Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
There is a popular belief among parents that schools are no longer interested in spelling. No school I have taught in has ever ignored spelling or considered it unimportant as a basic skill. There are, however, vastly different ideas about how to teach it, or how much priority (优先) it must be given over general language development and writing ability. The problem is, how to encourage a child to express himself freely and confidently in writing without holding him back with the complexities of spelling?
If spelling becomes the only focal point of his teacher’s interest, clearly a bright child will be likely to "play safe". He will tend to write only words within his spelling range, choosing to avoid adventurous language. That’s why teachers often encourage the early use of dictionaries and pay attention to content rather than technical ability.
I was once shocked to read on the bottom of a sensitive piece of writing about a personal experience: "This work is terrible! There are far too many spelling errors and your writing is illegible (难以辨认)。 " It may have been a sharp criticism of the pupil’s technical abilities in writing, but it was also a sad reflection on the teacher who had omitted to read the essay, which contained some beautiful expressions of the child’s deep feelings. The teacher was not wrong to draw attention to the errors, but if his priorities had centred on the child’s ideas, an expression of his disappointment with the presentation would have given the pupil more motivation to seek improvement.
21. Teachers differ in their opinions about ____ .
(A) the difficulties in teaching spelling
(B) the role of spelling in general language development
(C) the complexities of the basic writing skills
(D) the necessity of teaching spelling

22. The expression "play safe" probably means "____".
(A) to write carefully
(B) to do as teachers say
(C) to use dictionaries frequently
(D) to avoid using words one is not sure of

 Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
A breakthrough (突破) in the provision of energy from the sun for the European Economic Community (EEC) could be brought froward by up to two decades, if a modest increase could be provided in the EEC’s research effort in this field, according to the senior EEC scientists engaged in experiments in solar energy at EEC’s scientific laboratories at Ispra, near Milan.
The senior West German scientist in charge of the Community’s solar energy programme, Mr. Joachim Gretz, told journalists that at present levels of research spending it was most unlikely that solar energy would provide as much as three per cent of the Community’s energy requirements even after the year 2000. But he said that with a modest increase in the present sums, devoted by the EEC to this work it was possible that the breakthrough could be achieved by the end of the next decade.
Mr. Gretz calculates that if solar energy only provided three per cent of the EEC’s needs, this could still produce a saving of about a billion pounds in the present bill for imported energy each year. And he believes that with the possibility of utilizing more advanced technology in this field it might be possible to satisfy a much bigger share of the Community’s future energy needs.
At present the EEC spends about $2.6 millions a year on solar research at Ispra, one of the EEC’s official joint research centres, and another $3 millions a year in indirect research with universities and other independent bodies.
26. The phrase "be brought forward" (Line 2, Para. 1) most probably means "______".
(A) be expected (C) be advanced
(B) be completed (D) be introduced

27. Some scientists believe that a breakthrough in the use of solar energy depends on ______.
(A) sufficient funding (C) advanced technology
(B) further experiments (D) well-equipped laboratories

Passage Three