2020年军队职称英语《理工类A级》阅读理解模考三

来源： 2020-05-18 22:28中

　　An Observation and Explanation

　　It is worth looking at one or two aspects of the way a mother behaves towards her baby. The usual fondling, cuddling and cleaning requite little comment, but the position in which she holds the baby against her body when resting is rather revealing. Careful studies have shown the fact that 80 per cent of mothers hold their infants in their left arms, holding them against the left side of their bodies. If asked to explain the significance of this preference most people reply that it is obviously the result of the predominance of right-handedness in the population. By holding the babies in their left arms, the mothers keep their dominant arm free for manipulations. But a detailed analysis shows that this is not the case. True, there is a slight difference between right-handed and left-handed females; but not enough to provide an adequate explanation. It emerges that 83 per cent of right-handed mothers hold the baby on the left side, but so do 78 per cent of left-handed mothers. In other words, only 22 per cent of the left-handed mothers have their dominant hands free for actions. Clearly there must be some other, less obvious explanation.

　　The only other clue comes from the fact that the heart is on the left side of the mother's body. Could it be that the sound of her heart-beat is the vital factor? And in what way? Thinking along these lines it was argued that perhaps during its existence inside the body of the mother the unborn baby gets used to the sound of the heart beat. If this is so, then the re-discovery of this familiar sound after birth might have a calming effect on the infant, especially as it has just been born into a strange and frighteningly new world. If this is so then the mother would, somehow, soon arrive at the discovery that her baby is more at peace if held on the left against her heart, than on the right.

　　1. We can learn a lot by observing the position in which a mother holds her baby against her body

　　A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

　　2. Most left-handed women feel comfortable by holding their baby in their left arm and keep the right arm free

　　A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

　　3. The number of right-handed mothers who hold the baby on the left side exceeds that of left-handed ones by 22%

　　A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

　　4. The fact that most left-handed mothers hold the baby on their left side renders the first explanation unsustainable

　　A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

　　5. The fact that the heart is on the left side of the mother's body provides the most convincing explanation of all

　　A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

　　6. A baby held in the right arm of its mother can be easily frightened

　　A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

　　7. The writer's explanation of the phenomenon is supported by the fact that babies tend to be more peaceful if held in their mothers' left arms than in the right arms

　　A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

　　参考答案: ACBABCA

　　The Education of Benjamin Franklin

　　History has given Benjamin Franklin a place of enduring fame. He was a writer, an inventor, a scientist, and a statesman. His life history has enjoyed popular success for more than 200 years.

　　Franklin's education at school stopped when he was ten years old. But he never stopped learning. For him, books held the key to living happily and successfully. They were precious gifts.

　　In his early youth, he had a friend who worked for a bookseller. Sometimes his friend would lend him books, which he was careful to return quickly. Often he sat up in his room reading most of the night in order to return a book before his friend's employer noticed its absence.

　　But Franklin was not a lonely scholar. For him, learning was a social experience. In his Autobiography, he tells about organizing a club called the "Junto", which met every Friday night to improve its members' minds:

　　"The rules I made required every member, in turn, to produce one or more questions on any point of Morals, Politics, or Natural Philosophy. The question would then be discussed by the whole group. Also, once in three months, each member was required to read an article he had written on any subject he pleased.

　　"Our discussions were directed by a president and conducted as an honest search for truth. We were to avoid unpleasant arguments or a desire for victory. Any member who did not obey these rules had to pay a fine."

　　The Junto which Franklin organized continued for many years. It was the best group for the discussion then. The questions were given to the members during the week before they were to be discussed. This encouraged the members to read carefully about each subject so that they might speak with more understanding.

　　When the Junto was organized, before the middle of the 18th century, there were no public libraries. There was not even a good bookstore south of Boston. Franklin decided to improve this situation.

　　Each member of the Junto owned a few books. A room had been rented in which the members held the meetings. Franklin suggested that all the members should bring their books to the room. In this way the book would be a help to all during the weekly discussion. Also, each member would be allowed to take and read at home any book be chose.

　　Throughout his life, Benjamin Franklin continued his education, learning from human contacts as well as from books.

　　1. Benjamin Franklin stopped his education because his father could not afford the tuition.