专四阅读

Exercise 8

TEXT A

People in the Italian city-states took a new interest in education, especially in the learning of ancient Greece and Rome. At the universities, theology, law, and medicine were traditionally the most highly respected subjects. However, during the Renaissance, scholars also stressed the studia humanitatis, the study of the humanities. The humanities included

the subjects taught in ancient Greek and Roman schools--grammar, rhetoric, poetry, and history. Renaissance scholars who studied those subjects were called humanists.

Renaissance humanists were practical people. They wanted to learn more about the world. By reading ancient texts, they rediscovered knowledge that had been lost or forgotten during the Middle Ages. Many were involved in politics and commerce, and they applied the new learning

to daily matters. Most Renaissance humanists were also devout Christians. They felt that the study of the humanities enriched their lives as Christians because it went beyond the dry, abstract works of medieval scholars.

Renaissance scholars thought that education was the way to become

a well-rounded individual. Only with a proper education they argued, could

a person enjoy a full, rewarding life. One scholar advised a student:

I beg you, take care. Add a little every day and gather things in. Remember; that these studies promise you enormous prizes both in the conduct of your life and the fame and glory of your name. Acquaint yourself with what pertains to life and manners--those things that are called humane studies because they perfect and adorn man.

Such a philosophy expressed a basic feature of the Renaissance--belief in the importance of individual achievement, a much different attitude than that of the Middle Ages.

81. During the Renaissance, which subject was stressed

A. Theology.

B. Law.

C. Medicine.

D. Rhetoric.

82. We can learn in the second paragraph that

A. humanists were interested in practical knowledge only

B. humanists rediscovered knowledge by reading texts on the Middle Ages

C. some of the Humanists were politicians and merchants

D. the Humanists gave up their religious belief

83. The author's purpose of citing the scholar's advice is to illustrate

A. the roles of the scholars

B. a basic feature of the Renaissance

C. the importance of individual achievement

D. the difference between the Renaissance and the Middle Ages

84. Which of the following is the best title for the passage

A. Study of Ancient Greece and Rome.

B. Study of the Humanities.

C. The Practical Humanists.

D. The Renaissance.

TEXT B

"People thought of themselves as having rights from companies," said Hoshua Freeman, a labor historian at Columbia University. That sense of entitlement grew even stronger in the early decades after World War II and collective bargaining became the arena for arguing out wages, pensions, health insurance, vacations, hours and job security.

That system is disappearing today. Career-long attachments to one

employer, a notion born in the 1920's, are no longer the norm. The new class-consciousness makes less distinction between workers and managers. Rights are relative, at best. An increasingly conservative electorate has reduced government's role in regulating the economy. Unions have lost influence and membership.

What people do is try to cope, by themselves, said Ms. Skelly, of DYG. Self-employment is one solution, DYG's polls show, and that is a rising trend. "They try, on the job, to hide any weakness in their performance," she said. "They work longer hours and take work home, without letting the boss know, to give the impression that they can do difficult tasks quickly. There is nothing like, 'we are all in this together. ' There is too much competition. People talk of their weakness to friends and spouses, but not to coworkers. '

And many Americans feel in their hearts that the unemployment might be justified. "There is a sense among people that we are inefficient and bloated," Ms. Skelly said. "And until they feel that is no longer true, they are reluctant to criticize the forces that are cutting out the fat and the inefficiencies."

85. It can be inferred from the second paragraph that

A. people do not enjoy their rights nowadays

B. people are more likely to change their jobs than they were in the 1920's

C. workers and managers share the same rights today

D. nowadays, people refuse to take part in the Union

86. According to Ms Skelly, which of the following is true

A. People like to work overtime.

B. People want to work at home.

C. People want to impress the boss with their capability and efficiency.

D. People need help from their families, for they cannot cope with

difficult problems themselves.

87. People hide their weakness from

A. their parents

B. their wives or husbands

C. their friends

D. their colleagues

88. The main idea of the passage is

A. people thought of themselves as having rights from companies

B. people's sense of entitlement is not as strong as it used to be

C. people work at home

D. people regard unemployment as usual

TEXT C

You may not have thought of it just this way, but the letter you write is part of you, and expression of your personality. Therefore to write letters that are mere patterns of form is to present a colorless personality.

Letters, by their very nature, are too individual to be standardized.

A letter may be absolutely perfect according to the standards of good taste and good form but unless it also expresses something of the writer's personality, it is not a good letter. In other words, don't be satisfied to write letters that are just correct and nothing more. Try to write letters that are correct for you... letters that are warm and alive with reflections of your own personality.

And if this sounds like a platitude(陈词滥调), stop for a moment and think back over your recent correspondence. What was the most interesting letter you received Was it a letter anyone could have written Or was it

a letter that instantly "came alive" as you read it that brought the personality of the sender right into the room with you, as though you were face to face, listening instead of reading

The fault with too many letters, today as in the past- the reason so many letters are dull and lifeless, and often fail to accomplish the purpose for which they are written is simply this. They sound exactly like the letters everyone else writes. They are neither exciting to receive nor stimulating to read.

89. What does the author mean by saying "the letter you write is part of you"

A. Writing letters plays an important part in your life.

B. When you write letters, you should be careful about what to write.

C. People can see your personality from the letters you write.

D. You should write good letters.

90. What does the author want to explain in the fourth paragraph

A. A good letter presents one's personality.

B. His opinion is a platitude.

C. Letter-writing is interesting.

D. Talking face to face is a better way to communicate than writing letters.

91. The best title for the passage is

A. Letter Writing

B. Personality in Letter Writing

C. To Write Interesting Letters

D. To Write Correct Letters TEXT D

Acculturation, which begins at birth, is the process of teaching new generations of children the customs and values of the parents' culture.

How people treat newborns, for example, can be indicative of cultural values. In the United States it is not uncommon for parents to put a newborn in a separate room that belongs only to the child, this helps to preserve parents' privacy and allows the child to get used to having his or her own room, which is seen as a first step toward personal independence. Americans traditionally have held independence and a closely related value, individualism, in high esteem. Parents try to instill these prevailing values in their children. American English expresses these value preferences, children should "cut the umbilical cord(脐带)" and are encouraged not to be tied to their mothers' apron strings." In the process of their socialization children learn to "look out for number one" and to "stand on their own two feet."

Many children are taught at a very early age to make decisions and be responsible for their actions. Often children work for money outside the home as a first step to establishing autonomy. Nine-or ten-year-old children may deliver newspapers in their neighborhoods and save or spend their earnings. Teenagers (13 to 18 years) may babysit at neighbors' homes in order to earn a few dollars a week. Receiving a weekly allowance teaches children to budget their money, preparing them for future financial independence. Many parents believe that managing money helps children learn responsibility as well as appreciate the value of money.

92. What is the main idea of the passage

A. The birth of a baby is indicative of cultural value in the United States.

B. Child raising is indicative of the cultural value of independence

in the United States.

C. The children in the United States are independent.

D. The children in the United States are encouraged to make money.

93. By saying "children should 'cut the umbilical cord' and are encouraged

not to be tied to their mothers' apron strings. '", the author means A. parents don't like their children B. children don't like their parents

C. parents don't feel close to children

D. children should learn to be independent

94. The children can learn to be independent by

A. asking for advice when they need to make decisions

B. taking part-time jobs

C. earning money to support themselves

D. handing their money to their parents

95. The word "autonomy" means ____

A. one's own bank accounts

B. independence

C. budget of one's money

D. the value of money

TEXT E

The resources of time and wealth in a firm are scarce. Only effective use of them will result in as good performance as possible. Thus, the planned operation and production are needed and plans are naturally to be prepared. Besides, control must also be exercised to see if the plans are feasible and what performance they are resulting in. This process is called control. Budget is a numerical form of plan. Plan and control are practiced through budget. Plans must be prepared and control be practiced for all kinds of economic actions. The budget which contains all the plans is called master budget. A master budget involves all the objectives in selling, production, distribution, financial and other aspects, reflecting the planned income and expenses, performance in operation, the

planned cash flows and financial positions.

The master budget is to be prepared after the overall objective has been determined with the top-management's support and coordination at all levels. The flow in preparation proceeds top to bottom. And the employees are more likely to work hard to achieve organization goals if they participate in the preparation. In addition, the master budget must be supported by the responsibility accounting system. The figure must be reasonably accurate and understandable, worked out timely. Thus results may be communicated in such a manner that necessary adjustments can be made in good time.

The budget process starts with management's plans and objectives for budget period. The master budget is made up of two parts, the operating budget and the financial budget. The former is a projected earnings statement; the latter is a projected balance sheet. In coordination with the two projected statements, a series of supporting plans or budgets and various programs in decision making for individual items are also needed. Mainly they are sales and production plan, plan for cost of goods manufactured and sold, materials purchases and inventories plan, plan of cash flows and so on. All components that constitute the master budget are involved in a flowchart of the financial process.

96. How to make the best use of the resources in a firm

A. To ask the staff to perform well.

B. To plan operation and production.

C. To plan naturally.

D. To control the exercises

97. People can see if the plans are feasible and what performance they

are resulting in by the process of

A. plan

B. preparation

C. control

D. budget

98. Master budget

A. involves the objectives in the aspects other than selling,

production, distribution, and finance

B. reflects a firm's income and expenses

C. performs well in operation

D. shows the planned money flow

99. The underlined "preparation" refers to

A. the coordination at all levels

B. the support from the top-management

C. the responsibility accounting system

D. the necessary adjustments

100. Which of the following is true about master budget according to the passage

A. It is a numerical form of plan.

B. Plan and control are ways of budget.

C. It is to be prepared after an objective has been determined.

D. There are two kinds of master budgets.

Reading Comprehension Exercise 5

Grade Class Name No: Mark

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100