2014考研英语阅读理解模拟题及答案(四)

　　Those who welcomed the railway saw it as more than a rapid andcomfortable means of passing. They actually saw it as afactor in world peace.They did not foresee that the railway would be just one more means for therapid movement of aggressive armies. None of them foresaw that the more wearetogether-the more chances there are of war. Any boy or girl who is one of alarge family knows that. 　　Whenever any new invention is put forward, those for it and thoseagainst it can always find medical men to approve or condemn. The anti-railwaygroup produced doctors who said that tunnels would be most dangerous to publichealth: they would produce colds, catarrhs andconsumptions. The deafening noise and the glare of the engine fire, would havea bad effect on the nerves. Further, being moved through the air at a highspeed would do grave injury to delicate lungs. In those with high blood-pressure,the movement of the train might produce apoplexy . Thesudden plunging of a train into the darkness of a tunnel, and the equallysudden rush into full daylight, would cause great damage to eyesight. But thepro-railway group was of course able to produce equally famous medical men tosay just the opposite. They said that the speed and swing of the train wouldequalize the circulation, promote digestion, tranquilize the nerves, and ensuregood sleep. 　　The actual rolling-stock was anything but comfortable. If it was atest of endurance to sit for four hours outside a coach in rain, or inside indirty air, the railway offered little more in the way of comfort. Certainly thefirst-class carriages had cushioned seats; but the second-class had only narrowbare boards, while the third-class had nothing at all; no seats and no roof;they were just open trucks. So that third-class passengers gained nothing fromthe few mode except speed. In the matter of comfort, indeed they lost; theydid, on the coaches, have a seat, but now they had to stand all the way, whichgave opportunities to the comic press. This kind of thing: A man was seen yesterday buying athird-class ticket for the new London and Birmingham Railway. The state of hismind is being enquired into. 　　A writer in the early days of railways wrote feelingly of bothsecond-and third-class carriages. He made the suggestion that the directors ofthe railways must have sent all over the world to find the hardest possiblewood. Of the open third-class trucks he said that they had the peculiarproperty of meeting the rain from whatever quarter it came. He described themas horizontal shower-baths, from whose searching power there was no escape. 　　16. All boys and girls in large families know that. 　　A)a boy and a girl usually fight when they are together 　　B)people tend to be together more than they used to be 　　C)a lot of people being together makes fights likely 　　D)Railway leads the world to peace 　　17. According to those who welcomed the railway, the railway itselfshould include all the following except. 　　A)the railway enables people travel fast 　　B)the railway brings comfort to people 　　C)the railway makes the world peaceful 　　D)the railway leads the world to war as well. 　　18. According to the anti-railway group, all the followings are truebut. 　　A)tunnels are dangerous to public health 　　B)the noise and the glare of the engine fire may affect people snerves 　　C)the rapid speed through the air does damage to people s lungs 　　D)to those with high blood-pressure, the rapid speed of the traincauses them to die 　　19. We may safely conclude that. 　　A)the author belongs to the anti-railway group 　　B)the author belongs to the for-railway group 　　C)the author speaks highly of the railway 　　D)the author may never take train because of its potential dangers 　　20. What is the tone of this passage? 　　A)Practical B)Satirical C)Humorous D)Exaggerated 　　Passage 4 　　16.C17.D18.D19.A20.C