阅读理解精练

袁会珍

A

February 14th, Valentines Day, is a complicated but interesting occasion. First of all, Valentines Day is not a holiday from work. No one gets a day off. In many countries it is observed by sending cards to your friends and candy or flowers to your husband or wife if youre married, or to your boyfriend or girlfriend if youve not married. In Japan, some girls even give their fathers chocolates.

Why is this holiday for people in love called Valentines Day?

One explanation comes from a Christian man whose name was something like “Valentine”. He lived at a time when the Roman Emperor refused to allow any Roman soldiers to get married for any reason. Many couple came to Valentine to be married. So he would secretly marry them in a Christian ceremony. He was discovered and put in prison by the Emperor. One tradition says that he wrote notes to his friends by marking on leaves and then throwing them out of the window of his prison. The leaves were shaped like a heart. Valentine was killed on February 14th and Valentines Day recalls his tragic death.

On Valentines Day, American elementary school children make or buy Valentine cards, write the name of a classmate on them, and take them to school and put them on a special Valentines Day box. And then on that day the box is opened, the cards are taken out and given out.

1. Which of the following is true about“Valentine Day”?

A. It is observed by sending flowers to ones husband or wife

B. Children in Japan give their fathers chocolates

C. It is a legal holiday in many countries

D. People send candy to each other

2. The man called Valentine was put in prison because_____.

A. he secretly got married in a Christian ceremony

B. he helped people to get married when love was not allowed

C. he helped Roman soldiers get married

D. he wanted to kill the Roman Emperor

3. So he would secretly marry them in a Christian ceremony. “marry” is closest in meaning to_____.

A. the priest is going to marry them

B. she has married off all her daughter

C. Im glad Hubert married a girl of spirit

D. At present she doesnt intend to marry at all

4. People celebrate Valentines Day_____.

A. to take a day off

B. in memory of Valentine

C. to show their love

D. both B and C

5. American school children dont_____on Valentines Day.

A. buy Valentine cards

B. make cards for their teachers

C. give each other Valentine cards

D. put their cards in Valentines Day box

B

Education is not an end, but a means to an end. In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them. Our purpose is to fit them for life.

In some modern countries it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all, one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see that free education for all is not enough; we find in such countries a far larger number of people with universities degree; they refuse to do what they think “low” work; and, in fact, work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries. But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor; we can live without education, but we die if we have no food. If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases in our towns.

In fact, when we say that each of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we must be educated in such a way that, firstly, each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains and ability and, secondly, that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society, and that it is very bad to be ashamed of ones work. Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society.

1. The writer of the passage thinks that_____.

A. education can settle most of the worlds problems

B. free education for all probably leads to a perfect world

C. free education wont help to solve problems

D. not all the social problems can be solved by education

2. The writer wants to prove that_____.

A. our society needs all kinds of jobs

B. our society needs free education for all

C. a farmer is more important than a professor

D. work with hands is the most important

3. The purpose of education is _____.

A. to choose officials for the country

B. to prepare children for their future work

C. to let everyone receive education fit for him

D. to build a perfect world

4. The passage tells us about_____of the education.

A. the means B. the system

C. the value D. the type

答案及解析：

A

1. A。从文章第一段In many countries， ... if youre married ... 可以看出答案，统览第一段，可排除B、C、D三项。

2. C。从文中第三段可知答案为C项。因为圣瓦伦丁帮助罗马士兵和心爱的姑娘结婚，在当时罗马皇帝是不允许的，故被杀害。

3. A。此处marry的意思为“为（双方）主持婚礼”，而A项的意思是“牧师来为他们主持婚礼”，故选A项。

4. D。贯穿全文，可知答案为D项。

5. B。从文章最后一段可知答案为B项。

B

本文论述了教育目的就是要使孩子适应社会生活。

1. D。细节题。根据文章第二段前面两句……by free education for all, one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But ... 可知本题答案为D项。

2. A。推断题。根据文章最后一段secondly, that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society,可推知答案为A项。

3. B。细节题。根据第一段最后一句Our purpose is to fit them for life.可知答案为B项。

4. C。主旨题。根据全文的内容，特别是根据文章的最后一句Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society.可推知答案为C项。