TEXT C
　　
　　Medical consumerism —— like all sorts of consumerism, only more menacingly —— is designed to be unsatisfying. The prolongation of life and the search for perfect health (beauty, youth, happiness) are inherently self-defeating. The law of diminishing returns necessarily applies. You can make higher percentages of people survive into their eighties and nineties. But as any geriatric ward shows, that is not the same as to confer enduring mobility, awareness and autonomy. Extending life grows medically feasible, but it is often a life deprived of everything, and one exposed to degrading neglect as resources grow over-stretched and politics turn mean. What an ignominious destiny for medicine if its future turned into one of bestowing meagre increments of unenjoyed life! It would mirror the fate of athletics, in which disproportionate energies and resources —— not least medical ones, like illegal steroids —— are now invested to shave records by milliseconds And, it goes without saying, the logical extension of longevism —— the "abolition" of death —— would not be a solution but only an exacerbation. To air these predicaments is not anti-medical spleen —— a churlish reprisal against medicine for its victories —— but simply to face the growing reality of medical power not exactly without responsibility but with dissolving goals. Hence medicines finest hour becomes the dawn of its dilemmas. For centuries, medicine was impotent and hence unproblematic. From the Greeks to the Great War, its job was simple: to struggle with lethal diseases and gross disabilities, to ensure live births, and to manage pain. It performed these uncontroversial tasks by and large with meagre success. Today, with mission accomplished, medicines triumphs are dissolving in disorientation. Medicine has led to vastly inflated expectations, which the public has eagerly swallowed. Yet as these expectations grow un-limited, they become unfulfillable. The task facing medicine in the twenty-first century will be to redefine its limits even as it extend its capacities.
　　
　　
　　19. In the author's opinion, the prolongation of life is equal to ______
　　
　　A) mobility.
　　
　　B) deprivation.
　　
　　C) autonomy.
　　
　　D) awareness.
　　
　　20. In the second paragraph a comparison is drawn between ______
　　
　　A) medicine and life.
　　
　　B) resources and energies.
　　
　　C) predicaments and solutions.
　　
　　D) athletics and longevism.
　　
　　TEXT D
　　
　　The biggest problem facing Chile as it promotes itself as a tourist destination to be reckoned with, is that it is at the end of the earth. It is too far south to be a convenient stop on the way to anywhere else and is much farther than a relatively cheap half-days flight away from the big tourist markets, unlike Mexico, for example. Chile, therefore, is having to fight hard to attract tourists, to convince travellers that it is worth coming halfway round the world to visit. But it is succeeding, not only in existing markets like the USA and Western Europe but in new territories, in particular the Far East. Markets closer to home, however, are not being forgotten. More than 50% of visitors to Chile still come from its nearest neighbour, Argentina, where the cost of living is much higher. Like all South American countries, Chile sees tourism as a valuable earner of foreign currency, although it has been far more serious than most in promoting its image abroad. Relatively stable politically within the region, it has benefited from the problems suffered in other areas. In Peru, guerrilla warfare in recent years has dealt a heavy blow to the tourist industry and fear of street crime in Brazil has reduced the attraction of Rio de Janeiro as a dream destination for foreigners. More than 150,000 people are directly involved in Chiles tourist sector, an industry which earns the country more than US950 million each year. The state-run National Tourism Service, in partnership with a number of private companies, is currently running a world-wide campaign, taking part in trade fairs and international events to attract visitors to Chile. Chiles great strength as a tourist destination is its geographical diversity. From the parched Atacama Desert in the north to the Antarctic snowfields of the south, it is more than 5,000km long. With the Pacific on one side and the Andean mountains on the other, Chile boasts natural attractions. Its beaches are not up to Caribbean standards but resorts such as Vina del Mar are generally clean and unspoilt and have a high standard of services. But the trump card is the Andes mountain range. There are a number of excellent ski resorts within one hours drive of the capital, Santiago, and the national parks in the south are home to rare animal and plant species. The parks already attract specialist visitors, including mountaineers, who come to climb the technically difficult peaks, and fishermen, lured by the salmon and trout in the regions rivers. However, infrastructural development in these areas is limited. The ski resorts do not have as many lifts as their European counterparts and part poor quality of roads in the south means that only the most determined travellers see the best of the national parks. Air links between Chile and the rest of the world are, at present, relatively poor. While Chiles two largest airlines have extensive networks within South America, they operate only a small number of routes to the US and Europe while services to Asia are almost non-existent. Internal transport links are being improved and luxury hotels are being built in one of its national parks. Nor is development being restricted to the Andes. Easter Island and Chiles Antarctic Territory are also on the list of areas where the Government believes it can create tourist markets. But the rush to open hitherto inaccessible areas to mass tourism is not being welcomed by everyone. Indigenous and environmental groups, including Greenpeace, say that many parts of the Andes will suffer if they become over-developed. There is a genuine fear that areas of Chile will suffer the cultural destruction witnessed in Mexico and European resorts. The policy of opening up Antarctica to tourism is also politically sensitive. Chile already has permanent settlements on the ice and many people see the decision to allow tourists there as a political move, enhancing Santiagos territorial claim over part of Antarctica. The Chilean Government has promised to respect the environment as it seeks to bring tourism potential. The Government will have to monitor developments closely if it is genuinely concerned in creating a balanced, controlled industry and if the price of an increasingly lucrative tourist market is not going to mean the loss of many of Chiles natural riches.
　　
　　21. Chile is disadvantaged in the promotion of its tourism by ______
　　
　　A) geographical location.
　　
　　B) guerrilla warfare.
　　
　　C) political instability.
　　
　　D) street crime.
　　
　　22. Many of Chiles tourists used to come from EXCEPT ______
　　
　　A) USA
　　
　　B) the Far East.
　　
　　C) western Europe.
　　
　　D) her neighbours.
　　
　　23. According to the author, Chile's greatest attraction is ______
　　
　　A) the unspoilt beaches.
　　
　　B) the dry and hot desert.
　　
　　C) the famous mountain range.
　　
　　D) the high standard of services.
　　
　　24. According to the passage, in WHICH area improvement is already under way?
　　
　　A) Facilities in the ski resorts.
　　
　　B) Domestic transport system.
　　
　　C) Air services to Asia.
　　
　　D) Road network in the south.
　　
　　25. The objection to the development of Chile's tourism might be all EXCEPT that it ______
　　
　　A) is ambitious and unrealistic.
　　
　　B) is politically sensitive.
　　
　　C) will bring harm to culture.
　　
　　D) will cause pollution in the area.
　　
　　SECTION B SKIMMING AND SCANNING
　　
　　In this section there are seven passages followed by ten multiple-choice questions. Skim or scan them as required and then mark your answers on your Coloured Answer Sheet.
　　
　　TEXT E
　　
　　First read the question.
　　
　　26. The main purpose of the passage is to ______
　　
　　A. illustrate the features of willpower.
　　
　　B. introduce ways to build up willpower.
　　
　　C. explain the advantages of willpower.
　　
　　D. define the essence of willpower.
　　
　　Now, go through the text quickly and answer the question.
　　
　　Willpower isnt some immutable trait were either born with or not. It is a skill that can be developed, strengthened and targeted to help us achieve our goals. "Fundamental among mans inner powers is the tremendous unrealized potency of mans own will," wrote Italian psychologist Roberto Assagioli 25 years ago. " The trained will is a masterful weapon," added Alan Marlatt of the University of Washington, a psychologist who is studying how willpower helps people break habits and change their lives. "The dictionary defines willpower as control of ones impulses and actions. The key words are power and control. The power is their , but you have to control it." Here, from Marlatt and other experts, is how to do that: Be positive. Dont confuse willpower with self-denial. Willpower is most dynamic when applied to positive, uplifting purposes. Positive willpower helps us overcome inertia and focus on the future. When the going gets tough, visualize yourself happily and busily engaged in your goal, and youll keep working toward it. Make up your mind. James Prochaska, professor of psychology at the University of Rhode Island, has identified four stages in making a change. He calls them precontemplation (resisting the change), contemplation (weighing the pros and cons of the change), action (exercising willpower to make the change), and maintenance (using willpower to sustain the change). Some people are "chronic contemplators," Prochaska says. They know they should reduce their drinking but will have one more cocktail while they consider the matter. They may never put contemplation into action. To focus and mobilize your efforts, set a deadline. Sharpen your will. In 1915, psychologist Boyd Barrett suggested a list of repetitive will-training activities-stepping up and down from a chair 30 times, spilling a box of matches and carefully replacing them one by one. These exercises, he maintained, strengthen the will so it can confront more consequential and difficult challenges. New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley was a basketball with the champion New York Knicks. On top of regular practice, he always went to the gym early and practised foul shots alone. He was determined to be the best form of the foul line. True to his goal, he developed the highest percentage of successful free throws on his team. Expect trouble. The saying "Where theres a will, theres a way" is not the whole truth. Given the will, you still have to anticipate obstacles and plan how to deal with them. When professor of psychology Saul Shiffman of the University of Pittsburgh worked with reformed smokers whos gone back to cigarettes, he found that many of them hadnt considered how theyd cope with the urge to smoke. They had summoned the strength to quit, but couldnt remain disciplined. The first time they were offered a cigarette, they went back to smoking. If youv given up alcohol, rehearse your answer for when youre offered a drink. If youre expecting to jog but wake up to a storm, have an indoor workout program ready. Be realistic. The strongest will may falter when the goal is to lose 50 pounds in three months or to exercise three hours a day. Add failure undercuts your desire to try again. Sometimes its best to set a series of small goals instead of a single big one. As in the Alcoholics Anonymous slogan "One day at a time," divide your objective into one-day segments, then renew your resolve the next day. At the end of a week, youll have a series of triumphs to look back on. Be patient. A strong will doesnt develop overnight. It takes shape in increments, and there can be setbacks. Figure out what caused you to backslide, and redouble your efforts. When a friend of ours tried to give up cigarettes the first time, she failed. Analyzing her relapse, she realized she needed to do something with her hands. On her second try, she took up knitting and brought out needles and yarn every time she was tempted to light up. Within months she had knitted a sweater for her husband —— and seemed to be off cigarettes for good. Keep it up. A strong will becomes stronger each time it succeeds. If youve successfully mustered the willpower to kick a bad habit or leave a dead-end job, you gain confidence to confront other challenges. A record of success fosters an inner voice of confidence that, in the words of Assagioli, gives you "a firm foot on the edge of the precipice." You may face more difficult tasks, but youve conquered before, and you can conquer again.

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