Part Ⅲ     Reading Comprehension     (40 minutes)

Section A

Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.

One principle of taxation, called the benefits principle, states that people should pay taxes based on the benefits they receive from government services. This principle tries to make public goods similar to (36) goods. It seems reasonable that a person who often goes to the movies pays more in (37) for movie tickets than a person who rarely goes. And (38) a person who gets great benefit from a public good should pay more for it than a person who gets little benefit.

The gasoline tax.for instance, is sometimes (39) using the benefits principle. In some states, (40) from the gasoline tax are used to build and maintain roads. Because those who buy gasoline are the same people who use the roads, the gasoline tax might be viewed as a (41) way to pay for this government service.

The benefits principle can also be used to argue that wealthy citizens should pay higher taxes than poorer ones, (42) because the wealthy benefit more from public services. Consider, for example. the benefits of police protection from (43). Citizens with much to protect get greater benefit from police than those with less to protect. Therefore, according to the benefits principle, the wealthy should (44) more than the poor to the cost of (45) the police force. The same argument can be used for many other public services, such as fire protection, national defense, and the court system.

A) adapt

B) contribute

C) exerting

D) expenses

E) fair

F) justified

G) maintaining

H) private

I) provided

J) revenues

K) similarly

L) simply

M) theft

N) total

O) wealth