1、英语六级阅读专项训练2010年12月英语六级阅读专项训练（1）According to the latest research in the United States of America, men and women talk such different languages that it is like people from two different cultures trying to communicate. Professor Deborah Tannen of Georgetown University, has noticed the difference in the
2、style of boys and girls conversations from an early age. She says that little girls conversation is less definite than boys and expresses more doubts. Little boys use conversation to establish status with their listeners.These differences continue into adult life, she says. In public conversations,
3、men talk most and interrupt other speakers more. In private conversations, men and women speak in equal amountsalthough they say things in a different style. Professor Tannen believes that, for woman, private talking is a way to establish and test intimacy. For men, private talking is a way to explo
4、re the power structure of a relationship.Teaching is one job where the differences between mens and womens ways of talking show. When a man teaches a woman, says Professor Tannen, he wants to show that he has more knowledge, and hence more power in conversation. When a woman teaches another woman, h
5、owever, she is more likely to take a sharing approach and to encourage her student to join in.But Professor Tannen does not believe that women are naturally more helpful. She says women feel they achieve power by being able to help others. Although the research suggests men talk and interrupt people
6、 more than women, Professor Tannen says, women actually encourage this to happen because they believe it will lead to more intimacy and help to establish a relationship.Some scientists who are studying speech think that the brain is preprogrammed for language. As we are usually taught to speak by wo
7、men, it seems likely that the brain must have a sexual bias(倾向性) in its programming,otherwise male speech patterns would not arise at all.1. In the opinion of the writer, women encourage men to talk becauseA. it will lead to more intimacy and help to establish a relationshipB. it will help to establ
8、ish status with their listenersC. it will help to express more clearlyD. it will help to communicate better2. There are_in little girls conversation than in boys.A. fewer doubts B. more demandsC. more doubts D. fewer uncertainties3. Some scientists believe that brain is pre-programmed for language.
9、The word pre programmed means_.A. programmed already B. programmed before one is bornC. programmed early D. programmed by women4. In private conversation, women speakA. the same things as men B. less than menC. more than men D. as much as men5. The theme of this article is _.A. women are naturally m
10、ore helpfulB. men and women talk different languagesC. men talk most and interrupt other speakers moreD. little girls conversation is less definite答案：1. A 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. B（2）In the last two hundred years there have been great changes in the method of production of goods. This is now also true of
11、the building industry; for mechanization has been introduced. System building can save both time and money. The principle of system building is that the building is made from a set of standard units. These are either made at the building-site or at a factory. Some designers, in fact, are standardizi
12、ng the dimensions of rooms. They are made in multiples of a single fixed length, usually ten centimeters. This is called a modular (标准件的) system, and it means that manufactures can produce standardized fittings at a lower cost. The most important fact about system building is its speed. A ten-storey
13、 flat, for example, can be completed in four months.There are several new methods of system building. One is the panel method. In this case, the construction company sometimes erects a factory on the site. The walls and floors of the building, called panels, are cast in a horizontal or vertical posi
14、tion. Conduits for electrical wires and sleeves for pipes are cast in the panels when they are being made. The moulds for making these castings are situated all around the building.After the concrete panels are cast, they are allowed to set and harden for a week. Next they are lifted by a tower cran
15、e on to any section of the building. There the panels are cemented together at their joints and the floor covering is laid.After the panels have been cemented together, the crane lifts a case into the area. It contains all the fittings to be installed, such as wash-basins, radiators and pipes. Finis
16、hing tradesmen, such as plumbers, plasterers, painters and electricians, follow behind to complete the work.In some building developments, in some countries, whole flats with internal features like their bathrooms, bedrooms and connecting stairs, and weighing as much as twenty tons, are carried to t
17、he building-site ready-made. A giant overhead crane is used to lift them into position. In the future, this method may become more widespread.1. The main difference between panel method and the method discussed in the last paragraph is_.A. the latter uses ready-made internal featuresB. panels are ca
18、st in a level positionC. the former is used to build walls and floors while the latter to construct bathrooms or bedroomsD. the former is more expensive than the latter2. Which of these statements is TRUE of system building?A. It employs more men. B. It is difficult and dangerous.C. It can save both
19、 time and money. D. It means less mechanization.3. According to the passage, the principle of system building is that_.A. construction methods are saferB. buildings are made from a set of standardized unitsC. similar buildings can be producedD. all units are produced on the site4. The usual fixed le
20、ngth in the modular system is_.A. twenty centimeters B. ten millimetersC. fifty centimeters D. ten centimeters5. What lifts the concrete panels onto the building?A. Cranes. B. Man-power.C. Pulleys. D. Hydraulic jacks.答案：1. A 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. A（3）Etiquette (礼仪)The origins of etiquettethe conventiona
21、l rules of behavior and ceremonies observed in polite societyare complex. One of them is respect for authority. From the most primitive times, subjects(臣民) showed respect for their ruler by bowing, prostrating themselves on the ground, not speaking until spoken to, and never turning their backs to t
22、he throne. Some rulers developed rules to stress even further the respect due to them. The emperors of Byzantium expected their subjects to kiss their feet. When an ambassador from abroad was introduced, he had to touch the ground before the throne with his forehead. Meanwhile the throne itself was
23、raised in the air so that, on looking up, the ambassador saw the ruler far above him, haughty and remote.Absolute rulers have, as a rule, made etiquette more complicated rather than simpler. The purpose is not only to make the ruler seem almost godlike, but also to protect him from familiarity, for
24、without some such protection his life, lived inevitably in the public eye, would be intolerable. The court of Louis XIV of France provided an excellent example of a very highly developed system of etiquette. Because the king and his family were considered to belong to France, they were almost contin
25、ually on show among their courtiers (朝臣). They woke, prayed, washed and dressed before crowds of courtiers. Even large crowds watched them eat their meals, and access to their palace was free to all their subjects.Yet this public life was organized so carefully, with such a refinement of ceremonial,
26、 that the authority of the King and the respect in which he was held grew steadily throughout his lifetime. A crowd watched him dress, but only the Duke who was his first valet de chamber (贴身男仆) was allowed to hold out the right sleeve of his shirt, only the Prince who was his Grand Chamberlain coul
27、d relieve him of his dressing gown, and only the Master of the Wardrobe might help him pull up his trousers. These were not familiarities, nor merely duties, but highly desired privileges. Napoleon recognized the value of ceremony to a ruler. When he became Emperor, he discarded the revolutionary cu
28、stom of calling everyone citizen, restored much of the Court ceremonial that the Revolution had destroyed, and recalled members of the nobility to instruct his new court in the old formal manners.Rules of etiquette may prevent embarrassment and even serious disputes. The general rule of social prece
29、dence is that people of greater importance precede those of lesser importance. Before the rules of diplomatic precedence were worked out in the early sixteenth century, rival ambassadors often fought for the most honourable seating position at a ceremony. Before the principle was established that am
30、bassadors of various countries should sign treaties in order of seniority, disputes arose as to who should sign first. The establishment of rules for such matters prevented uncertainty and disagreement, as to rules for less important occasions. For example, at an English wedding, the mother of the b
31、ridegroom should sit in the first pew or bench on the right-hand side of the church. The result is dignity and order.Outside palace circles, the main concern of etiquette has been to make harmonious the behaviour of equals, but sometimes social classes have used etiquette as a weapon against intrude
32、rs, refining their manners in order to mark themselves off from the lower classes.In sixteenth-century Italy and eighteenth-century France, decreasing prosperity and increasing social unrest led the ruling families to try to preserve their superiority by withdrawing from the lower and middle classes behind barriers of etiquette. In a prosperous community, on the other hand, polite society soon absorbs the newly ri
