Passage One

　　Children in the United States are exposed to many influences other than that of their families. Television is the most significant of these influences, because the habit of watching television usually begins before children start attending school. And, by the time that the average child finishes high school, he or she will have spent 18,000 hours in front of a television set as opposed to 12,000 hours in a classroom.
　　Parents are concerned about these figures. They are also concerned about the lack of quality in television progmp3s for children. The degree of violence in many of these shows also worries them.

　　Even if it is unreal — a cartoon cat beating up a cartoon mouse with a baseball bat — this violence may have a negative effect on the young minds exposed to it. Studies indicate that, when children are exposed to violence, they may become aggressive or insecure.

　　Parents are also concerned about the commercials that their children see on television. Many parents would like to see fewer commercials during progmp3s for children. And some parents feel that these shows should not have commercials at all because young minds are not mature enough to deal with the claims made by advertisers.

　　Educational television has no commercials and has progmp3s for children that many parents approve of. The most famous of these is “Sesame Street”, which tries to give preschool children a head start in learning the alphabet and numbers. It also tries to teach children useful things about the world in which they live.

　　Even though most parents and educators give “Sesame Street” and shows like it high marks for quality, some critics argue that all television, whether educational or not, is hamp3ful to children. These critics feel that the habit of watching hours of television a day turns children into bored and passive consumers of their world rather than encouraging them to become active explorers of it.

　　Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　
What is the main idea of the passage?
　　
　　
According to the passage, what do you think “Sesame Street” is?
　　
　　
What will be the consequence if a child fomp3s a habit of watching hours of television every day?
　　
Passage Two

　　Crime has its own cycles, a magazine reported some years ago. Police records show a surprising relation between changes in the season and crime patterns.　　
　　The pattern of crime has changed very little over a long period of years. Murder reaches its high during July and August, as do other violent attacks. Murder, in addition, is more than seasonal; it is a weekend crime. It is also a nighttime crime: 62 percent of murders are committed between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. One is most likely to be robbed between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. on a Saturday night in December, January, or February. Except for one strange statistic, May is the least criminal month of all. 　　

　　Apparently our intellectual season cycles are completely different from our criminal patterns. Professor Huntington made a lot of studies to discover the seasons when people read serious books, attend scientific meetings, and make the highest scores on examinations. In all examples, he found a spring peak and an autumn peak separated by a summer low. On the other hand, Professor Huntington’s studies showed that June is the peak month for suicides and for admitting patients to mental hospital. June is also a peak month for marriages!　　

　　Possibly, high temperature and humidity bring on our strange and surprising summer actions, but police officers are not so sure. “There are, of course, no proof of a relation between humidity and murder”, they say. “Why murder’s high time should come in the summer time we really don’t know”.

　　Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　
What is the passage mainly about?
　　　　
Which is the safest season?
　　　　
What did Professor Huntington’s research show?
　　
Passage Three

　　Despite the presence of workaholics, there is a growing realization in the United States that too much work demand can be physically and mentally hamp3ful. Many people have been rebelling against the work ethic, saying that no job is so important as to damage personal relationships and rob people of relaxation. There has been a shift in values, with more emphasis being given to personal relationships and relaxation. Leisure time provides opportunities to find personal satisfaction and freedom from the routine of work.

　　Increased leisure time in the United States has not altered the idea that work and play are distinct activities. This distinction is clear-cut; there are “work-hours” and “afterwork-hours”. There is a belief that it is desirable “to work hard and play hard” and undesirable to combine the two. In many offices, stores, and factories socializing among employees is discouraged. An employee under pressure at work often cannot afford to respond to social calls and visits. However, the amount of personal contact on the job depends on the nature of the work. There may be more social interaction between teachers in a school than between scientists doing independent research. Nevertheless, work and play are usually perceived and maintained as separate activities.

　　Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　
What is the result of too much work demand?
　　　　
In order to rebel against the work ethic, what do many people believe now?
　　　　
What do people expect an employee under pressure at work to do?
　　　　
What does the speaker imply by saying “the distinction is clear-cut”?