2008职称英语考试综合类A级真题及答案：阅读理解

第4部分：阅读理解(第3145题，每题3分，共45分)

下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题。请根据短文内容，为每题确定1个最佳选项。

第一篇

Centers of the Great European Cities

The centers of the great cities of Europe are meeting places by tradition. People gather there to drink coffee and chat late into the night. A mixture of locals and tourists make for an exciting. metropolitan(大都市的)atmosphere.

Squares, plazas(广场)and arcades(拱廊)form the heart of Europes cities.

Venice in Italy has the Piazza San Marco - a beautiful square surrounded by shops, churches, restaurants and cafes. In Barcelona, Spain, La Bosqueria is a lively market with hundreds of stalls selling all kinds of goods. Londons Covent Garden is filled with fruit and vegetable stalls by day and musicians, acrobats(杂技演员)and artists by night. The government buildings at the center of many cities often are architecturally impressive. In London, they serve as a beautiful backdrop(背景)to the coffee tables that line the streets and the banks of the Thames.

These vibrant(有活力的)hearts are the product of centuries of evolution, social historian Joel Garreau told US News and World Report recently. The reason people think Venice is so great today is you dont see all the mistakes, said Garreau. Those have all been removed. Most European cities were laid out before the invention of the car, so bars, restaurants and cafes were near to peoples homes. Today, the focus of many Europeans life has moved away from the centers. They live in the suburbs and outskirts, driving to supermarkets to get their supplies. But on a continent where people treasure convention, there are still those who hold onto traditional ways, living and shopping locally. These people, together with tourists, provide the city centers with their reason for existence.

Coffee culture plays a part in keeping these city centers flourishing. This is particularly true of Paris whose citizens are famous enthusiastic conversationalists. This skill is developed over many hours spent chaffing over espressos(浓咖啡)and cigarettes.

Religion also plays a role in developing sociable atmosphere. People in Roman

Catholic countries used to visit the Church on an almost daily basis. Entire communities would gather in the same building and then move out to the markets, cafs and bars in the surrounding streets. An enormous example of this relationship between church and society is the Duomo. The huge marble cathedral in Florence, Italy is surrounded by bakeries and coffee shops, and caters(迎合)not only to the tourist crowds, but also the local community.

31It can be inferred from the first paragraph that each big city in Europe

A has many large squares.

B has many very magnificent sky-scrapers.

C draws tourists in large numbers every yean

D has a center where tourists meet their spouses.

32Which statement is NOT true of Covent Garden?

A It is crowded with people.

B It is located in London.

C It is filled with stalls.

DIt is surrounded by shops, churches, restaurants and cafes.

33Why do people think that Venice is so great? ;

A Because it is a famous tourist attraction.

B Because you can reach anywhere by boat.

C Because it is well-known for its merchants.

D Because all the mistakes have been removed.

34What are Parisians famous for ?

ATheir pursuit of independence.

BTheir enthusiasm for conversation.

CTheir ability to keep the city flourishing.

DTheir devotion to developing a multiple culture.

35The writer cites the Duomo in the last paragraph as an example to illustrate that

Athere is a tight link between church and society.

Ball churches are magnificent.

Cold churches are very popular.

Dhighrise churches are impressive.

第二篇

Doubtful Ways to Reduce and Increase Your Weight

You hear this：No wonder you are fat. All you ever do is eat. You feel sad: I skip my breakfast and supper. I run every morning and evening. What else can I do? Basically you can do nothing. Your genes, not your life habits, determine your weight and your body constantly tries to maintain it.

Albert Stunkard of the University of Pennsylvania found from experiments that, 80 percent of the children of two obese(肥胖的)parents become obese, as compared with no more than l4 percent of the offspring of two parents of normal weight.

How can obese people become normal or even thin through dieting? Well, dieting can be effective, but the health costs are tremendous. Jules Hirsch, a research physician at Rockefeller University, did a study of eight fat people. They were given a liquid formula providing 600 calories a day. After more than 10 weeks, the subjects lost 45kg on average. But after leaving the hospital, they all regained weight. The results were surprising: by metabolic(新陈代谢的)measurement, fat people who lost large amounts of weight seemed like they were starving. They had psychiatric problems. They dreamed of food or breaking their diet. They were anxious and depressed; some were suicidal. They hid food in their rooms. Researchers warn that it is possible that weight reduction doesnt result in normal weight, but in an abnormal state resembling that of starved non-obese people.

Thin people however, suffer from the opposite：They have to make a great effort to gain weight. Ethan Sims, of the University of Vermont, got prisoners to volunteer to gain weight. In four to six months, they ate as much as they could. They succeeded in increasing their weight by 20 to 25 percent. But months after the study ended, they were back to normal weight and stayed there.

This does not mean that people are completely without hope in controlling their weight. It means that those who tend to be fat will have to constantly battle their genetic inheritance if they want to significantly lower their weight.

The findings also provide evidence for something scientists thought was true - each person has a comfortable weight range. The range might be as much as 9kg. Someone might weigh 60-69kg without too much effort. But going above or below the natural weight range is difficult. The body resists by feeling hungry or full and changing the metabolism to push the weight back to the range it seeks.

36What determines your weight?

AYour working manner.

BYour eating habit,

CYour life style.

DYour genes.

37What did Jules Hirsch do to the eight fat people in his study?

A He let them skip supper.

B He let them skip breakfast.

C He let them run every morning and evening.

D He gave them a liquid formula providing 600 calories a day.

38What happened to the eight fat people after they left the hospital?

AThey went mad.

BThey killed themselves.

CThey were back to normal weight.

DThey attempted suicide.

39Ethan Sims made his subjects

Abattle their genetic inheritance.

Bincrease their weight.

Csuffer from hunger.

Dlower their weight.

40What did scientists think was true?

A Each person has a fixed weight range.

B Each person has a weight range of 9kg.

C Each person wants to control his or her weight.

D Each person wants to eat to his or her hearts content.

第三篇

Shaming Punishments

Last month, James Connolly, a junior at the University of Massachusetts, stood in front of a local police station wearing a toga(长袍)as punishment.

His crime? He was charged with underage drinking, illegal possession of alcohol and excessive noise while holding a party.

This shaming punishment has increased in the US in recent years, mostly imposed by local judges for less-serious crimes, such as drunk driving and theft.

They believe shame is the best petty crime deterrent(威慑). For example, in Tennessee, Judge James McKenzie has made shoplifters(商店货物扒手)stand outside Wal-Mart with signs that read. I am a thief put here by order of Judge McKenzie.

Alternative punishments like community service and fines dont convey moral condemnation(谴责)of the criminal, said Dan Kahan, a University of Chicago Law School professor, in an article published on the universitys website. They arent shameful enough.

Shaming punishments are sometimes called Scarlet(红色的)Letter punishments. The name comes from US author Nathaniel Hawthornes l 850 novel The Scarlet Letter. In this novel, a woman is forced to wear a scarlet A on her clothes as punishment for her adultery(通奸).

However, University of lowa law professor Andrew Hosmanek said there is an important difference between the shaming punishments of colonial America and those assigned in states like Tennessee.

Early societies often had a re-acceptance ceremony to welcome the offender back into main society, says Hosmanek. Contemporary punishments in America lack this.

Supporters of shaming punishment argue that public shaming is a good way ofexpressing community values. Some judges say shamed offenders seldom repeat theircrimes.

Others arent so sure. There is little evidence to suggest that shaming punishments are successful in preventing people from committing specific crimes. And a shamed criminal may face a hard battle to regain credibility in society, said Hosmanek. So, a shaming punishment may force the offender into more crime to support himself.

Experts also debate shaming punishments damage to human dignity. Since the point is to shame, its of course degrading(侮辱人格的), said Linda Malone, director of the Human Rights and National Security Law Programme at William and Mary Law School.

US law only prohibits punishment that is cruel and unusual - not inhuman and degrading. Its very difficult for a thief to prove that holding a sign in front of Wal-Mart is cruel and unusual..

41James Connolly was accused of all the following crimes EXCEPT

Aillegally possessing alcohol.

Bsmuggling drugs.

Cdrinking at an illegal age.

Dmaking too much noise at a party.

42Which of the following punishments does NOT morally condemn a criminal?

AHolding a sign that announces his or her crime.

BPublishing his or her name on a website.

CApologizing for the crime in front of Wal-Mart.

DHaving to do useful work to help others without being paid.

43In the novel The Scarlet Letter a woman is accused of

Acorruption.

Bbribery.

Cadultery.

Dtheft.

44The word suggest in Paragraph 10 could be best replaced by

Apropose.

Bindicate.

Cassume.

Dexplain.

45What does US law forbid?

ACruel and unusual punishments.

BInhuman punishments.

CDegrading punishments.

DShaming punishments.