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

　　Passage One

　　June came and the hay(干草) was almost ready for cutting. On Midsummer's Eve, which was aSaturday, Mr. Jones went into Willington and got so drunk at the Red Lion that he did not come back until midday on Sunday. His men had milked the cows in the early morning and then had gone out chatting without bothering to feed the animals. When Mr. Jones got back, he immediately went to sleep on the living-room sofa with the "News of the World" over his face. When evening came, the animals were still not fed. At last, they could stand no longer. One of the cows broke into the door of the storehouse with her horns and all the animals began to help themselves to the grains.

　　It was just then that Mr. Jones woke up. The next moment he and his four men were in the storehouse with whips in their hands， whipping in all directions. This was more than the hungry animals would bear. Together, though nothing of the kind had been planned beforehand，they jumped upon their masters. Mr. Jones and his men suddenly found themselves being struck with the horns and kicked from all sides. The situation was quite out of their control. They had never seen these animals act like this before.This sudden rebellion of the creatures，which they were used to beating and whipping just as they chose，frightened them. After only a moment or two， they gave up trying to defend themselves. A minute later all five of them were in full fright down the road with the animals running after them joyfully.

　　36. The four men did not feed the cows because_______.

　　A. they had not cut the hay yetB. Mr. Jones wasn't at home

　　C. they did not have time to feed themD. the cows had fed themselves

　　37. The cows broke into the storehouse because______.

　　A. they did not like their mastersB. Mr. Jones forgot to lock the door

　　C. they were kept in the cow-house too longD. they were too hungry to wait for the feed

　　38. What did the five men finally do with the cows?

　　A. They chased and drove the cows away.B. They continued beating the cows.

　　C. They gave up defense and ran away.D. They gave ·in and fed the cows.

　　39. We can learn from the passage that______.

　　A. the cows often ran out to look for food

　　B.the cows often had fights with their masters

　　C.Mr. Jones and his men often beat the cows

　　D.Mr. Jones and his men often forgot to feed the cows

　　Passage Two

　　It was sunrise on an August morning when the captain and his crew cast their nets some 50 miles south of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. As the net was pulled over,the contents poured out followed by excited cries of "Coins! Coins!" The fishermen quickly realized they had realized a fisherman's dream: sunken treasure! And not just any treasure,but early American silver dollars that had gone down 210 years earlier.

　　In 1784,at the end of the American Revolutionary War,a heavily armed ship was bound for the port of New Orleans. On board was a fortune in Spanish Silver Dollars. Hundreds of thousands of them were loaded for the trip to New Orleans，yet not a single one arrived. With no survivors from the ill-fated voyage,historians can only guess at what happened. Some say powerful storms took her down while others speculate it was treasure-hungry pirates(海盗). Whatever happened,the secret-along with a treasure valued near $100，000,000 in today' s dollars-was sent to a watery grave some 300 feet below the ocean's surface.

　　Spanish Silver Dollars were the favorite coins of colonial Americans. Widely used and accepted as payment in the thirteen colonies, the United States government gave them the status of official legal tender. Unfortunately, even though they were struck in large quantities, not many of them survive today. After the Civil War, the government withdrew them from circulation and they were melted down.

　　Due to the historic discovery of this treasure, GovMint . com is releasing these coins to the publicfor an amazingly low price. For a limited time, those authentic silver dollars are priced at $49 plusshipping and handling—a dramatic reduction from the market price of this coin anywhere else worldwide.

　　40. What surprised the fishermen on an August morning?

　　A. Their net contained a big strange-looking fish.

　　B. They found the treasure sunken 210 years ago.

　　C. They found some pieces of a sunken ship in the net.

　　D. Their net suddenly got caught by something deep in the water.

　　41. What happened to the ship heading for New Orleans in 1784?

　　A. Loaded with too much cargo, it hit on the rocks.

　　B. Robbed by pirates ,it lost $100,000,000's worth of goods.

　　C. It disappeared but nobody knew exactly what had happened.

　　D. It was caught in a terrible storm and went down into the ocean.

　　42. What do we know about "Spanish Silver Dollars"?

　　A. Today one coin equals to 49 dollars in the world market.

　　B. They were widely used in America after the Civil War.

　　C. Issued in small amounts, not many of them survive.

　　D. They were officially accepted in the 13 colonies.

　　43. In which section of a magazine would you probably find this article?

　　A. Sports. B. Housing. C. History. D. Fashion.

　　Passage Three

　　The environment affects the way people interact. To examine this conclusion, two researchers "decorated" three rooms: One room was refurnished to look ugly. The second room was intended to look average. The third room was designed to be beautiful. Individuals were then asked to sit in one of the three rooms and rate several pictures of people's faces. The results indicated that the environment has a significant effect on the way people rated the faces. Subjects in the beautiful room gave the pictures higher rates than did subjects in the ugly room. In addition, subjects in the ugly room found the task more unpleasant and boring than did subjects in the beautiful room. Subjects assigned to the ugly room attempted to leave sooner than did subjects assigned to the beautiful room.

　　Color is one environmental factor that can affect your mood and even your ability to concentrate.One researcher concluded that the most pleasant colors, listed in order of preference, were blue, green, purple, red and yellow. The colors listed from most to least arousing were red, orange, yellow, violet, blue, and green.

　　Lighting also affects behavior. Elegant restaurants with dim lighting create a mood of intimacy(亲密)that encourages conversation. The bright lights of an office or classroom, on the other hand, arouse and stimulate thinking.

　　Room decoration, color, lighting, and even music and temperature all influence communication with others。 but there is no all-purpose environment. The ideal environment depends on the task that will be performed as well as on the needs and expectations of those present. The same environmental factors that encourage lively conversation and dancing at a New Year's Eve party cannot be expected to create a serene climate in which to study for final exams.

　　44. Paragraph 1 shows that subjects in the ugly room tend to be______.

　　A. less patientB. less considerate

　　C. more enthusiasticD. more confident

　　45. Which color is the most helpful for keeping a good mood?

　　A. Green.B. Blue.

　　C. Orange.D. Red.

　　46. What effect can dim lights of an eating environment bring about?

　　A. Arousing active thinking.B. Improving work efficiency.

　　C. Creating a tense atmosphereD. Stimulating talks among people.

　　47. The underlined word "serene" in the last sentence is closest in meaning to______.

　　A. serious and grave B. calm and peaceful

　　C. pleasant and friendly D. cold and indifferent

　　Passage Four

　　There is nothing more possible than a new hip or knee that can put the spring back in your step. Patients receiving joint implants(移植)often are able to resume many of the physical activities they love, even those as vigorous as tennis and hiking. No wonder, then, that joint replacement is growing in popularity.

　　In the United States in 2007, surgeons performed about 806, 000 hip and knee implants (the joints most commonly replaced), double the number performed a decade earlier. Though these procedures have become routine, they are not failure free.

　　Implants must sometimes be replaced, said Dr. Henrik Malchau , an orthopaedic surgeon (矫形外科医生) at Massachusetts GeneralHospital in Boston. A study published in 2007 found that 7 percent of hips implanted in Medicare patients had to be replaced within seven and a half years.

　　The percentage may sound low, but the finding suggests that thousands of hip patients eventuallyrequire a second operation, said Dr. Malchau. Those patients must endure additional recoveries, often painful, and increased medical expenses.

　　The failure rate should be lower, many experts-agree. Sweden, for instance, has a failure rate estimated to be a third of that in theUnited States. Sweden also has a national joint replacement registry, a database of information from which surgeons can learn how and why certain procedures go wrong. A registry also helps surgeons learn quickly whether a specific type of implant is particularly problematic. "Every country that has developed a registry has been able to reduce failure rates

　　Significantly," said Dr. Daniel Berry, chief of orthopaedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

　　A newly formed American Joint Replacement Registry will begin gathering data from hospitals in the next 12 to 18 months. It's good news for those who are considering replacing a knee or hip.

　　48. What is the problem with hip or knee replacements in the U. S. ?

　　A. A lot of patients need a second operation.

　　B. Doctors are not well trained to ensure successful operations.

　　C. Demands for hip replacement exceed the number of surgeons.

　　D. Replacement operation is becoming too expensive in U. S. hospitals.

　　49. Why does Sweden have a lower rate of hip implant failure?

　　A. Sweden has more advanced technology.

　　B. Sweden has a patient data collecting system.

　　C. Sweden has a much larger number of patients.

　　D. Swedish doctors are more responsible and skilful.

　　50. The U. S. is trying to reduce joint replacement failure rate by_____..

　　A. strictly controlling the number of replacement operations

　　B. asking hospitals to follow up each case for 12 -18 months

　　C. setting up a national joins replacement database

　　D. sending doctors to be trained in Sweden

　　51. People who need a new knee or hip would possibly feel_____. about data gathering in the U. S.

　　A. indifferent B. assured C. puzzled D. hopeful

　　Passage Five

　　The Saturday Evening Post "became symbolic of the reading fare of middle-class America". In1897 Curtis began to revive (重振) the Post on the proposition that a man's chief interest in life is the fight for .livelihood-business. Fiction and articles about romantic business and successful businessmen filled its pages, and products backed by .its advertisements directed at the needs and desires of the business world.The general interest weekly reached new audiences. Its conservative viewpoint and strong admiration for material success appealed to the tastes of the millions who settled in an easy chair with it each Thursday evening. As a more commercial, mass-circulation magazine than The New Yorker, the widely readable Post set out to interpret America to itself.

　　As a national and international institution, The Saturday Evening Post made its mark in the lives of massive numbers of men and women, and served society as a stabilizing influence. Its editorial matter addressed the problems and interests of the readers as never before. Neither highbrow nor lowbrow, the Post set out to interpret average middle-class America, for that was its audience. However, this magazine lost touch with the mood of the American people in the 1930s. The Post's editor Lorimer, opposed Roosevelt and the New Deal and changed his magazine from an organ of entertainment and enlightenment into a weapon of political warfare. He believed that in opposing the New Deal he had spoken for the majority of voters, but the 1936 election proved him wrong. His conservatism extended beyond politics, it dominated the magazine’s content and style causing a decline inreputation and authority. The Post met its greatest success when it went beyond the tastes of the masses, challenging its readers to acknowledge the genius of contributors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Faulkner. It was later reformed in an effort to fulfill its responsibility to awaken lethargic(昏昏欲睡的)America, however, The Saturday Evening Post seemed to play to conventions while The New Yorker took off to redefine the character of American Humor.

　　52. According to Paragraph 1, who are primarily the readers of the Post?

　　A. Businessmen. B. College students.

　　C. Housewives. D. Politicians.

　　53. What is the earliest time that readers can read the Post every week?

　　A. Monday. B. Thursday.

　　C. Saturday. D. Sunday.

　　54. Why did the Post lose much of its audience in the 1930's?

　　A. It changed its original style and was heavily involved in politics.

　　B. Readers couldn't afford a newspaper because of the Depression.

　　C. The new editor was not interested in Roosevelt's politics.

　　D. It failed to absorb sufficient advertisements.

　　55. What makes the Post so commercially successful?

　　A. Presenting American style humor.

　　B. Sticking to the tastes of the middle class.

　　C. Carrying articles and novels by local writers.

　　D. Staying in close contact with the business world.