历年传统阅读真题.doc

历年真题讲解之传统阅读理解详解

Year
Passages
Questions
2008年
6月
passage1
Global warming may or may not be the great environmental crisis of the 21st century, but-regardless of whether it is or isn't - we won't do much about it. We will argue over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoid it. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed.
A1 Gore calls global warming an "inconvenient truth," as if merely recognizing it could put us on a path to a solution. But the real truth is that we don't know enough to relieve global warming, and - without major technological breakthroughs - we can't do much about it.
At one’s ~
Projector
From 2003 to 2050, the world’s population is projected to grow from 6.4 billon to 9.1 billion, a 42% increase. if energy use per person and technology remain the same, total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions(mainly,CO2)will be 42% higher in 2050.But that's too low, because societies that grow richer use more energy. We need economic growth unless we condemn the world's poor to their present Poverty and freeze everyone else's living standards. With modest growth, energy use and greenhouse emissions more then double by 2050.
Flexible

No government will adopt rigid restrictions on economic growth and personal freedom (limits on electricity usage, driving and travel)that might cut back global warming. Still, politicians want to show they're "doing something "Consider the Kyoto Protoco(京都议定书).It allowed countries that joined to punish those that didn't. But it hasn't reduced CO2 emissions(up about 25% since 1990),and many signatories(签字国) didn't adopt tough enough policies to hit their 2008-2012 targets.
　　 The practical conclusion is that if global warming is a potential disaster, the only solution is new technology. Only an aggressive research and development program might find ways of breaking our dependence on fossil fuels or dealing with it.
　　 The trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral problem when it's really an engineering one. The inconvenient truth is that if we don't solve the engineering problem, we're helpless.
Extended Usage
1.regardless of
Regardlessly adv.
Regardlessness n.
2. be projected to
3. rigid

　　 57.What is said about global warming in the first paragraph?
　　 A) It may not prove an environmental crisis at all.
　　 B) It is an issue requiring worldwide commitments.
　　 C) Serious steps have been taken to avoid or stop it.
　　 D) Very little will be done to bring it under control.
　　 58.According to the author's understanding, what is A1 Gore's view on global warming?
　　 A) It is a reality both people and politicians are unaware of.
　　 B) It is a phenomenon that causes us many inconveniences.
　　 C) It is a problem that can be solved once it is recognized.
　　 D) It is an area we actually have little knowledge about.
　　 59.Greenhouse emissions will more than double by 2050 because of ___.
　　 A) economic growth
　　 B) wasteful use of energy
　　 C) the widening gap between the rich and poor
　　 D) the rapid advances of science and technology
　　 60.The author believes that, since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol,____.
　　 A) politicians have started to do something to better the situation
　　 B) few nations have adopted real tough measures to limit energy use
　　 C) reductions in energy consumption have greatly cut back global warming
　　 D) international cooperation has contributed to solving environmental problems
　　 61.What is the message the author intends to convey?
　　 A) Global warming is more of a moral issue than a practical one.
　　 B) The ultimate solution to global warming lies in new technology.
　　 C) The debate over global warming will lead to technological breakthroughs.
　　 D) People have to give up certain material comforts to stop global warming.

2008年
6月
Passage2
Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the Website you've visited，Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
　　In fact, it's likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girl friend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen - the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it's important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs(碎屑) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
　 The key question is: Does that matter?
　　 For many Americans, the answer apparently is "no."
　　 When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found an overwhelming pessimism about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is "slipping away, and that bothers me."
　　 But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist A lessandro Acauisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon(优惠卷)。
　　 But privacy does matter - at least sometimes. It's like health: When you have it, you don't notice it. Only when it's gone do you wish you'd done more to protect it.

Extended Usage
1. equivalent
equivalence
There is no exactly equivalent French tense to the present perfect tense in English.
2. reconstructed adj.重建的, 改造的
Reconstructible adj.
Reconstructor n.
62. What does the author mean by saying "the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked" (Lines 3-4,Para.2)?
　　 A) People's personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge.
　　 B) In the 21st century people try every means to look into others' secrets.
　　 C) People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age.
　　 D) Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology.
　　 63.What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?
　　 A) Friends should open their hearts to each other.
　　 B) Friends should always be faithful to each other.
　　 C) There should be a distance even between friends.
　　 D) There should be fewer disputes between friends.
　　 64. Why does the author say "we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret" (Line5,para.3)
　　 A) Modern society has finally evolved into an open society.
　　 B) People leave traces around when using modern technology.
　　 C) There are always people who are curious about others' affairs.
　　 D) Many search engines profit by revealing people's identities.
　　 65. What do most Americans do with regard to privacy protection?
　　 A) They change behaviors that might disclose their identity.
　　 B) They use various loyalty cards for business transactions.
　　 C) They rely most and more on electronic devices.
　　 D) They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.
　　 66.According to the passage, privacy is like health in that ___.
　　 A) people will make every effort to keep it.
　　 B) its importance is rarely understood
　　 C) is is something that can easily be lost
　　 D) people don't cherish it until they lose it

2007年
12月
passage1
In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.
As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.
A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”·
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough a way to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
Extended Usage
1. Competition (n.)/cf: Competence/competitiveness{经}
Competitor (n.)/cf: rival
Competitive (adj) cf: competent/ competitory
Compete (vi.)/with/against/for cf: rival (vt)
compete (with) , vie (with) , rival , contest 这组词的一般含义是互相竞争。
compete (名词为 competition)的含义仅仅是为了争得名次、奖品，并不含有将对手征服的意思。
The children compete against each other to reach the other end of the pool.
Vie (with)与 compete 相比，词义弱得多，包含着争夺中的兴奋、激动，因此这种竞争与其说是“争夺”不如说是嘻戏，或者争先恐后。
The two boys vied with each other for the first place.
rival (名词亦为rival)在作名词时指“情敌”、“对手”，在用作动词时常常表示“匹敌”
They are school friends rivaling in performing good deeds.
The two men are business rivals.
contest 所表示的“竞赛”可以是友谊赛，也可以是有敌意的竞赛，旨在比试技能、能力、力气、耐久力等
The two armies are contesting every inch of ground.
But the significant thing is not the behaviour of the players but the attitude of the spectators; and, behind the spectators, of the nations who work themselves into furies over these absurd contests
2. rejection
Rejectable adj.
Rejectee n.遭拒绝者 (尤指被征兵处剔除的兵役对象)
Rejecter n.丢弃者; 拒绝者; 呕吐者
Reject (vt)
Cf: decline 指“较正式地、有礼貌地谢绝”
He declined the nomination.
refuse 系普通用语,指“坚决、果断或坦率地拒绝”
He refused to take the money.
reject指“以否定、敌对的态度而当面拒绝”
They rejected damaged goods.
3. reputation
Repute (vt./n)
in high [low] repute
Reputable (adj.)/cf: infamous
4. Surface(n./vt./vi/adj.)
Surface-to-surface
5. Remind (vt) of/ that-clause) /cf: prompt (vt/vi.)
Remindful(adj.)
57. What do we learn from the first paragraph?
A)A lot of distractions compete for children’s time nowadays.
B) Children do find lots of fun in many mindless activities
C)Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her leisure time
D) Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing.

58. What did the author say about her own writing experience?
A) She was constantly under pressure of writing more.
B) Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.
C) She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.
D) Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.

59. Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?
A) She had won a prize in the previous contest.
B) She wanted to share her stories with readers.
C) She was sure of winning with her mother’s help.
D) She believed she possessed real talent for writing.

60. The author took great pains to refine her daughter’s stories because ________.
A) she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dreams of becoming a writer
B) she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing
C) she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much
D) she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance

61. What’s the author’s advice for parents?
A) Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions.
B) Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in.
C) Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience.
D) A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue.

2007年
12月
Passage2
By almost any measure, there is a boom in Internet-based instruction. In just a few years, 34 percent of American universities have begun offering some form of distance learning (DL), and among the larger schools, it’s close to 90 percent. If you doubt the popularity of the trend, you probably haven’t heard of the University of Phoenix. It grants degrees entirely on the basis of online instruction. It enrolls 90,000 students, a statistic used to support its claim to be the largest private university in the country.
While the kinds of instruction offered in these programs will differ, DL usually signifies a course in which the instructors post syllabi (课程大纲), reading assignment, and schedules on Websites, and students send in their assignments by e-mail. Generally speaking, face-to-face communication with an instructor is minimized or eliminated altogether.
　 The attraction for students might at first seem obvious. Primarily, there’s the convenience promised by courses on the Net: you can do the work, as they say, in your pajamas (睡衣). But figures indicate that the reduced effort results in a reduced commitment to the course. While dropout rate for all freshmen at American universities is around 20 percent, the rate for online students is 35 percent. Students themselves seem to understand the weaknesses inherent in the setup. In a survey conducted for eCornell, the DL division of Cornell University, less than a third of the respondents expected the quality of the online course to be as good as the classroom course.
Clearly, from the schools’ perspective, there’s a lot of money to be saved. Although some of the more ambitious programs require new investments in servers and networks to support collaborative software, most DL courses can run on existing or minimally upgraded (升级) systems. The more students who enroll in a course but don’t come to campus, the more school save on keeping the lights on in the classrooms, paying