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TEXT C
There’s been a lot of talk about extraterrestrial beings visiting our planet. I don’t put much stock in that. I am convinced, however, that we are surrounded by sentient things of our own making whose single aim is the harassment of the individual and, ultimately, the destruction of society.
Let me illustrate. A couple of years ago, I received a $ 600 insurance dividend. Sitting at the kitchen table, my wife and I discussed what we might do with the bonanza. I realize now that the refrigerator overheard our conversation. The very next day, it went berserk. The repairman told us we needed a new unit. Cost: $ 600.
Not long after, we got a refund from the IRS, enough to pay for a vacation in Mexico.
“I’ve something to tell you,” I said to my wife. “ Privately.”
“How about the den?” she suggested. I remembered that the color television set is in the den. “No, not there. Let’s go outside.”
I showed her the check as we stood in the driveway. We hugged each other elatedly and hardly noticed the rain.
My car was parked within earshot. I didn’t think anything of it at the time.
As I started for the train the next morning, the car began making devilish screeching sounds.
“The engine’s shot,” my mechanic said, “Replacing it will cost about a thousand dollars.”
The car’s demise convinced me I was on to something big. I dug through our financial records. I discovered that over the past ten years our receipt of “ found” money invariably was followed by equal expenditures to replace a hot-water heater, a television and a stove.
Today, I lavish compliments on all the mechanical devices in our home. And I never, ever mention financial rewards in front of them.
But if this article is published and I’m paid for it, the word processor is going to go wrong for sure. It’ll know.
74. In Paragraph 1, “sentient things of our own making” refer to ____.
A. extraterrestrial beings
B. human beings
C. our sense organs
D. mechanical devices made by man
75. Which of the following statements is true?
A. The author believes that there have been extraterrestrial beings visiting our planet.
B. The author and his wife talked about the refund in the driveway where noting could hear them.
C. The author and his wife were overjoyed at the repayment from the IRS.
D. The author noticed that the refrigerator was overhearing his conversation with his wife.
76. Which is the topic sentence of the passage?
A. The first sentence of the passage.
B. The third sentence of the passage.
C. The last sentence but one of the passage.
D. The last sentence of the passage.
TEXT D
A twenty-year-old immigrant, Levi Strauss, came to the United States in 1850 to seek his fortune in the gold fields. But strangely enough, this man made his fortune on heavy canvas that he found suitable for working clothes. Strauss’ jeans were particularly good for prospectors and cowboys. In the early days of jeans, this man couldn’t have guessed that his pants, made only for rough work, would become so popular at all levels of society. Yes, this is a fact: jeans have become fashionable in our society. Furthermore, these pants have come to symbolize changes in social attitude.
In the last decade or two we have seen movements toward equality as well as defiance of authority. Jeans, now worn by everybody, can be said to symbolize these changes for the better. In the past, only men wore jeans, and these men were at the bottom――socially and economically. Jeans were worn by truck drivers, farm and factory workers. Today, jeans no longer are looked down upon. They are worn by both men and women, by both skilled and unskilled workers, by both employees and employers. This common way of dressing symbolizes respect for individuality, no matter what your occupation or sex. In the fight against authority, young people have been the leaders. So it is natural that teenagers would defy parents and school administrators over the right to wear jeans to class and win. Jeans are the typical dress of civil rights marchers, fans at rock concerts, “hippies” returning to nature, and serious college students.Because everyone can be comfortable in them, the blue jeans invented for the use of workers are now accepted almost anywhere, anytime. This is true not only in the United States, but in many other countries in the world. I strongly agree with the following statement: “Old or new, glorified or plain, jeans are likely to be around for a long time to come. Already they have succeeded where statesmanship has failed. Although unable to speak the same language, the inhabitants of this embattled planet have at least agreed to wear the same pants.”
77. Jeans, originally designed by Levi Strauss, ____.
A. have become a symbol of the fashionable class
B. have come to symbolize changes in social attitude
C. are suitable wear for rough work only
D. are no longer so popular as they used to be
78. What is implied but not directly stated in the passage is that____.
A. young people have been the leaders in the fight against authority
B. today, jeans are no longer looked down upon
C. jeans are the typical dress of civil rights marchers
D. formerly students were not allowed to wear jeans to class
79. The author is of the opinion that____.
A. jeans are likely to be a short-lived fashion
B. jeans are popular only in the United States
C. jeans are likely to be popular for a long time to come
D. jeans are no longer fashionable
80. The last two sentences imply that____.
A. statesmen in the world are less competent than jeans
B. the inhabitants of the world should speak the same language
C.statesmen have failed to reach agreement on many major issues of the world
D. jeans will help statesmen to reach agreement on some world issues
