Directions:
Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)
One of the basic characteristics of capitalism is the private ownership of the major means of production capital. The ownership of large amounts of capital can bring 1 profits, as well as economic and political power. Some recent theorists, 2 , have argued that our society has moved to a new stage of 3 that they call “post industrial” society. One important change in such a society is that the ownership of 4 amounts of capital is no longer the only or even the most important 5 of profits and influence; knowledge as well as 6 capital brings profits and influence.
There are many 7 with the thesis above, not the least of 8 is that wealthy capitalists can buy the experts and knowledge they needed to keep their profits and influence. But this does not 9 the importance of knowledge in an advanced industrial society, as the 10 of some new industrial indicates. 11, genetic engineering and the new computer technology have 12 many new firms and made some scientists quite rich. In13 with criticism of the post industrial society thesis, however, it must also be 14 that those already in control of huge amounts of capital (i.e., major corporations) soon 15 to take most profits in these industries based on new knowledge.
Moving down from the level of wealth and power, we still find knowledge increasingly 16. Many new high-tech jobs are being created at the upper-middle-class level, but even more new jobs are being created in the low-skill, low-paying service 17. Something like a caste line is emerging centered around knowledge. Individuals who fall too far behind in the 18 of knowledge at a young age will find it almost impossible to catch later, no matter how hard they try. Illiteracy in the English language has been a severe 19 for many years in the United States, but we are also moving to the point when computer illiteracy will hinder many more people and 20 them to a life of low-skill and low-paid labor.
1.[A]quantitative [B]extensive [C]comprehension [D]sophisticated
2.[A]moreover [B]however [C]therefore [D]nevertheless
3.[A]aggression [B]proficiency [C]productivity [D]evolution
4.[A]dominant [B]impressive [C]magnificent [D]significant
5.[A]source [B]factor [C]component [D]element
6.[A]adequate [B]profitable [C]material [D]spiritual
7.[A]advantages [B]consequences [C]problems [D]potentials
8.[A]them [B]those [C]which [D]that
9.[A]deny [B]refuse [C]admit [D]acknowledge
10. [A]emergence [B]innovation [C]extinction [D]discovery
11. [A]In addition [B]For example [C]Above all [D]In short
12. [A]produced [B]created [C]improved [D]facilitated
13. [A]line [B]need [C]doubt [D]match
14. [A]idealized [B]recognized [C]supervised [D]summarized
15. [A]stepped in [B]settled down [C]leaned over [D]turned out
16. [A]accessible [B]important [C]popular [D]abundant
17. [A]enterprises [B]employment [C]professions [D]industries
18. [A]control [B]mastery [C]search [D]pursuit
19. [A] handicap [B] penalty [C] inconvenience [D] shortcoming
20. [A] enforce [B] punish [C] confine [D] condemn
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
Part A
Directions:
Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)
Text 1
Half the worlds population will be speaking or learning English by 2015,researchers say. Two billion people are expected to start learning English within a decade and three billion will speak it, says a British Council estimate.
Other languages, such as French, risk becoming the casualties of this “linguistic globalization”. But the boom will be over by 2050 and the Englishlanguage teaching industry will have become a victim of its own success, says David Graddol, author of the report, The Future of English.
Mr. Graddols research was based on a computer model developed to estimate demand for Englishlanguage teaching around the world. The lecturer, who has worked in education and language studies at the Open University for the past 25 years, said the model charted likely student numbers through to 2050.
It was compiled by looking at various estimates from the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) on education provision, demographic projections, government education policies and international student mobility figures. The impact of educational innovations and other developments affecting the world population including the Chinese governments policy of one baby per family were also factored in.
Based on its findings, Mr. Graddol has predicted that the world is about to be hit by a tidal wave of English. “Many governments, especially in countries which have relatively recently gained independence, are introducing the teaching of English under a utilitarian banner.”
“But English predominates in the business world, and for such countries to be able to compete for work, including lucrative (profitable) outsourcing contracts, English is being pushed heavily from kindergarten on.”
The potential bonanza (source of wealth) on offer from outsourcing means even maths and science are being taught in English at secondary schools in Malaysia. But demand for English teaching would drop as children progress through academia, and more universities across the world choose to teach in the language.
Mr. Graddol also estimated that the boom would be over by 2050.“Englishlanguage students will be down from two billion to 500 million then,” he said,“Increasingly, as English spread across the globe, more people will become bilingual, even multilingual and such skills are highly prized in business. But Britain has not got the best reputation for learning other languages.”
The report also showed that English was not the only language spreading, and the world, far from being dominated by English, was to become more multi-lingual. Mr. Graddol said,“Chinese, Arabic and Spanish are all popular, and likely to be languages of the future.”
21. It is estimated that in a decade English will be
[A] actively studied by over 200 million people.
[B] freely spoken by global English learners.
[C] popular with over 80% of world inhabitants.
[D] really mastered by 50% of people worldwide.
22. According to the text, “linguistic globalization” will
[A] eliminate French from the globe.
[B] defeat other European languages.
[C] fail all languages except English.
[D] make English the biggest winner.
23. David Graddol predicts that the thriving period of English will
[A] terminate within half a century.
[B] climax in the middle of the century.
[C] endure for no less than five decades.
[D] quit till the beginning of the 2050s.
24. The report “The Future of English” factored in all of the following EXCEPT
[A] the educational condition and policy.
[B] the directions and designs of Unesco.
[C] the statistics about population.
[D] the movements of overseas students.
35. The writer of the report deems that outsourcing is to
[A] result in the increase of English subjects.
[B] lead to the drop of interest in English study.
[C] account for the further spread of English.
[D] bring about transition in college curricula.
