SECTION Ⅲ  Reading Comprehension(40 minutes)
　　Part A

　　Directions:
　　Read the following three texts. Answer the questions on each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.

　　Text 1
　　Bum¹ rate is the speed at which a startup business consumes money. My rate would be $ 50,000 a month when my new media company started. So, I began looking around for individuals who would be my first investors². “Angel money” it was called. But when I reviewed my list of acquaintances to find those who might be able to help, I found the number got small.

　　With no other choices, I began meeting with the venture-capital companies. But I was warned they took a huge share of your company for the money they put in. And if you struggled, they could drop you cold.

　　As I was searching for “angel money”, I started to build a team who trusted me even though I didn't have money for paychecks yet.

　　Bill Becker was an expert in computer programming and image processing at a very famous Media Lab at M. I.T. With his arrival, my company suddenly had a major technology “guy” in-house.

　　Katherine Henderson, a filmmaker and a former real-estate dealer³, joined us as our director of market research. Steve White came on as operating officer. He had worked for the developer of a home-finance software, Quicken. We grabbed⁴ him.

　　We had some really good people, but we still didn't have enough money. One night, my neighbor, Louise Johnson, came for a visit. She and I were only nodding acquaintances, but her boys and ours were constant companions. She ran a very good business at the time.

　　Louise was brilliant and missed nothing. She had been watching my progress closely. She knew I was dying for money and I had prospects⁵ but could offer no guarantees of success.

　　She told me that her attorney⁶ had talked to mine and the terms had been agreed upon. She handed me an envelope. Inside was a check for $ 500,000.

　　I almost fell down. I heard her voice as if from heaven.

　　“I have confidence in your plan,” she said. “You' 11 do well. You're going to work hard for it, but it' s satisfying when you build your own company.”

　　Who would have thought I'd find an angel so close to home? There were no words sufficient for the moment. We just said good night. She left and I just stood there, completely humbled⁷ and completely committed.

　　46. For a newly-established business, bum rate refers to___________.
　　[ A ] the salary it pays to its staff
　　[ B ] the interest it pays to the bank
　　[ C ] the way in which it raises capital
　　[ D ] the speed at which it spends money

　　47. By "Angel money", the author refers to__________.
　　[ A ] the money borrowed from banks
　　[ B ] the money spent to promote sales
　　[ C ] the money raised from close friends
　　[ D ] the money needed to start a business

　　48. To get help from a venture-capital company, you may have to__________.
　　[ A ] put up with unfair terms
　　[ B ] change your business line
　　[ C ] enlarge your business scope⁸
　　[ D ] let them operate your business

　　49. The author easily built a team for his company because__________.
　　[ A ] they were underpaid at their previous jobs
　　[ B ] they were turned down by other companies
　　[ C ] they were confident of the author and his business                 
　　[ D ] they were satisfied with the salaries in his company

　　50. Louise decided⁹ to lend money to the author because__________.
　　[ A ] she wanted to join his company
　　[ B ] she knew he would build a team
　　[ C ] she knew his plan would succeed
　　[ D ] she wanted to help promote his sales

　　Text 2
　　Nearly all “speed reading” courses have a “pacing” element--some timing¹⁰ device which lets the student know how many words a minute he is reading. You can do this simply by looking at your watch every 5 or 10 minutes and noting down the page number you have reached. Check the average number of words per page for the particular book you are reading. How do you know when  5 minutes has passed on your watch if you are busy reading the book? Well, this is difficult at first. A friend can help by timing you over a set period, or you can read within hearing distance of a pub-lic clock which strikes the quarter hours. Pace yourself every three or four days, always with the same kind of easy, general interest books. You should soon notice your accustomed w. p.m. rate creeping up.

　　Obviously there is little point in increasing your w. p. m. rate if you do not understand what you are reading. When you are consciously trying to increase your reading speed, stop after every chapter ( if you are reading a novel) or every section or group of ten or twelve pages ( if it is a text-book) and ask yourself a few questions about what you have been reading. If you find you have lost the thread of the story, or you cannot remember clearly the details of what was said, reread the section or chapter.

　　You can also try “lightning speed” exercise from time to time. Take four or five pages of the general interest book you happen to be reading and read them as fast as you possibly can. Do not bother about whether you understand or not. Now go back and read them at what you feel to be your "normal" w. p. m. rate, the rate at which you can comfortably understand. After a ‘lightning speed' reading through (probably 600 w. p. m. ) you will usually find that your “normal” speed has increased-perhaps. by as much as 50-100 w. p.m. This is the technique sportsmen use when they usually run further in training than they will have to on the day of the big race.

　　51. According to the passage, a “pacing” device_________.
　　[ A ]is used to time student' s reading speed
　　[ B ]is. not used in most, speed reading courses
　　[ C ] is used as .an aid to vocabulary learning
　　[ D ] should be used whenever we read alone

　　52. In speed reading, looking at your watch every 5 or 10 minutes_________.
　　[ A ] avoids the need for reading faster
　　[ B ] is not the same as pacing
　　[ C ] may seem unworkable at first
　　[ D ] helps you to remember your page number

　　53. When you are reading a novel, you should check your understanding of the content after_______.
　　[ A ] every chapter
　　[ B ] every section
　　[ C ] every four or five pages
　　[ D ] every ten or twelve pages           

　　54. The purpose of the “lightning speed” exercise is to_________.
　　[ A ] increase your speed by scanning¹¹ the text first
　　[ B ] test your maximum reading speed
　　[ C ] help you understand more of the content of the book
　　[ D ] enable you to win reading races against your friends

　　55. The best title for this passage would be_________.
　　[ A ] Hints for Successful Reading
　　[ B ] Hints for Speed Reading
　　[ C ] Effective Reading
　　[ D ] Lightning Speed Exercises