[职称英语阅读理解试题]最新职称英语学习资料(阅读理解讲义)5

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PASSAGE 34

Taxi Riding

　In a moment of personal crisis, how much help can you expect from a New York taxi driver? I began studying this question after watching the "Taxicab Confessions," a series of documentaries in which hidden cameras record the secrets of unsuspecting taxi riders. I found the results varied.
　　One morning I got into three different taxis and announced: "Well, it"s my first day back in New York in seven years. I"ve been in prison." Not a single driver replied, so I tried again. "Yeah, I shot a man in Reno," I explained, hoping the driver would ask me why, so I could say casually," Just to watch him die." But nobody asked. The only response came from a Ghanaian driver: "Reno? That is in Nevada?"
　　Taxi drivers were uniformly sympathetic when I said I"d just been fired. "This is America," a Haitian driver said. "One door is closed. Another is open." He argued against my plan to burn down my boss"s house: "If you do something silly and they put you away, you cannot look for another job." A Pakistani driver even turned down a chance to profit from my loss of hope: he refused to take me to the middle of the George Washington Bridge, a $20 trip. "Why you want to go there? Go home and relax. Don"t worry. Take a new job."
　　One very hot weekday in July, while wearing a red ski mask and holding a stuffed pillowcase with the work "BANK" on it, I tried hailing a taxi five times outside different banks. The driver picked me up every time. My ride with Guy-Caaude Thevenain, a Haitian driver, was typical of the superb assistance I received.
　　"Is anyone following us?"
　　"No," said the driver, looking in his rearview mirror at traffic and me.
　　"Let"s go across the park," I said. "I just robbed the bank there. I got $25,000."
　　"$25,000?" he asked.
　　"Yeah, you think it was wrong to take it?"
　　"No, man, I work 8 hours and I don"t make almost $70. If I can do that, I do it too."
　　As we approached 86th and Lexington, I pointed to the Chemical Bank.
　　"Hey, there"s another bank," I said, "could you wait here a minute while I go inside?"
　　"No, I can"t wait. Pay me now." His reluctance may have had something to do with money -taxi drivers think the rate for waiting time is too low -but I think he wanted me to learn that even a bank robber can"t expect unconditional support.
1. From the Ghanaian driver"s response, we can infer that
A) he was indifferent to the killing.
B) he was afraid of the author.
C) he looked down upon the author.
D) he thought the author was crazy.

2. Why did the Pakistani driver refuse to take the author to the middle of the George Washington Bridge?
A) Because he didn"t want to help the author get over his career crisis.
B) Because he wanted to go home and relax.
C) Because it was far away from his home.
D) Because he suspected that the author was going to commit suicide.

3. What is author"s interpretation of the driver"s reluctance "to wait outside the Chemical bank"?
A) The driver thought that the rate for waiting time was too low.
B) The driver thought it wrong to support a taxi rider unconditionally.
C) The driver was frightened and wanted to leave him as soon as possible.
D) The driver wanted to go home and relax.

4. Which of the following statements is true about New York taxi drivers?
A) They are ready to help you do whatever you want to.
B) They refuse to pick up those who would kill themselves.
C) They are sympathetic with those who are out of work.
D) They work only for money.

5. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A) How to make taxi riders comfortable.
B) How to deal with taxi riders.
C) The attitudes of taxi drivers towards the taxi riders having personal crises.
D) The attitudes of taxi drivers towards violent criminals.

KEYS: ADBCC

 

PASSAGE 35

Mom"s Traffic Accidents

　The bicycling craze came in when were just about the right age to enjoy it. At first even "safety" bicycles were too dangerous and improper for ladies to ride, and they had to have tricycles. My mother had (I believe) the first female tricycle in Cambridge; and I had a little one, and we used to go out for family rides, all together; my father in front on a bicycle, and my poor brother Charles standing miserable on the bar behind my mother. I found it very hard work, pounding away on my hard tyres; a glorious, but not a pleasurable pastime.
　　Then, one day at lunch, my father said he had just seen a new kind of tyre, filled up with air, and he thought it might be a success. And soon after that everyone had bicycles, ladies and all; and bicycling became the smart thing, and the lords and ladies had their pictures in the papers, riding along in the park, in straw boater hats.
　　My mother must have fallen off her bicycle pretty often, for I remember seeing the most appalling cuts and bruises on her legs. But she never complained, and always kept these mishaps to herself. However, the great Mrs. Phillips, our cook, always knew all about them; as indeed she knew practically everything that ever happened. She used to draw us into the servants" hall to tell us privately. "Her Ladyship had a nasty fall yesterday; she cut both her knees and sprained her wrist. But don"t let her know I told you. " So we never dared say anything. Similar little accidents used to occur when, at the age of nearly seventy, she insisted on learning to drive a car. She never mastered the art of reversing, and was in every way an unconventional and terrifying driver. Mrs. Phillips used then to tell us: "Her Ladyship ran into the back of a milk-cart yesterday; but it wasn"t much hurt "; or " A policeman stopped her Ladyship because she was on the wrong side of the road; but she said she didn"t know what the white line on the road meant, so he explained and let her go on. " Mrs. Phillips must have had an excellent Intelligence Service command, for the stories were always true enough.

1.Women did not ride bicycles at first because
A) they demanded too much hard work.
B) they were considered unsafe and unladylike.
C) tricycles were more enjoyable.
D) tricycles could carry young children as well.

2. How did the writer feel about tricycles?
A) They were very hard to ride.
B) They were safer and more convenient for women.
C) They were not as fast as bicycles.
D) They were not proper for women to ride.

3.Cyclying became popular when
A) the writer"s father popularized it.
B) air-filled tyres began to be used.
C) aristocratic people started enjoying it.
D) newspapers had pictures of cyclists.

4.The writer admires Mrs. Phillips because
A) she was an excellent cook.
B) she was in command of all the servants.
C) she could keep secrets.
D) she knew everything that went on.

5. The writer"s mother always had car accident later because
A) she could not control the car.
B) she was very old then.
C) she did not understand the road system.
D) she behaved arrogantly.

Key: BABDA
 

PASSAGE 36

Health Care Reform

　This fall the country will be talking health care again-or at least should be talking about it-as Congress moves to change the principles on which Medicare and Medicaid were established 30 years ago. A writer with a taste for irony could scarcely conceive a better plot, and as one of those who wrote the Clinton plan, I confess it strikes me as more than ironic.
　　Two years ago, Republicans were denouncing the secrecy surrounding the President"s health care task force. This summer, Republicans have been meeting "behind closed doors" on a Medicare proposal scheduled to be released later this month, only a few weeks before Congress votes on it, thereby avoiding independent analysis of the costs, mobilization by opponents and other inconvenient aspects of a long national debate. Two years ago, the Republicans rang alarms about the Clinton plan"s emphasis on managed care. Now the Republicans" own plans for Medicare and Medicaid emphasize managed care.
　　But superficial similarities are deceiving. The reform plans of 1993 generally aimed to extend rights to health coverage and health care; The Republican proposals this year would retract rights that already exist. The debate two years ago reflected a widespread belief that the health care system needed reform. The Republicans, like many in the business world, now begin with the happy thought that the system is reforming itself and that Government needs to be more like the private sector.
　　The health care system is certainly going through profound change. Health maintenance organizations and other forms of managed care are expanding rapidly. As managed care grows, demand for hospital care shrinks. Hospitals are merging, closing beds and cutting jobs; some new buildings stand vacant. The incomes of specialists in some areas are dropping, and primary-care practitioners are in demand. Once stubbornly independent physicians are selling their practices to hospitals and insurers or taking a fixed payment per enrolled patient and accepting the discipline of the corporation.
1. What is the writer"s attitude towards the Congress"s move to change the principles on which
Medicare and Medicaid were established 30 years ago?
A) Ironic
B) Humorous.
C) Sympathetic
D) Critical.

2. The phrase "behind closed doors" in the second paragraph could best be replaced by which of the following?
A) At home
B) In secret
C) In a room secure from attack
D) In prison

3. Republicans have been holding meetings "behind closed doors" in order to
A) mobilize support from their opponents.
B) Prepare for the upcoming national debate.
C) Release their proposals without running into any trouble
D) Discuss the Clinton plan in a detailed way.

4. What are the Republican proposals aimed at?
A) Extending rights to health coverage and health care.
B) Providing every American with free medical treatment
C) Depriving many people of their rights to free medical treatment
D) Withdrawing rights that have existed for a long time

5. Which of the following is NOT true of the development of managed care?
A) Nurses are in great demand
B) Physicians are no longer independent
C) Some new buildings are vacant
D) Demand for hospital care is on the decrease.

KEY: ABCDA

 

PASSAGE 37
I"m sorry, I Won"t Apologize

　Almost daily, news reports include accounts of public figures or heads of companies being forced to say they"re sorry. In a recent case, Marge Schott, managing partner of the Cincinnati Reds, at first did not want to apologize for her remark that Hitler "was good at the beginning but he just went too far. " Under pressure, she finally said that she regretted her remarks "offended many people". Predictably- and especially given her history with such comments-many were not satisfied with this response and successfully lobbied for her resignation.
　　This particular use of "I"m sorry" has a familiar ring. The other day my husband said to me, "I"m sorry I hurt your feelings." I knew he was really trying. He has learned, through our years together, that apologies are important to me. But he was grinning, because he also knew that "I"m sorry I hurt your feelings" left open the possibility-indeed, strongly suggested-that he regretted not what he did but my emotional reaction. It sometimes seems that he thinks the earth will open up and swallow him if he admits fault.
　　It may appear that insisting someone admit fault is like wanting him to humiliate himself. But I don"t see it that way, since it"s no big deal for me to say I made a mistake and apologize. The problem is that it becomes a big deal when he won"t.
　　This turns out to be similar to the Japanese view. Following a fender bender, according to a Times article, the Japanese typically get out of their cars and bow, each claiming responsibility. In contrast, Americans are instructed by their insurance companies to avoid admitting fault. When an American living in Japan did just that-even though he knew he was to blame-the Japanese driver "was so incensed by the American"s failure to show contrition that he took the highly unusual step of suing him."
　　The Japanese driver and I are not the only ones who are offended when someone obviously at fault doesn"t just fess up and apologize. A woman who lives in the country told me of a similar reaction. One day she gave her husband something to mail when he went into town. She stressed that it was essential the letter be mailed that day, and he assured her it would. But the next day, when they left the house together, she found her unmailed letter in the car. He said, "Oh, I forgot to mail your letter." She was furious-not because he had forgotten, but because he didn"t apologize.
1. What was Marge Schott forced to do?
A) To make a prediction of the future.
B) To say "Hitler was good at the beginning."
C) To say"I"m sorry."
D) To count figures.

2. The author felt
A) her husband regretted the choice he had made.
B) Her husband regretted what he did.
C) Her husband regretted her emotional response.
D) Her husband regretted the dirty words he had used.

3.According to the author, when one makes a mistake, he should
A) admit it and apologize.
B) Avoid admitting it.
C) Explain it away.
D) Make every effort to maintain his face.

4.According to the passage, what would Japanese drivers usually do after a car accident?
A) They would admit their own faults.
B) They would blame each other.
C) They would avoid admitting faults
D) They would sue each other.

5.What was the woman angry about?
A) Her husband"s failure to apologize.
B) Her husband"s failure to mail the letter.
C) Her husband"s failure to go into town.
D) Her husband"s failure to leave the house together with her.

KEY：CCAAA

 

PASSAGE 38
The Sea

　What do you know about the sea? We know that it looks very pretty when the sun is shining on it. We also know that it can be very rough when there is a strong wind. What other things do we know about it?
　　The first thing to remember is that the sea is very big. When you look at the map of the world you will find there is more water than land. The sea covers three quarters of the world.
　　The sea is also very deep in some places. It is not deep everywhere. Some parts of the sea are very shallow. But in some places the depth of the sea is very great. There is one spot, near Japan, where the sea is nearly 11 kilometers deep! The highest mountain in the world is about 9 kilometers high. If that mountain were put into the sea at that place, there would be 2 kilometers of water above it! What a deep place!
　　If you have swum in the sea, you know that it is salty. You can taste the salt. Rivers, which flow into the sea, carry salt from the land into the sea. Some parts of the sea are saltier than other parts. There is one sea, called the Dead Sea, which is very salty. It is so salty that swimmers cannot sink! Fish cannot live in the Dead Sea!
　　In most parts of the sea, there are plenty of fishes and plants. Some live near the top of the sea. Others live deep down. There are also millions of tiny living things that float in the sea. These floating things are so small that it is hard to see them. Many fish live by eating these.
　　The sea can be very cold Divers who go deep down in the sea, know this. On the top the water may be warm. When the diver goes downwards, the sea becomes colder and colder. Another thing happens. When the diver goes deeper, the water above presses down on him. It squeezes him. Then the diver has to wear clothes made of metal. But he cannot go very deep. Some people who wanted to go very deep used a very strong diving ship! They went down to the deepest part of the sea in it. They went down to a depth of eleven kilometers!
练习：
1. When does the sea look beautiful?
A) When it is calm
B) When the weather is fine
C) When there is a strong wind
D) When there is a storm
2. How much of the earth"s surface does land cover？
A） 15%
B） 25%
C） 30%
D） 45%
3. Why does the author cite the sea somewhere near Japan?
A) To show that the sea in some places is very deep.
B) To show that the sea in some places is very shallow
C) To show that its depth is 9 kilometers greater than the height of the highest mountain
D) To show that its depth is 11 kilometers greater than the height of the highest mountain
4. Which of the following statements about the Dead Sea is NOT true?
A) There are plenty of fishes in it.
B) It is a safe place for swimmers.
C) It is extremely salty.
D) No fish can be found in it.
5. Why can"t people go very deep in the sea?
A) Because the deepest part of the sea is very cold.
B) Because the deepest part of the sea is very rough.
C) Because the pressure of the water at great depths is unendurable.
D) Because fierce fish usually live there.

Key: BBAAC
 

PASSAGE 39
Look After Your Voice

　Often speakers at a meeting experience dry mouths and ask for a glass of water. You can solve the problem by activating the saliva in you mouth. First gently bite the edges of your tongue with your teeth. Or, press your entire tongue to the bottom of your mouth and hold it there until the saliva flow. Or you can imagine that you are slicing a big juicy lemon and sucking the juice.
　　Before you begin your talk, be kind to your voice, Avoid milk or creamy drinks which coat your throat. Keen your throat wet by drinking a little sweetened warm tea or diluted fruit juice.
　　If you sense that your are losing your voice, stop talking completely. Save your voice for your speech. You may feel foolish using paper to write notes, but the best thing you can do is to rest your voice. If you need to see a doctor, perhaps you can get some advice from a professional singer. In the meantime, do not even talk in a low voice.
　　What about drinking alcohol to wet your throat? I advice you not to touch alcohol before speaking. The problem with alcohol is that one drink gives you a little confidence. The second drink gives you even more confidence. Finally you will feel all-powerful and you will feel you can do everything, but in fact your brain and your mouth do not work together properly. Save the alcohol until after you finish speaking.
　　Perhaps you want to accept the advice, but you may wonder if you can ever change the habits of a lifetime. Of course you can. Goethe, who lived before indoor skating rinks or swimming pools, said, "We learn to skate in the summer and swim in the winter". Take this message to heart and give yourself time to develop your new habits. If you are wiling to change, you will soon be able to say that you will never forget these techniques because they became a part of your body.
EXERCISE:
1. All the following are mentioned in the passage about how to solve the problem of dry mouths EXCEPT
A) to bite the edges of your tongue.
B) To ask for a glass of water.
C) To imagine you are having a sour fruit.
D) To take cool milk.
2. What does the writer suggest when you feel you are losing your voice?
A) Rest your voice.
B) Drink some alcohol.
C) Ask a singer to teach you how to protect your voice.
D) Never go to sea a doctor.
3. What is the writer"s advice about alcohol before you give a speech?
A) Drink a little of it to feel all-powerful.
B) Don"t drink it.
C) Dilute it with water.
D) Drink it two hours before you make a speech.
4. What did Goethe say about skating and swimming?
A) He said people could learn to skate when it was hot and swim when it was cold.
B) He said people could learn to skate and swim when it was hot.
C) He said people could learn to skate and swim when it was cold.
D) He said people could learn to skate when it was cold and swim when it was hot.
5. Why does the writer cite Goethe"s advice?
A) To encourage one to go in for sports.
B) To tell that Goethe had a strong willpower.
C) To prove one can change one"s habits.
D) To demonstrate was creative.

KEY:D A B A C

 

PASSAGE 40

Buick in China

　The first Buick model off the line was just the beginning of General Motors" long march into the Chinese market. A total of 23,000 cars rolled out of the factory in 1999. This year, Shanghai GM Buick aims to produce 50,000 cars.
　　It is interesting to review the long negotiations with the Chinese government to set up Shanghai GM Buick. The biggest issue was who would supply the car parts and how the parts would get from the factory to the Buick plant.
　　A car is made up of more than 30,000 parts. Parts manufacturers in China don"t have the technological know-how to make all the necessary parts. Therefore, at the beginning, about half the necessary parts will be shipped to Shanghai from North America. These parts are made at GM"s Tillsonburg. Ontario facility. The trains carry the parts over 3,000 miles to the Port of Vancouver. From Vancouver, the parts are shipped to Shanghai. All told, the door-to-door delivery time is 17 days. But there may be a 42-day delay between steel plates leaving the steel works in America and arriving in Shanghai. To prevent the long-distance shipping and delay, Shanghai GM Buick has asked Shanghai Baoshan steelworks to produce plates of similar quality.
　　"Imported car parts are our biggest headache," says Jay Hunt, "local suppliers are very responsive." To our surprise, however, the cost of localized production is much higher than buying from overseas. The reason is that although labor costs are low in China, wages comprise only 20% of the cost of producing car parts. Small-scale production in China makes production costs very high. The deputy general manager, Laurence Zahner said, "Only if the price of domestic parts drops 30% shall we be able to qualify for the international market."
　　Thankfully, a solution has appeared. Foreign car parts makers are coming to the Yangtse River Delta to set up joint ventures. Shanghai GM Buick will depend on those parts makers for car parts. Perhaps the Buick plant will not worry about the agreement with the Chinese partner any longer. The agreement says that in the first year of production, the Buick plant must have 42% of locally made parts, and in the second year, the locally made parts rise to 60%, and in the third year, 80%.

1. What was the biggest issue in the negotiation between the Chinese government and General Motors?
A) Annual production of cars.
B) The location of Shanghai GM Buick.
C) Car parts and their shipment.
D) The price of domestic car parts.

2. How many car parts is a car made up of?
A) 23,000
B) 30,000
C) 50,000
D) 62,000

3. Who was the first supplier of the car parts to Shanghai GM Buick?
A) Baosteel steelworks.
B) Joint ventures in China.
C) GM"s Tillsonburg.
D) The Buick plant in the Yangtse River Delta.

4. How does Shanghai GM Buick feel about the agreement on localization with Chinese partner?
A) Disappointed.
B) Hesitated.
C) Unhappy.
D) Confident.

5. With foreign car parts makers coming to the Yangtse River Delta, how does Shanghai GM Buick feel about the localized production of car parts?
A) The production cost is too high.
B) To carry out the agreement on localized production is impossible.
C) The quality of localized car parts must be improved.
D) The localization agreement can be carried out without any problem.

KEY: CBCAD

 

PASSAGE 41
Architecture

　Architecture is to building as literature is to the printed word. The best buildings are often so well constructed that they outlast their original use. They then survive not only as beautiful objects, but as documents of the history of cultures. These achievements are never wholly the work of individuals. Architecture is a social art.
　　The renaissance brought about an entirely new age, not only in philosophy and literature but in the visual arts as well. In architecture, the principles and styles of ancient Greece and Rome were bought back to life and reinterpreted. They remain dominant until the 20th century.
　　Many kinds of stone are used as building materials. Stone and marble were chosen for important monuments because they are not burnable and can be expected to endure. Stone architecture was often blended with stone sculpture. The use of stone has declined, however, because a number of other materials are more adaptable to industrial use.
　　The complexity of modern life calls for a variety of buildings. More people live in mass housing and go to work in large office buildings; they spend their income in large shopping centers, send their children to many different kinds of schools, and when they are sick they go to specialized hospitals and clinics. All these different types of buildings accumulated experiences needed by their designers.
　　By the middle of the 20th century, modern architecture, which was influenced by new technology and mass production, was dealing with increasingly complex social needs. Important characteristics of modern architectural works are expanses of glass and the use of reinforced concrete. Advanced in elevator technology, air conditioning, and electric lighting have all had important effects.
练习：
1. Architecture can be regarded as
A) an original document.
B) A literary works.
C) A social art.
D) An individual"s creation.
2. Paragraph 3 is mainly about
A) why marble is better than stone in building monuments.
B) Why stone and marble were used as building materials in the past.
C) Why marble is unburnable and endurable.
D) Why marble adds artistic value to ancient buildings.
3. Which of the following statements is true according to paragraph 4?
A) New technologies make modern life possible.
B) Modern architecture makes modern life more comfortable.
C) Beautiful buildings are the symbol of modern life.
D) Diversified needs of modern life requires different types of buildings.
4. Several elements influenced modern architectural works by the middle of the 20th century. Which of the following element is not mentioned in the passage?
A） Reinforced steel.
B） Electric lighting.
C） Reinforced concrete
D） Air conditioning.
5. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?
A) Architecture as monuments.
B) Development of architecture.
C) Architecture and literature.
D) The Renaissance and architecture

Key: CBDAB

 

 

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