职称英语考试阅读理解强化题

　　New YorkThe Melting Pot

　　Recently the Department of Planning of New York issued a report which laid bare a full scale of change of the city. In 1970, 18 percent of the citys population was foreign-born. By 1995, the figure had risen to 33 percent, and another 20 percent were the US-born offsprings of immigrants. So immigrants and their children now form a majority of the citys population.

　　Who are these New Yorkers? Why do they come here? Where are they from? The last question at least is easy to answer: we come from everywhere. In the list of the top 20 source nations of those sending immigrants to New York between 1990 and 1994 are six countries in Asia, five in the Caribbean, four in Latin America, three in Europe , plus Israel and the former Soviet Union. And when we immigrants get here we roll up our sleeves. If youre not ready to work when you get to New York, says a friend of mine, Youd better hit the road.

　　The mayor of New York once said, Immigration continues to shape the unique character and drive the economic engine of New York City. He believes that immigrants are at the heart of what makes New York great. In Europe, by contrast, it is much more common to hear politicians worry about the loss of unity that immigration brings to their societies. In the quarter century since 1970, the Untied States admitted about 125 million legal immigrants, and has absorbed them into its social structures with an ease beyond the imagination of other nations. Since these immigrants are purposeful and hard-working, they will help America to make a fresh start in the next century.

　　1. The report issued by the Department of Planning of New York

　　A. put forward ways to control New Yorks population.

　　B. concerned itself with the growth of New Yorks population.

　　C. studied the structure of New Yorks population.

　　D. suggested ways to increase New Yorks population.

　　2. According to the second paragraph, which of the following is true of the immigrants in New York?

　　A. One can not find his place in New York unless he is ready to work.

　　B. They found life in New York harder than in their own countries.

　　C. Most of them have difficulty finding jobs.

　　D. One can live on welfare if he does not want to work.

　　3. The mayor of New York considers immigration to be

　　A. a big problem in the management of the city.

　　B. a push needed to develop the city.

　　C. a cause of disintegration of the citys social structure.

　　D. an obstacle to the development of the city.

　　4. Where are the new New Yorkers from?

　　A. Asia.

　　B. Europe.

　　C. All over the world.

　　D. Latin America.

　　5. What is the authors attitude towards immigration to New York?

　　A. Negative.

　　B. Worried.

　　C. Indifferent.

　　D. Positive.

　　Smuggling

　　It is not unusual for a pet to be sent by air cargo from Colombia to New York, but last Decembers shipment of a 4-year-old sheep dog caught a New York Kennedy Airport Customs inspectors eye. The dog looked to be on its last legs, and there was an unusual lump on the side of its body. An X-ray and emergency surgery revealed the presence of 10 condoms tightly packed with five pounds of cocaine that had been surgically implanted in the dogs abdomenyet another first for Customs in the war on drugs.

　　When it comes to transporting drugs, the methods used are only as limited as a smugglers imagination. Kilo bricks of cocaine are routinely concealed beneath false bottoms of containers that hold poisonous snakes. Youve got snakes that are 12 feet long, says a United States Fish and Wildlife Service agentand sometimes the drug is in the snake. Whos going to pull it out and feel it?

　　In 1994, United States Customs seized 204, 391 pounds of cocaine, 559, 286 pounds of marijuana and 2, 577 pounds of heroin. Just how much actually flows into the country is anyones guess. Some Customs officials estimate that only 10 percent of the drugs coming into the country are ever seized. In Miami, the District Attorney wont even prosecute small fry. Its got to be over five kilos of cocaine, above a kilo of heroin and more than 5, 000 pounds of marijuana or its not something that were going to stop the presses on, says Tom Cash, a retired agent.

　　Given this deluge, one can only wonder if agents are ever confounded by some of the smuggling methods. There are things we havent seen before, says John McGhee, a Miami Customs special agent, but nothing really surprises us.

　　1. The dog was different from others in that

　　A. it could stand only on its hind legs.

　　B. it had only two legs.

　　C. it was very attractive.

　　D. it had a very big abdomen.

　　2. How many methods are used to transport drugs?

　　A. As many as a smuggler can think of.

　　B. Beyond the smugglers imagination.

　　C. Only a limited number.

　　D. Only a few.

　　3. How many pounds of heroin were estimated to be smuggled into the United States in 1994?

　　A. 204,391.

　　B. 2,577.

　　C. 25,770.

　　D. 559,286.

　　4. Which of the following could best replace the expression small fry in the third paragraph?

　　A. Small dogs.

　　B. Small sheep dogs.

　　C. Small smugglers.

　　D. Small ringleaders.

　　5. What is this article about?

　　A. Drug transportation from Columbia to New York.

　　B. A new method for drug smuggling.

　　C. Varied drug transportation methods.