Passage One John Grisham was born on February 2, 1955, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, in the USA. His father was a construction worker and moved his family all around the southern states of America, stopping wherever he could find work. Eventually they settled in Mississippi. Graduating from law school in 1981, Grisham practiced law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation (诉讼). In 1983, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990. One day at the Dessoto County courthouse, Grisham heard the horrifying testimony of a 12-year-old rape victim. He decided to write a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her attackers. He proceeded to get up every morning at 5 a.m. to work on the novel, called A Time to Kill, which was published in 1988. Grisham's next novel, The Firm, was one of the biggest hits of 1991, spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. Grisham was then able to give up law and concentrate on writing. Grisham lives with his wife and two children, dividing their time between their Victorian home on a 67 acre farm in Mississippi and a 204 acre plantation near Charlottesville, Virginia. When he's not writing, Grisham devotes time to charitable causes, including mission trips with his church group. As a child he dreamt of becoming a professional baseball player, and now serves as the local Little League commissioner. He has built six ball fields on his property and hosts children from 26 Little League teams.
1. John Grisham is ______ at present.
A.a writer
B.a lawyer
C.a professional baseball player
D.a congressman
A B C D
A
[解析] 问题的关键词是at present,即问及Grisham目前的职业,答案可以在第二段后面的Grisham was then able to give up law and concentrate on writing(此后,他便放弃了律师职业,集中精力从事写作)一句中得到,从concentrate on writing中我们得知A项正确(即他现在的职业是作家)。
2. What inspired Grisham to write his first novel?
A.A case of murder.
B.A case of rape.
C.His father's experience.
D.His life on the farm.
A B C D
B
[解析] 从第二段的第一、二句Grisham heard…a 12-year-old rape victim. He decided to write a novel…得知选项B正确。
3. The story of the novel A Time to Kill would probably focus on ______.
A.how the girl was attacked
B.the circumstances of the rape
C.how the girl's father took revenge
D.how the case of rape was settled
A B C D
C
[解析] 从第二段的第二句He decided to write a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her attackers.中可以清楚地得知故事的主要内容,故C项正确。
4. Which of the following is NOT true of the novel The Firm?
A.It was popular at the time of publication.
B.It earned Grisham great fame.
C.It brought Grisham wealth.
D.It was carried by The New York Times as a series.
A B C D
D
[解析] 问题的关键词为NOT true,根据第二段Grisham's next novel, The Firm, was one of the biggest hits of 1991, spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list(格里斯汉姆的第二本小说《商号》是1991年最畅销书之一,曾连续47周名列《纽约时报》最畅销书排行榜)一句可以得知A、B、C三项为事实,而D项as a series(小说连载)不是事实,故选择D项。
5. It can be inferred from the passage that Grisham has built ball fields on his property ______.
A.to achieve his life's goal as a professional baseball player
B.to coach children in baseball
C.to see his childhood dream being realized in the children
D.to provide facilities of baseball training
A B C D
C
[解析] 问题的关键词为infer。根据第三段中As a child he dreamt of becoming a professional baseball player一句,我们可推知Grisham出资建球场的真正缘由:是为了目睹自己的梦想在孩子们身上得以实现,故C项正确。
Passage Two Just how much does the Constitution protect your digital data? The Supreme Court will now consider whether police can search the contents of a mobile phone without a warrant if the phone is on or around a person during an arrest. California has asked the justices to refrain from a sweeping ruling particularly one that upsets the old assumption that authorities may search through the possessions of suspects at the time of their arrest. It is hard, the state argues, for judges to assess the implications of new and rapidly changing technologies. The court would be recklessly modest if it followed California's advice. Enough of the implications are discernable, even obvious, so that the justices can and should provide updated guidelines to police, lawyers and defendants. They should start by discarding California's lame argument that exploring the contents of a smart phone—a vast storehouse of digital information—is similar to, say, rifling through a suspect's purse. The court has ruled that police don't violate the Fourth Amendment when they sift through the wallet or pocketbook of an arrestee without a warrant. But expl9ring one's smart phone is more like entering his or her home. A smart phone may contain an arrestee's reading history, financial history, medical history and comprehensive records of recent correspondence. The development of "cloud computing," meanwhile, has made that exploration so much the easier. Americans should take steps to protect their digital privacy. But keeping sensitive information on these devices is increasingly a requirement of normal life. Citizens still have a right to expect private documents to remain private and protected by the Constitution's prohibition on unreasonable searches. As so often is the case, stating that principle doesn't ease the challenge of line-drawing. In many cases, it would not be overly onerous for authorities to obtain a warrant to search through phone contents. They could still invalidate Fourth Amendment protections when facing severe, urgent circumstances, and they could take reasonable measures to ensure that phone data are not erased or altered while a warrant is pending. The court, though, may want to allow room for police to cite situations where they are entitled to more freedom. But the justices should not swallow California's argument whole. New, disruptive technology sometimes demands novel applications of the Constitution's protections. Orin Kerr, a law professor, compares the explosion and accessibility of digital information in the 21st century with the establishment of automobile use as a virtual necessity of life in the 20th. The justices had to specify novel rules for the new personal domain of the passenger car them; they must sort out how the Fourth Amendment applies to digital information now.
1. The Supreme Court will work out whether, during an arrest, it is legitimate to ______.
A.prevent suspects from deleting their phone contents
B.search for suspects' mobile phones without a warrant
C.check suspects' phone contents without being authorized
D.prohibit suspects from using their mobile phones
A B C D
C
[解析] 此题细节信息定位到第一段第二句话:“The Supreme Court will now consider whether police can search the contents of a mobile phone without a warrant if the phone is on or around a person during an arrest.”说明最高法院在考虑是否允许警察在逮捕过程中无搜查许可证搜查嫌疑人手机内容,“check suspects' phone contents without being authorized”符合文意,其中“check”可以替换为“search”,其他选项的说法均与原文不符,因此选择C。
2. The author's attitude toward California's argument is one of ______.
A.disapproval
B.indifference
C.tolerance
D.cautiousness
A B C D
A
[解析] 此题细节信息定位到第三段第一句话:“The court would be recklessly modest if it followed California's advice.”即作者认为California's argument无说服力,建议抛弃,所以“disapproval”符合作者的态度。其他选项,“tolerance”意为“宽容”,“indifference”意为“不关心”,“cautiousness”意为“谨慎”,所以应该选择A。
3. The author believes that exploring one's phone contents is comparable to ______.
A.getting into one's residence
B.handling one's historical records
C.scanning one's correspondences
D.going through one's wallet
A B C D
A
[解析] 此题细节信息定位到第四段第三句话:“But exploring one's smart phone is more like entering his or her home.”即搜查一个人的智能手机更像是进入他家里,作者在这里用“more like”表达了对此问题的倾向性,所以“getting into one's residence”的说法符合文意。注意D项说的是“California's argument”,而这是作者一开始就明确表示要抛弃的,因此选择A。
4. In Paragraph 5 and 6, the author shows his concern that ______.
A.principles are hard to be clearly expressed
B.the court is giving police less room for action
C.citizens' privacy is not effectively protected
D.phones are used to store sensitive information
A B C D
C
[解析] 此题要在理解第五段之后进行推断,第五段第一句话中说到“Americans should take steps to protect their digital privacy”,即应该逐步保护数据隐私是作者重点指出的问题。作者在第五、六段一开始就直接指出来他所关注的问题,所以,“citizens' privacy is not effectively protected”的意思切合题意,因此选择C。
5. Orin Kerr's comparison is quoted to indicate that ______.
A.the Constitution should be implemented flexibly
B.new technology requires reinterpretation of the Constitution
C.California's argument violates principles of the Constitution
D.principles of the Constitution should never be altered
A B C D
B
[解析] 此题细节信息定位到最后一段第三句话“Orin Kerr...The justices had to specify novel rules for the new personal domain of the passenger car then; they must sort out how the Fourth Amendment applies to digital information now”,其讨论了新科技与法律改进的关系问题,冒号后边的内容是作者所要表达的意思。“New technology requires reinterpretation of the Constitution”指根据科技进步修改或重新解释宪法法律条文,符合题意,因此选择B。
Passage Three Science is a dominant theme in our culture. Since it touches almost every facet of our life, educated people need at least some acquaintance with its structure and operation. They should also have an understanding of the subculture in which scientists live and the kinds of people they are. An understanding of general characteristics of science as well as specific scientific concepts is easier to attain if one knows something about the things that excite and frustrate the scientist. This book is written for the intelligent student or lay person whose acquaintance with science is superficial; for the person who has been presented with science as a musty storehouse of dried facts; for the person who has been presented with science as the production of gadgets; and for the person who views the scientists as some sort of magician. The book can be used to supplement a course in any science, to accompany any course that attempts to give an understanding of the modern world, or independently of any course—simply to provide a better understanding of science. We hope this book will lead readers to a broader perspective on scientific attitudes and a more realistic view of what science is, who scientists are, and what they do. It will give them an awareness and understanding of the relationship between science and our culture and an appreciation of the roles science may play in our culture. In addition, readers may learn to appreciate the relationship between scientific views and some of the values and philosophies that are pervasive in our culture. We have tried to present in this book an accurate and up-to-date picture of the scientific community and the people who populated it. That population has in recent years come to comprise more and more women. This increasing role of women in the scientific subculture is not an unique incident but, rather, part of the trend evident in all segments of society as more women enter traditionally male-dominated fields and make significant contributions. In discussing these changes and contributions, however, we are faced with a language that is implicitly sexist, one that uses male nouns or pronouns in referring to unspecified individuals. To offset this built-in bias, we have adopted the policy of using plural nouns and pronouns whenever possible and, when absolutely necessary, alternating he and she. This policy is far from being ideal, but it is at least an acknowledgment of the inadequacy of our language in treating half of the human race equally. We have also tried to make the book entertaining as well as informative. Our approach is usually informal. We feel, as do many other scientists, that we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously. As the reader may observe, we see science as a delightful pastime rather than as a grim and dreary way to earn a living.
1. According to the passage, "scientific subculture" means ______.
A.cultural groups that are formed by scientists
B.people whose knowledge of science is very limited
2. We need to know something about the structure and operation of science because ______.
A.it is not easy to understand the things that excite and frustrate science
B.science affects almost every aspect of our life
C.scientists live in a specific substructure
D.it is easier to understand general characteristics of science
A B C D
B
[解析] 本题的四个选项中,只有B项为正确答案。这可从文中第一段中的“Since it touches almost every facet of our life, educated people need at least some acquaintance with its structure and operation”推知,即“科学几乎影响我们生活的所有方面”正确。
3. The book mentioned in this passage is written for readers who ______.
[解析] 本题的四个选项中,只有B项为正确答案。这可从文中第二段段首的“This book is written for...”推知,即指明该书的读者对象;第三段首句和第四段首句说明了该书要达到的两个目的。因此“一本书的前言”正确。
Passage Four Linguists have understood for decades that language and thought are closely related. Humans construct reality using thought and express these thoughts through the use of language. Edward Sapir and his student Benjamin Whorl are credited with developing the most relevant explanation outlining the relationship between thought and language, the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. The hypothesis consists of two parts, linguistic relativity and linguistic determinism. Supporters of linguistic relativity assume that culture is shaped by language. Terwilliger defines linguistic determinism as the process by which "the functions of one's mind are determined by the nature of the language which one speaks." In simpler terms, the thoughts that we construct are based upon the language that we speak and the words that we use. In its strongest sense, linguistic determinism can be interpreted as meaning that language determines thought. In its weakest sense, language partially influences thought. Whorf was careful to avoid authoritative statements which would permanently commit him to particular position. Because of the broad nature of his statements, it is difficult to distinguish exactly to what extent Whorl believes that language determines thought. Heated debate among modern linguists demonstrates that disagreement exists about the accuracy and correctness of Whorf's studies and of the actual level of influence of language on thought processes. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis essentially consists of two distinct statements connecting the relation of thought and language. Whorf believes that humans may be able to think only about objects, processes, and conditions that have language associated with them. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis also explains the relationship between different languages (French, English, German, Chinese, and so on) and thought. Whorl demonstrated that culture is largely determined by language. Different cultures perceive the world in different ways. Culturally essential objects, conditions and processes usually are defined by a plethora of words, while things that cultures perceive as unimportant are usually assigned one or two words. Whorf developed this theory while studying the Hopi Indian tribe. Whorf was amazed that the Hopi language has no words for past, present, and future. The Hopi have only one word for flying objects. A dragonfly, an airplane, and a pilot are defined using the same word. Whorf questioned whether or not the Hopi view the world differently than western peoples. After further interpretation and analysis he concluded that the Hopi have a sense for the continuum of time despite having no words to specifically describe past, present, and future. It is commonly believed that the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis possesses some truth, but the extent to which it is applicable to all situations is questioned. Linguists generally support a "strong" or a "weak" interpretation. Linguists who study the hypothesis tend to cite examples that support their beliefs but are unable or unwilling to refute the opposing arguments. Examples exist that strengthen the arguments of everyone who studies the hypothesis. Nobody has gained significant ground in proving or refuting the hypothesis because the definitions of Sapir and Whorl are very vague and incomplete, leaving room for a significant amount of interpretation.
1. Advocates of linguistic determinism insist that ______.
A.the realities constructed through different languages are different
B.language and thought are intimately related to each other
C.culture is shaped by language through which it expresses itself
D.both the culture and the mind determine the language to be used
A B C D
A
[解析] 本题的依据句是文章第一段的“Terwilliger defines linguistic determinism as...that we speak and the words that we use.”从中可知,Terwilliger将语言决定论解释为一种过程,他认为人大脑的功能取决于他说的那种语言。由于全世界的语言不同,思维方式也有所差异。因此正确答案为A。
2. Whorf himself tends to hold that ______.
A.culture is shaped by language
B.language determines thought
C.language partially influences thought
D.thoughts are based on language
A B C D
D
[解析] 本题的依据句是第一段中的“Whorf was careful to avoid authoritative statements”。据此可知,不能选A、B和C项中这样明确的语言决定论和相对论的观点,只能选D。
3. According to the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, if a culture has more expressions for certain concepts, it shows that ______.
A.these concepts are more important than others
B.the culture is very much advanced and civilized
C.other concepts will be perceived as unimportant
D.these expressions developed earlier in the language
A B C D
A
[解析] 本题可参照文章第三段中作者提出的“Different cultures perceive the world...assigned one or two words.(不同文化以不同的方式审视世界。从文化方面来看,一些重要的、必不可少的事物、条件、过程通常采用丰富的词汇来定义,而一些不重要的事物常常仅用一两个单词表示)”。据此可推断出正确答案为A。
4. Which of the following criticisms is often made of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis?
A.It has no empirical evidence in its favor.
B.It is formulated on the basis of only one case study.
C.Its applicability has been greatly exaggerated.
D.No convincing examples can be found to support its claim.
A B C D
C
[解析] 本题的依据句是第四段第一句的“It is commonly believed that...all situations is questioned.”从中可知,人们普遍认为Sapir-Whorf假设具有一定的真实性,但对该学说能否适用于所有情况提出了质疑,后半句实际上暗指有人对该假设的用途过分夸大提出了批评。因此正确答案为C。
5. Towards the hypothesis, the author's attitude seems to be ______.