Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. 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 and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:

Solar energy for your home is coming. It can help you as a single home owner.It can help the whole country as well.Whether or not solar energy can save your

money depends on many things. Where you live is one factor. The type of home you

have is another. Things like insulation present energy coasts, and the type of

ssstem you buy are added factors.

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Using solar energy can help save our precious fuel. As you know, our supplies

of oil and gas are very limited. There is just not enough on hand to meet all our future energy needs.And when Mother Nature says that's all. The only way we ca

n delay hearing those words is by starting to save energy now and by using other

sources, like the sun.

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We won't have to worry about the sun's running out of energy for another sev

eral billion years or so. Besides begin an endless sourse of energy, the use of the sun has other advantages as well. The sun doesn't offer as many problems as

other energy sources. For example, fossil fuel plants add to already high pollution

levels. With solar energy, we will still need sources of energy, but we won't need as much. That means we can cut down on our pollution problems.

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With all these good points, why don't we use more solar power? There are many

reasons for this. The biggest reason is money. Until now, it was just not practical for a home owner to put in a solar unit. There were cheaper sources of energy.

All that is changing now. Solar coats are starting to equal the costs of oil and electricity. Experts say that gas, oil and electricity prices will continue to

rise. The demand for electricity is increasing rapidly. But new power plants will

use more gas,oil or coal. Already in some places the supply of electricity is being

rationed. Solar energy is now in its infancy. It could soon grow to become a major part of our nation's energy supply.

21. Which statement best expresses the main idea?

 A) Something about Solar Energy and Pollution.

 B) Solar Energy.

 C) Energy and Pollution

 D) Energy and Money.

 22. Solar energy can help us save ____. 

A) the earth and natural resources

 B) mother nature

 C) the sun

 D) our precious fuel

 23. The sun is an endless source of energy, it will not run out of it

for ____.

 A) several million years

 B) several hundred years

 C) several billion years

 D) several thousand years

 24. Which of the following statements is correct?

 A) Energy from coal would not pollute our living environment.

 B) Energy from natural gas would not pollute our living environment.

 C) Energy from the sun would not pollute our living environment.

 D) Energy from oil would not pollute our living environment.

 25. Solar energy is now in its infancy, ____.

 A) but it will be considered as an important part of our nation ' s energy

supply

 B) yet we will build more power plants

 C) and the supply of electricity will be rationed

 D) but we don ' t need practice energy rationing now

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Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:

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Nearly 54 million cars and trucks in the United States are equipped with driver side air bags located in the center of the steering wheel. 24 million also

have a passenger  side device located in the dashboard. Air bags are designed to protect against sudden, fierce frontal highway impacts.

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Five years ago evidence of serious air  bag injuries began to surface. Drivers

in minor fender benders suffered severe eye and ear injuries, broken bones and

third  degree burns from the force of the inflating bags. In December 1991 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advised parents to avoid putting rear  facing infant sets in front of air bags, acknowledging that the force

of the explosive bag could harm infants, whose heads were only inches away from the devices.

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Last October it was determined that all children 12 and under were more susceptible to injury and death than adults; their more fragile bodies were seated lower, increasing the impact of the air bag to the head area. In addition, more children were not properly restrained or were out of position when the air bag inflated. On November 22, 1996, after nearly 60 deaths and thousands of injuries were attributed to the devices, the NHTSA mandated improved labels for all new vehicles, warning of the risk to children under 13. Despite these problems, officials stress the overall effectiveness of these devices. “All in all, air bags work well

and are responsible for an 11 percent reduction in driver fatalities,” says NHT

SA Administrator Dr. Ricardo Martinez.

“ First and foremost, make sure you're properly buckled up before getting on

the road,” says Brain O'Neill, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Keep in mind how close you sit to an air bag. Push seats as far back as possible, remaining just close enough to control the pedals. Your face and torso should be at least ten to 12 inches from the steering column. “It's not a bad idea actually to measure the distance with a ruler to be sure.” adds O'Neill.

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Adjustable steering wheels should be pointed toward the chest rather than the

head to prevent inflating bag from damaging the face or neck. Also, position hands at nine o'clock and three o'clock on the wheel to keep your arms away from an

opening air bag.

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Pregnant women in particular should keep their abdomen as distant from the

air bag as possible. In the final trimester,women should point adjustable steering

wheels upward, away from their fetus.

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Perhaps most important, children 12 and under should always ride in the back

seat, buckled up.

 26. From the passage, we learned that ____.

 A) there are 24 million cars and trucks in the United States

 B) there are 78 million cars and trucks in the United States

 C) there are 24 million cars and trucks equipped with air  bags in the United States

 D) there are 78 million cars and trucks equipped with air  bags in the United States

 27. The air bags are ____.

 A) safety devices which can protect people from being hurt during highway

accidents

 B) unsafe devices which hurt many people

 C) safety devices which saved 11% American drivers

 D) safety devices but need to be improved

 28. The air  bag is located in the center of the steering wheel,so you should ____.

 A) keep in mind how close you sit to an air bag

 B) push the front seat as far back as possi