A) desperate

　　B) disappointing

　　C) cruelty

　　D) bankrupt

　　E) fancy

　　F) protects

　　G) altitude

　　H) similarly I) wake

　　J) contest

　　K) object

　　L) worshipping

　　M) dignity

　　N) originally

　　O) protests

　　Section B

　　Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

　　注意：此部分試題在答題卡2上作答。

　　Passage One

　　Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

　　A detailed and thorough research project undertaken by the Open University recently reported that their evidence appears to show that competition between nearby schools does not significantly improve academic standards. Indeed, their report inclines to the opposite outcome; the exam results may actually decline where competition is fiercest.

　　When the further education sector was " privatized" a few years ago, competition between colleges became truly fierce, at least in urban areas where potential students could choose between several of them. Colleges appointed highly paid marketing directors and gave them large budgets; some even "bribed" interested students with promises of hundreds of pounds if they completed certain courses satisfactorily.

　　Fully competitive markets being a philosophical foundation of Britain's recent governments, it was no surprise to hear claims that many educational developments of the 1990s would move us towards a free market in secondary education---giving youngsters and their parents a free choice of where to study. However, the secondary sector did not become particularly competitive while, admittedly, the consumers have been given more information, which is one aspect of a truly free market. It is very rare that two nearby schools with at least some empty places are similar enough to be comparable yet different enough to be rankable; only where that occurs can there be true competition.