Passage 3
Questions 41 to 45 are based on the following passage:
The promise of finding long-term technological solutions to the problem of world food shortage seems difficult to fulfill. Many innovations that were once heavily supported and publicized, such as fish-protein concentrate and protein from algae grown on petroleum substrates, have since fallen by the wayside. The proposals themselves were technically feasible, but they proved to be economically unviable and to yield food products culturally unacceptable to their consumers. Recent innovations such as opaque-2 maize, Antarctic krill, and the wheat-rye hybrid triticale seem more promising, but it is too early to predict their ultimate fate.
One characteristic common to unsuccessful food innovations has been that, even with extensive government support, they often have not been technologically adapted or culturally acceptable to the people for whom they had been developed. A successful new technology, therefore, must fit the entire social-cultural system in which it is to find a place. Security of crop yield, practically of storage, palatability, and costs are much more significant than had previously been realized by the advocates of new technologies. For example, the better protein quality in tortillas made from opaque-2 maize will be of only limited benefit to a family on the margin of subsistence if the new maize is not culturally acceptable or is more vulnerable to insects.
The adoption of new food technologies depends on more than these technical and cultural considerations; economic factors and government policies also strongly influence the ultimate success of any innovation. Economists in the Anglo-American tradition have taken the lead in investigating the economics of technological innovation. Although they exaggerate in claiming that profitability is the key factor guiding technical change – they completely disregard the substantial effects of culture – they are correct in stressing the importance of profits. Most technological innovations in agriculture can be fully used only by large landowners and are only adopted if these profit-oriented business people believe that the innovation will increase their incomes. Thus, innovations that carry high rewards for big agribusiness groups will be adopted even if they harm segments of the population and reduce the availability of food in a country. Further, should a new technology promise to alter substantially the profits and losses associated with any production system, those with economic power will strive to maintain and improve their own position. Since large segments of the populations of many developing countries are close to the subsistence margin and essentially powerless,
they tend to be the losers in this system unless they are aided by a government policy that takes into account the needs of all sectors of the economy. Therefore, although technical advances in food production and processing will perhaps be needed to ensure food availability, meeting food needs will depend much more on equalizing economic power among the various segments of the populations within the developing countries themselves. (467 words)
41. We learn from the first paragraph that ________.
A. new innovations on some foods are bound to be unacceptable to different cultures
B. technological innovations have, to a large extent, solved the problem of world food shortages
C. there is a long way to go before the problem of world food shortages can be solved technologically
D. the yield of food products has increased dramatically because of the successful technological innovations
42. An important reason why food innovations are not so successful is that ________.
A. they have not been adapted to different cultures
B. there has been a lack of adequate government support
C. they have not been publicized and are little known by people
D. a complete socio-cultural system has not been set up for their spread
43. Which of the following factors in food might not be very significant for a family on the margin of subsistence?
A. Palatability.
B. Security of crop yield.
C. Better protein quality.
D. Practicality of storage.
44. In what way do economic factors have impact on the final success of any innovation?
A. Profitability is the key factor stimulating technical change.
B. Agribusiness people will not adopt innovations if they cannot get high incomes.
C. Large landowners are reluctant to adopt innovations due to their cultural unacceptability.
D. Innovators attach importance to the maximum profit they can get from such a technical change.
45. The writer points out that for the ultimate success of any innovation, the government in developing countries should ________.
A. encourage large landowners to adopt technical innovations
B. draw innovators’ attention to the substantial effects of culture
C. aid large segments of the population to improve their powerless position
D. make some policies to equalize economic power among various segments of populations
Part 2 Short-Answer Questions (10 points)
Passage 4
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage:
The distinctive architectural feature of the typical Broadway theater is the juxtaposition of two almost independent buildings facing and opening into one another through a proscenium arch. The audience sits in the auditorium structure and watches the actors perform in the stage house. This separation is more than an aesthetic impression, because the building codes require that a physical barrier protect the audience from a fire starting on the stage. A fireproof wall, rather than a mere partition separates the structures and this separation is completed by a fireproof curtain that is rigged to fall automatically and close the proscenium opening in case of fire. Automatic fire doors similarly close all other openings between the two structures. The codes keep such openings to a minimum.
This separation came about in the nineteenth century in the United States as a result of theater fires. It has produced a fundamental structural change from previous centuries without making much corresponding change in the appearance of the building. Most theaters of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries were remodeled from banquet halls, tennis courts, and other rectangular halls, and remained essentially a single structure with a thin partition for the proscenium wall.
So far as the audience is concerned a theater is primarily a place for entertainment. Its great attraction is the opportunity it affords for vicarious experience. The audience approaches the theater with the expectation of some form of glamour, excitement, or emotional vividness. The architect and the decorator try to sustain and increase this excitement and anticipation as the spectator moves through the theater. One of the familiar architectural devices for this effect is spaciousness of lobby, foyer and auditorium. Color and ornamentation are other devices for the same purpose, as seen in almost all theaters built before the twentieth century.
46. In what sense is a typical Broadway theater built distinctively?
47. According to the passage, why is separation needed in the theater?
48. Why was it necessary to change the fundamental structure of theaters in the nineteenth century?
49. How were theaters usually built prior to the nineteenth century?
50. What’s the purpose of the architectural device mentioned in the last paragraph?
Section 3 Writing (30 points)
Directions: In this part you are supposed to write an essay of about 400 words within 60 minutes on the topic as follows.
Is preparing for the future more important than enjoying the present?
Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
Is preparing for the future more important than enjoying the present?
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