadays choose their won marriage ceremony.

    Many of the customs associated with wedding ceremonies developed from wedding customs of earliest times and come from many lands. The wearing of a bridal veil may have come from a superstition (迷信) dating back to early Greed and Roman times. The veil is also believed to have been worn as an indication of the bride’s innocence and purity.

    The wedding ring is the most widely used symbol of marriage today, as it has been for centuries. The word “wedding” comes from the old English word wed, which means “promise”. During Anglo-Saxon times a promise to marry was made certain when the bridegroom-to-be gave his sweetheart a ring. The ring, a circle with no beginning or end, was considered a symbol of eternity (永恒). The fourth finger of the left hand was chosen as the ring finger because of mistakes beliefs that vein or nerve runs from that finger to the heart.

    In most Western countries the bride was attended by maid of honor, and groom by best man. The best man and the groomsmen have been explained as a survival of the ancient practice of wife capture, in which the bridegroom’s friends helped him in his struggle to carry off a wife. The bride’s attendants were supposed to protect her from being captured.

    The honeymoon, or holiday spent by the couple after marriage, may have had its beginning in the idea that the first month of marriage is the sweetest. It is also believed that it was an ancient custom for a newly married couple to drink a liquid mixture containing honey on each of the first 30 days of the marriage.

36. What is the best title for this passage?

A. The origin of the Wedding Ring             B. Wedding Customs in the West

C. Wedding Ceremony in the World           D. Religion and Marriage

37. Among different nations and different religions, the wedding ceremony __________.

A. performed by the clergyman   

B. performed in different forms

C. performed b y a civil official, such as a judge or a major

D. performed more less in the same way

38. What is not mentioned in the passage?

A. the symbol of innocence and purity

B. the promise of eternity

C. the medical examination and the blood test

D. the sweetest month of the marriage

39. One ancient custom indicated that the newly married couple had to drink a kind of honey drink for ________.

A. One day and one night                    B. 30 days

C. one year                                   D. the wedding day

40. According the passage, the principal purpose of a wedding ceremony is to ________.

A. announce to the public that the couple have been joined in marriage

B. promise to each other that they will be together for ever

C. legalize their marriage        

D. formalize their marriage