四、阅读理解(共l5小题：每题3分，共45分。)
根据下面资料，回答下面试题
For any Englishman, there can never be any discussion as to who is the world's greatest dramatist(剧作家). Only one name can possibly suggest itself to him:that of William Shake- speare. Every Englishman has some knowledge, however slight, of the work of our greatest writ- er. All of us use words, phrases and quotations from Shakespeare's writings that have become part of the common property of the English-speaking people. Most of the time we are probably unaware of the source of the words we used, rather like the old lady who was taken to see a per- formance of Hamlet and complained that it was full of well--known proverbs and quotations.
Shakespeare, more perhaps than any other writer, makes full use of the great resources of the English language. Most of us use about five thousand words in our normal use of English; Shakespeare in his works used about twenty-five thousand.
There is probably no better way for a foreigner to appreciate the richness and variety of the English language than by studying the various ways in which Shakespeare used it. Such a study is well worth the effort (it is not, of course, recommended to beginners)even though some as- pects of English usage, and the meaning of many words, have changed since Shakespeare's day.
第36题单选 English people__________ 。
A.have never discussed who is the world's greatest dramatist
B.never discuss any issue concerning the world's greatest dramatist
C.are sure who is the world's greatest dramatist
D.do not care who is the world's greatest poet and dramatist
第37题单选 Every Englishman knows__________ 。
A.more or less about Shakespeare
B.Shakespeare, but only slightly
C.all Shakespeare's writings
D.only the name of the greatest English writer
第38题单选 Which of the following is TRUE?
A.We use all the words, phrases and quotations from Shakespeare's writings.
B.Shakespeare's writings have become the property of those who are learning to speak English.
C.It is likely to be true that people often do not know the origins of the words they use.
D.All the words people use are taken from the writings of Shakespeare.
第39题单选 Why is it worthwhile to study the various ways in which Shakespeare used English?
A.English words have changed a lot since Shakespeare's time.
B.By doing so one can be fully aware of the richness of the English language.
C.English words are now being used in the same way as in Shakespeare's time.
D.Beginners may have difficulty learning some aspects of English usage.
根据下面资料，回答下面试题
O. Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born in North Carolina in 1862. As a young boy he lived an ex- citing life. He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some mon- ey went missing from the bank, O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden ehange at the end, to the reader's surprise.
第40题单选 In which order did O. Henry do the following things?
a. Lived in New York. b. Worked in a bank. e. Travelled to Texas.
d. Was put in prison, e. Had a newspaper Job. f. Learned to write stories.
A.e. c. f. b. d. a
B.e.e.b.d.f. a
C.e. b. d. c. a.f.
D.c.b.e.d. af.
第41题单选 People enjoyed reading O. Henry's stories because
A.they had surprise endings
B.they were easy to understand
C.they showed his love for the poor
D.they were about New York City
第42题单选 O. Henry went to prison because
A.people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper
B.he broke the law by not using his own name
C.he wanted to write stories about prisoners
D.people thought he had taken money that was not his
第43题单选 What do we know about O. Henry before he began writing?
A.He was well-educated.
B.He was not serious about his work.
C.He was devoted to the poor.
D.He was very good at learning.
根据下面资料，回答下面试题
In the early part of the twentieth century, racism was widespread in the United States. Many African Americans were not given equal opportunities in education or employment. Mari- an Anderson ( 1897 - 1993 ) was an African American woman who gained fame as a concert singer in this climate of racism. She was born in Philadelphia and sang in church choirs during her childhood. When she applied for admission to a local music school in 1917, she was turned down because she was black. Unable to attend music school, she began her career as a singer for church gatherings. In 1929, she went to Europe to study voice and spent several years per- forming there. Her voice was widely praised throughout Europe. Then she returned to the US in 1935 and became a top concert singer after performing at Town Hall in New York City.
Racism again affected Anderson in 1939. When it was arranged for her to sing at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, the Daughters of the American Revolution opposed it because of her color. She sang instead at the Lincoln Memorial for over 75 000 people. In 1955, Anderson became the first black soloist to sing win the Metropolitan Opera of New York City. The famous conductor Toscanini praised her voice as "heard only once in a hundred years". She was a US delegate to the United Nations in 1958 and won the UN peace prize in 1977. Anderson eventu ally triumphed over racism.
第44题单选 According to this passage, what did Marian Anderson do between 1917 and 1929?
A.She studied at a music school.
B.She sang for religious activities.
C.She sang at Town Hall in New York.
D.She studied voice in Europe.
第45题单选 Toscanini thought that Marian Anderson_________.
A.had a very rare voice
B.sang occasionally in public
C.sang only once in many years
D.was seldom heard by people
第46题单选 Anderson's beautiful voice was first recognized_________.
A.at the Lincoln Memorial
B.in Washington, DC.
C.in Europe
D.at the United Nations
第47题单选 This passage shows that Anderson finally defeated racism in the US by
A.protesting to the government
B.appealing to the United Nations
C.demonstrating in the streets
D.working hard to perfect her art
成考试题：2016成考高起点英语考前30天冲刺试题 历年真题及答案
考试报名：2016成人高考报名时间/入口 志愿填报 现场确认
