07年1月自学考试英语阅读（二）试题

　　Passage Three

　　The temperature of the Sun is over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface, but it rises to perhaps more than 16 million degrees at the center. The Sun is so much hotter than the Earth that matter can exist only as a gas except at the core. In the core of the Sun, the pressures are so great against the gases that, despite high temperature, there may be a small solid core. However, no one really knows, since the center of the Sun can never be directly observed.

　　Solar astronomers do know that the Sun is divided into five layers or zones. Starting at the outside and going down into the Sun, the zones are the corona, chromosphere, photosphere, convection zone, and finally the core. The first three zones are regarded as the Sun’s atmosphere. But since the Sun has no solid surface, it is hard to tell where the atmosphere ends and the main body of the Sun begins.

　　The Sun’s outermost layer begins about 10,000 miles above the visible surface and goes outward for millions of miles. This is the only part of the Sun that can be seen during an eclipse such as the one in February 1979. At any other time, the corona can be seen only when special instruments are used on cameras and telescopes to shut out the glare of the Sun’s rays.

　　The corona is a brilliant, pearly white, filmy light, about as bright as the full Moon. Its beautiful rays are a sensational sight during an eclipse. The corona’s rays flash out in a brilliant fan that has wispy spikelike rays near the Sun’s north and south poles. The corona is thickest at the Sun’s equator.

　　The corona rays are made up of gases streaming outward at tremendous speeds and reaching a temperature of more than 2 million degrees Fahrenheit. The rays of gas thin out as they reach the space around the planets. By the time the Sun’s corona rays reach the Earth, they are weak and invisible.

　　Questions 11-15 are based on Passage Three.

　　11. Matter on the Sun can exist only in the form of gas because of the Sun’s______.

　　A. size B. age

　　C. location D. temperature

　　12. With what topic is the second paragraph mainly concerned ?

　　A. The evolution of the Sun.

　　B. The structure of the Sun.

　　C. The scientific study of the Sun.

　　D. The distance of the Sun from the planets.

　　13. All of the following are parts of the Sun’s atmosphere EXCEPT the______.

　　A. corona B. chromosphere

　　C. photosphere D. core

　　14.As the corona rays reach the planets they become______.

　　A. hotter B. clearer

　　C. thinner D. stronger

　　15. What writing style is used in this passage?

　　A. Popular science. B. Science fiction.

　　C. Pure science. D. Applied science.

　　Passage Four

　　From good reading we can derive pleasure, companionship, experience and instruction. A good book may absorb our attention so completely for the time being that we forget our surroundings and even our identity. Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It increases our contentment when we are cheerful, and lessens our troubles when we are sad. Whatever may be our main purpose in reading, our contact with good books should never fail to give us enjoyment and satisfaction.

　　With a good book in our hands we need never be lonely. Whether the characters portrayed are taken from real life or are purely imaginary, they may become our companions and friends. In the pages of books we can walk with the wise and the good of all lands and all times. The people we meet in books may delight us either because they resemble human friends whom we hold dear or because they present unfamiliar types whom we are glad to welcome as new acquaintances. Our human friends sometimes may bore us, but the friends we make in books never weary us with their company. By turning the page we can dismiss them without any fear of hurting their feelings. When human friends desert us, good books are always ready to give us friendship, sympathy and encouragement.

　　One of the most valuable gifts bestowed by books is experience. Few of us can travel far from home or have a wide range of experiences, but all of us can lead varied lives through the pages of books. Whether we wish to escape from the seemingly dull realities of everyday life or whether we long to visit some far-off place, a book will help us when nothing else can. To travel by book we need no bank account to pay our way, no airship or ocean liner or stream-lined train to transport us, no passport to enter the land of our heart’s desire. Through books we may get the thrill of hazardous adventure without danger. We can climb lofty mountains; brave the perils of an Antarctic winter, or cross the scorching sands of the desert, all without hardship. In books we may visit the studios of Hollywood; we may mingle with the gay throngs of the Paris boulevards; we may join the picturesque peasants in an Alpine village or the kindly natives on a South Sea island. Indeed through books the whole world is ours for the asking. The possibilities of our literary experiences are almost unlimited. The beauties of nature, the enjoyment of the music, the triumphs of architecture, the marvels of engineering, are all open to the wonder and enjoyment of those who read.

　　Questions 16-20 are based on Passage Four.

　　16. In the first paragraph, we are told that______.

　　A. we should always read good books, not bad ones

　　B. happiness can be derived only from reading

　　C. enjoyment can be achieved by reading good books

　　D. reading good books is very important in one’s life

　　17. Why do we sometimes forget our surroundings and identity while reading?

　　A. Nobody comes to disturb you.

　　B. Everything is quiet around you.

　　C. You are reading very fast.

　　D. You are absorbed in the book.

　　18. According to the writer, ______portrayed in books may become our companions

　　and friends.

　　A. all characters, real and imaginary,

　　B. only real characters

　　C. only imaginary characters

　　D. none of the characters

　　19. Why do people like their acquaintances in books even more?

　　A. They resemble human friends.

　　B. They are the type we like.

　　C. They never desert us.

　　D. They never hurt our feelings.

　　20. “... the whole world is ours for the asking” implies that______.

　　A. in books the world is more accessible to us

　　B. we can ask to go anywhere in the world

　　C. we can make a claim to everything in this world

　　D. we can make a round-the-world trip free of charge

(责任编辑：杨琳)