西安建筑科技大学继续教育学院 成人学位外语考试复习资料 Reading Comprehension Reading Comprehension 1 After inventing dynamite (F2), Swedish-born became a very rich man However, he foresaw its universally destructive powers too late. Nobel preferred not to be remembered as the inventor of dynamite, so in 1895, just two weeks before his death, he created a fund to be used for awarding prizes to people who had made worthwhile contributions to mankind. Originally there were five awards: literature physics, chemistry, medicine, and peace. Economics was added in 1968, just sixty-seven years after the first awards ceremony Nobels original legacy of nine million dollars was invested and the interest or this sum is used for the awards which vary from 30, 000 to $125, 000 Every year on December 10, the anniversary of Nobels death, the awards(gold medal, illuminated diploma, and money )are presented to the winners. Sometimes politics plays an important role in the judges'decision. Americans have won numerous science awards but relatively few literature prizes No awards were presented from 1940 to 1942 at the beginning of World War II Some people have won two prizes, but this is rare, others have shared their prizes 1. When did the first award ceremony take place? A.1895 B.1901 C.1962 D.1968 2. Why was the Nobel prize established? A. To recognize worthwhile contributions to humanity B. To resolve political differences C To honor the inventor of dynamite D To spend money 3. Which of the following statement is NOT true? A. Awards B Ceremonies are held on December 10 to commemorate Nobel's invention C. Politics can be of importance in selecting the winners D. A few individuals have won two awards 4. In which area have Americans received the most awards? B. Economics C eace D. Science 5. In how many fields are prizes bestowed? C.6 Reading comprehension 2 The market is a concept. If you are growing tomatoes in your backyard for sale you are producing for the market. You might sell some to your neighbor and some to the manager of the local supermarket. But in either case you are producing for the market. Your efforts are being directed by the market. If people stop buying tomatoes 1/18
西安建筑科技大学继续教育学院 1 / 18 成人学位外语考试复习资料--Reading Comprehension Reading Comprehension 1 After inventing dynamite (炸药), Swedish-born became a very rich man. However, he foresaw its universally destructive powers too late. Nobel preferred not to be remembered as the inventor of dynamite, so in 1895, just two weeks before his death, he created a fund to be used for awarding prizes to people who had made worthwhile contributions to mankind. Originally there were five awards: literature, physics, chemistry, medicine, and peace. Economics was added in 1968, just sixty-seven years after the first awards ceremony. Nobel’s original legacy of nine million dollars was invested, and the interest on this sum is used for the awards which vary from $ 30,000 to $125,000. Every year on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death, the awards (gold medal, illuminated diploma, and money) are presented to the winners. Sometimes politics plays an important role in the judges’ decision. Americans have won numerous science awards, but relatively few literature prizes. No awards were presented from 1940 to 1942 at the beginning of World War II. Some people have won two prizes, but this is rare; others have shared their prizes. 1. When did the first award ceremony take place? A. 1895. B. 1901. C. 1962. D. 1968. 2. Why was the Nobel prize established? A. To recognize worthwhile contributions to humanity. B. To resolve political differences. C. To honor the inventor of dynamite. D. To spend money. 3. Which of the following statement is NOT true? A. Awards vary in money value. B. Ceremonies are held on December 10 to commemorate Nobel’s invention. C. Politics can be of importance in selecting the winners. D. A few individuals have won two awards. 4. In which area have Americans received the most awards? A. Literature. B. Economics. C. Peace. D. Science. 5. In how many fields are prizes bestowed? A. 2 B. 5 C. 6 D. 10 Reading Comprehension 2 The market is a concept. If you are growing tomatoes in your backyard for sale you are producing for the market. You might sell some to your neighbor and some to the manager of the local supermarket. But in either case you are producing for the market. Your efforts are being directed by the market. If people stop buying tomatoes
西安建筑科技大学继续教育学院 you will stop producing them If you take care of a sick person to earn money, you are producing for the market If your father is a steelworker or a taxi driver or a doctor or a grocer, he is producing goods or service for the market When you spend your income, you are buying things from the market. Yon may spend money in stores supermarkets and gas stations. Still you are buying from the market When the local grocer hires you to drive the delivery truck, he is buying your labor in the labor market The market may seem to be something abstract. But for each person or business who is making and selling something, it's real. If nobody buys your tomatoes, it wont be long before you get the message. The market is telling you something. It's telling you that you are using energies and resources in doing something the market doesnt want you to do 1. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? A Selling and Buying B. What Is the Market? C Everything Yon Do is Producing for the Market D. What the Market Can Do for You? 2. All of the following acts are producing for the market EXCEPT A working in a bank B. printing a book C. attending a night school D growing beans for sale 3. You are buying from the market when you A borrow a book from a library B. look after your children C drive to the seaside for a holiday D. treat a friend to dinner at a restaurant 4. The word"real in the last paragraph may most probably mean serious B. true D. concrete 5. In what way is the market very real for each person or business who is making and selling something? A. It tells you what to produce B. It directs you how to grow tomatoes C. It provides you with everything you need D. It helps you save money Reading Comprehension 3 After a busy day of word and play, the body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for good health. During this time, the body recovers from the activities of the previous day. The rest that you get while sleeping enables your body to prepare itself for the next day. There are four levels of sleep, each being a little deeper than the one before. A you sleep, your muscles relax little by little. Your heart beats more slowly, and your brain slows down. After you reach the fourth level, your body shifts back and forth 2/18
西安建筑科技大学继续教育学院 2 / 18 you will stop producing them. If you take care of a sick person to earn money, you are producing for the market. If your father is a steelworker or a taxi driver or a doctor or a grocer, he is producing goods or service for the market. When you spend your income, you are buying things from the market. Yon may spend money in stores supermarkets and gas stations. Still you are buying from the market. When the local grocer hires you to drive the delivery truck, he is buying your labor in the labor market. The market may seem to be something abstract. But for each person or business who is making and selling something, it’s real. If nobody buys your tomatoes, it won’t be long before you get the message. The market is telling you something. It’s telling you that you are using energies and resources in doing something the market doesn’t want you to do. 1. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? A. Selling and Buying B. What Is the Market? C. Everything Yon Do is Producing for the Market D. What the Market Can Do for You? 2. All of the following acts are producing for the market EXCEPT_______. A. working in a bank B. printing a book C. attending a night school D. growing beans for sale 3. You are buying from the market when you_______. A. borrow a book from a library B. look after your children C. drive to the seaside for a holiday D. treat a friend to dinner at a restaurant 4. The word “real” in the last paragraph may most probably mean _______. A. serious B. true C. important D. concrete 5. In what way is the market very real for each person or business who is making and selling something? A. It tells you what to produce. B. It directs you how to grow tomatoes. C. It provides you with everything you need. D. It helps you save money. Reading Comprehension 3 After a busy day of word and play, the body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for good health. During this time, the body recovers from the activities of the previous day. The rest that you get while sleeping enables your body to prepare itself for the next day. There are four levels of sleep, each being a little deeper than the one before. As you sleep, your muscles relax little by little. Your heart beats more slowly, and your brain slows down. After you reach the fourth level, your body shifts back and forth
西安建筑科技大学继续教育学院 from one level of sleep to the other Although your mind slows down, from time to time you will dream. Scientists who study sleep state that when dreaming occurs, your eyeballs begin to move more quickly (although your eyelids are closed). This stage of sleep is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement If you have trouble failing asleep, some people recommend breathing very slowly and very deeply. Other people believed that drinking warm milk will help make you drowsy. There is also an old suggestion that counting sheep put you to sleep 1. A good title for this passage A Sleep B. Good health C. Dreams D. Work and 2. The word drowsy" in the last paragraph means B. stand up asleep D. a little sleepy 3. This passage suggests that not getting enough sleep might make you A. dream more ofte B have poor health C. nervous D breathe quickly 4. During REM A. your eyes move quickly B you dream C. you are restless D. both a and B 5. The average number of hours of sleep that an adult needs is A approximately six hours B. around ten hours C. about eight hours D. not stated here Reading Comprehension 4 Very high waves are destructive when they strike the land. Fortunately, this seldom happens. One reason is that out at sea, waves moving in one direction almost al ways run into waves moving in a different direction. The two sets of waves tend to cancel each other out. Another reason is that water is shallower near the shore as a wave gets closer to land, the shallow bottom helps reduce its strength But the power of waves striking the shore can still be very great. During a winter gale(A), waves sometimes strike the shore with the force of 6,000 pounds for each square foot. That means a wave, 25 feet high and 500 feet along its face, may strike the shore with a force of 75 million pound Yet the waves, no matter how big or how violent, affect only the surface of the sea. During the most raging storms, the water a hundred fathoms(600 feet) beneath the surface is just as calm as on a day without a breath of wind 1. According to the passage, destruction caused by high waves occurs A. regularly B rarely D suddenly 2. We know from this passage that out at sea, when waves going in opposite directions 3/18
西安建筑科技大学继续教育学院 3 / 18 from one level of sleep to the other. Although your mind slows down, from time to time you will dream. Scientists who study sleep state that when dreaming occurs, your eyeballs begin to move more quickly (although your eyelids are closed). This stage of sleep is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement. If you have trouble failing asleep, some people recommend breathing very slowly and very deeply. Other people believed that drinking warm milk will help make you drowsy. There is also an old suggestion that counting sheep put you to sleep! 1. A good title for this passage is______. A. Sleep B. Good Health C. Dreams D. Work and Rest 2. The word “drowsy” in the last paragraph means_______. A. sick B. stand up C. asleep D. a little sleepy 3. This passage suggests that not getting enough sleep might make you_______. A. dream more often B. have poor health C. nervous D. breathe quickly 4. During REM, _______. A. your eyes move quickly B. you dream C. you are restless D. both A and B 5. The average number of hours of sleep that an adult needs is _______. A. approximately six hours B. around ten hours C. about eight hours D. not stated here Reading Comprehension 4 Very high waves are destructive when they strike the land. Fortunately, this seldom happens. One reason is that out at sea, waves moving in one direction almost always run into waves moving in a different direction. The two sets of waves tend to cancel each other out. Another reason is that water is shallower near the shore. As a wave gets closer to land, the shallow bottom helps reduce its strength. But the power of waves striking the shore can still be very great. During a winter gale (大风), waves sometimes strike the shore with the force of 6,000 pounds for each square foot. That means a wave, 25 feet high and 500 feet along its face, may strike the shore with a force of 75 million pounds. Yet the waves, no matter how big or how violent, affect only the surface of the sea. During the most raging storms, the water a hundred fathoms(600 feet) beneath the surface is just as calm as on a day without a breath of wind. 1. According to the passage, destruction caused by high waves occurs _______. A. regularly B. rarely C. frequently D. suddenly 2. We know from this passage that out at sea, when waves going in opposite directions
西安建筑科技大学继续教育学院 meet their force A. causes greater damages B. extends to the ocean floor C is likely to lessen increases rapidly 3. It is clear from th age that coastal depth A is the only influencing the strength of high waves B. influences the power of high waves C has no influence upon the strength of very high waves D is irrelevant to the question of the power of high waves 4. From the second paragraph of the passage we know that the power of very high waves striking the shore is A. constant B equalized C ble D perpetual 5. From your reading of the passage, which of the following is TRUE A. At the depth of 1200 feet the effects of a violent surface storm are frightful B. A submarine commander navigating his vessel at a depth of 700 feet will not be affected by a raging surface storm C. A typhoon 500 miles out at sea stir up the ocean floor D. If high waves can strike the shore with a horizontal force of 75 million pound the vertical force of such waves can have an even greater effect upon the ocean floor Reading Comprehension 5 What do you know about the sea? The first thing to remember is that the sea is very big. Look at the map of the world and you will find that there is less land than sea. The sea covers three-quarters of the world The sea is full of waves. Waves are beautiful to look at, but they can destroy ships at sea, as well as houses and buildings near the shore. What causes waves? Most waves are caused by winds blowing over the surface of the water. The sun heats the earth, causing the air to rise and the winds to blow. The winds blow across the sea, pushing little waves into bigger and bigger ones The size of a wave depends on how strong the wind is, how long it blows and how large the body of water is. In a small bay, waves will never build up. But at sea the wind can build up very big and powerful waves a rule says that the height of a wave(in meters)will usually be no more than one tenth of the wind speed (in kilometers). In other words, when the wind is blowing at 120 kilometers per hour, most waves will be about 12 meters high. Of course, some waves may combine to form big waves that are much higher. In 1933, the largest measured wave in history was reported It rose in the Pacific Ocean to a height of 34 meters 1. Land covers about one quarter of our world True 2. The sun heats the earth, causing the winds to rise and the air to blow False 4/18
西安建筑科技大学继续教育学院 4 / 18 meet, their force _______. A. causes greater damages B. extends to the ocean floor C. is likely to lessen D. increases rapidly 3. It is clear from the passage that coastal depth _______. A. is the only factor influencing the strength of high waves B. influences the power of high waves C. has no influence upon the strength of very high waves D. is irrelevant to the question of the power of high waves 4. From the second paragraph of the passage we know that the power of very high waves striking the shore is _______. A. constant B. equalized C. variable D. perpetual 5. From your reading of the passage, which of the following is TRUE? A. At the depth of 1200 feet the effects of a violent surface storm are frightful. B. A submarine commander navigating his vessel at a depth of 700 feet will not be affected by a raging surface storm. C. A typhoon 500 miles out at sea stir up the ocean floor. D. If high waves can strike the shore with a horizontal force of 75 million pounds, the vertical force of such waves can have an even greater effect upon the ocean floor. Reading Comprehension 5 What do you know about the sea? The first thing to remember is that the sea is very big. Look at the map of the world and you will find that there is less land than sea. The sea covers three-quarters of the world. The sea is full of waves. Waves are beautiful to look at, but they can destroy ships at sea, as well as houses and buildings near the shore. What causes waves? Most waves are caused by winds blowing over the surface of the water. The sun heats the earth, causing the air to rise and the winds to blow. The winds blow across the sea, pushing little waves into bigger and bigger ones. The size of a wave depends on how strong the wind is, how long it blows and how large the body of water is. In a small bay, waves will never build up. But at sea the wind can build up very big and powerful waves. A rule says that the height of a wave (in meters) will usually be no more than one －tenth of the wind speed (in kilometers). In other words, when the wind is blowing at 120 kilometers per hour, most waves will be about 12 meters high. Of course, some waves may combine to form big waves that are much higher. In 1933, the largest measured wave in history was reported. It rose in the Pacific Ocean to a height of 34 meters． 1. Land covers about one quarter of our world. True 2. The sun heats the earth, causing the winds to rise and the air to blow. False
西安建筑科技大学继续教育学院 3. At sea, big waves are built up But at a small bay, even small waves are never built T 4. If the highest measured waves rose to a height of 34 meters, the winds speed would definitely be 340 kilometers per hour 5. The passage is mainly about the size of waves Reading comprehension 6 According to some surveys(ia Ai), Americans spend one third of their food money eating out. And more than one half of that money goes to "fast food restaurants. What is fast food? Who eats it? Why? A fast food restaurant includes several things. First, you can buy only certain foods. Second, there are no waiters or waitresses. You order at a counter(Ea)or a window, pay for it, and receive it right there. And third, the restaurant serves many people quickly. Hundreds of people can go through a fast food restaurant during a day here are many different kinds of fast food restaurants. Some companies have hundreds or thousands of branches across the country other restaurants belong to a ingle family. All these restaurants serve several kinds of food. Many sell different kinds of hamburgers. Others specialize in chicken, or in Mexican food Who eats out? Just about everyone. Many business people eat their lunch at a fast food restaurant. Single people often eat out instead of cooking. Young people and families with children also often enjoy fast food People give several reasons why they eat at fast food restaurants. First, it's quick When you don t have much time, you eat out. Second, it's al ways the same. Because the food is always cooked the same, there are no bad surprises. Third, it's convenient (jB). Sometimes, you don' t feel like shopping, cooking, and leaning up. And fourth. it tastes good 1. Americans spend more than one sixth of their food money fast food True 2. Usually there are no waiters in a fast food restaurant T 3. A fast food restaurant can serve hundreds of people a day T 4. Families with children usually dont like fast food 5. Fast food tastes good True 5/18
西安建筑科技大学继续教育学院 5 / 18 3. At sea, big waves are built up. But at a small bay, even small waves are never built up. True 4. If the highest measured waves rose to a height of 34 meters, the wind’s speed would definitely be 340 kilometers per hour. False 5. The passage is mainly about the size of waves. False Reading Comprehension 6 According to some surveys (调查), Americans spend one third of their food money eating out. And more than one half of that money goes to “fast food” restaurants. What is fast food? Who eats it? Why? A fast food restaurant includes several things. First, you can buy only certain foods. Second, there are no waiters or waitresses. You order at a counter (柜台) or a window, pay for it, and receive it right there. And third, the restaurant serves many people quickly. Hundreds of people can go through a fast food restaurant during a day. There are many different kinds of fast food restaurants. Some companies have hundreds or thousands of branches across the country. Other restaurants belong to a single family. All these restaurants serve several kinds of food. Many sell different kinds of hamburgers. Others specialize in chicken, or in Mexican food. Who eats out? Just about everyone. Many business people eat their lunch at a fast food restaurant. Single people often eat out instead of cooking. Young people and families with children also often enjoy fast food. People give several reasons why they eat at fast food restaurants. First, it’s quick. When you don’t have much time, you eat out. Second, it’s always the same. Because the food is always cooked the same, there are no bad surprises. Third, it’s convenient (方便的). Sometimes, you don’t feel like shopping, cooking, and leaning up. And fourth, it tastes good. 1. Americans spend more than one sixth of their food money fast food. True 2. Usually, there are no waiters in a fast food restaurant. True 3. A fast food restaurant can serve hundreds of people a day. True 4. Families with children usually don’t like fast food. False 5. Fast food tastes good. True