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2019 届二轮复习阅读理解专题议论文类型模拟试题 10 篇训练之七
[一]
As cultural symbols go, the American car is quite young. The Model T Ford
was built at the Piquette Plant in Michigan a century ago, with the first
rolling off the assembly line(装配线) on September 27,1908.Only eleven
cars were produced the next month. But eventually Henry Ford would build
fifteen million of them.
Modern America was born on the road, behind a wheel. The car shaped
some of the most lasting aspects of American culture: the roadside diner,
the billboard, the motel, even the hamburger. For most of the last century,
the car represented what it meant to be American—going forward at high
speed to find new worlds. The road novel, the road movie, these are the
most typical American ideas, born of abundant petrol, cheap cars and a
never-ending interstate highway system, the largest public works project
in history.
In 1928 Herbert Hoover imagined an America with“ a chicken in every
pot and a car in every garage.” Since then, this society has moved onward,
never looking back, as the car transformed America from a farm-based
society into an industrial power.
The cars that drove the American Dream have helped to create a global
ecological disaster. In America the demand for oil has grown by 22 percent
since 1990.
The problems of excessive(过度的)energy consumption, climate change
and population growth have been described in a book by the American writer
Thomas L.Friedman. He fears the worst, but hopes for the best.
Friedman points out that the green economy(经济)is a chance to keep
American strength.“ The ability to design, build and export green
technologies for producing clean water, clean air and healthy and abundant
food is going to be the currency of power in the new century.”
【文章大意】汽车作为美国的文化符号尚年轻,但给美国带来了方方面面的变化。
由于石油的过度消费,也带来了生态灾难。
28. Why is hamburger mentioned in paragraph 2?
A. To explain Americans’ love for travelling by car.
B. To show the influence of cars on American culture.
C. To stress the popularity of fast food with Americans.
D. To praise the effectiveness of America’s road system.
【解析】选 B。细节理解题。根据第二段中 The car shaped some of the most
lasting aspects of American culture: the roadside diner, the billboard,
the motel, even the hamburger.可知,汉堡是汽车影响美国文化的产物。故选B。
29.What has the use of cars in America led to?
A. Decline of economy.
B. Environmental problems.
C.A shortage of oil supply.
D. A farm-based society.
【解析】选 B。细节理解题。根据第四段可知,汽车在推动美国梦的同时,也带来
了生态灾难。故选 B。
30.What is Friedman’s attitude towards America’s future?
A. Ambiguous. B. Doubtful.
C. Hopeful. D.Tolerant.
【解析】选 C。观点态度题。根据倒数第二段中 He fears the worst, but hopes
for the best.以及下一段中的具体建议,可知,Thomas L.Friedman 对美国的未来
是充满希望的。故选 C。
[二]
In the 1760s, Mathurin Roze opened a series of shops that boasted(享有)a
special meat soup called consommé. Although the main attraction was the
soup, Roze’s chain shops also set a new standard for dining out, which
helped to establish Roze as the inventor of the modern restaurant.
Today, scholars have generated large amounts of instructive research
about restaurants. Take visual hints that influence what we eat: diners
served themselves about 20 percent more pasta(意大利面食)when their
plates matched their food. When a dark-colored cake was served on a black
plate rather than a white one, customers recognized it as sweeter and more
tasty.
Lighting matters, too. When Berlin restaurant customers ate in
darkness, they couldn’t tell how much they’d had: those given
extra-large shares ate more than everyone else, but were none the
wiser—they didn’t feel fuller, and they were just as ready for
dessert.
Time is money, but that principle means different things for different
types of restaurants. Unlike fast-food places, fine dining shops prefer
customers to stay longer and spend. One way to encourage customers to stay
and order that extra round: put on some Mozart(莫扎特).When classical,
rather than pop, music was playing, diners spent more. Fast music hurried
diners out. Particular scents also have an effect: diners who got the scent
of lavender(薰衣草)stayed longer and spent more than those who smelled
lemon, or no scent.
Meanwhile, things that you might expect to discourage spending—“bad”
tables, crowding, high prices— don’t necessarily. Diners at bad tables
— next to the kitchen door, say — spent nearly as much as others but
soon fled. It can be concluded that restaurant keepers need not “be overly
concerned about ‘bad’ tables,” given that they’re profitable. As for
crowds, a Hong Kong study found that they increased a restaurant’s
reputation, suggesting great food at fair prices. And doubling a buffet’s
price led customers to say that its pizza was 11 percent tastier.
【文章大意】现代学者对餐馆进行了大量有意义的研究,发现视觉,照明,就餐时
间,餐桌位置,拥挤程度等都可以用来改善餐馆生意。
58.The underlined phrase “none the wiser” in Paragraph 3 most probably
implies that the customers were .
A. not aware of eating more than usual
B. not willing to share food with others
C. not conscious of the food quality
D. not fond of the food provided
【解析】选 A。词义猜测题。上文 those given extra-large shares ate more
than everyone else 意为:那些得到更多分量的人比别人吃得多;下文 they
didn’t feel fuller, and they were just as ready for dessert 意为:他们
没有感觉到饱,还准备吃甜点呢。再根据 but 表示转折,可推测出画线部分的意思
是:没有意识到比平时吃得多了。
59. How could a fine dining shop make more profit?
A. Playing classical music.
B. Introducing lemon scent.
C. Making the light brighter.
D. Using plates of larger size.
【 解 析 】 选 A 。 细 节 理 解 题 。 根 据 第 四 段 中 fine dining shops prefer
customers to stay longer and spend. One way to encourage customers to stay
and order that extra round: put on some Mozart.可知,高级餐馆会播放莫扎特
的音乐(即:古典音乐)来让客人多待一会儿。
60.What does the last paragraph talk about?
A. Tips to attract more customers.
B. Problems restaurants are faced with.
C. Ways to improve restaurants’ reputation.
D. Common misunderstandings about restaurants.
【解析】选 D。段落大意题。最后一段第一句话 Meanwhile, things that you
might expect to discourage spending—“bad” tables, crowding, high
prices— don’t necessarily.意为:你认为有些因素可能影响人们消费,比如:位
置不好的餐桌,拥挤,高价格等,但是未必。再根据下文对这些因素的分析可知,本
段主要讲述了一些常见的关于餐馆的错误认识。
[三]
We may think we’re a culture that gets rid of our worn technology at the
first sight of something shiny and new, but a new study shows that we keep
using our old devices (装置) well after they go out of style. That’s bad
news for the environment—and our wallets—as these outdated devices
consume much more energy than the newer ones that do the same things.
To figure out how much power these devices are using, Callie Babbitt
and her colleagues at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York
tracked the environmental costs for each product throughout its
life—from when its minerals are mined to when we stop using the device.
This method provided a readout for how home energy use has evolved since
the early 1990s.Devices were grouped by generation. Desktop computers,
basic mobile phones, and box-set TVs defined 1992.Digital cameras arrived
on the scene in 1997.And MP3 players, smart phones, and LCD TVs entered
homes in 2002,before tablets and e-readers showed up in 2007.
As we accumulated more devices, however, we didn’t throw out our old
ones.“ The living-room television is replaced and gets planted in the
kids’ room, and suddenly one day, you have a TV in every room of the house,”
said one researcher. The average number of electronic devices rose from
four per household in 1992 to 13 in 2007.We’re not just keeping these
old devices—we continue to use them. According to the analysis of
Babbitt’s team, old desktop monitors and box TVs with cathode ray tubes
are the worst devices with their energy consumption and contribution to
greenhouse gas emissions (排放) more than doubling during the 1992 to 2007
window.
So what’s the solution (解决方案)? The team’s data only went up
to 2007,but the researchers also explored what would happen if consumers
replaced old products with new electronics that serve more than one
function, such as a tablet for word processing and TV viewing. They found
that more on-demand entertainment viewing on tablets instead of TVs and
desktop computers could cut energy consumption by 44%.
【文章大意】本文是一篇说明性议论文。文章介绍了新旧电子设备的能耗调查,
借此论证新电子设备比过时的旧设备更节能、更环保,呼吁人们为了节能环保不
要再使用已经过时的旧电子设备,而应该使用集多种功能于一体的新电子设备。
32.What does the author think of new devices?
A. They are environment-friendly.
B. They are no better than the old.
C. They cost more to use at home.
D. They go out of style quickly.
【解析】选 A。推理判断题。根据第一段最后一句 That’s bad news for the
environment...as these outdated devices consume much more energy than the
newer ones that do the same things.可知,做同样的事,过时的电子设备比新设
备耗能更多。由此可推断,作者认为新设备更节能、更环保。
33.Why did Babbitt’s team conduct the research?
A. To reduce the cost of minerals.
B. To test the life cycle of a product.
C. To update consumers on new technology.
D. To find out electricity consumption of the devices.
【解析】选 D。细节理解题。根据第二段第一句 To figure out how much power
these devices are using,...可知,Babbitt 的团队开展研究是为了查明新旧电
子设备的耗能量。
34.Which of the following uses the least energy?
A. The box-set TV. B. The tablet.
C. The LCD TV. D. The desktop computer.
【解析】选 B。推理判断题。根据最后一段 They found that more on-demand
entertainment viewing on tablets instead of TVs and desktop computers
could cut energy consumption by 44%.可知,使用平板电脑观看娱乐节目比用电
视或台式电脑能减少 44%的能源消耗。由此可推断,四种电子设备中,平板电脑的
耗能量是最少的。
35. What does the text suggest people do about old electronic devices?
A. Stop using them. B. Take them apart.
C. Upgrade them. D. Recycle them.
【解析】选 A。推理判断题。作者开篇提出观点:新电子设备比过时的旧设备更
节能、更环保;之后又用 Babbitt 团队的研究证明自己的观点,文章的最后又再次
强调具备多种功能的新电子设备的确更节能。由此可推断,作者建议人们不要再
用过时的旧电子设备了。
[四]
Adults understand what it feels like to be flooded with objects. Why do
we often assume that more is more when it comes to kids and their belongings?
The good news is that I can help my own kids learn earlier than I did how
to live more with less.
I found the pre-holidays a good time to encourage young children to
donate less-used things, and it worked. Because of our efforts, our
daughter Georgia did decide to donate a large bag of toys to a little girl
whose mother was unable to pay for her holiday due to illness. She chose
to sell a few larger objects that were less often used when we promised
to put the money into her school fund(基金)(our kindergarten daughter is
serious about becoming a doctor).
For weeks, I’ve been thinking of bigger, deeper questions. How do
we make it a habit for them? And how do we train ourselves to help them
live with, need, and use less? Yesterday, I sat with my son, Shepherd,
determined to test my own theory on this. I decided to play with him with
only one toy for as long as it would keep his interest. I expected that
one toy would keep his attention for about five minutes, ten minutes, max.
I chose a red rubber ball—simple ,universally available. We passed it,
he tried to put it in his mouth, he tried bouncing it, rolling it, sitting
on it, throwing it. It was totally, completely enough for him. Before I
knew it an hour had passed and it was time to move on to lunch.
We both became absorbed in the simplicity of playing together. He had
my full attention and I had his. My little experiment to find joy in a
single object worked for both of us.
【文章大意】本文是一篇议论文。本文主要通过引导孩子主动捐献玩具,并从玩
耍简单玩具中获得快乐的做法阐述了一个生活哲理:简单的物品也能激发快乐。
32. What do the words “more is more” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. The more, the better.
B. Enough is enough.
C. More money, more worries.
D. Earn more and spend more.
【解析】选 A。词义猜测题。根据第一段第一句 Adults understand what it
feels like to be flooded with objects.可知,作者认为成年人都理解到处都是
物品的那种感觉,后面又用反问句提出了问题:但是,说到孩子们和他们的物品,
我们为什么通常又认定 more is more 呢?由此推知,这里的 more is more 与前面的
flooded with 的意思呼应,指“越多越好”。故选 A。
33. What made Georgia agree to sell some of her objects?
A. Saving up for her holiday.
B. Raising money for a poor girl.
C. Adding the money to her fund.
D. Giving the money to a sick mother.
【解析】选 C。细节理解题。根据第二段的最后一句 She chose to sell a few
larger objects that were less often used when we promised to put the money
into her school fund 可知,女儿愿意卖几件玩具,是因为我们承诺把钱放入她的
上学基金,可以推知女儿卖几件玩具的原因是想增加她的上学基金,故选 C。
34 Why did the author play the ball with Shepherd?
A. To try out an idea.
B. To show a parent’s love.
C. To train his attention.
D. To help him start a hobby.
【解析】选A。细节理解题。根据第三段中How do we make it a habit for them?
And how do we train ourselves to help them live with, need, and use less?
可知,作者一直在试图想找到一个办法,让孩子们养成“物品少也能生活得很愉快”
的习惯,为了找到这个办法,作者去和儿子 Shepherd 玩球,故答案选 A。
35. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Take it or Leave it
B.A Lesson from Kids
C. Live More with Less
D. The Pleasure of Giving
【解析】选 C。主旨大意题。根据第一段最后一句 The good news is that I can
help my own kids learn earlier than I did how to live more with less.以及下
文中的例子,证明了生活其实并不需要过多的外在物质,简单的生活一样可以过
得很充实很精彩。因此 C 项符合题意。
[五]
We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane,
surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones
or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all have compromised
conversational intelligence. It’s more likely that none of us start a
conversation because it’s awkward and challenging, or we think it’s
annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among
strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say
it’s an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.
Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can’t forget
that deep relationships wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for casual
conversation. Small talk is the grease (润滑剂) for social communication,
says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at
Indiana University Southeast.“ Almost every great love story and each
big business deal begins with small talk,” he explains.“ The key to
successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just
communicate with them.”
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology
at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked
to seek out an interaction (互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak
only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their
server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better
coffee shop experience.“ It’s not that talking to the waiter is better
than talking to your husband,” says Dunn.“ But interactions with
peripheral ( 边 缘 的 ) members of our social network matter for our
well-being also.”
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a
significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci
believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk.“
Small talk is the basis of good manners,” he says.
【文章大意】本文是一篇议论文。文章主要论述了闲谈在人际交往中的益处及重
要性。
32. What phenomenon is described in the first paragraph?
A. Addiction to smartphones.
B. Inappropriate behaviours in public places.
C. Absence of communication between strangers.
D. Impatience with slow service.
【解析】选 C。推理判断题。文章首段提到在公共场合中,周围都是人的情况下,
人们只是专注地盯着自己的手机,或者苦苦挣扎于令人不自在的沉默中,从中可
以推断出文章首段描述了陌生人之间缺少交流的现象。故选择 C 项。
33. What is important for successful small talk according to Carducci?
A. Showing good manners.
B. Relating to other people.
C. Focusing on a topic.
D. Making business deals.
【解析】选 B。细节理解题。根据第三段 Carducci 所说的话 The key to
successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just
communicate with them.可知,他认为与他人建立良好关系才是成功闲谈的关键。
故选择 B 项。
34.What does the coffee-shop study suggest about small talk?
A. It improves family relationships.
B. It raises people’s confidence.
C. It matters as much as a formal talk.
D. It makes people feel good.
【解析】选 D。细节理解题。根据第四段中的 The results showed that those
who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive
feelings...以及 But interactions with peripheral members of our social
network matter for our well-being also.可知,闲谈会使人感觉良好。故选择
D 项。
35.What is the best title for the text?
A. Conversation Counts
B. Ways of Making Small Talk
C. Benefits of Small Talk
D. Uncomfortable Silence
【解析】选 C。主旨大意题。文章第二段便提出论点:Experts say it’s an
invaluable social practice that results in big benefits,接下来便通过引用
专家的言论以及实验结果来证明闲谈的益处及重要性,所以文章的主旨是“闲谈
的益处”。故选择 C 项。
[六]
The possibility of self-driving robot cars has often seemed like a
futurist’s dream, years away from materializing in the real world. Well,
the future is apparently now. The California Department of Motor Vehicles
began giving permits in April for companies to test truly self-driving
cars on public roads. The state also cleared the way for companies to sell
or rent out self-driving cars, and for companies to operate driverless
taxi services. California, it should be noted, isn’t leading the way here.
Companies have been testing their vehicles in cities across the country.
It’s hard to predict when driverless cars will be everywhere on our roads.
But however long it takes, the technology has the potential to change our
transportation systems and our cities, for better or for worse, depending
on how the transformation is regulated.
While much of the debate so far has been focused on the safety of
driverless cars(and rightfully so), policymakers also should be talking
about how self-driving vehicles can help reduce traffic jams, cut
emissions(排放) and offer more convenient, affordable mobility options.
The arrival of driverless vehicles is a chance to make sure that those
vehicles are environmentally friendly and more shared.
Do we want to copy—or even worsen—the traffic of today with
driverless cars? Imagine a future where most adults own individual
self-driving vehicles. They tolerate long, slow journeys to and from work
on packed highways because they can work, entertain themselves or sleep
on the ride, which encourages urban spread. They take their driverless
car to an appointment and set the empty vehicle to circle the building
to avoid paying for parking. Instead of walking a few blocks to pick up
a child or the dry cleaning, they send the self-driving minibus. The
convenience even leads fewer people to take public transport—an
unwelcome side effect researchers have already found in ride-hailing(叫车)
services.
A study from the University of California at Davis suggested that
replacing petrol-powered private cars worldwide with electric,
self-driving and shared systems could reduce carbon emissions from
transportation 80% and cut the cost of transportation infrastructure(基础
设施) and operations 40% by 2050.Fewer emissions and cheaper travel sound
pretty appealing. The first commercially available driverless cars will
almost certainly be fielded by ride-hailing services, considering the
cost of self-driving technology as well as liability and maintenance
issues(责任与维护问题).But driverless car ownership could increase as
the prices drop and more people become comfortable with the technology.
Policymakers should start thinking now about how to make sure the
appearance of driverless vehicles doesn’t extend the worst aspects of
the car-controlled transportation system we have today. The coming
technological advancement presents a chance for cities and states to
develop transportation systems designed to move more people, and more
affordably. The car of the future is coming. We just have to plan for it.
【文章大意】本文是一篇议论文。无人驾驶机器人汽车将成为现实。作者认为无
人驾驶汽车将会更好或者更坏地改变我们的交通系统、改变我们的城市将取决于
政策制定者如何规划、管理这项科技。
47.According to the author, attention should be paid to how driverless
cars can .
A. help deal with transportation-related problems
B. provide better services to customers
C. cause damage to our environment
D. make some people lose jobs
【解析】选 A。细节理解题。根据第二段可知,作者认为人们不仅需要关注无人
驾驶汽车的安全性问题,政策制定者也应该关注无人驾驶汽车如何有助于减少交
通阻塞、减少废气排放,提供更方便、更负担得起的出行选择。简言之,这些问题
都是与交通有关的问题。因此选 A。
48.As for driverless cars, what is the author’s major concern?
A. Safety. B. Side effects.
C. Affordability. D. Management.
【解析】选 D。细节理解题。根据第一段的最后一句以及第三段可知,作者预想
了使用无人驾驶汽车将会产生的种种问题,而这些问题的解决有赖于政策制定者
对无人驾驶汽车的管理和规划。因此选 D。
49.What does the underlined word “fielded” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Employed. B. Replaced.
C. Shared. D. Reduced.
【解析】选 A。词义猜测题。根据本句后面的信息 considering the cost of
self-driving technology as well as liability and maintenance issues.以及
后面一句的内容可推知,首批商用无人驾驶汽车几乎肯定由叫车服务行业所使用。
但是个人拥有无人驾驶汽车的数量也会增长。
50.What is the author’s attitude to the future of self-driving cars?
A. Doubtful. B. Positive.
C. Disapproving. D. Sympathetic.
【解析】选 B。观点态度题。根据文章最后三句话可推知作者对无人驾驶汽车的
未来是充满希望的。因此选 B。
[七]
[八]
[九]
Happiness is contagious, researchers reported on Thursday.
People with the most social connections - spouses, friends, neighbors
and relatives - were also the happiest, the data showed. "Each additional
happy person makes you happier，" Christakis said.
"Imagine that I am connected to you and you are connected to others
and others are connected to still others. It is this fabric of humanity,
like an American patch quilt."
Each person sits on a different colored patch. "Imagine that these
patches are happy and unhappy patches. Your happiness depends on what is
going on in the patch around you，" Christakis said.
"It is not just happy people connecting with happy people, which they
do. Above and beyond, there is this contagious process going on."
And happiness is more contagious than unhappiness, they discovered.
"If a social contact is happy, it increases the likelihood that you
are happy by 15 percent，" Fowler said. "A friend of a friend, or the friend
of a spouse or a sibling (兄弟姐妹), if they are happy, increases your
chances by 10 percent，" he added.
A happy third-degree friend - the friend of a friend of a friend -
increases a person's chances of being happy by 6 percent.
"But every extra unhappy friend increases the likelihood that you'll
be unhappy by 7 percent，" Fowler said.
The finding is interesting and it is useful, too, Fowler said.
"Among other benefits, happiness has been shown to have an important
effect on reduced mortality (死亡率), pain reduction, and improved
cardiac (心脏的) function. So better understanding of how happiness
spreads can help us learn how to promote a healthier society，" he
said.
The study also fits in with other data suggested in 1984 that having
$ 5,000 extra increased a person's chances of becoming happier by about
2 percent.
"A happy friend is worth about $ 20,000，" Christakis said.
[语篇解读]美国科学家的一项最新研究成果表明，快乐感可以互相传递。这
项研究成果为我们构建更为健康、和谐的社会提供了依据和方法。
1．According to the research, your happiness ________.
A. has nothing to do with your workmates or schoolmates
B. has something to do with anyone who has a close relationship with
you
C. depends on those who are in favour of you or are against you
D. has little to do with what social connections you have
[解析]推理判断题。根据第二段、第三段内容可知，快乐感会不断传递和扩
散，你的配偶、朋友、邻居、亲戚等的快乐指数会直接影响你的快乐程度，故选
B。[答案]B
2．The underlined word "contagious" in the first paragraph means
________.
A. infectious B. beautiful C. effective D. prior
[解析]词义猜测题。第一句是全文的主题句。由文章第二、三、四段可知，
快乐感可以在人们之间传播，故 contagious 的意思是"有感染力的，有传染性的
"。[答案]A
3．It can be inferred that________.
A. happiness spreads as fast and widely as unhappiness
B. unhappiness spreads faster and more widely than happiness
C. happiness spreads faster and more widely than unhappiness
D. the spread of unhappiness has not been studied by researchers
[解析]推理判断题。根据第六段"And happiness is more contagious than
unhappiness，they discovered."一句可推知选 C。[答案]C
4．Which of the following will increase your chances of becoming
happier most?
A. Being in a party with a happy atmosphere.
B. A happy experience of your brother or your parents.
C. A happy trip to a foreign country of your friends.
D. Happiness of your friend' s friend.
[解析]事实细节题。根据第七、第八段讲述的别人的快乐感对你的影响几率
可知，排在最前的是"If a social contact is happy"，故选 A。[答案]A
5．What does Christakis mean by saying "A happy friend is worth
about $ 20,000" ?
A. A happy friend can help you bring in a wealth of $ 20,000.
B. A happy friend is a wealth which is worth about $ 20,000.
C. A happy friend increases your chances of being happy by 2%.
D. A happy friend increases your chances of being happy by 8 %.
[解析]句意理解题。结合上一段中的"that having $5,000 extra increased
a person's chances of becoming happier by about 2 percent"可知，一个快
乐的朋友带给你的快乐相当于大约$20,000 带给你的快乐，也就是$5,000 的四倍，
即一个快乐的朋友给你带来快乐的几率为 8%，故选 D。[答案]D
[十]
When times get tough, we all look for ways to cut back. When we're hungry,
we eat at home instead of going out. We take buses instead of taxis. And
we wear our old designer jeans just a few months longer. With college
expenses at all-time highs, high school students are eager to do anything
to cut the cost of a university education.
One cost-cutting proposal is to allow college students to get a
bachelor' s degree in three years instead of four. Educational
institutions have been actively exploring ways to make the learning
process more efficient. But there's a question: Would the quality of
undergraduate(本科生)education suffer? Few US universities have formally
approved a "three-year degree" model.
I doubt that mainstream North American colleges will carry out a
three-year curriculum(课程) any time soon. For one thing, most
universities already allow highly qualified students to graduate early
by testing out of certain classes and obtaining a number of college
credits(学分). In addition, at famous universities, the committee who
determine which courses are required and which courses are electives are
unlikely to suddenly "throw out" one quarter of the required credits.
Professors will resist "diluting(稀释)" the quality of the education they
offer.
In my opinion, a quality four-year education is always superior to a
quality three-year education. A college education requires sufficient
time for a student to become skilled in their major and do coursework in
fields outside their major. It is not a good idea to water down education,
any more than it' s not a good idea to water down medicine. If we want
to help students find their way through university, we should help them
understand early on what knowledge and skills they need to have upon
graduation. We should allow students to test out of as many courses as
possible. We should give them a chance to earn money as interns(实习生)in
meaningful part-time jobs that relate to their university studies, such
as the five-year co-op program at Northeastern University.
[语篇解读]本文为议论文。作者认为把大学四年的学制缩短为三年不是一个
好主意，保证足够的时间才能保证大学教育的质量。
1．Which of the following can be the best title?
A. It' s time to shorten the learning process
B. Best learning takes place over time
C. University education should be watered down
D. College education calls for reform
[解析]主旨大意题。作者认为把大学四年的学制缩短为三年不是一个好主意，
学好大学功课是需要付出时间的，故 B 项最佳。[答案]B
2．We can learn from the passage that ________.
A. most American universities are against the "three-year degree"
model
B. many famous US universities are considering adopting the
"three-year degree" model
C. professors are willing to accept the "three-year degree" model
D. The "three-year degree" model can make college learning more
efficient
[解析]细节理解题。根据第二段中的 Few US universities have formally
approved a "three-year degree" model 可知几乎没有几所美国大学认可"三年
本科学位"模式。[答案]A
3．In most US universities，________.
A. college students are offered the co-op program
B. electives' credits make up one quarter of the required credits
C. all students are required to finish four-year education before
graduation
D. some excellent students can graduate ahead of time
[解析]细节理解题。根据第三段中的 most universities already allow
highly qualified students to graduate early 可知特别优秀的大学生可以提前
毕业。[答案]D
4．We can infer that________.
A. the author is a college professor
B. the author thinks the cost of a university education is too high
for people to afford
C. the author considers the university education quality very
important
D. the author pays special attention to the all-round development of
college students
[解析]推理判断题。在第四段作者给出了自己的观点，从"A college
education requires sufficient time for a student to become skilled in
their major...""It is not a good idea to water down education"等处可以看出
作者非常看重大学教育质量。[答案]C
5．The first paragraph serves as a(n)________．
A. explanation B. definition C. introduction D. comment
[解析]篇章结构题。本题要求学生推断文章的结构。根据第一段的内容可知
第一段是用来引入话题的，故 C 项最佳。[答案]C