Part A

Directions:

Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)

Text 1

There were some consistent patterns among the heavier readers: For the younger children— ages 6 to 11—being read aloud to regularly and having restricted online time were correlated with frequent reading; for the older children—ages 12 to 17—one of the largest predictors was whether they had time to read on their own during the school day.

The finding about reading aloud to children long after toddlerhood may come as a surprise to some parents who read books to children at bedtime when they were very young but then tapered off. Last summer, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced a new policy recommending that all parents read to their children from birth.

“A lot of parents assume that once kids begin to read independently, that now that is the best thing for them to do,” said Maggie McGuire, the vice president for a website for parents operated by Scholastic. But reading aloud through elementary school seemed to be connected to a love of reading generally. According to the report, 41 percent of frequent readers ages 6 to 10 were read aloud to at home, while only 13 percent of infrequent readers were being read to.

Of course, children who love to read are generally immersed in households with lots of books and parents who like to read. So while parents who read to their children later in elementary school may encourage those children to become frequent readers on their own, such behavior can also result from “a whole constellation of other things that goes on in those families,” said Timothy Shanahan, a past president of the International Reading Association.

There is not yet strong research that connects reading aloud at older ages to improved reading

comprehension. But some literacy experts said that when parents or teachers read aloud to children even after they can read themselves, the children can hear more complex words or stories than they might tackle themselves.

“It’s this idea of marinating children in higher-level vocabulary,” said Pam Allyn, founder of LitWorld.Org, a nonprofit group that works to increase literacy among young people. “The read-aloud can really lift the child.” Other literacy experts say the real value of reading to children is helping to develop background knowledge in all kinds of topics as well as exposure to sophisticated language.

21. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that _______.

[A] the younger children and the older children have the same reading patterns

[B] for the younger children, being read aloud regularly is good to their school days

[C] for the older children, having time to read independently is very important

[D] for the older children, having restricted online time is good to develop reading habits

22. The phrase “tapered off” (Para. 2) probably means_______.

[A] stopped halfway

[B] declined gradually

[C] turned off

[D] read occasionally

23. The author mentions “ the report” in Paragraph 3 to show that _______.

[A] reading aloud through elementary school is related to children’s reading habits

[B] Maggie McGuire’s viewpoint is wrong

[C] many parents think that children read independently is the best thing

[D] there is little difference between frequent readers and infrequent readers

24. Which of the following is NOT true according to Paragraphs 4-5?

[A] Children who like to read are usually influenced by parents.

[B] The family atmosphere is crucial to children’s reading behavior.

[C] No obvious evidence proves reading aloud at older ages can strengthen reading comprehension.

[D] Some literacy experts believe there is no significance to read aloud for older children.

25. Pam Allyn argues that the advantage of read-aloud is that _______.

[A] it can enlarge children’s vocabulary

[B] it can really improve children’s reading ability

[C] it’s helpful to enrich children’s knowledge

[D] it’s beneficial for children to understand sophisticated language

Text 2

Women have been driving yellow cabs in New York since the 1940s, but 99% of drivers are male. Even among drivers of cars booked by phone or online, only 4% are women. That may change with the launch of SheTaxis, an app that lets female passengers insist on female drivers, and vice versa.

It will be available in New York City, Westchester and Long Island, and the firm plans to

expand to other cities. Stella Mateo, the founder, is betting that quite a few women are nervous and weary of getting into cars driven by men. The service may also appeal to those whose religious beliefs forbid them to travel with unrelated men. Each driver wears a pink pashmina. Men who ask for a ride will be directed to another car service.

Similar services thrive in India, South Africa and several Middle Eastern cities. Japan has had women-only railway carriages on and off since 1912. Known as hana densha (flower trains), they offer shelter from the gropers who make rush hour in Tokyo so disagreeable.

But SheTaxis faces two speed bumps. One is practical. Demand has been so great that the firm has had to decelerate its launch until it can recruit 500 drivers. The other obstacle is legal. By employing only female drivers, SheTaxis is obviously discriminating against men. Since anti-discrimination law is not always applied with common sense, that may be illegal. And there is no shortage of potential litigants. Yellow cabbies are furious at the growth of online taxi firms such as Uber. “It’s not hard to imagine a guy ... filing suit,” says Sylvia Law of New York University Law School. “SheTaxis’ defence would probably be that its drivers are all independent contractors.”

Because the firm caters only to women, it is discriminating against male customers, too. Is that legal? Angela Cornell of Cornell Law School thinks there could be a loophole. New York’s Human Rights Commission could make an exemption on the ground that SheTaxi offers a service that is in the public interest: women feel safer not getting into cars with strange men. Women-only colleges are allowed, so why not women-only cabs? The snag is that some men may also feel safer getting into cabs with female drivers. A study in 2010 found that 80% of crashes in New York City that kill or seriously injure pedestrians involve male drivers. Women drivers are simply better.

26. We can learn from the first paragraph that SheTaxis _______.

[A] will increase women driving yellow cabs

[B] will change the market of booking taxis online

[C] allows female drivers to only choose female passengers

[D] lets male passengers insist on male drivers

27. It can be inferred that the service of SheTaxis may appeal to_______.

[A] women who are nervous about taxi drivers

[B] women with certain religious beliefs

[C] women who are tired of taking taxis

[D] men who ask for a ride

28. The word “gropers” (Para. 3) probably refers to_______.

[A] people who cause a traffic jam

[B] men who make sexual harassment to women

[C] men who cause the rush hour in Tokyo

[D] people who make taking trains disagreeable

29. If SheTaxis is accused of discriminating against men, it may_______.

[A] decelerate its launch as an online taxi firm

[B] employ both male and female drivers

[C] make anti-discrimination law not applicable

[D] spring to the defence of its drivers

30. SheTaxis may be exempt from illegality by New York ’s Human Rights Commission because_______.

[A] its service provided is based on the public interest

[B] it discriminates against male passengers

[C] it provides service also for male passengers

[D] it decreases crashes caused by male drivers
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