III. Reading Comprehension

Section A

Directions:  For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D.  Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

Cash is no longer king as far as most Australians and South Koreans are concerned as more than eight in ten pay less often in cash today than they did five years ago, according to a survey released on Monday.   50   , 69 percent of Americans surveyed use less cash than five years ago,   51    in Asia the figures were generally    52   , with Singapore at 45 percent, said MasterCard Worldwide.

Shuan Ghaidan, MasterCard’s Asia Pacific head of product sales and delivery, said one

   53    for the    54    use of cash in Australia was the growing    55    of debit cards (借记卡), while in South Korea contactless payment on mobile phones had been popular. Credit cards    56    be used for higher value transactions, he said. Besides young people, for  whom    57    cards are usually their first card, he said the debit card is also    58    by some older people “who don’t want credit any more, don’t want to    59    debt any more.”

The global    60    has been rocked in the past year by a credit crisis    61    US mortgage loan defaults (次级房贷问题).

The    62    noted that nearly nine in ten Australians and New Zealanders said they

   63   carrying large amounts of cash, compared with six in ten Singaporeans or 80 percent of Americans.

MasterCard said it    64    7,000 interviews across 12 countries, including Malaysia, China, South Korea, Canada, Italy, France and Germany.

Section B

Directions:  Read the following four passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.

( A )

In the depths of my memory, many things I did with my father still live. These things come to represent, in fact, what I call joy and love.

    I don’t remember my father ever getting into a swimming pool. But he did love the water. Any kind of boat ride seemed to give him pleasure. And he loved to fish; sometimes he took me along.

    But I never really liked being on the water, the way my father did. I liked being in the water, moving through it, having it all around me. I was not a strong swimmer, or one who learned to swim early, for I had my fears. But I loved being in the swimming pool close to my father’s office and spending those summer days with my father, who would come by on a break. I needed him to see what I could do. My father would stand there in his suit, the only person not in swimsuit.

    After swimming, I would go inside his office and sit on the wooden chair in front of his big desk, where he let me play with anything I found in his top desk drawer. Sometimes, if I was left alone at his desk while he worked in the lab, an assistant or a student might come in and tell me perhaps I shouldn’t be playing with his office things. But my father always showed up and said easily, “Oh, no, it’s fine.” Sometimes he handed me coins and told me to get myself an ice cream…

    A poet once said, “We look at life once, in childhood; the rest is memory.” And I think it is not only what we “look at once, in childhood” that decides our memories, but who, in that childhood, looks at us.

67. Which of the following statement is not true according to the passage?

( C )

Winter is a great time to experiment with new sports. The key is to find one that matches your interests and natural abilities. If you like to walk, keep walking — on snowshoes. If you want to try an endurance sport, go for cross-country skiing. Besides, snowboarding is just great fun.

Not satisfied with these? Try downhill skiing, then. Downhill skiing is not as hard as it used to be — shorter, lightweight, curved skis make any beginner feel like an Olympic winner. These newer skis — along with another type of equipment called skiboards, which are even shorter than skis — help you control your speed and body movements.

Consider testing the latest high-tech skis or snowboards？Check with your local sports shops or the rental places at the ski mountains about sample programs.

You could also try sledding. Use a wood-framed sled with steel runners or a plastic sled to head down a snowy hill. If you prefer ice to snow, think hockey or figure skating.

Runners can also train during the winter in spite of wet or slippery roads. One of the easiest sports around, snowshoeing can be excellent cold-weather cross-training for runners and cyclists — or anyone wanting to take a wintry walk in the woods. Snowshoes are smaller, lighter, and better than ever. If you want to try them out, you may be able to rent a pair for a day at many of the larger outdoor or sporting goods stores.

Whatever sport you choose, don’t rely on a friend for instruction. You wouldn’t let an inexperienced doctor perform a brain operation on you, but why let one teach you to ski or skate? That’s what instructors are for — to help newcomers start out right. Instructors can give you advice about equipment, techniques, safety, and dealing with injuries if they do happen to you.

Above all, if you want to progress, invest your time in learning the basic skills thoroughly. Everything else you do as a skier, boarder, or skater will be built on these first skills.

75.   Who are the most likely readers of the passage?

 ( D )

For most of us, the purpose of the holidays is to bring peace, love, and goodwill towards all. Yet, for many, the holiday season often means stress, fatigue, pressure, disappointment and loneliness.

These feelings, often known as the “holiday blues”, may be even more prevalent, due to the emotional turmoil (波折) of the past few months, not to mention the unsteady economy. Experts say even the more ritual tasks of shopping, decorating, late-night parties, cooking, planning and family reunions can be holiday stressors. In addition, the psychological phenomenon known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, may bring a specific type of depression related to winter’s shorter days and longer nights.

“Certainly just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean people are going to be happy,” says Dr. Doug Jacobs of Harvard University. “And this will be a particularly hard holiday for some who are dealing with a lost job, debt, or even a lost loved one.”

And with family reunions becoming less frequent events over the years, there is now the added pressure of getting just one chance to get it all right. “Families are much more different now. The disappointment and sense of alienation that often results from family gatherings, is actually a realization that the fantasy is not met.” says John Stutesman, a clinical psychologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Still, say experts, the blues should be addressed. The most essential step, says Stutesman, is for the individual to acknowledge their feelings and the reason for their withdrawal. “Denial will only compound the stress they’re feeling.” Stutesman recommends people do things that are normally comforting in order to get a handle on the holiday stress. “If they’re feeling a little blue, they should try to do things personally satisfying for them. Maybe this is exercise, cooking, reading a book, or massage.” Stutesman also advises that sometimes “avoidance is actually not such a bad idea.” In some situations, fulfilling social obligations may be self-destructive when the best thing may be to just stay home. The healthy choice has to do with taking care of oneself.”

78.Who are more likely to feel blue in holiday according to the passage?

79. If you are feeling blue, what can you do to relieve the stress according to the passage?

(B)
(You may read the questions first)
Fall TV Schedule:what's on,When and Against What!


　　WINTER & MIDSEASON PLANS? ABC will bring back Lost, According to Jim, Scrubs (formerly of NBC) and The Bachelor.
　　CBS brings back Rules of Engagement and premieres (首映) the murder mystery Harper's Island.
　　The CW brings Reaper back for Season 2.
　　Fox in January brings back 24 (Mondays at 9), American Idol and Hell's Kitchen, and premieres Joss Whedon's Dollhouse (Mondays at 8), Secret Millionaire and the animated series Sit Down, Shut Up and The Cleveland Show (a spin-off of Family Guy).
　　NBC will bring back Law & Order (Tuesdays at 10 pm/ET) and Kings (Mondays, 10).

69. What’s on ABC at 10:00pm on Monday in this autumn?