Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)

Directions: There are 4 passages in this part.Each passage is followed by so

me questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices marked A),B),C) and D).You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding

letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.

Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:

Some radio singals were heard in 1967.They were coming from a point in the sky where there was unknown star.They were coming very regularly,too:about once a seco

nd,if they were controlled by clock.

The scientists who heard the signals did not tell anybody else.They were rather afraid to tell in case they frightened people.The signals were coming from a very small body—no bigger,perhaps than the earth.Was that why no light could be seen from it?Or were the signals coming from a planet that belonged to some other star?There was no end to the questions,but the scientists kept the news secret.“Perhaps there are intelligent beings out there.”they thought,“who are trying to send messages to other planets,or to us?So the news was not given to the newspaper.Instead,the scientists studied the signals and searched for others like them...Well,all that happened in 1967 and 1968.Since then scientists have learnt more about those strange,regular,radio signals.And they have told the story,of course.

The signals do not come from a planet;they come from a new kind of star called a “pulsar””.About a hundred other pulsars have now been found,and most of them

are very like the first one.

Pulsars are strong radio stars.They are the smallest but the heaviest stars we know at present.A handful of pulsar would weigh a few thousand tons.Their light—if they give much light—is too small for us to see.But we can be sure of this,no intelligent beings are living on them.

21. The radio signals discussed in this passage____.

A.were regular B.were controlled by a clock

C.were heard in 1967 only D.were secret messages 

22. The radio singals were sent by____.

A.a satelliteB.a planet

C.a sky body which was unknown at that time

D.intelligent beings who were unknown at that time 

23. The scientists did not tell people about the signals because____.

A.the singals stood for secret messages

B.people would ask them too many questions

C.they did not want to frighten people

D.they stood for unimportant messages 

24. A pulsar is____.

A. a small heavy star which sends out strong radio signals and cannot be seen 

B. a small heavy planet which sends out strong radio signals and cannot be seen 

C. a small heavy satellite which sends out strong radio signals and cannot be seen

D. a small intelligent being who sends out strong radio signals and cannot be seen 25. Which of the following is true?

A.One of the pulsars found by scientists sends radio signals.

B.Pulsar began to send radio singals in 1967.

C.Scientists have searched for pulsars for many years but found none.

D.Scientists have found many pulsars since 1967. 

Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:

Over vast areas of every continent,the rainfall and vegetation necessary for life are disappearing.Already more than 40 percent of the earth's land is desert or

desertlike.About 628 million people—one out of seven—live in these dry regions.In the past,they have managed to survive,but with difficulty.[ZZ(Z]Now largely through problems caused by modern life,their existence is threatened by the slow,steady spread of the earth's deserts.

Scientists still do not understand all the complex problems of the desert,but there have been many ideas for saving the land.Sandi Arabia has planted 10 million

trees to help keep the sand from taking over fertile areas.The Israelis are aga

in using some of the water collection systems left by the ancient people in the

Negev desert.They plan to water their orchards with the extra water.Some Sahel farmers still raise cattle on their poor farm land,but before the cattle are sold,

they are taken to greener lands in the south to get fat.

26. What is the article mainly concerned?

A.The problem of spreading desert.

B.The rainfall and vegetation in desert areas.

C.The water collection systems.

D.The difference between modern life and ancient life. 

27. “one out of seven” refers to____.

A.more than a third of the lands' earth

B.the percentage of the earth's land that is desert-like

C.the number of people who live in dry regions

D.a day of a week 

28. In paragraph 2,“they are taken to the greener lands in the south.”They

refers to____.

A.the Sahel farm land B.the farmers

C.the cattles D.the trees 

29. How many ideas for saving the land are described?

A.Five. B.Two.

C.Four. D.Three. 

30. Which of the following statements is true, according to the passage?

A.The earth's desert are slowly spreading.

B.One out of 10 people lives in dry regions.

C.Their life in the desert is threatened now by traditional problems.

D.New water wells can solve the problem in Africa's desert. 

Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:

Telephone, television, radio, and telegraph all help people communicate with

each other. Because of these devices, ideas and news of events spread quickly all

over the world. For example, within seconds, people can know the results of an

election in another country. An international football match comes into the homes

of everyone with a television set.News of a disaster such as an earthquake or a

flood can bring help from distant countries within hours, help is on the way. Because of modern technology like the satellites that travel around the world, information travels fast.

How has this speed of communication changed the world? To many people,the world has become smaller. Of course this does not mean that the world is actually physically smaller. It means that the world seems smaller. Two hundred years ago,communication between the continents took a long time. All news was carried on ships that took weeks or even months to cross the ocean. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,it took six weeks for news from Europe to reach America.This time difference influenced people's actions. For example, one battle, or fight, in the War of 1812 between England and the United States could have been avoided. A peace agreement had already been signed. Peace was made in England, but the news of peace took six weeks to reach America. During these six weeks, the large and serious Battle of New Orleans was fought. Many people lost their lives after a peace treaty had been signed.They would not have died if news had come in time.In the past,communication took much time than it does now.

There was a good reason why the world seemed so much larger than it does today.

31. News spreads fast because of____.

A.modern transportation B.new technology

C.the change of the world D.a peace agreement 

32. According to this passage,____is very important