loading学英语第一学期期末考试(A卷)
Part II Reading Comprehension (30 %)
Directions There are four passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center. Passage One
Science is not a set of unquestionable results but a way of understanding the world around us. Its real work is slow. The scientific method , as many of us learned in school, is a gradual process that begins with a purpose or problem or question to be answered. It includes a list of materials, a procedure to follow, a set of observations to make and, finally, conclusions to reach. In medicine, when a new drug is proposed that might cure or control a disease, it is first tested on a large random group of people, and their reactions are then compared with those of another random group not given the drug. All reactions in both groups are carefully recorded and compared, and the drug is evaluated. All of this takes time and patience.
It’s the result of course, that makes the best news—not the years of quiet work that characterize the bulk of scientific inquiry. After an experiment is concluded or an observation is made, the result continues to be examined critically. When it is submitted for publication, it goes to a group of the scientist’s colleagues, who review the work. Einstein was right when he said “No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right, a single experiment can at any time prove me wrong.”
In August 1996, NASA announced the discovery in Antarctica of a meteorite（流星） from Mars that might contain evidence of ancient life on another world. As President Clinton said that day, the possibility that life existed on Mars billions of years ago was potentially one of the great discoveries of our time.
After the excitement wore down and initial papers were published, other researchers began looking at samples from the same meteorite. Some concluded that the “evidence of life” was mostly contamination from Antarctic ice or that there was nothing organic at all in the rock.
Was this a failure of science, as some news reports trumpeted? No! It was a good example of the scientific method working the way it is supposed to. Scientists spend years on research, announce their findings, and these findings are examined by other scientists. That’s how we learn. Like climbing a mountain, we struggle up three feet and fall back two. It’s a process filled with disappointments and reverses, but somehow we keep moving ahead. 21. The author’s main purpose in writing this passage is to state that ____________.
A) most scientific discoveries are not reliable
B) mass media is misleading because it looks at the research results only C) scientific research is a process filled with reverses and requires slow and patient
work
D) repeated experiments are necessary before medicine can be used in patients
22. Publication of a scientific finding signifies __________. A) a challenge to fellow scientists to prove it wrong B) the end of a process
C) the beginning of a new scientific inquiry D) the soundness of the result
23. Einstein’s words are used to show that he thought___________. A) experiments have proved him right
B) scientists do not need so many experiments
C) one experiment is not enough to prove him wrong. D) scientific ideas are never free from challenge
24. NASA’s announcement of the discovery of evidence of ancient life on Mars shows _________.
A) the way human beings learn about nature
B) the failure of the scientific method
C) the fruitlessness of human search for life on another world D) the excitement brought by scientific findings
25. It can be inferred from the passage that the media is interested in __________. A) the process of scientific research B) the results of scientific research C) the scientists who do the research
D) the effects of scientific research on human life
Passage Two
Normally a student must attend a certain number of courses in order to graduate, and each course which he attends gives him a credit which he may count towards a degree. In many American universities the total work for a degree consists of thirty-six courses each lasting for one semester. A typical course consists of three classes per week for fifteen weeks; while attending a university a student will probably attend four or five courses during each semester. Normally a student would expect to take four years attending two semesters each year. It is possible to spread the period of work for the degree over a longer period. It is also possible for a student to move between one university and another during his degree course, though
this is not in fact done as a regular practice.
For every course that he follows a student is given a grade, which is recorded, and the record is available for the student to show to prospective employers. All this imposes a constant pressure and strain of work, but in spite of this some students still find time for great activity in student affairs. Elections to positions in student organizations arouse much enthusiasm. The effective work of maintaining discipline is usually performed by students who advise the academic authorities. Any student who is thought to have broken the rules, for example, by cheating has to appear before a student court. With the enormous numbers of students, the operation of the system does involve a certain amount of activity. A student who has held one of these positions of authority is much respected and it will be of benefit to him later in his career.
26. Normally a student would at least attend __________classes each week.
A) 36 B) 12 C) 20 D) 15
27. According to the first paragraph an American student is allowed _______.
A) to live in a different university
B) to take a particular course in a different university C) to live at home and drive to classes
D) to get two degrees from two different universities
28. American university students are usually under pressure of work because_________.
A) their academic performance will affect their future careers
B) they are heavily involved in student affairs C) they have to observe university discipline D) they want to run for positions of authority
29.Some students are enthusiastic for positions in student organizations probably
because_________.
A) they hate the constant pressure and strain of their study B) they will then be able to stay longer in the university C) such positions help them get better jobs D) such positions are usually well paid
30. The student organizations seem to be effective in _________.
A) dealing with the academic affairs of the university
B) ensuring that the students observe university regulations
C) evaluating students’ performance by bringing them before a court D) keeping up the students’ enthusiasm for social activities
Passage Three