Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Passage One
TOYS are usually among the first industries that migrate to low-cost economies. And toymakers generally need plenty of children around. So it might seem like something of a miracle that Japan—the richest big country in Asia by far, and one that has an ageing and shrinking population—has retained a vibrant toy industry. A stress on technology and design is the predictable part of the reason why. Less obviously, Japanese manufacturers have realized that they can expand the $6 billion domestic market for toys, by marketing to adults as well as children.
Japanese men in their early middle-age can now relive the hit television series of the 1970s, which featured super-heroes and super-robots piloted by brave men out to save the world. These champions are now back, with more gizmos. Robot Okoku (kingdom), a shop in Akihabara, Tokyo's geek district, has sold a couple of thousand remote-controlled robots in the past two years. The walking robot has 17 motors and a 100-page manual and costs $1,105. Most customers, says Yamato Goto of Robot Okoku, are men who had fantasies of piloting their hero robots. Now, they can go into battle at robot tournaments held across the country.
Toymakers are rushing to come up with other new toys that appeal to adults. They are taking advantage of a growing trend among busy salarimen to put more emphasis on relaxation and fun. The stores in Akihabara that sell models and robots costing several thousand yen are not the only ones that are doing well. Retailers have also discovered that cheaper “masked raider” belts aimed at children have been a surprise hit among 30- and 40-year old men, highlighting the potential of a broader market for nostalgia.
Toys that help people to relax have also boosted sales. Primo Puel, a cuddly doll version of a five-year old boy, is fitted with sensors and five levels of happiness, can talk a bit and needs care. It has been a big hit with women over 40, whose own children have left home. “Little Jammer”, a toy jazz band, is also a hit—this time with men.
Abandoning high-tech for simplicity has been another surprising success. Toys such as Yakyuu-ban, a baseball game on a small field with plastic players who bat and field, have come back with a vengeance. Besides nostalgia and relaxation, there may be a slightly more sinister reason for the popularity of this and similar games. The toys enable fathers and sons to play together, says Fumiaki, the editor of Toy Journal, who suggests that parents might want more direct contact with their offspring because of disturbing, much-publicized stories of alienated children committing murder.
As if to underline their success, recent top-selling toys in America and Europe have been Japanese. Their zeal to rejuvenate the Japanese market might eventually turn around toymakers' fortunes abroad, too.
21. The author is surprised by the vibrant Japanese toy industry because _______.
A) Japan is usually viewed as a low-cost industry
B) Japan is a society with a large ageing population
C) The Japanese are so keen on application hi-tech to toys
D) Both Japanese adults and children like toys
22. It can be inferred that Japanese men ______.
a) are more childish than people elsewhere
b) are warlike and aggressive by nature
c) were once fascinated with superman TV shows
d) enjoy watching old TV series again
23. Toymakers can market their toys so well because _______.
a) more adults pay attention to entertainment
b) they take full advantage of adults’ curiosity
c) rich adults are insensitive to the price of toys
d) Japanese men tend to relive their childhood
24. Which of the following is NOT a reason for the broadening toy market?
a) Japanese adults’ desire to relive the happy period in the past
b) Japanese adults’ eagerness to relax and have fun
c) Japanese people’s desire to return to a simple life
d) Some toys offer a chance for parents and sons to play together
25. The word “underline” in the last sentence most probably means________.
A) keep B) achieve C) limit D) emphasize
Passage 2
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