北京新東方學校  李劍

　　本文出處：Nov 26th 2009，From The Economist print edition

　　原文標題：A special report on the art market：Suspended animation

　　The longest bull run in a century of art-market history ended on a dramatic note with a sale of 56 works by Damien Hirst, “Beautiful Inside My Head Forever”， at Sotheby’s in London on September 15th 2008. All but two pieces sold, fetching more than £70m, a record for a sale by a single artist. It was a last victory. As the auctioneer called out bids, in New York one of the oldest banks on Wall Street, Lehman Brothers, filed for bankruptcy。

　　The world art market had already been losing momentum for a while after rising vertiginously since 2003. At its peak in 2007 it was worth some $65 billion, reckons Clare McAndrew, founder of Arts Economics, a research firm—double the figure five years earlier. Since then it may have come down to $50 billion. But the market generates interest far beyond its size because it brings together great wealth, enormous egos, greed, passion and controversy in a way matched by few other industries。

　　In the weeks and months that followed Mr Hirst’s sale, spending of any sort became deeply unfashionable, especially in New York, where the bail-out of the banks coincided with the loss of thousands of jobs and the financial demise of many art-buying investors. In the art world that meant collectors stayed away from galleries and salerooms. Sales of contemporary art fell by two-thirds, and in the most overheated sector—for Chinese contemporary art—they were down by nearly 90% in the year to November 2008. Within weeks the world’s two biggest auction houses, Sotheby’s and Christie’s, had to pay out nearly $200m in guarantees to clients who had placed works for sale with them。

　　The current downturn in the art market is the worst since the Japanese stopped buying Impressionists at the end of 1989, a move that started the most serious contraction in the market since the Second World War. This time experts reckon that prices are about 40% down on their peak on average, though some have been far more volatile. But Edward Dolman, Christie’s chief executive, says: “I’m pretty confident we’re at the bottom?！?/p>

　　What makes this slump different from the last, he says, is that there are still buyers in the market, whereas in the early 1990s, when interest rates were high, there was no demand even though many collectors wanted to sell. Christie’s revenues in the first half of 2009 were still higher than in the first half of 2006. Almost everyone who was interviewed for this special report said that the biggest problem at the moment is not a lack of demand but a lack of good work to sell. The three Ds—death, debt and divorce—still deliver works of art to the market. But anyone who does not have to sell is keeping away, waiting for confidence to return。

　　21. In the first paragraph, Damien Hirst's sale was referred to as “a last victory” because ____-。

　　A. the art market had witnessed a succession of victories

　　B. the auctioneer finally got the two pieces at the highest bids

　　C. Beautiful inside My Head Forever won over all masterpieces

　　D. it was successfully made just before the world financial crisis

　　選【D】，因為第一段段尾句As the auctioneer called out bids, in New York one of the oldest banks on Wall Street, Lehman Brothers, filed for bankruptcy. 即雷曼兄弟公司破產。

　　22. By saying “spending of any sort became deeply unfashionable”(Line 1-2,Para.3)，the author suggests that_____ 。

　　A. collectors were no longer actively involved in art-market auctions

　　B. people stopped every kind of spending and stayed away from galleries

　　C. art collection as a fashion had lost its appeal to a great extent

　　D. works of art in general had gone out of fashion so they were not worth buying

　　選【A】，本題迷惑選項為C，文章第三段只強調了  collectors stayed away；Sales fell，并沒有強調“收藏時尚早在這之前就已經大大降溫了”。

　　23. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

　　A .Sales of contemporary art fell dramatically from 2007to 2008.

　　B. The art market surpassed many other industries in momentum。

　　C. The market generally went downward in various ways。

　　D. Some art dealers were awaiting better chances to come。

　　選【B】因為文章第二段只說了The world art market had already been losing momentum for a while after rising vertiginously since 2003.并沒有說比別的行業更有勢頭沖勁。

　　24. The three Ds mentioned in the last paragraph are ____

　　A. auction houses' favorites

　　B. contemporary trends

　　C. factors promoting artwork circulation

　　D. styles representing impressionists

　　選【C】本題其實屬于猜詞題，問3Ds是什么含義，根據最后一段的上下文的含義，上一段段尾句說：But Edward Dolman, Christie’s chief executive, says: “I’m pretty confident we’re at the bottom?！?；以及3Ds之前的句子，there are still buyers in the market；Christie’s revenues in the first half of 2009 were still higher；not a lack of demand but a lack of good work to sell能感覺到后文應該繼續表示有信心，對將來樂觀。所以選C。

　　25. The most appropriate title for this text could be ___

　　A. Fluctuation of Art Prices

　　B. Up-to-date Art Auctions

　　C. Art Market in Decline

　　D. Shifted Interest in Arts

　　選【C】，文章從第二段開始就說雖然大家還是有信心，但藝術收藏市場不景氣。

　　Text 2

　　本文出處：The Washington Post, June 24, 1990

　　原文標題：Why Is It So Hard for Men and Women to Talk to Each Other?

　　I was addressing a small gathering in a suburban Virginia living room -- a women's group that had invited men to join them. Throughout the evening one man had been particularly talkative frequently offering ideas and anecdotes while his wife sat silently beside him on the couch. Toward the end of the evening I commented that women frequently complain that their husbands don't talk to them. This man quickly concurred. He gestured toward his wife and said "She's the talker in our family." The room burst into laughter; the man looked puzzled and hurt. "It's true" he explained. "When I come home from work I have nothing to say. If she didn't keep the conversation going we'd spend the whole evening in silence."

　　This episode crystallizes the irony that although American men tend to talk more than women in public situations they often talk less at home. And this pattern is wreaking havoc with marriage。

　　The pattern was observed by political scientist Andrew Hacker in the late '70s. Sociologist Catherine Kohler Riessman reports in her new book "Divorce Talk" that most of the women she interviewed -- but only a few of the men --- gave lack of communication as the reason for their divorces. Given the current divorce rate of nearly 50 percent that amounts to millions of cases in the United States every year --- a virtual epidemic of failed conversation。

　　In my own research complaints from women about their husbands most often focused not on tangible inequities such as having given up the chance for a career to accompany a husband to his or doing far more than their share of daily life-support work like cleaning cooking social arrangements and errands. Instead they focused on communication: "He doesn't listen to me" "He doesn't talk to me." I found as Hacker observed years before that most wives want their husbands to be first and foremost conversational partners but few husbands share this expectation of their wives。

　　In short the image that best represents the current crisis is the stereotypical cartoon scene of a man sitting at the breakfast table with a newspaper held up in front of his face while a woman glares at the back of it wanting to talk。

　　26. What is most wives' main expectation of their husbands?

　　A. Talking to them.                           B. Trusting them.             

　　C. Supporting their careers.          D. Sharing housework。

　　選【A】，根據第一段women frequently complain that their husbands don't talk to them.。

　　27. Judging from the context, the phrase “wreaking havoc” (Line 3, Para.2) most probably means ___。

　　A. generating motivation.            B. exerting influence

　　C. causing damage                        D. creating pressure

　　選【C】，本題屬于猜詞題，從下文主要內容來看，夫妻缺乏溝通會導致離婚，即對婚姻產生破壞作用。

　　28. All of the following are true EXCEPT_______

　　A. men tend to talk more in public tan women

　　B. nearly 50percent of recent divorces are caused by failed conversation

　　C. women attach much importance to communication between couples

　　D a female tends to be more talkative at home than her spouse

　　選【B】，注意本題是選錯誤選項，ACD都是正確的，但是B選項錯誤的原因是偷換了50%的比率對象。文章只說了the current divorce rate of nearly 50 percent，即目前美國離婚率為50%，并沒有說50%的離婚率是因為缺乏溝通造成的，B選項的說法大大低于文章前一句話所說的most of the women gave lack of communication as the reason for their divorce。

　　29. Which of the following can best summarize the main idea of this text?

　　A. The moral decaying deserves more research by sociologists。

　　B. Marriage break-up stems from sex inequalities。

　　C. Husband and wife have different expectations from their marriage。

　　D. Conversational patterns between man and wife are different。

　　選【D】，文章主題強調男女說話交流模式不一樣。AB中的moral和inequality不符合原文。C是無中生有。

　　30. In the following part immediately after this text, the author will most probably focus on ______

　　A. a vivid account of the new book Divorce Talk

　　B. a detailed description of the stereotypical cartoon

　　C. other possible reasons for a high divorce rate in the U.S。

　　D. a brief introduction to the political scientist Andrew Hacker

　　選【B】，本文圍繞著男女交流不一樣，導致離婚這一現象展開，所以下文具體會闡述這副圖的的細節討論這個現象。

　　Text 3

　　本文出處：紐約時報，July 13, 2008

　　http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/business/13habit.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

　　原文標題：Warning: Habits May Be Good for You

　　Over the past decade, many companies had perfected the art of creating automatic behaviors — habits — among consumers. These habits have helped companies earn billions of dollars when customers eat snacks, apply lotions and wipe counters almost without thinking, often in response to a carefully designed set of daily cues。

　　“There are fundamental public health problems, like hand washing with soap, that remain killers only because we can’t figure out how to change people’s habits,” Dr. Curtis said. “We wanted to learn from private industry how to create new behaviors that happen automatically?！?/p>

　　The companies that Dr. Curtis turned to — Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever — had invested hundreds of millions of dollars finding the subtle cues in consumers’ lives that corporations could use to introduce new routines。

　　If you look hard enough, you’ll find that many of the products we use every day — chewing gums, skin moisturizers, disinfecting wipes, air fresheners, water purifiers, health snacks, antiperspirants, colognes, teeth whiteners, fabric softeners, vitamins — are results of manufactured habits. A century ago, few people regularly brushed their teeth multiple times a day. Today, because of canny advertising and public health campaigns, many Americans habitually give their pearly whites a cavity-preventing scrub twice a day, often with Colgate, Crest or one of the other brands。

　　A few decades ago, many people didn’t drink water outside of a meal. Then beverage companies started bottling the production of far-off springs, and now office workers unthinkingly sip bottled water all day long. Chewing gum, once bought primarily by adolescent boys, is now featured in commercials as a breath freshener and teeth cleanser for use after a meal. Skin moisturizers are advertised as part of morning beauty rituals, slipped in between hair brushing and putting on makeup。

　　“Our products succeed when they become part of daily or weekly patterns,” said Carol Berning, a consumer psychologist who recently retired from Procter & Gamble, the company that sold $76 billion of Tide, Crest and other products last year. “Creating positive habits is a huge part of improving our consumers’ lives, and it’s essential to making new products commercially viable。”

　　Through experiments and observation, social scientists like Dr. Berning have learned that there is power in tying certain behaviors to habitual cues through relentless advertising. As this new science of habit has emerged, controversies have erupted when the tactics have been used to sell questionable beauty creams or unhealthy foods。

　　31. According to Dr.Curtis, habits like hand washing with soap________。

　　[A] should be further cultivated

　　[B] should be changed gradually

　　[C] are deeply rooted in history

　　[D] are basically private concerns

　　選【A】，本題關鍵詞Dr. Curtis，定位于第二段，A選項和第二段段尾句“how to create new behaviors that happen automatically” 相同含義。

　　32. Bottled water, chewing gun and skin moisturizers are mentioned in Paragraph 5 so as to____

　　[A] reveal their impact on people’ habits

　　[B] show the urgent need of daily necessities

　　[C] indicate their effect on people’ buying power

　　[D] manifest the significant role of good habits

　　選【A】，本題迷惑選項是D，其實文章沒有強調這是好習慣，只是中立的立場描述了這些產品影響了人們的習慣。

　　33. Which of the following does NOT belong to products that help create people’s habits?

　　[A]Tide          [B] Crest               [C] Colgate           [D] Unilever

　　選【D】，根據第四和第六自然段的段尾句，發現只有Unilever文章沒有闡述是否它幫助了人們產生習慣。

　　34. From the text we know that some of consumer’s habits are developed due to _____

　　[A]perfected art of products

　　[B]automatic behavior creation

　　[C]commercial promotions

　　[D]scientific experiments

　　選【C】，根據文章后四段，不難發現商業廣告是主要原因，所以選C。

　　35. The author’s attitude toward the influence of advertisement on people’s habits is____

　　[A]indifferent                [B]negative                     [C]positive              [D]biased

　　選【B】，作者對于商業廣告用的形容詞：在第四段是shrewd(狡猾的，精明的)，在第7段是ruthless(無情的，殘忍的)，說明作者對于廣告的作用的觀點是負面的。

　　Text 4

　　Many Americans regard the jury system as a concrete expression of crucial democratic values, including the principles that all citizens who meet minimal qualifications of age and literacy are equally competent to serve on juries; that jurors should be selected randomly from a representative cross section of the community; that no citizen should be denied the right to serve on a jury on account of race, religion, sex, or national origin; that defendants are entitled to trial by their peers; and that verdicts should represent the conscience of the community and not just the letter of the law. The jury is also said to be the best surviving example of direct rather than representative democracy. In a direct democracy, citizens take turns governing themselves, rather than electing representatives to govern for them。

　　But as recently as in 1986, jury selection procedures conflicted with these democratic ideals. In some states, for example, jury duty was limited to persons of supposedly superior intelligence, education, and moral character. Although the Supreme Court of the United States had prohibited intentional racial discrimination in jury selection as early as the 1880 case of Strauder v. West Virginia, the practice of selecting so-called elite or blue-ribbon juries provided a convenient way around this and other antidiscrimination laws。

　　The system also failed to regularly include women on juries until the mid-20th century. Although women first served on state juries in Utah in 1898, it was not until the 1940s that a majority of states made women eligible for jury duty. Even then several states automatically exempted women from jury duty unless they personally asked to have their names included on the jury list. This practice was justified by the claim that women were needed at home, and it kept juries unrepresentative of women through the 1960s。

　　In 1968, the Congress of the United States passed the Jury Selection and Service Act, ushering in a new era of democratic reforms for the jury. This law abolished special educational requirements for federal jurors and required them to be selected at random from a cross section of the entire community. In the landmark 1975 decision Taylor v. Louisiana, the Supreme Court extended the requirement that juries be representative of all parts of the community to the state level. The Taylor decision also declared sex discrimination in jury selection to be unconstitutional and ordered states to use the same procedures for selecting male and female jurors。

　　36. From the principles of the US jury system, we learn that ______

　　[A]both literate and illiterate people can serve on juries

　　[B]defendants are immune from trial by their peers

　　[C]no age limit should be imposed for jury service

　　[D]judgment should consider the opinion of the public

　　選【D】，因為第一段who meet minimal qualifications of age and literacy，即只要達到基本年齡和文化要求即可，而A選項沒有強調最低文化要求，C沒有強調最低年齡要求，所以均錯。另外，文中只說有權讓自己的同伴審訊自己，而B選項說辯護人或被告不會受到同伴的審訊，這個說法于文章不一致，屬于無中生有。

　　37. The practice of selecting so—called elite jurors prior to 1968 showed_____

　　[A]the inadequacy of antidiscrimination laws

　　[B]the prevalent discrimination against certain races

　　[C]the conflicting ideals in jury selection procedures

　　[D]the arrogance common among the Supreme Court judges。

　　選【C】，根據第二段段首段尾句，不難看出事與愿違，實際操作與想象不一樣，有沖突。B錯的原因是偷換了賓語，文章第二段第二句話沒有強調當時歧視races(不同種族的人)

　　38. Even in the 1960s, women were seldom on the jury list in some states because_____

　　[A]they were automatically banned by state laws

　　[B]they fell far short of the required qualifications

　　[C]they were supposed to perform domestic duties

　　[D]they tended to evade public engagement

　　選【C】，關鍵詞1960s定位于第三段，A錯誤的原因不是state law禁止的，BD無中生有。C來自于段尾句the claim that women were needed at home。

　　39. After the Jury Selection and Service Act was passed.___

　　[A]sex discrimination in jury selection was unconstitutional and had to be abolished

　　[B]educational requirements became less rigid in the selection of federal jurors

　　[C]jurors at the state level ought to be representative of the entire community

　　[D]states ought to conform to the federal court in reforming the jury system

　　選【B】，根據第四段第一二兩句話，B是正確的。但D錯誤的原因是，偷換了conform的賓語，應該是根據Jury Selection and Service Act進行改革。AC錯誤是定位錯誤，本題于1975年decision Taylor v. Louisiana一事無關。

　　40. In discussing the US jury system, the text centers on_______

　　[A]its nature and problems

　　[B]its characteristics and tradition

　　[C]its problems and their solutions

　　[D]its tradition and development

　　選【C】，從第二段第一句：But as recently as in 1986, jury selection procedures conflicted with these democratic ideals.  第三段第一句：The system also failed to regularly include women on juries until the mid-20th century.  以及第四段第一句In 1968, the Congress of the United States passed the Jury Selection and Service Act, ushering in a new era of democratic reforms for the jury. 不難看出本文從第二段一直到最后，都是在闡述陪審團制度的問題，以及如何解決陪審團制度的問題。

　　新題型

　　本文出處：The Economist print edition；Dec 3rd 2009

　　http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15009915

　　原文標題：Copying birds may save aircraft fuel

　　BOTH Boeing and Airbus have trumpeted the efficiency of their newest aircraft, the 787 and A350 respectively. Their clever designs and lightweight composites certainly make a difference. But a group of researchers at Stanford University, led by Ilan Kroo, has suggested that airlines could take a more naturalistic approach to cutting jet-fuel use, and it would not require them to buy new aircraft。

　　第41題：【F】 因為飛機的飛行路線可以改用更具仿生效應的路徑來節省燃油，而且并不需要購買新的飛機。

　　The answer, says Dr Kroo, lies with birds. Since 1914, and a seminal paper by a German researcher called Carl Wieselsberger, scientists have known that birds flying in formation—a V-shape, echelon or otherwise—expend less energy. The air flowing over a bird’s wings curls upwards behind the wingtips, a phenomenon known as upwash. Other birds flying in the upwash experience reduced drag, and spend less energy propelling themselves. Peter Lissaman, an aeronautics expert who was formerly at Caltech and the University of Southern California, has suggested that a formation of 25 birds might enjoy a range increase of 71%。

　　第42題：【T】，因為drag有阻力的意思。

　　When applied to aircraft, the principles are not substantially different. Dr Kroo and his team modeled what would happen if three passenger jets departing from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas were to rendezvous over Utah, assume an inverted V-formation, occasionally swap places so all could have a turn in the most favorable positions, and proceed to London. They found that the aircraft consumed as much as 15% less fuel (coupled with a reduction in carbon-dioxide output). Nitrogen-oxide emissions during the cruising portions of the flight fell by around a quarter。

　　There are, of course, kinks to be worked out. One consideration is safety, or at least the perception of it. Would passengers feel comfortable traveling in convoy? Dr Kroo points out that the aircraft could be separated by several nautical miles, and would not be in the intimate groupings favored by display teams like the Red Arrows. A passenger peering out of the window might not even see the other planes. Whether the separation distances involved would satisfy air-traffic-control regulations is another matter, although a working group at the International Civil Aviation Organization has included the possibility of formation flying in a blueprint for new operational guidelines。

　　第43題：【T】，根據以上劃線部分，即飛機間會相隔幾海里，不會像紅箭表演隊(英國皇家空軍特技表演隊)那樣間距小到令人窒息。乘客往窗外看也許都看不到另外的飛機?？梢缘贸龀丝推鋵嵅皇苡绊?。另外要注意的是，題目中的more在這里不表示比較級。

　　It remains to be seen how weather conditions affect the air flows that make formation flight more efficient. In zones of increased turbulence, the planes’ wakes will decay more quickly and the effect will diminish. Dr Kroo says this is one of the areas his team will investigate further. It might also be hard for airlines to co-ordinate the departure times and destinations of passenger aircraft in a way that would allow them to gain from formation flight. Cargo aircraft, in contrast, might be easier to reschedule, as might routine military flights。

　　第44題：【T】段首句強調“天氣情況對氣流的影響現在仍需觀察”所以本題正確。

　　As it happens, America’s armed forces are on the case already. Earlier this year the country’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced plans to pay Boeing to investigate formation flight, though the program has yet to begin. There are reports that some military aircraft flew in formation when they were low on fuel during the Second World War, but Dr Lissaman says they are apocryphal. “My father was an RAF pilot and my cousin the skipper of a Lancaster lost over Berlin,” he adds. So he should know。

　　第45題：【F】根據but轉折詞，即劃線部分，但Dr Lissaman稱那些都是杜撰的。

　　41. Findings of the Stanford University researchers will promote the sales of new Boeing and Airbus aircraft。

　　42. The upwash experience may save propelling energy as well as reducing resistance。

　　43. Formation flight is more comfortable because passengers can not see the other planes。

　　44. The role that weather plays in formation flight has not yet been clearly defined。

　　45. It has been documented that during World War II, America’s armed forces once tried formation flight to save fuel。