第3部分：概括大意與完成句子（第23～30題，每題1分，共8分)
下面的短文后有2項測試任務(wù)：（1)第23～26題要求從所給的6個選項中為第1～4段每段1選擇個最佳標(biāo)題；（2)第27～30題要求從所給的6個選項中為每個句子確定1個最佳選項。
Traffic Jams—No End in Sight
1 Traffic congestion(擁堵)affects people throughout the world. Traffic jams cause smog in dozens of cities across both the developed and developing world. In the U.S., commuters (通勤人員) spend an average of a full working week each year sitting in traffic jams, according to the Texas Transportation Institute. While alternative ways of getting around are available, most people still choose theirwww.med126.com cars because they are looking for convenience, comfort and privacy.
2 The most promising technique for reducing city traffic is called congestion pricing, whereby cities charge a toll to enter certain parts of town at certain times of day. In theory, if the toll is high enough, some drivers will cancel their trips or go by bus or train. And in practice it seems to work: Singapore, London and Stockholm have reduced traffic and pollution in city centres thanks to congestion pricing.
3 Another way to reduce rush—hour traffic is for employers to implement flextime, which lets employees travel to and from work at off-peak traffic times to avoid the rush hour. Those who have to travel during busy times can do their part by sharing cars. Employers can also allow more staff to telecommute (work from home) so as to keep more cars off the road altogether.
4 Some urban planners still believe that the best way to ease traffic congestion is to build more roads, especially roads that can take drivers around or over crowded city streets. But such techniques do not really keep cars off the road; they only accommodate more of them. 醫(yī)學(xué)全在線網(wǎng)站www.med126.com
5 Other, more forward—thinking, planners know that more and more drivers and cars are taking to the roads every day, and they are unwilling to encourage more private automobiles when public transport is so much better both for people and the environment. For this reason, the American government has decided to spend some$7 billion on helping to increase capacity on public-transport systems and upgrade them with more efficient technologies. But environmentalists complain that such funding is tiny compared with the$50 billion being spent on roads and bridges.
23. Paragraph 1________
24. Paragraph 2________
25. Paragraph 3________
26. Paragraph 4________
A Not doing enough
B A global problem
C Changing work practice
D A solution which is no solution
E Paying to get in
F Closing city centres to traffic
27. Most American drivers think it convenient to______.
28. If charged high enough, some drivers may______ to enter certain parts of town.
29. Building more roads is not an effective way to______.
30. The U. S. government has planned to ______ updating public-transport systems.
A go by bus
B encourage more private cars
C drive around
D spend more money
E reduce traffic jams
F travel regularly
參考答案：23 A 24 E 25 C 26 D 27 C 28 A 29 E 30 D
第4部分：閱讀理解（第31~45題，每題3分，共45分)
下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道題，每道題后面有4個選項。請根據(jù)文章的內(nèi)容，從每題所給的4個選項中選擇1個最佳答案，涂在答題卡相應(yīng)的位置上。
第一篇
Making a Loss is the Height of Fashion
Given that a good year in the haute couture(高級定制女裝)business is one where you lose even more money than usual, the prevailing mood in Paris last week was sensational. The big-name designers were falling over themselves to boast of how many outfits they had sold at below cost price, and how this proved that the fashion business was healthier than ever. Jean—Paul Gaultier reported record sales. “But we don’t make any money out of it”, the designer assured journalists backstage. “No matter how successful you are, you can’t make a profit from couture,” explained Jean—Jacques Picart, a veteran fashion PR man, 醫(yī)學(xué)全在線www.med126.comand co—founder of the now—bankrupt Lacroix house.
Almost 20 years have passed since the unusual economics of the couture business were first exposed. Outraged that he was Losing money on evening dresses costing tens of thousands of pounds, the couturier Jean-Louis Scherrer published of his costs. One outfit he described curtained over half a mile of gold thread 1 8, 000sequins(亮片), and had required hundreds of hours of hand—stitching in an atelier(制作室). A fair price would have been~50, 000, but the couturier could only get~35, 000 for it. Rather than riding high on the foolishness of the super—rich, he and his team could barely feed their hungry families.
The result was an outcry and the first of a series of government-and industry—sponsored inquiries into the surreal(超現(xiàn)實的)world of ultimate fashion. The trade continues to insist that couture offers you more than you pay for, but it’s not as simple as that. When such a temple of old wealth starts talking about value for money, it isn’t to convince anyone that dresses costing as much as houses are a bargain. Rather, it is to preserve the peculiar mystique(神秘), lucrative(利潤豐厚的)associations and threatened interests that couture represents.
Essentially, the arguments couldn’t be simpler. On one side are those who say that the business will die if it doesn’t change. On the other are those who say it will die if it is highly dated. Huge in its costs, tiny in its clientele and questionable in its influence, it still remains one of the great themes of Parisian life. In his book, The Fashion Conspiracy, Nicholas Coleridge estimates that the entire couture industry rests on the whims(一時興起)of less than 30 immensely wealthy women, and although the number may have grown in recent years with the new prosperity of
Asia, the number of couture customers worldwide is no more than 4.000.
To qualify as couture, a garment must be entirely handmade by one of the 11 Paris couture houses registered to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Each house must employ at least 20 people. and show a minimum of 75 new designs a year. So far, so traditional. But the Big Four operators——Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Gaultier—increasingly use couture as a marketing device for their far more profitable ready—to—wear, fragrance and accessory lines. 醫(yī)學(xué)全在線www.med126.com
31. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A. The haute couture business is expanding quickly.
B. The haute couture designers make much profit in their sales.
C. The haute couture businessmen are happy with their profit.
D. The haute couture designers claim losses in their sales.
32. According to the second paragraph, Jean-Louis Scherrer_____.
A. was in a worse financial position than other couturiers.
B. was very angry as he was losing money.
C. was one of the best-know couturiers.
D. stopped producing haute couture dresses.
33. The writer says that the outfit Jean-Louis Scherrer described_____.
A. was worth the price that was paid for it.
B. cost more to make than it should have.
C. was never sold to anyone.
D. should have cost the customer than it did.
34. The writer says in Paragraph 4 that there is disagreement over_____.
A. the history of haute couture.
B. the future of haute couture.
C. the real costs of haute couture.
D. the changes that need to be made in haute couture.
35. What is the writer’s tone toward haute couture business?
A. Somewhat ironical
B. Quite supportive.
C. Fairly friendly.
D. Rather indifferent.
參考答案：31.D、32.A、33.D、34.D、35.A
