Section 2: Reading Comprehension (50 points)

Questions 51 — 55 are based on the following passage.

Congress makes the laws in the United States. It has two parts, which are more or less equal in power. They are known as the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives is larger than the Senate whose 100 members (two from each state) serve for six years. The 435 members of the House are elected every two years, and the number from each state is determined by the population of the state. For example, California, which has a large population, has 43 representatives, while the State of Nevada has only one.

The House and Senate are divided into small groups which take care of special matters such as education or foreign affairs. The most important work of Congress is often done in these groups, which are called subcommittees.

According to the Constitution of the United States, a senator must be at least 30 years old and he must have been a citizen of the United States for nine years at the time of his election. To be elected to the House a person must be 25 years old and must have been a United States citizen for seven years. At the present time, members of Congress include businessmen, farmers, teachers, and especially lawyers. In general, senators are better known than representatives because they are fewer in number and serve for a longer time. Many American presidents served in Congress before they because president.

51. In the U.S. Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate are ____.

A. not equal. The House is more powerful

B. almost equal in power

C. not equal. The Senate is far more powerful

D. different. The House is more important

52. The members of the Senate are elected for ____ years.

A. two B. three C. four D. six

53. The number of the members in the House from each state ____.

A. is fixed, two from each state

B. depends on how many people the state has

C. depends on the size of the state

D. depends on the location of the state

54. To be elected to the Senate a person must ____.

A. be at least 25 years old

B. be at least 30 years old

C. have been a citizen for seven years

D. be a lawyer

55. Which of the following is true?

A. A representative serves for two years.

B. To become a senator is easier than to become a representative.

C. A senator performs his duties for a shorter time than a representative

D. All presidents were representatives and then senators before becoming president of the United States.

Questions 56 — 60 are based on the following passage.

Air France SA said Monday that its second-quarter net profit fell 35 percent to ?57 million ($57.4 million), but sales were steady and operating profit surged.

Earning before interest and tax, a measure of operating income, gained 86 percent to ?141 million as fuel costs fell costs fell and cargo traffic rose.

Air France has been hurt less than rivals such as British Airways PLC and Lufthansa AG by the slowdown on North Atlantic routes following the war on Iraq in 2003 because it has fewer flights in that market.

Net income fell as the airline paid deferred taxes that came due. Sales rose 0.9 percent to ?3.2 billion. The carrier lost about ?80 million in revenue because of a four-day strike by pilots in September. An accord was reached tying future pay increases to inflation. The carrier said that first-half fuel costs fell 15 percent to ?680 million. Cargo traffic rose 11 percent in the second quarter, while passenger traffic rose 1.1 percent. The airline’s shares gained 87 cents, or 7.7 percent, to close at ?12.11.

Separately, Air France and Alitalia SpA agreed to buy 2 percent stakes in each other as Europe’s second-and sixth-largest airlines deepen their partnership.

56. “?”in “?57 million” and “?141 million” probably stands for ____.

A. English B. the euro C. European D. European Currency Unit

57. Which of the following is not a cause for Air France’s earnings to rise before interest and tax?

A. The drop in fuel cost.

B. The rise in cargo traffic.

C. The rise in passenger traffic.

D. Its partnership with Alitalia SpA.

58. Which of the following is not a trouble confronting Air France?

A. Deferred taxes being due.

B. The shrinking French market.

C. A four-day strike by pilots in September.

D. The war on Iraq.

59. Why did Air France’s net income fall despite rising sales?

A. Because it had to pay deferred taxes that came due.

B. Because the French market was shrinking.

C. Because of a four-day strike by pilots in September.

D. Because the Iraqi war had reduced Atlantic flights.

60. “The carrier lost about ?80 million in revenue because of a four-day strike by pilots in September”. What does “the carrier” refer to here?

A. British Airways PLC. B. Lufthansa AG.

C. Air France SA. D. Alitalia SpA.

Questions 61 — 65 are based on the following passage.

A. total of 4.6 million digital televisions have been sold, and the sales

of HDTV sets have quadrupled since last year. Consumers have bought HDTVs to play their DVDs and to have clearer pictures and wide screens. Only a small percentage of the people who have purchased HDTVs, however, have actually hooked their TVs up to receive high-definition television digital signals. Perhaps television viewers are having trouble keeping up with the changes in technology. Even the manufacturers of HDTVs, like Mitsubishi, Thomson Multimedia, Sony, and Samsung seem to have a tough time learning how to make their sets work with the various digital TV formats because little standardization has been required or implemented in the industry.

Some of the HDTVs weight over 200lbs., and a variety of retailers offer a delivery service to the buyer’s home to help install the heavy sets. This is known as a white-glove service and usually comes with an extra fee. After HDTV purchasers get their sets home and hook them up, they will still need to work to get the digital signals to their systems. Most of the industry’s cable providers do not yet offer high-definition programming, and only about 15% of commercial television stations have switched over to even the lowest improved digital pictures. Worse yet, viewers may need to install antenna before they can even get the digital signals to their new HDTV sets. Another frustration for home-theater seekers is that the current HDTV sets allow owners only to watch high-definition programs, not to record them.

61. According to the first sentence, the sales of HDTV sets since last year, by the time when this article was written, had reached ______.

A. 4.6 million B. 9.2 million C. 18.4 million D. I do not know many

62. “Hook up” as in “hooked their TVs up” underlined in Paragraph 1 most probably means to ____.

A. have a hood over the TV B. be connected to

C. relate oneself to D. keep contact with

63. A majority of HDTV consumers could not enjoy high-quality digital pictures because ____.

A. they did not tune in to the right channel

B. they did not install the system

C. the market retailers created the confusion on purpose

D. the manufacturers did not have a uniform standard for their sets

64. According to the passage, which of the following offers most of the HDTV programmes so far?

A. Retailer delivery services.

B. Cable providers.

C. Commercial television stations

D. HDTV set manufacturers.

65. On the whole, this passage is positioned to dwell on ____.

A. the overall picture of the HDTV sector

B. how the giant TV market should offer better products

C. a lament over consumer’s inability to use a high-end TV set

D. a criticism of the TV markets for doing nothing about a big problem

KEYS：

51. B 52. D 53. B 54. B 55. A 56. B

 57. D 58. A 59. A 60. C

61. D 62. B 63. B 64. C 65.

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