Part I Reading Comprehension (30%)
Directions: There are three passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D, You should decide on the best choice and blacken the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.
Passage 1
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:
Babies who are breast-fed may be more likely to be successful in life, a new study published Tuesday suggests. The study followed more than 3,000 babies into adulthood in Brazil. The researchers found those who were breast-fed scored slightly higher in intelligence tests in their 30s, stayed in school longer and earned more money than those who were given formula（配方奶粉）.
“Breast-feeding not only has short-term benefits, but also breast-feeding has long-term benefits, "says Bernardo Lessa Horta of the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil, who led the study being published in The Lancet Global Health.
(76) Doctors have long known that breast-feeding can be good for a baby’s health. This is especially true in poor countries, where water can be contaminated. For instance, a baby given formula in developing countries is 14 times more likely to die in the first six months than one who’s breast-fed. In the U.S., some research has suggested that breast-feeding may raise a baby’s IQ（智商）by a few points. But a recent study with siblings（兄弟姐妹）found little advantage to breast-feeding.
Horta says these previous studies didn’t follow children into adulthood to see if breast-feeding had long-term effects. So Horta analyzed data collected from 3,493 volunteers he and his colleagues have been following since birth. They are now in their 30s. First, the researchers gave the subjects IQ tests. Those who were breast-fed for 12 months or more had IQ test scores that were 3.76 points higher than those who were breast-fed for less than one month, the team found.
When Horta and his colleagues looked at how much education the subjects had gotten and how much money they were making, they also found a clear difference: Those who were breast-fed the longest stayed in school for about an extra year and had monthly salaries that were about a third higher.
1. From the passage, we learn that Horta_______________ .
A. is from Brazil
B. conducts his research in the U.S.
C. has 30 researchers on his team
D. is well-known in developing countries
2. Which of the following about those who were breast-fed is NOT mentioned?
A. They stayed longer in school B. They were happier
C. They were smarter D. They made more money
3. Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Doctors don’t understand the benefits of breast-feeding.
B. Horta is concerned with water contamination in poor countries.
C. Horta’s research project lasted about 30 years
D. Breast-feeding is the only way to improve a baby’s health
4. The word contaminated in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to____.
A. finished B. interested C. cleared D. polluted
5. Which of the following is an appropriate title for this passage?
A. Researchers Have Pointed Out the Disadvantages of Breast-feeding
B. Researchers Have Found Out the Shortcomings of Formula
C. Breast-feeding Improves Chances of Success
D. Breast-feeding Benefits Both Mother and Baby
Passage 2
Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:
Maggie Walker was born in 1867 in Richmond, Virginia. Her mother was once a slave in a rich woman’s house. When Maggie was very young, a thief killed her father. Her family was impoverished, so Maggie's mother started doing laundry in her home. Maggie had to help her. She washed clothes every day, but she continued to go to school. She was a very good student, especially in math.
After Maggie graduated from high school, she got a job as a teacher. In 1886, she married Armistead Walker. They had two sons and Maggie stayed home to care for them. She also volunteered to help a social organization called the Order of St. Luke. This organization helped African Americans take care of the sick and bury the dead. Maggie Walker loved the work of the organization. The organization believed that African Americans should take care of each other.
Over the years, Maggie Walker had more and more responsibilities with the organization. In 1895, she suggested that St. Luke begin a program for young people. (77) This program became very popular with schoolchildren. In 1899, Walk became Grand Secretary Treasurer of the St. Luke organization. However, because she was a woman, she received less than half the salary of the man who had the job before her.