Part II Reading Comprehension (40 points)

　　Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by 5 questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET.

　　Passage One

　　We are all busy talking about and using the Internet, but how many of us know the history of the Internet?

　　Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up as recently as the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer networks didn’t work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way the computer network system would keep on working all the time.

　　At first the Internet was only used by the government, but in the 1970s, universities, hospitals and banks began to use it, too. However, computers were still very expensive and the Internet was difficult to use. At the beginning of the 1990s, computers became cheaper and easier to use. And scientists developed software that made Internet “surfing” more convenient.

　　Today it is easy to get online and it is said that millions of people use the Internet every day.

　　16. The Internet was set up in __B__.

　　A. 1960 B. the 1960s C. 1970 D. the 1970s

　　17. Computer networks didn’t work well at first because __D.

　　A. computers were large and expensive

　　B. computers couldn’t send information fast

　　C. computers didn’t fit into the same network

　　D. if one computer failed, the whole network stopped

　　18. Which of the following was the first to use the Internet? A

　　A. Governments. B. Universities. C. Banks. D. Hospitals.

　　19. Which of the following statements is true? C

　　A. People use the Internet mainly to send emails.

　　B. Computers are now more costly than ever before.

　　C. Computers were costly and hard to use until the early 1990s.

　　D. In the 1970s the Internet was easy to use but computers were costly.

　　20. The best title for the passage is _C__.

　　A. The Future of the Internet B. The History of Computers

　　C. The History of the Internet D. Convenient Internet Surfing

　　Passage Two

　　Alan Chang was a handsome young man with good manners.

　　One morning he was walking along a street on his way to an appointment. He did not want to be early or late. He had forgotten to put on his watch so he went up to a man who was waiting for a taxi.

　　“Excuse me, sir,” he said, very politely, “but could you tell me the time?”

　　The man, who was very well-dressed and looked quite rich, said nothing. He did not even look at Alan. Alan spoke to him again. “Excuse me, sir,” he said, “but could you please tell me what time it is?”

　　This time the man looked at him, but he did not speak and looked quickly away. Alan thought to himself: well, he can hear me; he must be just rude. So Alan asked again, “Why wouldn’t you tell me the time, sir?”

　　The man turned towards him and said, “Put yourself in my shoes. I am standing here waiting for a taxi. You come up to me and ask me for the time. If I tell it to you, you will thank me. I will say ‘That’s all right.’ You may then say ‘It’s a beautiful day,’ to which I may reply ‘Yes, I like these sunny winter days.’ Before we know what is happening we have a friendly conversation. You are a pleasant, polite young man, so when my taxi comes, I offer you a ride. You accept. We talk. I like you. You like me. I invite you to my home. You meet my daughter. She is a very pretty girl. You are a good-looking man. You like each other. Soon you fall in love. You want to marry. Now do you understand my problem?”

　　Alan shook his head. “No, sir, I’m sorry, I don’t. Everything you have said seems very natural to me.”

　　“Exactly,” the man said, “and I do not want my daughter to marry a man who is too poor to buy a watch. Good morning to you.” And with these words he hurried away.

　　21. Why did Alan ask the man what time it was? C

　　A. He was too late. B. He was very early.

　　C. He had left his watch home. D. He wanted to meet the man’s daughter.

　　22. What did Alan think of the man when he would not tell him the time? A

　　A. He was impolite. B. He was deaf.

　　C. He was stupid. D. He spoke no English.

　　23. What did the man mean by the underlined part “Put yourself in my shoes”? D

　　A. Don’t interrupt me. B. My shoes hurt me.

　　C. Come and try my shoes. D. Try to understand me.

　　24. What kind of a man was Alan Change in the man’s opinion? B

　　A. A thief. B. A poor man. C. A cheat. D. A rich man.

　　25. The story is mainly about A.

　　A. how rude a person can be B. how one thing leads to another

　　C. where a person can’t tell the time D. why you shouldn’t speak to strangers