permission by a foreign government to enter its country. C D
30He was one of greatest scientists the world has ever known, yet if I had to talk
A B
about Albert. Einstein in a single world, I would choose simplicity C D Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Directions: There are four passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. You should choose the best answer to each question based on the passage.
Passage One
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following
The last few days before Christmas passed quickly and it was soon Christmas Eve. That night when everyone went to bed, Bunny couldn't sleep. He still couldn't think of what he wanted his special Christmas present to be. He wondered how Santa would know what to bring him if he didn't know himself. As he was sitting up in bed, Bunny heard a big noise on the roof and a sound downstairs. It was Santa Claus, he realized. Bunny jumped out of bed and raced down the hall to the stairs hoping to catch a glimpse of the old fellow before Santa departed for his next stop. By the time Bunny reached the bottom of the stairs, though, everything was again silent. Brightly wrapped presents were piled under the Christmas tree, but Santa was gone. A little disappointed, Bunny turned to climb back upstairs when he heard a cry. \Bunny. \the big pile of presents to see what was making the noise. Right under the tree was a funny looking brown animal with big feet and mournful eyes. Bunny might have mistaken the creature for a dog, if it hadn't been for the antlers (¹) on his head. \you a reindeer?\\replied Ralph, \\are famous for?\е) stomach when it comes to flying,\when it was my turn I gave it a try. I'm afraid I just wasn't cut out for the job. Now I'm stuck here and I don't know how to get back to the North Pole.\you can stay with us as a friend,\realized the special present he wanted from Santa was a new friend! 31. Why couldn't Bunny fall asleep on Christmas Eve?
AHe was looking forward to seeing his special present. BHe wanted to take a look at Santa when he came at night. CHe was disturbed by a noise on the roof of his house. DHe was thinking what present to ask from Santa. 32. Why did Bunny feel disappointed?
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A. Santa left before he could have a look at him. B. Santa didn't bring the special present he wanted.
C. Everything was silent and there was no sign of Santa coming.
D. There was a pile of presents under the Christmas tree but nothing for him. 33. What do we learn about reindeer from the passage?
A. They make big noises while they are flying. B. They look like dogs except for the antlers. C. They are all especially good at pulling sleds.
D. They suffer stomachaches when they take to the air. 34. Why didn't Ralph go with the other seven reindeer?
A. He got stuck in the chimney. B. Bunny asked him to stay. C. He was air-sick.
D. He didn't know how to get back to the North Pole. 35. This passage seems to tell us that ________.
A. Santa knows what present a child wants without even being told B. reindeer are hired to bring presents to children on Christmas Eve
C. if a child stays awake on Christmas Eve, he could catch a glimpse of Santa D. parents take great care when choosing Christmas presents for their children
Passage Two
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
A study suggests that dirty air can reduce lung development. Researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles published their work in the \England Journal of Medicine\About one thousand seven hundred children from different communities in Southern California took part in the study. The scientists tested the children every year for eight years, starting at age ten. They say this is the longest study ever done on air pollution and the health of children. The scientists found that children who lived in areas with the dirtiest air were five times more likely to grow up with weak lungs. Many were using less than eighty percent of normal lung strength to breathe. The damage from dirty air was as bad as that found in children with parents who smoke. Children with reduced lung power may suffer more severe effects from a common cold, for example. But the researchers express greater concerns about long-term effects. They say adults normally begin to lose one percent of their lung power each year after age twenty. The doctors note that weak lung activity is the second leading cause of early deaths among adults. The first is smoking. By the time people are eighteen, their lungs are fully developed, or close to it. The doctors say it is impossible to recover from any damage. Researchers say they are still not sure how air pollution affects lung development. They believe that pollution affects the tiny air spaces where oxygen and carbon dioxide (̼) are exchanged. Arden Pope is an economics professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Professor Pope wrote a commentary about the study. He noted that air quality in Southern California has improved since the study began in the early nineteen-nineties. Clean-air laws have reduced pollution from vehicles, industry and other causes. But dirty air is still a
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problem in areas of California and other places. Professor Pope says continued efforts to improve air quality are likely to provide additional improvements in health.
36. A study done by researchers at the University of Southern California indicates
that ________.
A. 1,700 children from Southern California have weak lung activities B. children in Southern California use less lung strength to breathe C. air pollution may affect the growth of children's lungs
D. 80 percent of children in Southern California suffer from air pollution 37. According to the article, children living in dirty air
A. may lose eighty percent of their normal lung strength B. may suffer more severe effects from a common cold C. were five times more likely to catch a common cold D. were unlikely to recover from any lung damage
38. Why do the researchers express greater concern about the long-term effects of air pollution on children?
A. They begin to lose 1% of their lung power each year after 20. B. They do not show any signs of lung damage when they are young. C. They may suffer early death when they grow up.
D. They cannot expect to have their lungs fully developed at 18.
39. What do we learn from the passage about the air in Southern California? A. It is unlikely to improve in the near future.
B. It is free of pollution from vehicles and industry. C. It is as dirty as it was before.
D. It is cleaner than it was in the early 1990s. 40. Professor Pope believes that ________.
A. improvement in air quality will provide further health benefits
B. clean-air laws should be passed to reduce air pollution in California C. further studies should be done to find out how dirty air affects lung
development
D. air pollution does even greater harm to children's health than their parents'
smoking
Passage Three
Questions 41 to 45 are based on the following passage: More than a thousand trains in the United States have names, most of them showing rank or importance, speed, geographical areas or famous men. Some train names are romantic, such as Adventureland, Sunset, and Argonaut; others use the names of birds, animals, trees, and flowers, even an insect (the Frisco Roads Firefly). But in all history only four passenger trains have ever been named directly for American women: Pocahontas, Ann Rutledge, Kate Shelly, and Nellie Bly. Note the word Ddirectly. In 1892 a horse called Nancy Hanks, probably named for Abraham Lincolns mother, set a new worlds racing record a mile in 2.04 minutes. because the name stood for speed and grace, the Central of Georgia Railway gave it to a new passenger engine. A speed recorder showed that the train covered a mile in 39 seconds.
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And on January 8, 1893, the Nancy Hanks made its first round trip in regular service between Atlanta and Savannah, with J. Green Freeney being the engineer. The Nancy Hanks lasted only seven months because, folklore has it, it was too costly, too progressive, too fast, and too dangerous. In August 1893, the Nancy Hanks made its last run, with engineer Freeney at the controls of his DLittle Girl Blue. Maybe, as Freeneys son put it, the train died because it was Dtoo popular. Thus Dthe fastest train on the earth, as it was named, died young. The horse it was named for lived nearly thirty years, until 1915, and was buried about three miles out of Lexington, Kentucky.
41. According to this passage, all the following have been used for a name of a train EXCEPT ________?
A. a geographical location B. a popular song C. an insect
D. a famous man
42. The following statements about the horse are true EXCEPT ________.
A. it could run a mile in less than 2 minutes
B. it was probably named for Abraham Lincolns mother C. it set a new world record for racing speed D. it was named Nancy Hanks
43. The pronoun Dit (line3, para. 2) refers to ________. A. the name, Nancy Hanks
B. the horse, Nancy Hanks C. the train, Nancy Hanks Dthe speed of Nancy Hanks
44. Information about the reason for the trains death comes from ________. A. history books
B. records of train tickets sold in 1893 C. a record kept by the railroad D. stories that people tell each other
45. The other name given by the engineer to the train was ________.
A. Frisco Roads Firefly B. Little Girl Blue C. J. Green Freeney D. Georgia
Passage Four
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage:
Its not difficult to figure out the connection between the heart and Valentines Day (˽). The heart, after all, was thought in ancient times to be the source of all emotions. It later came to be associated only with emotion of love. (Today, we know that the heart is, basically, the pump that keeps blood flowing through our bodies.) Its not clear when the valentine heart shape became the symbol for the heart (we all know the heart isnt really shaped like that). Some scholars speculate that the heart symbol as we use it to signify romance or love came from early attempts by people to
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