III. Reading Comprehension

第一篇

Americans and Arabs are different in their space habits. Arabs prefer close contact. Dr. Hall has explained that the Arabs belong to a touch culture and in conversation they always envelop the other person. They hold his hand, look into his eyes, and bathe him in their breath.

Dr. Hall’s interest in man’s use of space developed in the nineteen fifties when he was Director of the Point Four training program at the Foreign Service Institute. In talking with Americans who had lived overseas, he found that many of them had been highly uncomfortable because of culture differences. Such discomfort is usually referred to as culture shock.

The problem is that, relatively speaking, Americans live in a non-contact culture. Partly, this is a product of our puritan heritage （清教徒文化遗产）. Dr. Hall points out that we spend years teaching our children not to crowd in and lean on us. And in situations where we ourselves are forced to stand close to another person on crowded subways, for example, we turn our eyes away, and if actual body contact is involved, tense the muscles on the contact side. Most of us feel very strongly that this is the only proper way to behave.

1. When the Arabs talk to you, they ___A___.

A. try to be as close to you as possible

B. keep a certain space from you

C. hold you tightly

D. do not allow you to feel their breath

2. From the information in paragraph 3, it is obvious that ____B___.

A. the American way is the only right way to behave

B. the puritan heritage stresses non-contact culture

C. American children are more polite than those in other countries

D. American people usually cannot make themselves understood

3. When you line up to wait for your turn in the United States, you should ___C____ your front neighbor.

A. stick to

B. lean on

C. keep a certain distance from

D. stay far away from

4. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?    C     

A. People from different cultures handle space in different ways.

B. Many of the Americans who had lived overseas were bothered by culture differences.

C. Misunderstandings often develop between Americans and Arabs in social contacts.

D. Dr. Hall is interested in culture differences, especially man’s use of space.

5. It is true that ___D____.

A. a non-contact culture is usually referred to as culture shock

B. there is evidence that Americans belong to a touch culture

C. there is evidence that Arabs share a non-contact culture

D. our use of space is influenced by our cultures

第二篇

  When Sally and Tom got married, people thought they were the perfect couple. But things didn’t work out. First they tried a separation. Living apart made them realize that they should never have gotten married. In May, their marriage ended in divorce.

When Jesse and Rachel got married, they knew they wanted to live in a traditional nuclear（核心的） family--- mother, father, and biological （生物学的）children. Rachel had been born out of wedlock（婚姻）. Because her parents had never married, she had never met her biological father. Jesse’s mother had been widowed（孀居的）. His father’s early death made Jesse want to have a large family. So they decided that a more traditional arrangement was what they wanted.

When Doris and Henry decided to get married, their friends were surprised. Doris and Henry were only 20 years old, and their friends expected that the couple would delay marriage at least until they finished college. At the beginning of the 20^th century the average age at which people married began to decline.

Sue doesn’t see why anyone else should care whether or not she is married. When strangers ask her whether she is married, she tells them that her marital status（婚姻状况） is none of their business.

The proportion of people who never marry has been increasing. Many people, including gay men （男同性恋者）and lesbians（女同性恋者）, no longer feel that they must marry.

1. According to the context, the meaning of “separation” is_____A____.

A. living apart                   B. trying something out

C. getting married                D. getting divorced

2. In the second paragraph, “a more traditional arrangement” means_____C____.

A. divorce                   B. separation

C. nuclear family              D. large family

3. What can be inferred from the third paragraph concerning Doris and Henry?    D     

A.      Their friends were all supporting them.

B.      They do not care whether or not they should get married.

C.      They both come from traditional families.

D.     They were still pursuing their college study when they wanted to get married.

4 What can be inferred from the fourth paragraph concerning Sue’s marriage?      D   

A.        She is married.

B.        She has a child.

C.        She is single.

D.       She thinks that her marital status is none of strangers’ business.

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

A.        The marriage of Sally and Tom turned out to be a failure.

B.        Rachel is the child of a happy marriage.

C.        Many people do not feel it necessary to get married.

D.       Jesse didn’t live in a big family.

第三篇

It seems that beauty and women are twins. You are joking? No, I am not. Observe for yourself. Ads on fashion flood TV screens, radio programs, magazines, newspapers, and the streets. Whether they have realized or not, women are besieged （包围）by a sea of fashion. They are taught to think that without beautiful clothes they will grow old and lose their charm. So who dares to neglect dressing up at the cost of their appearance and youth?

But I do not agree with the opinion that women have to show their beauty through their looks. The richness of their mind proves to be more beautiful and attractive than their looks. A woman who has experienced many troubles and may be called “aunt” or “granny” can still maintain her beauty if she has such excellent qualities as knowledge, ability, a kind heart, great courage and concern for others.

In addition, old and young, beautiful and ugly are relative concepts（概念）. People who keep a young mind will never feel old. Curious about new things and eager to learn more, they keep up with the tide. Plainly dressed women may have a type of beauty, which is pure and real.

Reading and learning is the best way to keep one youthful. Good books are fertile（肥沃的）soil which can feed the flower of one’s heart and looks.

1. Why does the author say that beauty and women are twins?    C     

A. Women are born to be beauties.

B. Women like to show off their beauty.

C. Women try to maintain their beauty by dressing up.

D. Women are proud of their beauty.

2. According to the author, in order to stay young and attractive, women should __D____.

A. follow the fashion

B. dress up in beautiful clothes

C. do more exercises

D. enrich（丰富） their mind

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

A. As a woman grows old, her beauty will gradually disappear.

B. However old she is, a woman with some excellent qualities can still maintain her beauty.

C. Even a plainly dressed woman may have pure and real beauty.

D. A woman with a young mind never feels old.

4. The word “relative” （line 1, paragrpah 3）most probably means __A_____.

A. similar

B. comparative

C. related

D. independent

5. The author believes that _____A___.

A. women should lay more emphasis on their own qualities

B. beautiful clothes can make women more attractive

C. women have to show their beauty through their looks

D. women are more curious about new things than men

第四篇

  Cultural differences in business entertaining include issues（问题） such as who one entertains and where and how one entertains. In countries in which status（身份，地位） is important, it is not advisable（合适的） to invite people of different statuses to the same dinner party. Americans will often invite people to their homes. Whereas（然而） in some societies the home is considered too private, unworthy or small to serve as an appropriate place for business entertaining. In some countries there is a “help yourself” approach（方法） to entertaining done in the home. This approach does not work well when entertaining people whose culture teaches them to wait to be asked three times before accepting an offer of food. In one instance（例子）, a Chinese guest went an entire evening without eating though he was quite hungry because he was too embarrassed （尴尬的，不安的）to take food after only being asked to do so once.

Gift giving has its own set of protocols（礼仪）. As a general rule, a small gift from your home country is appreciated. A gift that is tied to the particular interest of the individual is especially appreciated. Gifts for children are also well received. Be careful that the “hometown” gift you are bringing to Singapore was not made in Hong Kong. Because many gifts carry symbolic（象征性的） meanings, it is always best to seek advice before selecting gifts. The giving of large gifts, or payments for special services, should only be undertaken after consulting（咨询） the legal department in the home and host culture.

6. Which of the following may best summarize the main idea of the passage?    D      

A.      The cultural differences in business entertaining.

B.      Importance of gift giving in business.

C.      How to entertain guest.

D.     How to entertain guests and give gifts in business.

7. What aspects should we pay attention to when we entertain our guests?      D     

A. The guests’ status.                B. The place.

C. How to entertain.                 D. All of the above.

8. What is the topic sentence of the second paragraph?    A     

A.      Gift giving has its own set of protocols.

B.      A gift that is tied to the particular interest of the individual is especially appreciated.

C.      As a general rule, a small gift from your home country is appreciated.

D.     It is always best to seek advice before selecting gifts.

9.         How many times does the host usually ask the guests to accept the offer?    C      

A. One.            B. Two            C. Three.             D. Four.

10.     What is the best way to do when we select gifts?      C   

A.      Ask the price.

B.      Notice the hometown of the gift.

C.      Seek the advice.

D.     Make sure of the quality.

第五篇

Sports fans all over the world recognize the name Michael Jordan. From Taiwan to Tennessee, kids wear clothes with his picture on them. Jerseys（球服）with his number 23 on the front, jackets with the Bulls on the back, and Air Jordan sports shoes all reflect the fame of this superstar. Michael Jordan has become the most famous attraction of the world’s favorite spectator sport.

Michael Jordan was born in 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up, Michael did not look like a future superstar. He was very shy and didn’t like to talk to other people about himself. He was also very short. He showed little promise of having a future career in basketball. When he tried out for the freshman team in high school, Michael didn’t make it. The next year, however, he grew tall enough to join the team.

Michael’s road to fame began at the University of North Carolina. He brought an acrobatic（像特技演员的） style to the game that few had seen before. Michael used his quickness and strength to reach the basket again and again. He became famous for his powerful slam dunk （灌篮）. Basketball fans from all over the world began to take notice. One reporter wrote that when Michael went up to dunk the basketball, it looked like he could fly. He was given the nickname “Air Jordan”.

1. Kids all over the world wear the things related to Jordan except __D____.

A. shoes       B. jerseys      C. jackets       D. socks

2. Which of the following is NOT the reason that Jordan didn’t look like a future superstar?  A   

A.      He was poor.

B.  He talked less to others.

C．   He was too shy

D. He was short.

3. Jordan grew much taller ___C___.

A.      after he joined NBA

B.      in the first year in high school

C. in the second year in high school

D. in the first year in college

4. According to the passage, which is not mentioned about Jordan’s advantages?    D     

A. Quickness     B. Strength       C. Skills        D. Patience.

5. When did the name “Air Jordan” become well-known?    C    

A. After a reporter compared his dunk to flying.

B. After he won the “Most Valuable Player” in NBA.

C. In his freshman year in the university.

D.     In his first year in NBA.

第六篇

The word horsepower was first used two hundred years ago. James Watt had made the first widely used steam engine. He had no way of telling people exactly how powerful it was, for at that time there were no units for measuring power.

Watt decided to find out how much work one strong horse could do in one minute. He called that unit one horsepower. With this unit he could measure the work his steam engine could do.

He discovered that a horse could lift a 3,300-pound weight 10 feet into the air in one minute. His engine could lift a 3,300-pound weight 100 feet in one minute.

Because his engine did ten times as much work as the horse, Watt called it a ten horsepower engine.

6. The selection says that Watt made the first ____D____.

A. engine            B. steam-engine          

C. useful engine       D. widely used steam engine

6.        Watt made up a unit of measurement based on the strength of _____C_____.

A. a horsepower          B. 10 feet

C. 3300-pound           D. a horse

7.        Watt wanted to find a way to _____C______.

A.        lift a 3300-pound weight

B.        use the world’s first widely used steam engine

C.        measure the work his engine could do

D.       discover the weight a man could lift

8.        One horsepower would equal the _____D____.

A.        weight a horse could lift

B.        work a horse could do in ten minutes

C.        weight of a horse

D.       work a horse could do in a minute

9.        The theme of the selection is ______D____.

A.        how Watt made the world’s first widely used steam engine

B.        Watt discovered the units of measurement

C.        What was used two hundred years ago

D.       How the term horsepower came into being