2013职称英语综合类经典阅读理解模拟题1-2

Life in the Universe

　　Many scientists today are convinced that life exists elsewhere in the universe---life probably much like that on our own planet. They reason in the following way.

　　As far as astronomers can determine, the entire universe is built of the same matter. They have no reason to doubt that matter obeys the same laws in every part of the universe. Therefore, it is reasonable to guess that other stars, with their own planets, were born in the same way as our own solar system. What we know of life on earth suggests that life will arise wherever the proper conditions exist.

　　Life requires the right amount and kind of atmosphere. This eliminates all those planets in the universe that are not about the same size and weight as the earth. A smaller planet would lose its atmosphere; a larger one would hold too much of it.

　　Life also requires a steady supply of heat and light. This eliminates double stars, or stars that flare up suddenly. Only single stars that are steady sources of heat and light like our sun would qualify.

　　Finally, life could evolve only if the planet is just the right distance from its sun. With a weaker sun than our own, the planet would have to be closer to it. With a stronger sun, it would have to be farther away.

　　If we suppose that every star in the universe has a family of planets, then how many planets might support life? First, eliminate those stars that are not like our sun. Next eliminate most of their planets; they are either too far from or too close to their suns. Then eliminate all those planets which are not the same size and weight as the earth. Finally, remember that the proper conditions do not necessarily mean that life actually does exist on a planet. It may not have begun yet, or it may have already died out.

　　This process of elimination seems to leave very few planets on which earthlike life might be found. However, even if life could exist on only one planet in a million, there are so many billions of planets that this would still leave a vast number on which life could exist.

　　1. Astronomers believe that matter in different parts of the universe

　　A) has different laws.

　　B) has one common law.

　　C) shares the same laws

　　D) shares no common law.

　　2. The existence of life depends on all of the following factors EXCEPT

　　A) the right amount of atmosphere.B) our own solar system.

　　C) steady heat and light D) the right distance from the sun.

　　3. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?

　　A) The planet must be as big and heavy as the earth.

　　B) Proper conditions are essential to the existence of life

　　C) Double stars can provide steady light and heat.

　　D) The distance between a planet and its sun should be right.

　　4. What kind of planet might NOT support life?

　　A) Most of the planets of the stars.

　　B) Stars similar to our sun.

　　C) Planets similar to the earth.

　　D) Planets with proper conditions.

　　5. At the end of the passage the author suggests that

　　A) it is impossible for life to exist on planets.

　　B) earthlike life could only exist on a few planets.

　　C) life could exist on only one planet in a million.

　　D) life could exist on a great number of planets.

　　KEY: CBCAD

The Barbie Dolls

　　In the mid 1940’s, the young ambitious duo Ruth and Elliot Handler, owned a company that made wooden pictures frames. It was in 1945 that Ruth and Elliot Handler joined with their close friend Harold Mattson to form a company that would be known for the most famous and successful doll ever created. This company would be named Mattel, MATT for Mattson, and EL for Elliot.

　　In the mid 1950’s, while visiting Switzerland, Ruth Handler purchased a German Lilli doll. Lilli was a shapely, pretty fashion doll first made in 1955. She was originally fashioned after a famous cartoon character in the West German Newsletter, Build.

　　Lilli is the doll that would inspire Ruth Handler to design the Barbie doll. With the help of her technicians and engineers at Mattel, Barbie was born. Ruth then hired Charlotte Johnson, a fashion designer, to create Barbie’s wardrobe. It was in 1958 that the patent for Barbie was obtained. This would be a fashion doll unlike any of her time. She would be long limbed, shapely, beautiful, and only 11.5 inches tall. Ruth and Elliot would name their new fashion doll after their own daughter, Barbie.

　　In 1959, the Barbie doll would make her way to the New York Toy Show and receive a cool reception from the toy buyers.

　　Barbie has undergone a lot of changes over the years and has managed to keep up with current trends in hairstyles, makeup and clothing. She is a reflection of the history of fashion since her introduction to the toy market.

　　Barbie has a universal appeal and collectors both young and old enjoy time spent and memories made with their dolls.

　　1. When Ruth and Elliot Handler was young, they had a strong desire

　　A) to go to school.

　　B) to take photos.

　　C) to make frames.

　　D) to be highly successful.

　　2. Who owned Mattel?

　　A) Mattson.

　　B) Elliot.

　　C) Harold Mattson and Elliot Handler.

　　D) Harold Mattson, Ruth and Ellion Handler.

　　3. It can be inferred from the second paragraph that Lilli was fashioned after

　　A) Build.

　　B) a German doll.

　　C) a pretty girl.

　　D) a shapely woman.

　　4. Where did Ruth Handler’s inspiration for the design of the Barbie doll come from?

　　A) Barbie.

　　B) Lilli.

　　C) Charlotte Johnson.

　　D) A fashion designer.

　　5. Which of the following statements is NOT true of the Barbie doll?

　　A) She does not attract young men.

　　B) She has undergone many changes over the years.

　　C) She is 11.5 inches tall.

　　D) She has managed to keep up with fashion.

　　KEY: DDABA

Electronic Teaching

　　The potential of closed-circuit television and other new electronic teaching tools is so great that it is fascinating to visualize" the school of tomorrow"

　　Televised lessons will originate from a central building having perhaps four or five master studios. The lessons will be carried into classrooms all over a city, or even an entire country.

　　After a televised lesson has been given, the classroom teacher will take over for the all-important "follow-up" period. The students will ask any troublesome questions, and difficult points will be cleared up through discussion.

　　The teacher in the classroom will have additional electronic tools. On the teacher’s desk, the traditional chalk and erasers will have been replaced by a multiple-control panel and magnetic tape players. The tape machines will run pre-recorded lessons which pupils will follow by headphones. The lessons will be specifically geared to the students’ levels of ability. For instance, while the class as a whole studies history, each student will receive an individual history lesson, directed to his particular level of ability.

　　Should question arise, the students will be able to talk directly to the teacher on individual "intercoms without disturbing the rest of the class. In this way, the teacher will be able to conduct as many as three classes at the same time.

　　With the rapid development of computer science, students will be aided with specially prepared multi-media software to study their subjects better. Homework will possibly be assigned and handed in via electronic mail system. Students can even take examinations on their computer linked with the teachers’ and get the score instantly. They will get certificates or diplomas if they pass all the required examinations. Experts believe that this type of education will be very popular in the years ahead.

　　1. Lessons broadcast by television will come from

　　A) the school of tomorrow.

　　B) Classrooms.

　　C) Big buildings.

　　D) Master studios

　　2. Which of the following statements about the function of the teacher in the teaching process is true?

　　A) The teacher will not need to be involved.

　　B) The teacher will still have to play an important role.

　　C) The teacher will only need to press buttons.

　　D) The teacher will be completely replaced by electronic tools.

　　3. When having lessons, the students will.

　　A) always listen to the same pre-recorded lessons together.

　　B) Usually have individual lessons according to their ability levels.

　　C) Control the multiple-control panel and magnetic tape players.

　　D) Receive face-to-face instructions from the teacher in the same classroom.

　　4. If there are questions, the students will

　　A) talk to the teacher through "intercoms".

　　B) Raise their hands and wait for the answer.

　　C) Discuss them with the rest of the class.

　　D) Solve the problems all by themselves.

　　5. Computer teaching will help the study in the following ways except that

　　A) teachers can give and collect homework using electronic mail system.

　　B) Examinations can be conducted on computers better than on paper.

　　C) Test scores can be obtained soon after the test is taken.

　　D) Certificates or diplomas are required if the students want to pass the tests.

　　KEY：DBBAD

The Cherokee Nation

　　Long before the white man came to the America, the land belonged to the American Indian nations. The nation of the Cherokees lived in What is now the southeastern part of the United States.

　　After the white man came, the Cherokees copied many of their ways. One Cherokee named Sequoyah saw how important reading and writing was to the white man. He decided to invent a way to write down the spoken Cherokee language. He began by making word pictures. For each word he drew a picture. But that proved impossible-there were just too many words. Then he took the 85 sounds that made up the language. Using this own imagination and an English spelling book, Sequoyah invented a sign for each sound. His alphabet proved amazingly easy to learn. Before long, many Cherokees knew how to read and write in their own language. By 1828, they were even printing their own newspaper.

　　In 1830, the U.S. Congress passed a law. It allowed the government to remove Indians from their lands. The Cherokees refused to go. They had lived on their lands for centuries. It belonged to them. Why should they go to a strange land far beyond the Mississippi River?

　　The army was sent to drive the Cherokees out. Soldiers surrounded their villages and marched them at gunpoint into the western territory. The sick, the old and the small children went in carts, along with their belongings. The rest of the people marched on foot or rode on horseback. It was November, yet many of them still wore their summer clothes. Cold and hungry, the Cherokees were quickly exhausted by the hardships of the journey. Many dropped dead and were buried by the roadside. When the last group arrived in their new home in March 1839, more than 4,000 had died. It was indeed a march of death.

　　1. The Cherokee Nation used to live

　　A) on the American continent.

　　B) In the southeastern part of the US.

　　C) Beyond the Mississippi River.

　　D) In the western territory.

　　2. one of the ways that Sequoyah copied from the white man is the way of

　　A) writing down the spoken language.

　　B) Making word pictures.

　　C) Teaching his people reading.

　　D) Printing their own newspaper.

　　3. A law was passed in 1830 to

　　A) allow the Cherokees to stay where they were.

　　B) Send the army to help the Cherokees.

　　C) Force the Cherokees to move westward.

　　D) Forbid the Cherokees to read their newspaper.

　　4. When the Cherokees began to leave their lands.

　　A) they went in carts.

　　B) They went on horseback.

　　C) They marched on foot.

　　D) All of the above.

　　5. Many Cherokees died on their way to their new home mainly because

　　A) they were not willing to go there.

　　B) The government did not provide transportation

　　C) They did not have enough food and clothes.

　　D) The journey was long and boring.

　　KEY: BACDC