Questions 11 to 13 are based on the following passage.

It’s interesting to note that insurance has existed in some form for a very long time. The earliest insurance policies were what were called bottomry contracts. (11) They provided shipping protection for merchants as far back as 3000 B.C.. In general, the contracts were often no more than verbal agreements. They granted loans to merchants with the understanding that if a particular shipment of goods was lost at sea, the loan didn’t have to be repaid. (12) Interest on the loans varied according to how risky it was to transport the goods. During periods of heavy piracy at sea，for example, the amount of interest and the cost of the policy went up considerably. So, you can see how insurance helped encourage international trade. Even the most cautious merchants became willing to risk shipping their goods over long distances—not to mention in hazardous weather conditions—when they had this kind of protection available. (13) Generally speaking，the basic form of an insurance policy has been pretty much the same since the Middle Ages. There are four points that were salient then and remain paramount in all policies today.

 

题目

Passage 3

In this section you will hear several passages. Listen to the passages carefully and then answer the questions that follow.

Questions 11 to 13 are based on the following passage. At the end of the passage, you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.

Now, listen to the passage.

11. Who were the first insurance contracts designed to protect?

A. Insurance companies. B. Sailors.

C. Manufacturers.   D. Merchants.

12. According to the passage, what determined the cost of early insurance policies?

A. The distance the merchandise had to be shipped.

B. The number of insurance companies available at the time.

C. The amount of danger involved in shipping the goods.

D. The type of vessel used to transport the goods.

13. What does the passage tell us about current insurance policies?

A. Only four types of policies still exist today.

B. They cost less than the ones in the Middle Ages.

C. They include features similar to earlier policies.

D. The interest rates are based on early methods of calculation.

 

答案解析

Passage 3

11. D细节题。文章开头提到早期的保险就是为商人提供海上运输的保障。故应选D 项。其他选项文中并无提及。

12. C细节题。文中指出早期保险的价格是依据货物运输过程中的风险性来决定的。 故C项正确。

13. C细节题。文章结尾处说到现在的保险业与中世纪时期的差不多，那时候很重要 的四项条款在今天的保险政策中也是具有首要地位的。故C项陈述正确。