age of technology. Glancing through glossy art books Lee Salk noticed that four times out of five Mary is depicted holding the infant Jesus against her left breast. The Madonna sparked off a series of experiments and observations to determine on which side women hold their babies and why.
First he determined that modern mothers still tend to hold their baby on the left. Of 255 right-handed mothers, 83% held the baby on the left. And out of 32 left-handed women, 78% held the baby on the left. As a control, women were watched emerging from supermarkets carrying baby-sized packages; the bundles were held with no side preference.
Then, dental patients were given a large rubber ball to hold during treatment. The majority clutched the ball to their left side, even when it interfered with the dentist’s activities. This suggested that in times of stress objects are held against the left side.
At that point an apparently contradictory phenomenon was observed. A large number of mothers who brought their premature babies to a follow-up clinic were seen to hold their babies against their right side.
So, 115 mothers who had been separated from their babies for 24 hours after birth were observed for holding response. The experiments presented the baby directly to the mid-line of the mother’s body, and noted that the mothers of the group who had held their baby on the left had already had a baby from which they had not been separated after birth.
The author suggested that “the time immediately after birth is a critical period when the stimulus of holding the baby releases a certain maternal response.” That is to say, she senses the baby is better off on her left.
Left-handed holding enables the baby to hear the heart-beat—a sound associated with the security of the womb. In order to discover whether hearing the heart has a beneficial effect on the baby, the sound of a human heartbeat was played to 102 babies in a New York nursery for 4 days. A control group of babies was not exposed to heartbeats. The babies in the beat group gained markedly more weight and cried far less than the babies in the control group.
41. Why did Lee Salk watch women coming out of supermarkets? A) To see how they carried their babies. B) To see if they were left-handed.
C) To see if they carried parcels and babies differently. D) To control them.
42. The word “critical” in line 1, paragraph 6 means __________ . A) very serious
B) extremely important C) very dangerous
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D) risky
43. What is the reason given for the gain in the weight of the babies in the “beat
group”?
A) The sound of the human heartbeat reminds the baby of the security of the
womb.
B) The sound of the human heartbeat resembles that of the baby’s own
heartbeat.
C) The sound of the human heartbeat resembles that of the mother’s heartbeat. D) The sound of the human heartbeat is regular and rhythmical. 44. Salk’s experiments proved that __________ .
A) mothers have an instinct to hold their babies on the left immediately after
birth
B) mothers hold their babies on the left only at times of stress
C) mothers of premature babies do not have the instinct to hold their babies on
the left
D) mothers find it more comfortable to carry their babies on the left because the
heart is on that side
Passage 2
There are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The one most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama evolved from ritual. The argument for this view goes as follows. In the beginning, human beings viewed the natural forces of the world, even the seasonal changes, as unpredictable, and they sought, through various means, to control these unknown and fearful powers. Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results were then retained and repeated until they hardened into fixed rituals. Eventually stories arose which explained or veiled the mysteries of the rites. As time passed some rituals were abandoned, but the stories, later called myths, persisted and provided material for art and drama.
Those who believe that drama evolved out of ritual also argue that those rites contained the seed of theater because music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used. Furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for performances, and when the entire community did not participate, a clear division was usually made between the “acting area” and the “auditorium”. In addition, there were performers, and, since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in the enactment of rites, religious leaders usually assumed that task. Wearing masks and costumes, they often impersonated other people, animals, or supernatural beings and mimed the desired effect — success in hunt or ballet, the
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coming rain, the revival of the sun — as an actor might. Eventually such dramatic representations were separated from religious activities.
Another theory traces the theater’s origin from the human interest in storytelling. According to this view, tales (about the hunt, war, of other feats) are gradually elaborated, at first through the use of impersonation, action, and dialogue by a narrator and then through the assumption of each of the roles by a different person. A closely related theory traces theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and gymnastic of that are the imitation of animal movements and sounds.
45. An appropriate title of the passage would be . A) “The Origins of Theater”
B) “The Role of Ritual in Modern Dance” C) “The Importance of Storytelling”
D) “The Variety of Early Religious Activities”
46. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a common element of theater and
ritual? A) Dance. B) Magic. C) Music. D) Costumes.
47. Which of the following ideas does the passage support? A) No one is sure about the origin of theater. B) Myths were the ultimate origin of drama. C) Storytelling is an important part of drama. D) All religions came from ritual activities.
48. According to the passage, what is the main difference between ritual and
drama?
A) Ritual uses music whereas drama does not. B) Ritual is shorter than drama.
C) Ritual requires fewer performers than drama does. D) Ritual has a religious purpose and drama does not.
Passage 3
When British voters go to the polls during General Elections to decide who will govern them they usually have a choice of at least three candidates who will each represent one of the three main political parties in Britain today.
The Labor Party is the party of the left, the Tory or Conservative Party represents the right and between the two, with politics and opinions of its own, is
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the smaller Liberal Party.
Britain is divided into over 600 political units known as “constituencies”, each with its own candidates who stand for Parliament hoping to be elected (or re-elected) with large majorities. The cities and large towns are themselves divided into constituencies and they also choose the Members of Parliament (MPs) who will represent their views in the Houses of Parliament at Westminster. Here, in the “House”, the government of the day led by its Prime Minister and his Cabinet — a team of specially selected ministers — carries out its duties of governing the country. Various proposals are put forward for debate and discussion and these may, eventually, become part of the law of the land. The government in office has to face the criticism of the other parties which are in opposition. This is the sort of democratic process that the majority of British people seem to favor. Her Majesty’s Government is watched over by Her Majesty’s Opposition, and thus a certain balance of power is maintained. Decisions are made by a majority vote and this, of course, is where the other parties, the Liberals, the National and Regional parties (such as the Scottish or Welsh National Party), and other independent parties can exercise their influence. Some issues may be decided on a mere handful of votes. 49. According to the passage, the Liberal Party could be described as . A) a party with policies of its own
B) the only small party with independent views C) a very influential party
D) a small party with no central policy 50. A constituency is .
A) a place where the General Election is held B) a political area found only in the larger towns C) an area represented by an MP in Parliament D) an area of the country
51. How can the other parties exercise their influence in Parliament, according to
the passage?
A) By remaining independent.
B) By supporting various proposals put forward by the major parties. C) Through the Members of Parliament they have chosen. D) Through their combined voting power. 52. The Cabinet is .
A) the Prime Minister’s private office
B) a ministerial group assisting the Prime Minister C) any group of MPs with special responsibility
D) a specially chosen team of ministers from all three political parties 53. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
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