28. Which of the following BEST describes the author’s argument in this passage? (A) Mastery of the ability to decode spelling patterns into written language is thought to be rewarding itself for advanced learners. (B) Reading also implies instructional practices which place emphasis upon listening and speaking. (C) Reading can be seen as a multi-level process, which includes the reconstruction of messages from print. (D) Reading should be done with prior silent reading activity, and then oral practice of sounds later.

30. Based on this passage, the conceptualization of “reading” is built upon _______________. (A) readers’ personal preferences (B) a psycholinguistic process (C) broad common sense and high IQ (D) phonetic symbols and spelling PASSAGE ONE The World Trade Organization (WTO), being formally established on 1 January 1995, is the only international body that deals with the rules of trade between nations. Its mission is to strengthen the world economy and lead to more trade, investment, employment and income growth throughout the world. In achieving this mission, the WTO focuses on three main functions: to help trade flow as freely as possible, to serve as a forum for trade negotiations, and to settle trade disputes. Taiwan is expected to become a formal member of the WTO sometime this year. According to a study, Taiwan has to face several major challenges upon its accession to the WTO. First, Taiwan needs to revise its trade-related laws and regulations that contradict with the WTO. Second, with the liberalization of both goods and service markets, all industrial sectors will encounter more intense competitions. Third, more developed counties will experience even faster growth, while less developed counties may well face stagnant growth. Finally, the government has to create a better economic environment for both foreign and local investors. After accession to the WTO, Taiwan will have to open its agricultural market and cancel bans on several imported agricultural products. According to the statistics released by the Executive Yuan, over 100,000 farmers are about to lose their jobs following Taiwan’s entry into the WTO. Vice President Annette Lu suggests that the government should take actions to renovate the nation’s agricultural industry through high-tech advancements in the agricultural sector. One of the reasons for renovating Taiwan’s future agricultural productivity is that there is expected to be a shortage of food supply in the coming years. The world population has increased from 1.6 billion a century ago to the current 6.3 billion, and the world’s population is expected to reach 10 billion by the year 2040. Vice President Lu warns that the food supply will become a global issue. For Taiwan, she adds, the government’s capability to handle crisis and their effort to gain legislative support is yet to be tested. PASSAGE TWO Taiwan’s market is already striding toward liberalization and globalization and the most significant indicator of this trend is Taiwan’s bid to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO). Despite the fact that by the 1980s Taiwan had completely shaken off its poverty and entered the realm of prosperity, Taiwan is facing a number of major challenges; these challenges include losing her competitive edge because of the loss of inexpensive labor, insignificant financial growth, stagnant agricultural development, conflicts among the political parties, growing population but decreasing productivity, and an unstable political relationship with Mainland China. Mike Moore, in his keynote speech given at the United Nations, eloquently emphasized that the WTO has completed many great missions including the launch of sectoral negotiations on agriculture and services, the implementation of projects to help the world’s poorest countries reap greater benefits from the world trading system, the establishment of a mechanism for dealing with problems that some developing countries have with implementing some of their commitments from the Uruguay Round, and the search for ways to improve how the WTO works. In light of this, Taiwan, on joining the WTO, has many things to gain: including the status of “most-favored-nation” treatment, participating in the formulation of international trade protocols, expanding Taiwan’s international arena, solving trade disputes and legal issues through proper arbitration, stimulating domestic economic growth, creating new jobs, and raising people’s income, leading to a better life— and the list goes on. The benefits for Taiwan are clear. Opening Taiwan’s markets to foreign trade and investment will make the country richer. Committing itself to the WTO rules will entrench market-based reform and strengthen the rule of law. It will also give Taipei a seat at the WTO table and a stake in the world trading system, bolstering progressive forces in Taiwan. However, a critical issue here is that enjoying benefits and making commitments are a two-way street. In a nut shell, if during the stages of a country’s economic development, particularly after joining the WTO, the talents of the people are not applied, if the government fails to find a proper course to follow, and if the government no longer pursues plans for the people’s welfare with sincerity, the quest to join the WTO and then the “New Era Economy” for Taiwan will probably be just a hoax.

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