1、阅读同步练习试卷 23及答案与解析 一、 Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes, 40 points) Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each of the passages is followed by 5 questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on
2、the ANSWER SHEET with a single line through the center. 0 The years between 1870 and 1895 brought enormous changes to the theater in the United States as the resident company was undermined by touring groups, as New York became the only major center of production, and as the long run superseded the
3、repertory (准备表演的戏剧、节 目等 ) system. By 1870, the resident stock company was at the peak of its development in the United States. The 50 permanent companies of 1870, however, had dwindled to 20 by 1878, to 8 by 1880, to 4 by 1887, and had almost disappeared by 1900. While the causes of this change were
4、 numerous, probably the most important one was the rise of the “combination“ company (that is, one that travels with star and full company). Sending out a complete production was merely a logical extension of touring by stars. By the 1840s, many major actors were already taking along a small group o
5、f lesser players, for they could not be sure that local companies could supply adequate support in secondary roles. There is much disagreement about the origin of the combination company. Boucicault claims to have initiated it around 1860 when he sent out a troupe with Colleen Bawn, but a book publi
6、shed in 1859 speaks of combination companies has already established. Joseph Jefferson M also declared that he was a pioneer in the movement. In actuality, the practice probably began tentatively during the 1850s, only to be interrupted by the Civil War. It mushroomed in the 1870s, as the rapid expa
7、nsion of the railway system made it increasingly feasible to transport full productions, in 1872, Lawrence Barrett took his company, but no scenery, on tour; in 1876, Rose Mi-chei was sent out with full company, scenery, and properties. By the season of 1876 1877 there were nearly 100 combination co
8、mpanies on the road, and by 1886 there were 282. 1 What is the best title for the passage? （ A） The Development of the Combination Company. （ B） Boucicaults Contribution to the Theater. （ C） How the Repertory System Affected Dramatic Productions. （ D） The Importance of the Theater in the United Stat
9、es. 2 Which of the following events is NOT listed as a reason for the decline of the resident stock company? （ A） The rise of touring companies. （ B） The outbreak of the Civil War. （ C） The growing importance of New York as a production center. （ D） The replacement of the repertory theater by the lo
10、ng run. 3 In what year did the largest number of resident stock companies exist? （ A） 1840. （ B） 1860. （ C） 1870. （ D） 1895. 4 According to the passage, what factor contributed to the growth of combination companies and gave rise to the concern that local companies would not be suitable? （ A） Seats.
11、 （ B） Plays. （ C） Properties. （ D） Actors. 5 “It“ (Line 5, Para. 3) refers to the_. （ A） Civil War （ B） use of combination companies （ C） westward movement of pioneers （ D） rapid expansion of the railroad 5 In the 1920s demand for American farm products fell, as European countries began to recover f
12、rom 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,
13、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 in 1929 and extended throughout the 1930s. In 1929, under President Herbert
14、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 Hoovers successor attached even more importance to this problem. One
15、 of the first measures proposed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt when he took office in 1933 was 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
16、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 im
17、mediately 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 nations soil was in the national interest and was not simply a plan to help farmers at t
18、he expense of other citizens. Later the government guaranteed loans to farmers so that they could buy farm machinery, hybrid (杂交 ) grain, and fertilizers. 6 What brought about the decline in the demand for American farm products? （ A） The impact of the Great Depression. （ B） The shrinking of oversea
19、s markets. （ C） The destruction caused by the First World War. （ D） The increased exports of European countries. 7 The chief concern of the American government in the area of agriculture in the 1920s was （ A） to increase farm production （ B） to establish agricultural laws （ C） to prevent farmers fro
20、m going bankrupt （ D） to promote the mechanization of agriculture 8 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
21、 9 The Supreme Court rejected the Agricultural Adjustment Act because it believed that the Act （ A） might cause greater scarcity of farm products （ B） didnt give the Secretary of Agriculture enough power （ C） would benefit neither the government nor the fanners （ D） benefited one group of citizens a
22、t the expense of others 10 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 ont
23、o other taxpayers 10 In the 1997 general-election campaign, “Education, Education“ was Tony Blairs pet phrase. Times change quickly. Education is going rapidly out of fashion. “Learning“ (to be exact, “lifelong learning“) is New Labours new buzzword (时髦语 ). The shift from “education“ to “learning“ r
24、eflects more than a change of language. It stems from both educational research and left-wing ideas. During the 1980s, British educationalists got some new American ideas. One was the notion that traditional examinations do not test the full range of peoples abilities. Another was the belief that sk
25、ills are not necessarily learned from teachers in a conventional classroom. People can pick them up in all sorts of ways. All this echoed left-wing ideas that traditional teaching methods were not sufficiently adaptable to the needs of individual learners. Advocates of lifelong learning argue that i
26、t merely describes what has changed in education in the past decade. And there are now hundreds of schemes in which pupils learn outside the classroom. Until now, education has been changing from below. In the next few weeks, the government will help from above. One of its main projects for lifelong
27、 learning is about to begin its first pilot programmes. With funding of $ 44 million in its first year, it will coordinate a new network of “learning centres“ throughout the country. Traditional institutions, such as schools and colleges, will provide training at some non-traditional places of learn
28、ing, such as supermarkets, pubs, and churches. The theory is that in such places students will feel more at ease, and therefore will be better motivated, than in a classroom. The new schemes allow consumers of education to exercise complete choice over where, what and when they learn. In the rest of
29、 the state-run education sector, the government still seems to be committed to restricting choices as much as possible. If these programmes succeed, they could improve the skills of Britains workforce. 11 According to the writer, the shift from “education“ to “learning“ _. （ A） is but a change of la
30、nguage （ B） reflects the traditional ideas in education （ C） reflects the governments wish to restrict choices （ D） is not just a change of language 12 All the following statements are true EXCEPT that_. （ A） pupils can learn skills outside the classroom （ B） students will be better motivated in a c
31、lassroom （ C） the new schemes are intended to improve the skills of Britains workforce （ D） traditional teaching methods cannot satisfy the needs of individual learners 13 It can be inferred from the passage that the new projects_. （ A） are started from below （ B） have begun in the past decade （ C）
32、will allow students to have complete control over their learning （ D） will be carried out in the traditional institutions 14 In the second paragraph, the writer suggests that_. （ A） traditional exams can test the full range of peoples abilities （ B） there are other ways for pupils to learn skills （
33、C） pupils can learn little from teachers in a conventional classroom （ D） the notion of lifelong learning is only the result of educational research 15 According to this passage, the New Labours government_. （ A） will set up many “learning centres“ in Britain （ B） has not changed its educational pol
34、icy （ C） will continue to restrict choices in all the state-run education sector （ D） is reluctant to make large investments in education 15 There are two main things that make aircraft engineering difficult: the need to make every component as reliable as possible and the need to build everything a
35、s light as possible. The fact that an aeroplane is up in the air and cannot stop if anything goes wrong makes it perhaps a matter of life or death that its performance is absolutely dependable. Given a certain power of engine, and consequently a certain fuel consumption, there is a practical limit t
36、o the total weight of aircraft that can be made to fly. Out of that weight as much as possible is wanted for fuel, radio navigational (航行的，航运的 ) instruments, passenger seats, or freight (货物 ) room, and, of course, the passengers or freight themselves. So the structure of the aircraft has to be as sm
37、all and light as safety and efficiency will allow. The designer must calculate the normal load that each part will bear. This specialist is called the “stress man“. He takes account of any unusual stress that may be put on the part as a precaution (预防 , 预防措施 ) against errors in manufacture, accident
38、al damage, etc. The stress mans calculations go to the designer of the part, and he must make it as strong as the stress man says is necessary. One or two samples are always tested to prove that they are as strong as the designer intended. Each separate part is tested, then a whole assembly for exam
39、ple, a complete wing, and finally the whole aeroplane. When a new type of aeroplane is being made, normally only one of the first three made will be flown. Two will be destroyed on the ground in structural tests. The third one will be tested in the air. 16 The two main requirements of aircraft desig
40、n are_. （ A） ability to stay up in the air and ability to avoid breakdowns （ B） making things both light and dependable （ C） reliability and passenger comfort （ D） speed and inexpensiveness 17 The maximum possible weight of an aircraft is determined by_. （ A） international regulations （ B） the numbe
41、r of passengers （ C） the amount of freight room （ D） the engine power 18 The stress mans job is to calculate_. （ A） the amount of luggage each passenger may carry （ B） what height the plane will fly at （ C） how strong each part must be （ D） how safe the plane is 19 The designers work is based on_. （
42、 A） the ground tests （ B） the stress mans calculations （ C） the flight tests （ D） all of the above 20 The first three aeroplanes of a new type_. （ A） are used for testing purposes （ B） are later broken up for spare parts （ C） do not fly （ D） are all destroyed 20 There are various ways in which indiv
43、idual economic units can interact with one another. Three basic ways may be described as the market system, the administered system and the traditional system. In a market system individual economic units are free to interact among each other in the marketplace. It is possible to buy commodities fro
44、m other economic units or sell commodities to them. In a market, transactions may take place via barter or money exchange. In a barter economy, real goods such as automobiles, shorts, and pizzas are traded against each other. Obviously, finding somebody who wants to trade my old car in exchange for
45、as sailboat may not always be an easy task. Hence the introduction of money as a medium of exchange eases transactions considerably. In the modern market economy, goods and services are bought or sold for money. An alternative to the market system is administrative control by some agency over all tr
46、ansactions. This agency will issue edicts or commands as to how much of each good and service should be produced, exchanged, and consumed by each economic unit. Central planning may be one way of administering such an economy. The central plan, drawn up by the government, shows the amounts of each c
47、ommodity produced by the various firms and allocated to different households for consumption. This is an example of complete planning of production consumption, and exchange for the whole economy. In a traditional society, production and consumption patterns are governed by tradition: every persons
48、place within the economic system is fixed by parentage, religion and custom. Transactions take place on the basis of tradition, too. People belonging to a certain group or caste may have an obligation to care for other persons, provide them with food and shelter, care for their health, and provide t
49、heir education. Clearly, in a system where every decision made on the basis of tradition alone, progress may be difficult to achieve. A stagnant society may result. 21 What is the main purpose of the passage? （ A） To outline contrasting types of economic system. （ B） To explain the science of economic systems. （ C） To argue for the superiority of one economic system. （ D） To compare barter and money-exchange markets. 22 In the second paragraph, the word “real“ in “real goods“ could best be replaced by
