Passage Four

Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.

In many ways, today’s business environment has changed qualitatively since the late 1980s. The end of the Cold War radically altered the very nature of the world’s politics and economics. In just a few short years, globalization has started a variety of trends with profound consequences: the opening of markets, true global competition, widespread deregulation (解除政府對……的控制) of industry, and an abundance of accessible capital. We have experienced both the benefits and risks of a truly global economy, with both Wall Street and Main Street (平民百姓) feeling the pains of economic disorder half a world away.

At the same time, we have fully entered the Information Age, Starting breakthroughs in information technology have irreversibly altered the ability to conduct business unconstrained by the traditional limitations of time or space. Today, it’s almost impossible to imagine a world without intranets, e-mail, and portable computers. With stunning speed, the Internet is profoundly changing the way we work, shop, do business, and communicate.

As a consequence, we have truly entered the Post-Industrial economy. We are rapidly shifting from an economy based on manufacturing and commodities to one that places the greatest value on information, services, support, and distribution. That shift, in turn, place an unprecedented premium on “knowledge workers,” a new class of wealthy, educated, and mobile people who view themselves as free agents in a seller’s market.

Beyond the realm of information technology, the accelerated pace of technological change in virtually every industry has created entirely new business, wiped out others, and produced a Pervasive( 廣泛的) demand for continuous innovation. New product, process ,and distribution technologies provide powerful levers for creating competitive value. More companies are learning the importance of destructive technologies-----innovations that hold the potential to make a product line, or even an entire business segment, virtually outdated.

Another major trend has been the fragmentation of consumer and business markets. There’s a growing appreciation that superficially similar groups of customers may have very different preferences in terms of what they want to buy and how they want to buy it. Now, new technology makes it easier, faster ,and cheaper to identify and serve targeted micro-markets in ways that were physically impossible or prohibitively expensive in the past. Moreover, the trend feeds on itself, a business’s ability to serve sub-markets fuels customers’ appetites for more and more specialized offerings.

36. According to the first paragraph, the chances in the business environment in the past decades can be attributed to __________.

A) technological advances

B) worldwide economic disorder

C) the fierce competition in industry

D) the globalization of economy

37. what idea does the author want to convey in the second paragraph ?

A) The rapid development of information technology has taken businessmen by surprise

B) Information technology has removed the restrictions of time and space in business transactions

C) The Internet, intranets, e-mail, and portable computers have penetrated every corner of the world.

D) The way we do business today has brought about startling breakthroughs in information technology.

38. If a business wants to thrive in the Post-Industrial economy__________

A) it has to invest more capital in the training of free agents to operate in a seller’s market

B) it should try its best to satisfy the increasing demands of mobile knowledgeable people

C) it should not overlook the importance of information, services, support, and distribution

D) it has to provide each of its employees with the latest information about the changing market

39. In the author’s view, destructive technologies are innovations which _________

A) can eliminate an entire business segment

B) demand a radical change in providing services

C) may destroy the potential of a company to make any profit

D) call for continuous improvement in ways of doing business

40. With the fragmentation of consumer and business markets ______________

A) an increasing number of companies have disintegrated

B) manufacturers must focus on one special product to remain competitive in the market

C) it is physically impossible and prohibitively expensive to do business in the old way

D) businesses have to meet individual customers’ specific needs in order to succeed .

Part III Vocabulary (20minutes)

41. It seems somewhat ___________ to expect anyone to drive 3 hours just for a 20-minute meeting.

A) eccentric B) impossible C) absurd D) unique

42. This area of the park has been specially __________ for children, but accompanying adults are also welcome.

A) inaugurated B) designated C) entitled D) delegated

43. The girl’s face __________ with embarrassment during the interview when she couldn’t answer the tough question.

A) beamed B) dazzled C) radiated D) flushed

44. Slavery was __________ in Canada in 1833, and Canadian authorities encouraged the slaves, who escaped from America, to settle on its vast virgin land

A) diluted B) dissipated C) abolished D) resigned

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