</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.
$ m( l2 J/ G) L) m P( @ 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
! p% M# k t2 ] 26. why does the author say at the beginning “The miserable fate of Enron’s employees will be a landmark in business history…”?
" L% O* v: T7 m' }, p( s' m3 e A. Because the company has gone bankrupt.2 K) b r# y9 z4 Q6 X$ O( u& Y
B. Because such events would never happen again.
) ^! f' _1 C9 N C. Because many Enron workers lost their retirement savings.+ i) q8 P* g1 u! x6 ^/ B5 s' P
D. Because it signifies a turning point in economic security.√
6 U% J; b# w/ z; g7 s, J; l8 r% o 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+ w! g) z+ j; j2 x
A. people’s outlook on life.√
5 G. j$ x$ ^& j B. people’s life styles.
/ |, F4 R6 }( y/ {/ i C. people’s living standard3 y5 w- A9 i; @: g& m: b s/ `# U5 \
D. people’s social values.
# }; Q+ s" @5 M# M- E 28. Changes in pension schemes were also part of F' V5 U# Z+ a. ?# W
A. the corporate lay-offs., C5 m1 F; }( s. e
B. the government cuts in welfare spending.√" @ Y1 Y% |: E; E/ y1 R, o
C. the economic restructuring.
3 k( c" u3 n$ E, H0 o D. the warning power of labors unions.
9 @% ~8 h$ i" v 29. Thousands of employees chose Enron as their sole investment option mainly because- J8 V( s- s8 n6 a, T3 Z
A. The 401(k) made them responsible for their own future.
$ }# Y1 s. d. D" [% f B. Enron offered to add company stock to their investment.√% F% F8 @3 X$ P) P
C. their employers intended to cut back on pension spending.
2 q7 P$ d: `. t3 y9 |! ~" b- | D. Enron’s offer was similar to a defined-benefit plan." N+ N: A$ j3 C
30. Which is NOT seen as a lesson drawn from the Enron disaster?
* _( D7 V' S, i+ q# Q1 h A. 401(k) assets should be placed in more than one investment option.
3 ~+ n; m+ R" \6 s B. Employees have to take up responsibilities for themselves.% g% {: F: a5 b( y; P
C. Such events could happen again as it is not easy to change people’s mind.
7 M% O% h8 ]0 s; V D. Economic security won’t be taken for granted by future young workers.√' V3 R! T0 Y- A0 c' J2 P6 D4 o
PART Ⅲ GENERAL KNOWLEDGE(10 MIN)9 L& T; R# G' `9 L2 Z
31. The majority of the current population in the UK are decedents of all the following tribes respectively EXCEPT9 R+ ~, s3 Z- G& d0 ?9 E
A. the Anglos T1 f/ `% ^# I% B' ]
B. the Celts) a" M0 K6 w! v3 h+ W
C. the Jutes √
7 N% g6 s; S0 m' F. \; C! j D. the Saxons
9 C+ P1 M1 ]1 e& e2 U 32. The Head of State of Canada is represented by
6 v, E+ o! q! S$ H A. the Monarch
- J$ o) R3 ?6 G* f: L: ` B. the President
" b# V6 t; u5 {0 @0 r C. the Prime Minister
; Y: N" E4 B' ^8 J' E" ?5 I$ g5 n$ ? D. the Governor-general √4 R; A/ Q6 M1 Y+ c h1 R( _7 J
33. The Declaration of Independence was written by
: E' p! _; l/ M# X+ w A. Thomas Jefferson √
2 z8 Z. G1 { }+ p& Z. @ B. George Washington6 X8 ^, Q4 C/ s: p1 d) [/ [- c! s
C. Alexander Hamilton
7 A) U: i3 `" \) { D. James Madison$ w8 a% D; d7 X- v
34. The original inhabitants of Australia were# O2 q( E1 V0 j! Q, l# }
A. the Red Indians9 T. ]8 y- ~& A$ j j. H: i
B. the Eskimos+ a! o& t7 u) p$ Y! ]5 t1 T
C. the Aborigines √7 T4 m4 u( r' T- u* W+ V; b$ _
D. the Maoris) |0 U% r8 q) f0 H7 H+ Q4 ?
35. Which of the following novels was written by Emily Bronte?- h' s' q+ M9 r/ O [5 ^
A. Oliver Twist) s h! V; |, y8 w' n4 \
B. Middlemarch
/ f, g }; S; d7 _" v+ I C. Jane Eyre6 R* q3 v7 y2 }8 e4 w ]5 r
D. Wuthering Heights √
9 x% @$ k6 m3 y- q8 v 36. William Butler Yeats was a(n) ______ poet and playwright.+ ~ i: O7 L4 [& E/ K, L/ [. @
A. American0 m9 r4 Y. V& F' f# J
B. Canadian! J: q7 d* i/ C7 s+ s
C. Irish √
* Q' U0 x) J: B& I* g& ~ D. Australian1 L' [3 J! g! O: L# i. h" E, h: F) e c
37. Death of a Salesman was written by* h! b7 Y# h. b, b+ j' v
A. Arthur Miller √, ]+ i/ v! t0 X3 L, t; _7 u9 q
B. Ernest Hemingway2 E" R4 g' v$ Z% \& Z/ T
C. Ralph Ellison
. H4 E( T8 `$ _. X D. James Baldwin
+ h; l) v U3 v" u9 V3 X4 P! Q 38. _______ refers to the study of the internal structure of words and the rules of word formation.1 i( z5 L3 j: f/ c( a
A. Phonology9 h" U% \8 L ?8 ?, j
B. Morphology √7 R% H7 g, J1 z4 E
C. Semantics
+ i+ ]( d0 r- M; U* | D. Sociolinguistics
+ X: K2 E z# w/ { 39. The distinctive features of a speech variety may be all the following EXCEPT
# z, q0 S- N- M$ Q A. lexical
/ B5 L; I1 j6 y- L B. syntactic
" z0 [( S; J s( P9 f! i, N C. phonological5 R, O' o7 C+ r4 s2 ^+ i4 t
D. psycholinguistic √
% Y+ l& \/ i! M' o/ k# x" ^" b* E B \. j5 l" I
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 |