Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)

　　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. What is suburbanization? If by "suburb" is meant an urban (47) that grows more rapidly than its already developed interior, the process of suburbanization began during the (48) of the industrial city in the second quarter of the 19th century. Before that period the city was a small highly (49) cluster in which people move about on foot and goods were (50) by horse and cart. But the early factories built in the 1830s and 1840s were (51) along waterways and near railheads at the edges of cities, and housing was needed for the thousands of people drawn by the prospect of employment.

　　In time, the factories were (52) by proliferating mill towns of apartments and row houses that abutted the older, main cities. As a defense (53) this encroachment and to enlarge their tax base, the cities appropriated their industrial neighbors. In 1854, for example, the city of Philadelphia (54) most of Philadelphia County. Similar things (55) place in Chicago and in New York. Indeed, most great cities of the United States (56) such status only by annexing the communities along their borders.

　　A) located

　　B) margin

　　C) conveyed

　　D) compact

　　E) center

　　F) emergence

　　G) spacious

　　H) surrounded

　　I) abandoned

　　J) plummet

　　K) achieved

　　L) took

　　M) against

　　N) for

　　O) incorporated

　　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

　　As you make your way through the crowded stalls of Beijing's food markets nowadays, you may sometimes be confused as to just what you should be looking for. There is a profusion of fresh vegetables laid out for sale, so much celery, so many Dutch beans, tomatoes, even broccoli and parsley. How different things were only a scant 15 years ago. At that time there was no variety in the selection of vegetables. Today, with bread, jam, milk and eggs available for breakfast instead of porridge, deep-fried dough strips and pickles, more and more people can afford the indulgence of eating whatever they want.

　　It is all the rage for fashionable teenagers to go to a Western restaurant for spaghetti, a hamburger, filed chicken, pizza or a sandwich. Older folks in China have not quite caught on to these trends, as their younger counterparts have, and tend to be more practical, focusing their attention on simple but sensible food. The purpose of eating is not simply to fill one's stomach, they mason, but also to maintain one's mind and body. Products like low-fat foods, vegetables, bean products and "black food" (foods dark in color, believed to be highly nutritious) have all won over many older consumers who would probably blanch at the thought of a McDonald's Happy Meal for lunch.

　　It is an old Chinese tradition to attach great importance and ceremony to the art of dining. When friends come for dinner, they are often treated to a sumptuous banquet, which results in a lot of wasted food. Young people nowadays pay more attention to quality than quantity, though, and innovative contraptions like chafing dishes are starting to appear on Chinese tables instead of the old "eight courses (usually four meat dishes and four vegetable dishes) and one soup" allowing diners to chat while they eat. Some companies are now beginning to treat guests to buffets instead of the traditional big banquet, which helps in turn to cut costs.

　　China is well-known for its food, and that is saying a lot. The famous "eight cuisines" of Chinese kitchens have won accolades from customers as far afield as Capetown and Salt Lake City. But preparing Chinese dishes is no easy job, and it takes one or two hours to serve up one dish with the right flavor, color, taste and shape to satisfy demanding Chinese palates. People of the 1990's just don't have the time any more. Affluence brings more fast food and instant meals in a box, especially frozen food, and the introduction of electric steamers, microwave ovens and electric ranges gives many people an excuse to spend fewer and fewer hours in the kitchen preparing a decent meal.

　　57. What did Chinese people usually have for breakfast 15 years ago?

　　[A] Beans, tomatoes, broccoli and parsley. [B] Bread, jam, milk and eggs.

　　[C] Porridge, deep-filed dough strips and pickles. [D] Bread, milk, porridge and pickles.

　　58. According to the Chinese tradition, dining is not only a way to fill one's stomach but also a

　　[A] revolution [B] trend [C] ceremony [D] waste

　　59. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons that Chinese people are spending less time in the kitchen now than in the past?

　　[A] They are much busier than before. [B] They care less about eating than before.

　　[C] More fast food and instant meals are available than before. [D] More modem electric appliances are available than before.

　　60. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

　　[A] A large variety of foods are available in the Chinese market now.

　　[B] Chinese people like to go to Western restaurants.

　　[C] Traditional Chinese people pay more attention to quantity than to quality.

　　[D] A traditional Chinese dish that presents the right taste, flavor, and color is regarded as an excellent dish.

　　61. What is the author's attitude toward China's gastronomic revolution?

　　[A] In favor of. [B] Indifferent. [C] Against. [D] Holds a balanced view.

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