Passage Two

　　Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage.

　　Americans are proud of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?

　　Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian (百姓的) clothes. People have become conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears a uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity than to step out of uniform?

　　Uniforms also have many practical benefits. They save on other clothes. They save on laundry bills. They are tax-deductible (可减税的). They are often more comfortable and more durable than civilian clothes.

　　Primary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least.

　　Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.

　　6. It is surprising that Americans who worship variety and individuality____.

　　A. enjoy having a professional identity

　　B. still judge a man by his clothes

　　C. hold the uniform in such high regard

　　D. respect an elevator operator as much as a general in uniform

　　7. People are accustomed to thinking that a man in uniform______.

　　A. appears to be more practical

　　B. suggests quality work

　　C. discards his social identity

　　D. looks superior to a person in civilian clothes

　　8. The chief function of a uniform is to______.

　　A. provide the wearer with a professional identity

　　B. inspire the wearer’s confidence in himself

　　C. provide practical benefits to the wearer

　　D. make the wearer catch the public eye

　　9. According to the passage, people wearing uniforms ______.

　　A. tend to lose their individuality B. are usually helpful

　　C. look like generals D. have little or no individual freedom

　　10. The best title for this passage would be______.

　　A. Uniforms and Society

　　B. Advantages and Disadvantages of Uniforms

　　C. The Importance of Wearing a Uniform

　　D. Practical Benefits of Wearing a Uniform

　　Passage Three

　　Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage.

　　British newspapers can be classified into groups according to various criteria, such as area of distribution, size of sales, socioeconomic class of their readers, days (and times) of publication, and political bias. Each of these different criteria will lead to more or less different groupings.

　　With regard to the area of distribution a fairly clear distinction can be made between national papers and local papers. The national, e.g. The Times, Daily Mirror and Sunday Express, are readily obtainable in virtually all parts of the United Kingdom at the same time. On the other hand, local papers, e.g. Yorkshire Post or Liverpool Echo, serve a particular area, and outside that area must be specially ordered.

　　As regards the sales figures, we must recognize that there is no clear line that will distinguish between large and small sales. However, we make a somewhat arbitrary distinction here, partly based on copies sold, but also influenced by the type of content of the papers. This separates the so-called “popular” papers from the “quality” papers: the “qualities”, like Sunday Times or Financial Times, tend to have larger, more serious articles than the “populars”, such as The People or News of the World.

　　Regarding the socioeconomic class of the readers, a classification on these lines will to a large extent reflect the above distinction into quality and popular. This is because the quality papers are mostly intended for the upper income groups, while the popular papers find their readers among the lower socioeconomic groups. Thus, a reader of The Observer or Financial Times, which are quality papers, is likely to be an educated person with quite a good income, while a reader of Daily Mail or The Sun is more likely to be a less well-educated person with a lower income.

　　As to the days of publication, most British papers are either so-called “daily papers”, (which in tact do not appear on Sundays), e.g. The Guardian or The Scotsman, or Sunday papers, like Sunday Times or News of the world. Local papers with small circulations, however, might appear only once or twice a week, or even less frequently, depending on the demand for them. Concerning the time of publication, the vast majority are morning papers, i.e. they go on sale early in the morning, while the minority are the so-called “evening” papers, whose sales might start as early as midday, and then continue until the evening.

　　11. According to various criteria British newspapers can be classified into______.

　　A. national papers and local papers B. “qualities” and “populars”

　　C. morning papers and evening papers D. all of the above

　　12. The Times, Daily Mirror, and Sunday Express are readily obtainable in virtually all parts of the UK at the same time. Therefore, they are______.

　　A. so-called “daily paper” B. national papers

　　C. popular papers D. local papers

　　13. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

　　A. The “'quality” papers tend to have large, more serious articles than the “populars”.

　　B. The “popular” papers have larger sales.

　　C. The “quality” papers find their readers among the upper income groups.

　　D. A reader of the “qualities” is likely to be a less well-educated person with a lower income.

　　14. As to the days of publication, British daily papers appear______.

　　A. only on Sundays B. only once or twice a week

　　C. every day except on Sundays D. every day

　　15. Sales of the so-called “evening” papers might start______.

　　A. early in the morning B. as early as noon

　　C. in the evening D. at midnight