校外学习中心巡讲-阅读理解.doc

Passage 17 Chess must be one of the oldest games in the world. An Arab traveler in India in the year 900 wrote that it was played long, long ago. Chess was probably invented in India, and it has been played everywhere from Japan to Europe since 1400. The name chess is interesting. When one player is attacking the others king, he says in English, check. When the king has been caught and cannot move anywhere, he says check mate. These words come from Persian Shah mat means the king is dead. That is when the game is over, and one player has won. Such an old game changes very slowly. The rules have not always been the same as they are now. For example, at one time the queen could only move one square at a time. Now she is the strongest piece on the board. It would be interesting to know why this has happened. Chess takes time and thought, but it is a game for all kinds of people. You dont have to be a champion in order to enjoy it. It is not always played by two people sitting at the same table. The first time the Americans beat the Russians was in a match played by radio. Some of the chess masters are able to play many people at the same time. The record was when one man played 400 games! It is said that some people played chess by post. This must make chess the slowest game in the world.(1)、Chess was played in India long before 900.A：TB：F答案：A(2)、One player has won the game when he attacks the other players king.A：TB：F答案：B(3)、Chess is a game for all sorts of people.A：TB：F答案：A(4)、Only two people can play chess sitting at the same table.A：TB：F答案：B(5)、According to the old rules of the game, the king could not move anywhere.A：TB：F答案：B Passage 18 A poor boy, who had not enough money to buy a meal, stopped one hot summer at noon before an eating-house. The boss of the restaurant told him several times to go away， but the boy could not leave the wonderful smell. At last, the cook came out of the restaurant. Taking hold of his arm, he declared that the boy had been feeding upon the smell of their food. He asked the boy to pay half the price of a meal. The poor fellow said that he neither could nor would pay. At that moment, a police happened to pass. He said to the boy, You have been feasting one of senses with the good smell of this mans meat, you should satisfy one of his senses. How much money do you have? I have only two pence in all the world, sir and I must buy some bread. Never mind,” answered the policeman, Take your two pence between your hands. Now rattle them loudly. The boy did so, and the officer, turning to the cook, said, Now, sir, I think he had paid you the smell of your delicious food. The smell of your food rewarded his nostrils（鼻孔） and the sound of his money rewarded your ears. This decision gave more satisfaction to the bystanders than to the cook, but it was the only payment he could get. (1)、The cook asked the boy to give him some money for feeding on the smell of the food.A：TB：F答案：A(2)、The boy reported what happened to the police in the police station.A：TB：F答案：B(3)、The police asked the boy to make noises with the two pence.A：TB：F答案：A(4)、The cook finally got some money.A：TB：F答案：B(5)、The policeman was not satisfied with the solution.A：TB：F答案：B Passage 19 When Dean Arnold got his first job, he was miserable. Each time he went to work, he coughed and he couldnt breathe. Working in a bakery when you are allergic to（对过敏）flour can be painful. But Arnold stayed with the National Biscuit Company for ten years. He was a businessman and he helped them improve production. At last his health problems became too serious. He left and formed his own company. With his wife and mother, he founded Arnold Bakery. They tried new recipes, changing the kind and amount of flour used. This enabled Arnold to work there without too much pain. The bread, made with unbleached（未漂白的）flour, was baked in a brick oven. They began by baking two dozen loaves. The bread was sold door to door for fifteen cents a loaf. Winning customers to his unusual, old-fashioned bread took time. But Arnold, struggling against his allergy, built his bakery into one of the largest in the United States.(1)、A Brick-oven Bread Baker could be a good title for this passage.A：TB：F答案：A(2)、Dean wanted to make more money therefore he left the National Biscuit Company.A：TB：F答案：B(3)、Dean became successful in his business during his stay in the National Biscuit Company.A：TB：F答案：B(4)、Arnolds bread was of poor quality.A：TB：F答案：A(5)、Dean Arnold can be best describe as unhealthy.A：TB：F答案：B Passage 20 Can trees talk? Yes, but not in words. Scientists have reason to believe that trees do communicate with each other. Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things. First a willow tree attacked in the woods by caterpillars (毛虫) changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them taste so terrible that they got tired of the leaves and stopped eating them. Then even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special smell-a signal causing its neighbors to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make them less tasty. Communication, of course, doesnt need to be in words. We can talk to each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands. We know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, sounds, and movements. Bees dance their signals, flying in certain patterns that tell other bees where to find nectar (花蜜) for honey. So why shouldnt trees have ways of sending message?(1)、Its implied that caterpillars do not feed on leaves that have an unpleasant taste.A：TB：F答案：A (2)、The willow tree described in the passage protects itself by growing more branches.A：TB：F答案：B(3)、The willow tree was able to communicate with other trees by giving off a special smell.A：TB：F答案：A(4)、It can be inferred from the passage that bees communicate by making special movements.A：TB：F答案：A (5)、The author holds that the incident described in the passage must be checked more thoroughly.A：TB：F答案：B Passage 21 A farmer had once made a purchase of a fine fat sheep, hoping to offer it up to the Buddha. While he was leading it home, four thieves saw him and made up their minds to steal the sheep. They knew him to be an honest person and one who thought of no more harm in others than he had in himself. They dared not take the sheep away from him by force, for they were too near the city. Therefore, they thought hard and got an idea: they first parted company and then came to the man as if they had come from several distinct parts. The first thief came up to the farm and said, My good old man, why are you leading this dog? At this moment the second thief, coming from another direction, cried to him, Poor old man, where have you stolen this dog? And immediately after these words, the third thief came up and asked the farmer, Where are you going with this handsome greyhound? The poor farmer began to doubt whether the sheep was a sheep or not. But the fourth robber put him quite beside himself by coming near him and asking what the dog cost him. The farmer began to think and got the conclusion that the four men, who came from different directions, could not all be wrong. He believed that the sheep he was leading was a dog. On realizing this, the farmer went back quickly to the market to demand his money from the person who sold him the dog, leaving the dog with the four thieves.(1)、The farmer bought a sheep in the city.A：TB：F答案：B(2)、The four thieves decided to play a trick to get the sleep because the farmer was honest and could be easily cheated by their tricks.A：TB：F答案：A(3)、The farmer began to have a doubt when the third thief called his sheep a dog.A：TB：F答案：A(4)、The four thieves knew about the farmer.A：TB：F答案：A(5)、The farmer was cheated by the four thieves.A：TB：F答案：A Passage 22 When Li Chen got married, his wifes mother came to live with them. She was not an easy woman to live with. She was always complaining and never seemed to stop talking.Li Chen loved his wife but her mother was making his life miserable. Unfortunately, his wife would not listen to any criticism of her mother. She is my mother, she said. I must respect her and so must you.As the months passed Li Chen became more and more unhappy. If only, he thought, there was some way of stopping his mother-in-law from talking all the time. Then one day she was ill. She complained, of course. She was hot. She was cold. Her head ached. She couldnt eat. She couldnt sleep.At last, Li Chen sent for the doctor. The doctor arrived. He examined her and then put a thermometer in her mouth. He wanted to take her temperature. Sit quietly, he said, and dont open your mouth. Li Chen watched with surprise as his mother-in-law lay in bed with the thermometer in her mouth closed.For the first time since his marriage, he could not hear his mother-in-laws voice.He walked up to the doctor, pointed at the thermometer and whispered in the doctors ear.How much do you want for that thing? he asked.(1)、His mother-in-law was making Li Chens life miserable.A：TB：F答案：A(2)、Li Chens mother-in-law came to live with him and his wife after she got ill.A：TB：F答案：B(3)、Li Chens wife was respectful towards her mother.A：TB：F答案：A(4)、The mother-in-law continued complaining when she was ill.A：TB：F答案：A(5)、Li Chen wanted to buy the thermometer because he saw this thing for the first time since his marriage.A：TB：F答案：B Passage 23 One way that scientists learn about man is by studying animals, such as mice and monkeys. The scientists in this laboratory are experimenting on mice. They are studying the relationship between diet and health. At this time, over one hundred experiments are being done in this laboratory.In one of these experiments, the scientists are studying the relationship between the amount of food the mice eat and their health. The mice are in three groups. All three groups are receiving the same healthy diet. But the amount of food that each group is receiving is different. The first group is eating one cup of food each day, the second group is eating two cups, and the third group of mice is eating three cups.After three years, the healthiest group is the one that is only eating one cup of food each day. The mice in this group are thinner than normal mice. But they are more active. Most of the day, they are running, playing with one another, and using the equipment in their cages. Also, they are living longer. Mice usually live for two years. Most of the mice in this group are still alive after three years.The second group of mice is normal weight. They are healthy, too. They are active, but not as active as the thinner mice. But they are only living about two years, not the three years or more of the thinner mice. The last group of mice is receiving more food than the other two groups. Most of the day, these mice are eating or sleeping. They are not very active. These mice are living longer than the scientists thought - about a year and a half. But they arent as healthy. Theyre sick more often than the other two groups.(1)、The scientists in the laboratory are studying the relationship between the amount of food and diet.A：TB：F答案：B(2)、The first two groups are receiving the most food.A：TB：F答案：B(3)、The first group is the thinnest because they do not have a healthy diet.A：TB：F答案：B(4)、Normal mice usually live for two years.A：TB：F答案：A(5)、The text tells us that people who eat less and exercise more will live longer.A：TB：F答案：A Passage 24 After retiring from 30 years of teaching, Ethell Pepper could easily have decided to sit back and relax and enjoy a peaceful retirement. But that kind of life is not for Ethell Pepper. I just wanted to do something different. If you are going to participate in life, do it. Dont just sit down and look out of the window. She says. At 68, she decided to become one of the pioneer participants in a program at the University of California. The program offers campus housing and classes to people over sixty. She enrolled in a class called Human Relationships and a Diverse Society. I taught my minority students in my English and drama classes in high school for 20 years. But in this course, I found out a lot about other cultures that I didnt know then. One of the more important lessons that Im learning is to perceive, not to judge. Older adults can add to the educational resources of university by bringing with them a lot of valuable experience. Their presence on campus helps break some long believes on aging. Young students may have fears of growing older. But that kind of fear can be reduced as they see that older people can be active, healthy, and continue to contribute to society. The younger students can begin to see aging as a natural part of living.(1)、Ethell entered university when she was 68.A：TB：F答案：A(2)、Ethell has been teaching minority students for 20 years.A：TB：F答案：A(3)、Ethell enjoyed staying with young people.A：TB：F答案：B(4)、Elderly people bring a great deal of useful experience to the university.A：TB：F答案：A(5)、Ethell is learning how to teach minority students.A：TB：F答案：B Passage 25 Do you forget to turn off the lights and heaters when you go out of a room? In 2040 it will not matter. They will turn themselves off and on again when you return. A sensor will detect the presence of a human and turn the systems on, and when the humans leave it will turn them off again. The sensors will work through the central home computer, and they will do much more than just turn the fires and lights on and off for you. They will detect faulty electrical appliances, isolate them so that they cannot harm anyone, and then warn you that they need repair. They will detect fire and if you are out of the house, the computer will call the firemen. It will also call the police, should the sensors detect an intruder（非法闯入者）. You will open the door using your personal card-the one you use for shopping-maybe using a number known only to you.(1)、The author intends to tell the readers that in year 2040 there will be no switches for lights and heaters.A：TB：F答案：B(2)、According to the passage, people will save much trouble with the help of advanced technology.A：TB：F答案：A(3)、According to the author, in 2040, new technology will free us from the keys we use today.A：TB：F答案：A(4)、Thanks to computers, in 2040 people will be controlled by computers.A：TB：F答案：B(5)、The best title for the passage is The Development of Science and Technology.A：TB：F答案：B Passage 26 Today the official language of the United States and most of Canada is English. However, French almost became the official language because of a war.The French and Indian War was fought between 1754 and 1763. The name of this war is not accurate because the war was actually between England and France. The Indians fought on the side of the French.France and England were trying to gain control of North America. France held Canada, and England held part of what is now the United States. However, France tried to expand its land by moving southward into New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia. When the French built a fort（堡垒）on the Ohio River, the residents in Virginia sent George Washington to attack the fort in 1752. However, the French defeated Washington.The French, aided by the Indians, outsmarted（比.聪明） the English and won many early battles. Later, the British began to do well against the French. In the final battle in Quebec, Canada, General Wolfe of England faced General Montcalm from France. Both generals died in this battle, but the English outlasted（比.持久）the French and won the battle. Thus, most of North America today has the English culture and language.(1)、The best title for this passage is The French and Indian War.A：TB：F答案：B(2)、The word gain in the 3rd paragraph is closest in meaning tobuy.A：TB：F答案：B(3)、We may conclude that George Washington preferred the English.A：TB：F答案：A(4)、General Wolfe died in Canada.A：TB：F答案：A(5)、Washington won his battle at the fort on the Ohio River.A：TB：F答案：B Passage 27 My wealthy uncle was dying. He wanted to leave me his entire fortune, which was about half a million dollars. There was, one condition: I must be married before he died. If not, I wouldnt receive a cent.I was not a greedy man, but I thought half a million dollars was a rather high price for keeping my freedom. I decided to make the great sacrifice. It was easier said than done. The doctor was certain my uncle would be dead within a fortnight(两周). That put me in a difficult position. You see, besides being forty years old, I was also ugly. I had no lady friends, I couldnt possibly advertise myself as wealthy until after my marriage. Advertise! What a good idea!I ran an advertisement in one of the popular Sunday newspapers. To my surprise and joy, I received over a thousand replies. I spent hours opening the letters.My heart sank. I couldnt possibly read all the letters. Time was running out. In despair, I burnt all the letters. No choice was better than a bad choice. In this dejected(灰心的) state of mind, I went to see a good friend. He was a waiter in a restaurant. I told him my problem. If you are really serious, he said, I can recommend my sister. Shes an excellent cook and a good housekeeper. She is all alone now.But is she interested in marriage? I asked.(1)、The writer wanted to marry because his uncle was dying.A：TB：F答