1、全国自考（英语阅读一）模拟试卷 2 及答案与解析一、CAREFUL READING0 Queen Elizabeth IIs pronunciation of English has been infected by her subjects. Aussie scientists say.Phoneticists from Sydneys Macquarie University studied archive recordings of the Queens annual Christmas message to the Commonwealth from the 1950s to 1980
2、s, analyzing her Majestys towels.They then compared those vowels with the standard accent of southern England, as used by female British broadcasters on the BBC in the 1980s, to see how the royal accent had changed.Their conclusion: the cut-glass speech of the early years of the Queens reign has bec
3、omehow shall we saysomewhat commoner over the years.That in itself subtly mirrors the changes is Britain, from a country with a rigid social hierarchy four decades ago to one where class differences have blurred and in some areas disappeared.“The Queens pronunciation of some vowels has been influenc
4、ed by the standard southern -British accent of the 1980s which is more typically associated with speakers who are younger and lower in the social hierarchy,“ the researchers say.Standard speech in southern England has been influenced by Cockneys, whose accent was initiated by Dick Van Dyke in the Wa
5、lt Disney movie “Mary Poppins“.Purists will be reassured that the Queens “Hice (house) ofWindsor“ will not become the “Ouse of Windsor“ (by dropping theh) in the foreseeable future.However, there have been changes in .10 out of the 11 vowel sounds in the standard English.These changes bring her spee
6、ch closer to that of her Cockney subjects,the researchers found.An example of this is the way in which she pronounces “had“. In the 1950s, the royal pronunciation of this word almost rhymed with “bed“. But 30 years later, it had migrated halfway to the standard southern English pronunciation, which
7、rhymes “had“ with “bad“.The Australian team say the pronunciation of all languages alters subtly over time, mainly because of influence from the young, and it is foolish for anyone to try to prevent change.“The chances of societies and academies successfully preserving a particular form of pronuncia
8、tion against the influence of community and social changes are unlikely,“ they say.The research was published December 21 in Nature, the British science weekly.1 Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage? ( )（A）The pronunciation of all languages changes Subtly over time.（B） It
9、is not always easy to preserve a particular form of pronunciation.（C） The Queens English has become commoner.（D）Class differences have blurred and even disappeared.2 Who did the research into the Queens pronunciation? ( )（A）An Australian research group.（B） Phoneticians from a British University.（C）
10、A British science weekly.（D）The BBC broadcasters.3 The Queens pronunciation of Some vowels has been influenced by ( )（A）female British broadcasters on the BBC in the 1980s（B） the social changes in Britain in the 1980s（C） the standard speech in southern England（D）her subjects in the Commonwealth coun
11、tries4 By saying that the change in the Queens English mirrors the social changes in Britain, the writer means . ( )（A）the rigid social hierarchy 40 years ago has collapsed（B） the Queens accent has been influenced by the lower class（C） the Queens accent is associated with the younger speakers（D）the
12、social differences in Britain are no longer as distinct as before5 According to the passage, which of the following is not stated? ( )（A）The researchers analyzed the Queens vowels to see how the royal accent had changed.（B） The researchers found that the Queens accent is closer to that of her Cockne
13、y subjects.（C） It is unlikely to preserve a particular accent against social changes and influence of community.（D）The change in the pronunciation of a particular language is closely associated with the Royal speech.5 Who takes care of the elderly in the United States today? The fact is that family
14、members provide over 80% of the care that elderly people need. In most cases the elderly live in their own homes, a very small percentage of Americas elderly live in nursing homes.Samuel Preston, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, studied how the American family is changing. He reporte
15、d that by the time the average American couple reaches about 40 years of age,their parents are usually still alive. The statistics show the change in lifestyles and responsibilities of aging Americans. The average middle-aged couple can look forward to caring for elderly parents sometime after their
16、 own children have grown up. Moreover, because people today live longer after an illness than people did years ago, family members must provide long term care. These facts also mean that after caregivers provide for their elderly parents,who will eventually die, they will be old and may require care
17、 too. When they do, their spouses (配偶) will probably take care of them because they have had fewer children than their parents did.Because Americans are living longer than ever, more social workers have begun to study ways of care giving to improve the care of the elderly. They have found that all c
18、aregivers share a common characteristic:They believe that they are the best people for the job. The social workers have also discovered three basic reasons why the caregivers take on the responsibility of caring for an elderly, dependent relative. Many caregivers believe they had an obligation (职责)t
19、o help their relatives. Some think that helping others makes them feel more useful. Others hope that by helping someone now, they will deserve care when they become old and dependent.6 Samuel Preston s study shows that_ . ( )（A）lifestyles and responsibilities of the elderly are not changing（B） most
20、American couples over 40 have no living parents（C） middle aged Americans have to take care of their children and parents at the same time（D）elderly people may need care for a long time because they live longer after an illness7 Who will most probably take care of the middle-aged Americans when they
21、need care themselves? ( )（A）They themselves.（B） Their close friends.（C） Their children.（D）Their husbands or wives.8 All caregivers believe that they can_. ( )（A）care for their elderly parents better than any other people（B） keep closer to their old parents by this means（C） do much better if they hav
22、e a job as social workers（D）improve the care of the elderly with the help of the social workers9 Which of the following is not a reason why people look after their relatives? ( )（A）They feel they are of use to other people.（B） They want to set an example to their children.（C） They think it is their
23、duty to help their relatives.（D）They hope they deserve care when they need it.10 What is the main idea of the passage? ( )（A）Most old people live longer today after an illness than people did years age.（B） Many old people are put into nursing homes by their families, who do not visit them regularly.
24、（C） Most elderly people are taken care of by their families, who assume the responsibility for different reasons.（D）Most elderly people are satisfied with the better ways of care giving that social workers have come up with.10 Before the 1850s the United States had a number of small colleges, most o
25、f them dating from colonial days. They were small, church connected institutions whose primary concern was to shape the moral character of their students.Throughout Europe, institutions of higher learning had developed, bearing the ancient name of university. In Germany a different kind of universit
26、y had developed. The German university was concerned primarily with creating and spreading knowledge, not morals. Between mid century and the end of the 1800s, more than nine thousand young Americans, dissatisfied with their training at home, went to Germany for advanced study. Some of them returned
27、 to become presidents of venerable colleges, Harvard, Yale, Columbia and transform them into modern universities. The new presidents broke all ties with the churches and brought in a new kind of faculty. Professors were hired for their knowledge of a subject, not because they were of the proper fait
28、h and had a strong arm for disciplining students. The new principle was that a university was to create knowledge as well as pass it on, and this called for a faculty composed of teacher scholars. Drilling and learning by rote were replaced by the German method of lecturing, in which the professors
29、own research was presented in class. Graduate training leading to the Ph. D, an ancient German degree signifying the highest level of advanced scholarly attainment, was introduced. With the establishment of the seminar system, graduate students learned to question, analyze, and conduct their own res
30、earch.At the same time, the new university greatly expanded in size and course offerings, breaking completely out of the old, constricted curriculum of mathematics, classics, rhetoric, and music. The president of Harvard pioneered the elective system, by which students were able to choose their own
31、courses of study. The notion of major fields of study emerged. The new goal was to make the university relevant to the real pursuits of the world. Paying close heed to the practical needs of society, the new universities trained men and women to work at its tasks, with engineering students being the
32、 most characteristic of the new regime. Students were also trained as economists, architects, agriculturalists, social welfare workers, and teachers.11 The word “this“ in line 14 refers to which of the following? ( )（A）Creating and passing on knowledge.（B） Drilling and learning by rote.（C） Disciplin
33、ing students.（D）Developing moral principles.12 According to the passage, the seminar system encouraged students to_. ( )（A）discuss moral issues（B） study the classics, rhetoric, and music（C） study overseas（D）work more independently13 The word “constricted“ in line 21 is closest in meaning to which of
34、 the following? ( )（A）Mandatory.（B） Limited.（C） Challenging（D）Competitive.14 It can be inferred from the passage that before 1850, all of the following were characteristic of higher education EXCEPT _. ( )（A）the elective system（B） drilling（C） strict discipline（D）rote learning15 Those who favored the
35、 new university would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements? ( )（A）Learning is best achieved through discipline and drill.（B） Shaping the moral character of students should be the primary goal.（C） Higher education should prepare students to contribute to society.（D）Teachers
36、should select their students courses.15 One of the major causes of the prevalent anxiety about the future of the family is rooted not so much in actuality as in the tension between idealized expectations for the family in American culture and the reality itself. Nostalgia for a lost nonexistent fami
37、ly tradition has prejudiced our understanding of the changes that families are experiencing in contemporary society. Furthermore, the current anxiety over the family s fate reflects not merely problems in the family itself, but a variety of other social problems that are eventually projected on the
38、family. The real problems that the American family is facing today are not symptoms of breakdown, as is often suggested. Rather they reflect the difficulties that the family faces in its adaptation to recent social changes, particularly in the loss of the flexibility in household membership that the
39、 family had in the past, the reduction of the variety of its functions, and to some extent the weakening of its adaptability.Current anxieties also reflect the difficulties that American society has been experiencing in accepting a great diversity in family life and alternative family forms. The ide
40、alization of the family as a refuge from the outside world has lessened its ability to cope with diversity. The continuous emphasis on the family as a universal private retreat and as an emotional haven (安息 所)is misguided in light of our knowledge of the past. Early American families fulfilled a bro
41、ad array of functions that went beyond its more restricted emotional functions in the present. Most of the familys roles in the past were intertwined with larger community. Rather than being the custodian (管理人) of privacy, the family prepared its members for interaction with the larger society. Fami
42、ly relationships were valued not merely for their emotional content but for a wide range of services and contributions to the collective family unit.16 We can infer from the passage that_ . ( )（A）lots of people are worried about the future of family（B） peoples anxiety about the future of family is b
43、ased on facts（C） the breakdown of modem family is a reality we have to accept（D）our understanding of the changes in families is correct17 According to the passage, family tradition_ . ( )（A）existed in the past but has now lost（B） has never actually existed（C） will be lost in the future（D）has been a
44、tradition in America18 The problems the American family faces reflect all the following EXCEPT_. ( )（A）lack of flexibility（B） decrease of functions（C） nostalgia caused by anxiety（D）weakening of adaptability19 According to the author, one of peoples misunderstandings of family is that_. ( )（A）the pro
45、blems of family also reflect social problems（B） American family life should be as diverse as it used to be（C） American family form is no longer as alternative as it was（D）family is regarded as a private retreat and an emotional haven20 According to the passage, early American families were more_ . (
46、 )（A）isolated than modern families are today（B） private than modern families are now（C） closely connected with community than modern families are（D）emotionally oriented than modern families are二、SPEED READING20 The crew of a clipper ship had to work together smoothly to keep the ship sailing. To hel
47、p, they sang work songs called sea chanteys.The chanteyman sang out the verses. They set the rhythm for the work to be done. The chanteyman made up his own lines, and the men joined in the chorus. The songs were about sailing, fishing, love, war, anything and everything. The men heaved or pulled the
48、 ropes on the beat of the chorus.Different rhythms were necessary for different shipboard jobs. There were slow capstan chanteys sung while turning the capstan, a large wheel on deck used to pull up the anchor. There were halyard chanteys sung while pulling up the sails. Pumping chanteys were sung,
49、when the sailors manned the pumps amidships, and short-haul chanteys were sung for any job that required quick, sharp pulls.21 Sailing a clipper ship called for_ . ( )（A）a great many songs from the sailors（B） smooth action by the crew（C） teamwork on many jobs（D）both B and C22 The underlined “chorus“ implies that_ . ( )（A）man, no matter who he is, should work with the spirit of teamwork（B） whatever we are doing, we can sing a song together（C） only the crew of a clipper ship need to sing a chorus when
