When we （)super，mother told us a joke.

A.corn borer

B.Japanese beetle

C.gypsy moth

D.fire ant

Supporters of the new super systems argue that these mergers will allow for substantial cost reductions and better coordinated service. Any threat of monopoly, they argue, is removed by fierce competition from trucks. But many shippers complain that for heavy bulk commodities traveling long distances, such as coal, chemicals, and grain, trucking is too costly and the railroads therefore have them by the throat.

The vast consolidation within the rail industry means that most shippers are served by only one rail company. Railroads typically charge such "captive" shippers 20 to 30 percent more than they do when another railroad is competing for the business. Shippers who fed they are being overcharged have the right to appeal to the federal government's Surface Transportation Board for rate relief, but the process is expensive, time consuming, and will work only in truly extreme eases.

Railroads justify rate discrimination against captive shippers on the grounds that in the long run it reduces everyone's cost. If railroads charged all customers the same average rate, they argue, shippers who have the option of switching to trucks or other forms of transportation would do so, leaving remaining customers to shoulder the cost of keeping up the line. It's theory to which many economists subscribe, but in practice it often leaves railroads in the position of determining which companies will flourish and which will fail. "Do we really want railroads to be the arbiters of who wins and who loses in the marketplace"？ Asks Martin Bercovici, a Washington lawyer who frequently represents shipper.

Many captive shippers also worry they will soon be tilt with a round of huge rate increases. The railroad industry as a whole, despite its brightening fortunes. Still does not earn enough to cover the cost of the capital it must invest to keep up with its surging traffic. Yet railroads continue to borrow billions to acquire one another, with Wall Street cheering them on. Consider the $10.2 billion bid by Norfolk Southern and CSX to acquire Conrail this year. Conrail's net railway operating income in 1996 was just $427 million, less than half of the carrying costs of the transaction. Who's going to pay for the rest of the bill？ Many captive shippers fear that they will, as Norfolk Southern and CSX increase their grip on the market.

According to those who support mergers railway monopoly is unlikely because ______.

A．cost reduction is based on competition

B．services call for cross-trade coordination

C．outside competitors will continue to exist

D．shippers will have the railway by the throat

A.bug

B.moth

C.nut

D.cracker

Part B

Directions: In the following ankle, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 41-45, choose the most suitable one from the list A—G to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET I .

If the 20th century has been the American century, then there are plenty of people saying watch this space: the twenty first century will be different. The distinguishing characteristic of the post-cold-war world is that there is only one super power. 41) _______________.

The military muscle-flexing we have seen from China over the last few years could be an indication of how things are likely to go, although it has to be said that to many people's surprise the Chinese have been quite constructive over East Timor. But I think we must assume that the main struggle in the 21st century will be with China, already the world's largest nation. Happily, the Chinese seem to have no global pretensions. One can't see them interfering in some far-distant conflict, and in both military and economic terms they are still light years behind America.

42) _______________.

Europe is already the largest trading block in the world, 43) _______________. . It' s worth remembering that while Europe spends 60 per cent of what the USA does in defence, it has only 10 per cent of the Americans' firepower.

In the Middle East, in a relatively short space of time, bubbling conflicts have moved closer to resolution. The Arab Israeli dispute has been reduced to its core essentials, while agreement between Syria and Israel remains the strategic prize for peace. Iran is undergoing a slow transformation but the outstanding political issue here is Iraq and Saddam Hussein's extraordinary survival. The international community remains bitterly divided about what to do.

Africa, I fear, is going to remain a disaster area, simply because it does not figure on people's mental maps. Currently there is war raging in six countries around the Congo, yet there's very little sense the international community will do anything about it. There is, though, some good news. If you look back a year ago to Algeria, it was drowning in its own blood. Now it seems to be back on the right track.

44) _______________. For many years the non-proliferation regime actually worked surprisingly well, but India and Pakistan going nuclear has been a great blow to the status quo. And now there are new biological and chemical weapons—undreamed-of horrors—not to mention the whole legacy of the cold war which hasn't been cleaned up, such as Russian nuclear waste in the Arctic.

The fundamental problem is that there are countries that are simply being left behind by the onward march of globalization. Global issues such as the environment and drugs—and perhaps even human rights—are going to come much more to the fore. 45) _______________.

[A] It is called to be an economic giant, especially when the euro has been issued.

[B] but while the euro could help it become an economic giant, and even challenge the dollar, it looks likely to re main a political and military pygmy.

[C] And there's only one candidate on the horizon to challenge the US—China.

[D] As the world shrinks, so we shall have an increasing sense of the need for an international humanitarian order. Globalization may be a good thing, but it has a dark underbelly.

[E] Russia is a powerful country which owns military superiority

[F] We must also assume the continued decline of Russia. It shows how far things have gone (and how quickly) when what was once the second most powerful country in the world is being battered by Islamic rebels from the Caucasus. Now we have a Russian state which simply cannot cope.

[G] I do think arms control will be a big item on the agenda in future.

41._______________

When the test was finished, we began our holiday. ()

As long as the resources we consumed each year came primarily from within our own boundaries, this was largely an internal matter. But as our resources come more and more from the outside world, "outsiders'' are going to have some stay over the rate at which and terms under which we consume. We will no longer be able to think in terms of "our" resources and "their" resources, but only of common resources.

As Americans consuming such a disproportionate share of the world's resources, we have to question whether or not we can continue our pursuit of super affluence in a world of scarcity. We are now reaching the point where we must carefully examine the presumed link between our level of well-being and the level of material goods consumed. If you have only one crust of bread, then an additional crust of bread doesn't make that much different. In the eyes of most of the world today, Americans have their loaf of bread and are asking for still more. People elsewhere are beginning to ask why. This is the question we're going to have to answer, whether we're trying to persuade countries to step up their exports of oil to us or trying to convince them that we ought to be permitted to maintain our share of the world fish catch②.

The prospect of a scarcity of, and competition for, the world's resources require that we reexamine the way in which we relate to the rest of the world. It means we find ways of cutting back on resource consumption that is dependent on the resources and cooperation of other countries. We cannot expect people in these countries to concern themselves with our worsening energy and food shortages unless we demonstrate some concern for the hunger, illiteracy and disease that are diminishing life for them③.

The writer warns Americans that ______.

A．their excessive consumption has caused world resource exhaustion

B．they are confronted with the problem of how to obtain more material goods

C．their unfair shale of the world's resources should give way to proper division among countries

D．they have to discard their cars for lack of fossil fuel in the world

We feel very excited when all the work ______ (finish)．