大学生英语竞赛D类阅读理解专项强化真题试卷21

In this age of consumerism, many people are finding themselves overloaded with possessions and a desire for even more, probably as a result of the countless advertisements we are exposed to. With advertisers finding new ways to get people to buy their products, a movement towards living a simpler non-consumer life is taking root. [*] US newspaper columnist Craig Wilson spent all of 2003 spending the least amount of money possible. He allowed himself to purchase books, music and gifts. Otherwise, he would not permit himself to buy anything new. Although he had to avoid certain stores, he was able to achieve his goal. He claims the experience was beneficial, and he continues to keep shopping to a minimum. Popular author Judith Levine came up with the idea and also found the experiment worthwhile. In 2006, a group of ten friends in San Francisco took the idea and made a pledge to live as cheaply as possible for a year. They posted their agreement online and attracted thousands of supporters, many of whom promised to join. An appearance on US TV led to global publicity and more members joined them. The pledge followed two rules: 1)Don’t buy new products of any kind, and 2)either borrow or buy used merchandise. They allowed several exceptions to the rules. Although a few members failed to follow the rules at times, they generally succeeded and most of them continue their pledge to this day. Says Rachel, “ It makes you change the way you look at things and appreciate what you have. “ She estimates that she saved $4,000 that year. There are critics of the simplicity movement. Author Ted Nordhaus warns that this movement is unlikely to be successful on a large scale. Developing nations need markets for what they produce. He says, “To live is to consume, and only technology and innovation can begin to address these global issues. “ Though living more simply may not solve all of the world’s problems, many of us could reconsider our consumption practices that are putting a strain on our natural resources and add to rising levels of pollution. Indeed, in times when money is short, more people will be reducing their spending out of necessity, rather than out of concern for the environment. Regardless of the motivation, radically rethinking the ways we spend money and value possessions may be just what the world needs. Questions 71—75 Complete the summary with a maximum of two words from the passage, changing the form where necessary. Due to the negative effects of【R1】______, many people are making an effort to reduce their amount of spending. They try to make their lives【R2】______by shopping less for new products they may not really need. A group of friends attracted so much【R3】______with their plan to avoid buying new products. They did allow for some【R4】______ to their no-shopping rules. There are some critics, however, who don’t believe the movement will【R5】______ on a large scale. But many people still think it is necessary to rethink the ways we spend money and the value of new possessions.

My summr hols wr a CWOT. B4, we usd 2 go 2 NY 2C my bro FTF. ILNY: its gr8. [*] Can you understand this sentence? If you can’t, don’t feel too bad: neither could the middle school teacher in Scotland who received this as homework from one of her students. This is Netspeak: the language of computerized communication found on the Internet, instant messages, and text messages on mobile phones. Netspeak is a collection of abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols. To newcomers, it can look like a completely foreign language. What is the “translation“ of the sentence above? My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother face to face. I love New York: it’s great. Language purists, schoolteachers, and parents everywhere say this new form of writing, with its disregard for proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar, threatens the English language. It is blamed for a perceived increase in spelling and grammatical errors in students’ writing in school work. School boards, teachers, and parent groups call for zero tolerance of Netspeak, for fear that the writing of the new generation might become completely incomprehensible, and the language itself could become corrupted. Everyone should just relax, say linguists and language scholars. While there certainly is a need to ensure students learn the standard rules of writing, the phenomenon of Netspeak and writing on the Internet, they claim, is actually doing more good than harm. David Crystal, a language historian at the University of Wales, argues that Netspeak and the Internet are developing new forms of creative language use that provide a strong motivation for literacy. He points out that through personal home pages and blogs, the almost lost art of diary keeping has been revived, which encourages young people to write more than ever before, and improve writing. From a linguist’s point of view, languages do not and cannot become “corrupted“ : they simply develop to meet the needs of each new generation. Netspeak enthusiasts do acknowledge the importance of teaching young people how to speak and write proper English. “ Children have to be taught their language and learn standard writing skills,“ Cynthia McVey, psychology lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University, says. “I can understand the frustration of teachers and I think it’s important that they get across to their students that text messaging is for fun, but that learning to write proper English is vital for their career or future study. “ Questions 71—75 Complete the summary with a maximum of two words from the passage, changing the form where necessary. Many educators and parents are concerned that the younger generation is corrupting English through Netspeak: the language young people use to【R1】______on the Internet and through text messages on their mobile phones. Language experts, however, claim that Netspeak is not harming, but actually doing【R2】______to the language. For one thing, it develops creativity with the language, and secondly it【R3】______more writing. Experts also claim that all generations believe their language is being corrupted by new generations. In reality, languages do not become “bad“ , but only 【R4】______. Linguists do say that【R5】______writing skills should be taught in schools, and that students should know when and when not to use Netspeak.

[*] To be obese means to have too much fat in the body. Obese people are not just overweight. Such people are likely to suffer health problems. The precise cause of obesity is a problem in most countries. People need to understand what obesity is and how to tell if they are obese, so that they can change their condition. An obese person does not have to look extremely fat. Even people who seem only slightly overweight can actually be considered obese. If a person has a certain amount of fat, 40% of the body’s total composition, then their health might be in danger. Finding a person’s exact fat percentage is troublesome. Most people still rely on their weight measurement to tell them if they are overweight or obese. There are problems with this method, however. There are recommended weights for different ages. In addition, weight alone says nothing about a person’s percentage of body fat. People have different body types, which can make weight measurements unreliable. For instance, athletes usually have more muscle mass than other people. Muscle weighs more than fat. Therefore, an athlete may weigh more than their recommended weight, but this does not mean they are not healthy. [*] Probably the most popular method of determining body fat today is the Body Mass Index(BMI). BMI is a person’s weight(in kilograms)divided by the square of his or her height(in metres). For men, a BMI of 24 to 27 is normal. For women, it is 23 to 26. A BMI of 30 or more means a person is obese. Many experts feel that BMI is a reliable way to determine if a person’s weight is unhealthy. However, others feel that BMI is too general to be really useful. Despite the criticisms, there are strong positive aspects of BMI. The main one is that it is very simple. The measurement can be performed easily. It does not take special knowledge or equipment. Though BMI is a general measurement, it still gives useful information. It can also suggest that there might be a problem. Questions 71—75 Complete the summary with a maximum of two words from the passage, changing the form where necessary. If a person weighs a lot, others may【R1】______that person obese. But using only a person’s weight is not the best method for【R2】______obesity. Now people use another method【R3】______if a person has a healthy or unhealthy weight. The new method is measured on the Body Mass Index(BMI). The BMI compares a person’s weight with her/his【R4】______and the resulting number is indexed with average people. The BMI is not a precise tool for measuring obesity, but it has many strong positive aspects, such as being easy to use, to give【R5】______about a person’s body.