2013年湖北成人学位英语考试真题及答案（文字版）
Passage 2
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
Harriet Beecher Stowe had poured her heart into her anti-slavery book," Uncle Tom's Cabin". But neither she nor her first publisher thought it would be a big success, The publisher was so doubtful that he wanted her to split the publishing costs with him, and all she hoped was that it would make enough money for her to buya new silk dress.
But whenthe first 5,000 copies were printed in 1852, they sold out in two days.In a year the book had sold 300,000 copies in the United States and 150,000 in England.For a while it outsold (销得比…多) every book in the world, except the Bible.
Within six months of its release, a play was made from the book which ran 350 performances in New York and remained America's most popular play for 80 years.
It might appear that "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was univer sally popular , but this was certainly not true.
Many people during those pre-Civil War days--particularly defenders of the slavery system—condemned it as false propaganda and poorly written melodrama(传奇剧作品).
Harriet did have strong religious views against slavery ( When asked how she came to write the book, she replied," God wrote it." ), an she tried to convince people slavery was wrong, so perhaps the book could be considered propaganda. But if so, it was true propaganda, because it accurately described the evils of slavery.
Though she was born in Connecticut, 1832, as a young woman she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio,when her father accepted the presidency of newly founded Lane Theological Seminary (神学院). Ohio was a free state, but just across the Ohio River in Kentucky, Harriet saw slavery in action.She lived 18 years in Cincinnati, marrying Calvin Stowe, professor of a college.In 1851, Harriet Beecher Stowe began her book.
Its vast influence strengthened the anti-slavery movementand angered defenders of the slave system.
Today some historians(历史学家) think that it helped bring on the American Civil War.
In fact, when Abraham Lincoln met Harriet at the White House during the Civil War, he said," So, this is the little lady who started this big war."
26.Before the publication of the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" ( ).
A.Harriet knew that it would be a great success
B.the publisher wanted Harriet to publish it at her own expense
C.nobody knew that it would become a very popular book
D.no publisher wanted to publish this anti-slavery book
27.Some people did not like "Uncle Tom's Cabin"chiefly because ( ).
A.the author was merely an unknown little lady
B.they thought it was mere propaganda
C.the book was poorly written
D.the book might lead to a terrible war
28.Harriet Beecher Stowe was able to describe the evils of slavery because ).
A.she had lived for 18 years in a state where slavery was legal
B.she had suffered quite a lot under the slavery system
C.she had witnessed what happened under theslavery system
D.she had read a lot about the slavery system
29.When Abraham Lincoln called Harriet "the little lady who started this big war", he ( ).
A.thought that she was almost a war criminal
B.was talking about the great influence her book had produced
C.was blaming her for the miseries the people had suffered during the war
D.was praising her for the contributions she had made during the war
30.The writer wrote the passage in order to ( ).
A.expose the evils of the slavery system
B.condemn all kinds of war
C.describe people's life in Harriet's time
D.tell us how Harriet wrote her famous book
Passage 3
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
England is not a big country: from north to south and from east to west it is only about three hundred miles across. But for a small country it has a surprising range of climate. People who have never visited England, or who have visited only one part of it, often make the mistake of thinking that it is a cold and wet country, Except for the summer months of June to September, this is probably true of the north of England and the Midlands.In the south, however, the climate is much more pleasant.One result is that when people retire from a job in the north they often prefer to move down to the milder south.
Perhaps the warmest part of the country is the southwest, which consists of the counties of Devon and Cornwall.The warm Gulf Stream flows across the North Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico and makes the coastal regions of the southwest quite warm. Palm trees, bamboo (竹) and many semi-tropical(亚热带的) plants grow well in the southwest of England.Flowers and vegetables ripen(成熟) as much as a month earlier than those elsewhere.Farmers in the area obtain a higher price for their vegetables and flowers because they are read earlier. In winter there may be several feet of snow in other parts of England but there will probably be no snow at all in the southwest. This may be one of the reasons why the southwest is one of England's most popular holiday areas.
31.The distance from the center of England to the south coast is about ( ).
A.one hundred miles
B.three hundred miles
C.one hundred and fifty miles
D.six hundred miles
32.England is a country ( ).
A.with a cold and wet climate
B.with a surprising climate
C.with a pleasant climate
D.with a variety of climates
33.According to the passage, ( ).
A.flowers and vegetables fromDevon are on the market one month earlier
B.farmers in the southwest grow as many vegetables and flowers as farmers elsewhere
C.people in the southwest have to pay a higher price for vegetables and flowers
D.vegetables inCornwall ripen as much as a month earlier than flowers
34.In the north of England and the Midlands, ( ).
A.it is cold and wet all the year round
B.the climate is pleasant as a whole
C.it is warm most of the time in a year
D.only the summer is not cold or wet
35.In winter, people in Devon and Cornwall ( ).
A.seldom see snow
B.never see any snow
C.may have several feet of snow
D.often see snow