英语阅读(二)试题(全国)
全国2006年10月高等教育自学考试
英语阅读(二)试题
课程代码：00596
Ⅰ.Reading Comprehension.(50 points,2points for each)
Directions: In this part of the test, there are five passages. After each passage, there are five questions followed by four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best answer and then write the corresponding letter on your Answer Sheet.
Passage One
Plants and animals that have been studied carefully seem to have built-in clocks． These biological clocks，as they are called，usually are not quite exact in measuring time．However，they work pretty well because they are“ reset ”each day，when the sun comes up．
Do pigeons use their biological clocks to help them find directions from the sun? We can keep pigeons in a room lit only by lamps．And we can program the lighting to produce artificial “days”，different from the day outside．After a while we have shifted their clocks．Now we take them far away from home and let them go on a sunny day．Most of them start out as if they know just which way to go，but choose a wrong direction．They have picked a direction that would be correct for the position of the sun and the time of day according to their shifted clocks．
It is known and experimented that homing pigeons can tell directions by the sun．But what happens when the sky is darkly overcast by clouds and no one can see where the sun is? Then the pigeons still find their way home．The same experiment has been repeated many times on sunny days and the result was always the same．But on very overcast days clock-shifted pigeons are just as good as normal pigeons in starting out in the right directions．So it seems that pigeons also have some extra sense of direction to use when they cannot see the sun．
Naturally，people have wondered whether pigeons might have a built-in compass－something that would tell them about the directions of the earth’s magnetic field．One way to test that idea would be to see if a pigeon’s sense of direction can be fooled by a magnet attached to its back．With a strong magnet close by，a compass can no longer tell direction．
To test the idea，a group of ten pigeons had strong little magnet bars attached to their backs．Another group carried brass bars instead which were not magnetic．In a number of experiments，both groups were taken away from home and let go．On sunny days none of the magnet-pigeons was fooled．They were just as good as the brass-pigeons in starting out in the right direction toward home．On cloudy，overcast days，however，with no sun the brass-pigeons chose the right direction，but the magnet-pigeons were in trouble．They later started out in different directions and acted completely lost．
Questions 1-5 are based on Passage One．
1．Which of the following can best describe the organization of the passage?
A．Questions are raised first and then experiments to answer them are cited．
B．opinions are given first and then evidences against them ore quoted．
C．Statements come first and examples supporting them follow．
D．People’s long held beliefs are cited first and exceptions come after．
2．What can be inferred from the passage about biological clocks?
A．They are used by all plants and animals to tell time．
B．Pigeons’biological clocks are regulated every day with the sunrise．
C．The built-in biological clocks cannot be changed．
D．They gradually developed as pigeons grow mature．
3．How can people shift pigeons’ biological clocks?
A．By training them when they are young．
B．By minor and harmless operations．
C．By taking them really far away from home．
D．By keeping them in artificial days．
4．Which is true about pigeons’ finding directions?
A．With a brass on back they can find directions sooner．
B．They can find directions better than other birds．
C．They use the earth’s magnetic field and the sun to find directions．
D．They can find directions only to their home．
5．What does the author want to say by citing the last experiment?
A．On heavily cloudy days，pigeons that are not well trained do not fly.
B．Pigeons use different sources to find directions on different weather.
C．Magnetic field is an important source in helping pigeons to find directions.
D．The little magnet bars make it easier for pigeons to find directions．
Passage Two
In some ways,yes—but the differences matter more．Just as human history has been shaped by the rise and fall of successive empires，the computer industry has, in the few decades of its existence，been dominated by one large company after another．During the mainframe era，IBM wore the crown．But it fumbled the transition to smaller machines in the personal-computer era，and the throne was usurped by Microsoft．Now，at the dawn of the new era of Internet services，Google is widely seen as the heir to the kingdom．As the upstart has matured into a powerful industry giant，the suggestion that “Google is the new Microsoft ”has become commonplace in computing circles．Is it true?
The comparison is both a compliment and a reproach．It is a compliment because it implies that Google has now become the company that defines the environment in which other technology firms operate，just as IBM and Microsoft once did．As with Microsoft in its heyday，Google is the technology firm where the smartest geeks aspire to work；it embodies the technological zeitgeist；and it is a highly regarded company that has become a household name．But the comparison is also a reproach，because it highlights growing concern that Google is now too powerful for its own good，or that of the industry，or indeed that of the world at large．
For many people，Google provides the front door to the Internet．For many online businesses,their position in its search ranking—the workings of which are a closely guarded secret—is a matter of life or death．Too much power is thus concentrated in Google’s hands，say critics，including Microsoft’s Bill Gates．Microsoft and other big Internet firms，including eBay，Amazon and Yahoo，are now said to be negotiating various alliances in order to provide a counterweight to the new behemoth．Smaller firms feel even more vulnerable．As soon as Google says it is moving into a particular market，small fry in that market now dart for cover，unless they are lucky enough to be acquired by Google．
Yet there are some crucial ways in which Google differs from Microsoft．For a start，it is a far more innovative company，and its use of small，flexible teams has so far allowed it to remain innovative even as it has grown．Microsoft，in contrast，has stagnated as a result of its size and dominance．It is least innovative in the markets in which it faces the least competition—operating systems，office software and web browsers—though it is，curiously，still capable of innovating in markets in which it has strong rivals(notably video gaming)．
Try to avoid using Microsoft software for a day，particularly if you work in an office，and you will have difficulty；but surviving a day without Google is relatively easy．It has strong competitors in all the markets in which it operates：search，online advertising，mapping，software services，and so on．Large firms such as Yahoo，which previously farmed searches out to Google，have switched to other technologies．Google’s market share in search has fallen from a high of around 80％ to around 50％ today．Perhaps the clearest evidence that Google’s continued dominance is not inevitable is the fate of Alta Vista，the former top dog in Internet search．Who remembers it today?
Questions 6-10 are based on Passage Two．
6．The comparison made among IBM，Microsoft and Google suggests that_____.
A．IBM is no longer an important firm in the computer industry
B．Microsoft has always been dominant in the computer industry
C．Google is gaining a dominant position in computing technology
D．it is not valid to make a comparison between the three firms
7．Which of the following is NOT true about Google?
A．Google is widely known only in computing circles．
B．Google is being criticized for being too powerful．
C．Google is of vital importance to online businesses．
D．Google is likely to eplace Microsoft in computer industry．
8．Compared with Microsoft, ogle is said to be more_____.
A．stagnate in technology B．inflexible in structure
C．ambitious in development D．innovative in market
9．Microsoft is facing challenges in_____.
A．operating system B．office software
C．web browsers D．video gaming
10．Which is used as an example to predict the likely future of Google’s Internet earch?
A．Alta Vista． B．Yahoo．
C．eBay． D．Amazon．
Passage Three
It is such an odd relationship between people and pandas．We are so fond of them that when the Chinese government lent a pair to the San Diego Zoo for six months，the number of visitors increased sharply，and the zoo sold over half a million panda T-shirts．When a Panda was born in Tokyo Zoo in 1986，thousands of people phoned daily to hear a recording of the baby’s cry．
Although the reason we love pandas is not easy to explain，animal scientists offer some plausible theories．They suggest that parenting instincts are aroused by the common characteristics of babies：round faces and small jaws．Pandas，even in adulthood，display all of these interesting features．
Until recently，however，it seemed nearly certain that this much-loved creature was destined to die out．Even now the giant panda numbers fewer than 1000 in a shrinking wilderness in one small area in China，an untimely end for the world’s most beloved wild species may still be avoidable．“It’s easy to save the panda，”says George Schaller，the New York Zoological Society’s panda expert and a world renowned zoologist．“All it needs is bamboo and peace．”
Wild life experts have recommended some basic steps to help．A detailed plan for the protection of panda has been drawn up by the Wildlife Fund，in cooperation with the Chinese Ministry of Forestry．The plan calls for a 70％ increase in the panda preserve at a cost of $20，000，000 over five years．The plan was submitted to the Chinese government in August，1989．After more than a year of debating and delay，the National People’s Congress voted in favor of the bill to fund the plan．
Almost 100 pandas are kept in Chinese Zoos and at institutions in other countries，but during the past three decades fewer than 100 baby pandas have been born in China．And the majority of these have died young．
Despite such unfavorable circumstance，the giant pandas prospects are better now than in the recent past． New insights into behavior，diet and physiology offer hope to protect and raise these animals more effectively．
The most promising hope for panda’s future seems to be the increased efforts by Chinese government．They have established 13 panda reserves and announced plans for 14 more．A farm has been relocated away from a panda habitat, and some 60 families living in one reserve have been relocated，costing the government nearly $ 370，00．Public concern for the welfare of pandas has been heightened by stiff penalties for poaching—although it remains a serious problem．A few farmers have captured isolated pandas and released them back to larger habitats．
Questions 11-15 are based on Passage Three．
11．The passage mainly discusses_______．
A．the mysterious life of pandas
B．attentions towards panda protection
C．public liking for pandas
D．the strange behaviors of pandas
12．Pandas are much loved by people for all of the following reasons EXCEPT_______．
A．their baby-like features
B．their round faces and small jaws
C．their attractive cries
D．their inactivity
13．Which of the following factors plays a NEGATIVE role to panda’s surviving?
A．Public concern for panda’s welfare has been heightened．
B．Chinese government invested more money in panda protection．
C．Proper protection measures were not taken in time．
D．More reserves will be established in China．
14．Which of the following plays a key role in panda protection?
A．Animal behaviorists． B．Chinese government．
C．American zoologists． D．The zoos which raise pandas．
15．Pandas can be better protected today owing to______．
A．a better understanding of the animal
B．the increase in foreign funds
C．their increasing popularity
D．the efforts of American scientists
Passage Four
That experiences influence subsequent behavior is evidence of an obvious but nevertheless remarkable activity called remembering．Learning could not occur without the function popularly named memory．Constant practice has such an effect on memory as to 1ead to skilful performance on the piano，to recitation of a poem，and even to reading and understanding these words．So-called intelligent behavior demands memory，remembering being a primary requirement for reasoning．The ability to solve any problem or even to recognize that a problem exists depends on memory．Typically，the decision to cross a street is based on remembering many earlier experiences．
Practice (or review) tends to build and maintain memory for a task or for any learned material．Over a period of no practice what has been learned tends to be forgotten；and the adaptive consequences may not seem obvious．Yet，dramatic instances of sudden forgetting can be seen to be adaptive．In this sense，the ability to forget can be interpreted to have survived through a process of natural selection in animals．Indeed，when one’s memory of an emotionally painful experience leads to serious anxiety，forgetting may produce relief．Nevertheless，an evolutionary interpretation might make it difficult to understand how the commonly gradual process of forgetting survived natural selection．
In thinking about the evolution of memory together with all its possible．aspects，it is helpful to consider what would happen if memories failed to fade．Forgetting clearly aids orientation in time，since old memories weaken and the new tend to stand out，providing clues for inferring duration．Without forgetting，adaptive ability would suffer，for example，learned behavior that might have been correct a decade ago may no longer be．Cases are recorded of people who (by ordinary standards) forgot so little that their everyday activities were full of confusion．This forgetting seems to serve that survival of the individual and the species．
Another line of thought assumes a memory storage system of limited capacity that provides adaptive flexibility specifically through forgetting． In this view，continual adjustments are made between learning or memory storage (input) and forgetting (output)．Indeed，there is evidence that the rate at which individuals forget is directly related to how much they have learned．Such data offers gross support of contemporary models of memory that assume an input-output balance．
Questions 16-20 are based on Passage Four.
16. From the evolutionary point of view,_______.
A．sudden forgetting may bring about adaptive consequences
B．forgetting for lack of practice tends to be obviously inadaptive
C．if a person gets very forgetful all of a sudden he must be very adaptive
D．forgetting is an indication of an individual’s adaptability
17.According to the passage, if a person never forgot,_______.
A．he would survive best
B．he would have a lot of trouble
C．the evolution of memory would stop
D．his ability to learn would be enhanced
18.From the last paragraph we know that _______.
A．forgetfulness is a response to learning
B．memory is a compensation for forgetting
C．the capacity of a memory storage system is limited
D．the memory storage system is balanced
19.The tone of the passage can best be described as _______.
A．humorous B．theoretical
C．exaggerative D．philosophical
20.The author’s main purpose in writing this passage is to _______.
A．interpret the function of forgetting
B．illustrate the process of adapting
C．explain the performance of memory
D．emphasize the importance of learning
Passage Five
Many people believe that beavers are intelligent animals. After all, their dams are fine examples of engineering. The engineering feats of beavers are well known, but it will be useful to recall their main features.
A pair of beavers will construct a dam across a river. The water held back by the dam overflows the bank on either side of the river, flooding the adjacent ground and forming a pond. At some point in the pond the beavers then build their home, which is called a lodge. This consists of a conical pile of branches and sticks of two to six feet in length held together with mud and stones, the top of which projects above the waterline. It serves as a shelter from the elements, a refuge from enemies and a base for food supplies to be drawn upon in winter.
From an engineering point of view the lodge could hardly be improved．Not only does it contain a central chamber just above water level，but it also has one or more escape tunnels，well-insulated walls and a vertical chimney，which regulates the temperature inside and gives air-conditioning．It is altogether a cunning piece of construction，with all modern conveniences．It is，in fact，better protected against the effects of flooding than many human habitations．
Trees are essential to beavers．They eat the bark on the upper branches，and in order to reach these they must fell the trees．Tree-felling is a skilled job，as anyone who has felled even a sapling knows． But beavers fell more than saplings．A pair is said to be able to fell a tree four inches in diameter in 15 minutes．They do it by gnawing all round the trunk，as high up from the ground as they can reach．They often build platforms of mud and earth to enable them to cut through the tree where the trunk is narrower．
The engineering skill of beavers is to a large extent a result of their ability to use their front paws as hands