Unit 1

Text 1

A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine estimated that there are an average of 30 in-flight medical emergencies on U.S. flights every day. Most of them are not grave; fainting, dizziness and hyperventilation are the most frequent complaints. But 13% of them—roughly four a day—are serious enough to require a pilot to change course. The most common of the serious emergencies include heart trouble (46%), strokes and other neurological problems (18%), and difficult breathing (6%).

Let's face it: plane riders are stressful. For starters, cabin pressures at high altitudes are set at roughly what they would be if you lived at 5,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level. Most people can tolerate these pressures pretty easily, but passengers with heart disease may experience chest pains as a result of the reduced amount of oxygen flowing through their blood. Low pressure can also cause the air in body cavities to expand—as much as 30%. Again, most people won't notice anything beyond mild stomach cramping. But if you've recently had an operation, your wound could open. And if a medical device has been implanted in your body—a splint, a tracheotomy tube or a catheter—it could expand and cause injury.

Another common in-flight problem is deep venous thrombosis—the so-called economy-class syndrome. When you sit too long in a cramped position, the blood in our legs tends to clot. Most people just get sore calves. But blood clots, left untreated, could travel to the lungs, causing breathing difficulties and even death. Such clots are readily prevented by keeping blood flowing; walk and stretch your legs when possible.

Whatever you do, don't panic. Things are looking up on the in-flight-emergency front. Doctors who come to passengers' aid used to worry about getting sued; their fears have lifted somewhat since the 1998 Aviation Medical Assistance Act gave them “good Samaritan” protection. And thanks to more recent legislation, flights with at least one attendant are starting to install emergency medical kits with automated defibrillators to treat heart attacks.

Are you still wondering if you are healthy enough to fly? If you can walk 150 feet, or climb a flight of stairs without getting winded, you'll probably do just fine. Having a doctor close by doesn't hurt, either.

1. What percentage of the in-flight medical emergencies on US flights does heart disease take up?

A. 13%.

B. 46%.

C. 18%.

D. 6%.

2. According to the passage, the expansion of air in body cavities can result in ______.

A. heart attack

B. chest pain

C. stomach cramping

D. difficult breathing

3. According to the passage, why does deep venous thrombosis usually happen?

A. Because the economy class is not spacious enough.

B. Because there are too many economy-class passengers.

C. Because passengers are not allowed to walk during the flight.

D. Because the low pressure in the cabin prevents blood flowing smoothly.

4. According to the 1998 Aviation Medical Assistance Act , doctors who came to passengers' aid ______.

A. do not have to be worried even if they give the patients improper treatment

B. will not be submitted to legal responsibility even if the patients didn't recover

C. are assisted by advanced emergency medical kits

D. will be greatly respected by the patient and the crew

5. The phrase “getting winded” (Line 2. Para. 5) is closest in meaning to ______.

A. falling over

B. being out of breath

C. spraining the ankle

D. moving in a curving line

Text 2

Why are so many people unhappy in their jobs? There are two primary reasons. First, some people are convinced that earning a living is wasting time that they could spend enjoying themselves or uncovering their true talents.

If this is the case with you, recall your last long vacation. Was it two weeks of complete enjoyment? More likely it was a week and a half of fun in the sun, with another half a week of “boy, I can't wait to get back to work.” While all work and no play is not good, all play and no work is disastrous. We need to feel we are accomplishing something. We also need some form of order in our lives.

The second and perhaps more prevalent reason for people not to like their work is that they feel trapped. Once you've been at a company for five years and have a spouse, a mortgage and a child, you often feel you have very little choice about jumping ship if things aren't turning out as you'd planned. A steady paycheck can be the biggest manacle of all. People resent having to do something because they have no other choice.

If you find yourself resenting your job because you can't afford to quit, it may be time to prepare what one career counselor humorously calls a “cyanide capsule”. He recalls spy movies in which the secret agent has such a capsule hidden somewhere on his body. If he's captured and tortured unbearably, he has an option. And having an option gives him the strength to hold on a little longer in the hope that the situation may change. Rather than cyanide, your option takes the form of an up-to-date resume. You might also take a weekly glance through the help-wanted section, and make some visits to industry functions where low-key networking can take place. You're not giving up your current job, rather, you are providing yourself with an option. If things get unbearable at work, you could jump ship. Being in this position can do wonders for your attitude. It allows you to enjoy your work since, in reality, you are there only because you want to be.

At the core of adopting a positive attitude to your workplace is, above all, assuming responsibility for your own situation. Most people feel controlled by their environment, but they really aren't. They have to learn to manage that environment so they can get from it what they need.

1. What do we probably want during a long vacation, according to the author?

A. To extend the vacation as long as possible.

B. To gain a balance between work and play.

C. To go back to work as soon as possible.

D. To relax completely, free from worry.

2. It is indicated in the passage that most people dislike their jobs because ______.

A. going to work is wasting their time

B. they can't feel fulfilled in their jobs

C. they are confined to the jobs tightly

D. pay seldom corresponds with work

3. When one considers changing job, the biggest difficulty is ______.

A. leaving a company and a good boss

B. reducing the family burden

C. drawing up a better plan for the future

D. giving up a stable income

4. The author suggests that, by having a “cyanide capsule” at work, one will ______.

A. find a satisfactory job soon

B. be as brave as the hero in spy movies

C. be more tolerant with the present job

D. have the courage to give up the unbearable job

5. You will change your attitude towards your job when ______.

A. you are provided with the chance to choose

B. you are responsible for your present job

C. you get ready for your up-to-date resume

D. you get what you need from your job

Text 3

Though we might think of film as an essentially visual experience, we really cannot afford to underestimate the importance of film sound. A meaningful sound track is often as complicated as the image on the screen, and is ultimately just as much the responsibility of the director. The entire sound track consists of three essential ingredients: the human voice, sound effects and music. These three tracks must be mixed and balanced so as to produce the necessary emphases which in turn create desired effects. Topics which essentially refer to the three previously mentioned tracks are discussed below. They include dialogue, synchronous and asynchronous sound effects, and music.

Let us start with dialogue. As is the case with stage drama, dialogue serves to tell the story and expresses feelings and motivations of characters as well. Often with film characterization the audience perceives little or no difference between the character and the actor. Thus, for example, the actor Humphrey Bogart is the character Sam Spade; Film personality and life personality seem to merge. Perhaps this is because the very texture of a performer's voice supplies an element of character.

When voice textures fit the performer's physiognomy and gestures, a whole and very realistic persona emerges. The viewer sees not an actor working at his craft, but another human being struggling with life. It is interesting to note that how dialogue is used and the very amount of dialogue used varies widely among films. For example, in the highly successful science-fiction film 2001 , little dialogue was evident, and most of it was banal and of little intrinsic interest. In this way the film-maker was able to portray what Thomas Sobochack and Vivian Sobochack call, in An Introduction to Film , the “inadequacy of human responses when compared with the magnificent technology created by man and the visual beauties of the universe.”

The comedy Bringing Up Baby , on the other hand, presents practically non-stop dialogue delivered at breakneck speed. This use of dialogue underscores not only the dizzy quality of the character played by Katherine Hepburn, but also the absurdity of the film itself and thus its humor. The audience is bounced from gag to gag and conversation to conversation; there is no time for audience reflection. The audience is caught up in a whirlwind of activity in simply managing to follow the plot. This film presents pure escapism—largely due to its frenetic dialogue.

Synchronous sound effects are those sounds which are synchronized or matched with what is viewed. For example, if the film portrays a character playing the piano, the sounds of the piano are projected. Synchronous sounds contribute to the realism of film and also help to create a particular atmosphere. For example, the “click” of a door being opened may simply serve to convince the audience that the image portrayed is real, and the audience may only subconsciously note the expected sound. However, if the “click” of an opening door is part of a threatening action such as a burglary, the sound mixer may call attention to the click, with an increase in volume. This helps to engage the audience in a moment of suspense.

1. In the first paragraph, the writer makes a point that ______.

A. the director should plan the sound track at an early stage in filming

B. it would be wrong to overlook the contribution of sound to the artistry of films

C. the music industry can have a beneficial influence on film sound

D. it is important for the director to have sole responsibility for the image on the screen

2. One reason that the writer refers to Humphrey Bogart is to exemplify ______.

A. the value of the actor and the character appearing to have similar personalities

B. the audience's wish that actors are visually appropriate for their roles

C. the importance of the actor having similar feelings to the character

D. the audience's preference for dialogue to be as authentic as possible

3. In the third paragraph, the writer suggests that ______.

A. audiences are critical of film dialogue that does not reflect their own experience

B. film dialogue that appears to be dull may have a specific purpose

C. film-makers vary considerably in the skill with which they handle dialogue

D. the most successful films are those with dialogue of a high quality

4. What does the writer suggest by referring to Bringing Up Baby ?

A. The plot suffers from the film-maker's wish to focus on humorous dialogue.

B. The dialogue helps to make it one of the best comedy films ever produced.

C. There is a mismatch between the speed of the dialogue and the speed of actions.

D. The nature of the dialogue emphasizes key elements of the film.

5. The writer refers to the “click” of a door to show that realistic sounds ______.

A. are often used to give the audience a false impression of events in the film

B. may be interpreted in different ways by different audience

C. may be modified in order to mobilize the audience's emotions

D. tend to be more significant in films presenting realistic situations

Text 4

I am one of the many city people who are always saying that given the choice we would prefer to live in the country away from the dirt and noise of a large city. I have managed to convince myself that if it weren't for my job I would immediately head out for the open spaces and go back to nature in some sleepy village buried in the county. But how realistic is the dream?

Cities can be frightening places. The majority of the population live in massive tower blocks, noisy, dirty and impersonal. All you can see from your window is sky, or other blocks of flats. Children become aggressive and nervous—cooped up at home all day, with nowhere to play; their mothers feel isolated from the rest of the world. Strangely enough, whereas in the past the inhabitants of one street all knew each other, nowadays people on the same floor in tower blocks don't even say hello to each other.

Country life, on the other hand, differs from this kind of isolated existence in that a sense of community generally binds the inhabitants of small villages together. People have the advantage of knowing that there is always someone to turn to when they need help. But country life has disadvantages too. While it is true that you may be among friends in a village, it is also true that you are cut off from the exciting and important events that take place in cities. There's little possibility of going to a new show or the latest movie. Shopping becomes a major problem, and for anything slightly out of the ordinary you have to go on an expedition to the nearest large town. The city-dweller who leaves for the country is often oppressed by a sense of unbearable stillness and quiet.

What, then, is the answer? The country has the advantage of peace and quiet, but suffers from the disadvantage of being cut off: the city breeds a feeling of isolation, and constant noise batters the senses. But one of its main advantages is that you are at the centre of things, and that life doesn't come to an end at half-past nine at night. Some people have found a compromise between the two: they have expressed their preference for the “quiet life” by leaving the suburbs and moving to villages within commuting distance of large cities. They generally have about as much sensitivity as the plastic flowers they leave behind—they are polluted with strange ideas about change and improvement which they force on to the unwilling original inhabitants of the villages.

What then of my dreams of leaning on a cottage gate and murmuring “morning” to the locals as they pass by! I'm keen on the idea, but you see there's my cat, Toby. I'm not at all sure that he would take to all that fresh air and exercise in the long grass. I mean, can you see him mixing with all those hearty males down the farm? No, he would rather have the electric imitation-coal fire any evening.

1. We can learn from the first paragraph that the author ______.

A. used to live in the country

B. used to work in the city

C. works in the city

D. lives in the country

2. In the author's opinion, the following may cause city people to be unhappy EXCEPT ______.

A. a strong sense of fear

B. lack of communication

C. housing conditions

D. a sense of isolation

3. According to the passage, which of the following best describes those people who work in large cities and live in villages?

A. Original.

B. Quiet.

C. Insensitive.

D. Arrogant.

4. Why does the author refer to his cat in the last paragraph?

A. To tell us that he loves his pet unconditionally.

B. To show implicitly that he won't move to the country.

C. To show off his comfortable life in the city.

D. To prove that the cat is not fit to live in the country.

5. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. City Life or Country Life

B. Life in Villages

C. Escape from City Life

D. City People Prefer Country life hekAaxay7XjsFQr0J2EUp4+VoSkKVmeVfGvxOoRkN5B0ZQOu1zCxBXRjj5s/xEtd