Part III Reading Comprehension

　　Passage One

　　Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

　　Time was—and not so many years ago, either—when the average citizen took a pretty dim view of banks and Banking. That this was so, it should be said, was to no small extent the fault of banks and bankers themselves. Banks used to be—and a few still are—forbidding structures. Behind the little barred windows were, more often than not, elderly gentlemen whose expression of friendliness reflected the size of the customer’s account, and nothing less than a few hundred thousand in the bank could have inspired the suggestion of a smile.

　　And yet the average bank for many year was, to the average citizen, a fearful, if necessary, instrument for dealing with business—usually big business. But somewhere in the past quarter century, banks Began to grow human, even pleasant, and started to attract the little man. It is possible that this movement began in medium-sized towns, or in small towns where people know each other by their first names, and spread to big towns. At any rate, the results have been remarkable.

　　The movement to “humanize” hanks, of course, received a big push during the war, when more and more women were employed to do work previously performed by men. Also more and more “l(fā)ittle” people found themselves in need of personal loans, as taxes became heavier and as the practice of installment (分期付款) buying broke down the previously long—held concept that there was something almost morally wrong about being in debt. All sorts of people began to discover that the intelligent use of credit (信貸) could be extremely helpful.

　　51.The author believes that the unfriendly atmosphere in banks many years ago was chiefly due to ________.

　　A) the outer appearance of bank buildings

　　B) unfriendliness of customers toward banks

　　C) economic pressure of the time

　　D) the attitude of hankers(D)

　　52.The banks of many years ago showed interest only in ________.

　　A) regular visitors

　　B) rich customers

　　C) friendly businessmen

　　D) elderly gentlemen(B)

　　53.When did banks begin to grow human?

　　A) Sometime before the war.

　　B) A few years ago.

　　C) During the war.

　　D) In the last century.(A)

　　54.What helped to push the “humanization” of banks?

　　A) More and more “l(fā)ittle” people became customers of banks.

　　B) The elderly gentlemen in banks were replaced by women.

　　C) More banks were set up in small and medium-sized towns.

　　D) The size of the customer’s account was greatly increased.(B)

　　55.Average People seldom borrowed money from bank in the bank because ________.

　　A) the bank buildings looked forbidding

　　B) they were comparatively rich before the war

　　C) they thought it was not proper to be in debt

　　D) they rarely spent more than they could earn(C)

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

　　Last summer, Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole announced a new rule: Unless states representing two-thirds of the country’s population pass compulsory (強制性的) seat-belt-use laws by April 1989, all new vehicles will have to be fitted with air bags or automatic seat belts.

　　The rule wouldn’t have been necessary but for one simple fact. Even though seat belts could prevent nearly half of the deaths in fatal car accidents, 85 percent of the population simply won’t wear them.

　　Why not? Behavioral engineers have found that there are all sorts of reasons—usually unstated. These are some of the most popular. It’s safer to be thrown from a car man trapped. According to E. Scott Geller, that’s a faulty argument. “In fact”, he says, “being thrown from a car is twenty-five times more dangerous than being trapped”.

　　It won’t happen to me; I’m a good driver. But what about the other person who may be a terrible driver? The data show that the average incidence (發(fā)生率) for all accidents in one per driver every 10 years.

　　My car will end up underwater or on fire, and I won’t be able to get out. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), only 0.5 percent of all injury-producing accidents occur under these conditions. “If you’re wearing a belt, you’ve got a better chance of being conscious and not having your legs broken—distinct advantages in getting out of a dangerous situation”.

　　I’m only going a few blocks. Yet 80 percent of accidents happen at speeds or less that 25 miles per hour, 75 percent happen within 25 miles of home.

　　56.Before 1989, in the United States ________.

　　A) the use of seat belts was not compulsory for the majority of the population

　　B) a new law requiring the use of seat belts had just been passed

　　C) people had to choose between the use of seat belts or the use of air bags

　　D) almost fifty percent of the people involved in car accidents were saved by seat Belts(A)

　　57.The word “trapped” (Para. 3, Line 3) means to be ________.

　　A) held up in a traffic jam

　　B) confined in the car

　　C) caught in an accident

　　D) pulled into a car(B)

　　58.One of the reasons why many drivers refuse to wear seat belts is because ________.

　　A) they don’t think that it is comfortable to wear seat belts

　　B) they don’t believe that an accident involving a terrible driver is highly probable

　　C) they believe that no danger is involved in just driving a few blocks

　　D) they think that few drivers are willing to wear seat belts(C)

　　59.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

　　A) seat belts should be replaced by air bags

　　B) eighty-five percent of all drivers are likely to Break traffic rules

　　C) all drivers, whether good or bad, are liable to have an accident at one time or another

　　D) wearing seat belts will get drivers out of dangerous situations(C)

　　60.The purpose of the writer in writing this passage is ________.

　　A) to urge the government to pass the law sooner

　　B) to tell how dangerous car-driving can be

　　C) to criticise those who refuse to use seat belts

　　D) to prove the necessity of the new rule(B)