文档内容
英语专项深度练习——阅读理解(八)
The origins of etiquette—the conventional rules of behavior and ceremonies observed in
polite society—are 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 the 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 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 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 continually 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，
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 could 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 custom 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 precedence 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 ambassadors 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
bridegroom 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
intruders， 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 rich， and in England
there has never been any shortage of books on etiquette for teaching them the manners
appropriate to their new way of life.
Every code of etiquette has contained three elements： basic moral duties; practical rules
which promote efficiency; and artificial， optional graces such as formal compliments to，
say， women on their beauty or superiors on their generosity and importance.
In the first category are consideration for the weak and respect for age. Among the ancient
Egyptians the young always stood in the presence of older people. Among the Mponguwe of
Tanzania， the young men bow as they pass the huts of the elders. In England， until about a
century ago， young children did not sit in their parents‘ presence without asking
permission.
Practical rules are helpful in such ordinary occurrences of social life as making proper
introductions at parties or other functions so that people can be brought to know each
other. Before the invention of the fork， etiquette directed that the fingers should be kept
as clean as possible; before the handkerchief came into common use， etiquette suggested
that， after spitting， a person should rub the spit inconspicuously （难以察觉的）
underfoot.
Extremely refined behavior， however， cultivated as an art of gracious living， has been
characteristic only of societies with wealth and leisure， which admitted women as the
social equals of men. After the fall of Rome， the first European society to regulate
behavior in private life in accordance with a complicated code of etiquette was twelfth-
century Provence， in France.
Provence had become wealthy. The lords had returned to their castles from the crusades （十
字军东征） ， and there the ideals of chivalry （武士制度） grew up， which emphasized the
virtue and gentleness of women and demanded that a knight （骑士） should profess a pure and
dedicated love to a lady who would be his inspiration， and to whom he would dedicate his
brave deeds， though he would never come physically close to her. This was the introduction
of the concept of romantic love， which was to influence literature for many hundreds of
years and which still lives on in a belittled form in simple popular songs and cheap novels
today.
In Renaissance Italy too， in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries， a wealthy and
leisured society developed an extremely complex code of manners， but the rules of behaviorof fashionable society had little influence on the daily life of the lower classes. Indeed
many of the rules， such as how to enter a banquet room， or how to use a sword or
handkerchief for ceremonial purposes， were irrelevant to the way of life of the average
working man， who spent most of his life outdoors or in his own poor hut and most probably
did not have a handkerchief， certainly not a sword， to his name.
Yet the essential basis of all good manners does not vary. Consideration for the old and
weak and the avoidance of harming or giving unnecessary offence to others is a feature of
all societies everywhere and at all levels from the highest to the lowest. You can easily
think of dozens of examples of customs and habits in your own daily life which come under
this heading.
1. Etiquette simply serves the purpose of showing respect for authority.
2. Louis XIV of France made etiquette very complicated to avoid familiarity.
3. People of all societies and social ranks observe the good manners of consideration for
the weak and respect for age.
4. Napoleon discarded aristocratic privileges when he became Emperor of France.
5. Etiquette has been used to distinguish people from different classes.
6. In Europe， the newly rich have added new ingredients to etiquette while they are
learning to behave appropriately for a new way of life.
7. After the sixteenth century， fights between ambassadors over precedence were a common
occurrence.
8. Extremely refined behaviour had ______ on the life of the working class.
9. Basic moral duties are one of the_______of every code of etiquette.
10. According to the passage， the concept of romantic love was introduced in_______.
答案：I. N 2. Y 3. Y 4. N 5. Y 6. NG 7. N
8. little influence 9. three elements 10. twelfth-century Provence， France
Nearly everyone agrees that money doesn’t buy as much as it used to， no matter where you
want to spend it. This is certainly true of the paper money that passes so quickly through
one‘s hands. Inflation（通货膨胀） eats away at its buying power just as the steady
appetite of waves chews at sand cliffs. But what about coins that seem to do very little
except wear out your purses and pockets？ Unlike notes， metal money becomes more valuable
the longer it is held， especially if it is put away where it won’t get scratched or worn.
Why is this？ One reason is that coins， being more durable， fall more readily into acategory for collectors. Naturally， the rarer gold pieces must become more valuable as the
price of this metal goes up.
But， curiously， one of the rarest coins in the world is not made of gold， but of the
relatively cheaper silver. In 1804， the United States mint（造币厂） struck 19，570 silver
dollars. That is what its records show. Today only six of this original number remain and
these are unlikely ever to reach the auction market. So what happened to some 19，564 large
silver coins， not the easiest sort of things to lose？ One of the more romantic theories is
that they were part of the payment to Napoleon for the American territory then known as
Louisiana. But they never reached France. Somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico， the ship
transporting them was sunk， either by a storm or by pirates （#£&）。 The probable answer
to the mystery is that they were melted down—since the silver value was greater than the
actual value of the coin. What really happened to the rest will probably always remain a
mystery. What is known is that whoever can come up with one will find himself instantly
rich.
26. It can be inferred from passage that_______.
A. money buys as much as it did before
B. money does not buy as much as it did before
C. paper money buys more than metal money
D. metal money buys more than paper money
27. Which of the following is TRUE of a coin？
A. The longer it is held， the less valuable it becomes.
B. The more it wears out， the more valuable it becomes.
C. The less it gets scratched， the less it values.
D. The longer it lasts， the more it values.
28. According to this passage， one of the rarest coins in the world is made of A. silver B.
gold
C. copper D. paper
29. Coins become more valuable because_______.
A. they wear out your purses and pockets
B. the price of metal goes upC. they fall more readily into a category for collectors due to their duration
D. both B and C
30. What really happened to some 19，564 large silver coins？
A. They were melted down. B. They were sunk in the Gulf of Mexico.
C. It is still a mystery. D. They were stolen by pirates.
To understand why someone becomes an optimist or a pessimist， it helps to understand what
distinguishes them. Say you crash your car. Do you expect good things to happen after the
accident—an easy recuperation （挽回损失） ， a fat check from your insurer？ Or do you
worry that your neck will hurt forever？
“Optimistic people tend to feel that bad things won‘t last long and won’t affect other
parts of life， ”.Seligman says. Pessimists tend to believe one negative incident will last
and undermine everything else in their lives.
Also important， researchers say， is the story you construct about why things happen—your
explanatory style. Optimists believe that bad events have temporary causes—“The boss is in
a bad mood. ” Pessimists believe the cause is permanent—“The boss is a jerk. ”
This sense of control distinguishes one type from the other. Positive thinkers feel
powerful. Negative thinkers， Seligman says， feel helpless because they have learned to
believe they‘re doomed， no matter what. A young wife who’s told she‘s incapable of
handling household finances might later become a divorce
woman who can’t balance a checkbook.
Such learned helplessness causes much harm on health. Studies show that optimists are better
at coping with the distress associated with everything from sore throat to heart surgery.
Furthermore， scientists at U. C. L. A. discovered that optimists have more disease-fighting
T cells.
Pessimists also don‘t believe in preventive care. Visit a doctor and you might find out
you’re sick！ My father was rushed to the emergency room for medical conditions that would
have been easily treatable if he‘d seen a doctor sooner.
21. The word “undermine”（Para. 2） most probably means
A. go below B. weaken
C. affect D. destroy 2-2. “The boss is a jerk. ” These words are used here to show______.
A. how some bosses act displeasinglyB. how optimists explain some bad events
C. how pessimists think about the unhappy things around them
D. how the writer suggests people should do when facing something unpleasant
23. The example given about a young wife shows that______.
A. the dividing line between optimists and pessimists
B. young women today suffer a lot in doing housework
C. most of young wives are pessimists
D. the pessimists are used to thinking of everything negatively
24. Which of the following statements is TRUE of “my father”？
A. My father was an optimist.
B. My father didn’t like to take any preventive measures.
C. My father often visited doctors.
D. My father was wise enough to mind his own health.
25. It can be inferred from the passage that Seliman should be______.
A. an optimist B. a pessimist
C. a psychologist D. the writer of this passage
Social customs and ways of behaving change. Things which were considered impolite many years
ago are now 11 。 Just a few years ago， it was 12 impolite behavior for a man to smoke on
the street. No man who thought of himself as being a gentleman would make a 13 of himself by
smoking when a lady was in a room.
Customs also differ from country to country. Does a man walk on the left or the right of a
woman in your country？ Or doesn‘t it 14 ？ What about table manners？ Should you use both
hands when you are eating？ Should you leave one in your lap， or on the table？
The Americans and the British not only speak the same language but also 15 a large number of
social customs. For example， in both America and England people shake hands when they meet
each other for the first time. Also， most Englishmen will open a door for a woman or offer
their seat to a woman， and so will most Americans. 16 is important both in England and inAmerica. That is， if a dinner invitation is for 7 o’clock， the dinner guest either
arrives 17 to that time or calls up to explain his 18.
The important thing to remember about social customs is not to do anything that might make
other people feel uncomfortable— 19 if they are your guests. There is an old story about a
man who gave a formal dinner party. When the food was served， one of the guests started to
eat his peas with a knife. The other guests were amused or shocked， but the 20 calmly
picked up his knife and began eating in the same way.
A. especially B. attainable C. close D. delay
E. considered F. host G. delivery H. Preparation
I. share J. fool K. specifically L. acceptable
M. matter N. Promptness 0. care
答案：11. L 12. E 13. J 14. M 15. I 16. N 17. C 18. D 19. A 20. F
Every day， the news of the world is relayed to people by over 300 million copies of daily
papers， over 400 million radio sets， and over 150 million television sets. Additional news
is shown by motion pictures， in theatres and cinemas all over the world. As more people
learn what the important events of the day are， fewer are still concerned exclusively with
the events of their own household. As the English writer John Donne put it nearly four
hundred years ago， “no man is an island. ” This idea is more appropriate today than it
was when Donne lived. In short， wherever he lives， a man belongs to some society; and we
are becoming more and more aware that whatever happens in one particular society affects，
somehow， the life and destiny of all humanity.
Newspapers have been published in the modern world for about four hundred years. Most of the
newspapers printed today are read in Europe and North America. However， soon they may be
read in all parts of the world， thanks to the new inventions that are changing the
techniques of newspaper publishing.
Electronics and automation have made it possible to produce pictures and text far more
quickly than before. Photographic reproduction eliminates the need for type and printing
presses. And fewer specialists， such as type-setters， are needed to produce a paper or
magazine by the photo-offset （照相平板胶印） method. Therefore， the publishing of
newspapers and magazines becomes more economical. Furthermore， photo-copies can be sent
over great distances now by means of television channels and satellites such as Telstar.
Thus， pictures can be brought to the public more quickly than previously.
Machines that prepare printed texts for photo-copies are being used a great deal today.
Thousands of letters and figures of different sizes and thicknesses can now be arranged on a
black glass disc that is only eight inches in diameter， to be printed in negative form（white on a black background）。 The disc on the machine turns constantly at the rate of
ten revolutions a second. A beam of light from a slroboscopic （频闪的） lamp shines on the
desired letters and figures for about I wo-millionths of a second. Then the image of the
letters and figures that were illuminated is projected onto a film through lenses. The
section of film is large enough to hold the equivalent of a page of text. There is a
keyboard in front of the machine that is similar to the keyboard of a typewriter， and the
machine operator has only to strike the proper keys for the image of the corresponding
letters to be immediately transferred to the film. The negative image on the film can
quickly be transferred onto paper. This method makes it as easy to reproduce photographs and
illustrations as it is to reproduce the text itself.
Film， being light and small， can be sent rapidly to other places and used to print copies
of the text where they are needed. Film images can also be projected easily on a movie or
television screen. Television broadcasts are limited to an area that is within sight of the
sending station or its relay （ 中继 ）。 Although television relays are often placed on
hills and mountains so that they can cover a wider region， they still can not cover more
land than one could see from the same hilltop on a clear day. However， the rays also go out
into the atmosphere， and if there is a relay station on a satellite that revolves around
the earth， it can transmit the pictures to any point on the earth from which the satellite
is visible. Three satellites permanently revolving over the equator transmit any television
program to any part of the earth. This makes it possible for world editions of newspapers to
give the news in all countries at the same time. Some day it may be possible for a
subscriber to a televised newspaper to press a button and see a newspaper page on his
television screen. He could also decide when he wants the page to turn， and， by dialling
different numbers such as those on a telephone dial， he could choose the language or the
edition of the paper he wants to read. It seems strange to think that， even today， methods
of the past are not entirely useless. For example， sometimes press agencies that use radio
and Telstar use carrier pigeons to send messages between offices in large cities because the
pigeons are not bothered by traffic problems.
It may be some time before television sets become common in the average homes in Africa and
Asia. However， radio is already rapidly becoming accessible to thousands of people in these
areas. And， now that good radios are being made with transistors， and their price is
gradually dropping because of mass production， it may not be“ too long before radios
become commonplace in areas which have no newspapers. Transistors make it possible for
people to carry small radios wherever they go， without need of electric current. Even
television sets are now operating on transistors， and the pocket TV may soon be as
widespread
as the pocket radio.
Now that scientific progress is making it possible to send the news to all the
inhabitants of the earth， it will be important to consider what news is going to be sent to
them. No matter what criteria are used in making the decision， a decision must be made，since no one would‘ have time to read or listen to an account of everything there is going
on in the world！
People who have time to read several papers can already compare different reports of the
same event. When an event has political significance， each paper reports it from the point
of view of its own political beliefs or preferences. Ideally， of course， the expression of
editorial opinion should be limited to the editorial page， and the news articles should be
objective—telling the facts as completely as possible， without trying to give them a
particular interpretation， or without otherwise trying to influence the reader’s opinion.
However， reporters and editors are only human， and if they have strong political beliefs
it is almost impossible for them to hide them. If editors believe their point of view is
best for the readers of their paper， what‘s to stop them from using the paper to try to
influence public opinion？ And if， some day， a world newspaper becomes a reality， will it
be the most powerful press agencies that will choose the news to be sent out to all
countries？
1. The expression ”no man is an island“ means that no man lives surrounded by water.
2. According to the author， it may not be long before people all over the world have access
to newspapers.
3. The transferring of newspaper texts to film is time-consuming and costly.
4. Transistors are particularly useful because they are used in small radio and TV sets.
5. Television relays are often placed on a hilltop so that they can reach a satellite.
6. People are capable of knowing all the events going on in every part of the world.
7. If a world newspaper becomes a reality， it will take more responsibility for informing
all the readers of the latest news in the world.
8. Newspapers have been published for about______.
9. Any television program could be transmitted to any part of the world by______.
10. It is ideal that the news articles______.
答案：1. N 2. Y 3. N 4. Y 5. N 6. N 7. NG 8. 400 years 9. satellites 10. be objective
