SECTION 2: READING TEST

Directions: In this section you will read several passages. Each one is followed by several questions about it. You are to choose ONE best answer, (A), (B), (C) or (D), to each question. Answer all the questions following each passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage and write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.

Questions 1-5

Advances in surveillance technology could seriously damage individual privacy unless drastic measures are taken to protect personal data, scientists have said. Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, gave warning last year that Britain was "sleepwalking" into a surveillance society. Yesterday the country's leading engineers developed the theme, fleshing out a dystopian vision that not even George Orwell could have predicted.

They said that travel passes, supermarket loyalty cards and mobile phones could be used to track individuals' every move. They also predicted that CCTV (close-circuit television) footage could become available for public consumption and that terrorists could hijack the biometric chips in passports and rig them up as a trigger for explosives.

The report by the Royal Academy of Engineering, Dilemmas of Privacy and Surveillance-Challenges of Technological Change, argues that the scientists developing surveillance technology should also think about measures to protect privacy. "Just as security features have been incorporated into car design, privacy-protecting features should be incorporated into the design of products and services that rely on divulging personal information," the report says.

"There is a choice between a Big Brother world where individual privacy is almost extinct and a world where the data are kept by individual organizations or services and kept secret and secure." The report says that shoppers should be allowed to buy goods and services without revealing their identities to the companies that provide them. It argues that travel and supermarket loyalty cards and mobile phones are mines of personal information that should be closely scrutinized to make sure that data is not abused.

Professor Nigel Gilbert, chairman of the report group, said: "In most cases, supermarket loyalty cards will have your name on. Why? What is needed in a loyalty card is for the supermarket to know what has been bought so you can get your discounts.

"Does it need to identify you? No, it just needs authentication that you've bought the goods. It is the same for Oyster cards on the Tube, some of which you have to register for. These are all apparently small things but people are being required to give away more identification information than is required."

Ian Forbes, the report's coauthor, said that because footage from CCTV cameras could be digitized and potentially stored for ever, that necessitated greater scrutiny of the controlling networks. Britain has about five million CCTV cameras, one for every 12 people.

The report says: "Give this potential, it cannot be guaranteed that surveillance images will remain private, or will not be altered, misused or manipulated." The report also gives warning that biometric passports and identity cards would give fresh opportunities to fraudsters and terrorists to read remotely the data chips that they contain. It says that it could be possible to rig a bomb to go off in the presence of a certain person or someone of a particular nationality.

The report proposes that the Information Commissioner should be given extended powers, and that stiffer penalties, including prison sentences, should be introduced for those who misuse personal data. The Commons Home Affairs Select Committee is expected to announce an inquiry into the growing use of surveillance.

1. When Richard Thomas gave warning that Britain was "sleepwalking" into a surveillance society, he was telling us that _______.

(A) Britain was not going to become a surveillance society

(B) Britain was fully aware of the possible future of a surveillance society

(C) Britain was fighting against the surveillance society

(D) Britain was not realizing the implication of the surveillance society

2. According to the report by the Royal Academy of Engineering, _______.

(A) privacy-protecting technology should be developed on the basis of surveillance technology

(B) technological change can hardly challenge the protection of individual privacy

(C) scientists should focus more on the development of products protecting privacy

(D) the design of surveillance products should take into account the protection of privacy

3. According to the passage, the greatest threat to an individual in a surveillance society is _______.

(A) your every move will be tracked

(B) your personal information will be publicized

(C) your personal property will be stolen

(D) your life will be taken

4. George Orwell is mentioned in the passage because _______.

(A) he was the one who coined the expression "Big Brother"

(B) he was a famous British novelist in the 20th century

(C) he described a world where individual privacy is denied

(D) he conducted the investigation of the damage done to individual privacy

5. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

(A) Supermarkets often get more personal information of customers than is required.

(B) It is suggested that the surveillance images should be kept top secret.

(C) The coverage of CCTV cameras in England is quite extensive.

(D) Tough measures and penalties are proposed to stop the misuse of personal data.

Questions 6-10

Journalists who write about families as well as social and cultural issues can count on receiving an annual barrage of public relations pitches for Valentine's Day. The PR blitz begins right after Christmas and continues almost until the big day itself. Daily, sometimes hourly, e-mails pop up on my computer screen, as publicity agents propose stories on a variety of love-rated subjects.

Some suggest traditional topics: How about interviewing the author of a new book on how to find the perfect mate? Or what about a story offering ideas on the best gifts to give to your heartthrob? Other suggestions take a thoroughly modern approach to romance. Publicists would be happy to provide information about the newest matchmaking website or the hottest dating coach. There's even a "psychic medium" who promises to tell radio and television audiences about their "current and future relationships."

Individually, these story promotions could be taken for what they are: just another day, another client, another dollar in the life of publicity agents. But collectively, they signal more than simply a desire to capitalize on a holiday that has mushroomed into a $17 billion industry. In their varied forms, these promotions reflect the urgency of the quest for love and companionship in a society where one-quarter of all households now consist of single people.

These pitches also serve as a measure of how much Valentine's Day itself has changed. They can impel long-married observers to look back with a certain nostalgia to a time several decades ago when Feb. 14 didn't carry such intensity-and when courtship didn't cost quite so much. That was a time before men were expected to spend two months' worth of their salary for an engagement ring, before men and women decided they would settle for nothing less than a "soul mate," and before it was necessary to seek advice from an army of self-help gurus bearing titles such as "relationship and interpersonal communication expert." That was also an era when many hopeful Prince Charmings could show their love with a card or a heart-shaped box of drugstore chocolates, and when even a single rose could melt a young woman's heart.

What a contrast to today, when anything less than a dozen long-stemmed roses can risk making a sender appear frugal, and when an ardent suitor who wants to make an impression will buy chocolates from Belgium, whatever the cost. This year the average man will spend $120 and the average woman $85, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Is this love, or obligation? For some men, it might even include a bit of guilt. As Tracy Mullin, CEO of the NRF, notes, presumably with tongue planted firmly in cheek, some men "may be looking at Valentine's Day as a way to make up for that HDTV they splurged on for the Super Bowl." As one public radio station announcer put it during a Valentine's Day fundraiser offering long-stemmed roses. "This is a perfect way to fulfill your Valentine's obligations." Another host making a similar appeal urged listeners to "take care of your Valentine's Day duties."

And if you don't? One relationship expert quoted in a Valentine's Day press release offers the stern warning that "if a guy doesn't come through on Valentine's Day, it means he doesn't care about you," so just say goodbye and move on. But assuming he does care, another PR firm suggests a high-tech approach to the day. "This year, think outside the box and send a Video Valentine!" the e-mail pitch begins. "Too shy to say those three little words in person? Profess your love on video! Or use your cellphone to record yourself shopping for the perfect gift." Diamonds, anyone?

Whatever the approach, couples might do well to follow the advice of a group of husbands in Japan who say they know the answer to wedded bliss. In an effort to communicate better with their wives, they offer Three Principles of Love: Say "sorry" without fear, say "thank you" without hesitation, and say "I love you" without shame. It's a trio of sentiments that women could adopt as well.

Tomorrow all the unsold Valentines with their declarations of love and affection will disappear from card racks, to be replaced by Easter messages featuring eggs and bunnies. Long stemmed roses will begin to open, boxes of chocolate will be nibbled away, and cards with sentimental messages will be propped on desks and dressers. Whatever hopes and expectations are fulfilled-or not-today, the celebration offers a touching reminder that when it comes to matters of the heart, the approaches might change, but the yearning for love and companionship doesn't. Above all, it offers this comforting reassurance: Cupid lives.

6. The author introduces the "story promotions" before Valentine's Day _______.

(A) to show the continuation of this long tradition

(B) to display the busy life of journalists in the western world

(C) to highlight the commercialization of a traditional holiday

(D) to reveal the rapidly changing patterns of holiday celebrations

7. The word "pitches" used in the passage can best be paraphrased as _______.

(A) phrases of promotion (B) commending remarks

(C) objective descriptions (D) terms of courtship

8. In describing how people celebrated Valentine's Day a few decades ago, the author _______.

(A) tells us that dating is a nice experience

(B) reminds people how much the practice has changed

(C) hints that companionship should be cherished

(D) argues that social progress is inevitable

9. When the author is asking "Is this love, or obligation?"(para. 6), he is implying that _______.

(A) obligation could be taken as equal to love

(B) the changing pattern will not be popular

(C) love cannot be replaced by obligation

(D) the changing attitude is not healthy

10. The last sentence of the passage "Cupid lives." _______.

(A) serves as a concluding remark summarizing the main idea of the passage

(B) is used as a contrast to the prevailing practice of Valentine's Day celebration

(C) shows the author's belief in human yearning for love and companionship

(D) is used as a fierce attack against the changing human relationship

Questions 11-15

Right now, Prince Charles is probably wishing he had hit the slopes after all. Britain's Prince of Wales decided last year to begin reducing his carbon footprint-the amount of carbon dioxide created by his activities-by cutting down on his flights abroad, including an annual skiing vacation in Switzerland. Though we should all be in the position to make such sacrifices, Charles didn't win plaudits for his holiday martyrdom. Instead British green groups, seconded by Environment Secretary David Miliband, spanked the Prince for deciding to fly to the U.S. on Jan. 27 to pick up a prestigious environmental award, arguing that the carbon emissions created by his travel canceled out his green cred.

It's too easy to mock His Royal Highness; in England it's practically the national sport. But his critics may be onto something. Jets are uniquely polluting, and the carbon they emit at high altitudes appears to have a greater warming effect than the same amount of carbon released on the ground by cars or factories. On an individual level, a single long-haul flight can emit more carbon per passenger than months of SUV driving. Though air travel is responsible for only

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1.6% of total greenhouse gas emissions, in many countries it's the fastest-growing single source-and with annual airline passengers worldwide predicted to double to 9 billion by 2025, that growth is unlikely to abate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) put it bluntly last year: "The growth in aviation and the need to address climate change cannot be reconciled."

One of the biggest problems, as the IPCC points out, is that the carbon emitted by air travel currently has "no technofix." As messy a source of pollution as electricity generation and ground transportation are, technologies do exist that could drastically cut carbon from power plants and cars. Not so for planes: the same aircraft models will almost certainly be flying on the same kerosene fuel for decades.

Admittedly, the airline industry has improved efficiency over the past 40 years, with technological upgrades more than doubling efficiency. There are tweaks in aircraft operations that could nip carbon emissions even further. Virgin Atlantic airlines tycoon Richard Branson, who pledged $3 billion in the fight against climate change, advocates having planes towed on the ground rather than taxiing, which he has said could cut a yet unspecified portion of fuel on long flights. Emissions trading for the air industry could help as well, with airlines given carbon caps and then being required to purchase credits from other industries if they exceed their limits. But there's nothing On the horizon for aircraft with the carbon-cutting potential of hydrogen engines or solar energy. "It's not like having leaky home windows you can fix with double glazing," says Leo Murray, a spokesman for the green group Plane Stupid, which led the criticism of Prince Charles.

Nor is there any replacement for long-haul air travel itself. I can take a train from Boston to Washington, but until we can figure out how to travel via fireplace, Harry Potter-style, the only way I'm getting from Tokyo to New York City is in aircraft that may emit more than 5,200 lbs. (about 2,400 kg) of carbon per passenger, round-trip, according to one estimate. On an individual level, you can try to make your flight carbon neutral by donating to, say, a forestry project that will soak up the greenhouse gases you have created. An increasing number of airlines and travel agents do offer such options. The London-based CarbonNeutral Company reports that requests for carbon offsetting from individual travelers have jumped over the past six months. But the still tiny number of neutralized flights can hardly compensate for the rapid increases in global air travel.

So is grounding ourselves the only answer? That seems to be the conclusion of environmentalists in Britain, who also went after Prime Minister Tony Blair for a recent holiday trip to Miami. Though Blair belatedly promised to begin offsetting his leisure travel, he insisted that telling people to fly less was simply impractical-and he's probably right. Some environmentalists suggest that we could learn to live more locally, but good luck keeping them in Brighton after they've seen Beijing-and vice versa. Our best bet for now may be to limit any business and leisure flights that we can and offset the rest. So when you're pondering that luxury Swiss vacation, ask yourself: What would Prince Charles do?

11. The sentence "But his critics may be onto something." (para. 2) implies that _______.

(A) the critics feel it am easy task to criticize Britain's Prince Charles

(B) the critics belong to British green groups

(C) the critics are right in pointing out the critical issue in environmental pollution

(D) the critics know that long-haul flights emit more carbon dioxide than car driving

12. Which of the following would be the author's major concern?

(A) Air travel is responsible for only 1.6% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

(B) The carbon emission by air travel is growing faster than by other industries.

(C) The annual airline passengers worldwide are predicted to double to 9 billion by 2025.

(D) The carbon released by jets, cars and factories all produces a warming effect.

13. What does the author mean by saying that "the carbon emitted by air travel currently has 'no technofix'"(para. 3)?

(A) Technologies for carbon reduction in all industries, including aviation, do not exist yet.

(B) Technologies are not available for carbon reduction with the current aircraft models.

(C) Technologies designed to cut pollution from electricity generation and from air travel are not the same.

(D) Technologies to cut carbon from power plants cannot be used to cut carbon from planes.

14. The word "tweaks" in the sentence "There are tweaks in aircraft operations that could nip carbon emissions even further."(para. 4) can be paraphrased as _______.

(A) theoretical possibilities (B) great inventions

(C) minor improvements (D) technological upgrades

15. What does the expression "neutralized flights" (para. 5) mean in the passage?

(A) You compensate for emission of your flight by joining environmental activities.

(B) You replace long-haul air travel by sea or by train to reduce carbon emission.

(C) You travel less by air so as to cut carbon emission.

(D) You neutralize your flight carbon by being an environmentalist and by taking as few business and leisure flights as possible.

Questions 16-20

It is hard to escape the fact that in developed societies, despite progress, innovation and prosperity, there is something not quite right. In some cases, it is hard for people to put a fmger on it: a feeling of emptiness and not belonging, a lack of defined relationships and solid social structures. In other respects, it is readily quantifiable: rates of drug abuse, violent crime and depression and suicide are rocketing. Why are we so unhappy? It seems that the Enlightenment brought forth unparalleled liberty in economic, social and political life, but we are now undergoing a midlife crisis. The politics of happiness is nothing new. Aristotle once said that happiness is the goal of life. But for me. the person who brings the great conundrum of personal happiness alive is Robert Kennedy. In a beautifully crafted speech, he said what "makes life worthwhile" is "the health of our children, the quality of their education, they joy of their play," "the strength of our marriages... our devotion to our country" and our "wit...wisdom and courage." And he pointed out that none of these could be measured by gross national product.

Nor should we be surprised by the politics of happiness. Ask people,how they are, and they will answer in terms of their family life, community life and work life, rather than just what they are paid. Despite this, it is a notoriously difficult subject for politicians to grasp. One reason is that happiness and well-being are generally not well served by statistical analysis. Politicians, obsessed with inputs and outputs, targets and controls, are flummoxed by immeasurable concepts such as the value people place on spending time with their families. Another reason is that electoral cycles lend themselves to a culture of short-termism, with a need for immediate and quantifiable measurements.

One such measurement is GDP. In many ways, increasing this has been the raison d'etre for many center-right political parties since the 1980s. Back then, many developed economies were in a state of economic malaise, with persistently high inflation and unemployment. We needed something to reverse this stagnation and put us back onto the path of prosperity. Thankfully, we got that. Today we need to be just as revolutionary to put us back on track to social prosperity: to respond to that yearning for happiness. That is why I have been arguing in Britain that we need to refocus our energies on general well-being(GWB). It means recognizing the social, cultural and moral factors that give true meaning to our lives. In particular, it means focusing on a sustainable environment and building stronger societies. And yes, it also means recognizing that there is more to life than money: indeed, that quality of life means more than the quantity of money.

I think the center-right can be the champions of this cause. The center-left never really get the well-being agenda because they treat individuals as units of account. And they find it difficult to understand how it cannot be delivered simply by the push of a legislator's pen. Instead, the politics of well-being is a politics that needs to be founded on sharing responsibility. Of course, government must take its own responsibilities. But that needs to be part of a wider cultural change: a cultural change that will occur as a consequence of legislation, leadership and social change. What's the government's role? It is to show leadership and set the framework. Showing leadership means leading the change in the many areas that impact on well-being. For example, everyone would agree that spending more time with family is crucial to happiness. Here governments should be pioneers of flexible working with public-sector employees.

Setting the right framework means creating incentives and removing barriers to remodel the context within which the whole of society makes choices. Take the environment. Everyone would agree that a cleaner local environment would enhance our well-being. By setting a framework that creates a price for carbon in our economy and encourages green innovation, the government can help people make the better choice.

Ultimately, society's happiness requires us all to play our part. Indeed, playing our part is part of being happy. That is why we need a revolution in responsibility. Corporate responsibility means businesses taking a proactive role, and taking account of their employees' lives. Civic responsibility means giving power back to local government, community organizations and social enterprises so they can formulate local solutions to local problems. And personal responsibility means we all do out bit, be it in cleaning up our local environment or participating in local politics.

Professor Neil Browne at Bowling Green State University recently wrote an article: "If Markets Are So Wonderful, Why Can't I Find Friends at the Store?" It is not that markets are bad or that we are doomed to a life of perpetual unhappiness. Rather, given our advances in terms of political freedom, economic enterprise and cultural ingenuity, life could, and should, be more satisfying. That is why focusing on general well-being could be the big, defining political concept of the 21st century. And by recognizing the responsibility every section of society has, we also have the means to enhance it.

16. It can be concluded from the passage that the author's major concern is _______.

(A) the continuing social progress and prosperity

(B) the development of western philosophy

(C) corporate, civic and personal responsibilities

(D) general well-being of the society

17. The expression "flummoxed by" in the sentence "Politicians, obsessed with inputs and outputs, targets and controls, are flummoxed by immeasurable concepts such as the value people place on spending time with their families." (para. 2) can best be replaced by _______.

(A) confronted with (B) fascinated with

(C) perplexed by (D) haunted by

18. According to the passage, why is the happiness of the general public a difficult subject for the government?

(A) It can not be adequately explained by statistical data.

(B) It is not related to a culture of short-term ism.

(C) People need to cope with inflation and unemployment first.

(D) People place too much value on happiness and well-being.

19. It can be inferred from the passage that the author is most probably _______.

(A) an American congressman (B) a British politician

(C) an American journalist (D) a British environmentalist

20. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

(A) Politicians are obsessed with inputs and outputs, targets and controls.

(B) short-termism leads to the pursuit of immediate and quantifiable measurements.

(C) Center-right political parties have long focused on the increase of GDP.

(D) The cause of building GWB can be led by the center-left political parties.