1.2021年12月英语六级阅读专项练习题
The Art of BowingThe degree to which a bowing or lowering of the body is emphasized varies from one culture to another. In many cultures today the full bow or other dramatic lowering of the body is generally reserved for formal occasions such as greeting a head of state or monarch. For example, british commoners standing before the queen or being honored by royalty in a ceremony of knighthood would be expected to bow, curtsey, or kneel. As part of their religious practices some christians kneel, catholics genuflect, and muslims kowtow, an extreme form of body lowering in which the forehead is brought to the ground. Although bowing, as a worldwide phenomenon, has been on the decrease in recent decades, it has survived in German culture and exists to an even greater degree in modern Japan, where bows are an integral part of everyday social interaction. In the united states, however, bowing or any type of submissive body posture is particularly irritating, for it tends to connote undue formality, aristocracy, and a nonverbal denial of egalitarianism. Nowhere is bowing more important to the process of communication today than in Japanese society. As an indication of how pervasive bowing is in present-day Japan, some experts point out that "some female department store employees have the sole function of bowing to customers at department store escalators and that many Japanese bow repeatedly to invisible partners at the other end of a telephone line". Bowing initiates interaction between two Japanese, it enhances and embellishes many parts of the ensuing conversation, and it is used to signal the end of a conversation. Although westerners, in a very general sense, understand the meaning attached to bowing, appropriate bowing in Japan is an intricate and complex process. Reciprocal bowing is determined largely by rank. In fact, it is possible to tell the relative social status of the two communicators by the depth of their bows (the deeper the bow, the lower the status). When bowing deeply, it is conventional to lean slightly to the right to avoid bumping heads. The person of lower status is expected to initiate the bow, and the person of higher status determines when the bow is completed. People of equivalent status are expected to bow at the same depth while starting and finishing at the same time .
阅读自测
Ⅰ. Are these statements true or false according to the article ?
1. Nowadays the full bow or other dramatic lowering of the body is still widely accepted around the world.
2. Bowing is prevalent in Japan while the situation is quite different in America.
3. It is customary to lean slightly to the left to avoid bumping heads when bowing deeply.
Ⅱ. Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the words given in parentheses :
1. There is a __________(tend) that more and more people will move from cities to the countryside.
2. Je __________(repeat) fails to pass the exam.
3. A spirit of hopelessness__________ (pervasive ) the country.
4. He is such a chauvinist that he expects his wife to be meek and __________(submit).
5. The government has__________ (initial) a new house-building program.
参考答案
Ⅰ. 1. F 2. T 3 . F
Ⅱ. 1. tendency 2. repeatedly 3 . pervaded 4 . submissive 5. initiated
2.2021年12月英语六级阅读专项练习题
Posture TalksIn the United States, where“ casualness”is considered a great virtue, people often sit with feet on chairs or even desks. They sometimes sit with their backsides ( buttocks) on tables and desks as a way of expressing their individuality or career attitude. They feel comfortable crossing their legs and sitting with one ankle on the other knee . Poor posture — slumping oneself over while sitting in a chair and placing feet on whatever object is around — is a common U. S. behavior. It is designed to show that the person is casual, honest, sincere, and“ just one of the folks ”. In the United States, even millionaires, corporation presidents, government leaders, and movie stars try to pretend they are ordinary people by using“the U. S. slouch ”and“ the feet-on-the -furniture”maneuver.
Unfortunately, other countries interpret this behavior as being sloppy and as reflecting a general lack of alertness, interest, and respect. People from the United States do not usually realize that what they regard as casualness is viewed very differently and very negatively by many people around the world.
People in many cultures are expected to sit erect. Such cultures include many countriesin Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. In the United States, slouching is acceptable and is a positive sign of being casual and friendly. In the United States, crossing legs is a sign of good etiquette . Many cultures say thatcrossing legs is okay, but placing the ankle on the knee while crossing one’s legs is totally unacceptable .
One reason for not putting the ankle on the knee is that when you do so, one foot or the sole of the shoe is usually pointing at someone . This is a very severe insult in many countries around the world, especially Muslim countries. Under few circumstances should you point your foot at anyone , because the foot is cons idered the least sacred part of the body in many societies. In some countries such as Nepal, pointing the foot at a cow is an outrage , because the cow is a sacred animal. In Buddhist countries, pointing the foot at statue of the Buddha is a severe offense. Moving objects with the feet is very rude in Thailand, Nepal, and Taiwan. In Bangladesh, you should not touch books with a foot or shoe; if you do, you must make an elaborate apology.
As you can tell, posture is a very strong messenger. It conveys much about a particu lar person. Posture ( in many cultures) says something about the person’s honesty, alertness, intelligence, religiousness, respect, and overall decency — or the opposite of all of these ! Posture tells people whether they want to get to know a stranger, and it also tells what to think about the people already known.
阅读自测
Translate the sentences into English with the words in parentheses :
1. 这座纪念碑是为内战中牺牲的烈士们而建立的。( erect)
2. 我希望他不会因为我拒绝他的邀请而觉得受到了侮辱。( insult)
3. 他把我的沉默看作是软弱的标志。( interpret)
参考答案
1. This monument was erected in honour of the martyrs during the civil war.
2. I hope he won’t feel insulted if I turn down his invitation.
3. He interpreted my silence as a sign of weakness.
3.2021年12月英语六级阅读专项练习题
The Homosexual FamilyAlthough many people do not think of homosexual relationships as resulting in a family, it has been estimated that about one of five gays and one of three lesbians enter a homosexual marriage. The marriage may or may not be established by a formal ceremony. One male couple, for example, after four months of cohabitation, went to Mass and let the service be their private ceremony of commitment. They used the term marriage to describe their relationship. They bought matching rings and verbally agreed to be sexually faithful, to emotionally support each other, and to have equal say in such matters as finances.
Moreover, millions of gays and lesbians have had children. In many cases, the children were born when the individual was part of a heterosexual marriage. Subsequently, the individual openly acknowledged his or her homosexual preference. Some of these children are being raised in a homosexual family — two men, two women, or some other arrangement. For example, Nancy is a lesbian who is raising a daughter with two gay males, one of whom is the child's father.
Homosexual couples have to work through the same problems as heterosexual couples. They face issues of household division of labor, power, sexual relationships, and money. In addition, like the interracial couple, they face problems arising from being in a socially stigmatized relationship. Gallup polls that asked the American public whether homosexual relations between consenting adults should be legal have found an increasing proportion from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s who said that they should not be legal. Homosexual families, then, must not only deal with the same issues as other families but also with a hostile environment and with some problems that are unique to the homosexual relationship .
阅读自测
Ⅰ. Are these statements True or False according to the article ?
1. Like heterosexual marriage, homosexual marriage must go through a formal ceremony.
2. Most of the children of homosexuals are adopted from other places.
3. Homosexual couples just have to confront the same problems as heterosexual couples.
4. Homosexual couples have to overcome various problems and still have a long way to go .
5. From the mid-1970s, homosexual marriages are gradually accepted by our society.
Ⅱ. Choose the best answer to fill in the blanks :
1. The tax increases in ______to the amount you earn.
A. accordance B. proportion C. ratio D. scale
2. There are some matters ______ from the recent changes in the law.
A. raising B. happening C. arising D. rising
3. The father is not willing to consent ______ the marriage.
A. to B. from C. with D. in
参考答案
Ⅰ.
1. F 2. F 3 . F 4. T 5. F
Ⅱ.
1. B 2. C 3 . A
