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Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A)，B)，C), and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
Time was—and not so many years ago, either—when the average citizen took a pretty dim view of banks and Banking. That this was so, it should be said, was to no small extent the fault of banks and bankers themselves. Banks used to be—and a few still are—forbidding structures. Behind the little barred windows were, more often than not, elderly gentlemen whose expression of friendliness reflected the size of the customer’s account, and nothing less than a few hundred thousand in the bank could have inspired the suggestion of a smile.
And yet the average bank for many year was, to the average citizen, a fearful, if necessary, instrument for dealing with business—usually big business. But somewhere in the past quarter century, banks Began to grow human, even pleasant, and started to attract the little man. It is possible that this movement began in medium-sized towns, or in small towns where people know each other by their first names, and spread to big towns. At any rate, the results have been remarkable.
The movement to “humanize” hanks, of course, received a big push during the war, when more and more women were employed to do work previously performed by men. Also more and more “little” people found themselves in need of personal loans, as taxes became heavier and as the practice of installment (分期付款) buying broke down the previously long—held concept that there was something almost morally wrong about being in debt. All sorts of people began to discover that the intelligent use of credit (信貸) could be extremely helpful.
21. The author believes that the unfriendly atmosphere in banks many years ago was chiefly due to ________.
A) the outer appearance of bank buildings
B) unfriendliness of customers toward banks
C) economic pressure of the time
D) the attitude of hankers（D）
22. The banks of many years ago showed interest only in ________.
A) regular visitors
B) rich customers
C) friendly businessmen
D) elderly gentlemen（B）
23. When did banks begin to grow human?
A) Sometime before the war.
B) A few years ago.
C) During the war.
D) In the last century.（A）
24. What helped to push the “humanization” of banks?
A) More and more “little” people became customers of banks.
B) The elderly gentlemen in banks were replaced by women.
C) More banks were set up in small and medium-sized towns.
D) The size of the customer’s account was greatly increased.（B）
25. Average People seldom borrowed money from bank in the bank because ________.
A) the bank buildings looked forbidding
B) they were comparatively rich before the war
C) they thought it was not proper to be in debt
D) they rarely spent more than they could earn（C）
