Passage One
　　Edgar Allen Poe, an American writer, was born in 1809.His parents were actors. Edgar was a babywhen his father left the family. He was two years old when his mother died. He was taken into the home of a wealthy businessman named John Allen.He then received his new name, Edgar Allen Poe.
　　As a young man, Poe attended the University of Virginia.He was a good student, but he liked to drink alcoholand play card games for money. As an unskilled game player,he often lost money.Since he couldn't pay off his gambling debt,he left university and began working for magazines.He worked hard, yet he was not well paid, or well known.At the age of 27, he got married.For a time it seemed that Poe would find some happiness,but his wife was sick for most of their marriage,and died in 1847. Through all his crises,Poe produced many stories and poems which appeared in different publications,yet he didn't become famous until 1845,when his poem, The Raven, was published.There is a question, however,
about Poe's importance in American Literature.Some critics say Poe was one of America's best writers,and even had a great influence on many French writers,but others disagree.They say Poe's work is difficult to understand and most of his writing describes many unpleasant situations and events.Edgar Allen Poe died in 1849 when he was 40 years old.It is said that he was found dead after days of heavy drinking.

　　26. What happened to Edgar Allen Poe's family, when he was only two years old?
　　27. Why did Edgar Allen Poe leave the University of Virginia?
　　28. What do some critics say about Edgar Allen Poe?
　　29. How did Edgar Allen Poe's life come to an end?

　　Passage Two
　　More than fifty years ago,the United Nations declared that literacy is a basic human right.It's very important for improving the lives of individuals,however, it is estimated that 880 million adults around the world are illiterate, that is,they are unable to read or write. A majority of them are women.More than 110 million school age children in the world do not attend school. Many others complete school or fail to finish their studies without learning to read or write.Many countries depend on the efforts of people who offer their time to help illiterate individuals.For example, John Mogger became concerned about the problem of illiteracy three years ago,so he started teaching five prisoners in Brazil.In his teaching, he developed a system with this group of prisoners.He says his way of teaching can help anyone learn how to read and write with about thirty hours of study.To learn his system,people must first know how to write letters of the alphabet and learn which sounds they represent. The system divides letters into three groups.The first group of letters can be written between two lines.The second can be written between two lines but part of the letters is above the top line.The third group has letters that are partly written below the lower line. John Mogger taught his students to write simple words from the letters, in this way,his students learned more than 700 words.Many of them can now write to family members.They also can read newspapers and magazines.

　　30. According to the speaker, which group of people makes up of the majority of the illiterate population?
　　31. What is the most important feature of John Mogger's method of teaching the alphabet?
　　32. What does John Mogger say about his teaching method?

　　Passage Three
　　Farmers usually use ploughs to prepare their fields for planting crops. Ploughs cut into the ground,and lift up weeds and other unwanted plants.However, ploughing is blamed for causing severe damage to topsoil by removing the plants that protect soil from being blown or washed away.Many farmers in South Asia are now trying a process called Low Till Farming. Low Till Farming limits the use of ploughs.In this method of farming seeds and fertilizer are put into the soil through a small cut made in the surface of the ground. Low Till Agriculture leaves much or all of the soil and remains of plants on the ground.They serve as a natural fertilizer and help support the roots of future crops.They take in rain and allow it to flow into the soil instead of running off. It has been proved that Low Till Farming increases harvests and reduces water use,and this method reduces the need for chemical products because there are fewer unwanted plants.Scientists say Low Till Farming is becoming popular in South Asia,which is facing a severe water shortage.They say the area will become dependent on imported food unless water is saved through methods like Low Till Farming. Currently,more than 150 million people in South Asia depend onlocal rice and wheat crops. Farmers grow rice during wet weather.During the dry season they grow wheat in the same fields.Farmers are using the Low Till method to plant wheat after harvesting rice. Scientists say Low Till Agriculture is one of the best examples in the world of technologies working for both people, and the environment.

　　33. What is the main problem caused by the usual way of ploughing?
　　34. What does the speaker say about Low Till Farming?
　　35. Where is Low Till Farming becoming popular?