阅读理解题

　　第4部分：阅读理解（第31～45题，每题3分，共45分）

　　下面有3篇短文，每篇幅短文后有5道题，每题后面有4个选项。请仔细阅读短文并根据短文回答其后面的问题，从4个选项中选择一个最佳答案涂在答题卡相应的位置上。

　　第一篇

Football

　　Football is， I suppose， the most popular game in England： one has only to go to one of the important matches to see this. Rich and poor， young and old， one can see them all there， shouting and cheering for one side or the other.

　　One of the most surprising things about football in England to a stranger is the great knowledge of the game which even the smallest boy seems to have. He can tell you the names of the players in most of the important teams. He has photographs of them and knows the results of a large number of matches. He will tell you， with a great air of authority， who he expects will win such and such a match， and his opinion is usually as valuable as that of men three or four times his age.

　　Most schools in England take football seriously - much more seriously than nearly all European schools， where lessons are all-important （至关重要的）， and games left for private arrangements. In England， it is believed that education is not only a matter of filling a boy's mind with facts in a classroom； education also means character training； and one of the best ways of training character is by means of games， especially team games， where the boy has to learn to work with others for his team， instead of working selfishly （自私地） for himself alone. The school therefore arranges games and matches for its pupils Football is a good team game， it is good exercise for the body， it needs skill and a quick brain， it is popular and it is cheap： as a result， it is the school's favorite game in the winter.

　　31 In England football is a game enjoyed

　　A only by young people.

　　B only by rich people.

　　C only by boys.

　　D by people of all ages and classes.

　　32 A stranger in England will be surprised to find that in that country

　　A people have little knowledge of football.

　　B girls are more interested in football than boys.

　　C even small boys know a lot about football.

　　D children are not interested in football at all.

　　33 There is a great difference between schools in England and those in Europe in that

　　A European schools take football seriously.

　　B European schools often arrange football matches for their pupils.

　　C schools in England care little about lessons.

　　D schools in England believe character training to be part of education.

　　34 According to the passage， which of the following is NOT true of the football game？

　　A It makes people selfish.

　　B It encourages cooperation.

　　C It is good for health.

　　D It is not expensive.

　　35 What is the author's attitude towards the football game in England？

　　A Critical.

　　B Positive.

　　C Negative.

　　D Doubtful.

　　第二篇

The English Weather

　　"Other countries have a climate； in England we have weather". This statement， often made by Englishmen to describe the strange weather conditions of their country， is both revealing and true. It is revealing because in it we see the Englishman insisting once again that what happens in England is not the same as what happens elsewhere； its truth can be proved by any foreigner who stays in the country for longer than a few days.

　　In no country other than England， it has been said， can one experience four seasons in the course of a single day！ Day may break as a warm spring morning； an hour or so later black clouds may have appeared from nowhere and the rain may be pouring down. At midday it may be really winter with the temperature down by about eight degrees or more centigrade （摄氏度）. And then， in the late afternoon the sky will clear， the sun will begin to shine， and for an hour or two before darkness falls， it will be summer.

　　In England one can experience almost every kind of weather except the most extreme. （Some foreigners seem to be under the impression that for ten months of the year the country is covered by a dense blanket of fog； this is not true.） The problem is that we never can be sure when the different types of weather will occur. Not only do we get several different sorts of weather in one day， but we may very well get a spell （持续的一段面时间） of winter in summer and a spell of summer in winter.

　　The uncertainty about the weather has had a definite effect upon the Englishman's character； it tends to make him cautious （小心谨慎的）， for example. The foreigner may laugh when he sees the Englishman setting forth on a brilliantly sunny morning wearing a raincoat and carrying an umbrella， but he may well regret his laughter later in the day！

　　And， of course， the weather's variety provides a constant topic of conversation. Even the most taciturn （沉默寡言） of Englishmen is always prepared to discuss the weather. And， though he sometimes complains bitterly of it， he would not， even if he could， exchange it for the more predictable climate of other lands.

　　36 "Other countries have a climate； in England we have weather". This statement suggests that

　　A other countries do not have fine weather.

　　B you cannot experience four seasons in a year in England.

　　C the weather in England often changes and is therefore unique.

　　D the weather in England never changes.

　　37 A special feature of the weather in England is that

　　A you can experience four seasons every day throughout the year.

　　B it does not have four seasons as other countries do.

　　C winter there is the coldest in the world.

　　D you may experience different types of weather in a single day.

　　38 What makes the Englishman cautious， according to the passage？

　　A The foreigner's laughter.

　　B The cold weather in winter.

　　C The uncertainty about the weather.

　　D The predictable climate.

　　39 Which of the following statements is NOT true of the weather in England？

　　A England is covered by heavy fog for ten months of the year.

　　B It tends to make the Englishman cautious.

　　C One cannot be sure when the different types of weather will occur.

　　D You may have a spell of winter in summer.

　　40 The word "lands" in the last sentence could best be replaced by

　　A "soil".

　　B "earth".

　　C "countries"

　　D "parts".

　　第三篇

Volcanoes

　　There are thousands of volcanoes （火山） all over the world. What makes volcanoes？ What happens？

　　The inside of the earth is very hot. Because it is very， very hot， the rock has melted like ice. It has become liquid， like water. It is always boiling， like water in a kettle. If you have seen a kettle boiling， you know that the steam and boiling water try to get out. The very hot melted rock inside the earth also tries to get out. Usually it cannot because the outside of the earth is too thick and strong.

　　But in some places the outside of the earth is thin and weak. Sometimes a crack appears. The hot melted rock， which we call "lava" （熔岩~）， pushes out through the crack and bursts through. Steam and gas shoot up into the air and the hot melted lava pours out. Big pieces of rock may be thrown high into the air.

　　After a while the volcano becomes quiet again. The melted lava becomes hard. Later the same thing happens again and again. Each time more hot lava pours out on top of the cold lava and then becomes hard. In this way a kind of mountain is built up， with a hole down the middle. Perhaps the volcano will then be quiet. Perhaps it will start again hundreds of years later.

　　Vesuvius is the name of a very famous volcano in Italy. It first came to life many， many years ago. It was quiet for hundreds of years. Then in the year 79 it suddenly burst. A great cloud of smoke shot up into the sky with great burning rocks. Hot lava poured down its sides. About 3，000 people were killed.

　　This has happened again many times since that year. Sometimes no damage was caused， or only little damage. But there was serious damage in the years 472， 1631， 1794， 1861， 1872 and 1906. You can see that a volcano can stay alive for many years. There was also serious damage in 1914 but there has not been any since that year.

　　41 According to the passage， a volcano sends out

　　A boiling water.

　　B boiled water.

　　C melted rock.

　　D melted ice.

　　42 Lava bursts out where there is

　　A a crack in the earth.

　　B a mountain by the sea.

　　C a big fire.

　　D steam and gas.

　　43 When lava cools， it becomes

　　A liquid.

　　B water.

　　C smoke.

　　D hard.

　　44 According to the passage， Vesuvius has caused serious damage

　　A six times.

　　B seven times.

　　C eight times.

　　D nine times.

　　45 The phrase "stay alive" in the last paragraph can best be replaced by

　　A "burst out".

　　B "remain active".

　　C "come to life".

　　D "throw out lava".

　　【参考答案】

　　31. D　　32. C　　33. D　　34. A　　35. B

　　36. C　　37. D　　38. C　　39. A　　40. C

　　41. C　　42. A　　43. D　　44. C　　45. B