Reading Compreh...

[passage-header]Answer the following question according to the text.[/passage-header]  Public libraries, maintained by the local authorities, are well developed and progressive, and everywhere allow people to borrow books without charge. The books in the lending section are always kept on open shelves, and library staffs are very helpful in getting books on request from other libraries through the exchange system. Most libraries report an increase in borrowing over the past few years, so television does not seem to be stopping people from reading, as it was feared that it would.

[passage-header]Answer the following question according to the text.[/passage-header]  Like so many other materials in Japan, paper too has come in for many hundreds of years of artistic consideration. At one period of the country's history, the paper on which a poem was written was as important as the, poem itself. A thousand years ago there were whole towns actively engaged in making paper. Such towns still exist, but there were also many farming villages which then, as they do today, made paper to earn extra income during the winter. At present, about half of Japan's farmers must add to their incomes with winter jobs. Although a large amount of winter employment is provided by construction companies, some farmers continue to work at such cottage industries as paper-making.

[passage-header]Answer the following question according to the text.[/passage-header]  Like so many other materials in Japan, paper too has come in for many hundreds of years of artistic consideration. At one period of the country's history, the paper on which a poem was written was as important as the, poem itself. A thousand years ago there were whole towns actively engaged in making paper. Such towns still exist, but there were also many farming villages which then, as they do today, made paper to earn extra income during the winter. At present, about half of Japan's farmers must add to their incomes with winter jobs. Although a large amount of winter employment is provided by construction companies, some farmers continue to work at such cottage industries as paper-making.

[passage-header]Answer the following question according to the text.[/passage-header]  There can be few more depressing stories in the entire history of man's exploitation of nature than the wide-spread destruction of whales. Whales have not only suffered untold cruelty but now face total extermination. Already entire populations have been wiped out, and the only reason why no species has yet been finished off is due to the vastness and inaccessibility of the oceans. Hence, a few have always managed to escape, but how much longer can this go on?

[passage-header]Answer the following question according to the text.[/passage-header]  Public libraries, maintained by the local authorities, are well developed and progressive, and everywhere allow people to borrow books without charge. The books in the lending section are always kept on open shelves, and library staffs are very helpful in getting books on request from other libraries through the exchange system. Most libraries report an increase in borrowing over the past few years, so television does not seem to be stopping people from reading, as it was feared that it would.

[passage-header]Answer the following question according to the text.[/passage-header]  There is nothing that man fears more than the touch of the unknown. He wants to see what is reaching towards him, and to be able to recognize or at least classify it. Man always tends to avoid physical contact with anything strange. In the dark, the fear of an unexpected touch can lead to panic. Even clothes give insufficient security: it is easy to tear them and pierce through to the naked, smooth, defenseless flesh of the victim. All the distances which men create round themselves are dictated by this fear. They shut themselves in houses which no one may enter, and only there they feel some measure of security. The fear of burglars is not only the fear of being robbed, but also the fear of something touching you in the darkness.

[passage-header]Answer the following question according to the text.[/passage-header]  From the end of the corridor I could hear them arguing. Liz said it was the best film she had seen on the television for over a year. Dick said it was dreadful. He said the story was poor and the acting terrible. Liz said he couldn't recognize a good film when he saw one. "What film are you talking about?" I asked as I came into the room. "The film shown last Friday.", said Liz. "The film shown last Thursday.", said Dick. They looked at each other and we all laughed.

[passage-header]Answer the following question according to the text.[/passage-header]  There was no other building in sight. The trees which grew along the river completely hid the two other houses that shared the valley. Looking from the kitchen window Mary gave a long sigh of contentment. She knew she would be happy here; much happier that she had ever been in the city.

[passage-header]Answer the following question according to the text.[/passage-header]  "Cut your coat to suit your cloth." is an old English proverb. Obviously it is not really talking about coats but is telling us to be content with what we have got. It's a good proverb because so many people want what they cannot have, and this makes them discontented. Therefore they don't enjoy the things they do have.

[passage-header]Answer the following question according to the text.[/passage-header]  James has always been a practical sort of person; he has worked hard but not been able to save much. Though he had sometimes dreamed of being rich, he had never really expected to be so. However, his dream came true when his uncle left him a fortune. Now that he has got so much money he is going to do all the things he has always wanted to do. To start with, he is going to visit Japan.