英语阅读(三)
A
Considered as a continuous body of fluid （流体）,the atmosphere （大气）is another kind of ocean .Yet ,in view of the total amount of rain and snow on land areas in the course of a year ,one of the most amazing water facts is the very small amount of water in the atmosphere at any given time .The volume （体积）of the lower seven miles of the atmosphere ,where weather events take place ,is roughly four times the volume of the world’s oceans .But the atmosphere contains very little water .It is chiefly in the form of vapor（蒸气）,some of which is carried over land by air currents .If all vapor suddenly fell from the air onto the earth’s surface, it would form a layer only about one inch thick .A heavy rainstorm on a given area may use up only a small percentage of the water from the air mass that passes over .How ,then ,can some land areas receive more than 400 inches of rain per year ?How can several inches of rain fall during a single storm in a few minutes or hours ?The answer is that rain—producing air masses are always moving ,and as the driving air mass moves on ,new damp air takes its place .
The basic source of most water vapor is the ocean .Evaporation（蒸发）,vapor transport ,and rainfall make up the continuous movement of water from ocean to atmosphere to land and back to the sea .Rivers return water to the sea .In the underground ,flowing bodies of water send out some water directly into rivers and some directly to the sea .
1．What might have been discussed in the preceding （在前的）paragraphs ？
A．The ocean . B．The earth . C．The rainfall. D．The atmosphere .
2．It can be inferred from the passage that .
A．the atmosphere has a lot of water in it when it goes around
B．the water in the atmosphere is purer than that in the world’s oceans
C．the amount of water in the atmosphere is greater than that in the oceans in the world
D．the small amount of water in the atmosphere plays an important part in the rainfall on the earth
3．Which fact does this passage lead us to believe ？
A．The volume of the atmosphere is four times that of the world’s oceans
B．The water in the oceans in the main source of rain and snow on land areas
C．The atmosphere is mainly made up of the vapor carried over land by air currents
D．The earth cannot support the water in the atmosphere if it falls down onto the earth suddenly
B
The Atlantic Ocean ,named for the lost island of Atlantis in very old stories ,has made up for the romantic beginning of its name by becoming the most important business highway in the world ;yet traces（痕迹）of romance are continually mixed with the business of the sea .
For instance ,the Spanish adventurers who first sought gold and silver in America frequently found their ships stopped because there was no wind ,usually on the edge of the steady trade winds
—about 30 degrees north or south latitude（纬度）.A sailing ship could carry only so much water ,and as it lay still under a hot sun for days or weeks ,the severe pains of thirst would make anyone dying or go away forever .
The horses were generally the first victims（牺牲品）;they had to be thrown overboard when they died or became mad with thirst .Because the Spanish gentlemen thought highly of their horses ,even believing they had souls after their death ,they suffered bitter regret and believed the ghosts （灵魂）of the proud war horses would so often come to the scene ;and they saw the restless spirits in their dreams and related their dreams to sailors .
Whenever the seamen passed that way ,they would see in the waves or clouds images of wild horses bearing down on them ;they began to call the broad belts of calm the “horse latitudes,”the romantic name by which they are known today .
4．According to the passage ,Atlantis .
A．probably did not exist even long ,long ago
B．was an island named after the ocean in which it was supposed to have existed
C．was surely an actual island which had disappeared
D．was the name of an island given by the Spanish adventurers
5．Today the Atlantic is .
A．romantic ,rather than businesslike
B．completely lacking in romance
C．less important to business than in the days of the sailing ships
D．more important to business than in the days of the sailing ships
6．The area of “horse latitudes”was dangerous because .
A．ships could easily sink there
B．there was no wind there
C．ships were overloaded with horses
D．there were souls of dead horses often making trouble to seamen
7．Dying horses were probably thrown overboard in order to .
A．save water B．lighten the ship
C．spare them the serious pains of thirst D．spare the men the trouble of caring for them
C
Like fine food ,good writing is something we approach （接近）with pleasure and enjoy from the first taste to the last .And good writers ,like good cooks ,do not suddenly appear full –blown .Quite the contrary ,just as the cook has to undergo （经历）an intensive training ,mastering the skills of his trade ,the writer must sit at desk and devote long hours to achieving a style in his writing ,whatever its purpose is —schoolwork ,matters of business ,or purely social communication .You may be sure that the more painstaking the effort ,the more effective the writing ,and the more rewarding .
There are still some remote places in the world where you might find a public scribe to do your business or social writing for you ,for a fee .There are a few managers who are lucky enough to have the service of that rare kind of secretary who can take care of all sorts of letter writing with no more than a quick note to work from .But for most of us ,if there is any writing to be done ,we have to do it ourselves .
We have to write school papers ,business papers or home papers .We are constantly called on to put words to paper .It would be difficult to count the number of such words ,messages ,letters and reports put into the mails or delivered by hand ,but the daily figure must be very great .What is more ,everyone who writes expects ,or at least hopes .We want whatever we write to be read ,from first word to last ,not just thrown into “letters-to –be-read”file （文件）or into a wastepaper basket .This is the reason we bend our efforts toward learning and practising the skills of interesting ,effective writing .
8．In this passage ,good writing is compared to fine food because .
A．both writers and cooks have to work long hours every day
B．both are necessary to life
C．both writers and cooks can earn a good living
D．both are enjoyable
9．The underlined word “scribe”means“ ”.
A．a secretary who does your business or social writing
B．a machine that does writing for you
C．a school where writing is taught
D．a person who earns a living by writing for others
10．According to the passage ,some managers don’t have to do any letter writing because .
A．they depend on quick notes B．they have excellent secretaries
C．they have a computer to do it D．they prefer making phone calls
11．According to the author ,if your letter is thrown into some “letters-to-be-read”file , .
A．it will receive immediate attention B．it will be dealt with by the secretary
C．it is likely to be passed over D．it is meant to be delivered soon
12．The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to .
A．explain and persuade B．comment and criticize
C．interest and enjoy D．argue and imagine
D
Frank Lloyd Wright probably is the greatest architect （建筑师）that the United States has ever produced .He had a natural ability to design buildings .His buildings were not only beautiful ,but they were also functional .They fit their purposes very well.Wright’s churches ,for example ,make people feel like thinking and praying .His office buildings make people enjoy working ,and his houses make people feel comfortable ,at home .However ,Frank Lloyd Wright’s beautiful ,functional buildings are not the only reason that he is famous .There is another reason .
Frank Lloyd Wright is called the greatest American architect because he started an American style in architecture .Most of the architecture in the United States before Wright was really European ,not American .Wright’s buildings do not look like old European buildings .They have their own style .Wright’s ideas about style are still used in the United States and in other parts of the world .
The most important idea in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Style of Architecture is that a building must fit its purpose and the land around it .His houses are often called “grass-land houses”because their lines are similar to the lines on the grass-land .Both the lines of the grass-land and the lines of Wright’s house are parallel（平行）to the horizon（地平线），the place where earth and sky seem to meet .They are horizontal lines .Most European style houses ,in contrast（对比）,have many vertical（垂直的）lines that from 90°angles with the horizon .
13．Which of the following would be the best title for this passage ?
A．The Influence of European Architecture on American Architecture
B．The Buildings Designed by the Greatest Architect Frank Lloyd Wright
C．The Influence of Architect Frank Lloyd Wright on American Architecture
D．Frank Lloyd Wright’s Contribution to the Improvement of Environment
14．What do you know about American architecture before Wright’s time ？
A．It hadn’t formed its own style yet
B．It was a model of modern style
C．Most of the houses were designed by Europeans
D．Most of the houses were practical but not good-looking
15．What is the most important idea in Wright’s style？
A．Architecture should present a variety of designs
B．A building must have a large grass-land around it
C．Architectural design should match natural surroundings
D．The function of a house is the most important in design
16．Which of the following styles of architecture is true of Wright’s “grass-land houses”?
A．The houses appear to stand on the horizon .
B．The houses are built mainly on the grass-land
C．The houses have many lines that form a right angle （角）with the horizon
D．The houses are special in style with lines similar to those on the grass-land
E
There is probably no field of human activity in which our values and lifestyles are shown more clearly and strongly than they are in the clothes that we choose to wear .The dress of an individual is a kind of “sign language”that communicates a set of information and is usually the basis on which immediate impressions are formed .Traditionally ,a concern for clothes was considered to be an affair of females ,while men took pride in the fact that they were completely lacking in clothes consciousness（意识）.
This type of American culture is by degrees changing as man dress takes on greater variety and color .Even as early as 1955,a researcher in Michigan said that men attached rather high importance to the value of clothing in daily life .White-collar workers in particular viewed dress as a symbol（象征）of ability ,which could be used to impress or influence others ,especially in the work situation .The white-collar worker was described as extremely concerned about the impression his clothing made on his superiors （上司）.Although blue-collar workers were less aware（察觉到的）that they might be judged on the basis of their clothing ,they recognized that any difference from the accepted pattern of dress would be made fun of by fellow workers .
Since that time ,of course ,the patterns have changed :the typical office worker may now be wearing the blue shirt ,and the laborer a white shirt ;but the importance of dress has not become less .Other researchers in recent years have helped to prove its importance in the lives of individuals at various age levels and in different social and economic status groups （阶层）.
17．The passage tells us that .
A．our value and lifestyles are in no field of human activity
B．the clothes that we choose to wear have something to do with our values and lifestyles
C．our values and lifestyles are from the sign language
D．the clothes we choose to wear depend on a set of information and immediate impression
18．Traditionally ,people usually thought that .
A．men cared very much for clothes
B．women concerned greatly about what they wore while men didn’t
C．both men and women paid great attention to their clothes
D．neither men nor women showed interest in clothes
19．Blue—collar workers pay great attention to their clothes because .
A．they extremely concern about the impression their clothes make on their superiors
B．they know very clearly that people will judge them on the basis of their clothing
C．they want to impress and influence others
D．they don’t want to be laughed at
20．The passage mainly suggests that .
A．now men pay more attention to their clothes than women do
B．women always like beautiful dresses
C．people have paid more and more attention to the importance of dress
D．American culture is changing greatly
参考答案(三) 1—5 ADBAD 6---10 BCDDB 11---15 CACAC 16---20 DBBDC