大学英语二级期末考试阅读理解命题范围

Passage 1Charlie Chaplin has broken all records in making people laugh. No one has so set a whole world laughing as the little man with the walking stick and the oversized shoes.Much has been written about Chaplin's art and his career, and opinions have ranged widely. But perhaps those who called him "the truest huma n being of our time" came closest to the truth. Those who have called him a genius stress the timeless and com mon qualities in his work. It is an art filled with sad elements and deep human feeling, with which an audienee cannot help but become in volved. It is for these reas on s, I believe, that the figure of Charlie has attracted generation after generation.All the writers who give accounts of Chaplin's life agree that Charlie's unhappy early years in the area in London where houses were dirty and wor n had a great in flue nee on his developme nt and on the type of films he made. Chapli n himself emphasizes it in his memoirs （回忆录）.The more one reads about his earliest period, the more one tends to agree. In deed, his sufferi ng youth had a last ing in flue nce on him.Chapli n was n ever afraid to deal with subjects caus ing much disagreeme nt in his films. He gave a humorous performance on war only a few weeks before the American soldiers came home from World War I in 1918. This was regarded as madn ess, but the performa nce was well received. So perfectly did it hit the nail on the head that even the returning soldiers found it impossible to hate it and deeply appreciated this short and humorous performance on what for them had been an unpleasant reality. Chaplin gave numerous performances attacking capital gover nmen ts, satiriz ing （讽朿H） the cruelty of the machi ne age, and eve n making fun of Hitler.Years after his death, the funny films of motion picture actor and director Charlie Chapli n con ti nue to be well loved. He is particularly well known for his success as a creator of humorous prese ntati ons that make fun of people, the establishme nt, or n etworks.1. All of the followi ng about Charlie Chaplin are true except ______________ .A. he was born in the USAB. he was a great film actorC. he had an un happy early lifeD. he made fun of Hitler in one of his films2. According to the author, Charlie Chaplin has been well loved by generation aftergen erati on because ____________ .A. he set the whole world laughi ngB. his performa nces get people in volvedC. his works appeal to people in differe nt periodsD. both B and C3. Accord ing to the writers of Charlie Chapli n's life history, ___________ had a strongin flue nee on the type of films he made.A. the society in which he livedB. the audie nee who praised and admired himC. his un happy early years in the poor area in LondonD. those who called him a genius4. Accord ing to the passage, which of the followi ng is true?A. There are timeless qualities in Chapli n's work because he did n't in volve himself inpolitical affairs.B. Chapli n became well loved years after his death.C. Chapli n's performa nee is funny without any sad eleme nts.D. Chapli n's films are the comb in ati ons of funny and sad eleme nts.5. This passage was ___________ .A. written by Charlie ChaplinB. writte n about Charlie Chapli nC. advertis ing one of Charlie Chapli n's filmsD. written for students to learn film-makingPassage 2Although Beethove n could sit dow n and compose easily, his really great compositi ons did not come easily at all. They cost him a great deal of hard work and he always found it hard to satisfy himself.When he was 28, he began to notice a strange noise in his ears. As it grew worse, he went to see doctors, and was told that he was going deaf. This was too much for any composer to bear. Beethoven was without hope; he was sure that he was going to die. He went to the countryside where he wrote a long good-bye letter to his brothers, describing how sad and Ion ely his deaf ness made him. He Ion ged to die, and said to death, "Come whe n you will; I shall meet you bravely."In fact, Beethove n did somethi ng braver tha n dying. He gathered his courage and went on writi ng music, though he could hear what he wrote more and more fai ntly. He wrote the music for which we remember him best after he became deaf. This music was very differe nt from any that had bee n composed before. In stead of the artistic and beautiful music that earlier composers had written for their rich listeners, Beethoven wrote stormy, exciting musicwhich reminds us of his troubled and courageous （勇敢的）life. His Heroic （英雄的）Symphony （交响乐）and Fifth Symphony both show his courage in struggling with his fate.In time he went completely deaf, but he wrote more creatively tha n ever, for he could "hear" his music in his mind. He was Ionely and often unhappy but in spite of this, he often wrote joyful music, such as his last symph ony, the Nin th. Because of his courage and strong will to triumph, his music has give n joy and en courageme nt to milli ons of people.1. How did Beethove n's deaf ness affect him?A. It killed him.B. It stopped his writing music.C. It drove him mad.D. It helped him create great music.2. Which of the followi ng music works writte n by Beethove n was joyful?A. No. 9 Sympho ny.B. No. 7 Sympho ny.C. No. 5 Sympho ny.D. No. 3 Sympho ny.3. Beethove n Ion ged to die because ______________ .A. he had told death he would meet it bravelyB. he felt his deaf ness was too much for him to bear as a composerC. he would n't be able to write music for rich liste ners after beco ming deafD. he would n't be able to support his family4. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?A. Music and Symph onyB. Hard to SatisfyC. The Music of FateD. Deafn ess in Music.5. According to the passage, which of the following is true?A. Whe n he was partly deaf, Beethove n's music became more and more gen tle.B. His music became more and more artistic although he was deaf.C. He wrote fai nter an d fain ter music after he went deaf.D. He composed exciting and encouraging music that reflected his struggle with his fate. Passage 3English food is thought of poorly in other countries. This is most probably becauseforeigners in England are often obliged （不得不）to eat in the more fast-food type of restaura nt. Here it is n ecessary to prepare food rapidly in large amoun ts, and the taste of the food inevitably suffers, though its quality, from the point of view of nourishment （营养）,is quite satisfactory. Still, it is rather dull and not always pleasantly presented. Moreover, the En glishma n eat ing in a cheap or medium price restaura nt is usually in a hurry （at least at lunch）, and a meal eaten in a leisurely way in pleasant surroundings is always far more enjo yable tha n a meal take n quickly in a bus in ess-like en vir onmen t. I n gen eral, it is possible to get a good meal at a reas on able price; in fact, such a meal may be less expe nsive tha n similar food in other countries. For those with money to spare, there are restaurants that compare favorably with the best in any coun try.In many countries breakfast is a snack （点心）rather than a meal, but the typical English breakfast is a full meal. Some people have a bowl of hot or cold cereal（谷物）to begi n with. Then comes a large and filling course, usually cooked, such as bacon （腊肉）and eggs, or some other type of meat. Yorkshire ham （火腿）is also a breakfast many people enjoy. Afterwards comes toast, with butter and marmalade （果子酱）,and perhaps some fruit. Tea or coffee is drunk with the meal. Many En glish people now take such a full breakfast only on Sun day morning.1. Food in the more fast-food type of restaura nt in Britai n is always ____________ .A. served in large amountsB. very pleasa nt in appeara neeC. quite acceptable for foreig nersD. not so delicious2. Accord ing to the passage, En glish food is _____________ in terms of no urishme nt.A. actually quite satisfactoryB. not good at allC. always very simpleD. always taken in pleasant surroundings despite its poor taste3. Foreig ners in Brita in always choose to __________________ .A. eat the most typical foodB. have a full breakfast every dayC. buy the least expe nsive foodD. have their meals in the more fast-food type of restaura nt4. Which of the followi ng stateme nts is probably true?A. Englishmen always talk about time while eating.B. The same meal would be more enjoyable if eaten in better surroundings.C. It's almost impossible for any British restaura nt to rank among the best in the world.D. People can hardly get eno ugh food at a reas on able price in Brita in.5. Which of the followi ng stateme nts is probably NOT true?A. Many En glishme n have a full breakfast on ly once a week.B. Typical breakfast in Brita in is a meal rather tha n a sn ack.C. Englishmen are so stuck in their old ways that they have a full breakfast every day.D. En glish people always have tea or coffee with a full breakfast in stead of fruit juice.Passage 4Television carries more national advertising than any other medium in the United States. The same is true in some smaller coun tries such as Spain and Portugal, where it is the only medium reachi ng a gen eral n ati onal audie nee. In many coun tries, (Swede n and Denm ark, for example) the state-owned television accepts no advertising. In many other countries the amount of commercial (商业广告)time is very much limited, as in France, Germany, and Italy. Russian state-owned television began accepting a limited amount of advertising in 1988.The chief reason that television is so well liked among United States advertisers is that it reaches a vast number of people at the same time. While it can cost well over 100,000 dollars, a 30-second commercial on network television can be seen and heard by as many as 25 million viewers. For companies that must make prospects aware of their products and convince them of their ben efits immediately, there is no thi ng as efficie nt as televisi on advertis ing.Because it employs motion as well as words, pictures, sounds, and music, television is a valuable medium for products that lend themselves to dem on strati on. No other medium is as effective in showing how quickly an automobile can move or how well a certain type of wristwatch will sta nd up un der heavy use and continue to run .In the same way, it is an ideal medium for show ing how some products can make a pers on feel better about him- or herself, such as Ion g-dista nee teleph one calls.1. Accord ing to the passage, which of the followi ng stateme nts is true?A. There is less advertising on TV in Spain than in Sweden.B. One can never see any commercial on TV in Denmark since it is not accepted at all.C. The amount of commercial time is very much limited in most European countries.D. Fre nch people don't have to worry about being troubled by commercials.2. Accord ing to the passage, what is the mai n reas on Un ited States advertisers liketelevisi on so much?A. It com muni cates in formati on more quickly.B. Every household has at least one TV set.C. It com muni cates in formati on to a vast nu mber of people at the same time.D. America n people love watchi ng TV more tha n readi ng.3. The word prospects in the 2nd paragraph means _____________ .A. pote ntial customersB. competitorsC. work ing staff at TV stati onsD. part ners4. Which of the followi ng is employed in TV advertis ing?A. MotionB. Sounds and music.C. PicturesD. All of the above.5. Which of the followi ng stateme nts is true?A. Televisi on is as efficie nt as n ewspaper in dem on strati on ben efits of a certai nproduct or service.B. Televisi on is a valuable medium in dem on strati ng ben efits of a certa in product orservice.C. TV commercials can hardly help to com muni cate feeli ngs.D. People use advertis ing on TV whe never n ecessary because of its effective ness. Passage 5Coffee is one of the most popular （流行的）dri nks throughout the world today .In fact, according to some estimates, over 30% of all adults in the world drink coffee at least once a day on the average.Coffee contains a kind of drug called caffeine （咖啡因）.Caffeine is a chemical that stimulates （刺激）the nerves of the body. Drinking coffee tends to make people a little bit more awake—at least for a short time —because of this stimulating effect on the nervous system （系统）.A cup of coffee has, on the average, about 3% caffe ine in it.One story of the discovery of the coffee pla nt relates to this effect of caffe ine. Accord ing to the story, coffee was discovered in East Africa. The story says that coffee was first found bya goat farmer n amed Kaldi. This was about the year 850.Kaldi was leading his animals through the mountains and the goats were stopping repeatedly to eat the pla nts n ear the path. Sudde nly, some of the goats started jump ing up and dow n in a very stra nge way.Kaldi figured out that the goats were acting this way because of the plants they were eating. Kaldi himself tried eating some of the green beans （豆荚）that the goats had been eat ing. He, too, felt the stimulat ing effect of the bea ns.Kaldi wan ted to prove what had happe ned, so he picked some of the bea ns and took them back to his home village, where he told his story. The green bean got the name "Kaffa" and later "coffee" because the bea ns were discovered in a place called Kaffa in Africa.Then for years, people used to eat a few of the gree n Kaffa bea ns whe n they were in the mountains and needed extra energy to do their work. It was later found that the coffee beans could be picked and the n dried un til they tur ned brow n, and the n they could be stored. If the bea ns were dried and stored, they could be used at any time.1. What is caffei ne?A. a kind of seedB. a kind of pla ntC. a kind of drugD. a kind of nut2. What is the purpose of drinking coffee?A. To become more awake.B. To become more healthy.C. To become more happy.D. To become more clever.3. Coffee was first found by a _________ .A. doctorB. farmerC. druggist （药剂师）D. chemist （化学家）4. How did the goats react after eat ing the pla nts?A. They fell asleep.B. They could not find their way home.C. They started jump ing up and dow n.D. They wan ted to eat more.5. Why did the gree n bea n get the n ame "Kaffa"?A. Because Kaldi loved his home village very much.B. Because Kaldi's goats loved the gree n bea n very much.C. Because the bea ns were discovered in a place by this n ame.D. Because the bea ns could be picked and dried.Passage 6Pepys and his wife had asked some frie nds to dinner on Sun day, September 2nd, 1666. The servants （女仆）were up very late on the Saturday evening, getting everything ready for the next day, and while they were busy they saw the glow of a fire start in the sky. By 3 o'clock on the Sun day morning, the glow had become so bright that one of the serva nts, Jane, woke her master to see it. Pepys went to the window to watch it. It seemed fairly far away, so after a time he went back to bed. When he got up in the morning, it looked as though the fire was dying down, though he could still see it. So he set to work to tidy （整理）his room and put his thi ngs back where he wan ted them after the serva nts had clea ned everythi ng.While he was doing this, Jane came in to say that she had heard that the fire was a bad one: three hun dred houses had bee n bur ned dow n in the ni ght and the fire was still bur ning. Pepys went out to see for himself. He went to the Tower of London and climbed up on a high part of the buildi ng so that he could see what was happe ning. From there, Pepys could see that it was, in deed, a bad fire and that eve n the houses on London Bridge were bur ning. Some one told him that the fire had started in a baker's house in Pudding Lane （小巷）,and then the flames （火焰）had quickly spread to the other houses in the narrow lane. So began the Great Fire of London, a fire that lasted nearly five days, destroyed most of the old city and ended, so it is said, at Pie Corn er.1. The serva nts were up very late because ______________ .A. they were chatt ingB. they were hav ing a partyC. they were prepari ng for a dinnerD. they were watchi ng a fire2. Pepys went back to bed because ______________ .A. he was not interested in chatting about a fireB. he did not thi nk the fire was any thi ng specialC. the fire was far awayD. the fire had died dow n3. Whe n Pepys was tidy ing his room and thi ngs, Jane came in and told him thatA. the fire was dying dow nB. the fire had bee n put outC. the fire was a bad oneD. no flame could be see n4. The fire started ________________ .A. on London BridgeB. in a baker's houseC. because the lane was too n arrow for people to come inD. because people could not get eno ugh water to put it out5. Pie Corner was _________________ .A. the site of the Tower of LondonB. the site of the Great Fire of LondonC. the place where the fire en dedD. the place where Pepys livedPassage 7The University of London is one of Britain's largest centers for higher education, with a name for international education. Located in one of the world's most dynamic（有活力有生气的）cities, we can offer international students a wide and exciting cultural life, as well as the very best course choice and teachi ng. We offer our in ter nati onal stude nts the ability to study and improve their comma nd of En glish, to en sure they get the best from the course of their choice.International students are assured of a successful and happy time while studying at the University of London. We have a Student Service office to help you at all times, and first year students are ensured a place in halls of residence if desired. Your teacher will give you personal instruction if required. Students can enjoy themselves in the free health center at any time.As a final point, we offer religious service rooms for those of all faiths and as London is an in ter nati onal city, we can put stude nts in touch with many religious groups in this area. Fin ally, with excelle nt air, rail, and road links to the rest of Brita in, Europe, and the world, gett ing here is easy.1. The Uni versity of London is located in a city _________________ .A. well known for produc ing excelle nt professorsB. full of activity and en ergyC. where you can enjoy everythi ng free of chargeD. that is quiet and peaceful all the time2. The Uni versity of London is famous for _________________ .A. the largest nu mber of stude ntsB. being located on the ThamesC. excelle nt tran sportati onD. i nternatio nal educati on3. Whe never intern ati onal stude nts have any difficulty in life, they can go to______________ for help.A. the health cen terB. the hall of reside nceC. the Stude nt Service officeD. their teacher4. The uni versity assures the first year stude nts that _______________ .A. they can have a place in halls of reside nce if they wish toB. they don't have to pay for their first-year educati onC. they will all be put into some religious groupsD. they can get houses at Newcastle for a very low price5. The main purpose of this passage is to __________________ .A. attract more travelers to LondonB. show that the Un iversity offers religious serviceC. draw more in ter nati onal stude ntsD. show how stude nts enjoy their studyPassage 8After hav ing lived for over twenty years in the same district, Albert Hall was forced to move to a new n eighborhood. He surprised his Ian dlord by tell ing him that he was leav ing because he could not afford to buy any more chocolate.It all bega n a year ago whe n Albert Hall retur ned home one eve ning and found a large dog in front of his gate. He was very fond of ani mals and as he happe ned to have a small piece of chocolate in his pocket, he gave it to the dog. The n ext day, the dog was there aga in. It held up its paws （爪子）and received another piece of chocolate as a reward. Albert called his new friend "Bingo". He never found out the dog's real name, nor who his owner was. However, Bingo appeared regularly every after noon and it was quite clear that he liked chocolate more than bones. He soon grew dissatisfied with small pieces of chocolate and dema nded a large piece a day. If at any time Albert could n't give it, Bingo got very angry and refused to let him open the gate. Albert was now at Bingo's mercy and had to "buy him" to get into his own house! He spent such a large part of his money to keep Bingo supplied with chocolate that in the end he had to move somewhere else.1. Albert had bee n liv ing in the same district for ___________________ .A. many weeksB. un der twenty yearsC. all his lifeD. more tha n twenty years2. Albert decided to move because _____________________ .A. he did n't get along well with his Ian dlordB. he was afraid of ani mals, especially dogsC. he could n't get into his own house freelyD. he was not satisfied with that district3. Bingo waited for Albert every after noon at the gate because ___________ .A. he wan ted some bonesB. he wan ted chocolateC. he liked AlbertD. he had no other place to go4. We can tell from the story that _________________________ .A. Albert could afford to buy a large piece of chocolate for Bingo every dayB. Albert did n't like ani mals any more from the n onC. all dogs cause trouble for people liv ing in Albert's district.D. it cost Albert too much money to buy chocolate for Bingo5. Albert had to "buy him" means __________________________ .A. Albert had to embrace himB. Albert had to drive him awayC. Albert had to give him chocolateD. Albert had to call the police to take him awayPassage 9Time spe nt in a bookshop can be most pleasa nt, whether you are a book-lover or merely there to buy a book as a prese nt. You may even have en tered the shop just to find shelter from a sudde n shower. Whatever the reason, you can soon become totally unaware of your surroundings. You soon focus on some book or other, and usually it is only much later that you realize you have spe nt too much time there and must hurry off to keep some forgotte n appo in tme nt.This opport unity to escape the realities of everyday life is the main attracti on of a bookshop.A music shop is very much like a bookshop. You can range round such places to your heart's conten t. If it is a good shop, no assista nt will approach you with the greet ing, "Ca n I help you?" You n eed n't buy anything you don't want. In a bookshop an assista nt should rema in in the background until you have finished reading. Then, and only then, are his services necessary.Once a medical student had to read a textbook which was far too expensive for him to buy.He could n't obta in it from the library and the only copy he could find was in a bookshop. Every after noon, therefore, he would go to the shop and read a little of the book at a time. One day, however, he was disappo in ted to find the book miss ing from its usual place. He was about to leave, whe n he no ticed the owner of the shop making a gesture to him with his hand. Expect ing to be scolded, he went towards him. To his surprise, the owner poin ted to the book which was put away in a corn er. "I put it there in case anyone had a desire to buy it!" he said, and left the delighted stude nt to continue his readi ng.1. Time spe nt in a bookshop can be most pleasa nt _____________ .A. only whe n you can find the book you want to buyB. only whe n you are a book-loverC. even whe n you en ter it to avoid a sudde n showerD. even whe n you know you are late for an appo in tme nt2. A bookshop is of much attract ion because _____________ .A. it offers you an opport unity to forget about everyday lifeB. it offers you an opport unity to liste n to as much music as possibleC. it allows you to lear n about new ideas and ways of doing thingsD. it allows you to have a good excuse for being late for an appo in tme nt3. In a good bookshop __________ .A. an assista nt should always follow youB. an assista nt should freque ntly approach you and offer helpC. you n eed n't buy anything you don't wantD. you can com muni cate freely with an assista nt4. The medical stude nt went to a bookshop every day ____________ .A. to look for useful booksB. to read a textbookC. to talk with the shop ownerD. to use the computer at the shop5. The owner of the bookshop put away the book ______________ .A. in case other people wan ted to buy itB. in case the medical stude nt wan ted to buy itC. because he wan ted to sell it at a high priceD. because he wan ted to keep it for himselfPassage 10In the Un ited States, it is n ot no rmal to teleph one some one very early in the mornin g. If you teleph one him early in the day, while he is shav ing or havi ng breakfast, the time of the call showsthat the matter is very important and requires immediate attention. The same meaning is attached to telepho ne calls made after 11:00 p. m. If some one receives a call duri ng sleep ing hours, he assumes it's a matter of life and death. The time chose n for the call com muni cates its importa nee. In social life, time plays a very important role. In the US guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation （邀请）to a dinner party is extended only three or four days before the party date. But this is not true in all coun tries. In other areas of the world it may be con sidered foolish to make an appo in tme nt too far in adva nee because pla ns which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotte n.The meaning of time is different in different parts of the world. Thus, misunderstandings arise betwee n people from cultures that treat time differe ntly. To be on time is valued highly in American life, for example. If people are not on time, they may be regarded as not polite or not fully resp on sible. In the US no one would thi nk of keep ing a bus in ess associate wait ing for an hour; it would be bad-mannered. A person who is five minutes late is expected to apologize. If he is less than five minutes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence.1. If you teleph one some one early in the day, it means _________________ .A. you are expected to expla in whyB. you are not kind eno ughC. you want to show your concern for himD. you have a very importa nt matter to discuss2. The expressi on "a matter of life and death" means _________________ .A. an issue of the greatest importa nee and emerge ncyB. a very importa nt appo in tme ntC. a matter of whether some one should live or dieD. a strong desire to com muni cate3. In the US guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded ______________ .A. if the in vitati on to a dinner party is not exte nded early eno ughB. if the invitation to a dinner party is extended too far in advanceC. if the in vitati on to a dinner party is not exte nded repeatedlyD. if the in vitati on to a dinner party is exte nded to too many people4. The word "mis un dersta nding" can be expla ined as __________ .A. faili ng to atte nd a partyB. faili ng to un dersta nd correctlyC. sta nding in on e's wayD. sta nding on on e's own feet5. Which of the followi ng stateme nts is NOT true accord ing to the passage?A. I n the US it's no rmal to keep some one wait ing for some time.B. In the US it's not polite to keep some one wait ing for an hour.C. In the US one is always expected to be on time.D. In the US one is expected to apologize if he is five minutes lateP assage 11. A2. D3. C4. D5. B。