1、英语阅读(二)自考题-15 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、BPART ONE/B(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、B(总题数：0，分数：0.00)三、BPassage One/B(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Electronic computers are among the fastest and most useful instruments for sorting and comparing in use today. Computers provide means for greater speed and accuracy in working with
2、 ideas than had previously been possible. With the development of these new tools, it is as if man has suddenly become a millionaire of the mind.Although man has been growing mentally richer ever since he started to think, the electronic computer allows and will continue to allow him to perform trem
3、endous mental tasks in a relatively short time. Great scientists of the past produced ideas which were the basis for great advances, but their ideas sometimes had to wait for years before they were understood sufficiently well to be of practical use. With the computer, the ideas of todays scientists
4、 can be studied, tested, distributed, and used more rapidly than ever before.Old lines and methods of communication do not work easily or efficiently with as much information as we have now. The repeated actions of preparing, sorting, filling, distributing, and keeping track of records and publicati
5、ons can be as troublesome as calculating. Errors occur because men grow tired and can be distracted.The basic job of computers is the processing of information. For this reason computers can be defined as devices which accept information, perform mathematical or logical operations with the informati
6、on, and then supply the results of these operations as new information.Although a sharp dividing line between types of computers is not always easy to see, computers are usually divided into two broad groups: digital and analog. Digital computers work by using specific information which is usually i
7、n the form of numbers. Analog computers, on the other hand, usually process continuous information.To explain the differences, let us consider two devices which handle information in a manner similar to the two types of computers. A turnstile, which has a counter attached to it, can help to explain
8、the way a digital computer works. Each time a person passes through the turnstile, the indicator quickly jumps from one number to another. Each number registered is separate and specific.The continuous change in the level of sand in an hourglass as time passes makes it an analog device. Perhaps the
9、first analog computation was the use of graphs for the solution of surveying problems.（分数：10.00）(1).Which of the following statements best summarizes the first paragraph? _ A. Computers have extended the range of our senses. B. Computers have extended the power of our mind. C. Computers have extende
10、d the scope of our activities. D. Computers have extended the speed of our reasoning.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).With the help of computers, scientists today are able to _. A. have their ideas questioned or shared quickly B. have their new ideas accepted far more widely C. produce their ideas more rapidly
11、D. understand new information easily（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).According to the passage, computers are mainly used to do the following except _. A. performing math operations B. processing information C. supplying solutions D. storing technical data（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).The digital computers are different
12、from analog computers because. _ A. they process continuous information B. they process specific information C. they record separate numbers D. they produce vivid pictures（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(5).The tone the writer uses in this passage is _. A. critical B. analytical C. subjective D. objective（分数：2.00）
13、A.B.C.D.四、BPassage Two/B(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Americans often say that there are only two things a person can be sure of in life: death and taxes. Americans do not have a corner (垄断) on the “death“ market, but many people feel that the United States leads the world with the worst taxes.Taxes consist of th
14、e money which people pay to support their government. There are generally three levels of government in the United States: federal, state, and city; there-fore, there are three types of taxes.Salaried people who earn more than a few thousand dollars must pay a certain percentage of their salaries to
15、 the federal government. The percentage varies for individuals. It depends on their salaries. The federal government has a graduated income tax, that is, the percentage of the tax increases as a persons income increases. With the high cost of taxes, people are not very happy on April 15, when the fe
16、deral taxes are due.The second tax is for the state government: New York, California, North Dakota, or any of the other forty-seven states. Some states have an income tax similar to that of the federal government. Of course, the percentage for the state tax is lower. Other states have a sales tax, w
17、hich is a percentage charged to any item which you buy in that state. Some states use income tax in addition to sales tax to raise their revenues (税收). The state tax laws are diverse and confusing.The third tax is for the city. This tax comes in two forms: property tax and excise tax, which is charg
18、ed on cars in a city. The cities use these funds for education, police and fire departments, public works and municipal buildings.Since Americans pay such high taxes, they often feel that they are working one day each week just to pay their taxes. People always complain about taxes. Although America
19、ns have different views on many issuesreligious, racial, cultural, and politicalthey tend to agree on one subject: taxes are too high.（分数：10.00）(1).Which of the following is the best title for this passage? _ A. Taxes in the United States. B. Federal Income Tax. C. State Tax Revenues. D. Taxes Are T
20、oo High.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).According to the passage, which of the following is not true? _ A. The United States is one of the countries which collect highest taxes. B. The Americans are in agreement about taxes. C. There are three types of taxes in the United States. D. The Americans are aware tha
21、t they should pay taxes and they are sure to die.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).In paragraph 3, the word “graduated“ could best be replaced by which of the following? _ A. Increasing. B. Progressive. C. Elevated. D. Programmed.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).What is the main purpose of the third paragraph? _ A. To prove
22、 that the United States leads the world with the worst taxes. B. To prove that taxes in the United States are too high. C. To compare the three types of taxes in the United States. D. To explain the percentage of federal taxes.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(5).Which of the following is true of the state taxes me
23、ntioned in the passage? _ A. In the United States there are sales taxes on the federal level, but not on the state level. B. Some Americans can be free from state income taxes. C. Income taxes in some states are not dissimilar to the federal income taxes. D. State taxes are paid by the residents of
24、a certain state.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.五、BPassage Three(总题数：1，分数：10.00)We all know that people sometimes change their behavior when someone is looking their way. Now, a new study reported online on April 2nd in Current Biology shows that jackdawsbirds related to crows with eyes that appear similar to huma
25、n eyescan do the same.“Jackdaws seem to recognize the eyes role in visual perception, or at the very least they are extremely sensitive to the way that human eyes are oriented,“ said Auguste von Bayern, formerly of the University of Cambridge and now at the University of Oxford.When presented with a
26、 preferred food, hand-raised jackdaws took significantly longer to retrieve the reward when a person was directing his eyes towards the food than when he was looking away, according to the research team led by Nathan Emery of the University of Cambridge. The birds hesitated only when the person in q
27、uestion was unfamiliar and thus potentially threatening.In addition, the birds were able to interpret human communicative gestures, such as gaze alternation and pointing to help them find hidden food, they found. The birds were un- successful in using static cues, including eye gaze or head orientat
28、ion, in that context.Unlike most birds, jackdaws eyes have a dark pupil surrounded by a silvery white iris. The researchers said they believe jackdaws are probably sensitive to human eyes because, as in humans, eyes are an important means of communication for them. The hand-raised birds examined in
29、the study may be even better than wild jackdaws at attending to human gaze and responding to the gestures of the people who have raised them.The findings are particularly notable given that most other species investigated so far, including our closest relatives the chimpanzee and “mans best friend,“
30、 the dog, are not particularly sensitive to eye orientation and eye gaze, von Bayern said. Rather, she continued, chimps and dogs seem to rely on other cues such as head or body orientation in determining the looking direction of others and do not appear to appreciate the eyes as the visual organs.
31、The results suggest that birds may deserve more respect for their mental abilities.（分数：10.00）(1).According to the report, when does a hand-raised jackdaw hesitate to take a preferred food? _ A. When the feeder is looking away from the food. B. When the feeder is unfamiliar to the bird. C. When the f
32、eeder holds the food in his hand. D. When the feeder is looking at the food.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).According to the researchers, jackdaws can notice human eye orientation probably because _. A. like humans, they also use eyes to communicate B. they are far more intelligent than other birds C. they are
33、 mostly hand-raised by humans D. their eyes also have a dark pupil（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).According to the 4th paragraph, jackdaws are good at interpreting all of the following cues except _. A. alternating ones gaze to another direction B. pointing to where the food is hidden C. keeping a long gaze at
34、 one direction D. directing ones eyes towards the food（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Why does the author refer to chimpanzees and dogs in the last paragraph? _ A. To suggest that they are much better at interpreting gaze alternation. B. To illustrate how unique jackdaws are in being able to notice gaze orient
35、ation. C. To make clear that they rely on other means in determining peoples intention. D. To show that they communicate more frequently with humans than jackdaws.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(5).What does the research finding suggest? _ A. We know embarrassingly less about birds than we assume. B. The closer w
36、e communicate with animals, the better we understand them. C. Not all jackdaws are good at attending to human gaze. D. We may have underestimated jackdaws mental abilities.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.六、BPassage Four/(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Although Beethoven could sit down and make up music easily, his really great co
37、mpositions did not come easily at all. They cost him a great deal of hard work. We know how often he rewrote and corrected his work because his notebooks are still kept in museums and libraries. He always found it hard to satisfy himself.When he was 28, the worst difficulty of all came to him. He be
38、gan to notice a strange humming in his ears. At first he paid little attention; but it grew worse, and at last he consulted doctors. They gave him the worst news any musician can hear: he was gradually going deaf. Beethoven was in despair; he was sure that he was going to die.He went away to the cou
39、ntry, to a place called Heiligenstadt, and from there he wrote a long farewell letter to his brothers. In this he told them how depressed and lonely his deafness had made him. “It was impossible for me to ask men to speak louder or shout, for I am deaf,“ he wrote. “How could I possibly admit an infi
40、rmity in the one sense (hearing) which should have been more perfect in me than in others. I must live like an exile.“ He longed to die, and said to death, “Come when you will, I shall meet you bravely.“In fact, Beethoven did something braver than dying. He gathered his courage and went on writing m
41、usic, though he could hear what he wrote only more and more faintly. He wrote his best music, the music we remember him for, after he became deaf. Instead of the elegant and stately music that earlier musicians had written for their wealthy listeners, Beethoven wrote stormy, exciting, revolutionary
42、music, which reminds us of his troubled and courageous life. He grew to admire courage more than anything, and he called one of his symphonies the “Eroica“ or heroic symphony, “to celebrate the memory of a great man“. Describing the dramatic opening notes of his famous Fifth Symphony, he said, “thus
43、 fate knocks on the door“.In those years when he went completely deaf he wrote more gloriously than ever. He could “hear“ his music with his mind, if not with his ears. His friends had to write down what they wanted to say to him. He was lonely and often unhappy, but in spite of this, he often wrote
44、 joyful music. In his last symphony, the Ninth, a choir sings a wonderful Hymn of Joy. Because of his courage and determination to overcome his terrible disaster, his music has given joy and inspiration to millions of people.（分数：10.00）(1).When he first learned that he was gradually going deaf, Beeth
45、oven accepted the fact _. A. placidly B. courageously C. despairingly D. gracefully（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).“How could I possibly admit an infirmity in the one sense.“ The word “infirmity“ is closest in meaning to _. A. weakness B. strength C. deafness D. disorder（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).Beethovens best pie
46、ce of music was composed _. A. in his prime time B. shortly before his death C. when he noticed a humming in his ears D. when he became completely deaf（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Which of the following is the best title for this passage? _ A. Beethovens Life Story B. Beethovens Fateful Hearing Loss C. The
47、Music of Beethoven D. Beethovens Courageous Triumph Over Tragedy（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(5).This passage is arranged in _. A. chronological order B. spatial order C. flashbacks D. general-specific pattern（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.七、BPART TWO/B(总题数：0，分数：0.00)八、B(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Directions: Scan the following passage
48、and find the words which have roughly the same meanings as those given below. The number in the brackets after each word definition refers to the number of paragraph in which the target word is. Write the word you choose on the Answer Sheet.Its early August and the countryside appears peaceful. Planting has long been finished and the fields are alive with strong, healthy crops. Soybeans and wheat are flourishing under the hot summer sun. And the corn, which was “keen-high by the fourth of jolly“ is now well over six feet tall. Herds of dairy and beef cattle are graz
