Insurance companies provide a service to the community by protecting it against expected and unexpected disasters. Before an insurance company will agree to insure anything, it collects accurate figures about the risk. It knows, for example, that the risk of a man being killed in a plane accident is less than the risk he takes in crossing a busy road. This enables it to quote (报价)low figures for travel insurance. Sometimes the risk may be high, as in motor-racing or mountaineering. Then the company charges a much higher price. If too many climbers have accidents, the price rises still further. If the majority of climbers fall off mountains, the company will refuse to insure them.
An ordinary householder may wish to protect his home against fire or his property against burglary. A shop-keeper may wish to insure against theft. In normal cases, the company will check its statistics and quote a premium (保险费). If it is suspicious, it may refuse to quote. If it insures a shop and then receives a suspicious claim, it will investigate the claim as a means of protecting itself against false claims. It is not unknown for a businessman in debt to burn down his own premises(房产)so that he can claim much money from his insurance company. He can be sure that the fire will be investigated most carefully. Insurance companies also accept insurance against shipwreck or disaster in the air. Planes and ships are very expensive, so a large premium is charged, but a reduction is given to companies with an accident-free record.
Every week insurance companies receive premium payments from customers. These payments can form a very large total running into millions of dollars. The company does not leave the money in the bank. It invests in property, shares, farms and even antique paintings and stamps. Its aim is to obtain the best possible return on its investment. This is not as greedy as it may seem, since this is one way by which it can keep its premiums down and continue to make a profit while being of service to the community.
1. According to the first paragraph in the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
2. The word “quote”(Line 3, Paragraph 2)most probably means ( ).
3. From the passage, we know that if accidents will happen nine times out of ten or more, the insurance company will ( ).
4. According to the passage, if an air plane has an accident-free record, it usually pays to the insurance company ( ).
5. Which of the following will the insurance company NOT provide insurance service for?
6. How do insurance companies make profit?
7. The main idea of the last paragraph is ( ).
问题1选项
A.A passenger by air will take less risk of being killed than a man crossing a busy road.
B.A passenger by air will take greater risk of being killed than a man crossing a busy road.
C.A passenger by air will have to pay more to the insurance company than a mountain climber.
D.A motorist should pay the highest price to the insurance company.
问题2选项
A.receive
B.accept
C.take
D.offer
问题3选项
A.give a much higher price
B.quote the highest price
C.not provide insurance service
D.charge a lower premium
问题4选项
A.a large premium
B.less premium
C.no premium
D.the same premium as the other companies
问题5选项
A.Mountaineers.
B.Ordinary householders.
C.Airlines with an accident free record.
D.Shop keepers with suspicious statistical records.
问题6选项
A.By receiving premium payments from customers.
B.By charging commission to customers.
C.By investing in some industries and products.
D.By providing services.
问题7选项
A.that the insurance company is greedy of profit
B.that the insurance company makes large sum of money every week
C.that the insurance company makes a great profit by investing its money in different item
D.to show the insurance company makes use of its income and the reason why it should do so
第1题:A
第2题:D
第3题:C
第4题:B
第5题:D
第6题:C
第7题:D
第1题:
1.【试题解析】细节事实题。A:一名空中乘客被杀害的风险小于横穿交通繁忙的马路的行人。B:乘飞机的乘客比穿越繁忙道路的人面临更大的死亡风险。第一段指出:It knows, for example, that the risk of a man being killed in a plane accident is less than the risk he takes in crossing a busy road. (例如,它知道一个人在飞机事故中丧生的风险要小于他穿过一条繁忙的马路所冒的风险)。因此A项正确,B项错误。C:一名空中乘客必须比一名爬山者向保险公司支付更高的保费。第一段指出:Sometimes the risk may be high, as in motor-racing or mountaineering (有时候,风险可能很高,就像在赛车或登山运动中的风险)。由此可知,赛车或登山运动中的风险比前面提到的空中遇难要高,C项错误。D:赛车手应该向保险公司支付最高的保费。文章并未提及此项。因此本题选A。
2.【试题解析】词义题。对于“quote”的理解可参考此句:In normal cases, the company will check its statistics and quote a premium (保险费). If it is suspicious, it may refuse to quote. (通常,保险公司会检查它的统计数据并给出保险费的……如果情况可疑,它可能会拒绝报价)。由此可知,“quote”表示“开价,报价”,故选D。
3.【试题解析】判断推理题。第一段指出:Sometimes the risk may be high, as in motor-racing or mountaineering. Then the company charges a much higher price. If too many climbers have accidents, the price rises still further. If the majority of climbers fall off mountains, the company will refuse to insure them. (有时风险可能很高,比如赛车或登山。然后公司会收取更高的价格。如果太多登山者发生事故,价格就会进一步上涨。如果大多数登山者从山上摔下来,公司将拒绝为他们投保)。由此可知,如果事故发生率为十分之九或更高,保险公司将拒保,故选C项“不提供保险服务”。
4.【试题解析】细节事实题。第二段最后一句指出:Planes and ships are very expensive, so a large premium is charged, but a reduction is given to companies with an accident-free record.(飞机和船舶非常昂贵,所以保费也很高,但是如果受保公司没有事故记录,保险公司将减少保费)。由此可知,如果航空公司没有事故记录,它通常会向保险公司支付较低的保费,因此B项正确。
5.【试题解析】细节事实题。第二段指出:A shop-keeper may wish to insure against theft. In normal cases, the company will check its statistics and quote a premium (保险费). If it is suspicious, it may refuse to quote.(店主可能希望投保防盗险。一般情况下,公司会对统计数据进行核对,然后追加报价。如有可疑情况,公司可能会拒绝报价)。
6.【试题解析】细节事实题。最后一段指出:It invests in property, shares, farms and even antique paintings and stamps. Its aim is to obtain the best possible return on its investment. This is not as greedy as it may seem, since this is one way by which it can keep its premiums down and continue to make a profit while being of service to the community.(它投资于房地产、股票、农场,甚至古董绘画和邮票。它的目的是获得最好的投资回报。这并不像看起来那么贪婪,因为这是一种方法,使保险公司能够降低保费为投保对象提供服务的同时继续盈利)。由此可知,C项“通过投资一些行业和产品”正确。
7.【试题解析】主旨大意题。最后一段主要讲的是保险公司如何利用收取的保费进行投资、降低保费继续盈利进而造福社会,因此D项“说明保险公司利用其收入和为什么这么做的原因”比较符合最后一段大意。
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