Part II    Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)

Passage One

Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.

   With fifteen years Britain and other nations should be well on with the building of huge industrial complexes for the recycling of waste. The word rubbish could lose its meaning because everything which goes into the dumps (垃圾堆) would be made into something useful. Even the most dangerous and unpleasant wastes would provide energy if nothing else.

   The latest project is to take a city of around half a million inhabitants and discover exactly what raw materials go into it and what go out. The aim is to find out how much of these raw materials could be provided if a plant for recycling waste were built just outside the city. This plant would recycle not only metal such as steel, lead and copper, but also paper and rubber as well.

   Another new project is being set up to discover the best ways of sorting and separating the rubbish. When this project is complete, the rubbish will be processed like this: First, it will pass through sharp metal bas which will tear open the plastic bags in which rubbish is usually packed; then it will pass through a powerful fan to separate the lightest elements from the heavy solids; after that grounders and rollers will break up everything that can be broken. Finally, the rubbish will pass under magnets (磁铁) , which will remove the bits of iron and steel; the rubber and plastic will then be sorted out in the final stage.

   The first full-scale giant recycling plants are perhaps fifteen years away. Indeed, with the growing cost of transporting rubbish to more distant dumps, some big cities will be forced to build their own recycling plants before long.

21.   The phrase "be well on with ..." (Para.1, Line 1) most probably means _____.

(A) have completed what was started                  (C) have achieved a great deal in

(B) get ready to start                                         (D) put an end to

22.   What is NOT mentioned as a part of the recycling process described in Paragraph 3?

(A)  Breaking up whatever is breakable.

(B)   Sharpening metal bars.

(C)  Separating light elements from the heavy ones.

(D)  Sorting out small pieces of metal.

23.   What's the main reason for big cities to build their own recycling plants?

(A)  To deal with wastes in better way.

(B)   To protect the environment from pollution.

(C)  To get raw materials locally.

(D)  To get big profits from those plants.

24.   The first full-scale huge recycling plants ______.

(A)  began to operate fifteen years ago

(B)   will probably take less than fifteen years to build

(C)  will be built fifteen years later

(D)  will probably be in operation in fifteen years

25.   The passage is mainly about ______.

(A) a cheap way to get energy                                   (C) new ways of recycling wastes

(B) the location of recycling plants                      (D) the probably of city environment

Passage Two

Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:

   By 1970, according to a World Wildlife Fund report, only about 4,500 tigers survived throughout the world-half of them in India. Mr. Foresters, who followed and counted tiger footprints, estimated that in May 1972 only about 1,800 tigers existed in India. Project Tiger Supported by W.W.F. was immediately launched. Nine tiger reserves were created, with armed guards protecting them.

   The project provided opportunities for researchers from India and abroad to study tigers in the reserves and gather previously unavailable information about their habits. Studies show that a male tiger may control a hunting territory of between 10 and 20 sq. kms. depending on its age, size and strength. The territory of male includes the smaller territories of three or four tigressess. A tiger marks the boundaries of its territories by spraying urine (尿) and other bodily liquids on bushes. But it tries to avoid territorial fights, being guided by the distinctive body smell of other tigers. Tigers fight to death only when a tigress is defending her young, or when a tiger is guarding a tigress from the attentions of other males.

   The popular image of the tiger is that of a merciless and unconquerable hunter. But studies show that it catches only one of 20 victims (牺牲品) it tries to attack.

Fears have recently developed that Project Tiger has been too successful. It has enabled the tiger population to double (by mid-80 S), but India's human population has also grown out of control. Currently it is 750 million and likely to be 900 million by the end of the century. Land problem is becoming serious and many rural people feel bitter about the fact that some rich forests are reserved for tigers. A growing number of attacks by tigers on man has added to the hostility (敌意).

26.   The ultimate aim of Project Tiger is to _____.

(A)  study the growth rate of tigers                     (C) promote the breeding of young tigers

(B)   protect tigers from being killed               (D) analyze the behavioral patterns of tigers

27.   Studies have shown that ______.

(A)  a tigress never attacks until attacked

(B)   the tigress is not as fierce as the tigers

(C)  a tiger usually fights another tiger to defend its own territory

(D)  the tiger is not an efficient hunter as is commonly described

28.   According to the passage, a tiger's territory _____.

(A) remains unchanged                               (C) expands as the tiger grows up

(B) is often defended by tigresses                 (D) is the cause of most fights

29.   Some people are afraid that Project Tiger _____.

(A) has been carried too far                         (C) has failed to achieve its goal

(B) has not received enough attention           (D) is not worth the money spent on it

30.   The author seems _____.

(A)  to be enthusiastic about Project Tiger

(B)   to have a matter-of-fact attitude towards Project Tiger

(C)  to have a hostile attitude towards Project Tiger

(D)  to be satisfied with Project Tiger