Part Ⅳ Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)

　　Section A

　　Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.

　　America is a country that now sits atop the cherished myth that work provides rewards, that working people can support their families. It's a myth that has become so divorced from reality that it might as well begin with the words "Once upon a time." Today 1.6 million New Yorkers suffer from "food insecurity," which is a fancy way of saying they don't have enough to eat. Some are the people who come in at night and clean the skyscrapers that glitter along the river. Some pour coffee and take care of the aged parents of the people who live in those buildings. The American Dream for the well-to-do grows from the bowed backs of the working poor, who too often have to choose between groceries and rent.

　　In a new book called "The Betrayal of Work", Beth Schulman says that even in the booming 1990s one out of every four American workers made less than $8.70 an hour, an income equal to the government's poverty level for a family of four. Many, if not most, of these workers had no health care, sick pay or retirement provisions.

　　We ease our consciences, Schulman writes, by describing these people as "low skilled," as though they're not important or intelligent enough to deserve more. But low-skilled workers today are better educated than ever before, and they constitute the linchpin (關鍵) of American industry. When politicians crow (得意洋洋地說) that happy days are here again because jobs are on the rise, it's these jobs they're really talking about. Five of the 10 occupations expected to grow big in the next decade are in the lowest-paying job groups. And before we sit back and decide that's just the way it is, it's instructive to consider the rest of the world. While the bottom 10 percent of American workers earn just 37 percent of our average wage, their counterparts in other industrialized countries earn upwards of 60 percent. And those are countries that provide health care and child care, which eases the economic pinch considerably.

　　Almost 40 years ago, when Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty, a family with a car and a house in the suburbs felt prosperous. Today that same family may well feel poor, overwhelmed by credit card debt, a second mortgage and the cost of the stuff that has become the backbone of American life. When the middle class feels poor, the poor have little chance for change, or even recognition.

　　47. By saying "it might as well begin with the words ‘Once upon a time'" (Line 3, Para.1), the author suggests that the American myth is ________.

　　48. What is the American Dream of the well-to-do built upon?

　　49. Some Americans try to make themselves feel less guilty by attributing the poverty of the working people to ________.

　　50. We learn from the passage that the difference in pay between the lowest paid and the average worker in America is ________ than that in other industrialized countries.

　　51. According to the author, how would an American family with a car and a house in the suburbs probably feel about themselves today?

　　Section B

　　Passage One

　　Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.

　　As a wise man once said, we are all ultimately alone. But an increasing number of Europeans are choosing to be so at an ever earlier age. This isn't the stuff of gloomy philosophical contemplations, but a fact of Europe's new economic landscape, embraced by sociologists, real-estate developers and ad executives alike. The shift away from family life to solo lifestyle, observes a French sociologist, is part of the "irresistible momentum of individualism" over the last century. The communications revolution, the shift from a business culture of stability to one of mobility and the mass entry of women into the workforce have greatly wreaked havoc on (擾亂) Europeans' private lives.

　　Europe's new economic climate has largely fostered the trend toward independence. The current generation of home-aloners came of age during Europe's shift from social democracy to the sharper, more individualistic climate of American-style capitalism. Raised in an era of privatization and increased consumer choice, today's tech-savvy (精通技術的) workers have embraced a free market in love as well as economics. Modern Europeans are rich enough to afford to live alone, and temperamentally independent enough to want to do so.

　　Once upon a time, people who lived alone tended to be those on either side of marriage-twenty something professionals or widowed senior citizens. While pensioners, particularly elderly women, make up a large proportion of those living alone, the newest crop of singles are high earners in their 30s and 40s who increasingly view living alone as a lifestyle choice. Living alone was conceived to be negative-dark and cold, while being together suggested warmth and light. But then came along the idea of singles. They were young, beautiful, strong! Now, young people want to live alone.

　　The booming economy means people are working harder than ever. And that doesn't leave much room for relationships. Pimpi Arroyo, a 35-year-old composer who lives alone in a house in Paris, says he hasn't got time to get lonely because he has too much work. "I have deadlines which would make life with someone else fairly difficult." Only an Ideal Woman would make him change his lifestyle, he says. Kaufmann, author of a recent book called "The Single Woman and Prince Charming," thinks this fierce new individualism means that people expect more and more of mates, so relationships don't last long-if they start at all. Eppendorf, a blond Berliner with a deep tan, teaches grade school in the mornings. In the afternoon she sunbathes or sleeps, resting up for going dancing. Just shy of 50, she says she'd never have wanted to do what her mother did-give up a career to raise a family. Instead, "I've always done what I wanted to do：live a self-determined life."

　　52. More and more young Europeans remain single because ________.

　　A) they are driven by an overwhelming sense of individualism

　　B) they have entered the workforce at a much earlier age

　　C) they have embraced a business culture of stability

　　D) they are pessimistic about their economic future

　　53. What is said about European society in the passage?

　　A) It has fostered the trend towards small families.

　　B) It is getting closer to American style capitalism.

　　C) It has limited consumer choice despite a free market.

　　D) It is being threatened by irresistible privatization.

　　54. According to Paragraph 3, the newest group of singles are ________.

　　A) warm and light hearted C) negative and gloomy

　　B) on either side of marriage D) healthy and wealthy

　　55. The author quotes Eppendorf to show that ________.

　　A) some modern women prefer a life of individual freedom

　　B) the family is no longer the basic unit of society in present-day Europe

　　C) some professional people have too much work to do to feel lonely

　　D) most Europeans conceive living a single life as unacceptable

　　56. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?

　　A) To review the impact of women becoming high earners.

　　B) To contemplate the philosophy underlying individualism.

　　C) To examine the trend of young people living alone.

　　D) To stress the rebuilding of personal relationships.

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