31 1)An average reader can read an average book at the rate of 300 words smoked a cigarette just before testing．Active smokers tended not only to
a minute．
What is the average length of books?
The average length is about 75,000 words What kinds of books can’t you read fast?
We cannot attain that speed with hard books in science，mathematics，agriculture，business，or any subject that is new or unfamiliar to you．The chances are we will never attempt that speed with poetry or want to race have poorer memories but also had trouble separating important information
from insignificant details．
“As our tests became more complex．”Sums up Splitch，“non smokers performed better than smokers by wider and wider margins．”He predicts，“Smokers might perform adequately at many jobs until they got complicated．A smoking airline pilot could fly adequately if no problems arose，but if something went wrong，smoking might damage his mental through some passages in fiction over which we wish to linger． What is required to become a good reader?
The only requirement is that the will to read． How do you do to have the book at hand?
Set your books out in advance．Keep one beside your bed．Place one in your bedroom，Put one near your dining table．Place one into your pocket when you dress． Passage 13
Psychologist George Splitch and colleagues at Washington College in Chestertown，Maryland，decided to find Out whether，as many smokers say，smoking helps them to“think and concentrate”．Splitch put young non—smokers，active smokers and smokers deprived of cigarettes through a series of tests．In the first test，each subject sat before a computer screen and pressed a key as soon as he or she recognized a target letter among a grouping of 96．In this simple test，smokers，deprived smokers and non—smokers performed equally well．
The next test was more complex，requiring a11 to scan sequences of 20 identical letters and respond the instant one of the letters transformed into a different one．Non——smokers were faster，but under the stimulation of nicotine，active smokers were faster than deprived smokers． In the third test of short-term memory．Non-smokers made the fewest errors，but deprived smokers committed fewer errors than active smokers．
The fourth test required people to read a passage，then answer questions about it．N0n-smokers remembered 19 percent more of the most important information than active smokers，and deprived smokers bested those who had
capacity．’’ Questions：
1)What is the purpose of George Spilich’s experiments?
1)In order to find out whether，as many smokers say，smoking helps them to“think and concentrate”．
2)What does the italicized word“bested”most probably mean(in Para 4)? It most probably mean beat．
3)In the second test，who respond slowest?Deprived smokers． 4)In the third test，who made the most errors?Active smokers． 5)We can infer from the last paragraph that＿?
smokers may prove unequal to handling emergency cases． Passage 14 The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist with a gun，but the man with the portable computer in business class．In the last 15 years pilots have reported well over 100incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interfere．The source of this interference re—mains unconfirmed，but increasingly，experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic devices such as portable computers，radio and cassette players and mobile telephones． RTCA，an organization which advised the aviation industry，has recommended that all airlines ban such devices from being used during“critical”stages of flight，particularly take off and landing．Some experts have gone further calling for a total ban during all flights．Currently，rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines．And although some airlines prohibit passengers from using such equipment during take off and
32 landing．most are reluctant to enforce a total ban，given that many Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city’s buildings
passengers want to work during flights．
The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft’s computers．Experts know that portable devices emit radiation，which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication．But，because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory，they have no way of knowing whether the and highways，making then more resistant to quakes．
Despite the good news，civil engineers aren’t resting on their successes．Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints for improved quake resistant buildings．The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place．
In the past，making structures quake--resistant meant firm yet flexible interference might be dangerous or not．
The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio systems in order to damage navigation equipment．As worrying，though，is the passenger who can’t hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music’s too lound． Questions：
1) What may be the biggest safety threat facing airlines today? 1)It may be the man with the portable computer in business class． 2) What is said about the over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 15 years? They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference． 3) What do the electronic devices refer to?
They refer to portable computers，radio，cassette players，mobile telephones and so on.
4) What raises the risk that terrorists may use radio systems to damage navigation equipment?
The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable to interference．
5)The passage is mainly about＿．a possible cause of aircraft crashes． Passage 15
After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994，earthquake scientists had good news to report．The damage and death toll could have been much worse．
More than 60 people died in this earthquake．By comparison，an earthquake of similar intensity that shook America in 1988 claimed 25，000 victims． Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at4：31 a．m．on a holiday，when traffic was light on the city’s highways．In addition，changes made to the construction codes in Los
materials，such as steel and wood，that bind without breaking．Later，people tried to lift a building off its foundation，and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations．The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports．Called smart buildings，the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake’s vibrations．When the ground shakes and the building tips forward，the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction．
The new smart structures could be very expensive to build，however，they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes． Questions：
Why did the scientists have good news to report after the earthquake that shook Los Angeles?
1)Because the damage and death toll could have been much worse． How many people died in the Los Angeles earthquake? More than 60 people died．
How many victims were there in the earthquake of similar intensity that shook Americainl988?25，000 victims．
Why were injuries and deaths relatively less in Los Angeles earthquake? Because the quake occurred at 4：31 a．m．on a holiday，when traffic was light on the city's highways．In addition，changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city's buildings and highways，making them more resistant to quakes．
What is the authors’ main purpose in writing the passage?
33 The author's main purpose in writing the passage is to report new 2)How likely the event is and how bad the consequences if the event
developments in constructing quake-resistant buildings，
It can be inferred from the passage that in minimizing the damage caused by earthquakes，attention should be focused on＿. the development of flexible building materials． Passage 16
Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids now，one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it，say some scientists． occurs． 3) What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons to alter the course of asteroids?
3)It may create more problems than it might solve．
4) How often do experts think that an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth?4)Once every 500，000 years．
5)Which tone does the author use in this passage，objective，optimistic Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids that race across the night sky．Most orbit the sun far from earth and don’t threaten us．But there are also thousands of asteroids whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth． Buy S 50 million worth of new telescopes right now，then spend ﹩10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks．By the time we spot a fatal one，the scientists say，we’ll have a way to change its course．
Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons．But the cost wouldn’t be cheap．
Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are：1)How likely the event is；and 2)How bad the consequences if the event occurs．Experts think an asteroid big enought to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500，000 years．Sounds pretty rare，but if one did fall，it would be the end of the world．“If we don’t take care of these big
asteroids，they’11 take care of us，”says one scientist．“It’s that simple．’’ The cure，though，might be worse than the disease．Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? The world has less to fear from doomsday rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them，said a New York Times article． Questions： 1) How many asteroids are there whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth? 1)Thousands of asteroids．
2) What are the two things experts consider when judging any risk?
or critical?5)Objective． Passage 17
Some pessimistic experts feel that the automobile is bound to fall into disuse．They see a day in the not too—distant future when all autos will be abandoned and allowed to rust．Other authorities，however，think the auto is here to stay．They hold that the car will remain a leading means of urban travel in the foreseeable future．
The motorcar will undoubtedly change significantly over the next 30 years．It should become smaller，safer and more economical．And should not be powered by the gasoline engine．The car of the future should be far more pollution free than present types．
Regardless of its power source，the auto in the future will still be the main problem in urban traffic congestion．One proposed solution to this problem is the automated highway system． When the auto enters the highway system，a retractable arm will drop from the auto and make contact with a rail，which is similar to those powering subway trains electrically．Once attached to the rail，the car will become electrically powered from the system，and control of the vehicle will pass to a central computer．The computer will then monitor all of the car’s movements The driver will use a telephone to dial instructions about his destination into the system．The compute will calculate the best route，and reserve space for the car a11 the way to the correct exit from the highway．The driver will then be free to relax and wait for the buzzer that will warn him of his coming exit．It is estimated that an automated highway will be
34 able to handle 10，000 vehicles per hour，compared with the l，500 to 2，foods，which are highly beneficial，neutral，or to be avoided．How were
000 vehicles that can be carried by a present day highway．
Questions： The motorcar will undoubtedly change significantly over the 30 years．What will be the changes?
1)It should become smaller, safer and more economical and should not be powered by the gasoline engine．The car of the future should be far more pollution-free than present types．
these lists generated? Has any research been published showing adverse health effects from use of foods，which should be avoided? No studies are presented which support what appear to be the author’s speculations． Numerous studies have shown that vegetarians live longer than non——vegetarians and have a lower risk of a number of chromic diseases．These studies are 1ikely to be based on people from all blood type groups．It certainly seems that a vegetarian diet has benefits for those studied， What is the proposed solution to the urban traffic congestion problem? 2)Automated highway system is the proposed solution to the problem． What provides autos with electric power in an automated highway system，a rail，a retractable arm or a computer controller?3)A rail．
Is the author mainly concerned about how to make smaller and safer automobiles or how to solve the problem of traffic jams? 4)How to solve the problem of traffic jams．
What is the author’s attitude toward the future of autos，pessimistic or optimistic?5)Optimistic． Passage 18
Have you heard about the book which pushes blood types as determining whether some—body should be vegetarian or not? The idea of choosing foods based on your blood type was popularized by Peter J．D’Adamo，ND，in his book，Eat Right For Your Type．D’Adamo，a naturopath，proposes that those who have blood type A should be vegetarian，while those with blood type 0 must eat meat and eliminate wheat and some other grains．He says that following the correct diet for your blood type will help you maintain optimal health and weight，avoid many infections，and fight back against 1ife—threatening illnesses．Is there any truth to his claims? While D’Adamo spends more than 350 pages explaining the minute details of the foods，supplements，medications，and exercise regimens，which should be followed by people with each blood type，he fails to scientifically document the effectiveness of his recommendations．Many of the claims，which he makes are not backed up by published research．For example，depending on your blood type，you are presented with detailed lists of
regardless of their blood type．Similarly，studies like those of Dean Omish appear to demonstrate the beneficial effect of a vegetarian diet and other lifestyle changes on a number of individuals，and not just those of a certain blood type．Eat Right For Your Type should not be used as the basis for dietary change．Statements like“I could never be a vegetarian，I’m type 0”are not based on scientific evidence and may even lead people to avoid making dietary changes which could benefit both their health and the health of our planet．Our advice? Stick with a varied，whole foods--based vegetarian diet regardless of you blood type． Questions：
Who wrote the book，which pushes blood types as determining whether somebody should be vegetarian or not?1)J．D'Adarno，ND． Does D’Adamo scientifically succeed to document the effectiveness of his recommendations?No，he doesn't．
According to what D’Adamo says，what benefits can you get if following the correct diet or your blood type?
Your blood type will help you maintain optimal health and weight，avoid many infections and fight back against life—threatening illnesses． Is there any truth to the claims that vegetarians live longer than non—vegetarians and have a lower risk of a number of chronic diseases? Yes，there is．
What diet does the author favor?
A varied，whole foods-based vegetarian diet．
What is the author’s attitude toward D’Adamo’s advice? Unbelieving
Passage 19 My dictionary defines happy as“lucky”or“fortunate”．but I think a better definition of happiness is“the capacity for enjoyment”．The more we can enjoy what we have，the happier we are．It’s easy to overlook the pleasure
35 While happiness may be more complex for us，the solution is the same as
ever．Happiness isn’t about what happens to us，it’s about how we perceive what happens to us．It’s the ability to find a positive for every negative and view a setback as a challenge．It’s not wishing for what we don’t we get from loving and being loved，the company of friends，the freedom to live where we please，even good health． I add up my little moments of pleasure yesterday．First there was complete happiness when l shut the last lunchbox and had the house to myself．Then I spent an uninterrupted moring writing，which I love．When the kids came home，I enjoyed their noise after the quiet of the day．Later，peace came again，and my husband and I enjoyed another pleasure—together—ness．Sometimes just the knowledge that he wants me can bring me joy． You never know where happiness will turn up next．When I asked friends what makes them happy，some mentioned seemingly insignificant moments．“I hate shopping．’’One friend said，“But there’s this clerk who always chats and really cheers me up．”
Another friend loves the telephone．“Every time it rings，l know someone is thinking about me.’’
I get an excitement from driving．One day I stopped to let a school bus turn onto the side road．The driver smiled and gave me a thumbs-up sign．We were two allies in a world of mad motorists．It made me smile．
We all experience moments like these．Too few of us register them as happiness．
To be happy，we must have enjoyable leisure time and satisfying work．I doubt that my great-grandmother，who raised 14 children and took in washing，had much of either．She did have a network of close friends and family and maybe this is what fulfilled her．If she was happy with what she had，perhaps it was because she didn’t expect life to be very different． We, on the other hand，with so many choices and such pleasure to succeed in every area，have turned happiness into one more thing we“gotta have”．We are so self—conscious about our“right”to it that it is making us miserable．So we chase it and equate it with wealth and success，without noticing that the people who have those things aren’t necessarily happier．
have，but enjoying what we do possess． Questions：
1) What is the definition of happiness in the dictionary? 1)My dictionary defines happy as“lucky”or“fortunate”．
2)According to the author，what pleasure do we overlook easily?
It's easy to overlook the pleasure we get from loving and being loved，the company of friends，the freedom to live where we please，even good health．
3) How did a driver make the author happy? One day the author stopped to let a school bus turn onto the side road．The driver smiled an gave her a thumbs-up sign．We were two allies in a world of mad motorists．It made me smile．
4)According to the author，what do we equate happiness with? We equate happiness with wealth and success． 5)To be happy，what ability should you have?
We should have the ability of finding a positive for every negative and viewing a setback as a challenge． Passage 20
Fingerprints，one of the great deciders of innocence or guilt in criminal charges，are now in the dock themselves．This is because of a growing number of claims from defendants that their prints have been lifted and planted at scenes of crimes and these allegations are being taken seriously by lawyers，judges and policemen because it is possible to move a fingerprint from one spot and place it elsewhere．
With one of the cornerstones of evidence now being placed in doubt a committee of criminal lawyers is carrying out an inquiry into fingerprinting．The investigation has been ordered by justice，the prestigious legal organization，and a report is due early next year．Last night a spokesman for Justice said：“There are an increasing number of cases