2004年3月全國公共英語考試二級閱讀題.doc

PETS2-READING-2 AAfter losing her job and home in 1984, Lynn Carr was living on the streets of St. Charles, Montana, with her five-year-old son. We slept in our car for about a week, she said, but then it was sold. As she moved from one friend s house to another, Carr began working toward a high-school-equivalence diploma (高中同等學歷證書), listening to self-help tapes and making cheesecakes.After developing some new methods which she thought were pretty good, she offered her cakes to a restaurant. They sold out in a matter of hours.The following year, she met a man at a church service and before long, they married. Carr began selling the cheesecakes out of their home. Later she opened a cheesecake company. As business became better and better, Carr didnt forget where she came from.All the women she hires are mothers or high-school dropouts(退學者)-workers most other employers wouldn t like to hire. Her dozen workers make 100 to 150 cakes a week and Carr owes her success to her employees. She says, Were going to have a learning center and a day-care center in the company. Part of the workday will be spent studying for high-school-equivalence diplomas. Recently, a 33-year-old woman with three children to raise was referred to Cart. She hired her at once. “It has been a real blessing (恩賜), ” the woman said. 56. The text suggests that Lynn Carr A had to sell her car for a new one B had few friends to turn to for help C was once a school dropout herself D didnt work hard enough to keep her job57. Which of the following can be learned from the text? A People like Lynn Carr s cheesecakes very much. B Lynn Carr s cheesecakes are sold to high school dropouts. C Lynn Cart learned to make cheesecakes by taking courses. D Without finishing high school, one cannot even make good cakes.58. Carr didn t forget where she came from (line 3, paragraph 3 ) means that Carr_ A remembered what she used to be B kept in mind her friends who had once helped her C would not forget where her hometown was D remembered all the places she had been to59. According to the last two paragraphs, Lynn Carr is trying A to turn her home into a learning center B to hire more moms and high school dropouts C to develop more new methods to make better cakes D 1 to help people who have the familiar background as she didBThe banana tree is actually not a real tree. This is because there is no wood in the stem(樹干) rising above the ground. The stem is made up of leaves growing very close together, one in-side the other. The leaves spread out at the top of the stem and rise in the air, Banana plants need a lot of care and attention. They must be provided with water if the normal rainfall doesnt supply enough. The area around the plants must be kept free of weeds(雜草) and grass.About nine or ten months after planting, a flower appears on the banana plant. This flower is at the end of a long stalk(莖), which grows from the base up through the center of the stem and turns downward when it comes out from the top. Small bananas form on this flower stalk as it grows downward. Bananas really grow upside down. As the small bananas form on the stalk, they point downward, but as they grow they turn and point upward.Bananas are harvested while they are still green, Even when they are to be eaten where theyare grown, they are not allowed to ripen on the plant. A banana that turns yellow on the plant loses its taste. 60. The first paragraph in the text mainly discusses_. A why the stem of the tree is wood B how the banana grows on the stem C why the banana tree is not a tree D how the leaves grow out of the stem61. The underlined word it ( line 3, paragraph 3) in the third paragraph refers to_. A the leaf B the stalk C the stem D the plant62. According to the text, where do bananas actually grow ? A On the stem. B On the leaves. C On the flower stalk. D On the base of the stem.63. From the text we know when bananas are harvested, they are_. A green and pointing upward B yellow and pointing downward C green and pointing downward D yellow and pointing upward CEveryone wants the best for a baby. A mother wants her baby to have the best in the way of food, toys, clothing and equipment. Her value judgements on prices may go wrong when it comes to buying for a baby, particularly the first one. Factory producers and advertisers(廣告商) recognize this, and exploit it to the full. Far more is spent in buying push-chairs, special milk, and special powders for small babies than is necessary.The child himself watches television, a particularly strong influence ( 影響) on Small children. Looking at them as they watch television, and then watching them react to products afterwards, suggests that young children accept the television advertisements as well as the guidance offered by children s programmes , and find both equally attractive. The child comes early in life to the feeling widespread in this country that if something is said on television it must be true.For this reason much Christmas gift advertising, and advertising for sweets, food and washing powders, is specially designed for children because of the effect their repeated nagging can have on their mothers. By exercising in this way they become consumers (消費者) at an early age and as a result, with present-day pressures, choosing and buying goods and services will remain an important part of their future lives64. According to the writer, a mother spends more than necessary on_. A Christmas advertising B special powders C television D sweets65. The underlined word nagging most probably means_. A repeated demands B baby powders C TV services D childrens programmes66. Which of the following statements is best supported by the text? A Children like both TV advertisements and children s programmes. B TV programmes often advertise the best products for children. C Mothers encourage children to buy products advertised on TV. D TV advertisements provide the best advice to choose gifts.67. The best title for the text could be_. A Mothers and babies B Children as consumers C Giving the best to babies D Choosing goods for childrenDThe number of people in the world is growing. By the year 2,000 world population is expected to grow to 6.2 billion. The fastest growth is in developing countries, where there is already a shortage(短缺) of food, housing, and jobs. Africa is the fastest-growing part of the world. In Kenya, for example, the population will increase 10 times in the next 80 years.In Asia, a few countries have begun to reduce their population growth slowly, china still makes up about 21% of the worlds population, but it has greatly slowed down its rate(速度) of growth. It is now growing at a rate of only 0.8% per year. In India, however, the population continues to grow, and it is expected to be even larger than the Chinese population by the year 2040.The population in India is growing three times faster than in Australia, Japan, and the developed countries in Europe. In fact, European people are more worried about population decrease(減少)than increase. Eastern European countries are growing at a rate of only about 1%.The best news is that, in general, population growth has slowed down from 2.08% in 1970 to 1.6% in 1985. At the present rate, the earliest that the world could reach zero population growth is 2040. At that time, there will probably be about 8 billion people in the world. It is possible, though, that the population might not really stop growing until much later. With people living longer, the number of elderly will have grown by 15% by that time. Nearly half of the world s population will be living in cities. This is a situation that could cause a long list of other problems including pollution and a lack of food, water, housing, and jobs.68. Which of the following is the best title for the text? A Decrease of World Population B Population Growth Has Stopped C World PopulationA Look Into the Future D China s PopulationOne Fifth of the World Population69. Among all the countries mentioned in the text, the one with the highest growth rate is_. A India B China C Japan D Kenya70. People in European countries are more concerned about the fact that_. A they do not have enough jobs for people B many people from the countryside come to live in the cities C the population in developing countries is not decreasing D their populations are falling71. Which of the following facts is best supported by the text? A There will be a number of problems in cities in the future. B The world population will stop growing in 2040. C 15 percent of the world population will be elderly people. D Kenya will have the biggest population in the world. EFILM PREVIEWS In the Line of Fire After his Oscar success as an aging cowboy in Unforgotten, Clint Eastwood plays an aging secret-service man in this action movie. He is Frank Horrigan, a devoted citizen who has strong love for his country and who believes that he was responsible(有責任的) for the death of John F. Kennedy in 1963. When a madman, played by John Malkovich , says that he will kill the present President. Horrigan is given the chance to redeem himself.Sleepless in Seattle A very interesting film from Nora Ephron , the writer-director of When Harry Met Sally. One Christmas, a little boy, who has just lost his mother, calls a national radio station to find a new wife for his dad, played by Tom Hanks. When a radio-reporter hears the program, she is sure that she has found the man of her dream and spends the rest of the film in an eager search for him.The Firm Tom Cruise plays a young lawyer, Mitch Mc Deere, who finds out that several members of his new law firm have died. When an FBI