四级快速阅读训练

四级快速阅读训练 A Few Aspects of American Life Travel It’s summertime. For many Americans, this is the season to travel. Why? Because school is over and the weather is great. And most of all, they believe they deserve a break. When Americans take a break, they often head for their favorite vacation spot. Throughout their history, Americans have been people on the move. The early immigrants had to travel to get to the New World. Once they arrived, they settled along the East Coast. But they weren’t content to stay here. Explorers and traders journeyed to the unknown western territories. Later, settlers moved west to develop new areas. As a result of this west movement, Americans eventually occupied the whole continent—from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Even today, Americans seem unable to stay. Research says that average American moves every five years. Americans are used to traveling. Some people make long-distance commuting to work daily. Their jobs may even require them to take frequent business trips. Most companies provide an annual vacation for their employees, and people often use that time to travel. Some people just visit friend or relatives in distant states. Some go on low-budget weekend trips and stay in economy motels. Those with more expensive tastes choose luxurious hotels. Camping out in the great outdoors appeals to adventurous types. Some travel in recreational vehicles to camp out in comfort, while others “rough it” by sleeping in tents. Families often plan their trips with the kids in mind. More and more “family friendly” hotels offer special programs for children. Pet Americans love pets. Many pet owners treat their pets as a part of the family. You might say Americans treat their pets like they treat their children—sometimes even better. In America, there are more households with pets than those with children. At least 43 percent of US homes have pets of some sort. Unusual creatures, such as monkeys, snakes and even wolves, find a home with some Americans. More common pets include fish, mice and birds. But the all-time favorites are cats and dogs, even at the White House. Americans sometimes have strong feelings about whether dogs or cats make better pets. “Dog people” and “cat people” often enjoy friendly competition. Many grocery stores in America sell pet foods. Pets can even accompany their owners on vacation. Fancy hotels are beginning to accommodate both man and animal. Animal guests at Four Seasons Hotels can enjoy delicious meals served on fine china and sleep in soft beds. The average American enjoys having pets around, and for good reason. Researchers have discovered that interacting with animals lowers a person’s blood pressure. Dogs can offer protection from robbers and unwelcome visitors. Cats can help rid the home of unwanted mice. Little creatures of all shapes and sizes can provide friendship and love. In many cases, having a pet prepares a young couple for the responsibilities of parenthood. Pets even encourage social relationships: they give their owners an appearance of friendliness, and they provide a good subject of conversation. Pets are as basic to American culture as hot dogs or apple pie. To Americans, pets are not just property, but a part of the family. Marriage “I do.” To Americans, these two words carry great meaning. They can even change your life, especially if you say them at your own wedding. Making wedding promises is like signing a contract. Now Americans don’t really think marriage is a business deal. But marriage is a serious business. It all begins with engagement (婚约). Traditionally, a young man asks the father of his sweetheart for permission to marry her. If the father agrees, the man later proposes to her. Often he tries to surprise her by asking her to marry him in a romantic way. Sometimes the couple just decides together that the time is right to get married. They may be engaged for weeks, months or even years. Today many couples also receive counseling during engagement. This prepares them for the challenges of married life. At last it’s time for the wedding. Although most weddings follow long-held traditions, there’s still room for individualism. For example, the usual place for a wedding is in a church. But some people get married outdoors. A few even have the ceremony while skydiving or riding on horseback! The couple may invite hundreds of people or just a few close friends. They choose their own style of colors, decorations and music during the ceremony. But some things rarely change. The bride usually wears a beautiful, long white wedding dress. She traditionally wears “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue”. The groom (新郎) wears a formal suit. Relatives and close friends participate in the ceremony. As the ceremony begins, the groom stands with the minister, facing the audience. Music signals the entrance of the beautiful bride. Nervously, the young couple repeats their promises. Traditionally, they promise to love each other “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health”. But sometimes the couple composes their own promises. They give each other a gold ring as a symbol of their marriage promise. Finally the minister announces the big moment: “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride!” 1. What is the top reason Americans travel in the summertime? A) School is over. B) They think they deserve a rest. C) Summer is the season to travel. D) The weather is great. 2. Every year, most companies _______. A) require a business trip B) insist that workers commute C) have employees travel together D) provide a vacation for workers 3. Many Americans treat their pets as _______. A) very usual things B) very common things C) their own property D) their family member 4. According to the passage, some fancy hotels could provide for your pets the following except _______. A) good accommodation B) some well-served food C) a soft bed D) delicious Chinese meals 5. It’s discovered that interaction with pet animals is good for health as they can help to _______. A) guard against unwelcome visitors B) catch unwanted mice C) lower blood pressure D) keep company 6. Pet can encourage social relationship by _______. A) acting as basic element to American culture B) providing a subject for chatting C) becoming members for the family D) having a friendly appearance 7. Traditionally, if a young man wants to get married to his girlfriend he is supposed to _______. A) propose to his friend at the right time B) ask his girlfriend to marry him in a romantic way C) get the permission of his girlfriend’s mother D) get the permission of his girlfriend’s father 8.The counseling during engagement can prepare a couple for ___________. 9.During the ceremony the bride usually wears a beautiful, long white wedding while the groom wears___________. 10.When the birds and groom begin to exchange their rings,it is a symbol of their ___________. Economic Globalization The advancement of science and technologies has greatly reduced the cost of transportation and communication, making economic globalization possible. Today’s ocean shipping cost is only a half of that in the year 1930, the current airfreight 1/6, and telecommunication cost 1%. The price level of computers in 1990 was only about 1/125 of that in 1960, and this price level in 1998 reduced again by about 80%. This kind of “time and space compression effect” of technological advancement greatly reduced the cost of international trade and investment, thus making it possible to organize and coordinate global production. For example, Ford’s Lyman car is designed in Germany, its gearing system produced in Korea, pump is USA, and engine in Australia. It is exactly the technological advancement that has made this type of global production possible. Moreover the development of the networking-based economy has given birth to a large group of shadow enterprises, making the concept of national boundaries and distance for certain economic activities meaningless. Multinational corporations (MNCs) have become the main carriers of economic globalization. They are globally organizing production and allocating resources according to the principle of profit maximization. And their global expansions are reshaping macroeconomic mechanisms of the operation of the world economies. In 1996, there were altogether only more than 44,000 MNCs in the whole world, which had 280,000 overseas subsidiaries (子公司) and branch offices. In 1997, the volume of the trade of only the top 100 MNCs already came up to 1/3 of the world’s total and that between their parent companies and their subsidiaries took up another 1/3. In the US$ 3,000 billion balance of foreign direct investment at the end of 1996, MNCs owned over 80%. Furthermore, about 70% of international technological transfers were conducted among MNCs. This type of cross-border economic activities within same enterprises has posed a challenge for the traditional international trade and investment theories. The process of economy globalization is also the process of global industrial restructuring and readjustment. With the development of science and technology and increase of income level, industrial structures of all the countries have been also undergoing readjustment and upgrading. In recent years, developed countries in the west are gradually entering the era of knowledge economy and have started to shift to developing countries many labor-intensive industries of weak international competitiveness. This process of cross-country shift is pushing forward an in-depth development of economic globalization. On the other hand, there has existed a surplus of productivity since the end of the cold war. Due to this fact, economic globalization has intensified the competition at the international market among enterprises from different countries. In order to raise their positions and improve their competitiveness at the international market, both domestic enterprises and those from other countries have been resorting to mergers and acquisitions one after another, which has resulted in tides of industrial restructuring. Take a few cases just as a demonstration: the most recent acquisition of Mannesmann by Vodaphone, acquisition of MCI by British Telecom, and the amalgamation (兼并) of Citibank with Travelers and that of Daimler-benz. All of these restructuring activities will exert far-reaching influence on the world’s industrial competition pattern. Developed countries have been playing a dominant role in the process of economic globalization. In 1996, the total volume of exports of developed countries was US$4,057 billion, accounting for 81.7% of the total value of international trade. In 1995, the foreign direct investment by 10 major developed countries including the G7, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands took up 85.1% of the total value of foreign direct investment in the whole world. The dominant role of developed countries in the process of economic globalization is also reflected in the fact that it is they that determine the rules for international economic exchanges. Although current rules of game for international economic activities have the good aspect of being in keeping with socialized mass production, they are generally laid down under the dominance of developed countries. They are the largest beneficiaries (受益者) of economic globalization. The participation of developing countries in the globalization process can enable them to better utilize their comparative advantages, introduce advanced technologies, foreign capital and management experience. It is also favorable for eliminating monopolistic (垄断的) behaviors and strengthening market competition. Nevertheless, while providing more development opportunities for developing countries, the globalization process is also posing enormous risks. First of all, economic globalization has in fact expanded rather than reduced the gap between the North and South. According to some report published by UN in 1999, the number of developing countries that have benefited from economic globalization is smaller than 20. The difference of income per capita (人均收入) between the richest country and poorest country has enlarged from 30 times tin 1960 to the current 70 times. In 1960, the value of foreign trade of the poorest 46 countries accounted for 1.4% of the world total. Towards the latter half of 1990, this proportion had already reduced to 0.6% and further down to an almost negligible 0.4% in 1995. The average trade deficit of developing countries in 1990’s increased by 3% as compared with that in 1970s. Secondly, economic globalization has also increased developing countries’ risks of being concussed (震动) by unfavorable external factors. With continuous innovation of financial instruments, rapid expansion of financial assets and the trend of privatization of international capital, a large volume of international floating capital has brought along enormous impacts on the economic safety and financial stability of developing countries. According to come data provided by IMF, the value of shot-term bank loans flowing at and through international financial markets and other financial and capital markets in 1997 at least amounted to US$ 7,200 billion, which was about equal to 1/4 of the total output of the whole world. Although the financial crises erupted in Mexico and East Asia in 1990s were rooted in ethe defects of the economic systems and economic structures, the impact from the floating international capital was the direct fuse, which also greatly reinforced their destructiveness. 1. The “time and space compression effect” of technological advancement has made it possible to __________. A. transport and communicate easily B. reduce international trade and investment C. give birth to many shadow enterprises D. organize and coordinate global production 2. It is meaningless to discuss national boundaries and distance for certain economic activities because of __________. A. the principle of profit maximization B. the development of networking-based economy C. various types of cross-border economic activities D. overseas subsidiaries and branch offices of MNCs 3. By 1996, how much of the balance of foreign direct investment was owned by MNCs? A. US$ 3,000 dollars B. US$ 2,800 dollars C. US$ 2,400 dollars D. US$ 2,100 dollars 4. In the era of knowledge economy, what have developed countries started to do? A. To shift many labor-intensive industries to developing countries B. To pose a challenge for traditional trade and investment theories C. To speed up international technological transfers among themselves D. To reshape macroeconomic mechanisms of their domestic economies. 5. The amalgamation of Citibank with Travelers, as cited in the passage, is an example of ______. A. end of the cold war B. industrial restructuring C. international competition D. cross-border economic activity 6. Why does the author say the developed countries are the largest beneficiaries of economic globalization? A. Because they are well-organized in international economic exchanges B. Because their export volume accounts for majority of the international trade C. Because current rules of game are generally laid down under their dominance D. Because globalization benefits them in the form of socialized mass production 7. The globalization process provides more development opportunities for developing countries, but on the other hand __________. A. brings about economic risks B. eliminates monopolistic behaviors C. introduces management experience D. strengthens their marked competition 8. As described in the passage, economic globalization has in fact widened rather than narrowed the gap __________. 9. As far as developing countries are concerned, a large volume of international floating capital has posed enormous impacts on __________. 10. The defects of the economic systems and economic structures in Mexico and East Asia in 1990s caused the eruption of __________.