阅读理解 The Queen"s English is now sounding less upper-class, a scientific stud
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| 阅读理解 |
The Queen"s English is now sounding less upper-class, a scientific study of the Queen"s Christmas
broadcasts had found.Researchers have studied each of her messages to the Commonwealth countries
since 1952 to find out the change in her pronunciation from the noble Upper Received to the Standard
Received.
Jonathan Harrington, a professor at Germany"s University of Munich , wanted to discover whether
accent (口音 ) changes recorded over the past half century would take place within one person. "As
far as I know,there just is nobody else for whom there is this sort of
broadcast records, " he said.
He said the noble way of pronouncing vowels (元音 ) had gradually lost ground as the noble
upper-class accent over the past years. "Her accent sounds slightly less noble than it did 50 years ago.
But these are very, very small and slow changes that we don"t notice from year to year.
" We may be able to relate it to changes in the social classes, " he told The Daily Telegraph, a British
newspaper. "In 1952 she would have been heard saying "that men in the black hat " . Now it would be
" that man in the black hat " . Similarly, she would have spoken of " the citay " and " dutay " , rather than
" citee " and " dutee " , and " hame " rather than "home". In the 1950s she would have been "lorst", but by
the 1970s "lost"."
The Queen"s broadcast is a personal message to the Commonwealth countries. Each Christmas, the
l0-minute broadcast is put on TV at 3 p. m. in Britain as many families are recovering from their traditional turkey lunch(传统火鸡午餐 ) .
The results were published (发表 ) in the Journal of Phonetics. |
| 1. The Queen"s broadcasts were chosen for the study mainly because________. |
A. she has been Queen for many years
B. she has a less upper-class accent now
C. her speeches are familiar to many people
D. her speeches have been recorded for 50 years |
| 2. Which of the following is an example of a less noble accen in English?____________ |
A. dutay
B. citee
C. hame
D. lorst |
| 3. We may infer from the text that the Journal of Phonetics is a magazine on____________. |
A. speech sounds
B. Christmas customs
C. TV broadcasting
D. personal messages |
| 4. What is the text mainly about? ___________ |
A. The relationship between accents and social classes.
B. The Queen"s Christmas speeches on TV.
C. The changes in a person"s accent.
D. The recent development of the English language. |
答案
| 1-4: DBAC |
举一反三
| 阅读理解. |
There are many thoughts on the origins of civilization. One of the major factors involved
was the increase in population. The development of techniques, primarily irrigation and
flood control, which permitted agriculture in special areas such as the flood plain of the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers, made possible the support of large population. Once
populations reach a certain number, the older pattern of social organization breaks down
and new ones develop. Specifically the older system, whereby each individual participated
in food production and maintained a similar standard of living and whereby kinship
(家属关系) served as the basic method of social organization, was replaced by the
occupational division of labor, political and religious hierarchies (等级制度) public works
such as road and public building construction, class systems, codes of law, markets,
new forms of warfare, and urban centres. Allied with these important sociological traits
are material traits, such as monumental architecture and the development of science and,
in many cases, metallurgy (冶金学) and writing systems.
The earliest civilization, Sumer, developed in the Middle East. This was the Bronze
Age of the Old World, during which people first developed the art of metallurgy,
civilization also arose in other parts of the Old World first in Egypt, China, and India,
and later in Europe and Africa. At this time, civilization also developed independently in
the New World, in the Mexican area and in Peru and its neighboring areas.
In the Old World the Bronze Age was followed by the Iron Age, which saw the rise
and fall of great empires and the shift of power from the Middle East to Greece and
Rome and then to Western Europe. In the 1700s the Industrial Age began, leading
directly to the modem civilization of today.
|
| 1. The author of this passage ______. |
A. gives a comparison between ancient civilization and modern civilization
B. suggests that population increase is most important in the development of civilization
C. tries to explain how civilization developed in human history
D. explore the relation between agriculture and industry |
| 2. According to the first paragraph, the increase in population ______. |
A. resulted in the development of agricultural technology
B. resulted from the breakdown of old social organization
C. caused the occupational division of labor
D. was impossible without the development of agriculture |
| 3. Which of the following is NOT tree according to the passage?______ |
A. The Bronze Age is one of the earliest civilizations.
B. The Industrial Age started in the Middle East.
C. The Bronze Age developed into the Iron Age.
D. The use of metal instruments started from the Bronze Age. |
4. Which of the following is NOT included in the expression "the Old World" used
in the passage?______ |
A. American continent.
B. Both Western and Eastern Europe.
C. African continent.
D. Asian countries. |
| 阅读理解。 |
Copenhagen, one of the world’s most bicycle-friendly cities, has begun turning its extensive network
of cycle paths into bike highways in an effort to push more commuters (上下班往返的人) to leave their
cars at home.
Considered one of Europe’s two “bicycle capitals” along with Amsterdam, Copenhagen counts more
bicycles than people and cycling is so popular that its numerous bike paths can become congested.
Two-wheeler traffic jams are especially regular on the main Noerrebrogade thoroughfare (大街)
used by around 36,000 cyclists a day. “You have to elbow your way (挤过去) to go forward and some
cyclists aren’t always thoughtful,” complains 22-year-old university student Lea Bresell.
The creation of bike highways “comes right on time”, says Danish Cyclist Federation spokesman
Frits Bredal. “Copenhagen’s roads are overloaded with people who want to ride their bicycles in all
kinds of weather,” he says.
If in the 1960s Danes viewed the car as the symbol of freedom, the bicycle has assumed that role
today, Bredal says.
"It’s a means of transportation used by all social classes, and even politicians ride bikes,” he says.
It is on crowded Noerrebrogade - the busiest bicycle street in Europe - that city planners have
decided to build the first of Copenhagen’s environmentally friendly streets. The jammed bike paths will
be widened up to four meters on either side of the road, which will itself be reserved for buses only.
The idea is to make Noerrebrogade “Europe’s great cycling street”, says Andreas Roehl, the
Copenhagen city’s bicycle program manager who is also known as “Mister Bike”.
But Roehl is not content with making life easier for Copenhagen’s inner city cyclists: He wants to get
suburbanites (郊区居民) out of their cars and onto two wheels as well.
His goal is to increase the percentage of suburban commuters cycling to and from the city from the 33
percent it is today to more than 50 percent by 2015. Within the city, 55 percent of all commuters already
travel by bike.
Already Copenhagen stands out among other European capitals for its cycling infrastructure, counting
more than 390 kilometers of bike paths. |
| 1. What is the main idea of the passage? |
A. Copenhagen is planning to build bicycle-friendly highways.
B. Copenhagen is planning to build highways.
C. Copenhagen is one of Europe’s two “bicycle capitals”.
D. Two-wheeler traffic jams are especially common in Copenhagen. |
| 2. What does Lea Bresell think of the present bike traffic on the main Noerrebrogade thoroughfare? |
A. pleasant
B. Terrible
C. Cyclists are considerate
D. Bike paths are not made full use of |
| 3. We can infer that _______. |
A. most of people in Copenhagen can’t afford to buy cars
B. hiking is very common in Copenhagen
C. cars will not be allowed to run on the widened Noerrebrogade thoroughfare
D. Noerrebrogade thoroughfare will be deserted |
| 4. How do suburban commuters travel to and from the city in Copenhagen at present? |
A. More than half of the suburban commuters travel by bike.
B. Almost all the suburban commuters take buses.
C. Few suburban commuters travel by car.
D. About one third of the suburban commuters travel by bike. |
| 5. According to the passage, what do you know about Copenhagen? |
A. Copenhagen possibly has the longest among European capitals.
B. Copenhagen has the longest history among European capitals.
C. Copenhagen has the largest population among European capitals.
D. Copenhagen is the biggest in size among European capitals. |
This is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. Weighing 7,000 tons, but
putting about the same pressure on the grourid as an average-size person sitting in a chair, the tower
wasn"t meant to stand there forever. Gustave-Alexandre Eiffel, the French engineer whose fame rested
mainly on his iron bridges, built it for the 1889 Universal Exhibition. Praised by some and denounced by
others, the tower created much argument in the 1880s. What saved it from being torn down was the
arrival of radio-as the tallest structure in Europe,it made a perfect spot to place a radio antenna
The tower,including its antenna.is 317m high. On a clear day you can see it from 65km away. An
open-framework construction, the tower unlocked the almost unlimited possibilities of steel construction,
making the way for skyscrapers (摩天大楼). Some people said it couldn"t be built, and Eiffel actually
wanted to make it go higher. For years it remained the tallest man-made structure on earth, until
skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building came into being.
We could fill an entire page with statistics (数据) . ( Its plans covered 5,400 sq. m of paper, and it
contains 2.5 million nails. ) But forget the numbers. Just stand under the tower, and look straight up. lt"s
like a rocket shooting into the sky.
In 2004 it became possible to ice-skate inside the Eiffel Tower, doing figure eights while taking in
views of the rooftops of Paris. Skating takes place on an observation platform 57m above ground. The
rink is a bit larger than an average tennis court, holding 80 skaters at once. Rink admission and skate
rental are free,once you pay the entry fee below. |
| 1. The text is most possibly___________. |
A. a travel review
B. an advertisement
C. a news story
D. a study report |
| 2. The underlined word "denounced" is closest in meaning to_________. |
A. looked down on
B. impressed
C. spoken poorly of
D. admired |
| 3. Paragraph 3 mainly tells the readers___________. |
A. about the surprising statistics of the tower
B. about the fantastic view of the tower
C. not to keep the numbers in mind
D. not to pay attention to the shape |
| 4. Which of the following descriptions of the Eiffel Tower is correct ? |
A. The tower was completed after the 1889 Universal Exhibition.
B. The tower went high for its open steel structure.
C. A radio station stopped the tower from being destroyed.
D. Ice-skating is permitted on top of the Eiffel tower. |
| 阅读理解。 |
下面文章有5处(第61～65题)需要添加小标题.请从以下选项(A、B、C、D、E和F)中选
出符合各段意思的小标题,并在答题纸上将相应选项的标号涂黑.选项中有一项是多余选项.
A. There are few statues in the Middle East.
B. Art is a good means for people to know about religions.
C. Artists express their feelings and opinions in their works.
D. People know more about our culture through learning art history.
E. Art is more objective than history itself.
F. Art history provides information of different places and people. | | 阅读理解. | Barbie (芭比娃娃),believe it or not,is 50 this year and she"s still as popular as ever. A
doll is a doll,but Barbie illustrates how,over the last five decades,women have become a
standard for judging what freedom really means. How women are treated in different countries
tells you a lot about the politics and culture of where they live.
The doll that every little girl wants enables young children to test their possibilities in
role playing,giving them a glimpse of what they might be when they grow up,whether to be
frivolous or serious (or both)．
But in many countries that"s not an option. In Saudi Arabia,where woman can"t drive or go
out publicly unless covered,Barbie is banned. They think Barbie dolls are offensive to
Islam (伊斯兰教) and a threat to morality.
In America,she represents the swiftly changing roles of women. Barbie is fun to tease
but she"s as American as miniskirts_and_pantsuits in her flexible identities and her "growth"
from model to astronaut.
Barbie inspired a dollrevolution movement. When a Teen Talk Barbie was programmed
electronically to say "Math class is tough",she was criticized by a national women"s group
and was regarded as a bad stereotype. Some of her critics also say she"s a bad influence
because she"s too thin and encourages anorexia,that she has run through too many
stereotypes,and that she lends too much significance to the fantasy stages of child"s play.
In some Muslim countries,substitute Barbie dolls have been developed that promote
traditional values,with their modest clothing and profamily backgrounds. They are widely
seen as an effort to resist the American dolls that have flooded the market.
Toyseller Masounmen Rahimi welcomed the dolls,saying Barbie was "foreign to Muslim
culture" because some of the dolls have little clothing. She said young girls who play with
Barbie,could grow into women who reject Muslim values. "I think every Barbie doll is
more harmful than an American missile," Ms Rahimi said. | | 1．Barbie is forbidden in some Muslim countries because ________. | A．she is more deadly than a missile
B．toys are not allowed there
C．she looks 1ike an American
D．she sets a poor example to children | | 2.Thewritermentioned"miniskirtsandpantsuits"(Paragraph4)toimplythat________. | A．thesearetheonlyclothesadollshouldwear
B．theseareverytraditionalAmericanclothesforwomen
C．therearearangeofdifferentlifeoptionsavailableforwomen
D．readersshouldweartheseclothesmoreoften | | 3.Theunderlinedword"anorexia"(Paragraph5)mostprobablymeans"________"． | A．anillnessofrefusingtoeat
B．givingupmathstudy
C．thewearingofinappropriateclothes
D．adecreaseinpeople"simagination | | 4．WhichofthefollowingstatementsisTRUEaccordingtothepassage? ______ | A．Peopleallovertheworldunderstandwhatfreedomreallymeans.
B．HowBarbieistreatedseemstoreflectacountry"spoliticsandculture.
C．WomeninSaudiArabiahavenooptionsindecidingwhattowear.
D．BarbiedollshavecontributedmuchtoMuslimculture. | | 5．Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethat________. | A．childrenwholikeBarbiedollswon"tbesoseriouswhentheygrowup
B．MuslimBarbiesarethesameasAmericanBarbies
C．Muslimsocietiesaregenerallymoreconservativethanwesternsocieties
D．AmericanshavenoworryaboutBarbie"sinfluenceonchildren | 最新试题
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