英语考试阅读理解。
Passage 1
In America, the movement of housing away from the high-rise buildings of the inner-cities originated in the 1920s, but was stalled by the Great Depression of the 1930s and by WW II. After the war a tremendous surge occurred in the real estate market with the advent of single-family homes on relatively small lots—typically less than one-tenth of an acre. During the 1950s, many large tract developments encroached on former farmlands near metropolitan areas. The most dramatic instances of this sprawling effect were witnessed in western municipalities such as San Jose and San Diego whose city charters defined their over several hundred square kilometers. These large parcels of land were over-run by standard three bedrooms, two bath "ranch-style" homes in a few short dcades.
By the 1960s construction had subsided significantly and developers began building different kinds of plans to try and accommodate the changes in the market. Those who had taken advantage of the suburbanization trend in the post-war years had seen the value of their real estate increase dramatically and many were anxious to reinvest their assets. In an effort to reap this affluence, certain contractors moved away from the standard models and began designing larger buildings on increasingly spacious pareels even farther from city centers. Other builders began working on homes to meet the needs of young couples starting new families. The townhouse, a two to three-story brick and frame structure containing more than 4 but less than 30 units per structure, was seen as the solution. These apartments were successful in luring many young adult city dwellers out to the suburbs.
In subsequent development, traditional single family ranchstyle designs continued to be embraced, but new forms were also introduced: the condominium (公寓套房)，single-family attached dwelling; the triplex and fourplex, three-and four-family structures; and prefabs, which have become significantly more popular during the last 20 years owing to their low cost and ease of construction. The prefabs have the additional distinction of being mobile. It is not uncommon to see semi-trailers hauling these modular living units along the freeways to remote destinations. In a very real sense, this phenomenon marks the cutting edge of suburbanization: a move out of the traditional suburbs and into areas that were formally considered wilderness.
1. The primary topic of the passage is
A. real-estate finance
B. suburban housing
C. construction techniques
D. population increase
2. According to the passage, suburban housing experienced its greatest increase in America in the .
A. 1940's
B. 1960's
C. 1950's
D. 1970's
3. It can be inferred that large population increases in San Diego and San Jose were due to .
A. increased employment in the area
B. excellent year-round weather
C. proximity to the coast
D. large municipal areas
4. How did suburban construction change in the 1960's?
A. It increased in the cities of San Diego and San Jose.
B. It slowed and developed a unified approach.
C. It slowed and developed more specific markets.
D. It relied more on prefab housing.
5. What does the author imply about future housing development?
A. It will continue to move away from the city centers.
B. It will slow down as the economy falters.
C. All housing will be mobilized.
D. The move towards suburbs has cut to the end.
Passage 2
The range in frequencies of musical sounds is approximately 20—20,000 cycles per second (Hz). Some people can hear higher frequencies than others. Longitudinal (纵向的)waves whose frequencies are higher than those within the hearable range are called ultrasonic frequencies. Ultrasonic frequencies are used in sonar for such purposes as submarine detection and depth finding. Ultrasonic frequencies are also being tried for sterilizing food since these frequencies kill some bacteria. Sound waves of all frequencies in the audible range travel at the same speed in the same medium. In the audible range, the higher the frequency, of the sound the higher is the pitch (音高). The term supersonic refers to speed greater than sound. An airplane traveling at supersonic speed is moving at a speed greater than the speed of sound in air at that temperature. Mach 1 means a speed equal to that of sound; Mach 2 means a speed equal to twice that of sound, etc.
Musical sounds have three basic characteristics: pitch, loudness, and quality or timbre (音色). As was indicated above, pitch is determined largely by the frequency of the wave reaching the ear. The higher the frequency the higher is the pitch. Loudness depends on the amplitude (振幅)of the wave reaching the ear. For a given frequency, the greater the amplitude of the wave the louder the sound. To discuss quality of sound we need to clarify the concept of overtones. Sounds are produced by vibrate at one definite frequency producing a pure tone. This is the way a tuning fork is usually used. When objects vibrate freely after a force is momentarily applied, they are said to produce their natural frequency. Some objects, like strings and air columns, can vibrate naturally at more than one frequency at a time. The lowest frequency which an object can produce when vibrating freely is known as the object's fundamental frequency; other frequencies that the object can produce are known as its overtones. The quality of a sound depends on the number and relative amplitude of the overtones present in the wave reaching the ear.
6. The main purpose of the passage is to .
A. show the impossibility of hearing sounds above 20,000Hz
B. define the nature and quality of musical sounds
C. analyze what gives a work of art its musical quality
D. explain the applications of ultrasonic frequencies
7. The style and content of this passage indicates that it is most likely an excerpt from .
A. a proposal by an innovative composer of modern music
B. an informal article written for a popular magazine
C. a scholarly monograph on aesthetics
D. a college textbook on music theory
