專練十一 閱讀理解(一)

A

A young man， a student in one of the universities， was one day taking a walk with a professor， who was commonly called the students’ friend for his kindness to those who waited on his instructions. As they went along， they saw lying in the path a pair of old shoes， which were supposed to belong to a poor man who was working in a field close by， and who had nearly finished his day’s work.

The student turned to the professor， saying: “Let us play a trick on the man: We will hide his shoes， and hide ourselves behind those bushes， and wait to see his perplexity when he cannot find them.”

“My young friend，” answered the professor， “We should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich， and may give yourself a much greater pleasure by means of this poor man. Put a coin in each shoe， and then we will hide ourselves and watch how the discovery affects him.”

The student did so， and they both placed themselves behind the bushes close by. The poor man soon finished his work， and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes. While putting on his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes， but feeling something hard， he stooped down to feel what it was， and found the coin. Astonishment and wonder were seen on his face. He gazed at the coin， turned it around and looked at it again and again. He then looked around him on all sides， but no person was to be seen. He then put the money into his pocket， and proceeded to put on the other shoe; but his surprise was doubled on finding the other coin. His feelings overcame him; He went down on his knees， looked up at the heaven and uttered aloud a fervent thanksgiving in which he spoke of his wife， sick and helpless， and his children without bread， whom this timely help， from some unknown hand， would save from perishing . . .

The student stood there， deeply affected， and his eyes were filled with tears. \"Now，\" said the professor， are you not more pleased than if you had played your intended trick?\"

The youth replied， “You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget. I feel now the truth of these words， which I never understood before: It’s more blessed to give than to receive. ”

1. At first， what was the purpose of the young man?

A. To help the poor man

B. To make an experiment

C. To amuse himself at the expense of the poor man

D. To learn a lesson

2. What does the underlined word “perplexity” in the second paragraph probably mean?

A. disappointment B. gratitude

C. admiration D. anxiety

3. What qualities do you think the professor has from the passage?

A. kind and respectable

B. friendly and outgoing

C. critical and strict

D. helpful and generous

4. What lesson has the young man learnt from his experience?

A. Playing a trick on a poor man is fun.

B. God helps those who help themselves.

C. Fortune favors the poor.

D. To give can bring a much greater pleasure than to take.

B

In democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the press are rightly condemned. However， this freedom can easily be abused. Stories about people often attract far more public attention than political events. Though we may enjoy reading about the lives of others， it is extremely doubtful whether we would equally enjoy reading about ourselves. Acting on the contention that facts are sacred， reporters can cause untold suffering to individuals by publishing details about their private lives. Newspapers exert such tremendous influence that they can not only bring about major changes to the lives of ordinary people but can even overthrow a government.

The story of a poor family that acquired fame and fortune overnight， dramatically illustrates the power of the press. The family lived in Aberdeen， a small town of 23，000 inhabitants in South Dakota. As the parents had five children， life was a constant struggle against poverty. They were expecting their sixth child and were faced with even more pressing economic problems. If they had only had one more child， the fact would have passed unnoticed. They would have continued to struggle against economic odds and would have lived in obscurity（默默無聞）. But they suddenly became the parents of quintuplets，four girls and a boy， an event which completely changed their lives. The day after the birth of the five children， an aeroplane arrived in Aberdeen bringing sixty reporters and photographers.

The rise to fame was swift. Television cameras and newspapers carried the news to everyone in the country. Newspapers and magazines offered the family huge sums for the exclusive rights to publish stories and photographs. Gifts poured in not only from unknown people， but from baby food and soap manufacturers who wished to advertise their products. The old farmhouse the family lived in was to be replaced by a new $500，000 home. Reporters kept pressing for interviews so lawyers had to be employed to act as spokesmen for the family at press conferences. While the five babies were still quietly sleeping in oxygen tents in a hospital nursery， their parents were paying the price for fame. It would never again be possible for them to lead normal lives. They had become the victims of commercialization， for their names had acquired a market value. Instead of being five new family members， these children had immediately become a commodity.

5. Which of the following can be a reason that the press has the right to publish a story?

A. In a democracy， the individual deserves more attention that politics.

B. Facts in themselves， however unpleasant they may be， must be respected.

C. People not only enjoy reading about others but about themselves as well.

D. They only use their power to influence events of national importance.

6. What event made the poor family in South Dakota famous?

A. the report of the press

B. the help of the unknown people

C. the birth of quintuplets

D. the contribution of the manufacturers

7. The interest that was taken in the family was .

A. mainly from commercial organization who wanted to promote their sales.

B. charitable， for people of all kinds were concerned about their poverty.

C. so strong that even lawyers attended their press conferences

D. of national importance because of the rise in the birth rate.

8. Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author towards the press?

A. Optimistic B. Supportive

C. disapproving D. Casual

C

It is precious “me time” that many new mothers use to catch up on telephone calls and conversations.

But the next time your baby has a nap， watch what you say. For at just three months old， babies can tell human voices from other sounds - and work out when someone is sad. Curiously， happy sounds just wash over them.

A British study shows that the brain areas devoted to processing speech develop much more quickly than was thought and could lead to new insights into conditions such as autism.

The research team from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London started by getting 21 babies accustomed to brain scanners. Techniques used included giving their parents a CD. to take home with the noise made by the machines. The children， who were aged from three to seven months， then had their brains scanned as various familiar noises were played while they slept.

The first experiment looked at whether the kids could tell the difference between human and non-human noises. This revealed that coughing， sneezing， yawning， lapping water reminiscent of bath time and the squeaking of toys all activated a part of the brain known to process speech. But human sounds lit it up far more. The researchers then checked whether the babies’ brains reacted differently to happy， sad and neutral noises. This time， a brain area linked to emotion sprung to life， with crying triggering it more than laughter or neutral sounds， the journal Current Biology reports.

Researcher Evelyne Mercure said it was rare to see such specialized brain regions so early in life. Co-researcher Anna Blasi added: “It is probably because the human voice is such an important social cue（信號） that the brain shows an early specialization for its processing. This may represent the very first step in social interactions and language learning. ”

9. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Babies of just three months old can tell human voices from other sounds and figure out when someone is sad.

B. The babies could tell the difference between human and non-human noises.

C. The babies’ brains reacted differently to happy， sad and neutral noises.

D. The human voice is an important social cue.

10. From the passage， we can know .

A. The study had led to new insights into conditions such as autism.

B. Many new mothers catch up on telephone calls and conversations while babies are playing.

C. The study started by having the babies’ brains scanned as various familiar voices were played while they played.

D. The brains’ area of the babies linked to emotion came to life with crying reacting to it more than laughter or neutral sounds.

11. Which of the following can most activate a part of the brain known to process speech?

A. coughing B. sneezing

C. lapping water D. human voices

12. The text is most probably taken from .

A. a library guide B. a project handbook

C. a website page D. a science magazine

D

According to a survey conducted by the TNS-Sofres polling agency， 61 percent of blacks living in France say they have experienced at least one racist incident within the past year.

More than one in 10 of the 13，000 respondents（被調查者） said they were frequently the target of racism that ranged from spoken offence to difficulty in finding housing or jobs.

A. group made the survey. Its president， Patrick Lozes， says these are troubling statistics. Lozes predicts the poll will change things in France. Until now， he says， blacks have never been counted. And a population that is not counted， does not count.

Blacks are not counted because census（人口統計） and other official surveys are fobidden from asking about religion or race. But some experts estimate there are about five million blacks living in France.

The head of the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Between Peoples， Mouloud Aounit， says he is not surprised by the survey’s findings. Aounit says racism exits in French daily life. France has long argued all of its citizens are equal under its revolutionary creed of liberty， equality and fraternity（博愛）. For this reason， the government and many French are against affirmative action policies favoring minorities.

But many of the poorest French， including many ethnic Africans and Arabs - remain locked in aging housing projects and other run-down dwellings. Advocacy groups say they rarely enjoy the same educational and employment opportunities as white French.

Only 10 of France’s 577-member National Assembly are black. Blacks remain similarly underrepresented in the private sector - less likely to find jobs， experts say， and less likely to be promoted when they do.

13. At least black people surveyed in France have had trouble in finding housing of jobs.

A. 130 B. 1，300 C. 13，000 D. 130，000

14. What Patrick Lozes says implies .

A. there are too many blacks in France.

B. the blacks are looked down upon in France.

C. the black people in France can’t be counted on

D. it’s no use knowing the population of black people in France.

15. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Most blacks in the world have experienced racial discrimination.

B. Racial discrimination in France is not so serious as reported.

C. The population of blacks in France is not clear.

D. Blacks are not allowed to speak French at all.

16. The best title of this passage may be “ ”.

A. Racial discrimination

B. A survey on French blacks

C. The life of French blacks

D. French blacks’ troubles

E

Television is a great learning resource. The pictures make it easier to understand than radio， and because you can see who’s talking， you get a better idea of what people mean. Just watch their “body language!” Watch programs that you find enjoyable and entertaining — whatever you watch will help to improve your English.

Here’s the English home guide to learning as much as possible while watching English television: only watch programs you find interesting. Learning English should be fun — not something you have to force yourself to do. If you have a passion for football， watch matches， the sports news etc. Keep a notebook near to your television， so that you can jot down any new words or expressions that you hear. Try to watch English television regularly. Even if you can only watch 15 minutes a day， you will be amazed by how much you learn.

Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything — English television is normally aimed at native English language speakers. Programs often include words and expressions. If the program you’re watching is full of unknown words， just concentrate on understanding the general meaning. Even cartoons and children’s programs are useful when learning English， and quiz shows are useful for learning how to ask and answer questions in English. Keep a note of television programs and presenters that you find easy to understand. Try to watch them regularly.

Doing this will increase your confidence and give you a sense of achievement. Two useful television channels to watch are BBC. and CNN. Both are widely available around the world.

17. The passage gives us some suggestions on .

A. how to speak English fluently

B. how to learn English from television

C. how to watch television

D. how to use TV

18. According to the passage， .

A. if you can’t read books， just watch television

B. TV programs are easier to understand than radio programs

C. radio programs are easier to understand than TV programs

D. BBC. English is not as standard as CNN English

19. The home guide to learning English while watching television includes the following except to .

A. only watch programs you find interesting

B. write down any new words or expressions that you hear

C. try to watch English television regularly

D. try to jot down everything the speaker says

20. From the passage， we can know .

A. “Body language” is the main language speakers use when speaking.

B. It is better to watch programs that you find enjoyable and entertaining.

C. TV English programs often include difficult words and expressions.

D. To keep watching programs regularly will increase your confidence and give you a sense of achievement.