2021年成考专升本英语基础阅读理解习题及答案

    In ancient times wealth was measured and exchanged in things that could be touched:food, tools , and precious metals and stones. Then the barter system was replaced by coins, which still had real value since they were pieces of rare metal. Coins were followed by fiat money, paper notes that have value only because everyone agrees to accept them.

    Today electronic monetary systems are gradually being introduced that will transform money into even less tangible forms, reducing it to a series of "bits and bytes" , or units of computerized information, going between machines at the speed of light. Already, electronic fund transfer allows money to be instantly sent and received by different banks, companies, and countries through computers and telecommunications devices.

1. Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the passage?

A. International Banking Policies 

B. The History of Monetary Exchange

C. The Development of Paper Currencies 

D. Current Problems in the Economy

2. According to the passage, which of the following was the earliest kind of exchange of wealth?

A. Bartered foods. 

B. Fiat money. 

C. Coin currency. 

D. Intangible forms.

3. According to the passage, coins once had real value as currency because they         .

A. represented a great improvement over barter

B. permitted easy transportation of wealth

C. were made of precious metals

D. could become collector's items

4. Which of the following statements about computerized monetary systems is NOT supported by the passage?

A. They promote international trade.

B. They allow very rapid money transfers.

C. They are still limited to small transactions(交易) .

D. They are dependent on good telecommunications systems.

    Mr. Smith was a wealthy industrialist, but he was not satisfied with life. He did not sleep well and his food did not agree with him. This situation lasted for some time. Finally, after several sleepless nights, he decided to consult his doctor. The doctor advised a change of surroundings. "Go abroad , " he said. " But I'm not good at foreign language, " said Mr. Smith. " It doesn't matter, " said the doctor. "It won' t hurt you to talk a little less. Go on a voyage. Take plenty of exercise. Try to reduce your weight. Avoid rich food. "

Mr. Smith went to Switzerland. He did not know French or German, and had to communicate through gestures. He attended a physical training course. The instructor made him bend his knees, swing his arms. stretch his neck and shake his head rapidly. He had to lie on the ground and raise his right and left legs alternately. After a time his muscles grew hard and firm. He forgot the financial crisis and the importance of raising the level of production. He even began to notice individual trees and individual birds.

    Finally he returned home. But unfortunately his improvement was only temporary. Soon he was a normal businessman again, worried about his property, his profits, his savings, his advancement in a technological society, and things in general.

5. Mr. Smith went to see his doctor because he       

A. had little to eat . 

B. was seriously ill 

C. had to sleep 

D. didn't feel well

6. In the second paragraph, the word " gestures" means          .

A. body movements 

B. simple words 

C. pens or pencils 

D. handshakes

7. When he traveled abroad, Mr. Smith          .

A. learned boxing 

B. forgot all about his business

C. raised the level of production 

D. shook his head all the time

8. In the last paragraph, the word "temporary" means          .

A. lasting for a short time 

B. not deep

C. unimportant 

D. developing very slowly

    There was a river with a small town on either side of it. The towns were linked by a bridge.

    One day, a hole appeared in the bridge. Both towns agreed that the hole should be mended. However, disagreement came up as to who should mend it. Each town thought that it had a better reason for the other to mend the hole. The town on the right bank said that it was at the end of the road, so the left-bank town should mend the hole. The town on the left bank, on the other hand, insisted that all the traffic came to the right-bank town, so it was in their interest to mend the bridge.

    The quarrel went on and on, and so did the hole. The more it went on, the more the hostility between the two towns grew.

    One day a man fell into the hole and broke his leg. People from both towns questioned him closely about whether he was walking from the right bank to the left or from the left bank to the right , in order to decide which town should be blamed for the accident. But he could not remember, since he got drunk that night.

    Some time later, a car was crossing the bridge and broke an axle(釉) because of the hole. Neither town paid any attention to the accident, as the traveler was not going from one to the other, but was merely passing through. The angry traveler got out of the car and asked why the hole was not mended.

    On hearing the reason, he declared, "I' ll buy this hole. Who' s the owner?"

Both towns at once declared that they owned the hole.

    " One or the other, whoever owns the hole must prove it. "

    "How shall we prove it?" asked both sides.

    "That' s simple. Only the owner of the hole has the right to mend it.I'll buy the hole from whoever mends the bridge."

    People from both towns rushed to do the job while the traveler smoked a cigar and his driver changed the axle. They mended the bridge in no time and asked for the money for the hole.

    "What hole?" The traveler looked surprised."I can't see any hole. I've been looking for a hole for several years now. I' m prepared to pay a good price for it, but there' s no hole here.Are you pulling my leg or what?"

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