Much attention is presently being given to what is termed“functional illiteracy”.This should not be confused with the problem of illiteracy，that is，the inability to read and write.Current United Nations Educational，Scientific and Cuhural Organization(UNESCO)figures indicate that 99 percent of all Americans are literate，the same figure assigned to nations such as Britain，

　　Germany.Functional illiteracy，by contrast，is concerned with how much difficulty people have in actually using and writing skills in everyday situations.This might be interpreted，for example，as the relative ability to understand federal income tax forms，or printed instructions，or how well someone can write a letter of complaint，or apply in writing for a job.

　　There are no agreed-upon(达成一致的)definitions of what functional illiteracy is and，in practice，definitions vary widely. For many years， reading tests have been used throughout the country which define reading ability by grade level.“Tenth—grade reading level” for instance，would be the average reading score of all pupils who have completed ten years of sch001.There are，of course，many different reading tests and types of tests.One definition of functional illiteracy holds that anyone is “illiterate” who reads at less than an eighth-grade level.Another common definition uses a twelfth.grade level(the last year of high school in the U.S.).

　　There seems to be general agreement that at least one-tenth of all Americans are functionally illiterate in English to some degree.It is also hardly surprising that those nations which(1ike the U.S.) have paid most attention to this concept，and which have nation-wide testing，have found the greatest problems. As one educator humorously put it， “Reading tests cause illiteracy”. Canada，for example，which also has a large non.English-speaking immigrant population，has recently found that many of her citizens，too， are functionally illiterate.The attention given to this problem，therefore.reflects the fact that in North。America schools as well as pupils are continually tested.

　　21.What does “illitera ”mean?

　　A.Ability to read and write.

　　B.Ability to appreciate literature.

　　C.Lack of interest in literature.

　　D.Inability to read and write.

　　答案：D

　　22.It can be learned from the passage that__________.

　　A.Canada and the U.S.have functionally illiterate population because they hardly paid any attention to the problem

　　B.functional illiteracy may have been caused at least in part by unsuccessful design of reading tests

　　C.non-English-speaking immigrant population constitute the majority of all the functionally illiterate

　　D.it is impractical to determine what functional illiteracy really is as different situations set different requirements

　　答案：D

　　23. Which of the following is most probably functionally illiterate?

　　A.One who reaches tenth grade reading level.

　　B.One who reaches eighth grade reading level.

　　C.One who reaches twelfth grade reading level.

　　D.Not known yet.

　　答案：D

　　24.It can be inferred that__________.

　　A.over one.tenth of American population have difficulty in using and writing skills in everyday situations

　　B.in North America nation—wide tests are given to test pupils functional literacy

　　C.Canadians are generally at a higher level of functional literacy than Americans are

　　D.teaching of English reading and writing has turned out to be a failure in Canada and the U.S.

　　答案：A

　　25. This passage was written mainly to__________.

　　A.analyze different definitions of functional illiteracy

　　B.discuss the reasons for functional illiteracy

　　C.compare ways to get rid of illiteracy

　　D.introduce the problem of functional illiteracy

　　答案：D

　　We don’t have beds in the spacecraft，but we do have sleeping bags.During the day，when we are working，we leave the bags tied to the wall，out of the way.At bedtime we untie them and take them wherever we’ve chosen to sleep.

　　On most spacecraft flights everyone sleeps at the same time.No one has to stay awake to watch over the spacecraft;the craft’s computers call us on the radio.

　　On the spacecraft，sleep-time doesn’t mean nighttime.During each ninety minute orbit(轨道) the sun “rises” and shines through our windows for about fifty minutes.then it “sets”as the spacecraft takes US around the dark side of the Earth.To keep the sun out of our eyes，we wear black sleep masks.

　　It is surprisingly easy to get comfortable and fall asleep in space.Every astronaut(宇航员) sleeps differently some sleep upside down，some sideways，and some right side up.When it’s time to sleep，I take my bag，my sleep mask and my tape player with earphones and float(漂浮)up to the flight deck(驾驶舱).Then I get into the bag，and float in a sitting position just above a seat， right next to a window.Before I pull the mask down over my eyes，I relax for a while，listening to music and watching the Earth go by under me.

　　26.When the astronauts are working，sleeping bags are fastened________.

　　A.on the wall

　　B.to their seats

　　C.onto the flight deck

　　D.anywhere they like

　　答案：A

　　解析： 事实细节题。该题题干的意思是“宇航员们工作的时候，睡袋被系在——”。根据文章第一段的第二句：“During the day，when we are working，we leave the bags tied to the wall，out of the way.”可以很容易得出结论：白天“我们”工作的时候，会把睡袋拴在墙上，不让它们挡道。因此，该题答案为A。

　　27.Why can all the astronauts sleep at the same time?

　　A.They have to follow the same timetable.

　　B.The radio will take care of the aircraft for them.

　　C.There are enough sleeping bags in the spacecraft.

　　D.There is no need for them to watch over the spacecraft.

　　答案：D

　　解析： 事实细节题。该题问“为什么所有的宇航员可以在同一时问睡觉?”根据文章第二段：“…everyone sleeps at the same time.No one has to stay awake to watch Over the spacecraft;the craft’S computers call us on the radi0.”可知：因为飞船上有计算机监测飞船运行，所以不需要人为监测飞船的飞行情况。因此，该题的正确答案为D。

　　28. To relax himself before sleep，the writer often________.

　　A.makes a bed

　　B.gets into his bag

　　C.1istens to music

　　D.wears a sleep mask

　　答案：C

　　解析： 事实细节题。该题问“为了在睡前放松，作者通常”。通过文章最后一段的最后一句话：“Before I pull the mask down over my eyes.I relax for a while. 1istening to music and watching the Earth go by under me.”可知：作者在睡前会听一会儿音乐来放松自己。因此，正确答案为C。

　　29. How long does it take the spacecraft to go round the Earth?

　　A.Forty minutes.

　　B.Fifty minutes.

　　C.Ninety minutes.

　　D.Twenty-four hours.

　　答案：C

　　30. The best title for this passage is________.

　　A.Traveling in Space

　　B.Sleeping in the Spacecraft

　　C.Equipment Used by Astronauts

　　D.The Earth Seen from Outer Space

　　答案：B