Part I Reading Comprehension (40% 35minutes)

　　Directions: In this part there are four passages. Each passage is followed by a

　　number of comprehension questions. Read the passage and choose

　　the best answer to each question. Then, mark your answer by

　　blackening the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.

　　Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:

　　A green house is a building made of glass which is used for keeping plants warm when the outside temperature is low. In a similar way there are several gases in the atmosphere, which trap the heat produced by the sun and prevent it from escaping. These gases are known as “greenhouse gases”, and the way in which they trap heat in the atmosphere is called the “greenhouse effect”. This is not simply air pollution. Most of the main greenhouse gases exist naturally in small amounts in our atmosphere, and without them earth would be 30 degrees colder and human life would not exist. In other words, the greenhouse effect is a natural course which is to some degree helpful to us.

　　The problem is that in the last century and a half, we have been putting too many of these gases into the earth's atmosphere by burning large quantities of coal and oil and by cutting down forests. The rapid increase in greenhouse gases is making the world warmer. The world’s temperature has already gone up by half a degree this century, and the sea level has risen by 10 centimeters. If the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubles there will probably be a rise in the earth’s temperature of between 1 and 4. This may seem a small increase, but it would be enough to cause major changes in geography and agriculture. Large areas of the world would be flooded, and some areas would become dry and unable to produce crops. It is important, too, to consider that there may be a delay of about 30 years in the greenhouse effect. This means that we are probably experiencing only now the effect of the gases put into the atmosphere before the 1960s. Since then, our use of these gases has greatly increased.

　　1. “Greenhouse effect” means _________.

　　A. the way in which gases are used for keeping plants warm

　　B. a natural course which is to some degree helpful to us

　　C. the way "greenhouse gases" trap heat on the earth

　　D. the whole course in which greenhouse gases prevent heat

　　2. If there were no greenhouse effect, ___________.

　　A. no plants would grow on our planet

　　B. earth would be thirty degrees colder

　　C. man could not live on the earth

　　D. all of the above answers are correct

　　3. Which of the following is not true?

　　A. Burning too much coal and oil produces lots of greenhouse gases.

　　B. It has become warmer on the earth now than in the past.

　　C. Gases put into the atmosphere now will effect the earth years later.

　　D. The temperature in a greenhouse is as high as that in the atmosphere.

　　4. Suppose the earth's temperature rose by 3 degrees _________.

　　A. great harm would be done to mankind

　　B. the sea level would go up by 10 centimeters

　　C. all the land in the world would be flooded

　　D. crops would be unable to grow on the earth

　　5. This passage mainly deals with _________.

　　A. the concept and harm of greenhouse effect

　　B. the relation between greenhouse gases and man

　　C. the concept and change of greenhouse effect

　　D. the effect of the rise of the earth's temperature

　　Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:

　　Our plan was to drive into Cambridge, catch the 7:34 train to Liverpool Street station, then to separate and meet again for lunch. We should have arrived at Liverpool Street at 9:19, but due to a typical London fog, the train had to move along so slowly that it wasn't until 10:30 that it got there. In spite of our late arrival, Joan decided that she would go to see the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London while we went shopping. It was only after her sister had disappeared into the fog that my wife realized that we hadn’t decided where we should meet her for lunch. Since I had our three tickets for the concert in my pocket, this was indeed a problem. There seemed to be nothing we could do except take a taxi to the Tower of London, and try to find her there. Needless to say, we didn’t find her.

　　It was now one o’clock, and the concert began at 2:30. “Perhaps she will think of waiting outside the concert hall,” suggested my wife hopefully. By this time the fog was so thick that road traffic had to stop, and the only way to get there was by underground railway. Hand in hand we felt our way along the road to where we thought the nearest station should be. An hour later we were still trying to find it. Just as I was about to lose my temper completely we met a blind man tapping his way confidently through the fog. With his help we found Tower Hill tube station just fifty yards down the road.

　　By now it was far too late even to try to get to the concert hall before the performance began at 2:30, so we decided to return to Cambridge. It took seven long hours instead of the usual two to make that journey. Nor were we able to get any food and drink on the train. Tired and hungry we finally reached home at ten, opening the door to the sound of the telephone bell. It was Joan~ she had seen the Crown Jewels, had managed to get another ticket for the concert, and had had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant near the hotel where she had decided to stay the night. Now she was ringing to discover whether we had had an equally successful day.

　　6. Why was Joan separated from her sister and brother-in-law when they

　　arrived in London?

　　A. They could not see each other because of the fog.

　　B. Joan had not seen the Crown Jewels.

　　C. They planned to do different things until lunchtime.

　　D. The writer did not want to go to the concert.

　　7. What did the writer plan to do in the afternoon?

　　A. Go to a concert. B. See the Crown Jewels.

　　C. Return to Cambridge. D. We are not told.

　　8. Why didn’t they all meet for lunch?

　　A. They lost their way in the fog.

　　B. They forgot to make the necessary arrangement.

　　C. They had agreed to meet outside the concert hall.

　　D. The writer couldn't find the underground station.

　　9. Why did the writer and his wife decide to go to the concert hall by

　　underground rail way?

　　A. There was no other way.

　　B. They could not find a taxi.

　　C. It was too far to walk.

　　D. The wife thought Joan might be waiting there.

　　10. It is clear that for Joan the trip to London had been ________.

　　A. spilt by the fog B. quite tiring

　　C. rather disappointing D. very enjoyable

　　Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage:

　　The first area outside the United States to which settlers moved in substantial numbers was the province now called Texas. By 1830 eastern Texas had been occupied by nearly 20,000 whites and 1,000 black slaves from the United States.

　　Many westerners had been disappointed when the U.S. government, in the Florid-purchase treaty of 1819, accepted the Sabine River as the southwestern boundary of the United States. By doing so, the United States surrendered whatever vague claim it had to Texas as part of the Louisiana Purchase. After winning independence from Spain in 1822, Mexico twice rejected American's offer to buy this sparsely settled province; but during the 1820s she welcomed law- abiding American immigrants.

　　The first and most successful promoter of American settlement in Mexico was Stephen F. Austin who obtained a huge land grant form the Mexican government and established a flourishing colony on the banks of the Brazos River. Most of the immigrants were woman farmers and small slaveholders from the southern United States who were attracted by the rich land suitable for cotton growing and available for a few cents an acre.

　　11. What is the subject of this passage?

　　A. The initial settlement of Texas.

　　B. The influence of Mexico on settlement in Texas.

　　C. The geographic features of Texas.

　　D. The impact of treaties on Texas in the 1980s.

　　12. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

　　A. Mexico was interested in becoming part of the United States

　　B. Texas was not always a part of the United States

　　C. Texas was attractive to slaves who sought freedom

　　D. Mexico contemplated buying the province of Texas

　　13. Mexico became independent _________.

　　A. in the eighteen century

　　B. in the first quarter of the nineteenth century

　　C. more than 170 years ago

　　D. in 1819

　　14. It can be inferred that Texas farmland is suitable for ________.

　　A. textile production

　　B. production of raw materials for clothing

　　C. food production

　　D. fishing

　　15. The word “she” underlined in the second paragraph refers to _________.

　　A. Texas B. Mexico

　　C. The United States D. Spain