密题冲刺三英语二试卷

SectionIUseofEnglish

Directions:

Readthefollowingtext.Choosethebestword(s)foreachnumberedblankandmarkA,B,CorDonthe

ANSWERSHEET.(10points)

Eatingmorevegetablesprobablywon’tpreventcancer,butitmayimproveyourhearthealth.Amajorstudy1theeatinghabitsof478,000Europeanssuggeststhatconsuminga2offruitsandvegetableshaslittleifanyeffectonpreventingcancer.Thestudy3thepotentialofvegetablesforloweringcancerrisk,

4theresultsdon’tmeanyoushouldpushthosegreensoffyourte.

Anumberofstudiesshowthathighvegetableconsumptionis5lowerriskforheartdisease.Inaddition,thereisstillsome6thatcertainvegetablesandfruitsmay7effective,cancer-lightingcompounds.Andthelateststudyalsosuggestedapotentiallyhigheranti-cancer8ofeatingvegetablesforpeoplewhoregularlydrinkalcohol.TheEuropeanstudytracked142,605menand335,873womenfora(n)9ofnearlynineyears.Eatingmorevegetableswasassociatedwithasmallbutstatistically10reductionincancerrisk.Thedata11intoa4percentlowerriskofcancerforeverytwo12servingsofvegetablesadaya eats.

Whilethefindingssuggestatleastasmalllowerriskofcancer13thosewhoeatlotsofvegetables,the

14differencecouldbeexinedbyanumberofvariables,15reportingerrorsamongthestudystudysubjectsorthefactthatvegetableeatersalsoarelesslikelytosmokeordrinktoexcess.Inaddition,a4percentreductioninrelativerisk16verylittlepracticalbenefittoanindividual.Forinstance,a witha10percentriskofgettingcanceroverthenexteightyearswould,17,lowerhisorherrisktojust9.6percentbyeatingtwoextraservingsofvegetablesaday.

Eatingmorevegetableswon’tpreventcancer,butalargebodyofevidenceshowsthat18vegetableconsumptionisgoodforyourheart.In2004,Harvardresearchersreportedondatacollectedfrom100,000nursesanddoctors.19thestudyshowednolinkbetweencancerriskandvegetableconsumption,eatingfiveormorefruitandvegetableservingsdailywasassociatedwitha30percentlowerriskof20diseaseorstrokecomparedtothosewhoatelessthan1.5servingsaday.

[A]tracking [B]pursuing [C]tailing [D]hunting

[A]series [B]lot [C]variety [D]number

[A]suggests [B]denies [C]ignores [D]identities

[A]so [B]if [C]unless [D]but

[A]associatedwith[B]determinedby[C]independentof[D]attachedto

[A]testimony [B]affirmation [C]evidence [D]witness

[A]hold [B]contain [C]enclose [D]involve

[A]benefit [B]reward [C]profit [D]advantage

[A]middle [B]average [C]center [D]interval

[A]serious [B]significant [C]vital [D]spectacular

[A]bumps [B]transforms [C]translates [D]talks

[A][B]extra [C]redundant [D]inadequate

[A]between [B]over [C]among [D]near

[A]slight [B]considerable [C]moderate [D]excessive

[A]on [B]as [C]like [D]from

[A]provides [B]offers [C]devotes [D]sacrifices

[A]atbest [B]atleast [C]atworst [D]withoutdoubt

[A]reducing [B]fixing [C]changing [D]increasing

[A]Although [B]Since [C]However [D]Whenever

[A]stomach [B]nerve [C]skin [D]heart

SectionIIReadingComprehension

PartADirections:

Readthefollowingfourtexts.AnswerthequestionsbeloweachtextbychoosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersontheANSWERSHEET.(40points)

Text1

Boostedbyboominginternationalfinancialmarkets,theCityofLondonhasnothaditsogoodsincetheendofthe bonanzainthelate1990s.Baskingindouble-digitgrowthrates,London’slawfirmshavebothcontributedtothatsuccessandbenefitedfromit.TheearningsoftopCitylawyerscannowexceed￡2mayear.

Havingoptedtoexpandandgoglobalaheadofmostothers,Britain’sleadinglawfirmstendtobebiggerthantheirAmericanrivals.Indeed,accordingtoasurveyoftheworld’stop50lawfirms,compiledbyLegalBusiness,aBritishtradepaper,fiveoftheworld’stopsixlawfirms-intermsofturnover-arenowBritish(ifDLAPiper,theresultofanAnglo-Americanmerger,isincluded).Buttheyhavetendedtolagbehindintermsoftheirprofitability.Thatisnowchanging.

TheprofitmarginsoftheCity’sfive"magiccircle"firm—CliffordChance,SlaughterandMay,Allen&Overy,LinklatersandFreshfields—havesoaredinrecentyearsandarenowcomparablewith,ifnothigherthan,thoseofNewYork’s"whiteshoe"elite.SlaughterandMay,theonlyoneofthefivenottohavegoneglobal,hasthejointsecond-highestprofitmarginamongthetop50.

Notsolongago,aLondonsurgeoncouldexpecttoearnasmuchasaCitylawyer.Buteventherecentbigrisesinhospitalconsultants’earningspaleincomparisonwiththoseenjoyedbyLondonlawyers.AtSlaughterandMay,forexample,averageprofitsperequitypartner(PEP)jumpedbyalmostathird(indollarterms)lastyearto

$2.75m—morethanatanyotherofthetop50lawfirmsbartwoinNewYorkwherePEPaveraged$2.8mand

$3.0mrespectively.Someseniorpartnersgetalotmoreofcourse.

Competitionforthebestlawyersisfierceandpoachingfrequent.HencetheneedtokeepheadlinePEPfiguresup-evenatthecostofgettingridofequitypartners,leavingabiggershareofthebountyfortheremainingones.Freshfieldsisintheprocessofsheddingaround100ofitsequitypartners.Otherleadingfirmsarealsoundertakingpainfulrestructuring.

Newlyqualifiedlawyers’salarieshavealsobeenshootingupinthesearchforthebesttalent.BothFreshfieldsandAllen&Overynowpaytheirfirst-yearassociates￡65,000,risingtoaround￡90,000afterthreeyears.(First-yearassociatesatAmerica’stoplawfirmsgettheequivalentof￡80,000.)

But,asmanyothertop-rankCityemployershavediscovered,bigearningsdonotnecessarilyguaranteebigsatisfaction.AccordingtoaYoupoll,publishedbytheLawyerearlierthismonth,aquarterofBritain’slawyers(includingafifthoflaw-firmpartners)wouldliketoleavetheprofession.Thedisgruntledcominedaboutcripplinglylonghours,intensecompetitionandtheir alityofthebiggestfirms(somewithmorethan3,000lawyers).Sowhydon’ttheyquit?Because,saythree-quarters,ofthepay.

WhichoneofthefollowingisTUREofthestatusquoofLondon’seconomy?

Londonisenjoyingitsbesttimeofeconomicdevelopmentsince1990s.

ThegrowthrateofLondonisdoubledsincethebeginningofthe1990s.

Thegrowthratestartedtoboostsincetheendofthe era.

ThecurrenteconomyofLondonismostlydrivenbyitslegalinsteadoffinancialmarket.

Theworld’stop50lawfirmsaregradedaccordingto .

theirannualmargin

theirprofitability

theirsalevolume

theirtyofbusiness

Thephrase“whiteshoe”(Line3,Paragraph3)mostprobablymeans .

whitecollars

first-classlawfirms

financialagencies

internationalbanks

Inordertobecompetitive,thelawfirmstakethefollowingmeasuresexcept .

dismissingequitypartners

carryingoutrestructuring

havingtheirbestlawyersturnmorecompetitive.

raisingsalariesforrecruitingtalents

FromtheYou poll,itcanbeinferredthat .

thisprofessionisfarfromsatisfactory

mostlawyerswillleavetheprofessionsoonerorlater

mostlawyersaresatisfiedwiththeprofessionbecauseofthefatpay

highsalaryisalwayscontradictorytobigsatisfaction

Text2

Whenthereisbloodinthewater,itisonlynaturalthatdorsalfinsswirlaroundexcitedly.NowthatAmerica’shousingmarketisailing,predatorshavetheirsightsonthecountry’scredit-cardmarket.ystsatGoldmanSachsreckonthatcredit-cardlossescouldreach$99billionifcontagionspreadsfromsubprimemortgagestootherformsofconsumercredit.Signsofstrainareclearlyvisible.Therearerisesinboththecharge-offanddelinquencyrates,whichmeasuretheshareofbalancesthatareuncollectableormorethan30dayslaterespectively.HSBCannouncedlastmonththatithadtakena$1.4billionchargeinitsAmericanconsumer-financebusiness,partlybecauseofweaknessamongcardborrowers.

Itistooearlytopanic,though.Charge-offsanddelinquenciesarestilllow.AccordingtoMoody’s,aratingagency,thethird-quarterdelinquencyrateof3.89%wasalmostafullpercentagepointbelowthehistoricalaverage.Thedeteriorationinratescanbepartlyexinedbytechnicalfactors.AchangeinAmerica’s al-bankruptcylawsin2005ledtoanabruptfallinbankruptcyfilings,whichinturnaccountforabigchunkofcredit-cardlosses;thenumberoffilings(andthuscharge-offrates)wouldberisingagain,whetherornotoverallconditionsforborrowersweregettingworse.

Theindustryalsoreportssolidpaymentrates,whichshowhowmuchoftheirdebtconsumerspayoffeachmonth.Andconfidenceincredit-cardasset-backedsecuritiesisprettyfirmdespiteparalysisinothercornersofstructuredfinance.DennisMoroneyofTowerGroup,aresearchfirm,predictsthatissuancevolumesfor2007willendupbeing25%higherthanlastyear.

Directchannelsofinfectionbetweenthesubprime-mortgagecrisisandthecredit-cardmarketcertainlyexist:consumersarelikeliertoloaduponcredit-carddebtnowthathome-equityloansaredryingup.Butcardissuerslookatcashflowratherthanassetvalues,sofallinghousepricesdonotnecessarilytriggerachangeinborrowers’creditworthiness.Theymayevenworktoissuers’advantage.Theincentivesforconsumerstokeeppayingthemortgagedecreaseifpropertiesareworthlessthanthevalueoftheloan;carddebtriseshigherupthelistofrepaymentprioritiesasaresult.

Cardissuersarealsoabletorespondmuchmoreswiftlyandflexiblytostormierconditionsthanmortgagelendersare,bychanginginterestratesoralteringcreditlimits.Thatshouldintheoryreducetheriskofarapidreprisingofassets."Wearenotgoingtowakeuponedayandtotallyrevaluetheloans,"saysGaryPerlin,CapitalOne’schieffinancialofficer.

Ifasuddensubprime-stylemeowninthecredit-cardmarketisimprobable,therisksofasustaineddownturnaremuchmorereal.IflowerhousepricesandacontractionincreditpushAmericaintorecession,theindustrywillundoubtedlyfaceagrimmerfuture.Keepwatchingforthosedorsalfins.

Theauthormakesmentionofdorsalfinswhichareirrelevanttothetopicinorderto.

makepeoplealerttothepotentialdanger

attractthereaders’attentionbypresentinganinterestingphenomenon

makepeoplerealizethegravenessoftheissuebyshowingasimilarcase

makethepassagemorevividbyimpartingnewknowledgetoreaders

Risesinthecharge-offanddelinquencyrateindicate .

thedeteriorationofthesubprimemortgage

theinadequateabilityofcardborrowers

theinfluenceofthetechnicalfactors

thechangeinrelevantlaws

Accordingtothepassage,thenumberofbankruptcyfillingswouldberisingagainbecause .

thereisachangeinAmerica’s al-bankruptcylaws

thecharge-offsanddelinquenciesarestilllow

theinfluenceofthe al-bankruptcylawshasbeendigested

theoverallconditionsforborrowersaregettingworse

Thesubprime-mortgagecrisisinfluencesthecredit-cardmarketinthat .

thefallofassetvaluesaffectsthecardborrowers’creditworthiness

thedecreaseinthemortgagepaymentleadstotherisesofthecarddebt

thedryingupofthehome-equityloansspurconsumers’incentivestorepaythecarddebt

thefallinghousepricesmakesthecarddebtrisinghigher

Accordingtotheauthor,thecredit-cardmarketwillmorelikelybethreatenedby .

agradualdownwardtendency

arapidcollapse

asustainedtrendofloweringprice

theaccumulationofeconomicrecession

Text3

Environmentalistsmaygetoffonterrifyingclimatechange,butmostpeoplejustturnaway.“Ifitwasreallysobad,they’ddosomething,”saysonecolleague.ThehumantendencytoconvinceyourselfthateverythingisOK,becausenooneelseisworried,isdeeplyseated.

Ourtendencytoshrugoffresponsibilityseemstoholdtrueevenwhenweourselvesareindanger.JohnDarleyandBibbLatanééaskedaseriesofcollegestudentstositinaroomandfilloutaquestionnaire.Whensmokestartedtopourintotheroomthroughavent,theothers,allactors,ignoreditandwentonwritingcalmly.Ninetypercentofsubjectscopiedtheactors,evenwhenthesmokebecamesothickthattheycouldbarelyseeandwerecoughing.Butsubjectswhowerealoneintheroom,underthesameconditions,almostallreportedthesmokeasanemergency.Thatisanastonishingfinding—thattheinactionofotherpeoplecanmakeusunderestimatethreatstoourownsafety.

Inthepastfewweekswehavebeentold,byreputablesources,thattheoceansarewarmingfasterthananyonepredicted.Thatspeciesare ingextinctahundredtimesfasterthanfossilsrecord.Thatweareapproachingtippointsthatmaymakeclimatechangeirreversible.Thisstuffmakesmefeelprettydesperate.Iwouldthinkthatotherpeoplewouldworrytoo.ButthenIgototheoffice,andtofriends’houses,andnoonementionsit.Nordothepoliticians.Despitethenoisefromgreengroups,welookforget-outclauses.Weblameothercountriesorbigcorporations.Thepartofourbrainthatisprogrammedtoimitatedominatesthepartcuedtoself-preservation

—especiallywhenthethreatsarecomplexandlong-term.

Couldwesendtheherdintheotherdirection?Maybe.TenyearsafterDarleyandLatané’ssmokeexperiment,anotherprofessorArthurBeamanshoweditsfitohisstudents.Heexinedthepsychology.Andinfuturethosestudentswere,apparently,almosttwiceaslikelyasotherstoreacttohelpotherpeople.

InJanuaryIcountedaToyotaPriushybridcaronalmosteveryoneoftherichstreetsinapartofLondonjusteastofmyhouse.YesterdayIdidanothercount.Theyseemedtohaveincreasedtotwoorthree.Thatisthepowerofimitation,forpeoplewhocanaffordit.Buthowdoyougetotherpeopletoimitatebehaviorthatislessvisible:buyingless,travelinglessorchangingtheirelectricityr?Theanswersmustsurelylieinsocialetiquette.If

weareprogrammedtoactlikelemmings,thenwemustgivesomepeopleincentivestobreakoutandpublicizetheiractivities.

Thesmokeiscomingupthroughthevent.Ifenoughpeoplestarttalkingaboutthesmoke,perhapsotherswillstarttoseeittoo.Andifenoughpeopleact,therestmayfollow.Forthat,itseems,ishumannature.

Itcanbeinferredfromthefirsttwoparagraphsthatpeopletendto .

beoptimisticaboutchangesoccurringaround

turnablindeyetotheapproachingthreats

havetheirjudgmentsinfluencedbyothers

waitforsomeoneelsetoactfirst

Infaceofenvironmentaldegradation,mostpeopleare .

feelingunabletoassumesuchabigresponsibility

endeavoringtofindoutitscauses

imitatingothers’inaction

tryingtoprotectthemselves

ProfessorArthurBeaman’sexperimentshowsthat .

it’shumannaturetoshrinkfromresponsibility

environmentaleducationshouldbeginwiththeyoungpeople

therewillbemanymorewhoarereadytohelpothers

properguidancecanmakepeoplemoreconcernedaboutclimatechange

“Actlikelemmings(Lastline,Paragraph5)”mostprobablymeans .

goalongunquestioninglywithpopularopinion

remainindifferenttoeverythinghappeningaround

lackthecouragetomakeamajorchange

pursuethelifestylesofyourrichneighbors

Theauthorsuggeststhatinordertocounterclimatechange, .

moreattentionshouldbepaidtopsychologicalaspects

imitationshouldbeminimizedoravoided

morepopularizationshouldbedoneaboutitsdanger

somerestrictionsshouldbemadeonpeople’sspendingpattern

Text4

RichardBurtonprobablyknewnothingofthesmallSouthAfricantownofCullinanwhenheboughtyetanotherchunkydiamondforElizabethTaylorin1969.NowtheCullinanmineitself,likesomanyofthediamondsunearthedthere,isabouttochangehands.OnNovember22ndDeBeers,thediamondgiantthathasownedtheminesince1930,saiditwassellingittoaconsortiumledbyPetraDiamonds,oneofSouthAfrica’semergingdiamondproducers,for1billionrandincash.Providedregulatorsapprovethedeal,thetransfershouldtakecebythemiddleofnextyear.

DeBeersissellingbecausethemineisnolongerprofitable,despiteattemptstoturnitaround.ButPetrareckonstheminestillhasanother20yearsofproductioninitandnstoextractatleast1mcaratsayear.Theunexploited"CentenaryCut"deposit,whichliesundertheexistingmine,couldyieldalotmore.Thisisgoodnewsforthemine’s1,000orsoemployeesandforthetown,whichhasdependedonthediamondbusinesssinceSirThomasCullinandiscoveredaprospecttherein1898thatcontainedkimberlite,arockthatcanberichindiamonds.Themine,establishedin1903,isoneof30orsokimberlitediamondminesintheworld,andisbelievedtobestilltheworld’ssecond-most-valuablediamondresource

Petraisarelativelysmalloutfit,listedonLondon’sAlternativeInvestmentMarket,thatspecializesinbuyingminesthatbiggercompaniesseeasmarginal.Itstrickistoextractbetterreturnsbyrationalizingproductionandprocessing,andkeeoperatingcostsandoverheadsdown.PetrahasalreadyboughttwoofDeBeers’sloss-makingSouthAfricanmines—bothofwhicharenowprofitable—andisfinalizingthe78.5mrandacquisition

ofthegroup’sundergroundoperationinKimberley,whichstoppedworkingin2005.

ItalreadyoperatesfourminesinSouthAfricaandhaspromisingexplorationinAngola(ajoint-venturewithBHPBilliton),SierraLeoneandBotswana.Petraexpectstoproduceover1mcaratsby2010-quiteajumpfrom180,474caratsintheyeartoJune.The hasyettomakeaprofit,butexpectstobemakingmoneybythemiddleofnextyear.

Inthe1990sDeBeersdecidedthatitwasnolongeragoodideatotrytomonopolizethediamondmarket.Itstartedfocusingonhigherreturnsratherthanmarketshare,andhasbeenrevamitsmineportfolio,sellingoffminesthatarenolongerprofitableandinvestinginmoreenticingoperations,suchasitsmineoffthewestcoastofSouthAfrica,itsVoorspoedoperationintheStateprovince,andtwonewminesinCanada.

Thishasopenedthewayforanewclassofdiamondfirmthatoperatesinthevastmiddlegroundbetweentheworld’shandfuloflargeproducersandamultitudeofmuchsmallerexplorationfirms.TheCullinandealshouldentrenchPetrainthismiddletier,alongsidefirmssuchasKimberleyDiamondandTransHex.Butevenifitdoesreachitstargetof1mcaratsayear,Petrawillstillnotbeabletomatchthesparkleofthegiants.LastyearDeBeersproduced51mcaratsfromitsminesinBotswana,Namibia,SouthAfricaandTanzania,whichamountedto40%oftheworld’sdiamondsbyvalue.

TheCullinanminewasnamedafter.

theoriginalnameofthetown

thenameofitsfirstowner

thenameofitsdiscoverer

thenameofthetown’sfirstcolonist

WhichoneofthefollowingstatementsisTRUEoftheCullinanmine?

Themineistheonlybusinessofthetownwhichemploysmostofthelocalresidents

Itcanbeminedforanother20yearsgivenPetra’sadvancedtechnology

Itistheworld’ssecondlargestdiamondminewithayearlycapacityof1mcarats

Whethertheminewillmaintainitsprofitabilityisyettoknow.

Petra’soperatingphilosophycanbesaidas .

tomakeprofitsbyreducingthecosts

toexploitthesurroundingareasofanexistingmine

tointegratetheresourcesofallthemoney-losingsmallmines

torestructurethemineportfolioandtooptimizetheprocessmanagement

DeBeershasmadechangesonitsdevelopmentstrategybecause .

itnstoshrinkitsmarketshareandendsitslong-termmonopoly

itwantstoopenthewayforthemiddletierofdiamondmarket

itswitchesitsattentiontomakinglargerprofits

itwantstoturnaroundtheloss-makingminesbycooperatingwithcompaniesofsmallersize.

Thefutureofthenewclassofdiamondfirmis .

promising

dim

unknown[D]frustrating

PartBDirections:

ReadthefollowingtextandanswerthequestionsbychoosingthemostsuitablesubtitlesfromthelistA-Gforeachnumberedparagraph(41-45).Therearetwoextrasubtitleswhichyoudonotneedtouse.MarkyouranswersontheANSWERSHEET.(10points)

ContrastwithOtherCities

DifficultiesAcrosstheNation

ProblemsinVancouver

EffortsoftheMunicipal ernments

RootandUrgencyoftheUrbanproblems

SolutionstotheDevelopmentalDilemma

ConcernsfromtheIndustrialcircle

Withshiningofficetowersrisingbetweenbroadbeachesand edmountains,bigparksandwaterfrontresidences,Vancouveroftencomesatthetopoflistsoftheworld’sbestcitiesinwhichtolive.Thisweek,amidmuchtriumphbelieffromcivicleaders,Vancouveriscelebrating,the125thofthemomentwhenashabbywoodentimbercampburnedtotheground,andthefoundationsofwhatisnowwesternCanada’slargestcitywerelaid.Butforallitspicture-postcardimage,Vancouver,likeotherCanadiancities.facessomepressingproblemsandlacksthemeanstodealwiththem.

ThoseheadachesincludeDowntownEastside,aslumofcrime,povertyanddrugaddictionthatisthecountry’ssickesturbanarea,Soaringhousepricesminglewithhomelessness,Themiddleclassisbeingsqueezedouttothesuburbs.AlthoughthecityhaslostcorporateheadofficesLoCalgary,inoil-richAlberta,thepopulationofGreaterVancouverissettorisefrom2mto3.4mby2041,accordingtothenners,Thecityfacesasteepbilltoexpandpublictransport,upgradesewersandwatersystemsandrepaircollapsingcivicbuildings,roadsandbridges.42

Vancouver’sdifficultiesaremirroredacrossthecountry.Provincialernmentshaveneglectedtheirresponsibilityforsuchmattersassocialhousing,welfare.Mentalillness,drugaddictionandpolicing.Alltold,Canada’sbigcitiesneedatleastC$238billion($243billion)torepairandexpandinfrastructure,accordingtotheFederationofCanadianMunicipalities.Butmunicipalernmentslackbothmoneyandpowers.Theygetonlyeightcentsoutofeverytaxdollar.Theirrevenuescomemainlyfrompropertytaxes,UnderconstitutionalarrangementsthatdatebacktothetimewhenCanadawaslargelyrural,mayorshavefewerpowersthantheircounterpartsinsomeotherdevelopedcountries.

43

Theresultisthatmayorsmustconstantlygocap-in-handtotheprovincialandfederalernmentsformoneyforcapitalprojects,Theresponsehasbeenanarrayofspecialfundingforurbanschemes.Forexample,sucharrangementsgaveVancouveranewconventioncentre,sportsfacilitiesandafastraillinktotheairport,allbuiltforthe2010winterOlympicGames.Butmunici