2007年职称英语考试综合类模拟试题(4)

3.阅读理解

第一篇

Knitting
My mother knew how to knit, but she never taught me. She assumed, as did many women of her generation, that knitting was no longer a skill worth passing down from mother to daughter. A combination of feminism, consumerism and household gadgetry made many women feel that such homely accomplishments were no obsolete. My grandmother still knitted, though, and every Christmas she made a pair of socks for my brother and me, of red wool. They were the ones we wore under our ice skates, when it was really important to have warm feet.
Knitting is a nervous habit that happens to be productive. It helped me quit smoking by giving my hands something else to do. It is wonderful for depression because no matter what else happens, you are creating something beautiful. Time spent in front of the television or just sitting is no longer time wasted.
I love breathing life into the patterns. Its true magic, finding a neglected, dog-eared old book with the perfect snowflake design, buying the same Germantown knitting worsted my grandmother used, in the exact blue to match my daughters eyes, taking it on the train with me every day for two months, working feverishly to get it done by Christmas, staying up late after the stocking are filled to sew in the sleeves and weave in the ends.
Knitting has taught me patience. I know that if I just keep going, even if it takes months, there will be a reward. When I make a mistake, I know that a temper tantrum will not fix it, that I just have to go back and take out the stitches between and start over again.
People often ask if I would do it for money, and the answer is always a definite no. In the first place, you could not pay me though for the hours I put into a sweater. But more important, this is an activity I keep separate from such considerations. I knit to cover my children and other people I love in warmth and color. I knit to give them something earthly that money could never buy.
Knitting gives me life an alternative rhythm to the daily deadline. By day I can write about Northern Ireland or the New York City Police Department and get paid for it, but on the train home, surrounded by people with laptops, I stage my little rebellion. I take out my old knitting bag and join the centuries of women who have knitted for love.
31. Which of the following reasons does NOT explain the fact that "Knitting was no longer a skill worth passing down from mother to daughter"?
A） The struggle of women for equal rights.
B） The belief that it is good to buy and use a lot of goods.
C） The plain feature of Knitting.
D） The introduction of domestic devices.
32. At what time did the author wear the stocks her grandmother had knitted for her?
A） In winter.
B） When she went skiing.
C） During the Christmas holiday.
D） When she needed to keep her feet warm for skating.
33."Knitting is nervous habit" means _____ .
A） knitting involves the work of one's nerves
B） Knitting gets on one's nerves
C） Knitting makes one nervous
D） Knitting may act as a trigger for a nervous breakdown
34. Which of the following is false concerning knitting according the author?
A） It helps one give up ones bad habit.
B） It helps one get rid of ones bad mood.
C） It requires patience.
D） It is profit-making business.
35. What is NOT her purpose for knitting according to this passage?
A） It saves money.
B） It activate one's life.
C） It enriches one's life.
D） It is a pleasant pastime.

4.阅读理解

第二篇
I'm Sorry, I Won't Apologize
Almost daily, news reports include accounts of public figures or heads of companies being forced to say they're sorry. In a recent case, Marge Schott, managing partner of the Cincinnati Reds, at first did not want to apologize for her remark that Hitler "was good at the beginning but he just went too far. "Under pressure, she finally said that she regretted her remarks "offended many people". Predictably — and especially given her history with such comments — many were not satisfied with this response and successfully lobbied for her resignation.
This particular use of "I'm sorry" has a familiar ring. The other day my husband said to me, "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings." I knew he was really trying. He has learned, through our years together, that apologies are important to me. But he was grinning, because he also knew that "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings" left open the possibility — indeed, strongly suggested — that he regretted not what he did but my emotional reaction. It sometimes seems that he thinks the earth will open up and swallow him if he admits fault.
It may appear that insisting someone admit fault is like wanting him to humiliate himself. But I don't see it that way, since it's no big deal for me to say I made a mistake and apologize. The problem is that it becomes a big deal when he won't.
This turns out to be similar to the Japanese view. Following a fender bender, according to a Times article, the Japanese typically get out of their cars and bow, each claiming responsibility. In contrast, Americans are instructed by their insurance companies to avoid admitting fault. When an American living in Japan did just that — even though he knew he was to blame — the Japanese driver "was so incensed by the American's failure to show contrition that he took the highly unusual step of suing him."
The Japanese driver and I are not the only ones who are offended when someone obviously at fault doesn't just fess up and apologize. A woman who lives in the country told me of a similar reaction. One day she gave her husband something to mail when he went into town. She stressed that it was essential the letter be mailed that day, and he assured her it would. But the next day, when they left the house together, she found her unmailed letter in the car. He said, "Oh, I forgot to mail your letter." She was furious — not because he had forgotten, but because he didn't apologize.
36. What was Marge Schott forced to do?
A） To make a prediction of the future.
B） To say "Hitler was good at the beginning."
C） To say "Im sorry."
D） To count figures.
37. The author felt _____ .
A） her husband regretted the choice he had made
B） her husband regretted what he did
C） her husband regretted her emotional response
D） her husband regretted the dirty words he had used
38. According to the author, when one makes a mistake, he should _____ .
A） admit it and apologize
B） avoid admitting it
C） wxplain it away
D） make every effort to maintain his face
39. According to the passage, what would Japanese drivers usually do after a car accident?
A） They would admit their own faults.
B） They would blame each other.
C） They would avoid admitting faults
D） They would sue each other.
40. What was the woman angry about?
A） Her husband's failure to apologize.
B） Her husband's failure to mail the letter.
C） Her husband's failure to go into town.
D） Her husband's failure to leave the house together with her.