2014年成人学位英语考试试题一

2014年陕西成人学位英语考试试题一　 Part I Reading Comprehension (30%) Directions: There are three 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 blacken the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet. Passage 1 Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage: The fourth-graders atChicago's McCormick Elementary School don't know Chinese is supposed to be hard to learn. For most, who speak Spanish at home, it's becoming their third language. They've been heating and using Chinese words since nursery, and it's natural to give a “ni hao”when strangers enter the classroom.“It's really fun!” says Miranda Lucas, taking a break from a lesson that includes a Chinese interview with Jackie Chan. “I'm teaching my mom to speak Chinese.” The classroom scene at McCormick is unusual, but it may soon be a common phenomenon in American schools, where Chinese is rapidly becoming the hot new language. Government officials have long wanted more focus on useful languages like Chinese, and pressure from them -- as well as from business leaders, politicians, and parents -- has produced a quick growth in the number of programs. Chicago city officials make their best effort to include Chinese in their public schools. Their program has grown to include 3,000 students in 20 schools, with more schools on a waiting list. Programs have also spread to places like Los Angeles, New York City, and North Carolina. Supporters see knowledge of the Chinese language and culture as an advantagein a global economy where China is growing in importance. “This is an interesting way to begin to engage with the world's next superpower,” says Michael Levine, director of education at the Asia Society, which has started five new public high schools that offer Chinese. “Globalization has already changed the arrangements in terms of how children today are going to think about their careers, The question is when, not whether, the schools are going to adjust.” (76) The number of students leaming Chinese is tiny compared with how many study Spanish or French. But one report shows that before-college enrollment (报名人数) nearly quadrupled between 1992 and 2002, from 6,000 to 24,000. Despite the demand, though, developing programs isn't easy. And the No. one difficulty, everyone agrees, is having enough teachers. Finding teacher “is the challenge,” says Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser for a language institute and a Chinese teacher for 15 years at the college level. “Materials are easy comparison. Or getting schools funded.” 1. The best title for this passage might be_____. A. Next Hot Language to Study: Chinese B. Next Hot Language to Study: Spanish C.Next Hot Language to Study: French D. Chicago Is the Place to Learn Chinese 2. The most difficult thing to do is finding _____. A. enough textbooks for the Chinese programs B. enough money for the Chinese programs C. enough teachers for the Chinese programs D. enough students for the Chinese programs 3. We learn from the passage that_____. A. Scott McGinnis has been a Chinese teacher for 15 years B. Jackie Chan is a Chinese teacher at McCormick Elementary School C. Chicago officials ire required to learn Chinese D. Scott McGinnis is good at giving his opinions on everything 4. According to the passage, all the following statements are true EXCEPT_____. A. the number of students learning Chinese is small B. Chinese programs have found their way in several major Cities in the U.S. C. g0vernment officials don't like the pressure from business leaders and parents to start Chinese programs D. China is becoming more and more influential in the world 5 The word "quadrupled" in the last paragraph is close in meaning to“multiplied by_____”. A. three times B. four times C. five times D. six times Passage 2 Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage: Many private institutions of higher education around the country are in danger. Not ail will be saved, and perhaps not all deserve to be saved. There are low-quaiity schools just as there are low-quality businesses. We have no obligation to save them simply because .they exist. But many thriving institutions that deserve to continue are threatened. They are doing a fine job educationally, but they are caught in a financial difficulty, with no way to reduce rising costs or increase revenues (收入) significantly. Raising fees doesn't bring in more revenue, for each time fees go up, the, enrollment (注册人数) goes down, or the mount that must be given away in student aid goes up. (77) Schools are bad businesses, whether rmblic or orivate, not usually because of bad management but because of the nature of the business. They lose money on every customer, and they can go bankrupt either from too few students or too many students. Even a very good college is a very bad business. It is such colleges, thriving but threatened, that I worry about. Low enrollment is not their chief problem. Even with full enrollments, they may go under. Efforts to save them, and preferably to keep them private, are a national necessity. (78) There is no basis. for arguing that private schools are bound to be better than public schools. There are plentiful examples to the contrary. Anyone can name state universities and colleges that rank as the finest in the nation and the world. It is now inevitable that public institutions will be dominant, and therefore diversity (多样性) is a national necessity. Diversity in the way we support schools tends to give us a healthy diversity in the forms of education. In ah imperfect society such as ours, uniformity of education throughout the nation could be dangerous, ha an imperfect society, diversity is a positive good. Eager supporters of public higher education know the importance of keeping private higher education healthy. 6. In the passage, the author asks the public to support_____ . A. private higher education in general B. public higher education in general C. high-quality private universities and colleges D. high-quality state universities and colleges 7. According to the passage, schools are bad businesses because of_____. A. the nature of school B. poor teachers C) bad