48. Those who want more economic growth believe that continued economic growth_____.

　　 A. is important to the living conditions of society as a whole

　 　B. is the solution to many of our social problems today　　　

C. can provide us with more natural resources for industrialization

D. can protect our environment from being polluted by industry

47. The underlined word “proponents” (in Paragraph 3) probably means_____.

A. arguments in support of something　　 B. disagreements

C. people who argue against something 　D. people who propose something

46. According to those who argue against economic growth we must slow down for the following reasons EXCEPT that _____.

A .the world population is ever increasing.

B. more efforts should be made to improve the quality of our material life

C. the supply of natural resources is fixed

D. the possible effects of industry on the natural environment

45. The bad effects on a young thief given a prison term might include the following EXCEPT _

A. He will probably learn new criminal techniques from his fellow prisoners.

B. He is likely to be dragged into more serious offences, more prison terms.

C. Perhaps he will be forced to join tough criminals and thus lead a life of

repeated wrongdoings.

D. It will cost the community a great deal of money to put him on trial and keep him in

　prison.

B

There is much discussion today about whether economic growth is desirable. At an earlier period, our desire for material wealth may have been justified (合理的). Now, however, this desire for more than we need is causing serious problems. Even though we have good intentions, we may be producing too much, too fast.

Those who criticize economic growth argue that we must slow down. They believe that society is approaching certain limits on growth. These include the fixed supply of natural resources, the possible negative effects of industry on the natural environment, and the continuing increase in the word’s population. As society reaches these limits economic growth can no longer continue, and the quality of life will decrease.

People who want more economic growth, on the other hand, argue that even at the present growth rate there are still many poor people in the world. These proponents of economic growth believe that only more growth can create wealth needed to improve the quality of life in the world. Furthermore, they argue that only continued growth can provide the financial resources required to protect our natural surroundings from industrialization.　

This debate over the desirability of continued economic growth is of much importance to business and industry. If those who argue against economic growth are correct, the problems they mention cannot be ignored. To find a solution, economists and the business community must pay attention to these problems and continue discussing them with one another.

44. The underlined word “offender” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to _____.

A. thief　　 B. victim　　 C. judge　　 D. criminal

43. The idea of compensation is _____.

A. a very old one which existed in ancient countries.

B. a new one which has just won the praise from the modern judges.

C. very helpful for stopping crimes

D. known only to thieves in ancient Babylon and Rome

42. According to the writer, what punishment should a driver who’s injured another person while drunk at the wheel of his car receive?

　 A. The driver should lose his working time and stay in prison.

　 B. The driver should pay money to the victim for any loss caused by the accident.

　 C. The driver should pay for his victim’s medical bills.

　 D. The driver should receive a thorough education in crime from his fellow prisoners.

41. What do you think is the purpose of writing the above passage?

　 A. To tell us throwing criminals in prison is an ancient and widespread method of punishment.

　 B. To let us know there are certain disadvantages of throwing criminals in person.

　 C. To prove compensation is the right way to deal with criminals.

　 D. To make us believe it is very expensive to put a man on trial and keep him in prison.

39. A. down　　　　 B. along　　　　　 C. up　　　　　　 D. through