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PASSAGE 39
Look After Your Voice
Often speakers at a meeting experience dry mouths and ask for a glass of water. You can solve the problem by activating the saliva in you mouth. First gently bite the edges of your tongue with your teeth. Or, press your entire tongue to the bottom of your mouth and hold it there until the saliva flow. Or you can imagine that you are slicing a big juicy lemon and sucking the juice.
Before you begin your talk, be kind to your voice, Avoid milk or creamy drinks which coat your throat. Keen your throat wet by drinking a little sweetened warm tea or diluted fruit juice.
If you sense that you are losing your voice, stop talking completely. Save your voice for your speech. You may feel foolish using paper to write notes, but the best thing you can do is to rest your voice. If you need to see a doctor, perhaps you can get some advice from a professional singer. In the meantime, do not even talk in a low voice.
What about drinking alcohol to wet your throat? I advice you not to touch alcohol before speaking. The problem with alcohol is that one drink gives you a little confidence. The second drink gives you even more confidence. Finally you will feel all-powerful and you will feel you can do everything, but in fact your brain and your mouth do not work together properly. Save the alcohol until after you finish speaking.
Perhaps you want to accept the advice, but you may wonder if you can ever change the habits of a lifetime. Of course you can. Goethe, who lived before indoor skating rinks or swimming pools, said, "We learn to skate in the summer and swim in the winter". Take this message to heart and give yourself time to develop your new habits. If you are wiling to change, you will soon be able to say that you will never forget these techniques because they became a part of your body.
EXERCISE:
1. All the following are mentioned in the passage about how to solve the problem of dry mouths EXCEPT
A) to bite the edges of your tongue.
B) To ask for a glass of water.
C) To imagine you are having a sour fruit.
D) To take cool milk.
2. What does the writer suggest when you feel you are losing your voice?
A) Rest your voice.
B) Drink some alcohol.
C) Ask a singer to teach you how to protect your voice.
D) Never go to sea a doctor.
3. What is the writer's advice about alcohol before you give a speech?
A) Drink a little of it to feel all-powerful.
B) Don't drink it.
C) Dilute it with water.
D) Drink it two hours before you make a speech.
4. What did Goethe say about skating and swimming?
A) He said people could learn to skate when it was hot and swim when it was cold.
B) He said people could learn to skate and swim when it was hot.
C) He said people could learn to skate and swim when it was cold.
D) He said people could learn to skate when it was cold and swim when it was hot.
5. Why does the writer cite Goethe's advice?
A) To encourage one to go in for sports.
B) To tell that Goethe had a strong willpower.
C) To prove one can change one's habits.
D) To demonstrate was creative.
KEY: D A B A C
PASSAGE 40
Buick in China
The first Buick model off the line was just the beginning of General Motors' long march into the Chinese market. A total of 23,000 cars rolled out of the factory in 1999. This year, Shanghai GM Buick aims to produce 50,000 cars.
It is interesting to review the long negotiations with the Chinese government to set up Shanghai GM Buick. The biggest issue was who would supply the car parts and how the parts would get from the factory to the Buick plant.
A car is made up of more than 30,000 parts. Parts manufacturers in China don't have the technological know-how to make all the necessary parts. Therefore, at the beginning, about half the necessary parts will be shipped to Shanghai from North America. These parts are made at GM's Tillsonburg. Ontario facility. The trains carry the parts over 3,000 miles to the Port of Vancouver. From Vancouver, the parts are shipped to Shanghai. All told, the door-to-door delivery time is 17 days. But there may be a 42-day delay between steel plates leaving the steel works in America and arriving in Shanghai. To prevent the long-distance shipping and delay, Shanghai GM Buick has asked Shanghai Baoshan steelworks to produce plates of similar quality.
"Imported car parts are our biggest headache," says Jay Hunt, "local suppliers are very responsive." To our surprise, however, the cost of localized production is much higher than buying from overseas. The reason is that although labor costs are low in China, wages comprise only 20% of the cost of producing car parts. Small-scale production in China makes production costs very high. The deputy general manager, Laurence Zahner said, "Only if the price of domestic parts drops 30% shall we be able to qualify for the international market."
Thankfully, a solution has appeared. Foreign car parts makers are coming to the Yangtse River Delta to set up joint ventures. Shanghai GM Buick will depend on those parts makers for car parts. Perhaps the Buick plant will not worry about the agreement with the Chinese partner any longer. The agreement says that in the first year of production, the Buick plant must have 42% of locally made parts, and in the second year, the locally made parts rise to 60%, and in the third year, 80%.
1. What was the biggest issue in the negotiation between the Chinese government and General Motors?
A) Annual production of cars.
B) The location of Shanghai GM Buick.
C) Car parts and their shipment.
D) The price of domestic car parts.
2. How many car parts is a car made up of?
A) 23,000
B) 30,000
C) 50,000
D) 62,000
3. Who was the first supplier of the car parts to Shanghai GM Buick?
A) Baosteel steelworks.
B) Joint ventures in China.
C) GM's Tillsonburg.
D) The Buick plant in the Yangtse River Delta.
4. How does Shanghai GM Buick feel about the agreement on localization with Chinese partner?
A) Disappointed.
B) Hesitated.
C) Unhappy.
D) Confident. 5. With foreign car parts makers coming to the Yangtse River Delta, how does Shanghai GM Buick feel about the localized production of car parts?
A) The production cost is too high.
B) To carry out the agreement on localized production is impossible.
C) The quality of localized car parts must be improved.
D) The localization agreement can be carried out without any problem.
KEY: CBCAD
PASSAGE 41
Architecture
Architecture is to building as literature is to the printed word. The best buildings are often so well constructed that they outlast their original use. They then survive not only as beautiful objects, but as documents of the history of cultures. These achievements are never wholly the work of individuals. Architecture is a social art.
The renaissance brought about an entirely new age, not only in philosophy and literature but in the visual arts as well. In architecture, the principles and styles of ancient Greece and Rome were bought back to life and reinterpreted. They remain dominant until the 20th century.
Many kinds of stone are used as building materials. Stone and marble were chosen for important monuments because they are not burnable and can be expected to endure. Stone architecture was often blended with stone sculpture. The use of stone has declined, however, because a number of other materials are more adaptable to industrial use.
The complexity of modern life calls for a variety of buildings. More people live in mass housing and go to work in large office buildings; they spend their income in large shopping centers, send their children to many different kinds of schools, and when they are sick they go to specialized hospitals and clinics. All these different types of buildings accumulated experiences needed by their designers.
By the middle of the 20th century, modern architecture, which was influenced by new technology and mass production, was dealing with increasingly complex social needs. Important characteristics of modern architectural works are expanses of glass and the use of reinforced concrete. Advanced in elevator technology, air conditioning, and electric lighting have all had important effects.
练习：
1. Architecture can be regarded as
A) an original document.
B) A literary works.
C) A social art.
D) An individual's creation.
2. Paragraph 3 is mainly about
A) why marble is better than stone in building monuments.
B) Why stone and marble were used as building materials in the past.
C) Why marble is unburnable and endurable.
D) Why marble adds artistic value to ancient buildings.
3. Which of the following statements is true according to paragraph 4?
A) New technologies make modern life possible.
B) Modern architecture makes modern life more comfortable.
C) Beautiful buildings are the symbol of modern life.
D) Diversified needs of modern life requires different types of buildings.
4. Several elements influenced modern architectural works by the middle of the 20th century. Which of the following element is not mentioned in the passage?
A） Reinforced steel.
B） Electric lighting.
C） Reinforced concrete
D） Air conditioning.
5. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?
A) Architecture as monuments.
B) Development of architecture.
C) Architecture and literature.
D) The Renaissance and architecture
Key: CBDAB
PASSAGE 42
Crystal Ear
One day a friend asked my wife Jill if I wanted a hearing aid. " He certainly does," replied Jill. After hearing about a remarkable new product, Jill finally got up the nerve to ask me if I'd ever thought about getting a hearing aid. "No way," I said. "It would make me look 20 years older." "No, no, "she replied. "This is entirely different. It's Crystal Ear!"
Jill was right. Crystal Ear is different-not the old-styled body worn or over-the-ear aid, but an advanced personal sound system so small it's like contacts for your ears. And Crystal Ear is super-sensitive and powerful, too. You will hear sounds your ears have been missing for years. Crystal Ear will make speech louder, and the sound is pure and natural.
I couldn't believe how tiny it is. It is smaller than the tip of my little finger and it's almost invisible when worn. There are no wires, no behind -the-ear device. Put it in your ear and its ready-to-wear mold fits comfortably. Since it's not too loud or too light, you may even forget that you're wearing it! Use it at work or at play. And if your hearing problem is worse in certain situation, use Crystal Ear only when you need it.
Hearing loss, which typically prior to teenage years, progresses throughout one's lifetime. Although hearing loss is now the world's number-one health problem, nearly 90 percent of people suffering hearing loss choose to leave the problem untreated. For many millions, treating hearing loss in a conventional way can involve numerous office visits, expensive testing and adjustments to fit your ear. Thank to Crystal Ear, the " sound solution" is now convenient. Almost 90 percent of people with mild hearing loss, and millions more with just a little hearing dropoff, can be dramatically helped with Crystal Ear. Moreover, its superior design is energy-efficient, so batteries can last months. Crystal Ear is now available to help these people treat their hearing loss with a small hearing amplifier. 练习:
1. Why did the writer refuse to wear a hearing aid at first?
A) It looked old-styled.
B) It was too costly.
C) He did not get the nerve to wear one.
D) It would make him look like an old man.
2. Which of the following about the features of Crystal Ear is NOT true according to Paragraph 2?
A) It is sensitive and powerful
B) It is inexpensive.
C) It is small in size.
D) Its sound is pure and natural.
3. According to Paragraph 3, Crystal Ear is very convenient and
A) you can wear it any time you like.
B) You can even clean it yourself.
C) It can signal where it is in case you cannot find it
D) You can even wear while swimming.
4. What does the writer say about hearing loss？
A） About 90 percent of people suffer hearing loss.
B） Hearing loss is the world's most frequent health problem.
C） About 10 percent of people wear hearing aids.
D） It is one of the most painful diseases in the world.
5. Why do many people leave their hearing problem untreated according to Paragraph 4?
A) They suffer only mild hearing loss.
B) Crystal Ear is not yet available in many places.
C) An conventional way of treating it is very troublesome.
D) They don't want to look like old people.
Key: DBABC |
