54. Experts have long pointed out that in the face of car-ownership explosion, ________.

　　A. Drivers should be ready to yield to one another

　　B. road users should make more sacrifices

　　C. drivers should have more communication among themselves

　　D. drivers will suffer a great loss if they pay no respect to others

　　55. In the writer's opinion _________.

　　A. drivers should apply road politeness properly

　　B. strict traffic regulations are badly needed

　　C. rude and inconsiderate drivers should be punished

　　D. drivers should try their best to avoid traffic jams

　　Passage Five

　　The most noticeable trend among today's media companies is vertical integration--an attempt to control several related aspects of the media business at once, each part helping the other. Besides publishing magazines and books, Time Warner, for example, owns Home Box Office (HBO), Warner movie studios, various cable TV systems throughout the United States and CNN as well. The Japanese company Matsushita owns MCA Records and Universal Studios and manufactures broadcast production equipment.

　　To describe the financial status of today's media is also to talk about acquisitions. The media are buying and selling each other in unprecedented numbers and forming media groups to position themselves in the marketplace to maintain and increase their profits. In 1986, the first time a broadcast network had been sold, two networks were sold that year --ABC and NBC.

　　Media acquisitions have skyrocketed since 1980 for two reasons. The first is that most big corporations today are publicly traded companies, which means that their stock is traded on one of the nation's stock exchanges. This makes acquisitions relatively easy.

　　A media company that wants to buy a publicly owned company can buy that company's stock when the stock becomes available. The open availability of stock in these companies means that anybody with enough money can invest in the American media industries, which is exactly how Rupert Murdoch joined the media business.

　　The second reason for the increase in media alliances is that beginning in 1980, the Federal

　　Communications Commission (FCC) gradually deregulated the broadcast media. Before 1980, for example, the FCC allowed one company to own only five TV stations, five AM radio stations, and five FM radio stations; companies also were required to hold onto a station for three years before the station could be sold. The post-1980 FCC eliminated the three-year rule and raised the number of broadcast holdings allowed for one owner. This trend of media acquisitions is continuing throughout the 1990s, as changing technology expands the market for media products.

　　The issue of media ownership is important. If only a few corporations direct the media industries in this country, the outlets for differing political viewpoints and innovative ideas could be limited.

　　56. What do Time Warner and Matsushita have in common?

　　A. They both belong to Rupert Murdoch.

　　B. They are both big American media corporations.

　　C..They are both outlets of differing viewpoints and innovative ideas.

　　D. They both own several different but related media businesses.

　　57. Which of the following is true of the media?

　　A. They used to sell and buy each other in great numbers.

　　B. They are trading each other in greater numbers today.

　　C. They used to be controlled by two networks--ABC and NBC.

　　D. They have stopped the trend of acquisitions in the 1990s.

　　58. According to the passage, what makes acquisitions easier?

　　A. The changing technology employed by the media.

　　B. The media's increasing profits in the marketplace.

　　C. The ever tougher regulations of the FCC on the media since 1980.

　　D. The availability of the media' s stocks on stock exchanges.

　　59. What is the FCC's new policy regarding media alliances?

　　A. It allows companies to sell their stocks publicly.

　　B. It doesn't allow companies to sell their stocks publicly.

　　C. It permits one company to own more media businesses at the same time.

　　D. It has eliminated all post-1980 companies.

　　60. The issue of media ownership is important because

　　A. it affects the amount of money the stockholders will make

　　B. it decides whether we can have different aspects of the media

　　C. it concerns the channels through which to express opinions

　　D. it means that more and more people will hold onto only a few stations

　　Passage six

　　In the 1997 general-election campaign, "Education, Education" was Tony Blair's pet phrase.

　　Times change quickly. Education is going rapidly out of fashion. "Learning" (to be exact, "lifelong learning" ) is New Labour's new buzzword (时髦语). The shift from  "education"  to　"learning"  reflects more than a change of language. It stems from both educational research and　left-wing ideas. During the 1980s, British educationalists got some new American ideas. One was the　notion that traditional examinations do not test the full range of people's abilities. Another was the　belief that skills are not necessarily learned from teachers in a conventional classroom. People can pick them up in all sorts of ways.

　　All this echoed left-wing ideas that traditional teaching methods were sufficiently adaptable to the needs of individual learners. Advocates of lifelong learning argue that it merely describes what has changed in education in the past decade: And there are now hundreds of schemes in which pupils learn outside the classroom.

　　Until now, education has been changing from below. In the next few weeks, the government will help from above. One of its main projects for lifelong learning is about to begin its first pilot programmers. With funding of $ 44 million in its first year, it will coordinate a new network of "learning centers" throughout the country. Traditional institutions, such as schools and colleges, will provide training at some non-traditional places of learning, such as supermarkets, pubs, and churches. The theory is that in such places students will feel more at ease, and therefore will be better motivated, than in a classroom.

　　The new schemes allow consumers of education to exercise complete choice over where, what and when they learn. In the rest of the state-run education sectors (部门), the government still seems to be committed to restricting choices as much as possible. If these programs succeed, they could improve the skills of Britain's workforce.

　　61. According to the writer, the shift from "education" to "learning"　________.

　　A. is but a change of language

　　B. reflects the traditional ideas in education

　　C. reflects the government's wish to restrict choices

　　D. is not just a change of language

　　62. All the following statements are true EXCEPT that __

　　A. pupils can learn skills outside the classroom

　　B. students will be better motivated in a classroom

　　C. the new schemes are intended to improve the skills of Britain' s workforce

　　D. traditional teaching methods cannot satisfy the needs of individual learners

　　63. It can be inferred from the passage that the new projects _________.

　　A. are started from below

　　B. have begun in the past decade

　　C. will allow students to have complete control over their learning

　　D. will be carried out in the traditional institutions

　　64. In the second paragraph, the writer suggests that __________.

　　A. traditional exams can test the full range of people's abilities

　　B. there are other ways for pupils to learn skills

　　C. pupils can learn little from teachers in a conventional classroom

　　D. the notion of lifelong learning is only the result of educational research

　　65. According to this passage, the New Labour's government

　　A. will set up many "learning centers" in Britain

　　B. has not changed its educational policy

　　C. will continue to restrict choices in all the state-run education sectors

　　D. is reluctant to make large investments in education

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