II. Reading comprehension(2 15=30)
(1)
C. southern Ontario and Quebec. D. the Pacific coast.
24. The passage tells us that the climate of Canada is characterized by
A. cold and dry. B. humidity and heat.
C. light precipitation. D. variation.
25. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. The temperatures in the west side of the Rocky Mountains are usually above zero.
B. It’s hot and dry in the summer of Southern Ontario and Quebec.
C. There is no summer in the northern islands along the Arctic coast.
D. The north-central part is covered with snow for more than six months.
(2)
Island’s people will be enjoying high-rise living in model towns with all sorts of facilities provided. This is the progressive achievement of the Singapore Housing and Development Board. Singaporeans today are among the world’s best-housed people. The Board’s success is a model for planners in other developing nations.
Roads, usually double-carriage expressways, keep pace with the expanding developments in outlying districts to bring the worker close to his job. Trees, bushes and flowering plants from public nurseries line the roads as they are built and also landscape the housing estates and park grounds. It is truly amazing to find so much tropical greenery in so modern a city.
Land in Singapore, as in Hong Kong, is limited: In order to fulfil its development plans for its people, the Government reclaims land from the sea. New projects for housing, port, transportation, business and recreational purposes are being created.
In the heart of the City itself the Government’s urban renewal policy goes on every day. Slums are cleared and redeveloped into a series of busy sub-cities. In place of narrow streets and old, crumbling ugly buildings one sees broad thoroughfares modern shopping and entertainment complexes, hotels, office blocks and residential towers rising 40 and 50 storeys into the sky.
It is a question of time before Sigapore becomes a total “island city” and probably the finest in Southeast Asia.
The face of Singapore is changing every day. New flats are shooting up all over the island. They come in all sizes and rental and sales prices to suit the families of workers, middle-income employees as well as top executives, and businessmen. They are well designed for living, solidly constructed, and carefully maintained. By 1975, half the Republic’s population were living in sparkling modern accommodation.
26. The Singapore Housing and Development Board’s flats are built for ______.
A. labourers only B. Government workers only
C. middle-income workers only D. all classes of workers
27. Housing estates and park grounds give a green look because _______.
A. the buildings are painted green
B. the buildings are new and modern
C. they are in the middle of forests
D. trees, bushes and flowering plants are grown as part of the landscape
28. As land is limited, new projects for development are created ______.
A. in the sea B. on land reclaimed from the sea
C. over the sea D. under the sea
29. In the heart of the city itself ________.
A. many slums are created B. many old buildings are preserved
C. many slums are cleared for roads D. many slums are cleared for redevelopment
30. The main features of the new sub-cities are _________.
A. broad thoroughfares and tall modern buildings
B. broad thoroughfares and ugly buildings.
C. narrow streets and modern buildings
D. narrow streets and old, crumbling buildings.
(3)
Earthquakes may rightly be ranked as one of the most devastating forces known to man: since records began to be written down, it has been estimated that earthquake-related fatalities have numbered in the millions, and that earthquake-related destruction has been beyond calculation. The greater part of such damage and loss of life has been due to collapse of buildings and the effects of rockslides, floods, fire, disease, tsunamis (gigantic sea waves), and other phenomena resulting from earthquakes, rather than from the quakes themselves.
The great majority of all earthquakes occur in two specific geographic areas. One such area encompasses the Pacific Ocean and its contiguous land masses. The other extends from the East Indies to the Atlas Mountains, including the Himalayas, Iran Turkey, and the Alpine regions. It is in these two great belts or zones that ninety percent of all earthquakes take place: they may, however, happen anywhere at any time.
This element of the unknown has for centuries added greatly to the dread and horror surrounding earthquakes, but in recent times there have been indications the earthquake prediction may be possible. By analyzing changes in animal behavior, patterns of movements in the earth’s crust, variations in the force of gravity and the earth’s magnetic field, and the frequency with which minor earth tremors are observed, scientists have shown increasing success in anticipating when and where earthquakes will strike. As a result, a worldwide earthquake warning network is already in operation and has helped to prepare for (and thus lessen) the vast destruction that might otherwise have been totally unexpected.
It is doubtful that man will ever be able to control earthquakes and eliminate their destructiveness altogether, but as how and why earthquakes happen become better understood, man will become more and more able to deal with their potential devastation before it occurs.
31. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Earthquakes are highly feared, but actually relatively harmless.
B. There is absolutely no way to predict when or where earthquakes might occur.
C. Man is now able to predict when earthquakes will happen, but not where.
D. Man is now able to predict where earthquakes will happen, but not when.
32. The phrase “this element of the unknown” (Paragraph 3) refers to ______.
A. the two great earthquake zones
B. the fact that earthquakes can happen at any time or place
C. the percentage of earthquakes
D. the exact cause of earthquakes
33.Which of the following have been used to anticipate earthquake activity?
A. Changes in animal behavior.
B. Differences in the earth’s magnetic field and force of gravity.
C. How often minor earth tremors have been observed.
D. All of the above.
34. The author wrote this passage ________.
A. to amuse and entertain
B. to question and criticize
C. to explain and inform
D. to correct a misconception
35.What is the author’s attitude toward the possibility of earthquake prediction?
A. It will never be possible to predict earthquakes.
B. Earthquakes can already be predicted with great accuracy.
C. There is really no need to try to predict earthquake occurrences.
D. Earthquake prediction is becoming more and more possible. |
