英語四級考試強化閱讀題(一)

　　But that doesn’t have to be the outcome. Water shortages do not have to trouble the world—if we start valuing water more than we have in the past. Just as we began to appreciate petroleum more after the 1970s oil crises, today we must start looking at water from a fresh economic perspective. We can no longer afford to consider water a virtually free

　　resource of which we can use as much as we like in any way we want.

　　Instead, for all uses except the domestic demand of the poor, governments should price water to reflect its actual value. This means charging a fee for the water itself as well as for the supply costs.

　　Governments should also protect this resource by providing water in more economically and environmentally sound ways. For example, often the cheapest way to provide irrigation (灌溉) water in the dry tropics is through small-scale projects, such as gathering rainfall in depressions (凹地) and pumping it to nearby cropland.

　　No matter what steps governments take to provide water more efficiently, they must change their institutional and legal approaches to water sue. Rather than spread control among hundreds or even thousands of local, regional, and national agencies that watch various aspects of water use, countries should set up central authorities to coordinate water policy.

　　21. What is the real cause of the potential water crisis?

　　A) The world population is increasing faster and faster.

　　B) Half of the world’s water resources have been seriously polluted.

　　C) Humanity has not placed sufficient value on water resources.

　　D) Only half of the world’s water can be used.

　　22. As indicated in the passage, the water problem ________.

　　A) has been exaggerated by some experts in the field

　　B) is underestimated by government organizations at different levels

　　C) poses a challenge to the technology of building reservoirs

　　D) is already serious in certain parts of the world

　　23. According to the author, the water price should ________.

　　A) correspond to its real value

　　B) be reduced to the minimum

　　C) stimulate domestic demand

　　D) take into account the occurrences of droughts

　　24. The author says that in some hot and dry areas it is advisable to ________.

　　A) build big lakes to store water

　　B) construct big pumping stations

　　C) channel water from nearby rivers to cropland

　　D) build small and cheap irrigation systems

　　25. In order to raise the efficiency of the water supply, measures should be taken to ________.

　　A) centralize the management of water resources

　　B) increase the sense of responsibility of agencies at all levels

　　C) guarantee full protection of the environment

　　D) encourage local and regional control of water resources

　　英語四級考試強化閱讀題答案

　　21. D 22. A 23. C 24.C 25. B

　　英語四級考試強化閱讀題(二)

　　We can see how the product life cycle works by looking at the introduction of instant coffee. When it was introduced, most people did not like it as well as “regular” coffee, and it took several years to gain general acceptance (introduction stage). At one point, though, instant coffee grew rapidly in popularity, and many brands were introduced (stage of rapid growth). After a while, people became attached to one brand and sales leveled off (stage of maturity). Sales went into a slight decline (衰退) when freeze-dried coffees were introduced (stage of decline).

　　The importance of the product life cycle to marketers is this: Different stages in the product life cycle call for different strategies. The goal is to extend product life so that sales and profits do not decline. One strategy is called market modification. It means that marketing managers look for new users and market sections. Did you know, for example, that the backpacks that so many students carry today were originally designed for the military?

　　Market modification also means searching for increased usage among present customers or going for a different market, such as senior citizens. A marketer may re-position the product to appeal to new market sections.

　　Another product extension strategy is called product modification. It involves changing product quality, features, or style to attract new users or more usage from present users. American auto manufacturers are using quality improvement as one way to recapture world markets. Note, also, how auto manufacturers once changed styles dramatically from year to year to keep demand from falling.

　　26. According to the passage, when people grow fond of one particular brand of a product, its sales will ________.

　　A) decrease gradually

　　B) remain at the same level

　　C) become unstable

　　D) improve enormously

　　27. The first paragraph tells us that a new product is ________.

　　A) not easily accepted by the public

　　B) often inferior to old ones at first

　　C) often more expensive than old ones

　　D) usually introduced to satisfy different tastes

　　28. Marketers need to know which of the four stages a product is in so as to ________.

　　A) promote its production

　　B) work out marketing policies

　　C) speed up its life cycle

　　D) increase its popularity

　　29. The author mentions the example of “backpacks” (Line 4, Para. 2) to show the importance of ________.

　　A) pleasing the young as well as the old

　　B) increasing usage among students

　　C) exploring new market sections

　　D) serving both military and civil needs

　　30. In order to recover their share of the world market, U.S. auto makers are ________.

　　A) improving product quality

　　B) increasing product features

　　C) modernizing product style

　　D) re-positioning their product in the market

　　英語四級考試強化閱讀題答案

　　26. D 27. D 28. A 29.B 30. A

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