专八阅读真题.docx
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专八阅读真题.docx
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专八阅读真题
PARTIIREADINGCOMPREHENSION(30MIN)
Inthissectiontherearefourreadingpassagesfollowedbyatotalof20multiple-choicequestions.Readthepassagesandthenmarkyouranswersonyourcolouredanswersheet.
TEXTA
Still,theimageofanycityhasahalf-lifeofmanyyears.(Sodoesitsname,officiallychangedin2001fromCalcuttatoKolkata,whichisclosertowhatthewordsoundslikeinBengali.ConversinginEnglish,IneverheardanyonecallthecityanythingbutCalcutta.)ToWesterners,theconveyancemostidentifiedwithKolkataisnotitsmodernsubway—afacilitywhosespaciousstationshaveartonthewallsandcricketmatchesontelevisionmonitors—butthehand-pulledrickshaw.Storiesandfilmscelebrateaprimitive-lookingcartwithhighwoodenwheels,pulledbysomeonewholooksclosetoneedingthesuccorofMotherTeresa.Foryearsthegovernmenthasbeentalkingabouteliminatinghand-pulledrickshawsonwhatitcallshumanitariangrounds—principallyonthegroundthat,asthemayorofKolkatahasoftensaid,itisoffensivetosee“onemansweatingandstrainingtopullanotherman.”Butthesedayspoliticiansalsolamenttheimpactof6,000hand-pulledrickshawsonamoderncity’strafficand,particularly,onitsimage.“WesternerstrytoassociatebeggarsandtheserickshawswiththeCalcuttalandscape,butthisisnotwhatCalcuttastandsfor,”thechiefministerofWestBengal,BuddhadebBhattacharjee,saidinapressconferencein2006.“Ourcitystandsforprosperityanddevelopment.”Thechiefminister—theequivalentofastategovernor—wentontoannouncethathand-pulledrickshawssoonwouldbebannedfromthestreetsofKolkata.
Rickshawsarenottheretohaularoundtourists.(Actually,IsawalmostnotouristsinKolkata,apartfromtheyoungbackpackersonSudderStreet,inwhatusedtobeared-lightdistrictandisnowsaidtobethesingleplaceinthecitywheretheservicesarickshawpulleroffersmayincludeprovidingfemalecompanytoagentlemanfortheevening.)It’sthepeopleinthelaneswhomostregularlyuserickshaws—notthepoorbutpeoplewhoarejustanotchabovethepoor.Theyarepeoplewhotendtotravelshortdistances,throughlanesthataresometimesinaccessibletoeventhemostdaringtaxidriver.Anolderwomanwithmarketingtodo,forinstance,canarriveinarickshaw,havetherickshawpullerwaituntilshecomesbackfromvariousstallstoloadherpurchases,andthenbetakenhome.Peopleinthelanesuserickshawsasa24-hourambulanceservice.Proprietorsofcafésorcornerstoressendrickshawstocollecttheirsupplies.(OnemorningIsawarickshawpullertakeonaloadoflivechickens—tiedinpairsbythefeetsotheycouldbedrapedovertheshaftsandthefoldedbackcanopyandeventheaxle.Bythetimehetrottedoff,hewascarryingaboutahundredupside-downchickens.)Therickshawpullerstoldmetheirsteadiestcustomersareschoolchildren.Middle-classfamiliescontractwithapullertotakeachildtoschoolandpickhimup;thepulleressentiallybecomesafamilyretainer.
FromJunetoSeptemberKolkatacangettorrentialrains,anditsdrainagesystemdoesn’tneedtorrentialraintobeginbackingup.ResidentswhofavoratouchofhyperbolesaythatinKolkata“ifastraycatpees,there’saflood.”Duringmystayitoncerainedforabout48hours.Entireneighborhoodscouldn’tbereachedbymotorizedvehicles,andthenewspapersshowedpicturesofrickshawsbeingpulledthroughwaterthatwasuptothepullers’waists.Whenit’sraining,thenormalcustomerbaseforrickshawpullersexpandsgreatly,asdoesthepriceofajourney.AwriterinKolkatatoldme,“Whenitrains,eventhegovernortakesrickshaws.”
WhileIwasinKolkata,amagazinecalledIndiaTodaypublisheditsannualrankingofIndianstates,accordingtosuchmeasurementsasprosperityandinfrastructure.AmongIndia’s20largeststates,Biharfinisheddeadlast,asithasforfourofthepastfiveyears.Bihar,acouplehundredmilesnorthofKolkata,iswherethevastmajorityofrickshawpullerscomefrom.OnceinKolkata,theysleeponthestreetorintheirrickshawsorinadera—acombinationgarageandrepairshopanddormitorymanagedbysomeonecalledasardar.Forsleepingprivilegesinadera,pullerspay100rupees(about$amonth,whichsoundslikeaprettygooddealuntilyou’vevisitedadera.Theygrossbetween100and150rupeesaday,outofwhichtheyhavetopay20rupeesfortheuseoftherickshawandanoccasional75ormoreforapayoffifapolicemanstopsthemfor,say,crossingastreetwhererickshawsareprohibited.A2003studyfoundthatrickshawpullersarenearthebottomofKolkataoccupationsinincome,doingbetterthanonlytheragpickersandthebeggars.Forsomeonewithoutlandoreducation,thatstillbeatstryingtomakealivinginBihar.
TherearepeopleinKolkata,particularlyeducatedandpoliticallyawarepeople,whowillnotrideinarickshaw,becausetheyareoffendedbytheideaofbeingpulledbyanotherhumanbeingorbecausetheyconsideritnotthesortofthingpeopleoftheirstationdoorbecausetheyregardthehand-pulledrickshawasarelicofcolonialism.Ironically,someofthosepeoplearenotenthusiasticaboutbanningrickshaws.TheeditoroftheeditorialpagesofKolkata’sTelegraph—RudrangshuMukherjee,aformeracademicwhostillwriteshistorybooks—toldme,forinstance,thatheseeshumanitarianconsiderationsascomingdownonthesideofkeepinghand-pulledrickshawsontheroad.“Irefusetobecarriedbyanotherhumanbeingmyself,”hesaid,“butIquestionwhetherwehavetherighttotakeawaytheirlivelihood.”Rickshawsupporterspointoutthatwhenitcomestodemeaningoccupations,rickshawpullersarehardlyuniqueinKolkata.
WhenIaskedonerickshawpullerifhethoughtthegovernment’splantoridthecityofrickshawswasbasedonagenuineinterestinhiswelfare,hesmiled,withaquickshakeofhishead—agestureIinterpretedtomean,“Ifyouaresonaiveastoasksuchaquestion,Iwillanswerit,butitisnotworthwastingwordson.”SomerickshawpullersImetwereresignedtotheimminentendoftheirlivelihoodandpintheirhopesonbeingofferedsomethinginitsplace.Asmigrantworkers,theydon’thavethepoliticalcloutenjoyedby,say,Kolkata’ssidewalkhawkers,who,aftersupposedlybeingscaledbackatthebeginningofthemodernizationdrive,stillclogthesidewalks,sellingabsolutelyeverything—or,asIfoundduringthe48hoursofrain,absolutelyeverythingbutumbrellas.“Thegovernmentwasthegovernmentofthepoorpeople,”onesardartoldme.“Nowtheyshakehandswiththecapitalistsandtrytogetridofpoorpeople.”
ButothersinKolkatabelievethatrickshawswillsimplybeconfinedmorestrictlytocertainneighborhoods,outoftheviewofWorldBanktrafficconsultantsandCaliforniainvestmentdelegations—orthattheywillbeallowedtodieoutnaturallyasthey’resupplantedbymoremodernconveyances.BuddhadebBhattacharjee,afterall,isnotthefirsthighWestBengalofficialtosaythatrickshawswouldbeoffthestreetsofKolkatainamatterofmonths.Similarstatementshavebeenmadeasfarbackas1976.ThebandecreedbyBhattacharjeehasbeendelayedbyacourtcaseandbyawidelyheldbeliefthatsomeretrainingorsocialsecuritysettlementoughttobeofferedtorickshawdrivers.Itmayalsohavebeendelayedbyaquietreluctancetogiveupsomethingthathasbeenpartofthefabricofthecityformorethanacentury.Kolkata,aresidenttoldme,“hasdifficultylettinggo.”Onedayacityofficialhandedmeareportfromthemunicipalgovernmentlayingoutoptionsforhowrickshawpullersmightberehabilitated.
“Whichoptionhasbeenchosen”Iasked,notingthatthereportwasdatedalmostexactlyayearbeforemyvisit.
“Thathasn’tbeendecided,”hesaid.
“Whenwillitbedecided”
“Thathasn’tbeendecided,”hesaid.
11.Accordingtothepassage,rickshawsareusedinKolkatamainlyforthefollowingEXCEPT
A.takingforeigntouristsaroundthecity.
B.providingtransporttoschoolchildren.
C.carryingstoresuppliesandpurchases
D.carryingpeopleovershortdistances.
12.WhichofthefollowingstatementsbestdescribestherickshawpullersfromBihar
A.Theycomefromarelativelypoorarea.
B.Theyareprovidedwithdecentaccommodation.
C.TheirlivingstandardsareverylowinKolkata.
D.Theyareoftencaughtbypolicemeninthestreets.
13.That“Forsomeonewithoutlandoreducation,thatstillbeatstryingtomakealivinginBihar”(4paragraph)meansthatevenso,
A.thepoorprefertoworkandliveinBihar.
B.thepoorfromBiharfarebetterthanbackhome.
C.thepoornevertrytomakealivinginBihar.
D.thepoorneverseemtoresenttheirlifeinKolkata.
14.Wecaninferfromthepassagethatsomeeducatedandpoliticallyawarepeople
A.holdmixedfeelingstowardsrickshaws.
B.stronglysupportthebanonrickshaws.
C.callforhumanitarianactionsfrorickshawpullers.
D.keepquietontheissueofbanningrickshaws.
15.Whichofthefollowingstatementsconveystheauthor’ssenseofhumor
A.“…notthepoorbutpeoplewhoarejustanotchabovethepoor.”(2paragraph)
B.“…,.whichsoundslikeaprettygooddealuntilyou’vevisitedadera.”(4paragraph)
C.Kolkata,aresidenttoldme,“hasdifficultylettinggo.”(7paragraph).
D.“…or,asIfoundduringthe48hoursofrain,absolutelyeverythingbutumbrellas.”(6paragraph)
16.Thedialoguebetweentheauthorandthecityofficialattheendofthepassageseemstosuggest
A.theuncertaintyofthecourt’sdecision.
B.theinefficiencyofthemunicipalgovernment.
C.thedifficultyoffindingagoodsolution.
D.theslownessinprocessingoptions.
TEXTB
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