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英美报刊选读复习题
一、
Reading
Comprehension
Passage 1
It was not “the comet of the century”
experts predicted it might be. Nevertheless,
Kohoutek has provided a bonanza of
scientific
information.
It
was
first
spotted
370
million
miles
from
the
earth,
by
an
astronomer
who
was
searching
sky
for
asteroids, and after whom the comet was
named. Scientists who traced Kohoutek ten month
before it passed the earth predicted
the
comet
would
be
a
brilliant
spectacle.
But
Kohoutek
fell
short
of
this
prediction,
disappointing
millions
of
amateur
sky
watchers,
when
it
proved
too
pale
to
be
seen
with
the
unaided
eye.
Researchers
were
delighted
nonetheless
with
the
new
information
they
were
able
to
glean
from
their
investigation
of
the
comet.
Perhaps
the
most
significant
discovery
was
the
identification of two important
chemical compounds-methyl cyanide and hydrogen
cyanide-never seen in comets before, but
found in the far reaches of
interstellar space. This discovery revealed new
clues about the origin of comets. Most astronomers
agree that comets are primordial
remnant from the formation of the solar system,
but whether they were born between Jupiter
and Neptune or much farther out toward
interstellar space has been the subject of much
debate. If compounds no more complex
than
ammonia
and
methane
key
components
of
Jupiter,
were
see
in
comets,
it
would
suggest
that
comets
form
within
the
planetary orbits. But more complex
compounds, such as the methyl cyanide found in
Kotoutek, point to formation far beyond
the planets; there the deep freeze at
space has kept them unchanged.
1. What is the subject of the passage?(
)
a. What was
learned from Kohoutek.
b.
What was disappointing about Kohoutek.
c. Where Kohoutek was spotted.
d. How Kohoutek was tracked.
2. Why was Kohoutek referred to as the
comet of the century? (
)
a. It was thought to be extremely old.
b. It passes the earth once a century.
c. Scientists predicted is
would be very bright.
d.
Scientists have been tracking it for a century.
3. In what respect was Kohoutek a
disappointment?(
)
a.
It could be seen only through special equipment.
b. It did not approach the
earth.
c. It did not provide valuable
scientific information. d. It was moving too
rapidly for scientists to photograph.
4. Before the investigation on
Kotoutek, where had methyl cyanide been known to
exist?(
)
a. In comets.
b. On
asteroids.
c. Between Jupiter and
Neptune.
d.
Beyond the solar system.
5. According
to the passage, what is one major component of
Jupiter? (
)
a. Hydrogen cyanide.
b.
Methyl cyanide.
c. Hydrogen.
d. Ammonia.
6. What aspect of Kohoutek
did scientists find most interesting?(
)
a. Its shape.
b.
Its composition.
c. Its orbit.
d. Its size.
7. Which of the
following question is best answered by information
gained from Kohoutek?(
)
a.
Where were comets formed?
b. When were comets formed?
c. When was the solar system formed?
d. How was the solar system formed?
Passag2
The
majority
of
successful
senior
managers
do
not
closely
follow
the
classical
rational
model
of
first
clarifying
goals,
assessing the
problem, formulating options, estimating
likelihood of success, making a decision, and only
then taking action to
implement the
decision. Rather, in their day-to-day tactical
maneuvers, these senior executives rely on what is
vaguely termed
“intuition” to manage a
network of interrelated problems that require them
to deal with ambiguity, inconsistency, novelty and
surprise, and to integrate action into
the process of thinking.
Generations of writers on management
have recognized that some practicing managers rely
heavily on intuition. In general,
however, such writers display a poor
grasp of what intuition is. Some see it as the
opposite of rationality. Other view it as an
excuse for capriciousness.
Isenberg?s recent research on the
cognitive
process of senior managers
reveals that managers intuition is neither of
these.
Rather, senior managers use
intuition in at least five distinct ways. First,
they intuitively sense when a problem exists.
Second,
managers rely on intuition to
perform well-learned behavior patterns rapidly.
This intuition is not arbitrary or irrational but
is
based on years of painstaking
practice and hands-on experience that build
skills. A third function of intuition is to
synthesize
isolated bits of data and
practice into an integrated picture, often in an
as a check on the results of more
rational analysis. Most senior executives are
familiar with the formal decision analysis models
and tools, and those who use such
systematic methods for reaching decisions are
occasionally leery of solutions suggested by
these
method
which
run
counter
their
sense
of
the
correct
course
of
action.
Finally,
managers
can
use
intuition
to
bypass
in-
depth
analysis
and
move
rapidly
to
engender
a
plausible
solution.
Used
in
this
way,
intuition
is
an
almost
instantaneous
cognitive
process in which a manager recognizes familiar
patterns.
One of the implications of
the intuitive style of executive management is
that “thinking” is inseparable from
a
cting. Since
managers
often
“know”
what
is
right
before
they
can
analyze
and
explain
it,
they
frequently
act
first
and
explain
later.
An
analysis is inextricably tied to action
in thinking action cycles, in which managers
develop thoughts about their companies and
organizations not by analyzing a
problematic situation and then acting, but by
acting and analyzing in close concert.
Given
great
uncertainty
of
many
of
the
management
issues
that
they
face,
senior
managers
often
instigate
a
course
of
action
simply to learn more about an issue. They then use
the results of the action to develop a more
complete understanding of
the issuer
One implication of thinking acting cycle is that
action is often part of defining the problem, not
just implementing the
solution.
1. According to the
passage, senior manager use intuition in all of
the following ways except to
.
A. speed up the
creation of a solution to a problem
B. identify a problem
C. bring
together disparate facts
D.
stipulate clear goal
2. The
passage suggests which of the following about the
“writers on management” mentioned in line
11?
A. They have criticized managers for
not following the classical rational model of
decision analysis.
B. They have
not based their analyses on a sufficiently large
sample of actual managers.
C. They have relied in
drawing their conclusions on what managers say
rather than on what managers do.
D. They have misunderstood
how managers use intuition in making business
decisions.
3. Which of the
following best exemplifies “an ?Aha?
experience”?
A.
A manager risks raking an action whose outcome is
unpredictable to discover whether the action
changes the problems at
hand.
B. A manager performs well-learned and
familiar Behavior patterns in creative and
uncharacteristic ways to solve a problem.
C. A manager suddenly connects
seemingly unrelated facts and experiences to
create a pattern relevant to
the
problem at
hand.
D. A manager
rapidly identifies the methodology used to compile
data yielded by systematic analysis
4.
According to the passage the classical model of
decision analysis includes all the following
except ___________.
A. evaluation of
problem
B. creation of
clear goals to be reached by the decision
C. establishment of clear goals to be
reached by the decision
D. action undertaken in order to
discover more information about a problem
5.
It
can
be
inferred
from
the
passage
that
which
the
following
would
most
probably
be
one
major
difference
in
behavior
between Manager X,
who uses intuition to reach decisions, and Manager
Y
, who uses only formal decision
analysis?
A Manager X
analyzes first and then acts; Manager Y does not
B. Manager X
checks possible solution to a problem by
systhematic analysis; Manager does not.
r X takes actionin orde to arrive at
the solution to a problem; Manager Y does not.
D. Manager Y
draws on years of hands-on experience in creating
a solution to a problem; Manager X does not.
6. It can be inferred from
the passage that thinking/acting cycles (line 5,
last paragraph) in managerial practice would be
likely
to result in which of the
following
Ⅰ
. A manager analyzes a
network of problem and then acts on the basis of
that analysis.
Ⅱ
. A manager gathers data by
acting and observing the effects of action
Ⅲ
. A manager
takes action without being able to articulate
reasons for that particular action.
A. I only.
B.
Ⅱ
only.
C.
Ⅰ
and
Ⅱ
.
D.
Ⅱ
and
Ⅲ
.
7. The passage
provides support for which of the following
statements?
A. Managers who rely on
intuition are more successful than those who rely
on formal decision analysis.
B.
Managers cannot justify their intuitive decisions.
C. Managers' intuition works contrary
to their rational and analytical skills
D.
Intuition rabies managers to employ their
practical experience more efficiently.
8. Which of the following best
describes the organization of the first paragraph
of the passage?
A. An assertion
is made and a specific supporting example is given
B. A conventional model is dismissed
and an alternative introduced.
C. The results of recent
research are introduced and evaluated.
D.
Two opposing points of view are presented and
evaluated.
Passag3
Every human being,
no matter what he is doing, gives off body heat.
The usual problem is how to get rid of it. But the
designers of the Johnstown campus of
the University of Pittsburgh set themselves the
opposite problem
–
how to
collect body
heat. They have designed a
collection system which uses not only body heat,
but the heat given off by such objects as light
bulbs
电灯
and
refrigerators
冰箱
as well. The system works so well that
no fuel is needed to make the campus's six
buildings
comfortable.