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Section ¢òReading Comprehension

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 ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)

Text1

Of all the areas of learning the most important is the development of attitudes: emotional reactions as well as logical thought processes affect the behavior of most people. ¡°The burnt child fears the fire¡± is one instance; another is the rise of despots like Hitler. Both these examples also point up the fact that attitudes come from experience. In the one case the experience was direct and impressive; in the other it was indirect and cumulative. The Nazis were influenced largely by the speeches they heard and the books they read.

The classroom teacher in the elementary school is in a strategic position to influence attitudes. This is true partly because children acquire attitudes from those adults whose words are highly regarded by them.

Another reason it is true is that pupils often devote their time to a subject in school that has only been touched upon at home or has possibly never occurred to them before. To a child who had previously acquired little knowledge of Mexico his teacher¬ðs method of handling such a unit would greatly affect his attitude toward Mexicans.

The media through which the teacher can develop wholesome attitudes are innumerable. Social studies (with special reference to races, creeds and nationalities), science matters of health and safety, the very atmosphere of the classroom... these are a few of the fertile fields for the inculcation of proper emotional reactions.

However, when children go to school with undesirable attitudes, it is unwise for the teacher to attempt to change their feelings by cajoling or scolding them. She can achieve the proper effect by helping them obtain constructive experiences.

To illustrate, first-grade pupils afraid of policemen will probably alter their attitudes after a classroom chat with the neighborhood officer in which he explains how he protects them. In the same way, a class of older children can develop attitudes through discussion, research, outside reading and all-day trips.

Finally, a teacher must constantly evaluate her own attitudes, because her influence can be negative if she has personal prejudices. This is especially true in respect to controversial issues and questions on which children should be encouraged to reach their own decision as a result of objective analysis of all the facts. (377 words)

Notes: point up (=emphasize)Ç¿µ÷£¬Í»³ö¡£touch upon ´¥¼°¡£creed ÐÅÌõ£¬½ÌÒå¡£inculcation×»×»½Ì»å¡£cajoling ºåÆ­¡£

21. Which of the following best describes the organization of the first paragraph of the text?

£ÛA£Ý An assertion is made and two examples are given to illustrate it.

£ÛB£Ý A controversy is stated and two opposite points of view are presented.

£ÛC£Ý A widely accepted definition is presented and two men are described.

£ÛD£Ý An idea is stated and two results of recent research are summarized.

22. The central idea conveyed in the above text is that

£ÛA£Ý attitudes affect our actions.

£ÛB£Ý teachers play a significant role in developing or reshaping pupils¬ð attitudes.

£ÛC£Ý attitudes can be modified by some classroom experiences.

£ÛD£Ý by their attitudes, teachers don't affect pupils' attitudes deliberately.

23. In paragraph 6 the author implies that

£ÛA£Ý the teacher should guide all discussions by revealing her own attitude.

£ÛB£Ý in some aspects of social studies a greater variety of methods can be used in the upper grades than in the lower grades.

£ÛC£Ý people usually act on the basis of reasoning rather than on emotion.

£ÛD£Ý children's attitudes often come from those of other children.

24. A statement not made or implied in the text is that

£ÛA£Ý attitudes can be based on the learning of untrue statements.

£ÛB£Ý worthwhile attitudes may be developed in practically every subject area.

£ÛC£Ý attitudes cannot easily be changed by rewards and lectures.

£ÛD£Ý the attitudes of elementary school-aged children are influenced primarily by the way they were treated as infants.

25. The text specially states that

£ÛA£Ý direct experiences are more valuable than indirect ones.

£ÛB£Ý whatever attitudes a child learns in school have already been introduced at home.

£ÛC£Ý teachers can sometimes have an unwholesome influence on children.

£ÛD£Ý teachers should always conceal their own attitudes.

Text2

An industrial society, especially one as centralized and concentrated as that of Britain, is heavily dependent on certain essential services: for instance, electricity supply, water, rail and road transport, and harbors. The area of dependency has widened to include removing rubbish, hospital and ambulance services, and, as the economy develops, central computer and information services as well. If any of these services ceases to operate, the whole economic system is in danger.

It is this economic interdependency of the economic system which makes the power of trade unions such an important issue. Single trade unions have the ability to cut off many countries' economic blood supply. This can happen more easily in Britain than in some other countries, in part because the labor force is highly organized. About 55 percent of British workers belong to unions, compared to under a quarter in the United States. For historical reasons, Britain's unions have tended to develop along trade and occupational lines, rather than on an industry-by-industry basis, which makes a wages policy, democracy in industry and the improvement of procedure for fixing wage levels difficult to achieve.

There are considerable strains and tensions in the trade union movement, some of them arising from their outdated and inefficient structure. Some unions have lost many members because of their industrial changes. Others are involved in arguments about who should represent workers in new trades. Unions for skilled trades are separate from general unions, which means that different levels of wages for certain jobs are often a source of bad feeling between unions. In traditional trades which are being pushed out of existence by advancing technologies, unions can fight for their members¬ð disappointing jobs to the point where the jobs of other union members are threatened or destroyed. The printing of newspapers both in the United States and in Britain has frequently been halted by the efforts of printers to hold on to their traditional highly-paid jobs.

Trade unions have problems of internal communication just as managers in companies do, problems which multiply in very large unions or in those which bring workers in very different industries together into a single general union. Some trade union officials have to be re-elected regularly; others are elected, or even appointed, for life. Trade union officials have to work with a system of ¡°shop stewards¡± in many unions, ¡°shop stewards¡± being workers elected by other workers as their representatives at factory or works level. (411 words)

26. Why is the interdependence of the UK economy mentioned in paragraph 1?

£ÛA£Ý To point up the importance of the trade union power.

£ÛB£Ý To outline in brief the great scale of essential services.

£ÛC£Ý To illustrate the danger in the whole economic system.

£ÛD£Ý To bring out a centralized and concentrated industrial society.

27. Because of their out-of-date organization some unions find it difficult to

£ÛA£Ý recruit new members to join.

£ÛB£Ý remold themselves as industries change.

£ÛC£Ý adapt to advancing technologies.

£ÛD£Ý bargain for high enough wages.

28. Disagreements arise between unions because some of them

[A] take over other unions' jobs.

[B] try to win over members of other unions.

[C] protect their own members at the expense of others.

£ÛD£Ý intend to represent workers in new trade organizations.

29. What basic problem are we told most trade unions face?

£ÛA£Ý They are equal in size of influence.

£ÛB£Ý They are less powerful than ever before.

£ÛC£Ý They don't have enough members.

£ÛD£Ý They are not organized efficiently.

30. The title which best expresses the idea of the text would be

£ÛA£Ý British Trade Unions and Their Drawbacks.

£ÛB£Ý A Centralized and Concentrated Society.

£ÛC£Ý The Power of Trade Unions in Britain.

£ÛD£Ý The Structure of British Trade Unions.

Text3

Is the literary critic like the poet, responding creatively, intuitively, subjectively to the written word as the poet responds to human experience? Or is the critic more like a scientist, following a series of demonstrable, verifiable steps, using an objective method of analysis?

For the woman who is a practitioner of feminist literary criticism, the subjectivity versus objectivity, or critic-as-artist-or-scientist, debate has special significance; for her, the question is not only academic, but political as well, and her definition will provoke special risks whichever side of the issue it favors. If she defines feminist criticism as objective and scientific¡ªa valid, verifiable, intellectual method that anyone, whether man or woman, can perform¡ªthe definition not only makes the critic-as-artist approach impossible, but may also hinder accomplishment of the utilitarian political objectives of those who seek to change the academic establishment and its thinking, especially about sex roles. If she defines feminist criticism as creative and intuitive, privileged as art, then her work becomes vulnerable to the prejudices of stereotypic ideas about the ways in which women think, and will be dismissed by much of the academic establishment. Because of these prejudices, women who use an intuitive approach in their criticism may find themselves charged with inability to be analytical, to be objective, or to think critically. Whereas men may be free to claim the role of critic-as-artist, women run different professional risks when they choose intuition and private experience as critical method and defense.

These questions are political in the sense that the debate over them will inevitably be less an exploration of abstract matters in a spirit of disinterested inquiry than an academic power struggle, in which the careers and professional fortunes of many women scholars only now entering the academic profession in substantial numbers will be at stake, and with them the chances for a distinctive contribution to humanistic understanding, a contribution that might be an important influence against sexism in our society.

As long as the academic establishment continues to regard objective analysis as ¡°masculine¡± and an intuitive approach as ¡°feminine,¡± the theoretician must steer a delicate philosophical course between the two. If she wishes to construct a theory of feminist criticism, she would be well advised to place it within the framework of a general theory of the critical process that is neither purely objective nor purely intuitive. Her theory is then more likely to be compared and contrasted with other theories of criticism with some degree of dispassionate distance. (418 words)

31. Which of the following titles best summarizes the content of the text?

£ÛA£Ý How Theories of Literary Criticism Can Best Be Used

£ÛB£Ý Problems Confronting Women Who Are Feminist Literary Critics

£ÛC£Ý A Historical Overview of Feminist Literary Criticism

£ÛD£Ý Literary Criticism: Art or Science?

32. According to the author, the debate has special significance for the woman who is a theoretician of feminist literary criticism because

£ÛA£Ý women who are literary critics face professional risks different from those faced by men who are literary critics.

£ÛB£Ý there are large numbers of capable women working within the academic establishment.

£ÛC£Ý there are a few powerful feminist critics who have been recognized by the academic establishment.

£ÛD£Ý like other critics, most women who are literary critics define criticism as either scientific or artistic.

33. The author specifically mentions all of the following as difficulties that particularly affect women who are theoreticians of feminist literary criticism EXCEPT the

£ÛA£Ý tendency of a predominantly male academic establishment to form preconceptions about women.

£ÛB£Ý limitations that are imposed when criticism is defined as objective and scientific.

£ÛC£Ý likelihood that the work of a woman theoretician who claims the privilege of art will be viewed with prejudice by some academics.

£ÛD£Ý tendency of members of the academic establishment to treat all forms of feminist literary theory with hostility.

34. It can be inferred that the author would define as ¡°political¡±(Line 1, Para. 3) the questions that

£ÛA£Ý cannot be resolved without extensive debate.

£ÛB£Ý are primarily academic in nature and open to abstract analysis.

£ÛC£Ý are contested largely through contention over power.

£ÛD£Ý will be debated by both men and women.

35. Which of the following is most likely to be one of the ¡°utilitarian political objectives¡± mentioned by the author?

£ÛA£Ý To forge a new theory of literary criticism.

£ÛB£Ý To pursue truth in a disinterested manner.

£ÛC£Ý To demonstrate that women are interested in literary criticism that can be viewed either subjectively or objectively.

£ÛD£Ý To convince the academic establishment to revise the ways in which it assesses women scholars¬ð professional qualities.

Text4

Recent years have brought minority-owned businesses in the United States uNPRecedented opportunities¡ªas well as new and significant risks. Civil right activists have long argued that one of the principal reasons why Blacks, Hispanics and other minority groups have difficulty establishing themselves in business is that they lack of access to the sizable orders and subcontracts that are generated by large companies. Now Congress, in apparent agreement, has required by law that businesses awarded federal contracts of more than ¡ç500, 000 do their best to find minority subcontractors and record their efforts to do so on forms filed with the government. Indeed, some federal and local agencies have gone so far as to set specific percentage goals for apportioning parts of public works contracts to minority enterprises.

Corporate response appears to have been substantial. According to figures collected in 1977, the total of corporate contracts with minority businesses rose from ¡ç77 million in 1972 to 1.1 billion in 1977. The projected total of corporate contracts with minority businesses for the early 1980's is estimated to be over ¡ç3 billion per year with no letup anticipated in the next decade.

Promising as it is for minority businesses, this increased patronage poses dangers for them, too. First, minority firms risk expanding too fast and overextending themselves financially, since most are small concerns and, unlike large businesses, they often need to make substantial investment in new plants, staff, equipment and the like in order to perform work subcontracted to them. If, thereafter, their subcontracts are for some reason reduced, such firms can face potentially crippling fixed expenses. The world of corporate purchasing can be frustrating for small entrepreneurs who get requests for elaborate formal estimates and bids. Both consume valuable time and resources, and a small company's efforts must soon result in orders, or both the morale and the financial health of the business will suffer.

A second risk is that White-owned companies may seek to cash in on the increasing apportionment through formation of joint ventures with minority-owned concerns. Of course, in many instances there are legitimate reasons for joint ventures; clearly, White and minority enterprises can team up to acquire business that neither could acquire alone. But civil right groups and minority business owners have complained to Congress about minorities being set up as ¡°fronts¡± with White backing, rather than being accepted as full partners in legitimate joint ventures.

Third, a minority enterprise that secures the business of one large corporate customer often runs the danger of becoming and remaining dependent. Even in the best of circumstances, fierce competition from larger, more established companies makes it difficult for small concerns to broaden their customer bases; when such firms have nearly guaranteed orders from a single corporate benefactor, they may truly have to struggle against complacency arising from their current success. (469 words)

Notes: civil rights activists¹«ÃñȨÀû¼¤½ø·Ö×Ó¡£HispanicsÎ÷°àÑÀºóÒáÃÀ¹úÈË¡£sizable orders´ó¶î¶©µ¥¡£subcontractת°üºÏͬ¡£on forms filed with the governmentÔÚÕþ¸®´æµµ±¸°¸¡£percentage goalsÖ¸±ê¡£apportionment·ÖÅ䣬·ÖÅÉ¡£public worksÊÐÕþ¹¤³Ì¡£letup¼õÈõ£¬»ººÍ¡£promising as it is... ÕâÊÇasÒýµ¼µÄÈò½×´Óï´Ó¾ä£¬±íÓïµ¹×°ÁË¡£patronageÓŻݡ£concern n. ¹«Ë¾¡£and the likeÒÔ¼°ÖîÈç´ËÀàµÄ¡£crippling fixed expensesÒýÆðËðʧµÄ¹Ì¶¨¿ªÖ§¡£the world of´óÁ¿µÄ¡£bidͶ±ê¡£to cash in on...¿¿¡­×¬Ç®¡£team upÒ»Æð¹¤×÷£¬ºÏ×÷¡£frontsÔÚ´Ë´¦ÒâΪ¡°°ÚÃÅÃ桱¡£complacency×ÔÂú¡£

36. The primary purpose of the text is to

£ÛA£Ý present a commonplace idea and its inaccuracies.

£ÛB£Ý describe a situation and its potential drawbacks.

£ÛC£Ý propose a temporary solution to a problem.

£ÛD£Ý analyze a frequent source of disagreement.

37. According to the text, civil rights activists maintain that one disadvantage under which minority-owned businesses have traditionally had to labor is that they have

£ÛA£Ý been especially vulnerable to government mismanagement of the economy.

£ÛB£Ý been denied bank loans at rates comparable to those afforded larger competitors.

£ÛC£Ý not had sufficient opportunity to secure business created by large corporations.

£ÛD£Ý not been able to advertise in those media that reach large numbers of potential customers.

38. The text suggests that the failure of a large business to have its bids for subcontracts result quickly in orders might cause it to

£ÛA£Ý experience frustration but not serious financial harm.

£ÛB£Ý have to record its efforts on forms filed with the government.

£ÛC£Ý increase its spending with minority subcontractors.

£ÛD£Ý revise its procedure for making bids for federal contracts and subcontracts.

39. The author implies that a minority-owned concern that does the greater part of its business with one large corporate customer should

£ÛA£Ý avoid competition with larger, more established concerns by not expanding.

£ÛB£Ý concentrating on securing even more business from that corporation.

£ÛC£Ý use its influence with the corporation to promote subcontracting with other minority concerns.

£ÛD£Ý try to expand its customer bases to avoid becoming dependent on the corporation.

40. According to the organization of the text, it most likely appeared in

£ÛA£Ý a business magazine.

£ÛB£Ý an accounting textbook.

£ÛC£Ý a dictionary of financial terms.

£ÛD£Ý a yearbook of business statistics.