专题练习
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Passage 1 ❌2 16m 03s
The computer is a wonderful machine. It is the most important invention since the type of engine used in cars. Today it has the greatest effect on science, industry, and business, but it is being used more in education and medicine. By the end of this century it will touch the lives of everyone, even people in distant villages. It is a revolutionary invention.
The oldest kind of computer is the abacus used in China since the sixth century. In the seventeenth century an adding machine was invented, but the first large, modern computer was built in 1937. A few years later a computer could do 5000 additions per second. Now the computations are so fast that they are measured in nanoseconds（毫微秒）.
Today most computers have a memory. They are getting smaller and smaller, and computing faster and faster. Even in a large computer, the part that does the actual computing is about the size of the end of a finger.
Computers can do all kinds of work. When someone buys something in a department store, information about the sale goes into a computer. A scientist can talk to the computer about the rocks, and the computer answers the questions. A doctor can talk to the computer and explain what is wrong with a patient. If the doctor asks why, the computer goes through its stored information and explains exactly why.
When early humans began farming, it was a revolutionary change in human life. It was hundreds of thousands of years later that people developed a writing system（方法）. In less than fifty years people have developed computers that can do most of the things humans can do. This could be a frightening development.
The computer is considered a wonderful machine because _______.
A. it has effect on all aspects of man’s lifeB. it is widely used in education and medicineC. it has the function of an engine
D. it is useful even in distant villages1 ❌
(这道题很难, 虽然是第一题, 但我感觉是最难的) (剩下AD, A太绝对了, 不选它) D ❌😅
A ✅The abacus has been used in China for _______.
A. some 5,000 years
B. about 600 years
C. nearly 1,000 years
D. over 1,300 years2 ❌
B (16世纪就已使用)
D ✅The most important feature of a computer is that _______.
A. it has a memory
B. it is small in size
C. it computes fast
D. it answers all kinds of questions3 ✅
C (这道题我根据文章完全选不出答案, 只能生活常识回答, 所以如何通过看文章选出这道题?)
The computations of the computer are usually measured in _______.
A. seconds
B. minutes
C. hours
D. nanoseconds4 ✅
D
The computer will soon affect _______.
A. people in large cities
B. people in developed countries
C. people all over the world
D. people in the Western world5 ✅
C
精析 P397
Passage 2 ❌1 12m 30s
In the traditional marriage, the man worked at a job to earn money for the family. Most men worked in an office, a factory, or some other place away from the home. Since the man earned the money, he paid the bills. The money was used for food, clothes, a house, and other family needs. The man made most of the decisions. He was the boss.
In the traditional marriage, the woman seldom worked away from the house. She stayed at home to care for the children and her husband. She cooked the meals, cleaned house, washed the clothes, and did other household work. Her job at home was very important.
In recent years, many couples continue to have a traditional relationship of this kind. The man has a job and earns the money for the family. The woman stays at home and cares for the children and the house. Many Americans are happy with this kind of marriage. But some other Americans have a different impression of marriage and family responsibilities.
There are two important differences in male and female roles now. One is that both men and women have many more choices. They may choose to marry or to stay single. They may choose to work or stay at home. Both men and women may choose roles that are comfortable for them.
A second difference in male and female roles is that within marriage many decisions and responsibilities are shared. The husband and wife may choose to have children, or they may not. If they have children, the man may take care of them some of the time, all of the time, or not at all. The woman may want to stay at home and take care of the children. Or she may want to go to work. Men and women now decide these things together in a marriage. Many married people now share these decisions and the responsibilities of their families.
Which of the following is NOT true in the traditional marriage?
A. Men worked at a job to earn money for family.
B. The woman made most of decisions. 🟣
C. The woman stayed at home to care for the children.
D. The man paid the bills.1 ✅
B
In recent years _______.
A. young couples reject the traditional relationship
B. the woman has a job and earns the money for the familyC. the woman doesn’t stay at home and care for the children and the house
D. the role of men and women has begun to change2 ❌ 🤖
B ❌ (我把意思理解成: 男人和女人的角色开始交换了) D ✅
你把 “change”（变化） 理解成了 “exchange”（交换）Men and women may now choose all the following EXCEPT to _______.
A. marry or to stay single
B. work or to stay at home
C. have the roles that are comfortable for them
D. leave their jobs just because they have children3 ✅
D
The following are all now true EXCEPT _______.
A. they may choose to have children or not
B. the man may take care of the children some of the time
C. the woman may want to go to work
D. the woman is the most important person in the house4 ✅
D
Which of the following is NOT true?
A. The man was the boss in the traditional marriage.
B. The woman’s job at home was very important in the past.
C. Many Americans still have a traditional marriage.
D. Everyone tries to get married.5 ✅
D
精析 P397
Passage 3 ✅ 10m 49s
Today, supermarkets are found in almost every large city in the world. But the first supermarket was opened only fifty years ago. It was opened in New York by a man named Michael Cullen.
A supermarket is different from other types of stores in several ways. In supermarkets, goods are placed on open shelves. The customers choose what they want and take them to the check-out counter. This means that fewer employees are required than in other stores.
The way products are displayed is another difference between supermarkets and many other types of stores. For example, in supermarkets there is usually a display of small inexpensive items just in front of the check-out counter: candies, chocolate, magazines, cheap books and so on. Why are they there?
Most customers who go to a supermarket buy by a shopping list. They know exactly what they need to buy. They shop according to a plan. By the time he or she reaches the check-out counter, the customer is feeling pleased and relaxed because the task of shopping is finished. In this happy mood, the customer sees an attractive display of inexpensive goods that were not on his or her shopping list. Now he or she feels like buying something just for his or her own pleasure and enjoyment. Many customers buy from these displays of products near the check-out counter, and this is exactly what the owner of the supermarket hopes they will do.
Another important fact in helping a customer choose what to buy is where a product is placed on a shelf. A product that is placed at eye level on a shelf sells much better than one which is placed on a lower or higher shelf. A product which is easy to see sells best. Manufacturers pay a higher price to have their products placed at eye level on the shelves.
The comfort and convenience of shopping centers is another factor which makes them popular with customers. Large parking spaces are provided, and many supermarkets stay open until very late at night.
According to the passage, which statement is NOT true?
A. Today supermarkets are found in almost every big city. ✅
B. The first supermarket was opened only half a century ago. ✅
C. The first supermarket was opened in New York. ✅
D. A supermarket is different from other kinds of stores in two ways.1 ✅
D
According to the passage, which statement is TRUE?
A. Supermarkets need more clerks than other stores. ❌
B. In supermarkets goods are placed on closed shelves. ❌
C. The customers prefer supermarkets to other kinds of stores.
D. The customers pay any clerk they meet for what they have bought in supermarkets.2 ✅
(D没看太明白是什么意思) C
A product that is placed ______ sells best.
A. on a lower shelf
B. on a higher shelf
C. as high as one’s waist
D. as high as one’s eyes3 ✅
D
Why do you think shopping centers attract more customers than other kinds of stores?
A. They have more kinds of goods
B. They have few employees.
C. They display small inexpensive items in front of check-out counters.
D. They have large parking lots and they stay open until almost midnight.4 ✅
D
According to the passage, small or cheap goods are generally placed ______.
A. at eye level on the shelves
B. near the check-out counter
C. near the check-in counter
D. in the center of the supermarket5 ✅
B
精析 P398
Passage 4 ✅ 12m 33s
计时比较模糊
Obviously television has both advantages and disadvantage.
In the first place, television is not only a convenient source of entertainment, but also a comparatively cheap one. With a TV set in the family people don’t have to pay for expensive seats at the theatre, the cinema, or the opera. All they have to do is to push a button or turn a knob, and they can see plays, films, operas and shows of every kind. Some people, however, think that this is where the danger lies. The television viewers need do nothing. He does not even have to use his legs if he has a remote control. He makes no choice and exercises no judgment. He is completely passive and has everything presented to him without any effort on his part.
Television, it is often said, keeps one informed about current events and the latest developments in science and politics. The most distant countries and the strangest customs are brought right into one’s sitting-room. It could be argued that the radio performs this service as well; but on television everything is much more living, much more real. Yet here again there is a danger. The television screen itself has a terrible, almost physical charm for us. We get so used to looking at the movements on it, so dependent on its pictures, that it begins to control our lives. People are often heard to say that their television sets have broken down and that they have suddenly found that they have far more time to do things and that they have actually begun to talk to each other again. It makes one think, doesn’t it?
There are many other arguments for and against television. We must realize that television in itself is neither good nor bad. It is the uses to which it is put that determines its value to society.
Television, as a source of entertainment, is _______.
A. not very convenient ❌
B. very expensive ❌
C. quite dangerous
D.relativelycheap1 ✅
D
Some people are against TV because _______.
A. TV programs are not interesting
B. TV viewers are totally passive
C. TV prices are very high
D. TV has both advantages and disadvantages2 ✅
B
One of the most obvious advantages of TV is that _______.
A. it keeps us informed
B. it is very cheap
C. it enables us to have a rest
D. it controls our lives ❌3 ✅
A (第三段开头就说了)
According to the author, whether TV is good or not depends on _______.
A. its quality ❌
B. people’s attitude towards it
C. how we use it
D. when we use it4 ✅
C
In this passage, the author’s attitude towards TV is _______.
A. negative
B. objective
C. critical
D. hostile5 ✅
B
精析 P398
Passage 5 ❌1 12m 39s
Computer programmer David Jones earns £35000 a year designing new computer games for a small firm in Liverpool, yet he cannot find a bank prepared to let him have a check card. Instead, he has been told to wait another two years, until he is 18.
David’s biggest headache is what to do with his money. Despite his salary, earned by inventing new programs, with bonus payments and profit-sharing, he cannot drive a car, buy a house, or obtain credit cards.
David got his job four months ago, a year after leaving school and working for a time in a computer shop. “I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs,” he said.
“I suppose £35000 sounds a lot but I hope it will come to more than his year.” He spends some of his money on records and clothes, and gives his mother £20 a week. But most of his spare time is spent working.
“Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school,” he said, “but I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway.”
David added: “I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear.”
Why is David different from other young people of his age?
A. Because he earns an extremely high salary.
B. Because he is not unemployed. ❌
C. Because he does not go out much. ❌
D. Because he lives at home with his parents. ❌1
A
David’s greatest problem is _______.
A. finding a bank that will treat him as an adult
B. inventing computer games
C. spending his salary
D. learning to drive ❌2
C
He was employed by the company because _______.
A. he had worked in a computer shop
B. he had written some computer programs
C. he had worked very hard
D. he had learned to use computers at school3
B
He left school because _______.
A. he did not enjoy school ❌
B. he wanted to work with computers and staying at school did not help him
C. he was afraid of getting too old to start computing ❌
D. he wanted to earn a lot of money4
B
Why does David think he might retire early?
A. Because you have to be young to write computer programs. ❌
B. Because he wants to stop working when he is a millionaire
C. Because he thinks computer games might not always sell so well. ❌
D. Because he thinks his firm might go bankrupt. ❌5 ❌
B ❌
C ✅
精析 P399