专八阅读理解模拟试题

专八阅读理解模拟试题（6）

Joy and sadness are experienced by people in all cultures around the world, but how can we tell when other people are happy or despondent? It turns out that the expression of many emotions may be universal. Smiling is apparently a universal sign of friendliness and approval. Baring the teeth in a hostile way, asnoted by Charles Darwin in the nineteenth century, may be a universe sign of anger. As the originator of the theory of evolution, Darwin believed that the universal recognition of facial expressions would have survival value. For example, facial expressions could signal the approach of enemies (or friends) in the absence of language.

Most investigators concur that certain facial expressions suggest the same emotions in a people. Moreover, people in diverse cultures recognize the emotions manifested by the facial expressions. In classic research Paul Ekman took photographs of people exhibiting the emotions of anger, disgust, fear, happiness, and sadness. He then asked people around the world to indicate what emotions were being depicted in them. Those queried ranged from European college students to members of the Fore, a tribe that dwells in the New Guinea highlands. All groups including the Fore, who had almost no contact with Western culture, agreed on the portrayed emotions. The Fore also displayed familiar facial expressions when asked how they would respond if they were the characters in stories that called for basic emotional responses. Ekman and his colleagues morerecently obtained similar results in a study of ten cultures in which participants were permitted to report that multiple emotions were shown by facial expressions. The participants generally agreed on which two emotions were being shown and which emotion was more intense.

Psychological researchers generally recognize that facial expressions reflect emotional states. Infact, various emotional states give rise to certain patterns of electrical activity in the facial muscles and in the brain. The facial-feedback hypothesis argues, however, that the causal relationship between emotions and facial expressions can also work in the opposite direction. According to this

hypothesis, signals from the facial muscles ("feedback") are sent back to emotion centers of the brain, and so a person's facial expression can influence that person's emotional state.

ConsiderDarwin's words: "The free expression by outward signs of an emotion intensifies it. On the otherhand, the repression, as far as possible, of all outward signs softens our emotions." Can smiling giverise to feelings of good will, for example, and frowning to anger?

Psychological research has given rise to some interesting findings concerning the facial-feedback hypothesis. Causing participants in experiments to smile, for example, leads them to report morepositive feelings and to rate cartoons (humorous drawings of people or situations) as being morehumorous. When they are caused to frown, they rate cartoons as being more aggressive.

What are the possible links between facial expressions and emotion? One link is arousal, which is the level of activity or preparedness for activity in an organism. Intense contraction of facial muscles,such as those used in signifying fear, heightens arousal. Self-perception of heightened arousal then leads to heightened emotional activity. Other links may involve changes in brain temperature and the release of neurotransmitters (substances that transmit nerve impulses.) The contraction of facial muscles both influences the internal emotional state and reflects it. Ekman has found that theso-called Duchenne smile, which is characterized by "crow's feet" wrinkles around the eyes and asubtle drop in the eye cover fold so that the skin above the eye moves down slightly toward theeyeball, can lead to pleasant feelings.

Ekman's observation may be relevant to the British expression "keep a stiff upper lip" as are commendation for handling stress. It might be that a "stiff" lip suppresses emotional response-as long as the lip is not quivering with fear or tension. But when the emotion that leads to stiffening the lip is more intense, and involves strong muscle tension, facial feedback may heighten emotional response.

1. The word despondent in the passage is closest in meaning to

A curious

B unhappy

C thoughtful

D uncertain

2. The author mentions "Baring the teeth in a hostile way" in order to

A differentiate one possible meaning of a particular facial expression from other meanings of it

B upport Darwin's theory of evolution

C provide an example of a facial expression whose meaning is widely understood

D contrast a facial expression that is easily understood with other facial expressions

3. The word concur in the passage is closest in meaning to

A estimate

B agree

C expect

D understand

4. According to paragraph 2, which of the following was true of the Fore people of

New Guinea?

A They did not want to be shown photographs.

B They were famous for their story-telling skills.

C They knew very little about Western culture.

D They did not encourage the expression of emotions.

5. According to the passage, what did Darwin believe would happen to human emotions that werenot expressed?

A They would become less intense.

B They would last longer than usual.

C They would cause problems later.

D They would become more negative.

参考答案（反白可见）：

B C B C A

专八阅读理解模拟试题（5）

Students of United States history, seeking to identify the circumstances that encouraged the emergence of feminist movements, have thoroughly investigated the mid-nineteenth-century American economic and social conditions that affected the status of women. These historians, however, have analyzed less fully the development of specifically feminist ideas and activities during the same period. Furthermore, the ideological origins of feminism in the United States have been obscured because, even when historians did take into account those feminist ideas and activities occurring within the United States, they failed to recognize that feminism was then a truly international movement actually centered in Europe. American feminist activists who have been described as "solitary" and "individual theorists" were in reality connected to a movement -utopian socialism--which was already popularizing feminist ideas in Europe during the two decades that culminated inthe first women's rights conference held at Seneca Falls. New York, in 1848. Thus, a complete understanding of the origins and development of nineteenth-century feminism in the United Statesrequires that the geographical focus be widened to include Europe and that the detailed study already made of social conditions be expanded to include the ideological development of feminism.

The earliest and most popular of the utopian socialists were the

Saint-Simonians. The specifically feminist part of Saint-Simonianism has, however, been less studied than the group's contribution toearly socialism. This is regrettable on two counts. By 1832 feminism was the central concern ofSaint-Simonianism and entirely absorbed its adherents' energy; hence, by ignoring its feminism. European historians have misunderstood

Saint-Simonianism. Moreover, since many feminist ideascan be traced to Saint-Simonianism, European historians' appreciation of later feminism in Franceand the United States remained limited.

Saint-Simon's followers, many of whom were women, based their feminism on an interpretation ofhis project to reorganize the globe by replacing brute force with the rule of spiritual powers. Thenew world order would be ruled together by a male, to represent reflection, and a female, to represent sentiment. This complementarity reflects the fact that, while the Saint-Simonians did not reject the belief that there were innate differences between men and women, they nevertheless foresaw an equally important social and political role for both sexes in their Utopia.

Only a few Saint-Simonians opposed a definition of sexual equality based on gender distinction. This minority believed that individuals of both sexes were born similar in capacity and character, and they ascribed male-female differences to socialization and education. The envisioned result of both currents of thought, however, was that women would enter public life in the new age and that sexual equality would reward men as well as women with an improved way of life.

1.It can be inferred that the author considers those historians who describe early feminists in the United States as "solitary" to be

A insufficiently familiar with the international origins of nineteenth-century American feminist thought

B overly concerned with the regional diversity of feminist ideas in the period before 1848

C not focused narrowly enough in their geo-graphical scope

D insufficiently aware of the ideological consequences of the Seneca Falls conference

2.According to the passage, which of the following is true of the Seneca Falls conference on women's rights?

A It was primarily a product of nineteenth-century Saint-Simonian feminist

thought.

B It was the work of American activists who were independent of feminists abroad.

C It was the culminating achievement of the Utopian socialist movement.

D It was a manifestation of an international movement for social change and feminism

3.The author's attitude toward most European historians who have studied the Saint-Simonians is primarily one of

A approval of the specific focus of their research

B disapproval of their lack of attention to the issue that absorbed most of the Saint-Simonians'energy after 1832

C approval of their general focus on social conditions

D disapproval of their lack of attention to links between the Saint-Simonians and their American counterparts

4. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes that study of Saint-Simonianism is necessary for historians of American feminism because such study

A would clarify the ideological origins of those feminist ideas that influenced American feminism

B would increase understanding of a movement that deeply influenced the Utopian socialism ofearly American feminists

C would focus attention on the most important aspect of Saint-Simonian thought before 1832

D promises to offer insight into a movement that was a direct outgrowth of the Seneca Falls conference of 1848

5. According to the passage, which of the following would be the most accurate description of the society envisioned by most Saint-Simonians?

A A society in which women were highly regarded for their extensive education

B A society in which the two genders played complementary roles and had equal status

C A society in which women did not enter public life

D A social order in which a body of men and women would rule together on the basis of their spiritual power

参考答案

A D

B A B

专八阅读理解模拟试题（4）

Stratford-on-Avon, as we all know, has only one industry-William Shakespeare-but there are two distinctly separate and increasingly hostile branches. There is the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), which presents superb productions of the plays at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre on the Avon. And there are the townsfolk who largely live off the tourists who come, not to see the plays, but to look at Anne Hathaw ay’s Cottage, Shakespeare’s birthplace and the other sights.

The worthy residents of Stratford doubt that the theatre adds a penny to their revenue. They frankly dislike the RSC’s actors, them with their long hair and beards and sandals and noisiness. It’s all deliciously ironic when you consider that Shakespeare, who earns their living, was himself anactor (with a beard) and did his share of noise - making.

The tourist streams are not entirely separate. The sightseers who come by bus- and often take in Warwick Castle and Blenheim Palace on the side –don’t usually see the plays, and some of them are even surprised to find a theatre in Stratford. However, the playgoers do manage a little sight -seeing along with their play going. It is the playgoers, the RSC contends, who bring in much of the town’s revenue because they spend the night (some of them four or five nights) pouring cash into the hotels and restaurants. The sightseers can take in everything and get out of town by nightfall.

The townsfolk don’t see it this way and local council does not contribute directly to the subsidy ofthe Royal Shakespeare Company. Stratford cries poor traditionally. Nevertheless every hotel in town seems to be adding a new wing

or cocktail lounge. Hilton is building its own hotel there, which you may be sure will be decorated with Hamlet Hamburger Bars, the Lear Lounge, the Banquo Banqueting Room, and so forth, and will be very expensive.

Anyway, the townsfolk can’t understand why the Royal Shakespeare Company needs a subsidy. (The theatre has broken attendance records for three years in a row. Last year its 1,431 seats were 94 per cent occupied all year long and this year they’ll do better.) The reason, of course, is that costs have rocketed and ticket prices have stayed low.

It would be a shame to raise prices too much because it would drive away the young people who are Stratford’s most attractive clientele. They come entirely for the plays, not the sights. They all seem to look alike (though they come from all over) –lean, pointed, dedicated faces, wearing jeansand sandals, eating their buns and bedding down for the night on the flagstones outside thetheatre to buy the 20 seats and 80 standing-room tickets held for the sleepers and sold to them when the box office opens at 10:30 a.m.

1. From the first two paragraphs , we learn that

A. the townsfolk deny the RSC ’ s contribution to the town’s revenue

B. the actors of the RSC imitate Shakespeare on and off stage

C. the two branches of the RSC are not on good terms

D. the townsfolk earn little from tourism

2. It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that

A. the sightseers cannot visit the Castle and the Palace separately

B. the playgoers spend more money than the sightseers

C. the sightseers do more shopping than the playgoers

D. the playgoers go to no other places in town than the theater

3. By saying “Stratford cries poor traditionally” (Line 2-3, Paragraph 4), the author implies that

A. Stratford cannot afford the expansion projects

B. Stratford has long been in financial difficulties

C. the town is not really short of money

D. the townsfolk used to be poorly paid

4. According to the townsfolk, the RSC deserves no subsidy because

A. ticket prices can be raised to cover the spending

B. the company is financially ill-managed

C. the behavior of the actors is not socially acceptable

D. the theatre attendance is on the rise

5. From the text we can conclude that the author

A. is supportive of both sides

B. favors the townsfolk’s view

C. takes a detached attitude

D. is sympathetic to the RSC.

参考答案

A B C D D

专八阅读理解模拟试题（3）

He was an old man with a white beard and huge nose and hands. Long before the time during which we will know him, he was a doctor and drove a jaded white horse from house to house through the streets of Winesburg. Later he married a girl who had money. She had been left a large fertile farm when her father died. The girl was quiet, tall, and dark, and to many people she seemed very beautiful. Everyone in Winesburg wondered why she married the doctor. Within a year after the marriage she died.

The knuckles of the doctor's hands were extraordinarily large. When the hands were closed they looked like clusters of unpainted wooden balls as large as walnuts fastened together by steel rods.He smoked a cob pipe and after his wife's death sat all day in his empty office close by a window that was covered with cobwebs. He never opened the window. Once on a hot day in August he tried but found it stuck fast and after that he forgot all about it.

Winesburg had forgotten the old man, but in Doctor Reefy there were the seeds of something very fine. Alone in his musty office in the Heffner Block above the Paris Dry Goods Company's store, he worked ceaselessly, building up something that he himself destroyed. Little pyramids of truth he erected and after erecting knocked them down again that he might have the truths to erect other pyramids.

Doctor Reefy was a tall man who had worn one suit of clothes for ten years. It was frayed at the sleeves and little holes had appeared at the knees and elbows. In the office he wore also a linen duster with huge pockets into which he continually stuffed scraps of paper. After some weeks the scraps of paper became little hard round balls, and when the pockets were filled he dumped themout upon the floor. For ten years he had but one friend, another old man named John Spaniard who owned a tree nursery. Sometimes, in a playful mood, old Doctor Reefy took from his pockets a handful of the paper balls and threw them at the nursery man. "'That is to confound you, you blithering old sentimentalist," he cried, shaking with laughter.

The story of Doctor Reefy and his courtship of the tall dark girl who became his wife and left her money to him is a very curious story. It is delicious, like the twisted little apples that grow in the orchards of Winesburg. In the fall one walks in the orchards and the ground is hard with frostunder foot. The apples have been taken from the trees by the pickers. They have been put inbarrels and shipped to the cities where they will be eaten in apartments that are filled with books, magazines, furniture, and people. On the trees are only a few gnarled apples that the pickers haverejected. They look like the knuckles of Doctor Reefy’ s hands. One nibbles at them and they are delicious. Into a litt le round place at the side of the apple has been gathered all of its sweetness.One runs from tree to tree over the frosted ground picking the gnarled, twisted apples and filling his pockets with them. Only the few know the sweetness of the twisted apples.

The girl and Doctor Reefy began their courtship on a summer afternoon. He was forty-fivethen and already he had begun the practice of filling his pockets with the scraps of paper thatbecame hard balls and were thrown away. The habit had been formed as he sat in his buggy behind the jaded grey horse and went slowly along country roads. On the papers were written thoughts, ends of thoughts, beginnings of thoughts.

One by one the mind of Doctor Reefy had made the thoughts. Out of many of them heformed a truth that arose gigantic in his mind. The truth clouded the world. It became terrible and then faded away and the little thoughts began again.

The tall dark girl came to see Doctor Reefy because she was in the family way and hadbecome frightened. She was in that condition because of a series of circumstances also curious.

The death of her father and mother and the rich acres of land that had come down to her had seta train of suitors on her heels. For two years she saw suitors almost every evening. Except twothey were all alike. They talked to her of passion and there was a strained eager quality in their voices and in their eyes when they looked at her. The two who were different were much unlikeeach other. One of them, a slender young man with white hands, the son of a jeweler in Winesburg, talked continually of virginity. When he was with her he was never off the subject. Theother, a black-haired boy with large ears, said nothing at all but always managed to get her into the darkness, where he began to kiss her.

For a time the tall dark girl thought she would marry the jeweler's son. For hours she sat in silence listening as he talked to her and then she began to be afraid of something. Beneath his talk of virginity she began to think there was a lust greater than in all the others. At times it seemed to her that as he talked he was holding her body in his hands. She imagined him turning it slowly about inthe white hands and staring at it. At night she dreamed that he had bitten into her body and that his jaws were dripping. She had the dream three times, then she

became in the family way to theone who said nothing at all but who in the moment of his passion actually did bite her shoulder sothat for days the marks of his teeth showed.

After the tall dark girl came to know Doctor Reefy it seemed to her that she never wanted to leavehim again. She went into his office one morning and without her saying anything he seemed to know what had happened to her.

In the office of the doctor there was a woman, the wife of the man who kept the bookstore in Winesburg. Like all old-fashioned country practitioners, Doctor Reefy pulled teeth, and the woman who waited held a handkerchief to her teeth and groaned. Her husband was with her and when the tooth was taken out they both screamed and blood ran down on the woman's white dress.The tall dark girl did not pay any attention. When the woman and the man had gone the doctor smiled. "I will take you driving into the country with me," he said.

For several weeks the tall dark girl and the doctor were together almost every day. The condition that had brought her to him passed in an illness, but she was like one who has discovered the sweetness of the twisted apples, she could not get her mind fixed again upon theround perfect fruit that is eaten in the city apartments. In the fall after the beginning of her acquaintanceship with him she married Doctor Reefy and in the following spring she died. During the winter he read to her all of the odds and ends of thoughts he had scribbled on the bits of paper. After he had read them he laughed and stuffed them away in his pockets to become round hard balls.

1.According to the story Doctor Reefy’s life seems very ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿.

A. eccentric

B. normal

C. enjoyable

D. optimistic

2.The story tells us that the tall dark girl was in the family way. The phrase “in the family way”means＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿.

A. troubled

B. Pregnant

C. twisted

D. cheated

3.Doctor Reef lives a ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿life.

A. happy

B. miserable

C. easy-going

D. reckless

4. The tall dark girl’s marriage to Doctor Reef proves to be a ＿＿＿＿＿one.

A. transient

B. understandable

C. perfect

D. funny

5. Doctor Reef’s paper balls probably symbolize his ＿＿＿＿＿＿.

A. eagerness to shut himself away from society

B. suppressed desire to communicate with people

C. optimism about life

D. cynical attitude towards life

参考答案

A B B A B

专八阅读理解模拟试题（2）

As many as one thousand years ago in the Southwest, the Hopi and Zuni Indians of North America were building with adobe－sun baked brick plastered with mud. Their homes looked remarkably like modern apartment houses. Some were four stories high and contained quarters for perhaps a thousand people, along with store rooms for grain and other goods. These buildings were usually put up against cliffs, both to make construction easier and for defense against enemies. They were really villages in themselves, as later Spanish explorers must have realized since they called them "pueblos", which is Spanish for town.

The people of the pueblos raised what are called "the three sisters" - corn, beans, and squash. They made excellent pottery and wove marvelous baskets, some so fine that they could hold water. The Southwest has always been a dry country, where water is scarce. The Hopi and Zuni brought water from streams to their fields and gardens through irrigation ditches. Water was so important that it played a major role in their religion. They developed elaborate ceremonies and religious rituals to bring rain.

The way of life of less settled groups was simpler and more strongly influenced by nature. Small tribes such as the Shoshone and Ute wandered the dry and

mountainous lands between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. They gathered seeds and hunted small animals such as small rabbits and snakes. In the Far North the ancestors of today’s Inuit hunted seals, walruses, and the great whales. They lived right on the frozen seas in shelters called igloos built of blocks of packed snow. When summer came, they fished for salmon and hunted the lordly caribou.

The Cheyenne, Pawnee, and Sioux tribes, known as the Plains Indians, lived on the grasslands between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River. They hunted bison, commonly called the buffalo. Its meat was the chief food of these tribes, and its hide was used to make their clothing and covering of their tents and tipis.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. The architecture of early American Indian buildings.

B. The movement of American Indians across North America.

C. Ceremonies and rituals of American Indians.

D. The way of life of American Indian tribes in early North America.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that the dwellings of the Hopi and Zuni were______.

A. very small

B. highly advanced

C. difficult to defend

D. quickly constructed

答案详解

1. D) 根据阅读短文可知，作者主要描述了北美地区不同印第安部落的不同的生活方式。故选项D为正确答案。

2. B) 此题为推断题。根据文章第一段可知，早在一千年前Hopi和Zuni两支北美印第安部落就用一种砖坯“adobe”来建造房屋，高可达四层楼高，有居住室还有储藏室，颇像现代的公寓，故选项B（高度发达）为正确答案。

专八阅读理解模拟试题（1）

In some countries where racial prejudice is acute, violence has so come to be taken for granted as a means of solving differences, that it is not even questioned. There are countries where the white man imposes his rule by brute force; there are countries where the black man protests by setting fire to citiesand by looting and pillaging. Important people on both sides,who would in other respects appear to be reasonable men, get up and calmly argue in favor of violence – as if it were a legitimate solution, like any other. What isreally frightening, what really fills you with despair, is the realization that when it comes to the crunch, we have made no actual progress at all. We may wear collars and ties instead of war-paint, but our instincts remain basically unchanged. The whole of the recorded history of the humanrace, that tedious documentation of violence, has taught us absolutely nothing. We have still not learnt that violence never solves a problem but makes it more acute. The sheer horror, the bloodshed, the suffering mean nothing. No solution ever comes to light the morning after when wedismally contemplate the smoking ruins and wonder what hit us.

The truly reasonable men who know where the solutions lie are finding it harder and herder to get a hearing. They are despised, mistrusted and even persecuted by their own kind because they advocate such apparently outrageous things as law enforcement. If half the energy that goes into violent acts were put to good use, if our efforts were directed at cleaning up the slums and ghettos, at improving living-standards and providing education and employment for all,we would have gone a long way to arriving at a solution. Our strength is sapped by having to mopup the mess that violence leaves in its wake. In a well-directed effort, it would not be impossible to fulfill the ideals of a stable social programme. The benefits that can be derived from constructive solutions are everywhere apparent in the world around us. Genuine and lasting solutions are always possible, providing we work within the framework of the law.

Before we can even begin to contemplate peaceful co-existence between the races, we must appreciate each other's problems. And to do this, we must learn about them: it is a simple exercise in communication, in exchanging information.

"Talk, talk, talk," the advocates of violencesay, "all you ever do is talk, and we are none the wiser." It's rather like the story of the famous barrister who painstakingly explained his case to the judge. After listening to a lengthy argument the judge complained that after all this talk, he was none the wiser. "Possible, my lord," the barrister replied, "none the wiser, but surely far better informed." Knowledge is the necessary prerequisite to wisdom: the knowledge that violence creates the evils it pretends to solve.

1. What is the best title for this passage?

[A] Advocating Violence.

[B] Violence Can Do Nothing to Diminish Race Prejudice.

[C] Important People on Both Sides See Violence As a Legitimate Solution.

[D] The Instincts of Human Race Are Thirsty for Violence.

2. Recorded history has taught us

[A] violence never solves anything.

[B] nothing.

[C] the bloodshed means nothing.

[D] everything.

3. It can be inferred that truly reasonable men

[A] can't get a hearing.

[B] are looked down upon.

[C] are persecuted.

[D] Have difficulty in advocating law enforcement.

4. "He was none the wiser" means

[A] he was not at all wise in listening.

[B] He was not at all wiser than nothing before.

[C] He gains nothing after listening.

[D] He makes no sense of the argument.

5. According the author the best way to solve race prejudice is

[A] law enforcement.

[B] knowledge.

[C] nonviolence.

[D] Mopping up the violent

答案详解（反白可见）：

1.B 暴力难以消除种族偏见。文章一开始就提出有些国家种族偏见严重，而暴力却是公认的一种解决方法。白人采用暴力镇压，黑人以防火、掠抢为反抗。而双方的大人物平静地论及暴力，似乎这是一种合法的解决方案。作者就此指出人类的进步只在于表面――衣饰等，人类的本能没有改变。整个有记录历史的文件没有教会人类任何东西。这是真正令人可怕的事件。第二段论及真正有理智的懂得解决方案所在的人鼓吹法制，人们不停。他们反而收到轻视、迫害。作者就此提出假设，答出真正的解决方案嗜法制，以法治理。第三段进一步说明“交流、对话”是了解双方问题的前提，即使暴力者不同意，但知道暴力制造它假装要解决的罪恶，是智慧聪明的必要前提。

A.鼓吹暴力。C.双方重要人物都把暴力作为合法的解决方案。D. 人类的本性是嗜暴性。

2.B没有什么。第一段中就明确提出整个人类有记录历史又长又臭的暴力文件记录，一点都没有教给我们任何东西。

A.暴力解决不了任何事情。C.杀戮（流血）没有任何意义。D.一切。

3.D在鼓吹法制方面有困难。答案在第二段，真正有理智的人鼓吹法制，遭到同类们的轻视、不信任和迫害。他们发现要人倾听他们的意见越来越困难。

A.人们不听。

B.遭人轻视。

C.遭人迫害。这三项都包含在D项内。

4.C听后无所得。None the wiser一点也不比以前聪明（这是按字面翻译）。实际就是C 项。

A.在倾听别人上他一点也不聪明。

B.他和以前一个样。D.他听不懂论点。

5.A法制。第二段最后一句，如果我们在法律的构架中进行工作，真正的持久的解决总是能实现的。第二段第二句，他们遭到迫害是因为他们鼓吹法制这种显然令人不能容忍的事。B.知识。C.非暴力。D.处理暴力带来的混乱