2011年秋季MBA联考《英语》阅读练习题附答案

2011年秋季MBA联考《英语》阅读练习题附答案Passage1Somehousesdesignedtobesmart.Othershavesmartdesigns.AnexampleofthesecondtypeofhousewonanAwardofExcellencefromtheAmericanInstituteofArchitects.LocatedontheshoreofSullivan'sIslandoffthecoastofSouthCarolina,theaward-winningcube-shapedbeachhousewasbuilttoreplaceonesmashedtopiecesbyHurricaneHugo10yearsago.InSeptember1989,HugostruckSouthCarolina,killing18peopleanddamagingordestroying36,000homesinthestate.BeforeHugo,manynewhousesbuiltalongSouthCarolina'sshorelinewerepoorlyconstructedandenforcementofbuildingcodeswasn'tstrict,accordingtoarchitectRayHuff,whocreatedthecleverly-designedbeachhouse.InHugo'swake,allnewshorelinehousesarerequiredtomeetsricter,better-enforcedcodes.ThenewbeachhouseonSullivan'sIslandshouldbeabletowithstandaCategory3hurricanewithpeakwindsof179to209kilometersperhour.Atfirstsight,thehouseonSullivan'sIslandlooksanythingbuthurricane-poor.Itsredwoodshellmakesitresemblealargepartylannternatnight,accordingtooneobserver.Butlookscanbedeceiving.Thehouse'swoodenframeisreinforcedwithlongsteelrodsgiveitextrastrength.Tofurtherprotectthehousefromhurricanedamage,Huffraisedit2.7metersoffthegroundontimberpilings-long,slendercolumnswoodanchoreddeepinthesand.Pilingsmightappearinsecure,buttheyarestrongenoughtosupporttheweightofthehouse.Theyalsoelevatethehouseaboestormsurges.Thepilingsallowthesurgestorununderthehouseinsteadofrunningintoit.Theseswellsofwatercomeashoreattremendousspeedsandcausemostofthedamagedonetobeach-frontbuildings,saidHuff.Huffdesignedthetimberpilingstobepartiallyconcealedbythehouse'sground-to-roofshell.Theshellmasksthepilingssothatthehousedoesn'tlooklikeit'sstandingwithitspantlegspulledup,saidHuff.Intheeventofastormsurge,theshellshouldbreakapartandletthewavesrushunderthehouse,thearchitectexplained.1.AfterthetragedycausedbyHurricaneHugo，newhousesbuiltalongSouthCarolina'sshorelinearerequired_______.A.tobeeasilyreinforced.B.tolooksmarterindesign.C.tomeetstricterbuildingstandards.D.tobedesignedintheshapeofcubes.2.Theaward-winningbeachhouseisquitestrongbecause_______.A.itisstrengthenedbysteelrods.B.itismadeofredwood.C.itisintheshapeofashell.D.itisbuiltwithtimberandconcrete.3.Huffraisedthehouse2.7metersoffthegroundontimberpilingsinorderto_______.A.withstandpeakwindsofabout200km/hr.B.anchorstrongerpilingsdeepinthesand.（吝啬的）taxpayers.Thereissometruthtothat:theproperty-taxratehereisone-thirdlowerthanthestateaverage.ButshuttingtheirschoolsalsoallowedKalkaska'seducatorsandthestate'slargestteachers'union,theMichiganEducationAssociation,tomakeapoliticalpoint.TheiraimwastospurpassageoflegislationMichiganlawmakersaredebatingtoincreasethestate'sshareofschoolfunding.ItwasnocoincidencethatKalkaskashutitsschoolstwoweeksafterresidentsrejecteda28percentproperty-taxincrease.Theschoolboardarguedthatwithouttheincreaseitlackedthe$1.5millionneededtokeepschoolsopen.Buttheschoolsystemhadnotdoneallitcouldtokeeptheschoolsopen.Officialsdeclinedtoborrowagainstnextyear'sstateaid,theyrefusedtotrimextracurricularactivitiesandtheydidnotconisderseekingasmaller-perhapsmoreacceptable-taxincrease.Infact,closingearlyiscostingKalkaskaasignificantamount,including$600,000inunempolymentpaymentstoteachersandstaffand$250,000inloststateaid.InFebruary,theschoolsystempromisedteachersandstafftwomonthsofretirementpaymentsincaseschoolscolsedearly,adealthatwillcostthedistrict$275,000more.Othersignssuggestschoolauthoritieswereatleastaseagertomakeapoliticalstatementastokeepschoolsopen.TheMichiganEducationAssociationhiredapublicrelationsfirmtostagearallymarkingtheschoolclosings,whichattracted14localandnationaltelevisionstationsandnetworks.ThepresidentoftheNationalEducationAssociation,TheMEA'sparentorganization,flewfromWashington,D.C.,fortheevent.Andtheuniontutoredschoolofficialsintheartoftelevisioninterviews.SchoolsupervisorDoyleDisbrowacknowledgesthedistrictcouldhavekeptschoolsopenbycuttingprogramsbutdeniesthemoveswerepoliticallymotivated.Michiganlawmakershavereactedangrilytotheclosings.ThestateSenatehasalreadyvotedtoputthesystemintoreceivership（破产管理）andreopen.schoolsimmediately;theMichiganHouseplanstoconsiderthebillthisweek.6.WelearnfromthepassagethatschoolsinKalkaska,Michigan,arefunded_______.A)byboththelocalandstategovernmentsB)exclusivelybythelocalgovernmentC)mainlybythestategovernmentD)bytheNationalEducationAssociation7.Oneofthepurposesforwhichschoolofficialscolsedclasseswas_______.A)toavoidpayingretirementbenefitstoteachersandstaffB)todrawtheattentionoflocaltaxpayerstopoliticalissuesC)t