大学英语六级阅读技巧训练
阅读理解技巧训练
2.1细节题
In the1920s demand for American farm products fell,as European countries began to recover from World War I and instituted austerity（紧缩）programs to reduce their imports.The result was a sharp drop in farm prices.This period was more disastrous for farmers than earlier times had been,because farmers were no longer self-sufficient.They were paying for machinery, seed,and fertilizer,and they were also buying consumer goods.The prices of the items farmers bought remained constant,while prices they received for their products fell.These developments were made worse by the Great Depression,which began in1929and extended throughout the 1930s.
In1929,under President Herbert Hoover,the Federal Farm Board was organized.It established the principle of direct interference with supply and demand,and it represented the first national commitment to provide greater economic stability for farmers.
President Hoover's successor attached even more importance to this problem.One of the first measures proposed by President Franklin D.Roosevelt when he took office in1933was the Agricultural Adjustment Act,which was subsequently passed by Congress.This law gave the Secretary of Agriculture the power to reduce production through voluntary agreements with farmers who were paid to take their land out of use.A deliberate scarcity of farm products was planned in an effort to raise prices.This law was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court on the grounds that general taxes were being collected to pay one special group of people. However,new laws were passed immediately that achieved the same result of resting soil and providing flood-control measures,but which were based on the principle of soil conservation. The Roosevelt Administration believed that rebuilding the nation's soil was in the national interest and was not simply a plan to help farmers at the expense of other https://www.wendangku.net/doc/383059049.html,ter the government guaranteed loans to farmers so that they could buy farm machinery,hybrid（杂交）grain,and fertilizers.（2002年6月）
21.What brought about the decline in the demand for American farm products?
A）The impact of the Great Depression.
B）The shrinking of overseas markets.
C）The destruction caused by the First World War.
D）The increased exports of European countries.
23.The Agricultural Adjustment Act encouraged American farmers to.
A）reduce their scale of production
B）make full use of their land
C）adjust the prices of their farm products
D）be self-sufficient in agricultural production
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24.The Supreme Court rejected the Agricultural Adjustment Act because it believed that the Act.
A）might cause greater scarcity of farm products
B）didn't give the Secretary of Agriculture enough power
C）would benefit neither the government nor the farmers
D）benefited one group of citizens at the expense of others
25.It was claimed that the new laws passed during the Roosevelt Administration were
aimed at.
A）reducing the cost of farming
B）conserving soil in the long-term interest of the nation
C）lowering the burden of farmers
D）helping farmers without shifting the burden onto other taxpayers
2.2词汇、单句理解题
2.2.1词汇题
The word...in the first paragraph most probably means_____.
What is the meaning of...?
By...the author refers to...
（1）
We must recognize that environmental health issues do not stop at city limits,county lines, state or even federal boundaries.We can no longer afford to be tunnel-visioned in our approach. We must visualize issues from every perspective to make the objective decisions.We must express our views clearly to prevent media distortion and public confusion.（1999.6）
18.The word"tunnel-visioned"（Line2,Para.4）most probably means“”.
A）narrow-minded C）short-sighted
B）blind to the facts D）able to see only one aspect
（2）
We all have offensive breath at one time or another.In most cases,offensive breath emanates from bacteria in the mouth,although there are other more causes.（1998.1）
31.The phrase“emanate from”in Paragraph1most probably means“”.
A）thrive on B）account for C）originate from D）descend from （3）其它逻辑推导方式
例1
It is no secret among athletes that in order to improve performance you’ve got to work hard. However,hard training breaks you down and makes you weaker.It is rest that makes you stronger.Improvement only occurs during the rest period following hard training.This adaptation is accomplished by improving efficiency of the heart and certain systems within the muscle cells.During recovery periods these systems build to greater levels to compensate for the stress that you have applied.The result is that you are now at a higher level of performance.
If sufficient rest is not included in a training program,imbalance between excess training and inadequate rest will occur,and performance will decline.The“overtraining syndrome（综合症）”is the name given to the collection of emotional,behavioral,and physical symptoms due to overtraining that has persisted for weeks to months.It is marked by cumulative exhaustion
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that persists even after recovery periods.
2.By“overtraining”the author means________.
A）a series of physical symptoms that occur after training
B）undue emphasis on the importance of physical exertion
C）training that is not adequately compensated for by rest
D）training that has exceeded an athlete’s emotional limits
2.2.2单句理解题
The sentence...means that______.
What does the sentence...imply?
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the sentence...?
例1．
Reebok executives do not like to hear their stylish athletic shoes called"footwear for yuppies（雅皮士，少壮高薪职业人士）”.They contend that Reebok shoes appeal to diverse market segments,especially now that the company offers basketball and children's shoes for the under-18set and walking shoes for older customers not interested in aerobics（健身操）or running.The executives also point out that through recent acquisitions they have added hiking boots,dress and casual shoes,and high-performance athletic footwear to their product lines,all of which should attract new and varied groups of customers.
Still,despite its emphasis on new markets,Reebok plans few changes in the upmarket（高档消费人群的）retailing network that helped push sales to$1billion annually,ahead of all other sports shoe marketers.Reebok shoes,which are priced from$27to$85,will continue to be sold only in better specialty,sporting goods,and department stores,in accordance with the company's view that consumers judge the quality of the brand by the quality of its distribution.
In the past few years,the Massachusetts-based company has imposed limits on the number of its distributors（and the number of shoes supplied to stores）,partly out of necessity.At times the unexpected demand for Reebok's exceeded supply,and the company could barely keep up with orders from the dealers it already had.These fulfillment problems seem to be under control now,but the company is still selective about its distributors.At present,Reebok shoes are available in about five thousand retail stores in the United States.
Reebok has already anticipated that walking shoes will be the next fitness-related craze, replacing aerobics shoes the same way its brightly colored,soft leather exercise footwear replaced conventional running shoes.Through product diversification and careful market research,Reebok hopes to avoid the distribution problems Nike came across several years ago, when Nike misjudged the strength of the aerobics shoe craze and was forced to unload huge inventories of running shoes through discount stores.（2000年6月）
37.Reebok's view that"consumers judge the quality of the brand by the quality of its
distribution"（Line5,Para.2）implies that.
A）the quality of a brand is measured by the service quality of the store selling it
B）the quality of a product determines the quality of its distributors
C）the popularity of a brand is determined by the stores that sell it
D）consumers believe that first-rate products are only sold by high-quality stores
例2．
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The violence with a society is controlled through institutions of law.The more developed a legal system becomes,the more society takes responsibility for the discovery,control,and punishment of violent acts.In most tribal societies the only means to deal with an act of violence is revenge.Each family group may have the responsibility for personally carrying out judgment and punishment upon the person who committed the offense.But in legal systems,the responsibility for revenge becomes depersonalized and diffused.The society assumes the responsibility for protecting individuals from violence.In cases where they cannot be protected, the society is responsible for imposing punishment.In a state controlled legal system, individuals are removed from the cycle of revenge motivated by acts of violence,and the state assumes responsibility for their protection.（2002.6）
33.What does the author mean by saying"...in legal systems,the responsibility for revenge becomes depersonalized and diffused"（Lines5-6,Para.2）?
A）Legal systems greatly reduce the possibilities of physical violence.
B）Offenses against individuals are no longer judged on a personal basis.
C）Victims of violence find it more difficult to take revenge.
D）Punishment is not carried out directly by the individuals involved.
2.3多项细节题
Which of the following statements is TRUE,according to the author?
According to the passage,which of the following statements is true?
Cars account for half the oil consumed in the U.S.,about half the urban pollution and one-fourth the greenhouse（温室）gases.They take a similar loss（损耗）of resources in other industrial nations and in the cities of the developing world.As vehicle use continues to increase in the coming decade,the U.S.and other countries will have to deal with these issues or else face unacceptable economic,health-related and political costs.It is unlikely that oil prices will remain at their current low level or that other nations will accept a large and growing U.S. contribution to global climatic change.
Policymakers and industry have four options:reduce vehicle use,increase the efficiency and reduce the emissions of conventional gasoline-powered vehicles,switch to less harmful fuels,or find less polluting driving systems.The last of these—in particular the introduction of vehicles powered by electricity—is ultimately the only sustainable option.The other alternatives are attractive in theory but in practice are either impractical or offer only marginal improvements. For example,reduced vehicle use could solve traffic problems and a host of social and environmental problems,but evidence from around the world suggests that it is very difficult to make people give up their cars to any significant extent.In the U.S.,mass-transit ridership and carpooling（合伙用车）have declined since World War II.Even in Western Europe,with fuel prices averaging more than$1a liter（about$4a gallon）and with easily accessible mass transit and dense populations,cars still account for80percent of all passenger travel.
Improved energy efficiency is also appealing,but automotive fuel economy has barely made any progress in10years.Alternative fuels such as natural gas,burned in internal-combustion engines,could be introduced at relatively low cost,but they would lead to only marginal reductions in pollution and greenhouse emissions（especially because oil
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companies are already spending billions of dollars every year to develop less polluting types of gasoline）.
35.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A）The decline of public transportation accounts for increased car use in Western Europe.
B）Cars are popular in Western Europe even though fuel prices are fairly high.
C）The reduction of vehicle use is the only sustainable option in densely populated Western Europe.
D）Western European oil companies cannot sustain the cost of developing new-type fuels.
2.4解推理类题
We can infer from the passage that...
It can be inferred from the passage（third,last…paragraph）that…
It can be concluded from the passage that...
例1：
Moreover,we like to think of ourselves as friendly,yet we prefer to be at least3feet or an arm's length away from https://www.wendangku.net/doc/383059049.html,tins and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch,which makes Americans uncomfortable.（2001年6月）
1.It can be inferred that Americans being approached too closely by Middle Easterners would most probably.
A）stand still B）jump aside C）step forward D）draw back
例2
Indeed,the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in alleviating stress.University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently isolated two important chemicals from emotional tears.Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion.Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion would contain no such substance.（2003年9月）
5.What can be inferred from the new studies of tears?
A）Emotional tears have the function of reducing stress.
B）Exposure to excessive medication may increase emotional tears.
C）Emotional tears can give rise to“dry eye”syndrome in some cases.
D）Environmental pollutants can induce the shedding of emotional tears.
2.5解主旨类题
The passage is mainly about_____.
The author is mainly concerned with_____.
What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
The best title of this passage is_____.
The key element to successful interviewing is not your experience,your grades,what classes you took,your extracurricular activities,or any of the other basic necessities.Those skills are what got you the interview.The key element to successful interviewing can be summed up in one word:attitude.If you want to rise above others with better experience,better grades,or better anything,you will need to work on developing a highly positive work attitude.
Your attitude determines whether you will“make the cut”or be discarded.Remember,there
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are plenty of competitors with the ability to do almost any given job—especially at the entry level.The way most employers differentiate at the entry level is by candidates’attitudes toward the job.Your attitude is often what recruiters will remember when the dust has settled after reviewing ten,twenty,or even one hundred candidates—the one who was sincerely willing to put forth his very best effort.If you have the attitude of wanting to do your very best for the company,of being focused on the company’s needs,of putting yourself forth as the person who will be committed and dedicated to fulfilling their needs,you will likely be the one chosen.
Why is attitude so important?Because most companies already have their full share of multi-talented superstars who care about no one but themselves.Ask any manager who the most valuable member of his team is,and he will point not to the overrated superstar,but to the person who has the“can do”attitude,the person who can be counted on in any situation,the person who truly strives for excellence.Give me a team player who is achieving at99%and I will take her over a flashy superstar who is running at50%efficiency any day of the week.And so will 99%of all hiring managers.
So don’t worry if you are not“superstar”quality.If you can show me,in your words and actions,that you are ready to put forth your very best effort toward achieving excellence,you will be chosen over the superstar.
You can show your winning attitude in the way you present yourself.Incorporate the actual words“positive attitude,”“excellence,”and“striving to be my best”into your interview language.Then show by your stories and examples how these words positively affect your life. Show me when and where and how you have put forth extra effort above and beyond the call of duty.Show me how you beat a deadline,how you excelled in a project,or how you made a difference by going the extra mile.
If you can show me,by words and examples,your“can do”attitude,it is you I will hire, while all of the superstars will receive polite rejection letters to add to their growing collections.
1.What is the key element to successful interviewing according to this passage?
A）Courses taken before B）A varied experience
C）A positive work attitude D）Interviewees’capability
2.Which of the following statement is correct in the author’s opinion?
A）There are inadequate competitors with the ability to do almost any given job—especially at the entry level.
B）Most interviewers generally depend on the candidates’attitudes toward the job to choose the employees.
C）Most employers tell the difference between candidates by their entry level.
D）Better experience and better grades become the most important elements to be chosen.
3.Who is the most valuable member of his team to a manager?
A）The multi-talented superstar.
B）The person who tries his best for excellence.
C）The person who counts on himself and does not cooperate with others.
D）The flashy star that makes the company famous.
4.In an interview,what makes you leave a good impression on the interviewer?
A）Your boasting words
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B）The words such as positive attitude,excellence,and striving to be my best.
C）Your own stories
D）Words and examples to show your positive attitude
5.What is the best title for this passage?
A）Your Attitude Determines Whether You Will“Make The Cut”or Be Discarded.
B）How to Find a Good Job.
C）The Most Important Aspect of Interviewing.
D）A Successful Interviewing.
2.6态度、语气题
What is the author's attitude toward…?
The author’s attitude towards…could be described as_______.
Which of the following best describes the author's tone in this passage?
From the tone of the passage we know that the author is.
一社会现象与问题类
Passage1
Some futurologists have assumed that the vast upsurge（剧增）of women in the workforce may portend a rejection of marriage.Many women,according to this hypothesis,would rather work than marry.The converse（反面）of this concern is that the prospects of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriages.In the past,only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counted in the marriage decision.Now,however,the earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner.Data show that economic downturns tend to postpone marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead.As the economy rebounds,the number of marriages also rises.
Coincident with the increase in women working outside the home is the increase in divorce rates.Yet,it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions.The impact of a wife's work on divorce is no less cloudy than its impact on marriage decisions.The realization that she can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage.But the reverse is equally plausible.Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage.Given high unemployment, inflationary problems,and slow growth in real earnings,a working wife can increase household income and relieve some of these pressing financial burdens.By raising a family's standard of living,a working wife may strengthen her family's financial and emotional stability.
Psychological factors also should be considered.For example,a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house.She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce.On the other hand,if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home,work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union.
Also,a major part of women's inequality in marriage has been due to the fact that,in most cases,men have remained the main breadwinners.With higher earning capacity and status occupations outside of the home comes the capacity to exercise power within the family.A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the house.Depending upon how the
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couple reacts to these new conditions,it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities.（2003年12月）
1.The word"portend"（Para.1）is closest in meaning to"_____".
A）defy B）signal C）suffer from D）result from
2.It is said in the passage that when the economy slides,_____.
A）men would choose working women as their marriage partners
B）more women would get married to seek financial security
C）even working women would worry about their marriages
D）more people would prefer to remain single for the time being
3.If women find fulfillment through work outside the home,_____.
A）they are more likely to dominate their marriage partners
B）their husbands are expected to do more housework
C）their marriage ties can be strengthened
D）they tend to put their career before marriage
4.One reason why women with no career may seek a divorce is that_____.
A）they feel that they have been robbed of their freedom
B）they are afraid of being bossed around by their husbands
C）they feel that their partners fail to live up to their expectations
D）they tend to suspect their husbands'loyalty to their marriage
5.Which of the following statements can best summarize the author's view in the passage?
A）The stability of marriage and the divorce rate may reflect the economic situation of the country.
B）Even when economically independent,most women have to struggle for real equality in marriage.
C）In order to secure their marriage women should work outside the home and remain independent
D）The impact of the growing female workforce on marriage varies from case to case.
Passage2
No woman can be too rich or too thin.This saying often attributed to the late Duchess（公爵夫人）of Windsor embodies much of the odd spirit of our times.Being thin is deemed as such a virtue.
The problem with such a view is that some people actually attempt to live by it.I myself have fantasies of slipping into narrow designer clothes.Consequently,I have been on a diet for the better—or worse—part of my life.Being rich wouldn't be bad either,but that won't happen unless an unknown relative dies suddenly in some distant land,leaving me millions of dollars.
Where did we go off the track?When did eating butter become a sin,and a little bit of extra flesh unappealing,if not repellent?All religions have certain days when people refrain from eating,and excessive eating is one of Christianity's seven deadly sins.However,until quite recently,most people had a problem getting enough to eat.In some religious groups,wealth was symbol of probable salvation and high morals and fatness a sign of wealth and well being.
Today the opposite is true.We have shifted to thinness as our new mark of virtue.The result
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is that being fat—or even only somewhat overweight—is bad because it implies a lack of moral strength.
Our obsession（迷恋）with thinness is also fuelled by health concerns.It is true that in this country we have more overweight people than ever before,and that in many cases,being overweight correlates with an increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease.These diseases, however,may have as much to do with our way of life and our high-fat diets as with excess weight.And the associated risk of cancer in the digestive system may be more of a dietary problem—too much fat and a lack of fiber—han a weight problem.
The real concern,then,is not that we weigh too much,but that we neither exercise enough nor eat well.Exercise is necessary for strong bones and both heart and lung health.A balanced diet without a lot of fat can also help the body avoid many diseases.We should surely stop paying so much attention to weight.Simply being thin is not enough.It is actually hazardous if those who get thin think they are automatically healthy and thus free from paying attention to their overall life-style.Thinness can be pure vainglory（虚荣）.（2002年6月）
1.In the eyes of the author,an odd phenomenon nowadays is that.
A）the Duchess of Windsor is regarded as a woman of virtue
B）looking slim is a symbol of having a large fortune
C）being thin is viewed as a much desired quality
D）religious people are not necessarily virtuous
2.Swept by the prevailing trend,the author.
A）had to go on a diet for the greater part of her life
B）could still prevent herself from going off the track
C）had to seek help from rich distant relatives
D）had to wear highly fashionable clothes
3.In human history,people's views on body weight.
A）were closely related to their religious beliefs B）changed from time to time
C）varied between the poor and the rich D）led to different moral standards 4.The author criticizes women's obsession with thinness.
A）from an economic and educational perspective
B）from sociological and medical points of view
C）from a historical and religious standpoint
D）in the light of moral principles
5.What's the author's advice to women who are absorbed in the idea of thinness?
A）They should be more concerned with their overall lifestyle.
B）They should be more watchful for fatal diseases.
C）They should gain weight to look healthy.
D）They should rid themselves of fantasies about designer clothes.
Passage3
In department stores and closets all over the world,they are waiting.Their outward appearance seems rather appealing because they come in a variety of styles,textures,and colors. But they are ultimately the biggest deception that exists in the fashion industry today.What are
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they?They are high heels—a woman's worst enemy（whether she knows it or not）.High heel shoes are the downfall of modern society.Fashion myths have led women to believe that they are more beautiful or sophisticated for wearing heels,but in reality,heels succeed in posing short as well as long term hardships.Women should fight the high heel industry by refusing to use or purchase them in order to save the world from unnecessary physical and psychological suffering.
For the sake of fairness,it must be noted that there is a positive side to high heels.First, heels are excellent for aerating（使通气）lawns.Anyone who has ever worn heels on grass knows what I am talking about.A simple trip around the yard in a pair of those babies eliminates all need to call for a lawn care specialist,and provides the perfect-sized holes to give any lawn oxygen without all those messy chunks of dirt lying around.Second,heels are quite functional for defense against oncoming enemies,who can easily be scared away by threatening them with a pair of these sharp,deadly fashion accessories.
Regardless of such practical uses for heels,the fact remains that wearing high heels is harmful to one's physical health.Talk to any podiatrist（足病医生），and you will hear that the majority of their business comes from high-heel-wearing women.High heels are known to cause problems such as deformed feet and torn toenails.The risk of severe back problems and twisted or broken ankles is three times higher for a flat shoe wearer.Wearing heels also creates the threat of getting a heel caught in a sidewalk crack or a sewer-grate（阴沟栅）and being thrown to the ground—possibly breaking a nose,back,or neck.And of course,after wearing heels for a day, any woman knows she can look forward to a night of pain as she tries to comfort her swollen, aching feet.（2001年6月）
1.What makes women blind to the deceptive nature of high heels?
A）The multi-functional use of high heels.B）Their attempt to show off their status.
C）The rich variety of high heel styles.D）Their wish to improve their appearance.
2.The author's presentation of the positive side of high heels is meant.
A）to be ironic B）to poke fun at women
C）to be fair to the fashion industry D）to make his point convincing
3.The author uses the expression"those babies"（Line3,Para.2）to refer to high heels.
A）to show their fragile characteristics B）to indicate their feminine features
C）to show women's affection for them D）to emphasize their small size
4.The author's chief argument against high heels is that.
A）they pose a threat to lawns B）they are injurious to women's health
C）they don't necessarily make women beautiful
D）they are ineffective as a weapon of defense
5.It can be inferred from the passage that women should.
A）see through the very nature of fashion myths
B）boycott the products of the fashion industry
C）go to a podiatrist regularly for advice
D）avoid following fashion too closely
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Passage4
In the world of entertainment,TV talk shows have undoubtedly flooded every inch of space on daytime television.And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one varies in style and format.But no two shows are more profoundly opposite in content,while at the same time standing out above the rest,than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows.
Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of"trash talk（废话）".The topics on his show are as shocking as shocking can be.For example,the show takes the ever-common talk show themes of love,sex,cheating,guilt,hate,conflict and morality to a different level.Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is a display and exploitation of society's moral catastrophes（灾难）,yet people are willing to eat up the intriguing predicaments（困境）of other people's lives.
Like Jerry Springer,Oprah Winfrey takes TV talk show to its extreme,but Oprah goes in the opposite direction.The show focuses on the improvement of society and an individual's quality of life.Topics range from teaching your children responsibility,managing your workweek,to getting to know your neighbors.
Compared to Oprah,the Jerry Springer show looks like poisonous waste being dumped on society.Jerry ends every show with a"final word".He makes a small speech that sums up the entire moral of the show.Hopefully,this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.
Clean as it is,the Oprah show is not for everyone.The show's main target audience are middle-class Americans.Most of these people have the time,money and stability to deal with life's tougher problems.Jerry Springer,on the other hand,has more of an association with the young adults of society.These are18-to21-year-olds whose main troubles in life involve love,relationship,sex,money and peers.They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned underneath the show's exploitation.
While the two shows are as different as night and day,both have ruled the talk show circuit for many years now.Each one caters to a different audience while both have a strong following from large groups of fans.Ironically,both could also be considered pioneers in the talk show world.（2000年1月）
https://www.wendangku.net/doc/383059049.html,pared with other TV talk shows,both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey are.
A）more family oriented B）unusually popular
C）more profound D）relatively formal
2.Though the social problems Jerry Springer talks about appear distasteful,the audience.
A）remain fascinated by them B）are ready to face up to them
C）remain indifferent to them D）are willing to get involved in them
3.Which of the following is likely to be a topic of the Oprah Winfrey show?
A）A new type of robot.B）Racist hatred.
C）Family budget planning.D）Street violence.
4.Despite their different approaches,the two talk shows are both.
A）ironical B）sensitive C）instructive D）cynical
5.We can learn from the passage that the two talk shows.
A）have monopolized the talk show circuit B）exploit the weaknesses in human nature C）appear at different times of the day D）are targeted at different audiences
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二、社会科学类
Passage1
For most thinkers since the Greek philosophers,it was self-evident that there is something called human nature,something that constitutes the essence of man.There were various views about what constitutes it,but there was agreement that such an essence exists——that is to say, that there is something by virtue of which man is man.Thus man was defined as a rational being, as a social animal,an animal that can make tools,or a symbol-making animal.
More recently,this traditional view has begun to be questioned.One reason for this change was the increasing emphasis given to the historical approach to man.An examination of the history of humanity suggested that man in our epoch is so different from man in previous times that it seemed unrealistic to assume that men in every age have had in common something that can be called"human nature."The historical approach was reinforced,particularly in the United States,by studies in the field of cultural anthropology（人类学）.The study of primitive peoples has discovered such a diversity of customs,values,feelings,and thoughts that many anthropologists arrived at the concept that man is born as a blank sheet of paper on which each culture writes its text.Another factor contributing to the tendency to deny the assumption of a fixed human nature was that the concept has so often been abused as a shield behind which the most inhuman acts are committed.In the name of human nature,for example,Aristotle and most thinkers up to the eighteenth century defended slavery.Or in order to prove the rationality and necessity of the capitalist form of society,scholars have tried to make a case for acquisitiveness, competitiveness,and selfishness as innate（天生的）human traits.Popularly,one refers cynically to"human nature"in accepting the inevitability of such undesirable human behavior as greed,murder,cheating and lying.
Another reason for skepticism about the concept of human nature probably lies in the influence of evolutionary thinking.Once man came to be seen as developing in the process of evolution,the idea of a substance which is contained in his essence seemed untenable.Yet I believe it is precisely from an evolutionary standpoint that we can expect new insight into the problem of the nature of man.（2003年12月）
1.The traditional view of"human nature"was strongly challenged by_____.
A）the emergence of the evolutionary theory
B）the historical approach to man
C）new insight into human behavior
D）the philosophical analysis of slavery
2.According to the passage,anthropologists believe that human beings_____.
A）have some traits in common
B）are born with diverse cultures
C）are born without a fixed nature
D）change their characters as they grow up
3.The author mentioned Aristotle,a great ancient thinker,in order to_____.
A）emphasize that he contributed a lot to defining the concept of"human nature"
B）show that the concept of"human nature"was used to justify social evils
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C）prove that he had a profound influence on the concept of"human nature"
D）support the idea that some human traits are acquired
4.The word"untenable"（Line3）in the last paragraph of the passage most probably
means_____.
A）invaluable C）changeable
B）imaginable D）indefensible
5.Most philosophers believed that human nature_____.
A）is the quality distinguishing man from other animals
B）consists of competitiveness and selfishness
C）is something partly innate and partly acquired
D）consists of rationality and undesirable behavior
Passage2
War may be a natural expression of biological instincts and drives toward aggression in the human species.Natural impulses of anger,hostility,and territoriality（守卫地盘的天性）are expressed through acts of violence.These are all qualities that humans share with animals. Aggression is a kind of innate（天生的）survival mechanism,an instinct for self-preservation that allows animals to defend themselves from threats to their existence.But,on the other hand, human violence shows evidence of being a learned behavior.In the case of human aggression, violence cannot be simply reduced to an instance.The many expressions of human violence are always conditioned by social conventions that give shape to aggressive behavior.In human societies violence has a social function:It is a strategizing power of violence.We will look at the ritual and ethical（道德上的）patterns within which human violence has been directed.
The violence within a society is controlled through institutions of law.The more developed a legal system becomes,the more society takes responsibility for the discovery,control,and punishment of violent acts.In most tribal societies the only means to deal with an act of violence is revenge.Each family group may have the responsibility for personally carrying out judgment and punishment upon the person who committed the offense.But in legal systems,the responsibility for revenge becomes depersonalized and diffused.The society assumes the responsibility for protecting individuals from violence.In cases where they cannot be protected, the society is responsible for imposing punishment.In a state controlled legal system, individuals are removed from the cycle of revenge motivated by acts of violence,and the state assumes responsibility for their protection.
The other side of a state legal apparatus is a state military apparatus.While the one protects the individual from violence,the other sacrifices the individual to violence in the interests of the state.In war the state affirms its supreme power over the individuals within its own borders.War is not simply a trial by combat to settle disputes between states;it is the moment when the state makes its most powerful demands upon its people for their commitment,allegiance,and supreme sacrifice.Times of war test a community's deepest religious and ethical commitments.（2002年6月）
1.Human violence shows evidence of being a learned behavior in that.
A）it threatens the existing social systems B）it is influenced by society
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C）it has roots in religious conflicts D）it is directed against institutions of law
2.The function of legal systems,according to the passage,is.
A）to control violence within a society B）to protect the world from chaos
C）to free society from the idea of revenge D）to give the government absolute power
3.What does the author mean by saying"...in legal systems,the responsibility for revenge
becomes depersonalized and diffused"（Para.2）?
A）Legal systems greatly reduce the possibilities of physical violence.
B）Offenses against individuals are no longer judged on a personal basis.
C）Victims of violence find it more difficult to take revenge.
D）Punishment is not carried out directly by the individuals involved.
4.The word"allegiance"（Para.3）is closest in meaning to.
A）loyalty B）objective C）survival D）motive
5.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A）Governments tend to abuse their supreme power in times of war.
B）In times of war governments may extend their power across national borders.
C）In times of war governments impose high religious and ethical standards on their people.
D）Governments may sacrifice individuals in the interests of the state in times of war.
三、工商经济类
Passage1
In1985when a Japan Air Lines（JAL）jet crashed,its president,Yasumoto Takagi,called each victim’s family to apologize,and then promptly resigned.And in1987,when a subsidiary of Toshiba sold sensitive military technology to the former Soviet Union,the chairman of Toshiba gave up his post.
These executive actions,which Toshiba calls“the highest form of apology,”may seem bizarre to US managers.No one at Boeing resigned after the JAL crash,which may have been caused by a faulty Boeing repair.
The difference between the two business cultures centers around different definitions of delegation.While US executives give both responsibility and authority to their employees, Japanese executives delegate only authority—the responsibility is still theirs.Although the subsidiary that sold the sensitive technology to the Soviets had its own management,the Toshiba top executives said they“must take personal responsibility for not creating an atmosphere throughout the Toshiba group that would make such activity unthinkable,even in an independently run subsidiary.”
Such acceptance of community responsibility is not unique to businesses in Japan.School principals in Japan have resigned when heir students committed major crimes after school hours. Even if they do not quit,Japanese executives will often accept primary responsibility in other ways,such as taking the first pay cut when a company gets into financial trouble.Such personal sacrifices,even if they are largely symbolic,help to create the sense of community and
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employee loyalty that is crucial to the Japanese way of doing business.
Harvard Business School professor George Lodge calls the ritual acceptance of blame “almost a feudal（封建的）way of purging（清除）the community of dishonor,”and to some in the United States,such resignations look cowardly.However,in an era in which both business and governmental leaders seem particularly good at evading responsibility,many US managers would probably welcome an infusion（灌输）of the Japanese sense of responsibility, If,for instance,US automobile company executives offered to reduce their own salaries before they asked their workers to take pay cuts,negotiations would probably take on a very different character.（2003年9月）
1.Why did the chairman of Toshiba resign his position in1987?
A）In Japan,the leakage of a slate secret to Russians is a grave crime.
B）He had been under attack for shifting responsibility to his subordinates.
C）In Japan,the chief executive of a corporation is held responsible for the mistake made by its subsidiaries.
D）He had been accused of being cowardly towards crises that were taking place in his corporation.
2.According to the passage if you want to be a good manager in Japan,you have to________.
A）apologize promptly for your subordinates'mistakes
B）be skillful in accepting blames from customers
C）make symbolic sacrifices whenever necessary
D）create a strong sense of company loyalty
3.What’s Professor George Lodge’s attitude towards the resignations of Japanese corporate
leaders?
A）Sympathetic.B）Biased.C）Critical.D）Approving.
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A）Boeing had nothing to do with the JAL air crash in1985.
B）American executives consider authority and responsibility inseparable.
C）School principals bear legal responsibility for students'crimes.
D）Persuading employees to take pay cuts doesn’t help solve corporate crises.
5.The passage is mainly about________.
A）resignation as an defective way of dealing with business crises
B）the importance of delegating responsibility to employees
C）ways of evading responsibility in times of crises
D）the difference between two business cultures
Passage2
Bill Gates,the billionaire Microsoft chairman without a single earned university degree,is by his success raising new doubts about the worth of the business world's favorite academic title; the MBA（Master of Business Administration）.
The MBA,a20th century product,always has borne the mark of lowly commerce and greed （贪婪）on the tree-lined campuses ruled by purer disciplines such as philosophy and literature.
But even with the recession apparently cutting into the hiring of business school graduates,
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about79,000people are expected to receive MBAs in1993.This is nearly16times the number of business graduates in1960,a testimony to the widespread assumption that the MBA is vital for young men and women who want to run companies some day.
"If you are going into the corporate world it is still a disadvantage not to have one,"said Donald Morrison,professor of marketing and management science."But in the last five years or so,when someone says,`Should I attempt to get an MBA,'the answer a lot more is:It depends."
The success of Bill Gates and other non MBAs,such as the late Sam Walton of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.has helped inspire self-conscious debates on business school campuses over the worth of a business degree and whether management skills can be taught.
The Harvard Business Review printed a lively,fictional exchange of letters to dramatize complaints about business degree holders.
The article called MBA hires"extremely disappointing"and said"MBAs wants to move up too fast,they don't understand politics and people,and they aren't able to function as part of a team until their third year.But by then they're out looking for other jobs."
The problem,most participants in the debate acknowledge,is that the MBA has acquired an aura（光环）of future riches and power for beyond its actual importance and usefulness.
Enrollment in business schools exploded in the1970s and1980s and created the assumption that no one who pursued a business career could do with out one.The growth was fueled by a backlash（反冲）against the anti-business values of the1960s and by the women's movement.
Business people who have hired or worked with MBAs say those with the degrees often know how to analyze systems but are not so skillful at motivating people."They don't get a lot of grounding in the people side of the business,"said James Shaffer,vice-president and principal of the Towers Perrin management consulting firm.（2002年12月）
1.According to Paragraph2,what is the general attitude towards business on campuses dominated by purer disciplines?
A）Envious.B）Scornful.C）Realistic.D）Appreciative.
2.It seems that the controversy over the values of MBA degrees has been fueled mainly by.
A）the success of many non MBAs
B）the complaints from various employers
C）the performance of MBAs at work
D）the criticism from the scientists of purer disciplines
3.What is the major weakness of MBA holders according to The Harvard Business Review?
A）They are not good at dealing with people.
B）They keep complaining about their jobs.
C）They are usually self-centered.
D）They are aggressive and greedy.
4.From the passage we know that most MBAs.
A）can climb the corporate ladder fairly quickly
B）cherish unrealistic expectations about their future
C）quit their jobs once they are familiar with their workmates
D）receive salaries that do not match their professional training
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5.What is the passage mainly about?
A）A debate held recently on university campuses.
B）Doubts about the worth of holding an MBA degree.
C）Why there is an increased enrollment in MBA programs.
D）The necessity of reforming MBA programs in business schools.
Passage3
To understand the marketing concept,it is only necessary to understand the difference between marketing and selling.Not too many years ago,most industries concentrated primarily on the efficient production of goods,and then relied on"persuasive salesmanship"to move as much of these goods as possible.Such production and selling focuses on the needs of the seller to produce goods and then converts them into money.
Marketing,on the other hand,focuses on the wants of consumers.It begins with first analyzing the preferences and demands of consumers and then producing goods that will satisfy them.This eye-on-the-consumer approach is known as the marketing concept,which simply means that instead of trying to sell whatever is easiest to produce or buy for resale,the makers and dealers first endeavor to find out what the consumer wants to buy and then go about making it available for purchase.
This concept does not imply that business is benevolent（慈善的）or that consumer satisfaction is given priority over profit in a company.There are always two sides to every business transaction—the firm and the customer—and each must be satisfied before trade occurs. Successful merchants and producers,however,recognize that the surest route to profit is through understanding and catering to customers.A striking example of the importance of catering to the consumer presented itself in mid-1985,when Coca Cola changed the flavor of its drink.The non-acceptance of the new flavor by a significant portion of the public brought about a prompt restoration of the Classic Coke,which was then marketed alongside the new.King Customer ruled!
1.The marketing concept discussed in the passage is,in essence,.
A）he practice of turning goods into money B）making goods available for purchase C）the customer-centered approach D）a form of persuasive salesmanship
2.What was the main concern of industrialists before the marketing concept was widely accepted?
A）The needs of the market.B）The efficiency of production.
C）The satisfaction of the user.D）The preferences of the dealer.
3.According to the passage,"to move as much of these goods as possible"（Para.1）means"".
A）to sell the largest possible amount of goods
B）to transport goods as efficiently as possible
C）to dispose of these goods in large quantities
D）to redesign these goods for large-scale production
4.What does the restoration of the Classic Coke best illustrate?
A）Traditional goods have a stronger appeal to the majority of people.
B）It takes time for a new product to be accepted by the public.
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C）Consumers with conservative tastes are often difficult to please.
D）Products must be designed to suit the taste of the consumer.
5.In discussing the marketing concept,the author focuses on.
A）its main characteristic B）its social impact
C）its possible consequence D）its theoretical basis
四、教育、文化类
Passage1
I came away from my years of teaching on the college and university level with a conviction that enactment（扮演角色）,performance,dramatization are the most successful forms of teaching.Students must be incorporated,made,so far as possible,an integral part of the learning process.The notion that learning should have in it an element of inspired play would seem to the greater part of the academic establishment merely silly,but that is nonetheless the case.Of Ezekiel Cheever,the most famous schoolmaster of the Massachusetts Bay Colony,his onetime student Cotton Mather wrote that he so planned his lessons that his pupils"came to work as though they came to play,"and Alfred North Whitehead,almost three hundred years later,noted that a teacher should make his/her students"glad they were there."
Since,we are told,80to90percent of all instruction in the typical university is by the lecture method,we should give close attention to this form of education.There is,I think,much truth in Patricia Nelson Limerick's observation that"lecturing is an unnatural act,an act for which God did not design humans.It is perfectly all right,now and then,for a human to be possessed by the urge to speak,and to speak while others remain silent.But to do this regularly, one hour and15minutes at a time...for one person to drag on while others sit in silence?...I do not believe that this is what the Creator...designed humans to do."
The strange,almost incomprehensible fact is that many professors,just as they feel obliged to write dully,believe that they should lecture dully.To show enthusiasm is to risk appearing unscientific,unobjective;it is to appeal to the students'emotions rather than their intellect.Thus the ideal lecture is one filled with facts and read in an unchanged monotone.
The cult（推崇）of lecturing dully,like the cult of writing dully,goes back,of course, some years.Edward Shils,professor of sociology,recalls the professors he encountered at the University of Pennsylvania in his youth.They seemed"a priesthood,rather uneven in their merits but uniform in their bearing;they never referred to anything personal.Some read from old lecture notes and then haltingly explained the thumb-worn last lines.Others lectured from cards that had served for years,to judge by the worn edges....The teachers began on time,ended on time,and left the room without saying a word more to their students,very seldom being detained by questioners....The classes were not large,yet there was no discussion.No questions were raised in class,and there were no office hours."（2003年6月）
1.The author believes that a successful teacher should be able to_____.
A）make dramatization an important aspect of students’learning
B）make inspired play an integral part of the learning process
C）improve students'learning performance
D）make study just as easy as play
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2.The majority of university professors prefer the traditional way of lecturing in the belief that
______.
A）it draws the close attention of the students
B）it conforms in a way to the design of the Creator
C）it presents course content in a scientific and objective manner
D）it helps students to comprehend abstract theories more easily
3.What the author recommends in this passage is that_______.
A）college education should be improved through radical measures
B）more freedom of choice should be given to students in their studies
C）traditional college lectures should be replaced by dramatized performances
D）interaction should be encouraged in the process of teaching
4.By saying"They seemed'a priesthood,rather uneven in their merits but uniform in their bearing...'"（Para.4）,the author means that_____.
A）professors are a group of professionals that differ in their academic ability but behave in the same way
B）professors are like priests wearing the same kind of black gown but having different roles to play
C）there is no fundamental difference between professors and priests though they differ in their merits
D）professors at the University of Pennsylvania used to wear black suits which made them look like priests
5.Whose teaching method is particularly commended by the author?
A）Ezekiel Cheever's.B）Cotton Mather's.
C）Alfred North Whitehead's.D）Patricia Nelson Limerick's.
Passage2
Take the case of public education alone.The principal difficulty faced by the schools has been the tremendous increase in the number of pupils.This has been caused by the advance of the legal age for going into industry and the impossibility of finding a job even when the legal age has been reached.In view of the technological improvements in the last few years,business will require in the future proportionately fewer workers than ever before.The result will be still further raising of the legal age for going into employment,and still further difficulty in finding employment when hat age has been attained.If we cannot put our children to work,we must put them in school.
We may also be quite confident that the present trend toward a shorter day and a shorter week will be maintained.We have developed and shall continue to have a new leisure class. Already the public agencies for adult education are swamped by the tide that has swept over them since depression began.They will be little better off when it is over.Their support must come from the taxpayer.
It is surely too much to hope that these increases in the cost of public education can be borne by the local communities.They cannot care for the present restricted and inadequate system.The local communities have failed in their efforts to cope with unemployment.They
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cannot expect to cope with public education on the scale on which we must attempt it.The answer to the problem of unemployment has been Federal relief.The answer to the problem of public education may have to be much the same,and properly so.
If there is one thing in which the citizens of all parts of the country have an interest,it is in the decent education of the citizens of all parts of the country.Our income tax now goes in part to keep our neighbors alive.It may have to go in part as well to make our neighbors intelligent. We are now attempting to preserve the present generation through Federal relief of the destitute （贫民）.Only a people determined to ruin the next generation will refuse such Federal funds as public education may require.（2003年6月）
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A）How to persuade local communities to provide more funds.
B）How to cope with the shortage of funds for public education.
C）How to solve the rising unemployment problem.
D）How to improve the public education system.
2.What is the reason for the increase in the number of students?
A）The requirement of educated workers by business.
B）Raising of the legal age for going to work.
C）The trend toward a shorter workday.
D）People's concern for the future of the next generation.
3.The public agencies for adult education will be little better off because_____.
A）the unemployed are too poor to continue their education
B）a new leisure class has developed
C）they are still suffering from the depression
D）an increase in taxes could be a problem
4.According to the author,the answer to the problem of public education is that the Federal government_____.
A）should allocate Federal funds for public education
B）should demand that local communities provide support
C）should raise taxes to meet the needs of public education
D）should first of all solve the problem of unemployment
5.Why does the author say"Only a people determined to ruin the next generation will refuse such Federal funds as public education may require"（Lines10-11,Para.3）?
A）Only by appropriating adequate Federal funds for education can the next generation have
a bright future.
B）Citizens of all parts of the country agree that the best way to support education is to use Federal funds.
C）People all over the country should make contributions to education in the interest of the next generation.
D）Educated people are determined to use part of the Federal funds to help the poor.
Passage3
About the time that schools and others quite reasonably became interested in seeing to it
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