英语阅读(2)平时作业(一)

英语阅读（2）平时作业（一）班级：___________ 学号：___________ 姓名：____________ 分数：___________ Part IRead the following two passages and then write brief answers to questions 1–10. 20%Passage 1In the late 1960s, motorcyclists in California, USA, used to go out in the countryside and ride their machines up and down mountain tracks just for fun. They made a lot of noise and did a lot of damage to the countryside. Soon, the practice was banned but the same people simply switched to old bicycles and started to use those for their sport.At first, they took the bicycles up the mountains in trucks, but then one keen cyclist, Gary Fisher, put extra gears on his bike and began using it to ride uphill as well as down. By the end of the 1970s, bicycle manufacturers were beginning to develop special bikes for offroad riding. And so the mountain bike was born.Now, mountain bikes have wide, heavy tyres to give a good grip on rough surfaces, and straight handlebars to make the control of the steering easier. They are built on smaller, stronger frames than other bikes, because they are often ridden over bumpy ground which would soon damage lighter bikes.1. Where would motorcyclists go to ride their motorcycles in the 60’s?2. Why did those people go motorcycling?3. Why was the practice banned later?4. What could Fisher do after he had put extra gears on his bike?5. Why does the frame of mountain bikes have to be very strong?Passage 2She was launched on 31 May 1911 and sailed on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, via Chergourg and Queenstown, on 10 April 1912. With a gross tonnage of 46, 328 tons, she was the largest ship afloat: 882 feet long, 92 feet wide, 8 decks rising to the height of an 11-storey building. Four days and seventeen hours after the voyage began, at 11:40 p.m. on Sunday 14 April, she hit an iceberg and was badly damaged. Two hours and forty minutes later she sank. Of the 2227 passengers and crew, 705 escaped in twenty lifeboats and rafts; 1522 were drowned,including her master, Captain Edward Smith. At dawn on 15 April the Cunard liner Carpathia, having heard the Titanic’s wireless distress calls 58 miles away, arrived at the scene and began picking up survivors.6. What is the meaning of a ―maiden voyage?‖7. In which season did Titanic set out for her only trip?8. How did the disaster happen?9. Which ship was the first one to arrive and save the passengers?10. How long was it from the disaster taking place till the arrival of the other ship to save the survivors?Part IILook quickly through this story and then write brief answers to questions 11—20 according to the passage. 20%Passage 3―An important room, this!‖ cried Mr. Wonka, taking a bunch of keys from his pocket and slipping one into the keyhole of t he door. ―This is the nerve center of the whole factory, the heart of the whole business! And so beautiful! I insist upon my rooms being beautiful! I can’t abide ugliness in factories! In we go then! But do be careful, my dear children! Don’t lose your heads! Don’t get over-excited! Keep very calm!‖Mr. Wonka opened the door. Five children and nine grown-ups pushed their ways in – and oh, what an amazing sight it was that now met their eyes!They were looking down upon a lovely valley. There were green meadows on either side of the valley, and along the bottom of it there flowed a great brown river.What is more, there was a tremendous waterfall halfway along the river—a steep cliff over which the water curled and rolled in a solid sheet, and then went crashing down into a boiling churning whirlpool of froth and spray.Below the waterfall (and this was the most astonishing sight of all), a whole mass of enormous glass pipes were dangling down into the river from somewhere high up in the ceiling! They really were enormous, those pipes. There must have been a dozen of them at least, and they were sucking up the brownish muddy water from the river and carrying it away to goodness knows where. And because they were made of glass, you could see the liquid flowing and bubbling along inside them, and above the noise of the waterfall, you could hear the never-ending suck-suck-sucking sound of thepipes as they did their work.Graceful trees and bushes were growing along the riverbanks—weeping willows and alders and tall clumps of rhododendrons with their pink and red and mauve blossoms. In the meadows there were thousands of buttercups.―There!‖ cried Mr. Wonka, dancing up and down and pointing his gold-topped cane at the great brown river. ―It’s all c hocolate! Every drop of that river is hot melted chocolate of the finest quality. The very finest quality. There’s enough chocolate in there to fill every bathtub in the entire country! And all the swimming pools as well! Isn’t it terrific? And just look a t my pipes! They suck up the chocolate and carry it away to all the other rooms in the factory where it is needed! Thousands of gallons an hour, my dear children! Thousands and thousands of gallons!‖11. ―… that now met their eyes!‖ Whose eyes?12. ―…and along the bottom of it…‖ Along the bottom of what?13. ―…(and this was the most astonishing sight of all)…‖ What was the most astonishing sight?14. ―They were really enormous, those pipes.‖ Which pipes?15. ―…and carrying it away…‖ Carrying wha t away?16. ―And because they were made of glass…‖ What were made of glass?17. ―…as they did their work.‖ As what did their work?18. ―It’s all chocolate!‖ What’s all chocolate?19. ―… where it is needed!‖ Where what is needed?20. ―Thousands and thousands of gallons!‖ Thousands and thousands of gallons of what?Part III Multiple ChoicesRead the passages below and then choose the best answer to each of the questions 21—30. 20%Passage 4China’s telecommunications have developed r apidly. Statistics show that there are 30,000 city dwellers obtaining a telephone every day in China. In 1993 telephone switching systems increased by about 10 million lines, twice the capacity of Hong Kong. In 1994, there were 10.83 million lines installed throughout the whole country, and the figure exceeded 12 million in 1995. Telecommunications experts in developed countries often think these figures are mistaken—the United States added only 7 million lines a year during its greatest period of development.From these figures it is easy to see that china will be the largest telephone market in the world in the 21st century. Competition is fiercest now in the mobile phone. Since the introduction of a simulated 900 MHZ high-density network in 1987, China’s cellular phone network has doubled and then redoubled. By the end of 1995, mobile phone users in China numbered 3.6 million, and it is estimated that this number will increase to 18 million by the year 2000. such a large market has attracted the attention of many foreign companies.China is also, perhaps, the world’s largest market for personal pagers. The best sellers in this category are almost entirely foreign-made models, and there are about 100 foreign manufacturers in beepers. Similarly, the mobile phone market is dominated by Motorola, Ericsson and Nokia. There are factories in China that can and do produce cellular phones, but hardly enough to meet current demand or to gain a toehold for Chinese manufacturers. A high dependence on imported equipment and technology characterizes China’s communications, all the way from the average beeper users to the State Public Communications Networks.21. This passage is most likely taken from __________.A. a brochureB. a newspaperC. a novel22. In 1993, telephone switching system in China __________.1. decreased by about 10 million lines.2. increased by 10.83 million lines3. are twice that of Hong Kong23. It can be inferred from the passage that China __________.1. had over 12 million telephone lines installed in 19942. will be the largest phone market in the 21st century3. has around 18 million mobile phone users by the end of 199524. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the mobile phone providers in China?A. SamsungB. EricssonC. Nokia25. Which of the following words/phrases may be the closest in meaning to ―gain a toehold‖ in paragraph 3?1. To supply the foreign companies with components.2. To establish a small but safe position in the market.3. To beat the foreign manufacturers.Passage 5PARIS (Agencies via Xinhua) Britain’s Princess Diana, 36, died yesterday after a car crash in Paris as she was being chased by photographers, sparking a worldwide wave of mou rning for a ―people’s princess‖ whose life veered from fairytale to tragedy.The most photographed woman in the world and divorced wife of the heir to the British throne, Diana died with her millionaire companion Dodi Al Fayed when their driver apparently lost control and hit a concrete post by the River Seine.Parisians laid red roses at the spot where the car crashed just after midnight as tributes to the glamorous princess poured in from monarchs, presidents and politicians around the world.Prince Charles, whose 15-year marriage to Diana ended in divorce last year, was flying to Paris to pick up the body of his former wife and fly it back to Britain. French surgeons battled for hours to save the 36-year –old princess, cutting open her shattered chest, sewing up a ruptured vein and massaging the heart in a failed effort to make it pump.Three and a half hours after the crash they conceded defeat and Diana died at 0200 GMT.Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles were said to be deeply shocked and distressed. Charles, in Scotland, broke the news to their sons, Princes William, 15, and Harry, 12.British Prime Minister Tony Blair called her ―the people’s princess.‖US President Bill Clinton, who heard the news while on vacation at Martha’s Vine yard, said he and his wife Hilary were ―profoundly saddened.‖Four press photographers on the scene were taken into custody for questioning. Police said they had seized film and cameras and were investigating the crash as a possible case of manslaughter.The black Mercedes Benz in which Diana and Harrods heir Al Fayed, 41, were riding after dinner at the Fayed-owned Ritz Hotel, smashed into a pillar in a road tunnel under the Place de I’Alma across the River Seine from the Eiffel Tower.26. Princess Diana died in a tragic accident after __________.1. she refused to have her photo taken2. her car ran into a concrete post3. her car slipped into the River Seine4. she lost control of her car27. Diana was called ―the People’s Princess‖ because __________.1. she was the most photographed woman in the world2. she was well liked by the British people3. she was divorced from Prince Charles4. she was give the title by the Queen28. What did the French surgeons do in their last effort to save Diana?1. They gave her heart massage.2. They spent several hours sewing up her shattered chest.3. They tried all possible ways to make her heart pump again.4. They asked for help from politicians and monarchs all over the world.29. Who told the sad ne ws to Dian’s two sons?1. The British Prime Minister.2. The Queen.3. President Clinton.4. Prince Charles.30. Why were the four press photographers taken into custody?1. Because they had been with her on the night of her death.2. Because they witnessed the accident.3. Because they might be partly responsible for the crash.4. Because they wanted to publish photos of the accident.Part IV True or FalseRead the passage below and then decide which of the statements are TRUE and which are FALSE. 20%Passage 6About 30,000 Amish and Mennonite people live in the ―Pennsylvania Dutch‖ country in southeastern Pennsylvania. Because of their religious beliefs, many of these people do not use the modern automobile. Instead, the horse and buggy are still the main means of transportation. The buggies have changed little from the style of a century ago, although convertible tops, foot-operated brakes, chrome hubcaps, and electric turn signals are now available. However, the power that makes the buggy go remains the same—the horse.The Amish buggy usually has four big spindly wheels of equal size. According to one observer, it looks ―something like a daddy longlegs spiders.‖ The prices of the buggies vary. One carriage maker starts his prices depends partly on whether the buggies have tops.Buggy building is still a thriving business on Pennsylvania Dutch country, where custom has preserved a part of the past.31. The Amish and Mennonite people live in the south of Pennsylvania.32. Amish and Mennonite people refuse to use the modern automobile because of religious reasons.33. Instead of modern automobiles, those people use bikes for traveling.34. Another name for a buggy is carriage.35. The size of a buggy’s wheels must be exactly the same.36. The difference between the prices of two buggies can be as big as $200.37. The difference between the buggies lies in the difference of their tops.38. The word ―thriving‖ in the last paragraph tells us that the business of buggy building is still very good all over USA today.39. One of the reasons for the thriving buggy building business is the fact that people there like the past more than their life today.40. This passage is more story-telling than explaining/making clear of something.Part V Short AnswerRead the passage below and then give a short answer to each of the questions 41—45.20%Passage 7What can a person do if he or she is unhappy with a job? Should he or she quit? Some people do. Others find a better way to do their work.In the year 1870, Jan Matzeliger found himself faced with an unhappy job situation. Jan was a shoemaker. Not only was shoe construction hard work, but the hours were long. It took many hours to finish just one pair of shoes. Workers often became discouraged.Determined to change this, Matzeliger devoted the next ten years of his life to the pursuit of an easier way to make shoes. He worked on building a device that would ease the process of shoe construction. He finally completed a machine that would help to form a last, the shape over which a shoe is formed.The machine was a success. It worked. It made the shoemaking process faster and easier. However, like many an inventor, Matzeliger sold the rights to the machine very cheaply. Others made money on this although in some ways he had achieved his dream.41. Do all the people quit when they feel unhappy with his or her job?42. What did Jan do as his work?43. Why did shoemakers get discouraged?44. What is a last?45. Why was the last a success。