Passage One

　　As world population becomes denser, we will feel greater pressure from the expanding number of people. Some experts argue that we are approaching the limit of the number of people the earth can support adequately, and they feel we should turn to compulsory birth control. Other authorities feel that if birth control is imposed on the population, the future of mankind would be seriously jeopardized. They think that very intelligent people would be more likely to have fewer children and this would bring about a lowering of the general level of intelligence in the population as a whole. However some critics see a fallacy in this argument. In addition to genetics, they say, intelligence depends on an adequate diet, a good home environment, parental attention, and education-all of which are increasing in the world as the general population becomes more affluent.

　　1. Some people think birth control is .

　　A. not a workable idea B. too strict

　　C. only for religious people D. dangerous

　　2. Critics say intelligence is based on .

　　A. a good home environment B. adequate diet

　　C. genetics D. all of the above

　　3. Can you define the word “fallacy” in the sentence “However, some critics sees a fallacy in this argument”?

　　A. False idea. B. Different idea.

　　C. Unique idea D. Dangerous idea.

　　4. Which of the following statements is not true?

　　A. The whole world is faced with the problem of the increasing population.

　　B. Some scientists argued that birth control can affect the level of intelligence.

　　C. Genetics in one of the main factors to intelligence.

　　D. Food, family attention and education have nothing to do with intelligence.

　　Passage Two

　　Honeybees cannot live alone. Their body structure and instincts equip them for life in a colony of community, where they have a complex social organization and the various duties are divided among the individuals according to physical fitness and age. An individual worker bee cannot reproduce itself. While it may continue to live if forcibly isolated from its mates, it fails to care for itself adequately, and soon dies. Most insects have the ability to hibernate in winter, but the honeybee seem to have lost this. Since at low temperatures the bee will die, it must have the ability to make its own environment, so far as temperature is concerned. This makes a colony necessary to the bees in winter, so that they may collectively warm each other. Efficiency if not necessity, demands that the work of the colony be divided, and such a division of labor tends to enhance the reed to maintain the colony. The physical structure of the honeybee is further suited for the defense of the entire colony rather than for its own defense. The bee's barbed sting is used only once and. is made more effective by the fact that it is left behind in the victim. With the loss of the sting, however, the bee dies. This kind of defensive weapon is not of service to the individual, but to the community.

　　1. According to the passage, bees are fitted for communal life by virtue of their .

　　A. flexibility and initiative

　　B. intelligence and sensitivity

　　C. independence and endurance

　　D. instincts and form

　　2. It can be inferred from the passage that at one time bees had the ability to .

　　A. increase their activity in lower temperatures

　　B. leave cold climates during winter

　　C. remain dormant (休眠的) through periods of cold weather

　　D. construct insulated hives

　　3. The passage states that bees differ from most other communities of insects in their need to

　　.

　　A. reproduce in large numbers

　　B. control the temperature where they live

　　C. divide the work of their colonies

　　D. have a complex defense system

　　4. The honeybee's sting is particularly effective because it .

　　A. has many potential uses

　　B. can kill several victims at once

　　C. is located in the rear of the bee's body

　　D. remains with the bee's victim

　　5. Which of the following is the most appropriate title for the passage?

　　A. The Communal Life of Bees.

　　B. The Structure of the Bees.

　　C. The Organization of Insect Colonies.

　　D. The Life of Social Insects.

　　Passage Three

　　It was once thought that air pollution affected only the area immediately around large cities with factories and/or heavy automobile traffic. Today, we know that although these are the areas with the worst air pollution, the problem is literally worldwide. On several occasions over the past decade, a heavy cloud of air pollution has covered the entire eastern half of the United States and led to health warnings even in rural areas away from any major concentration of manufacturing and automobile traffic. In fact, the very climate of the entire earth may be affected by air pollution. Some scientists feel that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the air resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil) is creating a greenhouse effect-holding in heat reflected from the earth and raising the world's average temperature. If this view is correct and the world's temperature is raised only a few degrees, much of the polar ice cap will melt and cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans will be under water.

　　Another view, less widely held, is that increasing particulate matter in the atmosphere is blocking sunlight and lowering the earth's temperature-a result that would be equally disastrous. A drop of just a few degrees could create something close to a new ice age, and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas. At present we do riot know for sure that either of these conditions will happen (though one recent government report prepared by experts in the field concluded that the greenhouse effect is very likely). Perhaps, if we very lucky, the two tendencies will offset each other and the world's temperature will stay about the same as it is now.

　　1. As pointed out at the beginning of the passage, people used to think that air pollution ________.

　　A. caused widespread damage in the countryside

　　B. affected the entire eastern half of the United States

　　C. had damaging effects on health

　　D. existed merely in urban and industrial areas

　　2. As far as the greenhouse effect is concerned, the author _____________.

　　A. shares the same view with the scientists

　　B. is uncertain of its occurrence

　　C. rejects it as being ungrounded

　　D. thinks that it will destroy the world soon

　　3. The word 'offset' in the 2nd paragraph could best be replaced by

　　A. slip into B. make up for

　　C. set up D. catch up with

　　4. It can be inferred from the passage that

　　A. raising the world's temperature only a few degrees would not do much harm to life

　　on the earth

　　B. lowering the world's temperature merely a few degrees would lead many major farming

　　areas to disaster

　　C. almost no temperature variations have occurred over the past decade

　　D. the world's temperature will remain constant in the years to come

　　5. This passage is primarily concerned with

　　A. the greenhouse effect

　　B. the burning of fossil fuels

　　C. the potential effect of air pollution

　　D. the likelihood of a new ice age

　　Passage Four

　　Robert Spring, a 19th century forger (偽造者), was so good at his profession that he was able to make his living for 15 years by selling false signatures of famous Americans. Spring was horn in England in 1813 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1858 to open a book store. At first he prospered by selling his small but genuine collection of early U. S. auto graphs. Discovering his ability at copying handwriting, he began imitating signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin and writing them on the title pages of Old books. To lessen the chance of detection, he sent his forgeries to England and Canada for sale and circulation.

　　Forgers have a hard time selling their products. A forger can't approach a respectable buyer but must deal with people who don't have much knowledge in the aged paper of the title-page, and who can't treat paper and ink with chemicals.

　　In Spring's time, right after the Civil War, Britain was still fond of the Southern states, so Spring invented a respectable maiden lady known as Miss Fanny Jackson, the only daughter of General “Stonewall” Jackson. For several years Miss Fanny's financial problems forced her to sell a great number of letters and manuscripts belonging to her famous father. Spring had to work very hard to satisfy the demand. All this activity did not prevent Spring from dying in poverty, leaving sharp-eyed experts the difficult task of separating his forgeries from the originals.

　　1. Why did Spring sell his false autographs in England and Canada?

　　A. There was a greater demand there than in America.

　　B. There was less chance of being detected there.

　　C. Britain was Spring's birthplace.

　　D. The prices were higher in England and Canada.

　　2. After the Civil War, there was a great demand in Britain for

　　A. Southern money

　　B. Signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin

　　C. Southern manuscripts and letters

　　D. Civil War battle plans

　　3. Robert Spring spent 15 years

　　A. running a bookstore in Philadelphia

　　B. corresponding with Miss Fanny Jackson

　　C. as a forger

　　D. as a respectable dealer

　　4. The author in the passage implied that

　　A. Robert Spring was highly skilled in coping handwriting and imitating signature

　　B. Robert Spring died in poverty

　　C. Robert established a bookstore in Philadelphia in 1858

　　D. forgeries are casually sold to persons who aren't experts

　　S. The best title of this passage is

　　A. An Imaginary Person

　　B. A Forger-Robert Spring

　　C. A Book Dealer

　　D The Signature of George Washington

　　Passage Five

　　There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degrees of health and wealth and the other comforts of life, one becomes happy, the other becomes miserable. This arises from different ways in which they consider things, persons, and events, and the resulting effects upon their minds.

　　The people who are to be happy fix their attention on the conveniences of things, the pleasant parts of conversation, the well-prepared dishes, the goodness of the wines, and fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the contrary things. Therefore, they are continually discontented. By their remarks, they sour the pleasures of society, offend many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind were founded in nature, such unhappy persons would he the more to be critical. The tendency to criticize and be disgusted is perhaps taken up originally by imitation. It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be string, but it may be cured when those who have it are convinced of its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help change this habit.

　　Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious consequences in life, since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many others, nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect, and scarcely that. This frequently puts them in had-temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at obtaining some advantage in rank or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone stir a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public disapproval, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their misconduct. These people should change this had habit and condescend (俯就) to he pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about them selves and others. If they do not, it will ha good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.

　　1. People who are to be unhappy

　　A. always consider things differently from others

　　B. usually are influenced by the results of certain things

　　C. can discover the unpleasant part of certain things

　　D. usually have a fault-finding habit

　　2. The phrase 'sour the pleasures of society” most nearly means

　　A. 'have a good taste to the pleasures of society'

　　B. 'aren't content with the pleasures of society'

　　C. 'feel happy with the pleasures of society'

　　D. 'enjoy the pleasures of society'

　　3. Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?

　　A. We should pity all such unhappy people.

　　B. Such unhappy people are critical about everything.

　　C. If such unhappy people recognize the bad effects of the habit on themselves they may

　　get rid of it.

　　D. Such unhappy people are also not content with themselves.

　　4. The phrase "scarcely that" means

　　A. “just like that” B. “almost not like that”

　　C. “more than that” D. “not at all like that”

　　5. If such unhappy persons don't change their bad behavior, the author's solution to the problem is

　　that

　　A. people should avoid contact with them

　　B. people should criticize their misconduct

　　C. people should help them recognize the bad effects of the habit

　　D. people should show no respect and politeness to them

　　Passage Six

　　A breakthrough in the provision of energy from the sun for the European Economic Community (EEC) could be brought forward by up to two decades, if a modest increase could be provided in the EEC's research effort in this field, according to the senior EEC scientists engaged in experiments in solar energy at EEC's scientific laboratories at Ispra, near Milan.

　　The senior West German scientist in charge of the Community's solar energy program, Mr. Joachim Gretz, told journalists that at present levels of research spending it was most unlikely that solar energy would provide as much as three per cent of the Community's energy requirements even after the year 2000. But he said that with s modest increase in the present sums, devoted by the EEC to this work it was possible that the breakthrough could be achieved by the end of the next decade.

　　Mr. Gretz calculates that if solar energy only provided three per cent of the EEC's needs, this could still produce a saving of about a billion pounds in the present bill for imported energy each year. and he believes that with the possibility of utilizing more advanced technology in this field it might be possible to satisfy a much bigger share of the Community's future energy needs.

　　At present the EEC spends about $ 2. 6 millions a year on solar research at Ispra, one of the EEC's official joint research centers, and another $ 3 millions a year in indirect research with universities and other independent bodies.

　　1. The phrase “be brought forward” in line 2 most probably means

　　A. be expected B. be completed

　　C. be advanced D. be introduced

　　2. Some scientists believe that s breakthrough in the use of solar energy depends on

　　A. sufficient funding B. further experiments

　　C. advanced technology D. well-equipped laboratories

　　3. According to Mr. Gretz, the present sum of money will enable the scientists to provide

　　A. a little more than 3% of the EEC's needs after the year 2000

　　B. 3 % of the EEC's needs before the year 2000

　　C. less than 3% of the EEC's needs before the year 2000

　　D. only 3% of the EEC's needs even after the year 2000

　　4. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

　　A. The EEC spends one billion pounds on imported energy each year.

　　B. At the present level of research spending, it is difficult to make any significant progress in

　　the provision of energy from the sun.

　　C. The desired breakthrough could be obtained by the end of the next decade of investment

　　were increased.

　　D. The total yearly spending of the EEC on solar energy research amounted to almost 6

　　million dollars.

　　5. The application of advanced technology to research in solar energy

　　A. would lead to a big increase in research funding

　　B. would make it unnecessary to import oil

　　C. would make it possible to meet the future energy needs of the EEC

　　D. would provide a much greater proportion of the Community's future energy needs

　　Passage Seven

　　As a medium of exchange, money permits the separation of exchange into the two distinct acts of buying and selling, without requiring the seller to purchase goods from the person who buys his products, or vice versa. Hence producers who know they will he paid in money, can concentrate on finding the most suitable outlet (銷路) for their goods, while buyers who will pay in money, can concentrate on finding the cheapest market for the things they wish to purchase. Specialization, which is vital to an advanced economy, is encouraged, because people whose output is not a complete product but only a part of one in which many others are involved can be paid an amount equivalent to their share of the product.

　　Another advantage of money is that it is a measure of value--that is, it serves as a unit in terms of which the relative values of different products can be expressed. In a barter economy it would be necessary to determine how many plates were worth one hundred weight of cotton, or how many pens should be exchanged for a ton of coal. which would be a difficult and time-consuming (費(fèi)時(shí)的) task. The process of establishing relative values would have to be undertaken for every act of exchange, according to what products were being offered against one another, and according to the two parties' desires and preferences. If I am trying to barter fish for bananas, for example, a lot would depend on whether the person willing to exchange bananas is or is not keen on fish.

　　Thirdly, money acts as a store of wealth. It is difficult to imagine saving under a barter system. No one engaged on only one stage in the manufacture of a product could save part of his output, since he would be producing nothing complete. Even when a person actually produced a complete product the difficulties would be overwhelming. Most products deteriorate fairly rapidly, either physically or in value, as a result of long storage; even if storage were possible, the practice of storing products for years on end would involve obvious disadvantages-imagine a coal-miner attempting to save enough coal which of course is his product, to keep him for life. If wealth could not be saved, or only with great difficulty, future needs could not be provided for, or capital accumulated to raise productivity.

　　l. Using money as a medium of exchange means that

　　A. you have to sell something in order to buy something

　　B. you have to buy something in order to sell something

　　C. you don't have to buy something in order to sell something

　　D. the seller and the purchaser are the same person

　　2. Specialization is encouraged because

　　A. people can use their money to buy whatever they want

　　B. people do not need to make a complete product for exchange

　　C. people make a great contribution to the manufacture of a product

　　D. people cannot use their money to buy whatever they want

　　3. A barter economy is one in which

　　A. value is decided by weight

　　B. value is decided by number

　　C. money is used and goods are not exchanged

　　D. goods are exchanged and money is not used

　　4. If one had to save products instead of money,

　　A. this would need years of practice

　　B. coal, for example, would lose its value

　　C. they could not be stored for years on end.

　　D. many products would lose their value

　　5. How many advantages of money are mentioned in this passage?

　　A. Two. B. Three.

　　C. Four. D. Five.

　　Passage Eight

　　In 1795 the political economist Malthus predicted that in time mankind would face starvation, having outgrown the available food supplies. Today, a century and a half later, there are still experts who forecast the same global disaster--unless urgent measures are taken to prevent it.

　　By the end of the present century there may well be over five thousand million people living on this globe, an increase of over fifty percent on today's figure, In order to keep pace with this increase in mankind the farmers of the world will have to step up their production of food by at least two percent every year. Such a rate of increase has never been maintained in any country by conventional methods of agriculture, despite modern mechanization and the widespread use of fertilizers. There are no large worthwhile reserves of potential farmland remaining, and good fertile (肥沃的) land is continually being changed into industrial use. Moreover, erosion of the soil takes a constant toll (損失).

　　Intensive research, carried out over many years in all manner of climatic conditions. has produced a revolutionary method of growing crops without using any soil at all. Hydroponics (水栽法), as this technique is called, may well be the answer to all our food worries; already it has accomplished wonders in producing huge crops. Hydroponics was once a complicated and expensive business, now it is well out of the experimental stage. Labor costs are far lower than when normal methods of agriculture are employed. in fact. it is a completely automatic system. There is no hard manual work, no digging or ploughing, and no weeding to speak of. Yields can be far higher than they are in soil.

　　1. Which of the following best sums up the whole passage?

　　A. Malthus' prediction has been proved to be correct by modern experts.

　　B. Hydorponics is a new development in agriculture.

　　C. Hydroponics may be the answer to the world food shortage in the future.

　　D. Conventional methods of agriculture should be improved so as to step up food production

　　by two percent every year.

　　2. The phrase “having outgrown the available food supplies” in the first paragraph implies that

　　.

　　A. the available food supplies will be enough to feed world population

　　B. the earth is too exhausted to support its increasing population

　　C. world, population will grow at a rate faster than food production

　　D. food supplies will be too much available for world population

　　3. “Erosion” in the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph probably means .

　　A. “washing away” B. “taking away”

　　C. “digging up” D. “picking up”

　　4. Which of the following statements is not true of hydroponics?

　　A. Hydroponics is still too complicated and expensive for practical use.

　　B. Hydroponics is considered a revolutionary method of agriculture.

　　C. Hydroponics has created wonders in agriculture.

　　D. Hydroponics has already been employed in food production.

　　5. Judging from the passage, the most important advantage of hydroponics should be

　　A. higher yield B. lower labor costs

　　C. more automation D. less hard manual work

　　Passage Nine

　　In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are horn in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about a half dozen generate the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that give them hurricane status, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.

　　The great storms that hit the coast start as innocent circling disturbances hundreds--even thousands--of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried westward by the trade winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist air flows in at the bottom of such a disturbance, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the process, the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat that is converted to energy in the form of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to swirl in a counter-clockwise motion.

　　The average life of s hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat released by a hurricane's rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months. Water, not wind, is the main source of death and destruction in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6 to 12-inch downpours resulting in sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea -- the mountains of water moving toward the low-pressure hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.

　　1. When is an ordinary tropical storm called a hurricane?

　　A. When it begins in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas.

　　B. When it hits the coastline.

　　C. When it is more than 75 miles wide.

　　D. When its winds reach 75 miles per hour.

　　2. What is the worst thing about hurricanes?

　　A. The destructive effects of water.

　　B. The heat they release.

　　C. That they last about nine days on the average.

　　D. Their strong winds.

　　3. The counter-clockwise swirling of the hurricane is brought about by .

　　A. the low-pressure area in the center of the storm

　　B. the force of waves of water

　　C. the trade winds

　　D. the increasing heat

　　4. Apparently the word “downpour” in the last paragraph means .

　　A. heavy rainfall

　　B. dangerous waves

　　C. the progress of water to the hurricane center

　　D. the energy produced by the hurricane

　　5. Which of the following is not true?

　　A. Millions of dollars of damage is caused by powerful storms.

　　B. In the second half of each year, there are powerful storms in tropical Atlantic and Caribbean

　　seas.

　　C. A hurricane contains more power than we can imagine.

　　D. The energy in the heat released by a hurricane's rainfall in a single hour would meet the

　　entire needs of the United States for more than six months.

　　Passage Ten

　　A rapid means of long-distance transportation became a necessity for the United States as settlement (新拓居地) spread ever farther westward. The early trains were impractical curiosities, and for a long time the railroad companies met with troublesome mechanical problems. The most serious one was the construction of rails able to bear the load, and the development of a safe, effective stopping system. Once these were solved, the railroad was established as the best means of land transportation. By 1860 there were thousands of miles of railroads crossing the eastern mountain ranges and reaching westward to the Mississippi. There were also regional southern and western lines.

　　The high point in railroad building came with the construction of the first transcontinental system. In 1862, Congress authorized two western railroad companies to build lines from Nebraska westward and from California eastward to a meeting point, so as to complete a transcontinental crossing linking to Atlantic seaboard with the Pacific. The Government helped the railroads generously with money and land. Actual work on this project began four years later. The Central Pacific Company, starting from California, used Chinese labor, while the Union Pacific employed crews of Irish laborers. The two groups worked at remarkable speed, each trying to cover a greater distance than the other. In 1869, they met at a place called Promontory in what is now the state of Utah. Many visitors came there for the great occasion. There were joyous celebrations all over the country, with parades and the ringing of church bells to honor the great achievement.

　　The railroad was very important in encouraging westward movement. It also helped build up industry and farming by moving raw materials and by distributing products rapidly to distant markets. In linking towns and people to one another it helped unify the United States.

　　1. The major problems with America's railroad system in the mid 19th century lay in .

　　A. poor quality rails and unreliable stopping systems

　　B. lack of financial support for development

　　C. limited railroad lines

　　D. lack of transcontinental railroad

　　2. The building of the first transcontinental system .

　　A. brought about a rapid growth of industry and farming in the west

　　B. attracted many visitors to the construction sites

　　C. attracted laborers from Europe

　　D. encouraged people to travel all over the country

　　3. The best title for this passage would be .

　　A. Settlements Spread Westward

　　B. The Coast-to-Coast Railroad A Vital Link

　　C. American Railroad History

　　D. The Importance of Railroads in the American Economy

　　4. The construction of the transcontinental railroad took .

　　A. 9 years B. 7 years

　　C. 4 years D. 3 years

　　5. What most likely made people think about a transcontinental railroad?

　　A. The possibility of government support for such a task.

　　B. The need to explore Utah.

　　C. The need to connect the east coast with the west.

　　D. The need to develop the railroad industry in the west.