Passage 1
Hunting for a job late last year, lawyer Gant Redmon (1) stumbled across CareerBuilder, a job database on the Internet. He searched it with no success but was attracted by the site’s “personal search agent”. It’s an interactive feature that lets visitors (2) key in job criteria such as location, title, and salary, then E-mails them when a matching position is posted in the database. Redmon chose the keywords legal, intellectual property, and Washington D.C. Three weeks later, he got his first notification of an opening. (3) “I struck gold,’ says Redmon, who E-mailed his resume to the employer and won a position as in-house counsel for a company.
With thousands of career-related sites on the Internet, finding promising openings can be time-consuming and inefficient. Search agents reduce the need for repeated visits to the databases. But although a search agent (4) worked for Redmon, career experts see drawbacks. Narrowing your criteria, for example, may (5) work against you: “Every time you answer a question you eliminate a possibility.” says one expert.
For any job search, you should start with a narrow concept —what you think you want to do — then broaden it. “None of these programs do that,” says another expert. “There’s no career counseling implicit in all of this.” Instead, the best strategy is to use the agent as a kind of (6) tip service to (7) keep abreast of jobs in a particular database; when you get E-mail, consider it a reminder to check the database again. “I would not rely on agents for finding everything that is added to a database that might interest me,” says the author of a job-searching guide.
Some sites design their agents to tempt job hunters to return. When CareerSite’s agent sends out messages to those who have signed up for its service, for example, it includes only three potential jobs — (8) those it considers the best matches. There may be more matches in the database; job hunters will have to visit the site again to find them — and they do. “On the day after we send our messages, we see a sharp increase in our traffic,” says Seth Peets, vice president of marketing for CareerSite.
Even those who aren’t hunting for jobs may find search agents worthwhile. Some use them to (9) keep a close watch on the demand for their line of work or gather information on compensation to arm themselves when negotiating for a raise. Although happily employed, Redmon maintains his agent at CareerBuilder. “You always keep your eyes open,” he says. Working with a personal search agent means having another set of eyes (10) looking out for you.
(1)偶然发现，偶然碰见
(2)输入，填写
(3)我发现了金子，引申为走了大运
(4)对……有效，发挥了作用
(5)起反作用
(6)提示服务
(7)保持平行，此处表示提示与数据库相符
(8)it considers those the best matches，它认为那些是最合适的工作。those指代前文的three potential jobs
(9)密切关注
(10)留心，留意
41. How did Redmon find his job?
A. By searching openings in a job database.
B. By posting a matching position in a database.
C. By using a special service of a database.
D. By E-mailing his resume to a database.
42. Which of the following can be a disadvantage of search agents?
A. Lack of counseling.
B. Limited number of visits.
C. Lower efficiency.
D. Fewer successful matches.
43. The expression “tip service” (Line 4, Paragraph 3) most probably means
A. advisory.
B. compensation.
C. interaction.
D. reminder.
44. Why does CareerSite’s agent offer each job hunter only three job options?
A. To focus on better job matches.
B. To attract more returning visits.
C. To reserve space for more messages.
D. To increase the rate of success.
45. Which of the following is true according to the text?
A.Personal search agents are indispensable to job-hunters.
B.Some sites keep E-mailing job seekers to trace their demands.
C.Personal search agents are also helpful to those already employed.
D.Some agents stop sending information to people once they are employed.
41.Redmon是如何找到工作的？
A.通过在职业数据库中寻找空缺
B.通过在在数据库中公布合适职位
C.通过使用数据库的特殊服务
D.通过电子邮件向数据库发送简历
42.下列哪一项是搜索代理的劣势？
A.缺少建议
B.访问次数有限
C.较低的效率
D.更少的成功的合适工作
43. 第3段第4行短语“tip service”最可能的意思是
A.建议
B.补偿
C.相互作用
D.提醒
44.为什么CareerSite’s的代理只为找工作者提供三个职位选择？
A.为了关注更适合的工作
B.为吸引更多的人再次访问
C.为更多的信息保留空间
D.提高成功的比例
45.根据本文，以下哪种说法是正确的？
A.个人代理对求职者来说必不可少
B.一些网站不断给求职者发邮件以跟踪他们的要求
C.个人代理对在职的人也有帮助
D.一些代理机构不向已经找到工作的人发送信息
【答案】CADBC
Passage 2
Over the past century, all kinds of unfairness and discrimination have been condemned or made illegal. (1)But one insidious form continues to thrive: alphabetism. This, (2) for those as yet unaware of such a disadvantage, refers to discrimination against those whose surnames begin with a letter in the lower half of the alphabet.
It has long been known that a taxi firm called AAAA cars has a big advantage over Zodiac cars when customers (3) thumb through their phone directories. (4)Less well known is the advantage that Adam Abbott has in life over Zoe Zysman. English names are fairly evenly spread between the halves of the alphabet. Yet (5) a suspiciously large number of top people have surnames beginning with letters between A and K.
Thus the American president and vice-president have surnames starting with B and C respectively; and 26 of George Bush’s predecessors (including his father) had surnames in the first half of the alphabet against just 16 in the second half. (6)Even more striking, six of the seven heads of government of (7) the G7 rich countries are alphabetically advantaged (Berlusconi, Blair, Bush, Chirac, Chretien and Koizumi). The world’s three top central bankers (Greenspan, Duisenberg and Hayami) are all close to the top of the alphabet, even if one of them really uses Japanese characters. As are the world’s five richest men (Gates, Buffett, Allen, Ellison and Albrecht).
Can this merely be coincidence? One theory, (8) dreamt up in all the spare time enjoyed by the alphabetically disadvantaged, is that the rot (9)sets in early. At the start of the first year in infant school, teachers seat pupils alphabetically from the front, to make it easier to remember their names. So short-sighted Zysman junior (10) gets stuck in the back row, and is rarely asked the improving questions posed by those insensitive teachers. At the time the alphabetically disadvantaged may think they have had a lucky escape. Yet the result may be worse qualifications, because they get less individual attention, as well as less confidence in speaking publicly.
The humiliation continues. At university graduation ceremonies, the ABCs proudly get their awards first; by the time they reach the Zysmans most people are literally (11) having a ZZZ. Shortlists for job interviews, election ballot papers, lists of conference speakers and attendees: all tend to be drawn up alphabetically, and their recipients lose interest as they plough through them.
(1)insidious，隐秘的，隐蔽的；thrive，繁荣，盛行；alphabetism，按字母表排序
(2)for those as yet unaware of such a disadvantage，是插入语，unaware of，尚未认识到
(3)翻阅，查阅
(4)倒装，the advantage is less well known
(5)suspiciously，令人难以置信的；top people，一流人物，风云人物
(6)令人印象更为深刻的是
(7)7国集团
(8)做定语，修饰One theory；dream up，虚构；the alphabetically disadvantaged，在字母表中处于劣势的人
(9)确立
(10)被固定在
(11)睡着了。ZZZ，鼾声
46. What does the author intend to illustrate with AAA A cars and Zodiac cars?
A.A kind of overlooked inequality.
B.A type of conspicuous bias.
C.A type of personal prejudice.
D.A kind of brand discrimination.
47. What can we infer from the first three paragraphs?
A.In both East and West, names are essential to success.
B.The alphabet is to blame for the failure of Zoë：Zysman.
C.Customers often pay a lot of attention to companies’ names.
D.Some form of discrimination is too subtle to recognize.
48. The 4th paragraph suggests that
A.questions are often put to the more intelligent students.
B.alphabetically disadvantaged st udents often escape form class.
C.teachers should pay attention to all of their students.
D.students should be seated according to their eyesight.
49. What does the author mean by “most people are literally having a ZZZ” (Lines 2-3, Paragraph 5)?
A.They are getting impatient.
B.They are noisily dozing off.
C.They are feeling humiliated.
D.They are busy with word puzzles.
50. Which of the following is true according to the text?
A.People with surnames beginning with N to Z are often ill-treated.
B.VIPs in the Western world gain a great deal from alphabetism.
C.The campaign to eliminate alphabetism still has a long way to go.
D.Putting things alphabetically may lead to unintentional bias.
46.作者用AAA A和Zodiac汽车的例子是为了说明什么？
A.一种被人忽视的不平等
B.一类显而易见的偏见
C.一类个人歧视
D.一种商标歧视
47.从前3段我们可以推断出什么？
A.不论在东方还是在西方，名字都成功都至关重要
B.人们把名字靠后者的失败归咎于字母表
C.消费者通常非常注重公司名称
D.某种形式的歧视太细微以至很难识别
48.第4段表明：
A.聪明的学生经常被提问
B.在字母表上处于劣势的学生经常逃课
C.老师必须关注他所有的学生
D.必须依据学生的视力编排座次
49. 作者说“most people are literally having a ZZZ”(第5段第2—3行)的意思是：
A.他们变得没有耐心
B.他们正在打鼾
C.他们觉得被羞辱了
D.他们忙于猜字谜
50.依据文章，下列哪项是正确的？
A.姓氏开头字母为N 到Z 的人经常受到不公正待遇
B.西方世界的重要人物从字母表排序方法中受益匪浅
C.消除以字母表先后顺序排序仍然任重道远
D.依据字母顺序排序将导致意想不到的偏见
【答案】ADCBD
Passage 3
(1)When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet. (2)But the 47-year-old manicurist isn’t cutting, filling or polishing as many nails as she’d like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped (3) showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. “I’m a good economic indicator,” she says. “I provide a service that people can do (4) without when they’re concerned about saving some dollars.” So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillard’s department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I don’t know if other clients are going to abandon me, too” she says.
Even before Alan Greenspan’s admission that America’s red-hot economy is cooling, lots of (5) working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to (6) Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year’s pace. But (7) don’t sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy’s long-term prospects, even as they do some modest belt-tightening.
Consumers say they’re not in despair because, despite the dreadful (8) headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, “there’s a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses,” says broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. “Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three,” says John Deadly, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job.
Many folks see (9) silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldn’t mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. (10)Diners might see an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattan’s hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant need to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.
(1)当经济发展变得缓慢时，Ellen Spero还不至于束手无策。it comes to，表示当……来临时；bit nail，束手无策
(2)cutting, filling or polishing便是Ellen Spero作为指甲修剪师的业务。本句话表示由于经济发展缓慢，她的业务比她希望的要少。
(3)出现，光顾
(4)介词without的宾语是a service。
(5)劳动者；folk，人群，人们
(6)Gap批发商店
(7)无须危言耸听
(8)新闻，宣传
(9)希望，曙光
(10)饮食业
51. By “Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet”(Line 1, Paragraph 1), the author means
A.Spero can hardly maintain her business.
B.Spero is too much engaged in her work.
C.Spero has grown out of her bad habit.
D.Spero is not in a desperate situation.
52. How do the public feel about the current economic situation?
A.Optimistic.
B.Confused.
C.Carefree.
D.Panicked.
53. When mentioning “the $4 million to $10 million range” (Lines 3-4, Paragraph 3) the author is talking about.
A.gold market.
B.real estate.
C.stock exchange.
D.venture investment.
54. Why can many people see “silver linings” to the economic showdown?
A.They would benefit in certain ways.
B.The stock market shows signs of recovery.
C.Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom.
D.The purchasing power would be enhanced.
55. To which of the following is the author likely to agree?
A.A now boom, on the horizon.
B.Tighten the belt, the single remedy.
C.Caution all right, panic not.
D.The more ventures, the more chances.
51.作者用 “Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet”(第1段第1行)表达的意思是
A.Spero几乎不能维持她的生意
B.Spero过于为工作操劳了
C.Spero已经拜托了她的坏习惯
D.Spero并没有陷入绝境
52.公众觉得目前的经济形势如何？
A.乐观
B.困惑
C.无须担心
D.恐慌
53.当提到“4百万美元到1千万美元区间”(第3段第3—4行)时，作者是在谈论
A.黄金市场
B.不动产 (房地产)
C.股票交易
D.风险投资
54.为什么很多人能看到经济走出衰退的“曙光”？
A.他们将在某些方面获益
B.股市有复苏的迹象
C.这样一次衰退之后通常经济大繁荣
D.购买力将增强
55.下列哪一项作者可能会赞同？
A.新的繁荣即将来临
B.紧缩开支是唯一的良方
C.谨慎是正确的，恐慌却没有必要
D.机遇与风险同在
【答案】DABAC | 
