集美大学诚毅学院考试阅读篇

Passage OneI WAS born in the city of York, in England, in the year 1632. My father was a man of some wealth, able to give me a good home and send me to school. It was his wish that I should be a lawyer buy my head began to be filled very early with thoughts of travel, and I would be satisfied with nothing but going to sea. My father gave me strong strong advice against it, but with little effect. One day, being at Hull, I met a school-fellow who was about to sail for London in his father's ship, and he invited me to go with him, and without telling my father, I went on board.On the way to London, a storm arose, the ship was wrecked, and we barely escaped with our lives. I went on foot to London, where I met with the master of a vessel which did business with countries on the coast of Africa. He took a fancy to me, and offered me a chance to go with him on his voyages, which I gladly accepted.A great storm came up, and the ship was tossed about for many days, until we did not know where we were. Suddenly we struck a bank of sand, and the sea broke over the ship in such a way that we could not hope to have her hold many moments without breaking into pieces. so we launched a boat. After we had been driven four or five miles, a mountainous wave struck us so hard that it overturned the boat at once. Though I swam well but the waves were so strong that I was dashed against a rock with such force that it left me senseless. But I recovered a little before the waves returned, and, running forward, got to the mainland safely.Passage TwoI worked as a manager in a company for a number of years. I liked my job, and was doing well there, but our company was bought by a larger company and most of the managers at our place lost their jobs. That was when I decided to do something I'd always wanted to do ― become a free lance (自由撰稿的) writer. Changing professions (职业) has meant that my lifestyle has changed in a number of ways.The main difference for me now is that I have a much more flexible (灵活的) schedule. I work about as much as I did before ― between 45 and 50 hours a week ― but my schedule is much less rigid than it used to be. Before, I worked from 8 to 5 every day, with a few extra hours on weekends. Now, however, I work when I feel like it. For instance, sometimes I work until midnight or 2 A.M., then sleep until noon. I really prefer this kind of schedule. It seems more natural to me.I also decided that it was about time I began to pay more attention to my health. While I was working as a manager, I never exercised. I already felt tired after work, so I just came home in the evening and watched TV. However, last year I joined a health club and began to do regular exercise. As a result I have lost over 10 pounds and I feel much better. I've also started to eat more healthfully. I used to eat a lot of fast food, but now I do my own shopping. I buy lots of fruits and vegetables and cook them at home.Of course, not all the changes have been that easy. For example, I don't feel as secure financially as I used to. When I was working as a manager, I never worried much about money. I could always count on getting my paycheck every two weeks. Working freelance, I don't have a regular paycheck. So now I have to make sure there's enough money until the next check arrives.All in all, I really like my current lifestyle. Of course, that doesn't mean I'll never want to have a "regular" job. Butfor now, at least, it suits me.26. Why did the author decide to become a freelance writer?A. He had always liked writing.B. He was dissatisfied with his company.C. He never liked his job as a manager.D. He wanted to change his lifestyle.27. What is the main difference the job change brought to the author?A. He works fewer hours a week.B. He does not have to work on weekends.C. He can change his schedule as he likes.D. He can work at night and sleep late.28. Why does the author do his own cooking now?A. He wants to lose weight.B. He has got lots of free time on his hands.C. He no longer feels tired after work.D. He wants to eat more healthfully.29. What is his chief problem now?A. He cannot count on his paycheck to arrive on time.B. He has no regular work to do.C. He has to find a publisher for his books.D. He has to worry about money.30. At the end of the passage, the author indicates that _____.A. he is going to find a regular job soonB. he is not going to change his lifestyle in the near futureC. he will continue to write for the rest of his lifeD. he will soon find out whether writing is a good career for himPassage ThreeSome people have it easy. When their kids ask them what they do at work, they can give a simple, direct answer :”I put out fires” or “I fix sick people” or “ I teach primary school”. As a theoretical physicist, I never had this luck. Society has come to expect many things from the physicists. It used to be we only had to discover the basic laws of the world and supply the techniques that would power the next Silicon Valley. With these expectations we were fairly comfortable; they are the sorts of things we think we know how to do. What makes us uncomfortable ---- and what makes it hard for us to tell our kids what we’re up to----is that in this century we have become, though unwillingly, gurus on questions such as “What is the nature of Reality ?”We now deal with a whole new class of problems. We ask how the world began and what is the nature of matter . The answers we are coming up with are just not easy to comprehend for the average person.So, when physicists get out of their cars in the morning, have a cup of coffee and sit down in front of their computers, they leave a familiar world and enter a place where things act in strange ways that are impossible for ordinary people to understand.31. According to the passage, in a way physicists are___________.D) unlucky32. Judging from the context, the word “guru”in the first paragraph most probably means a person ________.A) who acts as a teacher and answers big questions33. Which of the following is true according to what the author says about physicists?B) Physicists live in two different worlds.34. Which of the following statements is true of theoretical physicists?B) They have contributed to the new industry in Silicon Valley.35. Which of the following is true about the job of today’s physicists?D) It is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.Passage TourThere are two things I can count on my dad asking every time he calls me: "Is there anything I can do for you?" and "How's the car?" I guess he asks what he can do for me because his dad (an air force officer) was never really there for him, and he's determined to provide me with the support he lacked. During my youth he never missed a school play or softball game. In fact, he was so supportive that I sometimes longed for one of those dads who dressed better and cared less. But my dad would forever be the guy wearing shorts with dress shoes and black socks, cheering me on, expecting greatness.His other standard question-- How's the car'?" -- used to strike me as a waste of long-distance dollars from a man who oncesuggested making a list of what you want to talk about before calling someone out of state. What I now realize is that "How's car?" is not about the car. It's a father's way of asking his adult daughter how she is. The advantage is that if there's something wrong with the car, he knows what to do about it and how much it will cost, whereas if you're having marital problems or a career choice, he might have to put Mom on the line.At age 30 1 finally took the plunge (突然一跳) into adulthood by leasing (租) a car without my dad's help or advice. I'm sure dad was hurt rather than proud. Though a daughter's independence is evidence (证据) of a job well done, it still implies the job'sdone, and many fathers are reluctant to retire. Even when my dad was overworked, he'd happily hop on a plane if I said I needed help. His frequent question, "Is there anything I can do for you?" underlines the fact that he wishes there was still something he could provide. It's interesting: Even though we're tied by blood and I love him no matter what, he still seems to need a concrete function -- suggesting stocks, finding the cheapest plane fare -- to feel he has a role in my life.36.Judging from the first paragraph, the author has a veryA.supportive father37. The author now realizes that by asking "How is the car?", her father is actuallyB) asking how she's getting along38. In case the author asked her father what she should do with her life, he would probablyA) let her mother answer the question39. When the author leased a car without asking her father's advice, he wasB.hurt because he had no more to do for her40. What does the author mean by saying "many fathers are reluctant to retire"?D) They wish to keep playing some role in their daughters' lives.Passage OneQuestions 16 to 20 are based on the followingThe last few days before Christmas passed quickly and it was soon Christmas Eve. That night when everyone went to bed, Bunny couldn't sleep. He still couldn't think of what he wanted his special Christmas present to be. He wondered how Santa would know what to bring him if he didn't know himself. As he was sitting up in bed, Bunny heard a big noise on the roof and a sound downstairs. It was Santa Claus, he realized. Bunny jumped out of bed and raced down the hall to the stairs hoping to catch a glimpse of the old fellow before Santa departed for his next stop. By the time Bunny reached the bottom of the stairs, though, everything was again silent. Brightly wrapped presents were piled under the Christmas tree, but Santa was gone. A little disappointed, Bunny turned to climb back upstairs when he heard a cry. "Hello," said Bunny. "Is somebody there?" He was answered by another cry. Bunny looked around the big pile of presents to see what was making the noise. Right under the tree was a funny looking brown animal with big feet and mournful eyes. Bunny might have mistaken the creature for a dog, if it hadn't been for the antlers (鹿角) on his head. "Are you a reindeer?" asked Bunny. "Yes," replied the brown creature with antlers, "my name is Ralph." "And you were pulling Santa's sled?" "I was until I got air-sick," replied Ralph, "Santa had to leave me here and go on with the other seven reindeer." "Isn't it a bit unusual for a reindeer to get air-sick. I mean, isn't flying what reindeer are famous for?" "I'm afraid that I've always had a sensitive (敏感的) stomach when it comes to flying," replied Ralph. "But everyone expected me to pull Santa's sled, so when it was my turn I gave it a try. I'm afraid I just wasn't cut out for the job. Now I'm stuck here and I don't know how to get back to the North Pole." "Well, if you like, you can stay with us as a friend," said Bunny. As he made the offer, Bunny suddenly realized the special present he wanted fr om Santa was a new friend!16. Why couldn't Bunny fall asleep on Christmas Eve?A．He was looking forward to seeing his special present.B．He wanted to take a look at Santa when he came at night.C．He was disturbed by a noise on the roof of his house.D．He was thinking what present to ask from Santa.17. Why did Bunny feel disappointed?A.Santa left before he could have a look at him.B. Santa didn't bring the special present he wanted.C. Everything was silent and there was no sign of Santa coming.D. There was a pile of presents under the Christmas tree but nothing for him.18. What do we learn about reindeer from the passage?A. They make big noises while they are flying.B. They look like dogs except for the antlers.C. They are all especially good at pulling sleds.D. They suffer stomachaches when they take to the air.19. Why didn't Ralph go with the other seven reindeer?A. He got stuck in the chimney.B. Bunny asked him to stay.C. He was air-sick.D. He didn't know how to get back to the North Pole.20. This passage seems to tell us that ________.A. Santa knows what present a child wants without even being toldB. reindeer are hired to bring presents to children on Christmas EveC. if a child stays awake on Christmas Eve, he could catch a glimpse of SantaD. parents take great care when choosing Christmas presents for their childrenPassage TwoQuestions 21 to25 are based on the following passage:A study suggests that dirty air can reduce lung development. Researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles published their work in the "New England Journal of Medicine". About one thousand seven hundred children from different communities in Southern California took part in the study. The scientists tested the children every year for eight years, starting at age ten. They say this is the longest study ever done on air pollution and the health of children. The scientists found that children who lived in areas with the dirtiest air were five times more likely to grow up with weak lungs. Many were using less than eighty percent of normal lung strength to breathe. The damage from dirty air was as bad as that found in children with parents who smoke. Children with reduced lung power may suffer more severe effects from a common cold, for example. But the researchers express greater concerns about long-term effects. They say adults normally begin to lose one percent of their lung power each year after age twenty. The doctors note that weak lung activity is the second leadingcause of early deaths among adults. The first is smoking. By the time people are eighteen, their lungs are fully developed, or close to it. The doctors say it is impossible to recover from any damage. Researchers say they are still not sure how air pollution affects lung development. They believe that pollution affects the tiny air spaces where oxygen and carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) are exchanged. Arden Pope is an economics professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Professor Pope wrote a commentary about the study. He noted that air quality in Southern California has improved since the study began in the early nineteen-nineties. Clean-air laws have reduced pollution from vehicles, industry and other causes. But dirty air is still a problem in areas of California and other places. Professor Pope says continued efforts to improve air quality are likely to provide additional improvements in health.21. A study done by researchers at the University of Southern California indicates that ________.A. 1,700 children from Southern California have weak lung activitiesB. children in Southern California use less lung strength to breatheC. air pollution may affect the growth of children's lungsD. 80 percent of children in Southern California suffer from air pollution22. According to the article, children living in dirty airA. may lose eighty percent of their normal lung strengthB. may suffer more severe effects from a common coldC. were five times more likely to catch a common coldD. were unlikely to recover from any lung damage23. Why do the researchers express greater concern about the long-term effects of air pollution on children?A. They begin to lose 1% of their lung power each year after 20.B. They do not show any signs of lung damage when they are young.C. They may suffer early death when they grow up.D. They cannot expect to have their lungs fully developed at 18.24. What do we learn from the passage about the air in Southern California?A. It is unlikely to improve in the near future.B. It is free of pollution from vehicles and industry.C. It is as dirty as it was before.D. It is cleaner than it was in the early25. Professor Pope believes that ________.A. improvement in air quality will provide further health benefitsB. clean-air laws should be passed to reduce air pollution in CaliforniaC. further studies should be done to find out how dirty air affects lung developmentD. air pollution does even greater harm to children's health than their parents' smokingPassage ThreeMy friend Mike was shaking his head in disbelief. "That young woman who just waited on me," he said, pointing to an employee of the fast food restaurant where we were eating, "had to call someone over to help her count change. The cash register(现金出纳机) showed her I needed 99 cents, but she couldn't figure out how to count out the coins." I understood Mike's concern. What we have done in this country, although unintentionally, is to create several generations of individuals most of whom have no idea how to reason; how to do simple math; how to do research; or, finally, how to be creative (有创造力的). The reason for this is our overuse of information technology: video games, television, digital watches, calculators, and computers. Information technology feeds us information without requiring us to think about it and let us perform operations without underst anding them.It is time we took a hard look at an educational system that only teaches our children how to push buttons. Our kids can't te ll time if the clock has hands. They can use calculators, but cannot add, subtract, divide, or multiply. Video games have taken the place of active, imaginative play. Although most of them are technically literate, they choose not to read. They are so us ed to television and movies that they cannot use their imagination to stay interested in a book.It is not enough to recognize that a problem exists. What we need is a solution. The one I offer is simple to suggest, but m ay be impossible to carry out. We must unplug our children. If we don't, they will never learn how to solve problems. They wi ll never learn even basic reasoning skills and will certainly not develop creativity. Instead of filling classrooms with electronics, let's concentrate on good old-fashioned literacy ― reading books. Students must be taught not to perform computer operations by rote (死记), but to figure and reason for themselves. They must see how things work and how processes lead to results,they must also stretch their imagination.26. What is the problem with the employee of the fast food restaurant?A. She does not know how to operate the cash register.B. She is unable to solve simple math problems.C. She lacks coins for customers.D. She does not know how to count coins.正确答案：B 题目解析：细节推断题。