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PART V READING COMPREHENSION [25 MIN]

In this section there are four passages followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer.

TEXT A

Racket, din clamor, noise, whatever you want to call it, unwanted sound is America's most widespread nuisance. But noise is more than just a nuisance. It constitutes a real and present danger to people's health. Day and night, at home, at work, and at play, noise can produce serious physical and psychological stress. No one is immune to this stress. Though we seem to adjust to noise by ignoring it, the ear, in fact, never closes and the body still responds—sometimes with extreme tension, as to a strange sound in the night.

The annoyance we feel when faced with noise is the most common outward symptom of the stress building up inside us. Indeed, because irritability is so apparent, legislators have made public annoyance the basis of many noise abatement programs. The more subtle and more serious health hazards associated with stress caused by noise traditionally have been given much less attention. Nevertheless, when we are annoyed or made irritable by noise, we should consider these symptoms fair warning that other thing may be happening to us, some of which may be damaging to our health.

Of many health hazards to noise, hearing loss is the most clearly observable and measurable by health

professionals. The other hazards are harder to pin down. For many of us, there may be a risk that exposure to the stress of noise increases susceptibility to disease and infection. The more susceptible among us may experience noise as a complicating factor in heart problems and other diseases. Noise that causes annoyance and irritability in health persons may have serious consequences for these already ill in mind or body.

Noise affects us throughout our lives. For example, there are indications of effects on the unborn child when mothers are exposed to industrial and environmental noise. During infancy and childhood, youngsters exposed to high noise levels may have trouble falling asleep and obtaining necessary amounts of rest.

Why, then, is there not greater alarm about these dangers? Perhaps it is because the link between noise and many disabilities or diseases has not yet been conclusively demonstrated. Perhaps it is because we tend to dismiss annoyance as a price to pay for living in the modern world. It may also be because we still think of hearing loss as only an occupational hazard. 1.

In Paragraph 1, the phrase \A.unaffected by B.hurt by

C.unlikely to be seen by D.unknown by 2.

The author's attitude toward noise would best be described as ___. A.unrealistic B.traditional C.concerned D.hysterical 3.

Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage? A.Noise is a major problem; most people recognize its importance. B.Although noise can be annoying, it is not a major problem. C.Noise is a major problem and has not yet been recognized as such. D.Noise is a major problem about which nothing can be done.

4. The author condemns noise essentially because it ___. A.is against the law

B.can make some people irritable C.is a nuisance

D.in a ganger to people's health

5. The author would probably consider research about the effects noise has on people to be ___. A.unimportant B.impossible. C.a waste of money D.essential

TEXT B

What we know of prenatal development makes all this attempt made by a mother to mold the character of her unborn child by studying poetry, art, or mathematics during pregnancy seem utterly impossible. How could such extremely complex influences pass from the mother to the child? There is no connection between their nervous systems. Even the blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly. An emotional shock to the mother will affect her child, because it changes the activity of her glands and so the chemistry her blood. Any chemical change in the mother's blood will affect the child for better or worse. But we can not see how a looking for mathematics or poetic genius can be dissolved in blood and produce a similar liking or genius in the child.

In our discussion of instincts we saw that there was reason to believe that whatever we inherit must be of some very simple sort rather than any complicated or very definite kind of behavior. It is certain that no one inherits a knowledge of mathematics. It may be, however, that children inherit more or less of a rather general ability that we may call intelligence. If very intelligent children become deeply interested in mathematics, they will probably make a success of that study.

As for musical ability, it may be that what is inherited is an especially sensitive ear, a peculiar structure of the hands or the vocal organs connections between nerves and muscles that make it comparatively easy to learn the movements a musician must execute, and particularly vigorous emotions. If these factors are all organized around music, the child may become a musician. The same factors, in other circumstance might be organized about some other center of interest. The rich emotional equipment might find expression in poetry. The capable fingers might develop skill in surgery. It is not the knowledge of music that is inherited, then nor even the love of it, but a certain bodily structure that makes it comparatively easy to acquire musical knowledge and skill. Whether that ability shall be directed toward music or some other undertaking may be decided entirely by forces in the environment in which a child grows up. 6.

Which of the following statements is not true?

A. Some mothers try to influence their unborn children by studying art and other subjects during their pregnancy.

B. It is utterly impossible for us to learn anything about prenatal development. C. The blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly.

D. There are no connection between mother's nervous systems and her unborn child's. 7.

A mother will affect her unborn baby on the condition that ____. A. she is emotionally shocked

B.she has a good knowledge of inheritance C. she takes part in all kind of activities D. she sticks to studying 8.

According to the passage, a child may inherit____. A. everything from his mother

B. a knowledge of mathematics

C. a rather general ability that we call intelligence D. her mother's musical ability 9.

If a child inherits something from his mother, such as an especially sensitive ear, a peculiar structure of the hands or of the vocal organs, he will ____. A. surely become musician B. mostly become a poet C. possibly become a teacher

D. become a musician on the condition that all these factors are organized around music 10. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. Role of Inheritance. B. An Unborn Child. C. Function of instincts. D. Inherited Talents.

TEXT C

There are two factors which determine an individual's intelligence. The first is the sort of brain he is born with. Human brains differ considerably , some being more capable than others. But no matter how good a brain he has to begin with, an individual will have a low order of intelligence unless he has opportunities to learn. So the second factor is what happens to the individual— the sort of environment in which he is brought up. If an individual is handicapped(不利) environmentally, it is likely that his brain will fail to develop and he will never attain the level of intelligence of which he is capable.

The importance of environment in determining an individual's intelligence can be demonstrated by the case history of the identical twins, Peter and Mark. Being identical, the twins had identical brains at birth, and their growth processes were the same. When the twins were three months old, their parents died, and they were placed in separate foster(抚养) homes. Peter was raised by parents of low intelligence in an isolated community with poor educational opportunities. Mark was reared in the home of well-to-do parents who had been to college. He was read to as a child, sent to good schools, and given every opportunity to be stimulated intellectually. This environmental difference continued until the twins were in their late teens, when they were given tests to measure their intelligence. Mark's I. Q. was 125, twenty-five points higher than the average and fully forty points higher than his identical brother. Given equal opportunities, the twins, having identical brains, would have tested at roughly the same level. 11. This selection can best be titled____________.

A. Measuring Your Intelligence B. Intelligence and Environment C. The Case of Peter and Mark

D. How the Brain Influences Intelligence

12. The best statement of the main idea of this passage is that _______.

A. human brains differ considerably

B. the brain a person is born with is important in determining his intelligence C. environment is crucial in determining a person's intelligence

D. persons having identical brains will have roughly the same intelligence 13. According to the passage, the average I. Q. is_______.

A. 85 . B. 100 C. 110 D. 125

14. The case history of the twins appears to support the conclusion that_______.

A. individuals with identical brains seldom test at the same level