Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (占总分的35%)
(占总分的25%)
Directions: There are three passages in this part.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices marked A),B),C)and D).You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Questions 35 to 39 are based on the following passage:
Auctions(拍卖) are public sales of goods,conducted by an officially approved auctioneer.He asked the crowd to gather in the auction room to bid for various items on sale.He encourages buyers to bid higher figures and finally names the highest bidder as the buyer of the goods.This is called “knocking down” the goods,for the bidding ends when the auctioneer bangs a sm all hammer on a raised platform.
The ancient Romans probably invented sales by auction and the English word comes from the Latin “autic”,meaning “increase”.The Romans usually sold in this way the spoils taken in war;these sales were called “sub hasta”,meaning “under the spear”,a spear being stuck in the ground as a signal for a crowd to gather.In England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries goods were often sold “by the candle”;a short candle was lit by the auctioneer and bids could be made while it was burning.
Practically all goods can be sold by auction.Among these arecoffee,skins,wool,tea,cocoa,furs,
fruit,vegetables and wines.Auction sales are also usual for land and property,antique furniture,
pictures,rare books,old china and works of art.The auction rooms at Chritie’s and Sotheby’s in London and New York are world-famous.
An auction is usually advertised beforehand with full particulars of the articles to be sold and where and when they can be viewed by the buyers.If the advertisement cannot give full details,catalogues are printed,and each group of goods to be sold together,called a “lot”,is usually given a number.The auctioneer need not begin with lot one and continue the numerical order;he may wait until he notices the fact that certain buyers are in the room and then produce the lots they are likely to be interested in.The auctioneer’s services are paid for in the form of a percentage of the price the goods are sold for.The auctioneer therefore has a direct interest in pushing up the bidding.
35.Auctioned goods are sold________.
A.for the highest price offered
B.at fixed prices
C.at prices lower than their true value
D.at prices offered by the auctioneer
36.The end of bidding is called “knocking down” because________.
A.the auctioneer knocks on the table
B.the auctionees names the highest bidder as the buyer of the goods
C.the goods are knocked down onto the table
D.the auctioneer bangs the table with a hammer
37.In the sentence“The Romans usually sold in this way the spoils taken in war,”the word “spoils” most probably means________.
A.useless goods B.spears
C.various kinds of food D.property taken from the enemy
38.In England a candle used to burn at auction sales________.
A.because the auction sales took place at night
B.as a signal for the crowd to gather
C.to keep the auction room warm
D.to limit the time when offers of prices could be made
39.An auction catalogue gives buyers________.
A.the current market values of the goods
B.details of the goods to be sold
C.the order in which goods are to be sold
D.free admission to the auction sale
Questions 40 to 44 are based on the following passage:
There are some 65 species of New World monkeys.Many of these have a very useful anatomical adaptation lacking in theirold world counterparts:that curious“fifth hand”,the prehensile tail.And in a few species the gripping tail has developed to such an extent that it actually has “fingerprints” on the tip.While of course a tail is not equipped with fingers,it can sometimes be even more useful than an arm or a leg.A spider monkey’s tail,for instance,is longer than its head and body combined,and is frequently used instead of a hand to grasp distant objects.Other monkeys less fortunate are forced to relegate at least one limb to support while they feed,whereas monkeys endowed with prehensility can hang by their tails while they feast with both hands and feet.A few New World monkeys have also evolved arms and shoulders that are suitable for swinging hand over hand through the trees like the Asiatic gibbons.
40.The passage mainly discusses________.
A.certain evolutionary advantages of New World monkeys
B.feeding habits of the spider monkey
C.the development of arms and shoulders in New World monkeys
D.some anatomical adaptations of Asiatic gibbons
41.The author probably believes that a monkey uses its prehensile tail especially for________.
A.running over a grassy plain B.supporting itself while eating
C.swimming across a river D.defending itself against enemies
42.In the second sentence,the word “their” refers to________.
A.New World monkeys B.Old World monkeys
C.spider monkeys D.Asiatic gibbons
43.It can be inferred from the passage that the Asiatic gibbons and certain New World monkeys are similar in what respect?
A.The length of their tails.
B.Their mating habits.
C.The ability to grip with their feet.
D.Their upper body structure.
44.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the information in the passage?A.Some monkeys use their hands to grasp objects.
B.A spider monkey has a very long tail.
C.A prehensile tail has fingers.
D.Asiatic gibbons can swing through trees
Baltimore was founded in 1729.For a generation it seemed no different from a dozen other settlements springing up at the head of the Chesapeake Bay;its claim to distinction consisted of a blacksmith’s shop,flour mill,and tobacco warehouse.Yet Baltimore was fated for a more dynamic future than its slow beginnings seemed to portend.Spurred by an agricultural revolution in the Maryland and Pennsylvania countrysides as well as dramatic disruptions in the Atlantic economy,Baltimore at midcentury began to boom.By 1790 it had risen to become the new republic’s fourth largest city with aspirations to overtake the three still ahead:New York,Philadelphia,and Boston.
Although the Baltimore of the Jeffersonian are looked utterly unlike the colonial village from which it had emerged,the two shared more than might be apparent at first glance.Baltimore’s economy had expanded tremendously,to be sure,but the same forces that sparkedexpansion around 1750 continued to sustain it fifty years later.Despite the establishment of new governments at the state level in 1776,national level in 1788,and municipal level in 1797,the same festering issues continued to convulse its politics.If Baltimore had become richer and bigger,its occupational structure,wealth distribution,and residential patterns would have withstood the pressures of growth and looked about the same in 1790 as in 1812.In other words,beneath the frenzied and seemingly chaotic pace of urbanization,Baltimore enjoyed a strong element of stability.For in 1812,no less than in 1729,Baltimore was a preindustrial town.
45.In what year was Baltimore established?
A.1729. B.1750. C.1776. D.1788.
46.Which of the following was not one of the nation’s three largest cities in 1790?
A.Philadelphia. B.Boston. C.New York. D.Baltimore.
47.In line 13,the word “sparked” could best be replaced by which of the following?
A.Burned up. B.Flickered. C.Led to. D.Discharged.
48.What level of government was established in 1788?
A.Municipal. B.Country. C.State. D.National.
49.Which of the following statements about the Baltimore of 1812 can be inferred from the passage?
A.It did not take the way the city did in 1790.
B.It did not have many factories.
C.It was not an enjoyable place in which to live.
D.It could not grow any larger.
(占总分的10%)
