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TEXT A [2000 TEM8] ;2p+i/sVj
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Despite Denmark's manifest virtues, Danes never talk abouthow proud they are to be Danes. This would sound weird in Danish. When Danestalk to foreigners about Denmark, they always begin by commenting on itstininess, its unimportance, the difficulty of its language, the generalsmall-mindedness and self-indulgence of their countrymen and the high taxes. NoDane would look you in the eye and say, “Denmark is a great country.” You'resupposed to figure this out for yourself. T5(S2^)o
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It is the land of the silk safety net, where almost half thenational budget goes toward smoothing out life's inequalities, and there isplenty of money for schools, day care, retraining programmes, jobseminars—Danes love seminars: three days at a study centre hearing about wastemanagement is almost as good as a ski trip. It is a culture bombarded byEnglish, in advertising, pop music, the Internet, and despite all the Englishthat Danish absorbs—there is no Danish Academy to defend against it—olddialects persist in Jutland that can barely be understood by Copenhageners. Itis the land where, as the saying goes, “ Few have too much and fewer have toolittle,” and a foreigner is struck by the sweet egalitarianism that prevails,where the lowliest clerk gives you a level gaze, where Sir and Madame havedisappeared from common usage, even Mr. and Mrs. It's a nation of recyclers—about55% of Danish garbage gets made into something new—and no nuclear power plants.It's a nation of tireless planners. Trains run on time. Things operate well ingeneral. j/FLEsU!R
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Such a nation of overachievers—a brochure from the Ministryof Business and Industry says, “Denmark is one of the world's cleanest and mostorganized countries, with virtually no pollution, crime, or poverty. Denmark isthe most corruption-free society in the Northern Hemisphere.” So, of course,one's heart lifts at any sighting of Danish sleaze: skinhead graffiti onbuildings (“Foreigners Out of Denmark!”), broken beer bottles in the gutters,drunken teenagers slumped in the park. \^x{NV@v42
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Nonetheless, it is an orderly land. You drive through aDanish town, it comes to an end at a stone wall, and on the other side is afield of barley, a nice clean line: town here, country there. It is not anation of jaywalkers. People stand on the curb and wait for the red light tochange, even if it's 2 a.m. and there's not a car in sight. However, Danes don'tthink of themselves as a waiting-at-2-a.m.-for-the-green-light people—that'show they see Swedes and Germans. Danes see themselves as jazzy people,improvisers, more free spirited than Swedes, but the truth is (though oneshould not say it) that Danes are very much like Germans and Swedes.Orderliness is a main selling point. Denmark has few natural resources, limitedmanufacturing capability; its future in Europe will be as a broker, banker, anddistributor of goods. You send your goods by container ship to Copenhagen, andthese bright, young, English-speaking, utterly honest, highly disciplinedpeople will get your goods around to Scandinavia, the Baltic States, andRussia. Airports, seaports, highways, and rail lines are ultramodern andwell-maintained. /Mqhx_)>A
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The orderliness of the society doesn't mean that Danishlives are less messy or lonely than yours or mine, and no Dane would tell youso. You can hear plenty about bitter family feuds and the sorrows of alcoholismand about perfectly sensible people who went off one day and killed themselves.An orderly society can not exempt its members from the hazards of life. Cn{H
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But there is a sense of entitlement and security that Danesgrow up with. Certain things are yours by virtue of citizenship, and youshouldn't feel bad for taking what you're entitled to, you're as good as anyoneelse. The rules of the welfare system are clear to everyone, the benefits youget if you lose your job, the steps you take to get a new one; and theorderliness of the system makes it possible for the country to weather highunemployment and social unrest without a sense of crisis. LeKovt%
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16. The author thinks that Danes adopt a ________ attitudetowards their country. C($l'jd&
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A. boastful B.modest C. deprecating D. mysterious oQ$yr^M
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17. Which of the following is NOT a Danish characteristiccited in the passage?
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A. Fondness of foreign culture. B. Equality in society. +r:g }i
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C. Linguistic tolerance. D. Persistent planning.
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18. The author's reaction to the statement by the Ministryof Business and Industry is ________. 7]ieBUfS
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A. disapproving B. approving C. noncommittal D. doubtful nM,:f)z
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19. According to the passage, Danish orderliness ________. +$2{u_m,
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A. sets the people apart from Germans and Swedes Ey6R/M)?:y
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B. spares Danes social troubles besetting other peoples ,_[x
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D. prevents Danes from acknowledging existing troubles H;H=8'
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20. At the end of the passage the author states all thefollowing EXCEPT that ________. \2SbW7"/;P
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A. Danes are clearly informed of their social benefits 0-2|(9
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B. Danes take for granted what is given to them
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C. the open system helps to tide the country over gI+8J.AG=
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D. orderliness has alleviated unemployment SZyk G[
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文章大意:丹麦良好的秩序和整洁的环境。 &2'-v@kK
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16.【答案B】推断题。文中首句,DespiteDenmark's manifest virtues, Danes never talk about how proud they are to beDanes,这里的意思是,尽管丹麦有很多优点,但是丹麦人从不夸耀自己的国家,所以应该选择B,即“保持谦虚的态度”。 <p@Cx
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17.【答案A】细节题。注意选择不符的那项,可用排除法。文中第2段第1句,...half the national budget goes toward smoothing out life's inequalities,也就是说一半的国家预算都用于消除社会的不平等,对应B选项;第2句又提到,...despiteall the English that Danish absorbs... old dialects persist in Jutland that canbarely be understood by Copenhageners,这是描述丹麦语言的多样性,对应C选项;而这一段的倒数第3句提出,It's a nation of tirelessplanners,对应D选项。排除这3项,应该选择文中没有提及的A选项。 m
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18.【答案D】推断题。文中第3段首句提到,丹麦工商部长称丹麦是世界上最干净、最有秩序的国家,没有污染、犯罪、贫穷等。而紧接着作者描写了“外国人滚出丹麦”的标语,下水道里的碎酒瓶,以及醉倒在公园里的青少年。这说明作者对工商部长的说法表示怀疑,所以应该选择D。 `lf_wB+I
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19.【答案C】细节题。文中第4段中间部分提到,Orderlinessis a main selling point. Denmark has few natural resources, limitedmanufacturing capability; its future in Europe will be as a broker, banker, anddistributor of goods,这里表明了丹麦的秩序可以促进该国经济的增长,尤其是在代理、银行、配销等领域。所以应该选择C,即“在经济上十分重要”。 4kOO3[r
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20.【答案D】细节题。注意选择不符的那项,可用排除法。末段第3句,Therules of the welfare system are clear to everyone,对应A选项;而前一句,Certain things areyours by virtue of citizenship, and you shouldn't feel bad for taking whatyou're entitled to,这里的意思是“你是(丹麦)公民,那么某些东西就属于你,而你拿了本属于自己的东西无需感觉不安”,对应B选项;最后一句,andthe orderliness of the system makes it possible for the country to weather highunemployment and social unrest without a sense of crisis,这里的意思是“体系的秩序性使丹麦能够经受高失业和社会动荡的考验,而不引发危机感”,对应C选项,即“帮助国家度过难关”。排除这3项,所以应该选择文中没有提及的D。 x*7@b8J
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TEXT B [2002 TEM8] =8FvkNr
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Cooperative competition. Competitivecooperation. Confused? Airline alliances have travellers scratching their headsover what's going on in the skies. Some folks view alliances as a blessing totravellers, offering seamless travel, reduced fares and enhanced frequent-flyerbenefits. Others see a conspiracy of big businesses, causing decreasedcompetition, increased fares and fewer choices. Whatever your opinion, there'sno escaping airline alliances: the marketing hype is unrelenting, with each ofthe two mega-groupings, Oneworld and Star Alliance, promoting itself as thebest choice for all travellers. And, even if you turn away from their ads,chances are they will figure in any of your travel plans. By the end of theyear, Oneworld and Star Alliance will between them control more than 40% of thetraffic in the sky. Some pundits predict that figure will be more like 75% in10 years. A40DbD\^ad
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Butwhy, after years of often ferocious competition, have airlines decided to bandtogether? Let's just say the timing is mutually convenient. North Americanairlines, having exhausted all means of earning customer loyalty at home, havebeen looking for ways to reach out to foreign flyers. Asian carriers are stillhurting from the region-wide economic downturn that began two years ago—justwhen some of the airlines were taking delivery of new aircraft. Alliances alsoallow carriers to cut costs and increase profits by pooling manpower resourceson the ground (ratherthan each airline maintaining its own ground crew)and code-sharing—thepractice of two partners selling tickets and operating only one aircraft. woI5a ee|
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Soalliances are terrific for airlines—but are they good for the passenger?Absolutely, say the airlines: think of the lounges, the joint FFP(frequentflyer programme)benefits,the round-the-world fares, and the global service networks. Then there's the promiseof “seamless” travel: the ability to, say, travel from Singapore to Rome to NewYork to Rio de Janeiro, all on one ticket, without having to wait hours forconnections or worry about your bags. Sounds utopian? Peter Buecking, CathayPacific's director of sales and marketing, thinks that seamless travel is stillevolving. “It's fair to say that these links are only in their infancy. The keyto seamlessness rests in infrastructure and information sharing. We're workingon this.” Henry Ma, spokesperson for Star Alliance in Hong Kong, lists some ofthe other benefits for consumers: “Global travellers have an easier time makingconnections and planning their itineraries.” Ma claims alliances also assurepassengers consistent service standards. [8V;Q
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Criticsof alliances say the much-touted benefits to the consumer are mostly pie in thesky that alliances are all about reducing costs for the airlines, rationalizingservices and running joint marketing programmes. Jeff Blyskal, associate editorof Consumer Reports magazine, says the promotional ballyhoo over alliances ismuch ado about nothing. “I don't see much of a gain for consumers: alliancesare just a marketing gimmick. And as far as seamless travel goes, I'll believeit when I see it. Most airlines can't even get their own connections undercontrol, let alone coordinate with another airline.” !-I,Dh-A
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Blyskalbelieves alliances will ultimately result in decreased flight choices andincreased costs for consumers. Instead of two airlines competing and eachoperating a flight on the same route at 70% capacity, the allied pair willshare the route and run one full flight. Since fewer seats will be available,passengers will be obliged to pay more for tickets. ns[/M~_r
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Thetruth about alliances and their merits probably lies somewhere between thetravel utopia presented by the players and the evil empires portrayed by theircritics. And how much they affect you depends on what kind of traveller youare. 7?lz$.*Avp
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Thosewho've already made the elite grade in the FFP of a major airline stand tobenefit the most when it joins an alliance: then they enjoy the FFP perks andadvantages on any and all of the member carriers. For example, if you're aMarco Polo Club “gold”member of Cathay Pacific's Asia Miles FFP, you will automatically be treated asa valuable customer by all members of Oneworld, of which Cathay Pacific is amember—even if you've never flown with them before. ,05PYBc3
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Forthose who haven't made the top grade in any FFP, alliances might be a way ofsimplifying the earning of frequent flyer miles. For example, I belong toUnited Airline's Mileage Plus and generally fly less than 25, 000 miles a year.But I earn miles with every flight I take on Star Alliance member—All NipponAirways and Thai Airways. "M%R{pGA7
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Ifyou fly less than I do, you might be smarter to stay out of the FFP gamealtogether. Hunt for bargains when booking flights and you might be able tosave enough to take that extra trip anyway. The only real benefit infrequentflyers can draw from an alliance is an inexpensive round-the-world fare. "&(/bdah?&
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Thebottom line: for all the marketing hype, alliances aren't all things to allpeople—buteverybody can get some benefit out of them. FvT&nb{
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A. Delight.B. Indifference.C. Objection.D. Puzzlement. }:$cK
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21. Which of the following is NOT a perceived advantage ofalliances? l|q-kR
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22. One disadvantage of alliances foreseen by the critics isthat air travel may be more expensive as a result of ________. 0 u*a=f=
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C. less competitionD. more joint marketing !B`z|#
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23. According to the passage, which of the followingcategories of travellers will gain most from airline alliances? sOqFEvzo1%
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A. Travellers who fly frequently economy class. Y"
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B. Travellers who fly frequently business class. `BmnXWMgx
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C. Travellers who fly occasionally during holidays. L9jT:2F
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D. Travellers who fly economy class once in a while. <