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Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading 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 trough the centre. Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
In the world of entertainment, TV talk shows have undoubtedly flooded every inch of space on daytime television. And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one varies in style and format. But no two shows are more profoundly opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows.
Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of “trash talk (廢話)”. The topics on his show are as shocking as shocking can be. For example, the show takes the ever-common talk show themes of love, sex, cheating, guilt, hate, conflict and morality to a different level. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is a display and exploitation of society’s moral catastrophes (災難), yet people are willing to eat up the intriguing predicaments (困境) of other people’s lives.
Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes TV talk show to its extreme, but Oprah goes in the opposite direction. The show focuses on the improvement of society and an individual’s quality of life. Topics range from teaching your children responsibility, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors.
Compared to Oprah, the Jerry Springer show looks like poisonous waste being dumped on society. Jerry ends every show with a “final word”. He makes a small speech that sums up the entire moral of the show. Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.
Clean as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone. The show’s main target audiences are middle-class Americans. Most of these people have the time, money, and stability to deal with life’s tougher problems. Jerry Springer, on the other hand, has more of an association with the young adults of society. These are 18-to 21-year-olds whose main troubles in life involve love, relationship, sex, money and peers. They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned underneath the show’s exploitation.
While the two shows are as different as night and day, both have ruled the talk show circuit for many years now. Each one caters to a different audience while both have a strong following from large groups of fans. Ironically, both could also be considered pioneers in the talk show world.
21. Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey are ________.
A) more family-oriented
B) unusually popular
C) more profound
D) relatively formal
22. Though the social problems Jerry Springer talks about appear distasteful, the audience ________.
A) remain fascinated by them
B) are ready to face up to them
C) remain indifferent to them
D) are willing to get involved in them
23. Which of the following is likely to be a topic of the Oprah Winfrey show?
A) A new type of robot.
B) Racist hatred.
C) Family budget planning.
D) Street violence.
24. Despite their different approaches, the two talk shows are both ________.
A) ironical
B) sensitive
C) instructive
D) cynical
25. We can learn from the passage that the two talk shows ________.
A) have monopolized the talk show circuit
B) exploit the weaknesses in human nature
C) appear at different times of the day
D) are targeted at different audiences
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
To understand the marketing concept, it is only necessary to understand the difference between marketing and selling. Not too many years ago, most industries concentrated primarily on the efficient production of goods, and then relied on “persuasive salesmanship” to move as much of these goods as possible. Such production and selling focuses on the needs of the seller to produce goods and then convert them into money.
Marketing, on the other hand, focuses on the wants of consumers. It begins with first analyzing the preferences and demands of consumers and then producing goods that will satisfy them. This eye-on-the-consumer approach is known as the marketing concept, which simply means that instead of trying to sell whatever is easiest to produce or buy for resale, the makers and dealers first endeavor to find out what the consumer wants to buy and then go about making it available for purchase.
This concept does not imply that business is benevolent (慈善的) or that consumer satisfaction is given priority over profit in a company. There are always two sides to every business transaction-the firm and the customer-and each must be satisfied before trade occurs. Successful merchants and producers, however, recognize that the surest route to profit is through understanding and catering to customers. A striking example of the importance of catering to the consumer presented itself in mid-1985, when Coca Cola changed the flavor of its drink. The non-acceptance of the new flavor by a significant portion of the public brought about a prompt restoration of the Classic Coke, which was then marketed alongside the new. King Customer ruled!
26. The marketing concept discussed in the passage is, in essence, ________.
A) the practice of turning goods into money
B) making goods available for purchase
C) the customer-centred approach
D) a form of persuasive salesmanship
27. What was the main concern of industrialists before the marketing concept was widely accepted?
A) The needs of the market.
B) The efficiency of production.
C) The satisfaction of the user.
D) The preferences of the dealer.
28. According to the passage, “to move as much of these goods as possible” (Lines 3-4, Para. 1) means “________”.
A) to sell the largest possible amount of goods
B) to transport goods as efficiently as possible
C) to dispose of these goods in large quantities
D) to redesign these goods for large-scale production
29. What does the restoration of the Classic Coke best illustrate?
A) Traditional goods have a stronger appeal to the majority of people.
B) It takes time for a new product to be accepted by the public.
C) Consumers with conservative tastes are often difficult to please.
D) Products must be designed to suit the taste of the consumer.
30. In discussing the marketing concept, the author focuses on ________.
A) its main characteristic
B) its social impact
C) its possible consequence
D) its theoretical basis
