【正文】 Questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard. ) After five o‘clock in the morning. B) After eleven o‘clock in the morning. C) After five o‘clock in the evening. D) After eleven o‘clock in the evening. 18. A) $ B) $ C) $. D) $. 19. A) A collect call. B) A direct dial call. C) A persontoperson call. D) A call from a pay phone. 20. A) Dial the operator. B) Check the phone book for the overseas operator‘s number so that he can help you. C) Check the phone book for overseas area codes so that you dial direct. D) Call the Southern Bell Telephone Company. Part II Reading Comprehension: (35 minutes) 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. 4 Passage one Every society is a dynamic system, which might be changed by internal or external factors, or both. When two different cultures are confronted with each other, there may cause a much deeper disruption(破壞 ) than a clash(沖突 ) between the two societies. For instance, a tribal war in Africa is not likely to destroy one of the two cultures. But by modernization, one culture was imposed on another, and this often resulted in the latter giving the worst of two worlds. Once the damage is done, it is difficult to imagine how it can be undone. The reality of today is that very few cultures are unaffected .It is a reality we have to recognize, so that we can start building up from there instead of trying to turn back the clock, or to ―freeze‖ things as they are.. Connecting the West, a clear distinction must be made between western culture and the free market system. Both are obvious by connected, but they are not one and the same. In fact, the free market system sets in motion a series of changes that are escaping more and more controls from national governments. The free market has its own dynamic(動態(tài) ). For instance, if a heavy financial crash occurs, there is little room for governments to intervene(干涉 ). The ongoing globalization(全球化 ) of national economies makes it more and more difficult to be an island in this global stream. Even western governments can only witness how old values are lost, without being replaced by clearcut new ones. Things are not only changing, it is the rate of change that is increasing, and in these circumstances, cultural enclaves(飛地 ) will bee fewer and smaller. Global trade, mass media, cheap transport, and information explosion: how can anything or anybody resist these? In the forces that are reshaping the world, there will always be a western ponent, but basically we are all subjected to the free market system with its globalize trade and munication. Maybe here lies an opportunity for those who are not captured by it, to explore the possibilities of using good elements to their advantage, and protect their societies against the negative aspects of it. 21. Which of the following statements is true? A) One society can be changed by either internal or external factors. B) Free market system has fewer controls from national governments C) The global stream is making more islands D) Anybody can resist the information explosion 22. A tribal war in Africa will most probably_______. A) destroy the two tribes totally B) not destroy the two tribes at all 5 C) not destroy the cultures in the two tribes. D) keep on fighting till one of them wins 23. In paragraph 3, the ―heavy financial crash‖ means ______. A) government corruption(腐敗 ) B) government interference C) economic corruption D) economic crisis 24. According to the author, which of the following goes very rapidly? A) The economic situations. B) The rate of changing C) Circumstances. D) Cultural enclaves 25. The author thinks some parts of the society can be protected because______. A) some people are brave even though there are many difficulties in globalization B) some people are afraid of globalization even though there is no stop for the worldreshaping. C) Some people want to use the good parts of the worldreshaping and get rid of the bad parts D) Some people do not want to be caught by other advanced nations even hough their living conditions are very poor Passage Two The cause of the decline of North Africa is popularly attributed to climatic changes, the theory being that the area became hotter and drier and the people were forced to abandon a thriving civilization. However, some geologists, after carefully weighing the evidence, have challenged the conclusion that the climate has changed in any important way since Roman times. Although climatic factors may also have contributed, it was man who destroyed the balance of nature responsible for maintaining soil fertility and moisture(肥沃與濕度 ). Why is it that under certain circumstances, the plant cover is unable to regenerate itself, thus setting the stage for serious erosion(侵蝕 )? To answer this question, let us take an extreme example, the destruction of tropical rain forests. In general, the equatorial(赤道的 )soil is poor: Forests can exist in these regions only because they are part of a balanced cycle. All that the forest 6 produces is returned to the forest. The anic matter that falls from the trees constitutes the humus(腐植土 ) that the forest requires. When man cuts down all the trees to make room for crops, the soil is laid bare and, deprived of shade, heats up. An increase in soil temperature increases the rate of deposition of anic matter. Organic nitrogen（氮） is converted into soluble ammonia and nitrate