阅读理解
阅读理解
Some things we know about language
Many things about language are a mystery, and many will always remain so．But some things we do know．
First, we know that all human beings have a language of some sort．There is no race of men anywhere on earth so backward that it has no language, no set of speech sounds by which the people communicate with one mother．Furthermore, in historical times, there has never been a race of men without a language．
Second, there is no such thing as a primitive language．There are many people whose cultures are undeveloped, who are, as we say, uncivilized. but the languages they speak are not primitive．In all known 1anguages we can see complexities that must have been 1 tens of thousands of years in developing．
This has not always been well understood；indeed, the direct contrary 2 has often been stated． Popular ideas of the language of the American Indians will illustrate．Many people have supposed that the Indians communicated in a very primitive system of noises．Study has proved this to be nonsense．There are, or were, hundreds of American Indian languages, and a11 of them rum out 3 to be very complicated and very old. They are certainly different from the languages that most of us are familiar with, but they are no more primitive than English and Greek 4．
A third thing we know about language is that all languages are perfectly adequate．That is, each one is a perfect means of expressing the culture of the people who speak the language．
Finally, we know that language changes．It is natural and normal for language to change； the only languages which do not change are the dead ones．This is easy to understand if we look backward in time．Change goes on in all aspects of language．Grammatical features change as do speech sounds, and changes in vocabulary are sometimes very extensive and may occur very rapidly．Vocabulary is the least stable part of any language 5.
词汇：
race/[reɪs] n.种族
primitive [ˈprɪmətɪv] adj.原始的
uncivilized [ʌnˈsɪvəlaɪzd] adj.不开化的, 落后的
complexity [kəm"pleksətɪ] n.复杂性, 复杂现象
nonsense [ˈnɔnsəns] n.胡说, 没有根据的话
extensive/[ɪkˈstensɪv] adj.广泛的
vocabulary [və"kæbjələrɪ] n.词汇
注释：
1．must have( been) done:must+动词的完成式，表示对过去发生的事情的猜测。
2．the direct contrary:完全相反（的观点，看法）
3．turn out:结果（是），原来（是）
4．no more... than...：同……一样不……
5．the least stable part of any language:任何语言中最不稳定的部分。
According to the author, language changes are most likely to occur in
A:grammar B:pronunciation C:vocabulary D:intonation
The Only Way Is Up
Think of a modem city and the first image that come to mind is the skyline. It is full of great buildings, pointing like fingers to heaven. It is true that some cities don"t permit buildings to go above a certain height. But these are cities concerned with the past. The first thing any city does when it wants to tell the world that it has arrived is to build skyscrapers.
When people gather together in cities, they create a demand for land. Since cities are places where money is made, that demand can be met. And the best way to make money out of city land is to put as many people as possible in a space that covers the smallest amount of ground. That means building upwards.
The technology existed to do this as early as the 19th century. But the height of buildings was limited by one important factor. They had to be small enough for people on the top floors to climb stairs. People could not be expected to climb a mountain at the end of their journey to work, or home.
Elisha Otis, a USinventor, was the man who brought us the lift-or elevator, as he preferred to call it. However, most of the technology is very old. Lifts work using the same pulley system the Egyptians used to create the Pyramids. What Otis did was attach the system to a steam engine and develop the elevator brake, which stops the lift falling if the cords that hold it up are broken. It was this that did the most to gain public confidence in the new invention 1. In fact, he spent a number of years exhibiting lifts at fairgrounds, giving people the chance to try them out before selling the idea to architects and builders.
A lift would not be a very good theme park attraction now. Going in a lift is such an everyday thing that it would just be boring. Yet psychologists and others who study human behavior find lifts fascinating. The reason is simple. Scientists have always studied animals in zoos. The nearest they can get to that with humans is in observing them in lifts 2.
"It breaks all the usual conventions about the bubble of personal space 3 we carry around with us -- and you just can"t choose to move away," says workplace psychologist, Gary Fitzgibbon. Being trapped in this setting can create different types of tensions, he says. Some people are scared of them. Others use them as an opportunity to get close to the boss. Some stand close to the door. Others hide in the comers. Most people try and shrink into the background. But some behave in a way that makes others notice them. There are a few people who just stand in a comer taking notes.
Don"t worry about them. They are probably from a university.
词汇:
skyline["skaɪlaɪn] n.空中轮廓线
tension["tenʃ(ə)n] n.紧张
pulley ["pʊlɪ] n.滑轮
bubble["bʌbl] n.幻想,妄想;
fairground [ˈfeəgraʊnd] n.露天市场
注释：
1．It was this that did the most to gain public confidence in the new invention.正是这项技术赢得了人们对新发明的信心。本句使用了强调句型It is... that...被强调的是this，所指代的是上文中所说的Otis发明了电梯刹车的事。
2．The nearest they can get to that with humans is in observing them in lifts.对于研究人类来说，最接近的方式就是在电梯里观察他们。句中的that指的是上一句中提到的科学家一直对动物园里的动物进行观察。
3．about the bubble of personal space:有关私人空间的幻想。
When Oti.s came up with the idea of a lift,____.
A:he sold it to the architects and builders immediately B:the Egyptians used it to build the Pyramids C:it was accepted favorably by the public D:most people had doubt about its safety
The National Park Service
America"s national parks are like old friends. You may not see them for years at a time, but just knowing they"re out there makes you feel better 1. Hearing the names of these famous old friends -Yosemite 2, Yellowstone 3,Grand Canyon 4 -revives memories of visits past and promotes dreams of those still to come.
From Acadia toZion, 369 national parks are part of a continually evolving system 5. Ancient fossil beds, Revolutionary War battlefields, magnificent mountain ranges, and monuments to heroic men and women who molded this country 6 are all a part of our National Park System (NPS). The care and preservation for future generations of these special places is entrusted to the National Park Service. Uniformed Rangers, the most visible representatives of the Service, not only offer park visitors a friendly wave, a helpful answer, or a thought-provoking history lesson, but also are skilled rescuers, firefighters, and dedicated resource protection professionals. The National Park Service ranks also include architects, historians, archaeologists, biologists, and a host of other experts 7who preserve and protect everything from George Washington"s teeth to Thomas Edison"s wax recording.
Modern society has brought the National Park Service both massive challenges and enormous opportunities. Satellite and computer technologies are expanding the educational possibilities of a national park beyond its physical boundaries. Cities struggling to revive their urban cores are turning to the Park Service for expert assistance to preserve their cultural heritage create pocket parks 8 and green spaces, and re-energize local economies. Growing communities, thirsty for recreational outlets 9 are also working with the NPS to turn abandoned railroad tracks into bike and hiking trails, as well as giving unused federal property new life as recreation centers.
To help meet these challenges and take advantage of these opportunities, the National Park Service had formed partnerships - some dating back 100 years, some only months old - with other agencies, state and local governments, corporations, American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives, Park Friends groups, cooperating associations, private organizations, community groups and individuals who share the National Park ethic.
National Park Week 1996 is a celebration of these partnerships.
revive [rɪ"vaɪv] 重新唤起，重新记起；苏醒，复苏
fossil ["fɒsl]化石的
promote [prə"məʊt] 促成，促进；晋升，提升
evolve [ɪ"vɒlv] 演化；使逐步形成
range [reɪndʒ] 山地；山脉
entrust [ɪn"trʌst]委托管理；委托
ranger ["reɪndʒə(r)] 国家公园管理员，国有森林护林员
core [kɔ:(r)]中心；核心
trail [treɪl] 小道，小径
ethic [ˈeθɪk] 道德规范，伦理标准
1.Your may not see them for years at a time，but just knowing they"re out there makes you feel better：你可能几年都见不到它们一次，但是只要知道它们在那里，你的心情就会比较畅快。注意：may not中的mot可以否定may，也可以否定后面的动词。如否定may，作“不允许”解；如否定后面的动词，做“可能不”解。not是否定may还是其后面的动词，这取决于上下文。在所讨论 的句子中，not否定see。但mayn"t没有歧义，只作“不允许”解。at a time：每次，一次。又如：I am away two weeks at a time.我每次外出总要两星期不回家。
5.a continually evolving system：一种不断演化的体系
6.…monuments to heroic men and women who molded this country…：……为塑造这个国家而献身的英雄儿女纪念碑……
7.a host of other experts：许多其他的专家
8.pocket park：处于城市建筑群之间的小公园
9.Growing communities thirsty for recreational outlets…：渴望娱乐场所不断发展的社区……
What will the paragraph following this passage most probably discuss?
A:The pocket parks in America. B:The preparations made for the celebration of National Park Week 1996. C:The work that has been done by the partners. D:The preservation of national resources in America.
I’ll Be Bach
Composer David Cope is the inventor of a computer program that writes original works of classical music. It took Cope 30 years to develop the software. Now most people can’t tell the difference between music by the famous German composer J. S. Bach (1685-1750) and the Bach-like compositions from Cope’s computer.
It all started in 1980 in the United States, when Cope was trying to write an opera. He was having trouble thinking of new melodies, so he wrote a computer program to create the melodies. At first this music was not easy to listen to. What did Cope do? He began to rethink how human beings compose music. He realized that composers，brains work like big databases. First, they take in all the music that they have ever heard. Then they take out the music that they dislike. Finally, they make new music from what is left. According to Cope, only the great composers are able to create the database accurately, remember it, and form new musical patterns from it.
Cope built a huge database of existing music. He began with hundreds of works by Bach. The software analyzed the data：it broke it down into smaller pieces and looked for patterns. It then combined the pieces into new patterns. Before long, the program could compose short Bach-like works. They weren’t good, but it was a start.
Cope knew he had more work to do-he had a whole opera to write. He continued to improve the software. Soon it could analyzemore complex music. He also added many other composers, including his own work, to the database.
A few years later，Cope’s computer program, called “Emmy”，was ready to help him with his opera. The process required a lot ofcollaboration between the composer and Emmy. Cope listened to the computer’s musical ideas and used the ones that he liked. With Emmy, the opera took only two weeks to finish. It was called Cradle Falling, and it was a great success! Cope received some of the best reviews of his career, but no one knew exactly how he had composed the work.
Since that first opera, Emmy has written thousands of compositions. Cope still gives Emmy feedback on what he likes and doesn’tlike of her music, but she is doing most of the hard work of composing these days!
词汇：
original/əˈrɪdʒənəl / adj．有独创性的
collaboration/ kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃən / n．合作
review/rɪ"vju:/ n．评论
feedback/"fi:dbæk / n．反馈
注释
J.S. Bach约翰·塞巴斯蒂安·巴赫（德语：Johann Sebastian Bach，1685年3月31日一1750年7月28日），巴洛克时期的德国作曲家，杰出的管风琴、小提琴、大键琴演奏家，同作曲家亨德尔和泰勒曼齐名。巴赫被普遍认为是音乐史上最重要的作曲家之一，并被尊称为“西方‘现代音乐’之父”，也是西方文化史上最重要的人物之一。
The music composed by David cope is about ______.
A:Classical music B:pop music C:drama D:country music
I’ll Be Bach
Composer David Cope is the inventor of a computer program that writes original works of classical music. It took Cope 30 years to develop the software. Now most people can’t tell the difference between music by the famous German composer J. S. Bach (1685-1750) and the Bach-like compositions from Cope’s computer.
It all started in 1980 in the United States, when Cope was trying to write an opera. He was having trouble thinking of new melodies, so he wrote a computer program to create the melodies. At first this music was not easy to listen to. What did Cope do? He began to rethink how human beings compose music. He realized that composers，brains work like big databases. First, they take in all the music that they have ever heard. Then they take out the music that they dislike. Finally, they make new music from what is left. According to Cope, only the great composers are able to create the database accurately, remember it, and form new musical patterns from it.
Cope built a huge database of existing music. He began with hundreds of works by Bach. The software analyzed the data：it broke it down into smaller pieces and looked for patterns. It then combined the pieces into new patterns. Before long, the program could compose short Bach-like works. They weren’t good, but it was a start.
Cope knew he had more work to do-he had a whole opera to write. He continued to improve the software. Soon it could analyzemore complex music. He also added many other composers, including his own work, to the database.
A few years later，Cope’s computer program, called “Emmy”，was ready to help him with his opera. The process required a lot ofcollaboration between the composer and Emmy. Cope listened to the computer’s musical ideas and used the ones that he liked. With Emmy, the opera took only two weeks to finish. It was called Cradle Falling, and it was a great success! Cope received some of the best reviews of his career, but no one knew exactly how he had composed the work.
Since that first opera, Emmy has written thousands of compositions. Cope still gives Emmy feedback on what he likes and doesn’tlike of her music, but she is doing most of the hard work of composing these days!
词汇：
original/əˈrɪdʒənəl / adj．有独创性的
collaboration/ kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃən / n．合作
review/rɪ"vju:/ n．评论
feedback/"fi:dbæk / n．反馈
注释
J.S. Bach约翰·塞巴斯蒂安·巴赫（德语：Johann Sebastian Bach，1685年3月31日一1750年7月28日），巴洛克时期的德国作曲家，杰出的管风琴、小提琴、大键琴演奏家，同作曲家亨德尔和泰勒曼齐名。巴赫被普遍认为是音乐史上最重要的作曲家之一，并被尊称为“西方‘现代音乐’之父”，也是西方文化史上最重要的人物之一。
Who is Emmy?
A:a database B:a computer software C:a composer who helped David D:an opera
I’ll Be Bach
Composer David Cope is the inventor of a computer program that writes original works of classical music. It took Cope 30 years to develop the software. Now most people can’t tell the difference between music by the famous German composer J. S. Bach (1685-1750) and the Bach-like compositions from Cope’s computer.
It all started in 1980 in the United States, when Cope was trying to write an opera. He was having trouble thinking of new melodies, so he wrote a computer program to create the melodies. At first this music was not easy to listen to. What did Cope do? He began to rethink how human beings compose music. He realized that composers，brains work like big databases. First, they take in all the music that they have ever heard. Then they take out the music that they dislike. Finally, they make new music from what is left. According to Cope, only the great composers are able to create the database accurately, remember it, and form new musical patterns from it.
Cope built a huge database of existing music. He began with hundreds of works by Bach. The software analyzed the data：it broke it down into smaller pieces and looked for patterns. It then combined the pieces into new patterns. Before long, the program could compose short Bach-like works. They weren’t good, but it was a start.
Cope knew he had more work to do-he had a whole opera to write. He continued to improve the software. Soon it could analyzemore complex music. He also added many other composers, including his own work, to the database.
A few years later，Cope’s computer program, called “Emmy”，was ready to help him with his opera. The process required a lot ofcollaboration between the composer and Emmy. Cope listened to the computer’s musical ideas and used the ones that he liked. With Emmy, the opera took only two weeks to finish. It was called Cradle Falling, and it was a great success! Cope received some of the best reviews of his career, but no one knew exactly how he had composed the work.
Since that first opera, Emmy has written thousands of compositions. Cope still gives Emmy feedback on what he likes and doesn’tlike of her music, but she is doing most of the hard work of composing these days!
词汇：
original/əˈrɪdʒənəl / adj．有独创性的
collaboration/ kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃən / n．合作
review/rɪ"vju:/ n．评论
feedback/"fi:dbæk / n．反馈
注释
J.S. Bach约翰·塞巴斯蒂安·巴赫（德语：Johann Sebastian Bach，1685年3月31日一1750年7月28日），巴洛克时期的德国作曲家，杰出的管风琴、小提琴、大键琴演奏家，同作曲家亨德尔和泰勒曼齐名。巴赫被普遍认为是音乐史上最重要的作曲家之一，并被尊称为“西方‘现代音乐’之父”，也是西方文化史上最重要的人物之一。
The music composed by David cope is about ______.
A:Classical music B:pop music C:drama D:country music
I’ll Be Bach
Composer David Cope is the inventor of a computer program that writes original works of classical music. It took Cope 30 years to develop the software. Now most people can’t tell the difference between music by the famous German composer J. S. Bach (1685-1750) and the Bach-like compositions from Cope’s computer.
It all started in 1980 in the United States, when Cope was trying to write an opera. He was having trouble thinking of new melodies, so he wrote a computer program to create the melodies. At first this music was not easy to listen to. What did Cope do? He began to rethink how human beings compose music. He realized that composers，brains work like big databases. First, they take in all the music that they have ever heard. Then they take out the music that they dislike. Finally, they make new music from what is left. According to Cope, only the great composers are able to create the database accurately, remember it, and form new musical patterns from it.
Cope built a huge database of existing music. He began with hundreds of works by Bach. The software analyzed the data：it broke it down into smaller pieces and looked for patterns. It then combined the pieces into new patterns. Before long, the program could compose short Bach-like works. They weren’t good, but it was a start.
Cope knew he had more work to do-he had a whole opera to write. He continued to improve the software. Soon it could analyzemore complex music. He also added many other composers, including his own work, to the database.
A few years later，Cope’s computer program, called “Emmy”，was ready to help him with his opera. The process required a lot ofcollaboration between the composer and Emmy. Cope listened to the computer’s musical ideas and used the ones that he liked. With Emmy, the opera took only two weeks to finish. It was called Cradle Falling, and it was a great success! Cope received some of the best reviews of his career, but no one knew exactly how he had composed the work.
Since that first opera, Emmy has written thousands of compositions. Cope still gives Emmy feedback on what he likes and doesn’tlike of her music, but she is doing most of the hard work of composing these days!
词汇：
original/əˈrɪdʒənəl / adj．有独创性的
collaboration/ kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃən / n．合作
review/rɪ"vju:/ n．评论
feedback/"fi:dbæk / n．反馈
注释
J.S. Bach约翰·塞巴斯蒂安·巴赫（德语：Johann Sebastian Bach，1685年3月31日一1750年7月28日），巴洛克时期的德国作曲家，杰出的管风琴、小提琴、大键琴演奏家，同作曲家亨德尔和泰勒曼齐名。巴赫被普遍认为是音乐史上最重要的作曲家之一，并被尊称为“西方‘现代音乐’之父”，也是西方文化史上最重要的人物之一。
Who is Emmy?
A:a database B:a computer software C:a composer who helped David D:an opera
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