Section B

　　Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

　　Passage One

　　Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.

　　For hundreds of millions of years, turtles （海龟） have struggled out of the sea to lay their eggs on sandy beaches, long before there were nature documentaries to celebrate them, or GPS satellites and marine biologists to track them, or volunteers to hand-carry the hatchlings （幼龟） down to the water's edge lest they become disoriented by headlights and crawl towards a motel parking lot instead. A formidable wall of bureaucracy has been erected to protect their prime nesting sites on the Atlantic coastlines. With all that attention paid to them, you'd think these creatures would at least have the gratitude not to go extinct.

　　But Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness, and a report by the Fish and Wildlife Service showed a worrisome drop in the populations of several species of North Atlantic sea turtles, notably loggerheads, which can grow to as much as 400 pounds. The South Florida nesting population, the largest, has declined by 50% in the last decade, according to Elizabeth Griffin, a marine biologist with the environmental group Oceana. The figures prompted Oceana to petition the government to upgrade the level of protection for the North Atlantic loggerheads from "threatened" to "endangered" - meaning they are in danger of disappearing without additional help.

　　Which raises the obvious question: what else do these turtles want from us, anyway? It turns out, according to Griffin, that while we have done a good job of protecting the turtles for the weeks they spend on land （as egg-laying females, as eggs and as hatchlings）, we have neglected the years they spend in the ocean. "The threat is from commercial fishing," says Griffin. Trawlers （which drag large nets through the water and along the ocean floor） and longline fishers （which can deploy thousands of hooks on lines that can stretch for miles） take a heavy toll on turtles.

　　Of course, like every other environmental issue today, this is playing out against the background of global warming and human interference with natural ecosystems. The narrow strips of beach on which the turtles lay their eggs are being squeezed on one side by development and on the other by the threat of rising sea levels as the oceans warm. Ultimately we must get a handle on those issues as well, or a creature that outlived the dinosaurs （恐龙） will meet its end at the hands of humans, leaving our descendants to wonder how a creature so ugly could have won so much affection.

　　52. We can learn from the first paragraph that ______.
　　[A] human activities have changed the way turtles survive
　　[B] efforts have been made to protect turtles from dying out
　　[C] government bureaucracy has contributed to turtles' extinction
　　[D] marine biologists are looking for the secret of turtles' reproduction

　　53. What does the author mean by "Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness" （Line 1, Para. 2）?
　　[A] Nature is quite fair regarding the survival of turtles.
　　[B] Turtles are by nature indifferent to human activities.
　　[C] The course of nature will not be changed by human interference.
　　[D] The turtle population has decreased in spite of human protection.

　　54. What constitutes a major threat to the survival of turtles according to Elizabeth Griffin?
　　[A] Their inadequate food supply.
　　[B] Unregulated commercial fishing.
　　[C] Their lower reproductive ability.
　　[D] Contamination of sea water.

　　55. How does global warming affect the survival of turtles?
　　[A] It threatens the sandy beaches on which they lay eggs.
　　[B] The changing climate makes it difficult for their eggs to hatch.
　　[C] The rising sea levels make it harder for their hatchlings to grow.
　　[D] It takes them longer to adapt to the high beach temperature.

　　56. The last sentence of the passage is meant to ______.
　　[A] persuade human beings to show more affection for turtles
　　[B] stress that even the most ugly species should be protected
　　[C] call for effective measures to ensure sea turtles' survival
　　[D] warn out descendants about the extinction of species

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

　　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 graduates 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 $50, 900, 62% more than the $31, 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 $49, 260 in 2007-08） yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student （$35, 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 （$17, 380） there? Not likely.

　　No, in this consumerist age, most buyers aren't evaluating 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 （混合动力车）: an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.

　　57. 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 receive 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.

　　58. 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 graduates to college graduates
　　[C] competition for university admissions was far more fierce than today
　　[D] the gap between the earnings of college and high-school graduates narrowed

　　59. 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

　　60. 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

　　61. 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.