2023年全国1月自考英语阅读二试题和参考答案

全国1月自考《英语阅读(二)》试题和参照答案课程代码：00596所有题目用英文作答(翻译题除外)，请将答案填在答题纸对应位置上I.ReadingComprehension(50points,2pointsforeach)Directions:Inthispartofthetest,therearefivepassages.Followingeachpassage,therearefivequestionswithfourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.ChoosethebestanswerandthenwritethecorrespondingletteronyourAnswerSheet.PassageOneTheover-60populationisgrowingfasterthananyotheragegroup.Between1950and2050itisexpectedtoincreasefrom200millionto2billion.Asthenumberofolderpersonsincreases,sowilltheneedtoensuretheirsocialinclusion,basedonanincomefromdecentworkorretirementandachancetoparticipateincommunitylifethroughemployment,volunteerworkorotheractivities.AccordingtotheInternationalLabourOrganization,“decentwork”isworkthatmeetspeople’sbasicaspirations,notonlyforincome,butalsoforsecurityforthemselvesandtheirfamilies,inaworkingenvironmentthatissafe.Decentworktreatsmenandwomenequally,withoutdiscriminationorharassment.Finally,decentworkprovidessocialsecurityandiscarriedoutinconditionsoffreedomandhumandignity.Butthereareover1.2billionpeopleintheworldwholiveonanincomeoflessthan$1aday,andanotherbillionwholiveonlessthan$2aday.Theylivehandtomouth,daytoday,anddonothaveenoughincometosupporttheirdailyexistence—muchlessputsomethingasideforretirement.Inmostdevelopingcountriesretirementisaluxuryfewolderpeoplecanafford.Evenindevelopedcountriessomehardworkingpeoplewillnothaveenoughtoliveonretirement.Manywomen—paidlessthanmen,workingmoreathomethanmen,andworkingmoreinformallythanmen—maynotbereadyorabletorestat65.Bytradition,atleastindevelopedcountries,thereisachangeinrolesasonemovesfromactivemiddleyearsinto“gentle”and“enjoyable”retirement.Thischangeinroleshasbeenviewedbythepublic,bygovernmentandbybusiness,asatransitionfromaproductivetimeoflifetoonethatisunproductiveanddependent.Buttodaymorethanever,thisisnottrue.Mostolderpeopledonotwithdrawfromsociety.Instead,theycontinuetocontributetotheirhouseholds,totheirdescendantsandtotheircommunities,althoughtheircontributionmaynotbepaidemployment.Insteadofproducinggoodsorservices—thetraditionaleconomicmodel“products”－olderpersonsmaycontributea“product”thathasvaluetosociety,suchascaringforchildren,caringforotherolderpersons,caringfortheoldestold,providingcommunityleadership,mentoringorbeinganeffectiverolemodel.Butinspiteoftheirsignificanthumanandeconomicbenefits,suchcontributionshavenotbeenfiguredintoaneconomy’sgrossnationalproduct.Andtheyhavenotbeenappropriatelyvalued.Overthepastseveraldecades,mostindustrializedcountrieshaveexperiencedasubstantialdropintheaverageageatwhichindividualsretirefromthelabourmarket.Longerlifeexpectancyandbetterhealthhavenotbeenaccompaniedbylongerworkinglives.Asaconsequence,thesecountriesarefacingseriousconcernsabouttheviabilityofsocialsecuritysystems.Akeychallengeforthesecountriesistomitigatetheeffectsofadropintheworkingagepopulationbyincreasingandprolongingtheparticipationofolderpeopleinthelabourmarket.Questions1-5arebasedonPassageOne.1.Theterm“socialinclusion”(inPara.1)heremeans______.A.havingdecentwork B.beingequalinjobsC.havingdecentincome D.beingproductiveinlife2.ItisimpliedinParagraph2that______.A.peopleinrichcountriescanenjoyluxuryretirementB.womenifhardworkingcanobtaindecentretirementC.womenininformalworkarefreetochoosewhentoretireD.peopleinpoorcountrieshavenosocialsecurityprotection3.Thesentence“Buttodaymorethanever,thisisnottrue.”(inPara.3)means______.A.elderpeopleusedtobedependentB.elderpeopleusedtoenjoyretirementC.elderpeoplenowdonotwanttoretirefromtheirworkD.elderpeoplenowdonotwanttobecutofffromsociety4.Tomeetthechallengeoffinancingsocialsecurity,thegovernmentindevelopedcountriesneedsto______.A.providemoreflexiblechoiceforretirementB.persuadeelderpeopletopostponeretirementC.promoteunpaidemploymentD.reformsocialsecuritysystem5.Thewriterinthepassagemainlywantstoexpressthatelderpeoplewould______.A.haveanenjoyableretirement B.prolongtheirproductivelife(2.haveamorehealthylife D.prolongtheirworklifePassageTwoBecausespeechisthemostconvenientformofcommunication,inthefuturewewantessentiallynaturalconversationswithcomputers.Theprimarypointofcontactwillbeasimpledevicethatwillactasourwindowontheworld.Itwillhavetobesmallenoughtoslipintoyourpocket,sotherewillbeascreenbutnokeyboard:youwillsimplytalktoit.ThedevicewillbepermanentlyconnectedtotheInternetandwillbeeprelevantinformationuptoyouasitcomesin.Suchdeviceswillevolvenaturallyinthenextfivetotenyears.Justhowquicklypeoplewilladapttoavoice-basedInternetworldisuncertain.Manybelievethat,initiallyatleast,wewillneedsimilarconventionsforthevoicetothoseweuseatpresentonscreen:click,back,forward,andsoon.ButsoonyouwillundoubtedlybeabletointeractbyvoicewithallthoseIT-basedservicesyoucurrentlyconnectwithovertheInternetbymeansofakeyboard.ThiswillhelptheInternetservetheentirepopulation,notjusttechno-freaks.Changeslikethiswillencompassthewholeworld.BecauseEnglishisthelanguageofscience,itwillprobablyremainthelanguagetowhichthetechnologyismostadvanced,butmostspeech-recognitiontechniquesaretransferabletootherlanguagesprovidedthereissufficientmotivationtoundertakethework.Ofcourse,inanylanguagetherearestillhugeproblemsforustosolve.Carefullydictated,clearspeechcannowbeunderstoodbycomputerswithonlya4-5percenterrorrate,butevenstate-of-the-arttechnologystillrecords30-40percenterrorswithspontaneousspeech.Withintenyearswewillhavecomputersthatrespondtogoal-directedconversation,butforacomputertohaveaconversationthattakesintoaccounthumansocialbehaviorisprobably50yearsoff.We’renotgoingtobechattingtothebigscreeninthelivingroomjustyet.Inthepastinsufficientspeedandmemoryhaveheldusback,butthesedaysthey’relessofanissue.However,therearethoseintheITcommunitywhobelievethatcurrenttechniqueswilleventuallyhitabrickwall.Personally,Ibelievethatincrementaldevelopmentsinperformancearemorelikely.Butit’struethatbyabout2040orso,computerarchitectureswillneedtobecomehighlyparallelifperformanceistokeepincreasing.Perhapsthatwillinspiresomeradicallynewapproachestospeechunderstandingthatwillsupplantthemethodswe’redevelopingnow.Questions6-10arebasedonPassageTwo.6.Havingnaturalconversationswithcomputersimpliesthatcomputerswillbeableto______.A.makeartificialspeechB.connectpeopleontotheInternetC.keeprelevantinformationD.interactwithpeopleonthescreen7.Theword“conventions”inParagraph2means______.A.waysB.traditionsC.customsD.solutions8.Toletallpeopleadapttoavoice-basedworld,operationproceduresforconversingwithcomputersshouldbe______.A.languagetransferable B.errorfree(2.technocompatible D.userfriendly9.ThelastsentenceinParagraph4means______.A.agoal-directedconversationisonthewaytocompletionB.peoplehavenodesiretotalktoscreensinthelivingroomC.naturalconversationwithcomputersisalongwaytogoD.othergoal-directedconversationsseemtobeimpossible10.ThewriterandthoseinITcommunityfeeltherewillneeda(an)______overthedevelopmentofspeech-recognitiontechniques.A.step-by-stepimprovement B.updatedperformanceC.rapidchangeinspeed D.completelynewinnovationPassageThreeWhenshereturnedhomeafterayearinSouthAmerica,JudithMartin,aNorthAmericanwriter,begantohaveaproblem.Peoplekeptinterpretingherbehaviorasflirtatious,butshewasnotflirting.Fairlysoonshefiguredoutwhatwashappening.WhenmostSouthAmericanstalktoeachotherface-to-face,theystandclosertogetherthandoNorthAmericans.MartinhadnotreadjustedtoNorthAmericandistances.Apparently,shehadforgottenaboutthephenomenonknownaspersonalspace—theamountofphysicaldistancepeopleexpectduringsocialinteraction.Everyonehasexpectationsconcerningtheuseofpersonalspace,butaccepteddistancesforthatspacearedeterminedbyeachperson’sculture.Observationsaboutpersonalspacebeganabouttwentyyearsago.AnthropologistEdwardT.Hallwasapioneerinthefield.Hebecameveryinterestedinhowinterpersonaldistancesaffectedcommunicationbetweenpeople.InhisbookTheHiddenDimension,Hallcoinedtheword“proxemics”todescribepeople’suseofspaceasameansofcommunication.AsHall’sbooktitleindicates,mostpeopleareunawarethatinterpersonaldistancesexistandcontributetopeople’sreactionstooneanother.Personalspacedependsoninvisibleboundaries.Thoseboundariesmovewithpeopleastheyinteract.Personalspacegetslargerorsmallerdependingonthecircumstancesofthesocialinteractionatanymoment.Peopledonotlikeanyonetotrespassontheirpersonalspace.AsWorchelandCooperexplain,invasionsofpersonalspaceelicitnegativereactionsthatrangefrommilddiscomforttoretaliationtowalkingoutonthesituation.ResearchersworkingwithHall’sdatafoundthatacceptedinterpersonaldistancesintheUnitedStatesalsodependonotherfactors.Forexample,subcultureshelpdetermineexpectationsconcerningpersonalspace.Fisher,Bell,andBaumreportthatgroupsofHispanic-AmericansgenerallyinteractmorecloselywithintheirsubculturethanAnglo-Americansdowithintheirs.Theyfurtherexplainthatingeneralsubculturalgroupstendtointeractatcloserdistanceswithmembersoftheirownsubculturethanwithnonmembers.Agealsoaffectshowpeopleusepersonalspace.WorchelandCooperreportthatNorthAmericanchildrenseemunawareofboundariesforpersonalspaceuntiltheageoffourorfive.Asthechildrengetoldertheybecomemoreawareofstandardsforpersonalspace.Bythetimetheyreachpuberty,theyhavecompletelyadaptedtotheirculture’sstandardsforinterpersonaldistances.Genderalsoinfluencespeople’suseofpersonalspace.Forexample,NorthAmericanmales’mostnegativereactionisreservedforanyonewhoenterstheirpersonalspacedirectlyinfrontofthem.Females,ontheotherhand,feelmostnegativeaboutapproachesfromtheside.Also,femaleshavesmallerinterpersonaldistancesthandomales,althoughpairsofthesamesexcommunicateacrosslargerspacesthandopairsofmalesandfemales.Thegenderfactorshifts,however,inhigh-densitysituationssuchascrowdedsubwaysorelevatorsintheUnitedStates.AsMainesobserves,whenpeoplehavesomechoiceaboutwheretheystandorsitincrowdedsettings,theygravitatetopeopleofthesamesex.Asinternationaltravelandcommerceincrease,interculturalcontactisbecomingcommonplace.Soon,perhaps,culturalvariationsinexpectationsforpersonalspacewillbeasfamiliartoeveryoneasareculturalvariationsinfoodanddress.Untilthen,peopleneedtomakeaspecialefforttolearnoneanother’sexpectationsconcerningpersonalspace.Oncepeoplearesensitivetosuchmatters,theycanstopthemselvesfromtakingthewrongstep:eitherawayfromortowardapersonfromanotherculture.Questions11-15arebasedonPassageThree.11.JudithMartin’sexperiencetellsthatinterpersonaldistanceinsocialinteractionisdeterminedby______.A.personalpreference B.culturalbackgroundC.location D.race12.AccordingtoHall,personalspaceinsocialinteractionisused______.A.consciously B.favorablyC.unconsciously D.unfavorably13.BeingunawareofinterpersonaldistanceincommunicationmayleadtothefollowingEXCEPT______.A.discomfort B.retaliationC.abreakdown D.aninteraction14.AcceptedinterpersonaldistanceintheUSisbettershownamong______.A.subculturalgroups B.agegroupsC.subregionalgroups D.gendergroups15.Knowledgeofculturalvariationsinpersonalspaceincommunicationismostimportantnowin______.A.culturaldifferencesB.goodcommunicationC.enjoyingforeignfood D.interpersonalrelationshipPassageFourWhenyoustopandthinkaboutyourhighschoolorcollegealmamater,areyourexperiencesmorepositiveornegative?Doyourfeelingsofsuccessorfailureinthatschoolhaveanythingtodowithwhetherornotyourschoolwassingle-sexorco-ed?MoreandmoreAmericansareelectingtosendtheirchildrentosingle-sexschoolsbecausetheyfeelbothboysandgirlsblossomwhentheystudyinthecompanyofstudentsofthesamesex.Theytendtoachievemore.Foryears,onlyparentswhocouldaffordtosendtheirchildrentoprivateschools,orwhohadstrongreligiousorculturalreasons,chosesingle-sexeducationfortheirchildren.Today,however,alongwithcostlyprivateschools,publicschoolsareexperimentingwiththeideaofseparatingthesexes.However,becausepublicschoolsarenotallowedtodiscriminateonthebasisofsex,theyhavebeendeniedfederalsupport.Girlsmaybetheoneswhobenefitmostfromsingle-sexschooling.Studieshaveshownthatmanygirlsgetshortchangedinco-edclassroomsbecauseteacherssometimespaymoreattentiontoboys.Girls’positive,exuberantattitudetowardtheirstudiestendstodisappearastheybegintofeellesssuccessful.Theystarttowatchtheirmalepeersoutperformtheminmathandscience.Asboysbegintogainconfidence,girlsstarttoloseit.Moreover,adolescenceissuchafragiletimeforgirls.Astheyexperienceadolescentchanges,somegirlsbecomedepressed,developanaddiction,orsufferfromanobsessionwithweight.Intheearly1990s,theAmericanAssociationofUniversityWomen(AAUW)concludedthatbeinginsingle-sexclassescouldraiseagirl’sself-esteem.Schoolsacrossthecountrybegancreatingsingle-sexclassroomsandschools.Butinalaterreport,thatsameorganizationcouldnolongersupporttheclaimthatgirlsperformedbetterwithoutboysintheclassroom.Inaddition,manycriticsclaimthatall-femaleschoolsmayactuallybeharmfultoagirl’seducationbecausethey“reinforceregressivenotionsofsexdifferences.”Therenewedinterestinsingle-sexschoolinghasfosteredacontroversyamongAmericans.Thosewhogiveitfullsupportbelievegirl’sneedanall-femaleenvironmenttotakerisksandfindtheirownvoices,proclaimingthatthey’re“betterdeadthanco-ed.”Thosewhoquestionthevalidityofsingle-sexschoolingwonderwhetherstudents'lackofachievementwarrantsreturningtoaneducationalsystemthatdividesthesexes.Theybelievethereisnosuchthingasseparatebutequal.Questions16-20arebasedonPassageFour.16.Itcanbelearnedfromthepassagethatsingle-sexschooling______.A.arousedparents’deepinterestintheearly1990sB.iswelcomedbymoreandmoreAmericansC.receivesmorecriticismsthanpraiseD.isanoutdatededucationalidea17.Girlsmay______whilestudyinginanall-femaleschool.A.feellesscompetitiveB.belesslikelytotakerisksC.gainmoreconfidenceinstudiesD.carelessabouttheirappearances18.WhichofthefollowinghasNOTbeenmentionedasafactorthatmayaffectgirls’performanceinco-edschools?A.Girls’adolescentchanges.B.Parents’attitudestowardtheirstudies.C.Teachers’attitudestowarddifferentsexes.D.Boys’outstandingperformanceinmathandscience.19.Thosewhoquestionthepossibilityofsingle-sexeducationbelievethat______.A.boysandgirlsshouldbeequalB.sexdiscriminationaffectsstudents’performanceC.single-sexpublicschoolsreceivemorefinancialaidsD.AAUWneverchangesitsattitudestowardsingle-sexschooling20.Thepassageismainlyabout______.A.disadvantagesofoftenneglectedco-edschoolingB.thedifferencesbetweenprivateschoolsandpublicschoolsC.reasonswhygirlscanbenefitmostfromsingle-sexeducationD.Americans’controversialattitudestowardsingle-sexschoolingPassageFiveAmonginvestors,confidenceinIndiahastakenaknock.Thestockmarketisdownbyatenthindollartermsthisyear.Thatreflectshigherinterestrates,butalsoasensethatthegovernmenthaslosttheplot.Ithas,sayitscritics,failedtocontrolcorruptionandpublicborrowing,fallenbehindoninfrastructureandprovenunabletomakedecisions.Vedanta,aLondon-listedresourcesfirm,hasbeenwaitingforalmostayearforministerialapprovaltobuycontroloftheIndianunitofCairnEnergy,whichisalsoLondon-listed.OnJune28th,duringatriptoAmerica,India’sfinanceministerinsistedthatthingswereontrack.Manybusinessfolkaresceptical.“Reformswillhappen—afterthewholesystemcollapses,”predictsacorporateoligarch.HeisjusttalkingaboutIndia’sbankruptelectricity-distributioncompanies,whichareatiresomebottleneck.Overall,heremainsanoptimistonIndia,arguingthata“goldencentury”awaitsthecountry.Butformanyfirmstheusualjittersarenowcombinedwithalessfamiliarproblem:fallingprofitability.Listedfirms’returnonequity,whichwas21-23%inthefiveyearstoMarch,wasonly17%lastfiscalyear,estimatesIIFL,abroker,usingasampleof140companiesaccountingfortwo-thirdsofthestockmarketbyvalue.DatafortheNiftyFiftyindexofbigfirmspaintasimilarpicture.Fewanalystsexpectaquickrecovery.Partofthefallreflectstransientfactors.Acquisitionsabroadhavehitsomecompanies’returns,forexample.Butdeepertrendsareatplay,too.Labourcostshaverisen,particularlyatsomestate-controlledfirms:SteelAuthorityofIndia’sstaffbillrosebyawhopping41%lastfiscalyear.Indisciplineandslower-than-expectedgrowthhavewiltedprofitsinsectorssuchascement,construction,propertyandtelecommunications.Someindustries,suchasconsumergoods,continuetoprosper.Buttomotoralong,India’seconomyneedsnotonlyshampoobutalsonewroads,shops,houses,factoriesandpowerplants.Lowerreturnsandfalteringreformsmaymakefirmscoyaboutsinkingmoneyintotheground.InthequartertoMarch,growthingrossfixedcapitalinvestmentslumped,havingbeenhealthyforyears(otherthanduringthefinancialcrisis).Thechairmanofamanufacturingandretailingfirmsayshehasrecentlytemperedhisexpansionplans,justtoplayitsafe.“Isupposeeveryonehasdoneit,”heremarks,whileacknowledgingthatthiscollectivewobblerisksbecomingaself-fulfillingprophecy.Questions21-25arebasedonPassageFive.21.Theunderlinedphraseinthesentence(inPara.1)“confidenceinIndiahastakenaknock”means______.A.hasbeendamaged B.hasbeenblockedC.hasbeenrevitalized D.hasbeeninrise22.TheVedantaexampleshows______.A.governmentdisapprovalofVedantabuyingCairnEnergyB.governmentrestrictionontradinginenergyfirmsabroadC.insufficiencyofgovernmentD.impatienceofthecompany23.Formanyfirms,theproblemfacingthemisthattheyare______.A.makinglessmoney B.expectingaquickrecoveryC.losingmoremoney D.expectingalargereturn24.WhichisNOTtrueabouttheIndia’seconomy?A.Consumerindustrygrowsconsistently.B.Infrastructuralindustrygrowslegbehind.C.Firmsarelosingconfidenceininvestment.D.Capitalinvestmentkeepsgrowingsteadily.25.Thechairmanofamanufacturingandretailingfirm______.A.extendedhisplansB.examinedhisplanstospotrisksC.contractedhisplansD.reviewedhisplanstomakesafeII.Vocabulary(10points,1pointforeach)Directions:Scanthefollowingpassageandfindthewordswhichhaveroughlythesamemeaningsasthosegivenbelow.Thenumberinthebracketsaftereachworddefinitionreferstothenumberofparagraphinwhichthetargetwordis.WritethewordyouchooseontheAnswerSheet.Thatiswhattheeconomyisallabout—makingchoicesonhowtouselimitedresourcesofmoney,manpower,machineryandmaterials,whetheritinvolvesashopperdecidingwhattobuyinthesupermarketoramanufacturerdecidingwhatlineofgoodstoproduce.Choicesmadeintheeconomyinvolveacontinuoustug-of-warbetweenconsumersandproducersoverprice.Ifmanybusinessesareofferingaproductandthereisplentyofittosatisfytheneedsofallconsumers,aproducerwillbeforcedtosellatapricenotfarabovecostsinordertokeepfrombeingstuckwithalotofunmarketablesupplies.Thisiswhy,forexample,pricesforfreshfruitandvegetablesdropduringthesummermonthswhensuchproduceisingreatnumber.However,alowprice—especiallyifitfallsbelowwhatitcostsasellertomakethegoods—willdiscourageproduction,perhapsdrivethehigh-costproducersoutofbusinessorforcethemtomakesomethingelse.Againusinganexamplefromagriculture,farmersperiodicallyplantlesswheatorraisefewercattleifthepricesforthosecommoditiesgivetoolittlereturnforthecostsinvolved.Ontheotherhand,ifthereisgreatdemandforaproductandsuppliesaretight,businesswillbeabletoraiseprices,theirprofitswillincreaseandtheywillinvestinnewequipmenttoincreaseoutput.Otherfirmsmaybeattractedbythehopesofgoodprofitstoproducethescarceitem,thusaddingnewcompetition.That,inthesimplestform,isthewaythelawofsupplyanddemandworksinfree-marketeconomy.Pricebecomestheguidepost,tellingproducerswhattheycanexpecttosellatapricethatmorethancoverstheircosts.Atthesametime,postedpricestelltheconsumerwhathecanexpecttopay.26.smallinamountornumber(Para.1)27.thekindof(Para.1)28.goods,itemsavailable(Para.2)29.topreventfromhappening(Para.3)30.atregulartimes(Para.3)31.profitfrominvestment(Para.3)32.notenoughof(Para.4)33.noteasytofindorobtain(Para.4)34.itgivesimportantinformationabout(Para.5)35.tohaveenoughmoneytopaysomething(Para.5)III.Summarization(20points,2pointsforeach)Directions:Inthispartofthetest,therearetenparagraphs.Eachoftheparagraphsisfollowedbyanincompletephraseorsentencewhichsummarizesthemainideaoftheparagraph.SpelloutthemissinglettersofthewordonyourAnswerSheet.ParagraphOneA39-year-oldwoman,apatientinapsychiatricclinichadlockedherselfinatoiletwithaknife.PolicebroughtthedogPurzelwhentheylearnedthewomanwasadoglover.AssoonasthewomanspottedPurzelsniffingthroughacrackinthedoorshedroppedtheknifeandpickedhimup.36.Herodogp______asuicide.ParagraphTwoAsurveyof26,000peoplein36countriesbyVisitBritain,thenationaltourismbody,foundthatamajorityofpeoplein27nationsdisagreedwiththestatementthat“Britishfoodisverybad”.Russia,EstoniaandEgyptwerethemostenthusiasticaboutBritishfood,whileSpain,Italy,JapanandFranceweretheleastimpressed.37.Moret______begantoappreciateBritishfood.ParagraphThreeTheIAEA,theUNnuclearwatchdog,warnedthatthenuclearcrisistriggeredbyJapan’searthquakeandtsunamiisfarfromover.ThelessonGermanylearnsfromtheJapanesenucleardisasteristhattheearliertheexit,thebetter.Germanywouldturntogreenandcleantechnologiesandbecomeanuclear-freecountry.38.Germany’sreflectiononnucleare______.ParagraphFourScientistshavefoundthatlifecansurviveinboilingpoolsoftoxicwateratYellowstone39.Findinglifeinunusualp______.ParagraphFive“Thistypeofmeal,thisfastfoodmadewithgroundbeefwithacertaintomatosauce,friesdoesnotstrikemeasauniversaldream!”saidJeanGlavany,France’sagricultureminister.“IwanttospareEuropeansthis,”hesaid.“Mystruggleiscultural—whatIhaveopposedandstillopposeistheimperialismofafoodmodelthatwantstobetheonlymodel.”40.Theb______overfastfood.PassageSixSeveralgovernmentsinEuropehavedecidedthatradicalactionisrequiredtoincreasethenumberofwomenintheexecutivesuite.Norwaypassedalawinthatobligedallpubliclylistedfirmstoreserve40%oftheseatsontheirboardsforwomenby.Spainpassedasimilarlawin;Franceearlierthisyear.TheNetherlandsisworkingonone.41.Morewomeninb______top.PassageSevenThebusinesstravelandmeetingsorganizationinAmericaattributestherecentincreasetorisingairfares,fuelledbyenergyprices,constrainedcapacityandrelativelystrongdemand,higherlodgingrates,andgrowingcorporatedemand.Forexample,itexpectscorporatespendingonoverseastripstoriseto$31.8billionin,a9.1%increaseonlastyear.42.Thepriceoft______continuesrisinginAmericain.PassageEightTherowoverphone-hackingbyjournalistshasledtotheclosureoftheNewsoftheWorldnewspaper,andwiderquestionsaboutpressregulation,mediaownership,thepolice,andrelationshipsbetweenpoliticiansandjournalists.ItadmittedinterceptingvoicemailsinAprilafteryearsofrumorthatthepracticewaswidespread.43.Ethicsinj______.PassageNineThereigningqueenofallmediaintheUSistalk-showhostOprahWinfrey.Herinfluencegoesbeyondherdailyone-hourshowintoeverythingfromthepublishingbusinesstotheagriculturalmarkets.Doyouneedproof?WhenWinfreydiscussesanunknownauthoronhershow,hisbookgoestothetopofthebest-sellercharts.44.Queenoft______.PassageTenLondon’sundergroundrailwaywillreplacecommuters’sweatyodorswiththegentlewaftofperfume