Part I              Listening Comprehension                           (20 minutes)

Section A
Directions:In this section, you will hear 10 short conversations. At the end o f each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the question will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C ) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Example:  You will hear:
           You will read:  A) 2 hours.                   B) 3 hours.
                           C) 4 hours                    D) 5 hours.
     From the conversation we know that the two are talking about some work they will start at 9 o'clock in the morning and have to finish at 2 in the afternoon. Therefore, D) "5 hours" is the correct answer. You should choose ［D］on the Answer Sheet and mark it with a single a sinle line through the centre.
                                                  Sample Answer ［A］［B］［C］［D］

1. A) Buy some traveller's checks.              B) Borrow some money from a friend.
   C) Check the brakes and tires.               D) Spend some time travelling.
2. A) He is very forgiving and tolerant.        B) He probably has a poor mem or y.
   C) He is well liked by his customers.        D) He has been introduced to the st aff.
3. A) He thinks the book should include more information.     
   B) He doesn't think it necessary to proveide the answers.
   C) The answers will be added in a later edition.
   D) The book does include the answers. 
4. A) Announce appeals for public service.      B) Hold a charity concert to raise money.
   C) Ask the school radio station for help.    D) Pool money to fund the radio station.
5. A) She talked with the consultant about the new program until two.
   B) She couldn't talk to the consultant before two.
   C) She would talk to the consultant during lunch.
   D) She couldn't contact the consultant's secretary.
6. A) They are equally competent for the job.   B) They both graduated from art schools.
   C) They majored in different areas of art.   D) They are both willing to draw the posters.
7. A) At a book store.                          B) At an art museum.
   C) At a newspaper office.                    D) At a gymnasium.
8. A) The woman received a phone call from Mark yesterday.
   B) The man injured Mark in a traffic accident yesterday.
   C) The man met a friend by chance.
   D) The woman contacted Mark on business.
9. A) The man should stay up and watch the program.  
   B) The man should read something exciting instead.
   C) The man should go to bed at eleven.                     
   D) The man should give up watching the movie.
10.A) Students with a library card can check any book out.
   B) Reference books are not allowed to be checked out.
   C) Only students with a library card can check out reference books.
   D) The number of books a student can check out is unlimited.
Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding lette r on the Answer Sheet with a sinle line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.
11.A) To find out whether they take music lessons in their spare time.
   B) To find out whether they can name four different musical instruments.
   C) To find out whether they enjoy playing musical instruments in school.
   D) To find out whether they differ in their preference for musical instruments.
12.A) They find them too hard to play.
   B) They think it silly to play them.
   C) They find it not challenging enough to play them.
   D) They consider it important to be different from girls.
13.A) Children who have private music tutors.       B) Children who are 8 or older.
   C) Children who are between 5 and 7.             D) Children who are well- educated.
Passage Two
Questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.
14.A) Because there weren't any professional teams in the U. S. then.
   B) Because Pele hadn't retired from the Brazilian National Team yet.
   C) Because this fast-moving sport wasn't familiar to many Americans.
   D) Because good professional players received low salaries.
15.A) When it has a large number of fans.        
   B) When it plays at home.
   C) When it has many international stars playing for it.
   D) When the fans cheer enthusiastically for it.
16.A) It wasn't among the top four teams.         B) It didn't play as well as expected.
   C) It won the World Cup.                       D) It placed fourth
Passage Three
Questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.
17.A) Students from America.                  B) Students from England.
   C) Students from Australia.                D) Students from Japan.
18.A) Those who know how to program computers.
   B) Those who get special aid from their teachers.
   C) Those who are very hardworking.
   D) Those who have well-educated parents.
19.A) Japanese students study much harder than Columbian students.
   B) Columbian students score higher than Japanese students in maths.
   C) Columbian students are more optimistic about their maths skills.
   D) Japanese students have better conditions for study.
20.A) Physics.                                B) Mathematics.
   C) Environmental science.                  D) Life science.
Part II                         Reading Comprehension                              (35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading 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 mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
    In the 1920s demand for American farm products fell, as European countries began  to recover from World War I and instituted austerity (紧缩) programs to reduce their imports. The result was a sharp drop in farm prices. This period was more disastrous for farmers than earlier times had been, because farmers were no longer self-sufficient. They were paying for machinery, seed, and fertilizer, and they were also buying consumer goods. The prices of the items farmers bought remained constant, while prices they received for their products fell. These developments were made worse by the Great Depression, which began in 1929 and extended throughout the 1939s.
    In 1929, under President Herbert Hoover, the Federal Farm Board was organized. It established the principle of direct interference with supply and demand, and it represented the first national commitment to provide greater economic stability for farmers.
    President Hoover's successor attached even more importance to this problem. One of the first measures proposed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt when he took office in 1933 was the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which was subsequently passed by Congress. This law gave the Secretary of Agriculture the power to reduce  production through voluntary agreements with farmers who were paid to take their land out of use. A deliberate scarcity of farm products was planned in an effort to raise prices. This law was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court on the grounds that general taxes were being collected to pay one special group of people. However, new laws were passed immediately that achieved the same result of resting soil and providing flood-control measures, but which were based on the principle of soil conservation. The Roosevelt Administration believed that rebuilding the nation's soil was in the national interest and was not simply a plan to help farmers at the expense of other citizens. Later the government guaranteed loans to farmers so that they could buy farm machinery, hybrid (杂交) grain, and fertilizers.
21.What brought about the decline in the demand for American farm products?
   A) The impact of the Great Depression.
   B) The shrinking of overseas markets.
   C) The destruction caused by the First World War.
   D) The increased exports of European countries.
22.The chief concern of the American government in the area of agriculture in the 1920s was
   ______ .
   A) to increase farm production            B) to establish agricultural laws
   C) to prevent farmers from going bankrupt D) to promote the mechanization of agriculture
23.The Agricultural Adjustment Act encouraged American farmers to ______.
   A) reduce their scale of production
   B) make full use of their land
   C) adjust the prices of their farm products
   D) be self-sufficient in agricultural production
24.The Supreme Court rejected the Agricultural Adjustment Act because it believed that the 
   Act  ______.
   A) might cause greater scarcity of farm products
   B) didn't give the Secretary of Agriculture enough power
   C) would benefit neither the government nor the farmers
   D) benefited one group of citizens at the expense of others
25.It was claimed that the new laws passed during the Roosevelt Administration were aimed 
   at ______.
   A) reducing the cost of farmin
   B) conserving soil in the long-term interest of the nation
   C) lowering the burden of farmers
   D) helping farmers without shifling the burden onto other taxpayers
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
    In the 1950s, the pioneers of artificial intelligence (AI) predicted that, by the end of this century, computers would be conversing with us at work and robots would be performing our housework. But as useful as computers are, they're nowhere close to achieving anything remotely resembling these early aspirations f or humanlike behavior. Never mind something as complex as conversation: the most  powerful computers struggle to reliably recognize the shape of an object, the most elementary of tasks for a ten-month-old kid.
    A growing group of AI researchers think they know where the field went wrong . The problem, the scientists say, is that AI has been trying to separate the highest, most abstract levels of thought, like language and mathematics, and to duplicate them with logical, step-by-step programs. A new movement in AI, on the other hand, takes a closer look at the more roundabout way in which nature came up with intelligence. Many of these researchers study evolution and natural adaptation instead of formal logic and conventional computer programs. Rather than digital computers and transistors, some want to work with brain cells and proteins . The results of these early efforts are as promising as they are peculiar, and the new nature-based AI movement is slowly but surely moving to the forefront of  the field.
    Imitating the brain's neural (神经的） network is a huge step in the right direction, says computer scientist and biophysicist Michael Conrad, but it still misses an important aspect of natural intelligence. "People tend to treat the brain as if it were made up of color-coded transistors", he explains, "but it's not simply a clever network of switches. There are lots of important things going on  inside the brain cells themselves." Specifically, Conrad believes that many of the brain's capabilities stem from the patternrecognition proficiency of the individual molecules that make up each brain cell. The best way to build and artificially intelligent device, he claims, would be to build it around the same sort of molecular skills.
    Right now, the option that conventional computers and software are fundamentally incapable of matching the processes that take place in the brain remains controversial. But if it proves true, then the efforts of Conrad and his fellow AI  rebels could turn out to be the only game in town.
26.The author says that the powerful computers of today ______.
   A) are capable of reliably recognizing the shape of an object
   B) are close to exhibiting humanlike behavior
   C) are not very different in their performance from those of the 50's
   D) still cannot communicate with people in a human language
27.The new trend in artificial intelligence research stems from ______.
   A) the shift of the focus of study on to the recognition of the shapes of objects
   B) the belief that human intelligence cannot be duplicated with logical, step-by-step
      programs
   C) the aspirations of scientists to duplicate the intelligence of a ten-month-old child    
   D) the efforts made by scientists in the study of the similarities between transistors and 
      brain cells
28.Conrad and his group of AI researchers have been making enormous efforts to ______.
   A) find a roundabout way to design powerful computers
   B) build a computer using a clever network of switches
   C) find out how intelligence developed in nature
   D) separate the highest and most abstract levels of thought
29.What's the author's opinion about the new AI movement?
   A) It has created a sensation among artificial intelligence researchers but will  soon die
      out.
   B) It's a breakthrough in duplicating human thought processes.
   C) It's more like a peculiar game rather than a real scientific effort.
   D) It may prove to be in the right direction though nobody is sure of its future prospects.
30.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the phrase "the only game in  town" (Line 3,
   Para. 4)?
   A) The only approach to building an artificially intelligent computer.
   B) The only way for them to win a prize in artificial intelligence research.
   C) The only area worth studying in computer science.
   D) The only game they would like to play in town.
Passage Three
Question 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
    Cars account for half the oil consumed in the U.S., about half the urban pollution and one fourth the greenhouse (温室) gases. They take a similar oll of (损耗)  resources in other industrial nations and in the cities of the developing world . As vehicle use continues to increase in the coming decade, the U.S. and other countries will have to deal with these issues or else face unacceptable economic , health-related and political costs. It is unlikely that oil prices will remain at their current low level or that other nations will accept a large and growing U.S. contribution to global climatic change.  
    Policymakers and industry have four options: reduce vehicle use, increase the efficiency and reduce the emissions of conventional gasoline-powered vehicles,  switch to less harmful fuels, or find less polluting driving systems. The last of these-in particular the introduction of vehicles powered by electricity — is ultimately the only sustainable option. The other alternatives are attractive in  theory but in practice are either impractical or offer only marginal improvements. For example, reduced vehicle use could solve traffic problems and a host of social and environmental problems, but evidence from around the world suggests t hat it is very difficult to make people give up their cars to any significant ex tent. In the U.S., mass-transit ridership and carpooling (合伙用车） have decline d since World War II. Even in western Europe, with fuel prices averaging more than $ 1 a liter (about $ 4 a gallon) and with easily accessible mass transit and dense populations, cars still account for 80 percent of all passenger travel.
     Improved energy efficiency is also appealing, but automotive fuel economy has barely made any progress in 10 years. Alternative fuels such as natural gas, burned in internal-combustion engines, could be introduced at relatively low cost,  but they would lead to only marginal reductions in pollution and greenhouse emissions (especially because oil companies are already spending billions of dollars every year to develop less polluting types of gasoline).
31.From the passage we know that the increased use of cars will ______.
   A) consume half of the oil produced in the world
   B) have serious consequences for the well-being of all nations
   C) widen the gap between the developed and developing countries
   D) impose an intolerable economic burden on residents of large cities
32.The U.S. has to deal with the problems arising from vehicle use because ______.
   A. most Americans are reluctant to switch to public transportation systems
   B) the present level of oil prices is considered unacceptable
   C) other countries will protest its increasing greenhouse emissions
   D) it should take a lead in conserving natural resources
33.Which of the following is the best solution to the problems mentioned in the  passage?
   A) The designing of highly efficient car engines.
   B) A reduction of vehicle use in cities.
   C) The development of electric cars.
   D) The use of less polluting fuels.
34.Which of the following is practical but only makes a marginal contribution to solving the 
   problem of greenhouse emissions?
   A) The use of fuels other than gasoline.
   B) Improved energy efficiency.
   C) The introduction of less polluting driving systems.
   D) Reducing car use by carpooling
35.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
   A) The decline of public transportation accounts for increased car use in western Europe.
   B) Cars are popular in western Europe even though fuel prices are fairly high.
   C) The reduction of vehicle use is the only sustainable option in densely populated western 
      Europe.
   D) Western European oil companies cannot sustain the cost of developing new-type fuels.
Passage Four
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
     Reebok executives do not like to hear their stylish athletic shoes called “ footwear for yuppies (雅皮士，少壮高薪职业人士)”. They contend that Reebok shoes appeal to diverse market segments, especially now that the company offers basketball and children's shoes for the under-18 set and walking shoes for older customers not interested in aerobics （健身操）or running. The executives also point out that through recent acquisitions they have added hiking boots, dress and casual shoes, and high-performance athletic footwear to their product lines, all of which should attract new and varied groups of customers.
    Still, despite its emphasis on new markets, Reebok plans few changes in the upmarket (高档消费人群的)retailing network that helped push sales to $ 1 billion  annually, ahead of all other sports shoe marketers. Reebok shoes, which are priced from $ 27 to $85, will continue to be sold only in better specialty, sporting goods, and department stores, in accordance with the company's view that consumers judge the quality of the brand by the quality of its distribution.
    In the past few years, the Massachusetts-based company has imposed limits on  the number of its distributors (and the number of shoes supplied to stores), partly out of necessity. At times the unexpected demand for Reebok's exceeded supply, and the company could barely keep up with orders from the dealers it already  had. These fulfillment problems seem to be under control now, but the company is still selective about its distributors. At present, Reebok shoes are available  in about five thousand retail stores in the United States.
    Reebok has already anticipated that walking shoes will be the next fitness-related craze, replacing aerobics shoes the same way its brightly colored, soft leather exercise footwear replaced conventional running shoes. Through product diversification and careful market research, Reebok hopes to avoid the distribution problems Nike came across several years ago, when Nike misjudged the strength of the aerobics shoe craze and was forced to unload huge inventories of running shoes through discount stores.
36.One reason why Reebok's managerial personnel don't like their shoes to be called "footwear
   for yuppies" is that _______.
   A) they believe that their shoes are popular with people of different age groups
   B) new production lines have been added to produce inexpensive shoes
   C) "yuppies" usually evokes a negative image
   D) the term makes people think of prohibitive prices
37.Reebok's view that "consumers judge the quality of the brand by the quality of its 
   distribution" (Line 5, Para. 2)implies that ______.
   A) the quality of a brand is measured by the service quality of the store selling it
   B) the quality of a product determines the quality of its distributors
   C) the popularity of a brand is determined by the stores that sell it
   D) consumers believe that first-rate products are only sold by high-quality stores
38.Reebok once had to limit the number of its distributors because ______.
   A) its supply of products fell short of demand
   B) too many distributors would cut into its profits
   C) the reduction of distributors could increase its share of the market
   D) it wanted to enhance consumer confidence in its products
39.Although the Reebok Company has solved the problem of fulfilling its orders,  it ______.
   A) does not want to further expand its retailing network
   B) still limits the number of shoes supplied to stores
   C) is still particular about who sells its products
   D) still carefully chooses the manufacturers of its products
40.What lesson has Reebok learned from Nike's distribution problems?
   A) A company should not sell its high quality shoes in discount stores.
   B) A company should not limit its distribution network.
   C) A company should do follow-up surveys of its products.
   D) A company should correctly evaluate the impact of a new craze on the market.
Part III                        Vocabulary                      (20 minutes)
Directions: There are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Choose the ONE that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
41.For many patients, institutional care is the most ______ and beneficial form of care.
   A) pertinent         B) appropriate     C) acute           D) persistent
42.Among all the changes resulting from the ______ entry of women into the work  force, the
   transformation that has occurred in the women themselves is not the least important.
   A) massive           B) quantitative    C) surplus         D) formidable
43.Mr. Smith became very ______ when it was suggested that he had made a mistake.
   A) ingenious         B) empirical       C) objective       D) indignant
44.Rumours are everywhere, spreading fear, damaging reputations, and turning calm situations
   into ______ ones.
   A) turbulent         B) tragic          C) vulnerable      D) suspicious
45.The ______ cycle of life and death is a subject of interest to scientists and philosophers
   alike.
   A) incompatible      B) exceeding       C) instantaneous    D) eternal
46.She remains confident and ______ untroubled by our present problems.
   A) indefinitely      B) infinitely      C) optimistically   D) seemingly
47.Fiber-optic cables can carry hundreds of telephone conversations ______.
   A. simultaneously    B) spontaneously   C) homogeneously    D) contemporarily
48.The police were alerted that the escaped criminal might be in the ______.
   A) vain              B) vicinity        C) court            D) jail
49.Whether you live to eat or eat to live, food is a major ______ in every family's budget.
   A) nutrition         B) expenditure     C) routine          D) provision
50.Now a paper in Science argues that organic chemicals in the rock come mostly  from ______ 
   on earth    rather than bacteria on Mars.
   A) configuration     B) constitution    C) condemnation     D) contamination
51.There is much I enjoy about the changing seasons, but my favorite time is the ______ from 
   fall to winter.
   A) transmission      B) transformation  C) transition       D) transfer
52.I think we need to see an investment ______ before we make an expensive mistake.
   A) guide             B) entrepreneur    C) consultant       D) assessor
53.The ______ on this apartment expires in a year's time.
   A) treaty            B) lease           C) engagement       D) subsidy
54.The elderly Russians find it hard to live on their state ______.
   A) pensions          B) earnings        C) salaries         D) donations
55.There is supposed to be a safety ______ which makes it impossible for trains to collide.
   A) appliance         B) accessory       C) machine          D) mechanism
56.After four years in the same job his enthusiasm finally ______.
   A) deteriorated      B) dispersed       C) dissipated       D) drained
57.No one can function properly if they are _______ of adequate sleep.
   A) deprived          B) ripped          C) stripped         D) contrived
58.For years now, the people of that faraway country have been cruelly ______  by a dictator.
   A) depressed         B) immersed        C) oppressed        D) cursed
59.Ever since the rise of industrialism, education has been ______ towards producing workers.
   A) harnessed         B) hatched         C) motivated        D) geared
60.The prospect of increased prices has already ______ worries.
   A) provoked          B) irritated       C) inspired         D) hoisted
61.The suspect ______ that he had not been in the neighbourhood at the time of the crime.
   A) advocated         B) alleged         C) addressed        D) announced
62.Although the colonists ______ to some extent with the native Americans , the Indians' 
   influence on American culture and language was not extensive.
   A) migrated          B) matched         C) mingled          D) melted
63.E-mail is a convenient, highly democratic informal medium for conveying messages that _______ well to human needs.
   A) adheres           B) reflects        C) conforms         D) satisfies
64.The wings of the bird still ______ after it had been shot down.
   A) slapped           B) scratched       C) flapped          D) fluctuated
65.The disagreement over trade restrictions could seriously ?______ relations between the two countries.
   A) tumble            B) jeopardize      C) manipulate       D)  intimidate
66.When you put up wallpaper, should you ______ the edges or put them next to  each other?
   A) coincide          B) extend          C) overlap          D) collide
67.Under the present system, state enterprises must ______ all profits to  the government.
   A) turn down         B) turn up         C) turn out         D) turn in 
68.Oil companies in the U.S. are already beginning to feel the pressure. Refinery workers and
   petroleum-equipment-manufacturing employees are being _______.
   A) laid out          B) laid off        C) laid down        D) laid aside
69.We'll ______ you for any damage done to your house while we are in it.
   A) compensate        B) remedy          C) supplement       D) retrieve
70.She cut her hair short and tried to ______ herself as a man.
   A) decorate          B) disguise        C) fabricate        D) fake

Part IV         Error Correction                 (15 minutes)
Directions: This part consists of a short passage. In this passage, there are altogether 10 mistakes, one in each numbered line. You may have to change a word, add a word or delete a word. Mark out the mistakes and put the corrections in the blanks provided. If you change a word, cross it out and write the correct word  in the corresponding blank. If you add a word, put an insertion mark (∧) in the right place and write the missing word in the blank. If you delete a word, cross it out and put a slash (/) in the blank.

    When you start talking about good and bad  manners you 
immediately start meeting difficulties. Many people just cannot 
agree what they mean. We asked a lady,  who replied that she
thought you could tell a well-mannered person on the way they          71._______
occupied the space around them—for example, when such a 
person walks down a street he or she is constantly unaware of          72._______
others. Such people never bump into other people.
     However, a second person thought that this was more a
question of civilized behavior as good manners. Instead, this          73._______
other person told us a story, it he said was quite well known,         74._______
about an American who had been invited to an Arab meal at              75._______
one of the countries of the Middle East. The American hasn't           76._______
been told very much about the kind of food he might expect.If
he had known about American food, he might have behaved                77._______
better.
    Immediately before him was a very flat piece of bread that
looked, to him, very much as a napkin (餐巾） Picking it               78._______
up, he put it into his collar, so that it falls across his shirt.      79._______
His Arab host, who had been watching, said of nothing,  but            80._______
immediately copied the action of his guest.
   And that, said this second person, was a fine example of 
good manners.
Part V                                          Writing                                   (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition  on the topic Is a Test of Spoken English Necessary? The first sentence has already been written for you. You should write at least 120 words, and base your composition on the outline given in Chinese below:
1. 很多人认为有必要举行口语考试，理由是 ······
2.也有人持不同的意见，······
3.我的看法和打算
                            Is a Test of Spoken English Necessary?
A test of spoken English will be included as an optional component of the College English Test (CET).  

2000年6月大学英语六级考试听力材料
Section A
1. M: Have you had the brakes and tires checked? And do you have enough money?
   W: I've taken care of everything and I'm sure it's going to be a wonderful trip.
   Q: What is the woman going to do?
2. M: The new sales manager says he have never met you before.
   W: We've been introduced about three times. He seems a little forgetful.
   Q: What do we learn about the new sales manager?
3. W: I don't understand why this book for self study doesn't have answers to the questions.
   M: But it does. You can find them alt the back of the book.
   Q: What does the man say about the self-study book?
4. W: We mean to let everyone know about the charity concert, but we don't have enough money
      for advertising.
   M: How about using the school radio station? They broadcast free public-service 
      announcement.
   Q: What does the man suggest they do?
5. M: By the way, Jane, did you talk to the consultant about our health program?
   W: I contacted his office, but his secretary said he would be out for lunch until two.
   Q: What does the woman mean?
6. M: I don't know whether to ask Joe or Cora to draw the posters.
   W: What difference does it make? They're both excellent artists.
   Q: What does the woman imply about Joe and Core?
7. M: Mary is in charge of the art and music section; and Charles, the ports page. What about
      you?
   W: I'm responsible for the editorials.
   Q: Where does the woman work?
8. M: I ran into our friend Mark yesterday on the street, and he said he hadn't heard from you
      for two months.
   W: Yes, I know, but I've been too busy to phone him.
   Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
9. M: I'm really exhausted. but I don't want to miss the film that comes on at 11.
   W: If I were you, I'd skip it. We both have to get up early tomorrow. and anyway, I've 
      heard it isn't that exciting.
   Q: What does the woman mean?
10. M: I thought the librarian said we could check out as many books as we need without
      our library cards.
    W: That's right, but not those reference books.
    Q: What does the woman mean?
Section B
Passage One
    The piano and violin are girls' instruments. Drums and trumpets are for boys. According to psychologists Susan Onco and Michael Balton, children have very clear ideas about which musical instruments they should play. They find that despite the best efforts of teachers these ideas have changed very little over the past decade. They interviewed 153 children aged between 9 and 11 from schools in northwest England. They asked them to identify 4 musical instruments and then to say which they would like to play most and which they would least lie to play.They also asked the children for their views on whether boys or girls should not play any of the 4 instruments. The piano and the violin were both ranked more favorably by girls than by boys, while boys prefer the drums and trumpets. There was broad agreement between boys and girls on which instruments each sex should play and the reasons vary. And while almost half of all boys said they avoid certain instruments because they were too difficult to play, only 15% of girls gave that as a reason. Earlier studies indicated that very young school children aged between 5 and 7 showed no bias in choosing musical instruments, but their tastes become more clear between the ages of 8 and 10. One survey of 78 teachers suggested that after that age both boys and girls.
11. Why did Susan and Michael interview children aged between 9 and 11?
12. Why do many of the boys avoid certain instruments?
13. Which group of children have a bias when choosing musical instruments?
Passage Two
    In the 1970s, the famous Brazilian football player Pele retired from the national team of Brazil and became a professional player for a team in New York. Football, or soccer, wasn't very popular in the United States at that time. Few North Americans knew anything about this fast-moving sport. There was no money to pay professional players and there was little interest in football in high schools and colleges. When Pele and other international stars began playing in various US cities, people saw how interesting the game was and began to go to the matches. It is now common for important games to have fifty to sixty thousand fans. Support from the fans is important to the football. The fans cheer enthusiastically for their favorite players and teams, who respond by playing better than before. In most World Cups, the home team, or the team from the host country usually plays better than most people expect. In 1966, 1974 and 1978, the home teams of England, West Germany and Argentina all won the World Cup. The World Cup is called that because teams from every continent have played in it. However, since the Cup began, all of the winning teams have been from Europe or South America. Teams from Asia or Africa always do well but they haven't yet won. Mexico played surprisingly well in the 1970 Cup, which it hosted, but it wasn't among the 4 final teams.
14. Why wasn't football a popular sport in the U.S. in the 1970s?
15. When does a football team have the best chance to win the World Cup?
16. How did Mexico do in the 1970 World Cup?
Passage Three
    The world's smartest adolescence in mathematics and science are in Singapore, according to a global survey of educational achievement. In the 3rd International Mathematics and Science Study, 13-year-olds from Singapore achieved the best scores in standardized tests of maths and science that were administered to 287, 896 students in 41 countries in 1994 and 1995. The survey suggests that science and maths education is especially strong in the Far East. While well behind those top scores, students from Australia earned higher marks in maths than their counterparts in England, who in turn did better than American students. The study collected information on the students' teachers and homes. Not surprisingly, the highest-scoring students had well-educated parents or came from homes containing study-aids such as computers, dictionaries or even such elemental facilities as desks. The study shows that boys generally did better than girls in science, but there was little difference between them in maths. Boys scored better than girls in physics and chemistry. There were no sex differences in the life and environmental sciences. In addition to being tested, students in the project were asked how proficient they thought they were in maths and science. Students in some countries, such as Columbia and Kuwait, had an overly optimistic view of their skills. Meanwhile, some of the best students from Japan and Korea for example were needlessly pessimistic even though they did far better in maths than almost all of other students.
17. Of the 4 groups of students, who scored the lowest in maths according to the survey?
18. What kind of students are most likely to become top scorers?
19. In what way do Columbian students differ from Japanese students?
20. In which subjects did boys score higher than girls?

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