Part Reading ComprehensionReading in Depth25 minutes

Section A

Directions:In this section,there is a passage with ten blanks.You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage.Read the passage through carefully before making your choices.Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.
If our society ever needed a reading renaissanceË¡, its now. The National Endowment for the Arts released Reading at Risk last year, a study showing that adult reading 47) have dropped 10 percentage points in the past decade, with the steepest drop among those 18 to 24. Only one half of young people read a book of any kind in 2002. We set the bar almost on the ground. If you read one short story in a teenager magazine, that would have 48) , laments a director of research and analysis. He 49) the loss of readers to the booming world of technology, which attracts wouldbe leisure readers to Email, IM chats, and video games and leaves them with no time to cope with a novel.
These new forms of media undoubtedly have some benefits, says Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad Is Good for You.Video games
50) problemsolving skills; TV shows promote mental gymnastics by
(51) viewers to follow complex story lines. But books offer experience that cant be gained from these other sources, from (52) vocabulary to stretching the imagination. If theyre not reading at all, says Johnson, thats a huge problem.
In fact, fewer kids are reading for pleasure. According to data (53) last week from the National Center for Educational Statistics longterm trend assessment, the number of 17yearolds who reported never or hardly ever reading for fun
(54) from 9 percent in 1984 to 19 percent in 2004. At the same time, the
(55) of 17yearolds who read daily dropped from 31 to 22.
This slow but steady retreat from books has not yet taken a toll on reading ability. Scores for the nations youth have (56) constant over the past two decades (with an encouraging upswing among 9yearolds.. But given the strong apparent correlation between pleasure reading and reading skills, this means poorly for the future.

Section B

Directions:There are 2 passages in this section.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices marked A),B),C) and D).You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

There is a new type of small advertisement becoming increasingly common in newspaper classified columns. It is sometimes placed among situations vacant, although it does not offer anyone a job, and sometimes it appears among situations wanted, although it is not placed by someone looking for a job, either. What it does is to offer help in applying for a job.
Contact us before writing your application, or Make use of our long experience in preparing your curriculum vitae or job history, is how it is usually expressed. The growth and apparent success of such a specialized service is, of course, a reflection on the current high levels of unemployment. It is also an indication of the growing importance of the curriculum vitae (or job history), with the suggestion that it may now qualify as an art form in its own right.
There was a time when job seekers simply wrote letters of application. Just put down your name, address, age and whether you have passed any exams, was about the average level of advice offered to young people applying for their first jobs when I left school. The letter was really just for openers, it was explained, everything else could and should be saved for the interview. And in those days of full employment the technique worked. The letter proved that you could write and were available for work. Your eager face and intelligent replies did the rest.
Later, as you moved up the ladder, something slightly more sophisticated was called for. The advice then was to put something in the letter which would distinguish you from the rest. It might be the aggressive approach. Your search is over. I am the person you are looking for, was a widely used trick that occasionally succeeded. Or it might be some special feature specially designed for the job interview.
There is no doubt, however, that it is increasing number of applicants with university education at all points in the process of engaging staff that has led to the greater importance of the curriculum vitae.

57 The new type of advertisement which is appearing in newspaper columns .
Ainforms job hunters of the opportunities available
Bpromises to offer useful advice to those looking for employment
Cdivides available jobs into various types
Dinforms employers of the people available for work

58 Nowadays a demand for this specialized type of service has been created because .
Athere is a lack of jobs available for artistic people
Bthere are so many toplevel jobs available
Cthere are so many people out of work
Dthe job history is considered to be a work of art

59 In the past it was expected that first job hunters would .
Awrite an initial letter giving their life history
Bpass some exams before applying for a job
Chave no qualifications other than being able to read and write
Dkeep any detailed information until they obtained an interview

60 Later, as one went on to apply for more important jobs, one was advised to include in the letter .
Asomething that would distinguish one from other applicants
Bhinted information about the personality of the applicant
Cones advantages over others in applying for the job
Dan occasional trick with the aggressive approach

61 The curriculum vitae has become such an important document because .
Athere has been an increase in the number of jobs advertised
Bthere has been an increase in the number of applicants with degrees
Cjobs are becoming much more complicated nowadays
Dthe other processes of applying for jobs are more complicated