2016基础课阅读考研英语

一.必考题型详解

1.

card.

OnehundredandthirteenmillionAmericanshaveatleastonebank-issuedcredit

例1.

Theygivetheirownersautomaticcreditinstores,restaurants,andhotels,athome,

acrossthecountry,andevenabroad,andtheymakemanybankingservicesavailableaswell.Moreandmoreofthesecreditcardscanbereadautomatically,makingitpossibletowithdrawordepositmoneyinscatteredlocations,whetherornotthelocalbranchbankisopen.Formanyofus,the"cashlesssociety"isnotonthehorizon—it'salreadyhere.

Accordingtothepassage,thecreditcardenablesitsownerto .细节题

withdrawasmuchmoneyfromthebankashewishes

obtainmoreconvenientservicesthanotherpeopledo

enjoygreatertrustfromthestorekeeper

cashmoneywhereverhewishesto

Fromthelastsentenceofthefirstparagraphwelearnthat .

inthefuturealltheAmericanswillusecreditcards

creditcardsaremainlyusedintheUnitedStatetoday

nowadaysmanyAmericansdonotpayincash

itisnowmoreconvenienttousecreditcardsthanbefore

例2．WhataccountsforthegreatoutburstofmajorinventionsinearlyAmerica--breakthroughssuchasthetelegraph,thesteamboatandtheweavingmachine?

Amongthemanyshapingfactors,Iwouldsingleoutthecountry’sexcellentelementaryschools;alaborforcethatwelcomedthenewtechnology;thepracticeofgivingpremiumstoinventors;andabovealltheAmericangeniusfornonverbal,“spatial”thinkingaboutthingstechnological.

Accordingtotheauthor,thegreatoutburstofmajorinventionsinearlyAmericawasinalargepartdueto .

elementaryschools [B]enthusiasticworkers

[C]theattractivepremiumsystem [D]aspecialwayofthinking

例3．

YettheBBCwillhavetochange,becausethebroadcastingworldarounditis

changing.ThecommercialTVchannels—ITVandChannel4—wererequiredbytheThatcherGovernment'sBroadcastingActtobecomemorecommercial,competingwitheachotherforadvertisers,andcuttingcostsandjobs.Butitisthearrivalofnewsatellitechannels

—fundedpartlybyadvertisingandpartlybyviewers'subscriptions—whichwillbringaboutthebiggestchangesinthelongterm.

TheforemostreasonwhytheBBChastoreadjustitselfisnootherthan .

theemergenceofcommercialTVchannels

theenforcementofBroadcastingActbythegovernment

theurgentnecessitytoreducecostsandjobs

thechallengeofnewsatellitechannels

例4．WildBillDonovanwouldhavelovedtheInternet.TheAmericanspymasterwho

builttheOfficeofStrategicServicesintheWorldWarIIandlaterlaidtherootsfortheCIAwasfascinatedwithinformation.Donovanbelievedinusingwhatevertoolscametohandinthe"greatgame"ofespionage-----spyingasa"profession."ThesedaystheNet,whichhasalreadyre-madepastimesasbuyingbooksandsendingmail,isreshapingDonovan'svocationaswell.

TheemergenceoftheNethas .

receivedsupportfromfanslikeDonovan.

remoldedtheintelligenceservices.

restoredmanycommonpastimes.

revivedspyingasaprofession.

例5．Whileoftenpraisedbyforeignersforitsemphasisonthebasics,Japaneseeducationtendstostresstesttakingandmechanicallearningovercreativityandself-expression."Thosethingsthatdonotshowupinthetestscores--personality,ability,courageorhumanity--arecompletelyignored,"saysToshikiKaifu,chairmanoftherulingLiberalDemocraticParty'seducationcommittee."Frustrationagainstthiskindofthingleads

kidstodropoutandrunwild."LastyearJapanexperienced2,125incidentsofschool

violence,including929assaultsonteachers.Amidtheoutcry,manyconservativeleadersareseekingareturntotheprewaremphasisonmoraleducation.LastyearMitsuoSetoyama,whowastheneducationminister,raisedeyebrowswhenhearguedthatliberalreformsintroducedbytheAmericanoccupationauthoritiesafterWorldWarIIhadweakenedthe"Japanesemoralityofrespectforparents."

Whichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtotheauthor?

Japaneseeducationispraisedforhelpingtheyoungclimbthesocialladder.

Japaneseeducationischaracterizedbymechanicallearningaswellascreativity.

Morestressshouldbeplacedonthecultivationofcreativity.

Droppingoutleadstofrustrationagainsttesttaking.

例6.Oncecommercialpromotionbeginstofillthescreenuninvited,thedistinctionbetweentheWebandtelevisionfades.That’saprospectthathorrifiesNetpurists.

IntheviewofNetpurists, .

thereshouldbenomarketingmessagesinonlineculture

moneymakingshouldbegivenprioritytoontheWeb

theWebshouldbeabletofunctionasthetelevisionset

thereshouldbenoonlinecommercialinformationwithoutrequests

2.

例1.

Fewcreationsofbigtechnologycapturetheimaginationlikegiantdams.Perhaps

itishumankind’slongsufferingatthemercyoffloodanddroughtthatmakestheideaofforcingthewaterstodoourbiddingsofascinating.Buttobefascinatedisalso,sometimes,tobeblind.Severalgiantdamprojectsthreatentodomoreharmthangood.

Thethirdsentenceofparagraph1impliesthat .

peoplewouldbehappyiftheyshuttheireyestoreality

theblindcouldbehappierthanthesighted

over-excitedpeopletendtoneglectvitalthings

fascinationmakespeoplelosetheireyesight

例2.

Andthisprocessneednotbelefttotheunconscious.Cartwrightbelievesonecan

exerciseconsciouscontroloverrecurringbaddreams.Assoonasyouawaken,identifywhatisupsettingaboutthedream.Visualizehowyouwouldlikeittoendinstead;thenexttimeitoccurs,trytowakeupjustenoughtocontrolitscourse.Withmuchpracticepeoplecanlearnto,literally,doitintheirsleep.

Cartwrightseemstosuggestthat .

wakingupintimeisessentialtotheriddingofbaddreams

visualizingbaddreamshelpsbringthemundercontrol

dreamsshouldbelefttotheirnaturalprogression

dreamingmaynotentirelybelongtotheunconscious

例3.

Therearesomegoodargumentsforatechnicaleducationgiventherightkindof

student.ManyEuropeanschoolsintroducetheconceptofprofessionaltrainingearlyoninordertomakesurechildrenareproperlyequippedfortheprofessionstheywanttojoin.Itis,however,presumptuoustoinsistthattherewillonlybesomanyjobsforsomanyscientists,somanybusinessmen,somanyaccountants.Besides,thisisunlikelytoproducetheneedednumberofeverykindofprofessionalinacountryaslargeasoursandwheretheeconomyisspreadoversomanystatesandinvolvessomanyinternationalcorporations.

Itcouldbeinferredfromthepassagethatintheauthor'scountrytheEuropeanmodelofprofessionaltrainingis .

dependentuponthestartingageofcandidates

worthtryinginvarioussocialsections

oflittlepracticalvalue

attractivetoeverykindofprofessional

例4.

Examplesofbenefitsorcostsofthecurrentconcentrationwavearescanty.Yetitis

hardtoimaginethatthemergerofafewoilfirmstodaycouldre-createthesamethreatstocompetitionthatwerefearednearlyacenturyagointheUS,whentheStandardOiltrustwasbrokenup.Themergersoftelecomcompanies,suchasWorldCom,hardlyseemtobringhigherpricesforconsumersorareductioninthepaceoftechnicalprogress.Onthecontrary,thepriceofcommunicationsiscomingdownfast.Incars,too,concentrationisincreasing—witnessDaimlerandChrysler,RenaultandNissan—butitdoesnotappearthatconsumers

arebeinghurt.

Fromparagraph4wecaninferthat .

theincreasingconcentrationiscertaintohurtconsumers

WorldComservesasagoodexampleofbothbenefitsandcosts

thecostsoftheglobalizationprocessareenormous

theStandardOiltrustmighthavethreatenedcompetition

3.

例1.Science,inpractice,dependsfarlessontheexperimentsitpreparesthanonthe

preparednessofthemindsofthemenwhowatchtheexperiments.SirIsaacNewtonsupposedlydiscoveredgravitythroughthefallofanapple.Appleshadbeenfallinginmanyplacesforcenturiesandthousandsofpeoplehadseenthemfall.ButNewtonforyearshadbeencuriousaboutthecauseoftheorbitalmotionofthemoonandplanets.Whatkepttheminplace?Whydidn'ttheyfalloutofthesky?

TheauthorwantstoprovewiththeexampleofIsaacNewtonthat .

inquiringmindsaremoreimportantthanscientificexperiments

scienceadvanceswhenfruitfulresearchesareconducted

scientistsseldomforgettheessentialnatureofresearch

unpredictabilityweighslessthanpredictioninscientificresearch

例2.

Althoughwefocusontheneedsofexceptionalchildren,wefindourselves

describingtheirenvironmentaswell.Whiletheleadingactoronthestagecapturesourattention,weareawareoftheimportanceofthesupportingplayersandthesceneryoftheplayitself.Boththefamilyandthesocietyinwhichexceptionalchildrenliveareoftenthekeytotheirgrowthanddevelopment.Anditisinthepublicschoolsthatwefindthefullexpressionofsociety'sunderstanding—theknowledge,hopes,andfearsthatarepassedontothenextgeneration.

Inparagrah2,theauthorcitestheexampleoftheleadingactoronthestagetoshow

that .

thegrowthofexceptionalchildrenhasmuchtodowiththeirfamilyandthesociety

exceptionalchildrenaremoreinfluencedbytheirfamiliesthannormalchildrenare

exceptionalchildrenarethekeyinterestofthefamilyandsociety

theneedsofthesocietyweighmuchheavierthantheneedsoftheexceptionalchildren

例3.

Totakeadvantageofthistool,someimpoverishedcountrieswillhavetogetovertheiroutdatedanti-colonialprejudiceswithrespecttoforeigninvestment.Countriesthatstillthinkforeigninvestmentisaninvasionoftheirsovereigntymightwellstudythehistoryofinfrastructure(thebasicstructuralfoundationsofasociety)intheUnitedStates.WhentheUnitedStatesbuiltitsindustrialinfrastructure,itdidn'thavethecapitaltodoso.AndthatiswhyAmerica'sSecondWaveinfrastructure-includingroads,harbors,highways,portsandsoon-werebuiltwithforeigninvestment.TheEnglish,theGermans,theDutchandtheFrenchwereinvestinginBritain'sformercolony.Theyfinancedthem.ImmigrantAmericansbuiltthem.Guesswhoownsthemnow?TheAmericans.IbelievethesamethingwouldbetrueinplaceslikeBraziloranywhereelseforthatmatter.ThemoreforeigncapitalyouhavehelpingyoubuildyourThirdWaveinfrastructure,whichtodayisanelectronicinfrastructure,thebetteroffyou'regoingtobe.Thatdoesn'tmeanlyingdownandbecomingfooled,orlettingforeigncorporationsrununcontrolled.ItdoesmeanrecognizinghowimportanttheycanbeinbuildingtheenergyandtelecominfrastructuresneededtotakefulladvantageoftheInternet.

ThewritermentionedthecaseoftheUnitedStatestojustifythepolicyof .

［A］gettingfinancialsupportfromoverseas

［B］gettingovertheirout-datedanti-colonialprejudices

［C］buildingindustrialinfrastructure

［D］beinginvadedinsovereignty

例4.

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

Donovan'sstoryismentionedinthetextto

introducethetopicofonlinespying.

showhowhefoughtfortheU.S.

giveanepisodeoftheinformationwar.

honorhisuniqueservicestotheCIA.

Cup

Ifyouweretoexaminethebirthcertificatesofeverysoccerplayerin2006’sWorld

例5.

tournament,youwouldmostlikelyfindanoteworthyquirk:elitesoccerplayersare

morelikelytohavebeenbornintheearliermonthsoftheyearthaninthelatemonths.IfyouthenexaminedtheEuropeannationalyouthteamsthatfeedtheWorldCupandprofessionalranks,youwouldfindthisstrangephenomenontobeevermorepronounced.

Thebirthdayphenomenonfoundamongsoccerplayersismentionedto .

stresstheimportanceofprofessionaltraining.

spotlightthesoccersuperstarsattheWorldCup.

introducethetopicofwhatmakesexpertperformance.

explainwhysomesoccerteamsplaybetterthanothers.

4.

例1.Withasmanyas120varietiesinexistence,discoveringhowcancerworksisnot

easy.Theresearchersmadegreatprogressintheearly1970s,whentheydiscoveredthatoncogenes,whicharecancer-causinggenes,areinactiveinnormalcells.Anythingfromcosmicraystoradiationtodietmayactivateadormantoncogene,buthowremainsunknown.Ifseveraloncogenesaredrivenintoaction,thecell,unabletoturnthemoff,becomescancerous.

Theword"dormant'inthethirdparagraphmostprobablymeans .

dead[B]ever-present[C]inactive[D]potential

例2.Ihavediscovered,asperhapsKelseywillafterhermuch-publicizedresignation

fromtheeditorshipofSheafterabuild-upofstress,thatabandoningthedoctrineof

“jugglingyourlife,”andmakingthealternativemoveinto“downshifting”bringswithitfar

greaterrewardsthanfinancialsuccessandsocialstatus.NothingcouldpersuademetoreturntothekindoflifeKelseyusedtoadvocateandIonceenjoyed:12-hourworkingdays,pressureddeadlines,thefearfulstrainofofficepoliticsandthelimitationsofbeingaparenton“qualitytime”.

“Jugglingone’slife”probablymeanslivingalifecharacterizedby .

non-materialisticlifestyle [B]abitofeverything

[C]extremestress [D]anti-consumerism

例3.

Rumorhasitthatmorethan20booksoncreationism/evolutionareinthepublisher'spipelines.Afewhavealreadyappeared.Thegoalofallwillbetotrytoexplaintoaconfusedandoftenunenlightenedcitizenrythattherearenottwoequallyvalidscientifictheoriesfortheoriginandevolutionofuniverseandlife.Cosmology,geology,andbiologyhaveprovidedaconsistent,unified,andconstantlyimprovingaccountofwhathappened."Scientific"creationism,whichisbeingpushedbysomefor"equaltime"intheclassroomswheneverthescientificaccountsofevolutionaregiven,isbasedonreligion,notscience,Virtuallyallscientistsandthemajorityofnon-fundamentalistreligiousleadershavecometoregard"scientific"creationismasbadscienceandbadreligion.

"Creationism"inthepassagerefersto .

evolutioninitstruesenseastotheoriginoftheuniverse

anotionofthecreationofreligion

thescientificexplanationoftheearthformation

thedeceptivetheoryabouttheoriginoftheuniverse

例4.

Peopleinearliererasweresurroundedbyremindersofmisery.Theyworkeduntilexhausted,livedwithfewprotectionsanddiedyoung.IntheWest,beforemasscommunicationandliteracy,themostpowerfulmassmediumwasthechurch,whichremindedworshippersthattheirsoulswereinperilandthattheywouldsomedaybemeatforworms.Givenallthis,theydidnotexactlyneedtheirarttobeabummertoo.

Theword“bummer”mostprobablymeanssomething .

A.religiousB.unpleasantC.soulD.worms

5.

例1.

Theauthor'sattitudetowardstheissueseemstobe .

biased [B]indifferent [C]puzzling [D]objective

例2.

Onemorereasonnottolosesleepovertheriseinoilpricesisthat,unliketherisesin

the1970s,ithasnotoccurredagainstthebackgroundofgeneralcommodity-priceinflationandglobalexcessdemand.Asizableportionoftheworldisonlyjustemergingfromeconomicdecline.TheEconomist'scommoditypriceindexisbroadlyunchangingfromayearago.In1973commoditypricesjumpedby70%,andin1979byalmost30%.

Fromthetextwecanseethatthewriterseems.

［A］optimistic［B］overconfident［C］gloomy［D］scared

例3.

Itwas3:45inthemorningwhenthevotewasfinallytaken.Aftersixmonthsofarguingandfinal16hoursofhotparliamentarydebates,Australia'sNorthernTerritorybecamethefirstlegalauthorityintheworldtoallowdoctorstotakethelivesofincurablyillpatientswhowishtodie.Themeasurepassedbytheconvincingvoteof15to10.AlmostimmediatelywordflashedontheInternetandwaspickedup,halfaworldaway,byJohnHofsess,executivedirectoroftheRighttoDieSocietyofCanada.Hesentitonviathegroup'son-lineservice,DeathNET.SaysHofsess:"Wepostedbulletinsalldaylong,becauseofcoursethisisn'tjustsomethingthathappenedinAustralia.It'sworldhistory."

Thefullimportmaytakeawhiletosinkin.TheNTRightsoftheTerminallyIlllawhasleftphysiciansandcitizensaliketryingtodealwithitsmoralandpracticalimplications.Somehavebreathedsighsofrelief,others,includingchurches,right-to-lifegroupsandtheAustralianMedicalAssociation,bitterlyattackedthebillandthehasteofitspassage.Butthetideisunlikelytoturnback.InAustralia—whereanagingpopulation,life-extendingtechnologyandchangingcommunityattitudeshaveallplayedtheirpart—otherstatesare

goingtoconsidermakingasimilarlawtodealwitheuthanasia.IntheUSandCanada,wheretheright-to-diemovementisgatheringstrength,observersarewaitingforthedominoestostartfalling.

UnderthenewNorthernTerritorylaw,anadultpatientcanrequestdeath—probablybyadeadlyinjectionorpill—toputanendtosuffering.Thepatientmustbediagnosedasterminallyillbytwodoctors.Aftera"coolingoff"periodofsevendays,thepatientcansignacertificateofrequest.After48hoursthewishfordeathcanbemet.ForLloydNickson,a54-year-oldDarwinresidentsufferingfromlungcancer,theNTRightsofTerminallyIlllawmeanshecangetonwithlivingwithoutthehauntingfearofhissuffering:aterrifyingdeathfromhisbreathingcondition."I'mnotafraidofdyingfromaspiritualpointofview,butwhatIwasafraidofwashowI'dgo,becauseI'vewatchedpeopledieinthehospitalfightingforoxygenandclawingattheirmasks,"hesays.

Fromthesecondparagraphwelearnthat .

theobjectiontoeuthanasiaisslowtocomeinothercountries

physiciansandcitizenssharethesameviewoneuthanasia

changingtechnologyischieflyresponsibleforthehastypassageofthelaw

ittakestimetorealizethesignificanceofthelaw'spassage

Whentheauthorsaysthatobserversarewaitingforthedominoestostartfalling,hemeans .

observersaretakingawait-and-seeattitudetowardsthefutureofeuthanasia

similarbillsarelikelytobepassedintheUS,Canadaandothercountries

observersarewaitingtoseetheresultofthegameofdominoes

theeffect-takingprocessofthepassedbillmayfinallycometoastop

WhenLloydNicksondies,hewill .

facehisdeathwithcalmcharacteristicofeuthanasia

experiencethesufferingofalungcancerpatient

haveanintensefearofterriblesuffering

undergoacoolingoffperiodofsevendays

Theauthor'sattitudetowardseuthanasiaseemstobethatof .

opposition [B]suspicion [C]approval [D]indifference

例4.

Muchofthelanguageusedtodescribemonetarypolicy,suchas"steeringtheeconomytoasoftlanding"or"atouchonthebrakes",makesitsoundlikeaprecisescience.Nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.Thelinkbetweeninterestratesandinflationisuncertain.Andtherearelong,variablelagsbeforepolicychangeshaveanyeffectontheeconomy.Hencetheanalogythatlikenstheconductofmonetarypolicytodrivingacarwithablackenedwindscreen,acrackedrearviewmirrorandafaultysteeringwheel.

Givenallthesedisadvantages,centralbankersseemtohavehadmuchtoboastaboutoflate.Averageinflationinthebigsevenindustrialeconomiesfelltoamere2.3%lastyear,closetoitslowestlevelin30years,beforerisingslightlyto2.5%thisJuly.Thisisalongwaybelowthedouble-digitrateswhichmanycountriesexperiencedinthe1970sandearly1980s.

Itisalsolessthanmostforecastershadpredicted.Inlate1994thepanelofeconomistswhichTheEconomistpollseachmonthsaidthatAmerica'sinflationratewouldaverage3.5%in1995.Infact,itfellto2.6%inAugust,andisexpectedtoaverageonlyabout3%fortheyearasawhole.InBritainandJapaninflationisrunninghalfapercentagepointbelowtheratepredictedattheendoflastyear.Thisisnoflashinthepan;overthepastcoupleofyears,inflationhasbeenconsistentlylowerthanexpectedinBritainandAmerica.

EconomistshavebeenparticularlysurprisedbyfavourableinflationfiguresinBritainandtheUnitedStates,sinceconventionalmeasuressuggestthatbotheconomies,andespeciallyAmerica's,havelittleproductiveslack.America'scapacityutilisation,forexample,hithistoricallyhighlevelsearlierthisyear,anditsjoblessrate(5.6%inAugust)hasfallenbelowmostestimatesofthenaturalrateofunemployment—theratebelowwhichinflationhastakenoffonthepast.

Whyhasinflationprovedsomild?Themostthrillingexplanationis,unfortunately,alittledefective.Someeconomistsarguethatpowerfulstructuralchangesintheworldhaveupendedtheoldeconomicmodelsthatwerebaseduponthehistoricallinkbetweengrowthandinflation.

Fromthepassagewelearnthat .

thereisadefiniterelationshipbetweeninflationandinterestrates

economywillalwaysfollowcertainmodels

theeconomicsituationisbetterthanexpected

economistshadforeseenthepresenteconomicsituation

Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingisTRUE?

Makingmonetarypoliciesiscomparabletodrivingacar.

Anextremelylowjoblessratewillleadtoinflation.

Ahighunemploymentratewillresultfrominflation.

Interestrateshaveanimmediateeffectontheeconomy.

Thesentence"Thisisnoflashinthepan"(line5,paragraph3)meansthat

.

thelowinflationratewilllastforsometime

theinflationratewillsoonrise

theinflationwilldisappearquickly

thereisnoinflationatpresent

Thepassageshowsthattheauthoris thepresentsituation.

criticalof [B]puzzledby [C]disappointedat [D]amazedat

例5.

Theworldisgoingthroughthebiggestwaveofmergersandacquisitionseverwitnessed.TheprocesssweepsfromhyperactiveAmericatoEuropeandreachestheemergingcountrieswithunsurpassedmight.Manyinthesecountriesarelookingatthisprocessandworrying:"Won'tthewaveofbusinessconcentrationturnintoanuncontrollableanti-competitiveforce?"

There'snoquestionthatthebigaregettingbiggerandmorepowerful.Multinationalcorporationsaccountedforlessthan20%ofinternationaltradein1982.Todaythefigureismorethan25%andgrowingrapidly.Internationalaffiliatesaccountforafast-growingsegmentofproductionineconomiesthatopenupandwelcomeforeigninvestment.InArgentina,forinstance,afterthereformsoftheearly1990s,multinationalswentfrom43%toalmost70%oftheindustrialproductionofthe200largestfirms.Thisphenomenonhascreatedseriousconcernsovertheroleofsmallereconomicfirms,ofnationalbusinessmenandovertheultimatestabilityoftheworldeconomy.

IbelievethatthemostimportantforcesbehindthemassiveM&Awavearethesamethatunderlietheglobalizationprocess:fallingtransportationandcommunicationcosts,lowertradeandinvestmentbarriersandenlargedmarketsthatrequireenlargedoperationscapableofmeetingcustomers'demands.Allthesearebeneficial,notdetrimental,toconsumers.Asproductivitygrows,theworld'swealthincreases.

Examplesofbenefitsorcostsofthecurrentconcentrationwavearescanty.Yetitishardtoimaginethatthemergerofafewoilfirmstodaycouldre-createthesamethreatstocompetitionthatwerefearednearlyacenturyagointheUS,whentheStandardOiltrustwasbrokenup.Themergersoftelecomcompanies,suchasWorldCom,hardlyseemtobringhigherpricesforconsumersorareductioninthepaceoftechnicalprogress.Onthecontrary,thepriceofcommunicationsiscomingdownfast.Incars,too,concentrationisincreasing—witnessDaimlerandChrysler,RenaultandNissan—butitdoesnotappearthatconsumersarebeinghurt.

Yetthefactremainsthatthemergermovementmustbewatched.Afewweeksago,AlanGreenspanwarnedagainstthemegamergersinthebankingindustry.Whoisgoingtosupervise,regulateandoperateaslenderoflastresortwiththegiganticbanksthatarebeingcreated?Won'tmultinationalsshiftproductionfromoneplacetoanotherwhenanationgetstoostrictaboutinfringementstofaircompetition?Andshouldonecountrytakeuponitselftheroleof"defendingcompetition"onissuesthataffectmanyothernations,asintheUSvs.Microsoftcase?

Towardthenewbusinesswave,thewriter'sattitudecanbesaidtobe .

optimistic [B]objective [C]pessimistic [D]biased

6.

例1.

OnehundredandthirteenmillionAmericanshaveatleastonebank-issuedcreditcard.Theygivetheirownersautomaticcreditinstores,restaurants,andhotels,athome,acrossthecountry,andevenabroad,andtheymakemanybankingservicesavailableaswell.Moreandmoreofthesecreditcardscanbereadautomatically,makingitpossibletowithdrawordepositmoneyinscatteredlocations,whetherornotthelocalbranchbankisopen.Formany

ofus,the"cashlesssociety"isnotonthehorizon—it'salreadyhere.

Whilecomputersoffertheseconveniencestoconsumers,theyhavemanyadvantagesforsellerstoo.Electroniccashregisterscandomuchmorethansimplyringupsales.Theycankeepawiderangeofrecords,includingwhosoldwhat,when,andtowhom.Thisinformationallowsbusinessmentokeeptrackoftheirlistofgoodsbyshowingwhichitemsarebeingsoldandhowfasttheyaremoving.Decisionstoreorderorreturngoodstosupplierscanthenbemade.Atthesametimethesecomputersrecordwhichhoursarebusiestandwhichemployeesarethemostefficient,allowingpersonnelandstaffingassignmentstobemadeaccordingly.Andtheyalsoidentifypreferredcustomersforpromotionalcampaigns.Computersarereliedonbymanufacturersforsimilarreasons.Computer-analyzedmarketingreportscanhelptodecidewhichproductstoemphasizenow,whichtodevelopforthefuture,andwhichtodrop.Computerskeeptrackofgoodsinstock,ofrawmaterialsonhand,andevenoftheproductionprocessitself.

Numerousothercommercialenterprises,fromtheaterstomagazinepublishers,fromgasandelectricutilitiestomilkprocessors,bringbetterandmoreefficientservicestoconsumersthroughtheuseofcomputers.

Whatisthispassagemainlyabout?

Approachestothecommercialuseofcomputer