阅读理解试题库及答案

Passage 1 CBBCC

If you have a chance to go to Finland, you will probably be surprised to find how “foolish” the Finnish people are.

Take the taxi drivers for example. Taxis in Finland are mostly high-class Benz with a fare of two US dollars a kilometer. You can go anywhere in one, tell the driver to drop you at any place, say that you have some business to attend to, and then walk off without paying your fare. The driver would not show the least sign of anxiety.

The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests, but also serve outside diners. Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals. The most they would do to show their good faith is to wave their registration card to the waiter. With such a loose check, you can easily use any old registration card to take a couple of friends to dine free of charge.

The Finnish workers are paid by the hour. They are very much on their own as soon as they have agreed with the boss on the rate. From then on they just say how many hours they have worked and they will be paid accordingly.

With so many loopholes(漏洞) in everyday life, surely Finland must be a heaven to those who love to take “petty advantages”. But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always come back to pay their fare after they have attended to their business; not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining rooms. And workers always give an honest account of the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act on good faith in everything they do, living in such a society has turned everyone into a real “gentleman”.

In a society of such high moral practice, what need is there for people to be on guard against others?

1. While taking a taxi in Finland, _____

A. a passenger can go anywhere without having to pay the driver

B. a passenger pays two US dollars for a taxi ride

C. a passenger can never be turned down by the taxi driver wherever he wants to go

D. a passenger needs to provide good faith demonstration before they leave without paying

2. We know from the passage that big hotels in Finland_____

A. provide meal for only those who live in the hotels

B. provide meals for any diners

C. provide free wine and charge for food

D. are mostly poorly managed

3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. The workers in Finland are paid by the hour.

B. The bosses in Finland are too busy to check the working hours of their employees.

C. The workers are always honest with their working hours.

D. The workers and their bosses will make an agreement in advance about the pay.

4. The word “those” in the last paragraph probably refers to _____

A. people who often take taxis

B. people who often have meals in big hotels

C. people who are dishonest

D. people who are worthy of trust

5. It can be concluded that _____

A. Finnish people are not smart enough in daily life

B. Finland has been a good place for cheats

C. the Finnish society is of very high moral level

D. all the Finns are rich

Passage 2 CBABD

There are many factors which may have an influence on adults and children being able to lead a healthy life.

Nowadays, people are very busy. Often, both parents work outside the home. Children are expected to take on more responsibility at home to help their parents. They also have sporting and leisure activities as well as school expectations.

The busyness also adds another factor: the need to use cars to get from one place to another quickly.

Today, society places a lot of emphasis on technology. Computers, DVDs. CDs, television, PlayStations and Xboxes have become major leisure activities, rather than traditional more active pursuits. This has led to a more sedentary lifestyle.

The media provide entertainment and information. Unfortunately, they also promote fast food which fits easily into busy lifestyles. It is much more convenient at times to buy a quick takeaway rather than prepare a meal. The media constantly bombard(轰炸) their audience with …perfect? body images, the need to buy the most fashionable clothes, the most up-to-date computer games, the best places to visit and the best things to do.

Environments vary. We may be exposed to pollution , such as cigarette smoke. This can be harmful to people who suffer from breathing difficulties. Environments where passive smoking is unavoidable make it difficult to lead a healthy life.

It is important factor influencing healthy lifestyles is motivation. Or the desire to be healthy. Any person who wants to be healthy will find a way to be healthy —if he/she is motivated enough!

1. The passage is mainly about _____.

A. benefits of a healthy life style

B. demands of daily life

C. factors affecting a healthy lifestyle

D. a positive approach to healthy living

2. The word “sedentary” in Paragraph 4 probable means _____.

A. having a lot of things to do

B. involving little exercise or physical activity

C. being isolated from the outside world

D. experiencing a lot of stress

3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a factor leading to the popularity of fast food?

A. Cheap price.

B. The media.

C. Busy lifestyle.

D. Convenience

4. Which is NOT listed as a factor influencing the ability to have a healthy lifestyle?

A.Pollution.

B.Economic factors.

C. Dependence upon cars.

D. Influence of family or friends.

5. According to the author, _____ may be the most important factor influencing healthy lifestyles.

A. technology

B. cultural background

C. environment

D. the desire to be healthy

Passage 3 ADDAB

Looking back on my childhood. I am convinced that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon abandoned their pressed(紧抱的) flowers and insects. Unlike them ,I hand no ear for music and languages, I was not an early reader and I could not do mental arithmetic.

Before World war I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the dim memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys. Nor do I recall clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door. but I do have a crystal-clear memory of dogs, the farm animals , the local birds and above all ,the insects.

I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love of the natural world, and my enthusiasm has led me into varied investigations. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil, reading about other people?s observations and discoveries .then something happens that brings these observations together in my conscious mind. Suddenly you fancy you see the answer to the riddle(谜) ，because it all seems to fit together. This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books ,which some might honor with the title of scientific research.

But curiosity ,a keen eye, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist; one of the outstanding and essential qualities required is self-discipline, a quality I lack. A scientist can be made .A naturalist is born . If you can combine the two, you get the best of born worlds.

1. According to the author , a born naturalist should first of all be _____

A. full of enthusiasm

B. self-disciplined

C. full of ambition

D. knowledgeable

2. The first paragraph tells us that the author _____

A. lost his hearing when he was a child

B. didn?t like his brothers and sisters

C. was born to a naturalist?s family

D. was interested in flowers an insects in his childhood

3. The author says that he is a naturalist rather than a scientist probably because he thinks he _____

A. just reads about other people?s observations and discoveries

B. comes up with solutions in most natural ways

C. has a great deal of trouble doing mental arithmetic

D. lacks some of the qualities required of scientist

4.The author can?t remember his relatives clearly because_____.

A. he was fully occupied with observing nature

B. he didn?t live very long with them

C. the family was extremely large

D. he was too young when he lived with them

5. Which of the following statement is true?

A. The author believes that a born naturalist cannot be a scientist.

B. The author?s brothers and sisters were good at music and l anguages.

C. The author read a lot of books about the natural world and the oil industry.

D. The author spent a lot of time working on riddles.

Passage 4 ABBCD

When you have completed your college education, you will look for a job suited to your training, interests, and ambitions(志向). In most cases, you will visit a likely employer?s office and complete an application form for the position in which you are interested. The employer may then make a decision regarding your ability on the basis of the application form and a personal interview.

Throughout your lifetime, however, you may find yourself in other job-seeking situations in an attempt to improve your position. As you gain experience, you are likely to become ambitious for better and better jobs. These better jobs often request written letters of application and summaries of your background and experience. Your writing skills may an important part in obtaining the job you desire.

In any job-seeking situation, there are a number of ways you may use your writing skills: to complete an application form, prepare a resume, write an application letter, or write employment follow-up letters. As an ambitious job-seeker, therefore , you should be able to prepare all the written material that will help you obtain the job you want.

1. According to the passage, in seeking a job ,the students_____.

A)will follow their interests and ambition

B)like to visit every employer?s office

C)can make an arrangement for an interview

D)will surely get a chance to improve position

2. If you want to improve your position and find a good job, it is important to_____.

A)understand the application form of the company

B)improve your writing skills

C)make a decision on the basis of your own desire

D)get a job related to your education

3. To find a job, it is not necessary to supply_____.

A) a letter of application B) a letter for an interview

C) an application form D) a resume

4. Your application for a job should mainly inform the employer of your______.

A) present position and income B) ability in letter writing

C) background and experience D) decision to apply for the job

5. What may be the best title for this passage?

A) How to Complete a Job Application Form

B) An Introduction to Job-seeking Situations

C) An Attempt to Find Better Jobs

D) Writing Skills Help Job-seeking

Passage 5

This is a new type of advertisement becoming increasingly common in newspaper classified columns. It is sometimes placed among “situations vacant”, although it doesn?t offer anyone job, and sometimes it appears “situations wanted”, although it is not placed by someone looking for a job either. What it does is offer help in applying for a job.

“Contact us before writing your application”, or “Make use of our long experience in preparing your curriculum vitae (job history) or job history”, is how it is usually expressed. The growth and apparent success of such a specialized service is, of course, a reflection on the current high levels of unemployment. It is also an indication of the growing importance of the curriculum vitae, with the suggestion that it may now qualify as an art form in its own right.

There was a time when job seeker simply wrote letters of application. “Just put down your name, address, age and whether you have passed any exams”, was about the average level of advice offered to young people applying for their first jobs when I left school. The letter was really just for openers, it was explained, and everything else could and should be saved for the interview. And in those days of full employment the technique worked. The letter proved that you could write and were available for work. Your eager face and intelligent replies did the rest.

Later, as you moved up the ladder, something slightly more sophisticated was called for. The advice then was to put something in the letter which would distinguish you from the rest. It might be the aggressive approach. “Your search is over. I am the person you are looking for,”was a widely used trick that occasionally succeeded. Or it might be some feature specially designed for the job in view.

There is no doubt, however, that it is the increasing number of applicants with university education at all points in the process of engaging staff that has led to the greater importance of the curriculum vitae.

1. The new type of advertisement mentioned in the first paragraph is ____________.

A) classified ads in newspaper B) to offer jobs

C) to offer help in applying for a job D) to offer help in looking for a job

2. Nowadays this specialized type of service appeared because ______________.

A) art and technology developed quickly

B) there are so many jobs available

C) there are more people out of work than before

D) the job history is considered to be a work of art

3. The word “sophisticated” (Para. 4) probably means _______________.

A) complicated B) simple C) special D) common

4. What is suggested that should be included in one?s letter of application for a more important job?

A) Something that would make you different from others.

B) Basic information including your name, age, etc.

C) Something about your education background.

D) Both B and C.

5. The job history has become more important than before because _____________.

A) there has been an increase in the number of jobs advertised

B) there has been an increase in the number of applicants

C) it requires to be an art form today

D) the requirement is becoming more strict than before

Passage 6 CDACD

A credit card can be useful. You could take it into a store and buy a television set or new furniture or clothing or anything you wanted. All you would have to do is to sign your name and take what you wanted out of the store without paying cash.

But there is a problem with the cards---they can be financial poison. These cards are just like the poisons we use on insects. If we use them carefully, they can be helpful; but if we use them too much, they can kill us. These cards can kill us financially just as real poison can kill our body.

For any money that the user does not pay each month, the credit card company changes a percentage of that amount in interest. The insect is added every month, so a bill that is not paid gets bigger and bigger.

Over 10 percent of the families in the United States are “overextended”. That is, they have more debt on their credit cards than they can pay.

Credit cards can be used for almost anything that money can buy. And they can even be used to pay for funerals. For some credit card users, a funeral may be the only solution to the debt problems they have caused for themselves by using credit cards.

1. A credit card is so useful in daily life that if you have one _______.

A) you can borrow money with no interest

B) you don?t have to pay anything you want.

C) you don?t have to bring cash with you

D) you can take anything free of charge

2. What is the result of using the credit card too much?

A) Causing financial problems to cards users

B) Leading to the death of credit card users.

C) Increasing the rate of interest of the bills.

D) Killing card users like real poison.

3. Which of the statement is true according the passage?

A) Card users have to pay interest for the money that is not paid in time

B) Interest will be charged for any money paid with a credit card.

C) Ten percent of the money used by card users is charged as the interest.

D) Card users will pay lower interest if they return the money in time.

4. If people are “overextended”(in P aragraph 4) with their credit, it means ______.

A) they can no longer use credit cards for anything

B) they have to pay off debts with their money on their cards

C) they have used more money than they can pay off

D) they will be overcharged ten percent of interest

5. What does the author mean by saying “a funeral may be the only solution to the debt problems…by using credit cards”?

A) Some credit card users even use credit cards to pay for their funerals.

B) Using credit cards to pay for funerals may solve debt problem.

C) No interest will be charged for the money paid for funerals.

D) Some credit card users owe too much debt to pay off in their lifetime.

Passage 7 BBCAD

As a kid, Kacey Long would dream of becoming a professional woman. While studying human resources management successfully at university. Long decide to change her look. So, at 19,she decided to get her breasts enlarged, “I was all about doing anything I could to improve myself,” she says.

With that decision, Long joined thousands of young patients who are surgically altering their appearance each year. Teenagers even younger than Long are having breasts enlarged, noses and ears reshaped and skin changed.

In 2003, almost 336,000 American teens 18 or younger had some kind of cosmetic (美容) surgery or procedure, a 50% increase over 2002.

Patient-safety advisers believe that many of the teens having surgery are unnecessarily putting themselves at risk of injury or even death. Teens are at the greatest risk of making a decision they will regret as Long did. Long had her breasts enlarged to size D, felt sick and weak within months after the $4,500-cost plastic surgery, and had her breast fillings removed two years later. She is still suffering from the long, painful recover ies. “I wish I had never done it,” says Long. She is just one of those thousands who are actually risking their future beauty by going under the knife when they are still growing.

1. Which of the following is true about Kacey Long?

A) She had a successful breast surgery

B) She had a regretful breast surgery

C) She studied cosmetic surgery at university.

D) She had become a professional woman.

2. When Long decided to have her breasts enlarged, she_________.

A) knew what risking she was taking

B) was actually risking her future beauty

C) had tried several times to change her look

D) knew all about the effect of breast surgery

3. The number of the American teens having cosmetic surgery_______.

A) had an increasing of 224,000 in the year 2003

B) was about 224,000 in 2002 but doubled in 2003

C) amounted to approximately 224,000 in 2002

D) amounted to approximately 168.000 in 2002

4. When Long says “I wish I had never done it,” she expresses her _______.

A) regretfulness for her decision to have the breast surgery

B) regretfulness for having paid $4,500 for the surgery

C) satisfaction with the removal of the breast fillings

D) satisfaction with her good shape after the surgery

5. The author of the passage uses Long?s case to _________.

A) stop the American teenagers from having painful surgery

B) call our attention to the American teenagers? health

C) express sympathy towards the American teenagers

D) inform the teenagers of the danger of the cosmetic surgery

Passage 8 DDBCC

Scientists in the United States have developed a computer program that say could provide an early warming of major earthquakes. The new system is designed to give a warming seconds before an earthquake strikes.

That may not sound like very long. However, it could give people time to get under a table. The flow of electric power or gas could be cut, air traffic controllers could warn away pilots. Even so-ca lled “smart buildings” could be designed to get ready.

Richard Allen of the University of Wisconsin and Hiroo Kananmori of the California Institute of Technology developed the program. They call it the Earthquake Alarm System. A report published in Science magazine describes it.

The system uses a mathematical program to measure information collected by instruments placed across the Los Angeles area. Southern California already has more than 150 stations that measure movements within the ground. The information they collect is sent to a high-speed computer.

The new system is designed to estimate the strength of the earthquake once the shaking starts. Areas directly above the center of the earthquake would have the least warning. Distant places might have as long as forty seconds.

Professor Allen notes that an early warning system for earthquakes would require a major campaign of public education. Then, another problem is the possibility of false alarms.

1. When an earthquake strikes, the new alarm system would give people enough time to______.

A) find shelter in “smart buildings”

B) tell pilots to land the airplanes

C) know the strength of the earthquake

D) turn off gas and electricity

2.The “earthquake Alarm System” described in the passage h as been developed by _______.

A) Richard Allen and his teacher Hiroo Kananmori

B) Hiroo Kananmori and his assistant Richard Allen

C) two scientists from the United States and Japan

D) two scientists from two universities in the US

3. The new alarming program_________.

A) is widely used in Winsconsin and California

B) is still in process of development

C) is especially useful for areas directly above center of the earthquake

D) gives warming at least forty seconds before the earthquake starts.

4. The new alarm system may be described as _________.

A) a program that analyzes data across the United States

B) a network of instruments placed across the United States

C) a program to collect information from 150 different stations

D) a very powerful computer that can do mathematical problems.

5. The writer of this passage has most probably used information from_________.

A) a meeting held at the California Institute of Technology

B) an interview with Professor Richard Allen

C) a report published in the Science magazine

D) an announcement made by a group of scientists.

Passage 9 CCBDD

Sign has become a scientific hot button. Only in the past 20 years have specialists in language study realized that signed languages are unique—a speech of the hand. They offer a new way to probe how the brain generates and understands language, and throw new light on an old scientific controversy whether language, complete with grammar, is something that we are born with, or whether it is a learned behavior. The current interest in sign language has roots in the pioneering work of one rebel teacher at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the world?s only liberal arts university for deaf people.

When Bill Stokoe went to Gallaudet to teach English, the school enrolled him in a course in signing. But Stokoe noticed something odd among themselves, students signed differently from his classroom teacher.

Stokoe had been taught a sort of gestural code, each movement of the hands representing a word in English. At the time, American Sign Language (ASL) was thought to be no more than a form of pidgin English (混杂英语). But Stokoe believed the hand talk his students used looked richer. He wondered might deaf people actually have a genuine language and could that language be unlike any other on Earth It was 1955, when even deaf people dismissed their signing as substandard. Stokoe’s idea was academic heresy (异端邪说).

It is 37 years later. Stokoe—now devoting his time to writing and editing books and journals and to producing video materials on ASL and the deaf culture—is having lunch at a café near the Gallaudet campus and explaining how he started a revolution. For decades educators fought his idea that signed languages are natural languages like English, French and Japanese. They assumed language must be based on speech, the modulation (调节) of sound. But sign language is based on the movement of hands, the modulation of space. What I said, Stokoe explains, is that language is not mouth stuff—it?s brain stuff.

1. The study of sign language is thought to be ________.

A) a new way to look at the learning of language

B) a challenge to traditional views on the nature of language

C) an approach to simplifying the grammatical structure of a language

D) an attempt to clarify misunderstanding about the origin of language

2. The present growing interest in sign language was stimulated by _______.

A) a famous scholar in the study of the human brain

B) a leading specialist in the study of liberal arts

C) an English teacher in a university for the deaf

D) some senior experts in American Sign Language

3. According to Stokoe, sign language is ________.

A) a substandard language

B) a genuine language

C) an artificial language

D) an international language

4. Most educators objected to Stokoe?s idea because they thought _______.

A) sign language was not extensively used even by deaf people

B) sign language was too artificial to be widely accepted

C) a language should be easy to use and understand

D) a language could only exist in the form of speech sounds

5. Stokoe?s argument is based on his belief that _________.

A) sign language is as efficient as any other language

B) sign language is derived from natural language

C) language is a system of meaningful codes

D) language is a product of the brain

Passage 10 CAABC

“Congratulations, Mr. Jones, it?s a girl.”

Fatherhood is going to have a different meaning and bring forth a different response from every man who hears these words. Some feel pride when they receive the news, while others worry, wondering whether they will be good father. Although there are some men who like children and may have had considerable experience with them, others do not particularly care for children and spend little time with them. Many fathers and mothers have been planning and looking forward to children for some time. For other couples,pregnancy (怀孕) was an accident that both husband and wife have accepted willingly or unwillingly.

Whatever the reaction to the birth of a child, it is obvious that the shift from the role of husband to that of father is a difficult task. Yet, unfortunately, few attempts have been made to educate fathers in this resocialization process. Although numerous books have been written about American mothers, only recently has literature focused on the role of a father.

It is argued by some writers that the transition to the father?s role, although difficult, is not nearly as great as the transition the wife must make to the mother?s role. The mother?s role seems to require a complete transformation in daily routine (生活规律) and highly innovative (创新的) adaptation, on the other hand, the father?s role is less demanding and immediate. However, even though we mentioned the fact that growing numbers of women are working outside the home, the father is still thought by many as the breadwinner in the household.

1. According to the author, being a father ________.

A) brings a feeling of excitement to some men

B) has a different meaning for those who have daughters

C) makes some men feel proud and others uneasy

D) means nothing but more responsibilities

2. It is stated in the passage that ________.

A) some parents are not prepared to have a child

B) young couples do not like children at all

C) working couples do not have much time to take care of their children

D) many parents look forward to having a boy as their first child

3. In the second paragraph, the author ________.

A) criticizes fathers for not taking enough responsibilities in bringing up their

children

B) excuses the American writers for ignoring the difficulties of being a father

C) supports the idea that the chief role of a father is to earn money for the family

D) complains about the lack of social programs to help husbands adjust

themselves to being a father

4. The transition to the mother?s role requires that the wife ________.

A) change her life style in a highly innovative way

B) make a complete change in her everyday life to deal with the new situation

C) stay at home to take care of the baby

D) help her husband in his resocialization process

5. Some writers argue that with respect to the change of roles, fathers, compared

with mothers, ________.

A) have to shoulder more burdens

B) have to make more difficult adaptations

C) have an easier job to do

D) can usually do a better job