Part I Reading Comprehension
Directions: There are three passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Passage 1
Question 1to 5 are based on the following passage.
Looking back on my childhood. I am convinced that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon abandoned their pressed(緊抱的) flowers and insects. Unlike them ,I hand no ear for music and languages, I was not an early reader and I could not do mental arithmetic.
Before World war I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the dim memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys. (76) Nor do I recall clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door . but I do have a crystal-clear memory of dogs, the farm animals , the local birds and above all ,the insects.
I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love of the natural world, and my enthusiasm has led me into varied investigations. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil, reading about other people’s observations and discoveries .then something happens that brings these observations together in my conscious mind. Suddenly you fancy you see the answer to the riddle(謎) ，because it all seems to fit together. This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books ,which some might honor with the title of scientific research.
But curiosity ,a keen eye, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist; one of the outstanding and essential qualities required is self-discipline, a quality I lack. A scientist can be made .A naturalist is born . If you can combine the two, you get the best of born worlds.
1. According to the author , a born naturalist should first of all be _____
A. full of enthusiasm
B. self-disciplined
C. full of ambition
D. knowledgeable
2. The first paragraph tells us that the author _____
A. lost his hearing when he was a child
B. didn’t like his brothers and sisters
C. was born to a naturalist’s family
D. was interested in flowers an insects in his childhood
3. The author says that he is a naturalist rather than a scientist probably because he thinks he _____
A. just reads about other people’s observations and discoveries
B. comes up with solutions in most natural ways
C. has a great deal of trouble doing mental arithmetic
D. lacks some of the qualities required of scientist
4.The author can’t remember his relatives clearly because_____.
A. he was fully occupied with observing nature
B. he didn’t live very long with them
C. the family was extremely large
D. he was too young when he lived with them
5. Which of the following statement is true?
A. The author believes that a born naturalist cannot be a scientist.
B. The author’s brothers and sisters were good at music and languages.
C. The author read a lot of books about the natural world and the oil industry.
D. The author spent a lot of time working on riddles.
Passage 2
Question 6 to 10 are based on the following passage.
If you have a chance to go to Finland, you will probably be surprised to find how “foolish” the Finnish people are.
Take the taxi drivers for example. Taxis in Finland are mostly high-class Benz with a fare of two US dollars a kilometer. You can go anywhere in one, tell the driver to drop you at any place, say that you have some business to attend to, and then walk off without paying your fare. The driver would not show the least sign of anxiety.
The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests, but also serve outside diners. Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals. The most they would do to show their good faith is to wave their registration card to the waiter. With such a loose check, you can easily use any old registration card to take a couple of friends to dine free of charge.
The Finnish workers are paid by the hour. (77) They are very much on their own as soon as they have agreed with the boss on the rate. From then on they just say how many hours they have worked and they will be paid accordingly.
With so many loopholes(漏洞) in everyday life, surely Finland must be a heaven to those who love to take “petty advantages”. But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always come back to pay their fare after they have attended to their business; not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining rooms. And workers always give an honest account of the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act on good faith in everything they do, living in such a society has turned everyone into a real “gentleman”.
(78) In a society of such high moral practice, what need is there for people to be on guard against others?
