The Greek philosopher Plato has had an enormous influence on the thought and literature of the world. He grew up during the Peloponnesian War, when the greatness of Athens came to an end. The injustices of the new rulers made him turn from politics, which had interested him, and devote himself to philosophy. That is, he studied and tried to understand and explain the truth about the world around him. Plato was the most famous pupil of that other Greek teacher Socrates, and he wrote down the words of his master. In two of his works, he gave accounts of Socrates' death. Plato also made Socrates the chief speaker in most of his Dialogues, which are imaginary conversations on philosophy. It was in these dialogues that Plato put forward his ideas. Following the example of Socrates, he tried to find answers to such questions as "What is justice?" "What is beauty?" "What is goodness?" One of the greatest of Plato's dialogues The Republic describes a perfect state. Plato believed that rulers should be trained form their earliest youth to rule not for their own benefit but for the good of all the people in the state. However, the young prince whom Plato himself taught governed as badly as anyone else.
  
  1. According to the passage, Plato devoted himself to philosophy because _____ .
  A) he did not like politics
  B) he studied and tried to understand the truth
  C) the greatness of Athens came to an end
  D) of the injustice of the rulers
  2. Which sentence about Plato is NOT true?
  A) Plato included Socrates in his written work.
  B) Plato described Socrates in his written work.
  C) Plato was the most famous teacher of Socrates.
  D) Plato has had an enormous influence on the thought and literature of the world.
  3. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about Plato's Dialogues'?
  A) They are about important subjects.
  B) They are about some issues in philosophy.
  C) Plato himself is one of the people in the conversations.
  D) The conversations are the product of Plato's mind.
  4. The word "state" in paragraph 3 means _____ .
  A) government
  B) condition
  C) manner
  D) organization

  Most scientists think that by resting our bodies, we allow time for essential maintenance work to be done. Any damage that there is can be put right more quickly if energy isn't being used up doing other things. Injured animals certainly spend more time asleep than usual while their wounds are healing. And quite a few illnesses make us feel sleepy so our body can get on with curing us. Sleep is controlled by certain chemicals. These build up during the day, eventually reaching levels that make us tired. We can control the effects of these chemicals to some extent. Caffeine helps to keep us awake while some medicines make us sleepy. By using electrodes, scientists are able to study what goes on in people's heads while they sleep. They have discovered that when we first drop off everything slows down. The heart beats more slowly and our breathing becomes shallow. After about 90 minutes our eyes start to twitch and we go into what is called REM sleep. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement, and it's a sign that we've started to dream.
  
  1. The best title for the passage is _____ .
  A) Why We Dream
  B) Facts about Sleep
  C) Effect of Chemicals on Sleep
  D) Effect of Sleep on Health
  2. What causes human sleep is _____ .
  A) some chemicals
  B) the need to store energy
  C) some wounds and illnesses
  D) the slowing down of our heartbeat
  3. The word "they" in line 11 refers to _____ .
  A) heads
  B) electrodes
  C) scientists
  D) people
  4. The word "twitch" in line 12 is closest in meaning to _____ .
  A) drop
  B) close
  C) move
  D) become heavy
  5. According to the passage, all of the following happen during sleep EXCEPT _____ .
  A) shallow breath
  B) less heart activity
  C) Rapid Eye Movement
  D) increased need for caffeine

  Capital punishment is the death penalty for a crime. It is usually carried out by hanging, electrocution, beheading, injection or tiring squad. From ancient times until the 18th century people were sentenced to death for a great number of crimes, some trivial by today's standards. The sentence was often accompanied by torture. Because of the work of social reformers the death penalty is now much less common. One of the early reformers was William Penn, the founder of the state of Pennsylvania. He said that capital punishment should only be used for murder or treason. Gradually, through the 18lh century, writers and thinkers began to influence governments in many countries and persuade them that the death penalty was unfair and inefficient. One of the main arguments against capital punishment is that it is unnecessary, as life imprisonment is just as effective in preventing any particular person from committing the same kind of crime again. It is said that capital punishment does not stop people committing crimes such as murder and treason as they are carried out by people so determined to commit them that they do not care how they may be punished if they are caught. It is also said that the penalty satisfies feelings of revenge that people may have, rather than brings about justice. On a purely practical level it is also thought to be unfair, since it is possible that some people will be wrongly convicted of crimes. Once a person is executed it is. of course, too late to retry the case if new evidence appears. This is often said to be more likely to happen to a poor person who may not be able to afford to appeal against a conviction. Some people still argue that capital punishment should be used and should be brought back in some countries that have abolished it. They base their argument mainly on a view that capital punishment is a deterrent. Many countries have abolished capital punishment completely. They include Sweden. Norway. Denmark, the Netherlands. Austria. Germany. Portugal, and Switzerland, in Europe. It has also been abolished in Venezuela and Brazil, as well as in Canada and New Zealand. Great Britain and Australia retain it for treason, but not for murder. In the United States it has been abolished in certain states. But in states where it does exist, it may not necessarily be used. Sometimes a person is sentenced to death, but the sentence is "commuted" to life imprisonment, for a special reason or reasons.
  
  1. What is the purpose of this passage?
  A) To inform
  B) To define
  C) To complain
  D) To entertain
  2. What does the author mean by the statement "the penalty satisfies feelings of revenge that people may have?"
  A) The punishment will make people obey the law.
  B) people feel satisfied after committing crimes.
  C) people may have the courage to commit crimes again.
  D) The punishment may help calm down angry people.
  3. The second paragraph is mainly concerned whit _____
  A) death penalty versus life imprisonment
  B) crime prevention by governments
  C) effects of capital punishment.
  D) arguments against capital punishment.
  4. According to the passage, supporters of capital punishment mainly argue that it
  A) brings about justice
  B) is fair and efficient
  C) stops people from committing crimes
  D) should only be used for murder or treason
  5. In Australia and Great Britain, capital punishment _____
  A) has been abolished completely
  B) is no longer used for murder
  C) has been changed to a less severe punishment
  D) is much less common than in the United States
  6. It can be inferred from the passage that _____
  A) nowadays governments use the death penalty for man) crimes
  B) the death penalty was very common before the 18n century
  C) many writers and thinkers are in favor of the death penalty
  D) life imprisonment is more effective than capital punishment