American workers continue to demand shorter and shorter working hours each week. The possibility of a four-day working week is now being seriously considered; some companies are already experimenting with it. Since machines have helped to reduce the time needed for work, at the office, factory, and in the home, men and women have more leisure time today than ever before in the country's history.

　　It is tree that much leisure is used in play. America is a country of sports-of hunting, fishing and swimming, and of team sports like baseball and football. Millions of Americans watch their favorite sport on television, play in community orchestras, make their own films or recordings, go camping, visit museums, attend lectures, travel, garden, read, and join in hundreds of other activities.

　　America is a "do-it-yourself" country. The people enjoy building things for their homes, sewing their own clothes, even making their own photographs. They do these things for fun as well as for economy.

　　But as much as Americans enjoy their free time, the country is at the same time a "self-improvement" country. More than 25 million adults continue their education, chiefly by going to school in the evening, during their own free time, at their own expense. Added to the time spent on personal activities, Americans also devote a great amount of their time to the varied needs of their communities. Many hospitals, schools, libraries, museums, parks, community centers, and organizations that assist the poor depend on the many hours citizens devote to these activities, often without any pay.

Which of the following best reflects the style of the passage?

A. Informative.

B. Persuasive.

C. Entertaining.

D. Descriptive.

The proposal of a four-day working week in America ______.

A. has been accepted

B. is unlikely to be accepted

C. is under consideration

D. has been widely put into practice

What makes the reduction of working hours possible?

A. Machines have helped to reduce working time.

B. Americans have more leisure time than working time.

C. A four-day working week has proved to be successful.

D. Men and women need more leisure time than ever before.

According to the passage, America may NOT be described as ______.

A. a country of sports

B. a country of film making

C. a "do-it-yourself" country

D. a "self-improvement" country

In addition to the time devoted to personal activities, a great amount of free time is also spent on ______.

A. further education

B. community services

C. making the films and recordings

D. watching sports on TV

Ever since humans have inhabited the earth, they have made use of various forms of communication. Generally, this expression of thoughts and feelings has been in the form of oral speech. When there is a language barrier, communication is accomplished through sign language in which motions stand for letters, words and ideas. Tourists, the deaf, and the mute have had to resort to this form of expression. Many of these symbols are very colorful and exact and can be used internationally; spelling, however, cannot.

　　Body language transmits ideas or thoughts by certain actions, either intentionally or unintentionally. A wink can be a way of flirting or indicating that the party is only joking. A nod signifies approval, while shaking the head indicates a negative reaction.

　　Other forms of nonlinguistic language can be found in Braille (a system of raised dots read with the fingertips), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals. Road maps and picture signs also guide, warn and instruct people.

　　While verbalization is the most common form of language, other systems and techniques also express human thoughts and feelings.

All of the following can be used internationally EXCEPT ______.

A. spelling

B. motions

C. sign language

D. picture signs

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. There are many forms of communication in existence.

B. Verbalization is the most common form of communication.

C. The deaf and the mute use a verbal form of communication.

D. Body language may be equally effective in transmitting ideas or thoughts.

Besides oral speech, which form of communication is most commonly used by the blind people?

A. Braille.

B. Signal flags.

C. Body language.

D. Gestures.

How many forms of communication are mentioned in the third paragraph?

A. Seven

B. Six.

C. Five

D. Four.

Which of the following best summarizes this passage?

A. Body language transmits ideas or thoughts more quickly.

B. Body language transmits ideas or thoughts more accurately.

C. Nonlinguistic language is more expressive than verbalization.

D. Nonlinguistic language also expresses human thoughts and feelings.

Regular interaction or familiarity seems to increase liking; often, the people we interact with the most are simply those who are closest to us. A classic study by Festinger found that residents of an apartment complex tended to interact with, and like those who happened to live on the same floor more than those who lived on other floors or in other buildings. The researcher did not analyze this phenomenon in terms of the development of in-group versus out-group perceptions and biases, but such an analysis might prove interesting. Likewise, when classroom seating is alphabetical (依字母顺序的), students are more likely to be friends with people who share the same initial.

　　There are two major explanations for the relation between proximity (接近) and liking. The first is simple availability. If most people are nice and easy enough to approach, it follows that proximity will determine who you get to know and, therefore, like. The second explanation is based on the mere exposure effect, that is, simple familiarity increases liking for a person or object that is not necessarily likeable. The mere exposure effect has been demonstrated in the laboratory with some meaningless syllables, which people find more pleasing after they have repeated them several times. It seems reasonable to conclude that repeated exposure to people in proximity to us leads us to like them more.

 Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. Liking and Similarity.

B. Proximity and Liking.

C. Availability and Friendship.

D. Interaction and Relationship.

According to the passage, the researcher studies the phenomenon on the basis of ______.

A. perceptions of membership

B. the development of friendship

C. in-group versus out-group biases

D. the degree of familiarity among people

The organizational pattern of the passage can be best described as ______.

A. opinion-proof

B. problem-solution

C. phenomenon-reason

D. comparison-contrast

The experiment on the meaningless syllables is intended to demonstrate that ______.

A. most people are friendly at first sight

B. simple familiarity increases liking for a person

C. students will definitely become friends in the classroom setting

D. irritation with someone at the first meeting usually leads to disliking

According to the passage, all the following statements are true EXCEPT that ______.

A. we tend to interact with people closest to us

B. teachers like the students seated in the front

C. interaction is more likely to happen between neighbors

D. we tend to like people who share our attitudes and opinions

If it were only necessary to decide whether to teach elementary science to everyone on a mass basis or to find the gifted few and take them as far as they can go, our task would be fairly simple. The public school system, however, has no such choice, for the jobs must be carried on at the same time. Because we depend heavily upon science and technology for our progress, we must produce specialists in many fields. Because we live in a democratic nation, whose citizens make the policies for the nation, large numbers of us must be educated to understand, to support, and when necessary, to judge the work of experts. The public school must educate both producers and users of scientific services.

　　In education, there should be a good balance among the branches of knowledge that contribute to effective thinking and wise judgment. Such a balance is defeated by too much emphasis on any other field. This question of balance involves not only the relation of the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the arts but also relative emphasis among the natural sciences themselves.

　　Similarly, we must have a balance between current and classical knowledge.The attention of the public is continually drawn to the discovery of new knowledge; it should not be allowed to turn our attention away from the sound, established materials that form the basis of courses for beginners.

According to the 1 st paragraph, the task of education is fairly complicated because ______.

A. the public school has no choice of what to teach

B. it is difficult to choose what to teach in public schools

C. the current public school system is too complex to be understood

D. the educators have to take care of both ordinary and gifted students

Which of the following is NOT included in the passage?

A. A democratic nation needs a lot of well-educated citizens.

B. We depend much on science and technology for our progress.

C. The educators are required to lay emphasis on some particular field.

D. Elementary science should be taught on a mass basis in public schools.

According to the author, the balance among the branches of knowledge is very necessary because such a balance ______.

A. would benefit the growth of gifted students

B. would ensure the students' grasp of new knowledge

C. involves both the natural sciences and the social sciences

D. facilitates the training of effective reasoning and wise decision-making

What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. Most people take great interest in classical knowledge.

B. Sufficient attention should be given to basic knowledge.

C. The discovery of new knowledge is particularly important.

D. Classical knowledge is more popular than current knowledge.

The passage centers on ______.

A. the balance in education

B. the importance of education

C. the balance between basic and new knowledge

D. the balance among different branches of knowledge

Friedrich Dobl, a Yugoslav (南斯拉夫人) working in Germany, was annoyed with traffic jams. At long weekends and holiday times when he wanted to get home quickly, he always found himself moving slowly with hundreds of other cars along the crowded foreign workers' route through Germany and Austria.

　　How easy it all was for police and emergency services! A siren (警报器), a flashing light? And like magic everyone was out of the way. Going home from work one night, he passed a garage. And there in front of him was the answer to his problem. An old ambulance was for sale. The red cross had been removed. But not the flashing light, and the siren. He tried the light. It flashed magnificently. He tried the siren. That too sounded impressive. He bought the ambulance and opened up for himself a dream world of motoring.

　　It began early in the morning, all his luggage in the back of the ambulance and the motorway in Germany looking reasonably clear. Soon, as always, a long line of traffic appeared ahead. He switched on the flashing light and set off the siren. Cars swiftly slowed and pulled off the fast lane. Other cars stopped and drivers waved him ahead to an open road all his own. In record time he crossed the border into Austria. His trick was working. Police even waved him through the confusion caused by an accident.

　　But then the Yugoslav made his bad mistake. Until then he had only stopped for petrol. Now he was driving past a real accident, lights flashing, too late to realize that it was not another traffic jam as he assumed. They stopped him, and after hearing the story of his ride across two countries fined him 12.5 pounds.

At long weekends and holiday times Friedrich Dobl used to ______.

A. drive home in Germany

B. meet other foreign workers

C. get caught in terrible traffic jams

D. get to the workplace by a quick route

The reason why Dobl decided to buy the ambulance was that ______.

A. he had always wanted one

B. he wanted to sell it at a higher price

C. he liked the red cross and the flashing light

D. he knew that other cars would make way for an ambulance

In what condition was the ambulance he bought?

A. It was shabby and untidy.

B. The siren worked wonderfully.

C. The light did not flash properly.

D. The red cross was vaguely seen.

Armed with the ambulance, Dobl found that ______.

A. all the cars stopped and made way for him

B. the police were busy clearing the way of traffic

C. it was such fun to get out of the traffic confusion in Germany

D. he could cross the border into Austria in the shortest possible time

The most appropriate title for the story would be ______.

A. "A Happy Drive!"

B. "A Tough Drive!"

C. "A Safe Way Home?"

D. "A Quick Way Home?"