PART V READING COMPREHENSION [25 MIN]
In this section there are four passages followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer.
Mark your answers on your answer sheet.
A
Anna Douglas was 72 years old when she started writing her newspaper column. She had been the director of a school and a camp before she retired， but she needed to keep busy. She was even willing to work without pay. That was the reason she found a volunteer job with an agency. The agency that she chose to work for was a business that helped other businesses find jobs for old people. Every day she talked with other retired people like herself. By talking， she recognized two things. Old people had abilities that were not being used. Old people also had problems—mostly problems with communication.
Mrs. Douglas found a new purpose for herself. Through the years， from time to time she had written stories about people for national magazines. Now there was a new subject： old people like herself. She began to write a newspaper column called “Sixty Plus，” which focused on getting old. She writes about the problems of old people， especially their problems with being misunderstood.
Anna Douglas uses her thinking ability to see the truth behind a problem. She understands the reasons why problems begin. She understands old people and young people， too. For example， one of her readers said that his grandchildren left the house as soon as he came to visit. Mrs. Douglas suggested some ways for him to increase understanding with his grandchildren. She told him to listen to young people's music and to watch the most popular television shows.
“It's important to know something about your grandchildren's world，” says Mrs. Douglas. “That means questioning and listening—and listening is not what oldsters do best，” she continues， “Say good things to them and about them. Never criticize your grandchildren or any other youngsters， teenagers， or young adults. Never tell them that they are wrong. Don't give them your opinion. They have been taught that they should have respect for old people. The old should have respect for the young as well.”
81. Anna Douglas understands the problems of old people .
A. because she likes their music B. because she has grandchildren
C. because she watches their television programs D. because she is old herself
82. Anna Douglas' newspaper column .
A. is about how to find jobs for old people B. spreads ideas for youngsters
C. discusses the problems of old people D. contains mostly funny stories
83. What advice did Mrs. Douglas NOT give to the reader whose grandchildren didn't want to see him？
A. Listen to popular music. B. Tell more interesting stories.
C. Try to understand the grandchildren. D. Watch more popular TV shows.
84. The main point of Mrs. Douglas' advice is .
A. old people should understand and respect the young
B. old people have a lot to learn from the young
C. poor hearing often causes old people to misunderstand the young
D. old people should show respect for the young even when they criticize them
B
Chemistry did not emerge as a science until after the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century and then only rather slowly and laboriously. But chemical knowledge is as old as history， being almost entirely concerned with the practical arts of living. Cooking is essentially a chemical process； so is the melting of metals and the administration of drugs and potions. This basic chemical knowledge， which was applied in most cases as a rule of thumb， was nevertheless dependent on previous experiment. It also served to stimulate a fundamental curiosity about the processes themselves. New information was always being gained as artisans improved techniques to gain better results.
The development of a scientific approach to chemistry was， however， hampered by several factors. The most serious problem was the vast range of material available and the consequent difficulty of organizing it into some system. In addition， there were social and intellectual difficulties， chemistry is nothing if not practical； those who practice it must use their hands， they must have a certain practical flair. Yet in many ancient civilizations， practical tasks were primarily the province of a slave population. The thinker or philosopher stood apart from this mundane world， where the practical arts appeared to lack any intellectual content or interest.
The final problem for early chemical science was the element of secrecy. Experts in specific trades had developed their own techniques and guarded their knowledge to prevent others from stealing their livelihood. Another factor that contributed to secrecy was the esoteric nature of the knowledge of alchemists， who were trying to transform base metals into gold or were concerned with the hunt for the elixir that would bestow the blessing of eternal life. In one sense， the second of these was the more serious impediment because the records of the chemical processes that early alchemists had discovered were often written down in symbolic language intelligible to very few or in symbols that were purposely obscure.
85. What is the passage mainly about？
A. The scientific revolution in the seventeenth century.
B. Reasons that chemistry developed slowly as a science.
C. The practical aspects of chemistry.
D. Difficulties of organizing knowledge systematically.
86. According to the passage， how did knowledge about chemical processes increase before the seventeenth century？
A. Philosophers devised theories about chemical properties.
B. A special symbolic language was developed.
C. Experience led workers to revise their techniques.
D. Experts shared their discoveries with the public.
87. The bold word “hampered” in Line 1 Para 2 is closest in meaning to .
A. recognized B. determined C. solved D. hindered
88. The bold word “it” refers to which of the following？
A. Problem. B. Material. C. Difficulty. D. System.
89. Which of the following statements best explains why “the second of these was the more serious impediment”(Underlined)？
A. Chemical knowledge was limited to a small number of people.
B. The symbolic language used was very imprecise.
C. Very few new discoveries were made by alchemists.
D. The records of the chemical processes were not based on experiments.