IV. Reading Comprehension

　　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 the best answer and blacken the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.

　　Passage One

　　Debate is a valuable way to practise communicating. It can also bring long-lasting rewards,especially for people working with Western businesses. The main activity of debate is presenting one' s opinion and suppmting it with evidence,such as statistics or facts. It is a way of persuasive communication.

　　Charles Lebeau helped create the "Discover Debate" method. He says debate is important to understanding how people communicate in Western business. Successful debaters learn how to give their opinkm,reasans and support. "What we are trying to do is to develop a kind of thinking or approach to discussion and how to interact (交流) with someone else' s opinion, rather than brush their opinion aside. "

　　Debate skills are also important in selling a product, he says. In that situation, the judges are the customem. "So on Monday, for example, one company may come in and present their case to the customer and they" ll make as strong a ease as they can. On Tuesday, the next day, another company will come in and present their ease to the customer. Usually the party that can present the strongest case wins”

　　Debate also strengthens critical thinking. In other words, it helps students learn to ask questionsand try to understand someone' s reasons and evidence.lift-. Lebeau points out that successful debaters learn to listen carefully to what other people are saying. Then, they look for the weak points in someone else' s opinion or argument. He says debate teaches a systematic way of questioning.

　　Successful debaters also learn to think from someone else' s point of view. Mr. Lebeau says debate can help broaden the mind. "There' s an expression in English : don' t criticize another person before you have walked in their shoes. I think the wonderful thing about debate is, it puts us in another person' s shoes. "

　　36. According to Paragraph 1 ,what is the purpose of debate?

　　A. To bring long-lasting material rewards.

　　B. To present evidence such as statistics and facts.

　　C. To respond to questions in a systematic way.

　　D. To persuade people to accept your opinions.

　　37. Why is debate important.9

　　A. It helps people understand others better.

　　B. It allows people to present their opinions.

　　C. It develops one' s thinking and communicative competence.

　　D. It gives one the opportunity to brush others' opinion aside.

　　38. What does the underlined word "case" in Paragraph 3 refer to?

　　A. Container. B. Evidence.

　　C. Problem. D. Product.

　　39. What can debaters benefit from "walking in another person' s shoes" .9

　　A. Becoming more broad-minded. B. Developing critical thinking.

　　C. Finding others' weak points. D. Trying out others' methods.

　　Passage Two

　　We all love a hero, and rescue dogs are some of the biggest heroes of all. You will often find them going above and beyond duty to save someone, risking--and at times losing--their lives in the process.

　　Rescue dogs are generally found in the Sporting and Hunting Groups, or from the traditional Herding Group. These types include the Bloodhound, Labrador Retriever, Newfoundland, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, and Belgian Malinois--all of which are chosen for search-and-rescue duty because of their amazing physical strength, loyalty, and their tendency for mental stability.

　　These types also have a keen sense of hearing and smell--to better locate lost individuals—and are often able to access hard-to-reach areas. As highly trained animals, they serve in many different fields, including specialist search, snow slide rescue, dead body location, and tracking.

　　To overcome obstacles and succeed when performing the demanding duties of a search-and-rescue worker, a dog must display certain qualities. In addition to intelligence and strength, the dog must be swift, confident, easily trainable, adaptable, and have a high level of stamina (耐力) and endurance.

　　A strong sense of group cooperation and an ability to engage in friendly play during "down" time is also required of search-and-rescue dogs.

　　A rescue dog goes through many, many hours of intensive training to be fit for duty. Training is not for the faint-hearted. Certification training can take from two to three years, working three to four hours a day, three to six days a week, often in group,team-oriented sessions.

　　Each search-and-rescue field requires different types of training. Rescue training, for instance, includes "air scenting"--where dogs are trained to smell the air for the victim' s scent (气味) and then follow the scent to the person. This ability is crucial to finding victims trapped under collapsed buildings and snow slide.

　　40. Rescue dogs are chosen probably because__

　　A. they are loyal B. they are brave

　　C. they have amazing appearances D. they have good eyesight

　　41. What does "faint-hearted" in Paragraph 5 mean??

　　A. Courageous. B. Cowardly.

　　C. Energetic. D. Slow.

　　42. Which ability is most important for dogs to rescue people trapped in snow?

　　A. Sharp hearing. B. Swift movement.

　　C. Extraordinary smelling. D. A strong memory.

　　43. What is the passage mainly about?

　　A. Selection process of rescue dogs.

　　B. Qualities and training of rescue dogs.

　　C. Risks rescue dogs are faced with.

　　D. Types of tasks rescue dogs can perform.