應試者應能綜合運用英語語言知識和閱讀技能來理解專業的或一般內容的英語書面材料。閱讀能力主要包括以下幾個方面：1、掌握所讀材料的主旨和大意;、瞭解闡述主旨的事實和細節;3、利用上下文猜測某些詞彙和短語的意義;4、既理解個別句子的意義，也理解上下文之間的意義關係;5、根據所讀材料進行判斷和推論;6、領會作者的觀點、意圖和態度。
Going Her Own Way選擇她自己的路
When she was twelve, Maria made her first important decision about the course of her life. She decided that she wanted to continue her education. Most girls from middle-class families chose to stay home after primary school, though some attended private Catholic "finishing" schools. There they learned a little about music, art, needlework, and how to make polite conversation. This was not the sort of education that interested Maria — or her mother. By this time, she had begun to take her studies more seriously. She read constantly and brought her books everywhere. One time she even brought her math book to the theater and tried to study in the dark.
當她12歲的時候， 瑪利亞做出了她人生道路的第一個重要決定。她決定繼續讀書。對於大多數來自中產階級家庭的女孩子來說，小學畢業就都選擇待在家裏，儘管有一些參加了教會辦的女子精修學校。在那她們學習一些音樂、藝術、針線活，以及如何禮貌交談。這些並不是瑪利亞所感興 趣的或者可以說也不是她媽媽感興趣的。此時，她對待學習更加認真。她不停地讀書，他走到哪裏就把書帶到哪裏。有一次她甚至把數學書帶到了劇院裏，設法在黑暗中學習。
Maria knew that she wanted to go on learning in a serious way. That meant attending the public high school, something that very few girls did. In Italy at the time, there were two types of high schools： the "classical" schools and the "technical" schools. In the classical schools, the students followed a very traditional program of studies, with courses in Latin and Greek language and literature, and Italian literature and history1. The few girls who continued studying after primary school usually chose these schools.
瑪利亞知道她想要繼續正規學習。她想要到公立高中去學習， 很少有女孩子這樣做。 在當時的意大利， 有兩種形式的高中，一種是傳統學校，另一種是 技術類學校。在傳統學校中，學生們都依照一種非常 傳統的教學方式學習，包含拉丁語、希臘語及文學課，還有意大利的文學與歷史。極少數能繼續學習的女孩們也大多選擇這類學校。
Maria, however, wanted to attend a technical school. The technical schools were more modern than the classical schools and they offered courses in modern languages, mathematics, science, and accounting2. Most people — including Maria's father—believed that girls would never be able to understand these subjects. Furthermore, they did not think it was proper for girls to study them.
但是瑪利亞打算去技術類學校。技術類學校比傳統學校要現代得多，他們提供的課程有現代語言、數學、自然科學，以及會計學。包括瑪利亞父親在內的大部分人都認爲，女孩子是不可能弄明白這些科目的。 另外，他們也認爲女孩子不適合學習這些。
Maria did not care if it was proper or not. Math and science were the subjects that interested her most. But before she could sign up for the technical school, she had to win her father's approval. She finally did, with her mother's help, though for many years after, there was tension in the family. Maria's father continued to oppose her plans, while her mother helped her.
瑪利亞並不在乎適合與否。數學和自然科學是她最感興趣的學科。但是在她報名之前她必須爭得她父親的同意。最後在她母親的幫助下她成功了，儘管過去很多年她的家庭關係依然很緊張。她的.父親一直地 反對她的計劃，而她的母親卻幫助她。
In 1883, at age thirteen, Maria entered the "Regia Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buonarroti" in Rome. Her experience at this school is difficult for us to imagine. Though the courses included modern subjects, the teaching methods were very traditional. Learning consisted of memorizing long lists of facts and repeating them back to the teacher. Students were not supposed to ask questions or think for themselves in any way. Teachers were very demanding, discipline in the classroom was strict, and punishment was severe for those who failed to achieve or were disobedient.
1883年，瑪利亞13歲的時候考取了羅馬的Regia Scuola Tecnica MichelangeloBuonarroti學校。她在這 個學校的經歷對我們來說難以想象。儘管課程包括現代學科，而教學方式卻是十分傳統的。學習包括記憶長長的詞條和事件，然後向老師複述。學生們不會以任何的方式被提問或是自己思考。老師非常苛刻，課 堂紀律十分嚴格，未達標準或者不守紀律的學生會被給予嚴厲的懲罰。
discipline n紀律，學科，訓練，懲罰
punishment n懲罰，嚴厲對待，虐待