Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes) Passage One Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage. Each summer, no matter how pressing my work schedule, I take off one day exclusively for my son. We call it dad-son day. This year our third stop was the amusement park, where he discovered that he was tall enough to ride one of the fastest roller coasters(过山车) in the world. We blasted through face-stretching turns and loops for ninety seconds. Then, as we stepped off the ride, he shrugged and, in a distressingly calm voice, remarked that it was not as exciting as other rides he’d been on. As I listened, I began to sense something seriously out of balance. Throughout the season, I noticed similar events all around me. Parents seemed hard pressed to find new thrills for indifferent kids. Surrounded by ever-greater stimulation, their young faces wore looking disappointed and bored. Facing their children’s complaints of “nothing to do”. Parents were shelling out large numbers of dollars for various forms of entertainment. In many cases the money seemed to do little more than buy transient relief from the terrible moans of their bored children. This set me pondering the obvious question: “How can it be so hard for kids to find something to do when there’s of stimulating entertainment available to them?” Why do children immersed in this much excitement seem starved for more? That was, I realized, the point. I discovered during my own reckless adolescence that what creates excitement is not going fast, but going faster. Thrills have less to do with speed than changes in speed. I’m concerned about the cumulative effect of years at these levels of feverish activity. It is no mystery to me why many teenagers appear apathetic (麻木的) and burned out, with a “been there, done that” air of indifference toward much of life. As increasing numbers of friends’ children are prescribed medications-stimulants to deal with inattentiveness at school or anti-depressants to help with the loss of interest and joy in their lives-l question the role of kids boredom in some of the diagnoses. My own work is focused on the chemical imbalances and biological factors related to behavioral and emotional disorders. These are complex problems. Yet I’ve been reflecting more and more on how the pace of life and the intensity of stimulation may be contributing to the rising rates of psychiatric problems among children and adolescents in our society. 21. The author felt surprised in the amusement park at the face that________. A) his son was not as thrilled by the roller coaster ride as expected B) his son blasted through the turns and loops with his face stretched C) his son appeared distressed but calm while riding the roller coaster D) his son could keep his balance so well on the fast-moving roller coaster
22. According to the author, children are bored _________. A) unless their parents can find new thrills for them B) when they don’t have any access to stimulating fun games C) when they are left alone at weekends by their working parents D) even if they are exposed to more and more kinds of entertainment
23. From his own experience. the author came to the conclusion that children seem to expect ________. A) a much wider variety of sports facilities B) activities that require sophisticated C) ever-changing thrilling forms of recreation D) physical exercises that are more challenging
24. In Para. 6 . the author expresses his doubt about the effectiveness of trying to change children indifference toward much of life by ________. A) diverting their interest from electronic visual games B) prescribing medications for their temporary relief C) creating more stimulating activities for them D) spending more money on their entertainment
25. In order to alleviate children’s boredom, the author would probably suggest ____ . A) adjusting the pace of life and intensity of stimulation B) promoting the practice of dad-son days C) consulting a specialist in child psychology D) balancing school work with extracurricular activities
of stimulating entertainment available to them?”
