Section 2: Reading Comprehension (30 points)

　　In this section you will find after each of the passages a number of questions

　　or unfinished statements about the passage, each with 4 (A, B, C and D)

　　choices to answer the question or complete the statement. You must choose

　　the one which you think fits best. Blacken the corresponding letter as

　　required on your Machine-scoring ANSWER SHEET.

　　Questions 61-70 are based on the following passage.

　　Next door to a lunch counter advertising a grilled cheese special is a gallery

　　where Van Gogh’s “Irises” shares the walls with Monet landscapes and works

　　from the Italian Renaissance.

　　They are all fakes. They are all for sale. “A forger? Yes. We’re expert forgers

　　you could say. But we make no attempt to deceive. We don’t pretend to sell

　　original works. We have all the thrill of being a forger, but no risk.”

　　With prices for original art rising into the tens of millions, some art lovers are

　　turning to high-quality copies done by expert artists . In addition, some museums

　　confronting skyrocketing insurance premiums are considering stashing the

　　authentic pieces and displaying a reproduction.

　　No major U.S. art museum is known to be displaying reproductions in place

　　of originals. Such a practice would raise questions about why people visit

　　museums in the first place. But museum security has become a growing concern.

　　Bids for paintings have climbed at auction houses. But prices for fakes run

　　only from about $1,000 to $10,000 for paintings of paintings, depending on the

　　size and complexity of the original.

　　In Europe where copying masterpieces is a centuries-old craft, painters often

　　use pigments and brushes typical of the period of the original. The painting is

　　placed in a frame closely resembling its era. Sometimes the gallery purchases

　　17th century furniture to use the wood for frames. The final step is the antiquing

　　process using chemicals and heat and humidity. “We can make special types of

　　cracks from little spider-web types to long splits.”

　　61. This passage is most probably taken out of a/an ________.

　　A. court confession by a person suspected of making fakes

　　B. commercial advertisement for a new profession in arts

　　C. feature story in a newspaper, magazine, or a web page

　　D. industrial profile for a museum promoting a new show

　　62. The word “Monet” underlined in Paragraph 1 refers to a ________.

　　A. master artist

　　C. famous dealer

　　B. master forger

　　D. rich collector

　　63. Both quotes in the passage are probably from a person who is a/an ________.

　　A. master artist

　　C. museum director

　　B. art piece forger

　　D. artworks thief

　　64. The third sentence in the last paragraph implies that the gallery ________.

　　A. carries 17th-century furniture as sideline exhibits

　　B. is part of the process in making fake paintings

　　C. provides the space only for forgers to produce fakes

　　D. manufactures wooden frames for paintings as a sideline

　　65. Obviously, the phrase “expert artists” underlined in Paragraph 3 refers to

　　people who are ________.

　　A. experts in evaluating art works

　　B. painters decorating the museums

　　C. makers of faked famous paintings

　　D. experts who can identify forgeries

　　66. “Such a practice” underlined in Paragraph 4 refers to the display of ________.

　　A. forged works in place of genuine artwork

　　B. original productions in place of their copies

　　C. both fake productions and original paintings

　　D. real reproductions and original masterpieces

　　67. According to the passage, the word “stashing” underlined in Paragraph 3 is

　　synonymous with ________.

　　A. slashing

　　C. stacking

　　B. smashing

　　D. storing

　　68. As repeatedly stated in the passage, ________ was certainly the major reason

　　why forgeries are sold.

　　A. insurance

　　C. quality

　　B. security

　　D. price

　　69. The word “copies” underlined in Paragraph 3 does NOT refer to ________.

　　A. fakes

　　C. reproductions

　　B. forges

　　D. non-authentic works

　　70. According to this passage, which of the following statements is true?

　　A. The works on display are meant to sell as originals.

　　B. The works meant to sell as originals are on display.

　　C. Here you may purchase a masterpiece for $1,020.

　　D. Here one may buy fast food any time and eat it there.

　　Questions 71-80 are based on the following passage.

　　No revolutions in technology have as visibly marked the human condition as

　　those in transport. Moving goods and people, they have opened continents,

　　transformed living standards, spread diseases, fashions and folk around the world.

　　Yet technologies to transport ideas and information across long distances have

　　arguably achieved even more: they have spread knowledge, the basis of economic

　　growth.

　　The most basic of all these, the written word, was already ancient by 1000.

　　By then China had, in basic form, the printing press, using carved woodblocks.

　　But the key to its future, movable metal type, was four centuries away. The

　　Chinese were hampered by their thousands of ideograms. Even so, they quite soon

　　invented the primitive movable type, made of clay, and by the 13th century they

　　had the movable wooden type. But the real secret was the use of an easily cast

　　metal.

　　When it came, Europe — aided by simple Western alphabets — leapt

　　forward with it. One reason why Asia’s civilizations, in 1000 far ahead of

　　Europe’s, then fell behind was that they lacked the technology to reproduce and

　　diffuse ideas. On Johannes Gutenberg’s invention in the 1440s were built not just

　　the Reformation and the Enlightenment, but Europe’s agricultural and industrial

　　revolutions too.

　　Yet information technology on its own would not have got far. Literally:

　　better transport technology too was needed. That was not lacking, but here the big

　　change came much later: it was railways and steamships that first allowed the

　　speedy, widespread dissemination of news and ideas over long distances. And

　　both technologies in turn required people and organizations to develop their use.

　　They got them: for individual communication, the postal service; for wider

　　publics, the publishing industry.

　　Throughout the 19th century, the postal service formed the bedrock of

　　national and international communications. Crucial to its growth had been the

　　introduction of the stamp, combined with a low price, and payment by the sender.

　　Britain put all three of these ideas into effect in 1840.

　　By then, the world’s mail was taking off. It changed the world. Merchants in

　　America’s eastern cities used it to gather information, enraging far-off cotton

　　growers and farmers, who found that New Yorkers knew more about crop prices

　　than they did. In the American debate about slavery, it offered abolitionists a

　　low-cost way to spread their views, just as later technologies have cut the cost and

　　widened the scope of political lobbying. The post helped too to integrate the

　　American nation, tying the newly opened west to the settled east.

　　Everywhere, its development drove and was driven by those of transport. In

　　Britain, travellers rode by mail coach to posting inns. In America, the post

　　subsidized road-building. Indeed, argues Dan Schiller, a professor of

　　communications at the University of California, it was the connection between the

　　post, transport and national integration that ensured that the mail remained a

　　public enterprise even in the United States, its first and only government-run

　　communications medium, and until at least the 1870s, the biggest organization in

　　the land.

　　The change has not only been one of speed and distance, though, but of

　　audience. About 200 years ago, a man’s words could reach no further than his

　　voice, not just in range but in whom they reached. But, for some purposes,

　　efficient communication is mass communication, regular, cheap, quick and

　　reliable. When it became possible, it transformed the world.

　　71. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

　　A. Transporting goods and people is the most important technology in the

　　history of mankind.

　　B. Technology in transporting goods and people has changed human

　　conditions more than anything else.

　　C. Technology in spreading information has changed human conditions more

　　than transportation technology.

　　D. Technology in spreading information can’t change the economic

　　development of society.

　　72. According to the passage, Asian civilizations, which were ahead of Europe’s,

　　fell behind because ________.

　　A. Asian languages were more difficult to learn

　　B. European languages had simple alphabets

　　C. they didn’t have the technology to spread ideas

　　D. people’s communication skills were not good enough

　　73. Johannes Gutenberg’s invention probably refers to ________.

　　A. printing technology

　　B. transportation technology

　　C. the Reformation and the Enlightenment

　　D. industrial revolution

　　74. The word “dissemination” underlined in Paragraph 4 means ________.

　　A. plantation

　　C. reception

　　B. distribution

　　D. direction

　　75. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the postal service?

　　A. American abortionists were not happy about it.

　　B. The stamp was invented in Britain.

　　C. It helped the independence of America.

　　D. In the 1840s it was the major means of national communications in Britain.

　　76. What can the postal service do?

　　A. Colleting market prices of goods.

　　C. Promoting political lobbying.

　　B. Spreading ideas at a low cost.

　　D. All of the above.

　　77. In the United States, the postal service belongs to ________.

　　A. a private company

　　C. road-building enterprises

　　B. the government

　　D. national integration

　　78. The words “its development” underlined in Paragraph 7 refer to the

　　development of ________.

　　A. the American nation

　　C. road building

　　B. the mail coach

　　D. the postal service

　　79. The words “the change” underlined in Paragraph 8 refer to ________.

　　A. time change

　　C. change in spreading ideas

　　B. technology change

　　D. change of human abilities

　　80. Which of the following statements is NOT true about mass communication?

　　A. It can reach no further than human voice.

　　B. It can reach a large audience.

　　C. It is rapid and efficient.

　　D. It can be trusted.

　　Questions 81-90 are based on the following passage.

　　Is test anxiety destructive? Can we make test anxiety work for us? The

　　answer to both of these questions is yes. Test anxiety often interferes with student

　　performance but this same test anxiety, if channeled correctly, can help improve

　　performance.

　　In order to lessen the destructive elements of test anxiety, the approach

　　should be to develop improved confidence and knowledge. As your knowledge of

　　the course material increases, your confidence in your ability to succeed will

　　increase. As your confidence increases, your anxiety will go down, allowing your

　　knowledge to come through more efficiently. The way you prepare for a test can

　　reduce anxiety during the test.

　　You will be surprised how confident you will feel if you know the material.

　　Studies of memory show if you want to be able to recall information from text or

　　lecture you have to review that material several times. It is important to know

　　your own abilities and operate accordingly. If you know that you learn best by

　　listening, prepare a tape of significant material and listen to the tape.

　　Study partners or study groups are often useful for self-testing. Experience in

　　stressful situations tends to lessen anxiety in those situations. One way to help

　　yourself retrieve material is through the use of mnemonic codes. Learn a code that

　　lets you remember complex material. Developing an outline for an essay question

　　that you know will be on the test or memorizing a formula are forms of code

　　development.

　　Students are often frustrated by the sheer volume of material that has to be

　　studied in college. Many instructors conduct reviews, give hints, identify what is

　　important to study, use handouts or overhead transparency outlines. These

　　materials should be at the top of your study list. If the instructor took the time to

　　identify them, you should assume that they will play an important part of the test.

　　While knowledge acquired during test preparation can help reduce anxiety, it is

　　another thing to take the test itself. Following are a few suggestions to help reduce

　　anxiety during the test.

　　When I arrive at a test, I often find students flipping text pages at the last

　　minute trying to cram it all in at the end. You would be better off trying to relax,

　　meditating a little, and clearing your mind to allow yourself the ability to

　　concentrate on the questions that are coming.

　　As soon as the instructor gives you the signal to start, dump out formulas,

　　codes, outlines from your memory onto the test answer sheets so that you will not

　　have to worry about whether you will remember the codes long enough until you

　　get to the appropriate test question.

　　You can build your confidence if you go through the test and answer all of

　　the questions that you know first. Go back and work on those questions that need

　　greater analysis, or that need to be worked out or need to be guessed at and your

　　anxiety will not kick in until later in the test.

　　For those of you whose anxiety increases as study and preparation increase,

　　your goal should be to start concentrating on things that take your mind off the

　　test, i.e., television, books, hobbies, movies, etc. Meditation and aerobic exercise

　　have proven to be very useful methods for reducing undesirable effects of stress.

　　The solution to reducing the destructive influences of stress is to plan to

　　study. Map out a schedule of when you will study each day. Identify the specific

　　topics that you will study each day. Identify the areas of the material that you have

　　had problems with and study those. Your plan should include reading the text

　　material, reviewing notes and homework assignments, identifying material that

　　needs further explanation, developing codes for memory material and testing

　　yourself. Once you have studied adequately, your confidence will be fairly high,

　　your knowledge will be satisfactory to do well on the test and the stomach

　　butterflies will help you focus on the task at hand.

　　I’d wish you good luck on finals, but you and I both know that the more

　　effectively you study, the luckier you will get.

　　81. The word “channeled” underlined in Paragraph 1 means ________.

　　A. directed

　　C. run

　　B. used

　　D. passed

　　82. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned as a good side of the

　　test anxiety?

　　A. It can help improve performance if channeled correctly.

　　B. It motivates us to study and prepare for the exam.

　　C. It can help us to concentrate.

　　D. It can always ensure us a good score in the test.

　　83. What is the relationship between knowledge and confidence and test anxiety?

　　A. As your knowledge of the course material increases, your confidence in

　　your ability to succeed will increase.

　　B. As your test anxiety increases, your knowledge and confidence will

　　increase.

　　C. As your confidence increases, your anxiety will go down, allowing your

　　knowledge to come through more effectively.

　　D. Both A and C.

　　84. Which of the following test preparation ways cannot help one reduce anxiety

　　during the test?

　　A. You should know your own abilities and operate accordingly and learn as

　　much as you can.

　　B. Study partners or study groups are useful for self-testing.

　　C. You can retrieve materials by using mnemonic codes.

　　D. You should pay more attention to the materials identified by the teacher.

　　85. What should be at the top of your study list when you prepare a test?

　　A. The most complex materials.

　　B. The questions asked by students.

　　C. The materials reviewed and hints given by the teacher.

　　D. The materials mastered by most students.

　　86. The suggestions to help reduce anxiety during the test are ________.

　　A. relaxing, mnemonic codes and easy questions first

　　B. relaxing, dumping and easy questions first

　　C. relaxing, easy questions first and extreme anxiety

　　D. aerobic exercise, relax and dumping

　　87. According to the passage, useful means for reducing undesirable effects of

　　stress are ________.

　　A. knowledge and confidence

　　B. learning ability and instructor’s hints

　　C. meditation and aerobic exercise

　　D. rest and meditation

　　88. The author’s attitude toward reducing the test anxiety is ________.

　　A. negative

　　C. neutral

　　B. positive

　　D. pessimistic

　　89. According to the passage, your study plan probably does NOT include

　　________.

　　A. identifying the areas of the material that you have had problems with

　　B. identifying the specific topics that you’ll study each day

　　C. mapping out a schedule of when you’ll study each day

　　D. mapping out a schedule of when you will meditate and do aerobic exercise

　　90. What’s the main idea of the passage?

　　A. It introduces some benefits of test anxiety and useful methods to reduce test

　　anxiety.

　　B. Test anxiety is our foe, not friend.

　　C. The confidence and knowledge can reduce test anxiety.

　　D. Focus on your task at hand and you’ll not have the problem of test anxiety.