Reading Comprehension.doc

. Reading Comprehension( 60 points) Directions: There are five reading passages in this part. Each passage is followed by four questions. For each question there are four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose one best answer and blacken the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.Passage OneThere has been, in history, a man who was swallowed by a whale and lived to tell the tale. The mans name is James Bartley. The records to prove his unusual experience are in the British Admiralty.Bartley was making his first trip on the whaling ship .Star o f the East. Suddenly the lookout sighted a huge sperm whale. The whalers knew it was a hugc whale by the size of the spray it blew into the air. They lowered their small boats. James Bartley was in the first longboat. The men rowed until they were close to the whalc. A harpoon was thrown and it found its mark. It sank into the whales flesh. The maddened beast crashecl into the boat, snapping its tail at the men and the wreckage of their boats. When the survivors were picked up, James Bartley was missing.Shortly before sunset, the whale was finally captured. The sailors tied the whales dead-body to the side of the ship. Because of hot hot weather it was important that they cut up the whale right away. Otherwise, the meat would begin to rot and the oil would begin to spoil. When they got to the stomach, they felt something moving about wildly.They thought it would be a big fish still alive inside. But when they opened the stomach they found James Bartley. After this trip, Bartley settled in England, and never returned to sea.36. This passage is mainly about_.A. how to hunt whales for their oil and meatB. the hard and dangerous lives that whalers had to liveC. the duties of each man on a whaling shipD. a man who was swallowed by a whale and lived37. The sailors knew that something was in the whales stomach because_.A. they could feel it moving about wildly B. the whale seemed very heavyC. the whale was swelling at one spot D. the captain heard Bartley yelling for help38. James Bartley probably never went to sea again because_.A. he wanted different kinds of adventuresB. of fright and shockC. he was crippled by the whale D. he often got seasick39. The author, in telling James Bartleys story, informs us by _.A. narrating the plain facts B. referring to whaling in generalC. comparing whaling to other fishing D. dramatically telling what happened Passage TwoWe spend our leisure hours effciently for higher production, live by the clock even when time does not matter, modernize our homes and speed the machinery of living in order that we can go to the most places and do the most things in the shortest period of time possible. We try to eat, sleep, and talk efficiently. Even on holidays and Sundays, the efficient man relaxes on timetable with one eye on the colck and the other on an apppointment sheet.To squeeze the most out of each shining hour we have shortened the opera, quickened the pace of the movie and put culture in pocket-sized packages. We make the busy bee look like a lazy creature, the ant like a sluggard. We live sixty-mile-minute and the great efficiency smiles.We wish we could return to that pleasant day when we considered time a friend instead of enemy; when we did things willingly and because we wanted to, rather than because our timetable called for it, But that of course would not be efficiency; and we Americans must be efficient.40. The phrase that best expresses the main idea of this passage is _.A. the modern paceB. our interest in shortened operasC. how to make the best use of leisure timeD. Planning our time scientifically41. The passage tells us that_.A. Americans are forced to be efficient against their willB. Americans should do what they are willing to doC. people ought not to work so hard for effciencyD. Americans are at a loss what to do42. According to the passage, which of the following is a necessity?A. Shortened opera performances. B. Quickened paces of movies.C. Speeded-up efficiency. D. Working on holidays.43. T