Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)

　　Directions: There are 4 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.

　　Passage One

　　Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage.

　　In the United States, it is important to be on time for an appointment, a class, a meeting, etc. However, this may not be true in all countries. An American professor discovered this difference while teaching a class in a Brazilian(巴西的)university. The two-hour class was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and end at 12. On the first day, when the professor arrived on time, no one was in the classroom. Many students came after 10 a.m. Several arrived after 10:30 a.m. Two students came after 11 a.m. Although all the students greeted the professor as they arrived, few apologized for their lateness. Were these students being rude? He decided to study the students’ behavior.

　　The professor talked to American and Brazilian students about lateness in both an informal and a formal situation: at a lunch with a friend and in university calls respectively. He gave them an example and asked them how they would react. If they had a lunch appointment with a friend, the average American student showed clearly lateness as 19 minutes after the agreed time. On the other hand, the average Brazilian student would be 33 minutes late.

　　In an American university, students are expected to arrive at the appointed hour. In contrast, in Brazil, neither the teacher nor the students always arrive at the appointed hour. Classes not only begin at the scheduled time in the United States, but also end at the scheduled time. In the Brazilian class, only a few students left the class at 12:00; many remained past 12:30 to discuss the class and ask more questions. Arriving late may not be very important in Brazil, neither is staying late.

　　11. The American professor studied the Brazilian students’ behavior because ________.

　　A) he felt angry at the students’ rudeness

　　B) he felt puzzled at the students’ being late

　　C) he wanted to collect data for his research

　　D) he wanted to make students come on time later

　　12. Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?

　　A) Both American and Brazilian students will often be late for a lunch appointment.

　　B) Classes begin and end at the scheduled time in the United States.

　　C) Brazilian students don’t mind staying late after class.

　　D) Brazilian students usually arrive late and leave early.

　　13. What can we infer from the professor’s study of lateness in the informal situation?

　　A) Neither Brazilian nor American students like to be late in social gatherings.

　　B) American students will become impatient if their friend is ten minutes late.

　　C) Being late in one culture may not be considered rude in another culture.

　　D) Brazilian students will not come thirty-three minutes after the agreed time.

　　14. From the last paragraph we know that in Brazil, ________.

　　A) it is acceptable for professors to be late for class

　　B) it is rude to keep a professor staying after class

　　C) it is important to arrive at the appointed time

　　D) it is normal for students to leave during lectures

　　15. What does this passage tell us?

　　A) People learn the importance of time from the country in which they live.

　　B) The importance of being on time differs among cultures.

　　C) Students being late for class should explain the reason to their teacher.

　　D) It is important to come to class on time in Brazil.

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage.

　　The internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal Website. Websites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care. Online shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they bought.

　　The thieves then go shopping with your card number or sell the information over the Internet. Computer hackers (黑客) have broken down security system, raising questions about the safety of card holder information.

　　Several months ago, 25,000 customers of a CD universe, an online music retailer (批发商), were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Website after the retailer refused to pay US $ 157,828 to get back the information.

　　Credit-card firms are now fighting against online fraud. Master-card is working on plans for Web only credit-card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping online. However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.

　　Ask about your credit-card firm's online rules: under British law, cardholders are responsible for the first US$ 78 of any fraudulent spending. And shop only at secure sites: send your credit-card information only if the Website offers advanced secure system.

　　If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The Website address may also start http://--the extra "s" stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.

　　Keep your password safe: most online sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your password with care.

　　16. The word "fraud" in the first paragraph probably means ______.

　　A) cheating

　　B) sale

　　C) payment

　　D) use

　　17. According to this passage most people worry about shopping on the Internet because _____.

　　A) great number of stolen credit-cards are sold on the Internet every day

　　B) fraud on the Internet happens very often

　　C) many Websites break down every day

　　D) there are too many illegal Websites on the Internet

　　18. Thieves usually get the information of the credit-card ______.

　　A) because many customers lost their cards

　　B) by paying money for people working in the information companies

　　C) because of the carelessness of the customers

　　D) by stealing the information from Websites

　　19. If the passwords of your credit-cards are not probably kept, _____.

　　A) the bank and the shop will suffer great losses

　　B) you will not be able to get back your information

　　C) you might suffer great losses

　　D) the bank will answer for your loss

　　20. What's the best title of the passage?

　　A) How to Beat Online Credit-card Thieves

　　B) How to Shop on the Internet

　　C) Never Use Credit-card Without an Advanced Computer

　　D) Why Thieves Steal Credit-card Information