PASSAGE 3 
Ludwig van Beethoven
　?Ludwig van Beethoven, a major composer of the nineteenth century, overcame many personal problems to achieve artistic¹ greatness.
　　Born in Bonn, Germany, in 1770, be first studied music with the court organist, Gilles van der Eeden. His father was excessively strict and given to heavy drinking. When his mother died, Beethoven, ____(1)____, was named guardian² of his two younger brothers. Appointed deputy court organist to Christian³ Gottlob Neefe at a surprisingly early age in 1782, Beethoven also played the harpsichord⁴ and the viola. In 1792 he was sent to Vienna by his patron, Count Ferdinand Waldstein, to study music under Haydn.
　　Beethoven remained unmarried. Because of irregular payments from his publishers and erratic⁵ support from his patrons, ____(2)____. Continually plagued by ill health, he developed an ear infection which led to his tragic⁶ deafness in 1819.
　　In spited of this handicap, ____(3)____. He completed mature masterpieces of great musical depth: three piano sonata⁷, four string quartets, the Missa Solemnis, and the 9th Symphony. He died in 1827. His life was marked ____(4)____.
　　Noting that Beethoven often flew into fits of rage, Goethe once said of him, "I am astonished by his talent, but he is unfortunately an altogether untamed personality." Although Beethoven’s personality ____(5)____, his music shows great discipline and control, and this is how we remember him best.
A however, he continued to write music
B he was troubled by financial worries throughout his adult life
C by a passionate⁸ dedication⁹ to independence
D then a young man
E may have been untamed
F his music has been loved over the past centuries
KEYS: DBACE
 
PASSAGE 4 
The Importance of Agriculture in China

　?The development of agriculture and the balance between food and population are China’s fundamental economic problems. The classical histories praise emperors for devotion to agriculture and much of China’s modern history is ____(1)____, which has been growing steadily¹⁰.
　　Today, although agriculture accounts for only a quarter of the Gross National Product, it is still the main determinant of the standard of living and the principal occupation of at least 70 percent of population.
　　Agriculture also _____(2)____ because industry needs both agricultural raw materials and food for its work force. The failure of agriculture to supply raw material and food halted and later reversed the industrial progress of the 1950’s, After 1960 new emphasis was placed on agriculture, and the slogan "Agriculture is the foundation of the economy" has remained a central Chinese economic policy ever since.
　　___(3)___, there is an indirect link due to the relationship between agriculture and foreign trade. Many of China’s exports are ___(4)___ or consumer goods based on them. Flourishing agriculture, therefore, promotes exports. It also reduces the need to spend foreign exchange on imports of grain and cotton, therefore __(5)___. 
练习：
A determines the progress of industry
B the story of the unfolding struggle to feed a peasant population
C either agricultural raw materials
D enlarging the capacity of the economy to import machinery¹¹ and commodities for industry
E In addition to the direct links between agriculture and industry
F thus promoting both import and export
KEY : B A F C D
 
PASSAGE 5 
Tests Show Women Suited for Space Travel
　 
?Between 1977 and 1981, three groups of American woman, ___(1)___, between the age of 35 and 65, were given month-long tests to determine how they would respond to conditions resembling those aboard the space shuttle.
　　Though ___(2)___, the women were volunteers and the pay was barely above the minimum wage. They were not allowed ___(3)____ during the tests, and they were expected to tolerate each other’s company at close quarters for the entire period. Among other things they had to stand pressure three times the force of gravity and carry out both physical and mental tasks __(4)__. At the end of ten days, they had to spend a further twenty days absolutely confined to bed, during which time they suffered backaches and other discomforts¹², and when they were finally allowed up, the more physically¹³ active women were especially subject to pains due to a slight calcium¹⁴ loss.
　　Results of the tests suggest that women will have significant advantages over men in space. They need less food and les oxygen and they stand up to radiation better. Men’s advantages __(5)__, meanwhile, are virtually wiped out by the zero-gravity condition in space.
EXERCISE:
A): to smoke or drink alcohol
B) carefully selected from among many applicants
C) numbering 27 in all
D) in terms of strength and stamina
E) those who are physically stronger
F) while exhausted from strenuous physical exercise
KEY:C B A F D 

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