06年GCT考试英语辅导教材

第五节阅读理解强化练习
Reading Comprehension 1

Passage 1

“ Family” is of course an elastic word. But when British people say that their society is based on family life, they are thinking of “family” in its narrow, peculiarly European sense of mother, father and children living together alone in their own house as an economic and social unit. Thus, every British marriage indicates the beginning of a new and independent family—hence the tremendous importance of marriage in British life. For both the man and the woman, marriage means leaving one´s parents and starting one´s own life. The man´s first duty will then be to his wife, and the wife´s to her husband. He will be entirely responsible for her financial support, and she for the running of the new home. Their children will be their common responsibility and theirs alone. Neither the wife´s parents nor the husband´s, nor their brothers or sisters, aunts or uncles, have any right to interfere with them—they are their own masters.

Readers of novels like Jane Austen´s Pride and Prejudice will know that in former times marriage among wealthy families were arranged by the girl´s parents, that is, it was the parents´ duty to find a suitable husband for their daughter, preferably a rich one, and by skillful encouragement to lead him eventually to ask their permission to marry her. Until that time, the girl was protected and maintained in the parents´ home, and the financial relief of getting rid of her could be seen in their giving the newly married pair a sum of money called a dowry. It is very different today. Most girls of today get a job when they leave school and become financially independent before their marriage. This has had two results. A girl chooses her own husband, and she gets no dowry.

1. What does the author mean by “Family is of course an elastic word”?

A.Different families have different ways of life.

B. Different definitions could be given to the word.

C. Different nations have different families.

D.Different times produce different families.

2. For an English family, the husband´s duty is ____.

A. supporting the family while the wife is financial

B. defending the family while the wife is running the home

C. financial while the wife is running the home

D. independent while the wife is dependent

3. Everything is decided in a family ____.

A.by the coupleB. with the help of their parents

C. by brothers and sistersD. with the help of aunts and uncles

4. What is true concerning the book Pride and Prejudice?

A. It is the best book on marriage.

B. It is a handbook of marriage.

C. It gives quite some idea of English social life in the past.

D. It provides a lot of information of formertime wealthy families.

5.With regard to marriage in Britain, present-day girls differ from former time girls in ____.

A. the right marryB. more parental support

C. choosing husbandsD. social position

1.【答案】B。

【解析】此句主要是考察对elastic这个单词的理解，elastic的意思是“有弹性的，可伸缩的，不是固定不变的”，整句话的意思是“家庭当然不是一个固定不变的概念”，在这一段的后面也写了不同时期的家庭和婚姻状况，从此可知“family”一词的含义也是不同的。

2.【答案】C

【解析】从文中可找出关键句“The man´s first duty...”和“responsible for her financial support”，此句意思是“男人应是女人的财政支柱”，financial的意思是“财政的，金融的”。注意“responsible for her...running of the new home”是关键句。

3.【答案】A

【解析】由第一段最后一句“neither...nor...nor...have any right to interfere with them.”此处的“them”是指夫妻俩，neither...nor...是否定形式，即说……都没有权力干涉夫妻俩的事情，——他们是自己的主人，故此题的正确答案是A。

4.【答案】C

【解析】分析本文第二段可知，《傲慢与偏见》这本书中讲述了当时的婚姻状况，当时有钱人之间的婚姻都是由女方父母做主，并且父母给新婚夫妇一些钱做嫁妆之后就不再管他们的经济问题，这是当时英国社会生活的一个方面

5.【答案】C

【解析】从第二段中开始部分可知过去的女孩的社会地位，从后半部分可知现在的女孩的社会地位比以前有很大提高，表现在结婚前就可以自己在经济上独立，可以自己选择丈夫，可以不要dowry(嫁妆)，这些方面都属于社会地位方面。
Passage 2

Except for the Indians, the earliest backpackers in America were frontiersmen, who roamed the wilderness looking either for necessities such as food and wateror for sources of wealth such as fur and gold. For them backpacking was a way of survival or a means of achieving what one day would be called the “American Dream”.Today,however,many people enjoy backpacking as a recreational activity.Shouldering a pack and leaving behind the world of telephone,television and traffic promise an exciting experience.Testing one´s stamina (耐力) and skills are challenging a sense of one´s place in the natural world can be rewarding .Moreover, backpacking is an activity that can last any length for time and can be enjoyed alone or with friends. Then too, a backpacking trip may be organized within a day or two. The backpacker and his friends have only to decide on their destination and then organize the all-important kit, whose contents they must depend on throughout their trip. A map, a compass, a flashlight, along with first equipment, food, and extra clothing can be rounded up without much difficulty. Once the backpackers have left word about where they go in a note on the refrigerator door or in a message on an answering machine, they can look forward to an adventure that will lift the spirit and nourish the soul. Their outing will enable them to return in a short time to the age of technology with the courage and independence of Natty Bumppo, who did indeed belong to the age of the frontier.

6. The passage mainly discusses_________ .

A. the early backpackersB. backpacking as a perfect form of recreation

C. how backpacking startedD. why people of today are interested in backpacking

7.The earliest backpackers were _____________. 

A. frontiersmenB.IndiansC. fur traders D. gold miners

8. Early backpackers who roamed about in wilderness were interested in finding________ .

A. means to realize the American dream B. recreation in life

C. relief from the stress of everyday life D. daily necessities

9. One of the advantages of backpacking is that ___________. 

A. it can help people to establish a link with nature

B. it is a group activity and can cure a person´s loneliness

C. it is not so challenging as other activities

D. it does not require people to decide on a destination

10.According to the passage, Natty Bumppo was____________.

A. an American national hero B. a character in a Hemingway novel

C. a man of valorD. an lndian warrior

6.【答案】D

【解析】本文开头简要介绍 backpacking这种运动的起源。但这不是文中主要讨论的内容。可以看出，文中讨论的重点是backpacking作为一种现代娱乐活动为什么会深受许多人喜爱。D答案与此意相同，说明了文章的中心议题，是正确答案。

7.【答案】B

【解析】见原文开头：Except for the Indians,the earliest backpackers in America were frontiersmen… 除了 Indians (印第安人), frontiersmen (未开发的边疆居民)是美国最早的backpackers这说明Indians才是美国最早的backpackers，因此B项是正确选项。

8.【答案】D

【解析】见原文开头……the earliest backpackers……，who roamed the wilderness looking either for necessities such as food and water or for sources of wealth such as fur and god……。D项与此意相符，是正确答案

9.【答案】A

【解析】见它(backpacking)可以帮助人们与自然建立一种联系。这说明在这项活动中，人是融于自然的，它在人和自然之间建立了一种直接的联系，这也正是这项活动的好处所在。因此A答案是正确的。B它是一种群体活动，可以治疗一个人的孤独感；C它不像其它活动一样富有挑战性；D它不要求人们决定自己的目标。均非文中讨论的内容。

10.【答案】C

【解析】见见原文最后一句：Their outing will enable them to return in a short time to the age of technology with the courage and independence of Natty Bumppo,who did indeed belong to the age of frontier。C一个勇敢的人，符合文中的叙述，是正确的答案。A. 一个美国民族英雄；B. 海明威小说中的主人公；D. 一名印第安士兵。文中均未提到。
Passage 3

American Indians played a central role in the war known as the American Revolution.To them,however,the dispute between the colonists and England was peripheral (边缘的). For American Indians the conflict was a war for American Indian independence, and whichever side they chose they lost it. Mary Brant was a powerful influence among the Iroquois.She was a Mohawk, the leader of the society of all Iroquois matrons, and the widow of Sir William Johnson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs.Her brother, Joseph Brant, is the best-known American Indian warrior of the Revolution, yet she may have exerted even more influence in the Confederacy than he did .She used her influence to keep the western tribes of Iroquois loyal to the English king, George Ⅲ.When the colonists won the war, she and her tribe had to abandon their lands-and retreat to Canada.On the other side,Nancy Ward held positions of authority in the Cherokee nation.She had fought as a warrior in the war against the Greeks and as a reward for her heroism was made “Beloved Woman”of the tribe.This office made her chief of the women´s council and a member of the council of chiefs.She was friendly with the White settlers and supported the Patriots during the Revolution.Yet the Cherokees too lost their land.

11. What is the main point the author makes in the passage? 

A. Siding with the English in the Revolution helped American Indians regain their land.

B. At the time of the Revolution, the Superintendent of Indian Affairs had little power.

C. Regardless of whom they supported in the Revolution, American Indians lost their land.

D. The outcome of the Revolution was largely determined by American Indian women.

12. According to the passage, Mary Brant´s husband had been a _________ .

A. government officialB. Mohawk chief

C. revolutionary hero D. Cherokee council member

13.To which tribe did Nancy Ward belong? 

A. Mohawk. B. Iroquois.C. Cherokee. D. Greek.

14. How did Nancy Ward gain her position of authority? 

A. By bravery in battle. B. By marriage to a chief.

C. By joining the Confederacy.D. By being born into a powerful family.

15. According to the passage,what did Mary Brant and Nancy Ward have in common?

A. Each was called “Beloved Woman” by her tribe. 

B. Each influenced her tribe´s role in the American Revolution.

C. Each lost a brother in the American Revolution. 

D. Each went to England after the American Revolution.

11.【答案】C

【解析】这一段的中心意思是：无论美洲印第安人在美国革命战争中支持谁，最终他们都失去了他们自己的土地。文中举了两个例子来说明这一观点。

12.【答案】A

【解析】在第五句作者介绍说：Mary Brant 是Mohawk 整个Iroquios部落的首领，是印第安事务主管Sir William Johnson 的遗孀。这说明Mary Brant的丈夫曾是政府官员。

13.【答案】C

【解析】在第九句作者讲到：Nancy Ward 在Cherokee民族掌权。这说明她是属Cherokee部族。

14.【答案】A

【解析】在第十句讲到：Nancy Ward 在与希腊的交战中作战勇猛，作为对她的女英雄行为的奖赏，她成了“Beloved Woman” (“受人爱戴的女人”)。这个职位使她成了妇女协会的头领及首领委员会的一个成员。由此可知Nancy Ward是通过她的勇敢获得她的职位的

15.【答案】B

【解析】这道题的题意为：Mary Brant 和Nancy Ward有何共性。作者举这两个例子最终要说明的是，无论印第安人是支持英殖民者还是支持美国，最终都没有得到应有的待遇。这两位领袖人物的行为说明她们各自都用自己的行为影响了各自部落在革命战争中的作用。
Passage 4

James Joyce was an Irish novelist who revolutionized the methods of depicting characters and developing a plot in modern fiction. His astonishing way of constructing a novel, his frank portrayal of human nature in his books, and his complete command of English have made him one of the outstanding influences on literature in the 20th Century. Many critics judge that he is second only to Shakespeare in his mastery of the English language. Joyce was deeply influenced by Ireland and wrote all his books about Dublin.

When he was in DublinCollege, he studied languages and spent his spare time reading books. He refused to take part in the nationalist movement like his fellow students, but he became passionately interested in literature. He wrote outspoken articles of literary criticism that shocked his teachers and even taught himself Norwegian so that he could read Ibsen´s works in the original.

When he graduated in 1902, he knew he would become a writer and an exile, because he felt he could not be one without the other. In order to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully, and as objectively as he knew how, about the people and places he knew best, he had to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion or public life. He went to France, Italy and Switzerland, where he lived in poverty and obscurity for the first 20 years, only returning to Ireland when his mother was dying. Except for a couple of brief trips, he stayed abroad all his life.

16. James Joyce was first of all a ___________. 

A. revolutionary B. critic C. novelist D. exile

17. James Joyce was famous for many reasons EXCEPT ___________. 

A. his way of constructing a novel B. his frank portrayal of human nature 

C. his complete command of English D. his passion in literature

18. “He is second only to Shakespeare” is a comment on his _________. 

A. achievement in literature B. achievement in the nationalist movement

C. achievement in his study of languages  D. mastery of the English language

19. How many examples are used to show his passion in literature?

A. 2. B. 3. C. 1. D. 4.

20. Why did James Joyce stay abroad almost all his life?

A. Because he wanted to live in poverty and obscurity.

B. Because he wanted to write the people and places he knew best.

C. Because he wanted to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion or public life.

D. Because he wanted to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully and objectively about the people and the places he knew best.

16.【答案】C

【解析】文章第一句就已告诉我们他是一位小说家。

17.【答案】D

【解析】他成为二十世纪对文学产生深远影响的人物之一，是由于他的小说的独特构造，他对人性的率直描写及他对英语的完全掌握，即A、B、C，只有D不是他闻名于世的原因，因此D为正确答案。（北京安通学校提供）

18.【答案】D

【解析】“in his mastery of the English language”表明范围、方面，即在英语语言的掌握方面仅次于莎士比亚，本文没有具体提到他对文学的贡献或他学习的成绩，他没有参加民族运动，不可能在这方面有什么贡献，因此D为正确答案。

19.【答案】A

【解析】第二段提到他沉迷于文学，然后用两个例子进一步说明：他写的非常大胆的文学评论文章让他的老师大为吃惊，他甚至自学挪威语以便阅读易卜生原著。

20.【答案】D

【解析】James Joyce几乎一生都住在国外是因为他想保护他的写作理想，即真实、完整、客观地写他最为熟知的人物和地方。