Passage 3
International airlines have rediscovered the business travelers, the man or woman who regularly jets from country to country as part of the job. This does not necessarily mean that airlines ever abandoned their business travelers. Indeed, companies like Lufthansa and Swissair would rightly argue that they have always catered best for the executive class passengers. But many lines could be accused of concentrating too heavily in the recent past on attracting passengers by volume, often at the expense of regular travelers. Too often, they have seemed geared for quantity rather than quality. Operating a major airline in the 1980s is essentially a matter of finding the right mix of passengers. The airlines need to fill up the back end of their wide-bodied jets with low fare passengers, without forgetting that the front end should be filled with people who pay substantially more for their tickets.
It is no coincidence that the two major airline bankruptcies in 1982 were among the companies specializing in cheap flights. But low fares require consistently full aircraft to make flights economically viable, and in the recent recession the volume of traffic has not grown. Equally the large number of airlines jostling for the available passengers has created a huge excess of capacity. The net result of excess capacity and cut-throat competition driving down fares has been to push some airlines into collapse and leave many others hovering on the brink.
Against this grim background, it is no surprise that airlines are turning increasingly towards the business travelers to improve their rates of return. They have invested much time and effort to establish exactly what the executive demands for sitting apart from the tourists.
High on the list of priorities is punctuality; an executive's time is money. In-flight service is another area where the airlines are jostling for the executive's attention. The free drinks and headsets and better food are all part of the lure.
11. One criticism against many international airlines is that they have, in the recent past, .
A. catered for the more wealthy people
B. given preferential treatment to executive clients
C. only met the needs of the regular traveler
D. marketed their service with the masses in mind
12. With the intention of attracting a somewhat different type of passenger, the airlines have now begun to concentrate on .
A. ensuring that the facilities offered to the executive are indeed superior
B. providing facilities enabling business travelers to work on board
C. organizing activities in which first-class passengers can participate
D. installing sleeping compartments where more privacy is ensured
13. From the passage we can infer that .
A. a successful airline in the 1980s meets the needs not only of the masses but also of the wealthy passengers
B. it is more comfortable to sit in the back of jet planes
C. business travelers dislike tourists
D. only by specializing in cheap flights can airlines avoid bankruptcy.
14. In Paragraph 5. “in-flight service" means .
A. Service on the plane
B. A new safety device
C. Flights within one country
D. Charge-free air service
15. The following are all used to attract passengers except .
A. punctuality
B. sound system
C. free drinks
D. charge-free food
Passage 4
In only two decades Asian-American have become the fastest-growing US minority. As their children began moving up through the nation's schools, it became clear that a new class of academic achievers was emerging. Their achievements are reflected in the nation's best universities, where mathematics, science and engineering departments have taken on a decidedly Asian character. (This special liking for mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact that Asian-American students who began their education abroad arrived in the U.S. with a solid grounding in mathematics but little or no knowledge of English.) They are also influenced by the promise of a good job after college. Asians feel there will be less unfair treatment in areas like mathematics and science because they will be judged more immediate in something like engineering than with an arts degree.
Most Asian-American students owe their success to the influence of parents who are determined that their children take full advantage of what the American educational system has to offer. An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents do, and it helps. Many researchers also believe there is something in Asian culture that breeds success, such as ideals that stress family values and emphasize education.
Both explanations for academic success worry Asian-Americans because of fears that they feed a typical racial image. Many can remember when Chinese, Japanese and Filipino immigrants were the victims of social isolation. Indeed, it was not until 1952 that laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship.
16. While making tremendous achievements at college, Asian-American students .
A. feel they are mistreated because of limited knowledge of English.
B. are afraid that their academic successes bear a strong Asian character
C. still worry about unfair treatment in society
D. generally feel it a shame to have to depend on their parents
17. What are the major factors that determine the success of Asian-Americans?
A. A solid foundation in basic mathematics and Asian culture.
B. Hard work and intelligence.
C. Hard help and a limited knowledge of English.
D. Asian culture and the American educational system.
18. Few Asian-American students major in human sciences mainly because .
A. their English is not good enough.
B. they are afraid they might meet with unfair judgment in these areas
C. there is a wide difference between Asian and Western cultures
D. they know little about American culture and society
19. Why do the two “explanations" (Para. 3, Line 1) worry Asian-Americans?
A. They are afraid that they would again be isolated from American society in general.
B. People would think that Asian students rely on their parents for success.
C. Asian-Americans would be a threat to other minorities.
D. American academic achievements have taken on too strong at Asian character.
20. The author's tone in this passage is .
A. sympathetic
B. doubtful
C. critical
D. objective
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