二、閱讀理解(11-30)

　　No one knows how man learned to make words. Perhaps he began by making sounds like

　　those made by animals. Perhaps he granted like a pig when he lifted something heavy. Perhaps he made sounds like those he heard all round him water splashing, bees humming, a stone falling to the ground. Somehow he learned to make words. As the centuries went by, he made more and more new words. This is what we mean by language.

　　People living in different countries made different kinds of words. Today there are about fif-teen hundred different languages in the world. Each contains many thousands of words. A very large English dictionary, for example, contains four or five hundred thousand words. But we do not need all these. Only a few thousand words are used in everyday life.

　　The words you know are called your vocabulary. You should try to make your vocabulary big-ger. Read as many books as you can. There are plenty of books written in easy English for you toread. You will enjoy them. When you meet a new word, find it in your dictionary. Your dictiona-ry is your most useful book.

　　11. From this passage, we know that__________.

　　A. man never made sounds

　　B. man made animal sounds

　　C. man used to be like animals to make sounds

　　D. man learned from the animals to make sounds

　　答案：C

　　12. The number of different languages spoken is about__________.

　　A. 150

　　B. 1,500

　　C. 5,000

　　D. 4.,000

　　答案：B

　　13. People from different countries__________.

　　A. made same words

　　B. made different kinds of words

　　C. had a same language

　　D. used some sounds

　　答案：B

　　14. Man __________ to make sounds.

　　A. used words

　　B. followed many things in nature

　　C. lifted heavy things

　　D. grunted like a pig

　　答案：B

　　15. You can enlarge your vocabulary by

　　A. reading more books

　　B. finding new words in dictionaries

　　C. writing more

　　D. using the words in everyday life

　　答案：A

　　"High tech" and "state of the art" are two expressions that describe the modem technology.

　　High tech is just a shorter way of saying high technology. And high technology describes any in-vention, system of device that uses the newest ideas or discoveries of science and engineering.

　　What is high tech? A computer is high tech. So is a communications satellite. A modem manufac-turing (生產(chǎn)) system is surely high tech. High tech became a popular expression in the United States during the early 1955' s. Because of improvements in technology, people could buy many new kinds of products in American stores, such as home computers, microwave ovens, etc.

　　"State of the art" is something that is as modem as possible. It is a product that is based on the very latest methods and technology. Something that is "state of the art" is the newest possible design or product of a business or industry. A state of the art television set, for example, uses the most modem electronic design and parts. It is the best that one can buy.

　　"Stare- of the art" is not a new expression. Engineers have used it for years, to describe the best and most modem way of doing something. Millions of Americans began to use the expression in the late 1970' s. The reason was the computer revolution. Every computer company claimed that its computers were "state of the art".

　　Computer technology changed so fast that a state of the art computer today might be old to-morrow. The expression "state of the art" became as common and popular as computers them-selves. Now all kinds of products are said to be "state of the art".

　　16. What is the purpose of the passage?

　　A. To tell how "high tech" and "state of the art" have developed.

　　B. To give examples of "high tech".

　　C. To tell what "high tech" and "state of the art " are.

　　D. To describe very modem technology.

　　答案：C

　　17. What can we infer from the passage?

　　A. American stores could provide new kinds of products to people.

　　B. High tech describes a technology that is not traditional.

　　C. "State of the art" is not as popular as "high tech".

　　D. A modern plough pulled by oxen is "state of the art".

　　答案：A

　　18. All the following examples are high tech except__________.

　　A. a microwave oven

　　B. a home computer

　　C. a hand pump

　　D. a satellite

　　答案：C

　　19. Which of the following statements is not tree?

　　A. Since the computer revolution, the expression "state of the art" has become popular.

　　B. "State of the art" means something that is the best one can buy.

　　C. With the rapid development of computer, "state of the art" computer may easily become out of date.

　　D. All kinds of products are "state of the art" nowadays.

　　答案：D

　　20. The best title for the passage is__________.

　　A. Computer Technology

　　B. High Tech and State of the Art

　　C. Most Advanced Technology

　　D. Two New Expressions

　　答案：B