reading comprehension 1. Culture shock is the mental shock of adjusting to a new country and a new culture that is dramatically different from your own. It largely results from the loss of cultural and behavioral cues. Climate, food, landscapes, people and their ways can all seem strange, disturbing or irritating to one experiencing culture shock. However, remember that such reactions are normal, and should be anticipated. As one becomes adjusted to a new culture and attitudes, he or she will begin to ____________. (a) feel normal again (b) appreciate cultural differences (c) learn more about culture shock (d) occasionally desire a change 2. A recent study finds that listening to music before and after surgery helps patients cope with related stress. Blood pressure levels in patients aged 51 to 87 years rose significantly before surgery, but dropped to normal within five minutes of listening to music of their choice. On the other hand, blood pressure levels in a control group remained high. This is convincing evidence that music has beneficial cardiovascular and cognitive effects and __________________ caused by the stress of surgery. (a) quickly eliminates any pain (b) normalizes high blood pressure (c) even disturbs one's peace of mind (d) further increases blood pressure. 3. Dear Ms. Page: Thank you for your recent order from kitchen Tools. However, we regret that we are unable to send you the merchandise you requested because your Visa card has expired. If ___________, please forward your check or other acceptable form of payment and we will be happy to process your order. Thank you. Fran Daniels (a) you want to cancel the order this time (b) you just paid the amount due as of today (c) you have got a new Visa card issued (d) you still want the Power Blender 4. In this age of diversity-worship, it is considered virtually axiomatic that all cultures are ___________. According to this ethos, Western culture is in no way superior to that of African tribalists of Eskimo seal hunters. There are no objective standards that can be used to evaluate the intellectual stature of different cultures, and rather it is considered important to acknowledge the common value of every culture, In this view, to deny the equality of all cultures is to be guilty of the most heinous of intellectual sins, ethnocentrism. (a) equal (b) different (c) connected (d) discriminating 5. 'The Plan Ahead' offers individuals _________________________. Right now you have the opportunity to be part of a proven, successful, rapidly-growing company. Applying for an available position couldn't be any easier. Review the list of available job opening in the geographical area of your choice. Locate a job listing which matches your interests. Click on the job applications button. Complete our simple job application. Upload your resume, and then click send. If you meet the qualifications for that position, 'The Plan Ahead' will notify you to schedule an interview. It's that easy! (a) a time-saving plan for doing research (b) a lifetime guarantee for insurance coverage (c) a convenient opportunity to enter an exciting career (d) a sure way for relocating to a different area 6. You are cordially invited to attend a ceremony given in honor of Mr. Tom Willard, ____________________ M&G Inc. Mr. Willard has been a dedicated member of the company for almost thirty years, and we will all miss his presence. The ceremony will be held at the Convention Center, on Jan. 15, 2003, at 7 p.m. The company will be presenting Mr. Willard with a gift at that time. A party will follow the ceremony, so be prepared to eat, drink, and dance. We hope you will come and share in this tribute to a fine individual. (a) for his recent appointment at (b) on his twentieth birthday at (c) on his retirement from (d) for his future contribution to 7. William Shakespeare is unequivocally the most famous playwright in the world, but there _________________________. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April (probably April 23) of 1564, shakespeare presumably attended the Stratford grammar school, where he could have acquired a respectable knowledge of Latin. There are legends about Shakespeare's youth but no documented facts. The first record we have of his life after his christening is that of his marriage in 1582 to Anne Hathaway. A daughter was born in 1583 and twins, a boy and a girl, in 1585. We possess no information about his activities for the next seven years, but by 1592 he was in London working as an actor and was apparently well known as a playwright. (a) is much controversy about his literary achievement (b) is little consensus on when he started his career (c) are yet many questions about his biographical background (d) is yet more to learn about his work 8. There is little dispute that red wine can help keep the heart healthy. Now it's increasingly clear that grape juice may ___________. Purple grape juice―not the white kind―seems to offset the damaging effects of LDL(or 'bad')cholesterol and keep blood vessels elastic flavonoids―aromatic micronutrients―found in red wine. (a) be even more beneficial (b) have a similar effect (c) completely supplant red wine (d) be used in alternative medicine 9. The first Meal Maker restaurant was started in Maitland, Florida in 1975 with a menu that consisted of just three items: beef fondue, Swiss cheese fondue and milk chocolate fondue for dessert. Since then, the Meal Maker menu has grown immensely, and now serves more than twenty dished. In addition, ___________________________. For example, within six years, five more Meal Maker restaurants have opened in Orlando, Tampa and GainesVille. At latest count, there are 52 restaurants in locations all across the nation. what's more, new restaurants are being launched in new areas every day. (a) more dishes have still been added since (b) the number of restaurants has continually increased (c) a greater number of people came to know how to cook fondue (d) a variety of dishes have been adopted by other restaurants 10. The field of American studies began as an amalgam of history and literature during the pro-World War II period. In the post-was period, it gradually incorporated studies of the arts and material culture, expanding later on to encompass popular culture and media, and growing still further with studies that focused on issues of race, ethnicity, and gender. By the end of the twentieth century, American studies had also incorporated comparative studies of Canada and Latin America. Indeed a transnational, global perspective on American culture has become one of the leading currents in the field as we begin the 21st century. Now most scholars agree that the field as we begin the 21st century. Now most scholars agree that the field of American studies ____________________, encompassing a wide range of disciplines that, in one way or another, are trying to describe the cultures of the United States. (a) began to militate against plurality (b) has a shared basis with gender studies (c) continues to expand (d) is implementing new critical methods 11. In these troubled times, there is still comfort in rediscovering books from childhood. And this holiday season, old fairy tales we read in our childhood are all out in new collections, and are selling well. What makes these old stories so beloved after all these years? There may be many reasons, but one clear thing is that all these stories depict a world in which things always turn out all right in the end. After all, the more people find the real world troubling and aggravating, the more people want to indulge themselves in a world that ___________________________ from time to time. (a) always ends in a blissful marriage (b) fulfills their wish for a happy ending (c) makes their experience substantialized (d) invokes endearing people who are dead now 12. Every profession has its own history in which the accumulation of knowledge is the basis for pushing the frontiers into the unknown. Dali and Picasso are two masters who stood at the vanguard of two opposite attitudes toward artistic traditions in the twentieth century: to use that accumulated knowledge and build upon it, or to discard it. Dali embraced all the science of painting as a way to study the psyche through subconscious images. He believed the artist should allow these images to reach the conscious, and freeze them on canvas to give the consciousness the opportunity to comprehend their meaning. Picasso ____________________ . He completely rejected the methods of painting handed down form his predecessors, emphasizing that the ingenuity of childhood is the basis of art. To him, the less the artist is preoccupied with his craft, the better his art. (a) took the opposite approach to art (b) opened a new horizon in Cubism (c) tried to accommodate as many artistic methods as possible (d) hoped to find a way to follow the images of the subconscious 13. If you think hurricanes and tornadoes are powerful, take a look at the sun's periodic storms. Kicking up twisting arcs of fiery gases, solar eruptions from that great thermonuclear reactor in the sky can stretch as far as the distance from Earth to the moon. The most intense outburst explode a billion tons of material off the sun's searing (6.090℃)surface at speeds of millions of kilometers an hour. If these electrically charged particles happen to slam against Earth's atmosphere, they can imperil astronauts or push satellites out of orbit. If they hit the ground, they can knock out electrical-power systems and possibly change the planetary climate. To avoid this kind of disaster, scientists are strenuously attempting to ___________________________ with all the accuracy of terrestrial weather forecasts. (a) predict storms on the sun (b) diminish the degree of percussion (c) find how to react to such a storm (d) keep an eye on the sun's orbit motion 14. All 143 people abroad Gulf Air flight 054 from Cairo to Bahrain were killed when the Airbus A320 plunged into the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf, less than 2 km off the coast of Bahrain. The victims included many families with children returning from summer holidays. As relatives arrived in Bahrain's capital to begin the grim task of identifying bodies, investigators _________________________. It will take more time to discover its exact cause. However, based on the voice and flight date recorders recovered from the wreck, preliminary reports indicated excessive speed may have played a role in the disaster. (a) quickly responded to broadcasting reports (b) chose not to reveal the victim's identities (c) began to cooperate with the Bahrain government (d) searched for clues to the cause of the crash 15. Every culture has certain body movements, gestures and facial expressions that express emotions, comments and reactions without words. These movements are called 'body language.' There are also certain cultural habits, such as the U.S. custom of looking a person in the eye when speaking to that person, and not standing 'too close' to the person while conversing, which are not typical or even acceptable behavior in some other counties. _____________, learning body language is an essential part of getting familiar with a different culture. (a) Therefore (b) Meanwhile (c) Nevertheless (d) Finally 16. The urge to explore the Earth has lured men on dangerous journeys across the waters since very early times. At first, the chief concern was to learn the extent of the oceans. Merely to map the boundaries was a long adventure. Then men moved from the surface of the waters down into the ocean depths. Mountains were found, taller than any that now pierce the sky, and abysses so deep that the water in them lies as quiet as though contained in huge uncorked bottles. And now we are boring into the sea floor itself, dropping thermometers down to help us calculate the heat that comes up from that mysterious furnace, _____________, all these endeavors together have not told us how the oceans work. (a) Consequently (b) Furthermore (c) Nonetheless (d) Instead 17. While many drugs speed up or depress the central nervous system, there is a class of drugs that distorts how we feel, hear, see, smell, taste, and think. Called hallucinogens because users often hallucinate, or experience nonexistent sensations, these drugs are also known as psychedelic or mind-bending drugs. Some hallucinogens come from natural sources, others are made in laboratories. Examples of natural hallucinogens are mescaline, psilocybin, DMT, and marijuana. The effects of hallucinogens on the body are unpredictable. They depend on the amount taken and the user's personality, mood, expectations, and surroundings. Although hallucinogens do not produce a physical addiction, users do develop a tolerance, so that increasing amounts must be taken to achieve the same effect. Psychological dependence on hallucinogens is will documented. Q. Which of the following is correct about hallucinogens according to the passage? (a) They can be considered to be psychologically addictive. (b) They sometimes affect the central nervous system. (c) They affect users in a predictable way. (d) They are largely obtained from natural sources. 18. Senile purpura are black-and-blue marks or bruises that develop spontaneously over the backs of the hands, forearms and occasionally on the legs. It is a rather common condition. Age and sun damage related degeneration of the connective tissue supporting the blood vessels in the skin, and loss of fat are believed to account for the markedly increased blood vessel fragility characteristic of this condition. The blood vessels in people with senile purpura are so fragile that the slightest incidental traumas to the skin, such as brushing against a tabletop or resting the elbows on a table, lead to blood vessel breakage. Q. Which of the following is NOT considered to be among the reasons for senile purpura? (a) Sunburn (b) Getting old (c) Poor diet (d) Loss of fat 19. Amoebas are usually considered the lowest and most primitive form of animal life. But simple as they may seem, these tiny one-celled organisms carry out their activities competently and efficiently. The amoeba feeds mainly on other microscopic, one-celled plants and animals including algae, bacteria, and tiny protozoa in the surrounding water. It has no mouth or other body parts for taking in or digesting food. If it finds itself near something edible, it puts out pseudopods to surround the food and flow over it. In this way, the food, along with a tiny drop of water around it, is completely enclosed in a bubblelike chamber in the amoeba's body. The chamber is called a food vacuole, and an amoeba may have several in its body at the same time. Once the food is digested, the vacuole disappears. Q. Which of the following is correct about amoebas? (a) They can sometimes eat non-unicellular animals or plants. (b) They have relatively simple types of digestive organs. (c) Each of the organs they have is always one-celled. (d) A single amoeba can have more than one food vacuole. 20. In the elementary grades, girls and boys have comparable perceptions of their own abilities. But by ninth grade and continuing through high school, on average, girls gradually lower their perceptions of their own abilities compared to boys. A similar trend was noted by the AAUW(American Association of University Women). Girls aged 8 and 9 reported feeling confident, assertive, and authoritative about themselves. But they emerged from adolescence with poor self-image, constrained views of their future and their place in society, and much less confidence about themselves and their abilities. Q. Which would be the best title of the passage? (a) The Self and Others (b) Gender and Self-esteem (c) Girls' Changing Needs (d) Personal and Collective Self-esteem 21. Three basic types of artificial nail products are currently available for those who need them. Glue-on pre-formed artificial nail kits are one option, but frequently contain acrylate adhesives. Allergic reactions to these products are quite common, and acrylates may provoke irritation in the surrounding skin. A second type of artificial nail is a pre-formed nail with and adhesive backing, which you can simply press on. Because no glues are necessary for binding them to your natural nails, this type generally causes the fewest problems. For the third type of artificial nail, a metallized paperboard template is placed around your fingertips, and sculptured nails are formed upon the surface of your natural nails by the application of layers of acrylic polymers, which are them molded to the desired length and thickness. The bonding between the prosthetic and natural nails is permanent, but often causes allergic reactions and infections. Q. Which of the following types of artificial nail is most likely to be recommended by doctors? (a) Sculptured nails (b) Press-on nails (c) Glue-on nails (d) None of the three types 22. Magna Carta, also known as the Magna Charta, was a charter granted by King John of England to the English barons on June 15, 1215. It is considered the basis of English constitutional liberties. The Magna Carta contained the first detailed definition of the relationship between the king and the barons, guaranteed feudal rights, and codified the judicial system. The charter also abolished many abuses of feudal tenures, including taxations by the Crown without consent of the common council of the kingdom. Q. What can be inferred about the time before the Magna Carta was granted? (a) The barons could not live within the king's territory before the charter. (b) The king collected money without the permission of a formal government. (c) The King and the barons had no relationship before the charter was granted. (d) There was no judicial system in England before the charted was granted. 23. In the United States, some 10 to 12 percent of all teenage students fall into the category of exceptional children. They need special teaching and other support to help them learn and prepare for adulthood. This need stems in most cases from general or special learning difficulties resulting from physical or emotional impairment, from communication problems, or from social maladjustment. The exception in this classification is the unusually gifted child. Students of especially high intelligence may also need extra teaching or support to expand and use their capabilities to the fullest extent. Their needs for such support, however, stem from reasons completely opposite from those of other exceptional children. Q. According to the passage, which of the following is correct? (a) Exceptional children are inadequately helped by the educational system. (b) Emotional impairment is the most serious problem of exceptional children. (c) About 20 percent of U. S. students require specialized instruction. (d) Special education is needed for both gifted and learning impaired students. 24. Every civilized society has made arrangements for training its young from preschool through college. The structure of the school system normally reflects the structure of government itself. Canada and the United States, for instance, have federal systems. This implies a division of authority among different levels of government. The school systems in these nations are likewise decentralized. In countries with highly centralized systems of government, the school systems are also centralized―with control being exercised by the national government. This is the case in France, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Russia, and China. In the latter it is the Communist party that controls the school system. Other countries have a third type of school system-with control balanced between national and local government. Great Britain and Japan are example. Q. What is the best title for the passage? (a) Centralized and Decentralized School Systems. (b) Merits and Demerits of Different School System (c) School Systems and Government Systems (d) Civilized Society and School Systems 25. Contrary to general belief, this quest for import relief has hurt more companies than it has helped. As corporations begin to function globally, they develop an intricate web of marketing, production, and research relationships. The complexity of these relationships makes it unlikely that a system of import relief laws will meet the strategic needs of all the units under the same parent company. Q. What can best describe the author's attitude toward import relief? (a) endorsement (b) ambivalence (c) skepticism (d) indifference 26. An arena originally was an open, sandy place, The Romans used the term to describe the venue for gladiatorial combat or an enclosed are in which public entertainment was staged. The seating for spectators was around the arena. In common usage today, the difference between stadium and arena may be negligible. Arena, however, is often used as a name for an enclosed building that can serve as a convention center as well as a theater or sports palace. Q. What is the best title for the passage? (a) Differences between Arenas and Stadiums (b) The Origin of the Term Arena (c) What Is the Arena? (d) How Did Modern Arenas Develop? 27. One of the most popular family sports is boating. The term boat includes: the 'shell,' a slender, highly stylized vessel used exclusively in racing contests; the flat-bottomed 'punt,' which is usually propelled by pushing a pole against the bottom of a stream; and a wide variety of primitive craft used by native peoples in various parts of the world. Also classified as boats are working craft such as the fisherman's 'dory' and the 'scow' used for hauling sand or other bulk cargoes―both flat-bottomed vessels―and the 'lifeboat' found on ships. Q. What is the passage mainly about? (a) Development of boats (b) Boating as a family sport (c) Different types of boats (d) Main uses of boats 28. The United Nations has warned that if the world continues consuming water at the current rate, more than 2.7billion people will face severe water shortages by the year 2025. Mismanagement of existing water resources, population growth and changing weather patterns are the main causes of the looming crisis. The areas most at risk from the growing water scarcity are in semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Even in Europe, at least 120 million people still do not have access to clean water and sanitation. Globally, more than five million people die from waterborne diseases every year. Less than 3% of the Earth's water is fresh, and most of it is in the form of polar ice or is too deep underground to reach. Q. What is the main topic of the passage? (a) The areas threatened most by water scarcity (b) UN's warning of looming water crisis (c) Concerns about wasteful water consumption (d) The main causes of water crisis 29. Most intelligence tests are designed so that they have certain statistical characteristics. For example, if the average score is 100, 50% of the people from the general population who take the tests will score 100 or above, and 50% will score below 100. About 68% of the general population will earn IQ scores between 85 and 115. Only about 16% of the population will receive scores below 85, and only 16% will score above 115. Note, however, that these figures hold true for white, native-born American whose first language is Standard English. Whether IQ tests should even be used with ethnic minority-group students is hotly debated. Q. Which of the following is the best title of the passage? (a) How is Intelligence Measured (b) What Does An IQ Score Mean? (c) Why Is and IQ Score Important (d) How Do We Check an IQ Score? 30. The game of darts, one of England's oldest sports, is played by throwing darts at a circular, numbered board divided into grids of different values. The game is most popular in English pubs, or public houses, and the similar American neighborhood taverns as a friendly competition between individuals or teams. The game of darts may go back as far as the 12th century. It began as butts, an indoor form of archery, with the butts, or rounded ends, of barrels as targets. By the 16the century, it had become a tournament pastime. The pilgrim settlers who came to North America aboard the Mayflower in 1620 played darts during their journey. In Britain today there are about 7,000 dart clubs in the National Darts Association. Other groups that oversee dart-playing contests are the British Darts Organization and the Scottish Darts Association. In addition to a million registered players, there are more than 5million players who are not affiliated with clubs. Q. Which is correct according to the passage? (a) The game of darts is growing in popularity in England recently. (b) Most dart players in England and Scotland belong to a dart club. (c) The game of darts was introduced to North America in the 17th century. (d) Today, North Americans adapted darts to their unique interests. 31. A 60th anniversary edition of Orson Welles' Citizen Kane was released on DVD last week. This is no mean trick for a movie that many viewers feel that they have seen more than enough of. The film had to come to DVD sooner or later, and here it is, with two long commentaries by a film critic and Welles' biographer, a fine documentary about the conflict between Welles and William R. Hearst, on whose life the film was based, and a variety of extras from storyboards to ad campaigns. Q. Which of the following is correct about the new DVD, according to the review? (a) It came out on the 60th birthday of the director. (b) It is likely to attract many viewers despite its age. (c) It is a documentary film about Welles' life. (d) It was released despite great controversy. 32. You can contribute to your own good health and longevity with the following basic measure. Above all, stop smoking. Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable illness in the county. Avoid excessive alcohol consumption. Otherwise, you will put your health in danger. Maintain a healthy weight. Excessive weight is linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes,? back problems, and a host of other ailments. If you need to lose weight, do so gradually. Exercise. Inactivity puts you at risk for ailments ranging from heart disease to osteoporosis. Never drink and drive, and avoid riding with a driver who has been drinking. Finally, fasten your seat belt every time you drive or ride in a car. Seat belts afford even more protection than air bags. Q. How many basic rules are proposed for a healthy and long life in the passage? (a) 4 (b) 5 (c) 6 (d) 7 33. Many counties have national holidays. Tradition or law has established certain days for the whole country to celebrate. Strictly speaking, however, the United States has no national holidays. Congress and the president may declare legal public holidays only for the District of Columbia and, nationwide, for federal employees. Each state and territory decides for itself what days will be legal holidays within its borders. For example, several states have designated the traditional date of May 30 as Memorial Day, though some agencies in those states observe the legal holiday on the last Monday in May. A number of Southern states have set aside a Confederate Memorial Day, but the date of its observance varies; four states celebrate the holiday in April, three in May, and two in June. Q. According to the passage, which of the following is correct about national or legal holidays in the U.S. (a) They are often observed only by federal employee. (b) They have been introduced mainly by tradition. (c) Some holidays are not nationally observed. (d) Memorial Day is observed nationwide on the same day. 34. From ancient times, marriage has been strictly regulated by both customary law and religious practice. The ancient concept of marriage, one that survives in some places, was that of a legal transaction between families. The basic issues were the economic dependence of women and the ownership of property. A wedding represented the transfer of a woman from the control of and economic dependence upon her family to domination by her husband. There was also a transfer of the woman's property, usually called a dowry, form father to husband. This transfer of property was made whether the marriage was voluntary on the part of the couple or an arranged marriage. Q. Which of the following best characterizes marriage in ancient times? (a) The change of a woman's independence to her dependence on her husband (b) The handing over of a woman and her property from her father to her husband (c) The payment of a dowry by a woman's father or her family to her husband (d) The transfer of a woman's rights to her husband for the sake of her family 35. Hi-tech industry manufacturer is seeking motivated individuals with entrepreneurial drive for U.S. and Canadian expansion. Huge compensation and benefits program offered! Due to our overwhelming growth of nearly 100% over the last three years, we have an immediate need and are willing to train and develop even non-experienced individuals in local markets. Now you can have your very own part-time or full-time business backed with full company support and start up capital if needed, and can work right from the comfort of your home. Create your own hours! Q. What is this passage about? (a) An advertisement seeking entrepreneurs (b) An offer to start a company (c) A training offer for small-sized business (d) A creative way to spend time 36. Almost every family has one hypochondriac. Ours was Uncle Sam. As soon as Uncle Sam heard about a disease, he was sure that he had it. Once he worried several weeks because he was certain that he had cancer. A month later, he was convinced that he had malaria. Then for quite a while he was afraid his heart was giving out. Yet according to his doctor, the only thing wrong with Uncle Sam was his overly active imagination. Q. According to the passage who do you think is a hypocondriac (a) A person who gets sick easily (b) A person who has high potentiality of illness (c) A person who cannot identify his own disease (d) A person who is too much preoccupied with his own health 37. Different groups of people use libraries. Each group and each person has different library needs. Because no one library can cater to everyone's unique needs, there are different kinds. Because the money to run a public library comes form taxes, it is a free service to the public-everyone living in a certain neighborhood, city, county, or province. Such a library serves all ages and groups as an information center. There were early types of public libraries in ancient Greece and Rome. However, they did not lend materials freely as do the world's public libraries today. Q. According to the passage, which of the following is correct about public libraries? (a) They are generally run by a state government. (b) They are known to have first developed in ancient Rome. (c) They do not require its users to pay for its services. (d) They cost more to run than other types of libraries. 38. It is easy for us to make excuses about not having enough time for regular exercise, but it only requires about 15-20 minutes a day. (a) Doing exercise as soon as you get up will make you more able to cope with any problems that the day might bring. (b) A few simple breathing exercises practised at lunch time can give an energy boost for the day. (c) Exercising right before you go to bed will help to promote a peaceful night's sleep and ensure that you awake more refreshed next morning. (d) The best times for practising are either first thing in the morning or last thing at night. 39. Ever since 1906, when German physician Alois Alzheimer described the degenerative brain disorder that bears his name, doctors have argued about what exactly causes the disease. (a) Dr. Alzheimer carefully noted two main features of the autopsied brains of his patients. (b) One way of fighting Alzheimer's is to boost the immune system to a maximized degree. (c) He found the dense clumps, or plaques, of protein that showed up where nerve cells should have been and the tortured tangles that many of the neurons had become. (d) But whether the plaques or the tangles triggered the illness, no one could say for sure. 40. The term ecology was coined a hundred years ago by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel. (a) The eco-, from the Greek oikos (house), is the same as the eco-in economics. (b) According to an old definition, what ecologists study is 'the economy of animals and plants.' (c) 'Ecosystem' means the community of living things and the physical environment in the segment of nature an ecologist is studying. (d) In the now-standard definition, ecology is the science of the relations between organisms and their environment.
