V reading comprehension

Section B Fast Reading
Directions: Read the questions before you skim or scan the passage itself to find the answer to the question. You should finish reading a group of passages in five minutes.
GROUP 1
Questions 1-2 are based on Passage 1
1. What qualities have been attached great importance to in doing business in Brazil?
A. Continuity and punctuality. B. Courtesy and straight-forwardness.
C. Commitment and flexibility. D. Trust and loyalty.
2. What languages might be used in business negotiations in Brazil?
A. English and Spanish. B. English and French.
C. English and Portuguese. D. Spanish and Portuguese.

Text 1

Brazilians are warm and friendly people and building personal relationships with associates is an important part of the business culture. Loyalty and trust are highly valued and you 80 will be unlikely to commence business negotiations until continuity has been established in your working relationship.
As a general rule, Brazilians are relaxed about timekeeping and meetings may run on longer than planned, so allow plenty of time between appointments. At any get-together, shake hands with everyone in the room, both on arrival and departure. Meetings usually start with small talk and have an informal air.
English is widely spoken in business circles. If your Brazilian counterparts are reluctant to conduct negotiations in English, don't use Spanish -- although it is the official language of the rest of South America. Portuguese is the first language in Brazil. Speaking in Spanish will reveal a lack of cultural awareness and may cause offence. For this reason, business cards are seldom printed in Spanish.

Question 3 is based on Text 2

3. What's the main idea of this passage?
A. The importance of understanding a country's culture in business expansion.
B. The importance of getting the local staff with local knowledge in a business
organization.
C. The importance of knowing what insiders think about.
D. The importance of innovation and idea-sharing in a business organization.

Text 2

To truly understand a country and its culture, you have to be part of it. That's why, at HSBC, all our offices around the world are staffed by local people. In fact you'll find we've got local people in more countries than any other bank. It's their insight that allows us to recognize financial opportunities invisible to outsiders. But those opportunities don't just benefit our local customers. Innovation and ideas are shared throughout the HSBC network, so that everyone who banks with us can benefit.
Think of it as local knowledge that just happens to span the globe.

Question 4 is based on Text 3

4. What percentage of the total investment in China in the first eight months of this year
went to commercial housing?
A. 24.3%. B. 29%. C. 69.1%. D. 17.7%.
Text 3
China invested 241.34 billion yuan in the development of real estate in the first eight months of this year, rising 24.3% over the same period of last year, according to the China National Bureau of Statistics. Of this, 166. 82 billion yuan went to residential housing, 29% more than in the same period of last year, or 69.1% of the total, up 2.5%; 16.62 billion yuan were used to build office towers, dropping 3.5% or 6,9% of the total, down 2.0%; and 25.37 billion yuan went to commercial establishments, rising 17.7% or 10.5% of the total, down 0.6%.

Questions 5- 6 are based on Text 4

5. The writer is trying __
A. to argue for the need of exercise programs
B. to explain how often one should go to the fitness center
C. to recommend ways to keep oneself in shape
D. to illustrate why one needs to have trimmer thighs
6. If one feels dull, achy muscle pain, one __
A. must stop exercising
B. might do lower-body strength training
C. can keep on exercising
D. may do 3 to 5 minutes of large-muscle exercises

Text 4

Thigh Trimmers
Fitness experts recommend these exercises for trimmer thighs in just four weeks. A few points:
1. Do the exercises three times a week, rather than every day. Muscles need time to recover.
2. Weights. Tufts University's Nelson recommends adjustable ankle weights -- from 1 to 20 pounds. Dumbbells are also useful. For beginners, 2 to 5 pounds; stronger women, 5 to 8 pounds; advanced, 8 pounds and up. Begin at the highest weight that feels comfortable. When you can do two sets (8 to 12 repetitions per set) of an exercise without difficulty, move to the next higher weight.
3.Try aerobic exercise on days you don't do lower-body strength training: walking, swimming, biking or aerobics classes.
4. Sharp pain in or near a joint? Stop the exercise and check that you are doing it correctly. If it still hurts, don't do it. (Dull, achy muscle pain is normal fatigue. ) If you're not used to regular exercise, consult a doctor before beginning this, or any exercise program.
Warm up. Always do 3 to 5 minutes of large-muscle exercises, like walking or stretching, before starting your program.

Questions 7- 8 are based on Text 5

7. Which are the two music companies that are involved in the case?
A. AOL Time Warner and Sony.
B. Virgin and Sony.
C. Virgin and Vivendi Universal. '
D. Vivendi Universal and Warner Communications.
8. What was Vivendi Universal's reaction to the charge?
A. It reached an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission.
B. It agreed to stop the anticompetitive practices.
C. It denied the charge and intended to appeal.
D. It asked the full commission to review the case.

Text 5

Two music companies that joined forces to sell recordings of the opera stars known as the Three Tenors illegally fixed prices, an administrative law judge ruled. The judge ordered subsidiaries of the French corporation Vivendi Universal to stop its anticompetitive practices. The other company, Warner Communications, a unit of AOL Time Warner, reached an accord with the Federal Trade Commission last year. Judge James P. Timony's decision, filed June 20, was announced today by the commission. Vivendi's Universal Music Group denied any wrongdoing and said it would appeal the decision, which is subject to review by the full commission.
The case involves a 1998 recording of the tenors Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo, who have performed every four years during World Cup soccer finals. Their fourth World Cup concert, Thursday night in Japan, was billed as their last together. No plans to issue a recording have been announced.

Questions 9-10 are based on Text 6

9. What does Hassan Nicholas think about school searches?
A. Positive. B. Valuable. C. Meaningless. D. Destructive.
10. Why does Karina say school searches are important?
A. Because teens have rights.
B. Because they are the best way to protect students from guns.
C. Because they are better substitutes for mental detectors.
D. Because gun-shooting is a big problem in high schools.
Text 6