广东 2007年广东高考英语考前强化分类训练[下学期]

2007年高考英语考前强化分类阅读
总结高考常考题材的文章，进行专题训练，促进相关背景知识的学习，增强各种题材文章的阅读语感，为将来考试的实战进行知识上的、素质上的和心理上的准备。（答案见后）
教育类
Passage 1
In a time of low academic achievement by children in the United States, many Americans are turning to Japan, a country of high academic achievement and economic success, for possible answers. However, the answers provided by Japanese preschools are not the ones Americans expected to find. In most Japanese preschools, surprisingly little emphasis is put on academic instruction. In one investigation, 300 Japanese and 210 American preschool teachers, child development specialists, and parents were asked about various aspects of early childhood education. Only 2 percent of the Japanese respondents (答问卷者)listed "to give children a good start academically" as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools. In contrast, over half the American respondents chose this as one of their top three choices. To prepare children for successful careers in first grade and beyond, Japanese schools do not teach reading, writing, and mathematics, but rather skills such as persistence, concentration, and the ability to fun_ction as a member of a group. The vast majority of young Japanese children are taught to read at home by their parents.
In the recent comparison of Japanese and American preschool education, 91 percent of Japanese respondents chose providing children with a group experience as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools. Sixty-two percent of the more individually oriented (强调个性发展的) Americans listed group experience as one of their top three choices. An emphasis on the importance of the group seen in Japanese early childhood education continues into elementary school education.
Like in America, there is diversity in Japanese early childhood education. Some Japanese kindergartens have specific aims, such as early musical training or potential development. In large cities, some kindergartens are attached to universities that have elementary and secondary schools. Some Japanese parents believe that if their young children attend a university-based program, it will increase the children's chances of eventually being admitted to top-rated schools and universities. Several more progressive programs have introduced free play as a way out for the heavy intellectualizing in some Japanese kindergartens.
16. We learn from the first paragraph that many Americans believe
A) Japanese parents are more involved in preschool education than American parents
B) Japan's economic success is a result of its scientific achievements
C) Japanese preschool education emphasizes academic instruction
D) Japan's higher education is superior to theirs
17. Most Americans surveyed believe that preschools should also attach importance to
A) problem solving B) group experience
C) parental guidance D) individually-oriented development
18. In Japan's preschool education, the focus is on
A) preparing children academically B) developing children's artistic interests
C) tapping children's potential D) shaping children's character
19. Free play has been introduced in some Japanese kindergartens in order to
A) broaden children's horizon B) cultivate children's creativity
C) lighten children's study load D) enrich children's knowledge
20. Why do some Japanese parents send their children to university-based kindergartens?
A) They can do better in their future studies.
B) They can accumulate more group experience there.
C) They can be individually oriented when they grow up.
D) They can have better chances of getting a first-rate education.
Passage 2
I'm usually fairly skeptical about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today's children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children aged 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.
　　Why are America's kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation—brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, among other things—and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.
　　Given that we can't turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation cope.
　　At the top of the list is nurturing ( 培育 ) a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress.
　　To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep.
　　Limit the amount of virtual (虚拟的) violence your children are exposed to. It's not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news.
　　Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale.
　　Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you cope with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn't have to ruin your life.
　21. The author thinks that the conclusions of any research about people's state of mind are_____.
　　A) surprising B) confusing C) illogical D) questionable
　22. What does the author mean when he says, "we can't turn the clock back" (Line 1, Para. 3)?
　　A) It's impossible to slow down the pace of change.
　　B) The social reality children are facing cannot be changed.
　　C) Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.
　　D) It's impossible to forget the past.
　23. According to an analysis, compared with normal children today, children treated as mentally ill 50 years ago____.
　　A) were less isolated physically 　　B) were probably less self-centered
　　C) probably suffered less from anxiety 　　D) were considered less individualistic
　24. The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is ____.
　　A) to provide them with a safer environment
　　B) to lower their expectations for them
　　C) to get them more involved socially
　　D) to set a good model for them to follow
　25. What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
　　A) Anxiety, though unavoidable, can be coped with.
　　B) Children's anxiety has been enormously exaggerated.
　　C) Children's anxiety can be eliminated with more parental care.
D) Anxiety, if properly controlled, may help children become mature.
Passage 3
On average, American kids aged 3 to 12 spent 29 hours a week in school, eight hours more than they did in 1981. They also did more household work and participated in more of such organized activities as soccer and ballet (芭蕾舞). Involvement in sports, in particular, rose almost 50% from 1981 to 1997: boys now spend an average of four hours a week playing sports; girls log hall that time. All in all, however, children's leisure time dropped from 40% of the day in 1981 to 25%.
"Children are affected by the same time crunch (危机) that affects their parents," says Sandra Hofferth, who headed the recent study of children's timetable. A chief reason, she says, is that more mothers are working outside the home. (Nevertheless, children in both double-income and "male breadwinner" households spent comparable amounts of time interacting with their parents: 19 hours and 22 hours respectively. In contrast, children spent only 9 hours with their single mothers.)
All work and no play could make for some very messed-up kids. "Play is the most powerful way a child explores the world and learns about himself," says T. Berry Brazelton, professor at Harvard Medical School. Unstructured play encourages independent thinking and allows the young to negotiate their relationships with their peers, but kids aged 3 to 12 spent only 12 hours a week engaging in it.
The children sampled spent a quarter of their rapidly decreasing "free time" watching television. But that, believe it or not, was one of the findings parents might regard as good news. If they're spending less time in front of the TV set, however, kids aren't replacing it with reading. Despite efforts to get kids more interested in books, the children spent just over an hour a week reading. Let's face it, who's got the time?
1. By mentioning "the same time crunch" (Line 1, Para. 2) Sandra Hofferth means _______.
A) children have little time to play with their parents
B) children are not taken good care of by their working parents
C) both parents and children suffer from lack of leisure time
D) both parents and children have trouble managing their time
2. According to the author, the reason given by Sandra Hofferth for the time crunch is _______.
A) quite convincing B) partially true
C) totally groundless D) rather confusing
3. According to the author, a child develops better if _______.
A) he has plenty of time reading and studying
B) he is left to play with his peers in his own way
C) he has more time participating in school activities
D) he is free to interact with his working parents
4. The author is concerned about the fact that American kids _______.
A) are engaged in more and more structured activities
B) are increasingly neglected by their working mothers
C) are spending more and more time watching TV
D) are involved less and less in household work
5. We can infer from the passage that _______.
A) extracurricular activities promote children's intelligence
B) most children will turn to reading with TV sets switched off
C) efforts to get kids interested in reading have been fruitful
D) most parents believe reading to be beneficial to children
Passage 4
Engineering students are supposed to be examples of practicality and rationality, but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool. In high school I wanted to be an electrical engineer and, of course, any sensible student with my aims would have chosen a college with a large engineering department, famous reputation and lots of good labs and research equipment. But that's not what I did.
I chose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts (文科) university that doesn't even offer a major in electrical engineering. Obviously, this was not a practical choice; I came here for more noble reasons. I wanted a broad education that would provide me with flexibility and a value system to guide me in my career. I wanted to open my eyes and expand my vision by interacting with people who weren't studying science or engineering. My parents, teachers and other adults praised me for such a sensible choice. They told me I was wise and mature beyond my 18 years, and I believed them.
I headed off to college sure I was going to have an advantage over those students who went to big engineering “factories” where they didn't care if you had values or were flexible. I was going to be a complete engineer: technical genius and sensitive humanist (人文学者) all in one.
Now I'm not so sure. Somewhere along the way my noble ideals crashed into reality, as all noble ideals eventually do. After three years of struggling to balance math, physics and engineering courses with liberal-arts courses, I have learned there are reasons why few engineering students try to reconcile (协调) engineering with liberal-arts courses in college.
The reality that has blocked my path to becoming the typical successful student is that engineering and the liberal arts simply don't mix as easily as I assumed in high school. Individually they shape a person in very different ways; together they threaten to confuse. The struggle to reconcile the two fields of study is difficult.
1. The author chose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts university because he ___________.
A) wanted to be an example of practicality and rationality
B) intended to be a combination of engineer and humanist
C) wanted to coordinate engineering with liberal-arts courses in college
D) intended to be a sensible student with noble ideals
2. According to the author, by interacting with people who study liberal arts, engineering students can _______.
A) balance engineering and the liberal arts B) receive guidance in their careers
C) become noble idealists D) broaden their horizons
3. In the eyes of the author, a successful engineering student is expected ___________.
A) to have an excellent academic record
B) to be wise and mature
C) to be imaginative with a value system to guide him
D) to be a technical genius with a wide vision
4. The author's experience shows that he was ___________.
A) creative B) ambitious C) unrealistic D) irrational
5. The word “they” in “... together they threaten to confuse.” (Line 3, Para. 5) refers to ________.
A) engineering and the liberal arts B) reality and noble ideals
C) flexibility and a value system D) practicality and rationality
答案：
教育类：
Passage 1 CBDCD Passage 2 DBCCA Passage 3 CBBAD Passage 4 BDDCA
科普类
总结高考常考题材的文章，进行专题训练，促进相关背景知识的学习，增强各种题材文章的阅读语感，为将来考试的实战进行知识上的、素质上的和心理上的准备。（答案见后）
Passage 1
A recent study, published in last week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, offers a picture of how risky it is to get a lift from a teenage driver. Indeed, a 16-year-old driver with three or more passengers is three times as likely to have a fatal accident as a teenager driving alone. By contrast, the risk of death for drivers between 30 and 59 decreases with each additional passenger. The authors also found that the death rates for teenage drivers increased dramatically after 10 p.m., and especially after midnight. With passengers in the car, the driver was even more likely to die in a late-night accident.
Robert Foss, a scientist at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, says the higher death rates for teenage drivers have less to do with “really stupid behavior” than with just a lack of driving experience. “The basic issue,” he says, “is that adults who are responsible for issuing licenses fail to recognize how complex and skilled a task driving is.” Both he and the author of the study believe that the way to mitigate (使……缓解)the problem is to have states institute so-called graduated licensing systems, in which getting a license is a multistage process. A graduated license requires that a teenager first prove himself capable of driving in the presence of an adult, followed by a period of driving with night or passenger restrictions, before graduating to full driving privileges. Graduated licensing systems have reduced teenage driver crashes, according to recent studies. About half of the states now have some sort of graduated licensing system in place, but only 10 of those states have restrictions on passengers. California is the strictest, with a novice(新手) driver prohibited from carrying any passenger under 20 (without the presence of an adult over 25) for the first six months. 1. Which of the following situations is most dangerous according to the passage? A) Adults giving a lift to teenagers on the highway after 10 p.m. B) A teenager driving after midnight with passengers in the car. C) Adults driving with three or more teenage passengers late at night. D) A teenager getting a lift from a stranger on the highway at midnight.2. According to Robert Foss, the high death rate of teenage drivers is mainly due to ________. A) their frequent driving at night B) their improper ways of driving C) their lack of driving experience D) their driving with passengers3. According to Paragraph 3, which of the following statements is TRUE? A) Teenagers should spend more time learning to drive. B) Driving is a skill too complicated for teenagers to learn. C) Restrictions should be imposed on teenagers applying to take driving lessons. D) The licensing authorities are partly responsible for teenagers' driving accidents.
4. A suggested measure to be taken to reduce teenagers' driving accidents is that ________. A) driving in the presence of an adult should be made a rule B) they should be prohibited from taking on passengers C) they should not be allowed to drive after 10 p.m. D) the licensing system should be improved
5. The present situation in about half of the states is that the graduated licensing system ________.
A) is under discussion B) is about to be set up
C) has been put into effect D) has been perfected
Passage 2
It is hard to track the blue whale, the ocean’s largest creature, which has almost been killed off by commercial whaling and is now listed as an endangered species. Attaching radio devices to it is difficult, and visual sightings are too unreliable to give real insight into its behavior.
So biologists were delighted early this year when, with the help of the Navy, they were able to track a particular blue whale for 43 days, monitoring its sounds. This was possible because of the Navy’s formerly top-secret system of underwater listening devices spanning the oceans.
Tracking whales is but one example of an exciting new world just opening to civilian scientists after the cold war as the Navy starts to share and partly uncover its global network of underwater listening system built over the decades to track the ships of potential enemies.
Earth scientists announced at a news conference recently that they had used the system for closely monitoring a deep-sea volcanic eruption （爆发） for the first time and that they plan similar studies.
Other scientists have proposed to use the network for tracking ocean currents and measuring changes in ocean and global temperatures.
The speed of sound in water is roughly one mile a second—slower than through land but faster than through air. What is most important, different layers of ocean water can act as channels for sounds, focusing them in the same way a stethoscope （听诊器） does when it carries faint noises from a patient’s chest to a doctor’s ear. This focusing is the main reason that even relatively weak sounds in the ocean, especially low-frequency ones, can often travel thousands of miles.
1. The passage is chiefly about ____ .
A) an effort to protect an endangered marine species
B) the civilian use of a military detection system
C) the exposure of a U.S. Navy top-secret weapon
D) a new way to look into the behavior of blue whales
2. The underwater listening system was originally designed ____ .
A) to trace and locate enemy vessels
B) to monitor deep-sea volcanic eruptions
C) to study the movement of ocean currents
D) to replace the global radio communications network
3. The deep-sea listening system makes use of ____ .
A) the sophisticated technology of focusing sounds under water
B) the capability of sound to travel at high speed
C) the unique property of layers of ocean water in transmitting sound
D) low-frequency sounds travelling across different layers of water____
4. It can be inferred from the passage that____.
A) new radio devices should be developed for tracking the endangered blue whales
B) blue whales are no longer endangered with the use of the new listening system
C) opinions differ as to whether civilian scientists should be allowed to use military technology
D) military technology has great potential in civilian use
5. Which of the following is true about the U.S. Navy underwater listening network?
A) It is now partly accessible to civilian scientists.
B) It has been replaced by a more advanced system.
C) It became useless to the military after the cold war.
D) It is indispensable in protecting endangered species.
Passage 3
Dogs are social animals and without proper training, they will behave like wild animals. They will spoil your house, destroy your belongings, bark excessively, fight other dogs and even bite you. Nearly all behavior problems are perfectly normal dog activities that occur at the wrong time or place or are directed at the wrong thing. The key to preventing or treating behavior problems is learning to teach the dog to redirect its normal behavior to outlets that are acceptable in the domestic setting.
One of the best things you can do for your dog and yourself is to obedience train (驯服) it. Obedience training doesn't solve all behavior problems, but it is the foundation for solving just about any problem. Training opens up a line of communication between you and your dog. Effective communication is necessary to instruct your dog about what you want it to do.
Training is also an easy way to establish the social rank order. When your dog obeys a simple request of “come here, sit,” it is showing obedience and respect for you. It is not necessary to establish yourself as top dog or leader of the dog pack (群) by using extreme measures. You can teach your dog its subordinate (从属的) role by teaching it to show submission to you. Most dogs love performing tricks for you to pleasantly accept that you are in charge.
Training should be fun and rewarding for you and your dog. It can enrich your relationship and make living together more enjoyable. A well-trained dog is more confident and can more safely be allowed a greater amount of freedom than an untrained animal.
1. Behavior problems of dogs are believed to _________.
A) be just part of their nature B) worsen in modern society
C) occur when they go wild D) present a threat to the community
2. The primary purpose of obedience training is to __________.
A) teach the dog to perform clever tricks
B) make the dog aware of its owner's authority
C) provide the dog with outlets for its wild behavior
D) enable the dog to regain its normal behavior
3. Effective communication between a dog and its owner is ___________.
A) essential to solving the dog's behavior problems
B) the foundation for dogs to perform tasks
C) a good way to teach the dog new tricks
D) an extreme measure in obedience training
4. Why do pet dogs love performing tricks for their masters?
A) To avoid being punished. B) To show their affection for their masters.
C) To win leadership of the dog pack. D) To show their willingness to obey.
5. When a dog has received effective obedience training, its owner ___________.
A) can give the dog more rewards B) will enjoy a better family life
C) can give the dog more freedom D) will have more confidence in himself
Passage 4
Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids (小行星) now，one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it, say some scientists.?
Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids (流星) that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don't threaten us. But there are also thousands whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth.?
Buy $50 million worth of new telescopes right now. Then spend $10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one，the scientists say, we'll have a way to change its course.?
Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons. But the cost wouldn't be cheap.?
Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: 1) How likely the event is; and 2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500,000 years. Sounds pretty rare—but if one did fall，it would be the end of the world. “If we don't take care of these big asteroids, they'll take care of us,” says one scientist. “It's that simple.”?
The cure, though, might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? “The world has less to fear from doomsday (毁灭性的) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them,” said a New York Times article.
1. What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids?
A) They are heavenly bodies different in composition.
B) They are heavenly bodies similar in nature.
C) There are more asteroids than meteoroids.
D) Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids.
2. What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earth?
A) It is very unlikely but the danger exists.
B) Such a collision might occur once every 25 years.
C) Collisions of smaller asteroids with Earth occur more often than expected.
D) It's still too early to say whether such a collision might occur.
3. What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons to alter the course of asteroids?
A) It sounds practical but it may not solve the problem.
B) It may create more problems than it might solve.
C) It is a waste of money because a collision of asteroids with Earth is very unlikely.
D) Further research should be done before it is proved applicable.
4. We can conclude from the passage that _________.
A) while pushing asteroids off course nuclear weapons would destroy the world
B) asteroids racing across the night sky are likely to hit Earth in the near future
C) the worry about asteroids can be left to future generations since it is unlikely to happen in our lifetime
D) workable solutions still have to be found to prevent a collision of asteroids with Earth
5. Which of the following best describes the author's tone in this passage?
A) Optimistic. B) Critical. C) Objective. D) Arbitrary.
Passage 5
Believe it or not, optical illusion (错觉) can cut highway crashes.
Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion. Bent stripes，called chevrons (人字形) painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are，and thus drivers slow down.
Now the American Association Foundation for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japan's success. Starting next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes.
Excessive speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all fatal traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents，the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related hazards are the greatest—curves，exit slopes，traffic circles，and bridges.
Some studies suggest that straight，horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars.
Chevrons，scientists say，not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane appear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway speed and the number of traffic accidents.
1. The passage mainly discusses _________.
A) a new way of highway speed control B) a new pattern for painting highways
C) a new approach to training drivers D) a new type of optical illusion
2. On roads painted with chevrons drivers tend to feel that __________.
A) they should avoid speed-related hazards B) they are driving in the wrong lane
C) they should slow down their speed D) they are approaching the speed limit
3. The advantage of chevrons over straight，horizontal bars is that the former __________.
A) can keep drivers awake B) can cut road accidents in half
C) will have a longer effect on drivers D) will look more attractive
4. The American Association Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to __________.
A) try out the Japanese method in certain areas
B) change the road signs across the country
C) replace straight，horizontal bars with chevrons
D) repeat the Japanese road patterns
5. What does the author say about straight，horizontal bars painted across roads?
A) They are falling out of use in the United States.
B) They tend to be ignored by drivers in a short period of time.
C) They are applicable only on broad roads.
D) They cannot be applied successfully to traffic circles.
Passage 6
The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man with the portable computer in business class. In the last 15 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interference. The source of this interference remains unconfirmed, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic devices such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones.
RTCA, an organization which advises the aviation (航空) industry, has recommended that all airlines ban (禁止) such devices from being used during "critical" stages of flight, particularly take-off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights. Currently, rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some airlines prohibit passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are reluctant to enforce a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flights.
The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft's computers. Experts know that portable devices emit radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not.
The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable (易受损的) to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio system in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying, though, is the passenger who can't hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music's too loud.
1. The passage is mainly about _______.
A) a new regulation for all airlines B) the defects of electronic devices
C) a possible cause of aircraft crashes D) effective safety measures for air flight
2. What is said about the over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 15 years?
A) They may have been caused by the damage to the radio systems.
B) They may have taken place during take-off and landing.
C) They were proved to have been caused by the passengers' portable computers.
D) They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference.
3. Few airlines want to impose a total ban on their passengers using electronic devices because ______.
A) they don't believe there is such a danger as radio interference
B) the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved
C) most passengers refuse to take a plane which bans the use of radio and cassette players
D) they have other effective safety measures to fall back on
4. Why is it difficult to predict the possible effects of electromagnetic fields on an airplane's computers?
A) Because it is extremely dangerous to conduct such research on an airplane.
B) Because it remains a mystery what wavelengths are liable to be interfered with.
C) Because research scientists have not been able to produce the same effects in labs.
D) Because experts lack adequate equipment to do such research.
5. It can be inferred from the passage that the author _______.
A) is in favor of prohibiting passengers' use of electronic devices completely
B) has overestimated the danger of electromagnetic interference
C) hasn't formed his own opinion on this problem
D) regards it as unreasonable to exercise a total ban during flight
科普类答案：
Passage 1 BCDDC Passage 2 BACDA Passage 3 ACBDC Passage 4 BABDC
Passage 5 ACCAB Passage 6 CDBCA
社会类
总结高考常考题材的文章，进行专题训练，促进相关背景知识的学习，增强各种题材文章的阅读语感，为将来考试的实战进行知识上的、素质上的和心理上的准备。（答案见后）
Passage 1
As soon as it was revealed that a reporter for Progressive magazine had discovered how to make a hydrogen bomb, a group of firearm（火器）fans formed the National Hydrogen Bomb Association, and they are now lobbying against any legislation to stop Americans from owning one.
“The Constitution,” said the association’s spokesman, “gives everyone the right to own arms. It doesn’t spell out what kind of arms. But since anyone can now make a hydrogen bomb, the public should be able to buy it to protect themselves.”
“Don’t you think it’s dangerous to have one in the house, particularly where there are children around?”
“The National Hydrogen Bomb Association hopes to educate people in the safe handling of this type of weapon. We are instructing owners to keep the bomb in a locked cabinet and the fuse（导火索）separately in a drawer.”
“Some people consider the hydrogen bomb a very fatal weapon which could kill somebody.”
The spokesman said, “Hydrogen bombs don’t kill people—people kill people. The bomb is for self-protection and it also has a deterrent effect. If somebody knows you have a nuclear weapon in your house, they’re going to think twice about breaking in.”
“But those who want to ban the bomb for American citizens claim that if you have one locked in the cabinet, with the fuse in a drawer, you would never be able to assemble it in time to stop an intruder （侵入者）”.
“Another argument against allowing people to own a bomb is that at the moment it is very expensive to build one. So what your association is backing is a program which would allow the middle and upper classes to acquire a bomb while poor people will be left defenseless with just handguns.”
26. According to the passage, some people started a national association so as to .
A) instruct people how to keep the bomb safe at home
B) coordinate the mass production of the destructive weapon
C) promote the large-scale sale of this newly invented weapon
D) block any legislation to ban the private possession of the bomb
27. Some people oppose the ownership of H-bombs by individuals on the grounds that .
A) they may fall into the hands of criminals
B) people’s lives will be threatened by the weapon
C) most people don’t know how to handle the weapon
D) the size of the bomb makes it difficult to keep in a drawer
28. By saying that the bomb also has a deterrent effect the spokesman means that it .
A) can kill those entering others’ houses by force
B) will threaten the safety of the owners as well
C) will frighten away any possible intruders
D) can show the special status of its owners
29. According to the passage, opponents of the private ownership of H-bombs are very much worried that .
A) the cost of the weapon will put citizens on an unequal basis
B) the wide use of the weapon will push up living expenses tremendously
C) poorly-educated Americans will find it difficult to make use of the weapon
D) the influence of the association is too powerful for the less privileged to overcome
30. From the tone of the passage we know that the author is .
A) not serious about the private ownership of H-bombs
B) concerned about the spread of nuclear weapons
C) doubtful about the necessity of keeping H-bombs at home for safety
D) unhappy with those who vote against the ownership of H-bombs
Passage 2
About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table. I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked: "So, how have you been?" And the boy—who could not have been more than seven or eight years old—replied, "Frankly, I've been feeling a little depressed lately.’’
This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed” until we were in high school.
The evidence of a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don’t seem childlike anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to. Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why? Human development is based not only on innate (天生的) biological states, but also on patterns of access to social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new status. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages: traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders. In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation (揭示) machine has been installed in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information, and indiscriminately (不加区分地), to all viewers alike, be they children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more vivid moving pictures.
Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access. Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practiced. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials. 1. According to the author, feeling depressed is _____. A) a sure sign of a psychological problem in a child B) something hardly to be expected in a young child C) an inevitable phase of children's mental development D) a mental state present in all humans, including children2. Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world _____. A) through contact with society B) gradually and under guidance
C) naturally and by biological instinct D) through exposure to social information
3. The phenomenon that today’s children seem adultlike is attributed by the author to _____. A) the widespread influence of television B) the poor arrangement of teaching content C) the fast pace of human intellectual development D) the constantly rising standard of living4. Why is the author in favor of communication through print for children? A) It enables children to gain more social information. B) It develops children's interest in reading and writing. C) It helps children to memorize and practice more. D) It can control what children are to learn.5. What does the author think of the change in today’s children? A) He feels amused by their premature behavior. B) He thinks it is a phenomenon worthy of note. C) He considers it a positive development. D) He seems to be upset about it.
Passage 3
Professor Smith recently persuaded 35 people, 23 of them women, to keep a diary of all their absent-minded actions for a fortnight. When he came to analyse their embarrassing lapses (差错) in a scientific report, he was surprised to find that nearly all of them fell into a few groupings. Nor did the lapses appear to be entirely random (随机的).
One of the women, for instance, on leaving her house for work one morning threw her dog her earrings and tried to fix a dog biscuit on her ear. “The explanation for this is that the brain is like a computer,” explains the professor. "People programme themselves to do certain activities regularly. It was the woman's custom every morning to throw her dog two biscuits and then put on her earrings. But somehow the action got reversed in the programme." About one in twenty of the incidents the volunteers reported were these "programme assembly failures."
Altogether the volunteers logged 433 unintentional actions that they found themselves doing—an average of twelve each, There appear to be peak periods in the day when we are at our zaniest (荒谬可笑的). These are two hours some time between eight a.m. and noon, between four and six p.m., with a smaller peak between eight and ten p.m. "Among men the peak seems to be when a changeover in brain 'programmes' occurs, as for instance between going to and from work." Women on average reported slightly more lapses—12.5 compared with 10.9 for men—probably because they were more reliable reporters.
A startling finding of the research is that the absent-minded activity is a hazard of doing things in which we are skilled. Normally, you would expect that skill reduces the number of errors we make. But trying to avoid silly slips by concentrating more could make things a lot worse—even dangerous.
1. In his study Professor Smith asked the subjects _______.
A) to keep track of people who tend to forget things
B) to report their embarrassing lapses at random
C) to analyse their awkward experiences scientifically
D) to keep a record of what they did unintentionally
2. Professor Smith discovered that _______.
A) certain patterns can be identified in the recorded incidents
B) many people were too embarrassed to admit their absent-mindedness
C) men tend to be more absent-minded than women
D) absent-mindedness is an excusable human weakness
3. "Programme assembly failures" (Line 6, Para. 2) refers to the phenomenon that people _______.
A) often fail to programme their routines beforehand
B) tend to make mistakes when they are in a hurry
C) unconsciously change the sequence of doing things
D) are likely to mess things up if they are too tired
4. We learn from the third paragraph that _______.
A) absent-mindedness tends to occur during certain hours of the day
B) women are very careful to perform actions during peak periods
C) women experience more peak periods of absent-mindedness
D) men's absent-mindedness often results in funny situations
5. It can be concluded from the passage that _______.
A) people should avoid doing important things during peak periods of lapses
B) hazards can be avoided when people do things they are good at
C) people should be careful when programming their actions
D) lapses cannot always be attributed to lack of concentration
Passage 4
Like many of my generation, I have a weakness for hero worship. At some point, however, we all begin to question our heroes and our need for them. This leads us to ask: What is a hero?
Despite immense differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics that instruct and inspire people.
A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a story of adventure to tell and community who will listen. But a hero goes beyond mere fame.
Heroes serve powers or principles larger than themselves. Like high-voltage transformers, heroes take the energy of higher powers and step it down so that it can be used by ordinary people.
The hero lives a life worthy of imitation. Those who imitate a genuine hero experience life with new depth, enthusiasm, and meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom do they serve? What are they willing to live and die for? If the answer or evidence suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes. Madonna and Michael Jackson are famous, but who would claim that their fans find life more abundant?
Heroes are catalysts (催化剂) for change. They have a vision from the mountaintop. They have the skill and the charm to move the masses. They create new possibilities. Without Gandhi, India might still be part of the British Empire. Without Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., we might still have segregated (隔离的) buses, restaurants, and parks. It may be possible for large-scale change to occur without leaders with magnetic personalities, but the pace of change would be slow, the vision uncertain, and the committee meetings endless.
1. Although heroes may come from different cultures, they __________.
A) generally possess certain inspiring characteristics
B) probably share some weaknesses of ordinary people
C) are often influenced by previous generations
D) all unknowingly attract a large number of fans
2. According to the passage, heroes are compared to high-voltage transformers in that _______.
A) they have a vision from the mountaintop
B) they have warm feelings and emotions
C) they can serve as concrete examples of noble principles
D) they can make people feel stronger and more confident
3. Madonna and Michael Jackson are not considered heroes because __________.
A) they are popular only among certain groups of people
B) their performances do not improve their fans morally
C) their primary concern is their own financial interests
D) they are not clear about the principles they should follow
4. Gandhi and Martin Luther King are typical examples of outstanding leaders who ________.
A) are good at demonstrating their charming characters
B) can move the masses with their forceful speeches
C) are capable of meeting all challenges and hardships
D) can provide an answer to the problems of their people
5. The author concludes that historical changes would __________.
A) be delayed without leaders with inspiring personal qualities
B) not happen without heroes making the necessary sacrifices
C) take place if there were heroes to lead the people
D) produce leaders with attractive personalities
Passage 5
According to a survey, which was based on the responses of over 188,000 students, today's traditional-age college freshmen are "more materialistic and less altruistic (利他主义的)" than at any time in the 17 years of the poll.
Not surprising in these hard times, the student's major objective "is to be financially well off. Less important than ever is developing a meaningful philosophy of life." It follows then that today the most popular course is not literature or history but accounting.
Interest in teaching, social service and the "altruistic" fields is at a low. On the other hand, enrollment in business programs, engineering and computer science is way up.
That's no surprise either. A friend of mine (a sales representative for a chemical company) was making twice the salary of her college instructors her first year on the job—even before she completed her two-year associate degree.
While it's true that we all need a career, it is equally true that our civilization has accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge in fields far removed from our own and that we are better for our understanding of these other contributions—be they scientific or artistic. It is equally true that, in studying the diverse wisdom of others, we learn how to think. More important, perhaps, education teaches us to see the connections between things, as well as to see beyond our immediate needs.
Weekly we read of unions who went on strike for higher wages, only to drive their employer out of business. No company, no job. How shortsighted in the long run!
But the most important argument for a broad education is that in studying the accumulated wisdom of the ages, we improve our moral sense. I saw a cartoon recently which shows a group of businessmen looking puzzled as they sit around a conference table; one of them is talking on the intercom (对讲机): "Miss Baxter," he says, "could you please send in someone who can distinguish right from wrong?"
From the long-term point of view, that's what education really ought to be about.
1. According to the author's observation, college students __________.
A) have never been so materialistic as today
B) have never been so interested in the arts
C) have never been so financially well off as today
D) have never attached so much importance to moral sense
2. The students' criteria for selecting majors today have much to do with __________.
A) the influences of their instructors B) the financial goals they seek in life
C) their own interpretations of the courses D) their understanding of the contributions of others
3. By saying “While it's true that…be they scientific or artistic” (Lines 1-3, Pars. 5), the author means that __________.
A) business management should be included in educational programs
B) human wisdom has accumulated at an extraordinarily high speed
C) human intellectual development has reached new heights
D) the importance of a broad education should not be overlooked
4. Studying the diverse wisdom of others can __________.
A) create varying artistic interests
B) help people see things in their right perspective
C) help improve connections among people
D) regulate the behavior of modern people
5. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A) Businessmen absorbed in their career are narrow-minded.
B) Managers often find it hard to tell right from wrong.
C) People engaged in technical jobs lead a more rewarding life.
D) Career seekers should not focus on immediate interests only.
Passage 6
For an increasing number of students at American universities, Old is suddenly in. The reason is obvious: the graying of America means jobs. Coupled with the aging of the baby-boom ( 生育高峰) generation, a longer life span means that the nation's elderly population is bound to expand significantly over the next 50 years. By 2050, 25 percent of all Americans will be older than 65, up from 14 percent in 1995. The change poses profound questions for government and society, of course. But it also creates career opportunities in medicine and health professions, and in law and business as well. "In addition to the doctors, we're going to need more sociologists, biologists, urban planners and specialized lawyers," says Professor Edward Schneider of the University of Southern California's (USC) School of Gerontology (老年学). 　　Lawyers can specialize in "elder law," which covers everything from trusts and estates to nursing-home abuse and age discrimination (歧视). Businessmen see huge opportunities in the elder market because the baby boomers, 74 million strong, are likely to be the wealthiest group of retirees in human history. "Any student who combines an expert knowledge in gerontology with, say, an MBA or law degree will have a license to print money," one professor says. 　　Margarite Santos is a 21-year-old senior at USC. She began college as a biology major but found she was "really bored with bacteria." So she took a class in gerontology and discovered that she liked it. She says, "I did volunteer work in retirement homes and it was very satisfying." 02-01
1. "… Old is suddenly in" (Line 1, Para. 1) most probably means "______". 　　A) America has suddenly become a nation of old people 　　B) gerontology has suddenly become popular 　　C) more elderly professors are found on American campuses 　　D) American colleges have realized the need of enrolling older students 2. With the aging of America, lawyers can benefit ______. 　　A) from the adoption of the "elder law" 　　B) from rendering special services to the elderly 　　C) by enriching their professional knowledge 　　D) by winning the trust of the elderly to promote their own interests 3. Why can businessmen make money in the emerging elder market? 　　A) Retirees are more generous in spending money. 　　B) They can employ more gerontologists. 　　C) The elderly possess an enormous purchasing power. 　　D) There are more elderly people working than before. 4. Who can make big money in the new century according to the passage? 　　A) Retirees who are business-minded. 　　B) The volunteer workers in retirement homes. 　　C) College graduates with an MBA or law degree. 　　D) Professionals with a good knowledge of gerontology. 5. It can be seen from the passage that the expansion of America's elderly population ________. 　　A) will provide good job opportunities in many areas 　　B) will impose an unbearable burden on society 　　C) may lead to nursing home abuse and age discrimination 　　D) will create new fields of study in universities
社会类答案
Passage 1 DBCAB
Passage 2 BBADB
Passage 3 DACAD
Passage 4 ACBDA
Passage 5 ABDBD
Passage 6 BBCDA