Part II              Reading Comprehension        (35 minutes)

　　Passage One

　　Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:

　　Looking back on my childhood. I am convinced that naturalists are born and not made.

　　Although we were all brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon abandoned

　　their pressed flowers and insects. Unlike them, I had no ear for music and languages. I was

　　not an early reader and I could not do mental arithmetic.

　　Before world I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the dim memory of

　　the house we lived in, of my room and my toys. Nor do I recall clearly the large family of

　　grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door. But I do have a crystal-clear

　　memory of the dogs, the farm animals, the local birds and, above all the insects.

　　I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love of the natural world, and my

　　enthusiasm has led me into varied investigations. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy

　　burning the midnight oil while reading about other people' s observations and discoveries. Then

　　something happens that brings these observations together in my conscious mind. Suddenly you

　　fancy you see the answer to the riddle (谜), because it all seems to fit together. This has

　　resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books, which some might honour with the title of

　　scientific research.

　　But curiosity, a keen eye, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do

　　not make a scientist: one of the outstanding and essential qualities require is self-discipline,

　　quality I lack. A scientist requires not only self-discipline but all training, determination

　　and a goal. A scientist up to a point, can be made. A naturalist is born. If you can combine the

　　two, you get the best of both worlds.

　　21. The first paragraph tells us that the author

　　A) was born to a naturalist's family

　　B) lost his hearing when he was a child

　　C) didn' t like his brothers and sisters

　　D) was interested in flowers and insects in his childhood

　　22. The author can't remember his relatives clearly because

　　A) he didn't live very long with them

　　B) he was fully occupied with observing nature

　　C) he was too young when he lived with them

　　D) the family was extremely large

　　23. It can be infrred from the passage that the author was

　　A) no more than a born naturalist            B) a naturalist but not a scientist

　　C) a scientist as well as a naturalist           D) first of all a scientist

　　24. The author says that he is a naturalist rather than a scientist probably because he thinks he

　　A) lacks some of the qualities required of a scientist

　　B) has a great deal of trouble doing mental arithmetic

　　C) just reads about other people's observations and discoveries

　　D) comes up with solutions in a most natural way

　　25. According to the author, a born naturalist should first of all be

　　A) full of ambition                          B) full of enthusiasm

　　C) knowledgeable                             D) self-disciplined