But determined criminals are still managing to find other ways to steal cars, often by getting bold of the owner’s keys. And key theft is responsible for 40% of the thefts of vehicles fitted with a tracking system.

　　If the car travels 100 metres without the driver confirming their ID, the system will send a signal to an operations centre that it has been stolen. The hundred metres minimum avoids false alarms due to inaccuracies in the GPS signal.

　　Staff at the centre will then contact the owner to confirm that the car really is missing, and keep police informed of the vehicle’s movements via the car’s GPS unit.

　　1. What’s the function of the remote immobilizer fitted to a car?

　　A) To help the police make a surprise attack on the car thief.

　　B) To allow the car to lock automatically when stolen.

　　C) To prevent the car thief from restarting it once it stops.

　　D) To prevent car theft by sending a radio signal to the car owner.

　　2. By saying “The pattern of vehicle crime has changed” (Lines 1-2. Para. 3), Martyn Randall suggests that ________.

　　A) it takes a longer time for the car thief to do the stealing

　　B) self-prepared tools are no longer enough for car theft

　　C) the thief has to make use of computer technology

　　D) the thief has lost interest in stealing cars over 10 years old

　　3. What is essential in making a modem car tougher to steal?

　　A) A coded ignition key.

　　B) A unique ID card.

　　C) A special cellphone signal.

　　D) A GPS satellite positioning receiver.

　　4. Why does the tracking system set a 100-metre minimum before sending an alarm to the operations centre?

　　A) To leave time for the operations centre to give an alarm.

　　B) To keep police informed of the car’s movements.

　　C) To give the driver time to contact the operations centre.

　　D) To allow for possible errors in the GPS system.

　　5. What will the operations centre do first after receiving an alarm?

　　A) Start the tracking system.

　　B) Contact the car owner.

　　C) Block the car engine.

　　D) Locate the missing car.

　　1. C 2. B 3. A 4.D 5. B

　　Educating girls quite possibly yields a higher rate of return than any other investment available in the developing world. Women’s education may be unusual territory for economists, but enhancing women’s contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social issue. And economics, with its emphasis on incentives (激勵), provides guideposts that point to an explanation for why so many girls are deprived of an education.

　　Parents in low-income countries fail to invest in their daughters because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family: girls grow up only to marry into somebody else’s family and bear children. Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and art kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school-the prophecy (預言) becomes self-fulfilling, trapping women in a vicious circle (惡性循環) of neglect.

　　An educated mother, on the other hand, has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices. She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children, ensuring that her daughters are given a fair chance. The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the

　　next generation of girls, as well as of boys, will be educated and healthy. The vicious circle is thus transformed into a virtuous circle.

　　Few will dispute that educating women has great social benefits. But it has enormous economic advantages as well. Most obviously, there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers. Wages rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling. Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available investments, but they are just the beginning. Educating women also has a significant impact on health practices, including family planning.

　　1. The author argues that educating girls in developing countries is ________.

　　A) troublesome

　　B) labor-saving

　　C) rewarding

　　D) expensive

　　2. By saying “... the prophecy becomes self-fulfilling...” (Lines 45, Para. 2). the author means that ________.

　　A) girls will turn out to be less valuable than boys

　　B) girls will be capable of realizing their own dreams

　　C) girls will eventually find their goals in life beyond reach

　　D) girls will be increasingly discontented with their life at home

　　3. The author believes that a vicious circle can turn into a virtuous circle when ________.

　　A) women care more about education

　　B) girls can gain equal access to education

　　C) a family has fewer but healthier children

　　D) parents can afford their daughters’ education

　　4. What does the author say about women’s education?

　　A) It deserves greater attention than other social issues.

　　B) It is now given top priority in many developing countries.

　　C) It will yield greater returns than other known investments.

　　D) It has aroused the interest of a growing number of economists.

　　5. The passage mainly discusses ________.

　　A) unequal treatment of boys and girls in developing countries

　　B) the potential earning power of well-educated women

　　C) the major contributions of educated women to society

　　D) the economic and social benefits of educating women

　　1. C 2. A 3. B 4.C 5. D