III. Reading Comprehension
Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phras marked A,B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phra that best fits the context.
Rearch has shown that two-thirds of human conversation is taken up not with discussionof the cultural or political problems of the day, not heated debates about films we've just watched or books we've just finished reading, but plain and simple__51__.
Language is our greatest treasure as a species, and what do we__52__do with it? We gossip. About others' behaviour and private lives, such as who's doing what with whom, who's in and who's out-and why; how to deal with difficult__53__situations involving children, lovers, and colleagues.
So why are we keen on gossiping? Are we just natural__54__, of both time and words? Or do we talk a lot about nothing in particular simply to avoid facing up to the really importantis
sues of life? It's not the ca according to Professor Robin Dunbar. In fact, in his latest book,Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution ofLanguage, the psychologist says gossip is one of the really__55__issues.
Dunbar __56__ the traditional view that language was developed by the men at the earlystage of social development in order to organize their manly hunting activities more effectively,or even to promote the exchange of poetic stories about their origins and the supernatural. Insteadhe suggests that language evolved among women. We don't spend two-thirds of our time gossiping just becau we can talk, argues Dunbar—__57__, he goes on to say, language evolved specifically to allow us to gossip.
Dunbar arrived at his cheery theory by studying the__58__of the higher primates（灵长类动物）like monkeys. By means of grooming--cleaning the fur by brushing it, monkeys form groups with other individuals on whom they can rely for support in the event of some kind of conflict within the group or__59__from outside it.
As we human beings evolve from a particular branch of the primate family, Dunbar __60_
_ that at one time in our history we did much the same. Grouping together made n becau the bigger the group, the greater the __61__ it provided; on the other hand, the bigger the group, the greater the stress of living clo to others. Grooming helped to__62__the pressure and calm everybody down.
But as the groups got bigger and bigger, the amount of time spent in grooming activities also had to be__63__to maintain its effectiveness. Clearly, a more __64__ kind of grooming was needed, and thus language evolved as a kind of vocal（有声的）grooming which allowed humans to develop relationship with ever-larger groups by exchanging information over a wider network of individuals than would be possible by one-to-one __65__ contact.
51. A. claim B. description C. gossip D. language
52. A. occasionally B. habitually C. independently D. originally
53. A. social B. political C. historical D. cultural
54. A. admirers B. masters C. urs D. wasters
55. A. vital B. nsitive C. ideal D. difficult
56. A. confirms B. rejects C. outlines D. broadens
57. A. for instance B. in addition C. on the contrary D. as a result
58. A. motivation B. appearance C. emotion D. behaviour
59. A. attack B. contact C. inspection D. assistance
60. A. recalls B. denies C. concludes D. confess
61. A. prospect B. responsibility C. leadership D. protection
62. A. measure B. show C. maintain D. ea
63. A. saved B. extended C. consumed D. gained
64. A. common B. efficient C. scientific D. Thoughtful
65. A. indirect B. daily C. physical D. cret
Section B
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by veral questionsor unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D.Choo the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
(A)简单
Most people agree that honesty is a good thing. But does Mother Natureagree? Animals can't talk, but can they lie in other ways? Can they lie withtheir bodies and behavior? Animal experts may not call it lying, but theydo agree that many animals, from birds to chimpanzees, behave dishonestly to fool other animals. Why? Dishonesty often helps themsurvive.
