READING REVISION
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to
each of the questions
READING 1
The American family unit is in the process of change. In the first half of the 20th century, there were
mainly two types of families: the extended and the nuclear. An extended family includes mother, father,
children and some other relatives, living in the same house. A nuclear family is composed of just parents
and children living under the same roof.
As the American economy had progressed from agricultural to industrial one, people were forced
to move to different parts of the country to get good jobs. These jobs were mainly in the large cities. Now,
in fact, three-quarters of Americans live in urban areas which occupy 2,5% of the national total land mass.
Of the 118 million in the labour force, only 3 million still work on the farm.
Since moving for better jobs has often divided the extended family, the nuclear family became
more popular. At present, 55% of the families in the U.S are nuclear families. But besides the two types of
traditional family groupings, the family is now being expanded to include a variety of other living
arrangements because of divorce. There is an increase in single-parent families, in which a father or
mother lives with one or more children. Divorce has also led to blended families, which occur when
previously married men and women marry again and combine the children from former marriage into a
new family. There are also some couples who do not want to have children to form two-person childless
families.
1. A nuclear family is one that ____________________.
A. consists of father, mother and children living in the same house.
B. relatives live with.
C. there are only grandparents, parents and their children living in.
D. is bigger than extended family.
2. The nuclear family becomes more popular because of ________________________.
A. more divorces.
B. the division of the extended family.
C. fewer jobs in big cities.
D. an increase in single-parent families.
3. How many types of families have there been in the U.S since the first half of the 20th century?
A. Two
B. Three
C. Four
D. Five
4. A blended family is a newly-formed family _____________________.
A. with the combination of children of the two previously married father and mother.
B. that has only father or mother living with children.
C. in which there are no children.
D. that there is only one couple living in with their newborn children.
READING 2
'The best age to start learning the violin is between three and six,' says Margaret Porter, a violinist
and music teacher. 'It's the time when you are learning about the world.' Margaret, who lives in London,
prefers to take pupils at three and four, although she has made lots of exceptions for keen five-year-olds.
When she started teaching the violin in 1972, her first class consisted of her children’s five-year-old school
friends.
Margaret's pupils have group lessons. Each group has about a dozen pupils and each lesson lasts
an hour, once a fortnight. In addition, each pupil has one individual lesson a week with her. Parents also
have to attend the classes. It is important that parents take an active interest in the lessons.
From the earliest lessons pupils learn to play by ear. They do not even try to read music until they
have been playing for several years, and for a long time there is a big difference between their playing and
reading of music. Margaret says that her method is not supposed to produce great violinists, and always
suggests that pupils who perform particularly well should leave and study the violin using more traditional
methods.
1. What is the writer trying to do in the text?
A. explain why Margaret likes teaching the violin.
B. describe a different way of learning the violin.
C. give advice on how to find a music teacher.
D. explain why Margaret has a lot of pupils.
2. Why should someone read the text?
A. To discover how Margaret learnt the violin.
B. To learn why it is important to read music.
C. To find out about Margaret’s teaching method.
D. To learn why children should play the violin.
3. What opinion does Margret have about her best pupils?
A. They ought to find another teacher.
B. They will become great violinists using her method.
C. They could try harder.
D. They take several years to learn to read music.
4. Margaret’s first pupils were _____________.
A. her children
B. three-and four-year-old
C. her own friends
D. her children’s friends.
READING 3
I was with Overseas Volunteers (OV) for a year after leaving university, and I was sent to an isolated village
in Chad, about 500 km from the capital N'Djamena. Coming from a rich country, I got quite a shock as conditions
were much harder than I had expected. But after a few days I soon got used to living there. The people were
always very friendly and helpful, and soon I began to appreciate how beautiful the countryside was.
One of my jobs was to supply the village with water. The well was a long walk away. And the women
used to spend a long time every day carrying heavy pots backwards and forwards. So I contacted organization
and arranged to have some pipes delivered. We built a simple pipeline and a pump, and it worked first time.
It wasn't perfect - there were a few leaks, but it made a great difference to the villagers, who had never had
running water before. And not only did we have running water, but in the evenings it was hot, because the
pipe had been lying in the sun all day. All in all, I think my time with OV was a good experience. Although
it was not well-paid, it was well worth doing, and I would recommend it to anyone who was considering
working for a charity.
1. How did the author feel when he arrived in the village?
A. surprised
B. impressed
C. disappointed
D. depressed
2 .Which of the following is not true?
A. It took a lot of time to take water home from the well.
B. The villagers used to live in conditions without running water.
C. A pipeline was built to carry clean water to homes.
D. Solar energy was used to heat water.
3. The word 'It' in line 8 refers to ______.
A. running water
B. the pump
C. the pipeline
D. the supply of water
4. What does the author think about his time with OV?
A. It was paid a lot of money.
B. It was not worth working.
C. It wasted time.
D. It provided good experience.
READING 4
Today our knowledge of food and what it does for our bodies is far more advanced than that of the
ancient. Now we know about vitamins and how each kind of vitamin helps in the growth of a particular part
of our bodies. There are on the market all kinds of vitamin pills which one can take to make up for one’s
lack of certain important things which are needed for normal health. Of course, if we eat well and properly,
the food that we eat will take care of our bodies without these pills and so there is no need to take any kinds
of vitamin pills unless our doctor tells us that our bodies are short of something which can be supplied by
them.
Generally speaking, everything we eat does some good to our bodies, but if we eat too much of one
kind of food and pay no attention to others, we may have too much of one kind of chemical substance and
not enough of others. Then, we may be in trouble.
We are often told that we must eat some meat at each meal in order to get the necessary protein. That
is only partly true, for proteins are not found only in meat. We can also get them from some vegetables.
The best advice about what to eat is that we should eat all kinds of food but never too much of any.
1. According to the passage, we now know ____________.
A. more and more about food and health
B. what food is fit to eat
C. how many kinds of vitamins there are
D. food is important in the growth of our bodies
2. People take certain vitamin pills when they ____________.
A. want to build up their bodies
B. find their bodies are short of something
C. want to cure some diseases
D. think certain foods don’t agree with them
3. According to the passage, to get proteins we must eat ____________.
A. food and vitamin pills
B. only fruit
C. meat and vegetables D. more vegetables
4. The main topic of the passage is ____________.
A. meat, vegetables and protein
B. vitamins and proteins
C. food and health
D. health and vitamin pills
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the
correct word for each of the blanks.
READING 1
There are many things you can do to look after yourself. If you want to look better and feel better, you
should take regular exercise, sleep (29) _________ and avoid burning the (30) _________ at both ends,
eats balanced diet, give (31) _________ smoking, and, above all, try not to worry about anything. In fact,
It has been suggested that if you worry about things too much, you it is likely to have a negative effect on
your health. A number of serious (32) _________ are stress related and people who tend to look on the
bright side live longer. So, if you find yourself in a difficult situation and can’t help it, don’t worry – be
happy.
1. A. long
B. well
C. much
D. early
2. A. body
B. stick
C. candle
D. fireplace
3. A. out
B. off
C. up
D. away
4. A. ills
B. illnesses
C. sicknesses
D. sicks
READING 2
Deep sleep is important for everyone. The actual amount of sleep you need depends (29) ________
your age. A young child ought to sleep ten to twelve hours, and a teenager about nine hours. Adults differ
a lot in their sleeping (30) ________. For most of them, seven to eight hours a night is enough, but some
sleep longer, while others manage with only four hours. For a good night, having a comfortable place to
sleep is very important. Also, there should be (31) ________ of fresh air in the room. A warm drink
sometimes helps people to sleep although it is not a good idea to drink coffee immediately before going to
bed. If you have to travel a very long distance, try to go to bed earlier than usual the day before the (32)
________. This will help you to feel rested when you arrive.
1. A. on
B. to
C. in
D. of
2. A. ways
B. habits
C. manners
D. actions
3. A. plenty
B. much
C. many
D. several
4. A. voyage
B. excursion
C. journey
D. visit
READING 3
In the United States, volunteering is (29) ______ as a good way to give children a sense of (30) ______
responsibility and to bring the family together. Volunteerism is growing across the United States today
because people are trying to put more emphasis on family togetherness, and they are looking for ways to
help young people have a feeling of hope and satisfaction. It is believed that volunteering helps children
discover their talents, develop their skills, and learn about (31) ______ and problem solving. (32) ______,
family volunteering has some advantages: it benefits the community that is served, it benefits the family
for serving together, and it benefits each individual in the family.
1. A. respected
B. viewed
C. inspected
D, showed
2. A. commune
B. communal
C. communion
D. community
3. A. operation
B. corporation
C. correspondence
D. cooperation
4. A. Moreover
B. However
C. Therefore
D. Consequently
READING 4
What kind of music do you enjoy? Some people like going to classical concerts, and listening to an
orchestra. The (29) _________ wear very formal clothes, and the (30)___________ is silent until the end
of the performance. Perhaps you're a rock music fan. Rock concerts are often held at football stadiums or
in parks in a crazy atmosphere. Everyone shouts, dances to the music, or sings the songs. (31) _________
music is played at weddings and parties in many countries. Nowadays, we can easily (32) __________
music, of all kinds, in shops, lifts or any other public places. Many people even make their own music at
home or play their own music with them whenever traveling. Music is everywhere!
1. A. musicians
B. actors
C. musicals
D. instruments
2. A. spectators
B. people
C. guests
D. audience
3. A. Historical
B. Nation
C. Traditional
D. Ancient
4. A. listen
B. hear
C. perform
D. understand