-
四级阅读理解之二
Passsage 1
As
the
merchant
class
expanded
in
the
eighteenth
century
North
American
Colonies,
the
silversmith
and
the
coppersmith
businesses
rose
to
serve
it.
Only
a
few
silversmiths
were
available in New York or Boston in the
late seventeenth century, but in the eighteenth
century
they
could
be
found
in
all
major
colonial
cities.
No
other
colonial
artisans
rivaled
the
silversmiths
’
prestige.
They
handled
the
most
expensive
materials
and
possessed
direct
connections
to
prosperous
colonial
merchants.
Their
products,
primarily
silver
plates
and
bowls,
reflected their exalted status and testified to
their customers
’
prominence. Silver stood
as
one of the surest ways to store wealth at a time
before neighborhood banks existed. Unlike
the silver
coins
from which they were made, silver
articles
were readily
identifiable.
Often
formed
to individual specifications, they always carried
the silversmith
’
s
distinctive markings
and consequently
could be traced and retrieved. Customers generally
secure the silver for the
silver object
they ordered. They saved coins, took them to
smiths, and discussed the type of
pieces
they
desired.
Silversmiths
complied
with
these
requests
by
melting
the
money
in
a
small
furnace,
adding
a
bit
of
copper
to
form
a
stronger
alloy,
and
casting
the
alloy
in
rectangular blocks. They hammered these
ingots to the appropriate thickness by hand,
shaped
them
and
pressed
designs
into
them
for
adornment.
Engraving
was
also
done
by
hand.
In
addition to plates and bowls, some
customers sought more intricate products, such as
silver
teapots.
These
were
made
by
shaping
or
casting
parts
separately
and
then
soldering
them
together.
Colonial
coppersmithing
also
come
of
age
in
the
early
eighteenth
century
and
prospered
in
northern
cities.
Copper
’
s
ability
to
conduct
heat
efficiently
and
to
resist
corrosion contributed to its
attractiveness. But because it was expensive in
colonial America,
coppersmiths were
never very numerous. Virtually all copper worked
by Smiths was imported
as sheets or
obtained by recycling old copper goods. Copper was
used for practical items, but
it was
not admired for its beauty. Coppersmiths employed
it to fashion pots and kettles for the
home. They shaped it in much the same
manner as silver or melted it in a foundry with
lead or
tin. They also mixed it with
zinc to make brass for maritime and scientific
instruments.
ing to the
passage, which of the following eighteenth century
developments had
B. The
colonial America, where
did silversmiths usually obtain the material to
make silver
articles?
1
D. From
customers.
passage mentions all of the
following as uses for copper in Colonial America
EXCEPT
C. musical ins
D. maritime
instruments
ing to the passage,
silversmiths and coppersmiths in colonial America
were similar
D. The practicality of the
goods they made.
Passage 2
Most of us are taught to
pay attention to what is
said
—
the words. Words do
provide us with
some
information, but meanings are derived from so many
other sources that it would hinder
our
effectiveness as a partner to a relationship to
rely too heavily on words alone. Words are
used to describe only a small part of
the many ideas we associate with any given
message.
Sometimes
we
can
gain
insight
into
some
of
those
associations
if
we
listen
for
more
than
words. We don
’
t
always say what we mean or mean what we say.
Sometimes our words don
’
t
mean anything except
“
I
’
m letting off
some steam. I don
’
t really
want you to pay close
attention to what
I
’
m saying. Just pay
attention to what I
’
m
feeling.
”
Mostly
we mean
several things at once. A
person wanting to purchase a house says to the
current owner,
“
This
step has to be fixed before
I
’
ll
buy.
”
The owner
says,
“
It
’
s been like
that for years.
”
Actually, the step
hasn
’
t been like that for
years, but the unspoken message is:
“
I
don
’
t
want to fix
it. We put up with it. Why
can
’
t
you?
”
The search
for a more expansive view of
meaning
can be developed of examining a message in terms
of who said it, when it occurred,
the
related conditions or situation, and how it was
said.
When a
message occurs can also reveal associated meaning.
Let us assume two couples
do
exactly
the
same
amount
of
kissing
and
arguing.
But
one
couple
always
kisses
after
an
argument and the other couple always
argues after a kiss. The ordering of the behaviors
may
mean
a
great
deal
more
than
the
frequency
of
the
behavior.
A
friend
’
s
unusually
docile
behavior may only be understood by
noting that it was preceded by situations that
required an
abnormal
amount
of
assertiveness.
Some
responses
may
be
directly
linked
to
a
developing
2
pattern of responses and
defy logic. For example, a person who says
“
No!
”
to a serials of
charges like
“
You
’
r
e dumb,
”
“
You
’
re
lazy,
”
and
“
You
’
re
dishonest,
”
may
also
say
“
No!
”
and try to justify his or her response
if the next statement is
“
And
you
’
re good
looking.
”
We would do
well to listen for how messages are presented. The
words,
“
If sure has
been nice to have you
over,
”
can be
said with emphasis and excitement or
ritualistically. The
phrase can be said
once or repeated several times. And the meanings
we associate with the
phrase will
change accordingly. Sometimes if we say something
infrequently it assumes more
importance; sometimes the more we say
something the less importance it assumes.
ive
communication is rendered possible between two
conversing partners, if ___.
use proper words to carry
their ideas.
both speak truly of their own feelings.
try to
understand each other’s ideas beyond
words.
are capable of associating meaning
with their words.
2.“I’m letting off some steam” in
paragraph 1 means___.
A.I’m just calling your
attention.
B.I’m just kidding.
C.I’m just
saying the opposite.
D.I’m just giving off some
sound.
house-
owner’s example shows
that he actually means___.
step has been like that
for years.
doesn’t think it necessary to fix the
step.
condition of the step is only a minor
fault.
cost
involved in the fixing should be shared.
responses and
behaviors may appear very illogical, but are
justifiable if___.
to an abnormal amount of
assertiveness.
as one’s habitual pattern of behavior.
as part of an
ordering sequence.
sed to a series of charges.
word “ritualistically” in
the last paragraph equals something
done___.
t true intention.
-heartedly.
a way of ceremony.
less emphasis.
3
Passage 3
I
lost
my
sight
when
I
was
four
years
old
by
falling
off
a
box
car
in
a
freight
yard
in
Atlantic
City
and
landing
on
my
head.
Now
I
am
thirty
two.
I
can
vaguely
remember
the
brightness
of
sunshine
and
what
color
red
is.
It
would
be
wonderful
to
see
again,
but
a
calamity can do strange things to
people. It occurred to me the other day that I
might not have
come to love life as I
do if I hadn't been blind. I believe in life now.
I am not so sure that I
would have
believed in it so deeply, otherwise. I don't mean
that I would prefer to go without
my
eyes. I simply mean that the loss of them made me
appreciate the more what I had left.
Life,
I
believe,
asks
a
continuous
series
of
adjustments
to
reality.
The
more
readily
a
person
is
able
to
make
these
adjustments,
the
more
meaningful
his
own
private
world
becomes.
The
adjustment
is
never
easy.
I
was
bewildered
and
afraid.
But
I
was
lucky.
My
parents and my teachers
saw something in me--a potential to live, you
might call it--which I
didn't see, and
they made me want to fight it out with blindness.
The hardest
lesson I had to
learn was
to
believe in
myself. That
was basic.
If
I hadn't
been
able to do that, I would have collapsed and become
a chair rocker on the front porch for
the rest of my life. When I say belief
in myself I am not talking about simply the kind
of self
confidence that helps me down
an unfamiliar staircase alone. That is part of it.
But
I mean
something
bigger
than
that:
an
assurance
that
I
am,
despite
imperfections,
a
real,
positive
person; that somewhere
in
the sweeping, intricate pattern of
people there is
a special place
where I can make myself fit.
It took me
years to discover and strengthen this assurance.
It had to start with the most
elementary things. Once a man gave me
an indoor baseball. I thought he was mocking me
and
I was hurt.
words stuck
in my head.
gave
me
an
idea
how
to
achieve
a
goal
I
had
thought
impossible:
playing
baseball.
At
Philadelphia's Overbrook
School for the Blind I invented a successful
variation of baseball.
We called it
ground ball.
All my life I have set ahead of me a
series of goals and then tried to reach them, one
at a
time. I had to learn my
limitations. It was no good to try for something I
knew at the start was
wildly out of
reach because that only invited the bitterness of
failure. I would fail sometimes
anyway
but on the average I made progress
1.
We can learn from the beginning of the passage
that
A. the author lost his
sight because of a car crash.
B. the author wouldn't love
life if the disaster didn't happen.
C. the disaster made the
author appreciate what he had.
D. the disaster
strengthened the author's desire to see.
2. What's the most difficult thing for
the author?
A.
How to adjust himself to reality.
B. Building up assurance
that he can find his place in life.
C. Learning to manage his
life alone.
D.
To find a special work that suits the author.
3. According to the context,
author
A. would sit in a rocking chair and
enjoy his life.
B. was paralyzed and stayed in a
rocking chair.
C. would lose his will to struggle
against difficulties.
D. would sit in a chair and stay at
home.
4. According to the passage, the
baseball and encouragement offered by the man
A. hurt the
author's feeling.
B. gave the author a deep impression.
C. directly led
to the invention of ground ball.
D. inspired the author.
5. According to the passage, which of
the following is CORRECT?
A. The author set goals for himself but
only invited failure most of the time.
B. The author suggested not
trying something beyond one's ability at the
beginning.
C.
The bitterness of failure prevented the author
from trying something out of reach.
D. Because of his
limitations, the author tried to reach one goal at
a time.
4