A) How to render automobiles pollution-free.
B) How to make smaller and safer automobiles.
C) How to solve the problem of traffic jams.
D) How to develop an automated subway system.
23. What provides autos with electric power in an automated highway system?
A) A rail.
B) An engine.
C) A retractable arm.
D) A computer controller.
24. In an automated highway system, all the driver needs to do is ________.
A) keep in the right lane
B) wait to arrive at his destination
C) keep in constant touch with the computer center
D) inform the system of his destination by phone
25. What is the author’s attitude toward the future of autos?
A) Enthusiastic.
B) Pessimistic.
C) Optimistic.
D) Cautious.
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
Foxes and farmers have never got on well. These small dog-like animals have long
been accused of killing farm animals. They are officially classified as harmful and farmers
try to keep their numbers down by shooting or poisoning them.
Farmers can also call on the services of their local hunt to control the fox population.
Hunting consists of pursuing a fox across the countryside, with a group of specially
trained dogs, followed by men and women riding horses. When the dogs eventually
catch the fox they kill it or a hunter shoots it.
People who take part in hunting think of as a sport; they wear a special uniform of
red coats and white trousers, and follow strict codes of behavior. But owning a horse and
hunting regularly is expensive, so most hunters are wealthy.
It is estimated that up to 100,000 people watch or take part in fox hunting. But over
the last couple of decades the number of people opposed to fox hunting, because they
think it is brutal (残酷的), has risen sharply. Nowadays it is rare for a hunt to pass off
without some kind of confrontation (冲突) between hunters and hunt saboteurs (阻拦者).
Sometimes these incidents lead to violence, but mostly saboteurs interfere with the hunt
by misleading riders and disturbing the trail of the fox’s smell, which the dogs follow.
Noisy confrontations between hunters and saboteurs have become so common that
they are almost as much a part of hunting as the pursuit of foxes itself. But this year
supporters of fox hunting face a much bigger threat to their sport. A Labour Party
Member of the Parliament, Mike Foster, is trying to get Parliament to approve a new law
which will make the hunting of wild animals with dogs illegal. If the law is passed, wild
animals like foxes will be protected under the ban in Britain.
26. Rich people in Britain have been hunting foxes ________.
A) for recreation
B) in the interests of the farmers
C) to limit the fox population
D) to show off their wealth
27. What is special about fox hunting in Britain?
A) It involves the use of a deadly poison.
B) It is a costly event which rarely occurs.
C) The hunters have set rules to follow.
D) The hunters have to go through strict training.
28. Fox hunting opponents often interfere in the game ________.
A) by resorting to violence
B) by confusing the fox hunters
C) by taking legal action
D) by demonstrating on the scene
29. A new law may be passed by the British Parliament to ________.
A) prohibit farmers from hunting foxes
B) forbid hunting foxes with dogs
C) stop hunting wild animals in the countryside
D) prevent large-scale fox hunting
30. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A) killing foxes with poison is illegal
B) limiting the fox population is unnecessary
C) hunting foxes with dogs is considered cruel and violent
D) fox-hunting often leads to confrontation between the poor and the rich
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
For an increasing number of students at American universities, Old is suddenly in.
The reason is obvious: the graying of America means jobs, coupled with the aging of the
baby-boom (生育高峰) generation, a longer life span means that the nation’s elderly
population is bound to expand significantly over the next 50 years. By 2050, 25 percent
of all Americans will be older than 65, up from 14 percent in 1995. The change poses
profound questions for government and society, of course. But it also creates career
opportunities in medicine and health professions, and in law and business as well. “In
addition to the doctors, we’re going to need more sociologists, biologists, urban planners
and specialized lawyers,” says Professor Edward Schneider of the University of Southern
California’s (USC) School of Gerontology (老年学).
Lawyers can specialize in “elder law,” which covers everything from trusts and
estates to nursing-home abuse and age discrimination (歧视). Businessmen see huge
opportunities in the elder market because the baby boomers, 74 million strong, are likely
to be the wealthiest group of retirees in human history. “Any student who combines an
expert knowledge in gerontology with, say, an MBA or law degree will have a license to
print money,” one professor says.
Margarite Santos is a 21-year-old senior at USC. She began college as a biology
major but found she was “really bored with bacteria.” So she took a class in gerontology
and discovered that she lied it. She says, “I did volunteer work in retirement homes and
it was very satisfying.”
31. “... Old is suddenly in” (Line 1, Para. 1) most probably means “________”.
A) America has suddenly become a nation of old people
B) gerontology has suddenly become popular
C) more elderly professors are found on American campuses
D) American colleges have realized the need of enrolling older students
32. With the aging of America, lawyers can benefit ________.
A) from the adoption of the “elder law”
B) from rendering special services to the elderly
C) by enriching their professional knowledge
D) by winning the trust of the elderly to promote their own interests
33. Why can businessmen make money in the emerging elder market?