After an uninterrupted history of almost 1,200 years, the Games were suspended by the Romans in 394 A.D. They continued for such a long time because people believed in the philosophy behind the Olympics: the idea that a healthy body produced a healthy mind, and that the spirit of competition in sports and games was preferable to the competition that caused wars. It was over 1,500 years before another such international athletic gathering took place in Athens in 1896.
Nowadays, the Games are held in different countries in turn. The host country provides vast facilities, including a stadium, swimming pools and living accommodation, but competing courtiers pay their own athletes‘ expenses.
The Olympics start with the arrival in the stadium of a torch, lighted on Mount Olympus by the sun‘s rays. It is carried by a succession of runners to the stadium. The torch symbolized the continuation of the ancient Greek athletic ideals, and it burns throughout the Games until the closing ceremony. The well-known Olympic flag, however, is a modern conception: the five interlocking rings symbolize the uniting of all five continents participating in the Games. 16. In ancient Greece, the Olympic Games ________.
[A] were merely national athletic festivals
[B] were in the nature of a national event with a strong religious colour [C] had rules which put foreign participants in a disadvantageous position [D] were primarily national events with few foreign participants 17. In the early days of ancient Olympic Games ________.
[A] only male Greek athletes were allowed to participate in the games
[B] all Greeks, irrespective of sex, religion or social status, were allowed to take part [C] all Greeks, with the exception of women, were allowed to compete in Games [D] all male Greeks were qualified to compete in the Games 18. The order of athletic events at the ancient Olympics ________.
[A] has not definitely been established
[B] varied according to the number of foreign competitors [C] was decided by Zeus, in whose honor the Games were held [D] was considered unimportant
19. Modern athletes‘ results cannot be compared with those of ancient runners because
________.
[A] the Greeks had no means of recording the results [B] they are much better
[C] details such as the time were not recorded in the past [D] they are much worse
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20. Nowadays, the athletes‘ expenses are paid for ________.
[A] out of the prize money of the winners
[B] out of the funds raised by the competing nations [C] by the athletes themselves [D] by contributions
Text 3
In science the meaning of the word ―explain‖ suffers with civilization‘s every step in search of reality. Science cannot really explain electricity, magnetism, and gravitation; their effects can be measured and predicted, but of their nature no more is known to the modern scientist than to Thales who first looked into the nature of the electrification of amber, a hard yellowish-brown gum. Most contemporary physicists reject the notion that man can ever discover what these mysterious forces ―really‖ are. ―Electricity,‖ Bertrand Russell says, ―is not a thing, like St. Paul‘s Cathedral; it is a way in which things behave. When we have told how things behave when they are electrified, and under what circumstances they are electrified, we have told all there is to tell.‖ Until recently scientists would have disapproved of such an idea. Aristotle, for example, whose natural science dominated Western thought for two thousand years, believed that man could arrive at an understanding of reality by reasoning from self-evident principles. He felt, for example, that it is a self-evident principle that everything in the universe has its proper place, hence one can deduce that objects fall to the ground because that‘s where they belong, and smoke goes up because that‘s where it belongs. The goal of Aristotelian science was to explain why things happen. Modern science was born when Galileo began trying to explain how things happen and thus originated the method of controlled experiment which now forms the basis of scientific investigation.
21. The aim of controlled scientific experiments is ________.
[A] to explain why things happen [B] to explain how things happen [C] to describe self-evident principles [D] to support Aristotelian science
22. What principles most influenced scientific thought for two thousand years?
[A] the speculations of Thales
[B] the forces of electricity, magnetism, and gravity [C] Aristotle‘s natural science [D] Galileo‘s discoveries
23. Bertrand Russell‘s notion about electricity is ________.
[A] disapproved of by most modern scientists
[B] in agreement with Aristotle‘s theory of self-evident principles
[C] in agreement with scientific investigation directed toward ―how‖ things happen
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[D] in agreement with scientific investigation directed toward ―why‖ things happen 24. The passage says that until recently scientists disagreed with the idea ________.
[A] that there are mysterious forces in the universe [B] that man cannot discover what forces ―really‖ are [C] that there are self-evident principles
[D] that we can discover why things behave as they do 25. Modern science came into being ________.
[A] when the method of controlled experiment was first introduced [B] when Galileo succeeded in explaining how things happen [C] when Aristotelian scientist tried to explain why things happen
[D] when scientists were able to acquire an understanding of reality of reasoning
1988年
Text 1
It doesn‘t come as a surprise to you to realize that it makes no difference what you read or study if you can‘t remember it. You just waste your valuable time. Maybe you have already discovered some clever ways to keep yourself from forgetting.
One dependable aid that does help you remember what you study is to have a specific purpose or reason for reading. You remember better what you read when you know why you‘re reading.
Why does a clerk in a store go away and leave you when your reply to her offer to help is, ―No, thank you. I‘m just looking‖? Both you and she know that if you aren‘t sure what you want, you are not likely to find it. But suppose you say instead, ―Yes, thank you. I want a pair of sun glasses.‖ She says, ―Right this way, please.‖ And you and she are off -- both eager to look for exactly what you want.
It‘s quite the same with your studying. If you chose a book at random, ―just looking‖ for nothing in particular, you are likely to get just that -- nothing. But if you do know what you want, and if you have the right book, you are almost sure to get it. Your reasons will vary; they will include reading or studying ―to find out more about‖, ―to understand the reasons for‖, ―to find out how‖. A good student has a clear purpose or reason for what he is doing.
This is the way it works. Before you start to study, you say to yourself something like this, ―I want to know why Stephen Vincent Benet happened to write about America. I‘m reading this article to find out.‖ Or, ―I‘m going to skim this story to see what life was like in medieval England.‖ Because you know why you are reading or studying, you relate the information to your purpose and remember it better.
Reading is not one single activity. At least two important processes go on at the same time. As you read, you take in ideas rapidly and accurately. But at the same time you express your own ideas to yourself as you react to what you read. You have a kind of mental conversation with the
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author. If you expressed your ideas orally, they might sound like this: ―Yes, I agree. That‘s my opinion too.‖ or ―Ummmm, I thought that record was broken much earlier. I‘d better check those dates,‖ or ―But there are some other facts to be considered!‖ You don‘t just sit there taking in ideas -- you do something else, and that something else is very important.
This additional process of thinking about what you read includes evaluating it, relating it to what you already know, and using it for your own purposes. In other words, a good reader is a critical reader. One part of critical reading, as you have discovered, is distinguishing between facts and opinions. Facts can be checked by evidence. Opinions are one‘s own personal reactions. Another part of critical reading is judging sources. Still another part is drawing accurate inferences.
16. If you cannot remember what you read or study, ________.
[A] it is no surprise
[B] it means you have not really learned anything [C] it means you have not chosen the right book [D] you realize it is of no importance
17. Before you start reading, it is important ________.
[A] to make sure why you are reading [B] to relate the information to your purpose [C] to remember what you read [D] to choose an interesting book 18. Reading activity involves ________.
[A] only two simultaneous processes
[B] primarily learning about ideas and evaluating them critically [C] merely distinguishing between facts and opinions [D] mainly drawing accurate inferences 19. A good reader is one who ________.
[A] relates what he reads to his own knowledge about the subject matter [B] does lots of thinking in his reading [C] takes a critical attitude in his reading
[D] is able to check the facts presented against what he has already known
Text 2
If you live in a large city, you are quite familiar with some of the problems of noise, but because of some of its harmful effects, you may not be aware of the extent of its influence on human behavior. Although everyone more or less knows what noise is, i.e., it is sounds that one would rather not hear, it is perhaps best to define it more precisely for scientific purposes. One
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such definition is that noise is sounds that are unrelated to the task at hand. Thus stimuli that at one time might be considered relevant will at another time be considered noise, depending on what one is doing at the moment. In recent years there has been a great deal of interest in the effects of noise on human behavior, and concepts such as ―noise pollution‖ have arisen, together with movements to reduce noise.
Exposure to loud noises can definitely produce a partial or complete loss of hearing, depending on the intensity, duration, and frequency composition of the noise. Many jobs present noise hazards, such as working in factories and around jet aircraft, driving farm tractors, and working (or sitting) in music halls where rock bands are playing. In general, continuous exposure to sounds of over 80 decibels (a measure of the loudness of sound) can be considered dangerous. Decibel values correspond to various sounds. Sounds above about 85 decibels may, if exposure is for a sufficient period of time, produce significant hearing loss. Actual loss will depend upon the particular frequencies to which one is exposed, and whether the sound is continuous or intermittent.
Noise can have unexpected harmful effects on performance of certain kinds of tasks, for instance, if one is performing a watch keeping task that requires vigilance, in which he is responsible for detecting weak signals of some kind (e.g., watching a radar screen for the appearance of aircraft).
Communicating with other people is unfavorably affected by noise. If you have ridden in the rear of a jet transport, you may have noticed that it was difficult to carry on a conversation at first, and that, eventually, you adjusted the loudness of your speech to compensate for the effect. The problem is noise.
20. Noise differs from sound in that ________.
[A] it is sounds that interfere with the task being done [B] it is a special type of loud sound [C] it is usually unavoidable in big cities [D] it can be defined more precisely than the latter
21. One of the harmful effects of noise on human performance is that ________.
[A] it reduces one‘s sensitivity [B] it renders the victim helpless
[C] it deprives one of the enjoyment of music [D] it drowns out conversations at worksites 22. The purpose of this passage is ________.
[A] to define the effects of noise on human behavior [B] to warn people of the danger of noise pollution [C] to give advice as to how to prevent hearing loss [D] to tell the difference between noise and sound
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