There are various ways in which individual economic units can interact with one another. Three basic ways may be described as the market system, the administered system, and the traditional system.
　　In a market system individual economic units are free to interact among each other in the marketplace. It is possible to buy commodities from other economic units or sell commodities to them. In a market, transactions may take place via barter or money exchange. In a barter economy, real goods such as automobiles, shoes, and pizzas are traded against each other. Obviously, finding somebody who wants to trade my old car in exchange for a sailboat may not always be an easy task. Hence, the introduction of money as a medium of exchange eases transactions considerably. In the modern market economy, goods and services are bought or sold for money.
　　An alternative to the market system is administrative control by some agency over all transactions. This agency will issue commands as to how much of each good and service should be produced, exchanged, and consumed by each economic unit. Central planning may be one way of administering such an economy. The central plan, drawn up by the government, shows the amounts of each commodity produced by the various firms and allocated to different households for consumption. This is an example of complete planning of production, consumption, and exchange for the whole economy.
　　In a traditional society, production and consumption patterns are governed by tradition; every person’s place within the economic system is fixed by parentage, religion, and custom. Transactions take place on the basis of tradition, too. People belonging to a certain group or caste（阶级） may have an obligation to care for other persons, provide them with food and shelter, care for their health, and provide for their education. Clearly, in a system where every decision is made on the basis of tradition alone, progress may be difficult to achieve. An inactive society may result.
【小题1】What is the main purpose of the passage?

There are various ways in which individual economic units can interact with one another. Three basic ways may be described as the market system, the administered system, and the traditional system.
　　In a market system individual economic units are free to interact among each other in the marketplace. It is possible to buy commodities from other economic units or sell commodities to them. In a market, transactions may take place via barter or money exchange. In a barter economy, real goods such as automobiles, shoes, and pizzas are traded against each other. Obviously, finding somebody who wants to trade my old car in exchange for a sailboat may not always be an easy task. Hence, the introduction of money as a medium of exchange eases transactions considerably. In the modern market economy, goods and services are bought or sold for money.
　　An alternative to the market system is administrative control by some agency over all transactions. This agency will issue commands as to how much of each good and service should be produced, exchanged, and consumed by each economic unit. Central planning may be one way of administering such an economy. The central plan, drawn up by the government, shows the amounts of each commodity produced by the various firms and allocated to different households for consumption. This is an example of complete planning of production, consumption, and exchange for the whole economy.
　　In a traditional society, production and consumption patterns are governed by tradition; every person’s place within the economic system is fixed by parentage, religion, and custom. Transactions take place on the basis of tradition, too. People belonging to a certain group or caste（阶级） may have an obligation to care for other persons, provide them with food and shelter, care for their health, and provide for their education. Clearly, in a system where every decision is made on the basis of tradition alone, progress may be difficult to achieve. An inactive society may result.
【小题1】What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To outline contrasting types of economic systems.

B．To explain the science of economics.

C．To argue for the superiority of one economic system.

D．To compare barter and money-exchange markets.

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，完成文后题目。

　　In our system of education today, examinations are a common feature. Our present education system has often been criticized as too examinationoriented(以考试为导向的). However, one must remember that in offices and other areas of work, examinations still feature clearly. There is no doubt that the fear and influence of examination cause much preparation work. So it therefore appears that examinations whether considered good or bad would stay for a while as a test of human knowledge.

　　Examinations are meant to test the intellect of a person, how much he knew or how he had learnt from a particular course. It is designed to make students study, which should be their immediate mission in life. In our competitive world of today, examinations have a highly selecting or filtering role. In the university, students have to pass annual examinations before they are allowed to continue, or study a harder syllabus(教学大纲). Moreover, for entrance into a university, preuniversity examination results would provide a guide as to whether a students has the minimum qualifications(资格) necessary.

　　In offices whether government or private ones, examination results show clearly whether a person is fit for promotion. The results indicate how much he knows about the work.

　　In all these cases, examinations inculcate(灌输) a spirit of hard work and competition. Students or office workers can refresh their mind again and again on what they have learnt. This maintains a certain individual(独特的) and over all standard of knowledge.

1．The first paragraph mainly indicated that ________.

[　　]

A．although criticized, examinations are still widely used

B．examinations play a bad role in education

C．one should take an argument in favor of examinations

D．examinations serve as a test of human knowledge

2．The function of examinations in offices is that their results ________.

[　　]

A．show clearly how well a person is prepared for the examinations.

B．show clearly whether a person is fit for promotion

C．suggest the way in which the employees deal with routine work

D．indicate whether an employee has minimum qualifications necessary

3．Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?

[　　]

A．Examinations can motivate people to work hard and to be competitive.

B．Examinations involve much preparation work.

C．Through examinations, excellent people can be selected.

D．Examinations have produced many people capable(有能力的) of their own field.

4．The underlined word“filtering”in Para. 2 means ________.

[　　]

Teeth are important．Strong，healthy teeth help you chew foods that help you grow．They help you speak clearly．And，they help you look your best．Here are some tips for you to take care of your teeth．
1．Brush your teeth in the right way．
Brush your teeth at least twice a day—after breakfast and lunch or after sweet snacks，too．
Brush all of your teeth，not just the front ones，Spend time brushing teeth along the sides and back of your mouth．Brush away from your gums，too．
Spend at least three minutes each time you brush．Play a song you like to help pass the time．Get a new toothbrush every three months．When you buy your toothbrush，be sure it has soft bristles．
2．Learn how to floss your teeth．
Flossing is a very important way to keep your teeth healthy．Food may hide in places where a toothbrush cannot get to，like the space between two teeth．Flossing can help get rid of it．Carefully move floss between two teeth．Up and down．You’ll need to floss your teeth at least once a day．
3．Have good eating habits．
You need to be careful about what you eat and drink. Eating sugar is a major of tooth decay．Eating sugar before you go to bed can make things even worse，eat lots of fruit and vegetables and drink water instead of soda．

1. 1.

   The passage is mainly about          ．

   1. A.
      teeth are important
   2. B.
      how to brush and floss your teeth
   3. C.
      how to form good eating habits
   4. D.
      how to take care of your teeth
2. 2.

   The underlined word “tips” in this passage means          ．

   1. A.
      money given to the waiter for personal services
   2. B.
      piece of advice on how to do something
   3. C.
      light blow, tap
   4. D.
      thin end of something
3. 3.

   Which is NOT mentioned in this passage？

   1. A.
      Flossing your teeth．
   2. B.
      Having good eating habits．
   3. C.
      Brushing your teeth．
   4. D.
      Going to see the dentist．
4. 4.

   Which of the following statements is NOT true according to this article？

   1. A.
      We should brush our teeth at least twice a day．
   2. B.
      Flossing can help to get rid of the food hidden between two teeth．
   3. C.
      One of the major causes of tooth decay is eating sugar．
   4. D.
      We don’t have to brush our teeth if we eat a lot of fruit and vegetables．