Passage 1

To most of us, the word “speech” means a method of communication based on the use of sounds produced by the throat, tongue, lips, etc. Of course, other communicative can be substituted under given conditions; writing, for instance, and gestures may adequately replace vocal intercourse when hearing is impeded and sounds can not be received.

Besides speech as we know it, and its substitutes, there exist a number of languages, which have acoustic bases but which, nevertheless, do not use vowels and consonants as the sound material of speech.

For example,in La Gomera the habitants can converse by means of articulated whistles. For ordinary conversation, they use normal spoken Spanish, but whenever distance makes speech inconvenient or impossible, they resort to the Silbo, as this whistled form is called.

Gomera is of vocanic origin and exeedingly mountainous and moving over such ground involves the expenditure of much time and energy. For this reason, the Silbo is of constant utility to Gomeras. A good whistler will be heard and understood five miles or more away when conditions are favorable,that is,when there is little or no wind.

The point is that a whistle is practically a pure tone of unchanging quality, which, if perceived at all, will be intelligible. So the Silbo scores over shouted speech in two major respects: articulation does not suffer in any way when an effort is made to increase loudness, and sounds which in speech have a low level of audibility, as at close quarters; and it is superior to visual “codes” in that it is as rapid as spoken Spanish.

1.What do we know about speech?

A.It is a method of communication based on sounds.

B.It is a substitute for oral methods of communication.

C.It is an inferior method of communication.

D.It is the least common method of communication.

2.What does the writer mean when he says language has an acoustic base?

A.It is based on gestures

B.It is based on written symbols.

C.It is based on sounds.

D.It is based on both A and B.

3.When do the inhabitants of La Gomera communicate by whistles?

A.when they are a bit far.

B.all the time.

C.seldom.

D.only on holidays

4.How far can a Silbo be heard?

A.five miles.

B.more than five miles.

C.five miles or more under favorable conditions.

D.less than five miles under any conditions.

5.Which of the following has a pure tone of unchanging quality?

A.word speech.

B.whistle.

C.pitch. D.both A and B. 1 2 3 4 5 A C A C B

Passage 2

We are now in a position to set down some of the "laws" of language-statements, which are valid not merely for one language, as are grammatical rules, but which are applicable to all languages.

1. Language is primarily a social phenomenon.

Although the aspects of language relating to the physical sciences and humanities are important, the functions and uses of language are most important to society and the individual in his contacts with other humanbeings.

2. Languages are all pervasive.

Language accompanies every human activity and is the indispensable means by which that activity is coordinated and made successful.

3. Language are primarily an oral means of communication.

Notwithstanding the importance of the written language-particularly in modern civilization-and of symbolical and gestural systems of meaning transfer, the primary form of language is speech.

4. Languages are normally a reflex action.

Once it is painfully acquired by processes, which can be imitative, intellective, or a combination of both, spoken language becomes as much of a reflex action as driving a car.

5. Languages are geographically localized.

However great or small the difference may be, language varies from area to area. The geographical differences can be recorded, and when enough of them accumulate, we speak of separate dialects and languages.

6. Languages are socially stratified.

Class differences are bound to arise in language. They may be based on educational, economic, social or occupational factors and may have considerable range. The divergences appear most in vocabulary, to a far lesser degree in grammar, least of all in sounds.

7. Languages are subject to change.

This principle applies at all times and in all places, though to varying degrees. The only language that remains completely inert is a wholly dead and forgotten language. Change appears in all segments of a language-in its sounds, in its words, in its grammatical forms, in its scheme of meanings.

1.We can infer that “laws” of language are applicable to ______.

A.one language.

B.two languages.

C.all languages.

D.any languages which have rules.

2.The most important use of language is ______.

A.to sciences and humanities.

B.to help the individual adapt to society.

C.the usefulness in society and in the interaction among people.

D.none of this.

3.The primary form of speech is ______.

A.writing.

B.gestures.

C.speech.

D.language.

4.”Language is normally a reflex action” means ______.

A.Learning language is difficult.

B.Language is used without thought once it is learned.

C.Learning language is not an intellectual process.

D.It is impossible to think out one's speech.

5.The localization of speech can be seen in ______.

A.variations in pronunciations.

B.variations in grammar.

C.different dialects.

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

Passage 3

Speech-the act of uttering sounds to convey meaning-is a kind of human action. Like any other constantly repeated action, speaking has to be learned, but once it is learned, it becomes a generally unconscious and apparently automatic process.

As far as we can determine, human beings do not need to be forced to speak; most babies seem to possess a sort of instinctive drive to produce speech like noises. How to speak and what to say are another matter. These actions are learned from the particular society into which the baby is born; so that, like all conduct that is learned from a society-from the people around us-speech is a patterned activity.

The meandering babble and chatter of a young child are eventually channels by imitation into a few orderly grooves that represent the pattern accepted as meaningful by the people around him. Similarly, a child’s indiscriminate practice of putting things into his mouth becomes limited to putting food into his mouth in a certain way.

The sounds that a child can make are more varied and numerous than the sounds that any particular language utilizes. However, a child born into a society with a pattern of language is encouraged to make a small selection of sounds and to make these few sounds over and over until it is natural for him to make these sounds and no others.

1.Which is true?

A.Speech is governed by instinct.

B.Speech has to be learned.

C.Speech cannot become automatic.

D.Speech is seldom repeated.

2.What do we call the conduct learned from a society?

A.automatic activity.

B.selection.

C.instinctive activity.

D.patterned activity.

3.When does a child's chatter become speech?

A.when it begins to follow meanings.

B.when it begins to be repeated.

C.when it becomes natural to him.

D.when it contains enough sounds.

4.What is the most important factor for a child to learn speech?

A.nationality.

B.talent.

C.instinct.

D.imitation.

5.Which is true as far as a child’s sounds are concerned?

A.The number is small.

B.The number is great and they are varied.

C.They are far from language.

D.It is not as numerous. 1 2 3 4 5 B D A D B

Passage 4

Very often, the human eye and brain can recognize familiar configurations even if all but a few significant data points are left out. It is this creative power of perception that may someday allow profoundly deaf people to converse in sign language over a special "telephone". Researchers have found that thirteen spots on each hand and one spot on the nose-to show head motion and provide a reference point for hand position-are sufficient for intelligibly rendering of American Sign Language. The bright spots are produced by attaching pieces of reflective tape to the nose, fingertips, wrists, and back of the second knuckles and adjusting a closed-circuit TV system so that only the bright spots appear to the screen of the receiver. After a few minutes, pairs of deaf people are able to converse freely over TV. Deaf people and other sign readers can, of course, understand sign language and written subtitles on commercial TV. But wide spread link-ups of TV systems for personal communications are economically impossible because a standard picture requires about one thousand times more information than a TV circuit can carry. The researchers think it likely that the simplified picture of twenty-seven moving dots used in their experiments can be reduced to a capacity of a TV line.

1.Which of the following is the best title?

A.Language Learning

B.Communications Through Languages

C.The Way Of Sign Language Communication

D.A Telephone For The Deaf

2.Where can we find the passage?

A.entertainment column

B.front page

C.science magzine

D.auto magazine

3.What’s the meaning for "configuration"?

A.harmony

B.elegance

C.concord

D.appearance

4.Which is true in the following?

A.Only deaf people can understand sign language.

B.People who view the closed-circuit screen sees bright dots.

C.Thirteen spots of light will be used in the new communications system.

D.Sign language here means gestures made by disabled people.

5.Which produces the bright dots mentioned in the beginning?

A.TV

B.the tape

C.the telescope

D.the light bulb 1 2 3 4 5 D C D B B

Passage 5

“To be or not to be”, many people work for existance, but there are some who do not. The human volunteer is a man who is in greater and greater demand in these days of expanded scientific research. For the time comes, despite all lab work, all the experiments with animals, and all the microscopic analyses, when only a humanbeing can provide the true test.

Today, the human volunteer may fall into one of three broad groups: military man, prisoners, and volunteers whose religious or other convictions lead them to such work. Among these men and women you will find those who will take shots of the new vaccines, who will swallow radioactive drugs, who will fly higher than anyone else, who will watch malaria-infected mosquitoes feed on their bare arms, who will eat nothing but rice for six weeks, and who will permit themselves to be locked alone in chambers too small to stretch their legs.

Why do human guinea pigs volunteer? Some may be seeking adventures; others, recognition; but most are moved by religious convictions or a strong sense of scientific dedication.

Studies by psychiatrists of several groups of volunteers have shown that, in addition to these reasons, some have been motivated by the desire to avoid unpleasant situations at home or to hold off making decisions on their future career, while still others volunteers because, unconsciously, they felt guilty of something they had done or thought they had done and wanted to atone for it. One study made of 29 volunteers also indicated that there was some emotional disturbance in 15 of them, ranging from personality disorders to neurotic reactions.

Is there a little of the volunteer in all of us? Maybe. The polls report that more than five million Americans are willing to take the 1st flight to the moon.

1.What’s the subject of the passage?

A.motives

B.challenge

C.personalities

D.illness

2.Why is there a greater demand for human volunteers?

A.an increase in deseases

B.an increase in scientific research

C.a shortage of animals

D.a shortage of scientists

3.Which does not belong to the three main human volunteer groups?

A.career men

B.prisoners

C.armymen

D.faith-bearing people

4.What’s the main reason for people to volunteer?

A.challenge

B.faith and desire to dedicate

C.seeking recognition

D.all of the above

5.Why don’t we use animals instead of humans in experiments?

A.They will not provide a true effect on human beings.

B.They will not follow orders.

C.They will make the space dirty.

D.They are scarce. 1 2 3 4 5 A B A B A

Cloze 1

Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each　blank there are four choices marked (A), (B), (C) and (D) at the end of the passage. You should choose the ONE answer that best fits into the passage.

A new sport has 1) the ski slopes. If you’re “cool” you call it “shredding.” If you want to be technical, you call it “snowboard skiing.” But most people call it “snowboarding.” This sport 2) in popularity in the last few years. It’s a combination of 3) , and 4) on a board 5) like a wide, short ski. The boards, which are often very colorful, are between 3.5 feet and 5 feet long and are about 11 inches wide. Special snowboard boots are held tightly into the bindings. Snowboarding is so popular in the United States, Europe, and Japan 6) there are now worldwide competitions with racing and freestyle events. Even though it’s becoming 7) on the ski slopes, it is seen by some professional skiers 8) frivolous(不庄重的). A common image of a snowboarder is one who is young and adventurous, 9) someone who takes risks and 10) rebellious.

1. A.beaten B.won C.hit D.striken

2. A.has been gaining B.has gained C.was gained D.gained

3. A.skateboard and surf B.skateboarding and surfing C.skateboarding and surf D.skateboard and surfing

4. A.does B.is doing C.is done D.has done

5. A.somehow B.somewhere C.someway D.somewhat

6. A.which B.in which C.that D.among which

7. A.usual B.ordinary C.average D.common

8. A.as B.to be C.being D.like

9. A.that B.of C.about D./

10. A.is B.are C.be D./

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

C A B C D C D A B A

Cloze 2

Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each　blank there are four choices marked (A), (B), (C) and (D) at the end of the passage. You should choose the ONE answer that best fits into the passage.

An exhibition of holograms（空间画） is a strange sight. When you walk 1) the exhibition rooms, you may at first see only “empty” frames. But as you walk around, 2) from certain angles and distances, you see the images appearing to turn off and on as you move 3), there are often tiny lamps suspended from the ceiling in a dimly lit rooms. This adds to the fearful 4).

Holograms first became common in museums in 5) . Since then they have 6) a number of breakthroughs and technological developments. Now they are 7) brighter and can be seen from a wide range of angles and distances. Whereas in the past, many holographers concentrated solely on technical 8) , now they are dedicating themselves (9) artistic concerns 10). Holography is definitely an important art form, one that will gain importance in the future.

1. A.around B.round C.into D.in

2. A.look B.looking C.looked D.and looking

3. A.In addition B.However C.Whereas D.Although

4. A.affect B.act C.influence D.effect

5. A.the early 1970's B.the early 1970s C.early the 1970's D.early 1970s

6. A.undertaken B.underlaid C.undergone D.underdeveloped

7. A.more B.much C.too D.rather

8. A.skills B.aspect C.care D.concerns

9. A.to B.in C.with D.on

10. A.as well as B.so as well C.as well D.just as well

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

C B A D B C B D A C

Cloze 3

Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each　blank there are four choices marked (A), (B), (C) and (D) at the end of the passage. You should choose the ONE answer that best fits into the passage.

One of nature’s richest, most productive living places, woodland along rivers once bordered more than 8,000,000 acres of waterways 1) into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Now this area has 2) to about 12,000 acres because of the 3) of willow(柳树) and cottonwood trees. This decline in the woodland has 4) the loss of natural living places for a variety of 5) , including the yellow-billed cuckoo（布谷鸟）.

Around the 6) of the century, the cuckoo population probably stood at about 70,000 breeding pairs in California. Today fewer than 300 of the birds exist in California. Their 7) has been connected with the decline of the woodland, for when the cuckoos arrive each summer they 8) the willow and cottonwood trees for nesting and searching food. Each pair needs about 40 acres in order to search for food. Volunteers are now trying to expand the living place for the yellow-billed cuckoo. 9) ,75 acres of riparian woodland have been 10) .

1. A.draining B.drained C.drains D.drain

2. A.subsided B.shrunk C.increased D.ascended

3. A.cutting off B.cutting out C.cutting up D.cutting down

4.

A.resulted from B.resulted in C.resulted to D.resulted with

5. A.species B.specie C.specy D.specis

6. A.change B.turn C.shift D.round

7. A.fate B.luck C.fortune D.goal

8. A.relay on B.rest on C.rely on D.perch

9. A.as for B.so far C.so as D.with regard

10. A.preserved B.reserved C.restored D.renaissance

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

A B D B A B A A B C

Cloze 4

Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each　blank there are four choices marked (A), (B), (C) and (D) at the end of the passage. You should choose the ONE answer that best fits into the passage.

Originator of Montessori method of education for children, Maria Montessori was the first woman 91) receive a medical degree in Italy. After 92) her degree in 1894, she worked 93) retarded children 94) a doctor at the University of Rome. It was there 95) she pioneered in instruction of retarded（迟缓的） children, especially through the use of an environment rich 96) educational materials.

The chief components of the Montessori method are self-motivation and autoeducation. Followers of the method believe that a child will learn naturally if put in an environment with the 97) materials. The teacher 98) observer and only interferes if help99) . Educators in this system are trying to reverse the traditional system of an active teacher and a 100) class.

1. A.who B.to C.she D.that

2. A.receiving B.having received C.received D.she receiving

3. A.on B.with C.about D.out

4. A.like B.to be C.as D.being

5. A.in which B.where C.which D.that

6. A.with B.in C.of D.on

7. A.improper B.proper C.inaccurate D.accurate

8. A.acts on B.acts like C.acts D.acts as

9. A.is needed B.be needed C.needed D.needs

10. A.negative B.passionate C.pessimistic D.passive

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

B A B C D B B D A D

Cloze 5

Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each　blank there are four choices marked (A), (B), (C) and (D) at the end of the passage. You should choose the ONE answer that best fits into the passage.

First, the topic you eventually settle 1) should be complex enough for an essay of some five to ten pages. This is probably 2) long an essay as you have to write in your first year or two of college, so be sure you base it on an appealing 3) . Second, as you search for a topic, remember that instructors have their individual likes and dislikes too, and that it is only common 4) for a writer to choose the topic most 5) to please his or her reader. Finally narrow your topic choice 6) to one that can be researched mainly at your local library. Since the collections 7) at most college libraries are substantial enough to support all but the most technical topics, 8) is not a severe limitation, Purely for practical reasons, however, it is smart to write on a topic that is convenient to research. 9) from being convenient, a narrowed topic also keeps you 10) ranging far and wide to provide support for your paper.

1. A.down B.on C.with D.in

2. A.too B.such C.much D.as

3. A.tittle B.main idea C.topic D.headline

4. A.feeling B.sense C.feelings D.senses

5. A.like B.likely C.liked D.to be liked

6. A.on B.around C.down D.near

7. A.found B.find C.founded D.are founded

8. A.which B.that C.in which D.this

9. A.Beside B.Aside C.Besides D.Except

10. A.from B.to C.away D.on

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

B D C B B C A D B A

西工大 阅读和完形