President Coolidge's statement, "the business of America is business," still points to an important truth today---that business institutions have more prestige (威望) in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government. Why do business institutions possess this great prestige?

　　One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the ideal of competition than other institutions in society. Since competition is seen as the major source of progress and prosperity by most Americans, competitive business institutions are respected. Competition is not only good in itself, it is the means by which other basic American values such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are protected.

　　Competition protects the freedom of the individual by ensuring that there is no monopoly (垄断) of power. In contrast to one, all-powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for profits. Theoretically, if one business tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to competing business which teats its customers more fairly. Where many businesses compete for the customers' dollar, they cannot afford to treat them like inferiors or slaves.

　　A contrast is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which is a monopoly. Because business is competitive, many Americans believe that it is more supportive of freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people and business leaders are not. Many Americans believe, then, that competition is as important, or even more important, that democracy in preserving freedom.

　　Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the ideal of equality of opportunity. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to the swiftest person regardless of his or her social class background. Competitive success is commonly seen as the American alternative to social rank based on family background, Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equality of opportunity rather than the aristocratic (贵族的) idea of inherited privilege.

　　31. The statement "The business of America is business" probably means "__________________"

　　A. The business institutions in America are concerned with commerce

　　B. Business problems are of great importance to the American government

　　C. Business is of primary concern to Americans

　　D. America is a great power in world business

　　32. Americans believe that they can realize their personal values only _______________.

　　A. when given equality of opportunity  B. by protecting their individual freedom

　　C. through doing business     D. by way of competition

　　33. Who can benefit from business competition?

　　A. honest businessmen

　　B. People with ideals of equality and freedom

　　C. Both businessmen and their customers

　　D. Both business institutions and government

　　34. Government is believed to differ strikingly from business in that government is characterized by ______________

　　A. its absolute control of power

　　B. its function in preserving personal freedom

　　C. its role in protecting basic American values

　　D. its democratic way of exercising leadership

　　35. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes _________________.

　　A. Americans are more ambitious than people in other countries

　　B. In many countries success often depends on one's social status

　　C. American businesses are more democratic than those in other countries

　　D. Businesses in other countries are not as competitive as those in America

　　Text 4

　　The end of the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth century were marked by the development of an international Art Nouveau style, characterized by sinuous lines, floral and vegetable motifs, and soft evanescent coloration. The Art Nouveau style was an eclectic one, bringing together elements of Japanese art, motifs of ancient cultures, and natural forms. The glass objects of this style were elegant in outline, although often deliberately distorted, with pale or iridescent surfaces. A favored device of the style was to imitate the iridescent surface seen on ancient glass that had been buried. Much of the Art Nouveau glass produced during the years of its greatest popularity had been generically termed "art glass." Art glass was intended for decorative purposes and relied for its effect upon carefully chosen color combinations and innovative techniques.

　　France produced a number of outstanding exponents of the Art Nouveau style; among the most celebrated was Emile Galle (1846-1904). In the United States, Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) was the most noted exponent of this style, producing a great variety of glass forms and surfaces, which were widely copied in their time and are highly prized today. Tiffany was a brilliant designer, successfully combining ancient Egyptian, Japanese, and Persian motifs.

　　The Art Nouveau style was a major force in the decorative arts from 1895 until 1915, although its influence continued throughout the mid-1920's. It was eventually to be overtaken by a new school of thought known as Functionalism that had been present since the turn of the century. At first restricted to a small avant-garde group of architects and designers, Functionalism emerged as the dominant influence upon designers after the First World War. The basic tenet of the movement-that function should determine form-was not a new concept. Soon a distinct aesthetic code evolved: form should be simple, surfaces plain, and any ornament should be based on geometric relationships. This new design concept, coupled with the sharp postwar reactions to the styles and conventions of the preceding decades, created an entirely new public taste which caused Art Nouveau types of glass to fall out of favor. The new taste demanded dramatic effects of contrast, stark outline, and complex textural surfaces.

　　36. What does paragraph 1 mainly discuss?

　　A. Design elements in the Art Nouveau style

　　B. The popularity of the Art Nouveau style

　　C. Production techniques for art glass

　　D. Color combinations typical of the Art Nouveau style

　　37. What is the main purpose of paragraph 2?

　　A. To compare different Art Nouveau styles

　　B. To give examples of famous Art Nouveau artists

　　C. To explain why Art Nouveau glass was so popular in the United States

　　D. To show the impact Art Nouveau had on other cultures around the world

　　38. What does the author mean by stating that "function should determine form" (para 3, line 6)?

　　A. A useful object should not be attractive

　　B. The purpose of an object should influence its form

　　C. The design of an object is considered more significant than its function

　　D. The form of an object should not include decorative elements

　　39. It can be inferred from the passage that one reason Functionalism became popular was that it

　　A. clearly distinguished between art and design

　　B. appealed to people who liked complex painted designs

　　C. reflected a common desire to break from the past

　　D. was easily interpreted by the general public

　　40. Paragraph 3 supports which of the following statements about Functionalism?

　　A. Its design concept avoided geometric shapes.

　　B. It started on a small scale and then spread gradually.

　　C. It was a major force in the decorative arts before the First World War

　　D. It was not attractive to architects and designers