2004年專業(yè)八級(jí)閱讀真題

1、2004 (2228 words)Farmers in the developing world hate price fluctuations. It makes it hard to plan ahead. But most of them have little choice: they sell at the price the market sets. Fanners in Europe, the U.S. and Japan are luckier: they receive massive government subsidies in the form of guarantee

2、d prices or direct handouts. Last month U.S. President Bush signed a new farm bill that gives American farmers $ 190 billion over the next 10 years, or $83 billion more than they had been scheduled to get, and pushes U.S. agricultural support close to crazy European levels. Bush said the step was ne

3、cessary to promote farmer independence and preserve the farm way of life for generations. It is also designed to help the Republican Party win control of the Senate in Novembers midterm elections. Agricultural production in most poor countries accounts for up to 50% of GDP, compared to only 3% in ri

4、ch countries. But most farmers in poor countries grow just enough for themselves and their families. Those who try exporting to the West find their goods whacked with huge tariffs or competing against cheaper subsidized goods. In 1999 the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development concluded

5、that for each dollar developing countries receive in aid they lose up to $14 Just because of trade barriers imposed on the export of their manufactured goods. Its not as if the developing world wants any favors, says Gerald Ssendwula, Ugandas Minister of Finance. What we want is for the rich countri

6、es to let us compete. Agriculture is one of the few areas in which the Third World can compete. Land and labor are cheap, and as farming methods develop, new technologies should improve output. This is no pie-in-the-sky speculation. The biggest successin Kenyas economy over the past decade has been

7、the boom in exports of cut flowers and vegetables to Europe. But that may all change in 2008, when Kenya will be slightly too rich to qualify for the least developed country status that allows African producers to avoid paying stiff European import duties on selected agricultural products. With trad

8、e barriers in place, the horticulture industry in Kenya will shrivel as quickly as a discarded rose. And while agriculture exports remain the great hope for poor countries, reducing trade barriers in other sectors also works: Americas African Growth and Opportunity Act, which cuts duties on exports

9、of everything from handicrafts to shoes, has proved a boon to Africas manufacturers. The lesson: the Third World can prosper if the rich world gives it a fair go.This is what makes Bushs decision to increase farm subsidies last month all the more depressing. Poor countries have long suspected that t

10、he rich world urges trade liberalization only so it can wangle its way into new markets. Such suspicions caused the Seattle trade talks to break down three years ago. But last November members of the World Trade Organization, meeting in Doha, Qatar, finally agreed to a new round of talks designed to

11、 open up global trade in agriculture and textiles. Rich countries assured poor countries, that their concerns were finally being addressed. Bushlast month maaeslautlie of Americas commitment to those talks and his personal devotion to free trade. (540)16. By comparison, farmersreceive more governmen

12、t subsidies than others.A. in the developing worldB. in JapanC, in EuropeD. in America17. In addition to the economic considerations, there is amotive behind Bushs signing of the new farmbill.A. partisanB. socialC. financialD. cultural18. The message the writer attempts to convey throughout the pass

13、age is that.A. poor countries should be given equal opportunities in tradeB. the least developed country status benefits agricultural countriesC. poor countries should remove their suspicions about trade liberalizationD. farmers in poor countries should also receive the benefit of subsidies19. The w

14、riters attitude towards new farm subsidies in the U.S. is.A. favorableB. ambiguous C. criticalD. reservedTEXT BOscar Wilde said that work is the refuge of people who have nothing better to do. If so, Americans are now among the worlds saddest refugees. Factory workers in the United States are workin

15、g longer hours than at any time in the past half century. America once led the rich world in cutting the average working week from 70 hours in 1850 to less than 40 hours by the 1950s. It seemed natural that as people grew richer they would trade extra earnings for more leisure. Since the 1970s, howe

16、ver, the hours clocked up by American workers have risen, to an average of 42 this year in manufacturing.Several studies suggest that something similar is happening outside manufacturing: Americans are spending more time at work than they did 20 years ago. Executives and lawyers boast ofSO-hour week

17、s. On holiday, they seek out fax machines and phones as eagerly as Germans bag the best sun loungers. Yet working time in Europe and Japan continues to fall. In Germanys engineering industry the working week is to be trimmed from 36 to 35 hours next year. Most Germans get six weeks paid annual holid

18、ay; even the Japanese now take three weeks. Americans still make do with just two.Germany responds to this contrast with its usual concern about whether peoples aversion to work is damaging its competitiveness. Yet German workers, like the Japanese, seem to be acting sensibly: as their incomes rise,

19、 they can achieve a better standard of living with fewer hours of work. The puzzle is why America, the world s richest country, seesthings differently. It is a puzzle with sinister social implications. Parents spend less time with their children, who may be left alone at home for longer. Is it just

20、a coincidence that juvenile crime is on the rise? Some explanations for America s time at work fail to stand up to scrutiny. One blames weak trade unions that leave workers open to exploitation. Are workers being forced by cost cutting firms to toil harder just to keep their jobs? A recent study by

21、two American economists, Richard Freeman and Linda Bell, suggests not: when asked, Americans actually want to work longer hours. Most German workers, in contrast, would rather work less. Then, why do Americans want to work harder? One reason may be that the real earnings of many Americans have been

22、stagnant or falling during the past two decades. People work longer merely to maintain their living standards. Yet many higher killed workers, who have enjoyed big increases in their real pay, have been working harder too. Also, one reason for the slow growth of wages has been the rapid growth in em

23、ployment which is more or less where the argument began. Taxes may have something to do with it. People who work an extra hour in America are allowed to keep more of their money than those who do the same in Germany. Falls in marginal tax rates in America since the 1970s have made it all the more pr

24、ofitable to work longer. None of these answers really explains why the century long decline in working hours has gone into reverse in America but not elsewhere (though Britain shows signs of following America s lead). Perhaps cultural differences the last refuge of the defeated economist are at play

25、. Economists used to believe that once workers earned enough to provide for their basic needs and allow for a few luxuries, their incentive to work would be eroded, like lions relaxing after a kill. But humans are more susceptible to advertising than lions. Perhaps clever marketing has ensured that

26、basic needs for a shower with built-in TV , for a rocket-propelled car xpand continuously. Shopping is already one of Americas most popular pastimes. But it requires money hence more work and less leisure.Or try this: the television is not very good, and baseball and hockey keep being wiped out by s

27、trikes. Perhaps Wilde was right. Maybe Americans have nothing better to do.(665)20. in the United States, working longer hours is .A. confined to the manufacturing industryB. a traditional practice m some sectorsC. prevalent in all sectors of societyD. favored by the economists21. according to the t

28、hird paragraph, which might be one of the consequences of working longer hours?A. Rise in employees working efficiency.B. Rise in the number of young offenders.C, Rise in people s living standards.D. Rise in competitiveness.22. Which of the following is the cause of working longer hours stated by th

29、e writer?A. Expansion of basic needs.B. Cultural differences.C. Increase in real earnings.D. Advertising.TEXTCThe fox really exasperated them both. As soon as they had let the fowls out, in the early summer mornings, they had to take their guns and keep guard; and then again as soon as evening began

30、 to mellow, they must go once more. And he was so sly. He slid along in the deep grass; he was difficult as a serpent to see. And he seemed to circumvent the girls deliberately. Once or twice March had caught sight of the white tip of his brush, or the ruddy shadow of him in the deep grass, and she

31、had let fire at him. But he made no account of this.The trees on the wood-edge were a darkish, brownish green in the full light for it was the end of August. Beyond, the naked, copper like shafts and limbs of the pine trees shone in the air. Nearer the rough grass, with its long, brownish stalks all

32、 agleam, was full of light. The fowls were round about the ducks were still swimming on the pond under the pine trees. March looked at it all, saw it all, and did not see it. She heard Banford speaking to the fowls in the distance and she did not hear. What was she thinking about? Heaven knows. Her

33、consciousness was, as it were, held back. She lowered her eyes, and suddenly saw the fox. He was looking up at her. His chin was pressed down, and his eyes were looking up. They met her eyes. And he knew her. She was spellbound she knew he knew her. So he looked into her eyes, and her soul failed he

34、r. He knew her. He has not daunted.She struggled; confusedly she came to herself, and saw him making off, with slow leaps over some fallen boughs, slow, impudent jumps. Then he glanced over his shoulder, and ran smoothly aw ay. She saw his brush held smooth like a feather, she saw his white buttocks

35、 twinkle. And he was gone, softly, soft as the wind.She put her gun to her shoulder, but even then pursed her mouth, knowing it was nonsense to pretend to fire. So she began to walk slowly after him, in the direction he had gone, slowly, pertinaciously. She expected to find him. In her heart she was

36、 determined to find him. What she would do when she saw him again she did not consider. But she was determined to find him. So she walked abstractedly about on the edge of the wood, with wide, vivid dark eyes, and a faint flush in her cheeks. She did not think. In strange mindlessness she walked hit

37、her and thither. As soon as supper was over, she rose again to go out, without saying why. She took her gun again and went to look for the fox. For he had lifted his eyes upon her, and his knowing look seemed to have entered her brain. She did not so much think of him: she was possessed by him. She

38、saw his dark, shrewd, unabashed eye looking into her, knowing her. She felt him invisibly master her spirit. She knew the way he lowered his chin as he looked up, she knew his muzzle, the golden brown, and the greyish white. And again she saw him glance over his shoulder at her, half inviting, half

39、contemptuous and cunning. So she went, with her great startled eyes glowing, her gun under her arm, along the wood edge. Meanwhile the night fell, and a great moon rose above the pine trees.(593)23. at the beginning of the story, the fox seems to the all EXCEPT.A. cunningB. fierceC. defiantD. annoyi

40、ng24. As the story proceeds, March begins to feel under the spell of.A. the lightB. the treesC. the nightD. the fox25. Gradually March seems to be in a state of.A. blarknessB. imaginationC. sadnessD. excitement26. at the end of the story, there seems to be a sense ofbetween March andthe fox.A. detac

41、hmentB. angerC. intimacyD. conflict27. The passage creates an overall impression of.A. mysteryB. horrorC. livelinessD. contemptThe banners are packed, the tickets booked. The glitter and white overalls have been bought, the gas masks just fit and the mobile phones are ready. All that remains is to g

42、et to the parties.This week will see a feast of pan European protests. It started on Bastille Day, last Saturday, with the French unions and immigrants on the streets and the first demonstrations in Britain and Germany about climate change. It will continue tomorrow and Thursday with environmental a

43、nd peace rallies against President Bush. But the big one is in Genoa, on Friday and Saturday, where the G8 leaders will meet behind the lines of 18,000 heavily armed police.Unlike Prague, Gothenburg, Cologne or Nice, Genoa is expected to be Europes Seattle, the coming together of the disparate stran

44、ds of resistance to corporate globalization.Neither the protesters nor the authorities know what will happen, but some things are predictable. Yes, there will be violence and yes, the mass media will focus on it. What should seriously concern the G8 is not so much the violence, the numbers in the st

45、reets or even that they themselves look like idiots hiding behind the barricades, but that the deep roots of a genuine new version of internationalism are growing. For the first time in a generation, the international political and economic condition is in the dock. Moreover, the protesters are unli

46、kely to go away, their confidence is growing rather than waning, their agendas are merging, the protests are spreading and drawing in all ages and concerns. No single analysis has drawn all the strands of the debate together. In the mean time, the global protest movement is developing its own language, texts, agendas, myths, heroes and villains. Just as the G8 leaders, world bodies and businesses talk increasingly from the same script, so the protesters once disparate political an