2019年PETS4阅读理解练习试题及答案2篇
第一篇
The percentage of immigrants (including those unlawfully present) in the United states has been creeping upward for years. At 12.6 percent, it is now higher than at any point since the mid1920s.
We are not about to go back to the days when Congress openly worried about inferior races polluting America’s bloodstream. But once again we are wondering whether we have too many of the wrong sort newcomers. Their loudest critics argue that the new wave of immigrants cannot, and indeed do not want to, fit in as previous generations did.
We now know that these racist views were wrong. In time, Italians, Romanians and members of other so-called inferior races became exemplary Americans and contributed greatly, in ways too numerous to detail, to the building of this magnificent nation. There is no reason why these new immigrants should not have the same success.
Although children of Mexican immigrants do better, in terms of educational and professional attainment, than their parents UCLA sociologist Edward Telles has found that the gains don’t continue. Indeed, the fouth generation is marginally worse off than the third James Jackson, of the University of Michigan, has found a similar trend among black Caribbean immigrants, Tells fears that Mexican-Americans may be fated to follow in the footsteps of American blacks-that large parts of the community may become mired(陷入)in a seemingly permanent state of poverty and Underachievement. Like African-Americans, Mexican-Americans are increasingly relegated to (降入)segregated, substandard schools, and their dropout rate is the highest for any ethnic group in the country.
We have learned much about the foolish idea of excluding people on the presumption of the ethnic/racial inferiority. But what we have not yet learned is how to make the process of Americanization work for all. I am not talking about requiring people to learn English or to adopt American ways; those things happen pretty much on their own, but as arguments about immigration hear up the campaign trail, we also ought to ask some broader question about assimilation, about how to ensure that people , once outsiders , don’t forever remain marginalized within these shores.
That is a much larger question than what should happen with undocumented workers, or how best to secure the border, and it is one that affects not only newcomers but groups that have been here for generations. It will have more impact on our future than where we decide to set the admissions bar for the latest ware of would-be Americans. And it would be nice if we finally got the answer right.
1. How were immigrants viewed by U.S. Congress in early days?
A) They were of inferior races.
B) They were a Source of political corruption.
C) They were a threat to the nation’s security.
D) They were part of the nation’s bloodstream.
2. What does the author think of the new immigrants?
A) They will be a dynamic work force in the U.S.
B) They can do just as well as their predecessors.
C) They will be very disappointed on the new land.
D) They may find it hard to fit into the mainstream.
3. What does Edward Telles’ research say about Mexican-Americans?
A) They may slowly improve from generation to generation.
B) They will do better in terms of educational attainment.
C) They will melt into the African-American community.
D) They may forever remain poor and underachieving.
4. What should be done to help the new immigrants?
A) Rid them of their inferiority complex.
B) Urge them to adopt American customs.
C) Prevent them from being marginalized.
D) Teach them standard American English.
5. According to the author, the burning issue concerning immigration is_______.
A) How to deal with people entering the U.S. without documents
B) How to help immigrants to better fit into American society
C) How to stop illegal immigrants from crossing the border
D) How to limit the number of immigrants to enter the U.S.
参考答案 ABDCB
第二篇
If you intend using humor in your talk to make people smile, you must know how to identify shared experiences and problems. Your humor must be relevant to the audience and should help to show them that you are one of them or that you understand their situation and are in sympathy with their point of view. Depending on whom you are addressing, the problems will be different. If you are talking to a group of managers, you may refer to the disorganized methods of their secretaries; alternatively if you are addressing secretaries, you may want to comment on their disorganized bosses.
Here is an example, which I heard at a nurses' convention, of a story which works well because the audience all shared the same view of doctors. A man arrives in heaven and is being shown around by St. Peter. He sees wonderful accommodations, beautiful gardens, sunny weather, and so on. Everyone is very peaceful, polite and friendly until, waiting in a line for lunch, the new arrival is suddenly pushed aside by a man in a white coat, who rushes to the head of the line, grabs his food and stomps over to a table by himself. “Who is that?" the new arrival asked St. Peter. “On, that's God," came the reply, “but sometimes he thinks he's a doctor."
If you are part of the group which you are addressing, you will be in a position to know the experiences and problems which are common to all of you and it'll be appropriate for you to make a passing remark about the inedible canteen food or the chairman's notorious bad taste in ties. With other audiences you mustn't attempt to cut in with humor as they will resent an outsider making disparaging remarks about their canteen or their chairman. You will be on safer ground if you stick to scapegoats like the Post Office or the telephone system.
If you feel awkward being humorous, you must practice so that it becomes more natural. Include a few casual and apparently off-the-cuff remarks which you can deliver in a relaxed and unforced manner. Often it's the delivery which causes the audience to smile, so speak slowly and remember that a raised eyebrow or an unbelieving look may help to show that you are making a light-hearted remark.
Look for the humor. It often comes from the unexpected. A twist on a familiar quote “If at first you don't succeed, give up" or a play on words or on a situation. Search for exaggeration and understatements. Look at your talk and pick out a few words or sentences which you can turn about and inject with humor.
1. To make your humor work, you should__________
[A] take advantage of different kinds of audience.
[B] make fun of the disorganized people.
[C] address different problems to different people.
[D] show sympathy for your listeners.
2. The joke about doctors implies that, in the eyes of nurses, they are ___________
[A] impolite to new arrivals.
[B] very conscious of their godlike role.
[C] entitled to some privileges.
[D] very busy even during lunch hours.
3. It can be inferred from the text that public services __________
[A] have benefited many people.
[B] are the focus of public attention.
[C] are an inappropriate subject for humor.
[D] have often been the laughing stock.
4. To achieve the desired result, humorous stories should be delivered _________
[A] in well-worded language.
[B] as awkwardly as possible.
[C] in exaggerated statements.
[D] as casually as possible.
5. The best title for the text may be__________
[A] Use Humor Effectively.
[B] Various Kinds of Humor.
[C] Add Humor to Speech.
[D] Different Humor Strategies.
参考答案CBDDA
