Reading Comprehension (40 minutes) Section A Directions: In this section , there is a passage w ith ten blanks . You are required to select one w ord for each blank from a list of choices gi v en in a w ord bank follo w ing the passage . Read the passage through carefully before making your choices . Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter . Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on the Ans w er Sheet . You may not use any of the w ords in the bank more than once . Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage. There are two factors which __ 36 __ an individual's intelligence. The first is the sort of brain he is born with. Human brains differ __ 37 __ , some being more capable than others. But no matter how good a brain he has to begin with , an individual will have a low order of intelligence unless he has __ 38 __ to learn. So the second factor is what happens to the individual—the sort of environment in which he is brought up. If an individual is handicapped ( 不利 ) environmentally , it is likely that his brain will fail to develop and he will never attain the level of intelligence of which he is __ 39 __. The importance of environment in determining an individual's intelligence can be demonstrated by the case history of the identical twins , Peter and Mark. Being __ 40 __ , the twins had identical brains at birth , and their growth __ 41 __ were the same. When the twins were three months old , their parents died , and they were placed in separate foster ( 抚养 ) homes. Peter was __ 42 __ by parents of low intelligence in an __ 43 __ community with poor educational opportunities. Mark was reared in the home of well­to­do parents who had been to college. He was read to as a child , sent to good schools , and given every opportunity to be stimulated intellectually. This environmental __ 44 __ continued until the twins were in their late teens , when they were given tests to measure their intelligence. Mark's I . Q. was 125 , twenty­five points higher than the __ 45 __ and fully forty points higher than his identical brother. Given equal opportunities , the twins , having identical brains , would have tested at roughly the same level. A) average I) departure B) considerably J) isolated C) interpret K) inevitable D) manner L) capable E) identical M) advantage F) opportunities N) processes G) raised O) difference H) determine Section B Directions: In this section , you are going to read a passage w ith ten statements attached to it . Each statement contains information gi v en in one of the paragraphs . Identify the paragraph from w hich the information is deri v ed . You may choose a paragraph more than once . Each paragraph is marked w ith a letter . Ans w er the questions by marking the corresponding letter on the Ans w er Sheet. Outsourcing A) When businesses need expertise or skills that they don't have within their organization , they often turn to outsourcing to solve their problems. Outsourcing means going “out” to find the “source” of what you need. These days many businesses outsource for what they need to serve their customers , both internal and external. An external customer is the entity that ultimately purchases a company's product or services , while an internal customer is the company's own employees or shareholders. Business can obtain both products like machine parts , and services like payroll , through outsourcing. B) Outsourcing probably can trace its roots to large manufacturing companies , which hired outside companies to produce specialized components that they needed for their products. Automakers , for instance , hired companies to make components for air conditioning units , sound systems and sunroofs. In some cases , they moved entire factories to foreign countries. The big shift in recent years , however , is service outsourcing , which refers to companies hiring outside businesses to provide specialized work and expertise. C) Outsourcing offers many advantages. For instance , outsourcing allows companies to seek out and hire the best experts for specialized work. Using outsourcing also helps companies keep more cash on hand , freeing resources for other purposes , such as capital improvements. It's also often cheaper in terms of salaries and benefits and reduces risks and costs. Outsourcing can also help a business focus on its core components without distractions from supplementary and support functions. Another advantage—such as the one involving the fictitious Smith & Co.—involves speed. It's sometimes quicker and more efficient to hire a specialist to do something than it is to bring your company up to speed. Many large companies use outsourcing to fill roles in their organization that would be too expensive or inefficient to create themselves. Smaller companies also turn to outsourcing , though the cost savings is sometimes diminished. D) However , outsourcing has some inherent disadvantages. The company often has less direct oversight and control of the product or service it's purchasing , which can threaten the relationship between the company and its customers. Communication can cause problems. Outsourcing overseas can lead to language barrier issues. Outsourcing , especially offshore , is sometimes criticized , which can mean bad public relations for a company. Security issues , such as keeping proprietary information private , also can arise. Hiring an outside company presents challenges to the hiring company. E) As with most business trends , outsourcing has its roots in simple economics. Take the case of the fictitious Smith & Co. Manufacturing we discussed earlier. For the company to hire a new line of engineers and equip them it would spend considerable resources planning the venture. They may ask questions such as : Where would they work? How many employees do we need? Where do we find them? Companies would have to address those questions before hiring , training , housing and equipping the engineers. And once hired , the engineers must be paid. Benefits like medical insurance and retirement contributions typically cost another 30 percent to 40 percent of an individual's salary. If the venture collapses under its own weight , the company's unemployment insurance also will take a hit. Putting all this together takes time , and time , as the old saying goes , is money. Using this approach , Smith & Co. would have to be well assured that such a massive investment would pay off steadily over many years to justify it. In many cases , companies would rather be less adventurous with their capital. F) On the other hand , if Smith & Co. can find an existing engineering firm with the precise expertise their new product requires , they can save time , money , risk and resources. The new product can launch faster and cheaper , meaning more profits for the company and its shareholders. Smith & Co.is one example of how outsourcing can impact a company and its workers favorably. The practice is criticized , however , when existing company employees lose their jobs when companies choose instead to outsource them. Outsourcing jobs to companies located overseas is typically singled out for particular condemnation , pitting workers against companies and prompting political debate over regulation of such ventures. G) We said earlier that one of the main advantages to outsourcing is that it allows companies to access the world class talent—that is , a company could hire the best widget engineer , not just settle for the available one. But when does it make sense to hire someone overseas , as opposed to one across the street or even a nearby city? It's a balance of several things. In general , companies typically mention factors such as quality commitment , price , reputation , business culture compatibility and location when selecting a business partner for outsourcing. Additional factors like understanding goals , constant management of the business relationship , well­written contracts and strong communication are also important for the ongoing success of an outsourcing relationship. H) The choice to go offshore or hire locally can rely on these factors as well as language compatibility , the labor pool's skill and size , security and privacy , the local education systems ability to support the labor pool and the legal culture and stability of a country. People who live and work near one another or at least within the same state or national boundaries will have more in common in terms of language , business culture and background. This can make communications and management easier. Also , it's simply easier to conduct on­site meetings and inspections when one doesn't have to travel overseas to do so. If the particular expertise a company is seeking can be found nearby at a good price , it seems logical most companies would select that option. I) As always in business , however , price can be a major concern. Outsourcing overseas can be less expensive for a company and is just one of the advantages to going offshore for outsourcing needs. This is true for several reasons. Wages in many countries are lower than in the United States. Labor is one of the prime costs in manufacturing or the service industry , so that alone can mean a substantial savings to a company. In the case of manufacturing , raw materials may also be less costly in certain countries. Also , foreign countries may offer a more business­friendly regulatory environment , lower corporate taxes and tax shelters and financial incentives for American business to invest in their countries. Often when a company opens a factory overseas it ends up selling the products made there in that country. This allows the company to access a foreign market more economically. J) Overseas outsourcing shows no signs of slowing down.NetworkWorld.com reported in January 2008 that research firms predict more overseas outsourcing companies will open this year , giving companies in both the United States and Europe m