全国高等教育自学考试英语阅读一试题.docx

1、全国高等教育自学考试英语阅读一试题全国2008年7月高等教育自学考试英语阅读（一）试题I. Careful Reading. (40 points, 2 points for each)Directions: Read the following passages carefully. Decide on the best answers and write the corresponding letters on your Answer Sheet.Passage OneQuestions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage. Although

2、 no one is certain why migration occurs, there are several theories. One theory is based upon the premise that prehistoric birds of the Northern Hemisphere were forced south during the Ice Age, when glaciers covered large parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. As the glaciers melted, the birds ca

3、me back to their homelands, spent the summer, and then went south again as the ice advanced in winter. In time, the migration became a habit, and now, although the glaciers have disappeared, the habit continues. Another theory proposes that the ancestral home of all modern birds was the tropics. Whe

4、n the region became overpopulated, many species were crowded north. During the summer, there was plenty of food, but during the winter, scarcity forced them to return to the tropics. A more recent theory, known as photoperiodism, suggests a relationship between increasing daylight and the stimulatio

5、n, of certain glands in the birds bodies that may prepare them for migration. One scientist has been able to cause midwinter migrations by exposing birds to artificial periods of daylight. He has concluded that changes occur in the bodies of birds due to seasonal changes in the length of daylight.1.

6、 According to one theory, when the glaciers disappeared, birds_.A. stopped migrating B. continued migratingC. began migrating again D. migrated south and stayed there2. The author states that birds left the tropics because_. A. there was not enough food there in the winterB. there were too many bird

7、sC. there were too many glaciersD. there was too much daylight3. Why did one scientist expose birds to artificial daylight? A. Because he wanted to test the relationship between daylight and changes in the season.B. Because he wanted to test the relationship between migration and temperature.C. Beca

8、use he wanted to test the relationship between daylight and migration.D. Because he wanted to test the relationship between daylight and a disease of the glands common to birds.4. According to the theory of photoperiodism, _. A. birds should migrate in the middle of the winterB. increasing daylight

9、increases the distance of migrationC. seasonal changes in the length of days do not affect migrationD. longer days cause changes in the bodies of birds5. This passage supports the belief that _. A. exact reasons for migration are not knownB. birds migrate because of changes in temperatureC. the ance

10、stral home of all birds was the tropicsD. glaciers caused birds to migratePassage TwoQuestions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage. When Christopher Columbus landed in the New World, the North American continent was an area of astonishing ethnic and cultural diversity. North of the Rio Grande

11、, which now marks the border between the United States and Mexico, has a population of over 12 million people representing approximately 400 distinct cultures, 500 languages, and a remarkable variety of political and religious institutions and physical and ethnic types, Compared to the Europeans, th

12、e Indian peoples were extraordinarily heterogeneous, and they often viewed the Europeans as just another tribe. These varied tribal cultures were as diversified as the land the Indians inhabited. In the high plains of the Dakotas, the Mandan developed a peaceful communal society centered around agri

13、culture. Only a few hundred miles away, however, in northwestern Montana, the Blackfeet turned from agriculture and began to use horses, which had been introduced by the Spaniards. As skilled riders, they became hunters and fighters and developed a fierce and aggressive culture centered around the b

14、uffalo. In the eastern woodlands surrounding the Great Lakes, the Potawatomis were expert fishermen, canoe builders, and hunters. In the Northeast, the six Iroquois nations were among the most politically sophisticated people in the world, forming the famed Iroquois Confederation, which included the

15、 Senecas and the Mohawks. This confederation, with its system of checks and balances, provided a model for the United States Constitution.6. About how many different cultures existed among the fifteenth-century North American Indians? A. 400. B. 500.C. 600. D. 1200.7. The Mandan tribes could best be

16、 classified as _. A. hunters B. canoe buildersC. farmers D. fishermen8. Before the introduction of horses, the Blackfeet tribes were_. A. peaceful farmers B. aggressive huntersC. fierce warriors D. skillful sailors9. It can be inferred from the passage that the life-styles of the various American In

17、dian tribes were influenced most by_. A. contact with other tribes B. environmental resourcesC. contact with Europeans D. governmental organization10. According to the passage, how was the organization of the Iroquois Confederation a forerunner of the United States Constitution? A. It was a union of

18、 smaller units.B. It had a representative government C. Its form of government had a sophisticated way of selecting judges.D. Its power was regulated by a system of checks and balances.Passage ThreeQuestions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage. Unfortunately, most of the science fiction film

19、s of the 1970s were not much influenced by 2001:A Space Odyssey. Skillfully directed by Stanley Kubrick, 2001, which appeared in 1968, set new standards for science fiction films. During the next decade, every one of the dozens of science fiction movies released was compared to 2001, and all but a f

20、ew were found sadly lacking. Admittedly, Kubrick had one of the largest budgets ever for a film of this kind, but, in my opinion, much of the movies power and appeal was achieved through relatively inexpensive means. For example, the musical score, which was adapted in large part from well-known cla

21、ssical compositions, was reinforced by the use of almost kaleidoscopic visual effects, especially during the space travel sequences. Spectacular camera work was edited to correspond precisely to the ebb and flow of the music. After 2001, the dominant theme of science fiction films shifted from the a

22、dventures of space travel to the problems created on earth by mans mismanagement of the natural environment and the abuse of technology by a totalitarian state. Overpopulation and the accompanying shortages of food prompt the state to impose extraordinary controls on its citizens. No fewer than twen

23、ty-nine films were made around this theme in the years between 1970 and 1977, including Survivors and Chronicles. In the opinion of this reviewer, until Star Wars was released in 1977, science fiction films were reduced to shallow symbolism disguising to a greater or lesser degree a series of repeti

24、tive plots. But Star Wars was different. It offered us a return to imaginative voyages in space and confrontation with intelligent life on other planets. Unlike the other science fiction films of the decade, Star Wars presented technology as having solved rather than aggravated ecological problems.

25、The special effects created to simulate space vehicles hurtling through the blackness of the universe were reminiscent of the artistic standards set by 2001.11. In the authors opinion, most of the science fiction films released in the 1970s were _. A. better than 2001:A Space OdysseyB. not as good a

26、s 2001: A Space OdysseyC. almost the same as Star WarsD. better than Star Wars12. The theme of the majority of science fiction films made between 1970 and 1977 was _. A. space travel B. life on other planets C. ecological problems on earth D. wars between the earth and other planets13. The author be

27、lieves that the best science fiction movie made in the 1970s was _. A. 2001: A Space Odyssey B. SurvivorsC. Chronicles D. Star Wars14. In the authors opinion, why was 2001 successful? A. Because its budget was large.B. Because its camera work and musical score were blended artistically.C. Because it

28、s plot was repetitive.D. Because its symbolism was very good.15. What does the author most object to in the science fiction movies of the 1970s? A. He objects to their camera work.B. He does not like their music.C. He believes that their stories are too much alike.D. He criticizes their special effe

29、cts.Passage FourQuestions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage. As the South was beginning to find itself after the American Civil War, the North, too, focused its interest on the lands below the Mason-Dixon Line. Northerners swarmed over the South: journalists, agents of prospective investor

30、s, speculators with plans for railroads, writers anxious to expose themselves to a new environment. One of these was Constance Fenimore Woolson, a young woman from New Hampshire, a grandniece of James Fenimore Cooper, who, like many Northerners, was drawn to the unhappy South by affection, compassio

31、n, admiration, or the charm of the life there. With her singular gift of minute observation and a talent for analysis, her imagination lingered over the relics of the ancient South, the quaintly emblazoned tablets and colonial tombs, the wrecked old mansions that stood near by, perhaps in ruined ric

32、e lands, amid desolated fields and broken dikes. Such was the dwelling on the Georgia sea island that sidled and leaned in Jupiter Lights with one of its roofless wings falling into the cellar. After St. Augustine, Charleston especially attracted Miss Woolson, crumbling as it was but aristocratic still. In a later novel, Horace Chase, one of the best of all her books, she anticipated Thomas Wolfe in describing Asheville, in which the young capitalist from