Part I Reading Comprehension (50)

　　Directions: In this section, there are 5 passages followed by five questions, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C, and D. You should choose the most appropriate answer and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center. Passage One

　　Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage

　　Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships. One strength of the human condition is our tendency to give and receive support from one another under stressful circumstances. Social support consists of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to cope with major life changes and daily hassles (困难). People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over a range of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, reveal that the presence of social support helps people fend off (挡开) illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.

　　Social support cushions stress in a number of ways. First, friends, relatives, and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others despite our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Engaging in leisure-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting (转移…注意力) us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support—financial aid,material resources, and needed services—that reduces stress by helping us resolve and cope with our problems.

　　1. Interpersonal relationships are important because ________.

　　A) they are indispensable to people’s social well-being

　　B) they awaken people’s desire to exchange resources

　　C) they help people to cope with life in the information era

　　D) they can cure a range of illnesses such as heart disease, etc

　　2. Research shows that people’s physical and mental health ________.

　　A) relies on the social welfare systems which support them

　　B) has much to do with the amount of support they get from others

　　C) depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles

　　D) is closely related to their strength for coping with major changes in their lives

　　3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “cushions” (Line 1, Para. 2)?

　　A) Adds up to. B) Does away with. C) Lessens the effect of.D) Lays the foundation for.

　　4. Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work is an example of ________.

　　A) instrumental support

　　B) informational support

　　C) social companionship

　　D) the strengthening of self-respect

　　5. Social companionship is beneficial in that ________.

　　A) it helps strengthen our ties with relatives

　　B) it enables us to eliminate our faults and mistakes

　　C) it makes our leisure-time activities more enjoyable

　　D) it draws our attention away from our worries and troubles

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage

　　There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do. In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.

　　What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained are same. The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology. It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic (北极的) peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and ways of life because toys imitate their surroundings. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.

　　Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of ascent (进步). The progress from a rattle (拨浪鼓) used by a baby in 3000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.

　　6. The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that ________.

　　A) their social roles are rigidly determined

　　B) most boys would like to follow their fathers’ professions

　　C) boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers

　　D) they like challenging activities

　　7. One aspect of “the universality of toys” lies in the fact that ________.

　　A) technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys

　　B) the improvement of craftsmanship in making toys depends on the efforts of universities

　　C) the exploration of the universe had led to the creation of new kinds of toys

　　D) the basic characteristics of toys are the same the world over

　　8. Which of the following is the author’s view on the historical development of toys?

　　A) The craftsmanship in toy-making has remained essentially unchanged.

　　B) Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries.

　　C) The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years.

　　D) Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a child’s character.

　　9. Regarded as a kind of art form, toys ________.

　　A) follow a direct line of ascent B) also appeal greatly to adults

　　C) are not characterized by technological progress D) reflect the pace of social progress

　　10. The author uses the example of rattle to show that ________.

　　A) in toy-making there is a continuity in the sue of materials

　　B) even the simplest toys can reflect the progress of technology

　　C) even the simplest toys can reflect the progress of technology

　　D) even a simple toy can mirror the artistic tastes of the time