大学英语四级阅读理解高分讲义

大学英语四级阅读理解高分讲义

一、阅读应该遵循怎样的做题程序

关于阅读，我想首先当我们拿到一份考卷的时候，大家首先关注的点是我们应该怎么做我们的题目，我们做题的程序分别是什么，我想一个阅读要做好的话，首先要明白一点，我们四级里，35分钟做四篇文章的时间相对比较紧张，我们以前一般有的同学是，四加五或者是五加四的模式，四分钟的时间看文章，五分钟做题目。或者是五分钟看文章，四分钟做题目，这个相对不是特别合理。原因是四级里我们发现时间是不够的。看文章是非常有效的，有有目的性。

建议大家先看题目，再看问题。言外之意，我们建议大家一个时间比例，一加四加四的模式，一分钟时间把后面的题目看一下，分别是考什么方向，考词汇，还是考推理，还是考细节。做一个分析以后，看文章的时候，你发现，我这个题目主要是关注什么东西？比如说后面有的题目是看主题的。你要看文章时，就要关注这个文章主题。如果你发现后面的题目是关注一个细节。你看文章的时候，要注意文章的一些细节。如果后面的题目看得有效，看文章，阅读的任务也会非常明确。所以建议大家，第一，先看我们后面的题干。看题干，后面这四个选项就不用看了，因为四个选项有正确的选项，你看多了，反而会影响你的思维。大家看题干看完之后，就可以看文章。接下来用四分钟左右时间把文章看一下。有同学可能会感觉看文章速度比较慢。这是我呆会儿会看到阅读过程中可能会注意一些什么东西，或者是呈现什么特点。

我建议大家四分钟看文章，然后再用四到五分钟时间把后面的题目做完。只要你第一分钟是有效的，看文章之后，就会非常有方向感。如果看文章是有方向感的，后面做题目，当然也非常有效。我们就明白，其实在四级里，只要时间相对比较合理，做题程序合理化，我们发现，这还是可以做好的。

这是第一个我要讲的关于四级阅读，我们大概的做题程序。先看题干，再分析原文，最后做题目。

在做题过程中，我强调两点，四分钟里，一定要回顾一下，刚才文章讲了什么东西。一般我们是看完文章，基本上凭着主观印象做题，导致有一种感觉，做题感觉看文章非常简单，做题也是非常简单。但是发现很多题是错误的。建议大家，我们在做题过程中，你要注意一点，要回到文章，分析相关内容，防止用主观印象来做题。

这是刚才一个大概的做题程序的一个讲解。

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二、做题时间如何合理分配

如果程序合理化以后，我们要有另外一些东西注意一下，比如考试时间的分布，刚才我其实讲了，每一篇文章可能我们需要注意什么东西。比如这个时间，一篇文章可能

是一加四加四，这样的时间，用九到十分钟时间分析一下我们这篇文章，完成文章的一个讲解和阅读。

其实，我们的阅读涉及到方方面面，它会涉及到更多东西。所以我从以下几个时间概念，让大家对考试有一些更多的感觉。

首先我想最宏观的一个35加5这个概念。我们四级，要求是我们的35分钟做完，我们的四篇文章，但是这个时间一般是不够的，建议大家我们从另外的题型当中，比方我们的词汇或者是从我们的写作，不管怎么样，从另外的题型，借五分钟时间给我们的阅读。这样你会发现，我们会有40分钟做四篇文章。按照以前的一些考试经历来讲，四级考生，用40分钟做四篇文章，这个时候，他的正确率是最高的。

这是我们的考试时间和正确率的一个黄金搭配。建议大家35加5，从另外题型超过5分钟时间给我们的阅读。

另外，要注意第二个概念。我们四级里面，还要注意，22加18这个概念。什么意思呢？现在我们用40分钟，怎么去分配我们这40分钟，同学们比较关心。建议大家有一个时间概念，22加18.就是我们通常在考试过程当中，会用22分钟左右的时间，来完成前两篇文章。为什么是这样子？原因是前两篇文章，我们做题速度可能还没有赶上来，刚开始，速度有点慢。后两篇文章，考生的做题速度会比较快，很多考生，可以用7到8分钟做完一篇文章。不管怎么讲，建议大家用22加18的时间概念是比较合理的。这一点，其实对我们的考试心理状态，有一种比较好的调节。

很多考生在考试过程中，可能前两篇文章用了22到25分钟时间可能会比较紧张。可能会随便做了一下，讲求一个速度，总感觉自己来不及了，所以，后面两篇文章的正确率会下降。其实没有必要。为什么呢？因为22加18这个概念，就是稳住我们的心理状态。告诉你们一点，如果在考试过程当中，用22分钟时间或者是25分钟时间，看我们前两篇文章，这是非常合理的。这是我们的第二个概念。

告诉我们考试过程中可能会遇到什么情况。我们用怎么样的心理状态去应对它。

第三，我们要注意的一个概念是，我们刚才讲的，一加一加四的概念。每篇文章我们可能用10分钟时间，在考试过程当中，我们用9分钟做出一篇文章比较合理。在考前，我们用9分钟来练每一篇文章比较合理。这9分钟怎么分配它，这涉及到一篇文章的操作程序问题。所以我提到了9等于1加4加4，这是刚才谈到的做题程序问题。

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三、如何克服阅读太慢或特快的问题

刚才给大家讲了一些时间的概念，希望借用这些时间概念，考试怎么操作，有一种大概的方向感。不光是时间，大家可能有些问题，怎么去分布。我想时间分布，可能会导致一些困难，就是我们阅读太快，或者是太慢。

有的同学，阅读太快这个概念，有的同学，在做题过程当中，总是怕时间不够，所以他拼命往下做，往下赶时间，导致的结果是，很多同学在做题过程中，第一篇文章，感觉什么都没看懂，结果开始做题了。他在回到文章，再去分析文章本身，而导致的结果是时间被浪费了。所以你就明白，过于求快，实际上结果是变慢了。建议大家在考试过程当中，不要太快，心理的紧张因素，要克服。怎么克服我们的太快这个问题。其实，我们有很多方法，而一个最贴近的方法，就是我们在看文章的时候，要注意我们的做标记的方法。边看，要做一些标记，这个文章，哪地方是转折性的语言，哪个地方是因果关系，或者是比较关系。一些重要的语言现象稍微关注一下。

重要的语言现象不光是我们考题经常考的地方，也是把握整篇文章脉络的一个重要环节。不光是我们的语言现象，而且比方说，原文中的一些关键词，与行为相关的一些单词，或者是文章主题所在地方，或者是表示结论的一些地方，都要关注一下。因为这些地方，不光要考题，而且还要让你明白文章的脉络和文章的观点。而且要注意，有关观点性的语言，考得越来越多。

这是我们要注意的第一个。阅读太快，可以通过做一些简单分析的方式克服这些问题。

另外有一个相反的错误，就是阅读太慢，为什么会阅读太慢，其实有很多。第一个，可能有一些阅读的不良习惯导致的。有的同学看文章，都是一个单词，一个单词往下看，视野的宽度比较窄，具体可以经过锻炼，比方说每一眼看下去，能够看两到三个单词，后来可以扩展到四到五个，视野宽度，可能没有时间去练习，建议大家要注意另外一些方法。比方说要明白这个文章哪些是重点要考，哪些是次要考的。

这一点，我讲一下，四级好事当中，有关速度太慢，在看文章时，要注意什么东西。我所讲的一些语言点，这是我们历年四级考试经常会涉及的地方。

第一个是我们的段落首末这个地方，近几年，段落首末考题的量增加了。而且在首末去，一些观点性语言，还有一些重要的语言现象，这个更加容易考到。

第二，转折性语言，在四级里，我们发现，转折性语言，经常会考，曾经有四级考试考得很经典，它一共有五个题目。四个题目是在原文中找答案，含有“but”等转折性的语言。第五个题目，其实是把前几个题目合起来，前个个转折性的语句合起来，如果我们在这次考试当中，发现了文章，尤其是文章的首段有表示转折的语言，一定要关注一下。

第三，如果你发现，某一段首和末有一些转折性的语言，也应该要关注一下。转折有很多单词来表达，比方说however、but，however这个单词在四级里考得比较多，而且命题概率会比较强。

四级不光会考转折性逻辑，而且还会考因果关系的推导，表示因果关系的地方，经常用这些考题。同学们在看文章的时候，出现一个For或者是because，任何一个逻辑，都是值得推敲的地方。所以同学们在看文章的时候，凡是有因果逻辑关系或者是转折关系，都应该关注一下。

如果因果关系和我们的转折合在一起的话，那么这个题目被考的概率更高。

第四，要注意比较关系，比较，从历年考试来讲，尤其要考一种绝对化或者是最高级的比较。尤其当几个并列现象同时出现，这时候，它的最典型的一个地方，给大家举一个例子。比方说，我们在2003年9月考过一篇文章，这个文章是关于年轻人犯车祸这个问题。年轻人搭车，车里面有乘客是很危险的。第一句话说，年轻人在晚上开车很危险。第二段告诉我们，年轻人在晚上，如果还有乘客，那是更加危险。你就明白这个地方，我们有三种情况是危险的。第三种情况是把前面的一二两种情况都结合起来了。你就明白，结合这个例子，一下子可以理解了，四级里面，所谓的考试最典型应该是这个意思了。

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四、要做好阅读，必须注意一些关系词

刚才我们讲，这个比较的考点，下面就是往下，还有另外一些考点，比方说，我们有表示观点性的语言，表示一些结论性的语言，近几年，我们表示结论性的语言考的量越来越多了。如果你发现，有文章里面，有一句话，是结论性的语言，它有可能会考题。尤其是2004年6月，四篇文章里，很多题目，都是根据一个人讲的话来设计的。所以，大家在看文章时，要注意，我们原文中，如果有一些表示观点性的语言，谁谁said，谁讲，或者是谁think这样的语言出现，你就要稍微关注一下。这次考试里一定要关注这方面的语言。当然一个人讲的观点，比方说，某某人发现，一般find这个单词。或者是某某研究，或者是某某实验，show什么东西。这些单词，都可以表示一种结论。在考试过程中，这些单词要稍微关注一下。

可以这么讲，如果从某种角度来讲，刚才谈到的单词，只是我们四级考试的考点词，这些考点词应该关注，极有可能会涉及一个考题。这是我讲的，刚才表示结论、观点这样的考点。

另外，要注意，如果一篇文章，它的第一段，文章第一段，如果包含一些观点性，结论性的语言，这个地方，也经常用来设计考题。因为从近几年的统计数字来讲，四级里面，凡是在第一段，有表示一个行为的目的，有表示一种言论或者是另外一些事情的目的，在文章第一段出现，这个地方一般会涉及考题。

所以我们在看文章时，第一段一定要仔细看。看文章，一个是看文章太慢，一个是看文章太快。慢，并不是每个地方都得慢，有的地方你都得快看，如果在文章里，有一些语言是说明这个人来自哪个地方，这个人的职位或者是工作的环境是哪个地方的话，这个地方的语言是没有必要看的。

如果文章里，有一些一连串的专有名词，这些名词限定或者是说明一个问题，这些专有名词是没有意义的。我们在2005年6月，一篇考试里，有很多表示地方。这个地方有很多一些专有名词。这些专有名词都没有必要。因为四级考试，一般不会考专有名词本身是什么含义。它只考专有名词所在的这句话的另外一些考点的地方。

所以在考试过程当中，要注意，我们什么地方要快看。除了专业名词我们要快看的话，还有其他的，比如说统一表达，比如说意思比较相近的地方。尤其是并列的地方。如果你发现，好几种情况并列，那么你要注意，并不是每一个并列的地方，都会考到。它只有一些重要的地方，才会考。所以同学要们注意一点，如果这几个考试，有好几个地方，好几句话，要注意开头相似。好几个句子，开头相似，表示并列，这些并列句子比较简单。这个地方，就得看得快一点儿。因为我讲过，并列，不是主要的。这是要快看的一些地方。当然快看，还有很多地方。

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五、如何有效排除阅读题目的干扰选项

如果做题只看题干和四个选项，结合两者的合理性，主观猜想的话，一般是错的。

第一，会涉及合理但不正确。给大家举一个简单例子。比方说，我前面走着一个老年人，他走路走得很慢，A题目来一个A选项，这个老年人腿脚不够利索，这句话是正确的。因为年纪比较大，但是这个选项未必能选，因为文章未必会谈到。这是主观猜想。

再举一个简单例子，我想今天外面天气跟冷，下面再设计一个选项，大家都穿了很多衣服。这个选项听起来非常合理的，但是你不能选，因为这个文章未必会讲，今天穿衣服还是不穿衣服一个问题。他可能会讲，今天外面风很大，环境恶劣的问题。这是合理但不正确，关键是文章没有谈到。

如果你明白这个道理的话，很多选项，你就不会选它。从2002年到现在我们很多题都会比较难。原因是合理但不正确的选项设计了好多。尤其是2002年6月份，我们考过一篇文章，关于英雄这篇文章，当时正确率比较低。原因是，我们这里面有很多看起来很合理，比如说英雄使人们更加强大，使人们更有自信，这其实是合理的。但是当时很多同学开始选它了。但是你就错了。因为这里要注意，这篇文章没有谈到。

第二，模仿原文，什么叫模仿原文。模仿院文有两种，整个选项和文章的机会相似，80、90％都和文章是一模一样的，或者只是个别单词的一种改动。第二是部分的项。比方说，一个选项有八个单词，有四个单词和文章一模一样，意思也一模一样，但是有另外四个单词是不存在的，是一个附加信号。这样的选项极有可能是错的。你要注意在四级里我们称之为模仿原文，有一半是对的，有一半是错的。

如果你发现在考试过程当中，有一些选项，如果简单的话，这个信号和文章重叠的比较多的，一般是对的，如果考得比较难，和文章信号重复的越多，或者是越相似的选项，一般是错的。不管怎么样，如果你觉得，一些单词一模一样的话，或者是比较相近的话，或者是很多信号和文章是雷同的，你要注意一点，你必须要仔细分析，千万不要盲目选择。这样的选项要引起注意。

这是第二种模仿英文。

第一种是合理但不正确。第二是模仿原文。

第三，出的最难的一种是设计需要选择最佳选项的选项。这类选项是四级考生错误率比较高的选项。四级考生认为这个选项，这个也是合理的，那个也是合理的，他总是左右为难。但你要明白一点，四级和六级有一样是一样的，我们选一个最佳选项而不选一个正确答案。我们很多选项都错，或者是四个选项都错或者是都对。我们选择一个最佳选项。

我给大家举一个简单例子，我们四级考过一篇文章，2002年1月份，考过关于打猎这篇文章。文章告诉我们，英国要通过一个法律，这个法律规定，禁止猎狗打猎所有的野生动物。文章后面怎么写，它这样讲，现在英国要通过一个法律，这个法律禁止猎狗打猎狐狸，你发现这个选项是错误的，因为原文中是禁止猎狗打猎所有的野生动物。这个地方我们发现，只是要禁止猎狗打猎狐狸，这个范围明显缩小了，但是我们还得选它，因为另外几个选项明显连狗都没有谈到，我们这个选项是最合理的。四个选项都错，但是选一个最不错的。这就是选择最佳选项的选项。

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六、做阅读题，如何才能主动降低难度

我们对刚刚的特点有所掌握的话，我们考试过程当中，就会从这几方面去思考，从而降低它的难度。如果要对我们的四级选项难度降低做一个细分的话，要注意一点。如果你发现，某一个题目，不管是细节也好，是观点也好，词汇也好，主题也好，只要是这个题目和文章的主题是比较相近的，那么这个选项一般极有可能是对的。如果你觉得四级的细节、观点，你要选答案和文章的答案，和文章的主题相去甚远，或者你选的答案非常肤浅的话，不能说明背后的一个重要话题的话，这个一般是干扰性选项。这在2005年1月份考试里面会体现得比较重。

第一，要和文章主题进行联系。

第二，要注意，如果降低难度，不光要把我们的选项和文章主题进行联系，而且要注意一点，我们选项本身有些弱点。比方说，如果你发现这个题目是观点性的题目，结论性的题目，文章主题，那么就明白，它的题目，它的答案，应该是一些结论性的，概括性的，涉及一些细节性的，涉及一个特别细的话题选项。如果你觉得这个题目是考特别细的话题，那么，它的某一个选项范围很大，具有概括性，这样的选项就是错误的。这一点，可以从题型的角度对我们的四级题目的难度进行一个降低。

另外，你要注意，四级选项，如果你发现一个选项特别绝对化，特别程度很高，特别绝对，这样的选项十有八九是一个干扰选项，四级里，很多答案是留有余地的，一般具有一些让步的语气。你要从我们的题干本身，从我们的答案本身去思考，去降低我们的难度。

不管怎么样，如果对我们的四级出题的一些角度，对我们四级题目的设计有些了解的话，难度，总还是会降低。

刚才是我讲的第三个干扰选项的问题。

第一讲考试的程序，第二讲考试的时间分布。第三，讲到干扰选项可能会有什么特点。

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七、阅读题容易做错的原因

下面我再讲一下，错误的原因。

我做了很多，总是错，而且我把整个真题都做完了，为什么水平没有提高，这是为什么？首先我讲一下，错误的原因，我再讲一下，为什么你没有提高。我们做题可能会有这种感觉。比方说文章看懂，题干看懂，做题都是错的。这时候你要注意，你一般都是做细节题，这个细节题能力问题不大，关键是做题速度偏高，有的同学，做题，文章不怎么看透，题目也不怎么有把握。但对答案之后发现对了。由于你有比较好的做题方法，文章我们一些简单句子，涉及考题的句子，你可能都做对了，看懂了，最后的题目，才可以做对。四级里，并不需要每一个文章都看懂了。其实我们讲，做题最好的状态是读懂70％的文章，做对百分之百的题目。

刚才第二位同学，你要注意一点，你的长难句的理解，长句和难句的理解，还是不过关的。建议，你在最后两个星期时间内，把我们的长句和难句，复杂句都看一点儿，从而提高你自身的阅读理解水平。

第三类同学可能会做题当中，发现四个选项，排列两个，最后还留下两个选项，到底选哪一个，有点左右为难。最后还是选错了。为什么会这样？原因四级里面，你很少关注我们一个选项的细节性的单词，尤其没有关注这四个选项中，一些表示频率，表示程度，这样的单词。我给大家举一个简单例子。我们四级曾经考过一个题，这个驾驶员，要和一个电脑中心保持联系。后面出来一个干扰选项，说驾驶员要不断的Constant，不断的和电脑中心保持联系，不断的打电话。为什么他错了呢？原文中讲是不断的联系一次，而这个地方讲是不断的联系。频率上出现一个问题。所以在四级考试里，一定要注意，每一个选项的细节的信号。尤其要注意一些程度或者是频率的单词。

这是我讲到的这个状态。我们排除四个选项，还有两个选项可能会徘徊。还有一个原因，就是你的概括能力不行。这种概括能力体现在，你把你的选项和文章主题离得很开，你要注意，如果你出现这种情况的话，哪个选项更加深入，哪个选项离得越近。

这是讲的错误的一些表现和原因。

你要注意不同的原因，有一些同学对错误是不总结的，导致的结果是，他以后该错的，还得错，类似的错误，还得犯。如果你把每道做错的题总结一下，把错误的原因罗列一下，就明白，你就会发现，错误的原因是有共同原因的，有一个普遍规律，把这个规律掌握了，以后就不会错了。

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八、最后关键时刻如何高效复习阅读

最后我想讲一下，我们的复习方法这个问题。

我们拿到一篇文章以后，我们最后的时间，应该怎么去复习这个问题。我建议大家能够采取比较合理的方法复习。

有同学只做题不练习，或者是只做题不总结。我记得以前暑假班一个同学，在讲台上放了十本参考书，每本书已经做过两遍，任何真题可以把这个答案告诉你。但是他说，为什么四级就是不过，实际上我觉得，这个同学已经走火入魔。这个同学有一个恶性循环，他试图通过做题求得能力的提高。实际上做题在于能力的检测，能够对几个题目，能够错几个题目，如果你总是检测自己的能力，想要了解自己的水平有多高，但是你光检测是没有意义的，你总是在原来的水平。所以你必须总结。

第一，要总结的是单词。四级阅读里，有些单词，是会重复的，反复的考你，尤其是近几年，四级考试的变化来讲，有些核心单词是反复出现，反复考你。比如像criteria，这个单词，表示标准的意思。2002年6月，考这个单词的时候，很多同学就晕菜了，这个单词是什么东西，根本不理解。这个单词，考生应该理解，因为只要你做过95年四级考试的话，这个单词就已经有了。我们明白，2000年以后，很多单词是在反复考我们的。所以建议大家，如果时间有限，抓主要矛盾，一定把我们的四级阅读真题上的单词背一下。你觉得，四级阅读真题有许多年，单词量太多，怎么办？缩小我们的范围。最小范围是2000年以后的四级单词。很多难词，反复出现，而且有些新的难词也出现了。

这个单词，你要理解，如果再考你的话，2005年12月24号，再考这个单词的话，应该明白。当然有很多单词，就是反复考你的。这个单词，大家一定要关注一下，发现一个小特点，核心单词重现，因此我们总结第一方面，就是总结单词。这个单词说明这是你的盲区。你的盲区极有可能是四级的核心的单词的区间。

第二，要总结的是难句。如果一个句子很难，你看了两遍没有看懂，说明这达到我们能力的局限。我们需要分析这个句子的结构，做一个解剖和细分，不断的理解、背诵，最好是模仿。模仿是最好的掌握，因为你模仿句子，主谓宾怎么形成，这个结构是怎么来的，理解了它，当然可以模仿它。类似的句子，当然可以理解了。

所以我讲，模仿是最好的掌握。

第二个，如果大家要模仿一些难句的话，如果你分析一篇文章时，这个文章的某一段的首句或者是末句很难懂的话，这个地方一定要关注。因为首句或者是末句是四级考试能力的经常性的要求。

第三，是刚才讲的错误的原因要总结，没有总结错误的原因，类似的错误，还会犯。所以一定要总结一下。一类错误扭转过来以后，就不会犯错误了。

最后要总结的第四点是时间和正确率。

光是总结时间是没有意义的。光是总结正确率也没有意义。

因为时间和正确率在四级里是相辅相成的关系。四级考试，要求大家在40分钟或者是30到40分钟以内能否做完四篇文章，而且四篇文章做得相对不错，所以我想把时间和正确率两者结合起来。这是真正的能力的综合指标。

刚才是需要总结的一些东西。相关选项，考生提得非常好。最后十天时间，我们应该怎么去分布我们的复习计划这个问题。

心里应该有底，不要狂做题了，最后一段时间，我们应该明白一点儿，应该从做题的量转向做题的质。现在你踏踏实实做三到五份题，可能比你做100份或者是50份的题目好得多得多。因为你把三五份题目做得比较细，每个地方都踏踏实实看懂了，那么你的能力就会提高。怎么操作这三五份题呢？

我们分两步来做。第一步，就算有单词，不认识，你也往下走。请你在规定时间内，把这个文章做完。这是第一。

第二步，我们没有时间概念。剩下两到三天时间，把这个文章真正理解它，每个单词，每句话，整篇文章的框架理解一下，这是第二步，也是能力提高的关键。如果两步这样做的话，就不断的检测、总结，检测、总结、螺旋提高中上升。总结是能力提高的关键。而不光是仅仅的一个练习。

要做三到五份真题，不要做模拟题，考前做模拟题，可能会误导我们的能力。请大家一定要注意，考前一定要做真题。如果真题已经做过，那么我们应该怎么办？

如果你觉得现在每一个真题都做了，你要注意，还是要做真题。因为我讲了，第一个，模拟题会误导我们的能力和考试节奏感。所以做真题。

四级考试曾经批判过我们的模拟题，假设模拟题得了95分，四级真题可能会考59分。原因是考点，考法和题目设计完全不一样。

这是我讲的第一个考前三到五份考题。

第二点是考前一两天要注意什么。

（一）快速阅读（4/6）

1. 题型简介

本部分要求考生在15分钟内完成一篇1000字左右的文章并完成10道题：7道多项选择题+3道句子填空题。分值：10%。

2. 解题步骤

1）浏览文章（Skim）

I）迅速浏览各小标题或各段首句（或尾句），理顺全文的结构框架。

注：首、尾段的首、尾句以及较长段落的首、尾句都应浏览。

II）迅速查看每段的关键词以及段中可能出现的转折词、标签词、数字、专有名词、特殊句/词、标点（something special）。

提示：浏览时可用笔标出一些关键词或上述比较特别的地方。

2）审题/定位（Scan)

快速浏览考题，正确理解题目所表述的内容，找出考点所在——题眼或关键词/词语，特别要关注诸如因果、比较、目的、方式、数字、时间，特殊标点符号如引号，专有名词，等细节。此时，最重要的是确定用什么词或短语进行定位（定位技巧请见下文）。结合浏览文章后的印象和定位技巧确定考点所在句。

3）作答(Answer the questions)

阅读与每题相关的内容，准确进行定位和解题。解题时，可将原文和考题相同的部分去掉，剩下的内容非常可能就是答案所在。

I）对于多项选择题，可先仔细分析题干，找出考点所在，如原因，数量等，再将题干和原文中对应的句子进行对照，找出相应的信息。

注:可以充分利用选项的共性来找出考点。

II）对于完成句子题，可对题干进行简单的语法分析，找出空白处所需部分的成分（如动词性的内容，或者名词性，或者人名、时间、数字等）或者出题点并作答。

注：作答时，须注意语法转换或逻辑转换，如主被动语态的转换，因果关系和目的关系的转换等。

3. 定位技巧：

定位技巧一：用数字进行定位

因为英文字母中夹杂的数字通常比较容易识别，所以，如果题干中含有数字，考生可以根据该数字在文中进行查找，找出其在文中第一次出现的位置，并进而根据其他细节进行精确定位。

【例1】The United States has always engaged in foreign intelligence activities. Covert action aided the patriots in winning the Revolutionary War. But the first formal, organized agencies didn't exist until the 1880s, when the Office of Naval Intelligence and the Army's Military Intelligence Division were created. Around World War I, the Bureau of Investigation (the forerunner of the FBI) took over intelligence-gathering duties. The intelligence structure continued through several repetitions. For example, the Office of Strategic Services, known as the OSS, was established in 1942 and abolished in 1945.

After World War II, U.S. leaders struggled with how to improve national intelligence. The Pearl Harbor bombing, which brought the United States into World War II, was considered a major intelligence failure.

In 1947, President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act, which created the CIA. The act also created a director of central intelligence, who had three different roles: the president's principal adviser on security issues, the head of the entire U.S. intelligence community and the head of the CIA, one of the agencies within that intelligence community. This structure was revised in 2004, with the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, which created the position of director of national intelligence to oversee the intelligence community. Now, the

director of the CIA reports to the director of national intelligence.

Two years later, Congress passed the Central Intelligence Agency Act, which allows the agency to keep its budget and staffing secret. For many years, the agency's primary mission was to protect the United States against communism and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. These days, the agency has an even more complex job—to protect the United States from terrorist threats from all over the globe.

【题目】From 2004, the director of central intelligence has been replaced by _________________ to be responsible for the entire intelligence community in the US.

【解析】本题含有数字2004，考生可据其定位于第3段倒数第2句。

定位技巧二：用专有名词如人名、地名等进行定位

人名、地名等专有名词因含有大写字母，故相对容易定位。如果题干中含有这类名词，考生也可以据其进行初步定位。

【例2】Make your reservations now. The space tourism industry is officially open for business, and tickets are going for a mere $20 million for a one-week stay in space. Despite reluctance from National Air and Space Administration (NASA), Russia made American businessman Dennis Tito the world’s first space tourist. Tito flew into space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket that arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on April 30, 2001. The second space tourist, South African businessman Mark Shuttleworth, took off aboard the Russian Soyuz on April 25, 2002, also bound for the ISS.

Lance Bass of ’N Sync was supposed to be the third to make the $20 million trip, but he did not join the three-man crew as they blasted off on October 30, 2002, due to lack of payment. Probably the most incredible aspect of this proposed space tour was that NASA approved of it.

These trips are the beginning of what could be a profitable 21st century industry. There are already several space tourism companies planning to build suborbital vehicles and orbital cities within the next two decades. These companies have invested millions, believing that the space tourism industry is on the verge of taking off.

In 1997, NASA published a report concluding that selling trips into space to private citizens could be worth billions of dollars. A Japanese report supports these findings, and projects that space tourism could be a $10 billion per year industry within the next two decades. The only obstacles to opening up space to tourists are the space agencies, who are concerned with safety and the development of a reliable, reusable launch vehicle.

【题目】Lance Bass wasn’t able to go on a tour of space because of health problems.

【解析】本题中含有Lance Bass这个人名，可据其定位于第二段。

定位技巧三：用特殊标点符号/印刷体如引号等进行定位

如果题干中含有引号、下划线、斜体、缩写等特殊标点符号或印刷体，考试也可充分利用这些明显的“异类”进行初步定位。

【例3】The most prominent reason for tipping appears to be more of a guilt issue than a gratitude issue. We know that tipping, at least in the United States, is expected, and if we don't tip we stand the chance of angering the server, and then who knows what our next visit to that restaurant, airport or garage will be like! Also, our assumption that tipping is designed to encourage good service for our next visit may or may not be accurate. What if we are at a restaurant that we know we won't be back to? What then is our motivation to tip? Some argue that it is a way of making

ourselves feel better about being served because we know the waiter works hard and isn't paid well.

Guilt issues aside, research has shown that the quality of the service we receive isn't always reflected in the tip we leave. Many who have studied the practice have discovered that excellent service only draws a marginally higher tip than average service. Other things the server might do, however, do make more of a difference -- probably without our even realizing it! For example, Cornell University's Center for Hospitality Research (CUCHR) has conducted several studies revealing some interesting facts about server habits that can boost tip percentages. Here are a few of them:

Touching - Waiters experienced a tip increase from 11.8 percent to 14.8 percent of the check total when they briefly touched the shoulder of the customer. Both men and women left higher tips when touched, and although younger customers increased their tip amount more, all ages increased the tip by some amount.

Squatting - Two studies showed that waiters who squatted next to the table when taking orders and talking with customers increased their tips from 14.9 percent of the bill to 17.5 percent of the bill in one study, and from 12 percent to 15 percent in another study. Apparently, the eye contact and closer interaction creates a more intimate connection and makes us want to give the server more money.

【题目】CUCHR’s studies show that customers will pay higher tips if they enjoy _______________________ caused by the server’s eye contact and closer interaction with them. 【解析】用CUCHR进行初步定为，发现其第一次出现在第二段倒数第二句，接着用studies 进行定位于最后一个小标题squatting。

【例4】If you've had credit problems, you might have to settle for a card with a slightly higher rate. If you have poor credit or no credit, some banks will issue you a secured credit card. This means that you deposit money into a savings account that acts as guaranty against your credit line. The rate may be high, but a secured card offers you the convenience of a credit card while you work on rebuilding your credit. Secured cards are often the best option available to those with a bankruptcy in their past. Be sure to choose a secured card that pays you interest on your deposit! On the other hand, if you have a very good credit score and would like a higher limit ($5,000 or more), check into applying for a gold card at the same interest rates but with a slightly higher annual fee. Most gold cards require that your annual income be at least $35,000, and platinum(白金) cards—even higher!

With all of this money getting spread around, and lots more of it out there, it's no wonder why most of us are constantly receiving notice that we're "pre-approved" for an endless stream of credit cards.

A word of caution about those "pre-approved" card offers you get in the mail: You may get an offer for a new credit-card account with a pre-approved credit limit just slightly higher than your balance on your current card. The fine print could reveal an extremely high interest rate and also state that, by accepting the offer, you agree to transfer the entire balance of your other credit-card account to the new, high-interest account. This is a trick, since you would never consciously choose to pay more interest each month. Read everything carefully so that you don't fall into this trap.

【题目】It can be judged from _________________ that the “pre-approved” card offers require a

very high interest rate.

【解析】本题题干中含有引号，用“pre-approved”初步定位倒数第二段最后一句，再根据high interest rate进一步定位于最后一段倒数第三句前半部分。

定位技巧四：用关键词/短语进行定位

如果题干中不含以上任何一种，则可以找出题干中的关键词或短语，并用其进行定位。【例5】The ample sunlight and extremely wet climate of many tropical areas encourages the growth of towering trees with wide canopies. This thick top layer of the rainforest dictates the lives of all other plants in the forest. New tree seedlings rarely survive to make it to the top unless some older trees die, creating a "hole" in the canopy. When this happens, all of the seedlings on the ground level compete intensely to reach the sunlight.

Many plant species reach the top of the forest by climbing the tall trees. It is much easier to ascend this way, because the plant doesn't have to form its own supporting structure.

Some plant species, called epiphytes, grow directly on the surface of the giant trees. These plants, which include a variety of orchids and ferns, make up much of the understory, the layer of the rainforest right below the canopy. Epiphytes are close enough to the top to receive adequate light, and the runoff from the canopy layer provides all the water and nutrients they need, which is important since they don't have access to the nutrients (养分) in the ground.

【题目】New tree seedlings will not survive to reach the canopy level unless __________.

【解析】本题中不含任何一眼就能看出来的“异类”，故可根据其关键短语new tree seedlings 进行定位。

4.应试原则：

应试策略一：充分利用顺序性出题原则

考生在定位时可能不会总是那么一帆风顺，可能会一时无法准确定位。但是，因为快速阅读出题基本上都遵循顺序性原则，所以考生在定位时可同时带着两题的关键词/短语或其他“异类”词进行定位，一旦其中一个定位成功，就可以根据顺序性原则缩小另一题的定位范围。另外，如果第n题暂时无法定位或者没有较易定位的词/短语，则可先对第n+1题进行定位，再在第n-1和第n+1题在文中对应的句子之间进行查找与第n题相关的内容。

应试策略二：根据信号词灵活调整阅读速度

即使在略读以获取文章的主要内容时，考生也应该有所读，有所不读，这样才能最大限度减少阅读时间。因为任何一篇文章都是一个各部分联系紧密的有机体，各部分都是用一定的逻辑连接起来的，而作者经常会使用一些信号词来明确说明这些逻辑关系。而逻辑关系是统一的，也就是说，一看到某些信号词，我们就可以知道下文大概会是什么内容。这样的话，我们就可以跳过这部分不读。如在看到for example/instance时，我们就可以非常自信地跳过其后的内容，因为这部分内容肯定是为前面的观点等进行证明的。如果我们已经明白或认同这些观点等，那么我们就没必要阅读对其进行例证的内容了。

【例6】

How to Get Ready for Studying Abroad

It was all so misleadingly simple. I had studies French in college, and my university offered a year abroad in France. My scholarship would apply; credit for courses was assured; advisers were available on campus to discuss passports, visas, shots, international student IDs and driver’s

licenses. A charter flight had been booked and housing had been arranged. There was even a list of suggestions for packing. What could be simpler?

Of course, we were told at the orientation meetings that it might be difficult to adjust to a foreign language, strange customs, and the European academic system. I remember paying insufficient attention. “Tout s’ arrange,” I said to myself. “Everything works out.”

And everything did work out----more or less----but I came across some big surprises. If you are planning to study overseas, let me suggest a few key points to consider before you leave the USA.

Learn the Language

In France, they speak French. Why, then, did I not strive vigorously to learn the language before I arrived? The requirement of two years of college French is minimal. One of my teachers warned that I was only marginally grounded in the language.

But learning to speak French in the US was hard work, so I put it off until I got to France, where I assumed language skills could be acquired effortlessly. Unfortunately, I was so embarrassed by my poor command of the language that I was afraid to speak.

Help came in the form of a Gallic proverb: “In order to speak good French, you have to relax; and in order to relax, you have to drink wine.” At least half of that adage proved to be true. The greatest obstacle to learning a foreign language isn’t vocabulary or grammar or pronunciation; it’s self-consciousness. I eventually learned to relax while making ridiculous mistakes.

Don’t Insist on the American Way

Adjusting to another country demands changes in behavior and an open mind. Daily bathing, for example, is an American way of life, while many European cannot imagine why anyone would want to shower more often than once a week. Because I lived in a dorm, I could follow my hygienic habits, and the French theirs. But in some student housing, such freedom wasn’t possible, either because the proprietors considered daily showers extravagant or because there were no showers at all.

Social interactions can be a lot more complex. In France, for instance, a woman will not let a man pay for so much as a cup of espresso----to do so would be equal to inviting amorous (性爱的) advances. American women were assumed to play by the same rules, whether they knew the rules or not.

On the other hand, the French see absolutely nothing wrong with a group of young men dancing together. We male Americans were not about to dance without women----until one night when we went out on the town with several male French friends, and the lot of them took to the dance floor. Whenever such cultural customs conflicted, I had to choose to remain aloof and risk offending, or embrace their ways. I dance.

Some of these rules and customs can be learned in advance; others are picked up easily abroad. Remaining flexible is the key.

Be Prepared for Independent Study

The cultural difference that jolted me the most was in the university system itself. In Europe, the professor is a man on a pedestal (显要地位), expecting and receiving deference. His contact with students is minimal. Even in the classroom, students neither question nor discuss the material presented.

Attendance at the once-a-week classes is entirely voluntary. No assignments are given. The final exam does not consist of materials presented in lectures. The course is not defined not by

how much material a professor covers, but by a syllabus which lists the texts, periods, or literary works the student is expected to be familiar with. The classroom is supplemental, a model for the kind of preparation the student should be doing.

Classroom discussion, mid-term exams, threats of pop quizzes, an occasional paper----in short, all those methods of forcing the students to do the work----are missing.

Go the Tourist Route in Moderation

When classes meet infrequently, wanderlust is hard to resist. Living abroad meant that I could usually take short excursions----a week here, four days there. At Easter I splurged (挥霍) with a 25-day swing (two weeks were a school holiday) through seven European countries. After three weeks, churches, museums, historic sites, even countrysides and people began to run together. I can still recall Florence, one of the first stops on that marathon, in great detail; Munich, one of the last stops, is hazy, indistinct. All in all, the brief trips I made were far more satisfying than my longer expeditions.

Moreover, all that art and history can become a blur (模糊的东西) if you don’t know what you are seeing. When touring Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur and Montmartre, the Louvre, I could respond to their beauty with considerable respect but no much understanding. I wished I had taken a general course in art and history before going to Europe.

Stay Loose

Because we had come for an extended stay and spoke (at least haltingly) the language, many opportunities for making friends were opened up to us. We met French undergraduates in university classes and at the student restaurants where we ate all out meals. Others came to the meetings of a Franco-American club, which also arranged parties, dances, evenings of entertainment, and sporting events to bring Americans and French together.

Some strong attachments were formed, but we naturally met with some anti-American sentiment as well. The best course was to ignore it, but discussions with fellow students about American political actions and policies were inevitable.

1. The author had expected studying in France to be __________.

A) demanding B) extremely easy C) exciting D) full of surprises

2. Why didn’t the author learn to speak French before going abroad?

A) Because he thought English is a universal language.

B) Because he was talented in learning local language.

C) Because he would have an interpreter.

D) Because he would like to pick it up without effort.

3. According to the author, what behavior might the French consider strange?

A) Some young men dancing together.

B) Men splitting bills with women.

C) Taking a shower every day.

D) A couple of students sharing dorm-rooms.

4. How is the European university system different from the American one?

A) Professors are not so highly respected as they desire.

B) Students are not under much academic pressure.

C) Libraries are open mainly for independent study.

D) Examinations are replaced by quizzes and paper-writing.

5. How did the author spend his Easter holiday when studying abroad?

A) He toured 7 European countries.

B) He stayed in Florence for 7 days.

C) He enjoyed many long expeditions.

D) He celebrated the festival with locals.

6. What will the author suggest that a visitor do before touring Notre Dame and the Louvre?

A) Prepare a digital camera.

B) Rent a pair of binoculars.

C) Learn some European art and history.

D) Find an English-speaking guide.

7. What’s the passage mainly about?

A) How to learn foreign languages easily.

B) How to apply for studying in France.

C) How to prepare for an independent study.

D) How to ensure an enjoyable study overseas.

8. While learning a foreign language, the greatest problem isn’t vocabulary or grammar or pronunciation, but __________________.

9. To adjust to another country calls for changes in behavior and _______________________.

10. In France, the course is defined by a _______________.

【例7】

A Roof over Our Heads

Man has three basic needs: food, clothing, and shelter. If a man lives in a warm climate, clothing is not absolutely necessary. However, man cannot live without food, and, he has little chance of survival without shelter. Mankind needs shelter to protect him from the weather, wild, animals, insects, and his enemies.

Long before man learned how to build houses, he looked for natural shelters, as the animals did. He found that he could protect himself by climbing up into trees or by crouching under the over-hanging edges of cliffs, or by crawling into caves. The first shelters or homes actually built by man were very simple. For his building materials, he used what he could find easily around him: rocks, tree branches, dried grasses, animal skins. It was a long time, however, before man began to build permanent shelters because, until man learned to farm, he lived by hunting. And, in order to follow game, he had to be able to move from one hunting ground to another. Thus, the first man-made shelters were those that could be easily transported.

The first permanent shelters were probably built twenty to forty thousand years ago by fish-eating people who lived in one place as long as the fish supply lasted. Fish-eaters could stay in one place for several years. However, once man learned to farm, he could live longer in one place. Thus, he was able to build a permanent home. Once again, he built his home with the materials he found at hand. In Egypt, for example, wood was scarce, so most houses were built of bricks made of dried mud, with a roof supported by palm tree trunks.

When the Norsemen came from Scandinavia to northern Europe, they found many forests, so they built homes with a framework of heavy tree trunks and they filled the space between the trunks with clay. The Eskimos, on the other hand, lived in a land where there was little or no wood. They learned to adapt their homes perfectly to their surroundings. In the winter time, when

everything was covered with snow and ice, the Eskimos built their homes with blocks of ice. When the warm weather came and melted the ice, the Eskimos lived in a tent made of animal skins.

The weather is man’s worst natural enemy. He has to protect himself from extremes of heat and cold and from storms, wind and rain.

Where the weather is hot and dry, the house is generally made of clay brick. The windows are small and high up, so that the heat stays outside. There is often a flat roof, where people can find a cool place to sleep. In hot, humid areas, on the other hand, people need to be protected from the rain, as well as the heat. In such places, houses are built with wide, overhanging roofs, balconies or verandas.

Where there are torrential rains, houses are either built on piles to keep them off the ground, or they have steep thatched (茅草屋顶的) roofs to drain off the rain. People living in the Congo River region have found that steep, heavily-thatched roofs drain off the jungle rains more quickly. Other people in Africa have found that a roof of broad leaves sheds rain quickly.

In Borneo, houses are built on high posts to protect people from dampness. And there are tribes in Malaya who build their homes in the forked branches of trees, and climb up to their houses on bamboo ladders.

In northern countries, people build houses to protect themselves from cold and snow. Their houses are built of sturdy materials, and the roofs are steep, so that the snow will slide off. There are also overhanging eaves (屋檐) to keep the snow from piling up next to the house. And, in northern Siberia, where snowfall is extremely heavy, the roofs even have a funnel-shaped platform to protect the chimneys from drifting snow.

Protection from danger has also influenced the type of house man builds. When enemies threatened him, man made his house as inaccessible as possible. The tree-dwellers of the Philippines protect themselves by living high above the ground. When danger threatens, they remove the ladders leading to their homes. The cliff dwellers of the American Southwest built their homes high up on the sides of cliffs, where access was very difficult.

Nomad (游牧的) tribes must move from place to place, taking care of flocks of sheep that are always in need of fresh grass. Their houses must be simple and easy to transport. The nomads of central Asia have developed a house made of a framework of poles covered with felt (毛毡). The house is round because the framework is curved. The poles are fastened together at the top with a wooden ring, and there is a hole at the top to let the smoke out.

In Europe there are very few wooden houses being built today. This is partly because wood is no longer as plentiful as it once was, and partly because wooden houses are quite inflammable (易燃的). On the other hand, there are many wooden houses in America. This is because the first settlers wanted to build houses quickly and inexpensively. Since the country was covered in many placed with forests, some trees had to be cut down to make room for houses.

Houses in many cities used to be made of wood. However, since the houses were very close together, fire could easily spread from one house to another. There were disastrous fires in some cities, such as the great fire of London in 1666. When the burned-out cities were rebuilt, wood was still used for the frames and the roofs, but stones or bricks were used for walls.

There are so many people living in some cities that it is often very difficult to find a place to live, and if one does find a place it is often too small. And many of the houses are too old and uncomfortable. Just as in prehistoric times, finding a good place to live continues to be one of

man’s most urgent problems.

1. What does the passage focus on?

A) Man’s three basic needs.

B) Development of roofs.

C) Man’s self-protection methods.

D) Man’s need for housing.

2. Who probably built the first permanent shelters?

A) Fish-eaters B) Hunters. C) Lumbermen. D) Farmers.

3. Where do the Eskimos live in winter?

A) In tents made of animal skins. B) In wooded houses covered by ice.

C) In houses made of ice blocks. D) In snow-covered hollow tree trunks.

4. What’s the main function of steep thatched roofs?

A) To keep off extra heat. B) To shed jungle rains.

C) To beautify the buildings. D) To show off owners’ wealth.

5. Why did the cliff dwellers of the American Southwest build their homes so high up?

A) To protect themselves from enemies.

B) To have a good view of the valley below.

C) To get more sunshine and fresh air.

D) To escape from the urban noise.

6. What disaster struck London in 1666?

A) War. B) Earthquake. C) Flood. D) Great fire.

7. What urgent problem do some city-dwellers still have to face now?

A) Finding a safe place to live in.

B) Finding a quiet place to live in.

C) Finding a comfortable place to live in.

D) Finding a modern place to live in.

8. The first man-made shelters could be easily _______________.

9. The Norsemen built homes with _________________________ and filled the space with clay.

10. The house built by Nomads of Central Asia is round because ________________________.

【例8】

How Americans Celebrate Christmas

Christmas is America’s most popular holiday. Some people will attend church and observe Christmas as the birthday of Christ. For others, Christmas is just a day of fun and celebration, a time for family and friends to gather together, exchange gifts and enjoy a huge holiday dinner. Christmas Day will need weeks of preparations. Since the last days of November American homes and stores have been decorated with Christmas trees and bright lights. Schools and churches have been presenting special holiday concerts. People have been going to parties, finding gifts and preparing special Christmas food. For a large number of Americans, Christmas is surrounded by more traditions than any other holiday. Yet, many of these traditions are not really very old ones in the United States. In fact, the nation’s first settlers would have been very surprised to see how Americans celebrate Christmas today.

People in other parts of the world, of course, have been celebrating Christmas for many

centuries. In fact, December was a winter holiday season in northern and southern Europe even before the birth of Christ. And the ancient Romans celebrated the New Year on December twenty-fifth. Some experts believe that is why the Roman Catholic Church set the birth of Christ on that day. Christians borrowed other Christmas traditions from ancient times. In the years before Christ, for example, people honored the evergreen tree as a sign of life after death. For Christians, it became a sign of Christ’s birth. By the 16th century Roman Catholics in Europe were celebrating Christmas with lively parties filled with eating and drinking. Many of the first European settlers in America, however, disapproved of such customs. They believed people should honor God in simpler, quieter ways, so Christmas became a day just like any other day for most people in America’s northern colonies.

In America’s southern colonies, however, the Church of England became the established religion. Its traditions were closer to those of Roman Catholic Church. So it became common for people on large farms in the south to celebrate Christmas with huge dinners and dancing. And in many parts of America, smaller groups of settlers from other western European countries observed Christmas with their own national customs. After 1800, all these people began to mix together more and they began to borrow Christmas traditions from each other. Settlers from Germany, for example, observed Christmas by cutting live evergreen trees and covering them with candles and fruit. By the middle of the 19th century, people all over America were putting up evergreen trees at Christmas. Dutch settlers in New York were most responsible for creating another popular American tradition—Santa Claus.

The story of Santa Claus began hundreds of years earlier. During the fourth century, a Roman Catholic Church official called Nicholas of Myra became famous for his many good actions. Nicholas was made a saint (圣人) after his death and it became common in northern Europe to hold a celebration on December 6th, the day Nicholas died. All kinds of stories were told about Saint Nicholas and the Dutch brought one of these stories with them to America. They believed that each year the saint rode a white horse from home to home. He gave presents to children who had been good, and coal or straw to children who had been bad. Other Americans who lived nearby greatly enjoyed the Dutch celebrations. They decided to make Saint Nicholas part of their own celebration of Christmas. But he got a new name Santa Claus. It was taken from the Dutch words for Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus. The Dutch imagined Saint Nicholas to be a serious, even frightening person, who would punish as well as give gifts. But in 1822, an American named Clement C. Moore wrote a Christmas poem for his children. The poem, called A Visit From St. Nicholas, created a completely new Santa Claus. Dr. Moore described a short, happy, little man who rode in an open sleigh (雪橇). The sleigh was pulled from house to house by eight white reindeer (驯鹿). At each house Santa delivered gifts by dropping them down the chimney into the fireplace. Dr. Moore’s poem was published in a newspaper in New York, 1823. It soon became popular all over America and it became the source for the Santa Claus American children still believe in today.

An American artist named Thomas Nast also played a part in creating Santa Claus. Beginning in 1860s, Mr. Nast drew pictures of Santa Claus for an Amer ican publication called Harper’s Weekly. These pictures showed a fat, smiling old man with a red nose and white beard. He was dressed in a red suit with white fur and a black belt. Today, more than one hundred years later, that same Santa Claus can be seen everywhere at Christmas time.

As Santa Claus became more popular, so did the custom of giving gifts on Christmas. Early

in the 19th century, American schoolteachers liked to reward good students by giving them small books. Soon some storeowners were making special books for the Christmas holidays. And by the 1850s, jewelers, toy makers, bakers and others were selling all kinds of special products at Christmas. By the 1860s, more than half the American states had made Christmas a legal holiday. Since that time, it has continued to grow into a bigger and bigger celebration. Some people say that Americans pay too much attention to Christmas. They say this interferes with the religious freedom of those who are not Christians. Some people, for example, believe that Christmas religious music should not be sung in public schools. They say this is unfair to children whose families do not believe in Christ. Because of such criticism, many public schools now permit students to sing only Christmas songs that are not religious and they also observe the holiday season by teaching students about a Jewish celebration that takes place near Christmas time.

1. What can be learned from the first paragraph?

A) Christmas is becoming more and more popular worldwide.

B) Christmas is celebrated in a way different from it used to be.

C) Christmas is the most traditional festival in the west.

D) Christmas is a holy holiday for nearly all westerners.

2. According to some experts, why did the Roman Catholic Church set the birth of Christ on December 25th?

A) Because the ancient Romans celebrated the New Year on that day.

B) Because Jesus Christ was proved to be born on that day.

C) Because people could have a long holiday at the end of the year.

D) Because December was a holy month in many parts of the world.

3. Christmas was just an ordinary day for most people in America’s _______ colonies.

A) eastern B) western C) southern D) northern

4. How did settlers from Germany observe Christmas in the 1800s?

A) By exchanging gifts with friends and relatives.

B) By covering evergreen trees with candles and fruits.

C) By inviting other settlers to their parties.

D) By planting trees and flowers in their gardens.

5. What was Santa Claus’s image in the 1820s?

A) A serious giant man. B) A red-nosed old man.

C) A sleigh-riding happy man. D) A beardless white man.

6. The current image of Santa Claus was created by __________.

A) a poet B) a storeowner C) an artist D) a toymaker

7. When did Christmas become a legal holiday in most American states?

A) By the 1820s. B) By the 1830s.

C) By the 1850s. D) By the 1860s.

8. Dutch settlers in New York were most responsible for ________________________________.

9. It is believed that on Christmas Day, Saint Nicholas gave presents to good kids, and _________________ to bad ones.

10. Some people say that Americans’ too much attention to Christmas interferes with ____________________ of those who are not Christians.