大学英语专业大二泛读练习.doc

Passage 1 The Asian Financial Crisis In a breath-taking turn of events, Asias economies have gone from miracle to meltdown in a matter of weeks. Many forecasters who recently predicted GDP growth of 6% in South Korea and Southeast Asia for 1998 are suddenly projecting zero or even negative growth. In the often short-sighted world of international finance, a new conventional wisdom is quickly forming: that inept policy-making is dragging down Asian economies, and that only the tough austerity medicine of the International Monetary Fund, plus a good stiff recession, will bring the regions economies back to track. In recent years, foreign and domestic investors in East Asia got a touch of what U.S. Federal Re-serve Chairman Alan Greenspan has famously termed irrational exuberance. Spurred by years of high economic growth in Asia, these investors poured billions of dollars of loans into the region, financing many worthwhile investments but also an unsustainable real estate boom. This over-investment need not have caused a crisis. A healthy reaction would have involved a gradual cutback in foreign lending, a gradual weakening of Asias overvalued currencies and gradual shift of investments from over-inflated property sectors back to long-term export-oriented projects. Most short-term booms are brought down to earth without extreme crisis, and such an adjustment was the most likely scenario until the summer in 1997. In the event, Asia experienced a financial meltdown. A gradual withdrawal of funds from Thailand suddenly became a stampede. Thailands government dallied in responding to the overheating long after it had become apparent, and as a result squandered Thailands foreign exchange reserves in a misguided attempt to defend the overvalued baht. The stampede came when foreign creditors realized that Thailand had more short-term foreign debts than the remaining short-term foreign reserves. A rational panic began. Each investor started to dump assets simply to get out of Thailand ahead of other investors. Panic in Thailand soon took a toll on the economies of its neighbors. The chain reaction of nervous withdrawals led to a meltdown that how includes most of East Asia. Confidence has been so drained that Asias positive fundamentals - historically high rates of growth, savings and exports - are being overlooked. Economies rely on confidence, and what they most need to fear is, indeed, fear itself.Choose the best meaning for each of the following words or expressions in bold type:1. breath-taking A. very dangerous B. motionless C. very exciting D. horrible2. meltdown A. the radioactive core of a nuclear power B. a controlled nuclear reaction C. nuclear energy slips out of control and ends up in a full-blown disaster D. the breakdown of the cooling system3. projecting A. standing outB. designing C. wanderingD. calculating4. inept A. inappropriateB. indifferent C. unscrupulousD. unfounded5. austerity A. efficiencyB. decontrolling C. effusivenessD. tightening6. exuberance A. vigorB. impotence C. inactivityD. self-confidence7. spurred A. discouragedB. propelled C. excitedD. persuaded8. boom A. rapid growth B. steady rise C. sudden explosion D. slow expansion 9. inflated A. terse B. swollen C. infective D. infatuated10. scenario A. expected outcomeB. series of measures to be taken C. goal to achieveD. package of possible solution11. stampede A. flight in panicB. economic blockade C. social disorderD. miserable failure12. dallied A. was promptB. was slow C. was consistentD. was inconsiderate13. squandered A. increasedB. reduced C. wastedD. withdrew14. dump A. throw awayB. buy at low price C. round up D. sell at low price15. took a toll on A. caused damage in B. spread a disease to C. took advantage of D. took control of16. drained A. flowed off and driedB. taken away C. used up D. passed awayPassage 2 Wiring the Ivory Tower Few places are so awash in information technology as U.S. college campuses. And thanks to the explosive growth of the Internet, universities have intensified their efforts to wire the ivory tower. In many institutions, every student is armed with a personal computer along with an e-mail account, which ensures him full access to the academic milieu, because each college or university is hooked up and logged on to an international on-line service. More and more faculty members are sending out syllabuses, notes, assignments, comments and even tests via e-mail, and students feel freer and more comfortable to communicate with their professors this way. The traditional structure of students sitting in classrooms in front of lecturers is being broken down. Its now proper for an American college to have its presence on the World Wide Web, the inter-linked digital archive for Internet users. And students set up home pages (an opening screen with a list of contents) for the access of Web browsers. At a time when tuitions are already out of sight, colleges have to spend millions to keep up with the state of the art. Last spring, 10 Wharton students of U Penn posted a summary of a seminar on EUs agricultural subsidy policies on the Inter-net, attracting some 300 electronic hangers-on from as far as France, some of them bankers and farmers. The program was so successful that the professor conducted another one last fall in the same manner. But that raises concerns for some academicians, mostly from the vintage school, who maintain theres a distinction between information and knowledge, and believe that the latter still requires a live teacher. They worry, as Thoreau did in his day, that we are in danger of becoming the tools of our tools. And those tools are getting smarter by the day. 1. awash (in) A. wet with B. full of C. flooded with D. prompt in2. wire A. fasten with wireB. send a telegram to C. telephoneD. connect in a network3. milieu A. atmosphereB. advantage C. standard D. privilege4. logged (on) A. allowed to enter B. recorded C. put in D. accepted5. faculty members A. talented membersB. intelligent members C. all the teachersD. all the teachers and students6. syllabuses A. curriculumB. outlines of courses C. handoutsD. teaching aids7. archive A. collection of books B. storage of films C. storage of recordingsD. collection of information8. browsers A. perceptive viewersB. acute critics C. casual readers D. curious onlookers9. the state of the art A. current developmentB. sophisticated technology C. latest newsD. valuable achievement10. seminar A. research teamB. science report C. mass gathering D. group discussion11. subsidy A. import B. export C. grant-in-aidD. encouragement12. hangers-on A. dependentsB. followers C. opponentsD. enthusiasts13. academicians A. professionalsB. scientists C. teachersD. scholars14. vintage A. wine producingB. out-of-date C. modernD. of outstanding qualityPassage 3Artificial light in winter means we no longer have to go to bed when it gets dark. We can also get up before it is light. This means we can have a summer sleep pattern all year round.Animals sleep more during winter than summer. Researchers in America wanted to find out whether humans might want to do the same on a winter day without artificial light. People observed in the research did sleep longer, usually up to 11 hours. However, winter sleep seems to be interrupted by periods of quiet wakefulness like those experienced in meditation. These were found to be very restful. The study found that modern humans are not getting enough sleep. 1. The topic of the passage is _ . A. artificial light B. natural light C. human sleep D. animal sleep Watch a baby between six and nine months old, and you will observe the basic concepts of geometry being learned. Once the baby has mastered the idea that space is three-dimensional, it reaches out and begins grasping various kinds of objects. It is then, from perhaps nine to fifteen months, that the concepts of sets and numbers are formed. So far, so good. But now an ominous development takes place. The nerve fibers in the brain insulate themselves in such a way that the baby begins to hear sounds very precisely. Soon it picks up language, and it is then brought into direct communication with adults. From this point on, it is usually downhill all the way for mathematics, because the child now becomes exposed to all the nonsense words and beliefs of the community into which it has been so unfortunate as to have been born. Nature, having done very well by the child to this point, having permitted it the luxury of thinking for itself for eighteen months, now abandons it to the arbitrary conventions and beliefs of society. But at least the child knows something of geometry and numbers, and it will always retain some memory of the early halcyon days, no matter what vicissitudes it may suffer later on. The main reservoir of mathematical talent in any society is thus possessed by children who are about two years old, children who have just learned to speak fluently. 2. What does the passage mainly discuss? A. The impact of language on mathematics B. Childrens ability to learn languages C. How basic concepts of physics are learned D. Math-learning strategies for babies Unlike any earlier building complex in the world, Rockefeller Center in New York City was built, not as a place where people could live, but as a city in which they could work. It was the biggest building project of its kind, a city within a city, and the forerunner of projects that have sprung up all over the world. Thirty architects, 120 draftsmen, and hundreds of other artists and technicians were employed just to draft the plans. Before the buildings could be erected, 229 old buildings had to be emptied of 4,000 tenants and razed. Just to buy up the leases took over two years and cost over $6,000,000. The unusual shape and setbacks of the seventy-story RCA building resulted primarily from practical considerations such as lighting, the movement of people, and the buildings services. The lower concourse and basement level were set aside for shops. A sunken plaza, complete with gardens and fountains, was designed to provide access to these shops. Today the plaza. which is used for ice-skating in winter and dining and dancing in summer, is one of the centers most popular attractions.3. What is the main idea of the passage? A. The importance of a pleasant work environment B. The purpose of the RCA building setbacks C. The recreational facilities at Rockefeller Center D. The architectural significance of Rockefeller Center People used to believe that the worlds great oceans were so vast, it did not matter if a lot of rubbish was discharged into the sea. Today we know that even the deep oceans can be damaged by dumping unwanted materials of many kinds and that the seas round our coasts can be made unpleasant or unhealthy. No oil tank captain wants to put oil into the sea. Oil is a valuable cargo that has to be delivered to the receiving terminal, probably at an oil refinery. Modern methods and procedures now make it unlikely that oil will pass into the sea as a result of normal operation. However, in the unlikely event of oil being spilled into the sea, several methods are available for cleaning up the oil quickly so that it does no damage to inshore waters or beaches or to marine life. The oil can be sprayed with a depressant, which will help it to break up harmlessly. It may be removed by absorbents or by mechanical skimming. Tanker owners and operators have agreed on international schemes for preventing pollution of the sea by oil, for cleaning up accidental oil spillages, and for paying compensation for any damage caused.4. The above passage is mainly concerned with _ . A. Pollution of the sea B. Protection of marine life C. Dumping of oil into the ocean D. Oil spillages, its cleaning and prevention in the seaDorothea Dix left home at an early age-of her own free will-to live with her grandmother.At fourteen, Dorothea was teaching school at Worcester, Massachusetts. A short time after she had begun teaching, she established a school for young girls in her grandmothers home. Stress was placed on moral character at Dorotheas school, which she conducted until she was thirty-three. She was forced to give up teaching at her grandmothers home, however, when she became ill. A few years of inactivity followed. In 1841 Dorothea began to teach again, accepting a Sunday school class in the East Cambridge, Massachusetts, jail. Here, she first came upon insane people locked up together with criminals. In those days insane people were treated even worse than criminals. There were only a few asylums in the entire country. Therefore jails, poorhouses, and houses of correction were used to confine the insane. Dorothea Dix made a careful investigation of the inhuman treatment of the insane. It was considered unfeminine for a woman to devote herself to such work at this time. But this did not stop Dorothea Dix in her efforts to provide proper medical care for the insane. Gradually, because of her investigations, conditions were improved. More than thirty mental institutions were founded or reestablished in the United States because of her efforts. Dorothea also ex-tended her investigations to England and to other parts of Europe. During the Civil War, Dorothea served as superintendent of women hospital nurses in the Union Army. When the war was over, she returned to her work of improving conditions for insane people. 5. Which of the following is the best title for the passage? A. The Treatment of Mental Illness B. The Life of a Young English Woman C. Social problems of the Nineteenth Century D. An American HumanitarianIn ancient times wealth was measured and exchanged tangibly, in things that could be touched: food, tools, and precious metals and stones. Then the barter system was replaced by coins, which still had real vale since they were pieces of rare metal. Coins were followed by fiat money, paper notes that have value only because everyone agrees to accept them.Today electronic monetary systems are gradually being introduced that will transform money into even less tangible forms, reducing it to arrays of bit and bytes, or units of computerized information, whizzing between machines at the speed of light. Already, electronic fund transfer allows money to be instantly sent and received by different banks, companies, and countries through computers and telecommunications devices. 6. Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the passage A. International Banking Policies B. The History of Monetary Exchange C. The Development of Paper Currencies D. Current Problems in the EconomyThroughout the history of life, there have been many major upheavals in which whole groups of animals were replaced by others. Perhaps the most famous was the replacement of the dinosaurs by the mammals 65 million years ago. Another major change occurred 150 million years earlier, when the dinosaurs took over the position of dominance that had been held for 80 million years by mammal-like reptiles.What triggered these great upheavals? Scientific thinking about the various factors that might have been responsible for such replacements has undergone some significant changes of its own. At times, for example, scientists have suggested that mammals caused the extinction of the dinosaurs by eating their eggs or by competing for the same food resources. Now, however, most people are convinced that the mammals played only a minor role, if any, and that, instead, environmental change was primarily responsible. The mammals apparently sat around for 150 million years in the Mesozoic undergrowth until, with the extinction of the dinosaurs, they had their opportunity to radiate into the available niches. 7. What is the main idea of the passage? A. Mammals caused the extinction of dinosaurs by eating their eggs. B. Some species of animals have been replaced by others due to radical environmental changes.C. Scientific theories about the reasons for the extinction of certain reptiles have changed over the years. D. Mammals and dinosaurs competed for the same food source.Sometimes certain eras