大学英语二级期末考试 阅读理解命题范围

Passage 1

Charlie Chaplin has broken all records in making people laugh. No one has so set a whole world laughing as the little man with the walking stick and the oversized shoes.

Much has been written about Chaplin's art and his career, and opinions have ranged widely. But perhaps those who called him "the truest human being of our time" came closest to the truth. Those who have called him a genius stress the timeless and common qualities in his work. It is an art filled with sad elements and deep human feeling, with which an audience cannot help but become involved. It is for these reasons, I believe, that the figure of Charlie has attracted generation after generation.

All the writers who give accounts of Chaplin's life agree that Charlie's unhappy early years in the area in London where houses were dirty and worn had a great influence on his development and on the type of films he made. Chaplin himself emphasizes it in his memoirs (回忆录). The more one reads about his earliest period, the more one tends to agree. Indeed, his suffering youth had a lasting influence on him.

Chaplin was never afraid to deal with subjects causing much disagreement in his films. He gave a humorous performance on war only a few weeks before the American soldiers came home from World War I in 1918. This was regarded as madness, but the performance was well received. So perfectly did it hit the nail on the head that even the returning soldiers found it impossible to hate it and deeply appreciated this short and humorous performance on what for them had been an unpleasant reality. Chaplin gave numerous performances attacking capital governments, satirizing (讽刺) the cruelty of the machine age, and even making fun of Hitler.

Years after his death, the funny films of motion picture actor and director Charlie Chaplin continue to be well loved. He is particularly well known for his success as a creator of humorous presentations that make fun of people, the establishment, or networks.

Passage 2

Although Beethoven could sit down and compose easily, his really great compositions did not come easily at all. They cost him a great deal of hard work and he always found it hard to satisfy himself.

When he was 28, he began to notice a strange noise in his ears. As it grew worse, he went to see doctors, and was told that he was going deaf. This was too much for any composer to bear. Beethoven was without hope; he was sure that he was going to die. He went to the countryside where he wrote a long good-bye letter to his brothers, describing how sad and lonely his deafness made him. He longed to die, and said to death, "Come when you will; I shall meet you bravely."

In fact, Beethoven did something braver than dying. He gathered his courage and went on writing music, though he could hear what he wrote more and more faintly. He wrote the music for which we remember him best after he became deaf. This music was very different from any that had been composed before. Instead of the artistic and beautiful music that earlier composers had written for their rich listeners, Beethoven wrote stormy, exciting music which reminds us of his troubled and courageous (勇敢的) life. His Heroic (英雄的) Symphony (交响乐) and Fifth Symphony both show his courage in struggling with his fate.

In time he went completely deaf, but he wrote more creatively than ever, for he could "hear" his music in his mind. He was lonely and often unhappy but in spite of this, he often wrote joyful music, such as his last symphony, the Ninth. Because of his courage and strong will to triumph, his music has given joy and encouragement to millions of people.

Passage 3

English food is thought of poorly in other countries. This is most probably because foreigners in England are often obliged (不得不) to eat in the more fast-food type of restaurant. Here it is necessary to prepare food rapidly in large amounts, and the taste of the food inevitably suffers, though its quality, from the point of view of nourishment (营养), is quite satisfactory. Still, it is rather dull and not always pleasantly presented. Moreover, the Englishman eating in a cheap or medium price restaurant is usually in a hurry (at least at lunch), and a meal eaten in a leisurely way in pleasant surroundings is always far more enjoyable than a meal taken quickly in a business-like environment. In general, it is possible to get a good meal at a reasonable price; in fact, such a meal may be less expensive than similar food in other countries. For those with money to spare, there are restaurants that compare favorably with the best in any country.

In many countries breakfast is a snack (点心) rather than a meal, but the typical English breakfast is a full meal. Some people have a bowl of hot or cold cereal(谷物) to begin with. Then comes a large and filling course, usually cooked, such as bacon (腊肉) and eggs, or some other type of meat. Yorkshire ham (火腿) is also a breakfast many people enjoy. Afterwards comes toast, with butter and marmalade (果子酱), and perhaps some fruit. Tea or coffee is drunk with the meal. Many English people now take such a full breakfast only on Sunday morning.

Passage 4

Television carries more national advertising than any other medium in the United States. The same is true in some smaller countries such as Spain and Portugal, where it is the only medium reaching a general national audience. In many countries, (Sweden and Denmark, for example) the state-owned television accepts no advertising. In many other countries the amount of commercial (商业广告) time is very much limited, as in France, Germany, and Italy. Russian state-owned television began accepting a limited amount of advertising in 1988.

The chief reason that television is so well liked among United States advertisers is that it reaches a vast number of people at the same time. While it can cost well over 100,000 dollars, a 30-second commercial on network television can be seen and heard by as many as 25 million viewers. For companies that must make prospects aware of their products and convince them of their benefits immediately, there is nothing as efficient as television advertising.

Because it employs motion as well as words, pictures, sounds, and music, television is a valuable medium for products that lend themselves to demonstration. No other medium is as effective in showing how quickly an automobile can move or how well a certain type of wristwatch will stand up under heavy use and continue to run. In the same way, it is an ideal medium for showing how some products can make a person feel better about him- or herself, such as long-distance telephone calls.

Passage 5

Coffee is one of the most popular (流行的) drinks throughout the world today. In fact, according to some estimates, over 30% of all adults in the world drink coffee at least once a day on the average.

Coffee contains a kind of drug called caffeine (咖啡因). Caffeine is a chemical that stimulates (刺激) the nerves of the body. Drinking coffee tends to make people a little bit more awake—at least for a short time―because of this stimulating effect on the nervous system (系统). A cup of coffee has, on the average, about 3% caffeine in it.

One story of the discovery of the coffee plant relates to this effect of caffeine. According to the story, coffee was discovered in East Africa. The story says that coffee was first found by a goat farmer named Kaldi. This was about the year 850.

Kaldi was leading his animals through the mountains and the goats were stopping repeatedly to eat the plants near the path. Suddenly, some of the goats started jumping up and down in a very strange way.

Kaldi figured out that the goats were acting this way because of the plants they were eating. Kaldi himself tried eating some of the green beans (豆荚) that the goats had been eating. He, too, felt the stimulating effect of the beans.

Kaldi wanted to prove what had happened, so he picked some of the beans and took them back to his home village, where he told his story. The green bean got the name "Kaffa" and later "coffee" because the beans were discovered in a place called Kaffa in Africa.

Then for years, people used to eat a few of the green Kaffa beans when they were in the mountains and needed extra energy to do their work. It was later found that the coffee beans could be picked and then dried until they turned brown, and then they could be stored. If the beans were dried and stored, they could be used at any time.

Passage 6

Pepys and his wife had asked some friends to dinner on Sunday, September 2nd, 1666. The servants (女仆) were up very late on the Saturday evening, getting everything ready for the next day, and while they were busy they saw the glow of a fire start in the sky. By 3 o'clock on the Sunday morning, the glow had become so bright that one of the servants, Jane, woke her master to see it. Pepys went to the window to watch it. It seemed fairly far away, so after a time he went back to bed. When he got up in the morning, it looked as though the fire was dying down, though he could still see it. So he set to work to tidy (整理) his room and put his things back where he wanted them after the servants had cleaned everything.

While he was doing this, Jane came in to say that she had heard that the fire was a bad one: three hundred houses had been burned down in the night and the fire was still burning. Pepys went out to see for himself. He went to the Tower of London and climbed up on a high part of the building so that he could see what was happening. From there, Pepys could see that it was, indeed, a bad fire and that even the houses on London Bridge were burning. Someone told him that the fire had started in a baker's house in Pudding Lane (小巷), and then the flames (火焰) had quickly spread to the other houses in the narrow lane. So began the Great Fire of London, a fire that lasted nearly five days, destroyed most of the old city and ended, so it is said, at Pie Corner.

Passage 7

The University of London is one of Britain's largest centers for higher education, with a name for international education. Located in one of the world's most dynamic(有活力有生气的) cities, we can offer international students a wide and exciting cultural life, as well as the very best course choice and teaching. We offer our international students the ability to study and improve their command of English, to ensure they get the best from the course of their choice.

International students are assured of a successful and happy time while studying at the University of London. We have a Student Service office to help you at all times, and first year students are ensured a place in halls of residence if desired. Your teacher will give you personal instruction if required. Students can enjoy themselves in the free health center at any time.

As a final point, we offer religious service rooms for those of all faiths and as London is an international city, we can put students in touch with many religious groups in this area. Finally, with excellent air, rail, and road links to the rest of Britain, Europe, and the world, getting here is easy.

Passage 8

After having lived for over twenty years in the same district, Albert Hall was forced to move to a new neighborhood. He surprised his landlord by telling him that he was leaving because he could not afford to buy any more chocolate.

It all began a year ago when Albert Hall returned home one evening and found a large dog in front of his gate. He was very fond of animals and as he happened to have a small piece of chocolate in his pocket, he gave it to the dog. The next day, the dog was there again. It held up its paws (爪子) and received another piece of chocolate as a reward. Albert called his new friend "Bingo". He never found out the dog's real name, nor who his owner was. However, Bingo appeared regularly every afternoon and it was quite clear that he liked chocolate more than bones. He soon grew dissatisfied with small pieces of chocolate and demanded a large piece a day. If at any time Albert couldn't give it, Bingo got very angry and refused to let him open the gate. Albert was now at Bingo's mercy and had to "buy him" to get into his own house! He spent such a large part of his money to keep Bingo supplied with chocolate that in the end he had to move somewhere else.

Passage 9

Time spent in a bookshop can be most pleasant, whether you are a book-lover or merely there to buy a book as a present. You may even have entered the shop just to find shelter from a sudden shower. Whatever the reason, you can soon become totally unaware of your surroundings. You soon focus on some book or other, and usually it is only much later that you realize you have spent too much time there and must hurry off to keep some forgotten appointment.

This opportunity to escape the realities of everyday life is the main attraction of a bookshop. A music shop is very much like a bookshop. You can range round such places to your heart's content. If it is a good shop, no assistant will approach you with the greeting, "Can I help you?" You needn't buy anything you don't want. In a bookshop an assistant should remain in the background until you have finished reading. Then, and only then, are his services necessary.

Once a medical student had to read a textbook which was far too expensive for him to buy. He couldn't obtain it from the library and the only copy he could find was in a bookshop. Every afternoon, therefore, he would go to the shop and read a little of the book at a time. One day, however, he was disappointed to find the book missing from its usual place. He was about to leave, when he noticed the owner of the shop making a gesture to him with his hand. Expecting to be scolded, he went towards him. To his surprise, the owner pointed to the book which was put away in a corner. "I put it there in case anyone had a desire to buy it!" he said, and left the delighted student to continue his reading.

Passage 10

In the United States, it is not normal to telephone someone very early in the morning. If you telephone him early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that the matter is very important and requires immediate attention. The same meaning is attached to telephone calls made after 11:00 p. m. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he assumes it's a matter of life and death. The time chosen for the call communicates its importance.

In social life, time plays a very important role. In the US guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation (邀请) to a dinner party is extended only three or four days before the party date. But this is not true in all countries. In other areas of the world it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten.

The meaning of time is different in different parts of the world. Thus, misunderstandings arise between people from cultures that treat time differently. To be on time is valued highly in American life, for example. If people are not on time, they may be regarded as not polite or not fully responsible. In the US no one would think of keeping a business associate waiting for an hour; it would be bad-mannered. A person who is five minutes late is expected to apologize. If he is less than five minutes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence.

Passage 1

1. A 2. D 3. C 4. D 5. B

Passage 2

1. D 2. A 3. B 4. C 5. D

Passage 3

1. D 2. A 3. D 4. B 5. C

Passage 4

1. C 2. C 3. A 4. D 5. B

Passage 5

1. C 2. A 3. B 4. C 5. C

Passage 6

1. C 2. C 3. C 4. B 5. C

Passage 7

1. B 2. D 3. C 4. A 5. C

Passage 8

1. D 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. C

Passage 9

1. C 2. A 3. C 4. B 5. A

Passage 10

1. D 2. A 3. A 4. B 5. A

大学英语二级期末考试 阅读理解命题范围教学内容