is far greater: it is called premature death.\

56. Why does the author congratulate his male readers at the beginning of the passage？ A. They are more likely to survive serious diseases today. B. Their average life span has been considerably extended. C. They have lived long enough to read this article. D. They are sure to enjoy a longer and happier life.

57. Which of the following best completes the underlined sentence \if it could happen to him, …\？

A. it could happen to me, too B. I should avoid playing golf C. I should consider myself lucky D. it would be a big misfortune

58. What does Dr. Ross Cartmill mean by “the ostrich approach”？(Line 1, Para.9)) A. A casual attitude towards one’s health conditions. B. A new therapy for certain psychological problems.

C. Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved. D. Unwillingness to find out about one’s disease because of fear.

59. What does Cartmill say about regular check-ups for men？ A. They may increase public expenses. B. They will save money in the long run. C. They may cause psychological strains on men.

D. They will enable men to live as long as women.

B

Read the reviews posted on a Web site and answer the following questions.

Sammy: George has outdone himself once again. This man is a genius! I’m disgusted with some of the reviews I’ve read. This album has a jazzy feel which is a delight to the ears— every track is a winner in its own unique way. Tony: What can I say? I read a terrible review in the Los Angeles Times, which said this wasn’t up to George’s usual standards, and I didn’t believe a word of it. I’m sorry to say that they were right! Although I enjoyed most of the tracks, this is definitely George’s weakest album so far. This boy is definitely never gonna dance again if he keeps on like this! Angela: Bought the new GM album yesterday and have to say I’m very disappointed. I’ve been a fan for a long time and that won’t change, but I’m taking this CD back to the store right now. Please, return to form next time, George! Ben: Like a lot of people, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this new album, but, unlike a lot of people, I love it! I don’t understand why people complain it’s not like his earlier stuff. Why would we want it to be? Surely we want to see some development each time. Some of these tracks are just fantastic. Go, George! Sean: Apparently GM’s not produced anything for six years and this is what he comes up with. I was expecting something more mature, but this is heavy in the extreme. Lighten up, George, and skip the jazzy stuff. Dora I’m impressed with the variety. Every track is different, but the album hangs together as a whole. I wish there were more vocals, but otherwise this is one satisfied customer.

60. What are the reviews about?

A. A new star. B. A newspaper. C. A new song. D. A new album.

61. ________ give a “like” in this posts.

A. Sammy and Tony B. Angela and Sean

C. Sammy and Dora D. Tony and Sean

62. What can be learned from Ben’s post? A. He doesn’t like George’s new stuff. B. He didn’t expect George to change. C. George has kept to his old style.

D. George has disappointed some of his fans.

C

Educators are seriously concerned about the high rate of dropouts (辍学生) among the doctor of philosophy candidates and the consequent loss of talent to a nation in need of PhDs. Some have placed the dropout loss as high as 50 percent. The extent of the loss was, however, largely a matter of expert guessing. Last week a well-rounded study was published. It was based on 22,000 questionnaires sent to former graduate students who were enrolled in 24 universities and it seemed to show many past fears to be groundless.

The dropout rate was found to be 31 percent and in most cases the dropouts, while not completing the PhD requirement, went on to productive work. They are not only doing well financially, but, according to the report, are not far below the income levels of those who went on to complete their doctorates (博士学位).

Discussing the study last week, Dr. Tucker said the project was initiated “because of the concern frequently expressed by graduate faculties and administrators that some of the individuals who dropped out of PhD programs were capable of completing the requirement for the degree. The decrease in the number of graduate students at the PhD level is also thought to be a waste of precious faculty time and a drain on university resources already being used to capacity. Some people expressed the opinion that the shortage of highly trained specialists and college teachers could be reduced by persuading the dropouts to return to graduate schools to complete the PhD.” “The results of our research,” Dr. Tucker concluded, “did not support their opinion”

Nearly 75 percent of the dropouts said there was no academic reason for their decision, but those who mentioned academic reason cited failure to pass the qualifying examination, uncompleted research and failure to pass language exams. Among the single most important personal reasons identified by dropouts for non-completion of their PhD program, lack of finances was marked by

19percent.

As an indication of how well the dropouts were doing, a chart showed 2% in humanities were receiving $20,000 and more annually while none of the PhDs with the background reached this figure. The PhDs shone in the $7,500 to $15,000 bracket with 78% at that level against 50% for the dropouts. This may also be an indication of the fact that top salaries in the academic fields, where PhDs tend to rise to the highest salaries, are still lagging（落后） behind other fields.

As to the possibility of getting dropouts back on campus, the outlook was disappointing. The main condition which would have to prevail for at least 25% of the dropouts who might consider returning to graduate school would be to guarantee that they would retain their present level of income and in some cases their present jobs.

63. The author states in the article that many educators feel that _______________. A. the PhD holder is generally a more capable person than a dropout B. the high PhD dropout rate is largely due to the lack of teaching faculty C. a country will suffer from its PhD dropout rate as high as 50 percent D. the dropouts should return to a lower quality school to continue their study

64. Meeting foreign language requirements for the doctoral students _______________. A. is the most frequent reason for dropping out B. is much easier for the humanities candidates C. is an essential part of many PhD programs D. does not vary in difficulty among universities

65. It can be inferred that the high rate of the PhD dropouts largely lies in ____________. A. too low salaries for PhDs

B. lack of financial support D. adequate job appeals for dropouts

C. too high academic requirements