D
Taste is suc．h a subjective matter that we dori't usually conduct preference tests for food． The most you can say about anyone's preference is that it's one person's opinion．But because the two bigcola companies-Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola-are marketed so aggressively, we've wondered how big arole taste-preference actually plays in brand loyalty．We set up a taste test that challenged people who identified themselves as either Coca-cola or Pepsi fans: Find your brand in a blind tasting．
we inwited staff wolunteers who had a strong liking for either Coca-Cola Classic or Pepsi, Diet Coke．or Diet Pepsi．These were people who thought they'd have no trouble telling their brand from the oLher brancl．
We eventuallv located 19 regular cola drinkers and 27 diet cola drinkers．Then we fed them with four unidentified samples of cola one at a time, regular colas for the one group, diet versions for the other．rOVe asked them to tell us whether each sample wa．s Coke or Pepsi; then we analyzed the records statistically to compare the participants' choices \~-ith what mere guesswork could have accom-plished．
Getting all four samples right was a tough test, biit not too tough, we thought, for people whobelieved they could recognize their brand． In the end, only 7 0ut of 19 regular cola drinkers correct-ly identified their brand of choice in all four trial．s． The diet-cola drinkers did a little worse-only 7 out of 27 identified all four samples correctly．
Both groups did better than chance would predict, but nearly half the participants in each group made the wrong choice two or more times．Two people got all'four samples vrrong． Overall, hal．f theparticipants did about as well on the last round of tasting as on the first, so tiredness, or taste burn-out, was not a factor． Our preference test results suggest that only a few Pepsi participants and Coke fans may really be able to tell their favorite brand by taste and price．
71．According to the passage the preference test was conducted in order to______
A．show that a person's opinion about taste is mere guesswork
B．compare the ability of the participants in choosing their drinks
C．find out the role taste preference plays in a person's drinking
D．reveal which cola is more to the liking of the dr-inkcrs
72．The statistics recorded in the preference tests show that         
A．there is not much difference in taste between Coca-Cola and Pepsi
B．few people had trouble telling Coca-Cola from Pepsi
C．people's tastes differ from one another
D．Coca-Cola and Pepsi are people's two most favorite drinks
73．It is implied in the first paragraph that______
A．the competition between the two colas is very strong
B．blind tasting is necessary for identifying fans
C．the purpose of taste test is to promote the sale of colas
D．the improvement of quality is the chief concern of the two cola companies
74．The underlined word "bumout" here refers to the state of          ．
A．being seriously bumt in the skin
B．being badly damaged by fire
C．being unable to bum for lack of fuel
D．being unable to function because of too much use
75．The author's purpose in writing this passage is to           ．
A．emphasize that taste and price are closely related to each other
B．recommend that blind tasting be introduced in the quality control'of colas
C．show that taste preference is highly subjective
D．argue that taste testing is an important marketing strategy

IV．词汇运用（每空限填一词，每词0.5分，满分20分）

Part A 单词拼写

1. On New Year’s Eve, many people g_____ under the town clock to welcome the coming year.

2. Many a________ (奖品) will be given to the winners in the following music ceremony.

3. You can’t leave without the teacher’s p___________（允许）.

4. Try to achieve a better ________ (平衡) between work and play.

5. After Mary bought a new house, she was deeply in d______.

6. Do you think the new credit cards will be of great b________ (好处) to our customers.

7. The policeman was the first person on the s_______ (出事地点).

8. He is not stupid; on the c__________, he is very intelligent.

9. Even though he is in r_______, he keeps his dignity.

10. Too much sugar can be h__________(有害的) to children’s teeth.

11. Mary was in low spirit. His boyfriend took her to the concert to c________ her up.

12. Few people can e_________ without water for more than a week.

13. Chinese people have the fine__________ (传统) of respecting teachers.

14. The lake is __________ (环绕) by trees.

15. The girl referred to just now has a g________ for playing the violin.

In a natural disaster—a hurricane,flood,tornado,volcanic eruption,or other calamity—minutes and even seconds of warning can be the difference between life and death.Because of this,scientists and government officials are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen.They are also studying how best to analyze and communicate this information once it is obtained.The goal is to put technology to effective use in saving lives and property when nature unleashes its power with devastating results.

On September 29,1998,Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi,Mississippi,after devastating Haiti,the Dominican Republic,Puerto Rico,and several islands of the Caribbean with torrential rains and winds up to 160 km/h （100 mph）.Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States,although hundreds died in the Caribbean.

This was a very different outcome from 1900,when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston,Texas,killing at least 6 000 people.Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances at either end of the 20th century—residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching,while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance of Georges’s approach,allowing for extensive safety precautions.

At the same time that people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning,some residents of New Orleans,Louisiana,120 km to the west,were less satisfied.A day before Georges made landfall,forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans.Because much of New Orleans lies below sea level,the city is at risk for flooding.In addition,because New Orleans has a large population in vulnerable locations,emergency management officials must begin evacuations well before a storm strikes.But evacuation costs money:Businesses close,tourists leave,and citizens take precautionary measures.The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city’s preparations for Georges cost more than 50 million.After the full fury of Georges missed New Orleans,some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs.

The differing views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges illustrate some of the complexities involved in predicting disasters.Disaster prediction is more than just forecasting the future with advanced technology—it is also a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions.

In general,the process has three phases.First,there is the challenge of forecasting the event itself.In the case of Georges,scientists worked to predict the future direction and strength of the hurricane days in advance.

A second important challenge is communicating the forecast to decision－makers.Because forecasts are always uncertain,a central factor in disaster predictions is communicating this uncertainty.Uncertainty is usually described in terms of odds or probabilities,much like daily weather forecasts.The media plays an important role in communicating predictions and their uncertainty to the public.

The third part of the process is the use of predictive information by decision makers.Even the most accurate information is of little value if the decision maker does not use it appropriately,for example in deciding whether to order an evacuation.If there is a breakdown in any of these three phases of prediction,the result is increased danger and a higher risk of loss of life.

The underlined word“calamity”refers to ______.

A.nature                       B.thunderstorms            C.disaster                            D.dangers

According the passage,the purpose of disaster prediction is to______.

A.demonstrate the power of advanced technology

B.bring out the truth between life and death

C.prevent such natural disasters from happening

D.reduce human casualties and loss of property

Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage?

A.Biloxi,Mississippi.                                        B.Gulf Coast of U. S.

C.Galveston,Texas.                                           D.New Orleans.

IV．词汇运用（每空限填一词，每词0.5分， 满分20分）

Part A 单词拼写

1. On New Year’s Eve, many people g_____ under the town clock to welcome the coming year.

2. Many a________ (奖品) will be given to the winners in the following music ceremony.

3. You can’t leave without the teacher’s p___________（允许）.

4. Try to achieve a better ________ (平衡) between work and play.

5. After Mary bought a new house, she was deeply in d______.

6. Do you think the new credit cards will be of great b________ (好处) to our customers.

7. The policeman was the first person on the s_______ (出事地点).

8. He is not stupid; on the c__________, he is very intelligent.

9. Even though he is in r_______, he keeps his dignity.

10. Too much sugar can be h__________(有害的) to children’s teeth.

11. Mary was in low spirit. His boyfriend took her to the concert to c________ her up.

12. Few people can e_________ without water for more than a week.

13. Chinese people have the fine__________ (传统) of respecting teachers.

14. The lake is __________ (环绕) by trees.

15. The girl referred to just now has a g________ for playing the violin.