实例剖析

　　下面我们来分析一下1994年硕士研究生英语入学试卷阅读理解部分第二篇文章及其试题的类型，以便更直观具体地了解文章的体裁和试题的命题方式：

　　One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit on stores，restaurants，and hotels，at home，across the country，and even abroad，and they make many banking services available as well，More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically，making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations，whether or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the“ cashless society” is not on the horizon-it s already here.

　　While computers offer these conveniences to consumers，they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records，including who sold what，when, and to whom. This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how fast they are moving. Decisions to reorder or return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customers for promotional campaigns. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons. Computer analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future, and which to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on hand, and even of the production process itself.

　　Numerous other commercial enterprises, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers.

　　1.According to the passage, the credit card enables its owner to.

　　A. withdraw as much money from the bank as he wishes

　　B. obtain more convenient services than other people do

　　C. enjoy greater trust from the storekeeper

　　D. cash moneys where she wishes to本题测试考生对段落(第一段)内容的理解能力。第一段中作者首先讲了

　　信用卡在美国的普及程度及其使用，由此而给信用卡的持有者所带来的方便。可见，所给的4个选择中B.obtain more convenient services than other people do最为切题。

　　2.From the last sentence of the first paragraph we learn that.

　　A. in the future all the Americans will use credit cards

　　B. credit cards are mainly used in the United States today

　　C. nowadays many Americans do not pay in cash

　　D. it is now more convenient to use credit cards than before

　　本题测试考生对段落中的某个句子的理解能力。第一段最后一句的意思是：对于我们中的许多人来说“不用现金付款的社会”不是在遥远的将来——这个社会已经来到了。可见，C.nowadays many Americans do not pay in cash(如今美国人不用现金付款)表达第一段最后一句的含义。A意为“将来所有美国人都将使用信用卡”，说得太绝对，与所指句子的句意不符。B意为“今天信用卡主要在美国使用”与所指句子的意思相悖。D意为“现在使用信用卡比以前更方便”，也不合所指句子的句意。故A、B、D均不能入选。

　　3.The phrase“ring up sales”(Line 2,Para.2) most probably means“”.

　　A. make ansgroups of goods

　　B. record sales on a cash register

　　C. call the sales manager

　　D. keep track of the goods in stock

　　本题测试考生根据上下文判断短语含义的能力。ring up sales意为“把销售金额记入现金记录机”。作者认为，这是电子现金记录机的最基本功能。接着作者列举了这种机器的各种其他功能。故应选B。

　　4.What is this passage mainly about?

　　A. Approaches to the commercial use of computers.

　　B. Conveniences brought about by computers in business.

　　C. Significance of automation in commercial enterprises.

　　D. Advantages of credit cards in business.

　　本题测试考生对文章大意的判析能力。本文共3段：第一段主要讲信用卡已在美国得到广泛使用并给使用者带来莫大方便;第二段叙述信用卡是以计算机技术为依托的，计算机在现代商业中广泛使用，完成各种各样的任务;第三段讲述无数其他的商业企业受益于计算机的使用。所以，全文的中心思想是讲计算机在各种商业行业中给人们带来的便利。由此可见，B. Conveniences brought about by computers in business最符合题意。