Section Three: Reading
Comprehension（1）
Questions 1-11
The work of the
railroad pioneers in America became the basis for a great surge of railroad
building halfway through the nineteenth century that linked the nation together
as never before. Railroads eventually became the nation’s number one
transportation system, and remained so until the construction of the interstate
highway system halfway through the twentieth century. They were of crucial
importance in stimulating economic expansion, but their influence reached
beyond the economy and was pervasive in American society at large.
By 1804,
English as well as American inventors had experimented with steam engines for
moving land vehicles. In 1920, John Stevens ran a locomotive and cars around in
a circular track on his New Jersey estate, which the public saw as an amusing
toy. And in 1825, after opening a short length of track, the Stockton to
Darlington Railroad in England became the first line to carry general traffic.
American businesspeople, especially those in the Atlantic coastal region who
looked for better communication with the West, quickly became interested in the
English experiment. The first company in America to begin actual operations was
the Baltimore and Ohio, which opened a thirteen- mile length of track in 1830.
It used a team of horses to pull a train of passenger carriages and freight
wagons along the track. Steam locomotive power didn’t come into regular service
until two years later.
However, for
the first decade or more, there was not yet a true railroad system. Even the
longest of the lines was relatively short in the 1830’s, and most of them
served simply to connect water routes to each other, not to link one railroad
to another. Even when two lines did connect, the tracks often differed in
width, so cars from one line couldn’t fit onto tracks of the next line.
Schedules were unreliable and wrecks were frequent. Significantly, however, some
important developments during the 1830’s and 1840’s included the introduction of heavier iron
rails, more flexible and powerful locomotives, and passenger cars were
redesigned to become more stable, comfortable, and larger. By the end of 1830 only 23 miles of track had
been laid in the country. But by 1936, more than 1,000 miles of track had been
laid in eleven States, and within the decade, almost 3,000 miles had been
constructed. By that early age, the United States had already surpassed Great
Britain in railroad construction, and particularly from the mid-1860’s, the
late nineteenth century belonged to the railroads.
1 The word “stimulating” in line 5
is closest in meaning to
(a) helping
(b) changing
(c) promoting
(d) influencing
2
The word “their” in line 6 refers to
(a)railroad
pioneers
(b)
railroads
(c)the
interstate highway system
(d)
American society
3
Which of the following can be inferred from the
passage?
(a) The
United States regarded Great Britain as a competitor in developing the most
efficient railroad system
(b) Steam
locomotive power was first used in 1832
(c) American
businessmen saw railroads as a threat to established businesses
(d) Steam
locomotives replaced horses because of the distances across the country
4
The author concludes that for the first decade or more, there was not
yet a true
railroad system
because
(a)
passenger cars were not stable, comfortable or
large
(b)
locomotives were not powerful enough
(c)
schedules were unreliable and wrecks were
frequent
(d)
lines were relatively short and not usually
linked
5
The word “schedules” in line 23 is closest in meaning to:
(a) safety procedures
(b)
employees
(c) timetables
(d) railroad tracks
6
Which of the following is NOT true about the 1830’s and 1840’s (line 24)
(a) passenger
cars became larger
(b) schedules
were reliable
(c) locomotives
became more powerful
(d) tracks
were heavier
7
The word “stable” in line 26 is closest in meaning to
(a) fixed
(b) supportive
(c) reliable
(d) sound
8
By what time had almost 3,000 miles of track been laid?
(a) 1830
(b) 1836
(c) 1840
(d) mid-1860s
9
The word “surpassed” in line 29 is closest in meaning to
(a) exceeded
(b) beaten
(c) overtaken
(d) equaled
10
Where in the passage does the author outline the main conclusions about
the
importance of railroads in America?
(a) Lines
3-7
(b) Lines
14-18
(c) Lines
19-21
(d) Lines
29-31
11
Why does the author include details about Great Britain in the passage?
(a) To compare developments in both the
United States and Great Britain
(b) To illustrate the
competitiveness between the two countries
(c) To show where Americans got
their ideas and technology from
(d)To provide a more complete
historical context
Questions 12-19
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded
annually and the first woman to win this prize was Baroness Bertha Felicie
Sophie von Suttner in 1905. In fact, her work inspired the creation of the
Prize. The first American woman to win this prize was Jane Addams, in 1931.
However, Addams is best known as the founder of
Hull House.
Jane Addams was born in 1860, into a
wealthy family. She was one of a small number of women in her generation to
graduate from college. Her commitment to improving the lives of those around
her led her to work for social reform and world peace. In the 1880s Jane Addams
travelled to Europe. While she was in London, she visited a ‘settlement house’
called Toynbee Hall. Inspired by Toynbee Hall, Addams and her friend, Ellen
Gates Starr, opened Hull House in a neighborhood of slums in Chiacago in 1899.
Hull House provided a day care center for children of working mothers, a community kitchen, and
visiting nurses. Addams and her staff gave classes in English literacy, art,
and other subjects. Hull House also became a meeting place for clubs and labor
unions. Most of the people who worked with Addams in Hull House were well
educated, middle-class women. Hull House gave them an opportunity to use their
education and it provided a training ground for careers in social work.
Before World War I, Addams was probably
the most beloved woman in America. In a newspaper poll that asked, “Who among
our contemporaries are of the most value to the community?”, Jane Addams was
rated second, after Thomas Edison. When she opposed America’s involvement in
World War I, however, newspaper editors called her a traitor and a fool, but
she never changed her mind. Jane Addams was a strong champion of several other
causes. Until 1920, American women could not vote. Addams joined in the
movement for women’s suffrage and was a vice president of the National American
Woman Suffrage Association. She was a founding member of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and was president of
the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. . Her reputation was
gradually restored during the last years of her life. She died of cancer in
1935.
12 With
which of the following subjects is the passage mainly concerned?
(a) The
first award of the Nobel Peace Prize to an American woman
(b) A
woman’s work for social reform and world peace
(c) The
early development of Social Work in America
(d) Contributions
of educated women to American society
13 Which of the
following can be inferred from the passage?
(a) the
work of Baroness Bertha Felicie Sophie von Suttner was an inspiration
to Jane Addams
(b) Jane
Addams is most famous for her opening of Hull House
(c) those
who lived near Hull House had very poor literacy skills
(d) Jane
addams considered herself as a citizen of the world rather than of one
particular country
14 The word
“commitment” in line 6 is closest in meaning to
(a) involvement
(b) obligation
(c) dedication
(d) enthusiasm
15
Jane Addams was inspired to open Hull House because:
(a) it gave educated women an opportunity to use
their education and develop
careers in social work
(b) she
traveled to Europe in the 1880s
(c) she
visited Toynbee Hall
(d) she
was invited by a ‘settlement house’ in Chicago
16 The
word “their” in line 15 refers to
(a) children of working
mothers
(b) middle-class women
(c) visiting nurses
(b) labor
union members
17 The
word “contemporaries” in line 18 is closest in meaning to
(a) people
of the same time
(b) famous
people still alive
(c) elected
officials
(d) people
old enough to vote
18
According to the passage, Jane Addams’ reputation was damaged when she
(a) allowed Hull House to
become a meeting place for clubs and labor unions
(c) joined
in the movement for women’s suffrage
(c) became a founding member of the NAACP
(d) opposed America’s involvement in World War I
19 Where
in the passage does the author mention the services provided by Hull House?
(a) lines
5-10
(b) lines
10-15
(c) lines 15-20
(d) lines 20-25
Questions 20-29
The medieval artists didn’t know about
perspective; they didn’t want to make their people look like real, individual
people in a real, individual scene. They wanted to show the truth, the eternal quality of their
religious stories. So these artists didn’t need to know about perspective.
In the European Renaissance period,
artists wanted to show the importance of the
individual
person and his or her possessions and surroundings. A flat medieval style
couldn’t show this level of reality and the artists needed a new technique. It
was the Italian artist Brunelleschi who discovered the technique of perspective
drawing. At first the artists of the Renaissance only had single-point
perspective. Later they realized that they could have two-pointed perspective and
still later multi-point perspective.
With two-point perspective they could
turn an object (like a building) at an angle to the picture and draw two sides
of it. The technique of perspective which seems so natural to us now is an
invented technique, a part of the “grammar of painting”. Like all bits of
grammar there are exceptions about perspective. For example, only vertical and
horizontal surfaces seem to meet on eye level. Sloping roof tops don’t meet on
eye level.
For 500 years, artists in Europe made
use of perspective drawing in their pictures.
Nevertheless, there are a range of priorities that artists in displaying
individual styles. Crivelli wanted to show depth in his picture and he used a
simple single-point perspective. Cezanne always talked about space and volume.
Van Gogh, like some of the other painters of the Impressionist period, was
interested in Japanese prints. And Japanese artists until this century were
always very strong designers of “flat” pictures. Picasso certainly made
pictures which have volume and depth. However, he wanted to keep our eyes on
the surface and to remind us that his paintings are paintings and not
illusions.
It is technically easy to give an
illusion of depth. However, a strong two dimensional design is just as
important as a feeling of depth, and perhaps more important.
20 The passage
mainly discusses
(a) the difference between medieval and Renaissance art
(b) how the technique of perspective
influenced the modern art
(c) the discovery of the technique
of perspective
(d)
the contribution of Renaissance artists
21
The word “eternal” in line 3 is closest in meaning to
(a) timeless
(b) infinite
(c) frequent
(d) constant
22
According to the passage, which is the main concern for medieval
artists?
(a) the
individual person and his/her possessions and surroundings
(b) real
people, real scenes
(c) eternal
timeless truth of the earth
(d) themes
of religious stories
23 The discovery of
perspective was the result of
(a) Renaissance
artists’ to prove that the medieval artists could show level of reality
(b) the need
to turn an object at an angle and draw more than one side of
it
(c) the subject being shifted from religious stories to
individual person and
surroundings.
(d) natural evolution of human senses
24 The word “it” in line 12 refers to
(a) the picture
(b) perspective
(c) angle
(d) the
object
25 The word “Grammar ” in line 13 is closest in meaning
to
(a) construction
(b) grammatical
rules
(c) rules
and regulations
(d) tones
and volume
26
The author’s purpose to give the example in line14-15 is to
(a) explain
how perspective work in painting
(b) support two-pointed perspective
(c) illustrate
that there are exceptions about perspective
(d) point
out that the technique of perspective though seems so natural is an
invented
technique
27 The following
artists’ priorities in style shift away from perspective except
(a)
Crivelli
(b)
Cezanne
(c) Japanese artists
(d) Brunelleschi
28 The word
”Illusion” in line 25 is closest in meaning to
(a) deception
(b) photograph
(c) decoration
(d) illustration
29 It can be
inferred from the passage that Renaissance artists
(a) embraced
the medieval style of eternal truth
(b) needed
to develop a new approach towards painting to show a new level of reality
(c) were
inspired by vertical and horizontal surfaces in inventing the technique of
perspective
(d) saw
two dimensional design more important than a feeling of depth
Questions 30-39
There are two main hypotheses when it
comes to explaining the emergence of modern humans. The ‘Out of Africa’ theory
holds that homo sapiens burst onto
the scene as a new species around 150,000 to 200,000 years ago in Africa and
subsequently replaced archaic humans such as the Neandertals. The other model,
known as multi-regional evolution or regional continuity, posits far more
ancient and diverse roots for our kind. Proponents of this view believe that homo sapiens arose in Africa some 2
million years ago and evolved as a single species spread across the Old World,
with populations in different regions linked through genetic and cultural
exchange.
Of these two models, Out of Africa,
which was originally developed based on fossil evidence, and supported by much
genetic research, has been favored by the majority of evolution scholars. The
vast majority of these genetic studies
have focused on DNA from living populations, and although some small progress
has been made in recovering DNA from Neandertal that appears to support
multi-regionalism, the chance of recovering nuclear DNA from early human
fossils is quite slim at present. Fossils thus remain very much a part of the
human origins debate.
Another means of gathering theoretical
evidence is through bones. Examinations of early modern human skulls from
Central Europe and Australia dated to between 20,000 and 30,000 years old have
suggested that both groups apparently exhibit traits seen in their Middle
Eastern and African predecessors. But the early modern specimens from Central
Europe also display Neandertal traits, and the early modern Australians showed
affinities to archaic Homo from
Indonesia. Meanwhile, the debate among paleoanthropologists continues , as
supporters of the two hypotheses challenge the evidence and conclusions of each
other.
30
The passage primarily discusses which of the
following
(a) Evidence
that supports the “Out of Africa” theory
(b) Two
hypotheses and some evidence on the
human origins debate
(c) The
difficulties in obtaining agreement among theorists on the human origins debate
(d) That
fossils remain very much a part of the human origins debate
31
The word “emergence” in line 1 is closest in
meaning to
(a) complexity
(b) development
(c) appearance
(d) decline
32 The
word “proponents” in line 6 is closet in meaning to
(a) experts
(b) advocates
(c) inspectors
(d) historians
33 All
of the following are true except
(a) three
methods of gathering evidence are mentioned in the passage
(b) the
multi-regional model goes back further in history.
(c) the
Out of Africa model has had more support from scholars
(d) DNA
studies offer one of the best ways in future to provide clear evidence.
34 The
word “slim” in line 14 is closest in meaning to
(a) small
(b) narrow
(c) thin
(d) difficult
35 Which
of the following is not true
(a) the
vast majority of genetic studies have focused on living populations
(b) early
modern human skulls all support the same conclusions
(c) both
hypotheses focus on Africa as a location for the new species.
(d) early
modern Australian skulls have similarities to those from Indonesia.
36 In
line 18, the word “their ” refers to which of the following
(a) Middle
Easterners and Africans
(b) skulls
(c) central
Europeans and Australians
(d) traits
37 Which
of the following is NOT true about the two hypotheses
(a) Both
hypotheses regard Neandertals to be the predecessors of modern humans
(b) Genetic
studies have supported both hypotheses
(c) Both
hypotheses cite Africa as an originating location.
(d) One
hypothesis dates the emergence of homo sapiens much earlier than the
other.
38 It
can be inferred from the passage that
(a) there
is likely to be an end to the debate in the near future
(b) the
debate will interest historians to take part in
(c) the
debate is likely to be less important in future
(d) there
is little likelihood that the debate will die down
39 According
to the passage, the multi-regional evolution model posits far more diverse
roots for our kind because
(a) Evidence
from examinations of early modern human skulls has come from a number of
different parts of the world.
(b) DNA
from Neandertal appears to support multi-regionalism
(c) Populations
in different regions were linked through genetic and cultural exchange
(d) This
has been supported by fossil evidence
Questions 40-50
Although management principles have
been implemented since ancient times, most management scholars trace the
beginning of modern management thought back to the early 1900s, beginning with
the pioneering work of Frederick Taylor (1856-1915). Taylor was the first
person to study work scientifically. He is most famous for introducing
techniques of time and motion study, differential piece rate systems, and for
systematically specializing the work of operating employees and managers. Along
with other pioneers such as Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, Taylor set the stage,
labeling his philosophy and methods “scientific management’. At that time, his
philosophy, which was concerned with productivity, but which was often
misinterpreted as promoting worker interests at the expense of management, was
in marked contrast to the prevailing industrial norms of worker exploitation.
The time and motion study concepts were
popularized by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth. The Gilbreths had 12 children. By analyzing his children’s
dishwashing and bedmaking chores, this pioneer efficiency expert, Frank
Gilbreth, hit on principles whereby workers could eliminate waste motion. He
was memorialized by two of his children in their 1949 book called “Cheaper by
the Dozen”.
The Gilbreth methods included using
stop watches to time worker movements and special tools (cameras and special
clocks) to monitor and study worker performance, and also involved
identification of “therbligs” (Gilbreth spelled backwards) – basic motions used
in production jobs. Many of these motions and accompanying times have been used
to determine how long it should take a skilled worker to perform a given job.
In this way an industrial engineer can get a handle on the approximate time it
should take to produce a product or provide a service. However, use of work
analysis in this way is unlikely to lead to useful results unless all five work
dimensions are considered: physical, psychological, social, cultural, and
power.
40.
What is the passage primarily about?
(a) The
limitations of pioneering studies in understanding human behavior
(b) How
time and motion studies were first developed
(c) The
first applications of a scientific approach to understanding human behavior
(d) The
beginnings of modern management theory
41. The word “ which” in line 9 refers to
(a) scientific management
(b) philosophy
(c) productivity
(d) time and motion study
42. It can be inferred from the first paragraph
that
(a) workers welcomed the
application of scientific management
(b) Talor’s philosophy is different from
the industrial norms
(c) by the early 1900s science had
reached a stage where it could be
applied to the workplace
(d) workers
were no longer exploited after the introduction of scientific management.
43. The
word “prevailing” in line 10 is closest in meaning to
(a) predominant
(b) broadly
accepted
(c) prevalent
(d) common
44. According to the passage, Frank Gilbreth
discovered how workers could
eliminate waste motion by
(a) using
special tools such as cameras and clocks
(b) using
stop watches
(c) applying
scientific management principles
(d) watching
his children do their chores
45. The basic motions used in production jobs
were given which one of
following names by Frank Gilbreth?
(a) dimensions
(b) gilreths
(c) therbligs
(d) monitors
46. According
to the passage, the time it takes a skilled worker to perform the
motion of a given job can be measured by
using:
(a) stop
watches
(b) all
5 work dimensions
(c) special
tools
(d) therbligs
47. The word
“motions” in line 20 is closest in meaning to
(a) stop
watches
(b) habits
(c) actions
(d) special
tools
48. Where in the passage does the
author comment that the principles of scientific
management were often
misunderstood?
(a) Lines
1-5
(b) Lines
6-10
(c) Lines
11-15
(d) Lines
16-20
49. The word “ dimensions” in line 24 is
closest in meaning to
(a) sizes
(a) extents
(b) aspects
(c) standards
50. All of the following are true except
(a) scientific
management was concerned with
productivity.
(b) the
beginnings of modern management thought commenced in the 19th
century.
(c) Frank
Gilbreth’s fame was enhanced by two of his children writing a book.
(d) analyzing
work to increase productivity is not likely to be useful unless all of the
dimensions are considered.
Test 1– Answer Key
1.c 2.b 3.b 4.d 5.c 6.b 7.d 8.c 9.a 10.a
11.d 12.b 13.b 14.c 15.c 16.b 17.a 18.d 19.b 20.b
21.a 22.d 23.c 24.d 25.c 26.c 27.d 28.a 29.b 30.b
31.c 32.b 33.d 34.a 35.b 36.c 37.a 38.d 39.c 40.d
41.b 42.b 43.a 44.d 45.c 46.d 47.c 48.b 49.c 50.b
