统考大学英语A-阅读理解题库

阅读理解大学英语A1、Throughout the colonial period there was a remarkable shortage of women, which varied with the regions and was always greatest in the frontier areas. This shortage enhanced women's status and position and allowed them to pursue different careers. The puritans regarded idleness as a sin, and believed that life in an underdevelopment country made it necessary that each member of the community performed an economic function. Thus work for women was not only approved but also was regarded as a civic duty. Puritan town councils expected widows and independent women to be self-supporting. There was no social prohibition against married women working; on the contrary, wives were expected to help their husbands in their trade and won social approval for doing extra work in or out of the home.The vast majority of women worked within their homes, where their labor produced most articles needed for the family. The entire colonial production of cloth and clothing and partly that of shoes was in the hands of women. In addition to these occupations, women were found in many different kinds of employment. They were butchers, silversmiths and gunsmiths. They ran mills, plantations, shipyards, and every kind of shop. They were gatekeepers, jail keepers, journalists, printers, nurses, and teachers.(1)、What does the passage mainly discuss?A：Colonial marriages.B：The puritan religion.C：Colonial women's employment.D：Education in the colonies.答案：C(2)、According to the passage, where in colonial North America were there the fewest women?A：Puritan communities.B：Seaports.C：Frontier settlements.D：Capital cities.答案：C(3)、It can be inferred from the passage that the Puritans were ______.A：uneducatedB：hardworkingC：generousD：wealthy答案：B(4)、According to the passage, Puritans believed that an unmarried adult woman should be ______. A：financially responsible for herselfB：returned to EnglandC：supported by her familyD：trained to be a nurse答案：A(5)、According to the passage, what did the Puritans expect from married women?A：They should adopt needy children.B：They should assist in their husbands' trade or business.C：They should work only within their own homes.D：They should be apprenticed.答案：B2、Halloween (October 31) is a holiday widely celebrated with different names in many countries. Although it originated as a religious holiday, it has lost its religious connections in the United States. It is now celebrated largely as a children's day, and many American children look forward to it for days and weeks beforehand.The orange pumpkin is harvested at this time of year and is hollowed out, a funny face cut into it, and a candle placed inside as decorations in the window. City folks, nowadays, sometimes use paper pumpkins for decorations. Some years ago, the holiday was celebrated by dressing up in strange and frightening costumes and playing tricks on one's neighbors and friends, such as ringing door bells, throwing bits of corn on the window panes, and in other ways making minor disturbances. More recently, children come to the door to have friends and neighbors admire their costumes and guess who they are behind the false faces and receive treats of candy, fruit or cookies. They say, "Trick or Treat", meaning "I will play a trick on you if you do not give me a treat."This practice has even more recently developed into a significant international activity. Instead of or along with candy, the children collect money for UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund). This special collection of money by children for needy children throughout the world is known as "UNICEF Trick or Treat". Begun only recently, it results in several million dollars each year contributed to UNICEF. The collection box is orange, reminiscent of the pumpkin.(1)、What does Halloween originate from?A：A children's day.B：A children's trick.C：A religious day.D：A UNICEF day.答案：C(2)、What is the symbol of Halloween?A：PumpkinB：CandleC：CostumesD：Money答案：A(3)、The holiday was celebrated in the following ways some years ago EXCEPT ______. A：putting on strange and frightening costumesB：receiving treats of candy, fruit or cookiesC：playing tricks on one's neighbors and friendsD：ringing door bells答案：B(4)、Why do children collect money in the Halloween?A：They love money.B：They want to get enough money to buy themselves candy.C：The adults are willing to give them money.D：They want to help other children.答案：D(5)、The collection box is dyed orange because ______.A：children love orangeB：orange stands for happinessC：orange is the color of pumpkinsD：orange is loved by adults答案：C3、Human needs seem endless. When a hungry man gets a meal, he begins to think about an overcoat, when a manager gets a new sports car, a big house and pleasure boats dance into view.The many needs of mankind might be regarded as making up several levels. When there is money enough to satisfy one level of needs, another level appears.The first and most basic level of needs involves food. Once this level is satisfied, the second level of needs, clothing and some sort of shelter, appears. By the end of World War II, these needs were satisfied for a great majority of Americans. Then a third level appeared. It included such items as automobiles and new houses.By 1957 or 1958 this third level of needs was fairly well satisfied. Then, in the late 1950s, a fourth level of needs appeared: the "life-enriching" level. While the other levels involve physical satisfaction, that is, the feeding, comfort, safety, and transportation, this level stresses mental needs for recognition, achievement, and happiness. It includes a variety of goods and services, many of which could be called "luxury" items. Among them are vacation trips, the best medical and dental care, and recreation. Also included here are fancy goods and the latest styles in clothing.On the fourth level, a lot of money is spent on services, while on the first three levels more is spent on goods. Will consumers raise their sights to a fifth level of needs as their income increases, or will they continue to demand luxuries and personal services on the fourth level?A fifth level would probably involve needs that can be achieved best by community action. Consumers may be spending more on taxes to pay for government action against disease, ignorance, crime, and prejudice. After filling our stomachs, our clothes closets, our garages, our teeth, and our minds, we now may seek to ensure the health, safety, and leisure to enjoy more fully the good things on the first four levels.(1)、According to the passage, man will begin to think about such needs as housing and clothing only when ______.A：he has grown dissatisfied with his simple shelterB：he has saved up enough moneyC：he has satisfied his hungerD：he has learned to build houses答案：C(2)、It can be inferred from the passage that by the end of World War II, most Americans ______. A：lived in povertyB：were very richC：had the good things on the first three levelsD：did not own automobiles答案：D(3)、Which of the following is NOT related to "physical satisfaction"?A：A successful career.B：A comfortable home.C：A good meal.D：A family car.答案：A(4)、What is the main concern of man on the fourth level?A：The more goods the better.B：The more "luxury" items the better.C：The more mental satisfaction the better.D：The more earnings the better.答案：C(5)、The author tends to think that the fifth level ______.A：would be little better than the fourth levelB：may be a lot more desirable than the first fourC：can be the last levelD：will become attainable before the government takes actions答案：B4、Though some people have suggested that women should return to housework in order to leave more jobs for men, the idea has been rejected by both women and men in public opinion polls. Lately some union officials have suggested that too many women are employed in type of work more suitable for men and that women should step aside to make way for unemployed young men. They argue that women - especially women in their childbearing years actually delay economic development and result in lower productivity, poor quality and inefficiency.To solve the problem, they have suggested that the working women stay at home while their husbands or brothers were given double wages. They argue that under these circumstances, families would retain their same level of income, and women could run the house and raise children much better.The suggestion has been rejected by 9 out of 10 people polled. A hundred persons in a big citywere questioned last summer. Out of 50 women, 46 said they were unwilling to leave their jobs, no matter what the situation was. The other 4 said they would like to return home if their jobs could be taken by their sons or daughters. Of 50 men polled, only 6 said they would like to see their wives give up their jobs, if it meant higher wages for themselves.Some other people have suggested another way called "phased employment theory". The theory suggests that a woman worker take leave from her job when she is seven months pregnant and stay off the job until her baby reaches the age of 3. It suggests that women on leave receive75 percent of their normal salary and be allowed to return to work after the 3-year period. This will benefit children, women, their families and the society. Some of those polled, both women and men, felt the idea is a good one. It definitely seems to be more acceptable than the suggestion that women return to home forever.(1)、Some union officials have suggested that women should return home because ______.A：all of them are employed in unsuitable types of workB：their participation in work has a bad influence on the economic developmentC：most skilled male workers are now unemployedD：nowadays no one can take care of children except women答案：B(2)、Some union officials have suggested that if women resign their jobs, ______.A：they should be allowed to attend school to be trainedB：their jobs should be taken over by the male members of their familiesC：the male employees in their families should receive double wagesD：their children should also leave their kindergartens答案：C(3)、According to the passage, the suggestion that women should return to housework was ______. A：opposed by most men and womenB：welcomed by men onlyC：welcomed by women onlyD：welcomed by men and women答案：A(4)、According to the passage we can see "phased employment" means ______.A：two or more women share the same jobB：women stay at home on weekdays and go to work on weekends or holidaysC：a woman should resign her job forever if she has a childD：women are allowed to take leave from their jobs during their childbearing years答案：D(5)、Based on the "phased employment" theory, during a woman's leave from her job ______.A：her work should be done by her husband or brothersB：her family's income level will be a little lower than it normally isC：her family can still keep the same level of incomeD：either her husband or her brothers will be given double wages答案：B5、Many studies have identified a strong link between suicide and diagnosable mental illness, especially depression. So, because women suffer from depression at a much higher rate than men, they would seem to be at higher risk for suicide. Yet, women actually commit suicide about one-fourth as often as men.George E. Murphy, professor of psychiatry at Washington university school of Medicine in St. Louis, says that females may be protected because of the way they think about problems and interact with others. "Women process their experience with friends. They discuss their feelings, seek feedback, and take advice. They are much more likely to tell a physician how they feel and cooperate in the prescribed treatment. As a result, women get better treatment for their depression."That treatment may help protect them from suicide, but Murphy suggests there is more to it. The approach to problem-solving is what often lands a woman in a psychiatrist's office in the first place, and that approach may be keeping female suicide rates lower.Murphy believes women are less inclined to commit suicide because their thinking is more inclusive. While a man might tend to throw aside seemingly peripheral（非本质的，边缘的）issues to get to the core of a problem, a woman might take more things into account. She may continue to seek input and process problems long after the point where men decide on a course of action. "She'll consider not just her feelings, but also the feelings of others - her family, the children, even acquaintances - and how these people will be affected by a decision like suicide. A man is much less likely to take those things into account. He makes his decision, and it's about him, so he does not feel the need to share it with anyone else."(1)、What is the passage mainly about?A：The relationship between depression and suicide.B：Women's higher rate of depression than man.C：Reasons for women's lower risk of committing suicide.D：The treatment of mental illnesses such as depression.答案：C(2)、Females get better treatment for their depression perhaps because ______.A：they are more concerned about their healthB：they have more experience in dealing with depressionC：they may discuss their feelings with a doctor and be cooperativeD：they are more afraid of suicide答案：C(3)、The word "inclusive" in paragraph 4 probably means ______.A：comprehensiveB：liberalC：open-mindedD：firm-minded答案：A(4)、It is implied that a man can reduce his chance of committing suicide if he ______.A：goes straight to the core of a problemB：does not allow himself to be influenced by his acquaintancesC：consults a psychiatrist regularlyD：changes the way he thinks about problems and interact with others答案：D(5)、When a man suffers from depression, it is typical of him to ______.A：process his feelings and seek adviceB：consider just his feelings when he makes a decisionC：throw aside obviously important issuesD：act in a hostile manner towards a psychiatrist.答案：B6、Here is one woman's story of balancing home and career. Rachel always dreamed of having a large family and an interesting career. She now has four children and works full-time."I really have two full-time jobs. My job in the city is in investment banking and I really like it.It's interesting and important. My other job is at home ---- raising four kids and keeping the household going. I like this job too, and though it's not always interesting, I know it's important. But when I'm not cleaning up the kitchen after a meal, or picking up the kids' things from the floor for the millionth time, or feeding the dog, then I'm falling asleep during my youngest daughter's piano practice. When I do have some free time, I've usually got a headache. The reality is that, most of the time, it's just too much."Rachel has role overload. That is, she has difficulty combining the roles of worker and of wife and mother. Role overload is one of the disadvantages that today's women face. While both parents are more "stretched" when the woman of the household works, it is usually the woman who does most of the childcare and housework. Most studies investigating housework conclude that women (whether employed or not) do "the lion's share" of the housework and childcare. An Australian study, for example, found that employed wives did 69.3 hours of unpaid work around the house during atwo-week period while employed husbands did approximately 31.2 hours. A study by Bird shows a similar picture for U.S. households. In this study of 1,256 adults, Bird showed that while working women certainly want an equal share of housework, they "shoulder the main burden" by doing approximately twice as much as their spouses. Her study showed that after marriage, women gain 14 hours of household chores per week, while their husbands gain only 90 minutes.(1)、What can we learn about Rachel from "I really have two full-time jobs"?A：She works for two different companies.B：She is both a bank clerk and a housekeeper.C：She is a wife and mother with a full-time job.D：She has to keep two jobs to raise the children.答案：C(2)、We can infer from Rachel's own words that ______.A：she always finds both jobs interesting and importantB：she is able to deal with both jobs without any difficultyC：she cannot find enjoyment from the endless daily tasksD：she feels stress from the combined roles of worker and of wife and mother答案：D(3)、According to the passage, which of the following is the consequence of women's role overload? A：They have difficulty balancing home and career.B：They ask the husband to contribute more to childcare and housework.C：They have to take up more than one job to support the family.D：They always complain about having too much work at hand.答案：A(4)、The best explanation of "the lion's share" in the last paragraph is ______.A：the largest partB：the unpaid jobC：an equal shareD：the women's job答案：A(5)、The main purpose for the writer to cite Bird's study is ______.A：to explain more women do unpaid jobs than men doB：to show career women take up more housework than their husbandC：to demonstrate why women want their husband to do equal share of houseworkD：to show that both parents are more "stretched" when the woman works答案：B7、The judgment of the Englishman by all other European peoples is that he is the most suspicious, the most reserved, the most unfriendly, the coldest-hearted of all western peoples.Ask a Frenchman, an Italian, a German, a Spaniard, even an American, what he thinks about Englishmen; and every one of them will tell you the very same thing. This is precisely what the character of men would become who had lived for thousands of years in the conditions of northern European land.But, on the other hand, you would find that all nations would speak highly of certain other English qualities - energy, courage, honour, justice. They would say that, although no man is so difficult to make friends with, the friendship of an Englishman once gained is stronger and truer than any other. And as the battle of life still continues, and must continue for thousands of years to come, it must be acknowledged that the English character is especially well suitable for the struggle. Its reserves, its cautions, its doubts, its suspicions - these have been for it in the past, and are still in the present.It is not a lovable nor amiable character; it is not even kindly. The Englishman of the best type is much more inclined（倾向于）to justice than he is to be kind, for kindness is an emotional impulse, and the Englishman doesn't like every kind of emotional impulse. But with all this, the character is a great one, and its success has been the best proof of its value.(1)、The Englishman is characterized as ______.A：suspicious and open-mindedB：reserved and friendlyC：suspicious and warm-heartedD：cold-hearted and unfriendly答案：D(2)、According to the author, the main factor which has shaped the English character is a ______ one.A：geographicalB：economicalC：psychologicalD：political答案：A(3)、Certain other English qualities such as courage, energy, and honor are ______.A：ignored by EuropeansB：praised by EuropeansC：ignored by themselvesD：praised by themselves答案：B(4)、It seems that it is most difficult to ______ an Englishman.A：speak highly ofB：take care ofC：make friends withD：fight against答案：C(5)、The Englishman prefers ______ to ______.A：being on guard, emotional impulseB：justice, kindnessC：value, successD：being true, friendship答案：B8、The purpose of this part of the book is to help you become more efficient in reading by speeding up the process generally. Most people can learn to cover material much faster than they donow while maintaining a high level of comprehension.Improvement in reading efficiency has several major benefits. We need reading skills to benefit from the wealth of information that is now available in printed form. Most people get the rough outlines of their daily news from television and radio. However, the printed word still provides the in-depth coverage of topics that really produces well-informed people. Reading is also a great source of entertainment for many people. For students, it is the primary method of studying.The time you now spend reading can be made much more productive by increasing your reading rate. For some people this will mean that they can obtain more information in the same length of time. For others it will mean that time now devoted to reading can be used in other more interesting and profitable ways.To determine how fast you are reading, you first have to get some idea of the number of words in a given passage. Then you simply divide the number of words by the number of minutes it takes to read. That will give your rate in words per minute.(1)、The passage is taken from .A：a story bookB：a news reportC：a report on a scientific researchD：a book on reading答案：D(2)、Which of the following statements is NOT a benefit from reading according to the passage?A：Reading will help readers get more information.B：By reading readers will have an in-depth coverage of daily news.C：Students must read so that they can master knowledge.D：Improvement of reading helps readers get outlines of daily news.答案：D(3)、This passage mainly discusses .A：different kinds of readingB：the importance of improving reading skills and how to calculate reading rateC：reading as a source of entertainmentD：different ways to improve reading speed答案：B(4)、"reading efficiency" in Paragraph 2 means .A：the average reading rateB：the ability of reading fast with a good understandingC：reading materials readers likeD：reading habits答案：B(5)、Reading speed can be calculated by .A：counting how many words a reader has readB：dividing the total number of words a reader read by the time he spends on readingC：timing how many minutes a reader has readD：asking help from the teacher答案：B9、 A nineteenth-century French dramatist remarked that the only difference between animals and human beings is that people drink when they are not thirsty and make love in any season. The sociologist's definition of the difference is more scientific: only human beings have the ability for creating and transmitting culture. More than any other species, human animals are able to surpass their biological limitations by sharing ideas and passing on what they learn to future generations.All animals, including human beings, have certain problems in common. In order to survive as species, they must find a home, get food and provide for their young. Animals are guided by instincts that enable them to cope with these problems of existence. Their responses to their environment is a fixed predictable manner: beavers build dams as homes, lions hunt for antelopes for food, and birds build nests to protect their young. Should these solutions turn out to be inadequate, animals for the most part will still go on making the same responses to the same problems. It is true that much of the behavior of higher animals is learned through direct experience. As everyone knows, dogs can be taught to overcome their instinctive dislike of cats, and parrots often learn new calls. In some cases animals have also been known to teach their offspring what they themselves have learned.Nevertheless, human beings are unique in their far greater ability to learn from experiences, to create new solutions to old problems, and most important, to use language to transmit what they have learned to future generations. While animal societies must rely on biologically inherited methods of dealing with their environment, human societies have the far greater advantage of a socially inherited culture.(1)、From a sociological point of view, the difference between humans and animals is .A：humans drink when they are not thirstyB：humans must find a homeC：humans can pass on their culture from generation to generationD：humans know how to bring up their young答案：C(2)、One of the problems that both humans and animals must face is .A：they have to overcome their biological disadvantagesB：they have to raise their young in whatever living conditionsC：they must share ideas when in troubleD：they must find new solutions to difficult problems答案：B(3)、In face of problems of existence, animals .A：can think and find a plausible solutionB：only respond repeatedly in the fixed wayC：can pass on the information to their youngD：young animals can think of better ways to solve them答案：B(4)、Beavers can build dams as home .A：because they can learn from each otherB：in an instinctive wayC：after many failuresD：after they follow other beavers' ways of building dams答案：B(5)、Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?A：Only humans can learn from experience.B：Humans have much greater ability to solve problems with new methods.C：Humans have more biological advantages than animals.D：Humans and animals have nothing in common.答案：B10、Sporting activities are essentially modified forms of hunting behavior. Viewed biologically, the modern footballer is in reality a member of a hunting group. His killing weapon has turned into a harmless football and his prey into a goalmouth. If his aim is accurate and he scores a goal, he enjoys the hunter's triumph of killing his prey.To understand how this transformation has taken place we must briefly look at our forefathers. They spent over a million years evolving as cooperative hunters. Their very survival depended on success in the hunting field. Under this pressure their whole way of life, even their bodies, became greatly changed. They became chasers, runners, jumpers, aimers, throwers and prey-killers. They cooperated as skillful male group attackers.Then about ten thousand years ago, after this immensely long period of hunting their food, they became farmers. Their improved intelligence, so vital to their old hunting life, was put to a new use--that of controlling and domesticating their prey. The hunt became suddenly out of date. The food was there on the farms, awaiting their needs. The risks and uncertainties of the hunt were no longer essential for survival.The skills and thirst for hunting remained, however, and demanded new outlets. Hunting for sport replaced hunting for necessity. This new activity involved all the original hunting sequences but the aim of the operation was no longer to avoid starvation. Instead, the sportsmen set off to test their skill against prey that were no longer essential to their survival. To be sure, the kill may have been eaten but there were other much simpler ways of obtaining a meaty meal.(1)、The author believes that sporting activities ______.A：are forms of biological developmentB：have actually developed from huntingC：are essentially forms of taming the preyD：have changed the ways of hunting答案：B。