¡¡¡¡Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)

¡¡¡¡Directions:There are four reading passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions. For each question there are four suggested answers marked A,B,C and D. You should choose the One best answer and blacken the corresponding letter on the ANSWER SHEET with a pencil.

¡¡¡¡Passage 1

¡¡¡¡ª¤ª¤ 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 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.

¡¡¡¡ª¤ª¤Another view, less widely held, is that increasing particulate matter in the atmosphere is blocking sumlight 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 new ice age and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas. At present we do not know for sure that either of these conditions will hapen (though one recent government report prepared by experts in the field concluded that the greenhouse effect is very likely). Perhaps, if we are 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"(Line 6, Para. 2) 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 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 2

¡¡¡¡ª¤ª¤ In previous generations, young people were under their parents' control; now the teenage children of the West's richest generation were ready for something to get excited about. The Beatles simply put a spark to a fuse (µ¼»ðÏß) that was waiting to be lit.

¡¡¡¡ª¤ª¤Everything changed, and what changed for the Beatles was their lives and their working habits, in the midst of the hysterical (Ъ˹µ×ÀïµÄ) following the band attracted. Because of the demand of the fans to see them perform, they played bigger and bigger venues (meetingª²places), especially in America.

¡¡¡¡ª¤ª¤But John, Paul, George and Ringo became increasingly unhappy that, because of the screaming of their fans, neither the band nor the audience could hear the music. Creatively frustrated and tired of the pressures of life under siege (Χ¹¥) from their fans, they retired from playing concerts in 1966 and decided to concentrate on recording.

¡¡¡¡ª¤ª¤It was from this point that the brilliance of the Beatles really began to reveal itself: they would record over their career some 200 songs. Never before nor since has any recording and writing group even developed and yet remained the same in the way the Beatles did.

¡¡¡¡ª¤ª¤Their songs never lost their universal appealª²thanks to the warmth and timelessness of their melodies and lyrics.

¡¡¡¡ª¤ª¤John and Paul were powerful singers with distinctive styles. It became apparent that, despite the fact that the songwriting credits were always equally attributed to them, Paul and John wrote and sang their own songs. George also contributed two or three of his own compositions to each of the Beatles eleven albums. Even Ringo wrote and sang the occasional song.

¡¡¡¡6. Which of the following is NOT true about the Beatles according to the passage?

¡¡¡¡A. They made the young people of their time very excited.

¡¡¡¡B. They attracted a large following wherever they played.

¡¡¡¡C. They were always pleased with their popularity.

¡¡¡¡D. No other pop music group had ever played to bigger audience than they did.

¡¡¡¡7. It can be inferred from the passage that .

¡¡¡¡A. John and Paul were more talented and made greater contribution to the success of the band

¡¡¡¡B. John and Paul sang their won songs because they didn't like each other's style

¡¡¡¡C. George and Ringo never composed or sang their own songs

¡¡¡¡D. The Beatles maintained so much popularity with their works that no other recording or writing group could compare

¡¡¡¡8. It is implied in the third paragraph that .

¡¡¡¡A. the Beatles had no appetite for fame

¡¡¡¡B. the audience were unhappy about the sound effect

¡¡¡¡C. pop musicians get easily tired as they are under great pressures of life

¡¡¡¡D. the screaming of the fans prevented the Beatles from performing happily and creatively

¡¡¡¡9. The Beatles' outstanding qualities were really shown when .

¡¡¡¡A. they concentrated on recording and composition

¡¡¡¡B. they played on the American continent

¡¡¡¡C. they played their own lyrics and melodies on the stage

¡¡¡¡D. they sang on the stage pop songs they wrote themselves

¡¡¡¡10. What can we learn about the Beatles' music?

¡¡¡¡A. It was fine example of music for simple singalong songs.

¡¡¡¡B. Its appeal was not limited to any particular time or group of people.

¡¡¡¡C. It was simple in form but rich in meaning.

¡¡¡¡D. It reached a height which other pop music groups had never reached for their lyrics and melodies.

¡¡¡¡Passage 3

¡¡¡¡ª¤ª¤ The classic Neanderthals(Äá°²µÂÌØÈË), who lived between about 70,000 and 30,000 years ago, shared a number of special characteristics. Like any biological population, Neanderthals also showed variation in the degree to which those characteristics were powerfully built, short and stocky, with the lower parts of their arms and legs short in relation to the upper parts, as in modern peoples who live in cold environments. Neanderthal skulls were distinctive, housing brains even larger on average than those of modern humans, a feature that may have had more to do with their large, heavy bodies than with superior intelligence. Seen from behind, Neanderthal skulls look almost spherical, but from the side they are long and flattened, often with a bulging back.

¡¡¡¡ª¤ª¤The Neanderthal face, dominated by a projecting and full nose, differed clearly from the faces of other hominids, the middle parts appear to be pulled forward (or the sides pulled back), resulting in a rather streamlined face shape. This peculiarity may have been related to the greater importance (in cultural activities as well as food processing) of the front teeth, which are large and part of a row of teeth that lies well forward in the head; it may reflect a reduction in importance of certain jaw muscles operating at the sides of the face, or it may reflect an adaptation to cold. Whether it results from any or all of these three factors or from other, undiscovered causes, this midfacial projection is so characteristic that it unfailingly identifies a Neanderthal to the trained eye.

¡¡¡¡ª¤ª¤Neanderthal teeth are much more difficult to characterize: the front teeth are large, with strong roots, but the back teeth may be relatively small. This feature may have been an adaptation to cope with heavy tooth wear.

¡¡¡¡11. What does the passage mainly discuss?

¡¡¡¡A. The eating habits of the Neanderthals

¡¡¡¡B. A comparison of various prehistoric populations

¡¡¡¡C. The physical characteristics of the Neanderthals

¡¡¡¡D. The effect of climate on human development

¡¡¡¡12. The author describes the Neanderthal as being all of the following EXCEPT

¡¡¡¡A. short

¡¡¡¡B. swift

¡¡¡¡C. strong

¡¡¡¡D. stocky

¡¡¡¡13. Where in the passage does the author specifically stress the contrast between the Neanderthal face and that of other biologically related populations?

¡¡¡¡A. Lines 1¡ª4

¡¡¡¡B. Lines 6¡ª10

¡¡¡¡C. Lines 11¡ª12

¡¡¡¡D. Lines 20¡ª23

¡¡¡¡14. Which of the following explanations is NOT cited as a possible explanation of the Neanderthal's streamlined face shape?

¡¡¡¡A. Some jaw muscles had limited use.

¡¡¡¡B. The facial features were well adapted to the cold.

¡¡¡¡C. The front teeth were particularly important.

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