提纲2
Passage One
The journey two divers made some time ago to the very deepest point on the earth makes us realize how much of the world still remains to be studied. The two men went down seven miles to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean inside a small steel ball to find out if there are any ocean currents or signs of life.
It was necessary to set out early, so that the ball would come to the surface in daylight, and so be easily found by the mother ship which would be waiting for it. The divers began preparations early in the morning and soon afterwards, when all was ready, the steel ball disappeared under the surface of the water. The divers felt as if they were going down steps as they passed through warm and cold layers of water. In time, the temperature dropped to freezing point. They kept in touch with the mother ship by telephone telling how they felt. Then, at a depth of 3, 000 feet, the telephone stopped working and they were quite cut off from the outside world. All went well until some four hours later at 30, 000 feet, the men were frightened by a loud, cracking noise: even the smallest hole in the ball would have meant instant death. Luckily, though, it was only one of the outer windows that had broken. Soon afterwards, the ball touched the soft ocean floor raising a big cloud of “dust” made up of small dead sea-creatures. Here, powerful lights lit up the dark water and the men were surprised to see fish swimming just above them quite untroubled by the great water-pressure. But they did not dare to leave the lights on for long, as the heat from them made the water boil. Quite unexpectedly, the telephone began working again and the faint but clear voices of the divers were heard on the mother ship seven miles away. After a stay of thirty minutes the men began their journey up arriving three hours later, cold and wet through, but none the worse for their experience.
1. The purpose of the divers’ journey to the deepest point on the earth was to find __________.
A. if there are water currents and life in the great depths B. if people can stand the severe cold in the great depths C. if there are steps in the great depths
D. if the telephone works well in the great depths
2. The divers set out early in the morning so that __________.
A. they could return to the surface during the day B. they could see at the bottom of the ocean C. they could avoid the cold at night D. they could stay long at the bottom 3. Which of the statements is true?
A. The ocean water temperature decreases steadily with the depth. B. There are steps on the way to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. C. There are steps between the water layers of different temperatures.
D. The water layers of different temperatures made the divers feel as if they were going
down steps.
4. As the divers went down to the ocean floor, the telephone __________.
A. kept working all the time
B. stopped working at a depth of 3, 000 feet and began working again after they reached
the bottom
C. stopped working at a depth of 3, 000 feet and began working again at 30, 000 feet
D. stopped working at a depth of 3, 000 feet and began working again when they returned t
the same depth
5. On the ocean floor, the divers found that __________.
A. there was no life but some small dead sea-creatures
B. fish were swimming as freely as they do near the surface C. fish were not swimming freely in the dark water
D. fish were not swimming freely under the high water-pressure Passage Two
There are two kinds of memory: short-term and long-term. Information in long-term
memory can be recalled at a later time when it is needed. The information may be kept for days or weeks. In contrast, information in short-term memory is kept for only a few seconds, usually by repeating the information over and over. The following experiment shows how short-term memory has been studied.
Henning studied how students who are leaning English as a second language remember
vocabulary. The subjects in his experiment were 75 college students. They represented all levels of ability in English: beginning, intermediate, advanced, and native-speaking students.
To begin, the subjects listened to a recording of a native speaker reading a paragraph in English. Following the recording, the subjects took a 15-question test to see which words they remembered. Each question had four choices. The subjects had to circle the word they had heard in the recording. Some of the questions had four choices that sound alike. For example, weather, whether, wither, and wetter are four words that sound a like. Some of the questions had four choices that have the same meaning. Method, way, manner, and system would be four words with the same meaning. Finally the subjects took a language proficiency test. Henning found that students with a lower proficiency in English made more of their mistakes on words that sound alike; students with a higher proficiency made more of their mistakes on words that have the same meaning. Henning’s results suggest that beginning students hold the sound of words in their short-term memory, and advanced students hold the meaning of words in their short-term memory.
6. Henning made the experiment in order to study __________.
A. how students remember English vocabulary by short-term memory B. how students learn English vocabulary C. how to develop students’ ability in English
D. how long information in short-term memory is kept
7. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Information in short-term memory is different from that in long-term memory. B. Long-term memory can be achieved only by training.
C. It is easier to test short-term memory than long-term memory. D. Henning gave a separate test on vocabulary to his subjects. 8. From Henning’s results we can see that _________.
A. beginners have difficulty distinguishing the pronunciation of words B. advanced students remember words by their meaning C. it is difficult to remember words that sound alike
D. it is difficult to remember words that have the same meaning 9. The word “subject” in the passage means __________.
A. the college course the students take B. the theme of the listening material C. a branch of knowledge studied D. the student experimented on 10. The passage centres on __________.
A. memory
B. two kinds of memory C. short-term memory
D. an experiment on students Passage Three
Easter is probably the most important Christian holiday on the calendar because it commemorates Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Like many other religious holidays, though, Easter has incorporated many traditions from pagan beliefs and pre-Christian rites of seasonal regeneration.
The word Easter has Indo-European roots and means “dawn”. This is a direct reference to the pagan goddess of dawn and new life. The egg, a symbol of Easter, is a sign of fertility which reflects ancient spring renewal rites and beliefs that have been absorbed into the Christian tradition. Even the Easter bunny who brings the eggs was the escort of the Germanic goddess Ostara, who had a holiday named after her that fell on the vernal equinox. This serves to underscore the pagan elements that still remain a part of this quintessential Christian holy day.
In the United States, Easter is celebrated in several ways. On Easter morning children usually begin their day by looking for Easter eggs that the Easter bunny has hidden for them. Of course, most children know that the eggs were hidden by their parents, not the Easter bunny. In fact, many children help their parents color the Easter eggs, knowing that soon they will be eating them as a snack on Easter day. Some cities have Easter egg hunts at the local parks.
Since Easter is always celebrated on Sunday, many people attend “Sunrise services” at their local church. In fact, more people go to church on Easter Sunday than at any other time of the year. Sunrise services begin very early in the morning, usually right about the same time as when the sun begins to rise, and last until almost noon. After church families gather and have a big holiday feast.
Easter also marks the coming of spring. People are usually happy that winter is over, so parks are usually full of people who want to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. 11. Which of the following best defines Easter?
A. It is partially religious. B. It is a Christian holiday.
C. It is purely a religious tradition.
D. It is the most important Christian holiday. 12. The Easter egg represents __________.
A. spring B. new life C. productivity D. Easter
13. What is the main point of the third paragraph?
A. Children like eating eggs on Easter. B. Children help their parents on Easter.
C. People participate in many activities on Easter. D. A lot of people go to church on Easter.
14. The celebration of Easter does not include __________.
A. eating Easter eggs B. hunting Easter eggs C. buying gifts for children D. having religious ceremonies 15. Why do people go to parks on Easter?
A. Because spring is coming.
B. Because it is part of the celebration. C. Because the air is fresh on that day. D. Because they feel free on that day. Passage Four
One of Britain’s few distinctive contributions to the world culture may be doomed, according to a survey that suggests holiday postcards are being emailed and texted extinction. More than half of the 1000 holiday-makers interviewed said they had decided to send fewer cards, turning instead to their electronic rivals. A quarter of the respondents dismissed postcards as old-fashioned and slow to arrive. A further 14% admitted that thinking of something to fill the space was too challenging, compared with a call home. Although officially invented by a Hungarian, Emanuel Herrmann, 1869, the idea of illustrated cards was taken up with most enthusiasm in Victorian Britain, joining Gothic architecture and landscape gardening as fields in which the country excelled. “If the British postcard did become extinct we would lose for ever something of great importance to the nation,” said Chris Mottershead of Thomson Holiday, which commissioned the poll Marie Angelou of Sussex University, who has investigated the importance of sending and receiving postcards, backed him. “Postcards are nothing like phone calls, instant texting and direct photo shots via mobile,” she said. “All these are useful, practical devices, but postcards offer something else, something additional that is not mundane and simply functional, but imaginative and personal. They can evoke the real atmosphere of our holiday in a way that nothing else can do. They’re also for more than a moment – with some people adding them to collections built up over years and years.” Postcard-collecting, or deltiology, is third only to coins and stamps in Britain’s allied tradition of collecting things. The country’s uniquely postcard-related achievements include the invention in 1902 of the “divided back”. With the address taking up half of the writing area, brief postcard scribes became the precursor to today’s cryptic text messages.
16. Based on the survey, the conclusion is that __________.
A. holiday postcards were not popular among those interviewed B. half of the British are thinking of quitting postcards C. holiday postcards may have a gloomy future
D. a quarter of the interviewed threw away their postcards
17. Which of the following is not a reason why people refuse to send cards?
A. Sending cards is not fashionable. B. Sending cards is slow.
C. It is difficult to think of something to write on the cards. D. It’s difficult to find a suitable card to send.
18. According to the text, the significance of postcard is that it is one of those that _________.
中国药科大学药学专业(本科)英语期末考试(常州教学点)-2016.6提纲(阅读理解)
