IV. Reading (60%)
Passage One
    What makes a person famous? This is a mystery that many people have pondered．All kinds of myths surround the lives of well—known people.
    Most people are familiar with the works of William Shakespeare，one of the greatest English writers of the sixteenth century．Yet how many know Shakespeare the person，the man behind the works?
    After centuries of research，scholars are still trying to discover Shakespeare’s personal history．It is not，easily found in his writings．Authors of the time could not protect their works．An acting company，for example，could change a play if they wanted to．Nowadays writers have copyrights that protect their work．
    Many myths arose about Shakespeare．Some said he had no formal education．There are rumors that he left home when accused of stealing a horse．Others believe that he began his career by tending the horses of wealthy men．
    All of these myths are interesting，but are they true? Probably not．Shakespeare’s father was a respected man in Stratford，a member of the town council，He sent young William to grammar school．Most people of Elizabethan times did not continue beyond grammar school；so，Shakespeare did have，at least，an average education．
    Some parts of Shakespeare’s life will always remain unknown．The Great London Fire of l666 burned many important documents that could have been a source of clues．We will always be left with many questions and few facts，
1．This passage deals with_     ．
A．the Great London Fire        B．the lost documents of Shakespeare
C．scholars of Shakespeare       D．Shakespeare’s personal history
2．Parts of Shakespeare’s life continue to remain a mystery because_     ．
A．people are not interested
B．researchers do not have the expertise to find the facts
C．writers had no claim over their works    
D．the Great London Fire burned important documents
3．From this passage we can infer that Shakespeare_     ．
A．was a horse thief        B．had no education
C．is surrounded by myths   D．was popular in Stratford
4．The first sentence arouses interest by presenting_     ．
A．a direct statement       B．a question
C．an emotional appear     D．a contrast

Passage Two
    The people who run Yosemite National Park want to make some changes．They say there are too many cars in the park．Sometimes，no more people can fit into the park．
    The cars，trucks，and campers cause many problems．The cars make too much noise．People cannot hear each other talk．The best view of Yosemite Falls is from the parking lot．
    The new plan is to keep most cars out of the park．Some people come only for one day．They will have to leave their cars outside the park．They will have to ride buses into the park．Some people have reservations at hotels or campgrounds at Yosemite．They can bring in their cars，but they will have to leave them in the parking lot．
    The new plan will include removing some roads．It will include removing bridges over the river．It will include making new paths for hiking and biking．
    Floods last year hurt in the park in many ways．Congress wants the people who run Yosemite to fix up the park．But Congress does not want Yosemite like it was before the floods．They want it to be better．
5．Some people make arrengements at_     or campgrounds at Yosemite．
A．hotels
B．restaurants
C．parking lots
D．apartments near the park
6．People_     might not like the changes．
A．in Congress       B．who like drivig
C．who like cycling     D．who like camping
7．How might the park be different after the changes?
A．It will be more quiet．
B．There will be less people．
C．There will be no cars at all．    ．
D．Everybody will have to walk around the park．
8．Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A．Floods•Destroyed Park．
B．Changes in the Park．
C．Yosemite Car Ban．
D．No Cars．

Passage Three
   There has been a boom in“karaoke”in Japan．Many people，no matter what their age or gender，go there often to enjoy singing out loud，to seek relief from daily stress or just for fun．The“kara”of karaoke means“empty”，while the“oke”is a Japanese abbreviation of the English word, “orchestra．” These two words coming together mean an orchestra without a singer．Karaoke systems are wide spread in many countries nowadays．“Karaoke bars”are well known by Americans．but actually we have few karaoke bars in Japan．What we call“karaoke box”is more popular in Japan．
   To relish karaoke is not difficult at all．All you have to do is to find some friends to go with you．After you have settled into the room and gotten something to eat or drink，you are already to sing．You look up one of the songbooks and choose a song you wish to sing in two different ways：either by the singer’s name or title of the song．Then enter the code numbers of the song into the remote control．Soon your music will start．Some karaoke sets even have a voice change system．You can change your voice from a woman’s to a man’s，or a man’s to a woman’s．This is very interesting．But the important thing here is you should listen to other people singing at the same time．Usually people like to have audiences，and you want them to listen to you while you are singing，too．You can feel like a real singer if you have someone to listen to you，and that’s what people like when doing karaoke．
    Since you will have your own room and there will be no unfamiliar people watching you，you will feel more comfortable singing in a karaoke box than singing in front of many people，like in karaoke bars．You can spend the time in a more relaxed atmosphere，which is more enjoyable．
    Once you have experienced karaoke，you might want to go again and again，though some people would not like singing in front of people even if they were friends or family．But you can still have a lot of fun there，even if you don’t sing．We make jokes and we talk as if we were at home．I personally like karaoke very much．I like singing and I have so much fun every time I go．I think we are seeking a way to express ourselves to people whom we like．  
9．In Japanese, the word“Karaoke’’come from“kara”and“oke”. What do these words mean?
A．Sing and together．
B．Sing and have fun．
C．Orchestra and singer．
D．Empty and orchestra．
10．What does the writer say is the important thing to do to enjoy Karaoke?
A．Enter the code number．   
B．Choose many different types of music．
C．Listen to others singing so everyone has an audience．
D．Change your voice from a woman to a man or vice versa．
11．What is the advantage of a Japanese Karaoke box over a Karaoke bar?
A．There are no unfamiliar people watching you so you won’t feel nervous．
B．It is more technologically advanced．
C．The employees are friendlier．
D．The food is better．
12．How would you describe the writer's attitude toward Karaoke?    •
A．She often goes and likes it sometimes and sometimes not．
B．She thinks it is not only fun，but stress relieving as well．
C．She has not tried it herself so has no attitude about it．
D．She feels it is a waste of time．

Passage Four
      Unless you have visited the southern United States, you probably have never heard of kudzu. Kudzu, as any southern farmer will sadly tell you, is a super-powered weed. It is a strong climbing vine. Once it gets started, kudzu is almost impossible to stop. It climbs to the tops of the tallest trees. It can cover large buildings. Whole barns and farm houses have been known to disappear from view. It has even been said to engulf small, slow-moving children, but that is probably an exaggeration. Still, wherever it grows, its thick, twisting vines are hard to remove.
      Kudzu was once thought to be a helpful plant. Originally found in Asia, it was brought to America to help fight erosion. It was planted where its tough roots, which grow up to five feet long, could help hold back the soil. But the plant soon spread to places where it wasn't wanted. Farmers now have to fight to keep it from eating up all the nutrients in the soil and killing other plants. It has become a sign of unemployment in the South; where there is no one to work the fields, kudzu soon takes over.
     The northern United States faces no threat from kudzu. Harsh winters kill off its vines. It loves the warmth of the South. But the South surely doesn't love it. If someone could invent some use for kudzu, and take it off southern farmers' lands, their fortune would be assured.
13. This passage is mostly concerned with_    
A. kudzu      B. farming       C. the South        D. soil erosion
14. When fields are neglected in the South, _    
A. erosion becomes a problem                   B. farmers attack the kudzu
C. employment is bound to improve              D. kudzu soon grows over them
15. We can conclude from the passage that kudzu_    
A. is more helpful than harmful           B. is more harmful than helpful
C. is spreading to the North              D. holds promise as a seasonal food
16. The author makes a case against kudzu by_    
A. citing opinions                         B. predicting its future
C. describing its effects                    D. criticizing its defenders
Passage Five
    There are many commonly held beliefs about eyeglasses and eyesight that are not proven facts. For instance, some people believe that wearing glasses too soon weakens the eyes. But there is no evidence to show that the structure of eyes is changed by wearing glasses at a young age. Wearing the wrong glasses, however, can prove harmful. Studies show that for adults there is no danger, but children can develop loss of vision if they have the wrong glasses.
     We have all heard some of the common myths about how eyesight gets bad. Most people believe that reading in dim light causes pool eyesight, but that is unique. Too little light makes the eyes work harder, so they do get tired and strained. Eyestrain also results from reading a lot, reading in bed, and watching too much television. But, although eyestrain may cause some pain or headaches, it does not permanently damage eyesight.
     Another myth about eyes is that they can be replaced, or transferred from one person to another. There are close to one million nerve fibers that connect the eyeball to the blain, and as if yet it is impossible to attach them all in a new person. Only certain parts of the eye--the cornea角膜and the retina 视网膜can be replaced. But if we keep clearing up the myths and learning more about the eyes, someday a full transplant may be possible!
17. This passage is mostly about_    
A. different types of eyeglasses              B. a visit to the eye doctor
C. myths about eyesight                    D. cornea transplants
18. One cause of eyestrain mentioned in the passage is_    
A. wearing contact lenses too long           B. going to the movies
C. reading a lot                          D. not visiting your eye doctor
19. From this passage one can conclude that_    
A. doctors are still learning things about eyesight
B. headaches are only caused by eyestrain
C. everyone should wear glasses
D. people only believe things that are proven facts
20. The word “develop” is used to mean_    
A. become larger      B. create          C. train        D. acquire

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