基础英语2-阅读部分.doc

Passage 1 Like most people，1 was brought up to look upon life as a process of getting It was not until in my late thirties that 1 made this important discovery：giving-away makes life so much more exciting You need not worry if you lack money This is how 1 experimented with giving-awayIf an idea for improving the window display of a neighborhood store flashes to me，I step in and make the suggestion to the storekeeperOne discovery I made about giving-away is that it is almost impossible to give away anything in this world without getting something back，though the return often comes in all unexpected formOne Sunday morning the local post office delivered an important special delivery letter to my home，though it was addressed to me at my Office1 wrote the postmaster a note of appreciation More than a year later I needed a postoffice box for a new business 1 was starting 1 was told at the window that there were no boxes left，and that my name would have to go on a long waiting listAs 1 was about to leave，the postmaster appeared in the doorwayHe had overheard(无意中听到)our conversation“Wasnt it you that wrote US that letter a year ago about delivering a special delivery to your home?”I said yes“Well，you certainly are going to have a box in this post office if we have to make one for youYou dont know what a letter like that means to us. We usually get nothing but complaints1From the passage，we understand that _A the author did not understand the importance of giving until he was in late thirtiesBthe author was like most people who were mostly receivers rather than giversCthe author received the same education as most people during his childhoodDthe author liked most people as they looked upon life as a process of getting2According to the author _ A giving means you will lack money B the excitement of giving can bring you money C you dont have to be rich in order to give Dwhen you give away money，you will be rich3The author would make the suggestion to the storekeeper _Ain writing Bin person C in the window display Dabout the neighborhood4When the author needed a post-office box，_ Ahe had to put his name on a waiting list B he wrote the postmaster a note of appreciationCmany people had applied for post-office boxes before him Dhe asked the postmaster to make one for him5In reply to the postmasters questionthe author said _Ait was the special delivery Bit was the post-office boxCit was the note of appreciation he wrote D it was he who wrote him a letter a year agoPassage 2 Children in the United States are exposed to many influences other than that of their familiesTelevision is the most significant of these influences，because the habit of watching television usually begins before children start attending school Parents are concerned about the lack of quality in television programs for childrenThe degree of violence in many of these shows also worries themStudies indicate that，when children are exposed to violence，they many become aggressive or insecure. Parents are also concerned at，out the commercials that their children see on television Many parents would like to see fewer commercials during programs for childrenAnd some parents feel that these shows should not have any commercials at all because young minds are not mature enough to deal with the claims made by advertisers Educational television has no commercials and has programs for children that many parents approve of The most famous of these is Sesame Street，which tries to give preschool children a head start in learning the alphabet(字母)and numbersIt also flies to teach children useful things about the world in which they live Even though most parents and educators give Sesame Street and shows like it high marks for quality，some critics argue that all television，whether educational or not，is harmful to childrenThese critics feel that the habit of watching hours of television every day turns children into bored and passive(被动的)consumers of their world rather than encouraging them to become active explorers of it6Which of the following statements is NOT based on the passage? AParents are worried about the influence from television on their children B Television has much influence on children C Both parents and their children like watching educational television DSome critics think that television is no good for children7In what ways do children suffer from television? AThey become the victims of social violence B They spend hours watching television instead of doing school work C The programs make the children lose interest in the world D The programs make the children spend too much of their parents money8Parents would not like their children to see commercials because _Athey think that their children ore not old enough to handle advertising Bcommercials teach children alphabet and numbersCcommercials help to sell products Dthey dont like commercials9Educational television is widely appreciated because Ait does have the same commercials as others Bit offers programs for both children and their parents C many parents like the programs it offers for their children Dchildren can learn some school subjects before they go to school10Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage? AWatching Too Much Television May Be Harmful to Young Minds BTelevision Is More Harmful than Educational CTelevisions Influence on Children D More Education TelevisionPassage 3 We can make mistakes at any ageSome mistakes we make are about moneyBut most mistakes are about people“Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?When I got that great job，did Jerry really feel good about it，as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?” When we look backdoubts like these can make US feel badBut when we look backIts too late Why do we go wrong about our friends-or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaningAnd if we dont really listen，we miss the feeling behind the wordsSuppose someone tells youyoure a lucky dog”Is he really on your side? if he says“Youre a lucky guy”or“Youre a lucky gal”Thats being friendlyBut“lucky dog”?Theres a bit of envy in those words Maybe he doesnt see it himselfBut bringing in thedog”bit puts you down a littleWhat he may be saying is that he doesnt think you deserve your luckHow can you tell the real meaning behind someones words? One way is to take a good look at the person talkingDo his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says square with the tone of voice? His posture(体态)?The look in his eyes? Stop and thinkThe minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake11From the questions in the first paragraph we can learn that the speaker _ Afeels happy，thinking of how nice his friends were to himBfeels he may not have“read” his friendstrue feelings correctly Cthinks it was a mistake to have broken up with his girl friend，Helen D is sorry that his friends let him down12In the second paragraphthe author uses the example of“Youre a lucky dog”to show that Athe speaker of this sentence is just being friendlyB this saying means the same as “Youre a lucky guy” or “Youre a lucky gal”C sometimes the words used by a speaker give a clue to the feeling behind the wordsDthe word“dog”shouldnt be used to apply to people13This passage tries to tell you how to _Aavoid mistakes about money and friends Bbring the“dogbit into our conversationCavoid mistakes in understanding what people tell you D keep people friendly without trusting them14In listening to a personthe important thing is _Ato notice his tone，his posture，and the look in his eyes B to listen to how he pronounces his wordsCto check his words against his manner，his tone of voice，and his posture Dnot to believe what he says15If you followed the advice of the writer，you would _A be able to get the real meaning of what people say to you Bavoid any mistakes while talking with people who envy youCnot lose real friends who say things that do not please you Dbe able to observe people as they are talking to youPassage 4 Why was Bastille important to the citizens of Paris? The building of the Bastille had been started in 1370 under Charles V By the seventeenth century it had stopped to be important for defenseCardinal Richelieu turned it into a prisonIt was not an ordinary prison to punish common crimesIts huge doors closed only on enemies of the King The Bastilles workings were secretPrisoners were taken to it in closed vehiclesSoldiers on guard duty had to stand with their faces to the wall NO talking was allowed Worst of all，a prisoner never knew if he would be there a day，a week，a year，or foreverOnly the Kings letter could set him free Over the years the number of arrests by KingS letter had become fewerBy the time of its fallmost of the prisoners were writers who had written against the corruptions(贪污腐败)of the government Voltaire，the famous French writer，spent a year there in 17171718，and another 12 days in 1726. For those who believed in free speech and free thinking，the Bastille stood for everything evilThe day it was captured，only seven prisoners were found insideStill，the Bastille was hated by the people It was a symbol of the Kings complete power.16The Bastille had been a prison _ Asince the time of Charles V Bsince 1370 Cbefore the seventeenth century Dsince血e time of Cardinal Richelieu17According to the passage，which of the following statements is FALSE? AAnyone who did something wrong could find himself suddenly in the Bastille BThe Bastille was only for those who were opposed to the King CThings done in the Bastille were hardly known to people outside DVoltaire was twice put in the Bastille18 At the time of its fall，the Bastille housed _ Aa large number of prisoners B a lot of writers who had been against the government Csome dozens of people who believed in free speech and free thinking D only a few prisoners19 Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? AAll prisoners in the Bastille had to stay there for life B Over the years the number of prisoners in the Bastille was getting more and moreCThe King could put people in，or let them go out，as he wanted.DAt the time it was captured，there were so few prisoners in it that it meant little to the people20 This passage mainly _Atells how the prisoners were controlled by the King Btells how little was known about the BastilleC shows the inner workings of the Bastille D gives a brief history of the BastillePassage 5 Almost every family buys as least one copy of a newspaper every daySome people subscribe to as many as two or three different newspapers But why do people read newspapers? Five hundred years ago，news of important happenings-battles lost and won，kings or rulers overthrown(推翻)or killed-took months and even years to travel from one country to anotherThe news passed by word of mouth and was never accurateToday we can read in our newspapers of important events that occur in far away countries on the same day they happen Apart from supplying news from all over the world，newspapers give us a lot of other useful information There are weather reports，radio，television and film guides，book reviews，stories，and of courseadvertisementsThe bigger ones are put in by large companies to bring attention to their productsThey pay the newspapers thousands of dollars for the advertising space，but it is worth the money for news of their products goes into almost every home in the country For those who produce newspapers，advertisements are also very importantMoney earned from advertisements makes it possible for them to sell their newspapers at a low price and still make a profit21 The phrase “subscribe to in the first paragraph means“ _” Ago to the newspaper stand and buy Bsend their own news stories to Cagree to buy for a specific period of time D become faithful readers of22 The habit of reading newspapers is _ Awidespread Bfound among a few families Cnot popular Duncommon23Before the time of the newspaper，_A bad news traveled quickly and good news slowly B few people cared about events that took place in far away countriesCkings and rulers were often overthrown or killed Dnews was passed from one person to another24 The author seems to agree that money spent on advertisements is _ Awasted Bnot much C well spent Dof no use to anyone25Which of the following statements is TRUE? AFive hundred years ago it took a long time for news to reach other countries BNewspaper advertisements turn peopleS attention away from their products CThe news that we read in newspapers is mainly about new products D When newspapers are sold at a low price，the newspaper producers will lose moneyPassage 6 One silly question I simply cant stand is“How do you feel”Usually the question is asked of a man in actiona man on the gowalking along the streetor busily working at his desk So what d0 you expect him to say?He11 probably say“FineIm all right”But “youve put a bug in his ear”一maybe now hes not sure If you are a good friend，you may have seen something in his face，or his walkthat he did not realize that morning It starts him worrying a littleFirst thing you knowhe looks in a mirror to see if everything is a fight，while you go merrily on your way asking someone elseHow do you feel?” Every question has its time and place Its perfectly acceptable，for instance，to ask How do you feel? if youre visiting a close friend in the hospital But if the fellow is walking on both legs，hurrying to make a train，or sitting at his desk working，its no time to ask him that silly question When George Bernard Shaw，the famous writer of plays was in his eighties，someone asked him“How do you feel”，Shaw put him in his place“When you reach my age”，he said“either you feel all right or youre dead”26According to the writer，greetings，such as“How do you feel?” _ Ashow ones consideration for others Bare a good way to make friends C are proper to ask a man in action Dgenerally make one feel uneasy27The question“How do you feel?”seems to be correct and suitable when asked of Aa man working at his desk Ba person having lost a close friend Ca stranger who looks somewhat worried Da friend who is ill28The writer seems to feel that a busy man should _A be praised for his efforts B never be asked any question Cnot be bothered D be discouraged from working so hard29George Bernard Shaws reply in the passage shows his _ Acheerfulness Bcleverness Cability Dpoliteness30. Youve put a bug in his ear means that youve Amade him laugh Bshown concern for him C made fun of him Dgiven him some kind of warningPassage 7 Acting is such an over-crowded profession that the only advice that should be given to a young person thinking of going on the stage is“Dont!”But it is useless to try to discourage someone who feels that he must act，although the chances of his becoming famous are slim The normal way to begin is to go to a drama sch001Usually only students who show promise and talent are accepted，and the course lasts two yearsThen the young actor or actress takes up work with a theatrical company(剧团)，usually as an assistant stage manager This means doing everything that there is to do in the theatre and occasionally acting in very small parts It is very hard work indeed，the hours are long and the salary is tinyOf course，some people have remarkable chances which lead to fame and Success without this long and hard trainingConnie Pratt，for example，was just an ordinary girl working in a bicycle factoryA film producer happened to catch sight of her one morning waiting at a bus stop，as he drove past in his carHe stopped and got out to speak to the girlHe asked if she would like to go to the film studio to do a test，and she thought he was joking Then she got angry and said she would call the police It took the producer twenty minutes to convince Connie that he was serious The test was successfulAnd within a few weeks she was playing the leading part opposite one of the most famous actors of the day But chances like this happen once in a blue moon 31 From the very beginning，the author puts it clearly that acting is a profession _ A sought after by too many Btoo difficult for young people Cfor slim people only Done can go into without special training32For someone who feels he must act，it is very likely that _ Ahe will become a film star at long last B he will become a stage manager C he will be well paid Dhe will end up without any Success33The film producer found Connie Pratt one morning when she was _ Aat work in a bicycle factory Bdriving past him in her car Cgoing to a film studio Dwaiting for a bus34A few weeks after the testConnie Pratt found herself _ A the most famous actress of the world Bplaying the leading female role in a play Cas famous as the greatest actor of the world Dno less famous than the leading actor of the day35. The concluding sentence “chances like this happen once in a blue moon” means A this is something which happens once in a while Bthis is a highly profitable chanceCthis is something highly possible D this is a very rare chan