Part I Reading Comprehension ( 60 minutes ) Section A Directions: There are several passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice. Passage One Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage. People in the mass advertising business and other people who study American society have been very interested in the question: What does the American consumer like? Max Lerner, a well-known scholar who has studied American society, has said that American consumers are particularly fond of three things: comfort, cleanliness, and novelty. Lerner believes that the American love of comfort perhaps goes back to the frontier experience. The pioneers had a rough life on the frontier and very few comforts. This experience may have created a strong desire in the pioneers and their children for goods that would make life more comfortable. Today, the Americans' love of comfort is seen in the way they furnish their homes, the way they design their cars, and the way they like to travel. Cleanliness is also highly valued by Americans. There is a strong emphasis on keeping all parts of the body clean. Perhaps the Puritan heritage has played some role in the desire for cleanliness. The Puritans, a strict Protestant church group who were among the first settlers of America, stressed the need to cleanse the body of dirty. Belief of most Americans is that it is important to keep their bodies clean by taking a bath and wearing clean clothes every day. Indeed, many Americans are offended by anyone who does not follow their accepted standards of cleanliness. In addition to cleanliness and comfort, Americans love novelty. They love to have things that are new and different. Perhaps the love of novelty comes from their pride in their inventiveness. Americans have always been interested in inventing new products and improving old ones. They like to see changes in cars, clothing, and products for the home. New models of cars are particularly appealing. Advertisements encourage people to get rid of old cars and try new ones, whether the old ones still work or not. The American economy seems to be based on consumption, not conservation. In addition to the three qualities that Lerner mentions, there is a fourth quality which American consumers like very much — convenience. During the 1960s, for example, there was a dramatic increase in such "laborsaving" devices as automatic washing machines (found in 41 percent of all homes in 1960, rising to 60 percent of all homes in 1970) and automatic clothes dryers (found in 17 percent of American homes in 1960, rising to 42 percent of all homes in 1970). In the 1980s automatic clothes washers and dryers are an expected part of most American homes. 1. The best title for this passage can be "______". A) What American Consumers Like B) American Consumers and Business C) American Consumers and Their Lives D) The Stupidity of the American Consumers 2. The author thinks that the American consumers are fond of the following EXCEPT ____. A) comfort and cleanliness B) clean clothes and fine houses C) thrift and economy D) novelty and convenience 3. Generally speaking, Americans are interested in the following EXCEPT _______. A) creating new goods B) improving old products C) buying things that are unknown before D) buying things that are popular 4. The American love of cleanliness is believed to be related to ____. A) their lifestyle B) their advanced technology C) their body's need D) their religion tradition 5. The American love of convenience can be shown in the way they ____. A) wash their clothes by using machines B) create fast-food restaurants C) are not very busy working D) Both A and B.