专科英语阅读

PartIIReadingComprehension(35minutes)

Directions:Thereare4passagesinthispart.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsor

unfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).You

shoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletterontheAnswerSheetwitha

singlelinethroughthecentre.

Passageone

Questions1to5arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Somepessimisticexpertsfeelthattheautomobileisboundtofallintodisuse.Theyseeaday

inthenot-too-distantfuturewhenallautoswillbeabandonedandallowedtorust.Other

authorities,however,thinktheautoisheretostay.Theyholdthatthecarwillremainaleading

meansofurbantravelintheforeseeablefuture.

Themotorcarwillundoubtedlychangesignificantlyoverthenext30years.Itshouldbecome

smaller,safer,andmoreeconomical,andshouldnotbepoweredbythegasolineengine.Thecar

ofthefutureshouldbefarmorepollution-freethanpresenttypes.

Regardlessofitspowersource,theautointhefuturewillstillbethemainprobleminurban

trafficcongestion(拥挤).Oneproposedsolutiontothisproblemistheautomatedhighwaysystem.

Whentheautoentersthehighwaysystem,aretractable(可伸缩的)armwilldropfromthe

autoandmakecontactwitharail,whichissimilartothosepoweringsubwaytrainselectrically.

Onceattachedtotherail,thecarwillbecomeelectricallypoweredfromthesystem,andcontrolof

thevehiclewillpasstoacentralcomputer.Thecomputerwillthenmonitorallofthecar's

movements.

Thedriverwilluseatelephonetodialinstructionsabouthisdestinationintothesystem.The

computerwillcalculatethebestroute,andreservespaceforthecarallthewaytothecorrectexit

fromthehighway.Thedriverwillthenbefreetorelaxandwaitforthebuzzer(蜂鸣器)thatwill

warnhimofhiscomingexit.Itisestimatedthatanautomatedhighwaywillbeabletohandle

10,000vehiclesperhour,comparedwiththe1,500to2,000vehiclesthatcanbecarriedbya

present-dayhighway.

1.Onesignificantimprovementinthefuturecarwillprobablybe.

A)itspowersource

B)itsdrivingsystem

C)itsmonitoringsystem

D)itsseatingcapacity(A)

2.Whatistheauthor'smainconcern?

A)Howtorenderautomobilespollution-free.

B)Howtomakesmallerandsaferautomobiles.

C)Howtosolvetheproblemoftrafficjams.

D)Howtodevelopanautomatedsubwaysystem.(C)

3.Whatprovidesautoswithelectricpowerinanautomatedhighwaysystem?

A)Arail.

B)Anengine.

C)Aretractablearm.

D)Acomputercontroller.(A)

4.Inanautomatedhighwaysystem,allthedriverneedstodois.

A)keepintherightlane

B)waittoarriveathisdestination

C)keepinconstanttouchwiththecomputercenter

D)informthesystemofhisdestinationbyphone(D)

5.Whatistheauthor'sattitudetowardthefutureofautos?

A)Enthusiastic.

B)Pessimistic.

C)Optimistic.

D)Cautious.(C)PassageTwo

Questions6to10arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Foxesandfarmershavenevergotonwell.Thesesmalldog-likeanimalshavelongbeen

accusedofkillingfarmanimals.Theyareofficiallyclassifiedasharmfulandfarmerstrytokeep

theirnumbersdownbyshootingorpoisoningthem.

Farmerscanalsocallontheservicesoftheirlocalhunttocontrolthefoxpopulation.Hunting

consistsofpursuingafoxacrossthecountryside,withagroupofspeciallytraineddogs,followed

bymenandwomenridinghorses.Whenthedogseventuallycatchthefoxtheykillitorahunter

shootsit.

Peoplewhotakepartinhuntingthinkofasasport;theywearaspecialuniformofredcoats

andwhitetrousers,andfollowstrictcodesofbehavior.Butowningahorseandhuntingregularly

isexpensive,somosthuntersarewealthy.

Itisestimatedthatupto1(X),000peoplewatchortakepartinfoxhunting.Butoverthelast

coupleofdecadesthenumberofpeopleopposedtofoxhunting,becausetheythinkitisbrutal(残

酷的),hasrisensharply.Nowadaysitisrareforahunttopassoffwithoutsomekindof

confrontation(冲突)betweenhuntersandhuntsaboteurs(阻拦者).Sometimestheseincidents

leadtoviolence,butmostlysaboteursinterferewiththehuntbymisleadingridersanddisturbing

thetrailofthefox'ssmell,whichthedogsfollow.

Noisyconfrontationsbetweenhuntersandsaboteurshavebecomesocommonthattheyare

almostasmuchapartofhuntingasthepursuitoffoxesitself.Butthisyearsupportersoffox

huntingfaceamuchbiggerthreattotheirsport.ALabourPartyMemberoftheParliament,Mike

Foster,istryingtogetParliamenttoapproveanewlawwhichwillmakethehuntingofwild

animalswithdogsillegal.Ifthelawispassed,wildanimalslikefoxeswillbeprotectedunderthe

baninBritain.

6.RichpeopleinBritainhavebeenhuntingfoxes.

A)forrecreation

B)intheinterestsofthefarmers

C)tolimitthefoxpopulation

D)toshowofftheirwealth(A)

7.WhatisspecialaboutfoxhuntinginBritain?

A)Itinvolvestheuseofadeadlypoison.

B)Itisacostlyeventwhichrarelyoccurs.

C)Thehuntershavesetrulestofollow.

D)Thehuntershavetogothroughstricttraining.(C)

8.Foxhuntingopponentsofteninterfereinthegame.

A)byresortingtoviolence

B)byconfusingthefoxhunters

C)bytakinglegalaction

D)bydemonstratingonthescene(B)

9.AnewlawmaybepassedbytheBritishParliamentto.

A)prohibitfarmersfromhuntingfoxes

B)forbidhuntingfoxeswithdogs

C)stophuntingwildanimalsinthecountryside

D)preventlarge-scalefoxhunting(B)

10.Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethat.

A)killingfoxeswithpoisonisillegal

B)limitingthefoxpopulationisunnecessary

C)huntingfoxeswithdogsisconsideredcruelandviolent

D)fox-huntingoftenleadstoconfrontationbetweenthepoorandtherich(C)

PassageThree

Questions11to15arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

ForanincreasingnumberofstudentsatAmericanuniversities,Oldissuddenlyin.Thereason

isobvious:thegrayingofAmericameansjobs,coupledwiththeagingofthebaby-boom(生育高

峰)generation,alongerlifespanmeansthatthenation'selderlypopulationisboundtoexpand

significantlyoverthenext50years.By2050,25percentofallAmericanswillbeolderthan65,

upfrom14percentin1995.Thechangeposesprofoundquestionsforgovernmentandsociety,of

course.Butitalsocreatescareeropportunitiesinmedicineandhealthprofessions,andinlawand

businessaswell.4tInadditiontothedoctors,we'regoingtoneedmoresociologists,biologists,

urbanplannersandspecializedlawyers,“saysProfessorEdwardSchneideroftheUniversityof

SouthernCalifornia's(USC)SchoolofGerontology(老年学).

Lawyerscanspecializein“elderlaw,“whichcoverseverythingfromtrustsandestatesto

nursing-homeabuseandagediscrimination(歧视).Businessmenseehugeopportunitiesinthe

eldermarketbecausethebabyboomers,74millionstrong,arelikelytobethewealthiestgroupof

retireesinhumanhistory.44Anystudentwhocombinesanexpertknowledgeingerontologywith,

say,anMBAorlawdegreewillhavealicensetoprintmoney,“oneprofessorsays.

MargariteSantosisa21-year-oldsenioratUSC.Shebegancollegeasabiologymajorbut

foundshewas^reallyboredwithbacteria."Soshetookaclassingerontologyanddiscoveredthat

sheliedit.Shesays,“Ididvolunteerworkinretirementhomesanditwasverysatisfying.”

11.”...Oldissuddenlyin”(Line1,Para.1)mostprobablymeansu

A)Americahassuddenlybecomeanationofoldpeople

B)gerontologyhassuddenlybecomepopular

C)moreelderlyprofessorsarefoundonAmericancampuses

D)Americancollegeshaverealizedtheneedofenrollingolderstudents(B)

12.WiththeagingofAmerica,lawyerscanbenefit.

A)fromtheadoptionofthe“elderlaw”

B)fromrenderingspecialservicestotheelderly

C)byenrichingtheirprofessionalknowledge

D)bywinningthetrustoftheelderlytopromotetheirowninterests(B)

13.Whycanbusinessmenmakemoneyintheemergingeldermarket?

A)Retireesaremoregenerousinspendingmoney.

B)Theycanemploymoregerontologists.

C)Theelderlypossessanenormouspurchasingpower.

D)Therearemoreelderlypeopleworkingthanbefore.(C)

14.Whocanmakebigmoneyinthenewcenturyaccordingtothepassage?

A)Retireeswhoarebusiness-minded.

B)Thevolunteerworkersinretirementhomes.

C)CollegegraduateswithanMBAorlawdegree.

D)Professionalswithagoodknowledgeofgerontology.(D)

15.ItcanbeseenfromthepassagethattheexpansionofAmerica'selderlypopulation

A)willprovidegoodjobopportunitiesinmanyareas

B)willimposeanunbearableburdenonsociety

C)mayleadtonursinghomeabuseandagediscrimination

D)willcreatenewfieldsofstudyinuniversities(A)PassageFour

Questions16to20arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Thedeclineinmoralstandards—whichhaslongconcernedsocialanalysts—hasatlast

capturedtheattentionofaverageAmericans.AndJeanBethkeElshtain,fbrone,isglad.

Thefacttheordinarycitizensarenowstartingtothinkseriouslyaboutthenation'smoral

climate,saysthisethics(伦理学)professorattheUniversityofChicago,isreasontohopethat

newideaswillcomeforwardtoimproveit.

Butthechallengeisnottobeunderestimated.MaterialismandindividualisminAmerican

societyarethebiggestobstacles.ctThethoughtthatTminitforme'hasbecomedeeplyrootedin

thenationalconsciousness,Ms.Elshtainsays.

Someofthiscanbeattributedtothedisintegrationoftraditionalcommunities,inwhich

neighborslookedoutforoneanother,shesays.Withtoday'sgreatermobilityandwithsomany

couplesworking,thosebondshavebeenweakened,replacedbyagreateremphasisonself.

Ina1996pollofAmericans,lossofmoralitytoppedthelistofthebiggestproblemsfacing

theU.S.andElshtainsaysthepubliciscorrecttosensethat:DatashowthatAmericansare

strugglingwithproblemsunheardofinthe1950s,suchasclassroomviolenceandahighrateof

birthstounmarriedmothers.

Thedesireforahighermoralstandardisnotalament(挽歌)forsomenonexistent“golden

age,“Elshtainsays,norisitawishful(一厢情愿的)longingfbratimethatdeniedopportunities

towomenandminorities.Mostpeople,infact,favorthelesseningofprejudice.

Moraldeclinewillnotbereverseduntilpeoplefindwaystocounterthematerialismin

society,shesays."Slowly,yourecognizethatthethingsthatmatterarethosethatcant'be

bought.^^

16.ProfessorElshtainispleasedtoseethatAmericans.

A)haveadaptedtoanewsetofmoralstandards

B)arelongingforthereturnofthegoodolddays

C)haverealizedtheimportanceofmaterialthings

D)areawakeningtotheloweringoftheirmoralstandards(D)

17.ThemoraldeclineofAmericansocietyiscausedmanlyby.

A)itsgrowingwealth

B)theself-centerednessofindividuals

C)underestimatingtheimpactofsocialchanges

D)theprejudiceagainstwomenandminorities(B)

18.Whichofthefollowingcharacterizesthetraditionalcommunities?

A)Greatmobility.

B)Concernforone'sneighbors.

C)Emphasisonindividualeffort.

D)Ever-weakeningsocialbonds.(B)

19.Inthe1950s,classroomviolence.

A)wassomethingunheardof

B)wasbynomeansarareoccurrence

C)attractedalotofpubicattention

D)begantoappearinanalysts'data(A)

20.AccordingtoElshtain,thecurrentmoraldeclinemaybereversed.

A)ifpeoplecanreturntothe“goldenage”

B)whenwomenandmeanenjoyequalrights

C)whenpeopleridthemselvesofprejudice

D)iflessemphasisislaidonmaterialthings(D)

Questions21to25arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Onaverage,Americankidsages3to12spent29hoursaweekinschool,eighthoursmore

thattheydidin1981.Theyalsodidmorehouseholdworkandparticipatedinmoreofsuch

organizedactivitiesassoccerandballet(芭蕾舞).Involvementinsports,inparticular,rosealmost

50%from1981to1997:boysnowspendanaverageoffourhoursaweekplayingsports;girlslog

hallthattime.Allinall,however,children'sleisuretimedroppedfrom40%ofthedayin1981to

25%

"Childrenareaffectedbythesametimecrunch(危机)thataffectstheirparents,“saysSandra

Hofferth,whoheadedtherecentstudyofchildren'stimetable.Achiefreason,shesays,isthat

moremothersareworkingoutsidethehome.(Nevertheless,childreninbothdouble-incomeand

“malebreadwinner"householdsspentcomparableamountsoftimeinteractingwiththeirparents

19hoursand22hoursrespectively.Incontrast,childrenspentonly9hourswiththeirsingle

mothers.)

Allworkandnoplaycouldmakeforsomeverymessed-upkids."Playisthemostpowerful

wayachildexplorestheworldandlearnsabouthimself,MsaysT.BerryBrazelton,professorat

HarvardMedicalSchoolUnstructuredplayencouragesindependentthinkingandallowstheyoung

tonegotiatetheirrelationshipswiththeirpeers,butkidsages3to12spentonly12hoursaweek

engagedinit.

Thechildrensampledspentaquarteroftheirrapidlydecreasing“freetime“watching

television.Butthat,believeitornot,wasoneofthefindingsparentsmightregardasgoodnews.If

they'respendinglesstimeinfrontoftheTVset,however,kidsaren'treplacingitwithreading.

Despiteeffortstogetkidsmoreinterestedinbooks,thechildrenspentjustoveranhouraweek

reading.Let'sfaceit,who'sgotthetime?

21.Bymentioning“thesametimecrunch”(Line1,Para.2)SandraHofferthmeans

A)childrenhavelittletimetoplaywiththeirparents

B)childrenarenottakengoodcareofbytheirworkingparents

C)bothparentsandchildrensufferfromlackofleisuretime

D)bothparentsandchildrenhavetroublemanagingtheirtime(D)

22.Accordingtotheauthor,thereasongivenbySandraHofferthforthetimecrunchis

A)quiteconvincing

B)partiallytrue

C)totallygroundless

D)ratherconfusing(B)

23.Accordingtotheauthorachilddevelopsbetterif.

A)hehasplentyoftimereadingandstudying

B)heislefttoplaywithhispeersinhisownway

C)hehasmoretimeparticipatinginschoolactivities

D)heisfreetointeractwithhisworkingparents(D)

24.TheauthorisconcernedaboutthefactthatAmericankids.

A)areengagedinmoreandmorestructuredactivities

B)areincreasinglyneglectedbytheirworkingmothers

C)arespendingmoreandmoretimewatchingTV

D)areinvolvedlessandlessinhouseholdwork(A)

25.Wecaninferfromthepassagethat.

A)extracurricularactivitiespromotechildren'sintelligence

B)mostchildrenwillturntoreadingwithTVsetsswitchedoff

C)effortstogetkidsinterestedinreadinghavebeenfruitful

D)mostparentsbelievereadingtobebeneficialtochildren(C)PassageTwo

Questions26to30arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

HenryFord,thefamousU.S.inventorandcarmanufacturer,oncesaid,“Thebusinessof

Americaisbusiness.^^BythishemeantthattheU.S.wayoflifeisbasedonthevaluesofthe

businessworld.

FewwouldarguewithFord'sstatement.Abriefglimpseatadailynewspapervividlyshows

howmuchpeopleintheUnitedStatesthinkaboutbusiness.Forexample,nearlyeverynewspaper

hasabusinesssection,inwhichthedealsandprojects,financesandmanagement,stockpricesand

laborproblemsofcorporationsarereporteddaily.Inaddition,businessnewscanappearinevery

othersection.Mostnationalnewshasanimportantfinancialaspecttoit.Welfare,foreignaid,the

federalbudget,andthepoliciesoftheFederalReserveBankareallheavilyaffectedbybusiness.

Moreover,businessnewsappearsinsomeoftheunlikeliestplaces.Theworldofartsand

entertainmentisoftenreferred

toas“theentertainmentindustry"or"showbusiness.,,

ThepositivesideofHenryFord'sstatementcanbeseenintheprosperitythatbusinesshas

broughttoU.S.life.Oneofthemostimportantreasonssomanypeoplefromallovertheworld

cometoliveintheUnitedStatesisthedreamofabetterjob.Jobsareproducedinabundance(大

量地)becausetheU.S.economicsystemisdrivenbycompetition.Peoplebelievethatthissystem

cratesmorewealth,morejobs,andamateriallybetterwayoflife.

ThenegativesideofHenryFord'sstatement,however,canbeseenwhenthewordbusinessis

takentomeanbigbusiness.Andthetermbigbusiness-referringtothebiggestcompanies,isseen

inoppositiontolabor.ThroughoutU.S.historyworkingpeoplehavehadtofighthardforhigher

wages,betterworkingconditions,andthefighttoformunions.Today,manyoftheoldlabor

disputesareover,butthereisstillsomeemployeeanxiety.Downsizing-thelayingoffof

thousandsofworkerstokeepexpenseslowandprofitshigh—createsfeelingsofinsecurityfor

many.

26.TheUnitedStatesisatypicalcountry.

A)whichencouragesfreetradeathomeandabroad

B)wherepeople'schiefconcernishowtomakemoney

C)whereallbusinessesaremanagedscientifically

D)whichnormallyworksaccordingtothefederalbudget(D)

27.TheinfluenceofbusinessintheU.S.isevidencedbythefactthat.

A)mostnewspapersarerunbybigbusinesses

B)evenpublicorganizationsconcentrateonworkingforprofits

C)Americansofallprofessionsknowhowtodobusiness

D)evenartsandentertainmentareregardedasbusiness(C)

28.Accordingtothepassage,immigrantschoosetosettleintheU.S.,dreamingthat

A)theycanstartprofitablebusinessesthere

B)theycanbemorecompetitiveinbusiness

C)theywillmakeafortuneovernightthere

D)theywillfindbetterchancesofemployment(B)

29.HenryFord'sstatementcanbetakennegativelybecause.

A)workingpeoplearediscouragedtofightfortheirfights

B)therearemanyindustriescontrolledbyafewbigcapitalists

C)thereisaconflictingrelationshipbetweenbigcorporationsandlabor

D)publicservicesarenotrunbythefederalgovernment(C)

30.Acompany'seffortstokeepexpenseslowandprofitshighmayresultin.

A)reductioninthenumberofemployees

B)improvementofworkingconditions

C)fewerdisputesbetweenlaborandmanagement

D)ariseinworkers'wages(D)PassageThree

Questions31to35arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

ProfessorSmithrecentlypersuaded35people,23ofthemwomen,tokeepadiaryofalltheir

absent-mindedactionsforafortnight.Whenhecametoanalysetheirembarrassinglapses(差错)

inascientificreport,hewassurprisedtofindthatnearlyallofthemfellintoafewgroupings,Nor

didthelapsesappeartobeentirelyrandom(随机的).

Oneofthewomen,forinstance,onleavingherhouseforworkonemorningthrewherdog

herearringsandtriedtofixadogbiscuitonherear."theexplanationforthisisthatthebrainis

likeacomputer,explainstheprofessor."Peopleprogrammethemselvestodocertainactivities

regularly.Itwasthewoman'scustomeverymorningtothrowherdogtwobiscuitsandthenputon

herearrings.Butsomehowtheactiongotreversedintheprogramme,MAboutoneintwentyofthe

incidentsthevolunteersreportedwerethese""programmeassemblyfailures.^^

Altogetherthevolunteerslogged433unintentionalactionsthattheyfoundthemselves

doing-anaverageoftwelveeach,Thereappeartobepeakperiodsinthedaywhenweareatour

zaniest(荒谬可笑的).Thesearetwohourssometimebetweeneighta.m.andnoon,betweenfour

andsixp.m.withasmallerpeakbetweeneightandtenp.m."Amongmenthepeakseemstobe

whenachangeoverinbrain'programmes*occurs,asforinstancebetweengoingtoandfrom

work."Womenonaveragereportedslightlymorelapses—12.5comparedwith10.9for

men一probablybecausetheyweremorereliablereporters.

Astartlingfindingoftheresearchisthattheabsent-mindedactivityisahazardofdoing

thingsinwhichweareskilled.Normally,youwouldexpectthatskillreducesthenumberoferrors

wemake.Buttryingtoavoidsillyslipsbyconcentratingmorecouldmakethingsalot

worse-evendangerous.

31.InhisstudyProfessorSmithaskedthesubjects.

A)tokeeptrackofpeoplewhotendtoforgetthings

B)toreporttheirembarrassinglapsesatrandom

C)toanalysetheirawkwardexperiencesscientifically

D)tokeeparecordofwhattheydidunintentionally(B)

32.ProfessorSmithdiscoveredthat.

A)certainpatternscanbeidentifiedintherecordedincidents

B)manypeopleweretooembarrassedtoadmittheirabsent-mindedness

C)mentendtobemoreabsent-mindedthanwomen

D)absent-mindednessisanexcusablehumanweakness(D)

33."Programmeassemblyfailures”(Line6,Para.2)referstothephenomenonthatpeople

A)oftenfailtoprogrammetheirroutinesbeforehand

B)tendtomakemistakeswhentheyareinahurry

C)unconsciouslychangethesequenceofdoingthings

D)arelikelytomessthingsupiftheyaretootired(D)

34.Welearnfromthethirdparagraphthat.

A)absent-mindednesstendstooccurduringcertainhoursoftheday

B)womenareverycarefultoperfonnactionsduringpeakperiods

C)womenexperiencemorepeakperiodsofabsent-mindedness

D)men'sabsent-mindednessoftenresultsinfunnysituations(A)

35.Itcanbeconcludedfromthepassagethat.

A)peopleshouldavoiddoingimportantthingsduringpeakperiodsoflapses

B)hazardscanbeavoidedwhenpeopledothingstheyaregoodat

C)peopleshouldbecarefulwhenprogrammingtheiractions

D)lapsescannotalwaysbeattributedtolackofconcentration(A)PassageFour

Questions36to40arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

It'snosecretthatmanychildrenwouldbehealthierandhappierwithadoptiveparentsthan

withtheparentsthatnaturedealtthem.That'sespeciallytrueofchildrenwhoremaininabusive

homesbecausethelawblindlyfavorsbiologicalparents.It'salsotrueofchildrenwhosufferfor

yearsinfosterhomes(收养孩子的家庭)becauseofparentswhocan'torwon'tcareforthembut

refusetogiveupcustody(监护)rights.

Fourteen-year-oldKimberlyMaysfitsneitherdescription,butherrecentcourtvictorycould

eventuallyhelpchildrenwhodo.Kimberlyhasbeent