IV. Reading Comprehension (40 points)

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

　　Passage 1

　　It had been said that Lincoln was always ready to join in a laugh at himself. There is one particular story that he always told with great delight.

　　In his early days as a lawyer, Lincoln went from town to town to hear and judge legal cases. During one of these trips, he was sitting in a train when a strange man came up to him. The stranger looked at the tall clumsy(愚笨的)lawyer and said that he had something he believed belonged to him. Lincoln was a bit puzzled. He had never seen the man before. He didn’t see how a total stranger could have something of his. Lincoln asked him how this could be. The stranger pulled out a pencil knife and began to explain. Many years before, he had been given the pencil knife. He had been told to keep it until he was able to find a man uglier than himself.

　　Lincoln’s eyes always sparkled when he reached this part of the story. The story always brought smiles to the faces of those who heard it. The tale itself was funny. But even more delightful was the fact that a man as Lincoln could still laugh at himself.

　　41. This passage is about _______.

　　A. a stranger and his knife B. Lincoln’s favorite story

　　C. meeting strangers on a train D. Lincoln’s favorite pencil knife

　　42. Lincoln was given the pencil knife for _______.

　　A. his appearance B. a good laugh

　　C. being a lawyer D. being good-humored

　　43. From this story we know that the stranger in the train _______.

　　A. liked to make friends B. liked to tell jokes

　　C. collected pencil knives D. was not a handsome man

　　44. What do you think would happen to the knife eventually? _______.

　　A. Lincoln accepted it and kept it

　　B. Lincoln refused it and the stranger kept it

　　C. Lincoln accepted it but immediately threw it away

　　D. Lincoln refused it and the stranger threw it away

　　45. The MAIN POINT of the story is that _______.

　　A. Lincoln was a great and proud man

　　B. Lincoln, even though great, was not proud

　　C. Lincoln lacked self-respect

　　D. Lincoln had a good sense of humor

　　Passage 2

　　A tunnel (隧道) is being built through a mountain. If it is dug through weak, soft rock, the tunnel may fall in. If the diggers strike water, the tunnel will be flooded. If the rock is too hard, workers will not be able to dig through it. Before a tunnel can be built, people must know what they will find. They call in a geologist. She or he helps plan a tunnel so it can go through rock that is dry and hard, but not too hard.

　　A steel and concrete skyscraper is going up. A skyscraper cannot be built over sand or mud. Sand and mud cannot hold up a building. Before a skyscraper can be built, people must know what lies under the surface of the earth. They call in geologists.

　　Geologists find the best place to build dams and bridges. They look for the best places to dig wells for water. Geologists help us make wise use of the land.

　　46. According to the passage, geologist can find the best places to build ________.

　　A. weak, soft rock B. sand and mud

　　C. land ` D. dams and bridges

　　47. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

　　A. tunnels should not go through mountains

　　B. people can only guess where to build dams and bridges

　　C. planning is needed before a tunnel is built

　　D. skyscrapers are one-story buildings

　　48. A skyscraper can not be built over ________.

　　A. solid ground B. very hard rock C. sand or mud D. a mountain

　　49. The word “wise” in paragraph3, sentence 3, most probably means _______.

　　A. foolish B. good C. learned D. bad

　　50. The main idea of the passage is that ________.

　　A. tunnels can be built through any kind of soil

　　B. geologists help us make wise use of the land

　　C. a skyscraper is built on very hard rock

　　D. geologists can be called in everywhere