2010建行笔试题中的英语部分

Most economists hate gold. Not, you understand, that they would turn up their noses at a bar or two. But they find the reverence in which many hold the metal almost irrational. That it was used as money for millennia is irrelevant: it isn't any more. Modern money takes the form of paper or, more often, electronic data. To economists, gold is now just another commodity. So why is its price soaring? Over the past week, this has topped $450 a troy ounce, up by 9% since the beginning of the year and 77% since April 2001. Ah, comes the reply, gold transactions are denominated in dollars, and the rise in the price simply reflects the dollar's fall in terms of other currencies, especially the euro, against which it hit a new low this week. Expressed in euros, the gold price has moved much less. However, there is no iron link, as it were, between the value of the dollar and the value of gold. A rising price of gold, like that of anything else, can reflect an increase in demand as well as a depreciation of its unit of account.

This is where gold bulls come in. The fall in the dollar is important, but mainly because as a store of value the dollar stinks. With a few longish rallies, the greenback has been on a downward trend since it came off the gold standard in 1971. Now it is suffering one of its sharper declines. At the margin, extra demand has come from those who think dollars--indeed any money backed by nothing more than promises to keep inflation low--a decidedly risky investment, mainly because America, with the world's reserve currency, has been able to create and borrow so many of them. The least painful way of repaying those dollars is to make them worth less.

The striking exception to this extra demand comes from central banks, which would like to sell some of the gold they already have. As a legacy of the days when their currencies were backed by the metal, central banks still hold one-fifth of the world's gold. Last month the Bank of France said it would

sell 500 tonnes in coming years. But big sales by central banks can cause the price to plunge--as when the Bank of England sold 395 tonnes between 1999 and 2002. The result was an agreement between central banks to co-ordinate and limit future sales.

If the price of gold marches higher, this agreement will presumably be ripped up, although a dollar crisis might make central banks think twice about switching into paper money. Will the overhang of central-bank gold drag the price down again? Not necessarily. As James Grant, gold bug and publisher of Grant's Interest Rate Observer, a newsletter, points out, in recent years the huge glut of government debt has not stopped a sharp rise in its price.

1.In economists’eyes, gold is something__________.

[A] they look down upon

[B] that can be exchanged in the market

[C] worth people’s reverence

[D] that should be replaced by other forms of money

2.According to the author, one of the reasons for the rising of gold price is___________.

[A] the increasing demand for gold

[B] the depreciation of the euro

[C] the link between the dollar and gold

[D] the increment of the value of the dollar

3.We can infer from the third paragraph that_________.

[A] the decline of the dollar is inevitable

[B] America benefits from the depreciation of the dollar

[C] the depreciation of the dollar is good news to other currencies

[D] investment in the dollar yields more returns than that in gold

4.The phrase “ripped up”(Line 1, Paragraph 5) most probably means__________.

[A] strengthened

[B] broadened

[C] renegotiated

[D] torn up

5.According to the passage, the rise of gold price__________.

[A] will not last long

[B] will attract some central banks to sell gold

[C] will impel central banks to switch into paper money

[D] will lead to a dollar crisis

Passage Two

There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-

tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends.

A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the “labor-market premium to skill”—or the amount college graduates earned that’s greater than what high-school graduate earned—decreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance (报复性地) since the 1980s. In 2005, The typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned ,900, 62% more than the ,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.

There’s no question that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesn’t come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board ,260 in 2007-08) yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student (,542)? Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student (,380) there? Not likely.

No, in this consumerist age, most buyers aren’t evaluat ing college as an investment, but rather as a consumer product—like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider.

As with automobiles, consumers in today’s college marketplace have vast choices, and people search for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences (such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going to an out-of-state public school that has a great marine-biology program)

And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students (or, more accurately, their parents) often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So which is it? Is college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car? In keeping with the automotive world’s hottest consumer

trend, maybe it’s best to characterize it as a hybrid (混合动力汽车); an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.

6. What’s the opinion of economists about going to college?

A.Huge amounts of money is being wasted on campus socializing.

B.It doesn’t pay to run into debt to recei ve a college education.

C.College education is rewarding in spite of the startling costs.

D.Going to college doesn’t necessarily bring the expected returns.

7. The two Harvard economists note in their study that, for much of the 20th century, ________.

A.enrollment kept decreasing in virtually all American colleges and universities

B.the labor market preferred high-school to college graduates

https://www.sodocs.net/doc/d74922588.html,petition for university admissions was far more fierce than today

D.the gap between the earnings of college and high-school graduates narrowed

8. Students who attend an in-state college or university can ________.

A.save more on tuition

B.receive a better education

C.take more liberal-arts courses

D.avoid traveling long distances

9. In this consumerist age, most parents ________.

A.regard college education as a wise investment

B.place a premium on the prestige of the College

C.think it crucial to send their children to college

D.consider college education a consumer product

10. What is the chief consideration when students choose a college today?

A.Their employment prospects after graduation.

B.A satisfying experience within their budgets.

C.Its facilities and learning environment.

D.Its ranking among similar institutions.

真正好的朋友，从来不需要这些表面功夫。走在这漫漫俗尘，形如微尘的我们，每天忙碌的像只蝼蚁，哪有时间去整那些虚假的表面文章。那些沉淀在岁月里的真情实意，哪一个不是无事各自忙，有事时，却又从不问回报几何的真心相助？

至于那些平日里看上去可以一起打闹，一起吃喝，一起厮混，看似好成一片的人，或许，只是你在多少次的四目相对之时，动了真心，存了真义，是你默默认定对方可称朋友，有困难的时候是你愿意伸以援手，但未必对方一样。

多少看似热情的人，内心是薄情的。而多少看似淡漠的人，内心实则一片温热。那些表面热诚的人，总是相安无事各自好，一旦你有事需要援助，别说大事，就是小事需代劳，你都会发现原来不过情比纸薄，对方远比你自己想的要现实的多。

有些人，自从与你接近，内心就存有一份自己的打算。定是你于他而言，多少有些可用之处。正所谓无事献殷勤，非奸即盗。在这个功利心弥漫的世态下，没有哪一份意外的热情不无所图。不仅是职场如此，男人如此，就连女人也不能免俗。

接孩子的时候，被困高层电梯下不来，一个电话打来，希望能帮忙照看一下放学的孩子。实在的人总是把别人毫不见外的信任，当作是一种荣幸，于是想都不用想就能一口答应。可当你有事需要对方只是代笔签个字这样的举手之劳时，对方都能各种不情愿各种推脱，至此你终是发现，原来人与人之间真不是一杯换一盏的事儿。关键时刻，还是得找那些看似平时不联系，但一开口能力范围之内就愿意为你想办法的人。

多少人天真的以为，认识的人越多，人脉就越广，自己就越厉害，其实，那些所谓的人脉，不过廉价。倘若你没有同等的利用价值，谁会与你建立起所谓的交际？最是谈钱伤感情，也最是感情不值钱。别结识了比自己优秀比自己有能力的人，就觉得有了依靠有了光环，自己不足够优秀，结识谁都没有用。在你困难需求的时候，你开口求助，能够推脱敷衍那算给面子，对你闭门不见佯装不熟也是情理之中。

日久见人心，患难见真情。平时是平时，别把平时当真情。这世上多少人变脸如翻书，有求于你一个样，各自安好一个样，最是有求于他嘴脸陋，让你瞬间就明白，何谓人情凉薄。

随着年龄的增长，人心的不再纯澈，人与人之间的交往就不再那么的纯粹而真心了。也正是因为如此，才更要珍惜那些默默守护在你生活中的朋友。别看平时忙的少有见面，少有聊天，就连微信，都少有私信。但有事儿的时候，只一声招呼，谁能出力都会挺身而出，义不容辞。

真正好的朋友，从来不需要这些表面功夫。走在这漫漫俗尘，形如微尘的我们，每天忙碌的像只蝼蚁，哪有时间去整那些虚假的表面文章。那些沉淀在岁月里的真情实意，哪一个不是无事各自忙，有事时，却又从不问回报几何的真心相助？

至于那些平日里看上去可以一起打闹，一起吃喝，一起厮混，看似好成一片的人，或许，只是你在多少次的四目相对之时，动了真心，存了真义，是你默默认定对方可称朋友，有困难的时候是你愿意伸以援手，但未必对方一样。

多少看似热情的人，内心是薄情的。而多少看似淡漠的人，内心实则一片温热。那些表面热诚的人，总是相安无事各自好，一旦你有事需要援助，别说大事，就是小事需代劳，你都会发现原来不过情比纸薄，对方远比你自己想的要现实的多。

有些人，自从与你接近，内心就存有一份自己的打算。定是你于他而言，多少有些可用之处。正所谓无事献殷勤，非奸即盗。在这个功利心弥漫的世态下，没有哪一份意外的热情不无所图。不仅是职场如此，男人如此，就连女人也不能免俗。

接孩子的时候，被困高层电梯下不来，一个电话打来，希望能帮忙照看一下放学的孩子。实在的人总是把别人毫不见外的信任，当作是一种荣幸，于是想都不用想就能一口答应。可当你有事需要对方只是代笔签个字这样的举手之劳时，对方都能各种不情愿各种推脱，至此你终是发现，原来人与人之间真不是一杯换一盏的事儿。关键时刻，还是得找那些看似平时不联系，但一开口能力范围之内就愿意为你想办法的人。

多少人天真的以为，认识的人越多，人脉就越广，自己就越厉害，其实，那些所谓的人脉，不过廉价。倘若你没有同等的利用价值，谁会与你建立起所谓的交际？最是谈钱伤感情，也最是感情不值钱。别结识了比自己优秀比自己有能力的人，就觉得有了依靠有了光环，自己不足够优秀，结识谁都没有用。在你困难需求的时候，你开口求助，能够推脱敷衍那算给面子，对你闭门不见佯装不熟也是情理之中。

日久见人心，患难见真情。平时是平时，别把平时当真情。这世上多少人变脸如翻书，有求于你一个样，各自安好一个样，最是有求于他嘴脸陋，让你瞬间就明白，何谓人情凉薄。

随着年龄的增长，人心的不再纯澈，人与人之间的交往就不再那么的纯粹而真心了。也正是因为如此，才更要珍惜那些默默守护在你生活中的朋友。别看平时忙的少有见面，少有聊天，就连微信，都少有私信。但有事儿的时候，只一声招呼，谁能出力都会挺身而出，义不容辞。