[大学英语考试复习资料]北京成人本科学士学位阅读理解题(五)

1、大学英语考试复习资料北京成人本科学士学位阅读理解题(五)大学英语考试复习资料北京成人本科学士学位阅读理解题(五)北京成人本科学士学位阅读理解题(五)Passage 1 Three men got to the Dover Railway Station a few minutes after nine oclock one evening. They asked a guard, What time is the next train for London? The guard said, Youve just missed one. A train goes every hour. The

2、next one is at ten oclock. Thats all right, they said. Well go and have a drink. So off they went to a bar. A minute or two after ten oclock they came running and asked the guard. Has the train gone? Yes, the guard said. It went at ten, and I told you. The next one is at eleven oclock. Thats all rig

3、ht, they said again. Well go and have another drink. So they went back to the bar. They missed the eleven oclock train in the same way. Then the guard said, No, the next train is the last one. If you miss that train, you wont get to London tonight. (41) Twelve oclock came, and the last train was jus

4、t starting out when the three of them came out of the bar running as fast as they could. Two of them got on the train just as it was leaving but the third one didnt run fast enough, and the train went out leaving him behind. He stood there looking at the train and laughing, as if to miss a train was

5、 the best joke in the world. The guard went up to him and said, I told you that this was the last train. Why didnt you come earlier? The man kept laughing until tears came into his eyes. Then he caught hold of the guard and said, Did you see the two men get into the train and leave me here? Yes, I d

6、id. Well, I was the only one to leave for London. They were here only to see me off! 1. The story happened_.A.in LondonB.at the London Railway StationC.in a barD.in Dover答案:D2. The guard told the three men that there_.A.were trains all the nightB.was a train in the eveningC.was a train every sixty m

7、inutesD.were no trains that evening答案:C3. The three men missed the train_.A.only onceB.only twiceC.three timesD.four times答案:C4. The three men failed to catch the train because_.A.they had a drinkB.they went to the barC.they left the bar too lateD.the train left too soon答案:C5. The man laughed when h

8、e failed to catch the train because_.A.his friends who came to see him off got on the train instead of himB.he didnt really want to go to LondonC.his friends didnt have to go to LondonD.it was funny that he couldnt get to London that night答案:APassage 2 Some countries have large numbers of earthquake

9、s. Japan is one of them. Others do not have many; for example, there are few earthquakes in Britain. There is often a great noise during an earthquake. The earth shakes. Houses fall down. Railway lines are broken. Sometimes many people are killed in an earthquake. Earthquakes often happen near volca

10、noes, but this is not always true. The centers of some are under the sea. The bottom of the sea suddenly moves. The powerful forces inside the earth break the rocks. The coast is shaken and great waves appear. These waves travel long distances and rush over the land when they reach it. (42) They are

11、 strong enough to break down houses and other buildings; sometimes they break more buildings than the earthquake itself. What kind of buildings stands up best in an earthquake? A building with concrete walls is perhaps the best. A steel frame will make it even stronger. The frame holds the different

12、 parts together, and the walls do not easily fall. There is less chance of fire because concrete and steel do not burn. This kind of building is the safest. 1. Which of the following shows that an earthquake happens?A.The earth and the buildings shake badly.B.There is a great noise in the sky.C.The

13、sky is covered with thick clouds.D.The tigers and lions in the zoo run about nervously.答案:A2. An earthquake is terrible because_.A.it often happens near a volcanoB.houses may fall down in an earthquakeC.a lot of people may be killed in an earthquakeD.both B and C答案:D3. The waves caused by an earthqu

14、ake_.A.disappear quicklyB.are beautiful to look atC.travel distantlyD.are helpful to mankind答案:C4. The safest building for us to live in against earthquakes is_.A.a building with a steel frame and concrete wallsB.a very tall oneC.a house made of good bricksD.a house without a roof答案:A5. _has the lar

15、gest number of earthquakes.A.BritainB.JapanC.FranceD.Germany答案:BPassage 3 Sometimes it is impossible to send all the mail that arrives at the post office. Perhaps there is an inadequate or illegible address and there is no return address. The post office cannot just throw the mail away, so it become

16、s dead mail. Dead mail is then sent to one of the U.S. Postal Services dead mail offices in Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, St. Paul, and San Francisco. Seventy-five million pieces of mail can end up in these offices in one year. The staff of the dead mail offices has different ways to deal with al

17、l of these pieces of dead mail. First of all, they look for clues that can help them deliver the mail; they open packages in the hope that something inside will show where the package came from or is going to. (43) Dead mail will also be listed on a computer so that people can call in and cheek to s

18、ee if a missing item is there. However, all of the mail cannot simply be stored forever: there is just too much of it. When a lot of dead mail has piled up, the dead mail offices hold public auctions. Every three months, the public is invited to the offices and containing items found in dead mail pa

19、ckages are sold to the highest bidder (出价人). 1. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to deal with dead mail?A.To search for clues.B.To throw dead mail away.C.To open dead mail.D.To list dead mail on a computer.答案:B2. The staff in a dead mail office may open a package in order to find_.A.

20、some moneyB.some missing objectsC.an addressD.a computer答案:C3. The passage indicates that dead mail auctions are held_.A.once a yearB.twice a yearC.three times a yearD.four times a year答案:D4. The underlined word clue may probably mean_.A.a postman that knows where to send the letterB.an officer that

21、 knows the one who sent the letterC.some stamps that are left in the envelopeD.some information that helps to find the receiver of the letter答案:D5. Which is the best title for the passage?A.Dead MailB.Mail AuctionC.Unknown MailD.The Dead Mail Office答案:APassage 4 For more than thirty years scientists

22、 have been searching for signs of life on other planets. Most of these searches have been done over the radio. The hope is that someone in outer space may be trying to get in touch with us. Scientists also have sent radio and television messages, as well as messages on spaceships traveling through s

23、pace, on the chance that someone may be receptive to such messages. Scientists are using powerful radio telescopes to listen to signals from about 1,000 stars, all within 100 light years of the earth. In addition, they will scan the entire sky to listen for radio messages from more distant stars. Us

24、ing a computer, they will be able to monitor more than eight million channels at a time. Scientists are looking for any signal that stands out from the background noise. Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, scientists find that five percent of the stars are like our sun. Perhaps half of

25、 them have a planet like the earth. Such a planet would be a reasonable distance from the star for the temperatures to be right for the evolution of life. Believing that there are the inhabitable (that can be lived in) planets in our galaxy, most scientists agree that chances are that one or more of

26、 these planets support some life. However, many scientists wonder whether intelligent life exists on other planets. Some believe that thirty years of searching without any intelligent messages show that no one is out there. They say that the evolution of intelligence comparable to ours is unlikely.

27、(44) Other scientists believe that our search hasnt been long enough to rule out the possibility that intelligent life exists in our galaxy. Although our sun family is only about five billion years old, our galaxy is about 20 billion years old. In that time some scientists think it is likely that ci

28、vilizations are much more advanced than ours. Perhaps these civilizations send us no signals; perhaps we have not recognized the signals they have sent us. If we hope to find intelligent life, these scientists believe that we have to keep looking. 1. To look for signals from distant stars, scientist

29、s_.A.have sent up spaceships to other planetsB.have sent radio and television messages to outer spaceC.are listening to the radio message all the year roundD.will use computers to pick up background noise答案:B2. According to the passage, how many planets in our galaxy might be inhabitable?A.5 billion

30、B.10 billionC.15 billionD.200 billion答案:A3. The underlined phrase on the chance in the first paragraph meansA.by chanceB.if possibleC.in the hopeD.for certain答案:C4. Some scientists think there might be more advanced civilizations on other planets because_.A.some planets support more advanced civiliz

31、ationsB.some civilizations have sent us signals we cant recognizeC.the evolution of intelligence on other planets is unlike oursD.some planets in our galaxy are much older than the earth答案:D5. Which of these statements is true based on the information in the passage?A.The earth is one of the oldest

32、planets in our galaxy.B.Most scientists believe that there is intelligent life on other planets.C.Scientists are trying different ways to find signs of life on other planets.D.More advanced civilizations than ours have developed on other planets.答案:CPassage 5 Do you ever feel sick, confused, or very

33、 tired after a long plane ride? If you were fly-ing east to west or west to east, the problem could have been jet lag. (45) Jet lag happens when your bodys time clock becomes confused. Crossing several time zones may make you feel very tired. You may become confused because you are tired. In fact, y

34、ou may become so confused that you wont be able to do your work. You might get headaches and feel that you have problems eating and sleeping. These are all symptoms of jet lag. However, if you feel tired after flying from north to south or south to north, you do not have jet lag. Maybe you feel tire

35、d from the tiredness and work of getting ready for the trip. You will feel better after you get some sleep. The symptoms that you feel during a flight, such as thirst and motion sickness, are not jet lag either. They are caused by the air pressure in the plane. When you travel north or south, you do

36、 not cross time zones. So you do not have true jet lag. 1. What is jet lag?A.The tired and confused feeling that you get after flying.B.Being unable to catch the plane.C.Being too heavy to be on the plane.D.Losing the clock in your body.答案:A2. Flying in which direction is more likely to cause jet la

37、g?A.North to south.B.South to north.C.West to east.D.None of the above.答案:C3. Which of the following is NOT a symptom of jet lag?A.Eating problems.B.Motion sickness.C.Headaches.D.Sleeping problems.答案:B4. If you are tired when you fly south or north,A.you will feel better after some sleepB.you should

38、 go to see a doctorC.you should do some exerciseD.you should eat more答案:A5. Which of the following is true according to the passage?A.All people can still work very well after the flight from China to America.B.If you feel thirsty during a flight, you have jet lag.C.Your body clock may get confused

39、when you cross time zones.D.You will have jet lag if you fly from Japan to Sydney答案:CPassage 6 Although Beethoven could sit down and make up music easily, his really great compositions did not come easily at all. They cost him a great deal of hard work. We know how often he rewrote and corrected his

40、 work because his notebooks are still kept in museums and libraries. He always found it hard to satisfy himself. When he was 28, the worst difficulty of all came to him. He began to notice a strange humming(嗡嗡声) in his ears. At first he paid little attention; but it grew worse, and at last he consul

41、ted doctors. (46) They gave him the worst news any musician could bear: he was gradually going deaf. Beethoven was in despair; he was sure that he was going to die. He went away to the country, to a place called Heiligenstadt, and from there he wrote a long farewell letter to his brothers. He longed

42、 to die, and said to death, Come when you will, I shall meet you bravely. In fact, Beethoven did something braver than dying. He gathered his courage and went on writing music, though he could not hear what he wrote. He wrote his best music, the music we remember him for, after he became deaf. The m

43、usic he wrote was very different from any that had been composed before. 1. To say that Beethoven was in despair means that he_.A.was very frightenedB.was unhappyC.had given up hopeD.was dying答案:C2. Beethoven knew that he was going deaf_.A.after he had consulted doctorsB.when he could not hear himse

44、lf humming the musicC.when he heard a humming noiseD.when the humming noise grew louder答案:A3. After he was told he would become deaf, _.A.Beethoven was so sad that he gave up composingB.Beethoven wrote his music better than ever beforeC.Beethovens compositions became worse and worseD.Beethoven asked

45、 his brothers for help答案:B4. Which of the following statements is true?A.It was never difficult for Beethoven to compose music.B.Beethoven didnt have any hearing problems until he was 28.C.His best music was written long before he became deaf.D.Beethoven was satisfied with his composition.答案:B5. Whi

46、ch is the best title of this passage?A.The Deaf Composer.B.Great Compositions.C.Beethoven and His Music.D.How Beethoven Became Deaf.答案:APassage 7 We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Hel

47、en? When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy my luck? When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, its too late. Why do we go wrong about our friends, or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real mean

48、ing. And if we dont really listen we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, Youre a lucky dog. Thats friendly. But lucky dog? There is a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesnt see it himself. But mentioning the dog puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he

49、doesnt think you ought to have your luck. Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is

50、the thought that your problem isnt important. Its telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you havent got a date for Saturday night. How can you tell the real meaning behind someones words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he loo

51、ks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture (姿态)? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. (47) If you spend one minute thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you, you may avoid another mistake. 1. This passage is mainly about_.A.how to interpret what people sayB.what

52、 to do when you listen to others talkingC.how to avoid mistakes when you communicate with peopleD.why we go wrong with people sometimes答案:C2. According to the author, the reason why we go wrong about our friends is that_.A.we fail to listen carefully when they talkB.people tend to be upset when we c

53、heck what they sayC.people usually state one thing but mean anotherD.we tend to doubt what our friends say答案:C3. In the sentence maybe he doesnt see it himself, the pronoun it refers to_.A.being friendlyB.lucky dogC.a bit of envyD.your luck答案:C4. When we listen to a person talking, the most importan

54、t thing for us to do is_.A.notice the way the person is talkingB.take a good look at the person talkingC.mind his tone, his posture and the look in his eyesD.examine the real meaning of what he says based on his manner, his tone and his posture答案:D5. The author most probably is a_.A.teacherB.psychol

55、ogistC.writerD.doctor答案:BPassage 8 Do you find that getting up in the morning is so difficult that its painful? This might be called laziness, but Dr. Newman has a new explanation. He has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle. During the hours when you labor through your work, you may say th

56、at you are hot. Thats true. The time of day when you feel the most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak. For some people the peak comes during the forenoon. For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so, but it leads to such familiar monologues (自言自语) as: Get up, John! You will be late for work again! The possible explanation to the trouble is that John is at his temperature-and-energy peak in the evening. (48) Much family quarreling ends when husbands and wives realize what these energy cycle