专题限时训练(三十一) [文化教育型阅读理解(一)]
(限时：25分钟)
(一)
The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare's time is estimated to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms.
In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.
The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its presentday importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of the important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West.
1．Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A．Some 260 million people in the world have an adequate working knowledge of English.
B．There are some 260 million native speakers of English in the world.
C．It is almost impossible to estimate the number of people with an adequate working knowledge of English.
D．People learn English for a variety of reasons.
2．According to the passage, what is the main reason for the widespread use of English?
A．It was popular during Shakespeare's time.
B．It is used in former British colonies.
C．It serves the needs of its native speakers.
D．It is a world language that is used for international communication.
3．What forms an adequate working knowledge of English?
A．The ability to read a newspaper.
B．It is difficult to judge because it differs for each situation.
C．Being a multilingual.
D．Being a native speaker.
4．What type of developing countries would be most likely to use English?
A．Those geographically close to the United States.
B．Those interested in the culture of the United States.
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C．Former colonies of Great Britain.
D．Countries where international conferences are held.
(二)
Having spent two and a half years in China over several visits, I don't remember ever going through a phase we in the United States call “cultural shock”. This period of difficulty in adjusting to a new culture would probably have set in during my semester at Peking University. Of course, this is not to say that I didn't notice any differences between the American and Chinese cultures upon my arrival at Peking University, I did notice the differences. Looking back, I remember one of the first differences I noticed: chinese universities are surrounded by walls.
To an American, this is one of the most striking aspects of a Chinese university which immediately sets it apart from an American campus. Having grown up in the United States, I had never seen a university surrounded by high, cement(水泥) walls. My idea of a university, based on having seen scores of them in different states of the US, was a place of life and learning, an inseparable part of the community in which it was located, open not only to the students of the school itself, but also fully accessible to students from other schools and to the broader public.
My idea of a university was that it was a centre of cultural life, a resource for the entire community. In all my twentyone years, it had never occurred to me that a school would have a wall around it. Walls enclose and separate; schools expand and integrate(合并). The_very_idea_seemed_fundamentally_incompatible. I asked a Chinese friend if all Chinese universities have walls around them.“You know, I have never really thought about it. I guess so. I guess all Chinese schools have walls around them, not just universities.”“Why？” I asked.“What's the point？”“I don't know. To protect us, I suppose.”“From whom？”“I don't know. Don't you have walls around your schools in the United States？”I thought carefully before answering.“No, I've never seen or heard of a university encircled by a wall.”My Chinese friend seemed puzzled. Walls around schools came to strike me as more than just an architectural difference between the United States and China. As China continues to open up to the outside world, these walls seem increasingly out of place.
5．The author felt strange about Chinese culture when he ________.
A．studied in Peking University
B．talked with his friends about the walls
C．experienced the “cultural shock” at his arrival
D．spent two and a half years in China over several visits
6．In the author's opinion, a university is a place ________.
A．where only students can come to study
B．which is similar everywhere in the world
C．that should be surrounded by high cement walls
D．that is an inseparable part of and a resource for the community
7．What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably mean?
A．The two ideas are fundamental.
B．The two ideas are basically different.
C．The two ideas about “school” and “wall” are suitable.
D．The two ideas about “school” and “wall” are conflicting.
8．What did the author's friend feel about the walls around universities?
A．He thought it a good idea to have walls encircling schools.
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B．He was shocked that American universities are not enclosed.
C．He thought they were necessary to protect students from being hurt.
D．He thought the difference between two countries is only architectural styles.
9．We can infer from the passage that the author thinks ________.
A．walls are really useful in the universities
B．he can never really understand the Chinese culture
C．Chinese universities should work as public scenic spots
D．walls around the universities are inappropriate in an open China
(三)
Strange BabyNaming Laws
Germany Parents are banned by law from using last names and the names of objects and products as first names. A child's first name must clearly indicate his or her sex, and all names must be approved by the office of vital statistics in the area in which the child was born.
Iceland The country's naming committee consults the National Register of Persons to determine if a name is acceptable. If parents want to go through the list, they must apply for approval and pay a fee, and the name must contain only letters in the Icelandic alphabet.
New Zealand The country's Births, Deaths, and Marriages Registration Act of 1995 prohibits parents from choosing a name that “might cause offense to a reasonable person; is unreasonably long; or is, includes, or resembles an official title or rank，” including, apparently, Adolf Hitler and Yeah Detroit—both names are recently rejected.
Denmark If Danish parents prefer a moniker not on the list of 7,000 preapproved baby names, they must get permission from local church and government officials. 15 to 20 per cent of the 1,100 reviewed names—including creative spellings of common names, last names as first names, and unusual names—are rejected each year.
10．You can tell whether a baby is a girl or a boy according to the first name in ________.
A．Denmark B．New Zealand
C．Iceland D．Germany
11．In Iceland, the names should ________.
A．be approved by the office of vital statistics
B．be accepted by the National Register of Persons
C．contain only letters in the Roman alphabet
D．be paid for some money
12．Which name is accepted in New Zealand?
A．Bin Laden.
B．Talula Does The Hula.
C．Keenan Got Lucky.
D．John Smith.
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专题限时训练(三十一)【文化型阅读理解(一)】
(一)
【文章大意】 在莎士比亚时代全世界说英语的人数大约是五百万。如今，不但以英语为母语的人数增长了，而且随着英语成为世界工作语言，全世界懂得这一工作语言的人数也多得无法估计了。在本文中，作者对英语这一国际语言做了一些具体介绍。
1．A 细节理解题。根据文章第二段的“…it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate working knowledge of English…”可知A项正确。
2．D 细节理解题。根据文章第三段的“The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its presentday importance as a world language.”可知，英语被普遍使用是因为它是一门用来进行国际交流的语言，故D项正确。
3．B 细节理解题。根据文章第二段的“The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.”可知B项正确。
4．C 细节理解题。根据文章末段“It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries，especially former British colonies.”可知，在那些以前是英国殖民地的发展中国家最有可能说英语，故C项正确。
(二)
【文章大意】 文章介绍了中美教育文化中的差异。中国大学有围墙，而美国的大学没有。文化向外伸展着，而不是封闭起来。绿色的草坪将大学校园和社区连接了起来。那是所有渴求知识的人们的共同家园，这不仅仅是建筑风格或是教育方式的不同，而且也是一种观念、一种沟通的愿望。
5．A 细节理解题。根据文章第一段第二句“This period of difficulty in adjusting to a new culture would probably have set in during my semester at Peking University.”可知，适应一种新文化的困难时期可以说该是作者在北京大学上学的那个学期，故A项正确。
6．D 细节理解题。根据第二段中“…an inseparable part of the community in which it was located，open not only to the students of the school itself…”可知，作者认为大学也是当地社区的一个组成部分，不应该仅仅对在校学生开放，故D项正确。
7．D 推理判断题。根据最后一段中“…wall around it.Walls enclose and separate; schools expand and integrate(合并)．The very idea seemed fundamentally incompatible.”可知，围墙的作用是封闭和隔离，然而，学校的宗旨是要扩展学生的知识，让学生与外面的世界融合，这两个概念是根本不相容的，由此可知“wall”和“school”代表的意义是相互矛盾的，故D项正确。
8．B 细节理解题。根据最后一段中“‘No，I've never seen or heard of a university encircled by a wall.’My Chinese friend seemed puzzled.” 可知，作者的中国同学对美国大学没有围墙感到吃惊，故B项正确。
9．D 推理判断题。根据文章最后一句“As China continues to open up to the outside world，these walls seem increasingly out of place.”可知，作者认为随着中国的对外开放，大学的围墙的存在是不恰当的，故D项正确。
(三)
【文章大意】 本文主要讲述的是给小孩取名的制度。不同的国家对于小孩子取名有不同的规定和要求。
10．D 细节理解题。根据第一段中第二句“A child's first name must clearly indicate his or her sex…”可知，一个孩子的名字必须清楚地表明他或她的性别。故D正确。
11．B 细节理解题。根据第二段第一句“The country's naming committee consults the National Register of Persons to determine if a name is acceptable.”可知B正确。
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12．D 细节理解题。根据第三段的“…a name that ‘might cause offense to a reasonable person; is unreasonably long; or is，includes，or resembles an official title or rank，’ including，apparently，Adolf Hitler and Yeah Detroit—both names are recently rejected.”可知D正确；A项与resembles an official title rank不符；B项、C项与is unreasonably long不符。
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