Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)

　　Section A

　　Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word hank fo llowing the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

　　Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.

　　A sunflower is a sunflower. A mobile phone is a mobile phone. But can you 47 the two to do something for your local 48 ? It may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to 49 it in the garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower.

　　50 , a biodegradable(生物可降解的) mobile phone was introduced by scientists. It is hoped that the new type of phone will encourage 51 to recycle.

　　Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other 52 and can be hard or soft, and able to change shape. Overtime it can also break down into the soil without giving out any toxic 53 . British researchers

　　used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this new type of cover turns into waste, it 54 nitrates (硝酸鹽). These feed the seed and help the flower grow.

　　Engineers have designed a small 55 window to hold the seed. They have made sure it only grows when the phone is thrown away.

　　"We’ve only put sunflower seeds into the covers so far. But we are working with plant 56 to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time," said one scientist.

　　注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

　　Section B

　　Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some 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 Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

　　Passage One

　　Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

　　Over the last 25 years, British society has changed a great deal--or at least many parts of it have. In some ways, however, very little has changed, particularly where attitudes are concerned. Ideas about social class--whether a person is "working-

　　class" or "middle-class"--are one area in which changes have been extremely slow.

　　In the past, the working-class tended to be paid less than middle-class people, such as teachers and doctors. As a result of this and also of the fact that workers’ jobs were generally much less secure, distinct differences in life-styles and attitudes came into existence. The typical working man would collect his wages on Friday evening and then, it was widely believed, having given his wife her "housekeeping", would go out and squander(浪費) the rest on beer and betting.

　　The stereotype ( 陳腔濫調) of what a middle-class man did with his money was perhaps nearer the truth. He was—and still is--inclined to take a longer-term view. Not only did he regard buying a house of these provided him and his family with

　　security. Only in very few cases did workers have the opportunity (or the education and training) to make such long-term plans.

　　Nowadays, a great deal has changed. In a large number of cases factory workers earn as much, if not more, than their middle-class supervisors. Social security and laws to improve century, have made it less necessary than before to worry about

　　"tomorrow". Working-class people seem slowly to be losing the feeling of inferiority they had in the past. In fact there has been a growing tendency in the past few years for the middle-classes to feel slightly ashamed(慚愧的)of their position.

　　The changes in both life-styles and attitudes are probably most easily seen amongst younger people. They generally tend to share very similar tastes in music and clothes, they spend their money in having a good time, and save for holidays or longer-term plans when necessary. There seems to be much less difference than in precious generations. Nevertheless, we still have a wide gap between the well-paid (whatever the type of job they may have and the low-paid. As long as this gap exists, there will always be a possibility that new conflicts and jealousies will emerge, or rather that the old conflicts will re-appear,but between different groups.

　　注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

　　57. Which of the following is seen as the cause of class differences in the past?

　　[A] Life style and occupation.

　　[B] Attitude and income.

　　[C] Income and job security.

　　[D] Job security and hobbies.

　　58. The writer seems to suggest that the description of______is closer to truth.

　　[A] middle-class ways of spending money

　　[B] working-class ways of spending the weekend

　　[C] working-class drinking habits

　　[D] middle-class attitudes

　　59. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a typical feature of the middle-class?

　　[A] Desiring for security.

　　[B] Making long term plans.

　　[C] Having priorities in life.

　　[D] Saving money.

　　60. Working-class people’s sense of security increased as a result of the following factor except

　　[A] better social security

　　[B] more job opportunities

　　[C] higher living standard

　　[D] better legal protection

　　61. Which of the following statement is incorrect?

　　[A] Changes are slowly taking place in all sectors of the British society.

　　[B] The gap between working-class and middle-class young people is narrowing.

　　[C] Different in income will remain but those in occupation will disappear.

　　[D] Middle-class people may sometimes feel inferior to working-class people.

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.

　　If a mother pushes her small son in a swing (秋千), giving only a light force each time he returns, eventually he will be swinging quite high. The child can do this for himself by using his legs to increase the motion, but both the mother’s push and the child’s leg movements must occur at the proper moment, or the extent of the swing will not increase. In physics, increasing the swing is increasing the amplitude ( 振幅 ); the length of the rope on the swing determines its natural oscillation ( 擺動 ) period. This ability of an object to move periodically or to vibrate when stimulated by a force operating in its natural period is called resonance.

　　Resonance is observed many times without consciously thinking about it; for example, one may find an annoying vibration or shimmy in an automobile, caused by a loose engine mount vibrating with increasing amplitude because of an out- of-round tire. The bulge ( 凸出部分) on the tire slaps the pavement with each revolution; at the natural resonance point of the engine mount, it will begin to vibrate. Such vibrations can result in considerable damage if allowed to persist. Another destructive example of resonance is the shattering of a crystal goblet by the production of a musical tone at the natural resonant point of the goblet. The energy of the sound waves causes vibration in the glass; as its amplitude increases, the motion in the glass exceeds the elasticity of the goblet, and it shatters.

　　An instrument called a tachometer (轉速計) makes use of the principle of resonance. It consists of many tiny bars, loosely fastened together and arranged so that each bar can slide independently of the others. Movement of the bars causes changes in a dial. When placed next to a rotating motor or engine, the tachometer picks up slight vibrations which are transferred to the resonant bars. These bars begin to move, and the resulting dial may be read to find the revolutions per minute of the motor very quickly.

　　注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

　　62. An object, if moving rhythmically when stimulated in a natural period, is said to __

　　[A] vibrate

　　[B] resonate

　　[C] swing

　　[D] oscillate

　　63. The distance a swing moves from its resting position is called its __

　　[A] revolution

　　[B] movement

　　[C] frequency

　　[D] amplitude

　　64. A tachometer is an instrument that uses resonance to determine

　　[A] the speed of a motor in revolutions

　　[B] the frequency at which a motor vibrates

　　[C] the amplitude of an engine that oscillates

　　[D] the changes in a dial within a car engine

　　65. An annoying vibration can be caused at the natural resonance of the car’s engine mount __

　　[A] if the engine moves too fast

　　[B] if the engine’s amplitude increases

　　[C] if a tire gets out of balance

　　[D] if damage occurs in the engine

　　66. In which of the following cases is it useful to consider the relationship between the length of an oscillating object and its natural period?

　　[A] Adjusting the speed of a car.

　　[B] Adjusting a clock pendulum.

　　[C] Adjusting tire balance.

　　[D] Adjusting engine mounts.