专业英语八级-阅读理解(十九)及答案解析.doc

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1、专业英语八级-阅读理解(十九)及答案解析 (总分：100.00，做题时间：90分钟)一、BREADING COMPREH(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、BTEXT A/B(总题数：1，分数：25.00)A clear-blue-eyed 19-year-old with a blond ponytail, Ben Alexander of Iowa City, tramps along a mossy trail, pops into a chicken coop he recently helped build and grins while clambering up a swingin

2、g bridge to a counseling room in a treehouse. This is therapy a la Swiss Family Robinson.Alexander is the first patient at the newly opened RESTART, a video-game and Internet addiction recovery program in Fall City, Wash., about 30 miles east of Seattle. Its hard to imagine Alexander, now merrily gi

3、ving a tour of the woodsy facility, glued to a computer game for more than 16 hours a day, but he says, It was pretty much all l was doing when I was in college.Nearly a year ago, Alexander had gotten so consumed with the online fantasy game World of Warcraft that he would skip meals and forgo sleep

4、 to keep up with the action. Several times he tried unsuccessfully to wean himself off the game. On the brink of failing out of school, Alexander approached his dad for help. I had a brief moment of clarity, he says.Alexanders parents were supportive, and checked him into an addiction treatment cent

5、er in Eastern Washington. But his fellow patients at the center were battling alcoholism, heroin addiction and other serious substance abuse problemsissues Alexander couldnt relate to. It wasnt really working for me, he says. He left the center to try a wilderness adventure program in the Utah deser

6、t (which didnt help either), until his parents discovered RESTART, where, for $15,500 (including application, screening and treatment fees), guests could spend 45 days cut off from the computer, integrated into a real familys home with chores, daily counseling sessions and weekly therapy.The program

7、, run by psychotherapists Cosette Dawna Rue and Hilarie Cash, is located in Raes house, where her husband and son also reside. Theres room for six patients, but during Alexanders treatment, he is the only one at the facility. He is given a regular schedule, with outdoor activities (including carpent

8、ry projects or caring for chickens and goats) plotted throughout the day, plus chores and meals. Rue says the program is designed to mimic what life will be like once patients return home downtime is built into the routine, so people can learn to cope with boredom. Alexander spends some of that time

9、 running when he first got to the facility, he expressed an interest in running, so Rue and Cash set him up with a local trainer, who now takes him on regular jogs. Alexander also has daily counseling sessions with Rue, where they discuss his long-term goals, and even work on a plan for a tutoring b

10、usiness he hopes to start. Once a week, he has a therapy session with Cash, a specialist in video game and Internet addiction.Not every psychologist would agree that Internet or video-game dependency is a legitimately diagnosable problem. Some suggest that pathological game-playing or Internet surfi

11、ng is not an addiction per se, but a symptom of a deeper issue, such as depression or anxiety. But Cash believes the virtual world can be no less addicting than other activities, such as gambling. She describes her first patient who exhibited signs of compulsion: He had come to her in a moment of cr

12、isis 15 years ago having discovered a text-only role-playing computer game that was conceptually similar to Dungeons and Dragons, he had begun dedicating nearly all of his time to the game. He got fired from his job at nearby Microsoft, and his marriage was falling 1o pieces. Cash realized he was sh

13、owing the classical signs of addiction. I was so intrigued, says the co-author of the recent book Video Games and Your Kids: How Parents Stay in Control. That was what started me on my path.Since then, Cash has focused her practice on video-game and Internet addiction, treating patients who use thei

14、r electronic media so obsessively that they stop sleeping and eating properly, ruin relationships with loved ones, suffer repetitive use injuries such as eye strain and carpal tunnel syndrome, and develop depression and anxiety, among other things. Cashs private practice is located in Redmond, Wash,

15、 the home of Microsoft not an entirely surprising hub of compulsive Internet and video-game use, she says. Indeed, the Seattle-Tacoma area is the nations 13th largest media market, and has the highest level of Internet use in the country; according to a recent study, more than 45% of adults in the a

16、rea regularly play video games. Theres nothing wrong with this technology, says Cash, who is careful to note that its not the medium that is to blame, but rather, the lack of education about it. Its all in how its used.（分数：25.00）(1).Which of the following statements about Alexander is true? A. He is

17、 unaware of the seriousness of his addiction to computer game playing. B. His treatment in RESTART is supported by his parents financially and spiritually. C. He has other serious substance abuse problems besides computer game addiction. D. He feels restrained and unhappy during the treatment in RES

18、TART.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(2).Which of the following words is used literally, NOT metaphorically? A. Glued. (Paragraph 2) B. Battling. (Paragraph 4) C. Plotted. (Paragraph 5) D. Built. (Paragraph 5)（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(3).ReSTARTs treatment on Alexander does NOT include A. assigning him some tasks like bui

19、lding a chicken coop or cooking. B. helping him explore joy from developing other hobbies. C. offering some psychological service. D. tutoring him on business which he hopes to engage in.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Which of the following is Cashs opinion? A. Internet or video-game dependency shouldnt be tr

20、eated as a psychological problem. B. Video-game playing is more addictive than gambling and other activities. C. Given more instructions and supervisions, people will have less Internet-related problems. D. The more advanced technology is, the more dependent people will be on it.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(5)

21、.Which of the following is NOT among the possible effects of video-game addiction? A. Obesity. B. Poor eyesight. C. Handicap of interpersonal relationship. D. Sleep disorder.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.三、BTEXT B/B(总题数：1，分数：25.00)Historians have only recently begun to note the increase in demand for luxury good

22、s and services that took place in eighteenth-century England. McKendrick has explored the Wedgwood firms remarkable success in marketing luxury pottery; Plumb has written about the proliferation of provincial theater, musical festivals, and childrens toys and books. While the fact of this consumer r

23、evolution is hardly in doubt, three key questions remain: Who were the consumers? What were their motives? And what were the effects of the new demand for luxuries?An answer to the first of these has been difficult to obtain. Although it has been possible to infer from the goods and services actuall

24、y produced what manufacturers and servicing trades thought their customers wanted, only a study of relevant personal documents written by actual consumers will provide a precise picture of who wanted what. We still need to know how large this consumer market was and how far down the social scale the

25、 consumer demand for luxury goods penetrated. With regard to this last question, we might note in passing that Thompson, while rightly restoring laboring people to the stage of eighteenth- century English history, has probably exaggerated the opposition of these people to the inroads of capitalist c

26、onsumerism in general; for example, laboring people in eighteenth- century England readily shifted from home-brewed beer to standardized beer produced by huge, heavily capitalized urban breweries.To answer the question of why consumers became so eager to buy, some historians have pointed to the abil

27、ity of manufacturers to advertise in a relatively uncensored press. This, however, hardly seems a sufficient answer. Mckendrick favors a Veblem model of conspicuous consumption stimulated by competition for status. The middling sort bought goods and services because they wanted to follow fashions se

28、t by the rich. Again, we may wonder whether this explanation is sufficient. Do not people enjoy buying things as a form of self-gratification? If so, consumerism could be seen as a product of the rise of new concepts of individualism and materialism, but not necessarily of the frenzy for conspicuous

29、 competition.Finally, what were the consequences of this consumer demand for luxuries? McKendrick claims that it goes a long way toward explaining the coming of the Industrial Revolution. But does it? What, for example, does the production of high-quality pottery and toys have to do with the develop

30、ment of iron manufacture or textile mills? It is perfectly possible to have the psychology and reality of a consumer society without a heavy industrial sector.That future exploration of these key questions is undoubtedly necessary should not, however, diminish the force of the conclusion of recent s

31、tudies: the insatiable demand in eighteenth-century England for frivolous as well as useful goods and services foreshadows our own world.（分数：25.00）(1).In the first paragraph, the author mentions McKendrick and Plumb to A. contrast their views on the subject of luxury consumerism in 18th century Engl

32、and. B. indicate the inadequacy of historiographical approaches to 18th century English history. C. give examples of historians who have helped to establish the fact of growing consumerism in 18th century England. D. support the contention that key questions about 18tb century consumerism remain to

33、be answered.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(2).Which of the following statements would provide an example of the kind of documents mentioned in lines 3-4, paragraph 2? A. A written agreement between a supplier of raw materials and a supplier of luxury goods. B. A diary that mentions luxury goods and services purc

34、hased by its author. C. A theater ticket stamped with the date and name of a particular play. D. A payroll record from a company that produced luxury goods such as pottery.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(3).Which of the following may be the laboring peoples attitude in 18th century toward capitalist consumerism?

35、A. Enthusiasm. B. Curiosity. C. Ambivalence. D. Hostility.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Which of the following is true about the third paragraph? A. Manufacturers advertisements made consumers eager to buy. B. Mckendrick agrees that conspicuous competition was stimulated by competition for status. C. The mid

36、dling sort bought goods and services to follow the fashions set by the rich. D. Consumerism could be the product of the frenzy for conspicuous competition.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(5).According to the passage, the readers of eighteenth-century England and the contemporary world are A. dissimilar in the exte

37、nt to which luxury consumerism could be said to be widespread among the social classes. B. dissimilar in their definitions of luxury goods and services. C. dissimilar in the extent to which luxury goods could be said to be stimulant of industrial development. D. similar in their strong demand for a

38、variety of goods and services.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.四、BTEXT C/B(总题数：1，分数：25.00)Saudi Arabia, the oil industrys swing producer, has become its flip-flopper. In February, it persuaded OPEC to cut its total production quotas by lm barrels per day (bpd), to 23.5m, as a precaution against an oil-price crash t

39、his spring. That fear has since been replaced by its opposite. The price of West Texas crude hit $40 last week, its highest since the eve of the first Iraq war, prompting concerns that higher oil prices could sap the vigour of Americas recovery and compound the frailty of Europes. On Monday May 10th

40、, Ali al-Naimi, Saudi Arabias energy minister, called on OPEC to raise quotas, by at least 1.5m bpd, at its next meeting on June 3rd.Thus far, the high oil price has been largely a consequence of good things, such as a strengthening world economy, rather than a cause of bad things, such as faster in

41、flation or slower growth. Chinas burgeoning economy guzzled about 6m bpd in the first quarter of this year, 15% more than a year ago, according to Goldman Sachs. Demand was also strong in the rest of Asia, excluding Japan, growing by 5.2% to 8.1 m bpd. As the year progresses, the seasonal rhythms of

42、 Americas drivers will dictate prices, at least of the lighter, sweeter crudes. Americans take to the roads en masse in the summer, and speculators are driving up the oil price now in anticipation of peak demand in a few months time.Until recently, the rise in the dollar price of oil was offset outs

43、ide America and China by the fall in the dollar itself. But the currency has regained some ground in recent weeks, and the oil price has continued to rise. Even so, talk of another oil-price shock is premature. The price of oil, adjusted for inflation, is only half what it was in December 1979, and

44、the United States now uses half as much energy per dollar of output as it did in the early 1970s. But if oil cannot shock the world economy quite as it used to, it can still give it a good kick, warns Goldman Sachs. If average oil prices for the year come in 10% higher than it forecast, it reckons G

45、DP growth in the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations will be reduced by 0.3%, or $70 billion.The Americans are certainly taking the issue seriously. John Snow, their treasury secretary, called OPECs February decision regrettable, and the rise in prices since then not helpful. Washington pays close heed

46、 to the man at the petrol pump, who has seen the average price of a gallon of unleaded petrol rise by 39 cents in the past year. And the Saudis, some mutter, pay close heed to Washington.Besides, the high oil price may have filled Saudi coffers, but it has also affronted Saudi pride. Mr Ali al-Naimi

47、 thinks the high price is due to fears that supply might he disrupted in the future. These fears, he says, are unwarranted. But the hulking machinery in the Arabian desert that keeps oil flowing round the world presents an inviting target to terrorists should they tire of bombing embassies and night

48、clubs. On May 1st, gunmen killed six people in a Saudi office of ABB Lummus Global, an American oil contractor. Such incidents add to the risk premium factored into the oil price, a premium that the Saudis take as a vote of no confidence in their kingdom and its ability to guarantee the supply of oil in the face of terrorist threats.（分数：25.00）(1).What does the author mean by Saudi Arabia . has become its flip-flopper (Para.1)?