Passage 7
In England, people often talk about the weather because they can experience four seasons in one day. In the morning the weather is warm just like spring. An hour later black clouds come and then it rain hard. The weather gets a little cold. In the late afternoon the sky will be sunny, the sun will begin to shine, and it will be summer at this time of a day.
In England, people can also have summer. So in winter they can swim sometimes, and in summer sometimes they should take warm clothes.
When you go to England, you will see that some English people usually take an umbrella or a raincoat with them in the sunny morning, but you should not laugh at them.
If you don’t take an umbrella or a raincoat, you will regret later in the day. 1. Why do people in England often talk about the weather? A. Because they may have four seasons in one day. B. Because they often have very good weather. C. Because the weather is warm just like in spring. D. Because the sky is sunny all day.
2. From the story we know that ________ come and then there is a heavy rain. A. sunshine and snow
B. black clouds
C. summer and winter D. spring and autumn
3. “People can also have summer in winter” means “It is sometimes ________ in winter.” A. warm ________.
A. their friends ask them to do so. B. it often rains in England C. they are going to sell them D. they are their favorite things
5. The best title for this passage is ________. A. Bad Season
B. Summer or Winter
C. The Weather in England D. Strange English People
B. cool
C. cold
D. rainy
4. In the sunny morning some English people usually take a raincoat or an umbrella with them because
Passage 8
Long, long ago there was no zero. To write the number sixty-three people wrote 63. To write six hundred and three, people wrote 63. The space between six and three was there to mean.\people did not remember the space. It was hard to see and read.
Later people used a dot to hold the space. Six hundred and three looked like this . But the dot was hard to see. So people put a circle around it like this 6⊙3. Then people could see the dot. They remembered the space. At last, only the circle around the dot was used. It was like a zero. This is one story of how the zero came to be used.
Now zero has many important uses. Zero tells how many. Can you tell some other ways of using zero? 1. Long, long ago people didn’t know how to ________. A. write B. write zero C. write numbers D. write sixty-three 2. Long, long ago if they wrote two hundred-eight, people wrote ________. A. 28
B. 2 8
C. 228 D. 208 3. Later ________ was used to mean space. A. \
B. letter \
C. zero
D. a dot
4. People used circles ________. A. to remember ways
B. to remember numbers
C. not to forget the space D. to mean nothing 5. The story tells us ________. A. how zero came to be used B. how to write zero C. what’s the use of zero
D. that zero means a dot, a circle or space
Passage 9
I often dreamed about Pisa when I was a boy. I read about the famous building called the Leaning Tower of Pisa .But when I read the word Pisa, I was thinking of pizza .I thought this tower was a place to buy pizza .It must be the best place to buy pizza in the world, I thought.
Many years later finally saw the Leaning Tower. I knew then that is was Pisa and no pizza .But there was still something special about it for me. The tower got its name because it really does lean to one side. Some people want to try to fix it. They are afraid it may fall over and they don’t like that it leans over the city.
I do not think it’s a good idea to try to fix it. The tower probably will not fall down, it is 600 years old. Why should anything happen to it now? And, if you ask me, I like what it looks like. To me it is a very human kind of leaning .Nothing is perfect, it seems to say.
And who cares? Why do people want things to be perfect? Imperfect things may be more interesting. Let’s take the tower in Pisa. Why is it so famous? There are many other older, more beautiful towers in Italy. But Pisa tower is the most famous. People come from all over the world to see it. 1. This passage is about ________.
A. Italian pizza B. Italy’s problems
C. how the Leaning Tower of Pisa got its name D. why the writer likes Pisa
2. The writer used to think Pisa ________.
A. in Spain
B. not very famous
D. the same as pizza
C. not the same as pizza A. modern
3. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is ________.
B. falling down
D. 60 years old-
C. 600 years old 4. The writer _______.
A. doesn’t like what the tower looks like B. likes what the tower looks like
C. thinks it’s the most beautiful tower in Italy D. doesn’t like towers
5. The writer likes the Leaning Tower of Pisa because _______.
A. it’s old
B. it’s perfect D. it’s imperfect
C. it sells pizza
【答案与解析】这是关于比萨斜塔的一篇杂感。作者由儿时对比萨斜塔的曲解谈起，说到了自己对人们想要重新修正斜塔的看法。最后作者由此阐发感想：没有什么东西是十全十美的。人们不应当事事追求完美。如比萨斜塔一样，正因为它的不完美，才吸引了世界上众多人的目光。 1. C。由作者所叙述的内容，可知该塔之所以被叫做斜塔是因为它是倾斜的。
2. D。这层意思是作者对比萨斜塔的误解，答案在“But when I read the word Pisa, I was thinking of pizza”一句中。
3. C。本题属表层理解题。“The tower probably will not fall down, it is 600 years old.”是答案的出处。 4. B。答案即在“And, if you ask me, I like what it looks like.”中。
5. D。根据“Imperfect things may be more interesting.”及作者所流露出的对比萨斜塔的感情可以看出他认为缺憾也是一种美。
Passage 10
If you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they will become weak, and when you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows that. Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way.
When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong.
If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his own fault. But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents may be blamed, and few of us know that it is just his own fault. Have you ever found that some people can't read or write but usually they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write and when they have to remember things, they cannot write them down in a small notebook. As a result, they have to remember days, names, songs and stories, so their memory is being exercised the whole time.
So if you want to have a good memory, learn from the people: practice remembering things in a way as other people do.
1. Someone can't have a good memory if ________. A. he can't read or write
B. his parents haven't a good memory C. he doesn't make good use of his memory D. he doesn't use his arms or legs for some time 标准答案：C
2. If you do not use your arms or legs for some time, ________. A. they will become thin C. they begin to ache all over 标准答案：B
3. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Your memory needs chance for practice. B. A good memory is inherited from parents.
C. Your memory works in the different ways as your arms or legs. D. Don't learn to read and write if you want to have a good memory.
B. they will become weak D. you can't use them any more
标准答案：A
4. Few people know that if someone has a poor memory it is ________. A. his own fault C. his teachers' fault 标准答案：A
5. The writer wants to tell us ________. A. how to read and write well B. how to have a good memory C. how to use our arms or legs better
D. how to learn from the people who can't read or write 标准答案：B
B. his parents' fault D. his friends' fault
Passage 11
A foreigner's first impression of the . is likely to be that everyone is in a rush-often under pressure. City people always appear to be hurrying to get where they are going restlessly, seeking attention in a store, and elbowing others as they try to complete their errands(任务). Racing through daytime meals is part of the pace of life in this country.
Working time is considered precious. Others in public eating places are waiting for you to finish so that they too can be served and get back to work within the time allowed. Each person hurries to make room for the next person. If you don’t, waiters will hurry you.
You also find drivers will be abrupt and people will push past you. You will miss smiles, brief
conversations, and small courtesies with strangers. Don't take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else \
The view of time affects the importance we attach to patience. In the American system of values, patience is not a high priority. Many of us have what might be called “a short fuse.” We begin to move restlessly about if we feel time is slipping away without some re-turnbe this in terms of pleasure, work value, or rest. Those coming from lands where time is looked upon differently may find this matter of pace to be one of their most difficult adjustments in both business and daily life.
Many newcomers to the States will miss the opening courtesy of a business call, for example, They will miss the ritual interaction that goes with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee that may be a convention in their own country. They may miss leisurely business chats in a café or coffee house. Normally, Americans do not assess their visitors in such relaxed surroundings over prolonged small talks. We seek out evidence of past
performance rather than evaluate a business colleague through social courtesies. Since we generally assess and probe professionally rather than socially, we start talking business very quickly. 1. Which of the following statements is wrong? A. Americans seem to be always under pressure. B. Americans attach less importance to patience. C. Americans don’t care much about ritual socializing. D. Americans are impolite to their business colleagues. 2. In the fourth paragraph, “a high priority” means ________？ A. a less important thing B. a first concern C. a good business D. an attractive gift 3. Americans evaluate a business colleague ________. A. through social courtesy B. through prolonged business talks C. by establishing business relations D. by learning about their past performance
4. This passage mainly talks about ________. A. how Americans treasure their time B. how busy Americans are every day C. how Americans do business with foreigners D. what American way of life is like
5. We can infer from the passage that the author’s tone in writing is ________.
A. critical B. ironical C. appreciative D. objective
大学英语B阅读理解练习题及答案
