Part ⅡReading Comprehension(35 minu tes)
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choi ces 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 centre.
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids (小行星)now，one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it， say some scientists.
Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids (流星) that race acros s the night sky.Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don’t threaten us.But th ere are also thousads whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth.
Buy $ 50 million worth of new telescopes right now.Then spend $ 10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks.By the time we spot a fatal one， the scientists say，we’ll have a way to change its course.
Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons.But the cost wouldn’t be cheap.
Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: 1) How likely the event is; and 2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs.Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once eve ry 500， 000 years.Sounds pretty rare-but if one did fall， it would be the end of the world.“If we don’t take care of these big asteroids， they’ll take care of us，”says one scientist.“It’s that simple.”
The cure， though， might be worse than the disease.Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth?“The world has less to fear from
doomsday(毁灭性的) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them，” said a New York Times article.
21. What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids?
A) They are heavenly bodies different in composition.
B) They are heavenly bodies similar in nature.
C) There are more asteroids than meteoroids.
D) Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids.
22. What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earth?
A) It is very unlikely but the danger exists.
B) Such a collision might occur once every 25 years.
C) Collisions of smaller asteroids with Earth occur more often than expected.
D) It’s still too early to say whether such a collision might occur.
23. What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons to alter the course of asteroids?
A) It sounds practical but it may not solve the problem.
B) It may create more problems than it might solve.
C) It is a waste of money because a collision of asteroids with Earth is very unlikely.
D) Further research should be done before it is proved applicable.
24. We can conclude from the passage that .
A) while pushing asteroids off course nuclear weapons would destroy the world
B) asteroids racing across the night sky are likely to hit Earth in the near future
C) the worry about asteroids can be left to future generations since it is unlikely to happen in our lifetime
D) workable solutions still have to be found to prevent a collision of asteroids with Earth.
25. Which of the following best describes the author’s tone in this pass age?
A) Optimistic. B) Critical. C) Objective. D) Arbitrary.
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
Believe it or not， optical illusion (错觉) can cut highway crashes.Japan is a case in point.It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nea rly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion.Bent stripes， called chevrons (人字形) painted on the roads make drivers think that they are d riving faster than they really are， and thus drivers slow down.Now the
American Association Foundation for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C.is planning to rep eat Japan’s success.Starting next
year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes.Excessive speed plays a major role role in as much as one fifth of all fatal traffic accidents, according to the foundation .To help reduce those accidents， the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed - related hazards are the greatest - curves，exit slopes，traffic c ircles， and bridges.Some studies suggest that straight， horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half.However， t raffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bar.Chevrons， scientists say， not only give drivers the impress ion that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane sppea r to be narrower.The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway speed and the number of traffic accidents.
26. The passage mainly discusses .
A) a new way of highway speed control
B) a new pattern for painting highways
C) a new approach to training drivers
D) a new type of optical illusion
27. On roads painted with chevrons drivers tend to feel that.
A) they should avoid speed - related hazards
B) they are driving in the wrong lane
C) they should slow down their speed
D) they are approaching the speed limit
28. The advantage of chevrons over straight，horizontal bars is that the former .
A) can keep drivers awake
B) can cut road accidents in half
C) will have a longer effect on drivers
D) will look more attractive
29. The American Association Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to .
A) try out the Japanese method in certain areas
B) change the road signs across the country
C) replace straight，horizontal bars with chevrons
D) repeat the Japanese road patterns
30. What does the author say about straight，horizontal bars painted acr oss roads?
A) They are falling out of use in the United States.
B) They tend to be ignored by drivers in a short period of time.
C) They are applicable only on broad roads.
D) They cannot be applied successfully to traffic circles.
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
Amtrak(美国铁路客运公司)was experiencing a downswing in riders hip (客运量) along the lines comprising its rail system.Of major concern t o Amtrak and its advertising agency DDB Needham， were the long - distance wester n routes where ridership had been declining significantly.At one time， trains w ere the only practical way to cross the vast areas of the west.Trains were fast， ver，’luxurious， and quite convenient compared to other forms of transportation existing at the time.However，
times change and the automolile became America’s standard of convenience.Also， air travel had easily established itself as the fastest method of traveling great distances .Therefore， the task for DDB Needham was to encourage consumers to consider other aspects of train travel in order t o change their attitudes and increase the likelihood that trains would be consid ered for travel in the west.Two portions of the total market were targeted: 1) anxious fliers - those concermed with safety
，relaxation， and cleanliness and 2) travel - lovers - those viewing themselves as relaxed， casual， and interested in the travel ecperience as part of their vacation.The agency then developed a campaign that focused on travel experiences such as freedom， escape，relaxation， and enjoyment of the great western outdoors.It stressed experiences gained by u sing the trains and portrayed western train trips as wonderful adventures.Adver tisements showed pictures of the beautiful scenery that could be enjoyed along s ome of the more famous western routes and emphasized the romantic names of some of these trains (Empire Builder，etc.).These ads were strategically placed among family - oriented TV shows and programs involving nature and America in order t o most effectively reach target audiences.Resultswere impressive.The Empire Bu ilder.Which was focused on in one ad.enjoyed a 15 percent increase in profits on its Chicago to Seattle route.
31. What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A) To show the inability of trains to compete with planes with respect to speed and convenience.
B) To stress the influence of the automobile on America’s standard of convenience.
C) To emphasize the function of travel agencies in market promotion.
D) To illustrate the important role of persuasive communiation in changing consum-er attitudes.
32. It can be inferred from the passage that the drop in Amtrak ridership was due to the fact that ______ .
A) trains were not suitable for short distance passenger transportation
B) trains were not the fastest and most convenient form of transportation
C) trains were not as fast and convenient as they used to be
D) trains could not compete with planes in terms of luxury and convenience
33. To encourage consumers to travel by train，DDB Needham emphasized ______ .
A) the freedom and convenience provided on trains
B) the practical aspests of travel
C) the adventurous aspects of train trips
D) the safety and cleanliness of train trips
