Ⅳ.Reading comprehension.(20%)
Passage One
One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank issued credit card.They give their owners automatic credit in stores， restaurants， and hotels， at home， across the country， and even abroad， and they make many banking services available as well.More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically， making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations， whether or not the local branch bank is open.For many of us the “cash-less society” is not on the horizon—it is already here.
While computers offer these conveniences to consumers， they have many advantages for sellers too.Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales.They can keep a wide range of records， including who sold what， when， and to whom.This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how fast they are moving.Decisions to reorder or return goods to suppliers can then be made.At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient， allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly.And they also identify preferred customers for promotional campaigns.Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons.Computer-analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now， which to develop for the future， and which to drop.Computers keep track of goods in stock， of raw materials on hand， and even of the production process itself.
31.According to the passage， the credit card enables its owners to______.
A.withdraw as much money from the bank as he wishes
B.obtain more convenient services than other people do
C.enjoy greater trust from the storekeeper
D.cash money wherever he wishes to
【答案】B
32.The phrase “ring up sales” in Paragraph 2， most probably means “_____”.
A.make an order of goods
B.call the sales manager
C.record sales on a cash register
D.keep track of the goods in stock
【答案】C
33.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Approaches to the commercial use of computers
B.Conveniences brought about by computers in business.
C.Significance of automation in commercial enterprises.
D.Advantages of credit card in business.
【答案】D
34.From the last sentence of the first paragraph we learn that ____.
A.in the future all the Americans will use credit cards
B.credit cards are mainly used in the United States today
C.nowadays many Americans do not pay in cash.
D.it is now more convenient to use credit cards than before.
【答案】C
35.Computers can do all of the following except_____.
A.to do market researches and analyze it.
B.to help people cash money conveniently
C.to help decide to reorder goods to suppliers
D.to replace efficient employees for the personnel managers
【答案】D
Passage Two
While there are literally thousands of stocks， the ones bought and sold most actively are usually listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).This exchange dates back to 1972 when a group of stockbrokers gathered under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street in New York City to make some rules about how buying and selling was to be done.The NYSE has become the leading exchange in the United States.
The NYSE， housed in large building on Wall Street， does the bulk of trading in listed security.On the trading floor more than 2，200 common and preferred stocks are traded.The NYSE has 1，567 members， most of whom represent brokerage houses involved in buying and selling for the public.These brokers are paid commissions by the buyers and the sellers for executing the orders.Almost half a million kilometers of telephone and telegraph wire link the NYSE with brokerage offices around the nation.
In addition to the NYSE there are eight other exchanges around the country.The second largest is the American Stock Exchange (AMEX)， which also has headquarters offices in New York City.Other exchanges of note include the Midwest Stock Exchange in Chicago and the Pacific Exchange in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
How are stocks bought and sold? Suppose a widow in California wants to go on an ocean cruise.To finance the trip she decides to sell 100 shares of her General Motors stock.The widow calls her stockbroker and directs him to sell at once at the best price he can get.The same day an engineer in Florida decides to use the savings he has accumulated to buy 100 shares of General Motors stock.The engineer calls his broker and asks him to buy the stock at the current price.
But brokers wire their orders to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.The two brokers， one representing the widow and the other the engineer， negotiate the transaction.One asks， “How much do I have to pay for a hundred shares to General Motors?” The highest bid is $65.25 and the least amount for which anyone has offered to sell is $65.75.Both want to get the best price， so they compromise and agree on a buy/sell at $65.50.
The NYSE itself neither buys nor sells stocks; it simply serves as a place where brokers buy and sell for their clients.Each transaction is carried out in public and the information is sent electronically to every brokerage office of the nation.
36.Who founded New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 1972?
A.The government of the United States
B.New York city
C.Stockbrokers
D.None of the above
【答案】C
37.What does the term “listed security” mean here? It means _______.
A.all the security measures devised to protect NYSE
B.everything that should be kept as commercial secret
C.a secure place for money and stock exchange
D.stocks and bonds sold and bought in the NYSE
【答案】D
38.There is a stock exchange in Chicago， do you know its name?
A.American Stock Exchange
B.Midwest Stock Exchange
C.Pacific Stock Exchange
D.None of the above
【答案】B
39.“To finance the trip she decided to …”.What does the word “finance” mean here?
A.To collect money for the trip.
B.To support the trip with money.
C.To gather money for a special purpose.
D.To earn money (through the trip).
【答案】A
40.“Client” here means ___________.
A.people who have claims
B.customers represented by brokers
C.lawyer
D.all of the above
【答案】B
