[題組:第36-39題]39. Which of the following is NOT included in the writer’s acknowledgement remarks?
(A) The founder of Roger Ebert’s Film Festival.
(B) A student who purchased a pass to the Festival.
(C) The producer of the Festival’s award-winning film.
(D) A company which provided financial support for the Festival.
[題組:第40-43題]Storm chasing is broadly defined as the pursuit of any severe weather condition, for reasons ranging from curiosity, adventure, and scientific exploration to media coverage.
Chasing often involves driving thousands of miles in order to witness a relatively short window of time of severe weather. It is not uncommon for a storm chaser to end up empty-handed on any particular day. Most storm chasers are not professional meteorologists, and many chasers devote significant time and effort to learning meteorology, the study of the atmosphere, and the weather forming process. The amount of equipment used for storm chasing also varies. Some prefer a minimalist approach where only basic photographic equipment is taken on a chase, while others use everything from satellite-based tracking systems and live data feeds to vehicle-mounted weather stations and hail guards.
There are inherent dangers involved in pursuing hazardous weather. These range from lightning and tornadoes to unsafe road conditions and reduced visibility from heavy rain. In some situations, a severe downburst airstream can happen unexpectedly and push automobiles around. Tornadoes affect a relatively small area and are predictable enough to be avoided if a safe distance is maintained. Lightning, however, is an unavoidable hazard. “Core punching,” which is storm chasers’ slang for driving through the part of a thunderstorm that has the heaviest rain to collect critical information, is recognized as extremely hazardous.
Today, interest in storm chasing has surged. Amateurs and YouTube fame seekers with video cameras now race with professionals to see who can get the closest and most dramatic images of churning storms, and this is causing a growing safety threat. A group of storm-chase veterans has advocated the adoption of a code of ethics emphasizing safety, courtesy, and objectivity. However, many chasers oppose self-policing, as is often the case with people involved in other dangerous leisure activities.
40. What is the second paragraph mainly about?
(A) General facts regarding storm chasing.
(B) Common equipment used by storm chasers.
(C) Shared characteristics among storm chasers.
(D) Meteorological knowledge crucial to storm chasing.
[題組:第40-43題]41. According to the passage, which of the following is true about chasing severe weather?
(A) The danger of chasing tornadoes can be avoided.
(B) Those who chase storms share one common reason.
(C) There is a standard set of equipment for storm chasing.
(D) Core punching is a necessary component of storm chasing.
[題組:第40-43題]43. What can be inferred from the passage?
(A) Storm chasing has yet to draw a lot of media attention.
(B) Most meteorologists have the experience of tornado chasing.
(C) Codes of ethics are followed in many other adventurous activities.
(D) Some veterans believe that rules of conduct can lower the risk of storm chasing.
[題組:第44-47題]Deep within the Yukon, one of the most densely wooded areas of Canada, sits a patch of land that is unlike any other forest on the planet. Instead of a canopy of treetops spreading across the horizon, tens of thousands of signposts perch haphazardly one on top of the other. They are all part of the Signpost Forest, the largest collection of signs from places around the world. At last count, the Signpost Forest in Watson Lake, located about 10 miles north of the U.S.-Canadian border, contains 91,000 signs from spots near and far, including Berlin, Moscow, Dublin, and Hawaii.
The tradition began during the Alaska Highway Project in 1942, when U.S. soldier Carl K. Lindley spent time in Watson Lake recovering from an injury. A commanding officer asked him to repair and erect the directional signposts, and while completing the job, the homesick soldier added a sign that indicated the direction and mileage to his hometown: “Danville, Illinois, 2,835 miles.” Others followed suit, and the trend caught on. Each year, an average of 1,000 new signs are being added to the collection. Lindley’s original sign has since been lost to time. Fifty years later, in 1992, Lindley and his wife Elinor made the pilgrimage back to Watson Lake to place a replica, which is still there.
The Signpost Forest takes up a couple of acres, with huge panels snaking through the trees. There are street signs, welcome signs, signatures on dinner plates, and license plates from around the world. There are also a lot of familial signs; for example, a grandfather will put up a sign and then years later family will come back and try to find it. A lot of these are personal signs to literally say that they are here. Though the visitor center has wood and paints on hand to help create a sign, many people opt to bring their own signs, though illegally, by snatching a metal sign from their hometown and nailing it to one of the wood posts. The forest has grown so vast that the visitor center no longer tries to keep a detailed list of the signs.
44. What does “The tradition” in the second paragraph refer to?
(A) Counting the number of signs in the Signpost Forest.
(B) Replacing the natural forest with signs of different kinds.
(C) Putting directional signposts on the highways of the Yukon.
(D) Bringing signs to the Signpost Forest from around the world.
[題組:第44-47題]45. According to the passage, which of the following is true about the first sign in the Signpost Forest?
(A) It remained in the Forest until 1992.
(B) It was erected by an American soldier.
(C) It was first put on the Alaska Highway.
(D) It was brought from Lindley’s hometown.
[題組:第44-47題]47. What is the last paragraph mainly about?
(A) The origins and sizes of the signs in the Signpost Forest.
(B) The quantity and variety of the signs in the Signpost Forest.
(C) The difficulty of categorizing the signs in the Signpost Forest.
(D) The practice of nailing illegal signs to the posts in the Signpost Forest.
[題組:第48-51題]In finance, an exchange rate is the rate at which one country’s currency is exchanged for the currency of another. The rate is set according to the respective values of the currencies to be exchanged. Before World War I, most currencies were evaluated by the Gold Standard. That is, paper currency issued by a government represented a real amount of gold held by that government. For example, in the 1930s, the British government owned about 8 times as much gold as the U.S. government. Therefore, 1 ounce of gold was worth 4.24 GBP (United Kingdom pound sterling) or 35 USD (U.S. dollars). The difference in the price of gold became the exchange rate for the two currencies: 1GBP was worth 8.25 USD.
The Gold Standard started to break down during the Second World War, when European powers printed more money than they had in gold reserves in order to fund military projects. After World War II, the Bretton Woods System was established. The U.S. dollar was chosen as the international reserve currency for trading. Every country knew how much gold a USD was worth, and thus they based the value of their currencies on the USD. All countries were expected to maintain a fixed exchange rate, but were permitted to change it in extraordinary times, such as a recession or inflation.
Unfortunately, this system could not keep pace with the fast-changing global economy. As the U.S. increased its military spending, foreign aid, and international investment in the 1960s, it no longer held gold reserves necessary to cover the volume of USD circulation around the world. Other major currencies thus became more valuable and stable compared to the USD, and the Bretton Woods System was finally abolished in 1971.
In 1976, the Jamaica Agreement formalized the floating exchange rate system that continues to this day. The value of a country’s currency may vary according to the supply and demand of the foreign exchange market. Countries around the world can also allow their central banks to determine their own exchange rate.
48. According to the passage, which of the following is true about the Gold Standard?
(A) It showed the importance of gold for currency exchange.
(B) It reflected the dominance of the U.S. economy in the world.
(C) It demonstrated how rich countries manipulated exchange rates.
(D) It decided that the GBP was worth less than the USD in the 1930s.
