Reading passages

174- The writer of this passage thinks that his new book on Fortran is justified because .................... .

A) computer science is quite new with little relevant literature

B) it brings a new approach to computer programming languages
C) computer professionals have not as yet recognise the changes occurring in computer science
D) it will boost the sale of computers all over the world
E) it will alter the concept of computer science among academia


Until 1980s most British museums and art academies considered watercolour an amateur pursuit or a preliminary to serious work in oils. Many British watercolorists saw the medium as a holiday diversion, using portable paint boxes and a free style to make what they called “snapshots” of their travels. However, a few recognised the exceptional capacity of watercolour as a medium of art to provide clear and luminous colours in works that would evoke the ever-changing nature of lakes and rivers they knew so well, and ultimately compete for supremacy with oil painting in major art collections.


175- We can infer from the passage that, in Britain, it was a long time before watercolours.................. .

A) were taken seriously as a means of art

B) lost their appeal like oils
C) fell out of public interest
D) became an amateur hobby among the ordinary people
E) were confined to the depiction of lakes and seas
176- According to the passage, not many British artists thought that watercolour ...................... .
A) had been overworked for many decades
B) and oil painting were equally effective as mediums for the portrayal of human feelings
C) had always been more significant than oil painting
D) was only to be used as a hobby on holidays
E) was an ideal art form for representing nature in its various shades and colours
177- The passage illustrates clearly how ................ .

A) watercolour has changed landscape painting in Britain

B) watercolour slowly gave way to oils as an art form
C) British art galleries have collected their oil paintings and watercolours
D) watercolour has come to be recognised in Britain as valid art form
E) watercolour is different in style and execution from oil painting


The unfavourable effects of cigarette smoking on the heart have usually been discussed, but the exact basis for these effects has not been clarified. Some believe nicotine to be the culprit, and there has been some experimental work in animals indicating that large doses of nicotine in conjunction with cholesterol feeding and vitamin D could cause a disease of the arteries resembling that observed in humans. An alternative explanation has been offered by other investigators who have pointed to the possible role of carbon monoxide being inhaled with the cigarette smoke.