Reading-exercises-41-passages

1ReadingComprehensionExercisesforGraduates2017(41Passages)ReadingComprehensionExerciseOnePassageOneIdon’tknowhowIbecameawriter,butIthinkitwasbecauseofacertainforceinmethatIhadtowriteandthatfinallyburstthroughandfoundachannel.Mypeoplewereoftheworkingclasspeople.Myfather,astone-cuter,wasamanwithagreatrespectandvenerationforliterature.Hehadatremendousmemory,andhelovedpoetry,andthepoetrythathelovedbestwasnaturallyoftherhetoricalkindthatsuchamanwouldlike.Neverthelessitwasgoodpoetry,Hamlet’sSoliloquy,“Macbeth”,MarkAnton’s“FuneralOration”,Grey’s“Elegy”,andalltherestofit.Ihearditallasachild;Imemorizedandlearneditall.Hesentmetocollegetothestateuniversity.Thedesiretowrite,whichhadbeenstrongduringallmydaysinhighschool,grewstrongerstill.Iwaseditorofthecollegenewspaper,thecollegemagazine,etc.,andinmybestyearortwoIwasamemberofacourseinplaywritingwhichhadjustbeenestablishedthere.Iwroteseverallittleone-actplays,stillthinkingIwouldbecomealawyeroranewspaperman,neverdaringtobelieveIcouldseriouslybecomeawriter.ThenIwenttoHarvard,wrotesomemoreplaysthere,becameobsessedwiththeideathatIhadtobeaplaywright,leftHarvard,hadmyplaysrejected,andfinallyintheautumnof1926,how,why,orinwhatmannerIhaveneverexactlybeenabletodetermine,butprobablybecausetheforceinmethathadtowriteatlengthsoughtoutitschannel,IbegantowritemyfirstbookinLondon.Iwaslivingallaloneatthattime.Ihadtworooms---abedroomandasittingroom---inalittlesquareinChelseainwhichallthehouseshadthatfamiliar,smokedbrickandcream---yellow---plasterlook.1.Theauthor’sattitudetowardhisfatherisoneof______.A.suspicionB.gratitudeC.contemptD.Regret2.Theauthor’sfather_______.A.gavehimconscioussupportB.wasablue-collarworkerC.waswell-educatedD.taughthimtowriteasachild3.Theauthor_______.A.hadalwaysbeensuccessfulinhiswritingcareerB.wenttoHarvardtolearntowriteplaysC.workedasanewspapermanbeforebecomingawriterD.begantothinkofbecomingawriteratHarvard4.Theauthorbelievesthathebecameawriterchieflyowingto_____.2A.hisspecialtalentB.hisfather’ssupportandencouragementC.ahiddenurgewithinhimD.hisstudyatHarvard5.Theauthorreallystartedonhiswaytobecomeawriter_______.A.afterheenteredcollegeB.whenhewasinhighschoolC.whenhewasstudyingatHarvardD.whenhelivedLondonPassageTwoTheestimatesofthenumberofhome-schooledchildrenvarywidely.TheUSDepartmentofEducationestimatesthereare250000to350000homeschooledchildreninthecountry.Home-schooladvocatesputthenumbermuchhigher---ataboutamillion.Manypublicschooladvocatestakeaharshattitudetowardhomeschoolers,perceivingtheiractionsastheultimateslapinthefaceforpubliceducationandadamagingmoveforthechildren.Homeschoolersharborfewkindwordsforpublicschools,chargingshortcomingsthatrangefromlackofreligiousperspectiveinthecurriculumtoaherdlikeapproachtoteachingchildren.Yet,aspublicschoolofficialsrealizetheystandlittletogainbyremaininghostiletothehome-schoolpopulation;andashomeschoolersrealizetheycanreapbenefitsfrompublicschools,thesehardlinesseemtobesofteningabit.Publicschoolsandhomeschoolershavemovedclosertotoleranceand,insomecases,evencooperation.SaysJohnMarshall,aneducationofficial,“Wearebecomingrelativelytolerantofhomeschoolers.”Theideais,“Let’sgivethekindsaccesstopublicschoolsothey’llseeit’snotasterribleasthey’vebeentold,andthey’llwanttocomeback.”Perhaps,butdon’tcountonit,sayhome-schooladvocates.Homeschoolersopposethesystembecausetheyhavestrongconvictionsthattheirapproachtoeducation---whetherfueledbyreligiousenthusiasmortheindividualchild’sinterestsandnaturalpace---isbest.“Thebulkofhomeschoolersjustwanttobeleftalone,”saysEngeCannon,associatedirectoroftheNationalCenterforHomeEducation.Shesayshomeschoolerschoosethatpathforavarietyofreasons,butreligionplaysarole85percentofthetime.ProfessorVanGalenbreakshomeschoolersintotwogroups.Somehomeschoolerswanttheirchildrentolearnnotonlytraditionalsubjectmatterbutalso“strictreligiousdoctrineandaconservativepoliticalandsocialperspective.Notincidentally,theyalsowanttheirchildrentolearn---bothintellectuallyandemotionally---thatthefamilyisthemostimportantinstitutioninsociety.”Otherhomeschoolerscontend“notsomuchthattheschoolteachheresy,butthatschoolsteachwhatevertheyteachinappropriately,”VanGalenwrites.“Theseparentsarehighlyindependentandstriveto‘takeresponsibility’fortheirownliveswithinasocietythattheydefineasbureaucraticandinefficient.”1.Accordingtothepassage,homeschoolersare_____.3A.thosewhoengageprivateteacherstoprovideadditionaleducationfortheirchildren.B.thosewhoeducatetheirchildrenathomeinsteadofsendingthemtoschoolC.thosewhoadvocatecombiningpubliceducationwithhomeschoolingD.thosewhodon’tgotoschoolbutareeducatedathomebytheirparents2.Publicschoolsaresofteningtheirpositiononhomeschoolingbecause______.A.thereisn’tmuchtheycandotochangethepresentsituationB.theywanttoshowtheirtolerancefordifferentteachingsystemsC.homeschoolingprovidesanewvarietyofeducationforchildrenD.publicschoolshavesomanyproblemsthattheycan’tofferpropereducationforallChildren3.Home-schooladvocatesareoftheopinionthat_____.A.thingsinpublicschoolsarenotsobadashasoftenbeensaidB.theirtoleranceofpublice