Part two Reading and Comprehension (40 points)

Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each of the passages is followed by 5 questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. choose the best and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET with a single line throw the center.

Passage one

On November 19, 1953, Abraham Lincoln went to Gettysburg in Pennsylvania to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery. The Civil War was still going on. There was much criticism of President Lincoln at the time. He was not at all popular. He had been invited to speak at Gettysburg only out of politeness. The principal was to be Edward Everett, a famous statesman and speaker of the day. Everett was a handsome man and very popular everywhere.

It is said that Lincoln prepared his speech on the train while going to Gettysburg. Late that night, alone in his hotel room and tired out, he again worked briefly on the speech. The next day, Everett spoke first. He spoke for an hour and 57 minutes. His speech was a perfect example of the rich oratory of the day. Then Lincoln rose. The crowd of 15,000 people at first paid little attention to him. He spoke for only 9 minutes. At the end there was little applause. Lincoln turned to a friend and remarked, “I have failed again.” On the way back to Washington, he said sadly, “the speech was a flat failure, and the people are disappointed.”

Some newspapers at first criticized the speech. But little by little as people read the speech they began to understand better. They began to appreciate its simplicity and its deep meaning. It was a speech which only Abraham Lincoln could have made.

Today, every American school child learn Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address by heart. Now everyone thinks of it as one of the greatest speeches ever given in American history.

16. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln was _______.

A. very critical B. unpopular C. very popular D. very courteous

17. Lincoln was invited to speak because he was _____.

A. a famous speaker B. a very handsome man

C. President of the country D. a popular statesman

18. It can be inferred from the text that _______.

A. Lincoln prepared his speech very carefully before he went to Gettysburg

B. Lincoln was very busy then and didn’t have much time to prepared his speech

C. Lincoln’s speech was full of rich words

D. Lincoln’s speech was very long

19. It was a fact that Lincoln’s speech was ______.

A. an immediate success B. warmly applauded

C. a total failure D. not well-received at first

20. Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?

A. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address has deep meaning

B. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is simple in style

C. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is memorized by every American school child

D. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is the greatest speech ever delivered in the United States

Passage two

We all know that it is possible for ordinary people to make their homes on the equator, although often they may feel uncomfortably hot there. Millions do it. But as for the North Pole—we know that it is not only a dangerously cold place, but that people like you and I would find it quite impossible to live there.

At present time only the scientists and explores can do so, and they use special instrument. Men have been traveling across and around the equators on wheels, on their feet or in ships for thousands of years; but only a few men, with great difficulty and in very recent time, have ever crossed the ice to the North Pole. So it may surprise you to learn that, when traveling by air, it is really safer to fly over the North Pole than over the equator. Of course, it is not true about landings in the polar region, but the weather, if we are flying at a height of 5,000 meters above the Pole is a delight. At 4,000 meters and move above the earth you can always be sure that you will not see a cloud in the sky as your eyes can reach. In the tropics, on the other hand, you are not certain to keep clear of bad weather even at such height such as 18,000 or 20,000 meters.

Aero planes can’t climb as high or as quickly in cold air as in warm. Nor can clouds. In practice, this is an advantage to the aero plane, which is already at a good height when it reaches the polar region and so does not to climb, while at the same time cold air keeps the clouds down low.

21. In the sentence “Millions do it”, “do it ” means ______.

A. feeling uncomfortably hot on the equator

B. flying over the North Pole

C. flying over the equator

D. making homes on the equator

22. The polar region is ______ according to the passage.

A. a good place to land by aero plane

B. a good place to fly over

C. a good place to fly first

D. a good place to live in

23. It is delight to fly at the Pole because _______ .

A. planes fly higher than at the equator

B. the eyes can reach about 4,000 meters

C. planes are clear of bad weather

D. planes fly more quickly than at the equator

24. Aero planes can climb quickly ______.

A. in warm weather B. in cold weather

C. when it reaches the polar region D. only when the clouds are down low

25. Aero planes usually don’t need to climb quickly or fly high in the polar region because ______.

A. they do not land there

B. there are no clouds at all

C. they can cross the ice with special instrument

D. it is very cold there

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