閱讀理解精練

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項。

（一）

I grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran a construction company. I was barely 10 years old when my dad gave me the responsibility[責任] of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable. He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then， when I was 22， I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace， I washed dishes and cooked from 4： 00 pm to 9： 00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2：00 in the morning. It wasnt long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged. One night， a woman executive[懂事] from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over， we sat down and talked and after she left， I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later， my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after， I released my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job Ive ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man. Knowing that I had done my best filled me with pride. I still feel that way today， even though I have become a well-known singer.

1. Why was the writer once known as the singing cook？

A. Because he was a cook at a country-music club.

B. Because he sang for guests while he worked as a cook.

C. Because he often sang while cooking.

D. Because he liked singing better than cooking.

2. Who first recognized his talents and helped make his career successful？

A. Wamer Brothers. B. His manager.

C. His father. D. A businesswoman.

3. What made the writer proud of himself？

A. His ability to live independently.

B. His sense of responsibility in whatever he did.

C. His courage in the face of rejections.

D. His hard work in his early days.

（二）

In ancient times the most important examinations were spoken， not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome， testing usually was made up of saying poetry aloud and giving speeches.

In the European universities of the Middle Ages， students who were working for advanced degrees had to discuss questions in their field of study with people who had made a special study of the subject. This custom exists today as part of the process of testing candidates[應試者] for the doctors de-gree.

Generally， however， modem examinations are written. The written examination， where all students are tested on the same questions， was probably not known until the nineteenth century. Perhaps it came into existence with the great increase in population and the development of modem industry. A room full of candidates for a state examination timed exactly by electric clocks and carefully watched over by managers， looks like a group of workers at an automobile factory. Certainly， during examinations teachers and students are expected to act like machines.

One type of test is sometimes called an “objective” test. It is intended to deal with facts， not personal opinions. To make up an objective test， the teacher writes a series[一系列] of ques-tions， each of which has only one correct answer. Along with each question the teacher writes the correct answer and also three statements that look like answers to students who have not learned the material properly.

4. The main idea of Paragraph Three is that ________.

A. workers now take examinations

B. the population has grown

C. there are only written exams today

D. examinations are now written and timed

5. The kind of exams where students must select answers are

A. objective B. personal

C. spoken D. written

6. Modem industry must have developed ________.

A. around the 19th century B. before the Middle Ages

C. in Greece or Rome D. machines to take tests

7. It may be concluded that testing ________.

A. should test only opinions B. should always be written

C. is given only in factories D. has changed since the Middle Ages

（三）

Having one of those days or weeks — when everything seems to annoy you？ Even if you do nothing about it， your bad mood will probably go away after some time. But with a little effort， you can forget it much faster — often within a day or two.

Walk it off

Exercise is the most popular bad-mood buster. A person whos in a bad mood has low energy and high tension. Taking a fast ten-minute walk， or doing some quick exercises can do wonders towards changing that bad mood.

Tune it out

Listening to your favorite music for a while can also make tension go away quickly， because music starts associations with past positive experiences weve had.

Give yourself a pep talk

Stop and listen to whats on your mind. Bad moods are often started by too many negative thoughts. Write them all down on paper; the pessimistic[悲觀的] messages youve been giving yourself and then give optimistic answers. （“I still dont have a job.”vs“I have two interviews next week.”）

Reduce your stress

Relaxation techniques are wonderful mood-lifters. These include deep breathing， stretching and visualizing[想象]， all of which sound complicated but arent. One easy way to visualize： close your eyes and picture a favorite place， such as the beach. Another simple way to against distress is to make a to-do list. One reason for being in a bad mood is feeling you have no options[選擇權] By taking control over certain areas， you realize youre not helpless. You can make changes in your mood and life.

Avoid things that wont improve your mood

TV may not help much： You need to increase your energy level and stimulate your mind something — that the TV show “Neighbors” wont do. And before you reach for that piece of cake and coffee， think about how mood and food are linked. Sugar and caffeine contribute to depressed moods. The better choice？ Research shows that carbohydrates， such as potatoes and pasta， produce a calming effect in people who have a desire for them.

8. We learn from the text that it might help rid us of a bad mood ________.

A. to do nothing about it

B. to take a long walk on the beach

C. to do some exercises with light music

D. to talk it to neighbours

9. Why is it suggested that you close your eyes and picture the beach？

A. It is not complicated to do so.

B. It is an area to be easily controlled.

C. It helps beat a bad mood.

D. It brings us a new technique.

10. TV may not improve your mood because ________.

A. it sometimes shows what happens around you

B. it keeps you stay unmoved

C. it reminds you of eating and drinking

D. it produces a calming effect

11. This text most probably appears in ________.

A. a book on physical exercises B. a doctors handbook

C. a notice D. a magazine

（四）

We often use the words “growth” and “development” as if they meant basically the same thing. But this may not always be the case. One can easily imagine instances in which a country has achieved higher levels of income （growth） with little or no benefit coming to most of its citizens （development）.

In the past， most development policies were aimed at increasing the growth rate of income per capita[人均所得]. Many are still based on the theory that benefit of economic growth will come to all members of society. If this theory is correct， growth should encourage development.

By the early 1970s， however， the relationship between growth and development was being questioned. A major study by the World Bank in 1974 concluded that it is now clear that more than decades of rapid growth in developing countries has been of little benefit to & third of their population.

The World Bank study showed that increase in GNP per capita did not promise important improvements in such devel-opment indicators as nutrition[營養(yǎng)]， health， and education. Although GNP per capita did indeed rise， its benefit came down to only a small part of the population. This realization gives rise to a call for new development policies. These new policies favor agriculture over industry， call for national redis-tribution[資源分配] of income and wealth， and encourage programs to satisfy such basic needs as food and shelter.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s the international macroeconomic crises[大規(guī)模的經(jīng)濟危機] of high oil prices， worldwide recession[衰退] and the third world debt， forced attention away from programs designed to get rid of poverty. However， the lesson remains： economic growth does not prom-ise economic development. Efforts may be required to change growing output capacity[能力] into economic benefit that reach most of a nations people.

12. What do we learn from the first paragraph about the relationship between growth and development？

A. Growth and development refer to the same thing.

B. Growth always brings about development.

C. Development is not a necessary result of growth.

D. Development is a reliable measure of growth.

13. Before the 1970s， most development policies were based on theory that economic growth would benefit ________.

A. most people in society? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?B. some people in society

C. few people in society? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?D. everyone in society

14. according to the study by the World Bank in 1974， economic growth in some backward countries brought ________.

A. benefit to a third of their population

B. benefit to two thirds of their population

C little benefit to their people

D. no benefit at all to their people

15. If the passage continues， what would the author most likely discuss in the next paragraph？

A. How to turn growth into development.

B. How to remove poverty from society.

C. How to decrease the third world debt.

D. How to cope with economic crises.

（五）

“Ive changed my mind. I wanted to have a telescope， but now I want my dad back.” Lucien Lawences letter to Father Christmas written after his father had been knifed to death outside his school gate， must have touched every heart. Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldnt see the stars in the sky. When those whom we love depart from us， we cannot see the stars for a while.

But Lucien， the stars are still there， and one day， when you are older and your tears have gone， you will see them again. And， in a strange way， I expect that you will find your father is there too， in your mind and in your heart. I find that my parents， long dead now， still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive. I still live to please them and Im still surprised by their reactions. I remember that when I became a professor， I was so proud， or rather so pleased with myself， that I couldnt wait to cable my parents. The reply was a long time in coming， but when it did， all mother said was， “I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children.” I havent forgotten. The values of my parents still live on.

It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care. Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors[挑釁者]， and to lay down my life for those in my care？ How many people would want me back for Christmas？ Its a serious thought， one to give me pause.

I pray silently， sometimes， in the dead of night， that ancient cry of a poet “Deliver my soul from the sword， and my darling from the power of the dog.” Yet I know the death comes to us all， and sometimes comes suddenly. We must therefore plan to live forever， but live as if we will die tomor-row. We live on， in the lives of those we loved， and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure. If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true， there might be fewer knives on our streets today.

16. according to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph ________.

A. puts forward the subject of the text

B. shows the authors pity on the kid

C. acts as an introduction to the discussion

D. makes a clear statement of the authors views

17. In the second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us ________.

A. how much he misses his parents now

B. why his parents often appear in his dreams

C. when Lucien will get over all his sadness

D. how proud he was when he succeeded in life

18. What feeling did the authors mother express in her reply？

A. Proud.? ? ? ? ? B. Happy.? ? ? ? ? C. Disappointed.? ? ? ?D. Worried.

19. In the authors opinion， the value of a persons life is ________.

A. to leave behind a precious memory to the people related

B. to have a high sense of duty to the whole society

C. to care what others will remember and treasure

D. to share happiness and sadness with his family

20. What does the writer mean by the sentence taken from an old poem？

A. Call on criminals and murderers to lay down their guns.

B. Advise parents stay with their children safely at home.

C. Spend every day meaningfully in memory of the death.

D. Try to keep violence and murder far away from society.

參考答案與解析

（一）本文講述了作者通過刻苦磨練，最終成為一個著名的歌唱家的故事。

1. B 推斷題。由第六七句I washed dishes and cooked…then went on stage and sang…It wasnt long before I became known as a singing cook 可知。

2. D 細節(jié)題。由One night， a woman executive[懂事] from a company named Warner Brothers Records及后文可知。

3. B? 由文章倒數(shù)第三句It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man 可知。

（二）文章主要講述了古代和現(xiàn)代一些考試方式的變化和發(fā)展。

4. D 主旨題。由本段第一句和第四句可知。

5. A 細節(jié)題。由最后一段可知。

6. A 細節(jié)題。由第三段中的…until the nineteenth可知century. Perhaps it came into existence with the increase in population and the development of modern industry

7. D 主旨題。文章主要說明了考試方式從中世紀以來的發(fā)展和變化。

（三）本文介紹了改善不良心情的幾種方式。

8. C 細節(jié)題。綜合Walk it off中的Exercise is…changing that bad mood和Tune it ou中Listening to your favorite music…make tension go away quickly可知：聽著音樂做一些鍛煉有助于改變壞心情。

9. C 細節(jié)題。由Reduce your stress中的前三句可知。

10. B 細節(jié)題。由最后一段第—句可知：從低落的情緒中走出來需要的是增加活力，激活情緒，電視很難起到這樣的作用。

11. D 推斷題。這是一篇讓人們了解養(yǎng)生之道的文章。它的出處可能是在一本雜志上。

（四）本文提出了growth和development兩個概念以及它們之間的差別。指出了國民生產(chǎn)總值的增長（growth）并不表示人們生活水平的提高（development）。

12. C 推斷題。由第二句But this may not always be the case 可知。

13. D 細節(jié)題。由第二段所述觀點和第三段首句可知。

14. B 細節(jié)題。由第三段最后一句…h(huán)as been of little benefit to a third of their population（對1/3的人口沒有好處）可知，只對2/3的人口有益處。

15. A 推斷題。本文主要講述的是growth與development之間的不一致和不平衡，往往只有經(jīng)濟的“growth”沒有人們的生活的“development”，因此下文該主要講述怎樣解決這一問題。

（五）本文以幼小的Lucien Lawence在父親被害后寫給圣誕老人的信中的“Ive changed my mind. I wanted to have a telescope， but now I want my dad back. ”為引子，講述了We live on， in the lives of those we loved， and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure. ”這一人生價值觀。

16. C 推斷題。根據(jù)第一段的最后一句與第二段第一句可知，第一段為后面的議論提供了引子，因此選C。

17. B 推斷題。第二段the stars are still there…youll see them again是安慰Lucien的;I find that my parents， long dead now， still figure in many of my dreams… 后面都是圍繞這一句展開來說明其原因的。

18. D 推斷題。由第三段可知，母親對此事并不是失望，而是因為只顧自己的工作和事業(yè)而沒有顧及孩子表示一種擔心或焦慮，因此選D。

19. A 推斷題。由第三段第一句及第四段倒數(shù)第二句可知，作者認為：一個人的價值觀是給相關的人留下珍貴下的記憶，故選A。

20. D 推斷題。由最后一句可推知，作者引用那句古詩的目的正是希望社會少一些暴力和兇殺，因此選D。