seams with 9. 5 million people. It is designed to encourage the growth of satellite cities along the lines that run outside the city proper. Efficiency, safety and economy are the catchwords of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway Corporation, which handled construction and now manages the four lines. But traditional concern for cleanliness adds to the popularity of this rapid mode of underground transportation　Recently 20 young couples chose the subway as the site for their wedding ceremonies, proof that the system is heralding a new age of modern living for the inhabitants of the nation's capital.

　　15. According to the passage, how many cities in the world have subway systems larger than that in Seoul, Korea?

　　(A) None.

　　(B) Three.

　　(C) Six.

　　(D) Seven.

　　16. Which of the following is LEAST likely to be seen in the subway in Seoul?

　　(A) Commuters.

　　(B) Shopping arcades and art exhibits.

　　(C) Natural caves.

　　(D) Wedding couples.

　　17. Which of the following can be concluded from the passage?

　　(A) The subway system was completed in 1986.

　　(B) Everyday more than nine million people travel by subway.

　　(C) The subway was built in a huge cave.

　　(D) The subway corporation is making a huge profit.

　　18. Which of the following is NOT the reason for constructing the underground transit system?

　　(A) The growth of population in the city.

　　(B) The traffic congestion downtown.

　　(C) The traditional concern for a better environment.

　　(D) The lack of wedding ceremony sites.

　　19. Why do some young couples choose the subway as the site for their wedding ceremonies?

　　(A) It is cleaner than places on the ground.

　　(B) It is a symbol of modern living.

　　(C) It is the world's seventh largest subway.

　　(D) It is built in the nation's capital.

　　Questions 20~24

　　The whole world is going, or has already gone, mad. I do not say this because of problems like the arms race, pollution or the population explosion. These are bad enough, but I think we now have a more serious problem: our desire to make ourselves miserable by setting ourselves unnecessary problems, called puzzles. Dozens of magazines are published every month with names like The Puzzler, Enigmatic and Brain Teasers. They contain problems which you can do without, and solutions which do not make you feel any better.

　　The electronics industry is now cashing in on our strange need to set ourselves difficult tasks. Their computer games are even nastier, because the torture (the pain they cause) is not only mental but also physical. Only a superman could possibly keep up with the fast-moving dots which represent space invaders, or whatever they are supposed to be.

　　Where does it all start, and why do we do it? It starts when our well-meaning parents try to amuse, amaze and puzzle us with games like "l-Spy''. Later the whole thing becomes more sinister, when these puzzles (like "Odd Man Out'' and the number series) are used as tests to see if we are clever enough or suitable for a particular course or job. And it ends on the bookstalls with those piles of puzzle magazines usually with a pretty smiling girl on the front cover. (What is she smiling about? Why isn't she as miserable as the rest of us ?)

　　We have plenty of real problems to worry us, and yet we create artificial problems to enable us to be miserable in our spare time as well. Why all this misery? The reason is actually very simple: because of a huge cosmic mistake, we have been put, by accident, on the wrong planet. Out there somewhere, deep in space, is a beautiful planet where we should have been put, a much more peaceful place than ours, a place with no problems, either real or imagined. The sad thing is that it is probably inhabited by creatures who should have been put on Earth. I bet they have a thriving puzzle book industry too!　20. The writer thinks the world is mad because of __________________.

　　(A) the arms race

　　(B) the increasing world population

　　(C) our spending little time doing puzzles

　　(D) the electronics industry

　　21. The writer defines a puzzle as kind of problem which is ____________________.

　　(A) artificial

　　(B) unnecessary

　　(C) odd or strange

　　(D) miserable

　　22. When parents set puzzles for their children, they are trying to_____________.

　　(A) educate them

　　(B) test them

　　(C) entertain them

　　(D) control them

　　23. Puzzles like "Odd Man Out'' and the number series are also used as tests. The writer thinks

　　that this use of puzzles is________________________.

　　(A) amusing

　　(B) dangerous

　　(C) clever

　　(D) a good idea

　　24. The writer's questions about the girl on the puzzle magazine cover suggest that he finds her

　　smile_____________________ .

　　(A) attractive

　　(B) irritating

　　(C) amusing

　　(D) pretty