50. The primary purpose of this text is to ____.

　　A) explain Jefferson's ideas of democracy

　　B) exalt Jefferson as an outstanding philosopher

　　C) illustrate Jefferson's influence on modern politics

　　D) view Jeffersonian democracy under modern conditions

　　SECTION B SKIMMING AND SCANNING

　　In this section there are seven passage followed by ten multiple-choice questions. Skim or scan them as required and then mark your answers on your Answer Sheet.

　　TEXT E First read the question. 51. What is the main point of this passage? A. Automobile ownership is still just a dream for most people. B. Chinese banks starts to offer car loans. C. Car price will probably go down as a result of the efforts Chinese Government spends to boost consumer spending. D. The automobile industry in Shanghai is not promising. Now go though Text E quickly to answer question 51. 　 Shanghai —— Shanghai advertising executive Sun Gang stole time from the office and fought his way through an unruly scrum of visitors queuing to see the newest cars from the world industry at the June 15 to 20 Auto Shanghais 99 exhibition. 　 "I am a car lover," he said, casting an appreciative glance over a sleek Honda sedan as he struggled to keep several manufactures brochures under his arm. 　 But the suggestion that he might drive home his own, with the help of auto loans more available than ever under a Chinese government campaign to boost consumer spending, brought only a bitter chuckle. 　 "If somebody was willing to give me this (car) for no money at all, I could hardly afford to pay the license-plate fee," he said. 　 "I have a good job now, and my wifes salary isnt bad either …… We thought about applying, but it just didnt make sense." 　 Chinese banks have started offering car loans to help boost the Chinese economy and allow domestic banks to prepare for competition after Chinas possible entrance to the World Trade Organization (WTO). 　 Banks nationwide have only issued some 10,000 such loans since the policy came into play in the second half of 1998, Xinmin Evening News said. 　 Car prices are so high that the short term allowed, five yeas at maximum, make monthly payments an unacceptably heavy burden, the newspaper said. 　 Even in Shanghai where incomes are the highest in China, the average employed person would have to spend every penny they earned for nearly 16 years to pay the 187,000 Yuan price of the cheapest sedan from Shanghai Volkswagen. 　 Making matters worse, the countrys distribution of wealth limits the helpfulness of car buyer financing. Few consumers are in the income bracket where an auto purchase is only slightly out of reach, said Michael Dunne, the president of Automotive Resource Asia, an industry consultancy. 　 Unlike the "bell curve" seen in the US economy, where the majority of potential buyers are in the middle-income range, the Chinese market is "a camel model", he said. 　 Demand is either from the wealthy elite who can afford luxury cars or the masses —— people who could only afford a car at vastly lower price. 　 "There isnt much in-between," he said. 　 According to a recent analysis by the Shanghai Financial News daily, only about 7-8 percent of households in Shanghai could realistically consider financing a car purchase. 　 Xu Zhengye, an official at the Shanghai car-loan center of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, said business was also poor because extraneous monthly car ownership costs deterred applicants. 　 "There are between 1,000 and 2,000 Yuan in non-loan monthly costs," he said, referring to parking, insurance, road-user taxes, petrol and maintenance. 　 "It would be cheaper to take a taxi everyday," he said. 　 Local governments further depress demand by limiting distribution of license plates and charging exorbitant fees for their issue, according to an official at the Shanghai Auto Industry Sales General Co. 　 Consumers in the city can freely obtain licenses for cars built in Shanghai for 20,000 Yuan, but must bid at auctions held by the Public Security Bureau to get one for any other model. 　 The latter licenses, issued only occasionally in small batches, regularly go for 100,000 Yuan, the official said. 　 "Of course no producer wants to see such high license fees," he said, adding that the city government uses them to prevent traffic congestion and control air pollution

　　51. What is the main point of this passage?

　　A) Automobile ownership is still just a dream for most people.

　　B) Chinese banks starts to offer car loans.

　　C) Car price will probably go down as a result of the efforts Chinese Government spends to boost consumer spending.

　　D) The automobile industry in Shanghai is not promising.