IV. Reading Comprehension: (40 points)
Passage One
In only two decades Asian Americans have become the fastest growing US minority. As their children began moving up through the nation’s schools, it became clear that a new class of academic achievers was emerging. Their achievements are reflected in the nation’s best universities, where mathematics, science and engineering departments have taken on a decidedly Asian character. This special liking for mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact that Asian-American students who began their educations abroad arrived in the US with a solid grounding in mathematics but little or no knowledge of English. They are also influenced by the promise of a good job after college. Asians feel they will be judged more objectively. And the return on the investment in education is more immediate in something like engineering than with an arts degree.
Most Asian-American students owe their success to the influence of parents who are determined that their children take full advantage of what the American educational system has to offer. An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents do, and it helps. Many researchers also believe there is something in Asian culture that breeds success, such as ideals that stress family values and emphasize education.
Both explanations for academic success worry Asian-Americans because of fears that they feed a typical racial image. Many can remember when Chinese, Japanese and Filipino immigrants were the victims of social isolation(隔绝). Indeed, it was not until 1952 that laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship.
61. While making tremendous achievements at college, Asian-American students ____ .
A. feel they are mistreated because of limited knowledge of English B. are afraid that their academic successes bear a strong character C. still worry about unfair treatment in society
D. generally feel it a shame to have to depend on their parents
62. What are the major factors that determine the success of Asian-Americans?
A. A solid foundation in basic mathematics and Asian culture B. Hard work and intelligence
C. Hard help and a limited knowledge of English D. Asian culture and the American educational system
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63. Few Asian-American students major in human science mainly because ____ .
A. their English is not good enough
B. they are afraid they might meet with unfair judgment in these areas C. there is a wide difference between Asian and Western cultures D. they know little about American culture and society
64. Why do the two “explanations (Line 1, Para. 3)” worry Asian-Americans?
A. they are afraid they would again be isolated from American society in general B. People would think that Asian students rely on their parents for success C. Asian Americans would be a threat to other minorities
D. American academic achievements have taken on too strong an Asian character 65. The author’s tone in this passage is ___ .
A. sympathetic B. doubtful C. critical D. objective
Passage Two
Television has now come to nearly every family. It has become a very important part in people’s life. School children in the US watch about 25 hours a week.
Some people feel that television is good for children because it helps them learn about their country and the world. With the help of programs of education, children do better in school. Other people feel that there are too many programs about love and crime on TV, and that even programs of education don’t help children a lot. Children simply watch too much television, so they don’t do a lot of other important things for their education. Children of three to six learn to speak their language and talk with people. When they are watching TV, they are only listening to the language and they aren’t talking with anyone. When school children watch TV, they read less. Because of this, they don’t learn to read or write quickly at school.
All children learn by doing, and they need time to play in order to learn about the world. When they watch TV, they play less. They also have less time to do with their parents and friends, and they have less time to play.
Recently, fifteen families in Denver decided to stop watching TV for a month or more. At first it was difficult, but there were soon a lot of good changes. The children read, played, and exercised more, and the family became full of joy. But at the end of the month all the families began to watch
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TV as much as before. Not one family was able to give up television completely. 66. Television _____.
A. is not important to school children B. helps children learn to speak C. has a lot to do with people’s life D. must have more programs of education
67. Some people think that television is good for children because ____ .
A. some programs help children love their parents B. the news programs are important to them C. it makes them play less than before D. they can learn something good from it
68. Some people think that TV is bad for children because _____ .
A. there are too many TV programs not good for children B. its language is difficult to understand C. it is helpful to their thinking and doing D. their eyes work much every day
69. In the US, school children watch TV about _____ a day.
A. two and a half hours B. four hours C. twenty-five hours D. five hours
70. Because school children watch too much TV, they _____ .
A. write more quickly than before
B. don’t learn to read or write as quickly as before C. read a lot
D. read and write much more
Passage Three
It was a quarter past nine as Mary hurried into the office building where she was going to work. Her
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bus had inched(蠕动) along through heavy morning traffic, making her a few minutes late for her very first job. She decided to start out half an hour earlier the next day.
Once inside the lobby, she had to stand at the elevators and wait several minutes before she could get on one going to the sixth floor. When she finally reached the office marked “King Enterprises”, she knocked at the door nervously and waited. There was no answer. She tapped on the door again, but still there was no reply. From inside the next office, she could hear the sound of voices, so she opened the door and went in.
Although she was sure it was the same office she had been in two weeks before when she had had the interview with Mr. King, it looked quite different now. In fact, it hardly looked like an office at all. The employees were just standing around chatting and smoking. At the far end of the room, somebody must have just told a joke, she thought, because there was a loud burst of laughter as she came in. For a moment she had thought they were laughing at her.
Then one of the men looked at his watch, clapped his hands and said something to the others. Quickly they all went to their desks and, in a matter of seconds, everyone was hard at work. No one paid any attention to Marie. Finally she went up to the man who was sitting at the desk nearest to the door and explained that this was her first day in the office. Hardly looking up from his desk, he told her to have a seat and wait for Mr. King, who would arrive at any moment. Then Marie realized that the day’s work in the office began just before Mr. King arrived. Later she found out that he lived in Connecticut and came into Manhattan on the same train every morning, arriving in the office at 9: 35, so that his staff knew exactly when to start working.
71. Marie felt nervous when she knocked at the door because_____ .
A. it was her first day in a new job B. she was a little bit late for work
C. she was afraid that she had gone to the wrong place D. there was no answer from inside the office
72. Marie could hardly recognize the office she went into as ____ .
A. she had been there only once B. Mr. King was not in the office C. nobody was doing any work D. the office had a new appearance
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73. The people in the office suddenly started working because ____ .
A. they saw a stranger in the office B. they had finished their morning break C. no one wanted to talk to Marie D. the boss was about to arrive
74. We can infer from the text that the employees of the enterprise ____ .
A. would start their work by listening to a joke B. were cold to new comers C. were always punctual for work D. lacked devoting to the company
75. The best title for this text would be _____ .
A. Punctual Like a Clock B. A Cold Welcome
C. An Unpunctual Manager D. Better Late Than Never
Passage Four
Most animals have little connection with animals of a different kind, unless they hunt them for food. Sometimes, however, two kinds of animals come together in a partnership which is good for both of them. You may have noticed some birds sitting on the backs of sheep. This is not because they want a ride, but because they find easy food in the parasites(寄生虫) on the sheep. The sheep allow the birds to do so because they remove the cause of discomfort. So, although they can manage without each other, they do better together.
Sometimes an animal has a plant partner. The partnership develops until the two partners cannot manage without each other. This is so in corals(珊瑚) of the sea. In their skins they have tiny plants which act as “dustmen”, taking some of the waste products from the corals and giving in return oxygen which the animal needs to breathe. If the plants are killed, or are even prevented from receiving light so that they can not live normally, the corals will die. 76. Some birds like to sit on a sheep because _____ .
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