1、考博英语（阅读理解）练习试卷 1（无答案）一、Reading Comprehension0 The bear is a classic and enduring American symbol for the benevolent wild. We tend to think well of bears, viewing them as large, powerful, stubborn creatures capable of mischief but somehow vaguely humorous and, like defensive tackles, essentially good
2、-hearted. However, when it comes to direct dealings with bears, our behavior has not been especially benign. For better than three centuries we have been hunting them, trapping them, setting dogs on them, clearing and leveling their natural habitat.With the notable exception of grizzlies, bears have
3、 held up under this harassment better than many less conspicuous, more mobile creatures. Although there are fewer bears in the US than there were when Europeans first came to the continent, they still remain reasonably numerous. Bears now exist in population pockets scattered throughout most of thei
4、r former range, which was just about all of the wooded parts of the country.Bears have suffered from what is called civilization, but they are outstanding exceptions to the generally held (but only sometimes true) notion that people and wild beasts are incompatible. Take the most abundant US species
5、, the black bear for example. There is little evidence that black bears shy away from civilized areas or that, like good Sierra Clubbers, they find them psychologically, morally and esthetically repugnant. To the contrary, given any encouragement or even tolerance, black bears tend to make a beeline
6、 for settlements and prosper there until they are scragged or shooed away by frightened residents. Where this scragging and shooing process has been suspended, as in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, black bears have lumbered in from all over the woods to live cheek by jowl, snout by Winnebag
7、o, with people. (279 words)1 What trend has occurred in the bear population since Europeans first came toAmerica?（A）The population has become smaller.（B） The population has become larger.（C） There are fewer species than ever before.（D）They have died out.2 In the writers eyes, bears are animals that（
8、A）cause a lot of troubles to human beings（B） pose a great threat to our life（C） may move from one place to another frequently（D）can bear up under great strain3 If they are harassed, black bears will（A）stay in there, motionless（B） leave that place for the time being（C） be frightened to death（D）prefer
9、 to live away all their lives4 The message the writer wants to pass on to the readers is that（A）wild animals are our friends（B） wild animals can he dangerous（C） bears are very useful animals（D）bears will be extinct very soon5 “Leveling“ (Line 6, Para. 1) is_.（A）raising（B） lowering（C） destroying（D）cl
10、eaning5 During the second half of the nineteenth century, in the United States, both the stimulus to produce landscape art and the subject of landscape altered appreciably as the pressure of events surrounding the Civil War witnessed the emergence of a new national consciousness. It was a time when
11、certain fundamental religious beliefs were assaulted by new scientific theory and when new critical writing, particularly those of John Ruskin, exercised an important influence on art. The landscape painting from the Ganz collection provide an opportunity to examine the shifts in taste and the plura
12、lities of style that characterized American landscape painting, especially in the latter part of the century.In the early years of the nineteenth century American landscape was closely associated with the republican ideals of the new nation and took on significance in the popular imagination as a fo
13、rm of national propaganda. Landscape painting was conceived of as a vehicle for the presentation of the new republics unique historical and moral position in world history. This position was supported by Thomas Cole, the dean of the Hudson River School, and was based on a religious interpretation of
14、 wilderness themes. While the American concern for the founding of a school of historical landscape was most assertive in the first half of the century and was confirmed in such grandly ambitious paintings as Cafes famous instructive moral one portraying the COURSE OF EMPIRE, the interest in creatin
15、g a national art based on American nature continued to influence the formal evolution of landscape painting. (252 words)6 With what topic is the passage primarily concerned?（A）The moral position of the Unite States in world history.（B） John Ruskins influence on the nineteenth century art.（C） A relig
16、ious interpretation of wilderness themes.（D）The evolution of landscape painting in the United States.7 What phenomenon does the author mention as occurring at the time of the CivilWar?（A）The revival of fundamental religious beliefs.（B） An increased interest in national geography.（C） A period of depr
17、ession on arts and sciences.（D）The emergence of a new national consciousness.8 According to the author, why is the Ganz collection significant?（A）Because it reflects changes in American landscape painting.（B） Because it includes many critical writings of the era.（C） Because it appeals to the popular
18、 imagination of republicans.（D）Because it documents the painting of the Hudson River School.9 According to the author, landscape painting early in the nineteenth century was used to_.（A）finance a school of historical landscape painting（B） further the ambitions of young politicians（C） represent and r
19、eaffirm a new nation（D）realistically portray the physical beauty10 What does the word “assaulted“ (Line 4, Para. 1) mean?（A）Attacked.（B） Praised.（C） Scolded.（D）Satirized.10 Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen Bomemizsa has the finest private art collection in the world. He does not want it to be divided up
20、among his heirs after his death. So a Thyssen Foundation will be formed to which he will bequeath all his paintings. He has been deluged with offers to house them. So far the Spanish have been winning. In April a preliminary agreement was signed under which the $ 1 billion collection will be housed
21、on a ten-year lease in rent-free museum, the Villharmosa Palace, in Madrid. At the end of the ten years, the baron will decide whether to give Spain the collection.The British government has now decided, late in the day, that it would not mind having the collection in Britain. The success of the rec
22、ent exhibition of old-master paintings from the Thyssen collection at the Royal Academy prompted both the Prime Minister and the Prince of Wales to approach the baron and propose that the collection come to Britain. The government has now offered the baron $ 100mthe money would be in addition to thi
23、s years annual arts budget of $ 147m-plus whatever it would cost to find or build a new gallery for the pictures.The baron is unlikely to accept, though he may keep everyone in the dark as long as he can. Like any rich man, he enjoys being courted by governments and royalty. On balance, he feels com
24、mitted to Spain. Unless the British can provide surroundings at least as grand as the Villharmosa Palacehe does not relish the prospect of his paintings ending up in Birminghamhe will probably not change his mind. (278 words)11 Which of the following statements is true about the barons art collectio
25、n?（A）It will be sold just before his death.（B） It will be exhabited in Birmingham.（C） It is so large that no one can afford the space.（D）The Spanish government will put it on display in next ten years 12 The baron plans to set up a Thyssen Foundation because（A）he wants to keep the money coming in（B）
26、 no one else can afford it（C） he can hardly bear the possible separation of his art collection（D）it is greatly urgent for him to become world-renowned 13 The word “bequeath“(Line 3, Para. 1) means（A）leave in his will（B） give reluctantly（C） exhibit proudly（D）exchange for money14 It can be inferred fr
27、om the last paragraph that（A）the baron hopes to see the two governments competing（B） Spain has a long way to go to win the art collection（C） the British are sure to win the art collection at last（D）the baron cares so much about the grandeur of a museum for his collections 15 What can be inferred from the whole passage?（A）The baron is a selfish man.（B） The art collection is so eye-catching just because it can bring much income to the exhibitor.（C） The baron has the finest art collection in the world.（D）Britain is the second country which will display the art collection.
