Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 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 decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
Long after the 1998 World Cup was won, disappointed fans were still cursing the disputed refereeing (裁判) decisions that denied victory to their team. A researcher was appointed to study the performance of some top referees.
The researcher organized an experimental tournament (錦標(biāo)賽) involving four youth teams. Each match lasted an hour, divided into three periods of 20 minutes during which different referees were in charge.
Observers noted down the referees’ errors, of which there were 61 over the tournament. Converted to a standard match of 90 minutes, each referee made almost 23 mistakes, a remarkably high number.
The researcher then studied the videotapes to analyse the matches in detail. Surprisingly, he found that errors were more likely when the referees were close to the incident. When the officials got it right, they were, on average, 17 meters away from the action. The average distance in the case of errors was 12 meters. The research shows the optimum (最佳的) distance is about 20 meters.
There also seemed to be an optimum speed. Correct decisions came when the referees were moving at a speed of about 2 meters per second. The average speed for errors was 4 meters per second.
If FIFA, football’s international ruling body, wants to improve the standard of refereeing at the next World Cup, it should encourage referees to keep their eyes on the action from a distance, rather than rushing to keep up with the ball, the researcher argues.
He also says that FIFA’s insistence that referees should retire at age 45 may be misguided. If keeping up with the action is not so important, their physical condition is less critical.
21. The experiment conducted by the researcher was meant to ________.
A) review the decisions of referees at the 1998 World Cup
B) analyse the causes of errors made by football referees
C) set a standard for football refereeing
D) reexamine the rules for football refereeing
22. The number of refereeing errors in the experimental matches was ________.
A) slightly above average
B) higher than in the 1998 World Cup
C) quite unexpected
D) as high as in a standard match
23. The findings of the experiment show that ________.
A) errors are more likely when a referee keeps close to the ball
B) the farther the referee is from the incident, the fewer the errors
C) the more slowly the referee runs, the more likely will errors occur
D) errors are less likely when a referee stays in one spot
24. The word “officials” (Line 2, Para. 4) most probably refers to ________.
A) the researchers involved in the experiment
B) the inspectors of the football tournament
C) the referees of the football tournament
D) the observers at the site of the experiment
25. What is one of the possible conclusions of the experiment?
A) The ideal retirement age for an experienced football referee is 45.
B) Age should not be the chief consideration in choosing a football referee.
C) A football referee should be as young and energetic as possible.
D) An experienced football referee can do well even when in poor physical condition.
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states—at least in getting people off welfare. It’s estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994.
In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens Country have been cut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past tow years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent—twice the national average.
For advocates (代言人) for the poor, that’s an indication much more needs to be done.
“More people are getting jobs, but it’s not making their lives any better,” says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.
“Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin (毒素) that was poisoning the family,” says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst. “The reform in changing the moral climate in low-income communities. It’s beginning to rebuild the work ethic (道德觀), which is much more important.”
Mr. Rector and others argued that once “the habit of dependency is cracked,” then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards.
26. From the passage, it can be seen that the author ________.
A) believes the reform has reduced the government’s burden
B) insists that welfare reform is doing little good for the poor
C) is overenthusiastic about the success of welfare reform
D) considers welfare reform to be fundamentally successful
27. Why aren’t people enjoying better lives when they have jobs?
A) Because many families are divorced.
B) Because government aid is now rare.
C) Because their wages are low.
D) Because the cost of living is rising.
28. What is worth noting from the example of Athens County is that ________.
A) greater efforts should be made to improve people’s living standards
B) 70 percent of the people there have been employed for two years
C) 50 percent of the population no longer relies on welfare
D) the living standards of most people are going down
29. From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at ________.
A) saving welfare funds
B) rebuilding the work ethic
C) providing more jobs
D) cutting government expenses
30. According to the passage before the welfare reform was carried out, ________.
A) the poverty rate was lover
B) average living standards were higher
C) the average worker was paid higher wages
D) the poor used to rely on government aid
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
Americans are pound of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?
Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian (百姓的) clothes. People have become conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity (身份) than to step out of uniform?
Uniforms also have many practical benefits. They save on other clothes. They save on laundry bills. They are tax-deductible (可減稅的). They are often more comfortable and more durable than civilian clothes.
Primary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least.
Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.
31. It is surprising that Americans who worship variety and individuality ________.
A) still judge a man by his clothes
B) hold the uniform in such high regard
C) enjoy having a professional identity
D) will respect an elevator operator as much as a general in uniform
32. People are accustomed to think that a man in uniform ________.
A) suggests quality work
B) discards his social identity
C) appears to be more practical
D) looks superior to a person in civilian clothes
33. The chief function of a uniform is to ________.
A) provide practical benefits to the wearer
B) make the wearer catch the pubic eye
C) inspire the wearer’s confidence in himself
D) provide the wearer with a professional identity
34. According to the passage, people wearing uniforms ________.
A) are usually helpful
B) have little or no individual freedom
C) tend to lose their individuality
D) enjoy greater popularity
35. The best title for this passage would be ________.
A) Uniforms and Society
B) The Importance of Wearing a Uniform
C) Practical Benefits of Wearing a Uniform
D) Advantages and Disadvantages of Uniforms
Passage Four
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.
Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships. One strength of the human condition is our tendency to give and receive support from one another under stressful circumstances. Social support consists of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to cope with major life changes and daily hassles (困難). People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over a range of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, reveal that the presence of social support helps people fend off (擋開) illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.
Social support cushions stress in a number of ways. First, friends, relatives, and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others despite our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Engaging in leisure-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting (轉(zhuǎn)移…注意力) us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support—financial aid, material resources, and needed services—that reduces stress by helping us resolve and cope with our problems.
36. Interpersonal relationships are important because ________.
A) they are indispensable to people’s social well-being
B) they awaken people’s desire to exchange resources
C) they help people to cope with life in the information era
D) they can cure a range of illnesses such as heart disease, etc
37. Research shows that people’s physical and mental health ________.
A) relies on the social welfare systems which support them
B) has much to do with the amount of support they get from others
C) depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles
D) is closely related to their strength for coping with major changes in their lives
38. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “cushions” (Line 1, Para. 2)?
A) Adds up to.
B) Does away with.
C) Lessens the effect of.
D) Lays the foundation for.
39. Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work is an example of ________.
A) instrumental support
B) informational support
C) social companionship
D) the strengthening of self-respect
40. Social companionship is beneficial in that ________.
A) it helps strengthen our ties with relatives
B) it enables us to eliminate our faults and mistakes
C) it makes our leisure-time activities more enjoyable
D) it draws our attention away from our worries and troubles
答案：
21. B 22. C 23. A 24.C 25. B
26. D 27. C 28. A 29.B 30. D
31. B 32. A 33. D 34.C 35. D
36. A 37. B 38. C 39.A 40. D
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