</p> But by far the largest cause of this human tragedy is that thousands of employees were heavily overweighed in Enron stock. Many had placed 100% of their 401(k) assets in the stock rather than in the 18 other investment options they were offered. Of course that wasn’t prudent, but it’s what some of them did.
8 K& X& G3 @, x9 [" E5 i& |* n0 @5 b The Enron employees’’ retirement disaster is part of the larger trend away from guaranteed economic security. That’s why preventing such a thing from ever happening again may be impossible. The huge attitudinal shift to I’ll-be-taken-care-of took at least a generation. The shift back may take just as long. It won’t be complete until a new generation of employees see assured economic comfort as a 20th- century quirk, and understand not just intellectually but in their bones that, like most people in most times and places, they’re on their own) Y8 w' m, ]; g/ r7 v+ [8 x
26. why does the author say at the beginning “The miserable fate of Enron’s employees will be a landmark in business history…”?% [7 Z1 j$ }5 [+ q4 K2 R; x; H7 A/ N
A. Because the company has gone bankrupt.
; w( p% [+ e p4 L: J& }: S B. Because such events would never happen again.
1 W- t# |1 O N) o C. Because many Enron workers lost their retirement savings.
& u& I% M" x4 M2 |' Y; z D. Because it signifies a turning point in economic security.√
4 ]' w- R; Y! Y0 ]' C2 ]! V 27. According to the passage, the combined efforts by governments, layout unions and big corporations to guarantee economic comfort have led to a significant change in
0 j' O; T; Z8 S' t8 ` A. people’s outlook on life.√- u& B- e/ `' p+ j7 E
B. people’s life styles.
" Y1 [$ @5 t4 J, d5 L5 s C. people’s living standard5 ~& }# }# H7 s" r: [. C
D. people’s social values.
M" J3 o" r- q: r1 N 28. Changes in pension schemes were also part of( Z3 k6 r; p* R6 ]8 L2 E
A. the corporate lay-offs.
' m* D& ]- `% O( i$ q5 ^6 f B. the government cuts in welfare spending.√! z! {7 [* s. w2 R* ], e$ k \' ]
C. the economic restructuring.
0 ~( N9 j7 H( j3 v D. the warning power of labors unions.
' U4 x/ z9 X; O. |( k# `% }1 X8 \ 29. Thousands of employees chose Enron as their sole investment option mainly because$ w2 g7 _3 \" ~7 J* r4 ^
A. The 401(k) made them responsible for their own future.
9 A y" F: c1 }9 u6 R9 S* ? B. Enron offered to add company stock to their investment.√
# G K# ~+ b, m C. their employers intended to cut back on pension spending.0 R: K$ b; q) c/ Q2 g. {8 p$ P V
D. Enron’s offer was similar to a defined-benefit plan.( M3 g/ [; W' P/ @
30. Which is NOT seen as a lesson drawn from the Enron disaster?
$ @! @8 X2 l# I( k, E+ P A. 401(k) assets should be placed in more than one investment option.2 X) Z& h8 B: |% I8 j7 k; I
B. Employees have to take up responsibilities for themselves.
/ T, o+ s% `# v2 e5 J9 `4 Q/ G C. Such events could happen again as it is not easy to change people’s mind.% K: w, @ n4 |! z8 W
D. Economic security won’t be taken for granted by future young workers.√
7 l, o7 J. `4 B4 t7 F- ]( T9 a* _ PART Ⅲ GENERAL KNOWLEDGE(10 MIN)
: f/ L0 ]# S6 X) x 31. The majority of the current population in the UK are decedents of all the following tribes respectively EXCEPT/ L, I' {4 [8 }! U8 \4 X. y+ \
A. the Anglos
5 ]8 G# \: f3 B8 b B. the Celts
& X1 f, O. R0 F; X C. the Jutes √1 Z+ t, s3 A! u [2 Y: G
D. the Saxons
) X9 P% }, y# o1 |: r 32. The Head of State of Canada is represented by
* }* ~' p) X( i- s% K0 ]" V A. the Monarch+ }0 X9 f$ Z, y" ]7 r' c
B. the President- ]3 n b+ h [: i- K* p
C. the Prime Minister6 ~0 U; U0 n, p5 b
D. the Governor-general √
' C8 |6 ~3 e2 }2 @: k, Q- j: ^ 33. The Declaration of Independence was written by
1 b& Y) c0 K9 I) ^; g5 O3 J4 h A. Thomas Jefferson √7 f9 ] g* W+ s5 W4 I& K
B. George Washington4 k: V0 F) N9 q* o
C. Alexander Hamilton( J7 X, c# L) V. X0 K' `8 a4 ^0 i
D. James Madison" i: S' w8 o' ~) m+ [4 r' }
34. The original inhabitants of Australia were
/ V2 u9 l& Z+ t9 U P A. the Red Indians* p( [: c6 q9 Q
B. the Eskimos
" v* K! a$ B. l3 L/ U C. the Aborigines √
- j5 @/ r. t2 X7 b. V D. the Maoris
, e8 X( X7 M6 [ I o: d/ T 35. Which of the following novels was written by Emily Bronte?
4 Q" x9 {( Y# S6 o8 D- @, a A. Oliver Twist" B1 Z- O4 b* v1 ]! M, k
B. Middlemarch2 e) {" H' v3 I7 F6 K l. o
C. Jane Eyre
0 F. V+ B$ o; a3 v D. Wuthering Heights √
: d* @3 w2 n0 F, s U% G5 H5 K 36. William Butler Yeats was a(n) ______ poet and playwright.6 C% m" R3 X2 h: t+ b
A. American9 b5 g( h* P0 _- t- d; Y; `
B. Canadian
+ D. j/ k7 p0 a. G3 j, P# o C. Irish √
- Q) b+ P0 a8 N$ ~4 A x D. Australian
3 L( D9 |& b# g/ ~3 ] 37. Death of a Salesman was written by
2 Z" B2 _/ D) S5 K9 s A. Arthur Miller √
( D6 j: d# i9 i B. Ernest Hemingway$ V0 j' {! o$ ~/ x& T4 L) O
C. Ralph Ellison
. U& Q; F& d2 x D. James Baldwin
. I h+ u+ D' Z* t7 q 38. _______ refers to the study of the internal structure of words and the rules of word formation.# f1 ^8 J' v; l+ {0 J z
A. Phonology
' A# Q$ a1 J4 T0 p! ?; } B. Morphology √
: m9 o$ h6 `3 Q% Z3 d C. Semantics3 ?7 \/ z' ~( v0 {
D. Sociolinguistics, C# }, d+ {, ^5 F* ]$ P$ O8 w `
39. The distinctive features of a speech variety may be all the following EXCEPT
2 i8 W4 H6 ^. n$ s. q A. lexical
1 Y V* `% j: F: T4 c B. syntactic H: y I+ W. ^& Z* B- a
C. phonological S$ i1 C1 C/ X$ a M" Z' u
D. psycholinguistic √! O0 {# l7 o6 w* f Y3 z% S o% I
; n. o4 l! l9 V" m 40. The word tail once referred to “the tail of a horse”, but now it is used to mean “the tail of any animal.” This is an example of |