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Passage 1
Jean Brown has been married for 12 years. She has 3 children, and lives in the suburb outside Columbus, Ohio. When her youngest child reached school age, Jean decided to go back to work. She felt that she should contribute to the household financies. Her salary can make a difference between the financial struggle and secure financial situation for her family. Jean also felt bored and frustrated in her role as a homemaker and wanted to be more involved in life outside her home. Jean was worried about her children’s adjustment to this new situation. But she arranged for them to go stay with the woman nearby after school each afternoon. They seem to be happy with the arrangement. The problem seem to be between Jean and her husband, Bill. When Jean was at home all day, she was able to clean the house, go grocery shopping, wash the clothes, take care of the children and cook 2 or 3 meals each day. She was very busy of course. But she succeeded in getting everything done. Now the same things need to be done, but Jean has only evenings and early mornings to do them. Both Jean and Bill are tired when they arrive home at 6 P.M. Bill is accustomed to sitting down and reading the paper or watching TV until dinner is ready. This is exactly what Jean feels like doing. But some one has to fix the dinner and Bill expects it to be Jean. Jean has become very angry at Bill’s attitude. She feels that they should share the household jobs. But Bill feels that everything should be the same as it was before Jean went back to work.
11. Why did Jean want to go back to work?
12. How did Jean spend her days before she went back to work?
13. What problem arose when Jean went back to work?
14. What does the story try to tell us?
Passage 2
The decade for natural disaster reduction is a program designed to reduce the impact of natural disasters throughout the world. With support from the United Nations, countries will be encouraged to share information about disaster reduction. For instance, information about how to plan for and cope with hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. One of the most important things the program plans to do is to remind us of what we can do to protect ourselves. For example, we can pack a suitcase with flashlights, a radio, food, drinking water and some tools. This safety may help us survive a disaster until help arrives. Besides, the program will encourage governments to establish building standards, emergency response plans, and training programs, These measures can help to limit the destruction by natural disasters. The comparatively mild effects of the northern California earthquake in 1989 are good evidence that we do have the technology to prevent vast destruction. The recent disasters, on the other hand, prove that people will suffer if we don’t use that technology. When a highway collapsed in northern California, people were killed in their cars. The highway was not built according to today’s strict standards to resist earthquakes. Individuals and governments have to be far-sighted. We should take extra time and spend extra money to build disaster safety into our lives. Although such a program can’t hold back the winds or stop earthquakes, they can save people’s lives and homes.
15. What is the purpose of the program mentioned in this passage?
16. What can we learn from the northern California earthquake in 1989?
17. Why did the highway in northern California collapse?
Passage 3
Living at the foot of one of the world’s most active volcanoes might not appeal to you at all. But believe it or not, the area surrounding Mount Etna in Italy is packed with people. In fact, it is the most densely populated region on the whole island of Sicily. The reason is that rich volcanic soil makes the land fantastic for forming. By growing and selling a variety of crops, local people earn a good living. For them, the economic benefit they reap surpasses the risk of dying or losing property in one of the volcano’s frequent eruptions. People everywhere make decisions about risky situations this way. That is, by comparing the risks and the benefits. According to the experts, the side of the risk depends on both its probability and seriousness. Let’s take Mount Etna for example. It does erupt frequently, but those eruptions are usually minor. So the overall risk for people living nearby is relatively small. But suppose Mount Etna erupted everyday, or imagine that each eruption there kills thousands of people. If that were the case, the risk would be much larger. Indeed, the risk would be too large for many people to live with. And they would have to move away.
18. How do people make decisions about risky situations?
19. What do we know about Mount Etna from the passage?
20. What will people living near Mount Etna do in the face of its eruptions?
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