江西财经大学0607学年第二学期part I Reading Comprehension (2X 20 = 40)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 1Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage:Until the 1980s, the American homeless population comprised mainly older males. Today, homelessness strikes much younger part of society. In fact, a 25-city survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1987 found that families with children make up the fastest growing part of the homeless population. Many homeless children gather in inner cities; this transient and frequently frightened student population creates additional problems-both legal and educational-for already overburdened urban school administrators and teachers. Estimates of the number of homeless Americans range from 350,000 to three million. Likewise, estimates of the number of homeless school children vary radically. A U.S. Department of Education report, based on state estimates, states that there are 220,000 homeless school-age children, about a third of whom do not attend school on a regular basis. But the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that there are at least two times as many homeless children, and that less than half of them attend school regularly. One part of the homeless population that is particularly difficult to count consists of the throwaway youths who have been cast off their homes. The Elementary School Center in New York City estimates that there are 1.5 million of them, many of whom are not counted as children because they do not stay in family shelters and tend to live by themselves on the streets. Federal law, the Stewart McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, includes a section that addresses the educational needs of homeless children. The educational provisions of the McKinney Act are based on the belief that all homeless children have the right to a free, appropriate education. 1. In 1987, the American homeless population was made up of _. A) older males B) school childrenC) adults D) both A and B2. The author implies in the first paragraph that _. A) the homeless population is growing rapidlyB) there is serious shortage of school administrators and teachersC) homeless children often move from place to placeD) homeless children usually stay outside schools3. The National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that there are _ homeless children. A) 7000,000 B) 350,000C) 440,000 D) 70,0004. One part of the homeless population is difficult to count. The reason might be that _. A) homeless children live on the streetsB) homeless children have no parentsC) the homeless are too young to be counted as childrenD) the homeless children are not taken as members of their families5. The aim of the McKinney Act is to _. A) offer education for homeless childrenB) provide family shelters for homeless childrenC) reduce the number of homeless childrenD) estimate the number of homeless populationPassage 2Questions 6-10 are based on the following passage: If women are mercilessly exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion. When you come to think of it, only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe(衣柜) packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear. Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; necklines are lowered or raised, and so on. No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability(耐用). They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasnt at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high-heeled shoes. When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of womens clothes, o