出自:西安交通大学--英语（四）学习指南
Passage 1
It has been reported that in colleges across the United States, the daytime serial drama known as the soap opera has suddenly become "in". Between the hours of 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m, college television lounges are filled with soap opera fans who can.t wait to see the next episode in the lives of their favorite characters.
Actually, soaps are more than a college favorite; they.re a youth favorite. When school is out, high-school students are in front of their TV sets. One young working woman admitted that she turned down a higher paying job rather than give up watching her favorite serials. During the 1960.s, it was uncommon for young people to watch soap operas. The mood of the sixties was very different from now. It was a time of seriousness, and talk was about social issues of great importance.
Now, seriousness has been replaced by fun. Young people want to be happy. It may seem strange that they should turn to soap opera, which is known for showing trouble in people.s lives. But soap opera is enjoyment. Young people can identify with the soap opera character, who, like the college-age viewer, is looking for happy love, and probably not finding it. And soap opera gives young people a chance to feel close to people without having to bear any responsibility for their problems.
1. What is soap opera? ______
A. Plays based on science fiction stories. B. Plays based on non-fiction stories.
C. The daytime serial dramas on TV. D. Popular documentary films on TV.
2. What can be the best title of the passage? ______
A. College student viewers. B. Favorite TV serials.
C. Soap opera fans. D. College-age viewers.
3. Which is not the reason why the soap opera suddenly becomes "in" according to the passage? _______
A. Because the viewers want to be happy and to enjoy themselves.
B. Because the soap opera makes young people feel close to their people.
C. Because the viewers can find themselves in the soap opera characters.
D. Because the young people have to bear the responsibilities for their troubles.
4.. What can we learn from the passage? ______
A. College students like soap operas more than any other social groups.
B. Young people of sixties liked soap operas more than people today.
C. Young viewers have turned themselves from the seriousness of sixties to enjoyment now.
D. The young as a whole are trying to look for happy love but in vain.
5.. What message does the author want to convey to us? _____
A. The people.s favor toward drama works has been changed for a long time.
B. The people.s favor toward drama works changes along with the times.
C. The people.s favor toward drama works is changed by the soap opera.
D. The people.s favor has changed the drama works.
Passage 2
How men first learnt to invent words is unknown; in other words, the origin of language is a mystery. All we really known is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thought and feelings, actions, and things, so that they could communicate with each other; and that later they agreed upon certain signs, called letters, which could be combined to represent those sounds, and which could be written down. Those sounds, whether spoken or written in letters, we call words.
The power of words, then, lies in their associations - the things they bring up before our minds. Words become filled with meaning for us by experience; and the longer we live, the more certain words recall to us the glad and sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increases.
Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerfully to our minds and emotions. This charming and telling use of words is what we call literary style. Above all, the real poet is a master of words. He can convey his meaning in words which sing like music and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they will make our speech silly and vulgar . (239words)
1. The origin of language is _________
A. a legend handed down from the past B. a matter that is hidden or secret.
C. a question difficult to answer. D. a problem not yet solved.
2. What is true about words? __________
A. They are used t to express feelings only. B. They can not be written down
C. They are simply sounds. D. They are mysterious.
3. The real power of words lies in their _______.
A. properties B. characteristics
C. peculiarity D. representative function
4.By “association”, the author means __________.
A. a special quality B. a joining of ideas in the mind.
C. an appearance which is puzzling. D. a strange feature.
5.Which of the following statements about the real poet is NOT true? _________
A. He is no more than a master of words.
B. He can convey his ideas in words which sing like music.
C. He can move men to tears.
D. His style is always charming.