READING COMPREHENSION- PRACTICE 1



READING COMPREHENSION- PRACTICE 1

Most economists in the United states seem captivated by spell of the free market. Consequently, nothing seems good ornormal that does not accord with the requirements of the free market.

A price that is determined by the seller or for that matter, established by anyone other than the aggregate of consumers seems pernicious, Accordingly, it requires a major act of will to think of price – fixing (the determination of prices by the seller) as both “normal” and having a valuable economic function. In fact, price-fixing is normal in all industrialized societies because the industrial system itself provides, as an effortless consequence of its own development, the price-fixing that requires, Modern industrial planning requires and rewards great size. Hence a comparatively small number of large firms will be competing for the same group of consumers. That each large firm will act with consideration of its own needs and thus avoid selling its products for more than its competitors charge is commonly recognized by advocates of free-markets economic theories. But each large firms will also act with full consideration of the needs that it has in common with the other large firms competing for the same customers. Each large firm will thus avoid significant price cutting, because price cutting would be prejudicial to the common interest in a stable demand for products. Most economists do not see price-fixing when it occurs because they expect it to be brought about by a number of explicit agreements among large firms; it is not.

More over those economists who argue that allowing the free market to operate without interference is the most efficient method of establishing prices have not considered the economies of non socialist countries other than the United States. These economies employ intentional price-fixing usually in an overt fashion. Formal price fixing by cartel and informal price fixing by agreements covering the members of an industry are common place. Were there something peculiarly efficient about the free market and inefficient about price fixing, the countries that have avoided the first and used the second would have suffered drastically in their economic development. There is no indication that they have.

Socialist industry also works within a frame work of controlled prices. In early 1970’s, the soviet union began to give firms and industries some of the flexibility in adjusting prices that a more informal evolution has accorded the capitalist system. Economists in the United States have hailed the change as a return to the free market.But Soviet firms are no more subject to prices established by free market over which they exercise little influenced than are capitalist firms.

The primary purpose of the passage is to:

a) refute the theory that the free market plays a useful role in the development of industrialized societies.

b) Suggest methods by which economist and members of the government of the United States can recognize and combat price-fixing by large firms.

c) Explain the various ways in which industrialized societies can fix in order to stabilized the free market

d) Argue that price-fixing, in one form or another, is an inevitable part of and benefit to the economy of any industrialized society

e) Analysis of free markets in different economies

The passage provides information that would answer which of the following questions about price-fixing?

I. What are some of the ways in which prices can be fixed?

II. For what products is price-fixing likely to be more profitable than the operation of the free market?

III. Is price fixing more common in socialist industrialized societies or in nonsocialist industrialized societies?

a) I only

b) III only

c) I and II only

d) II and III only

e) I, II, and III

The author’s attitude toward “Most economists in the United States” can best be described as:

a) spiteful and envious

b) scornful and denunciatory

c) critical and condescending

d) ambivalent but deferential

e) uncertain but interested

READING COMPREHENSION- PRACTICE 2

At the time Jane Austen’s novels were published – between 1811 and 1818 – English literature was not part of any academic curriculum. In addition, fiction was under strenuous attack. Certain religious and political groups felt novels had the power to make so called immoral characters so interesting young readers would identify with them; these groups also considered novels to be of little practical use. Even Cole-ridge, certainly no literary reactionary, spoke for many when he asserted that “novel-reading occasions the destruction of the mind’s power”.

These attitudes towards novels help explain why Austen received little attention from early nineteenth century literary critics. (In any case, a novelist published anonymously, as Austin was, would not be likely to receive much critical attention). The literary response that was accorded her, however, was often as incisive as twentieth century criticism. In his attack in 1816 on novelistic portrayals “outside of ordinary experience, “ for example, Scott made an insightful remarks about the merits of Austen’s fiction. Her novels, wrote Scott, “present to the reader an accurate and exact. picture of ordinary everyday people and places, reminiscent of seventeenth –century Flemish painting. “ Scott did not use the word “realistic probability in judging novels. The critic whitely did not use the word realism either, but he expressed agreement with Scott’s evaluation, and went on to suggest the possibilities for moral instruction in what we have called Austen’s realistic method. Her characters, wrote whitely, are persuasive agents for moral truth since they are ordinary persons “so clearly evoked that was feel an interest in their fate as if it were our own” Moral instruction, explained Whitely, is more likely to be effective when conveyed through recognizably human and interesting characters then when imparted by a sermonizing narrator. Whately especially praised Austen’s ability to create characters who “mingle goodness and villainy, weakness and virtue, as in life they are always mingled. “Whately concluded his remarks by comparing Austen’s art of characterization to Sicken’s, stating his preference for Austin’s often anticipated the reservations of twentieth-century critics. An example of such a response was Lewes’ complaint in 1859 that Austen’s range of subjects and characters was too narrow. Praising her verisimilitude, Lewes added that nonetheless her focus was too often upon only the unlofty and the common place. (Twentieth-century Marxists, on the other hand, were to complain about what they saw as her exclusive emphasis on a lofty upper-middle class) in any case, having been rescued by some literary critics from neglect and indeed gradually lionized by them, Austen’s steadily reached, by the mid-nineteenth century, the enviable pinnacle of being considered controversial.

The primary purpose of the passage is to:

a) demonstrate the nineteenth-century preference for realistic novels rather than romantic ones.

b) Explain why Jane Austen’s novels were not included in any academic curriculum in the early nineteenth century

c) Urge a reassessment of Jane Austen’s novels by twentieth-century literary critics

d) Describe some of the responses of nineteenth century critics to Jane Austen’s novels as well as to fiction in general

e) Argue that realistic character portrayal is the novelist’s most difficult task as well as the aspect of the novel most likely to elicit critical response

The passage supplies information for answering which of the following questions?

a) Was Whatley aware of Scott’s remarks about Jane Austen’s novels?

b) Who is an example of a twentieth-century critic who admired Jane Austen’s novels?

c) What is the author’s judgment of Dickens?

d) Did Jane Austen express her opinion of those nineteenth-century critics who admired her novels?

The authors mention that English literature “was” not part of any academic curriculum “in the early nineteenth century” in order to

a) emphasize the need for Jane Austen to create ordinary, everyday characters in her novels

b) give support to those religious and political groups that had attacked fiction

c) give one reason why Jane Austen’s novels received little critical attention in the early nineteenth century

READING COMPREHENSION: PRACTICE 3

Kentucky Wins Thriller at Vanderbilt

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - John Wall sank a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left and had a big blocked shot to send No. 2 Kentucky to a 58-56 win over No. 17 Vanderbilt on Saturday night.

"Somebody steps up," DeMarcus Cousins said of his teammate Wall, who had 13 points. "Maybe he doesn't score 20-plus points, he still is going to make key plays down the stretch, which helps the team."

Kentucky (26-1, 11-1 SEC), which beat Vanderbilt 85-72 on Jan. 30, grabbed a two-game lead over the Commodores in the SEC East and dealt them their first home loss this season. It was the first time the Wildcats swept the regular season series since 2005.

Wall's free throws gave the Wildcats a 57-53 lead, but John Jenkins answered with a 3-pointer to pull Vanderbilt (20-6, 9-3) within a point.

Kentucky's Eric Bledsoe missed a pair of free throws, but Wall responded by blocking a 3-pointer by Jenkins on the other end and grabbing the ball.

"He just fought his way," Kentucky coach John Calipari said of Wall. "That will to win, refuse to lose."

He made one of two free throws for a two-point lead with 2.5 seconds to play, and the Commodores had one more chance.

A.J. Ogilvy caught a long in-bounds pass by Darshawn McClellan, but his runner in the lane bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

"It was set up for A.J. to take the ball and for me to sprint to the basket, so I could lay it in," Vanderbilt's Jeffery Taylor said. "It just didn't work out."

Cousins led Kentucky with 19 points and Patrick Patterson chipped in 13.

Taylor scored 17 points for Vanderbilt, which was a woeful 2 for 20 from 3-point range.

The Wildcats relied on their power in the paint, but the Commodores never let them get too comfortable.

Festus Ezeli and Steve Tchiengang both fouled out with more than 5 minutes remaining trying to disrupt Cousins and Patterson inside. Ogilvy picked up his fourth foul with 10:11 left.

"It was very physical, hard-fought, tough game," Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. "There wasn't any backing down going on."

Vanderbilt, the SEC's most prolific free-throw shooting team, used free throws to keep up with the Wildcats, and a pair by Taylor with 6:08 to go gave the Commodores a 49-45 lead, their largest of the game.

It didn't last long. Thanks to some free throws by Cousins, a layup by Bledsoe and a 3-pointer by Patterson, Kentucky scored the next eight points to grab a 53-49 lead with 2:57 left.

The Commodores made a few costly mistakes on defense that gave Kentucky some easy points. The Wildcats turned Vanderbilt's 15 turnovers into 19 points.

It was Kentucky's second close call in as many games after pulling out an 81-75 overtime win at Mississippi State on Tuesday.

1. What is the main idea of this passage?

2. What was the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

3. Who is the intended audience for this article?

4. What are the important details in this article?

5. How would you describe the author’s style of writing in this article?

“BOWERSOX STILL UNCERTAIN FOR AMERICAN IDOL”



Crystal Bowersox, the “American Idol” semifinalist whose sudden illness on Tuesday resulted in the show’s swapping the performances of its female and male contestants this week, may miss Wednesday’s broadcast as well, the “Idol” executive producer Ken Warwick said.

In an interview with the “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest on Mr. Seacrest’s radio show, Mr. Warwick said that Ms. Bowersox was taken to a hospital on Tuesday and was still being examined on Wednesday. Mr. Warwick said that Ms. Bowersox had “a condition that we know about,” but did not say what the condition was. He added that if she missed the show on Wednesday, she would all but certainly be eliminated.

“If you’re in the Olympics,” Mr. Warwick said, “and you’re going for the semifinal, for the final, if you don’t turn up, you don’t get straight through to the final.”

Mr. Warwick said he would know by this afternoon whether Ms. Bowersox will be able to perform with her nine fellow female semifinalists.

6. What is the main idea of this passage?

7. What was the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

8. Who is the intended audience for this article?

9. What are the important details in this article?

10. How would you describe the author’s style of writing in this article?

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download