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Part Ⅵ READING COMPREHENSION<p> Direction: In this section there are four passages followed by fifteen questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the one that you think is the correct answer. Mark your choice on your answer sheet.</p><p> TEXT A The Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North sea to the north and west. The landscape is extremely flat. There are a few hills in the southeast corner of the country. Water is everywhere —— lakes, rivers, and canals, of many types, ranging from the large transport arteries for barge traffic to the narrow drainage ditches that crisscross the fields where Hollands five million cows graze, making fences unnecessary. Land is very precious in the Netherlands. The special relationship between the Dutch and their lands, which they have so painstakingly reclaimed from the sea or converted from swamp, has shaped their character. The history has been a constant struggle to tame the natural forces of water, and they love the saying that "God made the world, but the Dutch made Holland themselves." Hardly any patch of ground is wasted in the Netherlands. The extreme care in land use can be frustrating to people who would like to build their own house, but it is also the reason why the second most crowded country in the world (after Bangladesh) can be a net exporter of food. In fact only the Americans export more food than the Dutch. Each of the Netherlands three largest cities is a capital in its own way and each has its own special flavour. Amsterdam is the social and cultural centre, and its theatres, concert halls, museums and cafes are famous. It is full of visitors from many other countries. Rotterdam, with its huge international port, is the industrial centre and the countrys commercial capital. Bombs flattened much of Rotterdam in the Second World War, so that its modern buildings contrast sharply with the 17-century centre of Amsterdam. The Hague is the seat of government and diplomacy and the residence of the Queen.</p><p> 66. ______ make fences unnecessary in keeping the cows.</p><p> A) lakes and rivers</p><p> B) the large transport arteries for barge traffic</p><p> C) the narrow drainage ditches that crisscross the fields</p><p> D) all of the above</p><p> 67. Holland can be a net exporter of food, mainly because ______</p><p> A) the soil in the Netherlands is very rich and productive.</p><p> B) the Dutch are very good at planting grains.</p><p> C) the Dutch have most advanced machines that help planting.</p><p> D) the Dutch value every inch of the ground and make full use of it.</p><p> 68. If a president of a certain country wants to meet the leader of Holland, he should go to ______</p><p> A) Amsterdam.</p><p> B) Rotterdam.</p><p> C) Hague.</p><p> D) Utrecht.</p><p> 69. Holland is a(n) ______</p><p> A) a republic.</p><p> B) an empire.</p><p> C) a monarchy.</p><p> D) not mentioned.</p><p> TEXT B The American cigarette companies are worried that the antismoking campaign is catching fire and the U.S. government may issue stronger regulations concerning the use of tobacco. Many government and private buildings have "No Smoking" regulations, as do airplanes, trains and massage parlors. Golf courses are thinking of banning smokers, as are schools, shopping malls and even football buddies. So where do people go to fill their lungs with nicotine? The government is working on it. One suggestion making the rounds is that the government set aside a piece of land somewhere in the United States where smokers could go when they want a cigarette. Yellow Stone Park has been mentioned, but conservationists have opposed the idea because they fear that second-hand smoking would make all the grizzly bears sick. The Mojave Desert in California is also being studied, as are Las Vegas Casinos. The smokers are not too thrilled about the government idea. They say they are not going to Nebraska just to light up. They have a right to smoke at home. To make life more pleasant for those who would be going to the smoking "reservation", the government is seriously thinking of getting the Army Corps of Engineers to build gambling casinos. The officials in the government say they realize that they are inconveniencing people by making them go so far away to blow smoke rings. But it had to come to this or ban smoking in the entire country. Once everyone gets used to the idea, all will be better off. The tobacco companies are fighting the idea like mad. They say nobody has proved conclusively that cigarettes are bad for you. They say as a matter of fact, the doctors have proved that a cigarette inhaled after someone has been shot can save that persons life. Other sites still being considered are the Tundra in Alaska, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Colorado and the Whitewater River in Arkansas.</p><p> 70. Before the anti-smoking campaign is catching fire, there were ______ concerning the use of tobacco in the U. S. A.</p><p> A) no regulations</p><p> B) some regulations but not severe ones</p><p> C) severe regulations</p><p> D) not mentioned in the passage</p><p> 71. A smoker can't smoke absolutely in ______</p><p> A) all the government buildings.</p><p> B) trains.</p><p> C) golf courses.</p><p> D) shopping malls.</p><p> 72. Which place is least likely to be reservations for smokers?</p><p> A) The Mojave Desert.</p><p> B) The Tundra.</p><p> C) Yellow Stone Park.</p><p> D) The Whitewater River.</p><p> 73. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?</p><p> A) Antismoking campaign puts pressure on government in restricting tobacco.</p><p> B) Smokers has to go to Nebraska only if they want to blow smoke rings.</p><p> C) Casinos are built by the Army Corps of Engineers.</p><p> D) The officials realize they are inconveniencing smokers, so they will stop banning smoking.</p><p> TEXT C Nowadays more and more foreign enterprises and companies are no longer relying on interviews for recruitment. Years of studying interviewing has made clear that it is not a very objective process. Personnel officers often hire the person they like best, or even the one they think most physically attractive. Looking good is no guarantee of doing the job well, however. Uglies or those who are aesthetically challenged, take heart. To get a more objective view, many companies are also using psychological tests to hire both for relatively routine jobs and for positions at senior levels of management. It is impossible to say how many employers use tests, but estimates of test sales in the UK for 1993 were over 1 million. The basic reason employers use tests is clear: tests claim to be scientific and objective. A large body of research has shown that interviews by themselves are not very reliable as a method of selection. Peoples judgment are often very subjective: whether they like the look of someone counts for more than almost anything else. But reliable and valid tests can offer rapid and more objective information about would-be employees. If a candidate talks well in an interview but his test results suggest that he is a careless person who can not concentrate, an employer is likely to think twice about hiring him. Taking a serious test for a job is rather different from taking a game-like test. You can spend just a little time in answering questions of that kind of test, and you deny the answers and say they are not accurate. But you can not go to a serious test without enough preparation since you can not afford to be denied and eliminated again and again.</p><p> 74. In the past, who would be sure to be recruited after an interview?</p><p> A) The person who was good-looking.</p><p> B) The person who had great abilities.</p><p> C) The person who is physically attractive.</p><p> D) The person who is appreciated by personnel officer in a certain aspect.</p><p> 75. Many companies use psychological tests ______</p><p> A) to take the place of interviews.</p><p> B) just to select common clerks.</p><p> C) to make the recruitment more difficult for candidates.</p><p> D) to get really reliable and fair information about candidates.</p><p> 76. Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?</p><p> A) For a certain time, psychological tests and interviews will exist together.</p><p> B) Psychological tests have been recognized valuable more and more.</p><p> C) The employer will never hire a person who does well in the interview but poorly in the psychological tests.</p><p> D) People seldom attend a test without enough preparation unless they are confident in it.</p><p> TEXT D In 1990 over 50 percent of children under the age of five were attending school; in 1966 the figure was only 15 percent. However, thanks to a falling birth rate, school enrolls continue to fall. In 1979/80,43 percent of schools had over 1,000 pupils; a decade later only 22 percent exceeded this figure. Independent schools attracted 7 percent of all pupils in Great Britain in 1990 —— a 2 percent increase since 1976. The National Curriculum for 5-16 year-olds was introduced to state schools in autumn 1989. Of the ten foundation subjects it recommends, English, maths and science are core subjects. Formal assessments of individual abilities are made at the age of 7, 11,14,and 16. The first assessments took place in 1991. Seven-year-olds were tested in English, science and maths and the results made available to parents only. The first tests for 14-year-olds take place in 1992 and the results, unlike those for the first Key Stage, were published in aggregate form. The Technical and Vocational Education Initiative (TVEI) is a program designed to help 14-18-year-olds develop the skills and knowledge required in the labour force. The course offers the opportunity of practical work experience with a Record of Achievement and Careers guidance at the end of it. The Compact inner-city initiative, launched in 1988, is another scheme designed to bring pupils, schools, employers and training organizations together. By 1991 there were 500 schools and 92,000 young people involved with their local compact. City Technology Colleges (CTCs) are non-fee-paying schools in urban areas. Their broad-based curriculum emphasized science and technology. By the end of 1991, there were 12 CTCs around Britain. Higher education. Since 1970 there have consistently been more females than males involved in full-time higher education. Between 1980 and 1990 there was an overall increase of 30 percent in the number of students, mostly at polytechnics and colleges rather than universities. During the same period the number of mature students (those aged 21 and over when starting an undergraduate course and 25 and over when starting a postgraduate course) increased by 55 percent.</p><p> 77. In 1990, ______ had more than one thousand pupils.</p><p> A) 15% of all the schools in UK</p><p> B) 22% of all the schools in UK</p><p> C) 43% of all the schools in UK</p><p> D) 50% of all the schools in UK</p><p> 78. Which is the true statement about the first assessments?</p><p> A) They took place two years before the National Curriculum was put to use.</p><p> B) Seven-year-olds were tested only in core subjects.</p><p> C) Seven-year-olds were uninformed of the results.</p><p> D) Seven-year-olds should take science test.</p><p> 79. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?</p><p> A) In 1990 over 50 percent of children were attending school.</p><p> B) In 1976 public school attracted 95~ of all pupils in UK.</p><p> C) In TVE1 students only study theories without testifying them in practice.</p><p> D) Before 1970,there should have been more males than females involved in full-time higher education.</p><p> 80. Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage?</p><p> A) The average age of students attending the first period of education has been changed from 7 to 6.</p><p> B) There are more and more mature students now at colleges.</p><p> C) The general condition of the educational system in UK.</p><p> D) The best way for a child to attend school in order to achieve much more success.</p><p> SECTION B SKIMMING AND SCANNING</p><p> Direction: In this section there are eight passages followed by ten questions or unfinished statements. Skim or scan the passages as required and then mark your answers on your answer sheet.</p> |
TEXT E First read the following question. 81. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? A. Australias film industry hasnt been brilliant before. B. Originally, the awards held by Australian Film Institute were not important indeed. C. Australians are film fans. D. You can always find the film you want in Australia. Now skim the passage below and answer the question. Australias film industry is booming once again. It hasnt been in such a healthy state since the beginning of this century. Funding has been increased dramatically and film and television students are turning out superb films. Since 1958, the Australian Film Institute has held it awards annually. From a comparatively low key event, the awards have evolved into a major celebration of the films made during the year. Australians generally are great film goers and there are plenty of cinemas to attest to this fact. Each city has many commercial theatres showing the latest releases from local sources and from around the world. There are also cinemas that survive by showing nothing but the classics, movies well never forget. Still others specialize in foreign films. Nothing has been left out. If theres a film you particularly want to see, chances are youll find it on somewhere.<p> 81. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?</p><p> A) Australia's film industry hasn't been brilliant before.</p><p> B) Originally, the awards held by Australian Film Institute were not important indeed.</p><p> C) Australians are film fans.</p><p> D) You can always find the film you want in Australia.</p><p> TEXT F First read the following questions. 82. Which of the following is NOT true about Bill Gates? A. Bill Gates is the richest man in the world. B. Bill Gates has many original ideas. C. Bill Gates is creative. D. Bill Gates founded Microsoft with another man. 83. From the first sentence of the second paragraph, we can infer that ______ A. Bing Crosby was also a technological genius. B. Bing Crosby was good at mixing many kinds of music. C. Bing Crosby was only known to the computer business. D. Bing Crosby was a very successful businessman. Now skim the passage and answer the questions. If we are talking creativity and ideas, Bill Gates is an American unoriginal. He is Microsofts chief and cofounder, he is the worlds richest man, and his career delivers this message: It can be wiser to follow than to lead. Let the innovators hit the beaches and take the losses; if you hold back and follow, you can clean up in peace and quiet. Gates is the Bing Crosby of American technology, borrowing a tune here and a tune there and turning them all into great buffo hits —— by dint of heroic feats of repackaging and sheer Herculean blandness. Granted he is (to put it delicately) an unusually hard-driving and successful businessman, but the Bill Gates of our imagination is absurdly overblown.</p><p> 82. Which of the following is NOT true about Bill Gates?</p><p> A) Bill Gates is the richest man in the world.</p><p> B) Bill Gates has many original ideas.</p><p> C) Bill Gates is creative.</p><p> D) Bill Gates founded Microsoft with another man.</p><p> 83. From the first sentence of the second paragraph, we can infer that ______</p><p> A) Bing Crosby was also a technological genius.</p><p> B) Bing Crosby was good at mixing many kinds of music.</p><p> C) Bing Crosby was only known to the computer business.</p><p> D) Bing Crosby was a very successful businessman.</p><p> TEXT G First read the following question. 84. From the passage, we can infer that in Burnetts time, most ad companies were in ______ A. Volkswagen. B. Madison Avenue. C. Rolls-Royce. D. Chicagos Loop. Now scan the passage and answer the question. He was not the admans adman. He wasnt a hipster like William Bernbach, who tapped into youth cult with the "Think Small" campaign for Volkswagen. He wasnt an elegant rationalist like David Ogivy, whose ads famously advised the rich that a Rolls-Royce was the sensible car to buy. He didnt even work on Madison Avenue, but in Chicagos Loop instead. But Leo Burnett, the jolly genius of the heartland subconscious, is the man most responsible for the blizzard of visual imagery that assaults us today.</p><p> 84. From the passage, we can infer that in Burnett's time, most ad companies were in ______</p><p> A) Volkswagen.</p><p> B) Madison Avenue.</p><p> C) Rolls-Royce.</p><p> D) Chicago's Loop.</p><p> TEXT H First read the following questions. 85. HK dollars were then in circulation plus the HK dollars issued by Bank of China. A. 75 billion B. 72 billion C. 78 billion D. Uncountable 86. Between the HK dollars issued by Bank of China and the ones issued by the other 2 banks, ______ A. there is no difference in every aspect. B. there is only one difference in denominations. C. there is only one difference in design of note. D. there are many differences in size, colour and denomination. Now scan the passage and answer the questions. A total of 3 billion HK dollars newly issued by the Bank of China represents about 4 per cent of the total HK dollar notes then in circulation. The new HK dollars are in five denominations: 1000,500,100,50 and 20. The sizes and colour schemes of the notes are consistent with those currently issued by the other two banks. The only difference is that the designs of the notes comprise local landmarks symbolic of the contemporary elements of Hong Kong and such floral patterns as bauhinia, peony, lotus, chrysanthemum and narcissus. A few security features to prevent counterfeiting have also been added to the notes. In addition, there are elegantly minted and uniquely shaped coins in smaller denominations: 10,5,2,1,50 cents, 20 cents and 10 cents.</p><p> 85. HK dollars were then in circulation plus the HK dollars issued by Bank of China.</p><p> A) 75 billion</p><p> B) 72 billion</p><p> C) 78 billion</p><p> D) Uncountable</p><p> 86. Between the HK dollars issued by Bank of China and the ones issued by the other 2 banks, ______</p><p> A) there is no difference in every aspect.</p><p> B) there is only one difference in denominations.</p><p> C) there is only one difference in design of note.</p><p> D) there are many differences in size, colour and denomination.</p><p> TEXT I First read the following question. 87. Which of the following statements is true? A. New York Times is the best newspaper in many ways in New York. B. The news you get from New York Times is nationwide. C. The news New York Times reports is usually of little significance. D. You can have a general structure of New York Times contents every month. Now scan the passage and answer the question. In many ways, New York Times is the greatest of American newspapers. Its news coverage reaches the world from its vast city room on the third floor of its building at 229 West 43rd Street in New York. It covers those aspects of the news that make history —— national politics, the administration, Congress, government agencies, foreign policy, news from abroad of significant changes in government, wars and revolutions, disasters, and certain areas in the news, such as finance, science and the press. It has a huge city staff and foreign correspondents posted from United Nations headquarters to Beijing. It prints the texts or experts of important speeches, reports, documents, presidential news conferences. And it provides a semimonthly cumulative index to its contents. Its circulation is nationwide, 873,000 daily; 1,430,000, Sunday.</p><p> 87. Which of the following statements is true?</p><p> A) New York Times is the best newspaper in many ways in New York.</p><p> B) The news you get from New York Times is nationwide.</p><p> C) The news New York Times reports is usually of little significance.</p><p> D) You can have a general structure of New York Times' contents every month.</p><p> TEXT J First read the following questions. 88. To find a "right" job, you should consider ______ first rather than others. A. only the people environment B. the people you have to work with and the abilities you own C. the people you have to work with and the treatment D. the regulations of the company and your physical environment 89. Which of the following statements is NOT true? A. The unique factor in liking your work is people. B. Job environment includes physical environment and people environment. C. To find a right job, people environment cant be brushed aside. D. An originally attractive job to you may lose its charm to you because of the people environment. Now scan the passage and answer the questions. A critical factor in liking your work is people. Your job environment isnt just furniture, space, rules, systems, and procedures; its made up of people as well. How you feel about your physical environment and rules and systems affecting your job depends in large part on how you feel about your people environment. Your relationships with people are the key to liking your work. An important part of finding the "right" job is finding the "right" people to work with. Many workers ignore this fact. They think in terms of their skills (properly so), the status of the job, the pay, the perks, the location, the commute, etc. However, they often neglect to consider whether they will fit in with the other people in the organization, i. e. , do you prefer working with intellectuals? introverts? extroverts? etc. No matter how great a job you get, if you dont like the people you work with, you will probably grow to dislike the job.</p><p> 88. To find a "right" job, you should consider ______ first rather than others.</p><p> A) only the people environment</p><p> B) the people you have to work with and the abilities you own</p><p> C) the people you have to work with and the treatment</p><p> D) the regulations of the company and your physical environment</p><p> 89. Which of the following statements is NOT true?</p><p> A) The unique factor in liking your work is people.</p><p> B) Job environment includes physical environment and people environment.</p><p> C) To find a right job, people environment can't be brushed aside.</p><p> D) An originally attractive job to you may lose its charm to you because of the people environment.</p><p> TEXT K First read the following question. 90. Which of the following statements is true? A. Immigrants to US changed their traditional fare entirely. B. In the Eastern United States, the American diet has been affected by several food cultures. C. In the Southeast, the Black modified their traditional fare. D. All the Americans appreciate Cantonese style of food. Now scan the passage and answer the question. The United States was populated by succeeding waves of immigrants and American diet reflects the native foods of these new settlers. In the Eastern United Stated, Englands influence is primary, although the arrival of the Dutch, Irish, Italian, French, Greek and Chinese people has left its imprint. In the South, the Black modified the traditional fare. In the Southwest spicy Mexican food is popular. German and Scandinavian cooking has influenced the Midwestern diet. New settlers also learned new foods from the Indians. Everywhere in the United States, what is called "Chinese food", mostly Cantonese style, is enjoyed regularly by majority of the people.</p><p> 90. Which of the following statements is true?</p><p> A) Immigrants to US changed their traditional fare entirely.</p><p> B) In the Eastern United States, the American diet has been affected by several food cultures.</p><p> C) In the Southeast, the Black modified their traditional fare.</p><p> D) All the Americans appreciate Cantonese style of food.</p> |