第一节 研究生英语阅读理解综合练习(共15套)
Passage 1
The relationship between the home and market economies has gone through two distinct stages. Early industrialization began the process of transferring some production (e.g. clothmaking, sewing and canning foods) from the home to the marketplace. Although the home economy could still product these goods, the process were laborious and the market economy was usually more efficient. Soon, the more important second stage was evident--the marketplace began producing goods and services that had never been produced by the home economy, and the home economy was unable to produce them (e.g. electricity and appliances, the automobile, advanced education, sophisticated medical care).In the second stage, the question of whether the home economy was less efficient in producing these new goods and services was irrelevant; if the family were to enjoy these fruits of industrialization, they would have to be obtained in the marketplace. The traditional ways of taking care of these needs in the home, such as in nursing the sick, became socially unacceptable (and, in most serious cases, probably less successful). Just as the appearance of the automobile made the use of the horsedrawn carriage illegal and then impractical, and the appearance of television changed the radio from a source of entertainment to a source of background music, so most of the fruits of economy growth did not increase the options available to the home economy to either produce the goods or services or purchase them in the market. Growth brought with it increased variety in consumer goods, but not increased flexibility for the home economy in obtaining these goods and services. Instead, economic growth brought with it increased consumer reliance on the marketplace. In order to consume these new goods and services, the family had enter the marketplace as wage earners and consumers. The neoclassical model that views the family as deciding whether to produce goods and services directly or to purchase them in the marketplace is basically a model of the first stage. It cannot accurately be applied to the second (and current) stage.
1.The reason why many production processes were taken over by the marketplace was that _____ .
［A］ the marketplace was more efficient with respect to these processes
［B］ they depended on electricity available only to the market economy
［C］ it was troublesome to produce such goods in the home
［D］ it was a necessary step in the process of industrialization
2. It can be seen from the passage that in the second stage _____ .
［A］ some traditional goods and services were not successful when provided by the home economy
［B］ whether new goods and services were produced by the home economy became irrelevant
［C］ producing traditional goods at home became socially unacceptable
［D］ the market economy provided new goods services never produced by the home economy
3.Economic growth did not make it more flexible for the home economy to obtain the new goods and services because _____ .
［A］ the family was not efficient in production
［B］ it could not supply them by itself
［C］ it was illegal for the home economy to produce them
［D］ the market for these goods and services was limited
4.The neoclassical model is basically a model of the first stage, because at this stage _____ .
［A］ the family could rely either on the home economy or on the marketplace for the needed goods and services
［B］ many production processes were being transferred to the marketplace
［C］ consumers relied more and more on the market economy
［D］ the family could decide how to transfer production processes to the marketplace.
Passage 2
Ironically, in the United States, a country of immigrants prejudice and discrimination continue to be serious problems. There was often tension between each established group of immigrants and each succeeding group. As each group became more financially successful, and more powerful, they excluded newcomers from full participation in the society. Prejudice and discrimination are part of American history; however, this prejudicial treatment of different groups is nowhere more unjust than with black Americans.
Blacks had distinct disadvantages. For the most part, they came to the "land of opportunity" as slaves and they were not free to keep their heritage and cultural traditions. Unlike most European immigrants, blacks did not have the protection of a support group; sometimes slave owners separated members of the same family. They could not mix easily with the established society either because of their skin color. It was difficult for them to adapt to the American culture. Even after they became free people, they still experienced discrimination in employment, housing and education.
Until the twentieth century, the majority of the black population lived in the southern part of the United States. Then there was a population shift to the large cities in the North. Prejudice against blacks is often associated with the South. Slavery was more common there and discrimination was usually more easier to see.
In the 1950s and 1960s, blacks fought to gain fair treatment, and they now have legal protection in housing, education, and employment. Because their neighborhoods are segregated, many blacks feel that educational opportunities are not adequate for their children. Busing children from one neighborhood to another is one solution to inequality in education. Naturally, all parents want the best possible education for their children. The situation of blacks is better today than it was in the 1950s, but racial tension persists. Time will be the real solution to the problem of race.
1. What is the main subject of the passage?
［A］ Prejudice and discrimination in the United States
［B］ Education in the United States
［C］ Prejudice against American blacks
［D］ Unemployment in the United States
2. It can be inferred from the passage that _____ .
［A］ blacks are free people now, so they can enjoy equal rights as whites
［B］ the government of the United States is not attaching great attention to the education of blacks
［C］ now there are more blacks living in the North than in the South
［D］ Prejudice and discrimination are move severe in the South than in the North
3. By "busing children form one neighborhood to another is one solution to inequality in education", the author implies _____ .
［A］ black children are slow in learning in their own neighborhood
［B］ black children can't enjoy adequate education if they don't go far
［C］ black children are severely discriminated in their own neighborhood
［D］ black children are required to receive an education of a different culture
4. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT TRUE?
［A］ Black in the United States were among those who were worst discriminated
［B］ Prejudice and discrimination are part of the United States
［C］ It was not easy for blacks to get accustomed to the American culture
［D］ The problem of prejudice and discrimination in the United States won't be solved before long
Passage 3
I think likely that the passion for the new in the way of teachinghardware not only does not contribute to higher education achievement but may well serve as a temporary means to avoid the real and hard tasks of teaching-which really require almost no hardware at all, besides textbooks, blackboard, and chalk. It should be admitted that when one comes to highschool science, something more is called for. And yet our tendency is to always find shelter behind new hardware It's fun to get new audio-visual equipment, new rooms equipped with them in which all kinds of things can be done by pressing a switch or twisting a dial, or, as is now the case, to decide what kind of personal computers and software are necessary for a good educational program. Once again, foreign experience can be enlightening. When Japanese education was already well ahead of American, most Japanese schools were in prewar wooden buildings. (They are now as uptodate as ours, but neither their age nor their uptodatedness has much to do with their good record of achievement.) Resisting the appeal of new hardware not only saves money, and provides less in the way of saleable goods to burglarize, but it also prevents distraction from the principal tasks of reading, writing, and calculating, When it turns out that computers and new software are shown to do a better job in these key tasks-I am suspicious as to whether this will ever be the case-there will be time enough to splurge on new equipment. The teacher, alone, up front, explaining, encouraging, guiding, is the heart of the matter-the rest is fun, and very helpful to corporate income, and gives an inflated headquarters staff something new to do. But students will have time enough to learn about computers when they get to college, and getting there will depend almost not at all on what they can do with computers, but how well they understand words and sentences, and how well they do at simple mathematics.
1. By the first sentence of the passage the author means that _____ .
［A］ something new in the teaching of hardware is of little help to improve higher education
［B］ the real and hard tasks of teaching need passion
［C］ higher education achievement can be gained without new computers
［D］ In the way of teachinghardware, new computers will replace textbooks
2. According to the passage which of the following is not true?
［A］ The Japanese experience can free the Americans from the false belief.
［B］ New computers put many headquarters staff out of employment.
［C］ The schools have to keep those new computers from being stolen.
［D］ Many American students tend to rely too much on computers.
3. The Japanese have gained their success in education, owing to _____ .
［A］ their uptodatedness of equipment
［B］ their prewar wooden buildings
［C］ their good work in teaching
［D］ their new software
4. In order to enter the college, the students should _____ .
［A］ have a personal computer
［B］ learn the knowledge of hardware and software
［C］ find fun in their study
［D］ do well in language and mathematics
Passage 4
University Physics is intended for students of science and engineering. Primary emphasis is on physical principles and problemsolving; historical background and specialized practical applications have been given a place of secondary importance. Many workedout examples and an extensive collection of problems are included with each chapter.
In this new edition, the basic philosophy and outline and the balance between depth of treatment and breadth of subject-matter coverage are unchanged from previous editions. We have tried to preserve those features that users of previous editions have found desirable, while incorporating a number of changes that should enhance the book's usefulness.
The textbook is adaptable to a wide variety of course outlines. The entire textbook can be used for an intensive course two or three semesters in length. For a less intensive course, many instructors will want to omit certain chapters or sections to tailor the book to their individual needs. The arrangement of this edition facilitates this kind of flexibility.
Conversely, however, many topics that were regarded a few years ago as of peripheral importance and were omitted form introductory courses have now come to the fore again in the lift sciences, earth and space sciences, and environmental problems. An instructor who wishes to stress these kinds of applications will find this textbook a useful source for discussion of the appropriate principles.
In any case, it should be emphasized that instructors should not feel constrained to work straight through the book from cover to cover. Many chapters are, of course, inherently sequential in nature, but within this general limitation instructors should be encouraged to select among the contents those chapters that fit their needs, omitting material that is not relevant for the objectives of a particular course.
1. This textbook lays stress on _____ .
［A］ the exploration of physical principles
［B］ the principles of physics and their application
［C］ the development of physics
［D］ the application of physics in different fields
2. Compared with the old one, this new edition _____ .
［A］ has been made more applicable
［B］ is easier to learn
［C］ covers a wider range of subject matter
［D］has improved the balance between theory and practice
3. The words "Conversely, however" (para. 4 line 1) indicate that _____ .
［A］ many topics can be emphasized though they were not covered in the old edition
［B］ many topics can be emphasized though they were usually omitted by instructors
［C］ many topics have been added to the new edition as they were not covered in the old one
［D］ many topics have been added to the new edition though they can be omitted by the instructors
4. To meet the needs of a particular course, the teacher of this book can omit some of the contents provided that _____ .
［A］ his selection is based on the request of his students
［B］ he does not omit any chapter completely
［C］ his students are particularly intelligent
［D］ he keeps an eye on the internal relations between the chapters
Passage 5
Standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon, gazing across this giant wound in the Earth's surface, a visitor might assume that the canyon had been caused by some ancient convulsion (震动). In fact, the events that produced the canyon, far from being sudden and catastrophic, simply add up to the slow and orderly process of erosion.
Many millions of years ago, the Colorado Plateau in the Grand Canyon area contained 1,000 more feet of rock than it does today and was relatively level. The additional material consisted of some 14 layered formations of rock. In the Grand Canyon region these layers were largely worn away over the course of millions of years.
Approximately 65 million years ago the plateau's flat surface in the Grand Canyon area bulged upward from internal pressure, geologists refer to this bulging actions upwarding; it was followed by a general elevation of the whole Colorado Plateau, a process that is still going on. As the plateau gradually rose, shallow rivers that winded across it began to run more swiftly and cut more definite courses. One of these rivers, located east of the upward, was the ancestor of the Colorado. Another river system, called the Hualapai, flowing west of the upward, extended itself eastward by cutting back into the upward, it eventually connected with the ancient Colorado and captured its waters. The new river then began to carve out the 277milelong trench that eventually became the Grand Canyon. Geologists estimate that this initial cutting action began no earlier than 10 million years ago.
Since then, the canyon forming has been cumulative. To the corrosive force of the river itself have been added other factors. Heat and cold, rain and snow, along with the varying resistance of the rocks, increase the opportunities for erosion. The canyon walls crumble, the river acquires a cutting tool. Tons of debris, rainfall running off the high plateau creates feeder streams that carve side canyons. Pushing slowly backward into the plateau, the side canyons expose new rocks, and the pattern of erosion continues.
1. The passage mainly discusses _____ .
［A］ patterns of erosion in different mountain ranges
［B］ forces that made the Grand Canyon
［C］ the increasing pollution of the Colorado River
［D］ the sudden appearance of the Grand Canyon
2. The word "wound" (line 2.para. 1) indicates that _____ .
［A］ it was caused by some ancient convulsion
［B］ its presence is an embarrassment to the state of Colorado
［C］ it looks like an injury on the Earth's surface
［D］ it has caused many visitors to injure themselves
3. It can be concluded from this passage about the Grand Canyon that _____ .
［A］ its shapes are constantly changing
［B］ it contains approximately 14 million tons of rock
［C］ its eruptions have increased in recent years
［D］ it is being eroded by toxic waste and pollutants
4. The passage would most likely be found in a textbook on which of the following subjects?
［A］ Astronomy
［B］ Geology
［C］ Botany
［D］ Chemistry
Passage 6
The gradual deforestation of the river areas of south-eastern Australia has led to a number of damaging environmental effect. the immediate effect of the removal of root systems and overhead shelter is to expose the earth to wind, resulting in soil erosion. Subsequently, when trees no longer remove groundwater, a second consequence of deforestation is a rise in the water table, resulting in greater incidence of flooding and salinity. Both these problems form a serious threat to agriculture, the most important part of the region's economy. As a countermeasure, the Federal Government launched an ambitious scheme to plant a billion trees by the year 2000. The project, however, encountered a number of initial difficulties.
By using traditional manual planting techniques, the scheme would have required a massive number of workers (estimated at 50 000 over a 10year period). This would have resulted in extremely high unit costs which were unrealistic for many of the small rural agencies who were providing half of the finance. In addition, the young trees suffered a 20 percent death rate as a result of disease, poor drainage and inadequate protection from wind, animals and birds.
Mechanical planters and tree guards provided two solutions which have significantly improved the efficiency of the planting program. UTC Industries of Birchgrove developed a tractordriven planter, nicknamed the Green Goddess, which can drill, plant and water 5 000 seeds or 1 000 young trees per hour. It is operated by one person, requires little maintenance and costs around ＄ 20 000.
The death rate of young trees has been drastically cut by a tree guard also developed by UTC Industries. This simple device is composed of a sheet of PVC plastic costing only around 20 cents which is wrapped around the trunks of young trees. It provides support for the growing trunk and protection against sheep, cattle or other animals while special holes and channels in the plastic allow light and air to enter and concentrate water to the roots of the tree. In contrast to traditional stake and wire support and protection systems, the plastic guards are much cheaper and can be installed on site more rapidly. Experiments have shown that death rate in young trees can be reduced by almost 90 percent using this system.
1. An indirect effect of deforestation might be _____ .
［A］ the exposure of the earth to wind
［B］ soil erosion
［C］ a threat to agriculture
［D］ greater incidence of flooding
2. The way to reduce the deathrate of young trees mentioned in the passage is the use of _____ .
［A］ mechanical planters
［B］ tree guards
［C］ manual planting techniques
［D］ both A and B
3. Compared with traditional method, one of the advantages of using the new treeprotection systems is that _____ .
［A］ they allow light and air to enter
［B］ they protect the trees from animals
［C］ they provide support to the tree trunks
［D］ they are economical
4. The new kind of planter _____ .
［A］ can plant 6000 young trees in an hour
［B］ is efficient and laborsaving
［C］ costs a lot more
［D］ reduces the deathrate of young trees
Passage 7
Today the study of language in our schools is somewhat confused. It is the most traditional of scholastic subjects being taught in a time when many of our traditions no longer fit our needs. You to whom these pages are addressed speak English and are therefore in a worse case than any other literate people.
People pondering the origin of language for the first time usually arrive at the conclusion that it developed gradually as a system of conventionalized grunts, hisses, and cries and must have been a very simple affair in the beginning. But when we observe the language behavior of what we regard as primitive cultures, we find it strikingly elaborate and complicated. Stefansson, the explorer, said that "in order to get along reasonably well an Eskimo must have at the tip of his tongue a vocabulary of more than 10000 words, much larger than the active vocabulary of an average businessman who speaks English. Moreover these Eskimo words are far more highly inflected than those of any of the wellknown European languages, for a single noun can be spoken or written in several hundred different forms, each having a precise meaning different from that of any other. The forms of the verbs are even more numerous. The Eskimo language is, therefore, one of the most difficult in the world to learn, with the result that almost no traders or explorers have even tried to learn it. Consequently there has grown up, in intercourse between Eskimos and whites, a jargon similar to the pidgin English used in China, with a vocabulary of from 300 to 600 uninflected words, most of them derived from Eskimo but some derived from English, Danish, Spanish, Hawaiian and other languages. It is this jargon which is usually referred to by travelers as `the Eskimo language.'" And Professor Thalbitzer of Copenhagen, who did take the trouble to learn Eskimo, seems to endorse the explorer's view when he writes: "The language is polysynthetic. The grammar is extremely rich in flexional forms, the conjugation of a common verb endings. For the declension of a noun there are 150 suffixes (for dual and plural, local cases, and possessive flexion). The derivative endings effective in the vocabulary and the construction of sentences or sentence-like words amount to at least 250. Not with standing all these constructive peculiarities, the grammatical and synthetic system is remarkably concise and, in its own way, logical."
1. The size of the Eskimo language spoken by most whites is _____ .
［A］spoken in English, Denmark, Spain, and Hawaii
［B］ less than the size of the language spoken by Eskimos
［C］ inestimable
［D］ irrelevant
2. Some of the evidence about language in the passage is taken from the observations of _____ .
［A］ linguists
［B］ Eskimos
［C］ businessmen
［D］ an explorer
3. According to the passage, the language of primitive cultures was _____ .
［A］ nonexistent
［B］ only spoken by Eskimo
［C］ simpleminded
［D］ elaborate and complicated
4. The author's overall point is that _____ .
［A］ primitive language may be large, complex, and complicated
［B］ primitive language may be large, complex, and logical
［C］ primitive language may be large, old, and logical
［D］ primitive language may be similar to pidgin English
Passage 8
In the Victorian age, as in many traditional cultures, love was mostly not a spontaneous personal experience which then might lead to marriage. On the contrary, marriage was contracted by conventioneither by the respective families, or by a marriage broker, or without the help of such intermediaries; it was concluded on the basis of social considerations, and love was supposed to develop once the marriage had been concluded. In the last few generations the concept of romantic love has become almost universal in the Western world. In the United States, While considerations of a conventional nature are not entirely absent, to a vast extent people are in search of "romantic love", of the personal experience of love which then should lead to marriage. This new concept of freedom in love must have greatly enhanced the importance of the object as against the importance of the function.
Closely related to this factor is another feature characteristic of contemporary culture. Our whole culture is based on the appetite for buying, on the idea of a mutually favorable exchange. Modern man's happiness consists in the thrill of looking at the shop windows. and in buying all that he can afford to buy, either for cash or on installments. He looks at people in a similar way. For the man an attractive girl-and for the women an attractive man-are the prizes they are after. "Attractive" usually means a nice package of qualities which are popular and sought after on the personality market. What specifically makes a person attractive depends on the fashion of the time, physically as well as mentally. During the twenties, a drinking and smoking girl, tough and sexy, was attractive; today the fashion demands domesticity and modesty. At the end of nineteenth century and the beginning of this century, a man had to be aggressive and ambitious-today he has to be social and tolerant-in order to be attractive "package." At any rate, the sense of falling in love develops usually only with regard to such human commodities as are within reach of one's own possibilities for exchange. Two persons thus fall in love when they feel that they have found the best object available on the market, considering the limitations of their exchange values.
1. In Victorian age, marriage is based on _____ .
［A］ social considerations
［B］ personal feelings
［C］ parents' favor
［D］ love after the wedding
2. Nowadays, people ignore the importance of function, so _____ .
［A］ they care nothing except romantic love
［B］ they care nothing except public ideas
［C］ they value romantic love above other considerations
［D］ they fall in love, not knowing anything about the object
3. in out society, human love relations follow _____ .
［A］ the same pattern of exchange governing the commodities
［B］ the same pattern of changing each other's personality
［C］ the fashion of the time
［D］ the development of commodities
4. "human commodities" in this passage refers to _____ .
［A］ merchandise
［B］ personality
［C］ attraction
［D］ fashion
Passage 9
Some people are accustomed to think that facts must either be believed or they must be disbelieved as if belief were like a light switch with only two positions, on or off. My use of the bathtub hoax is intended to illustrate that belief does not have to operate as a simple yes or no choice, all or nothing. Belief can be more conditional; it can be something that we decide to have "up to a point" or "to a degree." And so, the question we might ask ourselves while reading does not have to be "Should I believe it?" but instead can be "how much should I believe it?" This latter question implies that the belief we have in any given fact, or in any given idea, is not determined by whether it sounds right or whether the source is an authority. It means that our beliefs are determined by reasons that justify them. Belief is not a mechanical action, brought about by invariable rules of nature. It is a human activity, the exercise of judgment. With this in mind, we might say that we perform this action better when we know what the reasons are that have led to our belief, and why they are good reasons.
These observations do not deprive us of our ability to believe in what we read. They are not intended to transform you from credulous believers into stubborn doubters. The process of weighing beliefs against the quality of reasons is one that you already go through all the time, whether you are aware of it or not. We all do. The practice of critical reading is the exercise of this kind of judgment on purpose. By doing it, we protect ourselves from being led into belief god inadequate reasons, but at the same time we open up our minds to the possibility of arriving at belief for adequate ones. If we decide to grant or withhold consent based on the quality of the reasons that we are given, we admit at the same time that two things are possible: We admit that we might consent less in the future if we discover that the reasons are not so good after all; and we admit that we might consent more if we are ever presented with better reasons than we had formerly known. This attitude is not pure skepticism any more than it is pure credulity. It is somewhere in between. It is the attitude of an openminded thinker, of someone who wishes to be responsible for deciding for herself or himself what to believe.
1. The author's use of the bathtub hoax is meant to suggest that _____ .
［A］ facts must be believed unconditionally
［B］ belief is more than a simple yes or no choice
［C］ nothing should be believed or disbelieved
［D］ belief is nothing but a light switch
2. Which question is NOT encouraged to be asked while you are reading?
［A］ Should I agree with the author?
［B］ To what extent should I Believe it?
［C］ Why should I consent to it?
［D］ What makes it sound and reasonable?
3. To believe or disbelieve what you read should be based on _____ .
［A］ the facts that you are given
［B］ whether the author is openminded or not
［C］ the quality of reasons provided by the material
［D］ the assumption that you know everything about it
4. According to the passage, the practice of critical reading can _____ .
［A］ help us find reasons that justify ourselves
［B］ provide us with a way to live in this world
［C］ protect us from jumping quickly to conclusions
［D］do more than help us became wise readers
Passage 10
Reading to oneself is a modern activity which was almost unknown to the scholars of the classical and medieval worlds, while during the 15th century the term "reading" undoubtedly meant reading aloud. Only during the 19th century did silent reading become commonplace.
One should be wary, however, of assuming that silent reading came about simply because reading aloud is a distraction to others. Examination of factors related to the historical development of silent reading reveals that it became the usual mode of reading for most adult reading tasks mainly because the tasks themselves changed in character.
The last century saw a steady gradual increase in literacy, and thus in the number of readers. As readers increased, so the number of potential listeners declined, and thus there was some reduction in the need to read aloud. As reading for the benefit of listeners grew less common, so came the flourishing of reading as a private activity in public places as libraries, railway carriages and offices, where reading aloud would cause distraction to other readers.
Towards the end of the century there was still considerable argument over whether books should be used for information or treated respectfully, and over whether the reading of material such as newspapers was in some way mentally weakening. Indeed this argument remains with us still in education. However, whatever its virtues, the old shared literacy culture had gone and was replaced by the printed mass media on the one hand and by books and periodicals for a specialized readership on the other.
By the end of the century students were being recommended to adopt attitudes to books and to use skills in reading them which were inappropriate, if not impossible, for the oral reader. The social, cultural, and technological changes in the century had greatly altered what the term "reading" implied.
1. Reading aloud was common before the 19th century because _____ .
［A］ silent reading had not been discovered
［B］ there were few places available for private reading
［C］ few people could read for themselves
［D］ people relied on reading for entertainment
2. The development of silent reading during the 19th century indicated.
［A］ a change in the status of literate people
［B］ a change in the nature of reading
［C］ an increase in the number of books
［D］ an increase in the average age of readers
3. Educationalists are still arguing about _____ .
［A］ the importance of silent reading
［B］ the amount of information yielded by books and newspapers
［C］ the effects of reading on intelligence
［D］ the value of different types of reading material
4. The emergence of the mass media and of specialized periodicals showed that _____ .
［A］ standards of literacy had declined
［B］ readers' interests had diversified
［C］ printing techniques had improved
［D］ educationalists' attitudes had changed
Passage 11
For some time past it has been widely accepted that babies-and other creatures-learn to do things because certain acts lead to "rewards"; and there is no reason to doubt that this is true. But it used also to be widely believed that effective rewards, at least in the early stages, had to be directly related to such basic physiological "drives" as thirst or hunger. In other words, a baby would learn if he got food or drink or some sort of physical comfort, not otherwise.
It is not clear that this is not so. Babies will learn to behave in ways that produce results in the world with no reward except the successful outcome.
Papousek began his studies by using milk in the normal way to "reward" the babies and so teach them to carry out some simple movements, such as turning the head to one side or the other. Then he noticed that a baby who had had enough to drink would refuse the milk but would still go on making the learned response with clear signs of pleasure. So he began to study the children's responses in situations where no milk was provided. He quickly found that children as young as four months would learn to turn their heads to right or left if the movement "switched on" a display of lights-and indeed that they were capable of learning quite complex turns to bring about this result, for instance, two left or two right, or even to make as many as three turns to one side.
Rapousek's light display was placed directly in front of the babies and he made the interesting observation that sometimes they would not turn back to watch the lights closely although they would "smile and bubble" when the display came on. Papousek concluded that it was not primarily the sight of the lights which pleased them, it was the success they were achieving in solving the problem, in mastering the skill, and that there exists a fundamental human urge to make sense of the world and bring it under intentional control.
1. According to the author, babies learn to do things which _____ .
［A］ are directly related to pleasure
［B］ will meet their physical needs
［C］ will bring them a feeling of success
［D］ will satisfy their curiosity
2. Papousek noticed in his studies that a baby _____ .
［A］ would make learned responses when it saw the milk
［B］ would carry out learned movements when it had enough to drink
［C］ would continue the simple movements without being given milk
［D］ would turn its head to right or left when it had enough to drink
3. The babies would "smile and bubble" at the lights because _____ .
［A］ the lights were directly related to some basic "drives"
［B］ the sight of the lights was interesting
［C］ they need not turn back to watch the lights
［D］ they succeeded in "switching on" the lights
4. According to Papousek, the pleasure babies get in achieving some thing is a reflection of _____ .
［A］ a basic human desire to understand and control the world
［B］ the satisfaction of certain physiological needs
［C］ their strong desire to solve complex problems
［D］ a fundamental human urge to display their learned skills
Passage 12
It would be difficult today to name as many as a dozen practicing essayists in this country; a half dozen would be nearer to the mark. We have article writers, novelists, poets by the thousands, but only a handful of professional writers devoted to one of the oldest of literary forms, and still, potentially at least, one of the most delightful and rewarding to read. From the time of Montaigne, who fathered it, the essay has roots in personality; the day may not be too far distant when articles can be produced by supermachines, and, indeed, many of them already have that flavor, for the article needs to be little more than a collection and arrangement of facts, preceded perhaps by the statement of an argument for or against what the facts present. But the essay is the product of a ruminative mind, and its value depends not upon the weight of the facts collected (it may not collect any), but upon the character and quality of that mind-its insights, its attitudes, its sharpness, its imagination. It can take off from the most trivial incident or observation and end in the highest heaven.
Why has the essay become less popular? Most magazine editors think that the essay is a form out of date, that it has no place in our world. Of facts we have so much and we have not yet digested those of which we are already in possession. Our need is not so much for the acquisition of more as for reflection upon those we have; not so much for arguments based upon as for reflection on what they suggest and what they mean. For modern man, the acquisition of facts is like a habitforming drug; the more he takes, the more he wants. Like the drug, they eventually strike him down. There are few magazines left in which an essay can find publication, though there is an abundant market for factual pieces and for critical analyses, which ask for higher prices. Yet neither is comparable to a firstrate essay. Still, writers, like butchers, must pay their bills.
1. The title below that best expresses the main idea of this passage is _____ .
［A］ The Faults of the Essay
［B］ The Status of the Essay
［C］ More fact than Fiction
［D］ Characteristics of the Essay
2. The tone of the passage suggests that the author has the feeling of _____ .
［A］ optimism
［B］ regret
［C］ anger
［D］ ride
3. The essay is declining, the author believes, because _____ .
［A］ man is becoming less of a thinker
［B］ man is becoming too ideaconscious
［C］ society is becoming too impersonal
［D］ it is out of date
4. As used in Paragraph 1, the word "ruminative" most nearly means _____ .
［A］ acquisitive
［B］ factconscious
［C］ scientific
［D］ thoughtful
Passage 13
The concept of "environment" is certainly difficult and may even be misunderstood; but we have no handy substitute. It seems simple enough to distinguish between the organism and the surrounding environment and to separate forces acting on an organism into those that are internal and biological and those that are external and environmental. But in actual practice this system breaks down in many ways, because the organism and the environment are constantly interacting so that the environment is modified by the organism and vice versa.
In the case of man, the difficulties with the environmental concept are even more complicated because we have to deal with man as an animal and with man as a bearer of culture. If we look at man as an animal and try to analyze the environmental forces that are acting on the organism, we find that we have to deal with things like climate, soil, plants, and suchlike factors common to all biological situations; but we also find, always, very important environmental influences that we can only class as "cultural", which modify the physical and biological factors. But man, as we know him, is always a bearer of culture; and, if we study human culture, we find that it, in turn, is modified by the environmental factors of climate and geography. We thus easily get into great difficulties from the necessity of viewing culture, at one moment, as a part of the man and, at another moment, as a part of the environment.
1. The word that best describes the popular understanding of "environment" as the author sees is _____ .
［A］ elaborate.
［B］ faultless.
［C］ prejudiced.
［D］ oversimplified
2. According to the author the concept of "environment" is difficult to explain because _____ .
［A］ it doesn't distinguish between the organism and the environment
［B］ it involves both internal and external forces
［C］ the organism and the environment influence each other
［D］ the relationship between the organism and the environment is unclear
3. In analyzing the environmental forces acting on man the author suggests that _____ .
［A］ biological factors are less important to the organism than cultural factors to man
［B］ man and other animals are modified equally by the environmental forces
［C］ man is modified by the cultural environment as well as by the nature environment
［D］ physical and biological factors exert more influences on other organism than on man
4. As for culture, the author points out that _____ .
［A］ it develops side by side with environmental factors
［B］ it is also affected by environmental factors
［C］ it is generally accepted to be part of the environment
［D］ it is a product of man's biological instincts
Passage 14
A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It all translates to a fundamental change in the way we work. Already we're partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western world. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more parttime jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth of the economic transformation can't be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to a radical new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Longheld notions about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers--all these are being challenged.
We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip, would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrow's achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more vital, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant. It will be the way you do your job.
1. A characteristic of the information age is that _____ .
［A］ most of the job opportunities can now be found in the service industry
［B］ manufacturing industries are steadily increasing
［C］ people find harder and harder to earn a living by working in factories
［D］ the service industry is relying more and more on the female work force
2. One of the great changes brought about by the knowledge society is that _____ .
［A］ the difference between the employee and the employer has become insignificant
［B］ people have to change their jobs from time to time
［C］ most people have to take parttime jobs
［D］ people's traditional concepts about work no longer hold true
3. By referring to computers and other inventions, the author means to say that _____ .
［A］ people should be able to respond quickly to the advancement of technology
［B］ the importance of high technology has been overlooked
［C］ future achievements in technology will bring about inconceivable dramatic changes
［D］ computer science will play a leading role in the future information services
4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
［A］ Computers and the Knowledge Society
［B］ Service Industries in Modern Society
［C］ Features and Implications of the New Era
［D］ Rapid Advancement of Information Technology
Passage 15
Every once in a while the reasons for discouragement about the human prospect pile up so high that it becomes difficult to see the way ahead, and it is then a great blessing to have one conspicuous and undeniable good thing to think about ourselves, something solid enough to step onto and look beyond the pile.
Language is often useful for this, and music. A particular painting, if you have the right receptors can life the spirits and hold them high enough to see a whole future for the race. The sound of laughter in the distance in the dark can be a marvelous encouragement. But these are uncertain stimuli, ready to work only if you happen to be ready to receive them, which takes a bit of luck.
I have been reading magazine stories about the technology if lie detection lately, and it occurs to me that this may be the thing I've been looking for, an encouragement supported by genuine, hard scientific data. It is promising enough that I've decided to take as given what the articles say, uncritically, and to look no further.
As I understand it, a human being cannot tell a lie, even a small one, without setting off a kind of smoke alarm somewhere deep in a dark recess of the brain, resulting in the sudden discharge of nerve impulses, or the sudden outpouring of neurohormones of some sort, or both. The outcome, recorded by the liedetector device is similar to the responses to various kinds of stress.
Lying, then is stressful, even when we do it for protection, or relief, or prelate, or just for the pure pleasure of lying and getting away with it. It is a strain, distressing enough to cause the emission of signals to and from the central nervous system warning that something has gone wrong. It is, in a pure physiological sense, an unnatural act.
Now I regard this as a piece of extraordinarily good news; meaning, that we are compelled to be a moral species at least in the limited sense that we are biologically designed to be truthful to each other.
It seems a petty thing to have this information, but perhaps it tells us to look again, and look deeper. We are indeed a social species, more dependent on each other that the celebrated social insects; we can no more live a solitary life than can a bee; we are obliged, as species, to rely on each other. Trust is a fundamental requirement for our kind of existence, and without it all our linkages would begin to snap loose.
It is enough, quite enough, to know that we cannot even tell a plain untruth, betray a trust, without scaring some part of our own brains.
1. In the first paragraph, the author implies that _____ .
［A］ there are a lot of obstacles on the way ahead of human beings
［B］ human beings are surrounded by piles of rubbish
［C］ we are convinced that men are born evil
［D］ man's future is seen to better advantage from his good nature
2. The third paragraph shows that the author _____ .
［A］ is carried away by the magazine stories
［B］ thinks the outcome shown by lie detection is convincing
［C］ believes in something scientific rather than artistic
［D］ takes the technology of lie detection as the most advanced
3. In the author's opinion, _____ .
［A］ physiological changes will for sure betray a liar
［B］ the bigger a lie is, the stronger the strain will be
［C］ the degree of the strain depends on the purpose of lying
［D］ a welltrained person can tell lies without being detected
4. The message the author transmits to us is that _____ .
［A］ a lie detector can make a good record of nerve impulses
［B］ a liar benefits himself from lying, but only at the cost of others
［C］ it is vital for us to be truthful to each other
［D］ lying will be checked by more advanced lie detectors
第二节 阅读理解综合练习答案
Passage 1 1.A 2.D 3.B 4.A Passage 2 1.C 2.D 3.B 4.D Passage 3 1.C 2.B 3.C 4.D Passage 4 1.B 2.A 3.B 4.D Passage 5 1.B 2.C 3.A 4.C Passage 6 1.C 2.B 3.D 4.B Passage 7 1.B 2.D 3.D 4.B Passage 8 1.A 2.C 3.A 4.B Passage 9 1.B 2.A 3.C 4.C Passage 10 1.C 2.B 3.C 4.B Passage 11 1.C 2.C 3.D 4.A Passage 12 1.B 2.B 3.A 4.D Passage 13 1.D 2.C 3.C 4.B Passage 14 1.A 2.D 3.C 4.C Passage 15 1.D 2.B 3.A 4.C
