2017职称英语《综合A》阅读理解试题及答案

　　阅读理解题

　　part A

　　Political Spins

Last week, US White House spokesman Tony Snow sent journalists digging for their

dictionaries. He called recent criticism by the former President Bill Clinton "chutzpah" ( 大胆放肆).

With just. one sentence, Snow managed to make headlines, a joke and a defense of President George W. Bush. Interestingly, this is how battles are fought and won in US politics--with carefully-worded one-liners ( 一行自幕新闻 ) made for TV which often lack substance and clarity (清晰度) .

"The amount of information that candidates attempt to communicate to people is actually getting smaller and smaller," said Mark Smith, a political science professor at Cedarville University.

This has been accompanied by a changing media environment, Smith said. In 1968, the average TV or radio soundbite (演讲中的句子或短语) was 48 seconds, according to Smith. In 1996, the average soundbite had shrunk to 8 seconds. Thus, politicians wanting publicity try to make their public communication as quotable as possible.

Campaigning politicians also use 30-second TV ads and clever campaign slogans to boost their messages. Republican presidential candidate John McCain rides to campaign stops in a bus named the "Straight Talk Express". McCain hopes the name will convince voters he plans to tell people the truth--whether it's in fashion or not. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton,on the other hand, has chosen the campaign slogan "Let the conversation begin". She hopes it will help her appear open-minded and friendly.

But one-liners, TV ads and campaign slogans all have a single key ingredient: something commonly called political "spin". Brooks Jackson, a former journalist and the current director of the non-partisan (无党派的) website FactCheck. org, calls spin "just a polite word for deception ( 欺骗) "

"I do believe that very often politicians believe their own spin," said Jackson. Strong partisans suffer from a universal human tendency: They ignore the evidence that would force them into the uncomfortable position of having to change their minds and admit that they were wrong.

h statement is NOT true of one-liners?

A. They are unclear.

B. They contain a lot of information.

C. They lack substance.

D. They are carefully constructed.

changed from 1968 to 1996?

A. Publicity.

B. Information.

C. Communication.

D. The average soundbite.

campaign slogan "Straight Talk Express" aims at convincing voters that the presidential candidate is_____.

A. honest.

B. friendly.

C. open-minded.

D. warm-hearted.

rding to Brooks Jackson, all campaign slogans are

A. attractive.

B. impressive.

C. deceptive.

D. informative.

h statement best describes strong partisans?

A. They are very funny.

B. They are very healthy.

C. They are very aggressive.

D. They are very stubbom (顽固的 ).

　　part B

　　Living on Water

Desperately short of living space and dangerously prone to flooding, the Netherlands plans to start building homes, businesses and even roads on water.

With nearly a third of the country already covered by water and half of its land mass below sea level and constantly under threat from rising waters, the authorities believe that floating communities may well be the future.

Six prototype wooden and aluminum floating houses are already attached to something off Amsterdam, and at least a further 100 are planned on the same estate, called Ijburg.

"Everybody asks why didn't we do this kind of thing before," said Gijsbert Van der Woerdt,director of the firm responsible for promoting the concept. "After Bangladesh we're the most densely populated country in the world. Building space is scarce and government studies show that we'll need to double the space available to us in the coming years to meet all our needs."

Before being placed on the water and moved into position by tugboats (拖船), the houses are built on land atop concrete flat-bottomed boats, which encase giant lumps of polystyrene (聚苯乙烯) reinforced with steel. The flat-bottomed boats are said to be unsinkable and are anchored by underwater cables. The floating roads apply the same technology.

The concept is proving popular with the Dutch. "The waiting list for such homes, which will cost between euros 200,000,500,000 to buy, runs to 5,000 names," claims Van der Woerdt.

With much of the country given over to market gardening and the intensive cultivation of flowers, planners have also come up with designs for floating greenhouses designed so that the water beneath them irrigates the plants and controls the temperature inside.

A pilot project, covering 50 hectares of flooded land near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, is planned for 2005.

The opportunities for innovative developers look promising. "We have 10 projects in the pipeline- floating villages and cities complete with offices, shops and restaurants," Van der Woerdt said.

Netherlands plans to start building floating communities on water because

A. most parts of the country are covered by water.

B. the country is constantly threatened by floods.

C. it will promote the cultivation of flowers.

D. people think it better to live on water.

citing "Everyone asks why didn't we do this kind of thing before", the author wants to tell us that

A. building floating communities is a very good idea.

B. the director of the firm didn't want to answer the question.

C. the Netherlands should follow the example of Bangladesh.

D. people are not satisfied with the government's work.

floating houses will be

A. reinforced with steel.

B. made of concrete.

C. constructed in water.

D. built on boats.

rding to the author, the floating communities on water

A. can promote market gardening.

B. are beyond the reach of most Dutch people.

C. will increase the cost of gardening.

D. will be very popular by the year of 2005.

5."lOprojects in the pipeline" in the last paragraph means

A. 10 pipelines to provide gas.

B. 10 companies to lay the pipelines.

C. 10 floating houses to be built on water.

D. 10 building projects planned and started.

　　part C

　　Centers of the Great European Cities

The centers of the great cities of Europe are meeting places by tradition. People gather there to drink coffee and chat late into the night. A mixture of locals and tourists make for an exciting,metropolitan atmosphere.

Squares, plazas (广场) and arcades (拱廊) form the heart of Europe's cities.

Venice in Italy has the Piazza San Marco-- a beautiful square surrounded by shops, churches,restaurants and cafes. In Barcelona, Spain, La Bosqueria is a lively market with hundreds of stalls selling all kinds of goods. London's Covent Garden is filled with fruit and vegetable stalls by day and musicians, acrobats (杂技演员) and artists by night. The government buildings center of cities often are architecturally impressive. In London, they serve as a beautiful backdrop (背景) to the coffee tables that line the streets and the banks of the Thames.

These vibrant ( 有活力的 ) hearts are the product of centuries of evolution, social historian Joel Garreau told US News and Worm Report recently. "The reason people think Venice is so great today is you don't see all the mistakes." said Garreau. "Those have all been removed." Most European cities were laid out before the invention of the car, so bars, restaurants and cafes were near to people's homes. Today, the focus of many Europeans' life has moved away from the centers They live in the suburbs and outskirts, driving to supermarkets to get their supplies. But on a continent where people treasure convention, there are still those who hold onto traditional ways,living and shopping locally. These people, together with tourists, provide the city centers with their reason for existence.

Coffee culture plays a part in keeping these city centers flourishing. This is particularly true of Paris whose citizens are famous enthusiastic conversationalists. This skill is developed over many hours spent chatting over espressos (浓咖啡) and cigarettes.

Religion also plays a role in developing sociable atmosphere. People in Roman Catholic countries used to visit the church on an almost daily basis. Entire communities would gather in the same building and then move out to the markets, cafes and bars in the surrounding streets. An enormous example of this relationship between church and society is the Duomo. The huge marble cathedral in Florence, Italy is surrounded by bakeries and coffee shops, and caters not only to the tourist crowds, but also the local community.

can be inferred from the first paragraph that each big city in Europe

A. has many large squares.

B. has many very magnificent sky-scrapers.

C. draws tourists in large numbers every year.

D. has a center where tourists meet their spouses.

h statement is NOT true of Covent Garden?

A. It is crowded with people.

B. It is located in London.

C. It is filled with stalls.

D. It is surrounded by shops, churches, restaurants and cafes.

do people think that Venice is so great?

A. Because it is a famous tourist attraction.

B. Because you can reach anywhere by boat.

C. Because it is well-known for its merchants.

D. Because all the mistakes have been removed.

are Parisians famous for?

A. Their pursuit of independence.

B. Their enthusiasm for conversation.

C. Their ability to keep the city flourishing.

D. Their devotion to developing a multiple culture.

writer cites the Duomo in the last paragraph as an example to illustrate that

A. there is a tight link between church and society.

B. all churches are magnificent.

C. old churches are very popular.

D. high-rise churches are impressive.