大学英语三
Part I Reading Comprehension
Watching TV is a very popular pastime in the UK, but what kind of programs do British people like to watch? Well, the most-watched TV programs every week are very popular dramas that are usually on at least four times every week. They are dramas based on one neighborhood that try to depict ordinary life in the UK — we call these dramas ―soap operas‖ or ―soaps‖.
In the early days of TV, there were often dramas on during the day. Back in those days, it was traditional for the husband to go out to work and for the wife to stay at home and look after the house and the children. Most of these daytime dramas were aimed at entertaining the housewives who would traditionally be at home, probably doing the washing. Companies selling washing powder would advertise their products at times when these dramas were on, and sometimes those companies would even sponsor the drama. Hence the word ―soap‖ came into use.
So what about the word ―opera‖? Well, that‘s because these dramas are often an exaggeration of real life. They are supposed to represent ordinary lives but to make them entertaining, lots of dramatic events like murders, divorces, affairs etc. all happen probably much more regularly than they would in a normal neighborhood.
Most soap operas these days are shown in the evening. Each show will have several different storylines happening at once that continue over several shows. The same cast members will appear in every show too.
1. What kind of programs do British people watch most? A. Reality TVs. B. Talk shows. C. Situational comedies. D. Soap operas. 2. Whom are soap operas for? A. Children. B. Housewives. C. Husbands. D. The old. 3. Where did soap opera get its name?
A. Companies selling washing powder. B. People who like to watch clothes.
C. The Soap Children used to play with. D. A person who made soaps.
4. Where did the story of a soap opera come from? A. Literature works. B. People‘s imagination. C. Real life. D. People‘s experience. 5. When are the dramas on nowadays? A. During the day. B. In the evening. C. After midnight. D. Both A and B.
If you watch the news in Britain or look at a British newspaper at the moment, a
term you are more than likely to come across is ―credit crunch‖. It has become a bit of a buzzword, but what does it mean?
Well, it's a financial term and it means that people in Britain are feeling the pinch right now. A credit crunch means banks have a shortage of money to loan people, which in turn has an effect on many other things. It's the effect this shortage of money has that is called the credit crunch.
The beginnings of this problem can be traced back to America, where people with a poor credit history were allowed to take out mortgages, which they were unable to repay.
Banks often lend money to and borrow money from each other, something we might not have realized they actually do. It was certainly cheaper for banks in America to get money in this way than to borrow money from America's Federal Reserve — their central bank.
A lot of these loans that people were unable to pay back were sold on to other banks, many of them in the UK. As banks did not know the level of debt they were acquiring, they no longer wanted to lend money to or borrow money from other banks. There is now less movement of money between banks and therefore a shortage of available money.
Banks and other financial institutions have to compensate for this by increasing fees and rates on products such as mortgages, loans and credit cards. Consequently, the average man on the street is affected as it is harder for them to borrow money with these increased rates.
1. From which country did ―the credit crunch‖ start? A. Britain. B. America. C. The UK. D. Canada.
2. It was for banks in American to get money from other banks than from America‘s Federal Reserve. A. more expensive B. more convenient C. cheaper D. easier
3. The banks and financial institutions try to solve the problem by increasing fees and rates on products such as mortgages, loans and credit cards. A. that they lack in available money B. that they have more money they need C. that debts are unable to meet D. that they have too many loans
4. Why did American banks no longer want to lend money to or borrow money from other banks?
A. Because they didn‘t have enough money. B. Because they could not repay the debts.
C. Because they wanted to borrow money in other ways.
D. Because they didn‘t know how many debts they would get.
5. Which of the following statement about ―credit crunch‖ is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. It has become a popular term.
B. It means British people are realizing the difficulties they encounter. C. It has nothing to do with the average people‘s life.
D. It means banks don‘t have enough money to loan people.
yet painted the one ―real‖ picture.
In his search along a dusty road, he met an aged priest who asked him where he was going. ―I do not know,‖ said the artist, ―I want to paint the most beautiful thing in the world. Perhaps you can direct me to it.‖
―How simple,‖ replied the priest, ―in any church or creed, you will find it—?Faith‘ is the most beautiful thing in the world.‖
The artist traveled on. Later, he met a young bride who told him that the most beautiful thing in the world is ―love‖. ―Love‖ makes the world go around. It builds poverty into riches, sweetens tears and makes much of little. Without love there is no beauty.
Still the artist continued his search and met a weary soldier. The artist asked him the same question and the soldier answered, ―?Peace‘ is the most beautiful thing in the world. War is ugly and wherever you find peace you‘ll find beauty, faith and love.‖
―How can I paint them—Faith, Love and Peace?‖ thought the artist. As he resumed his walk, his mind wondered on the ―real‖ picture he hoped to paint. He was surprised that without thinking where he was going, he had reached his familiar surroundings. As he entered the doorway, light glistened in his eyes and he realized that his search was over.
In the faces of his wife and children, he saw Love and Faith. ―Not a minute passed by that our children and I had not thought of you. We prayed that you would return to us safely,‖ his wife said as they embraced him. He sat on his favorite old chair and his heart was at peace.
The artist painted the most beautiful thing in the world and called it ―Home‖. 1. The artist tried to find ______________. A. the happiest place in the world B. the most beautiful thing in the world C. the most peaceful place D. an aged priest to direct him
2. How many people gave the artist answers in the text? A. One.
B. Two.
C. Three.
D. Four
An artist who had painted many pictures of great beauty found that he had not