Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (35 minutes) Passage 1 Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
Using a public telephone may well be one of the minor irritations of life, demanding patience, determination and a strong possibility of failure, together on occasion with considerable unpopularity.
The hopeful caller (shall we call him George?) waits till six o’clock in the evening to take advantage of the so-called “cheap rates” for a long-distance call. The telephone box, with two broken panes of glass in the side, stands at the junction of two main roads with buses, lorries and cars roaring past. It is pouring with rain as George joins a queue of four depressed-looking people. Time passes slowly and seems to come to a standstill while the person immediately before George carries on an endless conversation, pausing only to insert another coin every minute or so.
Eventually the receiver is replaced and the caller leaves the box. George enters and picks up one of the directories inside, only to discover that someone unknown has torn out the very page he needs. Nothing for it but to dial directory Enquiries, wait patiently for a reply down the number given.
At last George can go ahead with his call. Just as he is starting to dial, however, the door opens and an unpleasant-looking face peers in with the demand, “Can’t you hurry up?” Ignoring such barbarity, George continues to dial and his unwanted companion withdraws. At last he hears the burr-burr of the ringing tone, immediately followed by rapid pips demanding his money, but he is now so upset that he knocks down the coins he has placed ready on the top of the box. Having at last located them, he dials again: the pips are repeated and he hastily inserts the coins. A cold voice informs him, “Grand Hotel, Chalfont Wells.” “I’ve an urgent message for a Mr. Smith who is a guest in your hotel. Could you put me through to him? I’m afraid I don’t know his room number.”
The response appears less than enthusiastic and a long long silence follows. George inserts more coins. Then the voice informs him, “I’ve been trying to locate Mr. Smith but the hall porter reports having seen him leave about a minute ago.”
Breathing heavily, George replaces the receiver, just as the knocking on the door starts again.
21.The main intention of the passage is to provide____. A) instructions about how to use a public call box B) advice about how to deal with public telephone problems C) criticism of the efficiency of telephone system D) an account of possible annoyances in using a public telephone
22.Which of the following calls are you unlikely to make at the “cheap rate” referred to? A) To discuss your account in a bank in Scotland. B) To have a chat with an elderly relation. C) To ask about a friend in hospital who has just had an operation. D) To express Christmas greetings to cousins in Australia.
23.George can at least be thankful that ____. A) the call box is in a convenient position B) the telephone itself is working C) he can use the directory in the box to find the number D) he is able to give his message to the hotel receptionist
24.Why does George have to dial a second time? A) He hasn’t remembered to put the money in the box. B) He hasn’t got enough money with him. C) He has got to find the money to put in the box. D) He can’t find the number he wants in the directory.
25.What are George’s feelings when he completes his call? A) He has some difficulty in controlling his annoyance. B) He is very disappointed at missing his friends. C) He is annoyed with himself for being so stupid. D) He is depressed at the thought of having to try again to get through.
Passage One 短文大意： 使用公用电话可能会遇到烦恼：为了打“便宜价”电话，乔治得等到晚上六点以后；若队排在前面的人讲起话来没完没了，他等的时间还要长。找不到电话号码，还得问查询台。毫不容易找到号码，准备打电话，又有人闯进来催着快点。接通了电话，正等着对方来接，电话里有发出提示音，要继续投币。慌乱中碰掉了事先准备好的硬币，电话断了，只能重拨。若要传听，接线人的声音冷冰冰的，等待时间很长，乔治还得不停地投币，烦恼真是太多了。 21. 【参考译文】本文的主要目的是为了证实____。【试题分析】本题考查的是对整篇文章的综合理解。【详细解答】从全篇文章内容来看，其主要目的不是关于如何使用公共电话，因为几乎人人都会使用公用电话，没有必要进行整篇论述，进行指导。也不是给人们提供如何处理公用电话问题的建议，而是使用时可能遇到的种种麻烦，并且举出了实例加以说明。文章一开头就提出了这个问题，第一个句子就是主题句，也是本文的主题思想，包含了本文的主要目的——证明使用公用电话时可能遇到的烦恼。故D符合本题的要求。 22. 【参考译文】对下列几种电话，哪一种是你未必会打的“便宜价”电话？【试题分析】本题测试的是分析综合判断能力。【详细解答】从文中可知，打“便宜价”电话是非常令人懊恼的，因为很难打出去，既费时又费力。对于一般性的问题可能会打“便宜”电话，例如和朋友聊天，问候病人或表示节日祝贺等，如B、C、D项中所述的情况。但对于重大事情或者紧急事情，人们就不会图“便宜”而耗掉自己的宝贵时间。所以A符合题意要求，为本题的正确答案。 23. 【参考译文】乔治起码感到欣慰的是____。【试题分析】本题是对综合分析判断能力进行考查【详细解答】如果选A（电话亭是在一个方便的位置上），与题意不符。实际上：The telephone box, with two broken panes of glass in the side, stands at the junction of two main roads with buses, lorries and cars roaring past. 电话亭设在来往汽车轰鸣吵杂的主干道交汇处，加上玻璃窗破损，给打电话的人造成了很大的不便，这显然不是一个合适和方便的位置。如果选C（他可以使用电话号码簿查号码），与题意也不符。因为：当乔治走进电话亭拿起一本电话簿，才发现不知谁已把他需要的那一页给撕掉了，他不得不拨打问询处。但是由于有人在外面不停地敲门，最后只好把所给的号码记下来，因此他也就未能向旅馆中的接待员传达到他的口信，故D项也不符合题意。但是有一点是肯定的，电话本身并没有停止工作，这起码能够给乔治一点点安慰，故B为本题的正确答案。 24. 【参考译文】为什么乔治不得不再拨一次电话？【试题分析】本题测试的是文章的细节部分。【详细解答】此题答案可以在短文第四段的第四句话中找到：At last he hears the burr-burr of the ringing tone, immediately followed by rapid pips demanding his money, but he is now so upset that he knocks down the coins he has placed ready on the top of the box. 最后他听到电话铃音的嘎嘎声，马上接着是急速的报时信号，要他投币。但是由于他此刻非常懊恼，以致于把放在箱子上准备投进去的钱币弄掉了下来，因此，他不得不再找到那些钱币投入到箱子中去，这也就是为什么他不得不再次拨号的原因。所以C符合本题题意。 25. 【参考译文】乔治打完电话后心情如何？【试题分析】本题测试的是综合分析能力。【详细解答】乔治打完电话后的心情可以在文章的最后一句话中充分体现出来：Breathing heavily, George replaces the receiver, just as the knocking on the door starts again.（乔治重重地吸了一口气之后，把话筒放好，这时扣门声又响了。）打电话中遇到了这么多不愉快的事情，自然不会给乔治带来什么愉快和欣慰，这种烦恼的心情从“重重地吸了一口气”中表现出来，故A符合本题题意。
