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Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It all translates to a fundamental change in the way we work. Already we’re partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth of the economic transformation can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to a radical new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held notions about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers—all these are being challenged.
We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip (集成块), would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more vital, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant. It will be the way you do your job.
21. A characteristic of the information age is that ________.
A) the service industry is relying more and more on the female work force
B) manufacturing industries are steadily increasing
C) people find it harder and harder to earn a living by working in factories
D) most of the job opportunities can now be found in the service industry
22. One of the great changes brought about by the knowledge society is that ________.
A) the difference between the employee and the employer has become insignificant
B) people’s traditional concepts about work no longer hold true
C) most people have to take part-time jobs
D) people have to change their jobs from time to time
23. By referring to computers and other inventions, the author means to say that ________.
A) people should be able to respond quickly to the advancement of technology
B) future achievements in technology will bring about inconceivable dramatic changes
C) the importance of high technology has been overlooked
D) computer science will play a leading role in the future information services
24. The future will probably belong to those who ________.
A) possess and know how to make use of information
B) give full play to their brain potential
C) involve themselves in service industries
D) cast their minds ahead instead of looking back
25. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A) Computers and the Knowledge Society
B) Service Industries in Modern Society
C) Features and Implications of the New Era
D) Rapid Advancement of Information Technology
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable occupations. Personal consultants give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants (被告). But in the executive circle, beauty can become a liability.
While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harmful to a woman.
Handsome male executives were perceived as having more integrity than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to account for their success.
Attractive female executives were considered to have less integrity than unattractive ones; their success was attributed not to ability but to factors such as luck.
All unattractive women executives were thought to have more integrity and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was attributed more to personal relationships and less to ability than was that of attractive overnight successes.
Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman is perceived to be more feminine (女性的) and an attractive man more masculine (男性的) than the less attractive ones. Thus, an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally masculine position appears to lack the “masculine” qualities required.
This is true even in politics. “When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently,” says Ann Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergraduates to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males utterly defeated unattractive men, but the women who had been ranked most attractive invariably received the fewest votes.
26. The word “liability” (Para. 1. Line 4) most probably means “________”.
A) misfortune
B) instability
C) disadvantage
D) burden
27. In traditionally female jobs, attractiveness ________.
A) reinforces the feminine qualities required
B) makes women look more honest and capable
C) is of primary importance to women
D) often enables women to succeed quickly
28. Bowman’s experiment reveals that when it comes to politics, attractiveness ________.
A) turns out to be an obstacle
B) affects men and women alike
C) has as little effect on men as on women
D) is more of an obstacle than a benefit to women
29. It can be inferred from the passage that people’s views on beauty are often ________.
A) practical
B) prejudiced
C) old-fashioned
D) radical
30. The author writes this passage to ________.
A) discuss the negative aspects of being attractive
B) give advice to job-seekers who are attractive
C) demand equal rights for women
D) emphasize the importance of appearance
