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Unit 7
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
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 part-time 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. Long-held 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.
21. A characteristic of the information age is that .
A) the service industry is relying more and more on the female work force
B) manufacturing industries are steadily increasing
C) people find it harder and harder to earn a living by working in factories
D) most of the job opportunities can now be found in the service industry
22. 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's traditional concepts about work no longer hold true
C) most people have to take part-time jobs
D) people have to change their jobs from time to time
23. 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) future achievements in technology will bring about inconceivable dramatic changes
C) the importance of high technology has been overlooked
D) computer science will play a leading role in the future information services
24. The future will probably belong to those who .
A) possess and know how to make use of information
B) give full play to their brain potential
C) involve themselves in service industries
D) cast their minds ahead instead of looking back
25. 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
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
The importance and focus of the interview in the work of the print and broadcast journalist is reflected in several books that have been written on the topic. Most of these books, as well as several chapters, mainly in, but not limited to, journalism and broadcasting handbooks and reporting texts, stress the “how to”aspects of journalistic interviewing rather than the conceptual aspects of the interview, its context, and implications. Much of the “how to” material is based on personal experiences and general impressions. As we know, in journalism as in other fields, much can be learned from the systematic study of professional practice. Such study brings together evidence from which broad generalized principles can be developed.
There is, as has been suggested, a growing body of research literature in journalism and broadcasting, but very little significant attention has been devoted to the study of the interview itself. On the other hand, many general texts as well as numerous research articles on interviewing in fields other than journalism have been written. Many of these books and articles present the theoretical and empirical aspects of the interview as well as the training of the interviewers. Unhappily, this plentiful general literature about interviewing pays little attention to the journalistic interview. The fact that the general literature on interviewing does not deal with the journalistic interview seems to be surprising for two reasons. First, it seems likely that most people in modern Western societies are more familiar, at least in a positive manner, with journalistic interviewing than with any other form of interviewing. Most of us are probably somewhat familiar with the clinical interview, such as that conducted by physicians and psychologists. In these situations the professional person or interviewer is interested in getting information necessary for the diagnosis (诊断) and treatment of the person seeking help. Another familiar situation is the job interview. However, very few of us have actually been interviewed personally by the mass media, particularly by television. And yet, we have a vivid acquaintance with the journalistic interview by virtue of our roles as readers, listeners, and viewers. Even so, true understanding of the journalistic interview, especially television interviews, requires thoughtful analyses and even study, as this book indicates.
#P#
31. The main idea of the first paragraph is that .
A) generalized principles for journalistic interviews are the chief concern for writers on journalism
B) importance should be attached to the systematic study of journalistic interviewing
C) concepts and contextual implications are of secondary importance to journalistic interviewing
D) personal experiences and general impressions should be excluded from journalistic interviews
32. Much research has been done on interviews in general .
A) so the training of journalistic interviewers has likewise been strengthened
B) though the study of the interviewing techniques hasn't received much attention
C) but journalistic interviewing as a specific field has unfortunately been neglected
D) and there has also been a dramatic growth in the study of journalistic interviewing
33. Westerners are familiar with the journalistic interview, .
A) but most of them wish to stay away from it
B) and many of them hope to be interviewed some day
C) and many of them would like to acquire a true understanding of it
D) but most of them may not have been interviewed in person
34. Who is the interviewee in a clinical interview?
A) The patient. C) The journalist.
B) The physician. D) The psychologist.
35. The passage is most likely a part of .
A) a news article C) a research report
B) a journalistic interview D) a preface
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
The relationship between the home and market economies has gone through two distinct stages. Early industrialization began the process of transferring some production processes (e.g. cloth making, sewing and canning foods) from the home to the marketplace. Although the home economy could still produce these goods, the processes were laborious (费力的) 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 electrical 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 horse-drawn 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 economic 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 to enter the marketplace as wage earners and consumers. The neoclassical (新古典主义的) 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.
36. The reason why many production processes were taken over by the marketplace was that .
A) it was a necessary step in the process of industrialization
B) they depended on electricity available only to the market economy
C) it was troublesome to produce such goods in the home
D) the marketplace was more efficient with respect to processes
37. 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) the market economy provided new goods and services never produced by the home economy
C) producing traditional goods at home became socially unacceptable
D) whether new goods and services were produced by the home economy became irrelevant
38. During the second stage, if the family wanted to consume new goods and services, they had to enter the marketplace .
A) as wage earners C) both as workers and purchasers
B) both as manufacturers and consumers D) as customers
39. 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 was illegal for the home economy to produce them
C) it could not supply them by itself
D) the market for these goods and services was limited
40. 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
Unit 8
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
Material culture refers to the touchable, material “things” ― physical objects that can be seen, held, felt, used ― that a culture produces. Examining a culture's tools and technology can tell us about the group's history and way of life. Similarly, research into the material culture of music can help us to understand the music-culture. The most vivid body of “things” in it, of course, are musical instruments. We cannot hear for ourselves the actual sound of any musical performance before the 1870s when the phonograph (留声机) was invented, so we rely on instruments for important information about music-cultures in the remote past and their development. Here we have two kinds of evidence: instruments well preserved and instruments pictured in art. Through the study of instruments, as well as paintings, written documents, and so on, we can explore the movement of music from the Near East to China over a thousand years ago, or we can outline the spread of Near Eastern influence to Europe that resulted in the development of most of the instruments on the symphony orchestra.
Sheet music or printed music, too, is material culture. Scholars once defined folk music cultures as those in which people learn and sing music by ear rather than from print, but research shows mutual influence among oral and written sources during the past few centuries in Europe, Britain, and America. Printed versions limit variety because they tend to standardize any song, yet they stimulate people to create new and different songs. Besides, the ability to read music notation (乐谱) has a far-reaching effect on musicians and, when it becomes widespread, on the music-culture as a whole.
One more important part of music's material culture should be singled out: the influence of the electronic media ― radio, record player, tape recorder, television, and videocassette, with the future promising talking and singing computers and other developments. This is all part of the “information revolution,” a twentieth-century phenomenon as important as the industrial revolution was in the nineteenth. These electronic media are not just limited to modern nations; they have affected music-cultures all over the globe.
#P#
21. Research into the material culture of a nation is of great importance because .
A) it helps produce new cultural tools and technology
B) it can reflect the development of the nation
C) it helps understand the nation's past and present
D) it can demonstrate the nation's civilization
22. It can be learned from this passage that .
A) the existence of the symphony was attributed to the spread of Near Eastern and Chinese music
B) Near Eastern music had an influence on the development of the instruments in the symphony orchestra
C) the development of the symphony shows the mutual influence of Eastern and Western music
D) the musical instruments in the symphony orchestra were developed on the basisof Near Eastern music
23. According to the author, music notation is important because .
A) it has a great effect on the music-culture as more and more people are able to read it
B) it tends to standardize folk songs when it is used by folk musicians
C) it is the printed version of standardized folk music
D) it encourages people to popularize printed versions of songs
24. It can be concluded from the passage that the introduction of electronic media into the world of music .
A) has brought about an information revolution
B) has speeded up the arrival of a new generation of computers
C) has given rise to new forms of music culture
D) has led to the transformation of traditional musical instruments
25. Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
A) Musical instruments developed through the years will sooner or later be replaced by computers.
B) Music cannot be passed on to future generations unless it is recorded.
C) Folk songs cannot be spread far unless they are printed on music sheets.
D) The development of music culture is highly dependent on its material aspect.
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
The question of whether war is inevitable is one which has concerned many of the world's great writers. Before considering this question, it will be useful to introduce some related concepts. Conflict, defined as opposition among social entities directed against one another, is distinguished from competition, defined as opposition among social entities independently striving for something which is in inadequate supply. Competitors may not be aware of one another, while the parties to a conflict are. Conflict and competition are both categories of opposition, which has been defined as a process by which social entities function in the disservice of one another. Opposition is thus contrasted with cooperation, the process by which social entities function in the service of one another. These definitions are necessary because it is important to emphasize that competition between individuals or groups is inevitable in a world of limited resources, but conflict is not. Conflict, nevertheless, is very likely to occur, and is probably an essential and desirable element of human societies.
Many authors have argued for the inevitability of war from the premise that in the struggle for existence among animal species, only the fittest survive. In general, however, this struggle in nature is competition, not conflict. Social animals, such as monkeys and cattle, fight to win or maintain leadership of the group. The struggle for existence occurs not in such fights, but in the competition for limited feeding areas and for the occupancy (占有) of areas free from meat-eating animals. Those who fail in this competition starve to death or become victims to other species. This struggle for existence does not resemble human war, but rather the competition of individuals for jobs, markets, and materials. The essence of the struggle is the competition for the necessities of life that are insufficient to satisfy all.
Among nations there is competition in developing resources, trades, skills, and a satisfactory way of life. The successful nations grow and prosper (繁荣);the unsuccessful decline. While it is true that this competition may induce efforts to expand territory at the expense of othes, and thus lead to conflict, it cannot be said that war-like conflict among nations is inevitable, although competition is.
26. In the first paragraph, the author gives the definitions of some terms in order to .
A) argue for the similarities between animal societies and human societies
B) smooth out the conflicts in human societies
C) distinguish between two kinds of opposition
D) summarize the characteristic features of opposition and cooperation
27. According to the author, competition differs from conflict in that .
A) it results in war in most cases
B) it induces efforts to expand territory
C) it is a kind of opposition among social entities
D) it is essentially a struggle for existence
28. The phrase “function in the disservice of one another” (Para 7, Line.1) most probably means “ ”.
A) betray each other C) help to collaborate with each other
B) harm one another D) benefit one another
29. The author indicates in the passage that conflict .
A) is an inevitable struggle resulting from competition
B) reflects the struggle among social animals
C) is an opposition among individual social entities
D) can be avoided
30. The passage is probably intended to answer the question “ ”.
A) Is war inevitable? C) Is conflict desirable?
B) Why is there conflict and competition? D) Can competition lead to conflict?
#P#
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
As Dr. Samuel Johnson said in a different era about ladies preaching, the surprising thing about computers is not that they think less well than a man, but that they think at all. The early electronic computer did not have much going for it except a marvelous memory and some good math skills. But today the best models can be wired up to learn by experience, follow an argument, ask proper questions and write poetry and music. They can also carry on somewhat puzzling conversations.
Computers imitate life. As computers get more complex, the imitation gets better. Finally, the line between the original and the copy becomes unclear. In another 15 years or so, we will see the computer as a new form of life.
The opinion seems ridiculous because, for one thing, computers lack the drives and emotions of living creatures. But drives can be programmed into the computer's brain just as nature programmed them into our human brains as a part of the equipment for survival.
Computers match people in some roles, and when fast decisions are needed in a crisis, they often surpass them. Having evolved when the pace of life was slower, the human brain has an inherent defect that prevents it from absorbing several streams of information simultaneously and acting on them quickly. Throw too many things at the brain at one time and it freezes up.
We are still in control, but the capabilities of computers are increasing at a fantastic rate, while raw human intelligence is changing slowly, if at all. Computer power has increased ten times every eight years since 1946. In the 1990s, when the sixth generation appears, the reasoning power of an intelligence built out of silicon will begin to match that of the human brain.
That does not mean the evolution of intelligence has ended on the earth. Judging by the past, we can expect that a new species will arise out of man, surpassing his achievements as he has surpassed those of his predecessor. Only a carbon chemistry enthusiast would assume that the new species must be man's flesh-and-blood descendants. The new kind of intelligent life is more likely to be made of silicon.
37. According to the author, manufacturers .
A) should add more useful features to their machines
B) often fail to make their products easy to use
C) should make their appliances as attractive as possible
D) often fail to provide proper training in the use of their products
38. It seems that manufacturers will remain reluctant to make improvements unless .
A) they can do so at a very low cost
B) they find their machines hard to operate
C) they have difficulty selling their products
D) they receive a lot of complaints about their machines
39. According to the passage, before a VCR is sold on the market, its original model should be tried out .
A) among ordinary consumers who are not technically minded
B) among people who are technically minded
C) among experienced technicians and potential users
D) among people who are in charge of public relations
40. One of the reasons why VCRs are so difficult to use is that .
A) the designers are often insensitive to the operational complexities of their machines.
B) the range of features provided is unlimited
C) there is no ideal way of controlling quality
D) their designers often ignore the complaints of their users
Unit 9
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
Three English dictionaries published recently all lay claim to possessing a “new” feature. The BBC English Dictionary contains background information on 1,000 people and places prominent in the news since 1988; the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary: Encyclopedic (百科全书的) Edition is the OALD plus encyclopedic entries; the Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture is the LDOCE plus cultural information.
The key fact is that all three dictionaries can be seen to have a distinctly “cultural” as well as language learning content. That being said, the way in which they approach the cultural element is not identical, making direct comparisons between the three difficult.
While there is some common ground between the encyclopedic/cultural entries for the Oxford and Longman dictionaries, there is a clear difference. Oxford lays claim to being encyclopedic on content whereas Longman distinctly concentrates on the language and culture of the English-speaking world. The Oxford dictionary can therefore stand more vigorous scrutiny (审视) for cultural bias than the Longman publication because the latter does not hesitate about viewing the rest of the world from the cultural perspectives of the English-speaking world. The cultural objectives of the BBC dictionary are in turn more distinct still. Based on an analysis of over 70 million words recorded from the BBC World Service and National Public Radio of Washington over a period of four years, their 1,000 brief encyclopedic entries are based on people and places that have featured (占显著地位) in the news recently. The intended user they have in mind is a regular listener to the World Service who will have a reasonable standard of English and a developed skill in listening comprehension. |
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发表于 2016-7-11 18:39:44