阅读理解 TEXT C Graduation speeches are a bit like wedding toasts. A few are memorable. The rest tend to trigger such thoughts as, "Why did I wear such uncomfortable shoes?" But graduation speeches are less about the message than the messenger. Every year a few colleges and universities in the US attract attention because they've managed to book high-profile speakers. And, every year, the media report some of these speakers' wise remarks. Last month, the following words of wisdom were spread: "You really haven't completed the circle of success unless you can help somebody else move forward." (Oprah Winfrey, Duke University). "There is no way to stop change; change will come. Go out and give us a future worthy of the world we all wish to create together." (Hillary Clinton, New York University). "'This really is your moment. History is yours to bend." (Joe Biden, Wake Forest University). Of course, the real "get" of the graduation season was first lady Michelle Obama's appearance at the University of California, Merced. "Remember that you are blessed," she told the class of 2009, "Remember that in exchange for those blessings, you must give something back... As advocate and activist Marian Wright Edelman says, 'Service is the rent we pay for living ... it is the true measure, the only measure of success'." Calls to service have a long, rich tradition in these speeches. However, it is possible for a graduation speech to go beyond cliche and say something truly compelling. The late writer David Foster Wallace's 2005 graduation speech at Kenyon College in Ohio talked about how to truly care about other people. It gained something of a cult after it was widely circulated on the Internet. Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs' address at Stanford University that year, in which he talked about death, is also considered one of the best in recent memory. But when you're sitting in the hot sun, fidgety and freaked out, do you really want to be lectured about the big stuff?. Isn't that like trying to maintain a smile at your wedding reception while some relative gives a toast that amounts to "marriage is hard work"? You know he's right; you just don't want to think about it at that particular moment. In fact, as is the case in many major life moments, you can't really manage to think beyond the blisters your new shoes are causing. That may seem anticlimactic. But it also gets to the heart of one of life's greatest, saddest truths: that our most "memorable" occasions may elicit the fewest memories. It's probably not something most graduation speakers would say, but it's one of the first lessons of growing up.
单选题 According to the passage, most graduation speeches tend to recall ____ memories.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 第1段。 [解析] 根据第1段2、3句中a few和the rest的对比,我们知道只有少数毕业典礼致辞是令人难忘的,剩下大多数只会引发类似“我当时干嘛穿那么不舒服的鞋?”这样的想法,可推断大多毕业典礼致辞都是些微不足道的记忆。B项trivial正确。 [点睛] 细节推断题。定位正确后,需略加推断“我当时干嘛穿那么不舒服的鞋?”代表的其实是无须挂齿的小事;A、C正好是相反的意思,D和文意不相干。
单选题 "But graduation speeches are less about the message than the messenger" is explained
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 第2段。 [解析] 一般来说,每一段的首句为中心句,其后的内容便是对其的解析。从紧跟在后的两句话可以看出它们正是用来进一步解释这句话的,因此答案是D。 [点睛] 段落定位题。这种类型考题不常见,因此考生需加注意。但本题难度不大,只要正确理解第2段,并快速浏览第1段、倒数第2段和末段就知道毕业典礼致辞内容和毕业典礼致辞人孰轻孰重的内容只有在第;2段够找到。
单选题 The graduation speeches mentioned in the passage are related to the following themes EXCEPT
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 第4、7、8段。 [解析] 本题考查毕业典礼致辞主题哪一个没有涉及到。D(慷慨大方)在文中无处可寻,因此是正确答案。 [点睛] 细节判断题。此题应用排除法。从第4、7和8段可分别读到B(成功)、C(服务)、A(死亡)这些主题,因此均可排除。
单选题 It is implied in the passage that at great moments people fail to
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的great moments可定位到第9段。 [解析] 文中的major life moments与题干中的great moments相对应,从该段最后两句话来看,一方面表明人们往往听不进那些大道理,另一方面表明人们往往最多记得一些小细节(这和第1段有所呼应),自然可以推断出人们在重大时刻往往记不住别人的话。 [点睛] 细节推断题。此题易误选D,但其实人们不是不能回忆具体细节,而是人们回忆不起重要人物的重要讲话细节,往往回忆起来的却是微不足道的具体细节。
单选题 What is "one of the first lessons of growing up"?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 最后一段。 [解析] 最后一段指出这一教训就是“最令我们‘难忘’的重大场合可能引发我们最少的记忆”,这和C中遗忘重大时刻的细节表达的是同一意思,因此C是正确答案。 [点睛] 细节推断题。此题本身不算难做,因为A(Attending)、B(Listening)、D(Meeting)都仅指参与活动事件本身,只有C(Forgetting)体现人们对重大事情细节(综合全文看,即指重要人物的重要讲话)的健忘,可称之为是人们必经的教训之一。注意不要因为本题的正确选择影响到对94题的正确判断。94题D中specific details和本题C中details of memorable events指代内容不同。