13．William Stiles bought a 1966 Volvo because 　　　.

　　　 A．he was promised that it wouldn’t easily be worn out

　　　 B．he learnt that it was as modern as any of its kind

　　　 C．he knew that it was the best seller in the Swedish markets

　　　 D．he was fooled into believing that it worked well

12．According to the passage, how fast can you expect to read after you have attended twelve half –

hour lessons in the University of Minnesota?

　　　 A．You can increase your reading speed by three times

　　　 B．No real increase in reading speed can be achieved

　　　 C．Yon can increase your reading speed by four times

　　　 D．You can double your reading speed.

D

“13 YEARS AGO I BOUGHT THIS VOLVO

BECAUSE IT WAS ADVERTISED

AS THE 11 YEARS CAR”

13 years ago, William Stiles, an expert in American Indian history, discovered the treasure as you see here∶a 1966 Volvo.

He bought it because ads of the time said Volvos were so tough that they lasted an average of 11 years in Sweden.

As Mr Stiles remembers: One ad said that a Volvo was so tough that you could “Drive it like you hate it.” I did exactly like that. In my field work, I’ve driven this car 295,000hard miles. Much of it through former Indian countryside. It is held up even better than promised. Driving it like I hated it made me love it.

Expressions of love are not uncommon among Volvo owners. In fact, 9 out of 10 people who have bought new Volvos are happy.

So if you are unhappy with your present car, do what Mr Stiles once did after reading one of our ads. Buy one of our cars.

11．The average speed of untrained native speakers in the University of Minnesota is 　　　.

　　　 A．about 300 words per minute

　　　 B．about 245 words per minute

　　　 C．about 650 – 770 words per minute

　　　 D．about 500 words per minute

10．Which of the following does not describe the types of reading materials mentioned in the

second paragraph?

　　　 A．Those beyond one’s reading comprehension

　　　 B．Those concerned with common knowledge

　　　 C．Those without much demand for specialized knowledge

　　　 D．Those with the length of about five hundred words

9．According to the passage, the purpose of effective reading with higher speed is most likely to

help you 　　　　.

　　　 A．only in your reading of a physics textbook

　　　 B．improve your understanding of an economics textbook

　　　 C．not only in your language study but also in other subjects

D．choose the suitable materials to read

8．From the passage it can be learnt that the closing ceremony is probably 　　　　.

　　　 A．a sad occasion because all the exciting competitions are over

　　　 B．a happy occasion because the athletes can make new friends

　　　 C．a sad and a happy occasion at the same time

　　　 D．neither sad nor happy because it will happen again in four years’time

C

A higher reading rate, with no loss of comprehension, will help you in other subjects as well as in English, and the general principles apply to any language. Naturally, you will not read every book at the same speed. You would expect to read a newspaper, for example, much more rapidly than a physics or economics textbook – but you can raise your average reading speed over the whole range of materials you wish to cover so that the percentage gained will be the same whatever kind of reading you are concerned with.

The reading passages which follow are all of an average level of difficulty for your stage of instruction. They are all about five hundred words long. They are about topics of general interest which do not require a great deal of specialized knowledge. Thus they fall between the kind of reading you might find in your textbooks and the much less demanding kind you will find in a newspaper or light novel. If you read this kind of English, with understanding at four hundred words per minute, you might skim (浏览) through a newspaper at perhaps 650 – 700 , while with a difficult textbook you might drop to two hundred or two hundred and fifty.

Perhaps you would like to know what reading speeds are common among native English-speaking university students and how those speeds can be improved. Tests in Minnesota, U.S.A, for example, have shown that students without special training can read English of average difficulty, for example, Tolstoy’s War and Peace in translation, at speeds of between 240 and 250 words per minute with about seventy percent comprehension. Students in Minnesota claim that after twelve half – hour lessons, once a week, the reading speed can be increased, with no loss of comprehension, to around five hundred words per minute.

7．The underlined phrase“clears up”in the last paragraph means 　　　　.

　　　 A．packs up　　　　　　 B．goes away　　　　　 C．makes clear　　　　 D．does the cleaning

6．What can we infer about the athletes from the passage?

　　　 A．All of them are not present at the closing ceremony.

　　　 B．They are only competitors rather than friends.

　　　 C．They can never help worrying about losing the games.

　　　 D．They exchange clothes for fun.

5．At the closing ceremony, it is found that 　　　　.

　　　 A．all are called on to meet again in four years’ time

　　　 B．no music is needed

　　　 C．the name of the city for the next Games is shown

　　　 D．the Olympic flame is taken out of the stadium

4．Who was Miss Fanny Jackson?

　　　 A．The only daughter of General“Stonewall”Jackson.

　　　 B．A little-known girl who sold her father’s papers to Robert Spring.

　　　 C．Robert Spring’s daughter.

　　　 D．An imaginary person created by Spring.

B

Two weeks after the opening ceremony, the Games are over. The last of the three hundred gold medals has been awarded and the flags of the winners have been raised for the last time.

The final event is the closing ceremony. It is a sad occasion because the extreme excitement is over, and it will not happen again for four years. Those who have made friends will have to say goodbye, perhaps for ever. It is also a happy occasion because the competition is over and the athletes can really show their friendship for one another.

The closing ceremony is rather like the opening. But now the Olympic flame goes out and the Olympic flag, with its five rings, is lowered. The person who closes the Games calls upon the youth of the world to meet again in four years’ time. The scoreboard lights up with the name of the city for the next Games and the band starts to play. The celebration starts.

All the athletes try to be at the closing ceremony. They have forgotten all their fears and worries. It does not matter whether they have done well or not. All the teams walk round the stadium together. Everybody in the Village clears up and gets ready to leave. Everyone is hunting for local products. People. Exchange track suits, hats, running vests and so on. There is a last chance to take photographs and get addresses of new friends. Then each team starts its journey home.