Passage 1 One study shows that Americans prefer to answer with a brief "Yes", "No", "Sure", or the very popular "Yeah" rather than with a longer reply. But brief replies do not mean Americans are impolite or unfriendly to some extent. Very often, Americans are in a hurry and may greet you with a single word "Hi", indeed; this is a greeting you will hear again and again during your stay in the United States. It is used by everyone, regardless of rank, age or occupation. However, those who are accustomed to longer greetings may require a little more time before they feel comfortable with American simple talk. Americans sometimes use plain talk when they are uncomfortable. If people praise them or thank them in an especially polite way, they may become uncomfortable and not know what to say in reply. They don't want to be impolite or rude, you can be sure that they liked what was said about them. Except for certain holidays, such as Christmas, Americans don't usually give gifts. Thus, you will find Americans embarrassed as they accept gifts, especially if they have nothing to give in return. They are generally a warm but informal people.
1. The fact that Americans like shorter answers tells us ______.
A.they reply very quickly in a hurry
B.they choose words too carefully
C.they like replying briefly
D.they want to be as polite as they can
A B C D
C
2. Those who like using beautiful or formal words ______.
A.need more time to get used to American simple greeting
B.need no time to get familiar with American greeting
C.do not very much like American way of greeting
D.think Americans are not polite whatever
A B C D
A
3. Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Americans often answer with the words like "sure", "yeah."
B.They are not impolite with brief replies.
C.Americans in high ranks must use formal words in greeting.
D.Americans are a warm but informal people.
A B C D
C
4. The Americans like others' praise but if in a polite way ______.
A.they don't know what to way in reply
B.they feel somewhat uneasy
C.they don't want to reply
D.both A and B
A B C D
D
5. The passage indicates that ______.
A.Americans exchange gifts the first time they meet.
B.Americans seldom give gifts except for some holidays.
C.Americans often bring some gifts to their friends.
D.Americans only want to get gifts from others.
A B C D
B
Passage 2 The advantages and disadvantages of a large population have long been a subject of discussion among economists (经济学家). It has been argued that the supply of good land is limited. To feed a large population, inferior land must be cultivated and the good land worked intensively. Thus, each person produces less and this means a lower average income than could be obtained with a smaller population. Other economists have argued that a large population gives more scope for specialization and the development of facilities such as ports, roads and railways, which are not likely to be built unless there is a big demand to justify them. One of the difficulties in carrying out a world-wide birth control program lies in the fact that official attitudes to population growth vary from country to country depending on the level of industrial development and the availability of food and raw materials. In the developing country where a vastly expanded population is pressing hard upon the limits of food, space and natural resources, it will be the first concern of government to place a limit on the birthrate, whatever the consequences may be. In the highly industrialized society, the problem may be more complex. A decreasing birth rate may lead to unemployment because it results in a declining market for manufactured goods. When the pressure of population on housing declines, prices also decline and the building industry is weakened. Faced with considerations such as these, the government of a developed country may well prefer to see a slowly increasing population, rather than one which is stable or in decline.
1. A smaller population may mean ______.
A.higher productivity, but a lower average income
B.lower productivity, but a higher average income
C.lower productivity, and a lower average income
D.higher productivity, and a higher average income
A B C D
D
2. According to the passage, a large population will provide a chance for developing ______.
A.agriculture
B.transport system
C.industry
D.national economy
A B C D
B
3. In a developed country, people will perhaps go out of work if the birthrate ______.
A.goes up
B.is decreasing
C.remains stable
D.is out of control
A B C D
B
4. According to the passage slowly rising birthrate perhaps is good for ______.
A.a developed nation
B.a developing nation
C.every nation with a big population
D.every nation with a small population
A B C D
A
5. It is no easy job to carry out a general plan for birth control throughout the world because ______.
A.there are too many underdeveloped countries in the world
B.underdeveloped countries have low level of industrial development
C.different governments have different views about the problem
D.even developed countries may have complex problems
A B C D
C
Passage 3 To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But actually, the umbrella was not invented as protection against rain. It was first used as a shade against the sun. Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese, way back in the eleventh century B.C. We know that the umbrella was also used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use; it became a symbol of honor and authority. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by royal people or by those in high office. In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrellas as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans. During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in 16th century. And again it became a symbol of power and authority. Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn't until the twentieth century that women's umbrellas began to be made in a variety of colors.
1. The first use of umbrella was as ______.
A.protection against rain
B.a shade against the sun
C.a symbol of power
D.a symbol of honor
A B C D
B
2. ______ were regarded as the people who first used umbrellas.
A.Romans
B.Greeks
C.Chinese
D.Europeans
A B C D
C
3. The umbrella was used only by royal people or those in high office ______.
A.in European in the eighteenth century
B.in ancient Egypt and Babylon
C.in the Far East in ancient times
D.during the Middle Ages
A B C D
C
4. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A.Women enjoy using umbrella with various kinds of colors.
B.The inventor of the umbrella is unknown.
C.Once ordinary people had no fight to use umbrellas.
D.Umbrellas were popular and cheap in the ancient times.
A B C D
D
5. Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?
A.When Was the Umbrella Invented
B.The Role of Umbrella in History
C.The Colors and Shapes of Umbrella
D.Who Needed Umbrella First
A B C D
B
Passage 4 Television has opened windows in everybody's life. Young men will never again go to war as they did in 1914. Millions of people now have seen the effects of a battle. And the result has been a general dislike of war, and perhaps more interest in helping those who suffer from all the terrible things that have been shown on the screen. Television has also changed politics. The most distant areas can now follow state affairs, see and hear the politicians before an election. Better informed, people are more likely to vote, and so to make their opinion count. Unfortunately, television's influence has been extremely harmful to the young. Children do not have enough experience to realize that TV shows present an unreal world; that TV advertisements lie to sell products that are sometimes bad or useless. They believe that the violence they see is normal and acceptable. All educators agree that the "television generations" are more violent than their parents and grandparents. Also, the young are less patient. Used to TV shows, where everything is quick and interesting, they do not have the patience to read an article without pictures; to read a book that requires thinking; to listen to a teacher who doesn't do funny things like the people on children's programs. And they expect all problems to be solved happily in ten, fifteen, or thirty minutes. That's the time it takes on the screen.
1. In the past, many young people ______.
A.knew the effects of war
B.went in for politics
C.liked to save the wounded in wars
D.were willing to be soldiers
A B C D
D
2. Now with TV people can ______.
A.discuss politics at an information center
B.show more interest in politics
C.make their own decisions on political affairs
D.express their opinions freely
A B C D
C
3. The author thinks that TV advertisements ______.
A.are not reliable on the whole
B.are useless to people
C.are a good guide to adults
D.are very harmful to the young
A B C D
A
4. Which is NOT true according to the passage?
A.People have become used to crimes now.
B.With a TV set some problems can be solved quickly.
C.People now like to read books with pictures.
D.The adults are less violent than the young.
A B C D
B
5. From the passage, we can conclude that ______.
A.children should keep away from TV
B.TV programs should be improved
C.children's books should have pictures
D.TV has a deep influence on the young
A B C D
D
Passage 5 Nonverbal (非语言的) communication has to do with gestures, movements and closeness of two people when they are talking. The scientists say that those gestures, movements and so on have meaning which words do not carry. For example, the body distance between two speakers can be important. North Americans often complain that South Americans are unfriendly because they tend to stand close to the North American when speaking, while the South American often considers the North American to be "cold" or "distant" because he keeps a greater distance between himself and the person he is speaking to. The "eye contact" provides another example of what we are calling nonverbal communication. Scientists have observed that there is more eye contact between people who like each other than there is between people who don't like each other. The length of time that the person whom you are speaking to looks at your eyes indicates the amount of interest he has in the things you are talking about. On the other hand, too long a gaze can make people uncomfortable. The eyes apparently play a great part in nonverbal communication. Genuine warmth or interest, shyness or confidence can often be seen in the eyes. We do not always consider a smile to be a sign of friendliness. Someone who is always smiling, and with little apparent reasons, often makes us uneasy.
1. According to the passage, nonverbal communication ______.
A.is a method often used by people who cannot speak
B.can tell something that words cannot
C.can be used to talk with people who cannot bear
D.is less used than words
A B C D
B
2. The South American ______.
A.tends to keep a distance between himself and the person he is speaking to
B.usually stands close to the person he is talking to
C.is often unfriendly when spoken to
D.is often cold and distant when speaking
A B C D
B
3. Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Less eye contact suggests distance in relation.
B.The longer one looks at you, the more interest he has in you.
C.There is more eye contact between people who like each other.
D.Shorter eye contact shows more interest in what one is tallying about.
A B C D
D
4. Too long a gaze ______.
A.may upset people being looked at
B.shows one's great confidence
C.indicates one's interest in the talk
D.tells you how friendly one is
A B C D
A
5. Constant smiling without apparent reason ______.
A.is a sign of one's friendliness
B.is a sign of one's unfriendliness
C.makes people feel happy
D.makes people feel uncomfortable
A B C D
D
Passage 6 In the United States, elementary education begins at the age of six. At this stage nearly all the teachers are women, mostly married. The atmosphere is usually very friendly, and the teachers have now accepted the idea that the important thing is to make the children happy and interested. The old authoritarian (是绝对服从的) methods of education were discredited (不被认可) rather a long time ago--so much so that many people now think that they have gone too far in the direction of trying to make children happy and interested rather than giving them actual instruction. The social education of young children tries to make them accept the idea that human beings in a society need to work together for their common good. So the emphasis is on co-operation rather than competition throughout most of this process. This may seem curious, in view of the fact that American society is highly competitive; however, the need for making people sociable in this sense has come to be regarded as one of the functions of education. Most Americans do grow up with competitive ideas, and obviously quite a few as criminals, but it is not fair to say that the educational system fails. It probably does succeed in making most people sociable and ready to help one another both in material ways and through kindness and friendliness.
1. According to the passage, the U.S. elementary education is supposed to make children ______.
A.sensible and sensitive
B.competitive and interested
C.curious and friendly
D.happy and co-operative
A B C D
D
2. Some Americans complain about elementary schools because they think ______.
A.children are reluctant to help each other
B.schools lay too much emphasis on co-operation
C.children should grow up with competitive ideas
D.schools give little actual instruction to children
A B C D
D
3. The author's attitude towards American education can be best described as ______.
A.favorable
B.negative
C.tolerant
D.unfriendly
A B C D
A
4. The American educational system emphasizes ______.
A.material wealth
B.competition
C.co-operation
D.personal benefit
A B C D
C
5. The word "sociable" (Line 7, Para. 2) most probably means "______".