To make the most of our brains, we need to increase the communication between the hemispheres and get them working together. One way of doing this in language learning is to read faster. Slow reading only encourages word-for-word translation and analysis. This belongs to the left hemisphere process which slows down reading and makes comprehension difficult. Faster reading allows information to be processed visually, a right hemisphere function which is many times faster. The information is also perceived as a whole. This provides the brain with more information from which to make sense of the text, thus increasing comprehension. In other words, if you find a text difficult to understand, you should try reading it faster.

One other way of involving the right hemisphere in language learning is to have music accompany the presentation of a new language. The teacher reads material against a background of classical music while students relax in comfortable chairs. The students are free to listen to the music or the words. It is believed that there is activity at a deep level and unforced memorization takes place although the students look very inactive. This is because the students have great reserve power for learning, but these powers are discouraged by formal of threatening learning situations. In this new approach, a relaxed atmosphere of fun and enjoyment is encouraged.

It is claimed that with this approach the memory can be made ten times more efficient. A basic vocabulary of 2000 English words can be learned in a course of 75 hours. At present, it is difficult to say whether this approach is right or not because not enough is known about the brain and language learning.

　　  1. Faster reading is a good way to——.

　　　　  A. process information slowly　　

  B. improve functions of the left hemisphere

　　　　  C. make the fullest use of our brain

　　　　  D. read an easy text

　　  2. Music-accompanied teaching of language helps students——.

　　　　   A. relax and remain inactive　　　　 B. do well in their studies

　　　　   C. learn new songs by heart　　　　  D. have a good time only

　　  3. Which of the following statements is true?

　　　　    A. The advantages of this teaching method have been proved.

　　　　    B. There is no doubt that this approach is much more efficient.

　　　　    C. We have an insufficient knowledge of how language learning takes place.

　　　　    D. Everyone can learn 2000 English words easily in this way.

　　  4. This passage mainly deals with——.

　　　　    A. the role of the right hemisphere in thinking

　　　　 B. two ways of improving learning efficiency

　　　　    C. the make-up of our brains

　　　　   D. a good way to learn new words by heart

The term food "recovery" refers to the Collection, or recovery, of healthy food from farmers' fields, retail stores, or foodservice establishments for distribution to the poor and hungry. Food recovery programs operate across the United States and target many different levels of the food marketing system. A few are large operations with offices in many States, but most are small local programs that depend largely on the efforts of volunteers from the surrounding community.

Once surplus food has been “recovered” or prevented from going to waste, volunteers pick up and deliver the food to groups that serve the needy, either directly through neighborhood charitable organizations, such as food chambers and soup kitchens, or indirectly through food banks. In addition to providing additional quantities of food to hungry people, food recovery  efforts can also provide food banks with the ability to offer clients more variety and nutrients (营养) in their diets by adding fiber-rich fresh fruits and vegetables and grain products to the typical offerings of indefectible canned and boxed goods.

Food recovery also has benefits that extend beyond providing food to the needy. For example, the additional food supplied by recovery programs allows agencies that serve the disadvantaged to reallocate money to other needed services, money that they would have otherwise spent on food. These efforts also provide clean fields and tax savings for farmers who donate (捐赠) unharvested crops and reduce waste-removal fees for supermarkets and foodservice establishments.

Food recovery, however, is not without cost. Recovery operations face a number of logistical (后勤的) and financial obstacles in the course of turning "lost" food into food suitable for consumption. At times, these obstacles are quite powerful. They include locating food donors and making them aware of organizations that channel donated food to the needy; obtaining financial  resources for transporting, storing, and packaging donated foods; securing labor, whether paid or volunteer; and training those workers in safe food handling and preparation methods.

　　 1. Food recovery programs mainly aim at——.

　　　　 A. collecting money from donors to deal with the food waste problem

　　　　 B. collecting money from donors to provide food to the needy

　　　　 C. collecting money and healthy food to provide food to the needy

　　　　 D. collecting money and healthy food for charitable organizations

　　 2. In addition to providing food to the needy, food recovery programs also——.

　　      A. distribute money directly to the needy

　　　　  B. help farmers improve their productivity

　　　　  C. are involved in other charitable services

　　　　  D. help some agencies reduce food waste

　　 3. Which of the following is NOT the cost of food recovery mentioned in the passage?

　　　　  A. Publication for food recovery courses.

　　　　  B. Collecting money for recovery courses.

　　　　  C. Enrolling volunteers for recovery courses.

　　　　  D. Encountering some obstacles from the government.

　　 4. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

　　　　  A. Food recovery programs are mainly involved in charitable services.

　　　　  B. Food recovery programs are involved in promoting nutritional balance.

　　　　  C. All staff of Food recovery programs are volunteers without pay.

　　　　  D. Many supermarkets and farmers are involved in Food recovery programs.

People appear to be born to compute. The numerical skills of children develop so early and so inexorably that it is easy to imagine an internal clock of mathematical maturity guiding their growth. Not long after learning to walk and talk, they can set the table with impressive accuracy—one plate, one knife, one spoon, one fork, for each of the five chairs.  Soon they are capable of noting that they have placed five knives, spoons and forks on the table and, a bit later, which this amounts to fifteen pieces of silverware. Having thus mastered addition, they move on to subtraction. It seems almost reasonable to expect that if a child were secluded on a desert island at birth and received seven years later, he or she could enter a second grade mathematics class without any serious problems of intellectual adjustment.

Of course, the truth is not so simple. This century, the work of cognitive psychologists has illuminated the subtle forms of daily learning on which intellectual progress depends. Children were observed as they slowly grasped or, as the case might be bumped into concepts that adults take for granted, as they refused, for instance, to concede that quantity is unchanged as water pours from a short stout glass into a tall thin one.

Psychologists have since demonstrated that young children, asked to count the pencils in a pile, readily report the number of blue or red pencils, but must be coaxed into finding the total. Such studies have suggested that the rudiments of mathematics are mastered gradually, and with effort. They have also suggested that the very concept of abstract numbers--the idea of aloneness, a prerequisite for doing anything more mathematically demanding than setting a table—is itself far from innate.

　　 1. What's the main idea about this passage?

　　　　 A. The use of mathematics in child psychology.

　　　　 B. Trends in teaching mathematics to children.

　　　　 C. The development of mathematical ability in children.

　　　　 D. The fundamental concepts of mathematics that children must learn.

　　 2. It can be inferred from the passage that children normally learn simple counting——.

　　　　 A. soon after they learn to talk 

B. after they reach second grade in school

　　　　 C. by looking at the clock

　　　　 D. when they begin to be mathematically mature

　　 3. According to the passage, when small children were asked to count a pile of red and blue pencils they——.

　　　　 A. counted the number of pencils of each color

　　　　 B. counted only the pencils of their favorite color

　　　　 C. guessed at the total number of pencils

　　　　 D. subtracted the number of red pencils from the number of blue pencils

　　 4. What does the word “They” (Para. 3, Line 5) refer?

　　　　 A. Children　　    B. Pencils　　    C. Mathematicians  　　 D. Studies

A weather map is an important tool for geographers. A succession of three or four maps presents a continuous picture of weather changes. Weather forecasters are able to determine the speed of air masses and fronts; to determine whether an individual pressure area is deepening or becoming shallow and whether a front is increasing or decreasing in intensity. They are also able to determine whether an air mass is retaining its original characteristics or taking on those of the surface over which it is morning. Thus, a most significant function of the map is to reveal a synoptic picture of conditions in the atmosphere at a given time.

All students of geography should be able to interpret a weather map accurately.  Weather maps contain an enormous amount of information about weather conditions existing at the time of observation over a large geographical area. They reveal in a few minutes what otherwise would take hours to describe. The United States Weather Bureau issues information about approaching storms, floods, frosts and all climatic conditions in general. Twice a month it issues a 30 day "outlook" which is a rough guide to weather conditions likely to occur over broad areas of the United States. These 30 day outlooks are based upon an analysis of the upper air levels which often set the stage for the development of air masses, fronts, and storms.

Considerable effort is being exerted today to achieve more accurate weather predictions. With the use of electronic instruments and earth satellites, enormous gains have taken place recently in identifying and tracking storms over regions which have but few meteorological stations. Extensive experiments are also in progress for weather modification studies. But the limitations of weather modification have prevented meteorological results except in the seeding of super cooled, upslope mountainous winds which have produced additional monographic precipitation on the windward side of mountain ranges. Nevertheless they have provided a clearer understanding of the fundamentals of weather elements.

　　 1. The observation of weather conditions by satellites is advantageous because it——.

　　　　   A. uses electronic instruments

　　　　   B. enables man to alter the weather

　　　　   C. gives the scientist information not obtained readily otherwise

　　　　   D. makes weather prediction easier

　　 2. The thirty-day forecast is determined by examining

　　　　   A. changing fronts　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. upper air levels

　　　　   C. daily weather maps　　　　　　　　  　　 D. satellite reports

    3. At the present time, experiments are being conducted in——.

　　　　  A. determining density of pressure groups

　　　　  B. 30-day "outlooks"

　　　　  C. manipulating weather　　　　　　　　　　  D. controlling storms

     4. Artificial rainmaking has been most successful in the__

　　　　  A. prairie lands　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. lake area

　　　　  C. western slope of mountains　　　　　　 D. windward side of mountains

What is a good education? The question is far from being answered. Once more, colleges and universities are revising their programs: they drop “fun courses” and reestablish some of the traditional subjects neglected since the 1960s. Many great schools are again requiring the students to take a number of classes in English, history, literature, the social sciences, philosophy, the natural sciences, and art if they want to get a degree. Meanwhile, the experts are trying to define the good education of our time. Obviously the purely vocational training once favored is not enough. But neither is the gentleman's education of nineteenth century. Educational programs must meet the demands of a modern world where men and women have to work and to deal with enormous problems.

What, then, is a good education at the beginning of the 21st century? Some educators suggest that it should include foreign languages and the study of foreign cultures; a mastery of English, including the ability to write and speak well, because communications have become all-important in the modern world, and also because “a person who doesn't speak and write clearly doesn't reason clearly either”; some knowledge of the social sciences (sociology, psychology) that deals with human relations and human problems; some basic knowledge of modern science, which would enable future voters to be better informed about current problems. Finally, many educators insist that all college graduates should be familiar with computers and modern information system, since the educated professionals of tomorrow will have to understand their machines. Is that all? “No, of course not,” answer the educators. “We have not mentioned the two great building block of education: History and Literature!”

　　  1. The passage shows that the question as to what a good education is——.

　　　　   A. has been answered fairly well

　　　　   B. hasn't been put forward yet

　　　　   C. has been dealt with successfully

　　　　   D. has not been answered satisfactorily

　　  2. The word “drop” in the third sentence of the first paragraph means——.

　　　　   A. desert　　　　 B. dislike　　　　   C. decline　　   D. neglect

　　  3. Which of the following statements is not related to the passage?

　　　　   A. Educational programs must meet the demand of a modern world.

　　　　   B. The students will not get a degree unless they take a number of classes in English, history, literature, social sciences, philosophy, the natural sciences and art.

　　　　   C. A good education should include foreign languages and the study of foreign culture.

　　　　   D. Every student ought to take part in military training.

　　  4. The best title for this passage might be——.

　　　　   A. A Good Education　　　　　　　　  B. A Mastery of English

　　       C. Education　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Something About Study

The desire to use language as a sign of national identity (“If B, then A”) is a very natural one, and as a result language has played a large part in national movements. People have often felt the need to use their own language to show that they are different from others. This was true when the United States split off from Britain. At that time some patriots even suggested that the Americans should adopt Hebrew or Greek! In the end, as everyone knows, the two countries adopted the practical solution of carrying on with the same language they had used before. For 200 years Britain and the United States have shown the world that political independence and national identity can be complete without losing all the mutual advantages of a common language.

In other words, language is not necessarily the private property of those who use it. It is unreasonable to regard any language as the possession of a particular nation, and with no language is it more unreasonable than with English. This is not to say that English is used by a greater number of speakers than any other language, for it is easily outnumbered in this respect by Chinese. But it is the most international of languages. A Dane and a Dutch person meeting in Rome will almost automatically find themselves speaking to each other in English. The pilots of a Russian plane approaching Cairo will use English to ask for landing instructions. Malaysian lecturers use English when addressing their Malaysian students in Kuala Lumpur. To people in Africa, Asia, and South America, English is an important foreign language to master, not merely because it is the language of Britain or the United States, but because it provides ready access to world scholarship and world trade, it is understood more widely than any other language.

　　  1. People prefer to speak their own mother tongue or dialect in order to——.

　　　　   A. make it difficult for others to understand their talk

　　　　   B. show off their ability to use different linguistic systems

　　　　   C. show that they are of the same nation or race

　　　　   D. practice as much as possible

　　  2. It was suggested that Americans speak Hebrew or Greek when the nation had just won independence. This was——cause.

　　　　　　 A. these two languages were thought to be more useful

　　　　　　 B. Britain didn't permit Americans to continue to use English

　　　　　　 C. English was not widely used then

　　　　　　 D. some Americans hoped to show their political independence by speaking a language other than English.

      3. Which of the following is true?

　　　　　　 A. Chinese has the largest number of native speakers.

　　　　　　 B. Chinese is the most widely-used language.

　　　　　　 C. English is spoken in a few countries.

　　　　　　 D. English belongs to a particular country.

　　  4. The word "address" in the second paragraph means——here.

　　　　　　 A. to write to　　　　　　  B. to blame

　　　　　　 C. to deal with　　　　　　 D. to speak to

Culture shock is an occupational disease for people who have been suddenly transplanted abroad like most illnesses; it has its own symptoms and cure.

Culture shock is caused by the anxiety that results from losing all familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse. Those signs include the thousand and one ways in which we orient ourselves to the situation of daily life when to shake hands and what to say when we meet people, when and how to give tips, how to make purchases, when to accept and refuse invitations, when to take statements seriously and when not. These signs, which may be words, gestures, facial expressions, or customs, are acquired by all of us in the course of growing up and as much a part of our culture as the language we speak or the beliefs we accept. All of us depend for our space of mind and our efficiency on hundreds of these signs, most of which we do not carry on the level of conscious awareness.

Now when an individual enters a strange culture, all or most of these familiar signs are removed. No matter how broadminded or full of good will you may be, a series of supports have been knocked from under you, followed by a feeling of frustration in much the same way. First they reject the environment which causes discomfort. “The ways of the host country are bad because they make us feel bad.” When foreigners in a strange land get together to complain about the host country and its people, you can be sure that they are suffering from culture shock.

Another phrase of culture shock is regression. The home environment suddenly assumes a tremendous importance. To the foreigner, everything becomes unreasonably glorified. All the difficulties and problems are forgotten and only the good things back home are remembered. It usually takes a trip home to bring one back to reality.

　　  1. Culture shock is called an occupational disease mainly because

　　　　  A. like all other disease it has its own symptoms and culture

　　　　  B. only those who engage in culture work suffer from it

　　　　  C. it is hard to get rid of

　　　　  D. only those living in a strange culture may experience it

　　  2. When people are transplanted abroad,——.

　　　　  A. they soon adapt themselves to the new culture environment

　　　　  B. they try to avoid culture shock

　　　　  C. they feel lost in strange surroundings

　　　　  D. they become seriously ill

　　  3. What do people suffering from culture shock usually do?

　　　　  A. They tend to take delight in gossiping.

　　　　  B. They tend to beautify their home culture.

　　　　  C. They tend to daydream.

　　　　  D. They tend to complain about physical discomforts.

　　  4. The main idea of this passage is that

　　　　  A. culture shock is an occupational disease

　　　　  B. culture shock is caused by the anxiety of living in a strange culture

　　　　  C. culture shock has peculiar symptoms

　　　　  D. it is very hard to cope with life in a new setting

It is hard to say that a telephone is just a telephone anymore. Not only does it let you hear Grandma's voice from miles away clearer than ever before, but it is providing even more important information services to its users. By the year 2000, American householders will rely on the telephone system for shopping, computing, playing the stock market, making airline reservations, and watching television. The lives of heart patients may depend on telephones with on line electronic systems altering their doctors to emergencies. This is in addition to American business managers who currently rely on their telephones for sales orders, inventory control, banking, video image transmission, and many other tasks.

New technologies, such as advanced computing and fiber optics, make telecommunications services cheap and quick. In addition, since the breakup of AT&T, the competition spawned (引起) among many phone companies has emphasized price changes and introduced innovative services.

But despite the stimulus to provide commercial benefits during normal operation, one essential ingredient is missing—the incentive to design for emergency preparedness in the event of disaster. The telephone system is improving its ability to respond to some emergencies such as wartime attack, but is not prepared to handle terrorism, natural disasters, fires or accidents.

Before divestiture (解体) AT&T operated a national emergency center that coordinated all procedures during a disaster. Today, in lieu of the previous AT&T center, a government agency—the National Communications System (NCS) —operates the National Coordinating Center to address disasters related to telecommunications. In addition, the numerous phone companies and large communications suppliers have developed mechanisms of their own to respond to limited emergency situations, but massive emergencies are beyond their capabilities.

　　 1. What does “anymore” in the first sentence of Paragraph 1 mean?

　　　　 A. in any case　　　　　　  B. at no time

　　　　 C. not longer　　　　　　   D. nowadays

　　 2. “In Lieu of” in Paragraph 4 is used to mean

　　　　 A. instead of　　　　　　　　 B. because of

　　　　 C. In spite of　　　　　　    D. due to

　　 3. The writer's main purpose is to

　　　　 A. describe phenomena

　　　　 B. propose a motion of the modem telecommunications sciences

　　　　 C. amuse attention to the limited uses of telephone in the event of disaster

　　　　 D. argue a belief of telephone

　　 4. What would the following paragraph after Paragraph 4 more probably deal with?

　　　　 A. the examples of emergencies that telephone system can not deal with

　　　　 B. different opinions towards the telephone services

　　　　 C. the writer's conclusion of the passage

　　　　 D. the disadvantages of the National Communications System

“It hurts me more than you.” and “This is for your own good.” These are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin, clean my room, stay home and do homework.

That was before we entered the permissive period in education in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school. The schools and the educators made it easy on us. They thought that it was all right to be parents who take a let-alone policy. We stopped making our children do homework. We gave calculators, turned on the television, left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation.

Now teachers, faced with children who have been developing at their own pace for the past 15 years, are realizing we've made a terrible mistake. One such teacher is Sharon Klompus who says of her students “so passive” and wonders what happened. Nothing was demanded of them, she believes. Television, says Klompus, contributes to children's passivity. “We're not training kids to work any more.” says Klompus. “We're talking about a generation of kids who've never been hurt or hungry. They have learned somebody will always do it for them. Instead of saying ‘go look it up', you tell them the answer. It takes greater energy to say no to a kid.”

Yes, it does. It takes energy and it takes work. It's time for parents to end their vacation and come back to' work. It's time to take the car away, to turn the TV off, and to tell them it hurts you more than them but it's for their own good. It's time to start telling them no again.

　　  1. Children are becoming more and more inactive in study because

　　　　   A. they watch TV; too often

　　　　 B. they have done too much homework

　　　　   C. they have to fulfill too many duties 

D. teachers are too strict with them

　　  2. To such children as described in the passage——.

　　　　   A. it is easier to say no than to say yes

　　　　   B. neither is easy—to say yes or to say no

　　　　   C. it is easier to say yes than to say no

　　　　   D. neither is difficult—to say yes or to say no

　　  3. By “permissive period in education” the author means a time——.

　　　　   A. when children are allowed to do what they wish to

　　　　   B. when everything can be taught at school

　　　　   C. when every child can be educated

　　　　   D. when children are permitted to receive education

　　  4. The main idea of the passage is that——.

　　　　   A. parents should leave their children alone

　　　　   B. kids should have more activities at school

　　　　   C. it's time to be more strict with our kids

　　　　   D. parents should always set a good example to their kids

Are some people born cleverer and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experience? Strangely enough, the answer to both these questions is yes. To some extent, our intelligence is given us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in a rich and varied environment. Thus the limits of a person's intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.

It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people without any plan from the population, it is likely that their degree of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical twins, they will very likely be as intelligent as each other. Family members like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this suggests that intelligence depends on birth.

Imagine that now we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring.  We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this shows that environment as well as birth plays a part. This view is also suggested by the fact, that people who live in close contract with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.

　　  1. From the 1st paragraph we can infer that——.

　　　　   A. no way can make a stupid child cleverer

　　　　   B. environment plays a more important part in intelligence developing than birth

　　　　   C. a rich and varied environment enables one to reach one's highest level of intelligence

　　　　   D. if one is born bright, he can reach his highest limit of intelligence whatever environment he lives in

　　  2. The expression “identical twins” (Para. 3) can best be replaced by

　　　　   A. two boys born together by the same mother

　　　　   B. two girls born together by the same mother

　　　　   C. two children of different sexes born together by the same mother

　　　　   D. two children born together by the same mother and are exactly alike

　　  3. Which statement would, the author probably disagree with?

　　　　   A. Intelligence is given at birth and developed by environment.

　　　　   B. It is impossible for people without any blood relationship to have similar intelligence.

　　　　   C. People who have similar experience are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.

　　　　   D. One cannot control his own birth, but can choose a favorable environment.

　　  4. What is the best title for this passage?

　　　　   A. Intelligence　　　　    　　　　　　 B. Degrees of Intelligence

　　　　   C. Intelligence Is Given by Birth

D. Intelligence Depends on Environment