大学英语二级期末考试-阅读理解命题范围

Passage 1

Charlie Chaplin has broken all records in making people laugh. No one has so set a whole world laughing as the little man with the walking stick and the oversized shoes.

Much has been written about Chaplin's art and his career, and opinions have ranged widely. But perhaps those who called him "the truest human being of our time" came closest to the truth. Those who have called him a genius stress the timeless and common qualities in his work. It is an art filled with sad elements and deep human feeling, with which an audience cannot help but become involved. It is for these reasons, I believe, that the figure of Charlie has attracted generation after generation.

All the writers who give accounts of Chaplin's life agree that Charlie's unhappy early years in the area in London where houses were dirty and worn had a great influence on his development and on the type of films he made. Chaplin himself emphasizes it in his memoirs (回忆录). The more one reads about his earliest period, the more one tends to agree. Indeed, his suffering youth had a lasting influence on him.

Chaplin was never afraid to deal with subjects causing much disagreement in his films. He gave a humorous performance on war only a few weeks before the American soldiers came home from World War I in 1918. This was regarded as madness, but the performance was well received. So perfectly did it hit the nail on the head that even the returning soldiers found it impossible to hate it and deeply appreciated this short and humorous performance on what for them had been an unpleasant reality. Chaplin gave numerous performances attacking capital governments, satirizing (讽刺) the cruelty of the machine age, and even making fun of Hitler.

Years after his death, the funny films of motion picture actor and director Charlie Chaplin continue to be well loved. He is particularly well known for his success as a creator of humorous presentations that make fun of people, the establishment, or networks.

1. All of the following about Charlie Chaplin are true except _______________.

A. he was born in the USA

B. he was a great film actor

C. he had an unhappy early life

D. he made fun of Hitler in one of his films

2. According to the author, Charlie Chaplin has been well loved by generation after

generation because ______________.

A. he set the whole world laughing

B. his performances get people involved

C. his works appeal to people in different periods

D. both B and C

3. According to the writers of Charlie Chaplin's life history, ____________ had a strong

influence on the type of films he made.

A. the society in which he lived

B. the audience who praised and admired him

C. his unhappy early years in the poor area in London

D. those who called him a genius

4. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. There are timeless qualities in Chaplin's work because he didn't involve himself in

political affairs.

B. Chaplin became well loved years after his death.

C. Chaplin's performance is funny without any sad elements.

D. Chaplin's films are the combinations of funny and sad elements.

5. This passage was ____________.

A. written by Charlie Chaplin

B. written about Charlie Chaplin

C. advertising one of Charlie Chaplin's films

D. written for students to learn film-making

Passage 2

Although Beethoven could sit down and compose easily, his really great compositions did not come easily at all. They cost him a great deal of hard work and he always found it hard to satisfy himself.

When he was 28, he began to notice a strange noise in his ears. As it grew worse, he went to see doctors, and was told that he was going deaf. This was too much for any composer to bear. Beethoven was without hope; he was sure that he was going to die. He went to the countryside where he wrote a long good-bye letter to his brothers, describing how sad and lonely his deafness made him. He longed to die, and said to death, "Come when you will; I shall meet you bravely."

In fact, Beethoven did something braver than dying. He gathered his courage and went

on writing music, though he could hear what he wrote more and more faintly. He wrote the music for which we remember him best after he became deaf. This music was very different from any that had been composed before. Instead of the artistic and beautiful music that earlier composers had written for their rich listeners, Beethoven wrote stormy, exciting music which reminds us of his troubled and courageous (勇敢的) life. His Heroic(英雄的) Symphony (交响乐) and Fifth Symphony both show his courage in struggling with his fate.

In time he went completely deaf, but he wrote more creatively than ever, for he could "hear" his music in his mind. He was lonely and often unhappy but in spite of this, he often wrote joyful music, such as his last symphony, the Ninth. Because of his courage and strong will to triumph, his music has given joy and encouragement to millions of people.

1. How did Beethoven's deafness affect him?

A. It killed him.

B. It stopped his writing music.

C. It drove him mad.

D. It helped him create great music.

2. Which of the following music works written by Beethoven was joyful?

A. No. 9 Symphony.

B. No. 7 Symphony.

C. No. 5 Symphony.

D. No. 3 Symphony.

3. Beethoven longed to die because _______________.

A. he had told death he would meet it bravely

B. he felt his deafness was too much for him to bear as a composer

C. he wouldn't be able to write music for rich listeners after becoming deaf

D. he wouldn't be able to support his family

4. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A. Music and Symphony

B. Hard to Satisfy

C. The Music of Fate

D. Deafness in Music.

5. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. When he was partly deaf, Beethoven's music became more and more gentle.

B. His music became more and more artistic although he was deaf.

C. He wrote fainter and fainter music after he went deaf.

D. He composed exciting and encouraging music that reflected his struggle with his fate. Passage 3

English food is thought of poorly in other countries. This is most probably because foreigners in England are often obliged (不得不) to eat in the more fast-food type of restaurant. Here it is necessary to prepare food rapidly in large amounts, and the taste of the food inevitably suffers, though its quality, from the point of view of nourishment (营养), is quite satisfactory. Still, it is rather dull and not always pleasantly presented. Moreover, the Englishman eating in a cheap or medium price restaurant is usually in a hurry (at least at lunch), and a meal eaten in a leisurely way in pleasant surroundings is always far more enjoyable than a meal taken quickly in a business-like environment. In general, it is possible to get a good meal at a reasonable price; in fact, such a meal may be less expensive than similar food in other countries. For those with money to spare, there are restaurants that compare favorably with the best in any country.

In many countries breakfast is a snack (点心) rather than a meal, but the typical English breakfast is a full meal. Some people have a bowl of hot or cold cereal(谷物) to begin with. Then comes a large and filling course, usually cooked, such as bacon (腊肉) and eggs, or some other type of meat. Yorkshire ham (火腿) is also a breakfast many people enjoy. Afterwards comes toast, with butter and marmalade (果子酱), and perhaps some fruit. Tea or coffee is drunk with the meal. Many English people now take such a full breakfast only on Sunday morning.

1. Food in the more fast-food type of restaurant in Britain is always _____________.

A. served in large amounts

B. very pleasant in appearance

C. quite acceptable for foreigners

D. not so delicious

2. According to the passage, English food is _______________ in terms of nourishment.

A. actually quite satisfactory

B. not good at all

C. always very simple

D. always taken in pleasant surroundings despite its poor taste

3. Foreigners in Britain always choose to ____________________.

A. eat the most typical food

B. have a full breakfast every day

C. buy the least expensive food

D. have their meals in the more fast-food type of restaurant

4. Which of the following statements is probably true?

A. Englishmen always talk about time while eating.

B. The same meal would be more enjoyable if eaten in better surroundings.

C. It's almost impossible for any British restaurant to rank among the best in the world.

D. People can hardly get enough food at a reasonable price in Britain.

5. Which of the following statements is probably NOT true?

A. Many Englishmen have a full breakfast only once a week.

B. Typical breakfast in Britain is a meal rather than a snack.

C. Englishmen are so stuck in their old ways that they have a full breakfast every day.

D. English people always have tea or coffee with a full breakfast instead of fruit juice.

Passage 4

Television carries more national advertising than any other medium in the United States. The same is true in some smaller countries such as Spain and Portugal, where it is the only medium reaching a general national audience. In many countries, (Sweden and Denmark, for example) the state-owned television accepts no advertising. In many other countries the amount of commercial (商业广告) time is very much limited, as in France, Germany, and Italy. Russian state-owned television began accepting a limited amount of advertising in 1988.

The chief reason that television is so well liked among United States advertisers is that it reaches a vast number of people at the same time. While it can cost well over 100,000 dollars, a 30-second commercial on network television can be seen and heard by as many as 25 million viewers. For companies that must make prospects aware of their products and convince them of their benefits immediately, there is nothing as efficient as television advertising.

Because it employs motion as well as words, pictures, sounds, and music, television is a

valuable medium for products that lend themselves to demonstration. No other medium is as effective in showing how quickly an automobile can move or how well a certain type of wristwatch will stand up under heavy use and continue to run. In the same way, it is an ideal medium for showing how some products can make a person feel better about him- or herself, such as long-distance telephone calls.

1. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A. There is less advertising on TV in Spain than in Sweden.

B. One can never see any commercial on TV in Denmark since it is not accepted at all.

C. The amount of commercial time is very much limited in most European countries.

D. French people don't have to worry about being troubled by commercials.

2. According to the passage, what is the main reason United States advertisers like

television so much?

A. It communicates information more quickly.

B. Every household has at least one TV set.

C. It communicates information to a vast number of people at the same time.

D. American people love watching TV more than reading.

3. The word prospects in the 2nd paragraph means _____________.

A. potential customers

B. competitors

C. working staff at TV stations

D. partners

4. Which of the following is employed in TV advertising?

A. Motion

B. Sounds and music.

C. Pictures

D. All of the above.

5. Which of the following statements is true?

A. Television is as efficient as newspaper in demonstration benefits of a certain product

or service.

B. Television is a valuable medium in demonstrating benefits of a certain product or