Text 3

　　Remember Second Life, the virtual world that was supposed to become almost as important as the first one? Now populated by no more than 84,000 avatars at a time, it has turned out to be a prime example of how short-lived Internet fads can be. Yet if many adults seem to have given up on virtual worlds, those that cater to children and teenagers are thriving. Several have even found a way to make money。

　　In America, nearly 10 million children and teenagers visit virtual worlds regularly, estimates eMarketer, a market researcher — a number the firm expects to increase to 15 million by 2013. As in January, there were 112 virtual worlds designed for under-18s with another 81 in development, according to Engage Digital Media, a market research firm。

　　All cater to different age groups and tastes. In Club Penguin, the market leader, which was bought by Disney in 2007 for a whopping $700 million, primary-school children can take on a penguin persona, fit out their own igloo and play games. Habbo Hotel, a service run from Finland, is a global hangout for teenagers who want to customise their own rooms and meet in public places to attend events. Gaia Online, based in Silicon Valley, offers similar activities, but is visited mostly by older teens who are into Manga comics。

　　Not a hit with advertisers, these online worlds earn most of their money from the sale of virtual goods, such as items to spruce up an avatar or a private room. They are paid for in a private currency, which members earn by participating in various activities, trading items or buying them with real dollars。

　　This sort of stealth tax seems to work. At Gaia Online, users spend more than $1 million per month on virtual items, says Craig Sherman, the firm's chief executive. Running such a virtual economy is not easy, which is why Gaia has hired a full-time economist to grapple with problems that are well known in the real world, such as inflation and an unequal distribution of wealth。

　　There are other barriers that could limit the growth of virtual worlds for the young, but the main one is parents. Many do not want their offspring roaming virtual worlds, either because they are too commercial or are thought to be too dangerous. Keeping them safe is one of the biggest running costs, because their sponsors have to employ real people to police their realms。

　　Youngsters are also a fickle bunch, says Simon Levene of Accel Partners, a venture-capital firm. Just as children move from one toy to another, they readily switch worlds or social networks, often without saying goodbye。

　　Even so, Debra Aho Williamson, an analyst at eMarketer, believes “these worlds are a training ground for the three-dimensional web”. If virtual worlds for adults, which so far have been able to retain only hardcore users, manage to hang on for a few years, they may yet have a second life。

　　31. In the first paragraph it says that “Several have even found a way to make money”. Which of the following could possibly be the “way”?

　　\[A\] Sales of the copies of the game。

　　\[B\] Sales of virtual goods in the game。

　　\[C\] Sales of game peripheral goods, such as dolls and OST CDs。

　　\[D\] Development of different games towards gamers of different ages。

　　32. Why do online games not mean “a hit with advertisers”?

　　\[A\] The advertisers do not have appropriate ways to advertise in the online world。

　　\[B\] Online game companies do not want to cooperate with the advertisers。

　　\[C\] The profit pattern of online games does not leave much space for them。

　　\[D\] The advertisers deem that online games will not be a rising industry。

　　33. Which of the following may NOT be the barriers to limit the growth of virtual worlds?

　　\[A\] Inflation and unequal distributions of wealth can also happen in the virtual world。

　　\[B\] The virtual world could grow complicated enough to force employment of special staff to manage it。

　　\[C\] Parents would keep their children from the online games in order to keep them safe。

　　\[D\] The online game companies will have to keep the virtual world safe, at some rather high cost。

　　34. What can we infer from Simon Levene's comments?

　　\[A\] Young people will usually change games。

　　\[B\] Young people are only attracted by the novelties in the games。

　　\[C\] Game companies will have to use various measures to keep young people continuing playing their games。

　　\[D\] Current prosperity of online games market may not last long due to the capriciousness of young people。

　　35. What may “stealth tax” in “This sort of stealth tax seems to work” refer to?

　　\[A\] Online world promotes transaction without seeing the currencies, thus boosting the consumption。

　　\[B\] Things in the online world do not need to be taxed, and then is cheaper than actual ones。

　　\[C\] Companies have already paid the tax for the players。

　　\[D\] People buy things in the online world in a largely unnoticed way, either by himself or by others。

　　Text 4

　　Scores of workers from MTV Networks walked off the job yesterday afternoon, filling the sidewalk outside the headquarters of its corporate parent, Viacom, to protest recent changes in benefits. The walkout highlighted the concerns of a category of workers who are sometimes called permalancers: permanent freelancers who work like full-time employees but do not receive the same benefits。

　　Waving signs that read “Shame on Viacom,” the workers, most of them in their 20s, demanded that MTV Networks reverse a plan to reduce health and dental benefits for freelancers beginning On Jan. 1st. In a statement, MTV Networks noted that its benefits program for full-time employees had also undergone changes, and it emphasized that the plan for freelancers was still highly competitive within the industry. Many freelancers receive no corporate benefits. But some of the protesters asserted that corporations were competing to see which could provide the most mediocre health care coverage. Matthew Yonda, who works at Nickelodeon, held a sign that labeled the network “Sick-elodeon。” “I've worked here every day for three years — I'm not a freelancer,” Mr. Yonda said. “They just call us freelancers in order to bar us from getting the same benefits as employees。”

　　The changes to the benefits package were announced last Tuesday. Freelancers were told that they would become eligible for benefits after 160 days of work, beginning in January. While that eased previous eligibility rules, which required freelancers to work for 52 weeks before becoming eligible, it would have required all freelancers not yet eligible for benefits to start the waiting period over again on Jan. 1st. The 401(k) plan was also removed. On Thursday, acknowledging the complaints, MTV Networks reinstated the 401(k) plan and said freelancers who had worked consistently since March would be eligible。

　　Fueled by a series of blog posts on the media Web site Gawker — the first post was headlined “The Viacom Permalance Slave System” — a loose cohort of freelancers created protest stickers and distributed walkout fliers last week. Caroline O'Hare, a unit manager who has worked for MTV for more than two years, said the new health care plan — with higher deductibles and a $2,000 cap on hospital expenses each year — had provoked outrage. “They think they can treat us like children that don't have families, mortgages or dreams of retirement,” she said。

　　Outside Viacom's headquarters, several workers held posters with the words, “There's too many of us to ignore�！� It was unclear how many freelancers are on the company's payroll; an MTV Networks' spokeswoman said the figure was not known because it rises and falls throughout the year. The company has 5,500 full-time employees, excluding freelancers, around the world。

　　Two freelancers and one full-time employee, who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, estimated that the percentage of freelancers in some departments exceeded 75 percent. Another labor action is expected to take place outside Viacom later this week. Members of the Writers Guild of America, who have been on strike for five weeks, are expected to picket there on Thursday。

　　36. Which of the following is NOT true on MTV Networks' new benefits plan for freelancers?

　　\[A\] Its benefits plan for freelancers is highly competitive in the industry。

　　\[B\] Its freelancers cannot get the same benefits as the full-time employees do。

　　\[C\] The freelancers who are not eligible for benefits should start the waiting period over again on Jan. 1st。

　　\[D\] The freelancers are against the new plan which substantially undermined their benefit。

　　37. What can we infer from the assertion that “corporations were competing to see which could provide the most mediocre health care coverage”?

　　\[A\] Some benefits packages for full-time employees have already been a standard for freelancers。

　　\[B\] Those who provide lesser health care coverage will be degraded in the industry evaluation。

　　\[C\] Some companies use mediocre health care coverage as an edge in attracting freelancers。

　　\[D\] It is a common practice for the companies not to provide adequate health care coverage for freelancers。

　　38. What does the word “reinstate” (Line 6, Paragraph 3) most probably mean?

　　\[A\] redesign\[B\] repair\[C\] restore\[D\] reset

　　39. Why did the MTV Networks' spokeswoman say the number of freelancers was unclear?

　　\[A\] The figure rises and falls all over the year。

　　\[B\] The company wants to keep it as a secret so that they can better stand the protest。

　　\[C\] As they are only freelancers, their payrolls are not included in the financial system of the company。

　　\[D\] They do not want to treat freelancers the same as full-time employees。

　　40. Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?

　　\[A\] Government may intervene in this dispute。

　　\[B\] Strike will continue and labours union may intervene。

　　\[C\] Companies decided to compromise with these freelancers。

　　\[D\] Some freelancers have filed law suits against Viacom。

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