III. Reading Comprehension (50 Points)

　　In this section there are 5 passages, and each passage is followed by a number of comprehension questions. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions.

　　Questions 66 to 70 are based on the following passage:

　　The Leaning Tower of Pisa has defied (违背) the laws of gravity for seven and a half centuries. Every year, on June 19th, a professor from the University of Pisa climbs to the bell tower and measures the increase in the slant with special instruments. And every year the professor makes the same report: the tower has leaned a fraction of an inch more. Last summer, the 125 foot-high tower was leaning an incredible 15 feet out of line. Scientists say that unless a way is found to stop the tilt, the tower will collapse in less than 80 years.

　　The tower is leaning because the soft subsoil of Pisa will not support it. Its foundation is sinking into the soil at an angle, causing the tower to lean. Since a tremor could shake the foundation loose, the ringing of the tower’s bells was forbidden in 1959. Trucks are not allowed to pass in the neighborhood of the tower for this same reason.

　　66. The statement which best expresses the main idea of this passage is that ______.

　　A. the Leaning Tower of Pisa is in increasing danger of collapsing

　　B. every year a professor measures the increase in the tower’s slant

　　C. the tower is leaning because the subsoil of Pisa will not support it

　　D. there is only one way to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa

　　67. It can be inferred from the passage that last summer the tower was found tilted further by ______.

　　A. 15 feet B. more than one inch

　　C. a fraction of an inch D. several inches

　　68. The tower tilts more and more because ______.

　　A. the ringing of the bells causes a tremor

　　B. there are passing trucks nearby

　　C. it is built on soft soil

　　D. its foundation has been shaken loose

　　69. Why is the tower described as defying the laws of gravity?

　　A. It had resisted shaking tremors for hundreds of years.

　　B. It was built on soft ground.

　　C. It leans a fraction of an inch more every year.

　　D. Scientists think that it should have collapsed long ago.

　　70. Truck traffic has been forbidden in the neighborhood of the tower ______.

　　A. to protect the drivers

　　B. to prevent accidents

　　C. as a precaution against shaking tremors

　　D. because trucks damage the foundation

　　Questions 71 to 75 are based on the following passage:

　　Dr. Hausman is a hair detective (侦探). Once a mountain lion killed a thirteen-year-old boy. The town offered a reward of thousand dollars for anyone who would kill the lion.

　　One day an excited hunter came to the town to say that he had killed the mountain lion. As proof that he had killed the right animal, he showed a ball of human hair. He said he had taken the hair from the stomach of the mountain lion.

　　However, another hunter soon showed up to claim (要求得到) the reward. He too had a ball of human hair that he said he had taken from the dead lion's stomach. The town did not know which man to pay. Maybe neither one had killed the right mountain lion. To settle the argument, they decided to turn the whole thing over to Dr. Hausman.

　　Dr. Hausman studied the hair and reported that the second hunter should be paid. The hair in the stomach of the mountain lion he had killed matched the hair of the boy. The whole town was relieved to know for sure that the killer had been found.

　　There are other kinds of detectives who do not wear a uniform but who, like Hausman, solve endless mysteries every year. There is, for example, the dust detective. Tiny bits of dust stick to your clothes, your fingernails, your hair, or your shoes. They catch in your nose and in your ears. They tell where you have been and what you have done lately. The dust detective often helps catch a criminal (罪犯) by proving that he has been on the scene (现场) of the crime.

　　Then there is the wood detective. By studying a piece of wood he can tell what kind of tree the piece of wood came from. He can tell where it was grown, and how old it is. He can even tell you what the weather was like at a certain place the year Columbus landed in America. The growth rings on a tree tell him.

　　71. Dr. Hausman decided that the second hunter had killed the mountain lion because ______.

　　A. the second hunter was an honest man

　　B. the second hunter showed a ball of human hair

　　C. the second hunter said that he had taken a ball of hair from the stomach of the mountain lion

　　D. the hair in the stomach of the mountain lion and the hair of the boy were exactly alike

　　72. According to the selection, by studying a piece of wood, a wood detective can tell you ______.

　　A. what the weather was like the year Columbus landed in America

　　B. what the weather was like last year in the mountain

　　C. what the weather was like last month in your hometown

　　D. what kind of tree the piece of wood came from

　　73. Endless mysteries are solved every year by ______.

　　A. detectives who like Hausman

　　B. detectives like Hausman

　　C. other kinds of detectives who like Hausmen

　　D. detectives Dr. Hausman likes

　　74. What does the word "they" (para.5, line 4) mean?

　　A. Your clothes. B. Your finger-nail. C. Tiny bits of dust. D. Your shoes.

　　75. It is implied in the selection that it is most important for a criminal ______.

　　A. to prove that he has been on the scene of the crime

　　B. to prove that he has not been on the scene of the crime

　　C. to tell the detective what he has done lately

　　D. to show the detective his nose and his ears

　　Questions 76 to 80 are based on the following passage:

　　The winter holiday season is the most happy time of the year. Students from elementary school through college have about two weeks' vacation, beginning shortly before Christmas and ending soon after New Year's Day. Many families go away for the holidays, but those who stay home have fun, too. There are many parties to celebrate the birth of Christ and the arrival of the new year.

　　Christianity (基督教) is based on the teachings and life of Jesus Christ. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in ancient Judea. No one knows exactly when Jesus was born. The year 1 A.D. is supposed to be the year of his birth, but historians now know that he was actually born several years before that time. No one knows the exact date of his birth either, but Christians have celebrated it on December 25 since the fourth century.

　　The spirit of Christmas arrives about a month before the holiday itself. Late in November, street lights and store windows are decorated with Christmas colors of red and green.

　　Stores depend on Christmas shoppers for about one-fourth of their yearly sales. Smart shoppers buy their gifts far in advance, before the Christmas rush. Christmas is expensive. To earn extra money for gifts, in December many Americans get part-time jobs.

　　The most beautiful and meaningful parts of the holiday occur at home and in church. Many families go to church on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. After that, they gather around the tree and open their gifts. Then they sit down to enjoy a Christmas dinner --turkey (火鸡) or ham, sweet potatoes, and vegetables.

　　76. According to some historians, Jesus ______.

　　A. was sent by the God to earth to save the human race

　　B. was born on December 25

　　C. was born several years before the year 1 A.D.

　　D. was born in the year 1 A.D.

　　77. It can be inferred from the selection that most people ______ on December 25.

　　A. go shopping B. visit friends C. do cleaning D. stay at home

　　78. According to the writer, to celebrate Christmas, people spend a lot of money and time on ______.

　　A. preparing for the Christmas dinner

　　B. going to church

　　C. writing letters and sending Christmas

　　D. buying gifts for family members, relatives or friends

　　79. We can conclude from the selection that ______ like Christmas best.

　　A. government officials B. teachers C. storekeepers D. secretaries

　　80. According to the selection, people usually enjoy ______ at a Christmas dinner.

　　A. turkey B. chicken C. beef D. fish

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