Part III Reading Comprehension

Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of the passages there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best answer.

Passage 1
Questions 71 to 75 are based on the following passage.

  How can English teachers accelerate the language learning of their students? One way is to teach students how to learn more effectively and efficiently. Learning strategies are "Procedures or techniques that learners can use to facilitate a learning task." Instructing students of English in learning strategies can help them become better learners. In addition, skill in using learning strategies assists students in becoming independent, confident learners. Finally, students become more motivated as they begin to understand the relationship between their use of strategies and success in learning English.
  Students need to develop an awareness of the learning process and strategies that lead to success. Students who reflect on their own thinking are more likely to engage in planning how to proceed with a learning task, monitoring their own performance on an ongoing basis, finding solutions to problems encountered, and evaluating themselves upon task completion. These activities may be difficult for students accustomed to having a teacher who solves all their learning problems and is the sole judge of their progress.
   Teachers need to encourage students to rely more on themselves. Because learning strategies are mental processes with few observable manifestations, teachers need to find ways to make the strategies as concrete as possible. When students are able to use the strategies their teachers have taught them, and to do so without prompting, then they need to explore new strategies, new applications, and new opportunities for self-regulated learning.

  1. Better learning strategies can make language learning more__________.
    A) fun  B) interesting  C) efficient  D) exciting

  2. Students who reflect on their own ________ will be more successful in learning.
    A) thinking  B) evaluation  C) performance  D) activities

  3. Teachers should encourage students to rely more on ___________.
    A) books  B) notes  C) tutors  D) themselves

  4. Learning strategies are unobservable mental processes, so teachers should make them _______.
    A) simpler  B) more familiar  C) more concrete  D) more applicable

  5. Which of the following statements is true?
    A) Students learn learning strategies from the teachers only.
    B) Learning strategies are completely unobservable.
    C) Students need to explore new learning strategies for themselves.
    D) Teachers are the sole judges of students?progress.

Passage 2
Questions 76 to 80 are based on the following passage.

  During sleep, the fatigue (藤斥) of the body disappears and recuperation ( 志鹸) begins. The tired mind gathers new energy. Once awake, the memory improves, and annoyance and problems are seen in a better perspective.
  Some adults require little sleep; others need eight to ten hours in every twenty-four. Infants sleep sixteen to eighteen hours daily and, as they grow older, the amount gradually diminishes. Young students may need twelve hours; university students may need ten. A worker with a physically demanding job may also need ten, whereas an executive worker under great pressure may manage on six to eight. Many famous people are reputed to have required little sleep. Napoleon, Thomas Edison and Charles Darwin apparently averaged only four to six hours a night.
  Whatever your individual need, you can be sure that by the age of thirty you will have slept for a total of more than twelve years. By that age you will also have developed a sleep routine: a favorite hour, a favorite bed, a favorite position, and a formula you need to follow in order to rest comfortably.
  Investigators have tried to find out how long a person can go without sleep. Several people have reached more than 115 hours ?nearly five days, whereas animals kept awake for from five to eight days have died of exhaustion. The limit for human beings is probably about a week.

  1. The writer implies that _________.
    A) sleep is important for good mental and physical health
    B) a light sleep is as restful as a deep sleep
    C) memory is improved during sleep
    D) sleep is relatively unimportant for human beings

  2. From the amount of sleep Napoleon, Edison and Darwin required, we can infer that_______.
    A) they were famous great men
    B) they were executive workers
    C) they were intelligent people
    D) they were involved in mentally demanding work

  3. The amount of sleep required ________.
    A) varies greatly from individual to individual
    B) depends on an individual's age
    C) relates to an individual's occupation
    D) all of the above.

  4. According to the passage, the sleeping routine will be built at the age of _________.
    A) 10  B) 20  C) 30  D) 40

  5. From animal experiments, we can conclude that the final result of the lack of sleep is probably _________.
    A) mental illness
    B) mental breakdown
    C) susceptibility to illness
    D) death

Passage 3
Questions 81 to 85 are based on the following passage.

  You have been badly injured in a car accident. It is necessary to give you a blood transfusion because you lost a great deal of blood in the accident. However, special care must be taken in selecting new blood for you. If the blood is too different from your own, the transfusion could kill you.
  There are four basic types of blood: A, B, AB, and O. A simple test can indicate a person's blood type, which, like hair color and height, is inherited from parents.
  Because of substances contained in each type, the four groups must be transfused carefully. Basically, A and B cannot be mixed. A and B cannot receive AB, but AB may receive A or B. O can give to any other group; hence, it is often called the universal donor. For the opposite reason, AB is sometimes called the universal recipient. However, because so many reactions can occur in transfusions, patients usually receive only salt or plasma (liquid) until their blood can be matched as exactly as possible in the blood bank of a hospital. In this way, it is possible to avoid any bad reactions to the transfusion.
  There is a relationship between your blood type and your nationality. Among Europeans and people of European ancestry, about 42 percent have type A while 45 percent have type O. The rarest is type AB. Other races have different percentages. For example, some American Indian groups have nearly 100 percent type O.

  1. A good title for this passage is ________.
    A) Getting Blood and Plasma
    B) Special Blood Types
    C) Human Blood Types
    D) The Blood Bank of a Hospital

  2. The word "hence" in line 8 means __________.
    A) always  B) often  C) therefore  D) seldom

  3. In a blood transfusion, it is easiest to find the acceptable type of blood for a person with the blood type of _________.
    A) A  B) B  C) AB  D) O

  4. The purpose of using salt and plasma before a blood transfusion is to allow time ______.
    A) to test the reactions to the transfusion
    B) for matching the blood to be transfused with the patient's blood
    C) for the blood to be delivered from the blood bank
    D) to select a new type of blood for the patient

  5. Most Europeans have blood type __________.
    A) A  B) B  C) O  D) A or O

Passage 4
Questions 86 to 90 are based on the following passage.

  College brings together people from all walks of life. There are so many different types of people in the world but if you go to a college campus, you are sure to find at least one of every kind. The great part about being here with so many different people is that you get to interact with some interesting characters and see how to deal with them. You will meet the people you dread the most, the smart-ass, the brain, or the unique spirit, but no matter who it is that is your worst nightmare to be around you will always be paired up with them in a group project. When you get into the real world you are not going to be able to pick your boss or coworkers. Interacting with these people in college and living with different roommates will help you learn how to cooperate with the people in life you find so unpleasant. College life is fun. The fact that I have been here for a short time just means it has not yet been a life changing experience to me. If I were to give any tips on how to survive, it would not be how to survive college, but how to survive life. I would have to say that one should be outgoing and live life to the fullest. Meet new people whenever you can because they just may be a major influence in your life. Also, get your work done before you go out and party. Lastly, I would have to say, in life if you ever feel lost or alone, talk to someone about it. Everyone gets depressed at times in their life and there is always someone who will listen to your problems.

  1. What is the theme of the passage?
    A) Relationships in college.
    B) Homework in college.
    C) Freedom in college.
    D) Partying in college.

  2. What does the author say about group projects?
    A) They are always unpleasant.
    B) They are always difficult.
    C) Partners may not cooperate.
    D) Partners may be lazy.

  3. Why does the author recommend meeting many new people?
    A) They may become your best friends.
    B) They may influence your life.
    C) They may help you someday.
    D) They make your life more fun.

  4. How would you describe the author's personality?
    A) Shy and underconfident.
    B) Strong but quiet.
    C) Extremely pessimistic.
    D) Optimistic and outgoing.

  5. What does the author say to do if you're depressed?
    A) Go somewhere by yourself.
    B) Talk to someone about it.
    C) Try to forget about it.
    D) See a psychologist immediately.