Ⅳ. Reading Comprehension (60 points)

　　Directions: There are five reading passages in this part. Each passage is followed by four questions. For each question there are four suggested answers marked A，B，C and D. Choose one best answer and blacken the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.

　　Passage One

　　In every school there is a“top”crowd that sets the pace，while the others follow their lead. Let's say the top crowd decides that it is smart to wear bright red sweaters. Pretty soon everybody is wearing a bright red sweater.

　　There is nothing wrong with that，except the fact that on some people bright red sweater is extremely un-becoming. The situation can even become dangerous，if the top crowd decides that it is smart to drink or to drive cars at seventy miles an hour. Then the people who follow the lead are endangering their lives. They are like the sheep being led to the butcher.

　　Now，chances are that you have come across situations like these more than once in your life; chances are that one time or another you probably did something you knew to be wrong. You may have excused your- self by saying，“Gee，the crowd does it.”Well，let the crowd do it，but don't do it yourself. Learn to say，“No”.

　　Develop your own standards and your own judgment. If you know the crowd is planning something you disagree to， have the courage to bow out mannerly . You'll have the satisfaction of standing on your own two feet.

　　36.Which is the best title for this passage?

　　A. Follow the Lead. B. On Top Crowd. C. Being Yourself. D. Bright Red.

　　37.The author doesn't think it good wearing red sweaters if .

　　A. the crowd does it B. you can't afford them

　　C. you don't look good in red D. the situation isn't safe

　　38.The underlined word“satisfaction”in the last paragraph refers to .

　　A. in need of one's help B. agree with one's ideas and activities

　　C. encourage sb to do sth D. decide to do sth

　　39.According to the passage，people who follow the crowd .

　　A. sometimes do things against their better judgment

　　B. make mistakes blindly

　　C. are willing to put their lives in danger

　　D. will become pace-setters in the end

　　Passage Two

　　LONDON-Life for Cathy Hagner and her three children is set to permanent(永久的) fast-forward.

　　Their full school day and her job as a lawyer's assistant are busy enough. But Hanger also has to take the two boys to soccer or hockey or basketball while dropping off her daughter at piano lessons or Girl Scout Club.

　　Often，the exhausted family doesn't get home until 7 p. m. There is just time for a quick supper before homework. In today's world， middle-class Americans and British parents treat their children as if they are competitors racing for some finishing line.

　　Parents take their children from activity to activity in order to make their future bright. It seems that rai-sing a genius has become a more important goal than raising a happy and well-balanced child.

　　“Doctors across the country reporting a growing number of children suffering from stomachaches and headaches due to exhaustion and stress，”says child expert William Doherty of the University of Minnesota.

　　Teachers are dealing with exhausted kids in the classroom. It's a very serious problem. Many children attend after-school clubs by necessity. But competitive pressures also create an explosion of activities. They include spors, language， music and math classes for children as young as four.

　　“There is a new parenting trend(趋势) under way which says that you have to tap all your child's po-tential (潜能) at a young age; otherwise you will let him down，”says Terry Apter, a Cambridge-based child and adolescent psychiatrist(青少年精神病专家).

　　“It isn't entirely new: there have always been pushy parents. But what was previously(以前) seen as strange behaviour is now well accepted.”

　40. From the second paragraph of this passage we can find that .

　　A. Hagner wastes much time helping her children’ s lessons

　　B. Hagner doesn’t spend much time on her full-time job

　　C. Hagner is interested in sports and music

　　D. Hagner busies herself by following a trend

　　41.British parents, as the writer described in this passage, .

　　A. treat their children as sports players

　　B. pay no attention to their children’ s lessons

　　C. bring up their children in a simple way

　　D. give their children little time to develop freely

　　42.The writer’s opinion about after-school clubs is that .

　　A. activities in the country are too competitive

　　B. children should attend four clubs at a time

　　C. some clubs result in competitive pressures

　　D. clubs should have more subjects for school children

　　43.The last paragraph tells us that in Britain .

　　A. parents used to take their children to every club

　　B. parents used to be wise on how to raise children

　　C. parents have all benefited from children’s clubs

　　D. parents have come to know the standard of education

　　答案：36.C 37.C38.B39.A40.D 41.D42.C43.B