【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 ing personality. (B) centered on trivial issues. (C) was hardly convincing. (D) was part of a conspiracy. 39. The author holds that the current collective doctrine shows (A) generally distorted values. (B) unfair wealth distribution. (C) a marginalized lifestyle. (D) a rigid moral code. 40 Which of the following is suggested in the last paragraph? (A) The quality of writings is of primary importance. (B) Common humanity is central to news reporting. (C) Moral awareness matters in editing a newspaper. (D) Journalists need stricter industrial regulations. 歷年英語一閱讀真題考研3 Text 4 The . Postal Service (USPS) continues to bleed red ink. It reported a net loss of $ billion for fiscal 20XX, the 10th straight year its expenses have exceeded revenue. Meanwhile, it has more than $120 billion in unfunded liabilities, mostly for employee health and retirement costs. There are many bankruptcies. Fundamentally, the USPS is in a historic squeeze between technological change that has permanently decreased demand for its breadandbutter product, firstclass mail, and a regulatory structure that denies management the flexibility to adjust its operations to the new reality And interest groups ranging from postal unions to greetingcard makers exert selfinterested pressure on the USPS’s ultimate overseerCongressinsisting that whatever else happens to the Postal Service, aspects of the status quo they depend on get protected. This is why repeated attempts at reform legislation have failed in recent years, leaving the Postal Service unable to pay its bills except by deferring vital modernization. Now es word that everyone involvedDemocrats, Republicans, the Postal Service, the unions and the systems heaviest users—has finally agreed on a plan to fix the system. Legislation is moving through the House that would save USPS an estimated $ billion over five years, which could help pay for new vehicles, among other survival measures. Most of the money would e from a pennyperletter permanent rate increase and from shifting postal retirees into Medicare. The latter step would largely offset the financial burden of annually prefunding retiree health care, thus addressing a longstanding plaint by the USPS and its union. If it clears the House, this measure would still have to get through the Senate – where someone is bound to point out that it amounts to the bare, bare minimum necessary to keep the Postal Service afloat, not prehensive reform. There’s no change to collective bargaining at the USPS, a major omission considering that personnel accounts for 80 percent of the agency’s costs. Also missing is any discussion of eliminating Saturday letter delivery. That monsense change enjoys wide public support and would save the USPS $2 billion per year. But postal specialinterest groups seem to have killed it, at least in the House. The emerging consensus around the bill is a sign that legislators are getting frightened about a politically embarrassing shortterm collapse at the USPS. It is not, however, a sign that they’re getting serious about transforming the postal system for the 21st century. financial problem with the USPS is caused partly by [A]. its unbalanced budget. [B] .its rigid management. [C] .the cost for technical upgrading. [D]. the withdrawal of bank support. 37. According to Paragraph 2, the USPS fails to modernize itself due to [A]. the interference from interest groups. [B] .the inadequate funding from Congress. [C] .the shrinking demand for postal service. [D] .the inpetence of postal unions. longstand