3-Reading comprehension Directions : There are 2 passages in this section . Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements . For each of them there are four choice,s marked A) , B) , C) and D) . 请将答案写在题目中的横线上,答案不区别大小写字母, 只填字母 Passage 1: Parents can easily come down with an acute case of schizophrenia from reading the contradictory reports about the state of the public schools. One set of experts asserts that the schools are better than they have been for years. Others say that the schools are in terrible shape and are responsible for every national problem from poverty to the trade deficit. One group of experts look primarily at such indicators as test scores, and they cheer that they see all the indicators "reading scores, minimum competency test results, the Scholastic Aptitude Test scores" are up, some by substantial margins. Students are required to take more academic courses, more mathematics and science, along with greater stress on basic skills, including knowledge of computers. More than 40 state legislatures have mandated such changes. But in the eyes of another set of school reformers such changes are at best superficial and at worst counterproductive. These experts say that merely toughening requirements, without either improving the quality of instruction or, even more important, changing the way schools are organised and children are taught makes the schools worse rather than better. They challenge the nature of the tests, mostly multiple choice or true or false, by which children ́s progress is measured: they charge that raising the test scores by drilling pupils to come up with the right answers does not improve knowledge, understanding and the capacity to think logically and independently. In addition, these critics fear that the get-tough approach to school reform will cause more of the youngsters at the bottom to give up and drop out. This, they say, may improve national scores but drain even further the nation ́s pool of educated people. The way to cut through the confusion is to understand the different yardsticks used by different observers. Compared with what schools used to be like "in the good old days", with lots of drill and uniform requirements, and the expectation that many youngsters who could not make it would drop out and find their way into unskilled jobs — by those yardsticks the schools have measurably improved in recent years. But by the yardsticks of those experts who believe that the old schools were deficient in teaching the skills needed in the modern world, today ́s schools have not become better. These educators believe that rigid new mandates may actually have made the schools worse. 56. The best title for this passage would be______. A: Experts ́ Dissidence on Issue of Quality of Schools B: Conflicting Views on Schools C: Improved Quality of Schools D: Poor Quality of Schools 57. What kind of condition does the word "confusion"(Line 1, Para.4)refer to in the passage? ______ A: Schools are confused by the mandates issued by the state legislatures. B: Students are confused by the doubt that whether they could get high testing scores. C: Experts are confused by the question whether testing scores should be the only standard. D: Parents are confused by the two opposing views on the quality of schools. 58. The assertion of the experts who think schools are doing better is based on the______. A: test scores B: qualification of the teachers C: reading ability of the children D: basic skills of the childre n 59. According to the experts who say the quality of the schools is worse, the high tests scores achieved by a child do not necessarily mean that______. A: he receives better education that others B: his scope of knowledge is wider than his peers C: he is cleverer than his classmates D: his endowment is better than others 60. The author suggests that the parents should______in order to make themselves clearly understand the present quality of the public schools. A: realise that the standard used by experts to decide the quality of schools is different B: realise that the real condition of the quality of schools is not like what the experts say C: have their own judgement on the quality of schools without being puzzled by the experts D: make a comparison among different schools to find which experts are right Passage 2: The image was fascinating, as justice John Paul Stevens, a Chicago native, presented it. A gang member and his father are hanging out near Wrigley Field. Are they there "to rob an unsuspecting fan or just to get a glimpse of Sammy Sosa leaving the ball park"? A police officer has no idea, but under Chicago ́s anti-gang law, the cop must order them to disperse. With Stevens writing for a 6-to-3 majority, the Supreme Court last week struck down Chicago ́s sweeping law, which had sparked 42,000 arrests in its three years of enforcement. The decision was a blow to advocates of get-tough crime policies. But in a widely noted supporting opinion, Justice Sandra Day O ́Connor suggested that a less harsh approach — distinguishing gang members from innocent bystanders — might pass constit utional muster( 集合 ). New language could target loiterers( 游荡者 )"with no apparent purpose other than to establish control over identifiable areas, to intimidate others from entering those areas or to conceal illegal activities", she wrote. Chicago officials vo wed to draft a new measure. "We will go back and correct it and then move forward," said Mayor Richard Daley. Chicago officials, along with the League of Cities and 31 states that sided with them in court, might do well to look at one state where anti-gang loitering prosecutions have withstood constitutional challenges: California. The state has two anti-l oitering laws on the books, aimed at people intending to commit specific crimes — prostitution( )and drug dealing. In addition, a number of local prosecutors are waging war against gangs by an innovative use of the public-nuisance laws. In cities such as Los Angeles and San Jose, prosecutors have sought injunctions( 禁令 )against groups of people suspected of gang activity. "The officers in the streets know the gang members and gather physical evidence for lengthy court hearings," say s Los Angeles prosecutor Martin Vranicar. If the evidence is enough to convince a judge, an injunction is issued to prohibit specific behaviour — such as carrying cell phones or pagers or blocking sidewalk passage — in defined geographical areas. "It works instantly," says San Jose city attorney Joan Gallo, who successfully defended the tactic before the California Supreme Court. "A few days after the injunctions, children are playing on streets where they never were before." So far, only a few hundred gang members have been targeted, out of an estimated 150,000 in Los Angeles alone. But experts say last week ́s decision set the parametres for sharper measures. Says Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe: "It just means th ey have to use a scalpel( 解剖刀 )rather than an invisible mallet( 棒槌 )." 61. What does the author intend to illustrate with the example of the gang member and his father? __________ A: How the anti-loitering law works. B: How to maintain charming image. C: How tough the crime polices were. D: Why Chicago ́s sweeping law stroke down. 62. What does Sandra Day O ́Connor think of the old sweeping law? ________ A: It should be abandoned. B: It meets the constitution ́s spirit well. C: It didn ́t accord with the constitution. D: It was too severe. 63. The third and fourth paragraphs suggest that______. A: the League of Cities and 31 states should work with Chicago officials B: the injunctions in some cities ended crime in the street completely C: California successfully starts the battle against the gangs D: the police officers shoulder more responsibility than before . What does the author mean by saying "It just means they...invisible mallet" at the end of the article? _______ A: The gang members should be given a get-tough treatment. B: The injunctions are more powerful in controlling crimes. C: A scalpel can cut off the tumours of the society while the invisible mallet fails. D: A scalpel is more powerful than the invisible mallet. 65. Which of the following is TRUE according to the article? _______ A: Injunctions are posed on those people suspected of gang activity. B: Chicago officials still maintained their get-tough crime policies. C: It was not safe for children to play on the street. D: California used an invisible mallet while other states used a scalpel to cope with the gangs.