2011年职称英语考试综合类经典阅读练习4

会计考友

"Lemons" in Used Car Market
Suppose that you, a college student of somewhat limited means, are in the market for a used pickup truck. The following ad in a local used car publication catches your eyes.
1993 Ford Ranger, bilk, 4WD, a/cAM/FM/cass., showroom condition.
Call 555-1234 after 5 p.m
0 {0 x( |; Q6 k- `+ Y+ Q& AThis is exactly the kind of vehicle you want, so you call to inquire about the price. The price you are quoted over the phone is $2,000 lower than the price for this model with this equipment listed in a used car guidebook. Instead of being ecstatic, however, you are suspicious.
' X7 ]) ?" \, \, eFor many products, when you must pay less than the going rate, you believe you are getting a great deal. This is not necessarily the case for used cars or other durable goods(washing machines and television sets, for example) because with expensive products-or, what is essentially the same thing, products with high replacement costs-you must be particularly careful about getting a "lemon." Or a product of substandard quality.
In addition to asking the price, the age of a car-or any other consumer durable-is a factor when you are trying to determine whether a seller is attempting to unload a lemon. While people have all sorts of reasons for wanting to sell their cars-even relatively new cars-most people hold off until they have put many thousands of miles on a car or until the used car is several years old. You would probably be as suspicious of a car that is "too new" as you would a car that is "too good " a deal. In fact, you are probably willing to pay a high price for a high-quality used car. While this price would certainly be acceptable to the seller, the competitive market might not facilitate such trades.
% c. W0 C* T/ s4 ~1. The beginning of this passage assumes that college students
: S# m& l" f: [) QA) are very clever but not very rich.
B) Are very capable but not very diligent.
- M+ i7 y( Y9 s# M+ ]C) Have limited material resources
D) Are not rich.
2. The passage indicated that, sometimes when you find a product of an unexpectedly low price.
A) You are very happy.
B) You are rather suspicious.
0 o$ L8 f7 A. J* B8 x. AC) You are filled with happiness as well as surprise.
4 x! x5 g4 h. W5 D+ p# C1 ]( BD) You feel uneasy.
3."Lemon" in this passage refers to
A) a kind of fruit.
/ E" w( p1 e6 L! p6 HB) A kind of new car.
C) A kind of expensive and high-quality car.
D) A product of inferior quality.
8 K- u- v, N: j& A! c4.If you want to know if the seller is trying to unload a lemon, you
( U* E, Y0 K4 ]6 T4 y+ x2 X" FA) take the age of the car into consideration.
B) Take the price of the lemon into consideration
C) Consider how many miles the car has run.
7 \! d+ I/ o1 v" y: S/ KD) Consider both the price as well as the age of the car.
9 H* e4 J; `4 e5.It can be concluded from the passage that in the used car market,
A) used cars are generally cheap.
  n, b7 C: C5 M- g% k  o$ \# VB) Used cars are generally expensive
C) Used cars are actually brand new
" i) A( h, C& ?% u  ED) Car buyers are willing to pay a high price for a used car.
KEY: DBDDA