17. According to the passage, the reason why no two people really read the “same” newspaper is that ________.
A) people scan for the news they are interested in
B) different people prefer different newspapers
C) people are rarely interested in the same kind of news
D) people have different views about what a good newspaper is
18. It can be conclude from the passage that newspaper readers ________.
A) apply reading techniques skillfully
B) jump from one newspaper to another
C) appreciate the variety of a newspaper
D) usually read a newspaper selectively
19. A good newspaper offers “a variety” to readers because _________.
A) it tries to serve different readers
B) it has to cover things that happen in a certain locality
C) readers are difficult to please
D) readers like to read different newspapers
20. The best title for this passage would be “__________”.
A) The Importance of Newspaper Topicality
B) The Characteristics of a Good Newspaper
C) The Variety of a Good Newspaper
D) Some Suggestions on How to Read a Newspaper
Passage Three
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
American society is not nap（午睡）friendly. In fact, says David Dinges, a sleep specialist at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine. “There’s even a prohibition against admitting we need sleep.” Nobody wants to be caught napping or found asleep at work. To quote proverb: “Some sleep five hours, nature requires seven, laziness nine and wickedness eleven.”
Wrong. The way not to fall asleep at work is to take naps when you need them. “We have to totally change our attitude
toward napping”, says Dr. William Dement of Stanford University, the godfather of sleep research.
Last year a national commission led by Dement identified an “American sleep debt” which one member said was as
important as the national debt, the commission was concerned about the dangers of sleepiness: people causing industrial
accidents or falling asleep while driving. This may be why we have a new sleep policy in the White House. According to recent reports, president Clinton is trying to take a half-hour snooze（打瞌睡）every afternoon.
About 60 percent of American adults nap when given the opportunity. We seem to have “a midafternoon quiet phase” also called “a secondary sleep gate.” Sleeping 15 minutes to two hours in the early afternoon can reduce stress and make us refreshed. Clearly, we were born to nap.
We Superstars of Snooze don’t nap to replace lost shut-eye or to prepare for a night shift. Rather, we “snack” on
sleep, whenever, wherever and at whatever time we feel like it. I myself have napped in buses, cars, planes and on boats; on floors and beds; and in libraries, offices and museums.
21. It is commonly accepted in American society that too much sleep is _______.
A) unreasonable
B) criminal
C) harmful
D) costly
22. The research done by the Dement commission shows that Americans ________.
A) don’t like to take naps
B) are terribly worried about their national debt
C) sleep less than is good for them
D) have caused many industrial and traffic accidents
23. The purpose of this article is to ___________.
A) warn us of the wickedness of napping
B) explain the danger of sleepiness
C) discuss the side effects of napping
D) convince the reader of the necessity of napping
24. The “American sleep debt” (Line 1, Para.3) is the result of _________.
A) the traditional misconception the Americans have about sleep
B) the new sleep policy of the Clinton Administration
C) the rapid development of American industry
D) the Americans’ worry about the danger of sleepiness
25. The second sentence of the last paragraph tells us that it is __________.
A) preferable to have a sound sleep before a night shift
B) good practice to eat something light before we go to bed
C) essential to make up for cost sleep
D) natural to take a nap whenever we feel the need for it
Passage Four
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
Violin prodigies（神童）, I learned, have come in distinct waves from distinct regions. Most of the great performers if the late 19th and early 20th centuries were born and brought up in Russia and Eastern Europe. I asked Isaac Stern, one of the world’s greatest violinists the reason for this phenomenon. “It is very clear,” he told me. “They were all Jews（*人）and Jews at the time were severely oppressed and ill-treated in that part of the world. They were not allowed into the professional fields, but they were allowed to achieve excellence on a concert stage.” As a result, every Jewish parent’s dream was to have a child in the music school because it was a passport to the West.
Another element in the emergence of prodigies, I found, is a society that values excellence in a certain field to
nurture（培育）talent. Nowadays, the most nurturing societies seem to be in the Far East. “In Japan, a most competitive
society, with stronger discipline than ours,” says Isaac Stem, children are ready to test their limits every day in many fields, including music. When Western music came to Japan after World War II, that music not only became part of their daily lives, but it became a discipline as well. The Koreans and Chinese as we know, are just as highly motivated as the Japanese.
That’s a good thing, because even prodigies must work hard. Next to hard work, biological inheritance plays an
important role in the making of a prodigy .J. S. Bach, for example, was the top of several generations of musicians, and four of his sons had significant careers in music.
26. Jewish parents in Eastern Europe longed for their children to attend music school because _________.
A) it would allow them access to a better life in the West
B) Jewish children are born with excellent musical talent
C) they wanted their children to enter into the professional field
D) it would enable the family to get better treatment in their own country
27. Nurturing societies as mentioned in the passage refer to societies that _________.
A) enforce strong discipline on students who want to achieve excellence
B) treasure talent and provide opportunities for its full development
C) encourage people to compete with each other
D) promise talented children high positions
28. Japan is described in the passage as a country that attaches importance to _________.
A) all-round development
B) the learning of Western music
C) strict training of children
D) variety in academic studies
29. Which of the following contributes to the emergence of musical prodigies according to the passage?
A) A natural gift.
B) Extensive knowledge of music.
C) Very early training.
D) A prejudice-free society.
30. Which of the following titles best summarises the main idea of the passage?
A) Jewish Contribution to Music.
B) Training of Musicians in the World
C) Music and Society
D) The Making of Prodigies
A) people scan for the news they are interested in
B) different people prefer different newspapers
C) people are rarely interested in the same kind of news
D) people have different views about what a good newspaper is
18. It can be conclude from the passage that newspaper readers ________.
A) apply reading techniques skillfully
B) jump from one newspaper to another
C) appreciate the variety of a newspaper
D) usually read a newspaper selectively
19. A good newspaper offers “a variety” to readers because _________.
A) it tries to serve different readers
B) it has to cover things that happen in a certain locality
C) readers are difficult to please
D) readers like to read different newspapers
20. The best title for this passage would be “__________”.
A) The Importance of Newspaper Topicality
B) The Characteristics of a Good Newspaper
C) The Variety of a Good Newspaper
D) Some Suggestions on How to Read a Newspaper
Passage Three
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
American society is not nap（午睡）friendly. In fact, says David Dinges, a sleep specialist at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine. “There’s even a prohibition against admitting we need sleep.” Nobody wants to be caught napping or found asleep at work. To quote proverb: “Some sleep five hours, nature requires seven, laziness nine and wickedness eleven.”
Wrong. The way not to fall asleep at work is to take naps when you need them. “We have to totally change our attitude
toward napping”, says Dr. William Dement of Stanford University, the godfather of sleep research.
Last year a national commission led by Dement identified an “American sleep debt” which one member said was as
important as the national debt, the commission was concerned about the dangers of sleepiness: people causing industrial
accidents or falling asleep while driving. This may be why we have a new sleep policy in the White House. According to recent reports, president Clinton is trying to take a half-hour snooze（打瞌睡）every afternoon.
About 60 percent of American adults nap when given the opportunity. We seem to have “a midafternoon quiet phase” also called “a secondary sleep gate.” Sleeping 15 minutes to two hours in the early afternoon can reduce stress and make us refreshed. Clearly, we were born to nap.
We Superstars of Snooze don’t nap to replace lost shut-eye or to prepare for a night shift. Rather, we “snack” on
sleep, whenever, wherever and at whatever time we feel like it. I myself have napped in buses, cars, planes and on boats; on floors and beds; and in libraries, offices and museums.
21. It is commonly accepted in American society that too much sleep is _______.
A) unreasonable
B) criminal
C) harmful
D) costly
22. The research done by the Dement commission shows that Americans ________.
A) don’t like to take naps
B) are terribly worried about their national debt
C) sleep less than is good for them
D) have caused many industrial and traffic accidents
23. The purpose of this article is to ___________.
A) warn us of the wickedness of napping
B) explain the danger of sleepiness
C) discuss the side effects of napping
D) convince the reader of the necessity of napping
24. The “American sleep debt” (Line 1, Para.3) is the result of _________.
A) the traditional misconception the Americans have about sleep
B) the new sleep policy of the Clinton Administration
C) the rapid development of American industry
D) the Americans’ worry about the danger of sleepiness
25. The second sentence of the last paragraph tells us that it is __________.
A) preferable to have a sound sleep before a night shift
B) good practice to eat something light before we go to bed
C) essential to make up for cost sleep
D) natural to take a nap whenever we feel the need for it
Passage Four
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
Violin prodigies（神童）, I learned, have come in distinct waves from distinct regions. Most of the great performers if the late 19th and early 20th centuries were born and brought up in Russia and Eastern Europe. I asked Isaac Stern, one of the world’s greatest violinists the reason for this phenomenon. “It is very clear,” he told me. “They were all Jews（*人）and Jews at the time were severely oppressed and ill-treated in that part of the world. They were not allowed into the professional fields, but they were allowed to achieve excellence on a concert stage.” As a result, every Jewish parent’s dream was to have a child in the music school because it was a passport to the West.
Another element in the emergence of prodigies, I found, is a society that values excellence in a certain field to
nurture（培育）talent. Nowadays, the most nurturing societies seem to be in the Far East. “In Japan, a most competitive
society, with stronger discipline than ours,” says Isaac Stem, children are ready to test their limits every day in many fields, including music. When Western music came to Japan after World War II, that music not only became part of their daily lives, but it became a discipline as well. The Koreans and Chinese as we know, are just as highly motivated as the Japanese.
That’s a good thing, because even prodigies must work hard. Next to hard work, biological inheritance plays an
important role in the making of a prodigy .J. S. Bach, for example, was the top of several generations of musicians, and four of his sons had significant careers in music.
26. Jewish parents in Eastern Europe longed for their children to attend music school because _________.
A) it would allow them access to a better life in the West
B) Jewish children are born with excellent musical talent
C) they wanted their children to enter into the professional field
D) it would enable the family to get better treatment in their own country
27. Nurturing societies as mentioned in the passage refer to societies that _________.
A) enforce strong discipline on students who want to achieve excellence
B) treasure talent and provide opportunities for its full development
C) encourage people to compete with each other
D) promise talented children high positions
28. Japan is described in the passage as a country that attaches importance to _________.
A) all-round development
B) the learning of Western music
C) strict training of children
D) variety in academic studies
29. Which of the following contributes to the emergence of musical prodigies according to the passage?
A) A natural gift.
B) Extensive knowledge of music.
C) Very early training.
D) A prejudice-free society.
30. Which of the following titles best summarises the main idea of the passage?
A) Jewish Contribution to Music.
B) Training of Musicians in the World
C) Music and Society
D) The Making of Prodigies