MBA（英语）阅读理解练习试卷3（共89题）

MBA（英语）阅读理解练习试卷3（共9

套）

（共89题）

MBA（英语）阅读理解练习试卷第1套

一、阅读理解（本题共/0题，每题分，共10分。）

I'musuallyfairlyskepticalaboutanyresearchthatconcludesthatpeopleareeither

happierorunhappierormoreorlesscertainofthemselvesthantheywere50yearsago.

Whileanyofthesestatementsmightbetrue,theyarepracticallyimpossibletoprove

scientifically.Still,Iwasstruckbyareportwhichconcludedthattoday'schildrenare

significantlymoreanxiousthanchildreninthe1950's.Infact,theanalysisshowed,

normalchildrenaged9to17exhibitahigherlevelofanxietytodaythanchildrenwho

weretreatedformentalil'ness50yearsago.WhyareAmerica,skidssostressed?The

reportcitestwomaincauses:increasingphysicalisolation—broughtonbyhighdivorce

ratesandlessinvolvementincommunity,amongotherthings--andagrowingperception

thattheworldisamoredangerousplace.Giventhatwecan'tturntheclockback,adults

canstilldoplentytohelpthenextgenerationcope.Atthetopofthelistisnurturinga

betterappreciationofthelimitsofindividualism.Nochildisanisland.Strengthening

socialtieshelpsbuildcommunitiesandprotectindividualsagainststress.Tohelpkids

buildstrongerconnectionswithothers,youcanpulltheplugonTVsandcomputers.

Yourfamilywillthankyoulater.Theywillhavemoretimeforface-to-facerelationships,

andtheywillgetmoresleep.Limittheamountofvirtualviolenceyourchildrenare

exposedto.It'snotjustvideogamesandmovies;childrenseealotofmurderandcrime

onthelocalnews.Keepyourexpectationsforyourchildrenreasonable.Manyhighly

successfulpeopleneverattendedHarvardorYale.Makeexercisepartofyourdaily

routine.Itwillhelpyoucopewithyourownanxietiesandprovideagoodmodelfbryour

kids.Sometimesanxietyisunavoidable,butitdoesn'thavetoruinyourlife.

1、Theauthorthinksthattheconclusionsofanyresearchaboutpeople'sstateofmind

are

A、surprising.

B、confusing.

CNillogical.

D、questionable.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：细节题。艰据文章第一段中的“…skeptical

about…”“While…impossible…”以及“Still...”可以判断，作者是持怀疑态度的。选项

D中的questionable正是怀疑的意思，所以正确。根据文章可以排除A、B；

skeptical并不是否定意思,而illogical却是否定意思,所以C不对。

2、Whatdoestheauthormeanwhenhesays,"wecan'tturnthedockback"(Para.3)?

A、It'simpossibletoslowdownthepaceofchange.

B、Thesocialrealitychildrenarefacingcannotbechanged.

C^Lessonslearnedfromthepastshouldnotbeforgotten.

D、It'simpossibletotbrgetthepast.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：词义题。前面提到了孩子的压力状况，下文探讨了成年人应该做的

事。这说明，我们不能回到过去，反过来说就是我们只能正视现状。所以B正

确。文中没有提到A；C、D两项都包含有和过去相关的意思，单独来看似乎正

确，但是文中并没有表达这层意思。

3、Accordingtoananalysis,comparedwithnormalchildrentoday,childrentreatedas

mentallyill50yearsago

A、werelessisolatedphysically.

B、wereprobablylesssclf-ccntcrcd.

C、probablysufferedlessfromanxiety.

D、wereconsideredlessindividualistic.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：细节题。艰据第一段最后一句话“…noimalchildrenaged9to17exhibit

ahigherlevelofanxietytodaythanchildrenwhoweretreatedformentalillness50years

ago.”可知，现在的孩子比过去更焦虑，反过来说就是过去的孩子要：less

anxietyo这说明C正确，第二段第二句话说，现在的孩子是孤独的，但这只是现

在孩子的状况，并没有和以前的孩子进行比较，无法推断以前孩子是不是不那么孤

独，所以A不对；第四段第一句话提到了个人主义，但这也是目前的状况，与过

去没有构成比较，所以B、D不对。

4、Thefirstandmostimportantthingparentsshoulddotohelptheirchildrenis

A、toprovidethemwithasaferenvironment.

B、tolowertheirexpectationsfbrthem.

C^togetthemmoreinvolvedsocially.

D、tosetagoodmodelforthemtofollow.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：细节题。文中提到家长能做的事情有很多，但本题询问的是首要的事

情。第四段第一句话"Atthetopofthelistisnurturingabetterappreciationofthelimits

ofindividualism.”中的Atthetopofthelist与选项中的Thefirstandmostimportant相

对应，所以C正确。A、B、D三项也是作者提到的家长应该做的事，但不是最重

要的事。

5、Whatconclusioncanbedrawnfromthepassage?

A^Anxiety,thoughunavoidable,canbecopedwith.

B、Children'sanxietyhasbeenenormouslyexaggerated.

C、Children'sanxietycanbeeliminatedwithmoreparentalcare.

D、Anxiety,ifproperlycontrolled,mayhelpchildrenbecomemature.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：归纳题。全文在介绍了美国青少年心理状况处于严重焦虑状况后，提

出了一系列措施帮助青少年们脱离困境；最后两句话指出“Sometimesanxietyis

unavoidable.Butitdoesn'thavetoruinyourli缸”（有时焦虑是无可避免的，但不*

定非要让它破坏你的生活。）这说明，A项正确。根据文中的意思可以看出，孩子

的焦虑问题并没有被夸大，所以B不对；文中说的各种措施都是减轻焦虑的方

法，但不能消除焦虑，所以C项不对；文中没有提到如果正确控制焦虑，孩子是

否会成熟的问题，所以D不对。

WhenfamiliesgatherforChristmasdinner,somewillsticktoformaltraditionsdating

backtoGrandma'sgeneration.Theirtableswillbesetwiththegooddishesandsilver,

andthedresscodewillbeSunday-best.Butinmanyotherhomes,thischina-and-silver

elegancehasgivenwaytoastoneware-and-stainlessinformality,withdressesassuming

anequallycasual-Fridaylook.Forhostsandguests,thechangemeansgreatersimplicity

andcomfort.FormakersoffinechinainBritain,itspellseconomichardtimes.Lastweek

RoyalDoulton,thelargestemployerinStoke-on-Trent,announcedthatitiseliminating

1,000jobs—one-fifthofitstotalworkforce.Thatbringstomorethan4,000thenumberof

positionslostin18monthsinthepottery（陶瓷）region.Wedgwoodandotherpottery

factoriesmadecutsearlier.AlthoughastrongpoundandweakmarketsinAsiaplaya

roleinthedownsizing,thelayoffsinStokehavetheirrootsincarthshakingsocialshifts.

AspokesmanforRoyalDoultonadmittedthatthecompany"hasbeensomewhatslowin

catchingupwiththetrend"towardcasualdining.Familieseattogetherlessoften,he

explained,andmorepeopleeatalone,eitherbecausetheyaresingleortheyeatinfrontof

television.Evendinnerparlies,iftheyhappenatall,havegonecasual.Inatimeoflong

workhoursanddemandingfamilyschedules,busyhostsinsist,rightly,thatit'sbetterto

shareatakeoutpizzaonpaperplatesinthefamilyroomthantowaitfortheperfect

momentora"real"dinnerparty.Toooften,theperfectmomentnevercomes.Ironafine-

patternedtablecloth?Forgetit.Polishthesilver?Whohastime?Yetthelossofformality

hasitsdownside.Thefinepointsofetiquette（礼节）thatchildrenmightoncehave

learnedatthetablebyobservationorinstructionfromparentsandgrandparents（"Chew

withyourmouthclosedKeepyourelbowsoffthetable"）mustbepickedupelsewhere.

Somecompaniesnowofferetiquetteseminarsforemployeeswhomaybecompetent

professionallybutcluelesssocially.

6^Thetrendtowardcasualdininghasresultedin

bankruptcyoffinechinamanufacturers.

B、shrinkingofthepotteryindustry.

C、restructuringoflargeenterprises.

D^economicrecessioninGreatBritain.

标准答案：B

10、Refinedtablemanners,thoughlesspopularthanbeforeincurrentsoda]life,

A^arestillamustoncertainoccasions.

B、areboundtoreturnsoonerorlater.

C、arestillbeingtaughtbyparentsathome.

D、canhelpimprovepersonalrelationships.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：细节题。文章倒数第二句话指出，礼节在某些地方是必需的。这说明

A正确。文中没有提到传统是否会回归，所以B不对；文中倒数第二句话说的是

这些礼节现在不能从家长那里得到了，说明C与文章的意思正好相反；文中并没

有说明礼节是否能带来嵬好的人际关系，所以D不对。

MBA(英语)阅读理解练习试卷第2套

一、阅读理解(本题共10题，每题7.0分，共70分。)

Non-indigenous(non-native)speciesofplantsandanimalsarrivebywayoftwogeneral

typesofpathways.First,specieshavingoriginsoutsidetheUnitedStatesmayenterthe

countryandbecomeestablishedeitherasfree-livingpopulationsorunderhuman

cultivation—forexample,inagriculture,horticulture,aquaculture,oraspets.Some

cultivatedspeciessubsequentlyescapeorarereleasedandalsobecomeestablishedas

free-livingpopulations.Second,speciesofeitherU.S.orforeignoriginandalready

withintheUnitedStatesmayspreadtonewlocales.Pathwaysofbothtypesinclude

intentionalaswellasunintentionalspeciestransfers.Ratesofspeciesmovementdriven

byhumantransformationsofnaturalenvironmentsasv/ellasbyhumanmobility-

throughcommerce,tourism,andtravel-greatlyexceednaturalratesbycomparison.

Whilegeographicdistributionsofspeciesnaturallyexpandorcontractoverhistorical

timeintervals(tenstohundredsofyears),species'rangesrarelyexpandthousandsof

milesoracrossphysicalbarrierssuchasoceansormountains.Habitatmodificationcan

createconditionsfavorab'etotheestablishmentofnon-indigenousspecies.Soildisturbed

inconstructionandagricultureisopenfbrcolonizationbynon-indigenousweeds,which

inturnmayprovidehabitatsforthenon-indigenousinsectsthatevolvedwiththem.

Human-generatedchangesinfirefrequency,grazingintensity,aswellassoilstabilityand

nutrientlevelssimilarlyfacilitatethespreadandestablishmentofnon-indigenousplants.

Whenhumanchangestonaturalenvironmentsspanlargegeographicalareas,they

effectivelycreatepassagesforspeciesmovementbetweenpreviouslyisolatedlocales.

TherapidspreadoftheRussianwheataphidtofifteenstatesinjusttwoyearsfollowing

its1986arrivalhasbeenattributedinparttotheprevalenceofalternativehostplantsthat

areavailablewhenwhealisnot.Manyofthesearenon-indigenousgrassesrecommended

forplantingonthefortymillionormoreacresenrolledintheU.S.Departmentof

AgricultureConservationReserveProgram.Anumberoffactorsperplexquantitative

evaluationoftherelativeimportanceofvariousentrypathways.Timelagsoftenoccur

betweenestablishmentofnon-indigenousspeciesandtheirdetection,andtracingthe

pathwayforalong-establishedspeciesisdifficult.Expertsestimatethatnon-indigenous

weedsareusuallydetectedonlyafterhavingbeeninthecountryforthirtyyearsorhaving

spreadtoatleasttenthousandacres.Inaddition,federalportinspection,althoughamajor

sourceofinformationonnon-indigenousspeciespathways,especiallyforagriculture

pests,providesdataonlywhensuchspeciesenterviaclosely-examinedroutes.Finally,

somecomparisonsbetweenpathwaysdefyquantitativeanalysis--forexample,whichis

more"important":theentrypathofoneveryharmfulspeciesoronebywhichmanybut

lessharmfulspeciesenterthecountry?

1、ThefirstpathwayofaforeignspeciesofplantstoenterAmericaisindependentof

humanassistance.

True

B、False

标准答案：B

知识点解析：在第一段第二句中，我们知道“外来”物种在人类的协助下进入美国，

所以不能“独立”于人类之外。

2、Humanbeingsplayagreaterpartinspeciesmovementthandoesnature.

A、True

B>False

标准答案：A

知识点解析：第一段倒数第二句有比较，说明人类的作用大大超过自然的贡献。

3、Ilusuallytakesalongertimeforspeciestoexpandnaturally.

A、True

B、False

标准答案：A

知识点解析：在第一段最后一句中可以发现，物种的自然迁移耗时长，还有地域的

限制。

4、Non-indigenousspeciesarenotsubjecttothosehabitatchangesproducedbyhuman

being.

A^True

B、False

标准答案：B

知识点解析：第二段第三句告诉我们，人类造成的种种变化有利于物种的迁移和扩

散。

5、Foreignweedscanbediscoveredafterresearchershadobservedthemformorethan

thirtyyears.

A、True

B、False

标准答案：B

知识点解析：最后一段第三句中，专家们预计，外来杂草需要三十年才能被本地人

所认识，并非“研究者”观察三十多年。

Resistancetothe1954UnitedStatesSupremeCourtdecisionterminatingsegregation

placedtheschoolsinthemiddleofabitterandsometimesviolentdispute.By1965,when

ameasureofgenuineintegrationhadbecomearealityinmanyschooldistricts,the

schoolsagainfoundthemselvesintheeyeofastormycontroversy.Thistimethe

questionwasnotwhichchildrenweregoingtowhatschoolsbutwhatkindofeducation

societyshouldprovideforthestudents;thegoalofhighacademicperformance,which

hadbeenrevivedbycriticismsandreformsofthe1950sandearly1960s,begantobe

challengedbydemandsformoreliberalandfreeschooling.Manyuniversityandsome

high-schoolstudentsfromallethnicgroupsandclasseshadbeengrowingmoreandmore

frustrated-someofthemdesperatelyso-overwhattheyfeltwasacruelandsenseless

warinVietnamandacruel,discriminatory,competitive,lovelesssocietyathome.They

demandedcurriculumreform,improvedteachingmethods,andgreaterstressandaction

onsuchproblemsasoverpopulation,pollution,internationalstrife,deadlyweaponry,and

discrimination.Pressurelorreformcamenotonlyfromstudentsbutalsofrommany

educators.Whilestudentsandeducatorsalikespokeofthegreaterneedforwhatwas

taught,opinionsastowhatwasrelevantvariedgreatly.Theblackswantednewtextbooks

inwhichtheirpeoplewererecognizedandfairlyrepresented,andsomeofthemwanted

coursesinblackstudies.They,andmanywhiteeducators,alsoobjectedtoculturally

biasedintelligenceandaptitudetestsandtoacademiccollegeentrancestandardsand

examinations.Suchtests,theysaid,didnottakeintoaccountthediversebackgroundsof

studentswhobelongedtoethnicminoritiesandwhoseculturewasthereforedifferent

fromthatofthewhitemiddle-classstudent.Whitesandblacksalikealsowanteda

curriculumthattouchedmorecloselyoncontemporarysocialproblemsandteaching

methodsthatrecognizedtheirexistenceasindividualhumanbeingsratherthanas

facelessrobotscompetingforgrades.Alarmedbythehelplessnessandhopelessnessof

theurbanghettoschools,educatorsbegantoinsistoncurriculaandteachingmethods

flexibleenoughtoprovidefordifferencesinstudents*socialandethnicbackgrounds.

Moreover,ibreducationalreformerstheurbanghettoschoolbecameasymbolofa

generalfailureofAmericaneducationtoaccomplishthegoalofindividualdevelopment.

Alsoreminiscentofthosedecadeswerethechild-centeredschoolsthatsprangupinthe

later1960sasalternativestoandexamplesforthetraditionalschools.Theclashbetween

theacademicallyandthehumanisticallyorientedschoolsofthought,therefore,wasin

manywaysonemoreencounterinthecontinuingbattlebetweenconservativesand

liberals.

6、In1965,aheateddisputewascenteredonwhethertostopsegregationinschools.

A、True

B、False

标准答案：B

知识点解析：首段第二句告诉我们争论出现了，第三句讨论了争论的问题，而这个

问题同“是否禁止隔离“无关，与学校的办学理念有关。

7、StudentsweredisappointedwiththeVietnamwarwhilethecountrycheeredthemup.

A、True

False

标准答案：B

知识点解析：第二段第一句表示，学生们对海外的越战很不认同，也反对美国国内

的冷漠和无情，所以这个选项的后半截有误。

8、Studentsandeducatorsreachedanagreementonthenecessityofreforming

education.

A、True

False

标准答案：A

知识点解析：第二段最后一句告诉我们，学生和老师双方都认识到了学校改革的必

要性，只是在改革的内容方面有分歧。

9、Theblackswereopposedtothoseaptitudetestsbecausetheycouldnotscorewell.

A、True

False

标准答案：B

知识点解析：第二段第二句可以看出，黑人学生的确反对那些标准化考试：第二句

进一步告诉我们，反对的理由是考试的内容忽略了黑人种族的文化特征，并非黑人

学生考生成绩不好所致。

10、Itcanbefoundthatmoreflexibilityisdemonstratedintheschoolteachingtosatisfy

theneedofvariousstudents.

A、True

B、False

标准答案：A

知识点解析：最后一段第一句告诉我们，现在学校教学方面很灵活，以适应不同学

生的需求。

MBA（英语）阅读理解练习试卷第3套

一、阅读理解（本题共10题，每题1.0分，共10分。）

Itmightseemnaturaltogaugetheamountofdiscriminationinlabormarketsbylooking

attheaveragewagesofdifferentgroups.Forinstance,inrecentyearsthewageofthe

averageblackworkerintheU.S.hasbeenabout20percentlessthanthewageofthe

averagewhiteworkers.Thewageoftheaveragefemaleworkerhasbeenabout30

percentlessthanthewageoftheaveragemaleworker.Thesewagedifferentialsare

sometimespresentedinpoliticaldebateasevidencethatmanyemployersdiscriminate

againstblacksandwomen.Yetthereisanobviousproblemwiththisapproach.Evenina

labormarketfreeofdiscrimination,differentpeoplehavedifferentwages.Peoplediffer

illtheamountofhumancapitaltheyhaveandinthekindsofworktheyareableand

wallingtodo.Thewagedifferencesweobserveintheeconomyare,toalargeextent,

attributabletothedeterminantsofequilibriumwages.Simplyobservingdifferencesin

wagesamongbroadgroupssaylittleabouttheprevalenceofdiscrimination.Consider,

forexample,theroleofhumancapital.About80percentofwhitemaleworkershavea

highschooldiploma,and25percenthaveacollegedegreeBycontrast,only67percent

ofblackmaleworkershaveahighschooldiploma,andonly12percenthaveacollege

degree.Thus,atleastsomeofthedifferencebetweenthewagesofwhitesandthewages

ofblackscanbetracedtodifferencesineducationalattainment,Similarly,amongwhite

workers,25percentofmenhaveacollegedegree,whereasonly19percentofwomen

haveacollegedegree,indicatingthatsomeofthedifferencebetweenthewagesofmen

andwomenisattributabletoeducationalattainment.Infact,humancapitalisprobably

evenmoreimportantinexplainingwagedifferentialsthantheforegoingnumbers

suggest.Formanyyears,publicschoolsinpredominantlyblackareashavebeenoflower

qualitythanpublicschoolsinpredominantlywhiteareas.Similarly,formanyyears,

schoolsdirectedgirlsawayfromscienceandmathcourses,eventhoughthesesubjects

mayhavegreatervalueinthemarketplacethansomeofthealternatives.Ifwecould

measurethequalityaswellasthequalityofeducation,thedifferencesinhumancapital

amongthesegroupswouldseemevenlarger.Humancapitalacquiredintheformofjob

experiencecanalsohelpexplainwagedifferences.Inparticular,womentendtohaveless

jobexperienceonaveragethanmen.Onereasonisthatfemalelabor-forceparticipation

hasincreasedoverthepastsevendecades.Becauseofthishistoricchange,theaverage

femaleworkertodayisyoungerthantheaveragemaleworker.Inaddition,womenarc

morelikelytointerrupttheircareerstoraisechildren.Forbothreasons,theexperienceof

theaveragefemaleworkerislessthantheexperienceoftheaveragemaleworker.Yet

anothersourceofwagedifferencesiscompensatingdifferentials.Someanalystshave

suggestedthatwomentakemorepleasantjobsonaveragethanmenandthisfactexplains

someoftheearningsdifferentialbetweenmenandwomen.Forexample,womenare

morelikelytobesecretaries,andmenaremorelikelytnbetruckdrivers.Therelative

wagesofsecretariesandtruckdriversdependinpartontheworkingconditionsofeach

job.Becausethesenonmonetaryaspectsarehardtomeasure,itisdifficulttogaugethe

practicalimportanceofcompensatingdifferentialsinexplainingthewagediflerencethat

weobserve.Intheend,thestudyofwagedifferencesamonggroupsdoesnotestablish

anyclearconclusionabouttheprevalenceofdiscriminationinU.S.labormarkets.Most

economistsbelievethatsomeoftheobservedwagedifferentialsareattributableto

discrimination,butthereisnoconsensusabouthowmuch.Theonlyconclusionabout

whicheconomistsarcinconsensusisanegativeone:Becausethedifferencesinaverage

wagesamonggroupsinpartreflectdifferencesinhumancapitalandjobcharacteristics,

theydonotbythemselvessayanythingabouthowmuchdiscriminationthereisinthe

labormarket.Ofcourse,differencesinhumancapitalamonggroupsofworkersmay

themselvesreflectdiscrimination.Theinferiorschoolshistoricallyavailabletoblack

students,forinstance,maybetracedtoprejudiceonthepartofcitycouncilsandschool

boards.Butthiskindofdiscriminationoccurslongbeforetheworkerentersthelabor

market.Inthiscase,thediseaseispolitical,evenifthesymptomiseconomic.

1、Whatdoestheauthormeanby“Eveninalabormarketfreeofdiscrimination,

differentpeoplehavedifferentwages”?

A^Eveninalabormarketfreedomisvalued,differentpeoplehavedifferentwages.

BNEveninalabormarketfullofdiscrimination,differentpeoplehavedifferentwages.

C、Eveninalabormarketwithdiscrimination,differentpeoplehavedifferentwages.

D、Eveninalabormarketwithoutdiscrimination,differentpeoplehavedifferentwages.

标准答案：D,

知识点解析：选项A的前半部的意思和问题中引号内的内容不符，因此此选项不

对；另外两个选项意思不符，只有D从内容和语气上合乎问题。

2、Byhowmuchisthepercentageofwhitemaleworkerswithahighschooldiploma

higherthanthatofblackmaleworkerswithahighschooldiploma?

A、0.13

B、0.55

C、0.68

D、0.61

标准答案：A

知识点解析：白人的比例是80%,而黑人的比例是67%,所以选A。

3、Whydidschooldirectgirlsawayfromscienceandmathcourses?

A、Becausescienceandmatharelessimportant.

B>Becausethereisdiscriminationinlabormarkets.

C、Becausescienceandmathcoursesarebeyondgirls'ability.

D^Becausethesesubjects'valueistoogreattobeusefulinthemarketplace.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：从Similarly的意思，我们推断出前句所表示的原因就是问题的答

案，再力口上从句eventhoughthesesubjectsmayhavegreatervalueinthemarketplace

thansomeofthealternatives,就可以判断为

4、Whydowomenhavelessjobexperienceonaveragethanmen?

A、Becausefemalelabor-fbrccparticipationhasincreasedoverthepastseveraldecades.

B>Becausewomenarelikelytointerrupttheircareerstoraisechildren.

C^Becausegreatchangeshavetakenplaceoverthepastseveraldecades.

D、BothAandB

标准答案：A

知识点解析：从文中的onereason和inaddition就可以推断出答案。

5、Whatcanwcinferfromthepassage?

A、Weshouldlearnwhatlabor-marketdiscriminationis.

B、Weshouldlearntoanalyzethereasonswhythereisdiscriminationinlabormarkets.

C>Wcshouldconsiderlabor-marketdiscriminationfrompoliticalperspectives.

D、Weshouldlearnthesizeoflabor-marketdiscrimination.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：选项A、B和D所表示的意思不能概括全文之意，另外文章最后一

句也暗示了全文的含义，因此选C。

It'salmosttheendofsummerforthefirstannualcontesttochoosethebestoperating

monopolyinAmerica.Fivecontestantsarcselected.Eachexhibitsfinemonopolistic

characteristicsandiswonhyofseriousconsiderationfortheaward.TheU.S.Postal

Serviceclaimstobethelongest-runningmonopolyandhasthedistinctionofhavingits

controloverFirstClassmailprescribedbytheConstitution.Themonopolyhaspreserved

largeflowsofrevenuesandhighwageratesdespitestudiesshowingthatprivate

companiescouldcarrythemailmoreefficientlyatmuchlowercost.Ontheotherhand,

thepositionofthePostalServicehasbeeneroded:first,bysuccessfulcompetitionon

packagedelivery;second,bytherecententryofexpressdeliveryservices;andthird,and

potentiallymostdamaging,bytheintroductionofthefaxmachine.Sincefaxesarebound

tosupplant（取代）asubstantialfractionofFirstClassletters,thefailuretogetCongress

toclassifyafaxasFirstClassmalland,hence,theexclusivedomainofthepostoffice

showsaremarkablelossofpoliticalmuscle.Thus,despitepastglories,itishardtobe

sanguine（乐观的）abouttlielong-termprospectsofthepostofficeasaflourishing

monopoly.OPECwasimpressiveingeneratingbillionsofdollarsforitsmembers.To

understandthefunctioningofthiscartel（卡特尔）it'simportanttosortoutthegoodguys

fromthebad.SaudiArabiaandKuwaithavetypicallyheldoilproductionbelowcapacity

andtherebykeptpricesabovethecompetitivelevel.WhileLibyaandIraqhaveproduced

asmuchastheycouldandtherebykeptpriceslow.Theformerwereresponsibleforthe

vastexpansionofoilrevenues.Butunfortunately,thesecountriescouldnotkeepthe

otherOPECmembersinlineandwerealsoabletoexcludenewproducersorprevent

conservationbyconsumers.MostcableTVcompanieshavegovernment-issuedlicenses

thatkeepcompetitorsout.Thus,thisbusinesssupportsthehypothesisthatprivate

monopoliesaren'tsustainableforlongunlesstheyhavetheweightofgovernmentbehind

them.Therapidescalationofpricesandthelimitationsonservicesseem,however,tobe

gettingcustomersandtheircongressionalrepresentativesprogressivelymoreannoyed.

Thus,itwouldnotbesurprisingiflegislativeactionleadssoontoadeteriorationofthe

cablecompanies'monopolypower.OfficialsofIvyLeagueuniversitieshavebeenableto

meetinsemi-publicforumstosetrulesthatdeterminepricesofadmissionasafunction

ofapplicantcharacteristics,especiallyfinancialresources.Theuniversitieshavemoreor

lesssuccessfullyappliedahighmoraltonetotheprocess:Richapplicantsarecharged

morethanthecompetitivepriceforschoolinginordertosubsidize（补贴）thesmartpoor,

butitisunclearwhythissubsidyshouldcomefromthesmartrichratherthanfrom

taxpayersingeneral.Inanyevent,theuniversities'enviablecartelpositionhasbeen

damagedbytheunenlightenedJusticeDepartment.'Sincemostoftheuniversities

involvedhaveagreedtostopthesepractices,itmaybethatfuturepricesforprivate

highereducationwillcomeclosertobeingcompetitivelydetermined.Thefinal

contestant,theNCAA,hasbeenremarkablysuccessfulinholdingdown"salaries"paidto

collegeathletes.Itwouldbeonethingmerelytocolludetodeterminepriceceilings,but

theNCAAhasalsomanagedtomonopolizeallthemoralarguments.TheNCAAhasthe

muchmoredifficulttaskofdefendingapolicythatpreventsmanypoorindividualsfrom

earningmoney.Incredibly,thisdefensehasbeensosuccessfulthatithasevenallowed

theorganizationtomaintainthemoralhighground.WhentheNCAAmaintainsitscartel

bypunishingschoolsthatviolatetherules,almostnoonedoubtsthattheevilentitiesarc

theschoolsorpeoplewhopaidtheathletes,ratherthanthecartelenforcerswho

preventedfromgettingpaid:Giventhisextraordinarybalancingact,thedecisionofthe

panelistswasstraightforwardandtheNCAAistheclearanddeservingwinnerofthefirst

annualprizeforthebestmonopolyinAmerica.

6、WhatistheunusualqualityoftheU.S.PostalService?

A、Finemonopolisticcharacteristics.

B、Largeflowsofrevenuesandhighwagerates.

C、ItscontroloverFirstClassmailprescribedbytheConstitution.

D、Thelongest-runningmonopoly.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：文中的单词distinction表明了此问题的答案为Co

7、Whowereresponsiblefortheconsiderabledifficultiesenduredbyoilconsumers?

A^SaudiArabiaandKuwait.

B、LibyaandIraq.

C、OPEC

D^Havardeconomists.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：SaudiArabiaandKuwaithavekeptpricesabovethecompetitivelevelo

8、Customersandtheircongressionalrepresentativesaregettingmoreandmoreangry

becauseof.

A、therapidescalationofprices

B、thelimitationsonservices

C^bothAandB

D、adeteriorationofthecablecompaniesmonopolypower

标准答案：C

知识点解析：本答案可以到第四段第二句寻找，annoyed和angry为近义词。The

rapidescalationofpricesandthelimitationsonservicesseem,however,tobegetting

customersandtheircongressionalrepresentativesprogressivelymoreannoyed.

9^PrivatecableTVcompaniescouldnotsustainfbrlongb