高二Reading Comprehension for Weekends on Sep. 5 & 6, 2015

   Farmers grow plants and animals on their farms. Is it also possible to have a farm in the sea?

   People in many countries grow freshwater fish from eggs. They move the small fish into lakes and rivers. The fish live and grow there. People go fishing in these lakes and rivers. They enjoy catching fish. Fish is also good food.

   Now Japan grows saltwater fish. Most of them are yellowtail fish. Workers grow the fish from eggs. Every time they feed the fish, they play tapes of piano music. The fish learn that piano music means food.

   When the fish are small, the Japanese put them in the ocean near the land. The fish find some of their own food. Workers also feed them. They play the same piano music. The fish already know this music. They swim toward it and find the food. In a few months the fish are large. The Japanese play the same music. They swim toward it and the workers catch them.

   The Japanese get about 15 percent of their seafood from farms in the ocean.

(1)(   ) Which statement is true?
(A) Most of the Japanese seafood is from the farms in the ocean.
(B) It is impossible to grow farms in the sea.
(C) The Japanese only grow freshwater fish.
(D) The Japanese put small fish in the ocean.

(2)(   ) Whenever the Japanese feed the fish, they ______.
(A) play the piano music                                   (B) dance to show the fish where the food is
(C) sing to the tune of the fish                           (D) play the guitar

(3)(   ) How much food does Japan get from fish farms in the ocean?
(A) A quarter               (B) 80%                       (C) 15%                       (D) half

(4)(   ) Why do the fish swim toward the music?
(A) Because they like it.                                   (B) The music means food to the fish.
(C) The music is too beautiful.                  (D) The fish love the music, for the farmers play it.

(5)(   ) What country grows saltwater fish?
(A) America                 (B) Germany                (C) Britain                    (D) Japan

   Many years ago, the Creek Indians, who lived in the southeastern United States, celebrated their new year by harvesting and roasting corn, washing their horses, and dancing. They engaged in these activities during a special new year’s festival called the Green Corn Dance, which followed the harvest of the first corn of the year.

   As part of the Green Corn Dance festival, all fires that were already burning in the Indians’ huts were put out, and new ones were lit up. Then the tribe members cleaned themselves completely and also bathed and groomed their horses. People and animals were thus ready for the new year.

   Besides these traditional activities, there was another special new year’s custom during the festival. All tribe members who had committed any crime except murder during the past year were forgiven. The Creek Indians gave the criminals a second chance to obey the rules of the tribe.

(1)(   ) This article is about ______.
(A) important Indian festivals                            (B) the corn harvest
(C) forgiveness                                                (D) an Indian new year’s festival

(2)(   ) When did the tribes celebrate the new year?
(A) They harvested corn.                                 (B) They harvested wheat.
(C) They trained the horses.                             (D) They forgave the criminals.

(3)(   ) The crime was not forgiven during the festival was ______.
(A) killing someone      (B) stealing                   (C) telling lies                (D) breaking a promise

(4)(   ) New fires were probably lit up for ______.
(A) harvesting corn                                          (B) starting the year anew
(C) the new moon                                            (D) cleaning the body

(5)(   ) Besides cleaning their bodies, the Creek Indians also clean ______.
(A) horses                    (B) criminals                 (C) corn                       (D) grooms

   A type of person who is common in every country is the one who always tries to do as little as he can and to get as much as possible in return. His opposite, the man who is in the habit of doing more than is necessary, is rare everywhere.

   The man who avoids effort is always talking about his “rights”: he appears to think that society owes him a pleasant, easy life. The man who is always doing more than his share talks of “duties”: he feels that the individual is in debt to society, and not society to the individual.

The man who likes an easy life is full of excuses: if he has neglected to do something, it was because he had a headache, or the weather was too hot ... or too cold ... or because he was prevented by bad luck. At first, other people accept his stories. But soon they realize what kind of person he is. In the long run, he deceives only himself. When his friends become cool towards him, he is surprised and hurt. He blames everyone and everything except himself. He soon becomes one of the discontented members of the society he lives in.

(1)(   ) People in every country are likely to ______.
(A) eat more and exercise less                          (B) give more and take less
(C) give less and take more                              (D) do less and say a lot

(2)(   ) What does the author think of the person who is used to doing more than necessary?
(A) They are hardly found.                               (B) They are well known to this world.
(C) They are common in every country.    (D) They are unknown yet.

(3)(   ) What will a person who always finds a lot of excuses for his easy life end up in?
(A) He will be happy ever after.                       (B) He will surprise everyone.
(C) He always blames others for his own faults.        (D) His words will not be trusted.

(4)(   ) What is the main idea of this article?
(A) The different ways the two opposite types of members in society see their duties.
(B) The relationship of the individual to the society.
(C) The different ways to avoid the duties.
(D) The foolishness of a person who always does more than he needs to.

(5)(   )The discontented person is the one who ______.
(A) talks about rights and duties alike               (B) does his duties more than necessary.
(C) cares about neither rights nor duties    (D) asks for rights rather than duties

(4)(   ) What is the reason that vaudeville went out of business?
(A) No performers wanted to act for the show.
(B) There were fewer and fewer viewers.
(C) Because the new entertainment came along.
(D) People were lazy.

(5)(   ) What is an early name for vaudeville theaters?
(A) Mimics.                 (B) Variety houses.       (C) Comedians.            (D) Performers.