典型例题：

　　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 (伪造者), 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

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