1、Reading Comprehension (Multiple Choice) Directions: Read the following passages carefully and choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. Passage 1 Mr. and Mrs. Jones flat was full of boxes, big and small; trunks (大皮箱); and furniture. The two of them were busy with pencils and
2、 paper, checking their list of luggage (行李) when there was a ring at the door. Mrs. Jones went to open it, and saw a well-dressed middle-aged lady outside. The lady said that she lived in a flat beside theirs, and that she had come to welcome them to their new home.Mrs. Jones invited her in.“I hope
3、youll excuse us for all this mess (杂乱),“ said Mrs. Jones, “We are trying.“Oh, thats quite all right,“ said the lady. “Do you know, in some parts of this town, neighbors are not at all friendly? There are some streets-and even some buildings-where people dont know their neighbors-not even their next-
4、door ones. But in this building, everyone is a friend with everybody else. We are one big, happy family. Im sure youll be happy here.“The lady was greatly surprised when she visited the same flat the next time, because she found that a different man and a woman had moved in. On the ladys first visit
5、, Mr. and Mrs. Jones had not the heart to tell her they were not the new owners of the flat, but the old owners, who had lived beside her for two years. All this time she had never visited or even noticed Mr. and Mrs. Jones, her next-door neighbors.1. Someone knocked at the door when Mr. and Mrs. Jo
6、nes were _. A. cleaning their house B. counting (数) their luggage C. moving their furniture D. writing their shopping list Correct answer: B 2. This writer of this passage suggests that the middle-aged lady _. A. lives in a big happy family B. lives alone C. does not do what she says D. is a bothers
7、ome neighbor Correct answer: C 3. According to the middle-aged lady, in some parts of the town, people _. A. had big, happy families B. had small, unhappy families C. didnt know their neighbors D. didnt like their neighbors Correct answer: C 4. From the passage, we know _. A. the middle-aged lady wa
8、s warm-hearted B. the middle-aged lady had been living in the building for two years C. Mr. and Mrs. Jones told the middle-aged lady the truth D. Mr. and Mrs. Jones were the middle-aged ladys old neighbors Correct answer: D 5. What is the tone (语气) of the writer in the passage? A. Happy. B. Sad. C.
9、Indifferent (不关心的). D. Critical. Correct answer: D Passage 2 When I was in the 7th grade, I had a lot of trouble reading. My mother used to sit by my side, and explain each paragraph of each school reading assignment to me because I didnt understand what I was reading. She would have to read each pa
10、ragraph to me. And then after each paragraph, she told me the general meaning of what we just read.In class, I tried to hide the fact that I couldnt read. My teachers gave us the last ten minutes of class to start our reading homework, and I would sit there for ten minutes staring at the page, prete
11、nding I was reading it. I remember a terrible feeling of not wanting to get into trouble for not being able to understand. I had to wait until I got home so my mother could explain it to me. How did I ever get into Cornell University?By the 8th grade I started understanding a little on my own, but I
12、 was reading at a very slow speed. I got hold of all the speed-reading books I could get my hands on. I read them all very slowly at the time. I even went out and took a course on speed-reading. Then I developed my own way which was easier and produced quicker results. I started practicing these tec
13、hniques every day, and as I started to read faster, my understanding increased. I found that I stopped daydreaming and thinking about other things while I was reading, and started getting the larger meaning. I was reading faster and comprehending better.I found that when you read slowly, word-by-wor
14、d, you get lost in the words, lose the bigger picture, and your comprehension drops. When you read faster, your comprehension goes up because instead of getting lost in the words, you see the general picture.1. The main difficulty the writer had in reading in the 7th grade was that _. A. she often f
15、orgot her school reading assignments B. she had difficulty reading with comprehension C. she had a poor vocabulary and very bad grammar D. she always looked elsewhere when asked to read Correct answer: B 2. The writer would pretend to be reading in the last 10 minutes of class because _. A. she was
16、afraid of being found out B. the reading class was terrible C. she had to do what others were doing D. her mother told her to do so Correct answer: A 3. The writers reading ability improved a great deal mainly because _. A. she entered Cornell University B. she took a course on speed reading C. her
17、mother helped her D. she developed her own way of reading Correct answer: D 4. From her own experience, the writer found that _. A. ones comprehension drops if one reads too slowly B. in order to understand better, one has to read slowly C. one does not pay enough attention to information if one rea
18、ds fast D. many people read fast in order to save time Correct answer: A 5. The writer wrote the passage in order to _. A. prove to readers the importance of higher education B. tell a story in honor of her mother C. give a detailed description of different reading skills D. prove the importance of
19、reading fast Correct answer: D Passage 3 Learning a foreign language is not a matter of reading some grammar rules or some vocabulary words-although those are important activities not to be ignored. Acquiring (学到) a language is learning a skill, not a body of information. Its much more like learning
20、 to swim or ride a bike than it is like learning about the Second World War. That is, you must not only understand the ideas and have information at hand, but also make your body accustomed (习惯于) to using that information in physical (身体的) activity. In the case of learning a second language, the phy
21、sical activity is speaking, listening, writing, and reading.You need, then, not only to learn and understand, but also to practice!Here are a few suggestions on effective practice/study techniques.1. Make your mouth or hand do what your mind is learning. Study out loud. Go to the lab and work with t
22、apes. Study with a friend, practicing speaking and listening. Try to write sentences or a short paragraph using the skills you have practiced with your own lips.2. Study day by day. You cannot get by in a foreign language course by cramming (临时抱佛脚) at the last minute. You may be able to “learn“ voca
23、bulary items that way, but you cannot teach your mouth to use them in sentences.3. Sometimes go back and review “old“ topics and vocabulary. Language learning is cumulative (累积的). The new skills you learn build upon the old skills you learned in the past. The more you “recycle“ (循环) familiar informa
24、tion and skills, the better you will be able to take in new ones.4. Dont be afraid to make mistakes. Self-consciousness (害羞) can be a strong barrier to learning a language. Perhaps part of the reason small children readily learn languages is that they are not afraid of making mistakes.1. The main id
25、ea of the first paragraph is_. A. memorizing vocabulary words is necessary in language learning B. learning to swim is quite similar to learning about the Second World War C. understanding the ideas is more important than anything else D. language learning is a process of acquiring different languag
26、e skills Correct answer: D 2. One of the major benefits of studying with a friend is that _ . A. it makes one talk and listen in a particular language B. it builds the friendship between two friends C. friends can share tapes or other learning materials D. one studies better with a friend Correct an
27、swer: A 3. Cramming is not helpful in learning a language because _. A. it is of little use to study without a clear purpose B. nothing can be learned through cramming C. anything learned that way can hardly be put into use D. one may not find enough time to use at the last minute Correct answer: C
28、4. The purpose of reviewing old topics is _. A. to build up a good base for new skills B. to enjoy the good ideas contained in them C. to throw away the old, useless information D. to avoid making mistakes in the future Correct answer: A 5. Which of the following is the best title for the passage? A
29、. Why Children Are Able to Learn a Language Better Than Grown-ups? B. A Few Suggestions on Studying a Foreign Language C. Why Learning a Foreign Language Is More Difficult Than Anything Else? D. An Introduction to Language Teaching and Learning Correct answer: B Passage 4 When the Japanese Prime Min
30、ister Noboru Takeshita visited Washington in 1988, he started an address to the National Press Club with a brief statement in English, in which he admitted that his accent was so bad that a translator was needed for the rest of his speech.Takeshitas problem is not unique in Japan. Many Japanese are
31、eager to use the worlds most popular foreign language but have trouble mastering it even when they are, like Takeshita, well educated. The Japanese like to decorate their own language with many English loaners, such as raisu for rice and sarariman for salary man. English is fashionable in Japanese a
32、dvertising, packaging, and technology.Yet for all that intense interest, when English is spoken in Japan, it is generally spoken poorly. The problem is rooted in a much-praised educational system. Japanese schools turn out top graduates in mathematics and science but fail in teaching spoken English.
33、 The teachers, speaking in Japanese most of the time, are generally successful in instructing students in the complexities of written translation and English grammar, because entrance examinations for acceptance by top-ranked universities stress nothing else.Dramatic changes in the examination syste
34、m are unlikely. Yet small signs of progress are visible. This year, for example, the University of Tokyo will experiment with an English listening comprehension test as a minor element of the entrance exam. If it is successful, other universities may follow.1. The author told the story of Takeshita
35、in order to show that_. A. Japanese people are modest B. he didnt learn English well C. many Japanese people are poor in spoken English D. a translator is necessary for a Japanese person Correct answer: C 2. The general problem with Japanese English is attributed to_. A. too many English words being
36、 used in Japanese B. the educational system C. the listening-comprehension test D. all of the above Correct answer: B 3. You may find a lot of English loaners in Japanese, because_. A. the Japanese are fond of English B. English is very effective in advertising C. English is a language used all over
37、 the world D. the Japanese language has limited vocabulary Correct answer: A 4. According to the passage, the educational system in Japan_. A. will have dramatic changes B. is good at teaching English C. is much criticized D. will make some improvement in its English examination system Correct answe
38、r: D 5. It can be inferred that if a Japanese student is required to take an English grammar exam, he _. A. will possibly fail B. will probably do well on it C. may consult an English dictionary D. will admit he cant do it Correct answer: B Passage 5 “Culture consists of all shared products of a hum
39、an society“ (Robertson, 1981). This means not only such material things as cities, tools, and schools, but also non-material things, such as ideas, customs, family patterns, and languages. Put simply, culture refers to the entire way of life of a society, “the ways of a people“.Language is a part of
40、 culture and plays a very important role in it. Some social scientists consider it the keystone of culture. Without language, maintaining culture would not be possible. On the other hand, language is influenced and shaped by culture. It reflects culture in the broadest sense, is the symbolic represe
41、ntation of a people, and it comprises a societys historical and cultural backgrounds. Language also displays a peoples approach to life and their ways of living and thinking.We should not go further into the relationship between language and culture. What needs to be stressed here is that the two in
42、teract, and that understanding of one requires understanding of the other.Social scientists tell us that cultures differ from one another and that each culture is unique. As cultures are diverse, languages are also diverse. It is only natural then that with difference in cultures and differences in
43、languages, difficulties often arise in communicating between people of different cultures. Understanding is not always easy.Learning a foreign language well means more than merely mastering the pronunciation, grammar, words, and idioms. It also means learning to see the world as native speakers of t
44、hat language see it, learning the ways in which their language reflects the ideas, customs, and behaviors of their society. It means learning to understand their “language of the mind“. Learning a language, in fact, is inseparable from learning culture.1. According to Robertson, what is NOT part of
45、non-material culture? A. Legal systems. B. Language. C. Religion. D. Tools. Correct answer: D 2. The second paragraph is about _. A. the way language is used by social scientists B. the relationship between language and culture C. the influence culture has on language D. the influence language has o
46、n culture Correct answer: B 3. If you want to learn a foreign language well, you must _. A. grasp the pronunciation, grammar, words, and idioms B. master the language as well as its culture C. know the way the native speakers of that language think D. learn the countrys culture first Correct answer:
47、 B 4. The relationship between language and culture is that _. A. language dominates culture B. culture dominates language C. they are connected with each other D. language consists of culture Correct answer: C 5. “Language of the mind“ means _. A. the unspoken things that people think B. the method
48、 for studying a language C. the manner in which people think D. the common culture shared by all people regardless of language Correct answer: CPassage 6 A boy between the ages of 6 and 14 still admires his mother and has plenty to learn from her.But his interests are changinghe is becoming more int
49、erested in what men have to offer. A boy knows he is turning into a man. He has to learn from a man to complete his development.The fathers job is to step in over time. If there is no father around, then the child must depend on other men in places such as school. This is happening more frequently and would not be such a problem if there were more
