2017考研英语一阅读基础精讲辅导

2002年阅读理解真题

Text1

Ifyouintendusinghumorinyourtalktomakepeoplesmile,youmustknowhowtoidentifysharedexperiencesandproblems.Yourhumormustberelevanttotheaudienceandshouldhelptoshowthemthatyouareoneofthemorthatyouunderstandtheirsituationandareinsympathywiththeirpointofview.Dependingonwhomyouareaddressing,theproblemswillbedifferent.Ifyouaretalkingtoagroupofmanagers,youmayrefertothedisorganizedmethodsoftheirsecretaries;alternativelyifyouareaddressingsecretaries,youmaywanttocommentontheirdisorganizedbosses.

Hereisanexample,whichIheardatanurses’convention,ofastorywhichworkswellbecausetheaudienceallsharedthesameviewofdoctors.AmanarrivesinheavenandisbeingshownaroundbySt.Peter.Heseeswonderfulaccommodations,beautifulgardens,sunnyweather,andsoon.Everyoneisverypeaceful,politeandfriendlyuntil,waitinginalineforlunch,thenewarrivalissuddenlypushedasidebyamaninawhitecoat,whorushestotheheadoftheline,grabshisfoodandstompsovertoatablebyhimself.“Whoisthat?”thenewarrivalaskedSt.Peter.“Oh,that’sGod,”camethereply,“butsometimeshethinkshe’sadoctor.”

Ifyouarepartofthegroupwhichyouareaddressing,youwillbeinapositiontoknowtheexperiencesandproblemswhicharecommontoallofyouandit’llbeappropriateforyoutomakeapassingremarkabouttheinediblecanteenfoodorthechairman’snotoriousbadtasteinties.Withotheraudiencesyoumustn’tattempttocutinwithhumorastheywillresentanoutsidermakingdisparagingremarksabouttheircanteenortheirchairman.YouwillbeonsafergroundifyousticktoscapegoatslikethePostOfficeorthetelephonesystem.

Ifyoufeelawkwardbeinghumorous,youmustpracticesothatitbecomesmorenatural.Includeafewcasualandapparentlyoff-the-cuffremarkswhichyoucandeliverinarelaxedandunforcedmanner.Oftenit’sthedeliverywhichcausestheaudiencetosmile,sospeakslowlyandrememberthataraisedeyebroworanunbelievinglookmayhelptoshowthatyouaremakingalight-heartedremark.

Lookforthehumor.Itoftencomesfromtheunexpected.Atwistonafamiliarquote“Ifatfirstyoudon’tsucceed,giveup”oraplayonwordsoronasituation.Searchforexaggerationandunderstatements.Lookatyourtalkandpickoutafewwordsorsentenceswhichyoucanturn

aboutandinjectwithhumor.

Tomakeyourhumorwork,youshould .

takeadvantageofdifferentkindsofaudience

makefunofthedisorganizedpeople

addressdifferentproblemstodifferentpeople

showsympathyforyourlisteners

Thejokeaboutdoctorsimpliesthat,intheeyesofnurses,theyare .

impolitetonewarrivals [B]veryconsciousoftheirgodlikerole

[C]entitledtosomeprivileges [D]verybusyevenduringlunchhours

Itcanbeinferredfromthetextthatpublicservices .

havebenefitedmanypeople [B]arethefocusofpublicattention

[C]areaninappropriatesubjectforhumor [D]haveoftenbeenthelaughingstock

Toachievethedesiredresult,humorousstoriesshouldbedelivered .

inwell-wordedlanguage [B]asawkwardlyaspossible

[C]inexaggeratedstatements [D]ascasuallyaspossible

Thebesttitleforthetextmaybe .

UseHumorEffectively [B]VariousKindsofHumor

[C]AddHumortoSpeech [D]DifferentHumorStrategies

Text2

Sincethedawnofhumaningenuity,peoplehavedevisedevermorecunningtoolstocopewithworkthatisdangerous,boring,burdensome,orjustplainnasty.Thatcompulsionhasresultedinrobotics—thescienceofconferringvarioushumancapabilitiesonmachines.Andifscientistshaveyettocreatethemechanicalversionofsciencefiction,theyhavebeguntocomeclose.

Asaresult,themodernworldisincreasinglypopulatedbyintelligentgizmoswhosepresencewebarelynoticebutwhoseuniversalexistencehasremovedmuchhumanlabor.Ourfactorieshumtotherhythmofrobotassemblyarms.Ourbankingisdoneatautomatedtellerterminalsthatthankuswithmechanicalpolitenessforthetransaction.Oursubwaytrainsarecontrolledbytirelessrobot-drivers.Andthankstothecontinualminiaturizationofelectronicsandmicro-mechanics,therearealreadyrobotsystemsthatcanperformsomekindsofbrainandbonesurgerywithsubmillimeteraccuracy—fargreaterprecisionthanhighlyskilledphysicianscanachievewiththeirhandsalone.

Butifrobotsaretoreachthenextstageoflaborsavingutility,theywillhavetooperatewith

lesshumansupervisionandbeabletomakeatleastafewdecisionsforthemselves—goalsthatposearealchallenge.“Whileweknowhowtotellarobottohandleaspecificerror,”saysDaveLavery,managerofaroboticsprogramatNASA,“wecan’tyetgivearobotenough‘commonsense’toreliablyinteractwithadynamicworld.”

Indeedthequestfortrueartificialintelligencehasproducedverymixedresults.Despiteaspellofinitialoptimisminthe1960sand1970swhenitappearedthattransistorcircuitsandmicroprocessorsmightbeabletocopytheactionofthehumanbrainbytheyear2010,researcherslatelyhavebeguntoextendthatforecastbydecadesifnotcenturies.

Whattheyfound,inattemptingtomodelthought,isthatthehumanbrain’sroughlyonehundredbillionnervecellsaremuchmoretalented—andhumanperceptionfarmorecomplicated—thanpreviouslyimagined.Theyhavebuiltrobotsthatcanrecognizetheerrorofamachinepanelbyafractionofamillimeterinacontrolledfactoryenvironment.Butthehumanmindcanglimpsearapidlychangingsceneandimmediatelydisregardthe98percentthatisirrelevant,instantaneouslyfocusingonthemonkeyatthesideofawindingforestroadorthesinglesuspiciousfaceinabigcrowd.ThemostadvancedcomputersystemsonEarthcan’tapproachthatkindofability,andneuroscientistsstilldon’tknowquitehowwedoit.

Humaningenuitywasinitiallydemonstratedin .

theuseofmachinestoproducesciencefiction

thewideuseofmachinesinmanufacturingindustry

theinventionoftoolsfordifficultanddangerouswork

theelite’scunningtacklingofdangerousandboringwork

Theword“gizmos”（Line1,Paragraph2）mostprobablymeans .

programs [B]experts

[C]devices [D]creatures

Accordingtothetext,whatisbeyondman’sabilitynowistodesignarobotthatcan .

fulfilldelicatetaskslikeperformingbrainsurgery

interactwithhumanbeingsverbally

havealittlecommonsense

respondindependentlytoachangingworld

Besidesreducinghumanlabor,robotscanalso .

makeafewdecisionsforthemselves

dealwithsomeerrorswithhumanintervention

improvefactoryenvironments

cultivatehumancreativity

Theauthorusestheexampleofamonkeytoarguethatrobotsare .

expectedtocopyhumanbrainininternalstructure

abletoperceiveabnormalitiesimmediately

farlessablethanhumanbraininfocusingonrelevantinformation

bestusedinacontrolledenvironment

Text3

Couldthebadolddaysofeconomicdeclinebeabouttoreturn?SinceOPECagreedtosupply-cutsinMarch,thepriceofcrudeoilhasjumpedtoalmost$26abarrel,upfromlessthan

$10lastDecember.Thisnear-triplingofoilpricescallsupscarymemoriesofthe1973oilshock,whenpricesquadrupled,and1979-80,whentheyalsoalmosttripled.Bothpreviousshocksresultedindouble-digitinflationandglobaleconomicdecline.Sowherearetheheadlineswarningofgloomanddoomthistime?

TheoilpricewasgivenanotherpushupthisweekwhenIraqsuspendedoilexports.Strengtheningeconomicgrowth,atthesametimeaswintergripsthenorthernhemisphere,couldpushthepricehigherstillintheshortterm.

Yettherearegoodreasonstoexpecttheeconomicconsequencesnowtobelessseverethaninthe1970s.Inmostcountriesthecostofcrudeoilnowaccountsforasmallershareofthepriceofpetrolthanitdidinthe1970s.InEurope,taxesaccountforuptofour-fifthsoftheretailprice,soevenquitebigchangesinthepriceofcrudehaveamoremutedeffectonpumppricesthaninthepast.

Richeconomiesarealsolessdependentonoilthantheywere,andsolesssensitivetoswingsintheoilprice.Energyconservation,ashifttootherfuelsandadeclineintheimportanceofheavy,energy-intensiveindustrieshavereducedoilconsumption.Software,consultancyandmobiletelephonesusefarlessoilthansteelorcarproduction.ForeachdollarofGDP（inconstantprices）richeconomiesnowusenearly50%lessoilthanin1973.TheOECDestimatesinitslatestEconomicOutlookthat,ifoilpricesaveraged$22abarrelforafullyear,comparedwith$13in1998,thiswouldincreasetheoilimportbillinricheconomiesbyonly0.25-0.5%ofGDP.Thatislessthanone-quarteroftheincomelossin1974or1980.Ontheotherhand,oil-importingemergingeconomies—towhichheavyindustryhasshifted—havebecomemoreenergy-intensive,andsocouldbemoreseriouslysqueezed.

Onemorereasonnottolosesleepovertheriseinoilpricesisthat,unliketherisesinthe1970s,ithasnotoccurredagainstthebackgroundofgeneralcommodity-priceinflationandglobal

excessdemand.Asizableportionoftheworldisonlyjustemergingfromeconomicdecline.TheEconomist’scommoditypriceindexisbroadlyunchangingfromayearago.In1973commoditypricesjumpedby70%,andin1979byalmost30%.

Themainreasonforthelatestriseofoilpriceis .

globalinflation [B]reductioninsupply

[C]fastgrowthineconomy [D]Iraq’ssuspensionofexports

Itcanbeinferredfromthetextthattheretailpriceofpetrolwillgoupdramaticallyif .

priceofcruderises [B]commoditypricesrise

[C]consumptionrises [D]oiltaxesrise

TheestimatesinEconomicOutlookshowthatinrichcountries .

heavyindustrybecomesmoreenergy-intensive

incomelossmainlyresultsfromfluctuatingcrudeoilprices

manufacturingindustryhasbeenseriouslysqueezed

oilpricechangeshavenosignificantimpactonGDP

Wecandrawaconclusionfromthetextthat .

oil-priceshocksarelessshockingnow

inflationseemsirrelevanttooil-priceshocks

energyconservationcankeepdowntheoilprices

thepriceriseofcrudeleadstotheshrinkingofheavyindustry

Fromthetextwecanseethatthewriterseems .

optimistic [B]sensitive

[C]gloomy [D]scared

Text4

TheSupremeCourt’sdecisionsonphysician-assistedsuicidecarryimportantimplicationsforhowmedicineseekstorelievedyingpatientsofpainandsuffering.

Althoughitruledthatthereisnoconstitutionalrighttophysician-assistedsuicide,theCourtineffectsupportedthemedicalprincipleof“doubleeffect,”acenturies-oldmoralprincipleholdingthatanactionhavingtwoeffects—agoodonethatisintendedandaharmfulonethatisforeseen—ispermissibleiftheactorintendsonlythegoodeffect.

Doctorshaveusedthatprincipleinrecentyearstojustifyusinghighdosesofmorphinetocontrolterminallyillpatients’pain,eventhoughincreasingdosageswilleventuallykillthepatient.NancyDubler,directorofMontefioreMedicalCenter,contendsthattheprinciplewillshield

doctorswho“untilnowhavevery,verystronglyinsistedthattheycouldnotgivepatientssufficientmedicationtocontroltheirpainifthatmighthastendeath.”

GeorgeAnnas,chairofthehealthlawdepartmentatBostonUniversity,maintainsthat,aslongasadoctorprescribesadrugforalegitimatemedicalpurpose,thedoctorhasdonenothingillegalevenifthepatientusesthedrugtohastendeath.“It’slikesurgery,”hesays.“Wedon’tcallthosedeathshomicidesbecausethedoctorsdidn’tintendtokilltheirpatients,althoughtheyriskedtheirdeath.Ifyou’reaphysician,youcanriskyourpatient’ssuicideaslongasyoudon’tintendtheirsuicide.”

Onanotherlevel,manyinthemedicalcommunityacknowledgethattheassisted-suicidedebatehasbeenfueledinpartbythedespairofpatientsforwhommodernmedicinehasprolongedthephysicalagonyofdying.

JustthreeweeksbeforetheCourt’srulingonphysician-assistedsuicide,theNationalAcademyofScience（NAS）releasedatwo-volumereport,ApproachingDeath:ImprovingCareattheEndofLife.Itidentifiestheundertreatmentofpainandtheaggressiveuseof“ineffectualandforcedmedicalproceduresthatmayprolongandevendishonortheperiodofdying”asthetwinproblemsofend-of-lifecare.

Theprofessionistakingstepstorequireyoungdoctorstotraininhospices,totestknowledgeofaggressivepainmanagementtherapies,todevelopaMedicarebillingcodeforhospital-basedcare,andtodevelopnewstandardsforassessingandtreatingpainattheendoflife.

Annassayslawyerscanplayakeyroleininsistingthatthesewell-meaningmedicalinitiativestranslateintobettercare.“Largenumbersofphysiciansseemunconcernedwiththepaintheirpatientsareneedlesslyandpredictablysuffering,”totheextentthatitconstitutes“systematicpatientabuse.”Hesaysmedicallicensingboards“mustmakeitclear...thatpainfuldeathsarepresumptivelyonesthatareincompetentlymanagedandshouldresultinlicensesuspension.”

Fromthefirstthreeparagraphs,welearnthat .

doctorsusedtoincreasedrugdosagestocontroltheirpatients’pain

itisstillillegalfordoctorstohelpthedyingendtheirlives

theSupremeCourtstronglyopposesphysician-assistedsuicide

patientshavenoconstitutionalrighttocommitsuicide

Whichofthefollowingstatementsistrueaccordingtothetext?

Doctorswillbeheldguiltyiftheyrisktheirpatients’death.

Modernmedicinehasassistedterminallyillpatientsinpainlessrecovery.

TheCourtruledthathigh-dosagepain-relievingmedicationcanbeprescribed.

Adoctor’smedicationisnolongerjustifiedbyhisintentions.

AccordingtotheNAS’sreport,oneoftheproblemsinend-of-lifecareis .

prolongedmedicalprocedures [B]inadequatetreatmentofpain

[C]systematicdrugabuse [D]insufficienthospitalcare

Whichofthefollowingbestdefinestheword“aggressive”（Line3,Paragraph7）?

Bold. [B]Harmful.

[C]Careless. [D]Desperate.

GeorgeAnnaswouldprobablyagreethatdoctorsshouldbepunishedifthey .

managetheirpatientsincompetently

givepatientsmoremedicinethanneeded

reducedrugdosagesfortheirpatients

prolongtheneedlesssufferingofthepatients

2003年阅读理解真题

Text1

WildBillDonovanwouldhavelovedtheInternet.TheAmericanspymasterwhobuilttheOfficeofStrategicServicesintheWorldWarⅡandlaterlaidtherootsfortheCIAwasfascinatedwithinformation.Donovanbelievedinusingwhatevertoolscametohandinthe"greatgame"ofespionage—spyingasa"profession".ThesedaystheNet,whichhasalreadyre-madesucheverydaypastimesasbuyingbooksandsendingmail,isreshapingDonovan'svocationaswell.

Thelatestrevolutionisn'tsimplyamatterofgentlemenreadingothergentlemen'se-mail.Thatkindofelectronicspyinghasbeengoingonfordecades.Inthepastthreeorfouryears,theWorldWideWebhasgivenbirthtoawholeindustryofpoint-and-clickspying.Thespookscallit"open-sourceintelligence",andastheNetgrows,itisbecomingincreasinglyinfluential.In1995theCIAheldacontesttoseewhocouldcompilethemostdataaboutBurundi.Thewinner,byalargemargin,wasatinyVirginiacompanycalledOpenSourceSolutions,whoseclearadvantagewasitsmasteryoftheelectronicworld.

AmongthefirmsmakingthebiggestsplashinthisnewworldisStraitford,Inc.,aprivateintelligence-analysisfirmbasedinAustin,Texas.Straitfordmakesmoneybysellingtheresultsofspying(coveringnationsfromChiletoRussia)tocorporationslikeenergy-servicesfirmMcDermottInternational.Manyofitspredictionsareavailableonlineat

.

StraifordpresidentGeorgeFriedmansaysheseestheonlineworldasakindofmutually

reinforcingtoolforbothinformationcollectionanddistribution,aspymaster'sdream.LastweekhisfirmwasbusyvacuumingupdatabitsfromthefarcornersoftheworldandpredictingacrisisinUkraine."Assoonasthatreportruns,we'llsuddenlyget500newInternetsign-upsfromUkraine,"saysFriedman,aformerpoliticalscienceprofessor."Andwe'llhearbackfromsomeofthem."Open-sourcespyingdoeshaveitsrisks,ofcourse,sinceitcanbedifficulttotellgoodinformationfrombad.That'swhereStraitfordearnsitskeep.

Friedmanreliesonaleanstaffof20inAustin.Severalofhisstaffmembershavemilitary-intelligencebackgrounds.Heseesthefirm'soutsiderstatusasthekeytoitssuccess.Straitford'sbriefsdon'tsoundliketheusualWashingtonback-and-forthing,wherebyagenciesavoiddramaticdeclarationsonthechancetheymightbewrong.Straitford,saysFriedman,takesprideinitsindependentvoice.

TheemergenceoftheNethas .

receivedsupportfromfanslikeDonovan[B]remoldedtheintelligenceservices

[C]restoredmanycommonpastimes [D]revivedspyingasaprofession

Donovan'sstoryismentionedinthetextto .

introducethetopicofonlinespying [B]showhowhefoughtfortheUS

[C]giveanepisodeoftheinformationwar [D]honorhisuniqueservicestotheCIA

Thephrase"makingthebiggestsplash"(line1,paragraph3)mostprobablymeans .

causingthebiggesttrouble [B]exertingthegreatesteffort

[C]achievingthegreatestsuccess [D]enjoyingthewidestpopularity

Itcanbelearnedfromparagraph4that .

Straitford'spredictionaboutUkrainehasprovedtrue

Straitfordguaranteesthetruthfulnessofitsinformation

Straitford'sbusinessischaracterizedbyunpredictability

Straitfordisabletoprovidefairlyreliableinformation

Straitfordismostproudofits .

officialstatus [B]nonconformistimage

[C]efficientstaff [D]militarybackground

Text2

Toparaphrase18th-centurystatesmanEdmundBurke,“allthatisneededforthetriumphofamisguidedcauseisthatgoodpeopledonothing.”Onesuchcausenowseekstoendbiomedicalresearchbecauseofthetheorythatanimalshaverightsrulingouttheiruseinresearch.Scientists

needtorespondforcefullytoanimalrightsadvocates,whoseargumentsareconfusingthepublicandtherebythreateningadvancesinhealthknowledgeandcare.Leadersoftheanimalrightsmovementtargetbiomedicalresearchbecauseitdependsonpublicfunding,andfewpeopleunderstandtheprocessofhealthcareresearch.Hearingallegationsofcrueltytoanimalsinresearchsettings,manyareperplexedthatanyonewoulddeliberatelyharmananimal.

Forexample,agrandmotherlywomanstaffingananimalrightsboothatarecentstreetfairwasdistributingabrochurethatencouragedreadersnottouseanythingthatcomesfromoristestedinanimals—nomeat,nofur,nomedicines.Askedifsheopposedimmunizations,shewantedtoknowifvaccinescomefromanimalresearch.Whenassuredthattheydo,shereplied,“ThenIwouldhavetosayyes.”Askedwhatwillhappenwhenepidemicsreturn,shesaid,“Don’tworry,scientistswillfindsomewayofusingcomputers.”Suchwell-meaningpeoplejustdon’tunderstand.

Scientistsmustcommunicatetheirmessagetothepublicinacompassionate,understandableway—inhumanterms,notinthelanguageofmolecularbiology.Weneedtomakecleartheconnectionbetweenanimalresearchandagrandmother’shipreplacement,afather’sbypassoperation,ababy’svaccinations,andevenapet’sshots.Tothosewhoareunawarethatanimalresearchwasneededtoproducethesetreatments,aswellasnewtreatmentsandvaccines,animalresearchseemswastefulatbestandcruelatworst.

Muchcanbedone.Scientistscould“adopt”middleschoolclassesandpresenttheirownresearch.Theyshouldbequicktorespondtoletterstotheeditor,lestanimalrightsmisinformationgounchallengedandacquireadeceptiveappearanceoftruth.Researchinstitutionscouldbeopenedtotours,toshowthatlaboratoryanimalsreceivehumanecare.Finally,becausetheultimatestakeholdersarepatients,thehealthresearchcommunityshouldactivelyrecruittoitscausenotonlywell-knownpersonalitiessuchasStephenCooper,whohasmadecourageousstatementsaboutthevalueofanimalresearch,butallwhoreceivemedicaltreatment.Ifgoodpeopledonothing,thereisarealpossibilitythatanuninformedcitizenrywillextinguishthepreciousembersofmedicalprogress.

TheauthorbeginshisarticlewithEdmundBurke’swordsto .

callonscientiststotakesomeactions

criticizethemisguidedcauseofanimalrights

warnofthedoomofbiomedicalresearch

showthetriumphoftheanimalrightsmovement

Misledpeopletendtothinkthatusingananimalinresearchis .

cruelbutnatural [B]inhumanandunacceptable

[C]inevitablebutvicious [D]pointlessandwasteful

Theexampleofthegrandmotherlywomanisusedtoshowthepublic’s .

discontentwithanimalresearch [B]ignoranceaboutmedicalscience

[C]indifferencetoepidemics [D]anxietyaboutanimalrights

Theauthorbelievesthat,infaceofthechallengefromanimalrightsadvocates,scientistsshould

.

communicatemorewiththepublic [B]employhi-techmeansinresearch

[C]feelnoshamefortheircause [D]strivetodevelopnewcures

FromthetextwelearnthatStephenCooperis .

awell-knownhumanist [B]amedicalpractitioner

[C]anenthusiastinanimalrights [D]asupporterofanimalresearch

Text3

Inrecentyears,railroadshavebeencombiningwitheachother,mergingintosupersystems,causingheightenedconcernsaboutmonopoly.Asrecentlyas1995,thetopfourrailroadsaccountedforunder70percentofthetotalton-milesmovedbyrails.Nextyear,afteraseriesofmergersiscompleted,justfourrailroadswillcontrolwellover90percentofallthefreightmovedbymajorrailcarriers.

Supportersofthenewsupersystemsarguethatthesemergerswillallowforsubstantialcostreductionsandbettercoordinatedservice.Anythreatofmonopoly,theyargue,isremovedbyfiercecompetitionfromtrucks.Butmanyshipperscomplainthatforheavybulkcommoditiestravelinglongdistances,suchascoal,chemicals,andgrain,truckingistoocostlyandtherailroadsthereforehavethembythethroat.

Thevastconsolidationwithintherailindustrymeansthatmostshippersareservedbyonlyonerailcompany.Railroadstypicallychargesuch“captive”shippers20to30percentmorethantheydowhenanotherrailroadiscompetingforthebusiness.Shipperswhofeeltheyarebeingoverchargedhavetherighttoappealtothefederalgovernment’sSurfaceTransportationBoardforraterelief,buttheprocessisexpensive,time-consuming,andwillworkonlyintrulyextremecases.

Railroadsjustifyratediscriminationagainstcaptiveshippersonthegroundsthatinthelongrunitreduceseveryone’scost.Ifrailroadschargedallcustomersthesameaveragerate,theyargue,shipperswhohavetheoptionofswitchingtotrucksorotherformsoftransportationwoulddoso,leavingremainingcustomerstoshoulderthecostofkeepinguptheline.It’satheorytowhichmanyeconomistssubscribe,butinpracticeitoftenleavesrailroadsinthepositionofdeterminingwhichcompanieswillflourishandwhichwillfail.“Dowereallywantrailroadstobethearbitersofwho

winsandwholosesinthemarketplace?”asksMartinBercovici,aWashingtonlawyerwhofrequentlyrepresentsshippers.

Manycaptiveshippersalsoworrytheywillsoonbehitwitharoundofhugerateincreases.Therailroadindustryasawhole,despiteitsbrighteningfortunes,stilldoesnotearnenoughtocoverthecostofthecapitalitmustinvesttokeepupwithitssurgingtraffic.Yetrailroadscontinuetoborrowbillionstoacquireoneanother,withWallStreetcheeringthemon.Considerthe$10.2billionbidbyNorfolkSouthernandCSXtoacquireConrailthisyear.Conrail’snetrailwayoperatingincomein1996wasjust$427million,lessthanhalfofthecarryingcostsofthetransaction.Who’sgoingtopayfortherestofthebill?Manycaptiveshippersfearthattheywill,asNorfolkSouthernandCSXincreasetheirgriponthemarket.

Accordingtothosewhosupportmergers,railwaymonopolyisunlikelybecause .

costreductionisbasedoncompetition

servicescallforcross-tradecoordination

outsidecompetitorswillcontinuetoexist

shipperswillhavetherailwaybythethroat

Whatismanycaptiveshippers’attitudetowardstheconsolidationintherailindustry?

Indifferent. [B]Supportive.

[C]Indignant. [D]Apprehensive.

ItcanbeinferredfromParagraph3that .

shipperswillbechargedlesswithoutarivalrailroad

therewillsoonbeonlyonerailroadcompanynationwide

overchargedshippersareunlikelytoappealforraterelief

agovernmentboardensuresfairplayinrailwaybusiness

Theword“arbiters”（Line7,Paragraph4）mostprobablyreferstothose .

whoworkascoordinators [B]whofunctionasjudges

[C]whosupervisetransactions [D]whodeterminetheprice

Accordingtothetext,thecostincreaseintherailindustryismainlycausedby .

thecontinuingacquisition [B]thegrowingtraffic

[C]thecheeringWallStreet [D]theshrinkingmarket

Text4

ItissaidthatinEnglanddeathispressing,inCanadainevitableandinCaliforniaoptional.Smallwonder.Americans’lifeexpectancyhasnearlydoubledoverthepastcentury.Failinghipscan

bereplaced,clinicaldepressioncontrolled,cataractsremovedina30-minutesurgicalprocedure.SuchadvancesoffertheagingpopulationaqualityoflifethatwasunimaginablewhenIenteredmedicine50yearsago.Butnotevenagreathealth-caresystemcancuredeath—andourfailuretoconfrontthatrealitynowthreatensthisgreatnessofours.

Deathisnormal;wearegeneticallyprogrammedtodisintegrateandperish,evenunderidealconditions.Weallunderstandthatatsomelevel,yetasmedicalconsumerswetreatdeathasaproblemtobesolved.Shieldedbythird-partypayersfromthecostofourcare,wedemandeverythingthatcanpossiblybedoneforus,evenifit’suseless.Themostobviousexampleislate-stagecancercare.Physicians—frustratedbytheirinabilitytocurethediseaseandfearinglossofhopeinthepatient—toooftenofferaggressivetreatmentfarbeyondwhatisscientificallyjustified.

In1950,theU.S.spent$12.7billiononhealthcare.In2002,thecostwillbe$1,540billion.Anyonecanseethistrendisunsustainable.Yetfewseemwillingtotrytoreverseit.Somescholarsconcludethatagovernmentwithfiniteresourcesshouldsimplystoppayingformedicalcarethatsustainslifebeyondacertainage—say83orso.FormerColoradogovernorRichardLammhasbeenquotedassay