阅读理解-练习二十四及答案解析.doc

1、阅读理解-练习二十四及答案解析(总分：20.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Text A(总题数：1，分数：5.00)The Africans wish to express Christian beliefs in their own way has led to the growth of many small nativistic churches, which are based on persons who broke away from established churches. These churches often include African practices in t

2、he rituals, such as dancing, and generally operate at a higher emotional pitch than the more formal missionary based churches. Their presence and popularity in Africa represents a wish to not only place Christianity in a fuller African setting, but also of Africans to have a larger share in the lead

3、ership and organization of the modern religious structure, as they control the traditional sphere since missionaries were associated with Europe and America-and, sometimes in the minds of Africans with the colonial administrations and governments-there has been suspicion in their motivations. Howeve

4、r the gaining of control of their own church affairs by Africans in recent years has changed the role of missionaries to that of important helpers.It should be recognized that the mission organizations brought the educational system into being in Africa, and that the modern African churches will car

5、ry a great deal of this burden. The colonial governments established few schools, relying heavily on missionaries. Today, the modern African governments have entered strongly into the educational picture. The presence of schools and the academic type of education have influenced traditional values a

6、nd activities. School children are no longer as free in time and energy to help with farms. They have less of a chance to take part in traditional ceremonies. They are taught things that denigrate some aspects of the traditional lives of their parents. The school system has helped to reduce greatly

7、the respect for age and seniority in Africa, putting it more on achievement and status. It turns persons away from an interest in agriculture and herding to other occupations. Yet, as educated adults, they seem to be able to bridge the gap between tradition and the modern world more readily.A word s

8、hould be said here about Islamic beliefs. Islam is extremely popular in Africa and it has been spreading in the sub-Saharan area at a more rapid rate than has Christianity. Most of the Sudan area is Moslem, and the belief has penetrated successfully into the forest regions to the south. It is popula

9、r on the east coast of Africa, introduced by Arabs. Where it is practiced, many of the traditional public rituals are no longer carried out-or are done only in modified form-and traditional art work and shrines are often destroyed. Why then its popularity?There is no ready answer to the question as

10、to why this rival “great tradition“ should be important; however, the fact that the proselytization is carried out by Africans is significant. Also, while Christianity is outwardly a closed system of belief, allowing for little incorporation of traditional ideas. Islam in Africa does allow for some

11、traditional magical and healing practices to be carried out and for belief in a variety of traditional spirits to be retained. Islam has not been identified with the colonial order of the west, yet it is associated with a great literary and central tradition. Its popularity may also derive from the

12、fact that a Moslem is allowed to have as many as four wives. Islamic influence in sub-Saharan Africa will continue to grow.（分数：5.00）(1).Which of the following statements about “nativistic churches“ is NOT true?（分数：1.00）A.The church rituals are mostly Africanized.B.Their ceremonies involve a lot of l

13、ocal peculiarities.C.The part of missionaries is primarily assistant.D.These churches possess a dense color of colonialism.(2).The following influences are brought by educational system EXCEPT that（分数：1.00）A.pupils will not be engaged in herding.B.teaching may contradict to African traditions.C.inte

14、llectuals will take over the task of internationalization.D.people in Africa will respect the senior mor(3).What is the probable meaning of the word “denigrate“ in Paragraph 2?（分数：1.00）A.Criticize.B.Challenge.C.Contradict.D.Abolis(4).Which of the following statements is NOT a reason for popularity o

15、f Islam over Christianity in Africa?（分数：1.00）A.Christianity is a symbol of colonialism.B.Many of the traditional public rituals are no longer carried out.C.There is room for modification in Islamic.D.Islam permits polygamy.(5).What does the passage concern about?（分数：1.00）A.Christianity in Africa.B.A

16、frican religious conflicts.C.African religious situation.D.Christianity and Islam in Afric二、Text B(总题数：1，分数：4.00)A great deal of attention is being paid today to the so called digital divide-the division of the world into the info (information) rich and the info poor. And that divide does exist toda

17、y. My wife and I lectured about this looming danger twenty years ago. What was less visible then, however, were the new, positive forces that work against the digital divide. There are reasons to be optimistic.There are technological reasons to hope the digital divide will narrow. As the Internet be

18、comes more and more commercialized, it is in the interest of business to universalize access -after all, the more people online, the more potential customers there are. More and more governments, afraid their countries will be left behind, want to spread Internet access. Within the next decade or tw

19、o, one to two billion people on the planet will be netted together. As a result, I now believe the digital divide will narrow rather than widen in the years ahead. And that is very good news because the Internet may well be the most powerful tool for combating world poverty that weve ever had.Of cou

20、rse, the use of the Internet isnt the only way to defeat poverty. And the Internet is not the only tool we have. But it has enormous potential.To take advantage of this tool, some impoverished countries will have to get over their outdated anti-colonial prejudices with respect to foreign investment.

21、 Countries that still think foreign investment is an invasion of their sovereignty might well study the history of infrastructure (the basic structural foundations of a society) in the United States. When the United States built its industrial infrastructure, it didnt have the capital to do so. And

22、that is why Americas Second Wave infrastructure-including roads, harbors, highways, ports and so on-were built with foreign investment. The English, the Germans, the Dutch and the French were investing in Britains former colony. They financed them. Immigrant Americans built them. Guess who owns them

23、 now? The Americans. I believe the same thing would be true in places like Brazil or anywhere else for that matter. The more foreign capital you have helping you build your Third Wave infrastructure, which today is an electronic infrastructure, the better of youre going to be. That doesnt mean lying

24、 down and becoming fooled, or letting foreign corporations run uncontrolled. But it does mean recognizing how important they can be in building the energy and telecom infrastructures needed to take full advantage of the Internet.（分数：4.00）(1).Digital divide is something（分数：1.00）A.getting worse becaus

25、e of the Internet.B.the rich countries are responsible for.C.the world must guard against.D.considered positive today.(2).Governments attach importance to the Internet because it（分数：1.00）A.offers economic potentials.B.can bring foreign funds.C.can soon wipe out world poverty.D.connects people all ov

26、er the worl(3).The writer mentioned the case of the United States to justify the policy of（分数：1.00）A.providing financial support overseas.B.preventing foreign capitals control.C.building industrial infrastructure.D.accepting foreign investment.(4).It seems that now a countrys economy depends much on

27、分数：1.00）A.how well developed it is electronically.B.whether it is prejudiced against immigrants.C.whether it adopts Americas industrial pattern.D.how much control it has over foreign corporations.三、Text C(总题数：1，分数：5.00)Birds that are literally half asleep-with one brain hemisphere alert and the oth

28、er sleeping -control which side of the brain remains awake, according to a new study of sleeping ducks.Earlier studies have documented half brain sleep in a wide range of birds. The brain hemispheres take turns sinking into the sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves. The eye controlled by the

29、 sleeping hemisphere keeps shut, while the wakeful hemispheres eye stays open and alert. Birds also can sleep with both hemispheres resting at once.Decades of studies of bird flocks led researchers to predict extra alertness in the more vulnerable, end of the row sleepers. Sure enough, the end birds

30、 tended to watch carefully on the side away from their companions. Ducks in the inner spots showed no preference for gaze direction.Also, birds dozing at the end of the line resorted to single hemisphere sleep, rather than total relaxation, more often than inner ducks did. Rotating 16 birds through

31、the positions in a four duck row, the researchers found outer birds half asleep during some 32 percent of dozing time versus about 12 percent for birds in internal spots.“We believe this is the first evidence for an animal behaviorally controlling sleep and wakefulness simultaneously in different re

32、gions of the brain,“ the researchers say.The results provide the best evidence for a long-standing supposition that single hemisphere sleep evolved as creatures scanned for enemies. The preference for opening an eye on the lookout side could be widespread, he predicts. Hes seen it in a pair of birds

33、 dozing side by side in the zoo and in a single pet bird sleeping by a mirror. The mirror side eye closed as if the reflection were accompanied and the other eye stayed open.Useful as half sleeping might be, its only been found in birds and such water mammals (哺乳动物) as dolphins, whales, and seals. P

34、erhaps keeping one side of the brain awake allows a sleeping animal to surface occasionally to avoid drowning.Studies of birds may offer unique insights into sleep. Jerome M. Siegel of the UCLA says he wonders if birds half-brain sleep “is just the tip of the iceberg“ He speculates that more example

35、s may turn up when we take a closer look at other species.（分数：5.00）(1).A new study on birds sleep has revealed that（分数：1.00）A.half brain sleep is found in a wide variety of birds.B.half brain sleep is characterized by slow brain waves.C.birds can control their half brain sleep consciously.D.birds se

36、ldom sleep with the whole of their brain at rest.(2).According to the passage, birds often half sleep because（分数：1.00）A.they have to watch out for possible attacks.B.their brain hemispheres take turns to rest.C.the two halves of their brain are differently structured.D.they have to constantly keep a

37、n eye on their companions.(3).The example of a bird sleeping in front of a mirror indicates that（分数：1.00）A.the phenomenon of birds dozing in pairs is widespread.B.birds prefer to sleep in pairs for the sake of security.C.even an imagined companion gives the bird a sense of security.D.a single pet bi

38、rd enjoys seeing its own reflection in the mirror.(4).While sleeping, some water mammals tend to keep half awake in order to（分数：1.00）A.alert themselves to the approaching enemy.B.emerge from water now and then to breathe.C.be sensitive to the ever-changing environment.D.avoid being swept away by rap

39、id currents.(5).By “just the tip of the iceberg“ (Paragraph 8), Siegel suggests that（分数：1.00）A.half brain sleep has something to do with icy weather.B.the mystery of half brain sleep is close to being unveiled.C.most birds living in cold regions tend to be half sleepers.D.half brain sleep is a pheno

40、menon that could exist among other species.四、Text D(总题数：1，分数：4.00)When I decided to quit my full time employment it never occurred to me that I might become a part of a new international trend. A lateral move that hurt my pride and blocked my professional progress prompted me to abandon my relativel

41、y high profile career although, in the manner of a disgraced government minister, I covered my exit by claiming “I wanted to spend more time with my family“.Curiously, some two and a half years and two novels later, my experiment in what the Americans term “downshiffing“ has turned my tired excuse i

42、nto an absolute reality. I have been transformed from a passionate advocate of the philosophy of“having it all“, preached by Linda Kelsey for the past seven years in the page of She magazine, into a woman who is happy to settle for a bit of everything.I have discovered, as perhaps Kelsey will after

43、her much publicized resignation from the editorship of She after a build up of stress, that abandoning the doctrine of“juggling your life“, and making the alternative move into “downshifting“ brings with it far greater rewards than financial success and social status. Nothing could persuade me to re

44、turn to the kind of life Kelsey used to advocate and I once enjoyed: 12 hour working days, pressured deadlines, the fearful strain of office politics and the limitations of being a parent on “quality time“.In America, the move away from juggling to a simpler, less materialistic lifestyle is a well-e

45、stablished trend. Downshifting-also known in America as “voluntary simplicity“-has, ironically, even bred a new area of what might be termed anti-consumerism. There are a number of best-selling downshifting self-help books for people who want to simplify their lives; there are newsletters, such as T

46、he Tightwad Gazette, that give hundreds of thousands of Americans useful tips on anything from recycling their cling film to making their own soap; there are even support groups for those who want to achieve the mid-90s equivalent of dropping out.While in America the trend started as a reaction to t

47、he economic decline-after the mass redundancies caused by downsizing in the late 80s-and is still linked to the politics of thrift, in Britain, at least among the middle-class down shifters of my acquaintance, we have different reasons for seeking to simplify our lives.For the women of my generation

48、 who were urged to keep juggling through the 80s, downshifting in the mid-90s is not so much a search for the mythical good life-growing your own organic vegetables, and risking turning into one-as a personal recognition of your limitations.（分数：4.00）(1).Which of the following is true according to Pa

49、ragraph 1?（分数：1.00）A.Full-time employment is a new international trend.B.The writer was compelled by circumstances to leave her job.C.“A lateral move means stepping out of full-time employment.D.The writer was only too eager to spend more time with her family.(2).The writers experiment shows that downshifting（分数：1.00）A.enables her to realize her dream.B.helps her mold a new philosophy of life.C.prompts her to abandon her high social status.D.leads her to accept the doctrine of She magazin(3).“Juggling ones life“ probably means living a life characterized by