阅读理解6-10

Passage 6

The development of Jamestown in Virginia during the second half of the seventeenth

century was closely related to the making and use of bricks. There are several practical

reasons why bricks became important to the colony. Although the forests

could initially

supply

sufficient

timber,

the

process

of

lumbering

was

extremely

difficult,

particularly

because of the lack of roads. Later, when the timber on the peninsula had been depleted,

wood

had

to

be

brought

from

some

distance.

Building

stone

was

also

in

short

supply.

However,

as

clay

was

plentful,

it

was

inevitable

that

the

colonists

would

turn

to

brickmaking.

In

addition

to

practical

reasons

for

using

brick

as

the

principal

construction

material,

there was also an ideological reason. Brick represented durability and permanence. The

Virginia

Company

of

London

instructed

the

colonists

to

build

hospitals

and

new

residences

out

of

brick .In

1622,Town

Act

of

the

Virginia

Assembly

provided

for

the

construction of thirty-two brick building and prohibited the use of wood as a construction

material. Had this law ever been successfully carried out, Jamestown would have been a

model

city.

Instead,

the

residents

failed

to

comply

fully

with

the

law:

and

by

1699

Jamestown had collapsed into a pile of rubble with only three or four habitable houses.

1.

What is the subject of this passage?

A.

the reasons for brickmaking in Jamestown

B.

The cause of the failure of Jamestown

C.

The laws of the Virginia colonists

D.

The problems of the early American colonies

2.

In the first half of

the 1600’s ,most building in Jamestown were probably made of

A.

Earth.

B.

Stone.

C.

Wood.

D.

Brick.

3.

Which of the following was NOT a reason for using bricks in construction?

A.

Wood had to be brought from some distance.

B.

There was considerable clay available.

C.

The lumbering process depends on good roads.

D.

The timber was not of good quality.

4.

It can be inferred that Jamestown was established on

A.

A rocky peninsula with a small-forested area.

B.

A barren peninsula near other towns.

C.

An uninhabitable peninsula with few natural resources.

D.

A wooded peninsula with a clay soil.

5.

It can be inferred from the passage the settlers who built with bricks in the 1600’s were

A.

Planning to return to England.

B.

Obeying the laws.

C.

Not concerned about durability.

D.

Interested in larger residences.

6.

It

can

be

inferred

that

prior

to

the

action

of

the

Virginia

Company

of

London,

Jamestown had an insufficient number of

A.

Colonists.

B.

Medical facilities.

C.

Clay sources.

D.

Brick layers.

7.

According to the passage, what eventually happened to Jamestown?

A.

It was practically destroyed.

B.

It became a model.

C.

It remained the seat of government.

D.

It was almost completed.

Passage 7

Television-that most pervasive and persuasive of modern technologies, marked

by

rapid

change

and

growth

–

is

moving

into

a

new

era,

an

era

of

extraordinary

sophistication and versatility, which promises to reshape our lives and our world. It is

an

electronic

revolution

of

sorts,

made

possible

by

the

marriage

of

television

and

computer technologies.

The word”television”, derived from its Greek (tele: dista

nt) and Latin (Visio: sight)

roots, can literally be interpreted as sight from a distance. Very simply put, it works in

this

way:

through

a

sophisticated

system

of

electronics,

television

provides

the

capability of converting an image (focused on a special photoconductive plate within

a

camera)

into

electronic

impulses,

which

can

be

sent

through

a

wire

or

cable.

These impulses, when fed into a receiver (television set), can then be electronically

reconstituted into that same image.

Television

is

more

than

just

an

electronics

system,

however.

It

is

a

means

of

expression, as well as a vehicle for communication, and as such becomes a powerful

tool for reaching other human beings.

The field of television can be divided into two categories determined by its means

of

transmission.

First,

there

is

broadcast

television,

which

reaches

the

masses

through

broad-based

airwave

transmission

of

television

signals.

Second,

there

is

nonbroadcast

television,

which

provides

for

the

needs

of

individuals

or

specific

interest groups through controlled transmission techniques.

Traditionally, television has been a medium of the masses. We are most familiar

with broadcast television because it has been with us for about thirty-seven years in a

form similar to what exists today. During those years, the broadcast networks, ABC,

NBC,

and

CBS,

who

have

been

the

major

purveyors

of

news,

information,

and

entertainment,

have

controlled

it,

for

the

most

part.

These

giants

of

broadcasting

have

actually

shaped

not

only

television

but

our

perception

of it

as

well .We

have

come to look upon the picture tube as a source of entertainment, placing our role in

this dynamic medium as the passive viewer.

1.

What is the literal meaning of the word” television

A.

Medium of the masses

B.

Sight from a distance

C.

Airwave transmission

D.

Vehicle for communication

2.

Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a function of electronics in

television transmissions?

A.

The conversion of an image into electronic impulses

B.

The sending of impulses through a wire cable

C.

The changing of one image into another image

D.

The feeding of impulses into a receiver

3.

What field of television is intended for specific groups?

A.

Broad-based

B.

Reconstituted

C.

Traditional

D.

No broadcast

4.

According to the passage, how many major networks are there?

A.

Two

B.

Three

C.

Four

D.

Five

5.

Which

of

the

following

statements

about

the

relationship

between

television,

and

its

viewers can best be inferred from the passage?

A.

Viewers do not take an active role in watching television.

B.

Viewers would prefer increased news coverage.

C.

Viewers like to use television to reach other human beings.

D.

Viewers have grown tired of television.

Passage 8

The

first

navigational

lights

in

the

New

World

were

probably

lanterns

hung

at

harbor

entrances.

The

Massachusetts

Bay

Colony

put

up

the

first

lighthouse

in

1716

on

Little

Brewster

Island

at

the

entrance

to

Boston

Harbor.

Paid

for

and

maintained

by

dues

levied on ships, the original beacon was blown up in 1776. By then there were only a dozen of

so true lighthouses in the colonies. Little over a century later, there were 700 lighthouses.

The

first

eight

erected

on

the

West

Coast

in

the

1850's

featured

the

same

basic

New

England and elsewhere, though; lighthouses reflected a variety of architectural styles. Since

most stations in the Northeast were built on rocky eminences, enormous towers were not the

rule. Some were made of stone and brick, others of wood or metal. Some stood on pilings or

stilts; some were fastened to rock with iron rods. Farther

south, from Maryland

through the

Florida

Keys,

the

coast

was

low

and

sandy.

It

was

often

necessary

to

build

tall

towers

there--massive

structures

like

the

majestic

Cape

Hatters,

North

Carolina,

lighthouse,

which

was lit in 1870. At 190 feet, it is the tallest brick lighthouse in the country.

Notwithstanding

differences

in

appearance

and

construction,

most

American

lighthouses

shared several features;

a light,

living

quarters, and

sometimes a bell (or, later, a foghorn).

They

also

had

something

else

in

common:

a

keeper

and,

usually,

the

keeper's

family.

The

keeper's

essential

task

was

trimming

the

lantern

wick

in

order

to

maintain

a

steady,

bright

flame.

The

earliest

keepers

came

from

every

walk

of

lift-- they

were

seamen,

farmers,

mechanics,

rough

mill

hands --and

local

customs

commissioners

as

political

plums

often

handed

out

appointments.

After

the

United

States

Lighthouse

Board,

an

agency

of

the

Treasury

department,

took

over

the

administration

of

lighthouses

in

1852

the

keeper

corps

gradually became highly professional.

1.

What is the best title for the passage?

A.

The Lighthouse on Little Brewster Island

B.

The Life of a Lighthouse Keeper

C.

Early Lighthouses in the United Sates

D.

The Modern Profession of Lighthouse-Keeping

2.

Why does the author mention the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

A.

It was the headquarters of the United States Lighthouse Board.

B.

Many of the tallest lighthouses were built there

C.

The first lantern wicks were developed there.

D.

The first lighthouse in North America was built there.

3.

It

can

he

inferred

from

the

passage

that

lighthouse

in

the

Northeast

did

not

need

high

towers because

A.

Ships there had high masts

B.

Coastal waters were safe

C.

The coast was straight and unobstructed

D.

The lighthouses were built on high places

4.

According to the passage, where can the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States be

found?

A.

Little Brewster Island

B.

The Florida Keys