An insurance company provides a service to the community by protecting it against expected and unexpected disasters. Before an insurance company agrees to insure anything, it collects detailed 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 low figures for travel insurance. Sometimes the risk may be high, as in motor racing or mountain climbing. Then the company charges a much higher price. If too many climbers have accidents, the price rises still further.An ordinary homeowner may wish to protect his home against fire or his property against burglary. A shopkeeper 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 (房屋) so that he can claim a lot of money from his insurance company. He can be sure that the fire will be investigated most carefully. Insurance companies also accept insurance against sea disasters or disasters 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 money while being of service to the community.70. What does the author try to do in this passage?A. To encourage people to invest in insurance companies.B. To explain how insurance companies operate.C. To persuade people to insure against unexpected disasters.D. To advise people on how to insure their life and property.
An insurance company provides a service to the community by protecting it against expected and unexpected disasters. Before an insurance company agrees to insure anything, it collects detailed 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 low figures for travel insurance. Sometimes the risk may be high, as in motor racing or mountain climbing. Then the company charges a much higher price. If too many climbers have accidents, the price rises still further.
An ordinary homeowner may wish to protect his home against fire or his property against burglary. A shopkeeper 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 (房屋) so that he can claim a lot of money from his insurance company. He can be sure that the fire will be investigated most carefully. Insurance companies also accept insurance against sea disasters or disasters 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 money while being of service to the community.
70. What does the author try to do in this passage?
A. To encourage people to invest in insurance companies.
B. To explain how insurance companies operate.
C. To persuade people to insure against unexpected disasters.
D. To advise people on how to insure their life and property.
题目解答
答案
解析
本题考查对文章主旨的理解。解题思路是通读全文，分析每段内容，总结文章整体围绕的核心话题，然后将各选项与文章核心内容进行对比判断。
- 分析第一段：
- 保险公司在承保前会收集风险详细数据，根据风险高低确定保费。例如，坐飞机失事的风险比过马路低，所以旅行保险报价低；而赛车或登山风险高，保费就高。若登山者事故多，保费还会进一步提高。这部分主要说明了保险公司根据风险来确定保费的运营方式。
- 分析第二段：
- 普通房主、店主等可能会有不同的投保需求，保险公司通常会查看统计数据并报价。若有可疑情况，可能拒绝报价。对于可疑索赔，会进行调查以防止虚假索赔，还举例说明可能存在欠债商人烧毁房屋骗取保险金的情况。这部分讲述了保险公司处理投保和索赔的运营流程。
- 分析第三段：
- 保险公司每周收到客户的保费，会将这些资金进行投资，如投资房产、股票、农场、古董画和邮票等，目的是获得最佳投资回报，这样既能降低保费，又能盈利并为社区服务。这部分说明了保险公司的资金投资策略，也是其运营的一部分。
- 对比选项：
- A选项“To encourage people to invest in insurance companies”，文章重点并非鼓励人们投资保险公司，未提及相关投资建议，所以A选项错误。
- B选项“To explain how insurance companies operate”，综合上述对各段的分析，文章从风险评估、保费确定、索赔处理和资金投资等方面详细解释了保险公司的运营方式，B选项正确。
- C选项“To persuade people to insure against unexpected disasters”，文章没有着重劝说人们去投保以应对意外灾难，所以C选项错误。
- D选项“To advise people on how to insure their life and property”，文章没有给出人们如何为自己的生命和财产投保的具体建议，所以D选项错误。