Reading Comprehension (40 points)

Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each of the passages is followed by 5 questions or unfin-ished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET with a single line through the centre.

Passage 1

Washington Irving was America' s first man of letters to be known internationally. His works were received enthusiastically both in England and in the United States. He was, in fact, one of the most successful writers of his time in the country, and at the same time winning the admiration of fellow writers like Scott in Britain and Poe and Hawthorne in the United States. The respect in which he was held partly owing to the man himself, with his warm friendliness, his good sense,his urbanity, his gay spirits, his artistic integrity, his love of both the Old World and the New.

Thackeray described Irving as "a gentleman, who, though himself born in no very high sphere,was most finished, polished, witty; socially the equal of the most refined Europeans. " In England he was granted an honorary degree from Oxford--an unusual honor for a citizen of a young, uncul-tured nation--and he received the medal of the Royal Society of Literature. America made him am-bassador to Spain.

Irving' s background provides little to explain his literary achievements. A gifted but delicate child, he had little schooling. He studied law, but without zeal, and never did practice seriously.

He was immune to his strict Presbyterian home environment, frequenting both social gatherings and the theater.

16. The main point of the first paragraph is that Washington Irving was__________.

A. America' s first man of letters

B. a writer who had great success both in and outside his own country

C. a man who was able to move from literature to politics

D. a man whose personal charm enabled him to get by with basically inferior work

17. What is implied by the mention of Scott, Poe and Hawthorne?

A. Irving enjoyed great popular admiration.

B. Scott, Poe and Hawthorne were primarily responsible for Irving' s success.

C. Irving' s work was not only popular, but also of high literary quality.

D. More Americans than Britons admired Irving.

18. Which of the following best describes the effect of Irving' s Presbyterian background on his life?

A. It fostered his love for the theater.

B. It developed his skill in business.

C. It prompted his interest in law.

D. It had almost no effect on his life.

19. Which of the following best describes the effect of Irving' s personal qualities on his literary success ?

A. His personal qualities were entirely responsible for his literary success.

B. His personal qualities were primarily responsible for his literary success.

C. His personal qualities had some effects on his literary success.

D. His personal qualities had no effects on his literary success.

20. Why might Irving' S literary ability have been surprising to the English?

A. They. feared competition from American writers.

B. They did not expect the United States to produce good writers.

C. They disapproved of the language American writers used.

D. They thought of the United States as a purely commercial power.

Passage 2

Traditionally,, universities have carried out two main activities: research and teaching. Many experts would argue that both these activities play a critical role in serving the community. The fun-damental question, however, is how does the community want or need to be served?

In recent years universities have been coming under increasing pressure from both the govern-ments and the public .to ensure that they do not remain "ivory towers(象牙塔)" of study separated from the realities of everyday life. University teachers have been encouraged, and in some cases constrained (强迫), to provide more courses which produce graduates with the technical skills re-quired for the commercial use. If Aristotle wanted to work in a university in the UK today ， he would have a good chance of teaching computer science but would not be so readily employable as a philosopher.

A post-industtial society requires large numbers of computer programmers, engineers, manag-ers and technicians to maintain and develop its economic growth but "man", as the Bible says,"does not live by bread alone. " Apart from requiring medical and social services, which do not di-rectly contribute to economic growth, the society should also value and enjoy literature, music and the arts. Because they can also promote economic growth. A successful musical play, for instance,can contribute as much to the Gross National Product through tourist dollars as any other things.

21. The main idea of the first paragraph is that__________.

A. traditional universities do a good job serving the society

B. universities must meet the needs of the society

C. research and teaching are of great importance in universities

D. universities play an important role in our society

22. We can infer from the second paragraph that__________.

A. the society is not satisfied with the present college education

B. the governments interfere too much with college education

C. teacher are forced to do what they don' t like to do

D. teachers dislike teaching commercially useful courses

23. The Aristotle example is used to make the point that__________.

A. universities in the UK have produced too much good for graduates

B. such abstract subjects as philosophy is no longer useful

C. education should serve the social needs

D. it is advisable for today' s philosophers to know computer science

24. According to the passage, literature, music and the arts__________.

A. do not contribute to economic growth at all

B. are less useful to the society because they do not make direct contribution to economic growth

C. are similar to medical and social services in their way of promoting economic growth

D. should develop only when they are good for economic growth

25. The author believes that__________.

A. art is useful only when it is made into a money earner

B. the promotion of economic growth is the only goal of today' s society

C. universities should not provide literature or art courses

D. the society needs both technical skills and arts

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