2012年自考英语阅读模考试题及答案.doc

2012年自考英语阅读模考试题及答案请将答案填在答题纸相应位置上I. CAREFUL READINGRead the following passages carefully. Decide on the best answer and write the corresponding letter on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points, 2 points each)Passage 1Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.People have thought very differently about children in different historical eras. In ancient Rome and throughout the Middle Ages, for example, childhood was brief: A boy or girl was considered an “infant” until the age of six, but soon afterward worked alongside adults in the fields, in the workshops, or at home. Children were thought to be born in a state of sin and were viewed as the property of their fathers. Such beliefs contributed to strict discipline of children and neglect of their special needs.These harsh attitudes softened during the Renaissance and Enlightenment as the humanistic spirit of the times caused a rediscovery of the special qualities of childhood. In paintings, for example, young children were depicted as playing and doing other childish things, rather than being shown as miniature adults. The importance of childhood as a unique period of development was understood more fully in the 17th and 18th centuries, as reflected in the writings of two important European thinkers: the English philosopher John Locke and the French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau. John Locke argued that the newborn infant comes into the world with no inherited predispositions (天性), but rather with a mind as a “blank slate” that is gradually filled with ideas, concepts, and knowledge from experiences in the world. He concluded that the quality of early experiences, particularly how children are raised and educated, shapes the direction of a childs life. Later, Jean Jacques Rousseau claimed that children at birth are innately good rather than evil, and that their natural tendencies should be protected against the corrupting influences of society. Rousseaus attitude had an important influence on society, and inspired，for example，the novelists Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo，who decried(揭露)the exploitation of child labor and highlighted the need for educational and social reform1It can be inferred that children in the Middle Ages _Awere mistreated and exploitedBwere generally regarded as miniature adultsCdid not observe the institutional disciplinesDdid not start their childhood until the age of six2The author cites the example the two European thinkers writings to show that _.Achildrens behavior was described as adult-likeBchildrens innocence and playfulness were neglectedCchildhood was revealed as a period of independenceDchildhood was revealed as a unique period of development3The 2nd paragraph is developed by _Aexample BdefinitionCcomparison Dcause and effect4The central argument made by John Locke is that _Achildrens future development depends on their genetic backgroundBchildrens upbringing and early education may shape their future lifeCchildrens character formation is largely influenced by their parentsDthe proper way of upbringing is to keep children away from society5At the end of the passage，the two novelists are mentioned to emphasize _.Athe call for educational and social reformBthe importance of childrens school educationCthe influence of Rousseaus attitude toward childrenDthe potential negative influences of society on childrenPassage 2Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passageIf ambition is to be well regarded，the rewards of ambition must be worthy of the sacrifices on ambitions behalf. If the tradition of ambition is to have vitality, it should be widely shared，and it especially must be highly regarded by such people as the educatedwho are themselves admired However it is the educated who have claimed to have given up ambition as an idealWhat is odd is that they have perhaps benefited most from ambition，though the ambition may be more that of their parents and grandparents than of their ownCertainly, people do not seem less interested in success now than formerlyIn fact，the signs of success such as summer homes，European travel and BMWs have never ceased to be sought afterWhat has happened is that people cannot confess fully to their dreams，as easily and openly as once they could，lest they be thought to be aggressive，materialistic or vulgarInstead，what has often confused us are those fine hypocritical spectacles：the critic of American materialism in possession of a Southampton summer home；the publisher of radical books who takes his meals every day in five-star restaurants；the journalist promoting participatory democracy in all phases of life，who sends his own children to expensive private schoolsFor such people and many more perhaps not so exceptional，the motto is，“Succeed at all costs but avoid appearing ambitiousAmbition has been attacked from various angles；its public defenders are few and unimpressive，though they are not extremely unattractiveAs a result，the support for ambition as a healthy impulse，a quality to be admired by the young，is probably lower than it has ever been in the United StatesThis does not mean, however，that people are no longer ambition-driven，but only that，no longer openly honored，ambition has become something smartly concealed6According to the passage，in order to keep the vitality of the tradition of ambition the successful people themselves must _Ahighly value it Bmake some sacrificesCbenefit from it Dmake some contributions7Such items as summer homes，European travel and BMWs are listed to prove that _Athese items are commonly used to measure successBthese items are openly honored and admired by the publicCpeople are as interested in success as they have ever beenDpeople are more motivated to seek after these items than before8People tend not to make their ambitions fully known _Ato avoid appearing professionally orientedBto avoid appearing snobbish and sophisticatedCfor fear that they might end up in failure or disappointmentDfor fear that they might be considered as distasteful and greedy9The critic，the publisher and the journalist are mentioned in the 2nd paragraph to show that they are _.Aselfish BcorruptedChypocritical Dmaterialistic10The authors attitude towards ambition as all ideal is _Asatirical BnegativeCappreciative DunbiasedPassage 3Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passagePostage stamps are labels affixed to letters or parcels to indicate that a specified amount of postage has been prepaid for deliveryStamps are usually issued by a government or an agency representing a government，such as a national post officeThe collecting and study of postage stamps and related items such as postcards is known as philately, a word derived from Greek meaning，literally, “love of what is free of further taxStamp collecting is one of the most popular hobbies in the worldFrom the earliest years of the hobby，most philatelists have preferred to collect stamps by country，specializing in the issues of one or more nationsSince about the mid-1950s，however, many philatelists have become interested in topical collecting，acquiring stamps illustrating certain themes or subjectsAmong the wide range of pictorials are stamps devoted to sports，art and music，aviation，birds and flowers，and telecommunicationsOne of the attractions of stamp collecting is the ease of starting a collectionWith access to enough incoming mail，especially from abroad，a person call build a collection without any expenseLiterally tens of thousands of stamps，however, including many of the older issues，are priced very cheaplyLittle special equipment is requiredA collector needs only an album to house the collection and a pair of stamp tongs with which to handle themStamps and accessories can be purchased easilyNearly every city has one or more professional stamp dealersThousands of other dealers operate exclusively by mail or on the InternetWhen collectors have accumulated a number of valuable stamps，they must take precautions for safe storage，preferably in a bank safety deposit boxIf the stamps are in mint(崭新的)condition，they should not be overlapped；through changes in humidity, overlapping stamps may stick together and become seriously damagedCollectors also should keep accurate written inventories of all their philatelic material11In the 1st paragraph，“philately” is a term dealing with _Apostage delivery Bpostage taxing and pricingCa study of postage items Da study of postcard collecting12According to the passage，stamps can be classified _Aby face value Bby issueCchronologically Dthematically13One of the charms of stamp collecting is that it can be started _Awithout any technical meansBwithout too much time spentCwithout too much space neededDwithout necessarily big investment14According to the passage，the new stamps should avoid _Ahumidity BburglaryCbeing duplicated Dbeing catalogued15The writers suggestion made in the last paragraph is basically _Amisleading BimpracticalCambiguous DoperationalPassage 4Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passageA number of different aspects of life can influence mental healthIn a mid-1970s study of people living in the United States，researchers identified critical areas that influence ones mental healthThese areas are working life，family life，and the social role that one occupies in the communityNegative experiences in these areas，such as an unreasonable boss or a turbulent family life，can reduce ones overall sense of well-beingAnother important influence on mental health is stressIn general，people experience stress when the demands placed on them exceed the resources they have available to meet those demandsSignificant sources of stress include major life events，such as divorce，death of a spouse，loss of a job，and illness in the familyThese events can overwhelm a persons ability to cope and function effectively. In addition，one source of stress may lead to another, as when financial hardship follows job lossPeople who experience unusually traumatic events，such as rape and natural disasters，may develop post-traumatic stress disorderPeople may experience chronic stress when confronted with a continuing set of demands that reduce their ability to functionExamples of such demands include working long hours under difficult circumstances and caring for a chronically ill relativeEconomic hardship，unemployment，and poverty can also produce chronic stress and undermine mental healthSome studies suggest that genetic factors may partly determine ones level of happiness and mental healthPeople seem to display a characteristic level of well-being，with some people usually feeling happy and others typically feeling sad or unhappyResearchers have found that although peoples moods change in response to both positive and negative events，the effect wears off over timeFor example，people who win the lottery or receive an unexpected promotion may feel happier at first，but over time they return to their former characteristic level of mental healthResearch suggests that ones genetic backgroundthat is，the genes inherited from ones parentsexplains more than half of the differences in peoples characteristic mood levelsGenes may also partly determine the range of ups and downs that people feel，including whether people have large mood swings or remain stable from day to day16According to the passage，the major factors that may reduce ones sense of psychological well-being include all the following EXCEPT _Aunstable marriage Bgenetic heritageCbad-tempered managers Dlower social status17People experience stress when _Athey have no accessible financial resourcesBthey have no social resources at their disposalCthey feel it hard to shirk family responsibilityDthey have to go beyond their ability to get a job done18Chronic stress may result from _Adeath of a spouse Blottery purchasesClong-time hard work Dfailure to be promoted19From the last paragraph，it can be inferred that _.Apeoples moods are sometimes unstableBpeople cannot escape from negative eventsCSuccess may produce a long-term effect on peoples mental healthDparents are partly responsible for their childrens distinctive moods20According to the passage，peoples characteristic mood levels may be affected _Aphysically BbiologicallyCgradually DabruptlySPEED READINGSkim or scan the following passages, and then decide on the best answer and write the corresponding letter on the ANSWER SHEET(10 points, 1 point each)Passage 5Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passageEarly in World War II，the representatives of nine European governments fled to LondonNazi Germany had conquered much of Europe and had driven these leaders from their homelandsRepresentatives of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth nations met in London with the leaders of nine European nationsOn June 1 2，1 94 1，all these nations signed a declaration pledging to work for a free world，where people could live in peace and securityThis pledge，usually called the Inter-Allied Declaration, was the first step toward building the UNOn October 30，l 943，representatives of the United Kingdom，China，the Soviet Union, and the United States signed the Moscow Declaration on General SecurityThis declaration approved the idea of establishing an international organization for preserving world peaceFrom August to October 1944，representatives of the United Kingdom，China， the Soviet Union，and the United States held a series of meetings at the Dumbarton Oaks estate in Washington DCThe four nations succeeded in drawing up a basic plan，though they could not agree on some important questionsThe plans main feature Was a Security Council on which the United Kingdom，China, France，the Soviet Union, and the United States would be permanentlyrepresentedIn February 1945，Roosevelt, Churchill，and Stalin met at Yalta in the Crimea The three leaders announced that a conference of United Nations would open in San Francisco on April 25，1945This conference would use the plan worked out at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference to help prepare a charter for the UNDelegates from 50 nations met in San Francisco for the United Nations Conference on International OrganizationThe conference opened on April 25, 1945，13 days after the death of Roosevelt and 12 days before the surrender of GermanyVictory over Japan Was still four months awayAt the conference，some major disagreements arose between the Big Three (the United Kingdom，the Soviet Union，and the United States)and the smaller, less powerful nationsThe Big Three believed they could guarantee future peace only if they continued to cooperate as they had during the warThey insisted that the Charter of the United Nations should give them the power to veto actions of the Security CouncilThe smaller nations opposed the veto power but failed to defeat itOn June 26，1945，all 50 nations present at the conference voted to accept the charter. Poland had been unable to attend but 1ater signed the charter as an original memberThe charter then had to be approved by the governments of the five permanent members of the Security Council and of a majority of the other nations that signed itIt went into effect on October 24，1945，a date celebrated every year as United Nations Day21The passage is mainly concerned with _Ahow the Security Council was builtBhow the UN Charter went into effectCthe founding of the United NationsDsome major disagreements in the UN conferences22The Moscow Declaration was signed by _A3 nations B4 nationsC9 nations D50 nations23At the Dumbarton Oaks Conferenceit was agreed that the permanently represented nations at the Security Council were _Athe Soviet Union，the UK，the US，and ChinaBthe Soviet Union，the UK，the US，China，and FranceCthe Soviet Union，the UK，the US，China, and PolandDthe Soviet Union，the UK，the US，Germany, and Japan24The issue of veto power was heatedly discussed at the conference held in _.AYalta BMoscowCWashington DC DSan Francisco25The UN Charter was officially effective on _AJune 12，1945 BApril 25, 1945CJune 26，1945 DOctober 24，1945Passage 6Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passageA fellow speaker from California named Geri was excited about her first speech in JapanTo be comfortable on her long flight to Tokyo，she put on her favorite designer jeans and a casual jacketFourteen hours later, four perfectly dressed Japanese gentlemen greeted her at Narita AirportSmiling and bowing low, they handed her their business cardsWith her carry-on bag in one hand，Geri took their cards with the otherShe thanked them，glanced briefly at the cards，and packed them safely into her back pocketShe then gave them her cardWhen the five of them arrived at the hotel，they invited Geri to tea in the lobbyWhile sipping tea，the gentlemen presented her with a small gift which she eagerly openedOne of Geris most charming qualities is her instinctive warmthShe was thrilled with the gift and，in typical Geri style，she squealed，“Oh，its beautiful!” as she gave each of the gentlemen a little hugAt this point，the four Japanese gentlemen stood up in union and，bowing only very slightly, mumbled “Sayonara” and promptly leftPoor Geri was left stunned What did she do wrong?Everything! Her jeans was the first gaffeEven if youre coming off a bicycle in Japan，you do not meet c1ients casually dressedThe second mistake was Geris vulgar handling of the