loading[A] Americans are never satisfied with their incomes
[B] Americans tend to overstate their incomes [C] Americans want to have their incomes increased
[D] Americans want to increase the purchasing power of their incomes
12. The first two sentences in the second paragraph tell us that__.
[A] producers can satisfy the consumers by mechanized production
[B] consumers can express their demands through producers [C] producers decide the prices of products [D] supply and demand regulate prices
13. According to the passage, a private-enterprise economy is characterized by__.
[A] private property and rights concerned [B] manpower and natural resources control [C] ownership of productive resources [D] free contracts and prices 14. The passage is mainly about__. [A] how American goods are produced
[B] how American consumers buy their goods [C] how American economic system works
[D] how American businessmen make their profits Passage 2
One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in
stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even
abroad, and they make many banking services available as well. More
and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it
possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether
or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the “cashless
society” is not on the horizon—it's already here. While computers offer these conveniences to consumers, they have
many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can
do much
more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records,
including who sold what, when, and to whom. This information allows
businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items
are being sold and how fast they are moving. Decisions to reorder or
return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these
computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the
most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made
accordingly. And they also identify preferred customers for promotional. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar
reasons. Computer-analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which
products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future, and which
to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on
hand, and even of the production process itself. Numerous other commercial enterprises, from theaters to magazine
publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring
better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of
computers.
15. According to the passage, the credit card enables its owner to__.
[A] withdraw as much money from the bank as he wishes [B] obtain more convenient services than other people do [C] enjoy greater trust from the storekeeper [D] cash money wherever he wishes to
16. From the last sentence of the first paragraph we learn that __.
[A] in the future all the Americans will use credit cards [B] credit cards are mainly used in the United States today [C] nowadays many Americans do not pay in cash
[D] it is now more convenient to use credit cards than before 17. The phrase
ing up sales (Line 3, Para. 2) most probably means “___”.
[A] make an order of goods [B] record sales on a cash register
[C] call the sales manager [D] keep track of the goods in stock
18. What is this passage mainly about?
[A] Approaches to the commercial use of computers. [B] Conveniences brought about by computers in business.
[C] Significance of automation in commercial enterprises. [D] Advantages of credit cards in business. Passage 3
Exceptional children are different in some significant way from others of the same age. For these children to develop to their full
adult potential, their education must be adapted to those differences.
Although we focus on the needs of exceptional children, we find ourselves describing their environment as well. While the