Question

(1)Elevators, telephones, televisions—crowds marveled at these scientific wonders when they were introduced. These inventions may now be used by millions of people on a daily basis, but once they were found exclusively at world’s fairs.
(2)Early world’s fairs in the 1800s captivated audiences, exposing them to the latest ideas within distinctive and impressive structures. Significant examples are London’s Great Exhibition of 1851, housed within a “Crystal Palace,” a massive temporary glass building supported by a cast iron frame, and Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 with its over two-hundred buildings and structures erected specifically for the fair in neoclassical architectural style, including fountains reminiscent of those in Rome. These fairs served as educational forums, gathering people from around the globe to share new developments and witness progress.
(3)In the 1900s, with New York’s 1939–1940 fair themed “Building the World of Tomorrow,” world’s fairs took on a new role—that of addressing global issues. While technological advances remained an important feature of those events, audiences began to see world’s fairs as a means to support cross-cultural dialogue and the exchange of possible solutions to social and political conflict. In harmony with this purpose, the highly successful Expo 67, held in Montreal, Canada, featured the United Nations—an international organization whose stated mission is to achieve world peace—alongside the dozens of countries participating in the exhibition.
(4)Today, many people communicate their opinions over the Internet, and this virtual world has largely reduced the need to meet as a group within one physical space. It has not, however, diminished the visceral desire to see the future with our own eyes and touch it with our hands, nor has it suppressed that social compulsion to exhibit our achievements. Thus, at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, people gathered once again to witness the unveiling of awe-inspiring machines. Perhaps one day they will become familiar to all of us.

1. According to the passage, what happened at early world’s fairs?
A. Popular products were sold.
B. Entertaining shows were performed.
C. Scientific theories were tested.
D. Technological advances were displayed.

2. Why does the author mention London’s 1851 and Chicago’s 1893 fairs?
A. to illustrate the visual appeal of old fairs
B. to explain how world fair locations were chosen
C. to suggest that fairs attracted wealthy audiences
D. to show where some fair items were invented

3. What does the phrase reminiscent of mean?
A. similar to B. visible in
C. relevant to D. distant from

4. What is the purpose of paragraph 3?
A. to discuss the influence of technology on society
B. to describe a world issue in the 1900s
C. to contrast the popularity of different fairs
D. to introduce an additional aim of fairs

5. According to the passage, how was Expo 2010 similar to previous world’s fairs?
A. It made political issues evident.
B. It introduced new inventions.
C. It focused on entertainment.
D. It started a new social movement.

Answer 1

Answer:

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