Reading passages

194-The passage explains ---- .
A) why the Hovercraft is more efficient ~n water than on land
B) the system which enables all amphibious vehicles to function as boats
C) that the Hovercraft can travel over various surfaces because it does not touch them
D) the best method by which the inefficient amphibious vehicles can be improved
E) that the Hovercraft is not truly an amphibious vehicle


195-According to the passage, of all amphibious vehicles, only the Hovercraft --- .
A) offers the passengers seats supported with cushions
B) operates with equal efficiency on both land and sea
C) has a large fan which keeps the engine cool
D) has become popularly known
E) requires smooth ground or a calm sea

The Rhine is a European river which rises in the Swiss Alps and flows northward for a distance of 1320 kilometres, entering the North Sea just south of the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It is navigable all the way from the sea to Basle, Switzerland, and for this reason is of great commercial importance, serving the industrial region of Ruhr and such inland ports as Cologne, Mannheim and Strasbourg. It is connected by canal with the Danube and the Rhone Its most famous stretch is the Rhine Gorge, the steep sides being given over to vineyards. Politically, too, the Rhine has played a big part in European history, providing a natural frontier between French speaking people to the west and Germanic peoples to the east.

196 -It is stated in the passage that the industrial importance of the Rhine --- .
A) stems from its role as a link between Switzerland and the sea
B) comes from its length of more than a thousand kilometres
C) is a direct result of its rising in the Alps in Switzerland
D) is due mainly to the river's political significance
E) has been lessened in recent years because of failed vineyards


197 -We understand from the passage that, the Danube and the Rhone ---- .
A) have, over the years, lessened the commercial importance of the Rhine
B) flow through more countries than does the Rhine
C) are of greater significance for Europe than the Rhine
D) flow into the same sea as the Rhine
E) are not connected with the Rhine naturally but artificially