大学英语级阅读材料下篇.docx

大学英语级阅读材料下篇.docx

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大学英语级阅读材料下篇

2015级阅读材料下篇

SectionA

Directions:

Aftereachofthefollowingpassages,therearefivestatements.Pleasedecidewhetherthestatementsaretrue（T）orfalse（F）accordingtothepassageyouhavejustread.

Passage11

ThemanagementofMeconInsuranceCorporationexplainedtoangryemployeethattheiroppositiontoamanagementbuyout,orMBO,arosefromamisunderstanding.TheemployeesbelievedthatwithanMBO,themanagementintendedtoacquirecontrollingsharesintheinsurancefirm,whichwasownedbythegovernmentandwasundergoingprivatization,supportedbytheBureauofPublicEnterprise.

TheManagingDirectorofMecon,Ms.PresleyBates,gavethisexplanation:

AccordingtotheproposedMBO,thestaffandmanagementofthefirmwouldjointlyacquirecontrollingsharesinthefirm—aprocessthattookplacewithGuangdongInsuranceCorporationnotlongago.

WhentheMBOwasfirstproposed,workersinthecompanyfoughtagainstit,sayingthattheyhopedtojointhemanagementinbuyingtheinsurancefirm.TheyaccusedtheBates-ledmanagementoftryingtobypassemployees.ButtheworkershavesincecometounderstandthenatureoftheacquisitionandhavegiventheirfullsupporttotheMBOproposal.

Answeringquestionsfromreporters,Batessaidthattheworkers’oppositionwas“amatteroftheirmisunderstandingoftheacquisitionprocess,thinkingthemanagementleftoutemployeesintheMBO”.

Givingdetailofhowtheproblemwasfinallyresolved,Batesdisclosedthatthefirmorganizedaseminartoinformtheworkersthat,”Everybodywouldbeinvolved,notjustthemanagement.”Shealsorecalledthatitwasmadecleartotheworkersattheseminarthatjoblosseswereinevitable,nomatterwhathappened.Shesaid,“Therewouldbejoblosses,andtheywouldbefromtoptobottom.IftheMBOfails,andanotherinvestortakesover,themanagementwouldprobablybethefirstcasualty,dependingonthedecisionoftheinvestor.”

1.Theemployeesfearedthatmanagementwouldcontrolthesharesoftheirinsurancecorporation?

2.Managementandemployeeswouldbuyallshares.

3.Theemployeeslearnthetruthaboutthefateoftheircompanyfromagovernmentofficial.

4.Accordingtothepassage,ifanoutsideinvestortookoverthecompany,Managementwouldprobablybelaidofffirst.

5.Thepassageismainlyaboutthebankruptcyofacompany.

Passage12

Thereisnothinglikethesuggestionofacancerrisktoscareaparent,especiallyoneoftheover-educated,eco-conscioustype.SoyoucanimaginethereactionwhenarecentUSATodayinvestigationofairqualityaroundthenation’sschoolssingledoutthoseinthesmugly（自鸣得意的）greenvillageofBerkeley,Calif.,asbeingamongtheworstinthecountry.Thecity’spublichighschool,aswellasanumberofdaycarecenters,preschools,elementaryandmiddleschools,fellinthelowest10%.Industrialpollutioninourtownhadsupposedlyturnedstudentsintolivingscienceexperimentsbreathinginalaboratory’sworthofheavymetalslikemanganese,chromiumandnickeleachday.Thisinacitythatrequiresschoolcafeteriastoserveorganicmeals.Great,Ithought,organiclunch,toxiccampus.

　　SinceDecember,whenthereportcameout,themayor,neighborhoodactivists（活跃分子）andvariousparent-teacherassociationshaveengagedinafiercebattleoveritsvalidity:

overtheguiltofthesteel-castingfactoryonthewesternedgeoftown,overunionjobsversuschildren’shealthandoverwhat,ifanything,oughttobedone.Withallsidespresentingtheirownexpertsarmedwithconflictingscientificstudies,whomshouldparentsbelieve?

Istheretrulyathreathere,weaskedoneanotheraswedroppedoffourkids,andifso,howgreatisit?

Andhowdoesitcomparewiththeother,seeminglyperpetualhealthscaresweconfront,likepanicoverleadinsyntheticathleticfields?

Ratherthanjustanotherweirdepisodeinthetownthatbroughtyouprotestingenvironmentalists,thislatestdramaisatrialforhowtoday’sparentsperceiverisk,howwetrytokeepourkidssafe—whetherit’spossibletokeepthemsafe—inwhatfeelslikeanincreasinglythreateningworld.Itraisesthequestionofwhat,inourtime,“safe”couldevenmean.

　　“There’snowayaroundtheuncertainty,”saysKimberlyThompson,presidentofKidRisk,anonprofitgroupthatstudieschildren’shealth.“Thatmeansyourchoicescanmatter,butitalsomeansyouaren’tgoingtoknowiftheydo.”A2004reportinthejournalPediatricsexplainedthatnervousparentshavemoretofearfromfire,caraccidentsanddrowningthanfromtoxicchemicalexposure.TowhichIsay:

Well,obviously.Butsuchconcretehazardsarebesidethepoint.It’sthedangersparentscan’t—andmaynever—quantifythatoccurallofsudden.That’swhyI’veridmycupboardofmicrowavefoodpackedinbagscoatedwithapotentialcancer-causingsubstance,butalthoughI’velivedblocksfromamajorfaultline（地质断层）formorethan12years,Istillhaven’tboltedourbookcasestothelivingroomwall.

1.ArecentinvestigationbyUSATodayrevealsthatParentsinBerkeleyareover-sensitivetocancerriskstheirkidsface.

2.USAToday’sreportdrewaheateddebate.

3.Parentswerefrightenedbytheevidenceoftheexperts’studies.

4.The2004reportinthejournalPediatricssuggestedthatdailyaccidentsposeamoreseriousthreattochildren.

5.Ofthedangersineverydaylife,theauthorthinksthatpeoplehavemosttofearfromunhealthyfood.

Passage13

Overthepastdecade,manycompanieshadperfectedtheartofcreatingautomaticbehaviors-habits-amongconsumers.Thesehabitshavehelpedcompaniesearnbillionsofdollarswhencustomerseatsnacksorwipecountersalmostwithoutthinking,ofteninresponsetoacarefullydesignedsetofdailycues.

"Therearefundamentalpublichealthproblems,likedirtyhandsinsteadofasoaphabit,thatremainkillersonlybecausewecan'tfigureouthowtochangepeople'shabit,"saidDr.Curtis,thedirectortheHygieneCenterattheLondonSchoolofHygiene&TropicalMedicine."Wewantedtolearnfromprivateindustryhowtocreatenewbehaviorsthathappenautomatically."

ThecompaniesthatDr.Curtisturnedto-Procter&Gamble,Colgate-PalmoliveandUnilever-hadinvestedhundredsofmillionsofdollarsfindingthesubtlecuesinconsumers'livesthatcorporationscouldusetointroducenewroutines.

Ifyoulookhardenough,you'llfindthatmanyoftheproductsweuseeveryday-chewinggums,skinmoisturizers,disinfectingwipes,airfresheners,waterpurifiers,healthsnacks,teethwhiteners,fabricsofteners,vitaminsareresultsofmanufacturedhabits.Acenturyago,fewpeopleregularlybrushedtheirteethmultipletimesaday.Today,becauseofshrewdadvertisingandpublichealthcampaigns,manyAmericanshabituallygivetheirpearlywhitesacavity-preventingscrubtwiceaday,oftenwithColgate,Crestoroneoftheotherbrands.

Afewdecadesago,manypeopledidn'tdrinkwateroutsideofameal.Thenbeveragecompaniesstartedbottlingtheproductionoffar-offsprings,andnowofficeworkersunthinkinglysipbottledwateralldaylong.Chewinggum,onceboughtprimarilybyadolescentboys,isnowfeaturedincommercialsasabreathfreshenerandteethcleanserforuseafterameal.Skinmoisturizersareadvertisedaspartofmorningbeautyrituals,slippedinbetweenhairbrushingandputtingonmakeup.

"Ourproductssucceedwhentheybecomepartofdailyorweeklypatterns",saidCarolBerning,aconsumerpsychologistwhorecentlyretiredfromProcter&Gamble,thecompanythatsold$76billionofTide,Crestandotherproductslastyear."Creatingpositivehabitisahugepartofimprovingourconsumers'lives,andit'sessentialtomakingnewproductscommerciallyviable."

Throughexperimentsandobservation,socialscientistslikeDr.Berninghavelearnedthatthereispowerintyingcertainbehaviorstohabitualcuesthroughruthlessadvertising.Asthisnewscienceofhabithasemerged,controversieshaveeruptedwhenthetacticshavebeenusedtosellquestionablebeautycreamsorunhealthyfoods.

1.AccordingtoDr.Curtis,habitslikehandwashingwithsoapshouldbechangedgradually.

2.Theexampleofbrushingteethshowsthatsomeofconsumer’shabitsaredevelopeddueto

commercialpromotions.

3.Bottledwater,chewinggunandskinmoisturizersarementionedtoindicatetheireffectonpeople’sbuyingpower.

4.CarolBerningbelievedthatthecreatingautomaticbehaviorsamongconsumerswasnecessaryforthesuccessofnewproducts.

5.Theauthorisnotpositiveabouttheinfluenceofadvertisingonpeople’shabits.

Passage14

Questions1to5arebasedonthefollowingpassage:

ThegrowingimportanceofairpowerinWorldWarII,combinedwithitssensitivitytoweather,ledtoanevergreatermilitaryrelianceonaccurateforecasts.Knowingtheweatherwasofvitalconcerntocombatcommandersofthatwar.

Asmuchasartasitisscience,predictingtheweatherisdependentontheaccuratetrackingofweatherphenomena,particularlystormfronts,fromtheareaswheretheyoriginate.Thoughmeteorologists（气象学家）ofthe1940shadnoneoftheweathertrackingsatelliteswhichmakethatjobsomuchsimplertoday,theywerestillabletogenerateusablyaccurateforecastsasmuchas72hoursinadvance–aslongastheycouldgetthedatatheyneeded.

TheneedforthatdatagavebirthtooneofthemostinterestinganduniquecampaignsoftheSecondWorldWar,theso-called“WeatherWar.”

Althoughitwasnotawarofmajorcommandsandlargenumbersoftroops,ships,oraircraft,ithadanimportantimpactonthefightingintheAtlanticandEuropeanTheatres.Itwastheweatherdatasecuredbythiscampaignwhichenabledtheplanningandexecutionofs