Reading

Directions: There are 11 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D).

Passage 1

Questions 1 to 3 are based on the following passage:

Canals are watercourses constructed to improve and extend natural waterways. They are generally built to facilitate transportation, but from the beginning they have been used for many additional purposes including draining swamps, irrigating¹ land for cultivation², and promoting economic development.
　
Canals are often classified by the size of vessel³ they can accommodate. Some small local canals, which are able to float only 100 to 300 ton boats or small rafts of timber, may be only 3 feet deep. Major barge⁴ canals generally range from 6 to 9 feet in depth, and some are as much as 10 or 12 feet deep. These canals can carry 1,350 to 2,000 ton craft. Ship canals are 25 feet or more deep and are capable of accommodating large vessels⁵ in the seagoing class.

Canals may also be classified as either water level or lock canals. Water level canals do not vary in height along their courses. The best known of these is the Suez Canal, which is at sea level. Lock canals, which include most modern waterways, contain locks, or special devices for raising and lowering boats along their courses by changing the depth of the water. Each lock is a stretch of water enclosed by gates at each end. After a boat enters the lock, water is let or drained out until it reaches approximately the same level as the water ahead.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. How canals are constructed.
B. Common types of canal boats and barges⁶.
C. The world's largest canals.
D. How canals are used and classified.

2. What is the purpose of a canal lock?
A. To keep out boats that are too large for the canal.
B. To measure the tonnage of canal boats.
C. To load and unload the cargo⁷.
D. To change the depth of the water.

3. The Suez Canal is mentioned as an example of a ______.
A. modern canal
B. water level canal
C. lock canal
D. irrigation canal

Passage 2

Questions 4 to 7 are based on the following passage:

Glacier⁸ National Park in Montana shares boundaries with Canada, an American Indian reservation, and a national forest. Along the North Fork of the Flathead River, the park also borders about 17,000 acres of private lands that are currently used for ranching⁹, timber, and agriculture. This land is an important part of the habitat and migratory¹⁰ routes for several endangered species that frequent the park. These private lands are essentially¹¹ the only ones available for development in the region.

With encouragement from the park, local landowners initiated¹² a land use planning effort to guide the future of the North Fork. The park is a partner in an inter-local agreement that calls for resource managing agencies to work together and with the more than 400 private owners in the area. A draft plan has been prepared, with objective of maintaining traditional economic uses but limiting new development that would damage park resources. Voluntary action by landowners, in cooperation with the park and the county, is helping¹³ to restrict small lot subdivisions, maintain wildlife corridors, and minimize any harmful impact on the environment.

The willingness of local landowners to participate in this protection effort may have been stimulated¹⁴ by concerns that congress would impose a legislative¹⁶ solution. Nevertheless, many local residents want to retain the existing character of the area. Meetings between park officials and landowners have led to a dramatically improved understanding of all concerns.

4. The passage mainly discusses ______.
A. the endangered species in Glacier National Park
B. the protection of lands surrounding Glacier National Park
C. conservation laws imposed by the state of Montana
D. conservation laws imposed by Congress

5. Why are the private lands surrounding Glacier National Park so important?
A. They function as a hunting preserve.
B. They are restricted to government use.
C. They are heavily populated.
D. They contain natural habitats of threatened species.

6. The relationship between park officials and neighboring landowners ma y best be described as _____.
A. indifferent　　　　　　　　　
B. intimate
C. cooperative　　　　　　　　　
D. disappointing

7. It can be inferred from the passage that a major interest of the officials of Glacier National Park is to ______.
A. limit land development around the park
B. establish a new park in Montana
C. influence national legislation
D. settle border disputes with Canada

Passage 3

Questions 8 to 11 are based on the following passage:

Most earthquakes occur within the upper 15 miles of the earth's surface. But earthquakes can and do occur at all depths to about 460 miles. Their number decreases as the depth increases. At about 460 miles one earthquake occurs only every few years. Near the surface earthquakes may run as high as 100 in a month, but the yearly average does not vary much. In comparison with the total number of earthquakes each year, the number of disastrous¹⁷ earthquakes is very small.


The extent of the disaster in an earthquake depends on many factors. If you carefully build a toy house with an erect¹⁸ set, it will still stand no matter how much you shake the table. But if you build a toy house with a pack of cards, a slight shake of the table will make it fall. An earthquake in Agadir, Morocco, was not strong enough to be recorded on distant instruments, but it completely destroyed the city. Many stronger earthquakes have done comparatively little damage. If a building is well constructed and built on solid ground, it will resist an earthquake. Most deaths in earthquakes have been due to faulty building construction or poor building sites. A third and very serious factor is panic. When people rush out into narrow streets, more deaths will result.

The United Nations has played an important part in reducing the damage done by earthquakes. It has sent a team of experts to all countries known to be affected¹⁹ by earthquakes. Working with local geologists²⁰ and engineers, the experts have studied the nature of the ground and the type of most practical building code for the local area. If followed, these suggestions will make disastrous earthquakes almost a thing of the past.

There is one type of earthquake disaster that little can be done about. This is the disaster caused by seismic²¹ sea waves, or tsunamis²². (These are often called tidal waves, but the name is incorrect. They have nothing to do with tides.) In certain areas, earthquakes take place beneath the sea. These submarine earthquakes sometimes give rise to seismic sea waves. The waves are not noticeable out at sea because of their long wave length. But when they roll into harbors, they pile up into walls of water 6 to 60 feet high. The Japanese call them "tsunamis", meaning "harbor waves", because they reach a sizable height only in harbors. Tsunamis travel fairly slowly, at speeds up to 500 miles an hour. An adequate warning system is in use to warn all shores likely to be reached by the waves. But this only enables people to leave the threatened shores for higher ground. There is no way to stop the oncoming wave.

8. Which of the following CAN NOT be concluded from the passage?
A. The number of earthquakes is closely related to depth.
B. Roughly the same number of earthquakes occur each year.
C. Earthquakes are impossible at depths over 460 miles.
D. Earthquakes are most likely to occur near the surfaces.

9. The destruction of Agadir is an example of ______.
A. faulty building construction
B. an earthquake's strength
C. widespread panic in earthquakes
D. ineffective instruments

10. The United Nations' experts are supposed to ______.
A. construct strong buildings
B. put forward proposals
C. detect disastrous earthquakes
D. monitor earthquakes

11. The significance of the slow speed of tsunamis is that people may ______.
A. notice them out at sea
B. find ways to stop them
C. be warned early enough
D. develop warning systems

Passage 4

Questions 12 to 15 are based on the following passage:

Before the mid-1860's, the impact of the railroads in the United States was limited, in the sense that the tracks ended at this Missouri River, approximately the center of the country. At the point the trains turned their freight, mail, and passengers over to steamboats, wagons²⁴, and stagecoaches²⁶. This meant that wagon²⁵ freighting, stage-coaching, and steam-boating did not come to an end when the first train appeared; rather they became supplements or feeders. Each new "end-of-track" became a center for animal drawn²⁷ or waterborne transportation. The major effect of the railroad was to shorten the distance that had to be covered by the older, slower, and more costly²⁸ means. Wagon freighters continued operating throughout the 1870's and 1880's and into the 1890's. Although over constantly shrinking routes, and coaches and wagons continued to crisscross the West wherever the rails had not yet been laid. The beginning of a major change was foreshadowed in the later 1860's, when the Union Pacific Railroad at last began to build westward²⁹ from the Central Plains city of Omaha to meet the Central Pacific Railroad advancing eastward³⁰ from California through the formidable barrier of the Sierra Nevada. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the original Pacific Railroad bill in 1862 and a revised, financially much more generous version in 1864, little construction was completed until 1865 on the Central Pacific and 1866 on the Union Pacific. The primary reason was skepticism that a Railroad built through so challenging and thinly settled a stretch of desert, mountain, and semiarid³¹ plain could pay a profit. In the words of an economist³³, this was a case of "premature³⁴ enterprise", where not only the cost of construction but also the very high risk deterred³⁵ private investment. In discussing the Pacific Railroad bill, the chair of the congressional committee bluntly stated that without government subsidy³⁶ no one would undertake so unpromising a venture; yet it was a national necessity to link East and West together.

12. The author refers to the impact of railroads before the late 1860's as "limited" because ______.
A. the track did not take the direct route from one city to the next
B. passengers and freight had to transfer to other modes of transportation to reach western destinations
C. passengers preferred stagecoaches
D. railroad travel was quite expensive

13. What can be inferred about coaches and wagon freighters as the railroad expanded?
A. They developed competing routes.
B. Their drivers refused to work for the railroads.
C. They began to specialize in private investment.
D. There were insufficient³⁷ numbers of trained people to operate them.

14. Why does the author mention the Sierra Nevada in line 17?
A. To argue that a more direct route to the West could have been taken.
B. To identify a historically significant mountain range in the West.
C. To point out the location of a serious train accident.
D. To give an example of an obstacle faced by the central pacific.

15. The word "subsidy" in line 27 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. persuasion³⁸
B. financing
C. explanation
D. penalty

Passage 5

Questions 16 to 19 are based on the following passage:

Certainly no creature in the sea is odder than the common sea cucumber. All living creature, especially human beings, have their peculiarities³⁹, but everything about the little sea cucumber seems unusual. What else can be said about a bizarre animal that, among other eccentricities⁴⁰, eats mud, feeds almost continuously day and night but can live without eating for long periods, and can be poisonous but is considered supremely⁴¹ edible⁴² by gourmets⁴³?

For some fifty million years, despite all its eccentricities, the sea cucumber has subsisted⁴⁴ on its diet of mud. It is adaptable⁴⁵ enough to live attached to rocks by its tube feet, under rocks in shallow water, or on the surface of mud flats. Common in cool water on both Atlantic and Pacific shores, it has the ability to suck up mud or sand and digest whatever nutrients⁴⁶ are present.

Sea cucumbers come in a variety of colors, ranging from black to reddish brown to sand color and nearly white. One form even has vivid purple tentacles⁴⁷. Usually the creatures are cucumber shaped -- bhence their name -- and because they are typically rock inhabitants, this shape, combined with flexibility⁴⁸, enables them to squeeze into crevices⁴⁹ where they are safe from predators⁵⁰ and ocean currents.

Although they have voracious⁵¹ appetites, eating day and night, sea cucumbers have the capacity to become quiescent⁵² and live at a low metabolic⁵³ rate feeding sparingly or not at all for long periods, so that the marine²³ organisms that provide their food have a chance to multiply. If it were not for this faculty⁵⁴, they would devour⁵⁵ all the food available in a short time and would probably starve themselves out of existence.

But the most spectacular thing about the sea cucumber is the way it defends itself. Its major enemies are fish and crabs⁵⁶, when attacked, it squirts all its internal organs into water. It also casts off attached structures such as tentacles. The sea cucumber will eviscerate⁵⁷ and regenerate⁵⁸ itself if it is attacked or even touched; it will do the same if the surrounding water temperature is too high or if the water becomes too polluted.

16. According to the passage, why is the shape of sea cucumbers important?
A. It helps them to digest their food.
B. It helps them to protect themselves from danger.
C. It makes it easier for them to move through the mud.
D. It makes them attractive to fish.

17. The fourth paragraph of the passage primarily discusses ______.
A. the reproduction of sea cucumbers
B. the food sources of sea cucumbers
C. the eating habits of sea cucumbers
D. threats to sea cucumbers' existence

18. What can be inferred about the defense⁵⁹ mechanisms⁶⁰ of the sea cucumber?
A. They are very sensitive to surrounding stimuli⁶¹.
B. They are almost useless.
C. They require group cooperation.
D. They are similar to those of most sea creatures.

19. Which of the following would NOT cause a sea cucumber to release its internal organs into the water?
A. A touch.
B. Food.
C. Unusually warm water.
D. Pollution.

Passage 6

Questions 20 to 21 are based on the following passage:

Human beings have used tools for a very long time. In some parts of the world you can still find tools that people used more than two million years ago. They made these tools by hitting one stone against another. In this way, they broke off pieces from one of the stones. These chips of stone were usually sharp on one side. People used them for cutting meat and skin from dead animals, and also for making other tools out of wood. Human beings needed to use tools because they did not have sharp teeth like other meat eating animals, such as lions and tigers. Tools helped people to get food more easily.


Working with tools also helped to develop human intelligence. The human brain grew bigger, and human beings began to invent more and more tools and machines. The stone chip was one of the first tools that people used, and perhaps it is the most important. Some scientists say that it was the key to success of mankind.

Since 1960 a new kind of tool has appeared. This is the silicon⁶² chip -- a little chip of silicon crystal. It is smaller than a finger nail, but it can store more than a million "bits" of information. It is an electronic brain.

Every year these chips get cleverer, but their size gets smaller, and their cost gets less. They are used in watches, calculators and intelligent machines that we can use in many ways.

In the future we will not need to work with tools in the old way. Machines will do everything for us. They will even talk and play games with us. People will have plenty of spare time. But what will they do with it?

Human beings used stone chips for more than two million years, but human life changed very little in that time. We have used silicon chips for only a few years, but life is changing faster every day. What will life be like twenty years from now? What will the world be like two million years from now?

20. The stone chip is thought to be the most important tool because it ______.
A. was one of the first tools
B. developed human capabilities   
C. led to the invention of machines
D. was crucial to the development of mankind

21. At the end of the passage the author seems to suggest that life in future is ______.
A. disastrous
B. unpredictable
C. exciting
D. colorful

Passage 7

Questions 22 to 26 are based on the following passage:

California is a land of variety and contrast. Almost every type of physical land feature, sort of arctic ice fields and tropical jungles can be found within its borders. Sharply contrasting types of land often lie very close to one another.

People living in Bakersfield, for instance, can visit the Pacific Ocean and the coastal⁶³ plain, the fertile San Joaquin Valley, the arid³² Mojave Desert, and the high Sierra Nevada, all within a radius⁶⁴ of about 100 miles. In other areas it is possible to go snow skiing in the morning and surfing in the evening of the same day, without having to travel long distance.


Contrast abounds⁶⁵ in California. The highest point in the United States (outside Alaska ) is in California, and so is the lowest point (including Alaska). Mount Whitney, 14,494 feet above sea level, is separated from Death Valley, 282 feet below sea level, by a distance of only 100 miles. The two areas have a difference in altitude of almost three miles.

California has deep, clear mountain lakes like Lake Tahoe, the deepest in the country, but it also has shallow, salty desert lakes. It has Lake Tulainyo, 12,020 feet above sea level, and the lowest lake in the country, the Salton Sea, 236 feet below sea level. Some of its lakes, like Owens Lake in Death Valley, are not lakes at all: they are dried?up lake beds.

In addition to mountains, lakes, valleys, deserts, and plateaus, California has its Pacific coastline, stretching longer than the coastlines of Oregon and Washington combined.

22. Which of the following is the lowest point in the United States?   
A. Lake Tulainyo.　
B. Mojave desert.
C. Death Valley.　
D. The Salton Sea.

23. Where is the highest point in the United States located?
A. Lake Tahoe.　
B. Sierra Nevada.　
C. Mount Whitney.　
D. Alaska.

24. How far away is Death Valley from Mount Whitney?
A. About 3 miles.　
B. Only 100 miles.
C. 282 feet.　
D. 14,494 feet.

25. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as being within a radius of about 100 miles of Bakersfield??
A. The Pacific Ocean.
B. San Joaquin Valley.
C. Mojave Desert.
D. Oregon and Washington.

26. Which statement best demonstrates that California is a land of variety and contrast?
A. The highest lake in California is Lake Tulainyo.
B. It is possible to go surfing and snow skiing in some parts of California without having to travel long distance.
C. Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, Mojave Desert and the Pacific Ocean all lie within a radius of about 100 miles.
D. Owens Lake, in Death Valley, is not really a lake at all.

Passage 8

Questions 27 to 30 are based on the following passage:

The destruction of our natural resources and contamination of our food supply continue to occur, largely because of the extreme difficulty in affixing⁶⁶ legal responsibility on those who continue to treat our environment with reckless abandon. Attempts to prevent pollution legislation, economic in-centimes and friendly persuasion have been met by lawsuits⁶⁷, personal and industrial denial and long delays -- not only in accepting responsibility, but more importantly, in doing something about it.

It seems that only when government decides it can afford tax incentives⁶⁸ or production sacrifices is there any initiative for change. Where is industry's and our recognition that protecting mankind's great treasure is the single most important responsibility? If ever there will be time for environmental health professionals to come to the frontlines and provide leadership to solve environmental problems, that time is now.

We are being asked, and, in fact ,the public is demanding that we take positive action. It is our responsibility as professionals in environmental health to make the difference. Yes, the ecologists, the environmental activists⁶⁹ and the conservationists serve to communicate, stimulate¹⁵ thinking and promote behavioral change. However, it is those of us who are paid to make the decisions to develop, improve and enforce environmental standards, I submit, who must lead the charge.

We must recognize that environmental health issues do not stop at city limits, county lines, state or even federal boundaries. We can no longer afford to be tunnel-versioned in our approach. We must visualize⁷⁰ issues from every perspective make the objective decisions. We must express our views clearly to prevent media distortion and public confusion. I believe we have a three-part mission for the present. First, we must continue to press for improvements in the quality of life that people can make for themselves. Second, we must investigate and understand the link between environment and health. Third, we must be able to communicate technical information in a form that citizens can understand. If we can accomplish these three goals in this decade, maybe we can finally stop environmental degradation⁷¹, and not merely hold it back. We will then be able to spend pollution dollars truly on prevention rather than on bandages.

27. We can infer from the first two paragraphs that the industrialists⁷² disregard environmental protection chiefly because ______.
A) they are unaware⁷³ of the consequences of what they are doing
B) they are reluctant to sacrifice their own economic interests
C) time has not yet come for them to put due emphasis on it
D) it is difficult for them to take effective measures

28. The main task now facing ecologists, environmental activists and conservationists is ______.
A) to prevent pollution by legislation, economic incentives and persuasion
B) to arouse public awareness⁷⁴ of the importance of environmental protection
C) to take radical⁷⁵ measures to control environmental pollution
D) to improve the quality of life by enforcing environmental standards

29. The word tunnel-versioned (Line 2, Para.4) most probably means ______.
A) narrow-minded
B) blind to the facts
C) short-sighted
D) able to see only one aspect

30. Which of the following, according to the author, should play the leading role in the solution of environmental problems?
A) Legislation and government intervention⁷⁶.
B) The industry's understanding and support.
C) The efforts of environmental health professionals.
D) The cooperation of ecologists, environmental activists and conservationists.

Passage 9

Questions 31 to 33 are based on the following passage:

British universities, groaning⁷⁷ under the burden of a huge increase in student numbers, are warning that the tradition of a free education is at risk. The universities have threatened to impose an admission fee on students to plug a gap in revenue if the government does not act to improve their finances and scrap⁷⁸ some public spending cutbacks.

The government responded to the universities' threat by setting up the most fundamental review of higher education for a generation, under a non-party troubleshooter? Sir Ron Dearing. One in three school-leavers enters higher education, five times the number when the last review took place thirty years ago. Everyone agrees a system that is feeling the strain after rapid expansion needs a lot more money -- but there is little hope of getting it from the taxpayer⁷⁹ and not much scope for attracting more finance from business.

Most colleges believe students should contribute to tuition costs, something that is common elsewhere in the world but would mark a revolutionary change in Britain. Universities want the government to introduce a loan scheme for tuition fees and have suspended their own threatened action for now. They await Dearing's advice, hoping it will not be too late -- some are already reported to be in financial difficulty. As the century nears its end, the whole concept of what a university should be is under the microscope. Experts ponder how much they can use computers instead of classrooms, talk of the need for lifelong learning and refer to students as consumers." The Confederation of British Industry, the key employers' organization, wants even more expansion in higher education to help fight competition on world markets from booming Asian economies. But the government has doubts about more expansion. The Times newspaper egress⁸⁰, complaining that quality has suffered as student numbers soared, with close tutorial supervision⁸¹ giving way to pass production methods more typical of European universities.

31. The chief concern of British universities is ______.
A) how to tackle their present financial difficulty
B) how to expand the enrollment⁸² to meet the needs of enterprises
C) how to improve their educational technology
D) how to put an end to the current tendency of quality deterioration

32. We can learn from the passage that in Britain ______.
A) the government pays dearly for its financial policy
B) universities are mainly funded by businesses
C) higher education is provided free of charge
D) students are ready to accept loan schemes for tuition

33. What was the percentage of high school graduates admitted to universities in Britain thirty years ago?
A) 20% or so.
B) About 15%.
C) Above 30%.
D) Below 10%.

Passage 10

Questions 34 to 38 are based on the following passage:

Reebok executives do not like to hear their stylish⁸³ athletic⁸⁴ shoes called footwear for yuppies. They contend that Reebok shoes appeal to diverse market segments, especially now that the company offers basketball and children's shoes for the under-18 set and walking shoes for older customers not interested in aerobics⁸⁵ or running. The executives also point out that through recent acquisitions they have added hiking boots, dress and casual shoes, and high-performance athletic footwear to their product lines, all of which should attract new and varied⁸⁶ groups of customers. Still, despite its emphasis on new markets, Reebok plans few changes in the up market retailing⁸⁷ network that helped push sales to '1 billion annually⁸⁹, ahead of all other sports shoe marketers. Reebok shoes, which are priced from '27 to '85, will continue to be sold only in better specialty⁹⁰, sporting g goods, and department stores, in accordance with the company's view that consumers judge the quality of the brand by the quality of its distribution. In the past few years, the Massachusetts-based company has imposed limits on the number of its distributors (and the number of shoes supplied to stores), partly out of necessity. At times the unexpected demand for Reebok's exceeded supply, and the company could barely keep up with orders from the dealers⁹¹ it already bad. These fulfillment problems seem to be under control now, but the company is still selective about its distributors. At present, Reebok shoes are available in about five thousand retail⁸⁸ stores in the United States. Reebok has already anticipated that walking shoes will be the next fitness-related craze, replacing aerobics shoes the same way its brightly colored, soft leather exercise footwear replaced conventional running shoes. Through product diversification⁹² and careful market research, Reebok hopes to avoid the distribution problems Nike came across several years ago, when Nike misjudged the strength of the aerobics shoe craze and was forced to unload huge inventories⁹³ of running shoes through discount stores.

34. One reason why Reebok's managerial personnel don't like their shoes to be called "footwear for yuppies" is that _______.
A) they believe that their shoes are popular with people of different age groups
B) new production lines have been added to produce inexpensive shoes
C) "yuppies" usually evokes⁹⁴ a negative image
D) the term makes people think of prohibitive prices

35. Reebok's view that "consumers judge the quality of the brand by the quality of its distribution" (Line 5, Para. 2) implies that ______.
A) the quality of a brand is measured by the service quality of the store selling it
B) the quality of a product determines the quality of its distributors
C) the popularity of a brand is determined⁹⁵ by the stores that sell it
D) consumers believe that first-rate products are only sold by high-quality stores.

36. Reebok once had to limit the number of its distributors because ______.
A) its supply of products fell short of demand
B) too many distributors would cut into its profits
C) the reduction of distributors could increase its share of the market
D) it wanted to enhance consumer confidence in its products

37. Although the Reebok Company has solved the problem of fulfilling its orders, it ______.
A) does not want to further expand its retailing network
B) still limits the number of shoes supplied to stores
C) is still particular about who sells its products
D) still carefully chooses the manufacturers of its products

38. What lesson has Reebok learned from Nike's distribution problems?
A) A company should not sell its high quality shoes in discount stores.
B) A company should not limit its distribution network.
C) A company should do follow-up surveys of its products.
D) A company should correctly evaluate the impact of a new craze on the market.

Passage 11

Questions 39 to 41 are based on the following passage:

Cars account for half the oil consumed in the U.S., about half the urban pollution and one fourth the greenhouse gases. They take a similar oil of    resources in other industrial nations and in the cities of the developing world. As vehicle use continues to increase in the coming decade, the U.S. and other countries will have to deal with these issues or else face unacceptable economic, health-related and political costs. It is unlikely that oil prices will remain at their current low level or that other nations will accept a large and growing U.S. contribution to global climatic change. Policymakers and industry have four options: reduce vehicle use, increase the        efficiency and reduce the emissions⁹⁶ of conventional gasoline-powered vehicles, witch to less harmful fuels, or find less polluting driving systems. The last of these -- in particular the introduction of vehicles powered by electricity is ultimately the only sustainable option. The other alternatives are attractive in theory but in practice are either impractical⁹⁷ or offer only marginal improvements. For example, reduced vehicle use could solve traffic problems and a host of social and environmental problems, but evidence from around the world suggests that it is very difficult to make people give up their cars to any significant ex tent. In the U.S., mass-transit⁹⁸ rider ship and carpooling have decline d since World War II. Even in western Europe, with fuel prices averaging more than '1 a liter (about '4 a gallon) and with easily accessible mass transit and dense⁹⁹ populations, cars still account for 80 percent of all passenger travel. Improved energy efficiency is also appealing, but automotive fuel economy ha s barely made any progress in 10 years. Alternative fuels such as natural gas, burned in internal-combustion engines, could be introduced at relatively¹⁰⁰ low cost, but they would lead to only marginal reductions in pollution and greenhouse missions (especially because oil companies are already spending billions of dollars every year to develop less polluting types of gasoline).

39. From the passage we know that the increased use of cars will ______.
A) consume half of the oil produced in the world
B) have serious consequences for the well-being¹⁰¹ of all nations
C) widen the gap between the developed and developing countries
D) impose an intolerable economic burden on residents of large cities

40. The U.S. has to deal with the problems arising from vehicle use because ______.
A. most Americans are reluctant to switch to public transportation systems
B) the present level of oil prices is considered unacceptable
C) other countries will protest its increasing greenhouse emissions
D) it should take a lead in conserving¹⁰² natural resources

41. Which of the following is the best solution to the problems mentioned in the passage?
A) The designing of highly efficient car engines.
B) A reduction of vehicle use in cities.
C) The development of electric cars.
D) The use of less polluting fuels.

1.D
2. D
3. B
4. B
5. D
6. C

7. A
8. C
9. A
10. B
11. C
12. B

13. D
14. D
15. B
16. B
17. C
18. A

19. B
20. D
21. B
22. C
23. D
24. B

25. D
26. C
27. B
28. B
29. D
30. A

31. C
32. D
33. A
34. D
35. A
36. C

37. D
38. B
39. C
40. C
41. C

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