College English B 阅读理解真题演练(8)

Passage 29

How men first learned to invent words is unknown; in other words, the origin of language is a mystery. All we really know is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thoughts and feelings, actions and things, so that they could communicate with each other; and that later they agreed upon certain signs, called letters, which could be combined to represent those sounds, and which could be written down. Those sounds, whether spoken, or written in letters we call words.

The power of words, then, lies in their combinations — the things they bring up before our minds. Words become filled with meaning for us by experience; and the longer we live, the more certain words recall to us the glad and sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increases.

Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerfully to our minds and feelings. This charming and telling use of words is what we call literary (文字的) style. Above all, the real poet is a master of words. He can convey his meaning in words which sing like music, and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they will make our speech silly and rude. 1. The origin of language ________. A. is reflected in sounds and letters

B. is handed down from generation to generation C. dates back to the prehistoric period D. is a problem not yet solved

2. According to the passage, words are _________. A. visual letters

B. represented by sounds

C. represented either by sounds or letters D. signs called letters

3. The power of words lies in their _________. A. beauty B. accuracy C. combinations D. charm

4. The secret of a writer‘s success is the use of words that _________. A. recall to us the glad and sad events of our past B. are arranged in a creative way C. are as beautiful as music

D. agree with certain literary style

5. The author of the passage advises us _________. A. to use words carefully and accurately B. not to use silly and rude words C. to become a slave of words

D. to use emotional words 1. 答案：D。答案在第一段：“the origin of language is a mystery.”因此，语言的起源仍然是个迷，还没有得到解决。 2. 答案：C。第一段谈到：“人类起初用某种声音进行交流， 后来又有了字母，字母结合起来可以代表声音，也可以写下来。因此，这些说出来的声音也好，用字母写出来的声音也好，

被称为单词。”所以B是正确答案：单词即可以代表声音，也可以代表字母。 3. 答案：C。答案在第二段的第一句话：“the power of words, then lies in their combination”语言的魅力在于他们的组合。

4. 答案：A。答案在第三段的第一句话：“Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerful to our minds and feelings.”因此作家的伟大在于他们擅长使用丰富的词汇，能使我们回想起过去的喜怒哀乐。B，C，D文章中均没有提到。

5. 答案：A。答案在文章的最后一句：“We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they will make our speech silly and rude.”因此，文章建议我们用词要谨慎、准确。

Passage 30

The aim of students who come to school is to study. But to study needs a right way, or we would waste the time or the money. The following are ways of studying.

The best time for reading is morning. Because in the morning, the air is fresh and our minds are clear, so we can remember what we have learned easily. For that reason, we can get good results.

In studying we must be patient. If we don't understand a text well, we must read it again. We should not read the next one until we have learned the first one well.

When we are studying, we must put our hearts into the book. We can not read absent-mindedly (心不在焉) or we can get nothing from the book while we are reading.

We must always ask \parents, brothers or friends in any possible way. We must know it completely and then our knowledge can be use well.

Though there are many ways of studying, however, the above mentioned will be quite enough if we can keep them in heart and do so. 1. The article tells us ________. A. to read in the morning

B. to pay attention to ways of studying C. the importance of reading D. to have patience in study in

2. This article has taught us ________ ways of studying.

A. many B. five C. three D. four 3. We'd better read in the morning because ________. A. it is difficult to get good results B. the air is fresh and minds are clear

C. it is easy to remember what we have learned D. both A and B

4. If we can't put our heart into the book when we read, it is ________. A. possible to learn something from it B. easy to understand it well

C. impossible for us to get something from it D. not hard to get something from it

5. In studying, we must always ask \A. understand the book well

B. get some questions to ask our teachers C. do with the new words D. write down the questions

Passage 31

A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a tradition is to respect the self-made man—the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts, usually beginning by working with his hands. While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect in the community than the common laborer or even the skilled factory worker, he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or laborer of some sort.

This attitude toward manual (体力) labor is now still seen in many aspects of American life. One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortable but even luxuriously (豪华地) furnished and in which there is every evidence of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel, expensive hobbies, and college education for the children; yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself, will serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward, furthermore the dinner will not consist merely of something quickly and easily assembled from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby bakery. On the contrary, the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes. A professional may talk about washing the car, digging in his flowerbeds, painting the house. His son who is away at college may wait on table and wash dishes for his living, or during the summer he may work with a construction gang on a highway in order to pay for his education.

1. From paragraph 1, we know that in America _____________.

A. people tend to have a high opinion of the self-made man B. people can always rise to the top through their won efforts C. college professors win great respect from common workers D. people feel painful to mention their fathers as labors

2. According to the passage, the hostess cooks dinner herself mainly because ______________.

A. servants in American are hard to get

B. she takes pride in what she can do herself C. she can hardly afford servants

D. It is easy to prepare a meal with canned food.

3. The expression ―wait on table‖ in the second paragraph means ―___________________‖.

A. work in a furniture shop B. keep accounts for a bar C. wait to lay the table

D. serve customers in a restaurant

4. The author‘s attitude toward manual (体力的) labor is __________________.

A. positive B. negative C. humorous D. critical 5. Which of the following may serve as the best title of the passage? __________________.

A. A Respectable Self-made Family

B. American Attitude toward Manual Labor. C. Characteristics of American Culture. D. The Development of Manual Labor. 译文：

美国文化的一个特点，并且几乎成为美国的一项传统的是对自我奋斗的人的尊敬――通过自己的努力到达顶峰，通常是白手起家。然而公司，企业的领导，社会地位很高，在社区

中获得比一般工人或工厂技术人员更多的尊敬的大学教授，都不愿说出自己的父亲在美国是从一个农民，工人这类人开始奋斗的。

这种对体力劳动的尊敬在美国生活的很多地方都能看到。一个人被邀请到一户家庭赴宴，这户家庭装潢不只舒适，可以说是豪华，处处可证明这家人家支付得起国外旅行，奢侈的爱好和孩子的大学教育。但是这样的女主人很有可能自己做饭招待客人，然后洗刷餐具，并且这样的宴会不会仅仅提供快餐式的罐头食品，从附近面包房买的蛋糕或派。相反的，女主人通常为精心准备特别的菜肴而感到自豪。男主任会谈论自己如何洗车，在花房劳作，粉刷房子，他的儿子在外地上大学，做餐厅侍应生，洗盘子来供自己生活花费，或者暑假的时候为建筑队在高速公路工作赚钱付学费。

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