出自:湖南大学-大学英语
Part I Reading Comprehension [40 minutes / 40 points]
Directions: There are 4 passages in this section. Each followed by some questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. You should decide on the best choice.
Passage 1
Newspapers, along with reporting the news, instruct, entertain, and give opinion. An important way for reading a large, big-city newspaper is knowing how to take it apart. Can you find these separate sections: world news, national and local news, sports, business, entertainment, opinions, classified ads? Does your paper have other sections?
News stories give facts, not the author’s opinions. Editorials do the opposite: you can expect an editorial to take sides. Some newspaper editorials have a by-line with the author’s name, but many newspapers have unsigned editorials. These reflect the opinions of the publisher or editor.
You can be a better reader if you know what to expect in a newspaper. For example, you can expect headlines to omit unnecessary words. You can expect to find the most important facts in the lead paragraph (the first paragraph) of a news story.
You can expect important news items to be on the front page. You can expect less important items to be on the inside pages.
Most of all, the more you know about the current news, the more you will understand what is in the newspaper; important stories are generally presented one day and followed up on following days. So, an important way for reading newspapers is reading one frequently.
1. To read a large newspaper, a good way is _________.
A. to find separate sections
B. to read it from cover to cover
C. to do some paper-cutting
D. to predict what is inside the newspaper
2. Which of the following statements about news stories is true?
A. News stories reflect the opinions of the editor.
B. News stories tell the facts without comments.
C. News stories contain both facts and opinions.
D. News stories express the writer’s point of view.
3. If you want to know less important news without any details, you can read _________.
A. the headlines on the inside pages
B. news stories on the front page
C. the lead paragraphs of the news on the front page
D. news items on the inside pages only
4. To follow the current news, the best way is to _________.
A. read extensively and thoroughly
B. read various newspapers skillfully
C. read a large big-city newspaper carefully
D. read one newspaper frequently
5. The main idea of this passage is _________.
A. how to read newspapers effectively
B. how to find important news stories
C. how to read stories and editorials
D. how to tell apart different news sections
Until recently, women in advertisements were one of three things - an apron, a glamorous dress or a frown. Although that is now changing, many women still feel angry enough to deface offending advertisements with stickers protesting. "This ad degrades women." Why does this sort of advertising exist? How can advertisers and ad agencies produce, sometimes, after months of research, advertisements that offends the consumer?
The Advertising Standards Authority (the body which deals with complains about print media) is carrying out research into how women feel about the way they are portrayed in advertisements. Its conclusions are likely to be what the advertising industry already knows; although women are often irritated by the way they are seen in ads, few feel strongly enough to complain.
Women are not only the victims of poor and boring stereotypes—in many TV commercials men are seen either as useless, childish oafs who are unable to perform the simplest household tasks, or as in considerate boors, permanently on the lookout for an escape to the pub. But it is women who seem to bear the impact of the industry.s apparent inability to put people into an authentic present-day context.
Yet according to Emma Bennett, executive creative director of a London advertising agency, women are not infuriated by stereotypes and sexist advertising. It tends to wash over them, they are not militant or angry-they just find it annoying or tiresome. They reluctantly accept outdated stereotypes, but heave a sigh of relief when an advertisement really gets it right.
She says that it is not advertising.s use of the housewife role that bothers women, but the way in which it.s handled. "Researchers have often asked the wrong questions. The most important thing is the advertisement.s tone of voice. Women hate being patronized, flattered or given desperately down-to-earth commonsense advice."
In the end, the responsibility for good advertising must be shared between the advertiser, the advertising agency and the consumer. Advertising does not set trends but it reflects them. It is up to the consumers to tell advertisers where they fail, and until people on the receiving end take the business seriously and make their feelings known, the process of change will remain laboriously slow.
6. Despite recent changes in attitudes, some advertisements still fail to__________.
A. change women.s opinions of themselves
B. persuade the public to buy certain
C. show any understanding of people.s feelings products
D. meet the needs of the advertising products
7. According to the writer, the commonest fault of present-day advertising is to__________.
A. condemn the role of the housewife
B. ignore protests about advertisement
C. present a misleading image of women
D. meet the needs of the advertising industry
8. Research suggests that the reaction of women towards misrepresentation by
advertisements is _________.
A. unbelief B. hostility C. approbation D. apathy
9. Emma Bennett suggests that advertisement ought to__________.
A. give further emphasis on practice
B. pay more compliments to women than before
C. use male images instead of female ones.
D. change their style rather than their content
10. Ultimately the advertising industry should__________.
A. take its job more earnestly
B. take notice of the public opinion
C. do more pioneering work
D. concentrate on the products advertised
Education is a major part of American culture. Schools do more than just fill students. heads with knowledge. They pass on culture, traditions and values.
American children start their education in elementary school. Most youngsters enter first grade at around six years of age. Children can prepare for this step by attending preschool and kindergarten from ages three to five. Young learners finish elementary school in fifth or sixth grade. From there, students go on to junior high school until eighth or ninth grade. Americans complete their required education in high school. They graduate and receive a diploma (毕业证) after twelfth grade.
Beyond high school, Americans have many options for further education. In contrast to other countries, the U.S. has no national college entrance exam. Instead, private companies give exams to students. Universities decide which tests students must take. In addition to test scores, university officials also consider applicants. high school grades and other activities. Universities give scholarships and financial aid to help many who cannot afford the high tuition costs. Students with less academic goals may enroll in vocational schools (职业学校) or community colleges.
The American style of education, compared to that of other countries, is quite informal. In fact, the casual class atmosphere often amazes international students. American teachers encourage students to think for themselves. Instead of grading students only on test scores, teachers evaluate papers, group projects, and class participation. Students often have to think creatively to solve problems — not just memorize facts. Students also learn how to do research by using resource materials to find their own answers. In this way, classrooms illustrate the American emphasis on individual responsibility.
Freedom of choice is another American value not absent from school life. In addition to their required courses, high school and college students may choose elective courses. These electives allow students to study subjects that interest them. The menu of choices might include typing, band and home economics, as well as special academic classes. Other activities occupy students. time after school hours. Most schools have sports teams, clubs, and publications that give students valuable experience.
The American system of education is far from perfect. Teachers in America fight to control cheating and plagiarism (剽窃). Drugs, violence, sex and peer pressure interfere with students. education. Test scores are declining. So American teachers have to work hard, instilling (灌输) cultural and moral values, as well as knowledge, in young American citizens.
11. It can be learned from the first two paragraphs that__________.
A. schools in America stress knowledge other than culture, traditions and values
B. in America children do not accept education until six years of age 1
C. it is required that Americans receive high school education
D. school years remain the same for students from elementary to high school
12. Americans enjoy many opportunities for further education in that__________.
A. they are entitled to university education for free
B. they do not need to participate in college entrance exams
C. their scores in the exams given by private companies are not the only criterion for
college admission
D. they can attend vocational schools or community colleges at a considerably lower cost
13. What is special about American style of education is that__________.
A. the relation between teachers and students is rather harmonious
B. students are involved in independent and original thinking
C. teachers stress test scores less than group projects and class participation
D. students are responsible for their own performance in class
14. American high school and college students are free to select__________.
A. interesting subjects besides required academic classes
B. whatever courses required by the school
C. academic courses rather than vocational courses
D. Courses to develop individual responsibility
15. The author.s attitude towards American education is__________.
A. positive and approving
B. negative and opposing
C. suspicious and worried
D. neutral and concerned
Passage 4
Some people hate everything that is modern. They cannot imagine how anyone can really like modern music; they find it hard to accept the new fashions in clothing; they think that all modern painting is ugly; and they seldom have a good word for the new buildings that are being built everywhere in the world. Such people look for perfection in everything, and they take their standards of perfection from the past. They are usually impatient with anyone who is brave enough to experiment with new or to express himself or the age in materials original ways. It is, of course, true that many artists do not succeed in their work and instead produce works that can only be considered as failures. If the work of art is a painting, the artist’s failure concerns himself alone, but if it is a building, his failure concerns others too, because it may damage the beauty of the whole place. This does sometimes happen, but it is completely untrue to say, as some people do, that modern architecture is nothing.
We can’t judge every modern building by the standards of the ancient time, even though we admire the ancient buildings. Technologically, the modern buildings are more advanced. The modern architect knows he should learn from the ancient works, but with his greater resources of knowledge and materials, he will never be content to imitate the past. He is too proud to do that.
16. Some people hate everything that is modern because _______.
A. they are aged
B. they find it hard to accept modern things
C. they take their standards of perfection from the Greek
D. they look at things by the standards of the past
17. The writer of the passage thinks that ________.
A. it is true to say some artists fail in their work
B. it is untrue to say artists fail in their work
C. it is true to say artists fail in their work
D. it is true to say only painters fail in their work
18. The writer thinks the failure of a building _______.
A. concerns others
B. means nothing
C. concerns only the artist
D. concerns all the people in the world
19. The writer thinks that _________.
A. we can’t judge buildings by the ancient standards
B. we can’t judge all the buildings by the ancient standards
C. we can’t judge modern buildings
D. we can’t judge all the modern buildings by the ancient standards
20. Technologically, the modern buildings are more advanced. The sentence means _________.
A. the modern architects use more advanced technology
B. the ancient architects had no technology
C. the modern buildings are advanced because they are completely different from the ancient buildings
D. the modern buildings are more beautiful
Part III Cloze [15 minutes / 10 points]
Directions: There are 10 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. You should choose the one that best fits into the passage.
A recent educational experiment showed that the difference between “gifted” children and regular ones may have as much to do with 61 as with intelligence. An elementary school teacher was 62 into thinking that her students were above average in intelligence. She then 63 to get them to do outstanding work, even though their true IQ were well within the normal range. It seems that her belief in her students’ intelligence was enough to turn them 64 better learners.
It’s difficult to 65 exactly how much beliefs are expressed. It 66 have to do with how a teacher talks to the class: many positive, supportive expressions and few expressions of impatience, annoyance, or 67 . Non-verbal communication, including 68 expressions, probably plays a role, too. But one thing is clear: Labels and expressions 69 influence results.
Outside of the classroom, labeling can, as 70 as not, have a negative effect. The labels we put on different social groups are usually not inclusive. In fact, they are often sexist or racist. Of course, there is good and bad in all kinds of people. But we tend to accept some ideas about certain groups more readily than about others. The school experiment shows that such labels have a great deal of power. But when labels are unfair and negative they can be very damaging.
61. A. expectations B. inspections C. impatience D. reassurance
62. A. told B. asked C. lied D. deceived
63. A. asked B. offered C. managed D. tried
64. A. into B. to C. alongside D. from
65. A. go through with B. imprint C. go through D. pinpoint
66. A. may B. can C. should D. ought to
67. A. surprise B. irritation C. troublemaking D. irony
68. A. facial B. variable C. suggestive D. emotional
69. A. certainly B. strongly C. indifferently D. accordingly
70. A. quickly B. often C. always D. thoroughly