出自:西安石油大学英语二
31. (阅读理解题)Passage 1
Britain and France are separated by the English Channel, a body of water that can be crossed in as few as 20 minutes. But the cultures of the two countries sometimes seem to be miles apart.
Last Thursday Britain and France celebrated the 100th anniversary(周年纪念) of the signing of a friendship agreement called the Entente Cordiality. The agreement—signed in London on April 8, 1904—marked a new beginning for the countries following centuries of wars and love-hate partnership.
But their relationship has been ups and downs over the past century. Just last year, there were fierce disagreements over the Iraq war—which British Prime Minister Tony Blair supported despite(不管, 尽管) French President Jacques Chirac speaking out against it. This discomfort is expressed in Blair and Chirac.s body language at international meetings. While the French leader often greets German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder with a hug (拥抱), Blair just receives a handshake.
However, some political experts say the war in Iraq could in fact have helped ties. “The British population was against war, ” said Francois Heisbourg, director of the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research(战略基金研究会). “So it could have actually helped bring the two sides closer. ”
The history of divisions(分割, 区分) may well be because of the very different ways in which the two sides see the world. “The French think Britain is not doing its best to become part of Europe by not introducing the single European currency(货币), ” said Geoff Hare, a former lecturer in French politics and language at Newcastle University in Britain. “France has spent the past 15 to 20 years making itself seen as part of the European Union. ”
But this doesn.t stop 12 million Britons taking holidays in France each year. However, only 3 million French come in the opposite direction. Surveys show that most French people feel closer to the Germans than they do to the British. And the research carried out in Britain has found that only a third of the population believes the French can be trusted. Perhaps this bad feeling comes because the British dislike France.s close relationship with Germany. Or because the French are not happy with Britain.s close links with the US.
Whatever the answer is, as both sides celebrate 100 years of “doubtful friendship”, they are at least able to make jokes about each other. Here.s one: What.s the best thing about Britain.s relationship with France? The English Channel.
(1). (单选题) For centuries, the relationship between England and France is______. ( )(本题2.0分)
A、 friendly
B、 impolite
C、 brotherly
D、 a mixture of love and hate
(2). (单选题) The war in Iraq does ______ to the relationship between France and England. ( )(本题2.0分)
A、 good
B、 harm
C、 neither good nor harm
D、 both good and harm
(3). (单选题) The British are not so friendly to ______ and the French are not so friendly to ______. ( )(本题2.0分)
A、 Germany; America
B、 America; Germany
C、 Germany; Germany too
D、 America; America too
(4). (单选题) What does the last sentence mean? ( )(本题2.0分)
A、 As long as the English Channel exists, no further disagreement will form between France and Britain.
B、 The English Channel can prevent anything unfriendly happening in both France and Britain.
C、 France and Britain are near neighbors, and this will help balance the relationship between them.
D、 The English Channel is the largest enemy between France and Britain.
(5). (单选题) What is the main idea of this passage? ( )(本题2.0分)
A、 The British differ greatly from the French in culture, origin and custom.
B、 The British and The French are against each other because of the very different ways in which they see the world.
C、 The celebration of the 100th anniversary of the signing of a friendship agreement mark-ed the mixture feeling of love and hatred over the last century between Britain and Franc-e.
D、 The British dislike France.s close relationship with Germany, while the French are not happy with Britain.s close links with the US.
32. (阅读理解题)Passage two
O.Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born in North Carolina in 1862. As a young boy he lived an exciting life. He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise.
(1). (单选题) In which order did O. Henry do the following things? ( )
a. Lived in New York. b. Worked in a bank.
c. Travelled to Texas. d. Was put in prison.;
e. Had a newspaper Job f. Learned to write stories(本题2.0分)
A、 e. c. f. b. d. a
B、 c. e. b. d. f. a
C、 e. b. d. c. a. f.
D、 c. b. e. d. a f.
(2). (单选题) People enjoyed reading O. Henry’s stories because__________ ( )(本题2.0分)
A、 hey had surprise endings
B、 they were easy to understand;
C、 they showed his love for the poor
D、 they were about New York City;
(3). (单选题) O. Henry went to prison because________. ( )(本题2.0分)
A、 people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper
B、 he broke the law by not using his own name
C、 he wanted to write stories about prisoners
D、 people thought he had taken money that was not his
(4). (单选题) What do we know about O. Henry before he began writing? ( )(本题2.0分)
A、 He was well-educated.
B、 He was not serious about his work
C、 He was devoted to the poor
D、 He was very good at learning
(5). (单选题) Where did O. Henry get most material for his short stories? ( )(本题2.0分)
A、 His life inside the prison.
B、 The newspaper articles he wrote
C、 The city and people of New York
D、 His exciting early life as a boy