全国2014年4月高等教育自学考试
英语阅读(二)试题
课程代码：00596
请考生按规定用笔将所有试题的答案涂、写在答题纸上。全部题目用英文作答(翻译题除外)。
选择题部分
注意事项：
1. 答题前，考生务必将自己的考试课程名称、姓名、准考证号用黑色字迹的签字笔或钢笔填写在答题纸规定的位置上。
2. 每小题选出答案后，用2 B铅笔把答题纸上对应题目的答案标号涂黑。如需改动，用橡皮擦干净后，再选涂其他答案标号。不能答在试题卷上。
I. Reading Comprehension (50 points,2 points for each)
Directions: In this part of the test, there are five passages. Following each passage, there are five questions with four choices marked A, B,C and D. Choose the best answer and then blacken the corresponding letter on your Answer Sheet.
Passage One
Social anxiety is the single most common psychological problem, according to the 1986 results of the Stanford shyness inventory, a survey conducted by Philip G.Zimbardo, a professor of social psychology at Stanford University in California. At a party with strangers, for instance, three-quarters of adults feel anxious. “The best estimate is that 40 percent of all Americans suffer from shyness,” says Zimbardo.
How can you avoid being nervous when you meet people? Prepare. Preparation for any communication situation is a must. You’ve been invited to a big dinner party in two weeks. You know that one of the other guests is a politician. Scan the newspapers and magazines; listen to newscasts for topics of conversation in political areas. Then at the party, pretend you’re an interviewer on talk show. Think of questions to ask what can’t be answered yes or no. “In your opinion, who...”“What do you think of...” Keep the momentum going.
Whether you’re delivering a speech, approaching your boss for a raise or an important social occasion, do your homework. The most polished, smoothly delivered, spontaneous-sounding talks are the result of many hours of work. The memorable one-liners and moving phrases that go down in history don’t come from last-minute bursts of inspiration.
If you’re making a presentation of any sort, begin preparing as far ahead of time as possible. “Good writing,” says Harvard University historian Richard Marius, “is a kind of wrestling with thought.” Begin the wrestling match early. Two days before your presentation is usually too late to go into the ring and come up with a winning idea.
“To communicate,” says New York Times columnist William Safire, “put your thoughts in order, give them a purpose; use them to persuade, to instruct, to discover, to seduce.”
Prepare yourself as well as your material, giving special attention to your voice. A shrill, nasal tone strikes your listeners like chalk screeching on a blackboard. By putting energy and resonance into your voice, you will have a positive effect. If your voice is timid or quivers with nervousness, you sense it, the audience hears it, and you see discomfort in their eyes. With energy and enthusiasm in your voice the listeners say ahhh, tell me more. You read approval.
Like your voice, your appearance is a communication tool. For example, if you are animated, you are most likely to see animated listeners. You give the audience the message: I’m glad I’m here; I’m glad you’re here.
Your approach can, in fact, be a powerful weapon for deflecting hostility-from an audience, an interviewer, an employer. A benevolent aspect says I understand and conveys good will and positive expectations. It works.
Questions l-5 are based on Passage One.
1. According to paragraph 2, one can avoid shyness while talking to a politician at a party by ______.
A. listening to his talk B. reading newspapers to him
C. preparing in a advance D. asking him hard questions
2. In paragraph 3 the author suggests that we do our homework for an important social occasion because ______.
A. only careful preparation can make our talks polished
B.homework can help us learn from our own mistakes
C. we need inspiration for memorable and moving talks
D. it is necessary to avoid harsh criticism from the supervisors
3. Based on paragraph 4, when should you begin the preparation for a presentation?
A. Two days ahead of time. B. As early as possible.
C. When you are clearheaded. D. When you are not busy.
4. According to paragraph 6, what kind of voice is likely to win the audience’s approval?
A. A nasal tone. B. A shrill tone.
C. A quivering tone. D. An energetic tone.
5. What is the author’s attitude toward overcoming nervousness?
A. Critical. B. Negative.
C. Suspicious. D. Positive.
