A. maintenance B. sustainable C. protectorate D. conservation

9. Two escaped prisoners are currently……………the police.

A. at ease with B. out of respect for

C. on a par with D. on the run from 10. The studio didn’t publicize the film but its reputation nonetheless spread……………

A. at a distance B. from memory C. by word of mouth D. by force IV. READING (10 pts ) Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each of the questions below . PASSAGE 1

Ocean water plays an indispensable role in supporting life. The great ocean basins hold about 300 million cubic miles of water. From this vast amount, about 80,000 cubic miles of water are sucked into the atmosphere each year by evaporation and returned by precipitation and drainage to the ocean. More than 24,000 cubic miles of rain descend annually upon the continents. This vast amount is required to replenish the lakes and streams, springs and water tables on which all flora and fauna are dependent. Thus, the hydrosphere permits organic existence.

The hydrosphere has strange characteristics because water has properties unlike those of any other liquid. One anomaly is that water upon freezing expands by about 9 percent, whereas most liquids contract on cooling. For this reason, ice floats on water bodies instead of sinking to the bottom. If the ice sank, the hydrosphere would soon be frozen solidly, except for a thin layer of surface melt water during the summer season. Thus, all aquatic life would be destroyed and the interchange of warm and cold currents, which moderates climate, would be notably absent.

Another outstanding characteristic of water is that water has a heat capacity which is the highest of all liquids and solids except ammonia. This characteristic enables the oceans to absorb and store vast quantities of heat, thereby often preventing climatic extremes. In addition, water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. It is this characteristic which helps make oceans a great storehouse for minerals which have been washed down from the continents. In several areas of the world these minerals are being commercially exploited. Solar evaporation of salt is widely practised, potash is extracted from the Dead Sea, and magnesium is produced from sea water along the American Gulf Coast. 1. The author’s main purpose in this passage is to………….

A. illustrate the importance of conserving water

B. describe the properties and uses of water

C. comp are water with other liquids

D. explain how water is used in commerce and industry 2. The phrase “this vast amount” in line 4 of paragraph 1 refers to ………….

A. 80,000 million cubic miles of water B. 24,000 cubic miles of rain

C. 80,000 cubic miles of water D. 300 million cubic miles of water 3. The word “replenish” in paragraph 1 can best replaced by………….

A. fill again B. replace C. evaporate D. form 4. According to the passage, fish can survive in the oceans because…………..

A. evaporation and condensation create a water cycle

B. there are currents in the oceans

C. they do not need oxygen

D. ice floats 1805. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a characteristic of water?

A. Water can absorb heat B. Water is good solvent.

C. Water contracts on cooling D. Water expands when it is frozen 6. The word “outstanding” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to………….

A. exceptionally good B. special C. amusing D. important 7. According the passage, the hydrosphere is NOT………….

A. the pail of the earth covered by water B. responsible for all forms of life

C. in danger of freezing over D. a source of natural resources

137 8. The author’s tone in the passage can best be described as………….

A. dispassionate B. speculative C. biased D. dogmatic 9. The author organizes the passage by………….

A. juxtaposition of true and untrue ideas B. comparison and contrast

C. general statement followed by examples D. hypothesis and proof 10. Which of the following statements would be the most likely to begin the paragraph immediately following the passage?

A. Water has the ability to erode land

B. Droughts and flooding are two types of disasters associated with water

C. Another remarkably property of ice is its strength

D. Magnesium is widely used in metallurgical processes

PASSAGE 2

THE CHANGE IN ART AFTER WORLD WAR II

In the 1930s, before the onset of war, rationing, and army drafts, art reflected the somewhat serene lives of the people. Mundane scenes such as factory workers or office settings were routinely painted to depict the era. They were reminiscent of the people living a routine life in middle-class, ordinary settings. Yet in 1939, fighting spread throughout the world. War and the subsequent struggles for power, existence, and peace brought great unrest for countries around the world following World War II. With the changes wrought by war, many countries felt the need to convey a new, postwar image. It was from this need that abstract expressionism evolved as a modern and recognized art form.

Abstract artist Jackson Pollock gave a clear picture of the emergence of abstract art when he said, “The modern painter cannot express this age - the airplane, the atom bomb, the radio - in the old forms of the Renaissance or of any other past culture. Each finds its own technique.” It was the art of this revolutionary painter that helped define the abstract movement. Postwar artists like Pollock developed free-form aesthetics by abandoning conventions of past styles while maintaining focused, self-reflexive qualities and the feelings of each individual artist. The method for creating abstract art involved painting free of religious, political, and popular subjects. The paintings were instead comprised of bright colors and shapes, characterized by personal expression rather than the development of a predictable art style. Much personal empowerment grew out of this profound freedom of expression.

After World War II and during the uncertainty of the Cold War, the world tottered back and forth between stability and instability. People felt great anxiety amidst their growing prosperity. They viewed the modern art of the time as bold, triumphant, and self-assured. Although the work seemed to exude postwar confidence, artists portrayed profound unease and viewed their work much differently. Their images were the expression of desperation in the midst of a tough reality inspired by unrest and contrasted with material growth. The psychology of the abstract art form emerged from this altered mindset that was at once strong and vulnerable, confident and subdued. Consequently, artists at the time had the need to feel their experiences in ways that were intense, immediate, direct, subtle, unified, and vivid. “Painting is a state of being ... painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is,” stated Pollock. Abstract expressionism, as the new art style became known, was a way to embody the artist's yearning for stability in an unstable world as well as a way to emphasize his own personal ideas and use those as expression.

Pollock's chief ambition in his art was to incorporate opposition. He did this by pairing order with chaos, reason with passion, and modernism with primitivism. Similar to other abstract artists, he preferred to portray notions of the subconscious, giving free reign to forgotten personal memories and psychic impulses. George Tooker, another artist of the time, painted The Subway, which illustrated postwar expectations of individuality and conformity. The affluence of the nation’s newfound economic success combined with anxiety over political instability to form a dual consciousness that is said to haunt America's identity still. Each head a set of signature styles that expressed personal and societal isolation of the artist in abstract ways.

During this time, modern art became identified widely as “American” art, having its focal point