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Part I Reading Comprehension
Passage 1
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:
In Washington D.C., 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is a very special address. It is
the address of the White House, the home of the president of the United
States.
Originally the White House was gray and was called the Presidential Palace.
It was built from 1792 to 1800. at this time, the city of Washington itself was
being built; it was to be the nation’s new capital city. George Washington, the
first president, and Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French engineer, chose the place
for the new city. L’Enfant then planned they city. The president’s home was an
important part of the plan.
A contest was held to pick a design for the president’s home. An architect
named James Hoban won. He designed a large three-story house of gray stone.
President Washington never lived in the President Palace. The first president
to live there was John Adams, the second president of the United States, and his
wife Mrs. Adams did not really like hew new house. In her letters, she often
complained about the cold. Fifty fireplaces were not enough to keep the house
warm!
In 1812 the United States and Britain went to war. In 1814 the British
invaded Washington. Theu burned many buildings, including the Presidential
Palace.
After the war James Hoban, the original architect, partially rebuilt the
president’s homes. To cover the marks of the fire, the building was painted
white. Before long it became known as the White House.
The White House is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United
States. Every year more than 1.5 million visitors go through the five rooms that
are open to the public.
1. The White House was built in Washington .
A. because a French engineer was invited to design it
B. because President George Washington liked to live in it
C. because the British invaders lived in it in 1812-1814
D. because it was to be the nation’s capital city
2. The Presidential Palace was .
A. painted gray and white B. made of gray stone
C. made of white stone D. made very warm in winter
3. The president’s home and the city of Washington were .
A. built by the American army B. built by the British troops
C. planned by George Washington D. planned by the French
4. The original home of the president needed to be rebuilt .
A. because John Adam’s wife did not like it
B. because it was cold in winter even with 50 fireplaces
C. because it had burned down during the war
D. because George Washington was not willing to live in it
5. The new presidential home was painted white to .
A. cover the marks of fire B. attract tourist from France
C. to please Mrs. John Adams D. keep it warm in winter
Passage 4
Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage:
Culture shock is an occupational disease (职业病) for people who have been
suddenly transplanted abroad.
Culture shock is caused by the anxiety that results from losing all familiar
signs and symbols of social intercourse. Those signs are as following: when to
shake hands and what to say when meet people, when and how to give tips, how to
make purchases, when to accept and refuse invitations, when to take statements
seriously and when not. These signs, which may be words, gestures, facial
expressions, or customs, are acquired by all of us in the course of growing up
and as much a part of our culture as the language we speak or the beliefs we
accept. All of us depend on hundreds of these signs for our peace of mind and
day-to-day efficiency, but we do not carry most at the level of conscious
awareness.
Now when an individual enters a strange culture, all or most of these
familiar signs are removed. No matter how broadminded or full of good will you
may be a series of supports have been knocked from under you, followed by a
feeling of frustration. When suffering from culture shock people first reject
the environment which caused discomfort. The ways of the host country are bad
because they make us feel bad. When foreigners in a strange land get together in
complain about the host country its people, you can be sure that they are
suffering from culture shock.
16. According to the passage, culture shock is .
A. an occupational disease of foreign people B. may lead to very serious
symptoms
C. actually not a disease D. incurable
17. According to the passage, culture shock result from .
A. the sudden change of social atmosphere and customs
B. the sudden change of our daily habits
C. the sudden loss of our own signs and symbols
D. the discomfort that we feel when faced with a foreigner
18. Which one of the following may not be a symptom of culture shock?
A. You don’t know how to express your gratitude.
B. You don’t know how to greet other people.
C. You suddenly forget what a word means.
D. You don’t understand why a foreigner shrugs.
19. According to the passage, how would a person who stays abroad most
probably react when he is frustrated by the culture shock?
A. He is most likely to refuse to absorb the strange environment at
first.
B. He is really to accept the change and adapt himself to the new
environment.
C. Although he takes the culture difference for granted, he still doesn’t
know how to do with it.
D. He may begin to hate the people or things around him.
20. The main idea of this passage is that .
A. culture shock is an occupational disease
B. culture shock is caused by the anxiety of living in a strange culture
C. culture shock has peculiar symptoms
D. it is very hard to cope with life in a new setting
If the old maxim that the customer is always right still has meaning, then the airlines that ply the world’s busiest air route between London and Paris have a flight on their hands.
The Eurostar train service linking the UK and French capitals via the Channel Tunnel is winning customers in increasing numbers. In late May, it carried its one millionth passenger, having run only a limited service between London, Paris and Brussels since November 1994, starting with two trains a day in each direction to Paris and Brussels. By 1997, the company believes that it will be carrying ten million passengers a year, and continue to grow from there.
From July, Eurostar steps its service to nine trains each way between London and Paris, and five between London and Brussels. Each train carries almost 800 passengers, 210 of them in first class.
The airlines estimate that they will initially lose around 15%-20% of their London-Paris traffic to the railways once Eurostar starts a full service later this year (1995), with 15 trains a day each way. A similar service will start to Brussels. The damage will be limited, however, the airlines believe, with passenger numbers returning to previous levels within two to three years.
In the short term, the damage caused by the 1 million people-levels traveling between London and Paris and Brussels on Eurostar trains means that some air services are already suffering. Some of the major carriers say that their passenger numbers are down by less than 5% and point to their rivals-Particularly Air France-as having suffered the problems. On the Brussels route, the railway company had less success, and the airlines report anything
from around a 5% drop to no visible decline in traffic.
The airlines’ optimism on returning traffic levels is based on historical precedent. British Midland, for example, points to its experience on Heathrow Leeds Bradford service which saw passenger numbers fold by 15% when British Rail electrified and modernized the railway line between London and Yorkshire. Two years later, travel had risen between the two destinations to the point where the airline was carrying record numbers of passengers.
1.British airlines confide in the fact that__.
A.they are more powerful than other European airlines.
B.their total loss won’t go beyond a drop of 5% passengers.
C.their traffic levels will return in 2-3 years.
D.traveling by rail can never catch up with traveling by air.
2.The author’s attitude towards the drop of passengers may be described
as__.
A.worried.B.delightedC.puzzled.D.unrivaled.
3.In the passage, British Rail (Para 6) is mentioned to__.
A.provide a comparison with Eurostar.
B.support the airlines’ optimism.
C.prove the inevitable drop of air passengers.
D.call for electrification and modernization of the railway.
4.The railway’s Brussels route is brought forth to show that__.
A.the Eurostar train service is not doing good business.
B.the airlines can well compete with the railway.
C.the Eurostar train service only caused little damage.
D.only some airlines, such as Air France, are suffering.
5.The passage is taken from the first of an essay, from which we may well
predict that in the following part the author is going to__.
A.praise the airlines’ clear-mindedness.
B.warn the airlines of high-speed rail services.
C.propose a reduction of London/Paris flights.
D.advise the airlines to follow British Midland as their model.
