大学英语六级阅读题及详解.doc

Exercise 1Passage 1Actually, though, America, the “land of immigrants”, has always had people of many different nationalities and languages. The 1990 census (人口普查) indicates that almost 14% ofAmericans speak a non-English language at home. Yet only 3% reported that they spoke English “not well” or “not at all ”. That means that slightly more than one out of 10 Americans could be considered bilingual. Besides that, many high school and college students-and even some elementery school students-are required to take a foreign language as a part of their curriculum. In addition to old standbys(受人喜爱的语种) like Spanish, German and Franch, more and more students are opting Eastern European and Asian languages. Of course, not all students keep up their foreign language abilities. As the old saying goes, “If you dont use it .” But still, a growing number of Americans are coming to appreciate the benefits of being multilingual. Ethnic enclaves(少数民族聚居地), found particularly in major metropolitan centers, have preserved the language and culture of American immigrants. Some local residents can function quite well in their native language, without having to bother learning English. Rogions such as southern Florida and the Southwest have numerous Spanish-speaking neighborhoods. In fact, Spanish speakers-numbering over 17 million-compose the largest non-English linguistic group in America. But Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian,Polish and many other ethnic group add to the linguistic flavor of America. Foreign languages are so commonly used in some ethnic neighborhoods that visitors might think they are in another country! Although some Americans welcome this linguistic and cultural diversity, other have begun to fear that the English language is being threatened. Since the 1980s, the “English Only ” movement has sought to promote legislation which would establish English as the “official language” and restrict the use of non-English language. However, some groups, including TESOL, the organization for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other language, object to such “language restrictionism”. Their view, known as “English Plus”, suggests that Americans should have respect for peoples native help them fit into the mainstream of society. But so far, 19 states have passed English Only legislation, and the topic is the focus of an ongoing debate.Whether or not Engliash is the official language of the United States, it remains the “language of wider communication”. Nearly everyone recognizes the need to develop proficiency in English in order to do well in America. To help those who want to brush up on their English skills, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes around. Cities with large numbers of recent immigrants often set up bilingual education programs to teach students content subjects in their native language while they improve their English. Language educators often have strong and divergent views as to which approach helps learners achieve better results: a bilingual approach, an ESL approach-or even a pure immersion(“sink or swim”) approach. However, all these teachers share a common commitment: to help students function well in English. American recognize that English is the international language, and people with good English skills can get by in many international settings. On the other hand, in a world growing increasingly smaller, second language skills can be a great favor. They can build cross-cultural bridges and give people an edge in a variety of career field. Indeed, lack of foreign language proficiency can limit ones chances for advancement and keep one in a cultural dead-end street. As many people in America are discovering, being monolingual is no laughing matter. (598 words)1. The word “bilingual” (Line 7,para,1) means_.A. being able to speak two languages B. being able to speak three languagesC. being able to speak four languagesD. being able to speak five languages 2. Foreign languages are commonly used in some ethnic neighborhoods because_.A. ethnic groups have preserved their native languages B. ethnic groups are not allowed to speak EnglishC. ethnic groups encourage their natives to learn foreign languagesD. ethnic groups allow their natives to go to another country3. _compose the largest linguistic group in America.A. Immigrants from ChinaB. Immigrants from SpainC. Immigrants from ItalyD.Immigrants from Vietnam4. Which of the following is TRUE about “English Only” movement?A. Its purpose was to establish a legislation of restricting the use of English.B. TESOL was in favor of “English Only ” by objecting to “English plus”.C. It was launched because English was being threatened.D. A large majority of states supported the movement.5. The general idea of this passage is_.A. the importance of being bilingualB. the need to speak the native languagesC. English-a language widely spoken around the worldD. the English Only movementPassage 2The Guidford Four, freed last week after spending 15 years in prison for crimes they did not commit, would almost certainly have been executed for the pub bombing they were convicted of. They had the death penalty been in force at the time of their trial. They may now be a decent interval before the pro-hanging lobby, which has the support of the Prime Minister, makes another attempt to reintroduce the noose.Reflections along these lines were about the only kind of consolation to be derived from this gross miscarriage of justice which is now to be the subject of a judicia l(司法的) inquiry. In the meantime, defense lawyers are demanding compensation and have in mind about half a million pounds for each of their clients.The first three to be released-Mr. Gerald Conlon, Mr. Paddy Armstrong and Ms. Carole Richardson-left prison with the 34 pounds which is given to all departing inmates. The fourth, Mr. Paul Hill, was not released immediately but taken to Belfast, where he lodged an appeal against his conviction for the murder of a former British soldier. Since this conviction, too, was based on the now discredited statements allegedly made to the Survey police, he was immediately let out on bail(保释). But he left empty-handed.The immediate reaction to the scandal was renewed demand for the re-examination of the case against the Birmingham Six, who are serving life sentences for pub bombings in that city. Thus far the Home secretary, Mr. Douglas Hurd, is insisting that the two cases are not comparable; that what is now known about the Guilford investigation has no relevance to what happened in Birmingham.Mr. Hurd is right to the extent that there was a small-though flimsy and hotly-contested-amount of crime evidence in the Birmingham case. The disturbing similarity is that the Birmingham Six, like the Guilford Four, claim that police officers lied and fabricated evidence to secure a conviction.Making scapegoats(替罪羊) of a few rogue police officers will not be sufficient to eliminate the Guilford miscarriage of justice. These are already demands that the law should be changed; first to make it impossible to convict on “confessions” alone; and secondly to require that statements from accused persons should only be taken in the presence of an independent third patty to ensure they are not made under punishment.It was also being noted this week that the Guilford Four owe their release more to be persistence of investigative reporters than to the diligence of either the judiciary or the police. Yet investigative reports-particularly on television-have recently been a particular target for the condemnation of Mrs. Thatcher and some of her ministers who seem to think that TV should be muzzled(钳制言论的手段) in the public interest and left to get on with soap operas and quiz shows. (495words)1. The word “noose”(Line 7, Para. 1) has the closest meaning to _.A. death penalty B. hangingC. trial D.punishment2. To compensate the miscarriage of justice, the defense lawyers may_.A. demand 500,000 pounds for the Guilford FourB. demand 500,000 pounds for each of the Guilford Four C. demand 1,000,000 pounds for each of the Guilford FourD. demand a re-examination of the Birmingham pub bombings3. Why was there a renewed demand for the re-examination of the case against the Birmingham Six?A. The Birmingham Six were believed to have criminal connections with the Guilford Four.B. The two cases were similar in that both were about pub bombings.C. The bombings in Birmingham happened at the same time.D. The Birmingham Six also claimed that there were police malpractices in their case.4. The existing law states that_.A. convictions can be made on confessions and statements taken by police officers from accused persons are valid legal evidenceB. convictions cant be made on confessions alone and there should be a third party when taking statements from accused personsC. convictions can be made on confessions and a third party should be present when taking statements from accused personsD. convictions cant be made on confessions alone and the statements taken by police officers from accused persons are valid legal evidence5. According to the article, which of the following parties contributed most to the release of the Guilford Four?A. Reporters B. Lawyers C. The police D. The judiciaryPassage 3Proxemics(空间关系学) is the study of what governs how closely one person stands to another. People who feel close will be close, though the actual distances will vary between cultures. For Amreicans we can discern four main categories of distance: intimate, personal, social and public. Intimate ranges from direct contact to about 45 centimeters. This is for the closest relationships such as those between husband and wife. Beyond this comes personal distance. This stands at between 45 and 80 centimeters. It is the most usual distance maintained for conversations between friends and relatives. Social distance covers people who work together or are meeting at social gatherings. Distances here tend to be kept between 1.30 to 2 meters. Beyond this comes public distance, such as that between a lecturer and his audience.All cultures draw lines between what is an appropriate and what is an inappropriate social distance for different types of relationship. They differ, however, in where they draw these lines. Look at an international reception withrepresentatives from the US and Arabic countries conversing and you will see the Americans pirouetting(快速旋转) backwards around the hall pursued by their Arab partners. The Americans will be trying to keep the distance between themselves and their partners which they have grown used to regarding as “normal”. They probably will not even notice themselves trying to adjust the distance between themselves and their partners, though they may have vague feeling that their Arab neighbors are being a bit “pushy”. The Arab, on the other hand, coming from a culture where much closer distance is the norm, may be feeling that the Americans are being “stand-offish”. Finding themselves happier standing close to and even touching those they are in conversation with they will persistently pursue the Americans round the room trying to close the distance between them.The appropriateness of physical contact varies between different cultures too. One study of the number of times people conversing in coffee shops over a one hour period showed the following interesting variations: London, 0; Florida, 2; Paris, 10; and Puerto Rico 180. Not only dose it vary between societies, however, it also varies between different subcultures within one society. Young people in Britain, for example, are more likely to touch and hug friends than are the older generation. This may be partly a matter of growing older, but it also reflects the fact that the older generation grew up at a time when touching was less common for all age groups. Forty years ago, for example, footballers would never hug and kiss one another on the field after a goal as they do today. (458 words)1.In proxemics, _governs the standing space between two persons.A. distance B. cultureC. conversation D. relationship2.The word “stand-offish”(Line 14, Para. 2) could best be replaced by_.A. cold and distant in behaviourB. ungentlemanlike in behaviourC. inhuman in behaviourD. polite in behaviour3. In conversation with an American partner at an international reception, an Arab deems that close distant is _.A. appropriate B. inappropriateC. rash D. impetuous4. We can infer from the third paragragh that the appropriateness of physical contact also varies with_.A. time B. cityC. country D. people5. The best title for the passage would be _.A. ProxemicsB. Appropriateness of Social DistanceC. Appropriateness Relationships Between Two PersonsD. Appropriateness Physical Contact Between Two PersonsPassage 4In the past century Irish painting has changes from a British-influenced lyrical tradition to an art that evokes the ruggedness and roots of an Irish Celtic past. At the turn of the twentieth century Irish painters, including notables Walter Frederick Osborne and Sir William Orpen, looked elsewhere for influence. Osbornes exposure to “plein air” painting deeply impacted his stylistic development; and Orpen allied himself with a group of English artists, while at the same time participated in the French avant-garde experiment, both as painter and teacher.However, nationalist energies were beginning to coalesce (接合)，reviving interest in Irish culture-including Irish visual arts. Beatrice Elverys (1907), a landmark achievement, merged the devotional simplicity of fifteenth-century Italian painting with the iconography (肖像画法) of Irelands Celtic past, linking the history of Irish Catholicism with the still-nasce t (初生的) Irish republic. And, although also captivated by the French plein air school, Sir John Lavery invoked the mythology of his native land for a 1928 commission to paint the central figure for the bank note of the new Irish Free State. Lavery chose as this figure, with her arm on a Celtic harp (竖琴)，the national symbol of independent Ireland.In Irish painting from about 1910, memories of Edwardian romanticism coexisted with a new sense of realism,exemplified by the paintings of Paul Henry and Se Keating, a student of Orpens. realism also crept into the work of Edwardians Lavery and Orpen, both of whom made paintings depicting World War,Lavery with a distanced Victorian nobility, Orpen closer to the front, revealing a more sinister and realistic vision. Meanwhile, counterpoint to the Edwardians and realists came Jack B. Yeats, whose travels throughout the rugged and more authentically Irish West led him to depict subjects ranging from street scenes in Dublin to boxing matches and funerals. Fusing close observations of Irish life and icons with an Irish identity in a new way, Yeats changed the face of Irish painting and became the most important Irishartist of his century. (353 words)1. Which of the following art most probably exerted the greatest influence on Irish painting in the 19th century?A. British lyrical traditionB. French avant-garde experimentC. notionalist energiesD. Italian painting2. It is implied_was least influenced by the contemporary art of Frence.A. Sir John Lavery B. Sir William OrpenC. Beatrice Elvery D. Se Keating3. Which of the following best explains the authors use of the word “counterpoint” in referring to Yeats?A. Yeats paintings differed significantly in subject matter from those of his contemporaries in Ireland.B. Yeats reacted to the realism of his contemporary artists by invoking nineteenth-century naturalism in his own painting style.C. Yeats avoided religious and mythological themes in favor of mundane portrayals of Irish life.D. Yeats built upon the realism painting tradition, elevating it to unprecedented artistic heights.4. T