第二部分阅读理解(共20小题,每小题2分,满分40分)
A
Too often we accuse others of not listening, pretending that we ourselves are faultless, yet in our hearts we know that many of the mistakes we make come about because we haven’t listened carefully enough. We get things wrong because we haven’t listened carefully enough. We get things wrong because we haven’t quite understood what someone meant when they were talking to us. Anyone who has ever taken the minutes of a long meeting will know how hard it is to remember-- despite the benefit of notes-- exactly what everyone said. But success depends on getting things right--and that means listening.
Listening is not the same thing as hearing; it is not an effort actively. It demands attention and concentration. It may mean quizzing the speaker for additional information or for clarification------ it is always better to ask than to continue regardless and get things wrong. However, if you allow your mind to wander onto something else, even for a few minutes, you’ll miss what the speaker is saying------ probably at the very moment when he or she is saying something critical. And not having heard, you won’t know you’ve missed anything until it’s too late.
The most common bad habit we have is to start thinking of what we are going to say about the subject long before the other speaker has finished. We then stop listening. Even worse, this often adds rudeness to inattentiveness, as once you have decided what to say there is a fair chance you will interrupt to say it. Good listeners don’t interrupt. In fact it is often worth explaining the main idea of what you have just been told before going on to make your own points. Nobody is offended by this and it shows that you have listened well.
Above all be patient and accept that many people are not very good communicators. It’s helpful to remember that the ways people move and position themselves while they are speaking can reveal a great deal about what they are saying. Equally important you should put yourself in the other person’s place, both intellectually and emotionally; it will help you to understand what they are getting at and form a response. But don’t be too clever. Faced with a know-all, many people keep quiet because they see no point in continuing.
56. Which is the best title for this passage?
A. Don’t be too clever B. Be a good listener.
C. Don’t miss anything critical D. Think of the speaker
57. In the last paragraph, “…… what they are getting at ……” means________ .
A. what they imply B. what they like
C. what they attack D. what they achieve
58. What is the writer’s opinion?
A. If you want to be a good listener, you should be very clever and emotional.
B. Speakers won’t continue talking when their listeners explain what they’ve heard.
C. If you don’t want to get things wrong, it’s important to be a good listener,
D. It’s hard to be a good listener because listening tests you on your intelligence.
59. What is the lesson we can learn from this passage?
A. Don’t accuse others of not listening while talking with them.
B. Don’t get anything wrong if you miss what the speaker is saying.
C. Listening inattentively may cost you the loss of your success.
D. Think carefully of what you’re going to say before the speaker finishes.
Findings from a new study were presented at a recent meeting of the American Psychosomatic (身心的) Society. Researchers in the United States studied 100,000 women during an eight-year period, beginning in 1994. All of the women were fifty or older. The study was part of the Women’s Health Initiative organized by the National Institutes of Health.
The women were asked questions measuring their beliefs or ideas about the future. The researchers attempted to identify each woman’s personality eight years after gathering the information.
The study found that hopeful individuals were 14% less likely than other woman to have died from any cause. The hopeful women were also 30 less likely to have died from heart disease after the eight years, Hilary Tinkle from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania was the lead author of the report. She said the study confirmed earlier research that linked optimistic feelings to longer life.
The researchers also gathered information about people’s education, financial earnings, physical activity and use of alcohol or cigarettes. Independent of those things, the findings still showed that optimists had less of a chance of dying during the eight-year period.
Some women who answered the questions were found to be hostile (敌意的), or highly untrusting of others. These women were 16% more likely to die than the others. They also were 23% more likely to die of cancer.
The study also found women who were not optimistic were more likely to smoke and have high blood pressure or diabetes. They were also more likely mot to exercise.
Tindle says the study did not confirm whether optimism leads to healthier choices, or if it actually affects a person’s physical health. She also says the study does not prove that negative emotions or distrust lead to bad health effects and shorter life. Yet there does appear to be a link that calls for more research.In which part of a newspaper can you read the above passage?
A.Nation. | B.Opinion. |
C.Business. | D.Science. |
Researchers carry out the study to .
A.decide who is more likely to enjoy a happier life. |
B.gather information for the National Institutes of Health. |
C.find out the link between personality and health. |
D.compare each woman’s personality changes. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Negative emotions cause a shorter life indeed. |
B.The more optimistic you are, the longer life you may enjoy. |
C.It’s uncertain whether optimism affects one’s health. |
D.There may be some link between personality. |
Who is more likely to die of cancer according to the passage?
A.A woman who doesn’t exercise. |
B.woman who always doubts what others say. |
C.A woman with high blood pressure. |
D.A woman with poor physical health. |
What’s Hilary Tindle’s opinion of the study?
A.Necessary. | B.Useless. |
C.Unfair. | D.meaningless. |
I received a call today asking if I would be willing to bring food to a family in need. The mother was having a major operation and would be lying down for several weeks. Of course, I responded with an immediate “Yes!”. As I planned the meal in my head, I reflected on how many times over the years I had been asked to prepare food. I have done so countless times with a very open heart.
But the truly amazing thing is that I have received double over the course of my life. When my mother passed away, our house was filled with fresh dinners for weeks. A woman from the church of our community stopped by each evening with some food. The gift of food was her small way of trying to ease our pain.
Later in my life, when I was on bed rest during my pregnancy with twins, women of the church again stepped in to help. They arranged babysitting for my two-year-old daughter, and brought lovely dinners to our house. Even when I was put in the hospital, my husband would bring cooked meals to my hospital room. How we relied on these dinners to feed my tired husband and young daughter.
Food is all about comfort. It feeds our bodies, but it can also feed our souls. When you hear people talking about their favorite holidays, it usually includes their feelings connected with sharing food. I know that I will have many more opportunities in my lifetime to prepare food for others. It is truly a gift I want to prepare and deliver to someone in need.The author has given lots of food to others because .
A.she is poor at cooking. |
B.she is a church member. |
C.she is friendly to others. |
D.she has received others’ food. |
We can learn from the first paragraph that the author .
A.had to stay in bed for several weeks. |
B.knew the family in need very well. |
C.was glad to be able to lend a hand. |
D.was tired of preparing food. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the author?
A.Her mother died when she was in hospital. |
B.She didn’t get enough food during her pregnancy. |
C.She received food as well as comfort in her hard times. |
D.She thinks offering food is the best way to show love. |
According to the passage, which of the following conclusion can we get?
A.A good beginning makes a good ending. |
B.One good turn deserves another. |
C.Actions speak louder than words. |
D.Every man has his faults. |
When Johnson called again, the manager received him very politely. “That is a most remarkable oil you brought us, Mr Johnson,” he said. Johnson nodded his smooth, dark head. That was something he knew very well. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” the manager admitted. Johnson nodded again. “No?” he said politely. Then he added, “But I think you will, sir. A very great deal of it.” He appeared to think for a moment. “I think you will find it will be on sale seven, perhaps, eight years from now.” He smiled.
The manager thought that was uncertain. He said, “It is better than our fish oils. I admit that.” “So I am told, sir,” agreed Johnson.
“Have you any plans to produce it yourself, Mr Johnson?”
Johnson smiled again. “Would I be showing it to you if I had?”
“We might add some chemicals to one of our own fish oils,” said the manager.
“It would be expensive to do that, even if you could.” Johnson said gently. “Besides,” he added, “I am told that this oil will be much cheaper than your best fish oils. Cheaper than any vegetable oil, in fact.”
“Perhaps,” said the manager. “Well, I suppose you want to make an arrangement, Mr Johnson, Shall we discuss it?”
“Of course,” said Johnson. “There are two ways of dealing with a situation of this sort. The usual one is to prevent it altogether or at least to delay it as long as possible. That is, of course, the best way,” The manager nodded. He knew plenty about all that.
“But I am so sorry for you, because, you see, that is not possible this time.” The manager had his doubts, but all he said was an inquiring(asking), “Oh?”
“The other way,” continued Johnson, “is to produce yourself before the trouble starts.”The manager thought of adding chemicals to the fish oil to make it ________.
A.cheaper than the new oil | B.more quickly |
C.more expensive | D.as good as the new oil |
Johnson’s new oil would be ________.
A.more expensive than fish oil, but better |
B.less expensive, and better |
C.less expensive, but not good |
D.more expensive, and not so good |
Johnson showed his new oil to the manager because he wanted ________.
A.to produce it himself |
B.to prevent it being produced |
C.to be paid not to produce it |
D.the manager to produce it |
At the time, I would go out in the evening with my parents. But this time I had borrowed a bicycle from a friend of mine. I didn’t know why, but once I was on my own bicycle, a kind of free feeling flooded through me. The faster I rode, the faster I wanted to go! Far ahead, I rode as if my life depended on it, head down, hands grasping the handbars. I meant to get to Jinghai Bar as fast as I could...
Oh! My hands! Don’t come any closer... Don’t touch me! That poor doctor just couldn’t get my gloves off. Each time he took a step towards me, I broke into painful shouting. Much later, I discovered that I had crashed heavily with another bicycle, and I hadn’t spoken one word of sense for at least three hours! After some time, my mother arrived at the hospital, her face as white as a sheet, and gave me a hug, only then did the doctor begin to stitch(缝合) my head wound, not only did he merrily cut off a long lock of my hair, but used no anaesthetic(麻药) either! Later, I seemed to hear faraway voices saying that my right hand was broken. I almost burst into tears. How would I ever play the piano again?On her way to Jinghai, the writer felt _______.
A.nervous | B.comfortable |
C.light-hearted | D.upset |
Why did the writer ride a bicycle to Jinghai Bar that evening?
A.Because she wanted to attend a party on time. |
B.Because she wanted to meet her friend who was waiting for her there. |
C.Because she just wanted, to join some of her friends and drink some wine. |
D.We are not quite sure about what she was really going there for. |
What did the writer think of the doctor?
A.Friendly. | B.Cruel. |
C.Hardworking. | D.Kind. |
One thing is sure, that is, before she was wounded she _______.
A.often went to Jinghai Bar with her friends |
B.liked playing the piano |
C.didn’t like any doctors at all |
D.would burst into tears when she was in trouble |
My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. My first job was to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields. I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick. For $ 1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.
It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons. Because the plantation owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could. I’ve never been late for any job since. I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for. More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn’t want to work.
I was only six years old, but I was doing a man’s job. Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than $ 18 a week. Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet. Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person can have.
When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house. My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them. Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one. Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle.
The more I dreamed, the more I thought. Why not? I made my first golf club out of guava limb(番石榴树枝) and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth. I practiced with the same devotion and intensity. I learned working in the field — except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick.The writer’s first job was _______.
A.to stand down the fairway at a golf course |
B.to watch over the sugar-cane plantation |
C.to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields |
D.to spot the balls as they landed so the golfers could find them |
The word “tedious” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _______.
A.difficult | B.boring |
C.interesting | D.unusual |
_______ gave the writer serf-esteem.
A.Having a family of eight people |
B.Owning his own golf course |
C.Bringing money back home to help the family |
D.Helping his father with the work on the plantation |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.He wanted to be a successful golfer. |
B.He wanted to run a golf course near his house. |
C.He was satisfied with the job he got on a plantation. |
D.He wanted to make money by guiding oxen with a broomstick. |