Smokey Bear (often called Smokey the Bear or simply Smokey) is a mascot of the United States Forest Service created to teach the public about the dangers of forest fires.  Smokey Bear’s slogan, “Remember… Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires”, was created in 1947. In April 2001, the message was updated to “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires”.  Smokey Bear and his message are recognized by 95% of adults and 77% of children in the U.S.  The Smokey Bear character was so popular that when a real bear was rescued from a forest fire, it achieved fame as a living version of the mascot.

The living symbol of Smokey Bear was an American black bear cub that was caught in the spring of 1950 in a huge wildfire in the state of New Mexico. He climbed a tree to escape the fire, but his paws and hind legs had been burned. A group of soldiers from Texas, who had come to help fight the fire, discovered the bear cub and brought him back to their camp.

At first the bear was called “Hotfoot Teddy,” but he was later renamed Smokey after the famous mascot. Some government workers helped Smokey until he became healthy again. Soon after, he became a celebrity.   Smokey was flown in an airplane to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. When he arrived at the National Zoo, several hundred people, including children and photographers welcomed him to his new home.

Smokey Bear lived at the National Zoo for 26 years. During that time he received millions of visitors as well as so many letters addressed to him (up to 13,000 a week) that the United States Postal Service finally gave him his own unique postal code.   His favorite food was peanut butter sandwiches, in addition to his daily diet of bluefish and trout.

Upon his death on November 9, 1976, Smokey was buried at what is now the Smokey Bear Historical Park.  The Washington Post, a national newspaper, printed an article about Smokey, which mentioned his family, including his wife, Goldie Bear, and son, Little Smokey.  Another national newspaper included an article about Smokey Bear on the front page on Nov 11, 1976.

Question 35: What is Smoket Bear?

A. a mascot of the United KingdomForest Service    B. a mascot of the United States Marine Barracks

C. a mascot of the Forest Service                               D. a mascot of the United States Forest Service

Question 36: According to the article, when was the Smokey Bear's slogan created?

A.  in 1947                  B.  in 1974                  C.  in 1977                  D.  in 2001

Question 37: According to the article, why was the bear chosen as the mascot for preventing wildfires?

A.  It was very cute and cuddly                      B.  He was popular with boys and girls

C.  It was caught in a forest fire and hurt       D.A group of soldiers from Texas brought him to their camp

Question 38: The word “huge” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to:

A.  minor                     B.  inclusive                C.  exclusive                D. enormous

Question 39: According to the article, how long did Smokey Bear reside at the National Zoo?

A.  for 26 years           B.  for 62 years            C. up to 13,000 a week           D.  up to 1,000 a week

Question 40: The word “which” in paragraph 5 refers to ______

A.    Goldie Bear                                               B. an article about Smokey

C. a picture of Smokey                                   D. a newspaper from the Washington Post’s

Question 41: According to the article, which of the following statements is NOT TRUE ?

A.    Smokey Bear is a mascot of the United States Forest Service created to teach the public about the dangers of forest fires. 

B.     A group of soldiers from Texas discovered the bear cub and brought him back to their camp

C. Ninety-five percentage of US children can identify Smokey Bear and his message.

D. Goldie Bear, and Little Smokey are his wife and his son

Question 42: What would be a good title for this passage?

A. The Dangers of Forest Fires                                   B.  The Story of Smokey The Bear

C. The National Zoo in Washington, D.C.           D.  Smokey The Bear Loves Peanut Butter Sandwiches

VI. Fill each blank with one suitable word.

The greatest enemy of forests is fire. Every year millions of acres of forests are …1… by forest fires. Most of these fires are started …2… man. More forest fires can be traced to campers, and smokers …3… to any other …4…

Some of the people who start forest fires do …5… because …6… ignorance. They do not …7… to know that …8… is important to watch a camp fire …9… and to put the fire …10… with water when they leave. It is …11… important to know that camp fire should be built only in safe …12…, and that forest soil will often burn because it is so …13… of plant materials. In …14… weather, such soil may …15… ablaze by a camp fire.

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer in each of the following questions.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, c, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer for each of the questions from 46 to 55.

Increasing numbers of parents in the u.s. are choosing to teach their children at home. In fact, the u.s. Department of Education has estimated that in 1999, about 850,000 children were being homeschoolded. Some educational experts say that the real number is double this estimate, and the ranks of homeschooled children seem to be growing at the average rate of about eleven percent every year.

At one time, there was a theory accounting for homeschooling: it was traditionally used for students who could not attend school because of behavioral or learning difficulties. Today, however, more parents are taking on the responsibility of educating their own children at home due to their dissatisfaction with the educational system. Many parents are unhappy about class size, as well as problems inside the classroom. Teacher shortages and lack of funding mean that, in many schools, one teacher is responsible for thirty or forty students. The children are, therefore, deprived of the attention they need. Escalating classroom violence has also motivated some parents to remove their children from school.

Although there have been a lot of areuments for and against it, homeschooling in the u.s. has become a multi-million dollar industry, and it is growing bigger and bigger. There are now plenty of websites, support groups, and conventions that help parents protect their rights and enable them to learn more about educating their children. Though once it was the only choice for troubled children, homeschooling today is an accepted alternative to an educational system that many believe is failing.

According to some experts, the exact number of homeschooled children in the US in the last year of the 20^th century must be__________

A. 1,600,000

B. 850,000

C. 1,900,000

D. 1,700,000

Read the following passage on transport, and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43 to 50.

    (1) Increasing numbers of parents in the U.S. are choosing to teach their children at home. In fact, the U.S. Department of Education has estimated that in 1999, about 850,000 children were being homeschooled. Some educational experts say that the real number is double this estimate, and the ranks of homeschooled children seem to be growing at the average rate of about eleven percent every year.

    (2) At one time, there was a theory accounting for homeschooling: it was traditionally used for students who could not attend school because of behavioral or learning difficulties. Today, however, more parents are taking on the responsibility of educating their own children at home due to their dissatisfaction with the educational system. Many parents are unhappy about class size, as well as problems inside the classroom. Teacher shortages and lack of funding mean that, in many schools, one teacher is responsible for thirty or forty students. The children are, therefore, deprived of the attention they need. Escalating classroom violence has also motivated some parents to remove their children from school.

    (3) Although there have been a lot of arguments for and against it, homeschooling in the U.S. has become a multi-million dollar industry, and it is growing bigger and bigger. There are now plenty of websites, support groups, and conventions that help parents protect their rights and enable them to learn more about educating their children. Though once it was the only choice for troubled children, homeschooling today is an accepted alternative to an educational system that many believe is failing.

The number of parents who want to teach their own children in the U.S. is _____.

A. remaining unchanged

B. remaining the same

C. going up

D. going down

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, c, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer for each of the questions from 46 to 55.

Increasing numbers of parents in the u.s. are choosing to teach their children at home. In fact, the u.s. Department of Education has estimated that in 1999, about 850,000 children were being homeschoolded. Some educational experts say that the real number is double this estimate, and the ranks of homeschooled children seem to be growing at the average rate of about eleven percent every year.

At one time, there was a theory accounting for homeschooling: it was traditionally used for students who could not attend school because of behavioral or learning difficulties. Today, however, more parents are taking on the responsibility of educating their own children at home due to their dissatisfaction with the educational system. Many parents are unhappy about class size, as well as problems inside the classroom. Teacher shortages and lack of funding mean that, in many schools, one teacher is responsible for thirty or forty students. The children are, therefore, deprived of the attention they need. Escalating classroom violence has also motivated some parents to remove their children from school.

Although there have been a lot of areuments for and against it, homeschooling in the u.s. has become a multi-million dollar industry, and it is growing bigger and bigger. There are now plenty of websites, support groups, and conventions that help parents protect their rights and enable them to learn more about educating their children. Though once it was the only choice for troubled children, homeschooling today is an accepted alternative to an educational system that many believe is failing.

The number of parents who want to teach their own children in the u.s. is__________

A. remaining unchanged

B. remaining the same

C. going up

D. going down

Read the following passage on transport, and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43 to 50.

    (1) Increasing numbers of parents in the U.S. are choosing to teach their children at home. In fact, the U.S. Department of Education has estimated that in 1999, about 850,000 children were being homeschooled. Some educational experts say that the real number is double this estimate, and the ranks of homeschooled children seem to be growing at the average rate of about eleven percent every year.

    (2) At one time, there was a theory accounting for homeschooling: it was traditionally used for students who could not attend school because of behavioral or learning difficulties. Today, however, more parents are taking on the responsibility of educating their own children at home due to their dissatisfaction with the educational system. Many parents are unhappy about class size, as well as problems inside the classroom. Teacher shortages and lack of funding mean that, in many schools, one teacher is responsible for thirty or forty students. The children are, therefore, deprived of the attention they need. Escalating classroom violence has also motivated some parents to remove their children from school.

    (3) Although there have been a lot of arguments for and against it, homeschooling in the U.S. has become a multi-million dollar industry, and it is growing bigger and bigger. There are now plenty of websites, support groups, and conventions that help parents protect their rights and enable them to learn more about educating their children. Though once it was the only choice for troubled children, homeschooling today is an accepted alternative to an educational system that many believe is failing.

More parents teach their children because they completely _ the current educational system.

A. please with

B. object to

C. appeal to

D. approve of

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the question.

Alaska is disappearing slowly, but surely. It is estimated that since the 19505, as much as fifteen percent of Alaska's land area has disappeared. How can a whole state be disappearing? The problem is that Alaska’s glaciers are melting. The state has more than 100,000 glaciers. These glaciers account for about 75,000 square kilometers, or five percent, of the state’s area. That is an area of land larger than Ireland!

According to a recent report by the US Geological Survey, ninety-nine percent of Alaska's glaciers are either retreating or diminishing. This diminishing seems mainly due to the increase in global temperatures. Since the 19605, the average year-round temperature has increased by almost 3°C. Additionally, the average winter temperature has increased by over 6°C. Presently, an estimated 100 cubic kilometers of ice is disappearing from Alaskan glaciers every year. It may be even more in the near future, as some scientists predict that the average world temperature could go up 4 to 7°C by the year 2100.

Another problem facing Alaska is its thawing permafrost. Much of the land in Alaska used to be permanently frozen or frozen for most of the year. Now, the thawing permafrost is causing a number of problems for people living in Alaska. Roads and utility poles are collapsing as the ground around and under them warms and soften. Also, the hard permafrost that originally prevented beaches from eroding during violent storms is now melting. People who live along Alaska's coasts are being forced to relocate. For villages on small low islands, one terrible storm could wipe out the entire community.

The melting permafrost and increasing temperatures are both affecting the forests of Alaska. As the permafrost under the forests melts, insects that normally do not turn up until the warmer seasons are appearing sooner. The spruce-bark beetle, for example, is increasing in numbers as a result of warmer winter temperatures. It usually takes about two years for these beetles to grow and reproduce in. very cold weather. However, due to the increase in temperatures, spruce-bark beetles are reproducing faster and damaging as many trees in one year as they previously damaged in two. If something cannot be done to

change things, Alaska's forests will not survive the turn of the century.

Some scientists believe that human activity is linked to a global increase in weather temperature. Whatever the cause of rising temperatures may be, the fact remains that temperatures are warming, affecting Alaska for the worse. Horribly, this could be a preview of what will happen to the rest of the world in the next century.

The word “permafrost” in the third paragraph mostly means _____.

A. an area of land permanently frozen below the surface

B. fuels formed underground from plants and animals remains millions of years ago

C. a large mass of ice that moves slowly

D. a very large mass of ice that floats in the sea

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the question.

Alaska is disappearing slowly, but surely. It is estimated that since the 19505, as much as fifteen percent of Alaska's land area has disappeared. How can a whole state be disappearing? The problem is that Alaska’s glaciers are melting. The state has more than 100,000 glaciers. These glaciers account for about 75,000 square kilometers, or five percent, of the state’s area. That is an area of land larger than Ireland!

According to a recent report by the US Geological Survey, ninety-nine percent of Alaska's glaciers are either retreating or diminishing. This diminishing seems mainly due to the increase in global temperatures. Since the 19605, the average year-round temperature has increased by almost 3°C. Additionally, the average winter temperature has increased by over 6°C. Presently, an estimated 100 cubic kilometers of ice is disappearing from Alaskan glaciers every year. It may be even more in the near future, as some scientists predict that the average world temperature could go up 4 to 7°C by the year 2100.

Another problem facing Alaska is its thawing permafrost. Much of the land in Alaska used to be permanently frozen or frozen for most of the year. Now, the thawing permafrost is causing a number of problems for people living in Alaska. Roads and utility poles are collapsing as the ground around and under them warms and soften. Also, the hard permafrost that originally prevented beaches from eroding during violent storms is now melting. People who live along Alaska's coasts are being forced to relocate. For villages on small low islands, one terrible storm could wipe out the entire community.

The melting permafrost and increasing temperatures are both affecting the forests of Alaska. As the permafrost under the forests melts, insects that normally do not turn up until the warmer seasons are appearing sooner. The spruce-bark beetle, for example, is increasing in numbers as a result of warmer winter temperatures. It usually takes about two years for these beetles to grow and reproduce in. very cold weather. However, due to the increase in temperatures, spruce-bark beetles are reproducing faster and damaging as many trees in one year as they previously damaged in two. If something cannot be done to

change things, Alaska's forests will not survive the turn of the century.

Some scientists believe that human activity is linked to a global increase in weather temperature. Whatever the cause of rising temperatures may be, the fact remains that temperatures are warming, affecting Alaska for the worse. Horribly, this could be a preview of what will happen to the rest of the world in the next century.

 The word “permafrost” in the third paragraph mostly means _____.

A. an area of land permanently frozen below the surface 

B. fuels formed underground from plants and animals remains millions of years ago 

C. a large mass of ice that moves slowly 

D. a very large mass of ice that floats in the sea