全国高等教育自学考试英语阅读二试题.docx

全国高等教育自学考试英语阅读二试题.docx

《全国高等教育自学考试英语阅读二试题.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《全国高等教育自学考试英语阅读二试题.docx（16页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

全国高等教育自学考试英语阅读二试题

全国2007年10月高等教育自学考试

英语阅读

（二）试题

课程代码：

00596

全部题目用英文作答（翻译题除外），请将答案填在答题纸相应位置上

I.ReadingComprehension.（50points,2pointsforeach）

Directions:

Inthispartofthetest,therearefivepassages.Followingeachpassage,therearefivequestionswithfourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.Choosethebestanswerandthenwritethecorresponding,letteronyourAnswerSheet.

PassageOne

Electroniccomputersareamongthefastestandmostusefulinstrumentsforsortingandcomparinginusetoday.Computersprovidemeansforgreaterspeedandaccuracyinworkingwithideasthanhadpreviouslybeenpossible.Withthedevelopmentofthesenewtools,itisasifmanhassuddenlybecomeamillionaireofthemind.

Althoughmanhasbeengrowingmentallyrichereversincehestartedtothink,theelectroniccomputerallowsandwillcontinuetoallowhimtoperformtremendousmentaltasksinarelativelyshorttime.Greatscientistsofthepastproducedideaswhichwerethebasisforgreatadvances,buttheirideassometimeshadtowaitforyearsbeforetheywereunderstoodsufficientlywelltobeofpracticaluse.Withthecomputer,theideasoftoday’sscientistscanbestudied,tested,distributed,andusedmorerapidlythaneverbefore.

Oldlinesandmethodsofcommunicationdonotworkeasilyorefficientlywithasmuchinformationaswehavenow.Therepeatedactionsofpreparing,sorting,filling,distributing,andkeepingtrackofrecordsandpublicationscanbeastroublesomeascalculating.Errorsoccurbecausemengrowtiredandcanbedistracted.

Thebasicjobofcomputersistheprocessingofinformation.Forthisreasoncomputerscanbedefinedasdeviceswhichacceptinformation,performmathematicalorlogicaloperationswiththeinformation,andthensupplytheresultsoftheseoperationsasnewinformation.

Althoughasharpdividinglinebetweentypesofcomputersisnotalwayseasytosee,computersareusuallydividedintotwobroadgroups:

digitalandanalog.Digitalcomputersworkbyusingspecificinformationwhichisusuallyintheformofnumbers.Analogcomputers,ontheotherhand,usuallyprocesscontinuousinformation.

Toexplainthedifferences,letusconsidertwodeviceswhichhandleinformationinamannersimilartothetwotypesofcomputers.Aturnstile,whichhasacounterattachedtoit,canhelptoexplainthewayadigitalcomputerworks.Eachtimeapersonpassesthroughtheturnstile,theindicatorquicklyjumpsfromonenumbertoanother.Eachnumberregisteredisseparateandspecific.

Thecontinuouschangeinthelevelofsandinanhourglassastimepassesmakesitananalogdevice.Perhapsthefirstanalogcomputationwastheuseofgraphsforthesolutionofsurveyingproblems.

Questions1-5arebasedonPassageOne.

1.Whichofthefollowingstatementsbestsummarizesthefirstparagraph?

A.Computershaveextendedtherangeofoursenses.

B.Computershaveextendedthepowerofourmind.

C.Computershaveextendedthescopeofouractivities.

D.Computershaveextendedthespeedofourreasoning.

2.Withthehelpofcomputers,scientiststodayareableto______.

A.havetheirideasquestionedorsharedquickly

B.havetheirnewideasacceptedfarmorewidely

C.producetheirideasmorerapidly

D.understandnewinformationeasily

3.Accordingtothepassage,computersaremainlyusedtodothefollowingEXCEPT______.

A.performingmathoperations B.processinginformation

C.supplyingsolutions D.storingtechnicaldata

4.Thedigitalcomputersaredifferentfromanalogcomputersbecause______.

A.theyprocesscontinuousinformation B.theyprocessspecificinformation

C.theyrecordseparatenumbers D.theyproducevividpictures

5.Thetonethewriterusesinthispassageis______.

A.critical B.analytical

C.subjective D.objective

PassageTwo

Timetalks.Itspeaksmoreplainlythanwords.Timecommunicatesinmanyways.Considerthedifferentpartsoftheday,forexample.Thetimeofthedaywhensomethingisdonecangiveaspecialmeaningtotheevent.FactorymanagersintheUnitedStatesfullyrealizetheimportanceofanannouncementmadeduringthemiddleofthemorningorafternoonthattakeseveryoneawayfromhiswork.Whenevertheywanttomakeanimportantannouncement,theyask,“Whenshallweletthemknow?

”

Insociallife,timeplaysaveryimportantpart.IntheUnitedStates,gueststendtofeeltheyarenothighlyregardediftheinvitationtoadinnerpartyisextendedonlythreeorfourdaysbeforethepartydate.Butthisisperhapsnottrueinsomeothercountries.Thereitmaybeconsideredfoolishtomakeanappointmenttoofarinadvancebecauseplanswhicharemadeforadatemorethanaweekawaytendtobeforgotten.

Themeaningsoftimedifferindifferentpartsoftheworld.Thus,misunderstandingsarisebetweenpeoplefromculturesthattreattimedifferently.PromptnessisvaluedhighlyinAmericanlife.Forexample,noonewouldthinkofkeepingabusinessassociatewaitingforanhour.Itwouldbetooimpolite.Whenequalsmeet,apersonwhoisfiveminuteslateisexpectedtomakeashortapology.Ifheislessthanfiveminuteslate,hewillsayafewwordsofexplanation,thoughperhapshewillnotcompletethesentence.

Inthewesternworld,particularlyintheUnitedStates,peopletendtothinkoftimeassomethingfixedinnature,somethingfromwhichonecannotescape.Asarule,Americansthinkoftimeasaroadstretchingintothefuture,alongwhichoneprogresses.Theroadhasmanysectionswhicharetobekeptseparate—“onethingatatime”.Peoplewhocannotplaneventsarenothighlyregarded.TheAmericanideaofthefutureislimited,however.Itistheforeseeablefuture,notthefutureoftheSouthAsian,whichmayinvolvecenturies.SomeonehassaidoftheSouthAsianideaoftime.“Timeislikeamuseumwithendlesshallsandrooms.You,theviewer,arewalkingthroughthemuseuminthedark,holdingalighttoeachsceneasyoupassit.Godisinchargeofthemuseum,andonlyHeknowsallthatisinit.Onelifetimerepresentsoneroom.”

Sincetimehassuchdifferentmeaningsindifferentcultures,communicationisoftendifficult.Wewillunderstandeachotheralittlebetterifwecankeepthisfactinmind.

Questions6-10arebasedonPassageTwo.

6.WhichofthefollowingstatementsistrueaboutthesociallifeinAmerica?

A.Itisconsideredfoolishthatyouplananappointmentoneweekearlier.

B.Itisimpolitethatoneisinformedofanappointmentthreedaysearlier.

C.TheideasaboutkeepingtimeinAmericaandinChinaarenotdifferent.

D.Thefactthatwhoannouncesanappointmentusuallymattersmuch.

7.FactorymanagersinAmerica______.

A.usuallyavoidgivingannouncementsinworkinghours

B.thinkthetimeforanannouncementbarelymakesspecialmeaning

C.consulttheircolleaguesbeforegivingveryimportantannouncements

D.oftenconsiderwhatisthebesttimetogiveimportantannouncements

8.Accordingtothepassage,intheUnitedStates,whenyouare______.

A.oneminutelate,youareconsideredpunctual

B.twominutesearlier,youareregardedastrustworthy

C.tenminuteslate,youshouldgivealongexplanation

D.fiveminuteslate,youshouldmakeashortapology

9.TheAmericanphilosophicalideaoftimeisthatoneshould______.

A.doonethingatatime B.avoiddelayinghiswork

C.planforthedistantfuture D.constantlyevaluatehisplans

10.TheAsianphilosophicalideaoftimeisthattimeis______.

A.likeadarkmuseumwhereoneseeslittle

B.likeacandlelightshininginadarkmuseum

C.likeascaringtripontheroadtotheunknownfuture

D.likeatourintoamysteriousandsupernaturalworld

PassageThree

Spelunkinghasbeencalled“mountainclimbingupsidedowninthedark”.However,thisdescriptionisnotentirelyaccurate.Themountainclimberknowswhereheisgoing.Heclimbsamountainbecauseitisthere.Aspelunker,ontheotherhand,doesn’tknowwhatisthere.Allheseeswhenheentersawildcaveisaholeinthesurfaceoftheearth—averydarkhole.Oncehegetsinsidehemayfinditrunsonlyafewhundredfeetor,likeonecaveinSwitzerland,morethan35miles.Hemayfindbighall,subwayliketunnels,riversorstrangeandbeautifullimestoneformations.

Somespelunkershavebecomefamousfortheirdiscoveries.SeveralyearsagoNorbertCastreet,aFrenchman,wasexploringacavethathadarapidlyflowingundergroundriver.Hefollowedtheriveruntilitwentunderacavewallanddisappeared.Wearingabathingsuitandarubbercap,hedivedintotheriver.Hesurfacedontheothersideofthecavewallandfoundahugehalluntouchedandundisturbedfortensofthousandsofyears.

MywifeandIbecamespelunkersalmostbyaccident.WeweredrivingdownthePan-AmericanHighwaytoMexicoCitywhenInoticedseveralblackopeningsupinthemountainsneartheroad.Istoppedandaskedwhattheywere,andlearnedthattheywereanetworkoflargecaves.Followingaguide,wewereclimbingslowlyupthemountain.Whenwereachedthetop,alargeopeningappearedunderanoverhangingcliff.Insidewasasmallerholecoveredbyawoodendoor.Takingagasolinelampinonehand,theguideopenedthedoor.Wefollowedhimdownthesmoothcementsteps.Strangeshapesmovedonthewallsashislampswungbackandforthateachstep.

Thiswasalimestonecave,formedhundredsofthousandsofyearsagobytheslowdrippingofwaterthroughthecracksoftherock.Theguidepointedoutformationsthatlookedlikehorses,tigers,handsandplants.

Whenweleftthecaveaboutanhourlater,wesawasignmentioningtheNationalSpeleologicalSociety.Ourinterestawakened,wenotedtheaddressandwroteforfurtherinformation.Thereplyinformedthattherewere