2016年湖北成人学位英语阅读理解模拟试题讲解

湖北2016年成人学位英语阅读理解模拟试题讲解

　　Reading Comprehension (40 points)

　　Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each of the passage is followed by 5 questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET with a single line through the centre.

　　
Passage 1

　　Human needs seem endless. When a hungry man gets a meal, he begins to think about an overcoat; when a manager gets a new sports car, a big house and pleasure boats dance into view.

　　The many needs of mankind might be regarded as making up several levels. When there is money enough to satisfy one level of needs, another level appears.

　　The first and most basic level of needs involves food. Once this level is satisfied, the second level of needs, clothing and some sort of shelter, appears. By the end of World War II, these needs were satisfied for a great majority of Americans. Then a third level appeared. It included such items as automobiles and new houses.

　　By 1957 or 1958 this third level of needs was fairly well satisfied. Then, in the late 1950s, a fourth level of needs appeared: the "life enriching" level. While the other levels involve physical satisfaction, that is, the feeding, comfort, safety, and transportation, this level stresses mental needs for recognition, achievement, and happiness. It includes a variety of goods and services, many of which could be called "luxury" items. Among them are vacation trips, the best medical and dental care, and recreation. Also included here are fancy goods and the latest styles in clothing.

　　On the fourth level, a lot of money is spent on services, while on the first three levels more is spent on goods. Will consumers raise their sights to a fifth level of needs as their income increases, or will they continue to demand luxuries and personal services on the fourth level?

　　A fifth level would probably involve needs that can be achieved best by community action. Consumers may be spending more on taxes to pay for government action against disease, ignorance, crim, and prejudice. After filling our stomachs, our clothes closets, our garages, our teeth, and our minds, we now may seek to ensure the health, safety, and leisure to enjoy more fully the good things on the first four levels.

　　1. According to the passage, man will begin to think about such needs as housing and clothing only when _____.

　　A. he has saved up enough money

　　B. he has grown dissatisfied with his simple shelter

　　C. he has satisfied his hunger

　　D. he has learned to build houses

　　2. It can be inferred from the passage that by the end of World War Ⅱ, most Americans _____.

　　A. were very rich

　　B. lived in poverty

　　C. had the good things on the first three levels

　　D. did not own automobiles

　　3. Which of the following is NOT related to "physical satisfaction"?

　　A. A successful career.

　　B. A comfortable home.

　　C. A good meal.

　　D. A family car.

　　4. What is the main concern of man on the fourth level?

　　A. The more goods the better.

　　B. The more mental satisfaction the better.

　　C. The more “luxury” items the better.

　　D. The more earnings the better.

　　5. The author tends to think that the fifth level _____.

　　A. would be little better than the fourth level

　　B. may be a lot more desirable than the first four

　　C. can be the last and most satisfying level

　　D. will become attainable before the government takes actions

　　1.［答案］C

　　【精析】本题答案对应于第一、三段。文章的第一段提到一个人有了吃的就会想到再要件衣服，第三段又说最基本的需求是食物，这个层次的需求得到满足后人就会考虑服装和住的地方。综合判断，所以选C，即他不再饥饿后就会产生对住处和衣服的需求。

　　2.［答案］D

　　【精析】文章第三段中说第二次世界大战结束时，对于大多数美国人来说，食品、服装以及住所的需求都满足了，然后第三个层次的需求，包括汽车和新 房子便出现了。这说明第二次世界大战结束时大多数美国人还没有汽车。A“很富有”，意思不明。B“生活在贫困中”，不符合文意。C“满足了前三个层次的需 求”，也不正确，因为这时第三个层次的需求才刚刚出现。

　　3.［答案］A【精析】本题答案对应于文章的第四段，第四段第三行说physical satisfaction包括食物、生活舒适、有安全感、有交通工具，在B、C、D中都有体现。故选A.

　　4.［答案］B

　　【精析】本题答案对应文章第四段，其中第四行this level，也就是第四个层次的需求强调的是精神需求，所以选B.

　　5.［答案］B

　　【精析】本题考查考生对作者意思的整体把握。先看A“比第四个层次要好一些”，意思含糊。C“是最终的、最令人满意的需求层次”，太绝对。D “在政府采取行动之前就能实现”，不合文意。文章说第五个层次的需求要通过集体行动实现，即人们付钱给政府，让其对抗疾病、愚昧、犯罪与不公。可见这要在 政府采取行动后实现。而B的意思是“比前四个层次的需求更值得拥有”，这是正确的。

　　
Passage 2

　　In the same way that a child must be able to move his arms and legs before he can learn to walk, the child must physiologically be capable of producing and experiencing particular emotions before these emotions can be modified through learning. Psychologists have found that there are two basic processes by which learning takes place. One kind of learning is called "classical conditioning". This occurs when one event or stimulus is consistently paired with or followed by, a reward or punishment. It is through classical conditioning that a child learns to associates his mother‘s face and voice with happiness and love, for he learns that this person provides food and comfort. Negative emotions are learned in a similar fashion.

　　The second kind of learning is called "operant conditioning". This occurs when an inpidual learns to do things that produce rewards in his environment and learns not to do things that produce punishments. For example, if a mother always attends to her baby when he cries and cuddles him until he is quiet, she may teach him that if he cries he will get attention from mother. Thus, the baby will learn to increase his crying in order to have his mother more.

　　Every day, we grow and have new experiences. We constantly learn by reading, watching television, interacting with other people, and so forth. This learning affects our emotions. Why is it that we learn to like some people and dislike others? If a person is nice to us, cares about us, we learn to associate this person with positive feelings, such as joy, happiness, and friendliness. On the other hand, if a person is mean to us, does not care about us, and even deliberately does things to harm us, we learn to associate this person with negative feelings, such as unhappiness, discomfort, and anger.

　　1. The author‘s main purpose in writing the passage is to _____.

　　A. teach children how to learn to produce and experience certain emotions

　　B. give the general reader an account of two basic kinds of learning

　　C. give parents some advice on how to modify their children‘s emotions through learning

　　D. discuss with psychologists how positive and negative feelings are produced

　　2. If your jokes often find a ready echo in a person, you will learn through _____ that telling jokes to this person is fun, and you will try with greater efforts to be humorous in his presence.

　　A. classical conditioning

　　B. neither of them

　　C. operant conditioning

　　D. some other sorts of conditioning

　　3. If a child is bitten or startled several times by a dog, he may learn to associate furry animals with pain or startle and thus develop a fear of furry animals. This is a typical example of learning through _____.

　　A. classical conditioning

　　B. both of them

　　C. operant conditioning

　　D. neither of them

　　4. In the third paragraph, the author is _____.

　　A. discussing how we grow and have new experiences every day

　　B. talking about learning to modify emotions through operant conditioning

　　C. concentrating on learning by reading, watching television, interacting with people, and so on

　　D. using examples to further illustrate learning through classical conditioning

　　5. In the following paragraphs the author will most probably go on to discuss _____.

　　A. definitions of positive feelings and negative feelings

　　B. the third kind of learning

　　C. further examples of learning through operant conditioning

　　D. none of the above

　　1.［答案］B

　　【精析】通读全文可看出，文章主要是关于两个定义的讲述：一种是“经典性条件反射”，一种是“操作性条件反射”。文章对这两种模式进行了解释，因此读懂两个定义是非常关键的。所以选B，其他三项均不全面。

　　2. ［答案］C

　　【精析】二段可知，"operant conditioning"是"learns to do things that produce rewards in his environment and learns not to do things that produce punishments."因此题目中的例子是“操作性条件反射”。

　　3. ［答案］A【精析】从文章第一段可知，"classical conditioning"是"This occurs when one event or stimulus is consistently paired with or followed by, a reward or punishment."因此题目中的例子是“经典性条件反射”。

　　4. ［答案］D

　　【精析】第三段所举例子都是为了进一步说明经典性条件反射。

　　5. ［答案］C

　　【精析】从文章结构来看，文章一开始就说明了学习的两种模式，而后又分别定义这两种模式——“经典性条件反射”和“操作性条件反射”。第三段是举例进一步说明经典性条件反射，由此可以推断下一段将举例进一步说明操作性条件反射。故选C.

　　
Passage 3

　　Katherine walked into a newspaper office, and demanded to see the editor. Fortunately, the editor was passing the inquiry office when she asked for him. Seeing she was a girl of school age, he thought it might offer him an amusing five minutes between interviews.

　　Katherine was very rude to him when he told her they didn't accept schoolgirls. She said she was surprised that the editor of a great London newspaper did not know how to behave like a gentleman. The editor sat back in his chair and laughed heartily. He had never been spoken to like that in his life. He rather liked it for its novelty. After some further conversation, in which Katherine attempted to persuade him that she could do anything he wanted, from writing a leading article to a serial story, she said: "I am not going to leave this room until you put me on the staff!"

　　Then the editor had to speak to her rather seriously, and told her what a great London newspaper meant to a girl and how utterly ignorant she was of everything that would make her useful as a journalist. Upon this Katherine burst into tears, and the editor, who had dismissed many men in the course of his career, walked up and down the room wondering what he could do for this extraordinary young girl whose tearful eyes were so full of disappointment.

　　"Look here," he said, "if you come to me in two years' time, with a knowledge of shorthand, and if you promise not to shed tears on my blotting paper, I will give you something to do."

　　"Really? If you don't mind, I'll have it in black and white," said the girl.

　　The editor was startled. He began to think that this young girl was not so young as she looked. He drafted out an agreement for her on the lines laid down with a great deal of solemnity（严肃）which he found quite amusing, for he was confident that the young girl might quite as well change her mind or would be engaged to a nice boy long before the agreement took effect.

　　1. The real reason why the editor decided to interview the girl was that he _____.

　　A. heard her asking for him B. was not very busy

　　C. thought it would amuse him D. liked to work with young girls

　　2. “He rather liked it for its novelty” means he liked it because it was _____.

　　A. unusual B. pleasant C. courageous D. friendly

　　3. The editor walked up and down the room, because he was _____.

　　A. rather angry with her

　　B. afraid other people would hear her crying

　　C. not sure whether he should dismiss her or not

　　D. trying to make a decision

　　4. As their conversation continued, the editor _____.

　　A. changed his opinion of the girl B. grew tired of her

　　C. became annoyed D. thought she was too uneducated

　　5. When the editor drafted out the agreement for the girl, he _____.

　　A. hoped that this would please the girl

　　B. wished that it would take effect soon

　　C. adopted a rather serious attitude

　　D. didn‘t mean what he wrote

　　1.［答案］C

　　【精析】Seeing she was a girl of school age, he thought it might offer him an amusing five minutes between interviews.故选C.

　　2.［答案］A

　　【精析】He had never been spoken to like that in his life. He rather liked it for its novelty.根据上下文推测只有unusual正确。

　　3.［答案］D

　　【精析】walked up and down the room wondering what he could do for this extraordinary young girl whose tearful eyes were so full of disappointment.此题要读出wondering后面的意思，因此选D.

　　4.［答案］A

　　【精析】The editor was startled. He began to think that this young girl was not so young as she looked. 从编辑见到这个女孩刚开始的应付状态，到最后这个编辑对女孩的谈吐很吃惊，考虑给她一个答复，可以看出编辑逐步改变对这个女孩的认识及看法。

　　5.［答案］D

　　【精析】文章最后结尾for he was confident that the young girl might quite as well change her mind or would be engaged to a nice boy long before the agreement took effect. 表明了D的意思。

　　
Passage 4

　　Like fine food, good writing is something we approach with pleasure and enjoy from the first taste to the last. And good writers, like good cooks, do not suddenly appear full blown. Quite the contrary, just as the cook has to undergo an intensive training, mastering the skills of his trade, the writer must sit at his desk and devote long hours to achieving a style in his writing, whatever its purpose—school work, matters of business, or purely social communication. You may be sure that the more painstaking the effort, the more effective the writing, and the more rewarding.

　　There are still some remote places in the world where you might find a public scribe to do your business or social writing for you, for a fee. There are a few managers who are lucky enough to have the service of that rare kind of secretary who can take care of all sorts of letter writing with no more than a quick note to work from. But for most of us, if there is any writing to be done, we have to do it ourselves.

　　We have to write school papers, business papers or home papers. We are constantly called on to put words to paper. It would be difficult to count the number of such words, messages, letters, and reports put into the mails or delivered by hand, but the daily figure must be enormous. What is more, everyone who writes expects, or at least hopes, that his writing will be read. We want to arouse（引起）and hold the interest of the readers. We want whatever we write to be read, from first word to last, not just thrown into some "letters to be read" file or into a wastepaper basket. This is the reason we bend our efforts toward learning and practicing the skills of interesting, effective writing.

　　1. In this passage, good writing is compared to fine food because _____.

　　A. both writers and cooks have to work long hours every day

　　B. both are essential to life

　　C. both are enjoyable

　　D. both writers and cooks can earn a good living

　　2. A public "scribe" (Para.2) is _____.

　　A. a secretary who does your business or social writing

　　B. a machine that does writing for you

　　C. a public school where writing is taught

　　D. a person who earns a living by writing for others

　　3. According to the passage, some managers don't have to do any letter writing because _____.

　　A. they rely on quick notes B. they have a computer to do it

　　C. they have excellent secretaries D. they prefer making phone calls

　　4. According to the author, if your letter is thrown into some "letters to be read" file, _____.

　　A. it will receive immediate attention

　　B. it is likely to be neglected

　　C. it will be dealt with by the secretary

　　D. it is meant to be delivered soon

　　5. The purpose of the author in writing this passage is _____.

　　A. to argue and demonstrate

　　B. to comment and criticize

　　C. to interest and entertain

　　D. to explain and persuade

　　1.［答案］C

　　【精析】文章第一段Like fine food, good writing is something we approach with pleasure and enjoy from the first taste to the last. 故C正确。

　　2.［答案］D

　　【精析】文章第二段where you might find a public scribe to do your business or social writing for you, for a fee. 此题的关键是读出to后面的句子，是对scribe的补充说明。

　　3.［答案］C

　　【精析】文章第二段末尾There are a few managers who are lucky enough to have the service of that rare kind of secretary who can take care of all sorts of letter writing with no more than a quick note to work from.故选C.

　　4.［答案］B

　　【精析】文章第三段What is more, everyone who writes expects, or at least hopes, that his writing will be read. We want to arouse（引起）and hold the interest of the readers. We want whatever we write to be read, from first word to last, not just thrown into some "letters to be read" file or into a wastepaper basket.可知，写作是为了让人阅读，以引起和保持读者的兴趣，而不是……。故选B.

　　5.［答案］D

　　【精析】文章用了比喻，把好文章比喻成美味的食品，又举例说明好文章效果，说服人们要练好书写。故选D.