阅读理解专练（三）

陈芹

A

How would you like an easy way to earn $2，500？ All you have to do is to sit around and wait for your meals. Theres a catch however. You have to stay in a chicken cage with a stranger for a whole week. There are no books or television or radio for amusement. You cant leave until the week is up. And a camera will be recording your every move.

Two people actually took the job. The idea came from Rob Thompson， a video artist. He wanted to make a film about the way animals are treated. His goal was to raise peoples awareness （意識） of the living conditions of animals that are raised for food. He decided to pay $5，000 out of his own savings to two people who were willing to live like chickens for a week.

To Robs surprise， quite a few people  answered his advertisement. He had interviewed  and  selected  Eric，  a  24-year-old restaurant  worker，  and  Para，  a 24-year-old chemist. The plan was for them to spend seven days together in a chicken cage that was six feet long and three feet wide. A camera would record their experiences， which would take place in an art museum.

The week was long and difficult. They slept on a hard wooden floor. They couldnt stand up without hanging their heads. They ate vegetables and drank water from a garden hosepipe. Their only privacy was a toilet surrounded by a curtain. There were no sinks， mirrors， or toothbrushes in the cage. Their  only inspiration was the two framed checks that hung on the wall outside the cage. Visitors who came here were warned， “Do not feed the humans.”

Finally it was over， and Para and Eric   appeared from their cage. They had survived the week， and they each had a $2，500 check in their hands. When Rob Thompson opened the cage， Eric came out， changed into clean clothes， and ate a chocolate bar right away. “Its great to be able to stand up，” he said. Para just changed her clothes and left. After a week of visitors and reporters watching her， she  didnt want to talk to anyone.

1. What kind of person is Rob Thompson？

A. He is curious about peoples personal life. B. He is kind-hearted to animals.

C. He hates people around. D. He likes to help poor people.

2. The underlined word “catch” probably means ___.

A. unsolved problem    B. surprising wonder C. unbelievable fact  D. hidden difficulty

3. What made it most difficult for the two to stay in the cage？

A. They didnt know each other. B. They couldnt lie down to sleep in the cage.

C. They didnt have meat to eat.

D. They had to do almost everything in full view of others.

4. Rob offered the money because he wanted to ___.

A. see if there were any people who would like to live in a cage

B. show the public how terrible animals life could be

C. make more money by publishing the recorded videotapes

D. improve housing conditions of working people like Eric

5. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage？

A. Easy Way to Earn $2，500 B. Do Not Feed the Humans

C. Living Like a Chicken D. Getting Along Well Anyway

B

About six years ago， I was having lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table. I couldnt help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked， “So， how have you been？” And the boy who could not have been more than seven or eight years old replied， “Frankly， Ive been feeling a little depressed lately.”

This incident stuck in my mind because it strengthened my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember， my friends and I didnt find out we were “depressed” until we were in high school.

The evidence of a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children dont seem childlike any more. Children speak more like adults， dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.

Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say， but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why？

Human development is based not only on born biological states， but also on patterns of access （進入） to social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually includes learning the secrets of the new situation. Children have always been taught adult secrets， but slowly and in stages： traditionally， we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.

In the last 30 years， however， a secret-revelation （揭示） machine has been fixed in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information， indiscriminately （不加区分地）， to all viewers alike， whether they are children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation （诱惑）， many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging， more lively moving pictures.

Communication through print， as a matter of fact， allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access. Reading and writing include a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practised. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.

6. Traditionally， a child is supposed to learn about the adult world ___.

A. through touch with society B. gradually and under guidance

C. naturally and by biological instinct （本能） D. through exposure to social information

7. In the authors opinion， the state that todays children seem adultlike is caused by ___.

A. the widespread influence of television B. the poor arrangement of teaching content

C. the fast pace of  human intellectual development

D. the constantly rising standard of living

8. Why is the author in favor of communication through print for children？

A. It enables children to gain more social information.

B. It develops childrens interest in reading and writing.

C. It helps children to memorize and practise more.

D. It can control what children are to learn.

9. What does the author think of the change in todays children？

A. He feels amused by the childrens adultlike behavior.

B. He thinks it is a state worthy of note.

C. He considers it a positive development. D. He seems to be upset about it.

60. What the boy said six years ago shows that he ___ at that time.

A. was a child B. was already an adult

C. knew little D. already behaved like an adult in a way