II. Reading comprehension.(15 points)

Passage 1

Each student at an engineering college in Canada gets a steal ring upon graduation as well as graduation certificate.
There is a story behind the unusual ring. Several years ago, a graduate from this engineering college designed an iron-steel bridge. Unfortunately, because of mistakes in his design, the bridge collapsed soon after it came into use.
This event shook the engineering college. And the head of the college decided to take back the framework of the iron-steel bridge and use it as the material for making rings to give the students upon their graduation. The college wants the students to remember this lesson forever so as to avoid making such mistakes again.

1. Upon graduation each student is given a steel ring as a
A. gift from the college
B. lesson to avoid making any mistakes in design
C. model to make designs
D. warning not to make iron-steel bridge

2. The wrongly-designed iron-steel bridge was finally
A. shipped away
B. sold at a low price
C. made into many rings
D. used again after repairing

3. The ring is quite unusual because
A. its design is excellent
B. it is very expensive
C. it is different from others
D. it had a sad story

4. The best title for the passage is
A. A Great Mistake
B. A Shocking Event
C. A Warning Ring
D. A Wrongly-designed Bridge

5. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The iron-steel bridge collapsed soon after it was built
B. The iron-steel bridge has been used ever since it was built
C. The iron-steel bridge didn't come into use until it collapsed
D. The bridge collapsed because it was designed by a poor student

Passage 2

American cities are similar to other cities around the world. In every country, cities reflect the values of the culture. Cities contain the very best aspects of a society: opportunities for education, employment, and entertainment. They also contain the very worst parts of a society: violent crime, racial conflict, and poverty. American cities are changing, just as American society is changing.
After World War II, city residents became wealthier, more prosperous. They had more children. They needed more space. They move out of their apartments in the city to buy their own homes. They bought houses in the suburbs, areas near a city where people live. These are areas without many offices or factories. During the 1950s the American "dream" was to have a house in the suburbs.
Now things are changing. The children of the people who left the cities in 1950s are now adults. They, unlike their parents, want to live in the cities. Many young professionals, doctors, lawyers, and executives are moving back into the city. Many are single; others are married, but often without children. They prefer the city to the suburbs because their jobs are there; they are afraid of the fuel shortage; or they just enjoy the excitement and opportunities which the city offers. A new class is moving into the city- a wealthier, more mobile class.
Only a few years ago, people thought that the older American cities were dying. Some city residents now see a bright, new future. Others see only problems and conflicts. One thing is sure: many dying cities are alive again.

6. Paragraph 1
A. explains why American cities are changing
B. shows tat American cities have many problems
C. is a description of cities
D. says: American cities contain the very best aspects of a society

7. In the 1950s the American "dream" was
A. to have a house
B. to buy a new house in the suburbs
C. to have a big car
D. to buy an apartment in the city

8. In paragraph 3, the author gives _______ reasons why people want to live in cities.
A. two
B. four
C. five
D. three

9. According to the article, cities are
A. sick
B. living
C. alive again
D. dying

10. The movement of people to and from the city can explain
A. racial conflict
B. social changes
C. violent crime
D. the best aspects of a society

Passage 3

During the early American colonial years, corn was more plentiful than wheat, so corn bread was more common than wheat bread. Friendly Indians showed colonists how to grow corn and how to prepare it for food and pioneer women then improved the Indian cooking techniques. When people traveled, they went to foot or horseback, sleeping and eating in the forests. They carried corn bread for sustenance; the corn bread came to be called journey cake. Later when roads and taverns were built and stagecoaches carried passengers, journey cake became johnnycake, a name many easterners still use for corn bread. The kinds of bread made with cornmeal were-and still are-almost without limit. Every region has its specialities.
From the start, southerners showed a preference for white cornmeal, northerners for yellow. And pioneers on the frontier, when then ran out of yeast, made salt-rising bread. They stirred together water, a little water-ground cornmeal, potatoes, and salt. they set the mixture, uncovered, in a warm place until it absorbed bacteria form the air and began to ferment. Then they removed the potatoes and used the liquid as leavening for their bread, made with white flour.

11. In colonial times, why was corn bread more common than wheat bread?
A. The colonists preferred corn bread.
B. Corn bread did not spoil as rapidly as wheat bread did.
C. Corn was more abundant.
D. The colonists did not know how to make wheat bread.

12. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the preference for a particular kind of corn bread?
A. It tends to vary geographically.
B. It corresponds an individual's social class.
C. It changes over a period of time
D. It depends on whether or not the individual is a gourmet.

13. The bacteria necessary for the fermentation of salt-rising bread came form the
A. Flour
B. potatoes
C. air
D. salt

14. In the making of salt-rising bread, cornmeal was
A. used to make the liquid that caused the bread to rise
B. combined with white flour to make the bread
C. the main kind of flour used
D. used when potatoes were not available

15. The best title for this passage is
A. Original American Breads
B. Life in Colonial American
C. Cooking on the Frontier
D. Salt-rising Bread