When a large number of positive ions are present in the air many people experience unpleasant effects such as headaches, fatigue, irritability, and some particularly sensitive people suffer nausea or even mental disturbance. Animals are also affected, particularly before earthquakes, snakes have been observed to come out of hibernation, rats to flee from their burrows, dogs howl and cats jump about unaccountably. This has led the US Geographical Survey to fund a network of volunteers to watch animals in an effort to foresee such disasters before they hit vulnerable areas such as California.

　　Conversely, when large numbers of negative ions are present, then people have a feeling of well-being. Natural conditions that produce these large amounts are near the sea, close to waterfalls or fountains, or in any place where water is sprayed, or forms a spray. This probably accounts for the beneficial effect of a holiday by the sea, or in the mountains with tumbling streams or waterfalls.

　　To increase the supply of negative ions indoors, some scientists recommend the use of ionisers: small portable machines, which generate negative ions. They claim that ionisers not only clean and refresh the air but also improve the health of people sensitive to excess positive ions. Of course, there are the detractors, other scientists, who dismiss such claims and are skeptical about negative/positive ion research. Therefore people can only make up their own minds by observing the effects on themselves, or on others, of a negative rich or poor environment. After all it is debatable whether depending on seismic readings to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than watching the cat.

　　1.What effect does exceeding positive ionization have on some people?

　　A.They think they are insane.

　　B.They feel rather bad-tempered and short-fussed.

　　C.They become violently sick.

　　D.They are too tired to do anything.

　　2.In accordance with the passage, static electricity can be caused by___.

　　A.using home-made electrical goods.

　　B.wearing clothes made of natural materials.

　　C.walking on artificial floor coverings.

　　D.copying TV programs on a computer.

　　3.A high negative ion count is likely to be found___.

　　A.near a pound with a water pump.

　　B.close to a slow-flowing river.

　　C.high in some barren mountains.

　　D.by a rotating water sprinkler.

　　4.What kind of machine can generate negative ions indoors?

　　A.Ionisers.

　　B.Air-conditioners.

　　C.Exhaust-fans

　　D.Vacuum pumps.

　　5.Some scientists believe that___.

　　A.watching animals to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than depending on seismography.

　　B.the unusual behavior of animals cannot be trusted.

　　C.neither watching nor using seismographs is reliable.

　　D.earthquake

　　六級閱讀理解強化練習答案：

　　BCDAA

　　六級閱讀理解強化練習2：

　　A study of art history might be a good way to learn more about a culture than is possible to learn in general history classes. Most typical history courses concentrate on politics, economics, and war. But art history focuses on much more than this because art reflects not only the political values of a people, but also religious beliefs, emotions, and psychology. In addition, information about the daily activities of our ancestors—or of people very different from our own—can be provided by art. In short, art expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place, and a study of it clearly offer us a deeper understanding than can be found in most history books.

　　In history books, objective information about the political life of a country is presented; that is, facts about politics are given, but opinions are not expressed. Art, on the other hand, is subjective: it reflects emotions and opinions. The great Spanish painter Francisco Goya was perhaps the first truly “political” artist. In his well-known painting The Third of May 1808, he criticized the Spanish government for its misuse of power over people. Over a hundred years later, symbolic images were used in Pablo Picasso’s Guernica to express the horror of war. Meanwhile, on another continent, the powerful paintings of Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros—as well as the works of Alfredo Ramos Martines—depicted these Mexican artists’ deep anger and sadness about social problems.

　　In the same way, art can reflect a culture’s religious beliefs. For hundreds of years in Europe, religious art was almost the only type of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that depicted people and stories from the Bible. Although most people couldn’t read, they could still understand biblical stories in the pictures on church walls. By contrast, one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was (and still is) its absence of human and animal images. This reflects the Islamic belief that statues are unholy.

　　1.More can be learned about a culture from a study of art history than general history because art history__.

　　A.show us the religious and emotions of a people in addition to political values.

　　B.provide us with information about the daily activities of people in the past.

　　C.give us an insight into the essential qualities of a time and a place.

　　D.all of the above.

　　2.Art is subjective in that__.

　　A.a personal and emotional view of history is presented through it.

　　B.it can easily rouse our anger or sadness about social problems.

　　C.it will find a ready echo in our hearts.

　　D.both B and C.

　　3.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

　　A.Unlike Francisco Goya, Pablo and several Mexican artists expressed their political opinions in their paintings.

　　B.History books often reveal the compilers’ political views.

　　C.Religious art remained in Europe for centuries the only type of art because most people regarded the Bible as the Holy Book.

　　D.All the above mentioned.

　　4.The passage is mainly discussing__.

　　A.the difference between general history and art history.

　　B.The making of art history.

　　C.What can we learn from art.

　　D.The influence of artists on art history.

　　5.In may be concluded from this passage that__.

　　A.Islamic artists have had to create architectural decorations with images of flowers or geometric forms.

　　B.History teachers are more objective than general history.

　　C.It is more difficult to study art history than general history.

　　D.People and stories from the Bible were painted on churches and other buildings in order to popularize the Bible.

　　六級閱讀理解強化練習答案：

　　DDDCA