Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (40%)

阅读材料，回答下面试题：

Do you want to live with astrong sense of peacefulness, happiness, goodness, and self-respect? Thecollection of happiness actions broadly categorized as "honor" helpyou create this life of good feelings.

Here's an example to show howhonorable actions create happiness.

Say a store clerk fails tocharge us for an item.If we keep silent, and profit from the clerk's mistake, we woulddrive home with a sense of sneaky excitement.Later wemight tell our family or friends about our good fortune.On the other hand, if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item,the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty.We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we mightnever share with another soul.

Then, what is it to do with oursense of happiness?

In the first case, where wedon't tell the clerk, a couple of things would happen.Deep down inside we would knowourselves as a type of thief.In the process, we wouldlose some peace of mind and self-respect.We would alsodemonstrate that we cannot be trusted,since we advertise our dishonor bytelling our family and friends.We damage our own repu-tationsby telling others.In contrast, bringing the error tothe clerk's attention causes dif-ferent things to happen.Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable.Upon leaving the store, we feel honorable and our self-respect isincreased.Whenever we take honorable ac-tion we gainthe deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility.

There is a beautiful positivecycle that is created by living a life of honorable ac-tions.Honorable thoughts lead tohonorable actions.Honorable actions lead us to ahappier existence.And it's easy to think and act honorablyagain when we're happy.While the posi-tive cycle canbe difficult to start, once it's started, it's easy to continue.Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind, which isimportant for our happiness.

第16题单选 According to the passage, the positiveaction in the example contributes to our__________.

A.self-respect

B.financial rewards

C.advertising ability

D.friendly relationship

参考答案：A

第17题单选 The author thinks that keepingsilent about the uncharged item is equal to __________.

A.lying

B.stealing

C.cheating

D.advertising

参考答案：B

第18题单选 The phrase "bringing theerror to the clerk's attention" (in Para.5) means__________.

A.telling the truth to the clerk

B.offering advice to the clerk

C.asking the clerk to be more attentive

D.reminding the clerk of the charged item

参考答案：A

第19题单选 How will we feel if we let theclerk know her mistake?

A.We'll be very excited.

B.We'll feel unfortunate.

C.We'll have a sense of honor.

D.We'll feel sorry for the clerk.

参考答案：C

第20题单选 Which of the following can be thebest title of this passage?

A.How to Live Truthfully.

B.Importance of Peacefulness.

C.Ways of Gaining Self-respect.

D.Happiness Through Honorable Actions.

参考答案：D

阅读材料，回答下面试题：

Henry Ford, the famous U.S.inventor and carmanufacturer, once said, "The busi-ness of America is business." By this he meant that the U.S.way of life is based on the values of the business world.

Few would argue with Ford's statement.A brief glimpse at a dailynewspaper vividly shows how many people in the United States think aboutbusiness.For example, nearlyevery newspaper has abusiness section, in which the deals and projects, finance and man-agement,stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily.In addition,business news can appear in some of the unlikeliestplaces.The world of arts and entertain-ment is oftenreferred to as "the entertainment industry" or "showbusiness".

The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in theprosperity that business has brought to U.S.life.One of the most important reasons so many people from all over theworld come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job.Jobs are produced in abundance (大量地) becausethe U.S.economic system isdriven by competition.People be-lieve that this systemcreates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.

The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seenwhen the word business is taken to mean big business.And the term big businessreferring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor.Throughout U.S.historyworking people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions,and the right to form unions.Today, many of the oldlabor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety.The laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low andprofits high cre-ates feelings of insecurity for many.

第21题单选 The United States is a typical country__________.

A.which encourages free trade at home and abroad

B.where people's chief concern is how to make money

C.where all businesses are managed scientifically

D.which normally works according to the federal budget

参考答案：B

第22题单选 The influence of business in the U.S.is evidenced by the fact that __________.

A.most newspapers are run by big businesses

B.even public organizations concentrate on working for profits

C.Americans of all professions know how to do business

D.even arts and entertainment are regarded as business

参考答案：D

第23题单选 According to the passage, immigrants choose to settle in the U.S.dreaming that__________.

A.they can start profitable businesses there

B.they can be more competitive in business

C.they will make a fortune overnight there

D.they will find better chances of employment

参考答案：D

第24题单选 Henry Ford's statement can be taken negatively because __________.

A.working people are discouraged to fight for their rights

B.there are many industries controlled by a few big capitalists

C.there is a conflicting relationship between big corporations andlabor

D.public services are not run by the federal government

参考答案：C

第25题单选 A company's efforts to keep expenses low and profits high may resultin__________.

A.reduction in the number of employees

B.improvement of working conditions

C.fewer disputes between labor and management

D.a rise in workers' wages

参考答案：A