大学英语阅读理解题

Reading ComprehensionsPassage 1In Australian families the central relationship is usually that between husband and wife, with children being thought of as independent individuals from an early age. The central relationship around which Chinese families revolve is quite different. Here the stress is placed on the relationship between parents and children. Couples with children view the roles of mother acid father as coming before those of husband and wife. It is the parents, usually the father, who make all important decisions for children. It is the father, for example, who will usually make decisions concerning what and where the children should study. This is in marked contrast to Australian families where children play an increasingly important role in deciding such matters as they grow older. This independence is also shown in the Australian custom of children leaving home to live independently of their parents long before marriage. There are few if any opportunities for young people to set up independently in this fashion in China. Indeed, the Australian practice in this regard can seem from a Chinese perspective to indicate that Australians do not care about their families.Australian children are more likely to be expected to work while they are studying than their Chinese counterparts. This can also apply to household chores, with Chinese parents expecting their offspring to devote their time to their studies. Children may be excused such duties right up to marriage, so that married life can sometimes come as a rude awakening to the need to cook and clean. Whereas in Australia students may work during the holidays or part-time during term, such activity is rare in China. The situation has changed somewhat since the end of the 1980s, with some students taking work as tutors or providing various services such as dressmaking. But the initial public reaction was one of shock. It is, then, still viewed as primarily the parents’ responsibility to support their children while they are pursuing their education. Money spent in this way is under no circumstances regarded as a loan, to be repaid when the children finish their education and have secured a job. University students in Australia also receive financial assistance from their parents and there is in some families an understanding that this will be repaid once they are financially independent. To many Chinese this may smack of lack of love and family feeling.The Australian emphasis on fostering independence in children from an early age runs counter to the Chinese view. Chinese children are not expected to be autonomous of their families to the same extent, with dependence on parents up to the time they are married. The protection and care of their children is the duty of parents. Chinese parents would look upon the failure to fulfill this duty as violating the most basic of parental responsibility. Dependence is the inevitable corollary and not something to shed as soon as possible but the expression of strong family bonds of affection.Questions:1. What’s the primary relationship in an Australian family and in a Chinese family?2. What role do children play in an Australian family?3. Why don’t Chinese children do household chores at home?4. What are Australian children expected to do during their school years?5. What’s the main idea of the passage?Passage 11. In an Australian family the primary relationship is husband and wife, whereas in a Chinese family the basic relationship is between parents and children.2. Children play an increasingly important role in deciding the matters in the family as they grow older.3. Because Chinese parents expect their children to devote their time to studies.4. During their school years Australian children may work in the holidays and may work part-time during the terms.5. The passage discusses the differences between Chinese and Australian families in child-rearing.Passage 2The English CharacterNo Englishman believes in working from book learning. He suspects all theories, philosophical or other. He suspects everything new, and dislikes it, unless he can be compelledby the force of circumstances to see that this new thing has advantages over the old. Race-experience is what he invariably depends upon, whenever he can, whether in India, in Egypt, or in Australia. His statesmen do not consult historical precedents in order to decide what to do: they first learn the facts as they are; then they depend upon their own common sense, not at all upon their university learning or upon philosophical theories. And in the case of the English nation, it must be acknowledged that this instinctive method has been eminently successful. The last people from whom praise can be expected, even for what is worthy of all praise, are the English. A new friendship, a new ideal, a reform, a noble action, a wonderful poem, an exquisite painting -- any of these things will be admired and praised by every other people in Europe long before you can get Englishmen to praise. The Englishman all this time is studying, considering, trying to find fault. Why should he try to find fault? So that he will not make any mistakes at a later day. He has inherited the terrible caution of his ancestors in regard to mistakes. It must be granted that his caution has saved him from a number of very serious mistakes that other nations have made. It must also be acknowledged that he exercises a fair amount of moderation in the opposite direction -- his modern Englishman; he has learned caution of another kind, which his ancestors taught him. “Power should be used with moderation; for whoever finds himself among valiant men will discover that no man is peerless.”And this is a very important thing for the strong man to know -- that however strong, he cannot be the strongest; his match will be found when occasion demands it. Not only Scandinavian but English rulers have often discovered this fact to their cost.The judgment of the Englishman by all other. European peoples is that he is most suspicious, the most reserved, the most unreceptive, the most unfriendly, and the most domineering of all western peoples. Ask a Frenchman, an Italian, a German, a Spaniard, even an American, what he thinks about Englishmen; and every one of them will tell you the very same thing. This is precisely what the character of men would become who had lived for thousands of years in the conditions of northern society. But you would find upon the other hand that nearly all nations would speak highly of certain other English qualities- energy, courage, honor, justice (between themselves). They would say that although no man is so difficult to make friends with, the friendship of an Englishman once gained is more strong and true than any other. And as the battle of life continues, and must continue for thousands of years to come, it must be acknowledged that the English character is especially well fitted for the struggle. Its reserves, its cautions, its doubts, its suspicions, its brutality -- these have been for it in the past, and are still in the present, the best social armor and panoply of war. It is not a lovable or an amiable character; it is not even kindly. The Englishman of the best type is much more inclined to be just than he is to be kind, for kindness is an emotional impulse, and the Englishman is on his guard against every kind of emotional impulse. But with all this, the character is a grand one, and its success has been the best proof of its value.Questions:6. The Englishmen are willing to see the advantages of new things.7. The Englishmen would rather depend on their race experience than university learning or philosophical theories.8. It is less likely to get praise from an American than from an Englishman.9. Being quite cautious, the Englishman has avoided making a lot of mistakes that other nations have made.10. Emotional impulse is one of the English characters.Passage 26. F7. T8. F9. T 10. F。