天津外国语学院研究生入学考试基础英语真题(编辑修改稿)

天津外国语学院研究生入学考试基础英语真题(编辑修改稿)内容摘要：

shows itself when a person bees frightened for no apparent reason. 39. The writer39。 s main conclusion about worry is that it A. is more useful to us than we imagine. B. is the main reason for progress. C. makes us more energetic. D. prevents us from ever getting into trouble. 40. A Person with a serious problem should therefore A. accept that his anxiety about it may help him to cope with it. B. start worrying about it as much as possible. C. take tranquilising drugs. D. try to sort it out by undertaking a wide variety of tasks. B. The Costly Conflicts of Car Servicing The number of people who actually plain about the treatment they receive from gara ges is statistically not very large less than one per cent of the million motorists on Britain39。 s roads but this still leaves a large number of disgruntled motorists. Happily they are also a vociferous minority, so that the trade have been well aware for some time that there is room for improvement of their image, as well as the service they provide. The principal cause for plaint is cost, bined with a lack of confidenc e in the qual ity of the work done. With an average national labour rate of at least ￡ an hour, a serv ice, including parts, on an ordinary family saloon can easily cost ￡ 25 more in London. Faced with bills of this size the motorist feels that he is entitled to the redcarpet treatment, and this is what he doesn39。 t often get. A Consumers39。 Association survey shows that garages often fail to notice things like faulty light bulbs or squeaking doors when they service a car, which makes the motorist w on der whether they also failed to spot some much more sinister fault. Another mon plaint is over the time taken to service a car. If you know that Ford allow threeandahalf hours for a 6000mile warranty service on a Granada, it is hard to understand why you have to be without the car for two days. Cars returned dirty or late are mon plaints and so is rudeness to customers. Some garages have been making a rather haphazard attempt to improve their image for a year or two, but the number of plaints has continued to rise. In one 12month period the Office of Fair Trading （ OFT） and the AA handled more than 52,000 plaints. But now the garage industry is making a concerted effort. On February 1 this year an new Code of Practice for the motor industry came into effect It was drawn up by the Motor Agents Association （ MAA） , the Scottish Motor Traders Association and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders in full consultation with the OFT and it covers new and used cars, parts, accessories, car servicing and repairs. A number of features will be particularly helpful to the motorist, Warranties are now transferable to second and subsequent owners and warranty work may be carried out by any dealer holding the franchise, instead of only the dealer from whom the car was bought. Quotes and estimates must indicate whether VAT is included and at what rate, and repairs must be guaranteed against failure due to workmanship for a specific mileage or time period. No longer will the MAA follow the somewhat incestuous practice of arranging its own arbitration. This will now be totally independent. Although the new code isn39。 t particularly aggressive, it is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. But it contains nothing which will speed up the time which disputes always seem to take. Nor will it help the increasing number of motorists who are gravitating, in the hope ot saving money, towards small garages which are often not members of any trade association. There is no guaranteed way of avoiding disputes. However, when your car needs a serv ice, make a proper appointment for it, tell the receptionist of any points you would like checked which are not included in the service, and ask the cost. Ask for quotes for repairs in writing and do not lose any relevant bits of paper. An efficient garage will return worn oil fil ters, brake pads and so on in a plastic bag. Don39。 t throw them away instantly in the event of a dispute it is not enough to rely on your memory. The garage may have a better one. Thc first thing to do in disputes, of course, is to take it up with the garage at the highest level you can reach. Don39。 t bring in a third party until you have given the garage concerned an op portunity to put things right themselves. If you are still not satisfied, there are various op tions open to you. If both you and the garage are members of the Automobile Association or the RAC, then refer the matter to them. The AA alone handles about 12,000 plaints a year and claims to settle 98 per cent satisfactorily. If the garage is a member of the MAA you can plain to them. Under the new code of practice garages are expected to provide an easily identifiable and accessible arrangement for the handling of plaints. The garage should also make it clear to the customer that he has the right to take the matter further. The next step under the code will be an attempt at conciliation by the MAA. This costs nothing and if it doesn39。 t work, you can then take the dispute to arbitration. This arbitration which currently costs ￡ , is now anised by the Institute of Arbitrators and any award is enforceable in law. If the garage is not a member of a trade association, then your local citizens advice bu reau, consumer advice centre or trading standards department will tell you if there is any local arbitration scheme. The final option is to go to the county court. The limit for claims there is ￡ 1000. Yot need not use a solicitor unless you particularly want to, and if your claim is for less than ￡ 100 it is probably wisest not to. You can go to arbitration at a county court, too. Instead。