阅读理解

　　In the 1970s, with ever-increasing international travel and tourism, the United States Department of Transportation decided to design a set of symbols(符号)for airports, stations, and public facilities(设施). The aim was to design symbols that would be clear to people in a hurry and to those who can not read English. Therefore, the set of symbols shown below was designed. Then the designers planned an experiment with an international sample(抽样调查) of 8-year-old children from Sweden. Japan, France, Canada, and Britain. The purpose of the experiment was to determine how clear the symbols would be to the children, who were not experienced international travelers.

　　The children were shown the set of sample symbols, and were then asked to explain to the experimenters what the symbols meant. The researchers thought that if the international sample of children could understand them, the grown-up travelers would probably also recognize their meanings. The following graph(图表) shows the percentages of correctly explained symbols.

　　The experiments discovered that most of the children easily understand the telephone receiver and cigarette symbols. However, there were some interesting differences in their answers to the other four symbols. The Japanese children most easily understood the symbol standing for“coffee shop”. The experimenters thought that this fact showed children in Japan are more familiar with such shops than children in Sweden and Canada. The Japanese, French, and Canadian children all equally recognized the idea of“information”showed by the question mark.

　　Interestingly, the French and Canadian children understood the symbol referring to“campground(露营地)”better than the other children. Again, the researchers thought that recognition of a symbol shows how common the activity is in a country.

　　One particularly difficult symbol was that of the umbrella and glove used for“lost and found”, which was correctly explained by less than 50％ of the children in four of the five countries. On the basis(基础) of this finding, the experimenters decided to add a question mark to make this symbol easier to understand.

1．Which of the following shows the correct meaning of(X), (Y), and (Z) in the graph above?

[　　]

A．Campground, Coffee Shop, Lost and Found.

B．Lost and Found, Campground, Coffee Shop.

C．Coffee shop, Lost and Found, Campground.

D．Telephone, No smoking, Information.

2．If we compare the Japanese and French children's understanding of the question mark and cigarette symbols, then we can find a difference of _____ between these symbols.

[　　]

A．0％　　　B．10％

C．80％　　 D．90％

3．The _____ symbol was the most difficult for the Japanese children to understand.

[　　]

A．cup　　　B．question mark

C．tent　　　D．umbrella and glove

4．Which of the following statements is TRUE?

[　　]

A．The experimenters thought Japanese children drink coffee.

B．The most difficult symbol was changed to make it clearer.

C．The question mark symbol is the least difficult in all five countries.

  When you have a question about something, where do you go? For many people the answer is simple as they can go online to a search engine like Google or Yahoo. But what about people in rural or underdeveloped areas who may have no way to get on the Internet?

  A business and international development professor in California, Rose Shuman, found an answer for them: Question Box. Question Box is a service that provides answers---free of charge--- for people who cannot search the Internet directly. The users of Questions Box might be those who might not be able to read, or simply have no access to the Internet.

  Question Box began three years ago in India. People used a metal call box with a push-to-talk button to connect a live operator. Rose Schuman explained,” You just need to push a big green button on the box which will connect you directly to our operators who are sitting in front of computers, and speak your language. You can ask them any sort of question you want, and they’ll look it up in English or in Hindi, or whatever the main language is, and translate the answer back for you.”

  The service is currently offered in two villages. The latest version of the box uses mobile phone technology, and solar panels in case the electrical power fails. Rose Shuman says the aim was to make the box as easy as possible for users, “It is very efficient (效率高的). Rather than try to bring a lot of difficulties to them and expect them to spend a lot of time to learn how to use the Internet, the idea was to make a technology that even Grandma could use.”

   In April 2009, Question Box was introduced to Uganda. Forty community workers with mobile phones connected villagers to call center operators in Kampala. The community workers went around telling people about the service. They wore T-shirts that said “Ask me.” But Internet service in Uganda proved slow and undependable. So Question Box teamed up with a local technology company to store information on a local server. That way, the researchers in Kampala could quickly search the database for answers.

1. The best title for the passage is __________.

  A. Question Box ----taking the place of the Internet

  B. Needing an answer? ----asking Question Box

  C. Question Box ----A great invention in the world

  D. Rose Shuman----- A professor helping the poor

2. In Rose Schuman’s opinion, the greatest advantage of Question Box is that______.

  A. It is the most advanced in the world

  B. It is more convenient to carry.

  C. It is much easier to use

  D. it saves much more energy

3.The underlined word “them” in the fourth paragraph refers to______.

  A. the users             B. the operators   

C. the researchers        D. Question Box workers

4.What can we know from the passage?

  A. Question Box costs the users much less than the Internet.

  B. Question Box operators can look for information in any language.

  C. Question Box is more efficient in solving problems in underdeveloped areas.

  D. Question Box can work without the help of the Internet in Uganda.

At the moment when looking round the world, all kinds of dance performances are being offered. There are competitions that claim to be a World Cup or World Championship, and the young dancer or the dance teacher who wants to enter his students might be quite confused. Which is which? Which is of high standard and good quality, and which is not worth going to? First of all it has clearly got to be distinguished between the different styles of dance and the purpose of such competitions. When a person wants to learn classical ballet, he or she would never dream of going to a ballroom teacher. Such a teacher might even have been world champion in his ballroom dancing, but he would definitely not be qualified in teaching proper classical ballet.
People in Britain and the USA are taking more interest in modern dance. Dance classes of all kinds are popular; the audiences going to watch modern dance companies are also larger. And perhaps the most popular modern dance company in Britain is the Ballet Rambert.
The Ballet Rambert is Britains’ oldest established dance company which began in 1926. In the 60 s the company lacked the money to go on staging big productions. The directors wanted to encourage new talent and to keep up their high standards. A change of direction was necessary. They decided to give the ballet a ‘new look” in 1966. The aim was to provide a chance for new talent – for musicians and designers as well as dancers – and to show dance as a contemporary art form. And although some of the company’s previous fans dislike the change, new audiences came to see the productions.
The modern dance pieces and modern music found unexpected popularity. In the 21 st century the Ballet Rambert was a great success in London’s West End. The company became a focus for new, progressive talent in the art.
Then, the Ballet Ramvert started to introduce young people to modern dance by giving performances at schools, which again, was a success.
The Ballet Rambert has managed to make modern dance popular while creating original and often avant – garde (标新立异) productions. It can claim to be the oldest dance company in Britain and at the same time one of the most modern!
【小题1】If a person wants to learn classical ballet, he or she will go to         .

At the moment when looking round the world, all kinds of dance performances are being offered. There are competitions that claim to be a World Cup or World Championship, and the young dancer or the dance teacher who wants to enter his students might be quite confused. Which is which? Which is of high standard and good quality, and which is not worth going to? First of all it has clearly got to be distinguished between the different styles of dance and the purpose of such competitions. When a person wants to learn classical ballet, he or she would never dream of going to a ballroom teacher. Such a teacher might even have been world champion in his ballroom dancing, but he would definitely not be qualified in teaching proper classical ballet.

People in Britain and the USA are taking more interest in modern dance. Dance classes of all kinds are popular; the audiences going to watch modern dance companies are also larger. And perhaps the most popular modern dance company in Britain is the Ballet Rambert.

The Ballet Rambert is Britains’ oldest established dance company which began in 1926. In the 60 s the company lacked the money to go on staging big productions. The directors wanted to encourage new talent and to keep up their high standards. A change of direction was necessary. They decided to give the ballet a ‘new look” in 1966. The aim was to provide a chance for new talent – for musicians and designers as well as dancers – and to show dance as a contemporary art form. And although some of the company’s previous fans dislike the change, new audiences came to see the productions.

The modern dance pieces and modern music found unexpected popularity. In the 21 st century the Ballet Rambert was a great success in London’s West End. The company became a focus for new, progressive talent in the art.

Then, the Ballet Ramvert started to introduce young people to modern dance by giving performances at schools, which again, was a success.

The Ballet Rambert has managed to make modern dance popular while creating original and often avant – garde (标新立异) productions. It can claim to be the oldest dance company in Britain and at the same time one of the most modern!

1.If a person wants to learn classical ballet, he or she will go to         .

A．the Ballet Rambert                       B．a ballroom teacher

C．a world champion                         D．a qualified school

2.The underlined phrase “new talent” in Para. 3 probably means         .

    A．new programs                         B．new audiences

    C．avant – garde productions            D．skilled young dancers

3.From the passage we know that the Ballet Rambert          .

    A．has succeeded in making modern dance popular

    B．wanted to become the oldest dance company

    C．was once a popular dance company

    D．changed old dance into new ones

4.This passage is mainly about          .

    A．the popularity of modern dance

    B．the introduction to new modern dancers

    C．the development of the Ballet Rambert

    D．the high standard of dance performances

Section C

Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.

Last week, a sample of the new US citizenship exam was released by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services（US-CIS）. It will be tried out in 10 cities early next year to replace the current test in 2008. Instead of asking how many stripes the US flag has, as the current test does, the new one asks why there are l3 stripes. Instead of having to name the branches of government, an applicant is asked to explain why there are three.

The newly released US citizenship exam has included more information and knowledge. People who take it need to know more about the adopted country and have a deeper insight into its culture and values. “The goal is to make it more meaningful.” explains Emilio Gonzalez, director of the US—CIS. Immigrants who pass it are expected to have a better “understanding and respect” for US civic values, Gonzalez says.  

The US isn't the only country dealing with citizenship tests that aim to get a “shared commitment” from immigrants for their adopted country's “values”. In recent years, in addition to the usual requirement of language／work skills and economic status, several European countries have adopted citizenship tests. Britain introduced a new citizenship test last November. In March, a new Dutch law took effect requiring all would-be immigrants to take a citizenship test. It involved watching a video showing nude（裸体的）women bathing at beaches and gay（同性恋的）men kissing in public. The aim was to ensure that “newcomers will be comfortable with the country's liberal social mores（风俗）”.

Europe has been known for welcoming immigrants for decades. But, today, the fact is that some immigrants are kept apart from local citizens by culture and they become hostile (敌对的) to each other. Promoting unity has become a major concern for European countries, after the rioting in Muslim ghettoes（少数民族聚居区）in France and the killing of Dutch public figures by religious extremists.

Officials believe that a person's attachment to a country can be tested by his or her knowledge of the country. However, some critics say that the changes can do little to help people assimilate（同化）themselves. “Immigration is a culture war today. Is giving a new test the right way to lessen the accusations in that fight?” says Ali Noorani, of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition（难民辩护联盟）.