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Part II Reading Comprehension
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Passage One
Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage.
Like many of my generation, I have a weakness for hero worship. At some point, however, we all begin to question our heroes and our need for them. This leads us to ask: What is a hero?
Despite immense differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics that instruct and inspire people.
A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a story of adventure to tell and a community who will listen. But a hero goes beyond mere fame.
Heroes serve powers or principles larger than themselves. Like high-voltage transformers, heroes take the energy of higher powers and step it down so that it can be used by ordinary people.
The hero lives a life worthy of imitation. Those who imitate a genuine hero experience life with new depth, enthusiasm, and meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom do they serve? What are they willing to live and die for? If the answer or evidence suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes. Madonna and Michael Jackson are famous, but who would claim that their fans find life more abundant?
Heroes are catalysts for change. They have a vision from the mountaintop. They have the skill and the charm to move the masses. They create new possibilities. Without Gandhi, India might still be part of the British Empire. Without Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., we might still have segregated buses, restaurants, and parks. It may be possible for large-scale change to occur without leaders with magnetic personalities, but the pace of change would be slow, the vision uncertain, and the committee meetings endless.
11. Although heroes may come from different cultures, they ________.
A) generally possess certain inspiring characteristics
B) probably share some weaknesses of ordinary people
C) are often influenced by previous generations
D) all unknowingly attract a large number of fans
12. According to the passage, heroes are compared to high-voltage transformers in that ________.
A) they have a vision from the mountaintop
B) they have warm feelings and emotions
C) they can serve as concrete examples of noble principles
D) they can make people feel stronger and more confident
13. Madonna and Michael Jackson are not considered heroes because ________.
A) they are popular only among certain groups of people
B) their performances do not improve their fans morally
C) their primary concern is their own financial interests
D) they are not clear about the principles they should follow
14. Gandhi and Martin Luther King are typical examples of outstanding leaders who ________.
A) are good at demonstrating their charming characters
B) can move the masses with their forceful speeches
C) are capable of meeting all challenges and hardships
D) can provide an answer to the problems of their people
15. The author concludes that historical changes would ________.
A) be delayed without leaders with inspiring personal qualities
B) not happen without heroes making the necessary sacrifices
C) take place ff there were heroes to lead the people
D) produce leaders with attractive personalities
Passage Two
Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage.
According to a survey, which was based on the responses of over 188,000 students, today s traditional-age college freshmen are more materialistic and less altruistic than at any time in the 17 years of the poll.
Not surprising in these hard times, the student s major objective is to be financially well off. Less important than ever is developing a meaningful philosophy of life. It follows then that today the most popular course is not literature or history but accounting.
Interest in teaching, social service and the altruistic fields is at a low. On the other hand, enrollment in business programs, engineering and computer science is way up.
That s no surprise either. A friend of mine was making twice the salary of her college instructors her first year on the job even before she completed her two-year associate degree.
While it s true that we all need a career, it is equally true that our civilization has accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge in fields far removed from our own and that we are better for our understanding of these other contributions be they scientific or artistic.
It is equally true that, in studying the diverse wisdom of others, we learn how to think. More important, perhaps, education teaches us to see the connections between things, as well as to see beyond our immediate needs.
Weekly we read of unions who went on strike for higher wages, only to drive their employer out of business. No company; no job. How shortsighted in the long run!
But the most important argument for a broad education is that in studying the accumulated wisdom of the ages, we improve our moral sense. I saw a cartoon recently which shows a group of businessmen looking puzzled as they sit around a conference table; one of them is talking on the intercom : Miss Baxter, he says, could you please send in someone who can distinguish right from wrong?
From the long-term point of view, that s what education really ought to be about.
16. According to the author s observation, college students ________.
A) have never been so materialistic as today
B) have never been so interested in the arts
C) have never been so financially well off as today
D) have never attached so much importance to moral sense
17. The students criteria for selecting majors today have much to do with ________.
A) the influences of their instructors
B) the financial goals they seek in life
C) their own interpretations of the courses
D) their understanding of the contributions of others
18. By saying While it s true that... be they scientific or artistic , the author means that ________.
A) business management should be included in educational programs
B) human wisdom has accumulated at an extraordinarily high speed
C) human intellectual development has reached new heights
D) the importance of a broad education should not be overlooked
19. Studying the diverse wisdom of others can ________.
A) create varying artistic interests
B) help people see things in their right perspective
C) help improve connections among people
D) regulate the behavior of modern people
20. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A) Businessmen absorbed in their career are narrow-minded.
B) Managers often find it hard to tell right from wrong.
C) People engaged in technical jobs lead a more rewarding life.
D) Career seekers should not focus on immediate interests only.
Passage Three
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
New technology links the world as never before. Our planet has shrunk. It s now a global village where countries are only seconds away by fax or phone or satellite link. And, of course, our ability to benefit from this high-tech communications equipment is greatly enhanced by foreign language skills.
Deeply involved with this new technology is a breed of modern businesspeople who have a growing respect for the economic value of doing business abroad. In modern markets, success overseas often helps support domestic business efforts.
Overseas assignments are becoming increasingly important to advancement within executive ranks. The executive stationed in another country no longer need fear being out of sight and out of mind. He or she can be sure that the overseas effort is central to the company s plan for success, and that promotions often follow or accompany an assignment abroad. If an employee can succeed in a difficult assignment overseas, superiors will have greater confidence in his or her ability to cope back in the United States where cross-cultural considerations and foreign language issues are becoming more and more prevalent .
Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communications devices with business applications, even small businesses in the United States are able to get into international markets.
English is still the international language of business. But there is an ever-growing need for people who can speak another language. A second language isn t generally required to get a job in business, but having language skills gives a candidate the edge when other qualifications appear to be equal
The employee posted abroad who speaks the country s principal language has an opportunity to fast-forward certain negotiations, and cam have the cultural insight to know when it is better to move more slowly. The employee at the home office who can communicate well with foreign clients over the telephone or by fax machine is an obvious asset to the firm.
21. What is the author s attitude toward high-tech communications equipment?
A) Critical.
B) Prejudiced.
C) Indifferent.
D) Positive.
22. With the increased use of high-tech communications equipment, businesspeople ________.
A) have to get familiar with modern technology
B) are gaining more economic benefits from domestic operations
C) are attaching more importance to their overseas business
D) are eager to work overseas
23. In this passage, out of sight and out of mind probably means ________.
A) being unable to think properly for lack of insight
B) being totally out of touch with business at home
C) missing opportunities for promotion when abroad
D) leaving all care and worry behind
24. According to the passage, what is an important consideration of international corporations in employing people today?
A) Connections with businesses overseas.
B) Ability to speak the client s language.
C) Technical know-how.
D) Business experience.
25. The advantage of employees having foreign language skills is that they can ________.
A) better control the whole negotiation process
B) easily find new approaches to meet market needs
C) fast-forward their proposals to headquarters
D) easily make friends with businesspeople abroad
Passage Four
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
In recent years, Israeli consumers have grown more demanding as they ve become wealthier and more worldly-wise. Foreign travel is a national passion; this summer alone, one in 10 citizens will go abroad. Exposed to higher standards of service elsewhere, Israelis are returning home expecting the same. American firms have also begun arriving in large numbers. Chains such as KFC, McDonald s and Pizza Hut are setting a new standard of customer service, using strict employee training and constant monitoring to ensure the friendliness of frontline staff. Even the American habit of telling departing customers to Have a nice day has caught on all over Israel. Nobody wakes up in the morning and says, Let s be nicer, says Itsik Cohen, director of a consulting firm. Nothing happens without competition.
Privatization, or the threat of it, is a motivation as well. Monopolies that until recently have been free to take their customers for granted now fear what Michael Perry, a marketing professor, calls the revengeful consumer. When the government opened up competition with Bezaq, the phone company, its international branch lost 40% of its market share, even while offering competitive rates. Says Perry, People wanted revenge for all the years of bad service. The electric company, whose monopoly may be short-lived, has suddenly mopped requiring users to wait half a day for a repairman. Now, appointments are scheduled to the half-hour. The graceless El Al Airlines, which is already at auction , has retrained its employees to emphasize service and is boasting about the results in an ad campaign with the slogan, You can feel the change in the air. For the first time, praise outnumbers complaints on customer survey sheets.
26. It may be inferred from the passage that ________.
A) customer service in Israel is now improving
B) wealthy Israeli customers are hard to please
C) the tourist industry has brought chain stores to Israel
D) Israeli customers prefer foreign products to domestic ones
27. In the author s view, higher service standards are impossible in Israel ________.
A) if customer complaints go unnoticed by the management
B) unless foreign companies are introduced in greater numbers
C) if there s no competition among companies
D) without strict routine training of employees
28. If someone in Israel today needs a repairman in case of a power failure, ________.
A) they can have it fixed in no time
B) it s no longer necessary to make an appointment
C) the appointment takes only half a day to make
D) they only have to wait half an hour at most
29. The example of El A1 Airlines shows that ________.
A) revengeful customers are a threat to the monopoly of enterprises
B) an ad campaign is a way out for enterprises in financial difficulty
C) a good slogan has great potential for improving service
D) staff retraining is essential for better service
30. Why did Bezaq s international branch lose 40% of its market share?
A) Because the rates it offered were not competitive enough.
B) Because customers were dissatisfied with its past service.
C) Because the service offered by its competitors was far better.
D) Because it no longer received any support from the government.
Unit 8
11. A 12. C 13. B 14.D 15. A
16. A 17. B 18. D 19.B 20. D
21. D 22. C 23. C 24.B 25. A
26. A 27. C 28. A 29.A 30. B
