2016年下半年英语六级阅读测试题及答案
The Tree Of Language
A World with out Language
It may be that when the world was young, no one knew how to talk. People had to learn to speak just like babies do. When no one knew how to tell, how did anyone learn? That is a mystery that remains unsolved even today.
The Stories behind Words
LUNCH Lunch perhaps comes from an old Spanish word lonje , a slab of1 ham. We may get our word from a lump of bread, but whether lunch comes from ham or bread, it meant a hunk of something to eat.
ATLAS An Atlas is a strong man, and also a book of maps. The story of this word begins a long time ago in Greece. The ancient Greeks believed that their gods had once been a race of giants2 called Titans. The Titans fought with another group of gods called Olympians, and the Olympians won. Atlas was a Titan. He was punished for fighting be having to stand at the western end of the world, holding the sky on his head and hands, so that it would not fall on the world and smash everything.
After the ancient Greek religion died out, the idea of Atlas changed. From holding up the sky with his head and hands, he came to be thought of as holding the world on his shoulders. Mercator3, a map maker of the sixteenth century, used a picture of Atlas on the cover of a book of maps, so a book of maps came to be called an atlas.
The word has still another meaning. The top bone of the neck is called atlas because it supports the head.
GOOD-BYE or GOOD-BY Good-bye is a blessing; originally it was God be with ye, and in the course of time it became one word. Many of our greetings are good wishes, but we say them with so little thought that we forget this. When we say good morning, good evening, good night, and so on, what we are really saying is, “I hope you will have a good morning ( or evening, or night) . ”
DAISY The daisy has a little golden eye , like a tiny sun . Perhaps this is the reason the English people named it day’s eye, or perhaps they chose the name because the English daisy closes at night. The English loved their daisies, which were pink and red, as well as 028 white. Six hundred years or so ago, the English poet Chaucer4 said:
The daisy, or else the eye of the day, / / The queen, and prettiest flower of all.
阅读自测
Ⅰ. According to the passage , find the correct meanings of the words under lined :
1. With an atlas, Tom can find the place he wants to go easily.
A. a strong man B. the top bone of the neck C. a book of maps D. a name of god
2. When you say good-bye to your friend, what do you really mean?
A. never see him / her again B. a good wish to express that God be with him / her C. good luck D. break up with him / her
3. After a long vacation, he looks as fresh as a daisy like before.
A. look like the flower B. a kind of drink C. a first-class man D. vigorous and lively
Ⅱ. Question :
After reading this passage, what can you infer from the stories of the words?
【参考答案】
Ⅰ. 1. C 2 . B 3 . D
Ⅱ. ( 略)
Campus Life
An Apple for the Teacher
American schoolchildren occasionally present an apple to the teacher. Obviously the custom contains an element of bribery 1 — you offer sweet fruit to authority figures to “sweeten” 2 their disposition 3. In school children's case, the apple is offered to make their grades more favorable. Therefore, the apple has more or less acquired a corrosive4 reputation and maybe for this reason, in slang English “to applepolish” means“to flatter or fawn” and an applepolisher is a flatterer.
But the custom might also be explained as a fair payment for the teacher's instruction. In the early days of public education, school teachers were not always salaried. Often they would be paid in goods and services, offered by either the school, or the pupils or the parents. . .. Therefore, the occasional gift of an apple for the teacher in today's classroom should be a welcome reminder of the era when education was one -to-one and when teaching meant enlightening the students rather than identifying their rankings.
Caps and Gowns
For students, the most exciting moment may be the graduation ceremony 5: parents, relatives and friends are invited to the ceremony; all the graduates are wearing black square flat caps and gowns. They all await the president to announce in the end,“Now, please move your tassels from right to left. ”
The caps and gowns worn by high school and college graduates today are survivors of the everyday dress worn by members of the academic community in medieval Europe. The majority of scholars in the Middle Ages6 were churchmen, or soon to become so, and their dress was often strictly regulated by the universities where they taught and studied. The standard clerical dress throughout Europe was the long black cope. The original preference for black was changed in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, as such colors as red, violet and purple came into fashion; but by the Renaissance black was back, as the color black symbolized simple and plain, or austere way of life in the sixteenth century. With few exceptions, modern universities keep that ceremonial austerity.
The origin of the square flat cap, or mortarboard7 , is obscure, though it probably derives from the medieval biretta . Such a tufted square cap is considered the badge of the 024 mastership , and is later adopted by undergraduates and schoolboys. The term mortarboard does not appear in English until the 1850 s. The tassel that graduates transfer from one side to another as a signal of their elevation is an outgrowth of the medieval tuft. The tuft still appears on the modern biretta, worn by bishops throughout the Church of Rome .
阅读自测
Ⅰ. True o r false :
1. Nowadays, American pupils always offer an apple to the teacher in order to get a better grade.
2. In the early days of public education, schoolteachers were paid in money.
3. In America, the caps and gowns are only adopted by college graduates during graduation ceremonies.
4. Before the Renaissance, the standard clerical dress was black.
5. The biretta was considered the mark of scholarship.
6. That the graduates move the tassel from one side to the other is a signal of elevation.
Ⅱ. Questions :
1. According to the passage, when you say somebody is an apple polisher, what do you really mean by saying that?
2. For students, when is the most exciting moment?
3. After graduation, which side should you put your tassel, right or left?
【参考答案】
Ⅰ. 1. T 2. F 3 . F 4 . F 5. T 6. T
Ⅱ. 1. It really means that he is flattering or fawning some figures.
2. For students, the most exciting moment is the graduation ceremony, especially the moment when the president makes the announcement.
3. After graduation, the tassel should be put to the left side.
Aging As Development
Human life is a process. A number of psychologistshave attempted to identify the particular tasks thatmust be accomplished at each stage ofdevelopment. Successful completion of tasks at onestage means that the individual normally proceeds tothe next stage and a few set of tasks. It is notalways recognized, however, that there are newtasks for the aged1 as well as for those who are younger. Aging, in other words, is a new stagein the developmental process of life.
What are the developmental tasks faced by the aged? Some tasks are similar to those of otherage groups, and some are peculiar to the elderly. In the nineteenth century, for instance, mostmen had no transition to retirement. Typically, a man worked until disability or death. Fewpeople had to deal with the "empty nest2" problem, since children either did not leave the familyhouse or returned there to live with their elderly parents.
Today, when an increasing number of people are living into their seventies and eighties, thereare at least five developmental tasks facing the elderly. First, the aged must come to termswith3 the physical limitations inherent in4 their stage of life. They will no longer be able toengage in certain activities as often or as successfully as they once could. Second, havingcome to terms with the limitations, the older person must redefine the scope of his or heractivities. Third, the older person must find new sources for satisfying his or her needs. Thismay be particularly acute at the time of retirement for those who hold to the work ethic.
A fourth task is to reassess the criteria for self-evaluation. Again, the loss of work is involved,for many Americans consider themselves worthwhile because they have a fulltime job. Thequestion the elderly person must face is "Am I a worthwhile person because of the kind ofindividual I am, because of the various qualities I possess, or am I worthwhile only as long asI can function in some kind of job?" A man who lost his job in advertising when he was sixty-one told the author that he could not find another job in his field. He has done some freelancework, but he still mourns the loss of his job. "I loved what I did, " he said, "and I resented beingthrown out on the scrap heap5. There are times when I think I'm just not worth anythinganymore. "
Finally, the aged face the task of finding ways to give meaning and purpose to their 021 lives.This task arises throughout the individual's life. Many elderly people find challenges, struggles,and gratifications just as they did in their earlier years.
阅读自测
Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the words given in parentheses:
1. We are _____( gratification) to learn that you have won the scholarship.
2. Your work in office has not been very _____( product) .
3. Money will be paid half in advance and half on_____ ( complete ) .
4. All railroads have weight and height _____( limit) because of tunnels, bridges and so forth.
【参考答案】
1. gratified 2. productive 3. completion 4. limitations
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